After telling the multitude they were a part of the house of
Israel. But, He warned, should they turn away, they will suffer for their sins.
“But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to
thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the
ground, and as the street, to them that went over” (Isaiah 51:23).
But if they fail to repent, they will suffer. It was as the
children of Israel were warned by the Lord, “Know for a certainty that the Lord
your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they
shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in
your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath
given you” (Joshua 23:13).
Even before Lehi’s party left Jerusalem, the Lord told
Nephi, “And if it so be that [Laman and Lemuel] rebel against me, they shall be
a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance” (1 Nephi
2:24).
But, the day will come when He will remember His covenant
with His people. “Remember these [IE these things], O Jacob and Israel; for
thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou
shalt not be forgotten of me” (Isaiah 44:21).
“And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto
my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.
“And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the
Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto
you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of
my gospel” (3 Nephi 16:11-12).
Then, the house of Israel will again be gathered together
once again. “That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations,
whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:3).
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy
endureth for ever.
“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed
from the hand of the enemy;
“And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from
the west, from the north, and from the south” (Psalms 107:1-3).
“Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from
the east, and gather thee from the west” (Isaiah 43:5).
When the day comes for their gathering, they will be given
their promised land. “And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no
more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God” Amos 9:15).
When speaking of where the Savior would be born, he referred
to the Jews promised land. “And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion
shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it
was in the days before it was divided” (D&C 133:24).
In that day, the fullness of His gospel will be preached to
the new Israel.
What is meant by the fullness of the gospel?
“In order to understand what the scriptural phrase ‘fulness
of the gospel’ means, we must first know what is meant by the term gospel.
While some people use the term in a broad sense to include all revealed
teachings and truth, the scriptures employ the term in a more restricted sense
to refer to the good news of Christ's atonement and resurrection—his triumph
over sin and death that opened the door of salvation to mankind. This
particular definition is found in the Book of Mormon as well as in the Doctrine
and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price (see, for example, 3 Nephi 27:13—21;
D&C 76:40—42; Abraham 2:11).
“The Book of Mormon also equates the reception of the
fulness of the gospel with ‘com[ing] to the knowledge of the true Messiah’ (1
Nephi 10:14; see also 15:13—14; 3 Nephi 20:30—31; D&C 19:27). Coming to
Christ is possible through ‘obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,’
with ‘the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel’ defined as faith in
Christ, repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the
Holy Ghost (see Articles of Faith 1:3—4). This parallels part of the Savior's
definition of the gospel in 3 Nephi 27, where the declaration ‘this is my
gospel (v. 21) refers at least in part to the preceding verse, which speaks of
repentance, baptism, and sanctification ‘by the reception of the Holy Ghost’ (v.
20; compare D&C 39:6).
“The Book of Mormon can quite properly be said to contain
the fulness of the gospel because it contains the most lucid explanation of the
atonement of Christ found anywhere and explains in plain detail the means by
which one can come unto Christ to partake of that atonement (see especially 2
Nephi 2; 9; Mosiah 15; Alma 34; 42).”[1]
At that day, they will accept Him as their Messiah and will
pray to the Father in His name. Of that day, Mormon wrote…
“Surely he hath blessed the house of Jacob, and hath been
merciful unto the seed of Joseph.
“And insomuch as the children of Lehi have kept his
commandments he hath blessed them and prospered them according to his word.
“Yea, and surely shall he again bring a remnant of the seed
of Joseph to the knowledge of the Lord their God.
“And as surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from
the four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are
scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth.
“And as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even
so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be
fulfilled in his own due time, unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto
the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them.
“And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus
Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four
quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been
dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen” (3 Nephi 5:21-26).
After accepting the gospel, their watchmen will come
together and sing because of their unity.
Isaiah wrote…
“Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice
together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall
bring again Zion.
“Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of
Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem” (Isaiah
52:8-9).
What is mean by “watchman?” “To be vigilant, to guard. A
person who watches and obeys is ready and prepared. Watchmen are leaders who
are called by the Lord’s representatives to have specific responsibility for
the welfare of others. Those called as leaders have a special responsibility to
also be watchmen to the rest of the world” (Guide to the Scriptures – Watch,
Watchman entry).
They will sing songs of joy for they have been brought
together in the land of their inheritance.
[1]
The
Book of Mormon Contains the “Fulness of the Gospel,” Noel B. Reynolds, “The
Gospel as Taught by Nephite Prophets.” BYU Studies 31/3 (1991): 31—50.
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