Friday, January 5, 2018

WHO WILL ESTABLISH ZION?

The Book of Mormon, as recorded in 3 Nephi 21:22-28, describes a collaboration of no less than four distinct bodies (#1,3,4,5) ordained to establish Zion upon the North American Continent TOGETHER; while various Gentile powers (#2, 6) strive to oppose them:


1. THE REMNANT OF JACOB--'THIS' PEOPLE UNTO WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN 'THIS' LAND FOR AN INHERITANCE--THE SEED OF LEHI.

2. THE GENTILES UPON THIS LAND NOT NUMBERED AMONG THE REMNANT OF JACOB, THE CHURCH OF GOD, THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, OR THE DISPERSED OF GOD'S PEOPLE.

3. THE CHURCH OF GOD--WHOSOEVER WILL REPENT, COME UNTO THE SON OF GOD, ESCAPE VENGEANCE AND FURY, HEARKEN TO GOD'S WORD, HARDEN NOT THEIR HEARTS, ESTABLISH THE CHURCH OF GOD AMONG THEM, COME UNTO THE COVENANT, AND BE NUMBERED AMONG THOSE WHO RECEIVE THEIR INHERITANCE IN THIS LAND.

4. THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL--TO INCLUDE THE TRIBES OF JUDAH AND BENJAMIN, WHICH ALONE RETAINED IDENTITIES AS A DISTINCT PEOPLE, OR COMBINED 'HOUSE' AFTER THE DISPERSION OF THE LOST TRIBES. JUDAH WAS APPOINTED TO CARRY THE SCEPTOR (GEN. 49:9-10) AND BENJAMIN (MEANING 'SON OF MY RIGHT HAND') WAS THE ONLY SON OF JACOB BORN AFTER THE LORD RENAMED HIM ISRAEL.

5. ALL THE DISPERSED OF GOD'S PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SCATTERED UPON ALL THE FACE OF THE LAND--TO INCLUDE THE LOST TRIBES WHICH HAVE BEEN LEAD OUT OF JERUSALEM AND (BY INTENT OF THE WORD, "ALL") THE DISPERSED OF LATTER-DAY ZION.

6. ALL NATIONS.


"12 And MY PEOPLE WHO ARE A REMNANT OF JACOB shall be among THE GENTILES, yea, in the midst of THEM as A LION among THE BEASTS OF THE FOREST, as A YOUNG LION among THE FLOCKS OF SHEEP, who, if HE go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

13 THEIR HAND shall be lifted up upon THEIR ADVERSARIES, and all THEIR ENEMIES shall be cut off.

14 Yea, wo be unto THE GENTILES except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off THY HORSES out of the midst of THEE, and I will destroy THY CHARIOTS;

15 And I will cut off THE CITIES OF THY LAND, and throw down ALL THY STRONGHOLDS;

16 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of THY LAND, and THOU shalt have no more soothsayers;

17 THY GRAVEN IMAGES I will also cut off, and THY STANDING IMAGES out of the midst of THEE, and THOU shalt no more worship THE WORKS OF THY HANDS;

18 And I will pluck up THY GROVES out of the midst of THEE; so will I destroy THY CITIES.

19 And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.

20 For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day WHOSOEVER will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, THEM will I cut off from among MY PEOPLE, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL;

21 And I will execute vengeance and fury upon THEM, even as upon THE HEATHEN, such as THEY have not heard.

22 But if THEY will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not THEIR HEARTS, I will establish MY CHURCH among THEM, and THEY shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among THIS THE REMNANT OF JACOB, UNTO WHOM I HAVE GIVEN THIS LAND FOR THEIR INHERITANCE;

23 And THEY shall assist MY PEOPLE, THE REMNANT OF JACOB, and also AS MANY OF  THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AS SHALL COME, that THEY may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.

24 And then shall THEY assist MY PEOPLE that they may be gathered in, WHO ARE SCATTERED UPON ALL THE FACE OF THE LAND, in unto the New Jerusalem.

25 And then shall the power of heaven come down among THEM; and I also will be in the midst.

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, yeah, 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.”



I welcome an open critique of my analyses, and do not represent my personal application of scripture as definitive for any other person.