In the midst -- Part 2

Here is part 1 introducing the topic of the word "midst" (tavek in Hebrew) and its covenant connections. I just find the placement of God/Jesus/temple/the word in the midst too often in the scriptures to not have any meaning beyond mere position. This post considers some more examples. We start out with an example in D&C.

The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things. (D&C 88:13)

Honestly, I don't fully understand half of the verses in D&C 88. I appreciate it nonetheless, it is a spectacular chapter. But the metaphysical implication of God being in the midst of all things? I have no idea. In this case it is a revelation given to Joseph Smith in English so we don't have the Hebrew 'tavek' origin with its covenant implications. But I still don't think that the language of the revelations to Joseph Smith is detached from the language in other standard works. Perhaps "all things" in this verse can be summed up by heaven and earth that God created in the beginning. God dwells in the midst of both heaven and earth (at least in its paradisaical state) as we shall see next.

God dwelling in the midst of heaven

In Abraham 3, we read about the premortal existence.

21 I dwell in the midst of them all; I now, therefore, have come down unto thee to declare unto thee the works which my hands have made, wherein my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the beginning; I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen.

22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

In the very first chapter of the Book of Mormon, Lehi sees in a vision...

And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. (1 Nephi 1:9)

God dwells in the midst of heaven and its hosts.

God dwelling in the midst of Zion

When heaven and earth meet in Zion, he still stands in the midst of his people. This is described several times in the scriptures.

And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled. (Moses 7:69)

And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you. (3 Nephi 20:22)

And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst. (3 Nephi 21:25)

When the power of heaven comes down on earth in a future Zion, God will be there in the midst, just like He was in the city of Enoch.

So God is in the midst of all things, both heaven and earth. We have seen in part 1 how the midst can be related to covenants and division. But we also saw that the Savior repeatedly was in the midst of the people in 3 Nephi in a more harmonious setting. Similarly, when those who keep the covenant are gathered and accept the Savior, he will be in their midst as the center of worship instead of a source of division. Perhaps we need to wait for a future Zion to have Him in our midst physically, but there is much we can do today to have Him in our midst spiritually, at least in our personal lives.

Cain, קַיִן, and "getting gain"

As has been demonstrated many times in various ways, the writers of the Book of Mormon understood Hebrew. This post gives an overview of many examples.  Today we'll discuss an additional example, which also lends credibility to the idea that the Book of Mormon writers had access to some form of the Book of Moses., perhaps on the brass plates.

I'll be summarizing many ideas presented by Matthew Bowen in this 2017 FairMormon presentation.

Bowen points out that unlike in English, ancient Hebrew names are important signals of meaning:

Names, as signals or signs, communicated much more in terms of meaning anciently than they often do today. As Michael P. O’Connor has noted, “Semitic names are often linguistically transparent, i.e., meaningful as ordinary words (or compounds of them) in the language of their hearers.” In other words, names in the ancient Israelite onomasticon most often meant something to ancient Israelites in the Hebrew language or in languages of neighboring cultures with which at least some members of their society (e.g., scribes) were familiar (e.g., Egyptian, cf. Egyptian names Phinehas, Hophni, Pashhur, Miriam/Mary, etc.). With the exception of a few linguistically transparent personal names like Rose, Lily (and other “flower names”), Sunny, Hope, and so forth, English names overwhelmingly tend to be linguistically opaque.

This is an important backdrop, because it suggests that if we can find relevance in the meaning of a name in the Hebrew Bible, that meaning is way more likely to be intentional than in a modern text.

The meaning of Cain

The Hebrew name for Cain is 

קַיִן - Qayin (source)

This name is related to the Hebrew root 'qanah' (קָנָה) which means 'to get, acquire.' The wordplay is transparent in the first mention of Cain in Genesis 4:1 --

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. (Genesis 4)

Cain's Fate

In Moses 5:24 we learn that God warns Cain that if he rebels against the covenant, his name "shalt be called Perdition." This is significant because 'perdition' is an antonym of 'qayin' meaning "eternal damnation, utter destruction, loss" (source).

Sadly, Cain rejects this warning and slays his brother.

It is very interesting to me that the Book of Moses intensifies the nature of the wordplay on the name of Cain. Think of the elements found in Moses 5 regarding secret combinations in verses 29-41, which specifically highlights the purpose of these combinations, which is to murder and get gain. This is certainly not a coincidence but rather a restoration of something very ancient which was literally built into the name given to Cain. After making this oath with Satan, Cain's new name for himself is "Master Mahan" which might derive from the Hebrew word for "destroyer" (see page 148 of this paper).

Connections to "the two churches" concept

Nephi plainly teaches there are two churches. (See this post for a longer discussion.) One, the church of the Lamb of God, invites all to "come unto [Christ] and ... eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely." (See Alma 5:34.) This activity ultimately leads to "works of righteousness" (discussed in more depth here and here) and eternal life. Some of these righteous works are sacred and only given to those who have fully committed to following Christ all their days (partly as a protection against the curses associated with breaking the covenant). The ultimate reward of belonging to this church is to be "gathered in" (see 3 Nephi 21:24, 28) and receive eternal life.

The church of the devil, on the other hand, seeks to produce "workers of iniquity" who are "puffed up in the vain things of the world" and who "have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray." (See Alma 5:37.) Some of their more advanced activity also involves secret agreements which involve "murdering to get gain" but leads to being cutting off, cast out, and experiencing spiritual death -- permanent separation from God. Alma-2 puts it this way in his masterful sermon in Zarahemla:

42 And whosoever doeth this must receive his wages of him; therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works.

What does the Book of Mormon say about Cain?

Matthew Bowen points out that both times Cain is mentioned in the Book of Mormon, his name is used in close proximity to references to secret combinations for the purposes of getting gain:

Helaman 6

Mormon gives us an in-depth overview of the origin and purposes of secret combinations in this chapter, as he is explaining that the Nephites "began to set their hearts upon their riches" and "began to seek to get gain that they might be lifted up one above another" (see Helaman 6:17).  This begins a long passage about secret combinations, where we learn:

• "those murderers and plunderers were a band who had been formed by Kishkumen and Gadianton" (v. 18)
• the purpose was to allow them to commit crimes without having to suffer for them (v. 21-23)
• Satan is the author of them (v. 26)
• Satan plotted with Cain in a similar manner (v. 27)

We also learn from verses 21-22 that these secret combinations involved:

• covenants
• oaths to protect and preserve each other
• secret signs
• secret words

Ether 8

Moroni gives us a glimpse into the secret combinations which were had among the Jaredites, in which many of the same principles are outlined, including that these oaths "were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning." (See Ether 8:15.)

We also learn that these oaths "have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi." (See verse 21.)

The purpose of these oaths is to "get power and gain." (See verses 16, 22, and 23.) 

Summary

In conclusion, we learn a few important truths from this layer of meaning embedded in the name of Cain. 

1. First, we learn that names are meaningful in Hebrew.  
2. Second, we learn that Cain's association with Satan for the purpose of getting gain is an abomination and we should seek to identify it and eliminate its influence from our lives (See especially Ether 8:23-25.) 
3. Third, we learn that the writers of the Book of Mormon seem to have understood the deeper Hebrew meanings of names. 
4. Finally, we learn that the writers of the Book of Mormon seem to have had access to material that is similar to what we have in the Book of Moses.

Book of Mormon language in D&C 10

D&C 10 was part of the the Come, Follow Me reading for this week and the revelation that Joseph Smith received as he and Oliver tried to figure out how to go on with the translation after the loss of the 116 pages (which according to church historian Don Bradley probably were much more than 116). As I read it, I noticed all the Book of Mormon language in this Section. This is of course language from the Book of Mormon we have today, not the part that was lost. At the time of this revelation, this part had not been translated yet. Consequently, God gives Joseph Smith a revelation about a record that he is about to translate containing some of the language that God uses in the revelation.

Consider these examples:

D&C 10	Book of Mormon
I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. (v. 43)	I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. (3 Nephi 21:10)
build up churches unto themselves to get gain (v.56)	build up churches unto themselves to get gain (4 Nephi 1:26)
I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not. (v.57)	I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. I came unto my own, and my own received me not. (3 Nephi 9:15-16)
I am he who said—Other sheep have I which are not of this fold—unto my disciples, and many there were that understood me not. (v.59)	And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. And they understood me not (3 Nephi 15:21-22)
And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they do wrest the scriptures and do not understand them (v.63)	29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. 30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away. (3 Nephi 11:29-30)
For, behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts (v.65)	O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart. (3 Nephi 10:6)
Yea, if they will come, they may, and partake of the waters of life freely. (v.66)	Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely (Alma 42:27)
And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. (v.69)	Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. (3 Nephi 11:39)

Most of this comes from 3 Nephi where Christ himself speaks to the Nephites. But Joseph Smith has not translated this part at the time when D&C 10 was given. The language Jesus Christ uses when giving this revelation to Joseph Smith is a sort of precursor to what is going to come when he later reveals to Joseph Smith the English translation of the Book of Mormon of his own words to the Nephites of old.

I think the standard works are given to us not only to be considered as separate witnesses of Christ to different people at different times, but also as a unified whole set of God's words to us today. Comparing the word of God across different standard works and seeing how they both confirm and supplement each other enriches my studies.

Come Follow Me: October 12–18. 3 Nephi 20–26: “Ye Are the Children of the Covenant”

 This past week's Come Follow Me lesson is a great one.  Here are additional links to supplement your study.

3 Nephi 20 -- Abinadi and the first and second Moses, The tree of life and the living waters, "Cast" and "hard heart"

3 Nephi 21 -- What the Book of Mormon teaches about the relationship between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (and each of us), part 1, Preparing the way for the gathering of Israel, The scattering and gathering

3 Nephi 22 -- "Prolonging" and "lengthening cords", Redeemer/kinsman, God's covenant with Israel in the latter days

3 Nephi 23 -- Internal Consistency about Isaiah, What made it onto the plates

3 Nephi 24 -- Preparing a way

3 Nephi 25 -- The Sun/Son of Righteousness

3 Nephi 26 -- Mercy is associated with..., Forbidden to write, Mormon's inclusio in 3 Nephi

What the Book of Mormon teaches about the relationship between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (and each of us), part 2

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7)

This is a continuation of a previous post about the relationship between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  Part 1 can be found here.

We left off with the concept of unity. In this post, we'll look more specifically at how covenants play a role in uniting us to God and allowing our will to be swallowed up in His will, just as Jesus did. Those covenants are brought about by divinely authorized messengers, and it seems pretty clear to me now that no discussion of the relationship between God the Father and God the Son is complete without recognizing how much they want us to be included in their unity. We'll circle around to that at the end of this post.

What does it mean to be united?

Shared Joy

One important aspect of unity that I took away from this study is that those who are united rejoice together.  For example, notice how the passages below demonstrate a unity of joy between Jesus those who saw Him as they saw Him pray unto the Father for them:

16 And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;
17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.
18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.
19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.
20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full. (3 Nephi 17)

30 And now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you, and also this generation; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels, because of you and this generation; for none of them are lost. (3 Nephi 27)

Covenants

This, of course, is a perfect lead-in to another critical aspect of unity -- covenants.  There are so many references by Christ to the work of fulfilling the covenant of the Father to the House of Israel that I can't list them all, but I'll give one example to show how connected this is to the overall theme, which is most heavily focused in 3 Nephi 21-27:

26 And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem.
27 Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.
28 Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. (3 Nephi 21)

The work of gathering Israel is intimately intertwined with covenants and unity. This thought took me back to the very first passage I studied -- 1 Nephi 1.  In this chapter, we read of a vision Lehi had.  Notice the description of what he saw:

8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.
10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.
11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read. (1 Nephi 1)

There is an important pattern outlined right here in these four verses:

• God the Father is exalted.
• Jesus Christ the Son came to earth to show us how to return to God the Father.
• The path back to God involves following those who follow Him. These "others" go forth upon the face of the earth and invite others to receive the word.

The divinely authorized messengers "descend" and "go forth upon the face of the earth" so that they can spread the word -- the glad tidings -- causing those who receive the word to "gather" and "ascend."  That's pretty powerful.

One last note. Consider the introductory words of Mormon found in Moroni 7. I believe Mormon was preparing them to receive covenants:

2 And now I, Mormon, speak unto you, my beloved brethren; and it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy will, because of the gift of his calling unto me, that I am permitted to speak unto you at this time.

3 Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven. (Moroni 7)

I've written about similar themes here.

That's probably as succinct a summary as I can give of this divine concept of unity. I don't know that I necessarily learned any new information, but I am definitely able to see the role covenants play in uniting us with God increasingly clearly.

What the Book of Mormon teaches about the relationship between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (and each of us), part 1

10 And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one; (3 Nephi 28)

This is a big topic, hard to cover in a single post. This will likely become a series of two posts. Even so, I won't be able to fully describe everything I've learned in the process  Rather, I'll plan to summarize what I consider to be the most important findings I made while studying this topic. I've included a list of passages I studied so you can see what material I am drawing on to base my conclusions.

One somewhat unexpected pattern I found while studying about the relationship between the Father and the Son was the central importance of unity. Although I set out to learn more about two perfected Beings, I also ended up learning about their desires for me (and everyone).  Here is a pattern I discovered:

1. The Father and the Son are perfectly united.
2. They desire each of us to be perfectly united with them.
3. They have established a perfect plan to produce that unity with them. This includes faith, repentance, ordinances, miracles, spiritual gifts, and the confirming/purifying influence of the Holy Ghost.
4. The only aspect of their plan that is in question is our willingness to follow it.

Here is a list of passages I studied:

• 1 Nephi 1
• Mosiah 15:1-9
• 3 Nephi 9:14-17
• 3 Nephi 11:11-41
• 3 Nephi 12:17-20, 48
• 3 Nephi 15:1
• 3 Nephi 16 
• 3 Nephi 17:14-25
• 3 Nephi 18:1-11
• 3 Nephi 19 (esp. v. 23)
• 3 Nephi 20 (esp. vv. 19-25)
• 3 Nephi 21 (esp. v. 27)
• 3 Nephi 27:13-30
• 3 Nephi 28:10-11
• Moroni 7:2-3, 48

Unity

As you read through these passages, notice how often it is mentioned that the Father and the Son are "one."  Often, this unity is also extended to righteous disciples, or at least an invitation is given to us to become one with them. Here are a few examples:

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.
15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. (3 Nephi 9)

27 And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. ...36 And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one. 37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. (3 Nephi 11)

23 And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one. (3 Nephi 19)

10 ...and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one; (3 Nephi 28)

Another common statement is that the will of Christ was united, or "swallowed up," with the will of the Father.

7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father. (Mosiah 15)

11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. (3 Nephi 11)

We'll end this part on that note. It is abundantly clear to me that mortality is all about surrendering our own will to that of God's will.  When we are baptized, we lay down the old creature, and arise anew as a spiritual being, willing to follow Christ in all things.  When we partake of the sacrament, we promise to always remember Him.

In the next post in this series, we'll look in more detail at what it means to be united, and how covenants fit into this picture.

Preparing the way for the gathering of Israel

There have been numerous posts on the topic of "preparing the way". This expression is used in different contexts, but sometimes it is connected to the gathering of Israel, another topic that has been discussed a lot lately on this blog. This is especially the case for the "highway in the desert" symbolism discussed previously. All of these referenced earlier blog posts are too many to link, but here and here are two examples.

I noticed this expression popping up in Zenos' allegory in Jacob 5.

61 Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.

62 Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.

63 Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.

64 Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh. And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.

Since English is not my native language, I may be on thin ice here, but to me, "preparing the way" for fruit or branches to grow seems an odd way of expressing yourself. This is why I think the expression has significance and is there for a reason. In these verses, the Lord of the vineyard has just checked on his trees and found they all bear evil fruit (the great apostasy). He is now planning on how to be able to obtain good fruit again, by grafting the natural branches back into the "mother tree" among other things (the gathering of Israel in these latter days). And this is where the expression comes up along with other expressions marked in different colors that are all connected to the gathering of Israel. Just compare with these other Book of Mormon passages:

at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel. (1 Nephi 14:17)

27 Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.

28 Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. (3 Nephi 21)

And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. (1 Nephi 13:42)

And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men. (2 Nephi 25:17)

My take from this is that there is a certain "gathering of Israel-language" that the Book of Mormon authors are using sometimes that seems to originate from the brass plates. In addition to the expressions from Zenos, we also know that the marvelous work and wonder in the last quote originally comes from Isaiah. As I have stated before, it seems that to the Book of Mormon prophets, Isaiah and Zenos go hand in hand. Another example of this is Jacob 6:2

2 And the day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard; and after that the end soon cometh.

Jacob quotes Isaiah 11:11 (or 2 Nephi 25:17 that quotes Isaiah 11:11) while referring to Zenos' vineyard allegory.

Back to Jacob 5, the four quoted verses above show three examples of this gathering of Israel-language.

• The Lord prepares a way for the gathering. He makes a "highway in the desert" where we can come and partake of the living water and bread of life, entering into covenants with Him. In the vineyard allegory the way is prepared for the branches and fruit of the natural tree to be brought forth and grow.
• One characteristic of the gathering of Israel in these latter days is that those who used to be the first (Israel) now will be the last, and those who used to be the last (Gentiles) will now be the first. There is a wise purpose in this. In the vineyard allegory this is a crucial measure taken to save the vineyard and obtain good fruit again.
• The gathering of Israel is expressed as a marvelous work, the work of the Father, or similar. In the vineyard allegory it is expressed as heavy labor. There is a lot going on in these latter days. The gospel is reaching the ends of the earth, temples are built in rapid pace and generally these days the world is almost unrecognizable from one generation to the next. We are in the middle of a lot of pruning, grafting, dunging and nourishing.

The scattering and gathering of Israel in the Book of Mormon

I have realized that the scattering and especially the gathering of Israel is a very important theme in the Book of Mormon. In fact the title page states that in addition to bringing people to Christ, the purpose of the Book of Mormon is "to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever". This is a recurrent theme in Nephi's vision, in 1 Nephi 20-22, in large parts of 2 Nephi including the Isaiah quotes, in Jacob 5, in 3 Nephi 16 and 20-22, and numerous other chapters or smaller passages.

I have posted about it a while back and made a summary here of common specifics in these prophecies. Overall, I like to structure this topic as shown below, where both the scattering and the gathering have a physical and a spiritual aspect.

	Physical	Spiritual
Scattering	·       Northern tribes (Israel/Ephraim) conquered by Assyria ·       Southern tribes (Juda) conquered by Babylon and later by the Romans ·       Various branches of the House of Israel emigrated, like Lehi’s family to America	·       Israel of old rejecting the covenant and worshipping idols ·       The apostasy from the church established by Christ and subsequent loss of priesthood authority
Gathering	·       The state of Israel established in 1947 (Juda) ·       A future gathering in Jackson county (Ephraim) ·       Gathering in “stakes of Zion”	·       The restoration of the gospel and priesthood keys. “The new and everlasting covenant”. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon as a sign ·       Conversion of Gentiles adopted into the House of Israel ·       A future conversion of many Jews

Some scriptures in the Book of Mormon that I think support this view:

1 Nephi 22

3 Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual; for it appears that the house of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations…

5 …shall hereafter be scattered and be confounded, because of the Holy One of Israel; for against him will they harden their hearts; wherefore, they shall be scattered among all nations and shall be hated of all men.

12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.

3 Nephi 21

27 Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.
28 Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance.

I notice in particular how the two verses in 3 Nephi each states two ways in which the "work shall commence", one spiritual and one temporal.

I'm posting this now because it is a topic that has been on my mind and something that I am reminded of again having just read Nephi's vision. I will probably post more on this in coming days.