RESCUING THE LOST

"For the Son of man is come to save that which

was lost.

How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, 

and one of them be gone astray, 

doth he not leave the ninety and nine, 

and goeth into the mountains, 

and seeketh that which is gone astray?

And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, 

he rejoiceth more of that sheep, 

than of the ninety and nine

which went not astray.

Even so it is not the will of your Father

which is in heaven, 

that one of these little ones should perish."

Matt 18:11-14

Indeed it is not the will of the father that not one of us should perish. A will that sacrificed one of us for the good of all of us. Such is the love of a Father who desires to give us His all, who desires to give us eternal life. And so Jesus came to protect us, love us and claim us as His own. A shepherd who loves the one and will go and seek the one until that one is no longer lost. It matters not to Him how the sheep became lost or why, all that matters to Him is the rescue. How glorious and wise to relay His love for His sheep in such a poignant way. By leaving the ninety and nine he is not saying to them that they are not as important as the one that was lost, but to impress upon them that in Him is found true safety and protective care. In other words, by leaving the ninety and nine the Saviour was saying to them: 'If you get lost, I will come find you for this is what I do, I am come to save that which was lost."    

Since the beginning of man, the Lord has relied on His 'under shepherds' to do His work. Such under shepherds are found in prophets, Church leaders and anyone who possesses the truth. We are commanded to seek out and rescue the lost sheep but more often than not, we allow feelings of inadequacy to hold us back. We tell ourselves that we are not important enough or skilled enough for people to listen to us and believe our words when in fact we as the under shepherds and are endowed with power to do this sacred work. When Moses was called to his holy calling, in trepidation he replied that he was 'slow of speech'. The Lord replied, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Exodus 4:10-12). In other words, 'do not suppose that this is your work, but mine, and you will say what I want you to say and I will empower you to say it'. 

When doing God's work, the power of the word is in God. It is never in us. When we speak with the tongue of angels, it is not by our brilliant skills but by the power of the Holy Ghost which not only empowers the bearer of the word but gives understanding to the hearer also. Such was the case for Enoch who was made mighty despite his claim that he also was of 'slow speech'. The Lord's reply was the same to him as it was to Moses: "Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance..." (Moses 6:32). So Enoch did and so great grew his power that when he spoke the word of the Lord, the earth trembled, and the mountains fled and the rivers of water were turned out of their course and all nations feared greatly 'so great was the power of the language which God had given him" (Moses 7:13) Not all went well for Enoch in the beginning though as he started his ministry. Even though he proclaimed the gospel with a 'loud' voice 'all men were offended because of him' (Moses 6:37). This is when most of us would give up. Fear of rejection and offence is a strong emotion so our rescuing efforts never get off the ground or become aborted when the going gets tough. Enoch, however, did not give up and he was rewarded, he was rewarded with rescuing a whole city, a city which became so righteous that the Lord took it unto Himself. 

The Lord never gives a commandment without attaching a blessing to it. Such is the case with the mission of rescue. The blessings attached to this work should negate all the fears we might have of rejection and offence and inadequacy. Proclaiming the gospel comes with a two-fold blessing. The Lord says clearly that if we get rejected, we will 'dwell with Him in His glory' and if we don't get rejected and those we are preaching to accept the testimony which is given to them, we shall have 'joy in the fruit of our labours' (D&C 6:29-31). In short, we cannot lose. Either way, rescuing will yield rewards.

And what of those who need to be rescued? How long and how hard should we expend our efforts, our time and our energy in offering them salavation? For as long as it takes. We should never give up on those who are receptive, even in the smallest way and proclaim them a 'hopeless cause'. Consider this example: "Like many of you, I have shared the gospel with some who are soon baptized or activated, and others - such as my nonmember friend Tim and his less-active wife, Charlene - take much more. For over 25 years I engaged Tim in gospel conversations and took Tim and Charlene to temple open houses. Others joined the rescue; however, Tim declined each invitation made to meet with the missionaries. One weekend I was assigned to preside at a stake conference. I had asked the stake president to fast and pray about whom we should visit. I was shocked when he handed me the name of my friend Tim. When Tim's bishop, the stake president, and I knocked on the door, Tim opened it, looked at me, looked at the bishop, and then said, 'Bishop, I thought you told me you were going to bring somebody special!' Then Tim laughed and said, 'Come on in, Merv.' A miracle occured that day. Tim has now been baptised, and he and Charlene have been sealed in the temple. We must never give up" (Elder Mervyn B. Arnold, To The Rescue: We Can Do It, Ensign May 2016, p 54). 

There was a time in my life when I was lost. I was attending Church every Sunday and living the gospel but in my heart I was harbouring resentment, feelings of betrayal and acute aloneness. I was freshly divorced and felt terribly betrayed by God. I had done all the right things from the time of my baptism and yet there I was with my heart in shreds and my life a shambles. Sometimes we see people at Church regularly and we do not know that they are lost in corridors, in Sunday School lessons, in fake smiles. But the Lord knows. He knows and He will reach out and send his under shepherds to find them and cradle them in the arms of His love. Such was the case for me. Following my divorce I moved and changed wards. I came into a freshly created ward where the Relief Society President was someone who was prepared by the Lord to be in that calling to rescue me. Through intricate, spiritually engineered sequence of events this sister was placed in my new ward and she became my source of security when I had none. She cried with me and she loved me and she cared for me. And she was not the only one. The Lord provided two other people who held me up, my Bishop and another sister who became my mentor and confidant for many years but my true under shepherd when I was hanging by a thread was my Relief Society President. To her I owe much more than I can repay for she provided comfort and grounding to me when I could not stand alone. She was sent at a particular time for a particular season in my life. I owe a debt of gratitude to her for her willingness to find the one that was lost.

"Our Saviour, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us.

He knows and loves YOU.

He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are.

He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings.

Your fears. Your tears.

It matters not how you became lost - 

whether because of your own poor choices or because of

circumstances beyond your control.

What matters is that you are His child.

And He loves you.

Because He loves, He will find you.

He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he brings you home, He will say to one and all,

'Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost'"

- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"He Will Place You On His Shoulders

and Carry You Home"

Ensign May 2016

YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD PART 2

"Wherefore, be faithful.....succor the weak,
lift up the hands which hang down, 
and strengthen the feeble knees."

D&C 81:5

"On one occasion, as a missionary in Tonga, I received word that a missionary was very ill on a somewhat distant island. The weather was threatening, but feeling responsible, and after prayer, we left to investigate the situation. Extra heavy seas slowed our progress, and it was late afternoon before we arrived. The missionary was indeed very ill. Fervent prayer was followed by administration, during which the impression came very strongly to get him back to the hospital on the main island, and to do it now! The weather had deteriorated, but the impression was strong - 'Get back now' - and one learns to obey the all-important promptings of the Spirit. There was much concern expressed about the darkness, the storm, and the formidable reef with its extremely narrow opening to the harbor. Some found reasons to stay behind; but soon eight persons had boarded the boat.

No sooner had we made our commitment to the open seas than the intensity of the storm seemed to increase seven-fold. As the sun sank, so did my spirit seem to sink into the darkness of doubt and apprehension. I found my spirit communing with the spirit of the father of an afflicted child in the New Testament, as he exclaimed, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief'. (Mark 9:24) As we rolled and tossed closer and closer to the reef, all eyes searched for the light that marked the opening - the only entry to our home. Where was it? Then I heard the chilling sound of the waves crashing and chewing against the reef! It was close - too close. Where was that light? Unless we hit the opening exactly, we would be smashed against the reef. It seemed that all the elements were bent on our total destruction. Our eyes strained against the blackness, but we could not see the light.

At the heights of this panic, I looked at the captain - and there I saw the face of calmness - the ageless face of wisdom and experience - as his eyes penetrated the darkness ahead. Quietly his weather-roughened lips parted, and without moving his fixed gaze and just perceptibly shifting the wheel, he breathed those life-giving words, "Ko e Maama e" (There is the light). I could not see the light, but the captain could see it. And I knew he could see it. Those eyes, long experienced in ocean travel, were not fooled by the madness of the storm or were they influenced by the pleadings of those of lesser experience to turn to the left or to the right. Soon we were in the protected harbor. We were home. Then and only then did WE see through the darkness that one small light - exactly where the captain had said it was. Had we waited until we ourselves could see the light we would have been smashed to pieces. But trusting in those experienced eyes, we lived.

And so the great lesson: There are those who, through years of experience and training, and by virtue of special divine callings, can see farther and better and more clearly - and can and will save us in those situations where serious injury or death - both spiritual and physical - would be upon us before we ourselves could see."  (Elder John H. Groberg, There Is The Light, Ensign Nov 1976)

It's a wonderful thing to bring yourself back into the presence of God but it is a powerful thing to bring with you another; one who was sick or lost or unbelieving; someone on whom your life had an impact, someone who needed your leadership and guidance. It is true that we are here to work out our own salvation but the mandate issued by the Saviour that we love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34) suggests that this is not our only responsibility. What exactly did the Saviour mean by this admonition? If the gesture of love was merely a poetic notion He would have just said, "Love one another". When the Saviour added 'as I have loved you' He meant that our love should be the source of salvation to one another as His was and is to us. The Saviour's love was undoubtedly the motivating force behind His infinite sacrifice, the sacrifice that culminated in salvation for all mankind.

Just as in this life, in our pre-mortal state we were all at differing stages of emotional and spiritual growth. Bruce R. McConkie taught that due to man's free agency in pre-existence 'the spirits of men were not equal. They may have had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful, for they were free to act for themselves, to think for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it." (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:58-69, Book of Mormon Student Manual, p 192). This hypothesis suggests that some of us came here more spiritually developed than others, meaning our spirits are endowed with individual and unique gifts, talents and strengths. It also means that some of us are more susceptible to truth. What this doesn't mean is that those more developed are more worthy when we measure the worth of a soul. It simply means that those of us who are stronger have the responsibility to bring back with us those that are weaker; those who are sick and feeble and oppressed; and those who have perhaps had such spiritually and emotionally debilitating experiences in life that they have been rendered incapable to survive mortality alone. This goes beyond an occasional charitable casserole dropped of at the door. It goes as far as being actively invested in saving someone who needs to be saved. Our uniqueness ensures that we, like the captain in the above-mentioned story, have the power to get another through the storm, the storm that induces fear, alienation, loss of vision, despondency and despair. We each have something that someone else needs and when we stand on higher ground, we have the responsibility to lift another to stand alongside us.

When Ammon recounted the success of their missionary labours to his brothers he gave all credit to the Saviour claiming that He has saved their brethren the Lamanites from everlasting darkness and destruction and brought them into His everlasting light and salvation and now that they were saved they were encircled about with 'the matchless bounty of His love' (Alma 26:15). This matchless bounty of love was brought to godless Lamanites through the selfless efforts, anguish and afflictions of four brothers who could not bear the thought that one soul should be lost (Mosiah 28:3). And neither could the Saviour for He has loved us with a love unsurpassing; a love unfeigned; a love that is endless; a love that has suffered for all.

THE ROCKCLIMBER

"Brenda was a young woman that wanted to learn to rock climb. Although she was terribly afraid, she went with a group and they faced this tremendous cliff of rock that was practically perpendicular. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear and took hold of the rope and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, whoever was holding the rope up at the top of the cliff made a mistake and snapped the rope against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens. You know how tiny contact lenses are and how almost impossible to find. Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with who knows how many hundreds of feet behind and hundreds of feet above her.

Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping that she would be able to find that contact lens. Here she was, very far from home. Her sight was now blurry. She was very upset by the fact that she wouldn't be anywhere near a place where she could get a new contact lens. And she prayed that the Lord would help her to find it. Well, her last hope was that perhaps when she got to the top of the cliff, one of the girls that was up there on the top might be able to find her contact lens in the corner of her eye. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye. There was no contact lens to be found. She sat down with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to come up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth". She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every single stone and leaf that's on those mountains and You know exactly where my contact lens is".

Finally the time came when it was time to go down. They walked down the trail to the bottom. Just as they got there, there was a new party of rock climbers coming along. As one of them started up the face of the cliff, she shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, wouldn't it? She had found the contact lens! But you know why she saw it? An ant was carrying that contact lens so that it was moving slowly across the face of the rock. What does that tell you about the God of the universe? Is he in charge of the tiniest things? Do ants matter to Him? Of course they do. He made them. He designed them. Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him this incredible story, he drew a picture of that ant lugging that contact lens with the words: "Lord, I don't know why you want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what you want me to do, I'll carry it for you". If God is in charge of the ants, don't you think He cares about you and me? One could learn a valuable lesson from that ant: TRUST IN GOD! We could probably all say a little more often, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. Still, if you want me to, I'll carry it for you".

-  Author unknown


What can we learn from this story? Several things as a matter of fact:

1. God answers prayer.
2. He uses others to meet our needs.
3. No request of Him is too small or too great.
4. Good sees and knows all things. What is important to us is likewise important to Him: "And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand" (D&C 29:25)
5. When we feel inspired to do something we should do it, even if we don't understand why for God is working through us to bring about His purposes. Like Nephi of old who was commanded to abridge two sets of plates because 116 pages of the Book of Mormon translation would one day be lost, we should say: "....the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men.......for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey" (1 Nephi 9:6, 2 Nephi 33:15)
6. We should trust in God to bail us out of situations we have no power to resolve. He stands ready to help in all things. Like any father, He is devastated when we do not turn to Him in times of need. 
7. While we are climbing our mountains, we should remember that without God we can do nothing and that with Him, we can do everything.
8. All things and all creations on this earth God has created have a purpose. Remember that next time you are about to step on an ant. Be careful how you treat others for God might need to use them one day for your saving grace.
9. When your vision is blurry and you cannot see, God will provide the perspective and the lens you need to see your path clearly: "Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward...I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts....(D&C 49:27, 84:88). When we walk in darkness, we are not alone, God is on our left, and on our right, and before us and behind us. We are not alone.
10. God is a god of love. He cares for all his creations and we, His sons and His daughters, matter to Him the most. We are at the forefront of all His doings and all His concerns. When God showed Moses all the worlds He had created, Moses was astonished and exclaimed that man is nothing in comparison but God replied, 'No, you are wrong Moses, 'man is the underlying and over-riding purpose of all my work. Man's success constitutes my glory. Man is everything' (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson 1, "This is My Work and My Glory") 

IN THE ARMS OF THE SHEPHERD

"Some years ago, it was my privilege to visit the country of Morocco as part of an official United States government delegation. As part of that visit, we were invited to travel some distance into the desert to visit some ruins. Five large black limousines moved across the beautiful Moroccan countryside at considerable speed. I was riding in the third limousine, which had lagged some distance behind the second. As we topped the brow of a hill, we noticed that the limousine in front of us had pulled off to the side of the road. As we drew nearer, I sensed that an accident had occurred and suggested to my driver that we stop. The scene before us has remained with me for these many years. 

An old shepherd, in the long, flowing robes of the Saviour's day, was standing near the limousine in conversation with the driver. Nearly, I noted a small flock of sheep numbering not more than fifteen or twenty. An accident had occurred. The king's vehicle had struck and injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd. The driver of the vehicle was explaining to him the law of the land. Because the king's vehicle had injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd, he was now entitled to one hundred times its value at maturity. However, under the same law, the injured sheep must be slain and the meat divided among the people. My interpreter hastily added, "But the old shepherd will not accept the money. They never do". Startled, I asked him why. And he added, "Because of the love he has for each of his sheep". It was then that I noticed the old shepherd reach down, lift the injured lamb in his arms, and place it in a large pouch on the front of his robe. He kept stroking its head, repeating the same word over and over again. When I asked the meaning of the word, I was informed, "Oh, he is calling it by name. All of his sheep have a name, for he is their shepherd, and the good shepherds know each one of their sheep by name."  

It was as my driver predicted. The money was refused, and the old shepherd with his small flock of sheep, with the injured one tucked safely in the pouch on his robe, disappeared into the beautiful deserts of Morocco. As we continued our journey toward the ruins, my interpreter shared with me more of the traditions and practices of the shepherds of that land. Each evening at sundown, for example, the shepherds bring their small flocks of sheep to a common enclosure where they are secured against the wolves that roam the deserts of Morocco. A single shepherd then is employed to guard the gate until morning. Then the shepherds come to the enclosure one by one, enter therein, and call forth their sheep - by name. The sheep will not hearken unto the voice of a stranger but will leave the enclosure only in the care of their true shepherd, confident and secure because the shepherd knows their names and they know his voice." (John R. Lasater, "Shepherds of Israel", Ensign, May 1988, p 74)


"....I know my sheep, and they are numbered" (3 Nephi 18:31)

As Judah was carried away into Babylonian captivity, the prophet Ezekiel was taken with them. As Jeremiah administered to the court at Jerusalem prior to the dispersion, Ezekiel was called to administer to the exiles. He was instructed by the Lord to lay the blame for Judah's dispersion at the door of its' leaders - the royal government, the priesthood and the teachers. These were shepherds entrusted with the sheep of the fold lacking any characteristics of a good shepherd (Ezekiel 34:2). Their energies were spent on enriching themselves and indulging their appetites, caring little for the sheep in their care. They were the total opposite of what the Saviour is like as a shepherd who guards His flock with tenderness and care. The Saviour lamented over dispersed house of Israel making obvious his love for those He calls His own: "The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them" (Ezekiel 34:4-6).

The Saviour reiterates throughout the scriptures that He is the good shepherd and we are His sheep. Most people in our modern society have never seen a shepherd so the metaphor of this relationship is somewhat lost. Jesus, however, knew about shepherds and the care and love and protection which they bestow on their sheep. I am sure as He encountered shepherds on the plains of Judea during his mortal life this metaphor was born in the caverns of His heart. He saw Himself as the shepherd who would heal the sick, bind those who are broken, gather those who are driven away and find those which are lost. His love would know no bounds, his mercy no restraint, his compassion no denial. He would be the protector of the vulnerable and the weak, he would be the master shepherd who would never forsake His sheep. From the depth of this commitment came the unfathomable sacrifice for His beloved sheep: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:11)

"Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out....and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered." (Ezekiel 34:11-12)

The greatest witness of the Saviour's commitment to shepherd his sheep is taking place today through the gathering of scattered Israel. The value that is placed on each soul is evident in the great work performed daily through the under-shepherds who are His true disciples, the members of His Church who are willing to seek out that which is lost. We have been commissioned to emulate the Master Shepherd in His great work 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39). We are to be as committed and as tenacious and as caring as the Saviour as we undertake this important work for not one soul can be overlooked or lost: "The personal nature of the Lord's ministry as the Master Shepherd should be the pattern for all who shepherd the flocks of Israel. The depths of His love, His willingness to give freely of Himself, His undeviating loyalty and devotion to the cause shared so completely with His Father, and His constant attention to the needs of the one stand as hallmarks of the true shepherd's calling" (John R. Lasatar, 'Shepherds of Israel, Ensign, May 1988).

We need not be concerned about the rate of our success as the Lord's under-shepherds for He has promised that His sheep will hear His voice. From all corners of the earth, from every mountain and steep hill, from every rock and wherever they are scattered they will hear His call and they will follow.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)

THE DAY OF THE HUNTER

The prophet Jeremiah preached to the Kingdom of Judah for 40 years attempting to avert the impending captivity that eventually left Judah's land desolate. So seeped in sin and idolatry, Judah, like Ephraim and the 10 tribes, lost sight of the God they once promised to worship and serve. It would seem they needed the experience of captivity to discover them that this is indeed the god they wanted and not the dumb idols of heathen nations that they came to bow down to. The 10 tribes came to their senses quickly and were led by the hand of Jehovah into obscurity until such time that He would bring them back. Judah on the other hand became a very zealous nation for its God whilst in captivity to Babylon. They realised as their homes were left desolate that the prophets were right all along and that they needed to abandon image worship and return to the one true and living God. So zealous were they in their devotion to Jehovah's law that they became slaves to the numerous rules of conduct that went beyond the law itself. Out of this zeal different religious factions were born such as Pharisses and Sadducees which ensured strict observance to the overwhelming number of laws and rules that were invented. Up until the Babylonian captivity, scriptures were only read on special occasions and on the sabbath. Once Judah was taken into captivity this changed and scriptures began to be taught to the general public on regular basis by another factious group called scribes. Over time the Jews in Babylon began to adopt the language and culture of the Chaldeans forgetting the Hebrew language. This necessitated the assistance of scribes who read and interpreted the scriptures to them. "Through the years, each religious group - scribes, Pharisses, Sadducees and others referred to the written word, quoted it, enlarged upon it, interpreted it, and in other ways continued to add to what their fathers had established. The commentaries, explanations, interpretations, and inferences became known as oral tradition. In time, these traditions, written and oral, took on so much importance that they often overshadowed the law and became a stumbling block for the Jews" (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings - Malachi, p. 262). This is the condition in which the Saviour found them when He made His appearance as the awaited and promised Messiah.

"....A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not." (Jeremiah 31:15)

Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, the mother of Israel, is here depicted lamenting over the loss of her children which she longed for and which were given an inheritance in the household of God; once a chosen people, now lost in captivity (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 255). And they would be lost forever if not for one thing: the everlasting love of a God who never forsakes and abandons and never breaks the covenants which He has made; a god of mercy, a god of love, a god who fulfills his promises. As the Jews entered exile, the Saviour made a promise that He would bring them home to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity (Jeremiah 29:10). True to His word, 70 years later to the day, King Cyrus of Persia, raised by the Lord for this purpose, ended the Babylonian rule and released Jews from their captivity giving them a charge to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. And herein lies another testament of Jesus' endless love - after the time of Christ Judah endured another exile that would last for centuries but once again the Saviour of all mankind does everything in His power to reclaim that which is lost.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel, and with the house of Judah....this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel...I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God and they shall be my people.....for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Preceding the Saviour's second coming, a latter-day gathering of the scattered Israel will take place in three phases: the gathering of Israel to the land of Zion, the American hemisphere; the return of the Ten Tribes from the countries of the north; and the reestablishment of the Jews in Palestine as God's chosen people (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 254). The Lord will accomplish this work through the restoration of His Church. Israel will be gathered and return to the land of their fathers 'with weeping' (Jeremiah 31:9) 'because they will realise that the sufferings they have endured throughout the centuries came about because they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall lead them in the last days' (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 255). The Saviour, with everlasting love and willingness to always forgive will lead them as they come out of obscurity to once again possess their blessings: "I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9)

 "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks." (Jeremiah 16:14-16)

In Jeremiah's day, most fishing was done with nets and so was in Peter's but Peter was no ordinary fisherman, he was called to be a fisher of men. Peter fished with his nets and brought in 3,000 converts on the day of Pentecost. In like manner the early converts of the Church used nets to fish and bring in multitudes of converts: Wilford Woodruff converted more than 2,000 people in eastern states of America and British Isles; The Twelve under the direction of Brigham Young converted over 6,000 people in Britain between 1839 and 1841 and Parley P. Pratt who repeatedly baptised in excess of 100 people wherever he stopped to preach. But after the fishers, the Lord promised that He would send many hunters. Hunting, unlike fishing with nets, is more precise work. It is not usual practice to hunt a heard but individual animals, 'from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks' (Jeremiah 16:14-16).... Is not the day of the hunter here as we seek for the honest in heart who want to become the pure in heart? Are not our missionaries searching with precision individuals who desire to know the Lord? Are we not labouring endlessly seeking out our ancestors and those who have gone before us to bless them with saving ordinances necessary for salvation? We are hunting in His name by day and by night so that not one is overlooked who seeks to know Him and come unto Him for He will go to any length and any depth and any measure to find that which is lost.