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Jesus talks about a new Jerusalem that will be built for the gathering of the house of Israel.
Lectures on Faith 5
D&C 101:17-22
D&C 103:22
Deuteronomy 18:15-18
Abraham 2:8
D&C 38:22
- Series: Main
Some of the most important chapters for us alive today. A few things that came to mind.
Firstly, the question of who is the house of Israel. Watcher had a series on this and it appears in his book as well. I think he’s right but not fully. The leadership of the corporate church definitely has the spirit of the gentiles in oppressing the people. There’s also an interesting address Joseph gave to the Nauvoo legion five days before he was murdered. He says in it, “you will be called the first Elders of the church, and your mission will be to the nations of the earth— you will gather many people unto the fastness of the Rocky Mountains, as a center of the gathering of the people; and you will be faithful because of what you have been through: And many of those that come in under your ministry, because of their much learning, will seek for high positions, and they will be set up and raise themselves in eminence above you, but you will walk in low places unnoticed— and you will know of all that transpires in their midst, and those that are your friends will be my friends this I will promise to you that when I come again to lead you forth for I will to prepare a place for you, so that where I am you shall be with me.” So, true Israel will recognize Joseph when he comes again to lead them, and they will be in low positions persecuted by the leadership that has usurped the rightful place of the first elders.
The 1844 D&C says this: therefore, I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of Israel, for ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham; and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched out arm: and as your fathers were led at the first, even so shall the redemption of Zion be. Therefore, let not your hearts faint, for I say not unto you as I said unto your fathers, mine angel shall go up before you, but not my presence; but I say unto you, mine angels shall go before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land.
4 Verily, verily I say unto you, that my servant Baurak Ale is the man to whom I likened the servant to whom the Lord of the vineyark [vineyard] spoke in the parable which I have given unto you.
5 Therefore, let my servant Baurak Ale say unto the strength of my house, my young men and the middle aged, Gather yourselves together unto the land of Zion, upon the land whith [which] I have bought with moneys that have been consecrated unto me; and let all the churches send up wise men, with their moneys, and purchase lands even as I have commanded them; and inasmuch as mine enemies come against you to drive you from my goodly land, which I have consecrated to be the land of Zion
This is the first time this section was published and it was published a month or two after Joseph Smith was murdered. Notice also that Joseph’s name isn’t actually used. Baurak Ale seems to be transcribed Hebrew meaning “blessed of God”. I think this is also showing us that Joseph won’t be known as Joseph when he reveals himself. Just like John was Elijah but didn’t go by Elijah.
Next going back to who is Israel, like I said last week in my comment Ephraim is the gentiles, he is mixed with them, further the scriptures say that people from all nations under heaven will be gathered into Zion. So Israel and the gentiles who will believe and be grafted in are everywhere currently. I think there are distinct peoples who happen to be more of one tribe than another, but ultimately while this is interesting it doesn’t matter that much.
As far as sequence of events see Ether 13:
6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.
7 For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.
8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.
9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new.
10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.
11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.
12 And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.
So first A New Jerusalem in the Americas for Joseph’s seed aka the gentiles and Lehites. They build a holy city like the jerusalem of old (a second city or the same as the “a new jerusalem? I lean towards this being Nauvoo and the “a new Jerusalem” is Independence). Then the new heaven and earth come, and Zion (the new Jerusalem) descends from heaven to join “a new jerusalem” below. Then the old jerusalem is redeemed and becomes holy again.
One last thought on marring. Think how much of a joke mormonism is to most people. Joseph Smith is widely regarded as a fraud. Just like most people don’t believe in God and profane His name. Ezk 39:7 “And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.” God will repair not only His own reputation that has been marred by false doctrines and false teachers “speaking in His name” but he will heal the reputation of His servant. And He will heal him physically and spiritually by bringing him out of hell.
As you were talking about 3 Nephi 19:20-21, I had a thought related to this…”Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.” We have had a lot of discussions about the lack of the fullness of the priesthood at this time (and throughout the majority of history) by which people could receive the Holy Ghost. However, do you think this scripture might leave open the possibility that the Holy Ghost might be received through a belief in the written word as well as through the personal testimony and ministration of apostles? JS-M 1:37 tells us that “whoso treasureth up my word shall not be deceived.” And “by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5)
I am not implying the same intensity of Spirit is received through believing and feasting upon the scriptures, but there is something different about those who make the scriptures a regular part of their lives. Anyway, I just thought I would throw that thought into the discussion in case anyone else has some insight related to whether we can receive the Holy Ghost through believing in the written words of the ancient apostles who were given that gift from the Savior himself.
In case anyone is interested, this portion of Christ’s teachings is in the form of a chiasm.
A. “Ye remember that I spake unto you, and said that when the words of Isaiah should be fulfilled– behold they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them.” (3 Ne. 20:11)
B. “Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.” (2 Ne. 20:16-17)
C. “So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall Jerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance.” (3 Ne. 20:45-46)
(What comes in the middle of the chiasm? It seems to be that the Gentiles will “be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father”. And that this is how the covenant of the Father will be fulfilled.)
c. “And when these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things– it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel. And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.” (3 Ne. 21:7-8)
b. “And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.” (3 Ne. 21:12-13)
a. “And now behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.” (3 Ne. 23:1)
Now, I think most people would agree that what Christ is describing is a yet future event. If so, the establishment of the Gentiles as a free people in this land is also a future event. There is a servant who will do an unbelievable work, which also seems to cause a great division. Those who do not believe in the work will be cut off. Also, “all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away. For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel; and I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.” (3 Ne. 21:19-21)
Something interesting about this part of the sermon is that the original chapter break happened right there. Verse 22 is the beginning of the next chapter, and here is what it outlines before the Isaiah quotes start:
1) For those who do not harden their hearts and repent, Christ’s church will be established among them and they will be numbered among the remnant of Jacob as lawful heirs of this land.
2) They will assist in the building of a city, the new/New Jerusalem.
3) They will assist in gathering those who are still scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
4) The power of heaven will come down among them and Christ will be in the midst.
5) The work of the Father will commence, when the gospel is preached among this people, and among all the dispersed/lost tribes. The Father prepares the way for all nations to call on the Father in the name of Christ and be gathered home to the land of their inheritance.
I could be totally wrong, but it seems to me that the events of the chiasm could be taking place right now. We do have a marred servant. We do have kings seeing things come to pass that they had not been told about (peace in the Middle East, for example), and we have individuals in the midst of our cities acting like young lions who tread down and tear in pieces. Over what? The establishment of this land as a place of true freedom. After which you might finally see the true gospel preached by the awaited servants and the establishment of Zion.
Interesting Chiasm catch Renae. However, the events in those chapters are not taking place yet. But I believe they will soon. Middle east peace is still a way off. The two main problems in the case of Israel are peace between Israelis and Palestinians which I don’t see any time soon. And between Iran and Israel which I also don’t see happening any time soon. As for the young lions they are the descendants of Lehi/house of Israel. What you may see this election cycle is the actual marred servant send the proclamation to the president elect and the kings of the earth proclaiming the gospel and calling on them to join in building zion and they will have to consider it.
I agree that the Antifa riots aren’t the best match, but I do think they represent the concept of violence that is described as lions among the flocks of sheep. Would you say that a closer match genetically was the MS-13 gangs which are being cleared out under this administration and kept out by much stricter border enforcement? If we lose control of our border, we have a good taste of what is coming, to those who do not repent.
I think you might be surprised at how quickly peace breaks out in the Middle East and elsewhere. Destabilization of the Middle East has been an intentional political strategy, and it is no longer advantageous to the people who were financing it. The nation of Israel is an established fact, and its neighbors do better when they operate in that reality. The Israeli government is already working with countries like Saudi Arabia in military endeavors because Iran is a greater threat to both of them than either is to the other. They recognize each other as children of Abraham with a common enemy. The Middle East faces the same choice we do in the USA – do we continue to divide ourselves to where we are weak and manipulated, or do we join together as one people with a common goal of peace and prosperity for all within our borders? The downfall of the Nephite era of peace was the division into “-ites”. Doesn’t logic dictate that we can bring peace when we stop dividing ourselves into tribes of any color, gender, etc. and unite as a people who respect one another and our shared humanity?
I think a large majority of people in the Americas have actual genetic ancestry back to Abraham they just don’t know about it. But when they do by embracing the new records that come forth and accept Christ as their saviour and their God then they will go forth to reclaim Zion and no one will stop them because God will be with them and fight their battles.
As for the middle east I think we’re going to see a very false temporary peace. The modern state of Israel was setup by people who didn’t even believe in God and had ethno-communist views. Sure a lot of individual Jews who went later on believed in God, but the elites in the country didn’t, but like Trump use religion for political gain while not actually believing in God. Furthermore, people like Epstein were most likely working on behalf of the Israeli Mossad (their CIA) to gather sexual blackmail on global elites.
Why Iran should be considered a bigger threat to the US than Israel or Saudi Arabia is because of the money and political influence both countries have. The CIA overthrew the democratic government of Iran in 1953 and reinstalled their king so that British Petroleum could continue stealing their oil. 9/11 was carried out by mostly saudi citizens with ties to saudi royalty and saudi intelligence, and the only people who benefited from 9/11 in the middle east were Israel and the Saudis who saw Saddam as a threat. Conveniently Iran is also surrounded because of our wars in the middle east. So really continuing to be divided by borders is the final division the world needs to overcome. Iranians aren’t our enemy. Neither are Israelis, or Saudis, or Mexicans etc. The enemies are the secret combinations that have infiltrated basically every government and political party world wide. They run the big corporations. They are destroying the earth. They are murdering and raping and blackmailing to gain more wealth and power.
So we will not bring peace, but God will establish it by His power through His servants. Only the restoration of the true High Priesthood will be able to overcome the evil that satan is spreading through his combinations. And only when the people all over the world awake to their awful state, accept the gospel, and gather to Zion will they be able to escape the chaos that is only going to get worse.
Ephesians 6:11-12 (ESV)
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
According to Paul, the Roman centurions weren’t the enemy, the spiritual forces behind Rome were. We may think we are wrestling against our fellow man, but ultimately the battle is against the cosmic powers of darkness. If that was true 2,000 years ago, it might still be true today. If so, perhaps our current methods of battle are the wrong weapons, and they’re pointed at the wrong entity.
Yep. The combinations running the show might think they’re in charge but they’re not. Satan is running his kingdom through them. And like I said above only the power of God can break the yoke from off the people, and the power of the true believers’ testimonies. JST Rev. 12:
8 Neither was there place found in heaven for the great dragon, who was cast out; that old serpent called the devil, and also called Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth; and his angels were cast out with him.
9 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ;
10 For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 For they have overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; for they loved not their own lives, but kept the testimony even unto death. Therefore, rejoice O heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
12 And after these things I heard another voice saying, Woe to the inhabiters of the earth, yea, and they who dwell upon the islands of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
The fight really is a spiritual one where each individual will no longer be able to be a fence sitter. But have to decide which side to choose.
Ranae,
Great catch on the chiasm here. I think the way to view the words of Christ are in combination with 1 Nephi 13-14. What Nephi is describing is the return of the servants. If you accept that Joseph, Oliver, Sidney, and the other Gentile leaders of the church are currently in hell, waiting to be freed, all of these passages come together. The freedom the Gentiles seek is from the spiritual prison they are in. They will be freed, return to earth, and establish Zion.
Interestingly, are the people Christ is talking to literally the same ones who will be in the midst of them as a young lion? Why do we always assume Jesus is speaking about people alive today and not the audience he actually tells will be among the Gentiles? I don’t think the Nephite’s Jesus is speaking to are in prison, but I think they may also return to earth.