1. The Lord scattered the house of Israel because they
hardened their hearts against Him, but He promised that they would be gathered
in the last days. Prophecies in the Book of Mormon make
clear that the long-promised gathering has begun. Members of the Church have
the responsibility to bless the families of the earth by sharing the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
2. Look for
gospel truths throughout today’s lesson that can encourage and help to share
the gospel with others.
7. 3 Nephi
30:2
8. “Why was Israel
scattered? The answer is clear; it is plain; of it there is no doubt. Our
Israelite forebears were scattered because they rejected the gospel, defiled
the priesthood, forsook the church, and departed from the kingdom. …“What,
then, is involved in the gathering of Israel? The gathering of Israel consists
in believing and accepting and living in harmony with all that the Lord once
offered his ancient chosen people. … It consists of believing the gospel,
joining the Church, and coming into the kingdom. … It may also consist of
assembling to an appointed place or land of worship” (A New Witness for the
Articles of Faith [1985], 515).
9. 1 Nephi 10:12–14; 1 Nephi
15:7, 12–16 - Gentiles who have received the fulness of the
gospel will take the gospel to Lehi's seed. In the Book of Mormon, the
word Gentiles usually refers to those who are not from the
tribe of Judah or from the land of Judah. These Gentiles will have the
responsibility to bring the gospel to all the earth.
10. How does the metaphor of the olive tree help us
understand the scattering and gathering of Israel?
11. “We have heretofore identified the Jews as both
[those who live in] the kingdom of Judah and as their lineal descendants. … And
we have said, within this usage of terms, that all other people are Gentiles,
including the lost and scattered remnants of the kingdom of Israel. …
Thus Joseph Smith,
of the tribe of Ephraim, … was the Gentile by whose hand the Book of Mormon
came forth, and the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
… are the Gentiles who carry salvation to the Lamanites and to the Jews” (The
Millennial Messiah [1982], 233).
12. 1 Nephi 22:8–12 - "make bare his arm in the eyes of all the
nations” refers to the Lord showing His
power throughout the world.
13. In the last days, the Lord will work through
members of His Church to bless the families of the earth with His gospel and
covenants.
14. “Ours is the responsibility to help fulfill the
Abrahamic covenant. Ours is the seed foreordained and prepared to bless all
people of the world. … After some 4,000 years of anticipation and preparation,
this is the appointed day when the gospel is to be taken to the kindreds of the
earth. This is the time of the promised gathering of Israel. And we get to
participate! Isn’t that exciting? The Lord is counting on us and our sons—and
He is profoundly grateful for our daughters—who worthily serve as missionaries
in this great time of the gathering of Israel” (RMNelson, “Covenants,” Ensign
Nov. 2011, 88).
15. What are ways in which we can participate by sharing
the gospel with the families of the earth?
16. 3 Nephi 16:4–5; 21:1–7
17. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a
sign that God is fulfilling His covenant to gather Israel in the latter days.
18. 3 Nephi 16:4–5
36 years ago I served a mission in southeast Mexico. No
stakes, only two branches. With two or three exceptions, all the missionaries
were from the United States.
I remember the people of the
Nealtican Branch. All buildings in the town were made of adobe, except the
Catholic cathedral and the LDS chapel. I remember standing in the small adobe
house of the branch president. It had a dirt floor, windows with no glass, and
a rug hanging over the entryway. There was no furniture in the house. His family had no shoes.He told me that they had sold
everything they had to buy bus tickets to the Mesa temple, where they were
sealed for time and all eternity. Many of the branch members had done the same
thing.
A month ago I returned to
Mexico to serve in the Mexico North Area Presidency. Nealtican is the center of
a thriving stake of Zion. Mexico has 200 stakes and a million members of the
Church. Many stake and ward leaders are highly educated and financially secure.
Thousands of young men and women from Mexico are serving full-time missions.
Truly the vision seen by Lehi
and interpreted by Nephi is coming to pass. “And at that day shall the remnant
of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel.
Truly the people of Mexico
and other Latin American countries are among the descendants of prophets.
The Book of Mormon is their inheritance. Jesus Christ did minister unto their fathers.
When the ancient prophet
Moroni appeared to Joseph, he told him “that God had a work for [him] to do;
and that [his] name should be had for good and evil among all nations,
kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among
all people.”
That prophecy has come to
pass. The name of Joseph Smith is known and revered throughout the world, even
in the remote village of Nealtican, Mexico.
Recently, a member in
Monterrey, Mexico, told me how the Book of Mormon changed his life. As a
teenager, Jesús Santos was impressed by the LDS missionaries he saw walking
down the dusty streets. He wanted to talk to them about their church but was
told by a friend that you have to wait for them to contact you.
Many times he would go to the
Church building and look through the iron fence at the missionaries and the
Mutual youth playing games. They seemed to be so wholesome, and he wanted to be
part of them. He would lean his chin on the fence, hoping that they would
notice him and invite him to participate with them. It never happened.
As Jesús recounted his story
to me, he said, “It is sad. I was a young man and could have served a full-time
mission.”
He moved to Monterrey,
Mexico. Nine years later he was visiting a friend across town
when the missionaries knocked at the door. His friend wanted to send them away.
Jesús begged him to let the missionaries talk to them for just two minutes. His
friend consented.
The missionaries talked about
the Book of Mormon, how Lehi’s family traveled from Jerusalem to the Americas,
and how the resurrected Jesus Christ visited Lehi’s descendants in America.
Jesús wanted to know more. He
was especially intrigued by the picture depicting Christ’s appearance in
America. He gave the missionaries his address. He waited for months, but they
never made contact with him.
Three more years passed. Some friends invited his family
to a family home evening. They gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon.
As soon as he began to read
it, he knew the Book of Mormon was true. Finally, 12 years after he first
became aware of the Church, he and his wife were baptized. So many years had
been lost. If missionaries had just talked to him, if the Mutual youth had just
noticed a lonely teenager looking over the fence, if the missionaries in
Monterrey had found him at home, his life would have been different during
those 12 years. Gratefully, member neighbors invited him for a family home
evening and shared with him that book which has such great converting power,
the Book of Mormon.
Today Jesús Santos serves as
the president of the Monterrey Mexico Temple.
Jesus Christ gave us the Book
of Mormon as the instrument to gather scattered Israel. At the time of His
appearance in America, He told the people, “And when these things come to pass
that thy seed shall begin to know these
things—it shall be asign 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.”
The Book of Mormon is its
own witness to the people of Latin America and of all nations. Its
very coming forth in these latter days bears witness that God has once again
begun to gather scattered Israel.
In my mind’s eye, I can still
see Jesús Santos as a ragged 18-year-old boy looking over the fence at the
chapel. Can you see him? Can you invite him and others like him to be one with
us? Whom do you know that would respond to your invitation toread
the Book of Mormon? Will you invite
them? Don’t wait.
I testify that Joseph Smith
is the prophet of the Restoration. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of
Jesus Christ is the means whereby people from all nations shall be gathered
into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This Church is founded
upon apostles and prophets, just as it was in ancient days. President Gordon B.
Hinckley is the Lord’s anointed prophet on the earth today. Jesus Christ is our
Savior and our Redeemer. This is His Church and His kingdom. He is our King
Immanuel. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
The Gathering of Scattered Israel
- Elder Russell M. Nelson
My
beloved brothers and sisters, thank you for your faith, your devotion, and your
love. We share an enormous responsibility to be who the Lord wants us to be and
to do what He wants us to do. We are part of a great movement—the gathering of
scattered Israel.
Abrahamic Covenant-a
promise to make his posterity a chosen people. The Son of God
would come through Abraham’s lineage, that certain lands would be inherited,
that nations and kindreds of the earth would be blessed through his seed. The Book
of Mormon teaches that this Abrahamic covenant will be
fulfilled only in these latter days! It also emphasizes
that we are among the covenant people of the Lord. Ours
is the privilege to participate personally in the fulfillment of these
promises. What an exciting time to live!
Israel Became
Scattered-Ten tribes were carried captive into Assyria. From there they
became lost to the records of mankind. (Obviously, the ten tribes are not lost
to the Lord.) Two remaining tribes continued a short time and then, because of
their rebellion, were taken captive into Babylon. When
they returned, but again they honored Him not. I will scatter you among the
heathen,” and that He did—into all nations.
Israel to Be
Gathered- This promise of the gathering, woven all through the fabric of
the scriptures, will be fulfilled just as surely as were the prophecies of the
scattering of Israel.
The Church
of Jesus Christ in the Meridian of Time and the
Apostasy-Prior to His Crucifixion, the Lord
established His Church. And the Master sent His disciples into the world
to preach His gospel.
This Great Apostasy followed the pattern that had ended
each previous dispensation. The very first was in the time of Adam. Then came
dispensations of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses,
and others. Their disobedience resulted in apostasy. Thus, all previous
dispensations were limited in time and location.
The Restoration of
All Things- It would not end in apostasy, and it would fill the world.
The Gathering of
Israel—an Integral Part of the Restoration of All Things
As prophesied by Peter and Paul, all things
were to be restored in this dispensation. It is a necessary prelude to the
Second Coming of the Lord. This doctrine of the gathering is
one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign to the entire world
that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill covenants He made to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We not only teach this
doctrine, but we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of
the Lord on both sides of the veil.
The Book of Mormon
is central to this work. It declares the doctrine of the gathering. It
causes people to learn about Jesus Christ, to believe His gospel, and to join
His Church. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of
Israel would not occur. To us the honored name of Abraham is
important. It is mentioned in more verses of scriptures of the Restoration than
in all verses of the Bible. In
the temple we receive our ultimate blessings, as the seed of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob.
The Dispensation
of the Fulness of Times-The time to gather, both in heaven and on earth.
Peter, James, and John were sent by the Lord with “the keys of [His] kingdom,
and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times; and for the fulness of
times."
Moses appeared “and
committed … the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the
earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.
Elias appeared,
and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham
Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with
a curse.” These events occurred on April 3, 1836.
Gathering of Souls
on the Other Side of the Veil
To Participate in the Gathering: A Commitment by Covenant-
Missionary work is
crucial to the gathering.
The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of
physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. “Every nation is
the gathering place for its own people.” .” Zion
is wherever righteous Saints are. Publications, communications, and
congregations are now such that nearly all members have access to the
doctrines, keys, ordinances, and blessings of the gospel, regardless of their
location.
Top Ten Scriptures used in General
Conference from 1971-2015 (Number of times used) 1. Moses 1:39
(170) 2. Moses 3:19 (90) 3. Mosiah 18:9 (71) 4. John 17:3 (71) 5. JSH
1:17 (71) 6. 3 Nephi 27:27 (66) 7. 2 Nephi 2:25(66) 8. John 14:27 (65) 9. D&C 14:7 (65) 10.
Articles of Faith 1:13 (65)
Neil L. Anderson-
Daniel and the stone cut without hands. Compared the gathering to pieces of a
puzzle. I am stuck and all I feel is guild. Pray for opportunities to be a
witness of God in all times and places. The timing of another's conversion is
not entirely up to you.
Dallin H. Oaks-
Share the Gospel out Great Commission. Ideas that will work everywhere. 1. Pray
for a desire to help. 2. Keep Commandments. 3. Pray for inspiration on what we
can do to spread. 4. Promise if inspired to share. 5. We are not the judges of
who is prepared. 6. Pray to help us find someone. 7. Pray for discernment to
know who is ready. 8. Invite to learn about the Gospel of Jesus as opposed to
about the Church. 9. Develop love and concern 10. Have a special Sacrament
Meeting to invite friends. 11. Use Social Media
LeGrand Curtis Jr.
- Blessings that came as a result of the Ghana Freeze of 1989
Dieter Uchtdorf-
To be successful we must find our Amuleks.
Dale G. Renlund- D&C 64:9-11-Firecracker-Joy with
repentance. Returning to the right road, never just going on. Repentance must
involve faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Without the Savior repentance is only
miserable behavior modification. The atonement leaves no tracks, no traces, no
scars. The atonement will not be imposed upon us. Repentance is a choice.
Minimizing our sins reduces the desire for the needed changes. Instead of
making excuses, let us choose repentance. When we choose to repent, we
immediately invite the Savior into our lives.
