I don’t
think we should confuse this “highway” with the modern-day highways we tend to
think about when we hear the word. The way is still “strait and narrow”, but it
is an elevated, ascending way (explanation here).
My thought
process started when I noticed all the Exodus references in Isaiah, even though
he is talking about the gathering of Israel. I have long been fascinated by all
the symbolism we find in the Exodus but this added a new layer.
Here are
some examples of Exodus references in Isaiah passages, some of which have already
been quoted in recent posts.
2 Nephi
21:16/Isaiah 11:16
And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
1 Nephi 20:20-21/Isaiah
48:20-21
20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.21 And they thirsted not; he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out.
2 Nephi
14:5/Isaiah 4:5
And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense.
Why does
Isaiah refer to the Exodus so much when he is really talking about the
latter-day gathering of Israel? Because the Exodus of the children of Israel is
symbolic for the latter-day gathering of Israel. Walking on this highway that
Lord Wilmore has posted about, is a spiritual Exodus for the remnant in the
latter days. Recall that there is both a physical and spiritual aspect to this topic. Recall also
that the way is typically through the wilderness. Let us have a look at the symbols
in the Exodus and how they relate to the spiritual gathering today:
Leaving Egypt
I have
posted some thoughts about this before. Egypt = Worshipping the beast/the natural man
= Sin. Leaving Egypt = repentance. The children of Israel had to leave Egypt.
The latter-day remnant needs to leave sin and try to put off the natural man as
a first step to become the covenant people.
Applying the blood of the lamb
This one is
obvious and well-known. The children of Israel had to strike the blood of the
lamb on the door posts, prepare their meal a certain way and other things with
clear symbolic references to Christ. Only He can make leaving Egypt/sin
possible. The latter-day remnant must also apply the blood of the lamb. Christ is the center of the
gathering of Israel.
The sea/cloud and pillar of fire
As Paul
stated, the children of Israel “were all baptized unto Moses in the
cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:2). They crossed the Red Sea (God made a
way through it, see Isaiah 43:16), they had a cloud to lead them by day and
a pillar of fire by night. The latter-day remnant must be baptized both by
water and by fire. This is the gate for the covenant people, just as the Red
Sea was a gate to the highway in the desert that had to be opened. For the
Egyptians, who were non-Israelites, this gate was closed. This was not because
of their ancestry but because of their unwillingness to listen to and obey the
Lord (Exodus 5:2). Regardless of our ancestry, we are numbered among Israel
through baptism and confirmation. This is the first covenant we enter into and makes
us part of the covenant people.
Bread from heaven and water from the rock
Entering
through the gate was just the beginning (2 Nephi 31:19). The children of Israel
had to walk the way through the wilderness. There they drank water from the rock (Christ) and ate bread from heaven (also
Christ, see John 6:48-51). The latter-day remnant can renew the covenants they
have entered into when partaking of the sacrament, the bread and water that
symbolize Christ, to give them strength along their journey in the wilderness
of life.
The mount Sinai
The
children of Israel were asked to sanctify themselves to be able to endure God’s
presence on the mountain and receive the higher law and priesthood. The
latter-day remnant is asked to sanctify themselves to be able to enter into the
“mountain of the Lord”, the temple, to receive “the fulness of the priesthood”
(D&C 124:28). As we know, Israel ended up receiving the lesser law. But Moses’ feet on mount Sinai giving Israel the lesser law was a
“type of things to come”, namely Christ’s and messenger’s/angel’s feet on the
mount Zion giving the higher law which is the new and everlasting covenant (see more
details here and here).
The
Children of Israel failed to fully walk this Way of Holiness through the wilderness.
As a result, they did not “enter into His rest”. Their failure is an example that
we can learn from so we don’t make the same mistakes. The Lord will gather his
elect and it’s up to you and me to be among them.
To
summarize:
- God has prepared a “Highway of Holiness” in the latter days for the remnant of the House of Israel
- Walking on this way is a spritual journey consisting of repentance, applying the atonement, baptism and confirmation/the gift of The Holy Ghost, the sacrament and all the covenants received in the temple through the Melchizedek Priesthood
- President Nelson and other church leaders today have referred to this as “the covenant path”
- Anyone who walks on this highway is numbered among the House of Israel, because by entering through the gate (baptism) they are adopted into it
- The Exodus of the Children of Israel walking on a way through the wilderness, although a real event, is also symbolic of the spiritual exodus of the latter-day remnant of the House of Israel on the Highway of Holiness
- The Highway of Holiness goes through the wilderness of our lives, our mortal experience, and ultimately leads to the promised land/”His rest”/the tree of life
I know
there are a lot of links in this post, but if you haven’t read them before I
recommend spending some time with it for a fuller understanding and context. The
symbolism here is clear and beautiful.