THE GATHERING

 

Redeemer of Israel by LDS Bookstore

God intends to consummate the great latter-day work in five steps: 1. The literal gathering of Israel; 2. The restoration of the Ten Lost Tribes; 3. The building of Zion (the New Jerusalem) upon the American continent; 4. Christ’s personal reign upon the earth known as the Millenium; and 5. The renewal of the earth in its paradisical glory. (see Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, p 1-2)

We are currently engaged in the first step. The gathering began in 1836 when Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, appeared in the Kirtland Temple to give Joseph Smith “the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth” (D&C 110:11).

What exactly is ‘the gathering’. It is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the earth for one reason: there is none else beside Him through whom salvation can come. There is none else in heaven above, or earth beneath or waters beneath the earth, nothing, nobody, nowhere, beside Him there is no saviour, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ whereby man can be saved (Isaiah 43:10-11; 45,5,6,14,18,22; 46:9; Deut 4:35,39; 5:8; 1 kings 8:60, 2 Nephi 2:8; 25:20; 31:21; Moses 6:52; D&C 76:1)

To be gathered means to come into the fold of Christ and be baptized in His name. It means that all who will receive their salvation have to belong to the House of Israel, through Him who is the God of Israel. The tribes of Israel are being gathered from every nation where the Lord’s servants, under the direction of the Prophet of the Church, are able to go. This gathering is happening in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy:

“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….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….Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.”  (Jeremiah 31:7,8,10-12)

As complete as was the scattering , so shall be the gathering of ‘treacherous Judah’  and  ‘backsliding Israel’ (Jeremiah 3:11): “Though smitten of men, a large part of them gone from a knowledge of the world, Israel are not lost unto their God. He knows whither they have been led or driven; toward them His heart still yearns with paternal love…” (James Talmage, Articles of Faith, p 328-9)

I know something of paternal love of Christ. After I was baptized into the Church at the tender age of 18, I had a very significant dream. In the dream, I was in a high rise building with my parents who opposed my baptism. As we conversed, there arose some commotion on the street below us. We hurried down to see the cause and as we reached our destination a white matter akin to snow fell on top of us. We had to burrow our way to the top. My parents never made it but I did. As I emerged I surveyed the street and saw it covered everywhere with exquisite whiteness. When I turned to my right I saw the Saviour coming towards me with His outstretched arms saying: “Where are my children?” I knew from that moment that my baptism was my re-birth and that through it, I belonged to Him.

When we are baptized we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and become His spiritually begotten children (Mosiah 5:7-12). The baptismal covenant instituted by Jesus himself during his ministry fulfilled the law of Moses and opened the way of spiritual re-birth and salvation for all by joining the House of Israel through baptism.  

When the scattering of the Ten Tribes happened, some members of these tribes were scattered throughout what we now know to be Europe. My patriarchal blessing tells me I am a true Israelite by birth being of ‘the seed of Abraham’. This is one of my most prized blessings of this life. It makes me grateful for my Croatian roots because I am one of the sheep of the House of Israel and I have come home to the Shepherd….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A LIGHT IN THE WILDERNESS

 

This was Abraham wherever he went. He was 62 when he arrived into the land of Canaan that the Lord promised him as an inheritance, but also ‘to make of him a minister to bear His name in a strange land’ (Abraham 2:6;14). And bear His name he did for the famine in Canaan necessitated Abraham and all who came with him to end up in Egypt on a prolonged mission, possibly as long as 13 years.  

The land of Canaan was overrun by the idol worshipping descendants of Cain. Going to Egypt would have been like going from a frying pain into a fire. It was by the hand of an Egyptian priest that Abraham nearly lost his life in the land of Ur. Egypt was the hotbed of human sacrifice to false gods.

The famine of Canaan proved to be a blessing in disguise because at the end Abraham returned to Canaan richer than he was before he left on account of Sarah whom the Pharoah desired to take for his wife. Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt reads like Arabian nights. It’s a fascinating story.

What is of most importance of this part of Abraham’s life is the light that he was in this evil infested land where idolatry was blinding the children of men and the truth was obscured from their understanding.

Before Abraham left for Egypt, he had an encounter with the Lord who told him: “Abraham, I show these things unto thee before ye go into Egypt, that ye may declare all these words” (Abraham 3:15). Thus proceeded a revelation which enriched Abraham’s personal knowledge of the field of science: astronomy, the plan of salvation and organization of the world for human habitation.

“The great truths shown to Abraham were not for him alone. He was to declare “all these words” to the Egyptians. The Lord knew that some of the learning of the Egyptians would be passed on to the Greeks and that the Greeks in turn would teach the Romans. He also knew that through Rome this knowledge would spread to other parts of the world as a blessing to humanity. During these transitions many precious truths were lost but some of them survived and became the foundation for modern science.”  (W. Cleon Skousen, The First 2,000 Years, p 285)

“In the Egyptian Alphabet compiled by Joseph Smith at the time he translated the Book of Abraham, we are given the added information that Abraham was called as a missionary of Christ to go into Egypt and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Egyptians.” (Clark, James R., “Before Ye Go Into Egypt”, Vol 2, p 2)

I think of the recent mandate of the leaders to the membership of the Church to flood the earth with the gospel. We need to be well informed of the doctrine, convinced of its efficacy, bold and unafraid of the opposition. The light needs to shine from us as bright as the sun.  

I stand in awe of Abraham and his fortitude in spreading the light in a darkened world. He is the prototype of Christ who came to enlighten our understanding of the truth. Without His light we would be lost in this world of darkness which seeks to engulf us in its misery and woe. He is the light that shines, the light we must follow. He is the light of the world, the only light…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: A Light in the Wilderness by Rose Datoc Dall)

A YOUNG LAD CALLED ENOCH

 

Enoch is the greatest example of what God can make of us. He should be known more for his process of becoming than for the fact that he and his city were translated, as important as that is.

Enoch was only 25 years old when he was ordained by Adam to the Priesthood, long before his father and grandfather (D&C 107:48). He grew up in the land of Cainan among the people of righteousness and was taught ‘in all the ways of God’ by his father (Moses 6:41).

Not only was he relatively young compared to his predecessors who were well into 3 digits when called to the ministry, he had a serious problem. He pointed out to the Lord that he was very unqualified. He was young, he had a speech impediment and people hated him (Moses 6:31). It was also a perilous time, a time when Satan had great dominion among the people, when wars and bloodshed raged and ‘a man’s hand was against his own brother, in administering death, because of secret works, seeking for power’ (v 15).

 

But God needed something that Enoch had going for him to preach repentance to a failing society. He was righteous and He trusted God. The Lord acknowledged his lack of confidence and gave him some iron clad promises that would ensure his success, namely, that no man will afflict him, that He will give him utterance and will justify all his words and that He will make him so powerful that mountains will flee before him and the rivers will turn from their course (Moses 6:32-34). And then this: “Therefore walk with me” (v 34). Have courage, have no fear, have only trust in me.

 

Enoch did walk with God  (v 39) and because of it he became a brilliant young prophet whose words pierced the hearts of the crowds who came to hear him: “The mobs surrounded the hills and high places from which he spoke and the scripture says “all men were offended because of him” (Moses 6:37)….and his reputation spread like the east wind before him. The people anticipated his arrival in each new locality and messengers brought words that he drew near…(v 38)” (W. Cleon Skousen, “The First Two Thousand Years” p 160)

 

And because he walked with God “no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him” and “the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence." (Moses 6:39,47).

Unfortunately, not only the converted feared but the proud and the wicked multitudes who had assembled to hear him became highly offended by his preaching and eventually came pouring over the hills and plains to slaughter the people of God. And this is when came the display of incredible power of God through a young prophet called Enoch:

 

"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them, and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command, and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him". (Moses 7:13)

 

It was an incredible life of an incredible patriarch. He who allowed God to make something great of him to participate in God’s greatest work and His glory, that of ‘bringing to pass immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: My Father's Work by Chris Brazelton)