The everlasting covenant and gospel dispensations -- Part 7 (Joseph Smith)

The previous parts of this series are found here:

• Part 1: Introduction and Adam
• Part 2: Enoch
• Part 3: Noah
• Part 4: Abraham
• Part 5: Moses
• Part 6: Jesus Christ

Joseph Smith

We have finally come to the last part of this series to discuss the last gospel dispensation. I am doing this specifically to see how the everlasting covenant, or at least part of it, is restored at each dispensation. This is also usually linked to the creation. Paul talks about this final gospel dispensation

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)

Gathering into one encompasses a lot of things: Priesthood keys, the gathering of Israel, doctrine, etc. But the everlasting covenant is a key component. As mentioned in the first part of this series, it is defined as follows:

This covenant, often referred to by the Lord as the “new and everlasting covenant,” encompasses the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including all ordinances and covenants necessary for the salvation of mankind.

In previous dispensations we have seen different covenants, sometimes quite specific for the time and place in which they were given. Now we have a fullness, everything we need for our salvation. In stark contrast to the earliest dispensations, we have an abundance of information about this one. A whole book of scripture with revelations primarily to Joseph Smith plus much that has been recorded about his life, sermons, etc. So it should not be difficult to find something about the everlasting covenant in the context of this final dispensation. A natural place to look would be in the first chapter of the Doctrine and Covenants. The relevance of covenants is of course implied in the title and the first chapter gives an introduction to the whole collection of revelations.

14 And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;

15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant;

16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (D&C 1)

This is a voice of warning explaining the reasons for this restoration and the calamities that await. Those who will not hear the voice of the Lord shall be cut off because they have broken the everlasting covenant. This post explains how "cut off" is related to covenants. It is also interesting to note another reference to the creation as we already have seen throughout this series whenever there is a restoration of the covenants. In the beginning God created man in his image and likeness, but man creates his own God in the image and likeness of the world.

Another trend we have seen throughout this series is that the head of each dispensation is ordained after the order of the Son of God. God reestablishes his covenant through his authorized servant. Not only was the Aaronic Priesthood conferred upon Joseph Smith by John the Baptist followed by the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James and John but a lot of lost teachings about this order were restored. There are several chapters in the D&C explaining the priesthood and one of them, D&C 84, also lays out the oath and covenant of the priesthood. 

We have seen how the various gospel dispensations typically have referred to previous ones. This is natural since covenants have been lost and needed restoration in addition to new covenants specific for that dispensation. How are the covenants of previous dispensations relevant for this dispensation in the fullness of times?

• Adam: The creation-covenant connection that has been mentioned, is evident in the temple. Joseph Smith restored temples and temple work on earth. All I will say here is that the creation and Adam play a big part here and those who have been there understand.
• Enoch: The dispensation in the fullness of times will, unlike previous ones, not result in apostasy but rather a New Jerusalem. Enoch was told that his city would meet the Zion in the latter days. This is the coming together of two dispensations.
• Noah: As discussed in part 3 of this series, this covenant is closely connected with Enoch's covenant. According to JST Genesis 9:21-25, the part of Noah's posterity that embraces the truth shall some day be part of the new Zion that meets Enoch's Zion. But there is also a link between the earth's baptism by water in the dispensation of Noah followed by the earth's baptism by fire in this last dispensation.
• Abraham: The restoration of this covenant is discussed throughout D&C 132. I will not go into detail here but "everlasting covenant" is repeated 7 times in this chapter and Abraham is mentioned by name 20 times. The new and everlasting covenant of eternal marriage, which is arguably the crowning covenant within the new and everlasting covenant, enables us all to become "father of a multitude" like our father Abraham.
• Moses: As discussed in part 5, this covenant was a substitute for the one the children of Israel first rejected. It was fulfilled in Christ and should therefore not need any restoration. But in a way it has been after all. In his wisdom, God has given us the Aaronic priesthood in this dispensation to enable preparation for the Melchizedek priesthood and its ordinances. Just like Israel got the lesser priesthood and the "preparatory gospel" (D&C 84:26), we have the chance to get a preparation before we receive the greater priesthood and the ordinances in which the power of godliness is manifest.
• Jesus Christ: Despite all the connections to previous dispensations, the restoration in the latter days is first and foremost a restoration of the gospel that Jesus preached and the priesthood and priesthood keys that he gave to Peter. But it is interesting to note that he first received the preparatory (Aaronic) priesthood from John the Baptist, who was the son of a Levite priest and prepared the way for Christ.

Here are some modern day revelations to Joseph Smith in the last dispensation about the everlasting covenant.

Wherefore, I say unto you that I have sent unto you mine everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning. (D&C 49:9)

Verily I say unto you, blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fulness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children of men, that they might have life and be made partakers of the glories which are to be revealed in the last days, as it was written by the prophets and apostles in days of old. (D&C 66:2)

And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me. (D&C 45:9)

 

Conclusion

In this series we have seen how all the seven gospel dispensations have involved covenants. These are given in different forms but they can all be seen as part of the overall everlasting covenant and therefore are linked to each other and to the whole creation. The accounts of these dispensations often contain:

• References to the creation
• References to eternity or "before the foundation of the world"
• Hearkening to the word of God and receiving instruction
• Being called after His order
• Preaching and exemplifying redemption, becoming a new creation

In this final dispensation, we have the fullness of the gospel, often referred to as the new and everlasting covenant. "New" because it has been restored and "everlasting" because it is "from before the foundation of the world" and pertains to our eternal salvation.

In the midst -- Part 1

This has been mentioned several times on the blog before, but for the benefit of new readers and because many do not know about this ancient Israelite tradition (I didn't until quite recently), I will repeat some things about covenant making. At a time and in a culture where literacy was rare, covenants were not signed at the bottom of a piece of paper. In the Hebrew language, you literally cut a covenant. That does not make sense in English and is therefore translated differently. But it is found frequently in the Old Testament. This reflects the (somewhat grotesque to the modern Westeners) practice of cutting animals in half and walking through the carcasses. This act is the signature and a declaration that the covenant is taken very seriously. ("Let me be cut in half like these animals if I break the covenant").

This happens in Genesis 15:10 when God makes a covenant with Abraham. But in this case, Abraham falls asleep after he has cut the animals and God himself, in the form of a burning lamp, walks through the carcasses (see Genesis 15:17-18). God is the active part in the Abrahamic covenant giving all the promises. Back to verse 10, we read

And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

"In the midst" in the Old Testament

I happened to look up the word, "midst", and how it is being used in the scriptures. This is the Hebrew word, תָּוֶךְ (tavek). It comes from an unused root meaning "to sever", which makes it hard for me not to see the covenant relations of this word. It is sometimes used in a literal sense in the scriptures, but quite frequently, it seems to be used in a more spiritual sense. For instance, 1 Kings 6:19 describes King Solomon preparing the "inner sanctuary inside the temple". But the "inside" in this case is translated from the Hebrew tavek, even though we know that the holy of holies was not physically in the middle of the temple. Rather, it was the focal point, the most holy place, the center of attention, the heart of the covenant, so to speak.

Similarly, we find this word constantly popping up in the Old Testament in relation to important covenant themes.

• In the creation account, God made a firmament in the midst (tavek) of the waters to separate the waters of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:6)
• In the Garden of Eden, God planted the two trees in the midst (tevek) of the garden (Genesis 2:9 and 3:3).
• God talked to Moses out of the midst (tavek) of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2, 4) and again from the midst of the cloud on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16). The covenant theme is especially evident when the events are recounted in Deuteronomy 4:12-13

12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst [Hebr. tavek] of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

• In an act similar to the creation in Genesis 1:6, Moses parts the Red Sea and the Israelites walk in the midst (tavek) of the sea followed by the Egyptians (repeated over and over in Exodus 14:16, 22, 23, 27, 29, 15:19)
• In Exodus 25:8, the Lord instructs Israel to build a tabernacle

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among (Hebr. tavek) them. (A more literal translation would be "dwell in their midst")

• According to Psalm 116:19, Solomon's temple was also in the midst of Jerusalem. Again, whether it was physically in the middle of Jerusalem is probably not the main point here.

Ancient Israel had the tabernacle and temple in their midst. It was God's dwelling place and represented his presence. In other words, God, the author of the covenant, was in the midst of Israel, just like he walked in the midst of the carcasses that Abraham had prepared. This is also expressed repeatedly in the Old Testament. Here is one example:

Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among (Hebr. tavek) the children of Israel. (Numbers 35:34)

"In the midst" in the Book of Mormon

Not surprisingly, we see a similar pattern in the Book of Mormon. I noticed in particular how Jesus is repeatedly described as being in the midst of the people in 3 Nephi. 3 Nephi is the heart of the covenant, the new covenant that Jesus brought to the Nephites. Consider these examples:

And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. (3 Nephi 11:8)

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.
13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. (3 Nephi 17)

And it came to pass that while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them. (3 Nephi 19:15)

And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I shall give unto you? (3 Nephi 27:2)

Just like ancient Israel had God in their midst, a branch of Israel in the Americas now had the resurrected Jesus in their midst.

There are many other examples of God/Jesus being in the midst. So many, in fact, that I will save them for my next post. But I want to end with a different example related to Lord Wilmore's recent posts about Nephi-II, Moses and Elijah. He made a point of the division "hither and thither" in this verse, echoing the parting of the sea by Moses and Elijah.

And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them. (3 Nephi 10:1)

See his comments here under the subheading, "creation by division". "The midst" shows up again, echoing the creation and Moses parting the Red Sea, among other things. When the two-edged sword divides, that sword, often symbolizing the word of God, is in the middle of whatever it divides. In this case, Nephi as the conveyor of the word, played that role. God/the Word/the covenant in the midst can have this divisive effect. But hopefully, like the Nephites in 3 Nephi, we can all let Jesus take the center stage of our lives without causing division.

In part 2 we will see how this symbol is used in the uniting of heaven and earth.

Treasures on earth and in heaven

When writing about symbolism of swords and the sacred Nephite relics, I started noticing the use of the word, treasures, in the scriptures. We are all familiar with the Savior's words at the Sermon on the Mount in the Old World and the Sermon at the temple in the New World.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (3 Nephi 13)

One may think that the Savior tells them something new since this sermon generally marks the transition from the old covenant to the new. However, this is just a reiteration of an old covenant term. I noticed this in Exodus 19 as I read this post from Lord Wilmore and discussed this whole concept with him.

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine (Exodus 19:5)

This is repeated in Psalm 135:4.

For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

A covenant people is God's treasure. In return, the covenant people should collect treasures in heaven. Their treasure should be God and his word.

1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2)

We have seen on this blog before that Proverbs often speaks of wisdom personified as the female deity, or our Heavenly Mother as we would call her. The author advises to seek Wisdom as a treasure. The Book of Mormon prophets clearly understood this idea of heavenly treasures, even before the coming of Christ and his famous words in the sermon at the temple. Nephi-2 warns both his sons...

And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers. (Helaman 5:8)

...and the people of Zarahemla

But behold, ye have rejected the truth, and rebelled against your holy God; and even at this time, instead of laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where nothing doth corrupt, and where nothing can come which is unclean, ye are heaping up for yourselves wrath against the day of judgment. (Helaman 8:25)

There is beautiful symmetry and balance in a covenant relationship when God reaches down to his people, makes them his treasure and draws them to him, while the people in turn reach upwards to lay up for themselves treasures in heaven. This covenant relationship is a binding of hearts because "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". This is why Book of Mormon prophets consistently warn against seeking earthly riches

But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. (2 Nephi 9:30)

When God/the heavenly treasure is replaced by earthly treasures, their hearts are not seeking him and the covenant is violated. The end result is disastrous and the Book of Mormon conveys that message in no unclear terms. A very common sign of pride in the Book of Mormon is when the people does what Jacob describes in this quoted verse. The combination of "heart" and "riches" in the same sentence is found 13 times in the Book of Mormon, usually in the form of "set their hearts upon their riches" or similar.

I posted recently about the swords and treasures slipping away from the people right before they were destroyed, according to the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite. Pondering the covenant relations of all this, I noticed that this is described as a consequence of a "curse of the land". Both the Jaredites and Nephites received a land of promise as part of a covenant. The Nephites were constantly reminded of the covenant, that like the Israelites of old, they would be blessed in the land if they kept the commandments. But in the end they didn't and the land was cursed. The curse of the land is also mentioned 5 times in the Book of Ether. It is a general principle conveyed in 1 Nephi 17.

38 And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes.

39 He ruleth high in the heavens, for it is his throne, and this earth is his footstool.

40 And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt.

The "curse of the land" is a sign of covenant violation, just as "prosper in the land" is a sign of covenant keeping. What kind of riches or treasures they searched for and where their hearts were, was apparently an important indicator of their covenant keeping. Let's have another look at the prophecies of Samuel:

18 And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord.

19 For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.

20 And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord. (Helaman 13)

The land of promise became cursed because of wickedness, because the Nephites did not keep the commandments so they could prosper in the land as promised. Setting your heart upon riches and hiding treasures in the earth, symbolically binds your heart to the earth. Hiding your treasure "up unto the Lord" or laying up for yourself treasures in heaven, on the other hand, binds your heart upward towards God. There is a lesson here for all of us. What are our riches and where are our hearts?

 

Righteousness -- Part 3

In the previous two parts (here and here), I have written about the term, righteousness, in a particular context that Margaret Barker provides in this paper. It is fascinating to me how such a common word in the scriptures can have so much meaning when new context is provided. It has both changed and added depth to my understanding of certain verses. I know I am repeating myself, but this part from Barker's paper is important for the topic of this post.

the Bible writers said that God had bound all creation into one system[...] The bonds were called the covenant of peace, or the covenant of life and peace (Numbers 25.12; Malachi 2.5). Peace did not mean simply ‘absence of conflict’. The Hebrew word shalom implies far more: rest, balance, harmony and completion - we might nowadays say ‘a sustainable state.’ The story of the creation in the Bible says this was achieved when everything was very good and at rest[...] The Servants of the LORD had to maintain the covenant of peace. When it was threatened or damaged, they had to do whatever was necessary to restore it. And here we come to the word that forms the title of this talk; righteousness, tsedaqah. Righteousness describes both the action needed to restore the broken covenant, and also the result of that action. Righteous people had been restored to their intended place in the creation, and they then had to work to restore other parts of the covenant system. Righteousness meant the activity of making righteous, protecting and maintaining the covenant. Those who had been healed had to become healers.

With this as backdrop, I see the following verses in Alma 13 in a new light:

10 Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish...
13 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest.
14 Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a high priest after this same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the high priesthood forever...
17 Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness;
18 But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace, for he was the king of Salem; and he did reign under his father.

I'm highlighting a lot of words here that have direct connection to the quote I gave and the previous posts on this topic. Why do I highlight the name, "Melchizedek"? Because it means "king of righteousness" in Hebrew. "zedek" is just a different spelling of "tsedeq" that I wrote about in part 1 of this series. Do you see how well it fits the context? Alma talks about those who were high priests in the first temple period (obviously, because that is when Lehi left Jerusalem). They were examples of righteousness, restorers of the covenant of peace. Alma exhorts his listeners to follow their lead so they can enter into his rest, which is an indicator of the covenant of peace being intact. Melchizedek, the king of righteousness, is a great example of such a high priest. He established this peace in his society after the people had repented from "all manner of wickedness" (remember from part 2 that wickedness is the opposite of righteousness). With the Hebrew meaning translated, "Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem" becomes "The king of righteousness was a king over the land of peace".

Even though we know very little about Melchizedek, the description of him and his name matches perfectly with the idea of "righteous people [who] had been restored to their intended place in the creation, and [...] then had to work to restore other parts of the covenant system". Keeping in mind that angels can be heavenly or earthly ("angel" and "messenger" is the same word in Hebrew), this is a description of the "see an angel, be an angel" concept and the ministry of angels that Lord Wilmore has written about in previous blog posts. 

This is also the essence of temple worship and atonement. The high priest would represent the Messiah and enter into the holy of holies on the day of atonement to sprinkle blood on behalf of the people. This would symbolically restore the broken covenant and reestablish peace and harmony of the creation. Melchizedek as a high priest would do this and apparently managed to establish peace. We know little details, but we know that he is a type of Christ, the other king of righteousness ("after the order of Melchizedek" Hebrews 7:17). To quote the article from Barker again

When the prophets spoke of the earth staggering under the weight of human sin (Isaiah 24.20), of mountains shaking (Jeremiah 4.24), of stars falling from the sky like fruit from a fig tree (Revelation 6.13), they were seeing how the creation would be when it was no longer restrained and protected by the covenant[...] In crises such as this, they looked for the Righteous One to appear and restore the covenant (Isaiah 24.16). Isaiah described the Servant, the Righteous One who would make many righteous and bear away their iniquities (Isaiah 53.11). Making righteous meant removing the effects of distortion, enabling more people to become restorers. St Peter described Jesus as the Righteous One, the Author of Life (Acts 3.14-15)

This also helps me see the priesthood in a new light. The "order of the Son of God", that it was initially called, is what is described in the quote above. It was later called "the order of Melchizedek" or the Melchizedek priesthood, but as Alma 13 shows, it is exactly the same: It is the restoration of the covenant through righteousness. In his great lecture on the priesthood in D&C 121, Joseph Smith said:

...the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness (L&P 121:36)

The priesthood exercised in righteousness by people like Melchizedek restores the covenant of peace and enables more people to become restorers. Christ, the "high priest" in the letter to the Hebrews, is the ultimate example of that. It would of course be impossible without his atonement that Melchizedek and the temple rites merely foreshadowed.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:18)

We have high priests after the order of Melchizedek in the church today too. It is structured a bit differently and they have a different role than 3000 years ago, but I think the same principles apply. As leaders in Christ's restored church, they exercise the priesthood in righteousness. They invite people to enter into covenants and administer the ordinances connected to those covenants. In line with ancient Israelite thought, this restores the old covenant of peace and harmony among God's creations. It leads people on the paths of righteousness to the fountain of righteousness. They are restored to their intended place in the creation and can help others achieve the same.

Righteousness -- Part 2

In part 1, I placed the term, righteousness, in a certain context; as the means to establish or restore the bonds and peace of all creation. Righteousness is one of God's primary attributes but he needs a righteous people to work with him and fulfill his purposes. Searching for the term, "righteous" or "righteousness" in the Book of Mormon gives more than a hundred results. I have not gone through all those verses, but I have seen a clear pattern: God is extremely concerned about establishing and preserving a righteous people. This can be divided into several categories:

• Raising up a righteous branch
• Separating the righteous from the wicked
• Destroying the wicked and preserving the righteous
• Blessing the land of the righteous
• Saving the righteous

I find there is a logical link between these, perhaps even a sequence, and they also fit the context discussed in part 1. Just to repeat a small part of Margaret Barker's paper giving that context:

Righteousness describes both the action needed to restore the broken covenant, and also the result of that action. Righteous people had been restored to their intended place in the creation, and they then had to work to restore other parts of the covenant system. Righteousness meant the activity of making righteous, protecting and maintaining the covenant.

I will give a few examples for each category.

Raising up a righteous branch

Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom. (2 Nephi 3:5)

And behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Israel. (2 Nephi 9:53)

Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph. (Jacob 2:25)

This reminds me of a couple of scriptures shared in part 1 where righteousness would "spring up" or God wanted to find righteousness in his vineyard. The Hebrew word for "spring up" used in that Isaiah verse is the same as the one in Genesis 2:9, where God made every tree grow (spring up) from the ground in the Garden of Eden. The righteous branch is perhaps also an allusion to Zenos' allegory and the branches that were grafted and produced good fruit.

Separating the righteous from the wicked

And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The names of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people (Alma 5:57)

And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you. (Jacob 3:4)

This is similar to the wheat and the tares. In order to let righteous people restore the covenant system, they must be clearly distinguished, separated out and gathered.

Destroying the wicked and preserving the righteous

36 Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it.
37 And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked.
38 And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes. (1 Nephi 17)

16 For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous.
17 Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire. (1 Nephi 22)

This is a similar to the previous point, but it goes even further. It sounds brutal, but it seems necessary for God to achieve His purposes. The covenant bonds cannot be maintained by wickedness. Unless the wicked repent, they must eventually make way for the righteous to do the work that is ultimately for the benefit of the whole creation. 

Blessing the land of the righteous

15 And now it came to pass that after Alma had said these things to Helaman, he blessed him, and also his other sons; and he also blessed the earth for the righteous’ sake.
16 And he said: Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Alma 45)

the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. (Ether 2:7)

the foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous’ sake. (Alma 46:10)

A lot of the scriptures about righteousness or righteous people are connected with land/earth/creation. We saw that also in part 1 of this series. This makes sense given the creation-covenant context that Barker explains.

Exalting the righteous

he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb. (Alma 34:36)

and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day (1 Nephi 16:2)

When they righteous people have been established, they can restore the covenant system, the bonds of creation. Finally, the righteous people on earth are taken up to God in heaven, like the City of Enoch

17 The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.

18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

19 And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion.

20 And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord: Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever. But the Lord said unto Enoch: Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed.

21 And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever. (Moses 7)

Sorry but not sorry for overloading this post with scriptures. But there are many more fitting examples that I didn't include. The Book of Mormon also talks about God's righteousness, which I haven't addressed, but what really stood out for me was how desperately God wants to establish, protect, preserve and bless a righteous people.