Sign 44

The Work of the Father Shall Commence

When Jesus taught the Nephites and Lamanites in the land of Bountiful after his resurrection from the dead, he “expounded all the scriptures in one.” (3 Nephi 23:14) He shared long excerpts from his own sermon on the mount, from Isaiah, and from Malachi, and he eloquently explained them. He also explained prophecies he had given to his apostles, to Moses, and even to Samuel the Lamanite. In his wisdom, he expounded on the scriptural mysteries that were not just relevant to those in attendance, but also to those who would read his words centuries later in the latter-days. Jesus knew, of course, that the Book of Mormon would come forth through the power of God in our time, and spoke to those who would read it now, not just to those who would listen then. Accordingly, he gave one of the clearest and most important sermons on his second coming in all of scripture. His sermon is a key to unlocking the bridge between the sixth seal and the seventh seal and provides a clear chronological account of the signs of the second coming.

To set the stage we begin with the prophecies given by Jesus Christ to his disciples in Jerusalem. These prophecies were recorded by Matthew (Matthew 24), were corrected in the Joseph Smith translation of Matthew’s account (JST Matthew 24, also called JS—M 1), and were given directly to Joseph Smith by the Lord again at Kirtland, Ohio in 1831. Jesus explained “how the day of redemption shall come, and also the restoration of the scattered Israel.” (D&C 45:17) Specifically, he explained the fate of the Jews who would be scattered among all nations.

As we have discussed before, the Times of the Gentiles, as it is called, will end during the sixth seal. Also, during the sixth seal, “before the day of the Lord shall come… the remnant [of the Jews] shall be gathered unto [Jerusalem].” (D&C 45:43) This remnant is the “generation of the Jews” (D&C 45:21) from the land of Jerusalem who have been “scattered among all nations.” (D&C 45:24) If we use the keys of knowledge that we have learned previously—that the “day of the Lord” is the thousand-year millennium and that the millennium will begin when Jesus comes to dwell with his saints in Zion—we can see that the scriptures place the beginning of the gathering of the Jews to Jerusalem before the millennial day, during the sixth seal.

The ancient prophet Joel also gave his witness that these things will begin during the sixth seal:

Again, the remnant of the Jews “whom the Lord shall call” will begin to be gathered in Jerusalem “before the… day of the Lord come.” Notice that it will only be the remnant whom the Lord should call that will be gathered during this time. The time of the gathering of all the Lord’s people is not yet.

The Lord told Joseph Smith in 1833 that it would be through his administration that the First Presidency of the Church and those who belonged to the school of the prophets (a precursor of the temple) would have “the word.” However, it would be through those endowed in the temple that “the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth, unto the Gentiles first, and then, behold, and lo, they shall turn unto the Jews.” (D&C 90:9). This work would be directed and administered by the First Presidency of the Church.

Before the Lord stands on Mount Zion and reveals his arm to the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, in the city of New Jerusalem, the First Presidency of the Church will have already turned unto the Jews. This is not the full restoration of the Jews, the fulfillment of the promises to the Jews, or the great gathering of the lost tribes of the Jews. It is only the beginning of the gathering of a remnant of Jacob to Zion and to Jerusalem.

This is the setting and the timing of events at the close of the sixth seal.

Then Shall the Work Commence

If we believe the scriptures are true, and we accept that the words of the scriptures mean what they say, we must also accept that the scriptures are worded the way they are for a reason. The Book of Mormon literally contains the words of Christ, and we should accept them as such. We should not approximate, dilute, or generalize their meaning. If we are to fully understand what Jesus Christ wanted us to know about his second coming, we must read and believe his words as they are, not as we expect or assume or rumor them to be.

One of the great keys to understanding the signs of the second coming is the word “then.” We may be able to list the signs of the second coming, but without words like then, before, afterward, etc., we will never understand how they fit together chronologically. The scriptures could never be “expounded... in one.” (3 Nephi 23:14)

When he appeared to the Book of Mormon people in America, Christ explained the events leading up to the seventh seal. He spoke specifically about the work among the Gentiles that would occur in America.

The church was to be established first among the Gentiles. In fact, it would be established in the nations of the Gentiles throughout the world. The church among the Gentiles would be endowed with power from on high. They would be “armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” (1 Ne. 14:14)

We have seen and discussed the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days. We are witnesses that this prophecy has been fulfilled, in large measure, and that the church has gone to nearly every Gentile nation on earth. This will continue until the Times of the Gentiles is fulfilled. After the church is fully established among the Gentiles, then a remnant of the chosen covenant people, the Jews, will begin to be gathered unto the stakes of Zion around the world. At the appointed time, the Latter-day Saints will come to the appointed place and build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.

Right now the Latter-day Saints gather to the stakes of Zion established throughout the world. Israel has many gathering places, and the curtains of Zion have been stretched forth and enlarged across the globe. (see Isaiah 54:2) There will come a time, however, that many will gather again to the center place of Zion and the city of New Jerusalem. It is a future time, but it will begin during the sixth seal, before the arm of Lord is revealed to the house of Joseph. (see D&C 90:10) This gathering is essential for the salvation and protection of the Saints, and the great gathering tool of the latter-days is the Book of Mormon.

Although a small remnant of the Jews will participate in the building of the holy city of New Jerusalem, it will be built primarily by the “remnant of the house of Joseph,” or the remaining descendants of Joseph the ancient patriarch who have joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After the holy city is built by the remnant of Joseph and the remnant of the Jews, they will be prepared to receive the “power of heaven” that will come down among them, as well as the Savior himself.

What is the power of heaven? Doesn’t the church already have the power of heaven among them? Isn’t the power of heaven simply the Holy Priesthood as given by angels to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery? The phrase “power of heaven” or “powers of heaven” is mentioned eight times in the scriptures and six of those speak of the second coming in a similar context as we see above. We also find it in the prophecy of Enoch.

Clearly, the powers of heaven are related to heavenly angels, to translated beings, and to the Zion that currently dwells in heaven. It appears that the powers of heaven are those “powers” given to the angels. Just as we enjoy the power of God here on earth, so the angels, including resurrected and translated beings, enjoy the power of God in heaven. With those powers in mind, we can read with clearer understanding the popular verses from the Doctrine and Covenants:

The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected to the powers of the angels in heaven. Angels will assist us and empower us if we look beyond the things of this world and the honors of men and exercise the principles of righteousness.

Nephi explained that “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost.” (2 Nephi 32:2) The power of the Holy Ghost is one of the powers of heaven. However, angels do more than speak. Peter explained that angels have greater power than “government” and “dignities.” (2 Peter 2:10-11)

Angels have the power to:

1. Declare the word of God (D&C 42:6)
2. Ordain men with the priesthood (D&C 13:1D&C 27:12D&C 84:28)
3. Endow women with power on their heads (1 Cor. 11:10)
4. Shake the earth (Mosiah 27:14-15)
5. Save life and destroy (D&C 77:8)
6. Shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness (D&C 77:8)
7. Scorch men with fire (Rev. 16:8)
8. Guard the way of exaltation and eternal life (D&C 132:18-19)

In the work of the Father, we need the power of the angels. The powers of heaven and our connection to them allow our “confidence to wax strong in the presence of God.” (D&C 121:45) When all the latter-day saints have this confidence, we will be able to welcome the Savior into our midst. In fact, Alma explains that Christ sends angels to “converse” with us and to cause us “to behold of his glory.” (Alma 12:29) This pattern is reinforced in the instruction of the temple endowment where we learn that it is the role of angels to present us unto the Lord in preparation to enter his presence.

When the Savior comes down among his people to stand upon Mount Zion, the angels in heaven will come down with him.

Once the angels have joined the latter-day saints on earth, the veil of darkness over the heavens has been rent (see D&C 38:8), and the powers of heaven have come down among the children of men, the work of gathering all the chosen people of the Lord will be able to commence.

After Jesus Christ dwells with his people in Zion, a great work will commence to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews, or in other words, those who have been “led away out of Jerusalem.” It will be preached to remnant of the children of Lehi. It will be preached to the lost tribes. In fact, it will be preached to all the Jews, those whom Christ calls “my people,” that have been dispersed among the “north countries” and “the four quarters of the earth.”

The Savior makes it a point to distinguish between those he calls “my people,” the remnant of the Jews, and those who he says belong to the Father. It is a subtle, but important, distinction. Notice that Jesus said that the Father will gather “his people” and lead them home after the dispersed of “my people” have begun to “come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.” Although we know that Jesus Christ is no respecter of persons (see Eph. 6:9) we might wonder why Jesus has categorized those who follow him into these two groups. Why would the Jews be called “his people” and not everyone else? Do we not all follow Christ? Didn’t we all take upon us his name? It is my opinion that Jesus was not making these distinctions in order to categorize the Jews above or below any other group of his saints, but instead to teach us a clear order of events to bridge the chronological gap between the restoration of the gospel and the millennial day.

Similarly, the prophet Ether distinguished between those who would dwell in New Jerusalem and those who would dwell in “the Jerusalem of old” in his prophecy concerning this same time period.

The tribes of Joseph will inherit the land to the west, whose capital city is New Jerusalem, and they must be gathered from among all nations to the land of their inheritance. The Jews, including the tribes that have been lost and scattered to the four quarters of the earth, will inherit the land to the east, whose capital city is Jerusalem, and they must also be gathered from among all nations to the land of their inheritance. This large-scale, physical gathering will commence after worldwide missionary efforts have fully turned to the Jews, and they have begun to come unto Christ.

To be clear, when the scriptures refer to those who have been scattered into the “north countries” and the “tribes which have been lost,” it is referring to those tribes that were scattered from Jerusalem. These are the remnants of the Jews. Remember that the term “Jew” refers to a nationality, not a race or tribe. Although Nephi and Isaiah refer to the gathering of the “dispersed of Judah,” it is important to remember that these scriptures are talking about the nation of Judah not the tribe of Judah. All the lost tribes scattered from the land of Jerusalem will be gathered through the preaching of the gospel. They will come from all nations, all people, and all corners of the globe.

Again, once the gospel has been preached to the Jews, the work of the Father will commence to gather all of the Father’s people to the lands of their inheritance. Those who will be gathered include all those who have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and who have joined the true church of God whether they were originally scattered from the nation of the Jews or adopted from the nations of the Gentiles. The saints who have been baptized, the dispersed people of the Lord, will be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance. They will gather in Zion and in Jerusalem. They will need a place of refuge from the storm. They will need a way to escape Babylon and flee “unto the mountains of the Lord’s house.” (D&C 133:13)

Among those who will assist in preaching the gospel to all the dispersed people of the Lord and gathering them home will be the 144,000 who have been chosen from among every tribe of Israel. These high priests, ordained to the office and calling of Seventy, will bring as many as will come to the Church of the Firstborn.

The Church of the Firstborn is the Church of Jesus Christ among the angels and the translated beings in heaven. When the Zion in heaven comes down to dwell with the Zion on earth, their church organization will come with them. The 144,000 will gather the nations, all those who will come, to New Jerusalem where both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Church of the Firstborn from heaven will have been gathered together in one. (see D&C 84:100) When all these things are fulfilled according to the words of Christ, it “bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.” (Ether 13:12)

The preaching of the gospel to the Jews and the final gathering of the righteous will occur at the same time that wrath is poured out by the angels upon the wicked who belong to the ranks of Babylon. While Satan is raging in the hearts of evil men and women, the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ will finally shine on his ancient covenant people.