1 Nephi 21:6 (quotation from Isaiah 49)- The Lord talks of a servant to “raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel.” The servant will also be a light to the Gentiles that salvation can be offered to the ends of the earth. The servant may be a reference to the “root of Jesse” who, in D&C 113:5-6 holds the keys to “raising an ensign” and gathering Israel in the last days. It is may also refer to the person mentioned in 2 Nephi 3:23-24 and possibly D&C 85:7. John the “beloved” acts as a ministering angel and directs the servant in this work. (D&C 77:9 & 14) John holds the Aaronic & Melchizedek Priesthood keys to complete this work.
1 Nephi 21:22 The Lord is going to “lift up my hand” to the Gentiles. This may be a reference to Moses raising his hands to conqueror Israel’s enemies, it may also be a reference to the “true order of prayer”, which opens direct communication with God and His celestial servants. The result of “lifting up” the Lord’s hand raises a standard or rallying point for “the people.” Metaphorically speaking, the hand is the appendage of the body that carries out work. The Lord “lifting up my hand” may also refer to His calling a servant to carry out His work. This work is not specific to Israel but to all people. The “people” (Gentiles) will nurture the tribes of Israel and those from amongst the Gentiles who gather to the “standard” are referred to as “kings” and “queens” (righteous endowed?) who humble themselves before the Lord and nurture and “nurse” those of Israel who gather to the standard. This refers to the role the Gentiles play in gathering the tribes of Israel. (1 Nephi 22:6)
1 Nephi 22:8- After Lehi’s seed are scattered on this land the Lord proceeds to a “marvelous work” among the Gentiles that benefits Nephi’s descendants. The “marvelous work” is likened to the Gentiles nourishing and carrying Nephi’s descendants in their arms and on their shoulders like children. It will also be of “worth” (but not “great worth”) to the Gentiles. It makes known to the Gentiles and Israel the covenants the Father made with Abraham saying: “In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” All the “kindreds” (family) cannot be blessed unless the Lord makes “bare his arm” (D&C 1:9-14) in the eyes of the nations. The “marvelous work” involves the Lord making known His intent to fulfill His covenants and teach His gospel to Israel. The world, (all nations) will witness the Lord and the Father fulfilling their covenants with the chosen people. Israel will be removed from their captivity (probably any government that stands in the way of their gathering) and restores them to the lands of their inheritance. Israel, in its current, scattered state is obscure in the sense they cannot be readily identified and they are “blind” (Romans 11:25) because they currently have no knowledge of the covenants and gospel. Restoration of those two things, (covenants and gospel) brings them out of obscurity and darkness. Israel will know “the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.” All of this begins when He, “makes bare his arm in the eyes of all nations.” When the arm of the Lord is revealed war breaks out amongst those who belong to the “great and abominable Church.” The sword of their own hands fall upon their own heads and the wicked will do the Lord’s work by destroying one another. The wicked become “drunken” with their own blood. The wars at the end of the Book of Mormon are types for the wicked destroying the wicked. In addition to warring against one another, the wicked turn against Israel in an effort to keep them from gathering and claiming the lands of their inheritances currently occupied by Gentile nations. By stratagem the Gentiles lay a snare for Israel but fall into it when they war against one another in their struggle for position and power. All who fight against the establishment of Zion will be destroyed. The greatest sin of the whore is she has “perverted the right ways of the Lord and her perversion will be exposed and cause her organization to collapse as truth becomes known to all nations. All of this is leading to a time when Satan will lose hold on the hearts of the children of men and “all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.” (Malachi 4:1) This represents the Lord’s wrath being poured out upon the children of men. The Lord’s wrath is poured out upon the wicked to protect and defend the righteous. Even in that, the Lord appears to be measured, expressing His willingness to pour out His wrath to its fulness. By making this distinction, inference can be drawn that The Lord’s preference is to only pour out His wrath in a measured manner but demonstrate a willingness to go all the way if needed. The righteous will be preserved even if the Lord must destroy their enemies by fire. The righteous are given the Lord’s assurance they need not fear. Fire will be the ultimate defense for the righteous. The Lord’s wrath brings “blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.” Without equivocation it will be on the earth. But it will come as a consequence of personal choice. If you harden your heart against Christ you will be cut off from His people, Israel. The righteous will not perish but will live to establish Zion and make up the citizenry of Zion. They are preserved and those who fight against them will be “cut-off from among the people.” This is the fulfillment of the Moses Prophecy repeated in 3 Nephi 21:8-11. The Lord will execute judgment in righteousness and the righteous needn’t fear when He does. The Savior’s promise is that the righteous will not be confounded. The kingdom of the devil and those who reside in it are those who need fear.
2 Nephi 6:6, 7-17 This is a commentary of Isaiah 49:22-23 by Jacob, the High Priest at the request of his brother, Nephi, the king/priest. The Lord will “lift up his hand” to the Gentiles and “set up my standard to the people” which is a broader audience than the Gentiles alone. The sons and daughters carried by the Gentiles are the children of Israel. Kings and Queens bow down and humble themselves when the children of Israel come to “know” the Lord is God. Those who “wait for me” are not ashamed to humble themselves. After Jacob recounts events that occur to Israel after Lehi’s departure from Jerusalem (by revelation), he turns to the time when Israel comes to a knowledge of their Redeemer and begins to gather to the “lands” of their inheritance. The Gentiles, (if they repent, resist fighting against Zion and refrain from joining the “great and abominable church”) will be saved with the children of Israel. (vs.12) This comes about because the Lord is committed to fulfilling the covenants He has made to the ancient father’s of Israel. That is why Isaiah has written this prophecy. (vs.13) Those who “fight against Zion and the covenant people” (two distinct but separate groups) are the ones forced to “lick up the dust of their (the two groups) feet. The two groups combined comprise the “people of the Lord” and they will not be ashamed when the Lord humbles their enemies. God’s people patiently endure persecution and suffering. They wait for the Lord and their patience is born out of faith and knowledge of His purposes in the last days. They are willing to “wait for him”. (vs.14) Jacob then incorporates a quote from Isaiah 11:11(the verse that follows the rise of the “root of Jesse”, Isaiah 11:10) referring to the time when the Lord will “set his hand again to recover them”, (Israel). This is a key phrase that is clearly defined by Jacob 6:2 which reads, “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 continues to his commentary of Isaiah in 2 Nephi 6 by saying the Lord will manifest himself “in power and great glory unto the destruction of their enemies when that day cometh when they (Israel) believe in him, and none will he destroy that believe in him.” (vs.15) Those who do not believe will be destroyed by fire, tempest, earthquakes, bloodsheds, pestilence and famine. Their destruction will fulfill these prophecies and prove to the wicked the Lord truly is God. (vs.16) Returning to Isaiah 49:24, Jacob repeats the rhetorical question of Isaiah, “For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?” (vs.17) Answering his own question, Isaiah replies: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered;” At this point Jacob explains the ones to be delivered by God are the Lord’s covenant people, Israel. Jacob concludes his introduction of Isaiah by quoting the remaining verses of Isaiah 49 that describe the destruction of Israel’s enemies and lays the foundation for quoting Isaiah 50-51 and the first two verses of Isaiah 52. (2 Nephi 7 & 8) This concludes Jacob’s commentary in chapter 6 of 2 Nephi.
2 Nephi 10:1-2, 7-19 In Chapter 10 Jacob picks up from the previous day’s sermon. Jacob introduced the subject of a righteous branch that would rise up from the descendants of Lehi. (2 Nephi 9:53) This is the central subject for chapter 10. Jacob and those who have gone before obtained promises from the Lord that pertain to their descendants and relate to their fate in mortality. While many of the descendants of Lehi perish in the flesh because of unbelief, the Lord shows mercy to many and they will be restored and come to “know” the truth about their Redeemer. How they come to this knowledge is addressed and begins with (vs.7). In the day they (descendants of Lehi) come to “know” Christ, then the covenants the Lord made with “their fathers” begin to be fulfilled “in the flesh” and they are restored to the lands of their inheritance. Israel will be gathered in from their global dispersion and the Gentiles play a pivotal role in transporting their children to the lands of their inheritance. Because the Gentile “kings and queens” nurture Israel like parents, the Lord extends great promises to the Gentiles as well. (vs.9) The America’s are the land of inheritance to the seed of Lehi but the Gentiles are to be greatly blessed upon this land as well. It will be a “land of liberty” to the Gentiles and their will be no kings raised up to the Gentiles. The Lord fortifies this land against other nations (vs.12) and all who fight against Zion will perish. Anyone who attempts to raise up a king on this land will perish. The Lord will be their king and their light forever, (for those who receive His words.) (vs.14) The Lord must destroy “secret works of darkness”, murders and abominations. (vs.15) All who fight against Zion, Jew and Gentile, bond and free, male and female will perish. (vs.16) Collectively they form the composition of the whore of all the earth (scriptural definition for the “whore”) and those who are not for the Lord are against Him. The Lord fulfills all His promises relating to Israel’s posterity in mortality. (vs.17) Initially the seed of Lehi are afflicted by the Gentiles but the Lord softens the Gentile hearts and the Gentiles are likened unto “fathers” to Lehi’s seed. Consequently the Gentiles are blessed and numbered with Lehi’s seed in this land. (vs. 18) The Lord consecrates this land to Lehi’s seed and the Gentiles who are numbered with them, forever. It is a choice land (above all others) and all who live here must worship the true God. (vs.19)
2 Nephi 21:10/Isaiah 11:10- The “root of Jessie” to whom the Gentiles seek is described in D&C 113:5-6 and precedes the time when the Lord “sets his hand the second time.” (Jacob 6:2)
2 Nephi 26:12-33 Nephi’s commentary of Isaiah 29: The Gentiles must be convinced that Jesus is the Christ and that he manifests Himself unto to all who believe in Him by the power of the Holy Ghost; every nation, kindred, tongue and people, working mighty miracles, signs and wonders among the children of men according to their faith. (vs.13) Nephi begins to discuss his prophesy of the “last days”, when the Lord brings “these things” (Book oc Mormon) forth to the children of men. (vs.14) Isaiah 29 is interwoven throughout Nephi’s commentary, (ex: Isaiah 29:3-5) Nephi explains the chronology of events by saying that “After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles and they are “brought down low in the dust.” After they dwindle and are driven by the Gentiles to the extent that “they are not.” (vs.15) The “words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten. (vs.15) Those who were destroyed will speak to them out of the ground and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voices seem familiar to those who read their words. Their words are written and sealed up and those who dwindled in unbelief will not have them because they seek to destroy the things of God. Our study is directed toward the latter-day Gentiles so I will move ahead in the prophecy to the portions directed toward the Gentiles of the latter-days. Beginning with (vs.20), Nephi describes the Gentiles as “lifted up in the pride of their eyes” and they “stumbled” because of the greatness of their stumbling block. Stumbled is not fallen but it can involve falling if they don’t experience a course correction. The great stumbling block for the Gentiles is the number of churches they have built up. The churches share similar characteristics. They “put down the power and miracles of God”, “preach up to themselves their own wisdom and learning,” doing it to get gain and “grind upon the face of the poor.” Many of the Gentile churches cause envyings, strifes and malice. (vs.21) Another stumbling block to the Gentiles is the presence of “secret combinations”, (like those of old), built up by the devil. (vs.22) In contrast to the devil, the Lord works in light, not darkness. (vs.23) Everything God does “is for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. (vs.24-28) Returning to the twin issues of “priestcrafts” and “secret combinations” the Lord provides a scriptural definition of “priestcrafts” when Nephi declares: “priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.” (vs.29) The laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they will perish. (vs.31) He doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; He invites all to come unto him. The Lord will not deny anyone who comes unto Him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and He remembers the heathen; all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. (vs.33)
2 Nephi 27:1-35 The “last days” are the “days of the Gentiles.” Both Jews and Gentiles, both those who are in the America’s and those in other lands become “drunken” with iniquity and abominations. This returns to Nephi’s commentary of Isaiah 29:9 (vs.1) When “that day” comes both Jew and Gentile will be “visited by the Lord” with thunder, earthquakes, great noise, storm, tempest and “flame of devouring fire.” (vs.2) All nations that “fight against Zion” and distress her shall be “as a dream of a night vision.” When a man dreams he is eating but when he wakes his soul is empty; or he dreams he drinks but wakes and his soul is still faint. Such are the nations that fight against Zion. Isaiah 29:8 (vs.3) The Lord pours out upon the wicked a “deep sleep” because they consciously “close their eyes” and reject the prophets, rulers, the Lord’s seers are covered because of the iniquity of the people. (vs.5) The Lord brings forth the words of a book that contain the writings of those who passed on before. (vs.6) The book is sealed and contains revelations from the beginning of the world to the end. (vs.7) Because of the things which are sealed, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of wickedness and abominations; the book will be kept from them. (vs.8) The book will be given to a man (Joseph Smith) who delivers the words of those who are dead to another (Martin Harris). (vs.9) The sealed portion are not delivered to the other man, neither is the book. The book remains sealed by the power of God and the revelation of the sealed portion is with held until the “due time of the Lord” when they will be opened. “They reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.” (vs.10) The day will come when the words of the book will be read upon the housetops and they shall be read by the power of Christ and “all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.” (vs.11) “At that day” (when Joseph Smith receives the book) the book will be hidden from the eyes of the world, save for select witnesses who view it by the power of God. The witnesses testify they have seen the records and they know the content is true. The words of the faithful dead speak as if it were from the dead. (12-13) The words come forth with the testimony of as many witnesses as the Lord deems necessary and “wo” is pronounced upon those who rejects these words. (vs. 15-20 is the prophecy of Martin Harris taking the records to Charles Anthon.) Joseph is commanded not to touch the sealed portions. They are preserved until the “due time of the Lord.” At that time the Lord shows the children of men He is able to do His own work. The words remain sealed until the Lord sees fit to “reveal all things” to the children of men. (vs.22) The Lord is God and He will show the world He is a God of miracles and will show the world He is the same “yesterday, today and forever and He works according to the faith of men.” (vs. 23) People draw near the Lord with their mouth and honor the Lord with their lips but their hearts are far from Him and their fear is taught by the precepts of men. (vs.25) The Lord proceeds to do a “marvelous work” among the descendants of Lehi, a “marvelous work and a wonder” for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid. (vs. 26) Wo unto to those who try to hide their counsels from the Lord and do their works in the dark thinking no one sees them or knows the evil they’ve done. The Lord shows them He knows their works. (vs. 27) The Lord will “show” the children of men that it is a little while before Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be a forest. (vs.28) “In that day” the deaf will hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. (vs.29) The number of “meek” will increase and their joy shall be in the Lord; the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. (vs.30) The “terrible one” is brought to naught and the scorner is consumed and all that “watch for iniquity” are cut off. (vs. 31) Those who make a man an offender for a word and lay snares for him that “reproveth at the gate” and turn aside the just for a thing of naught suffer. (vs. 32) Israel will not be ashamed or have his face pale when these things come to pass. (vs. 33) When Abraham sees his children, “the work of the Lord’s hands”, in the midst of him, they will sanctify the name of the Lord and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and fear the God of Israel. (vs. 34) Those that erred in spirit will come to understanding and those who murmured will learn doctrine. (vs. 35)
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