The Gathering of Israel

(As we end 10 minutes early for testimonies on "Fast Sunday" I made this lesson more brief.  I would highly encourage more thought and study on the topic in your own personal study.  I included some fantastic talks -that I think you'd really benefit from- at the end of this post.  Enjoy!)

To understand the gathering of Israel we must first revisit the Abrahamic Covenant.
What is the Abrahamic Covenant? Abraham 2:6–11; Genesis 12:1–8; 17:1–9

"Abraham made covenants with God when he received the gospel, when he was ordained a high priest, and when he entered into celestial marriage. In these covenants, God promised great blessings to Abraham and his family. These blessings, which extend to all of Abraham's seed, are called the Abrahamic covenant."  (Gospel Study, "Abrahamic Covenant", lds.org)

-The Lord promised to make Abraham's posterity a chosen people.
      -The Son of God would come through Abraham's lineage
      - Certain lands would be in herited
      - His posterity would be like the sands of the Earth (countless)
      - They would receive the priesthood
      - Nations and kindreds of Earth would be blessed by his seed
            -His seed would bring the Gospel  and the priesthood to the world

A few other questions we need to ask are:

Who is Israel?
- Jacob, the grandson of Abraham

What does Israel mean?
-"One who prevails with God" or "Let God prevail"


How many sons did Jacob/Israel have?
- 12, these sons and their families became known as the twelve tribes of Israel, or Israelites (Genesis 49:28)

What happened to these 12 tribes, how did most of them ultimately become known and the "10 Lost Tribes?"
...how the house of Israel was scattered

Abraham and Sarah chart 

(*click to get larger image)

We know that the house of Israel must be gathered (Jeremiah 23:3), but why is this so?  Why does the Lord want his people to be gathered?  What are some of the Lord's purposes for the gathering of Israel?
- [for his children] To learn the teachings of the Gospel
- To prepare to meet the Savior
- To build temples and perform sacred ordinances
- To strengthen one another and be unified in the Gospel, finding protection from unrighteous influences
- To prepare to share the Gospel with others


This, the gathering of Israel can not be done without the proper authority.  So then we must ask, is the proper authority present, and has the work begun?  That would be an emphatic yes.  When, then, was the authority restored and to whom was it restored?
-From D&C 110:11, we learn that Joseph Smith received this authority in the Kirtland temple on April 3, 1836 from Moses (this was also when Elias and Elijah appeared to restore other keys)

Once the authority to gather Israel was given, the work had to move forward.  How exactly did the gathering of Israel begin to move forward?
-This answer is two part.  We first must understand that the gathering of Israel has two meanings.  The first is meaning is spiritual, the second physical.  Before the physical gathering, there must be a physical gathering.  Which, leads us to ask, how is Israel being spiritually gathered? 
    -Missionary work, the building of temples and the ordinances/covenants made therein are the HOW in this equation.  They both continue to move forward at astonishing rates, allowing Israel to learn the Gospel, come unto Christ, be baptized, and keep the commandments, which are all things that must be done in order to gather Israel spiritually.

The physical gathering began with Joseph Smith and the early pioneering Saints as they began to gather Israel first in Ohio, then in Missouri, and eventually in Salt Lake City.  However, as time passed and the work moved forward the physical meaning of the gathering of Israel changed a bit.  Perhaps as a result of modern technology (or maybe the modern religious laws which provide freedom and protection), it was declared many times that the physical gathering was no longer to imply that the saints needed to leave their home lands.  Elder Russell M. Nelson said:
  “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 Lord’ [3 Nephi 20:13] without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. … The place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is in Korea; and so forth. Zion is ‘the pure in heart.’ [D&C 97:21.] Zion is wherever righteous Saints are” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2006, 85; or Ensign, Nov. 2006, 81).

We now have the literal and spiritual gathering of Israel throughout the world.  But when will the gathering be complete?  
- Not until the 2nd coming of Christ and on into the Millennium ( Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37)
- People will be "gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise" (2 Nephi 9:2), the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will be gathering in the Americas, the tribe of Judah will return to the city of Jerusalem (and the area surrounding it), and the lost ten tribes will receive from the tribe of Ephraim their promised blessings (D&C 133:26–34).

(If there is time left, I will spend a few moments on the conversion processes necessary in the gathering of Israel.  In doing so I'll ask if anyone would like to share their own conversion story...)

How wonderful it is to witness these prophetic miracles!  To see the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread through out the world is simply marvelous.  The gathering began more than a hundred and fifty years ago and in that short time much has been accomplished.  While there is much still left to be done, there have been infinite strides and miracles made from the pioneers through to this very day.  Hearing new temples being established every six months and watching people flock to them astounds and amazes me.  Witnessing the conversion of saint's everywhere brings me to tears.  Our Heavenly Father absolutely loves us and is extending his arms to us, calling us together and inviting us home.  How grateful I am to witness these things, to feel His love, and to have a testimony of the fulness of times.  In deed, this is a marvelous work and a wonder.

This lesson is what I would call scripture heavy.  The Bible, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants are all used several times-far more than what I have included.  In your personal study you might want to read:

• Genesis 17:1–8 (God’s covenant with Abraham)
  
• Romans 9:4–8; Galatians 3:29 (those who follow Jesus Christ and His word are the children of the covenant)
  
• 2 Nephi 30:2; Mosiah 5:10–11 (those who repent, follow the prophets, and have faith in Jesus Christ become the Lord’s covenant people)
  
• 2 Kings 17 (Northern Kingdom taken captive)
  
• 2 Chronicles 36:11–20 (Southern Kingdom taken captive)
  
• James 1:1 (twelve tribes scattered abroad)
  
• 1 Nephi 10:12–13 (Nephite migration was part of the scattering)
  
• Jeremiah 3:14–18 (one from a city, two from a family)
  
• Ezekiel 20:33–36 (Israel will be gathered from all countries)
  
• 3 Nephi 20:29–46 (Jews will be gathered to Jerusalem)
  
• 1 Nephi 15:13–18; 3 Nephi 21:26–29 (gathering starts with Restoration of the gospel)
  
• D&C 38:31–33 (the Lord’s covenant people will be saved)
  
• Isaiah 11:11–13 (the Lord will recover His people)
  
• Revelation 18:4–8 (a voice will proclaim the gathering)
  
• D&C 133:6–15 (Gentiles to Zion, Jews to Jerusalem)  

In my study I referenced a couple really great talks in addition to the Gospel Principles Manual.  I read/used: Gathering Scattered Israel: Then and Now, by Paul K. Browning and The Gathering of Scattered Israel, by Russell M. Nelson as well as Lesson 12: “The Gathering of My People”  from the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Teacher's Manual.