SEMINAR FOR NEW MISSION PRESIDENTS2012

The Book of Mormon and the Gathering of Israel

Elder Russell M. Nelson
Sunday, June 24, 2012

of the Quorum of the Twelve

My beloved presidents and sisters, again we thank you for your faith, devotion, willingness, and worthiness to serve God and His children. During your mission, you will devote your time and energy with a focus on those two great commandments: to love God and to love your neighbor, your fellow human beings.1 What a glorious privilege! My wife, Wendy, and I feel just like the other colleagues of mine in the Quorum of the Twelve and their wives. We would like nothing more than to meet every single one of you. So help us. When you see us in the hallway, at the meal line or wherever, open your mouths. Tell us your names, and let us fulfill our desire to really get well acquainted with you. We love you dearly, and we are grateful for your willingness to serve. My assigned topic today pertains to the Book of Mormon. In Preach My Gospel, chapter 5 is devoted entirely to the Book of Mormon. Chapter 5 teaches that:

Those are the five subheadings in Chapter 5. All of these assertions are absolutely true! You and your missionaries will be blessed as you teach these concepts with conviction and power. But the thought has occurred to me that these assertions are all made from our point of view as fellow mortal beings. What would be the perspective of our Father in Heaven and of His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ? What would be Their view of the Book of Mormon? For us to ponder that perspective, picture in your mind an image of our Heavenly Father with His Beloved Son standing at His side, perhaps when They first appeared to Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove. What would They be thinking as They introduce Themselves to Their very young, but long foreordained, prophet? Would the role of the Book of Mormon be important to Them? Why? Their perspective would surely be shaped by two longstanding promises that They had made to all mankind. These two promises are interrelated; they are still in force, and they are yet to be fulfilled. The first is Their ancient promise to gather scattered Israel. That is an ancient promise. The second is the ageless promise of the

The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion. It testifies of Christ. The Book of Mormon and the Bible support each other. The Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul. It draws people nearer to God.

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Second Coming of the Lord. May I discuss with you the importance of these promises, as they introduced this last dispensationthe dispensation of the fulness of times. Remember, the very first dispensation was in the time of Adam. Then came the dispensations of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, the Jaredites, Nephites, and others. All ended in apostasy. Even the dispensation headed by Jesus Christ ended in a great apostasy. In each dispensation, prophetic teachings were meant to help the people. But disobedience to those teachings resulted in apostasy. Thus, all previous dispensations were limited both in time and in location. They were limited in time because each ended in apostasy. They were limited in location to a relatively small segment of the entire Earth. THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT AND THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL In the dispensation of Abraham, God made a covenant with Father Abraham that, through Abrahams lineage, people of all nations would be blessed. That occurred more than 4,000 years ago. Other important components of that promise made to Abraham were made as well. These promises, first given to Abraham and later reaffirmed to Abrahams son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob (who was later renamed Israel), included a numberless posterity;2 certain lands would be inherited;3 the seed of Abraham would be the official bearers of the

priesthood unto all nations, that all may be blessed through Abrahams lineage;4 those not descended from Abraham who would accept the gospel would become the literal seed of Abraham through adoption;5 and the Savior of the world would come through Abrahams lineage.6 As you know, many of Abrahams descendantsthose tribes of ancient Israel eventually rejected the teachings of the Lord and stoned the prophets. Ten tribes were carried captive into Assyria. From there they became lost to the records of mankind. Obviously, those 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, they were favored of the Lord, but again, they honored Him not. They rejected and vilified Him. SCATTERING OF ISRAEL A loving but grieving Father then vowed, I will scatter you among the heathen.7 That He did! Another scripture reported that an angry Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river.8 PROMISE TO GATHER ISRAEL God scattered Israel, but promised that, one day, scattered Israel would be gathered back into the fold of the Lord. This promise of the

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gathering of Israel was just as emphatic as was the promise to scatter them.9 Isaiah, for example, foresaw that in the latter days the Lord would send swift messengers to these people who were so scattered and peeled.10 So you might remind your missionaries from day to day that they are those swift messengers of whom Isaiah prophesied. As prophesied by Peter and Paul, all things were to be restored in this dispensation. Therefore, there must come, as part of that restoration, the long-awaited gathering of scattered Israel.11 It is a necessary prelude to the Second Coming of the Lord.12 This concept of the gathering of Israel is one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord declared to His prophet: I give unto you a sign, . . . that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.13 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 those covenants that He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.14 We not only teach that concept, but we get to participate. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil. Is it not fitting and appropriate that provision be made to gather those who were once scattered as well as their posterity? Mercifully, the invitation to come unto Christ15 can also be extended to those who

died without a knowledge of the gospel.16 Part of their preparation requires earthly efforts of others. We gather pedigree charts, create family group sheets, and do temple work vicariously to gather individuals unto the Lord and into their families.17 This dispensation of the fulness of times was foreseen by God as the time to gather, both in heaven and on earth. Peter knew that, after a period of apostasy, a restoration would come. He, who had been with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration, declared: Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; . . . Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.18 In modern times, the Apostles Peter, James, and John were sent by the Lord with keys of [His] kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times; and for the fulness of times, in which He would gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth.19 As you know, many aspects of the Abrahamic covenant have already been completed. The Savior of the world did come through the lineage of Jacobs, or Israels, son, Judah. Land was allocated for an inheritance long ago. A map in your Bible pertains to the inheritance of the Israelite Settlement in Canaan, shows the land inherited by the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh.20

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What about Joseph? From the Book of Mormon, we learn that land reserved for the remnant of Joseph was the American hemisphere.21 The great promise that all nations would be blessed by the posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has yet to be fulfilled. This promise of the gathering, woven through all the fabric of scripture, will be fulfilled just as surely as were the prophecies of the scattering of Israel.22 The gathering of Israel is particularly forecast in Isaiah, chapters 49, 50, and 51; Jacob, chapter 5; and many other passages of scripture. THE GATHERING OF ISRAEL AS PRELUDE TO THE SECOND COMING Why is this promise so important, this promise to gather Israel? Because the gathering of Israel is a necessary prelude to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord, and the Book of Mormon is Gods instrument needed to accomplish both of these divine objectives.23 Reflect back on those two questions. The gathering of Israel and the coming of the Lord the Book of Mormon is essential for the accomplishment of those, both of those, promises long standing from God to all mankind. So the Book of Mormon is a gift of God to the entire world. It is the only book that the Lord, Himself, has testified to be true.24 It is a gift from Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, Moroni, and more. The Book of Mormon is purposely addressed

to the remnant of the House of Israel from its title page in the front to the testimony farewell messages of Mormon and Moroni at the other end of the book.25 It is also a gift from its inspired and martyred translator. Time wont permit my delving into the topic of the Second Coming very thoroughly. Suffice it to say, no one knows when that promise will be fulfilled. We know that it is nigh at hand, and in a time [yet] to come.26 When He comes again, it will not be in secret. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.27 Meanwhile, much work must be done to gather Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming. THE GATHERING OF ISRAEL IN THIS DISPENSATION Thanks to the Book of Mormon, we know when this promised gathering will take place. I quote from 1 Nephi, chapter 15, verse 18: Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.28 What is the date line on that revelation? Right! Between 600 to 592 B.C. Think of that! Some 600 years before the baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem, prophets knew that the gathering of Israel would take place only in these latter days!

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Now you know why the name of the Church has those words in it: to identify this as the time when those prophesies would be fulfilled. Thanks to the Restoration, we get to participate in this promise that prophets have known for some 4,000 years! To me, that is the most exciting thing! They have talked about it, and we get to play in the game. We are the participants; we get to score the goals. To Latter-day Saints, the honored name of Abraham is very important. It is mentioned in more verses of scriptures of the Restoration than in all verses of the Bible.29 Each member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is linked to Father Abraham.30 The Lord reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.31 In the temple, we kneel at the altar and receive our ultimate and highest blessings, as promised to the lineage or seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.32 Missionaries need to gain this heavenly perspective. They need to know about the Abrahamic covenant and understand their responsibility in helping to bring about the promised gathering of Israel. They need to know why they are privileged to receive patriarchal blessings and thereby learn of their connection to these ancient patriarchs. They need to know that Abrahams son, Joseph that very Joseph who was sold into Egypt became the birthright son after Reuben lost his birthright.33 Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, became the seed to lead in the gathering of

Israel.34 Other tribes will follow and are following.35 If our missionaries can feel, deep in the marrow of their bones, their connections to this covenantif they can truly comprehend their true identity and purposethey will be powerful and tireless servants of the Lord. Help your elders also to understand the teachings in Alma chapter 13, that they have been foreordained for their priesthood and mission. Help your sisters to learn that they have likewise been called and chosen for their sacred privilege of missionary service. Think of those heavenly messengers who brought precious keys of the priesthood to the Lords restored Church. On April 3, 1836, in Kirkland, Ohio, after the Lord had accepted the Kirtland Temple as His holy house, then, under His direction came Moses, who restored the keys of the gathering of Israel.36 Next Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abrahamnow you know what that meanssaying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.37 Thus, the Abrahamic covenant was renewed! Then came Elijah the prophet, who restored keys of the sealing authority, as promised by Malachi.38 What is the true perspective about the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ? It is evidence of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith. It is the instrument by which people can learn more about Jesus Christ, believe His gospel, and join His Church. It explains our current connections with the

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biblical house of Israel. Not only does it declare the advent of the gathering,39 it is Gods instrument to bring about the gathering of Israel. Or to phrase that another way, without the Book of Mormon, there would be no gathering of Israel.40 The Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel. It teaches of the Atonement of the Lord. Without the Book of Mormon, we would know very little about the Atonement.41 Because of our understanding of the Atonement, the Book of Mormon helps us to repent, to make and keep sacred covenants, and to merit the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. The Book of Mormon leads us to the temple and to qualify for eternal life. Recently Wendy and I attended a fast and testimony meeting in a ward where four months previously its members had received a challenge from their dear bishop to read the Book of Mormon by the date of that particular fast and testimony meeting. Many members had accepted the challenge and reported their benefit and delight in reading the book so rapidlyin four months. Silently, I thought to myself: The Prophet Joseph Smith translated the book in less time than that! He translated it at the rate of 8 to 10 pages per day, and he did it in less than three months! Praise to that man who communed with Jehovah and translated the Book of Mormon through the gift and power of God!42 Here on earth, missionary work is crucial to the gathering of Israel. The gospel was to be taken first to the lost sheep of the house of

Israel.43 Consequently, servants of the Lord have gone forth proclaiming the Restoration. In many nations our missionaries search for those of scattered Israel. As in ancient days, missionaries have hunted for them out of the holes of the rocks, and they have fished for them in obscure waters.44 The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. People can be brought to the knowledge of the Lord45 without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, as Brother Evans has indicated with my own great-grandparents, all of them became converts and all had to immigrate to the United States. That was common in a foregone century, but now the gathering takes place in each nation. The Lord has decreed the establishment of Zion46 in each realm is where He has given His Saints their birth and nationality. Scripture foretells that the people shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.47 Every nation is the gathering place for its own people.48 The place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is Korea; and so on. Zion is the pure in heart.49 Zion is wherever righteous Saints are. Publications,

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communications, and congregations are now such that nearly all members have access to the doctrine, keys, ordinances, and blessings of the gospel, regardless of location. As a convenience to the Saints across the globe, 138 temples are now available, and more are coming. Saints in every land have equal claim upon the blessings of the Lord. Spiritual security will always depend upon how one lives, not where one lives. Be we reminded that the gathering of Israel is not an ultimate endpoint. It is but the beginning. The true endpoint is eternal life. It is that Gods children, in a covenant relationship with Him either by lineage or adoption, will be able to dwell with Him and their families forever. That is Gods glory eternal life for His children! 50 How dear is that? How logical is that? Gods work and glory is the immortality and eternal life of His children. This loving Father in Heaven truly wants His children to return to Him, not by coercion, but by their individual choice and personal preparation. And he wants them sealed as eternal families. Help your missionaries to realize that Heavenly Father is their greatest helper. He is pulling for them to touch the hearts of His

children, to teach, to baptize, and to show them the way to return to Him and enjoy the blessings of eternal life. Missionaries will discover that the very best lessons they teach are those enriched by prayer and the singing of hymns, because they each help to bring the Spirit of God into the hearts of the people. Then when true doctrine is taught, with strong use of scriptures and pure testimony, inspiration from heaven will penetrate the hearts of all. This is why we have missionary workto accomplish these divine objectives. No work could be more challenging; no work could be more important. This dispensation of the fulness of times will not be limited either in time or location. It will prepare the world for the Messiahs millennial reign. It will fill the entire Earth. This work to which we have been called truly is the work of Almighty God. He lives. Jesus is the Christ. This is His church, restored to accomplish its divine destiny, including the gathering of Israel and the preparing of the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. We are led today by our beloved President Thomas S. Monson. Of these things I humbly testify, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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NOTES 1 See Matthew 22:3640. 2 See Abraham 3:14; Genesis 13:16; 22:17. 3 See Genesis 12:1, 7; Abraham 2:6. 4 See Abraham 2:9, 11. 5 See Galatians 3:2629; Abraham 2:10. 6 See Genesis 49:10, 24. 7 Leviticus 26:33; see Jeremiah 9:16. 8 1 Kings 14:15. 9 See Isaiah 11:12; 22:1618; 3 Nephi 11: 2022; Abraham 2:1011. 10. Isaiah 18:2, 7. 11 See 1 Nephi 15:18; see also the title page of the Book of Mormon, paragraph 2. 12 See Doctrine and Covenants 133:817. 13 3 Nephi 21:1. 14 See Genesis 12:23; 26:34; 35:1112; and chapter headings for 3 Nephi 21, 29. 15 Jacob 1:7; Omni 1:26; Moroni 10:30, 32; Doctrine and Covenants 20:59. 16 See Doctrine and Covenants 137:58. 17 See 1 Corinthians 15:29; 1 Peter 4:6. 18 Acts 3:19, 21. 19 Doctrine and Covenants 27:13. Paul also prophesied of our day that in the dispensation of the fulness of times [the Lord] might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth (Ephesians 1:10). 20 See also Genesis 35:2326; 41:5052. 21 See Ether 13:8; also Genesis 49:22. 22 See Leviticus 26:44; Deuteronomy 4:2731; 28; 29; 30:110; Nehemiah 1:9; Isaiah 11:1112; Jeremiah 31:712; Ezekiel 37:2122; Amos 9:1415; Matthew 24:31; Jacob 6:2. See also Russell M. Nelson, The Exodus Repeated, Ensign, July 1999, 613. 23 See Matthew 24:14; Doctrine and Covenants 133:17. 24 See D&C 17:6. 25 See Mormon 7:10; 9:37; Moroni 10:34. 26 Doctrine and Covenants 63:53. 27 Isaiah 40:5. 28 Emphasis added. 29 Abraham is mentioned in 506 verses of scripture; 216 are in the Bible, 290 are in the scriptures of the Restoration. 30 The covenant may also be received by adoption (see Matthew 3:9; Luke 3:8; Galatians 3:2629; 4:57; Abraham 2:910). 31 See Doctrine and Covenants 124:58; 132:3132. 32 See Doctrine and Covenants 84:3340; 132:19; Abraham 2:11. 33 See 1 Chronicles 5:1. 34 Ephraim was given the birthright in Israel to bear the message of the Restoration to all nations, and to lead the gathering of scattered Israel (see Jeremiah 31:79; Doctrine and Covenants 64:36; 133:3234). 35 The tribe of Levi provided priests among the people and was not to be numbered as a tribe, or to receive tribal inheritance. Two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, were given land inheritances. They were numbered among the tribes, in the stead of their father, Joseph. The number of twelve tribes was thus maintained. From the Book of Mormon we learn that the land reserved for the lineage of Joseph was the American hemisphere (see Ether 13:8). 36 Doctrine and Covenants 110:11.

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Doctrine and Covenants 110:12. Doctrine and Covenants 110:1316; see Malachi 4:56. 39 The doctrine relating to the scattering and gathering of the house of Israel is among the earliest lessons taught in the Book of Mormon: After the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; . . . the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer (1 Nephi 10:14). 40 See Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith (1985), 554. 41 The word atone or atonement in any of its forms appears in only one verse of the King James translation of the New Testament (see Romans 5:11). It appears in 31 verses of the Book of Mormon. 42 See D&C 20:8. 43 Matthew 10:6; 15:24. 44 See Jeremiah 16:16. 45 3 Nephi 20:13. 46 See Doctrine and Covenants 6:6; 11:6; 12:6; 14:6. 47 2 Nephi 9:2. 48 See Bruce R. McConkie, Report of the Mexico and Central America Area General Conference, 1972. 49 Doctrine and Covenants 97:21. 50 See Moses 1:39.
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