Chapter 21
The Messiah will be a
light to the Gentiles and will free the prisoners-Israel will be gathered with
power in the last days-Kings will be their nursing fathers-Compare Isaiah 49.
About 588–570 B.C.
Isaiah 49:1-6 contains the second in a series of four
Servant Songs.[1]
In chapter 21, we find this in verses 1-8.
These words are for the whole of Israel. It doesn’t matter
where they are; there are those who were “broken off and are driven out because
of the wickedness of … my people” (1 Nephi 21:1). He also addresses those who
are in the “isles.” Nephi would write, “And behold, there are many who are
already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more
part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro
upon the isles of the sea; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that
we know that they have been led away” (1 Nephi 22:4).
Jacob would teach the Nephites…
“And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God
has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him,
and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off;
nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we
have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we
are upon an isle of the sea.
“But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are
upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more
than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.
“For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time
from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold,
the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he
remembereth us also” (2 Nephi 10:20-22).
The first verse in the entire Doctrine and Covenants refers
to all people. “Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who
dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye
people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together”
(D&C 1:1).
The servant was called from the womb. From the bowels of his
mother, mention was made of his name.
“Scriptural talk of bowels descends from ancient patterns of
thought that place the emotions in particular internal organs. Rage, lust, hunger,
joy, compassion, and so on were once considered not as abstract moods or psychological
states but as passions associated with specific anatomical parts. For the Hebrews,
the lêb or heart was the vital center
of human life, the place where we think as well as feel. For the Greeks, the phrenes had a similar role, but whether we
should associate them with the lungs diaphragm or heart is still debated. Other
organs could be assigned emotional roles, such as, joy to the liver due to its large
size, or discomfort to the kidneys. In such feelings, the true character of a person
was thought to be localized. Consider Jeremiah 20:12: ‘O Lord of hosts, that triest
the righteous and seest the reins and the heart.’ The point that the Lord’s
gaze can pierce humans to the center of their being is clear enough, but we
rarely note that the reins here are the kidneys, reins being an obsolete term (compare renal, French rein).
“Nevertheless, modern everyday language still often
reproduces ancient habits of thought. The case of the heart shows that organ
talk not only prevailed prior to modern medicine, but is still very much a part
of modern English speechways. We speak of breath taking music, heartbreaking
stories, gut-wrenching suffering, stomach knotting tension, fire in the belly.
or a burning in the bosom. I might ‘spill my guts’ to get something ‘off my
chest,’ or, as the era off of Joseph Smith would have it, ‘unbosom my feelings.’
A plucky athlete, we say, has heart, as a courageous soldier has guts, an
irascible person has spleen, and a coward is a lily-livered person.”[2]
(emphasis in original)
The Lord made his mouth like a sharp sword. He is hidden in
the shadow of His hand. He has been made a polished shaft, hidden in His
quiver.
“Only a few Old Testament references to the hand of God
suggest a person being ‘in’ the hand of God. One of the most prominent is in
Isaiah referring to the Suffering Servant (whom Latter-day Saints usually
interpret as Christ, or perhaps any prophetic messenger) … The most likely
Hebrew equivalent to the English term “instrument” would be kly, which can
refer to either a weapon or a tool. Explicit military words used in this verse
(‘sharp sword,’ ‘polished shaft,’ and ‘quiver’) certainly seem to make the Servant
in this passage an instrument or weapon in the hand of the Lord. Thus the Book
of Mormon expression ‘an instrument in the hand of God’ is a possible
development from the picture of the Servant as potential conqueror.”[3]
The Lord tells Israel they are His servant, through “whom I
will be glorified” (1 Nephi 21:3). Israel has always been the Lord’s servant. “For
unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I
brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus
25:55).
Joseph Smith was also the Lord’s servant.
“Verily, I say unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., or in
other words, I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have
an inheritance with me-
“I called you servants for the world’s sake, and ye are
their servants for my sake” (D&C 93:45-46).
He had “labored in vain.” His strength was spent and nothing
came of it. His judgment and work is with the Lord and God.
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he
that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without
money and without price.
“Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?
and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness” (Isaiah
55:1-2).
The Lord that “formed [Isaiah] from the womb.” (1 Nephi 21:5). “Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself” (Isaiah 44:24).
He expected Isaiah to bring Jacob to Him even if Israel is
not gathered. The servant would “be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and [his]
God shall be [his] strength” (1 Nephi 21:5).
The Lord said “it is a light thing” (1 Nephi 21:6) to raise
the tribes of Jacob and restore Israel. “All these are the twelve tribes of
Israel [Tribe of Reuben, Tribe of Simeon, Tribe of Levi, Tribe of Judah, Tribe
of Issachar, Tribe of Zebulun, Tribe of Dan, Tribe of Naphtali, Tribe of Gad,
Tribe of Asher, Tribe of Joseph, and Tribe of Benjamin]: and this is it that
their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his
blessing he blessed them” (Genesis 49:28).
Israel will also be a light to the Gentiles. “Thus saith the
Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and
countries that are round about her” (Ezekiel 5:5).
“But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken
not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against
them.
“For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be
the saviors of men” (D&C 103:8-9).
“Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not
believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to
bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall
bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they
shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant” (3 Nephi 21:11).
The servant will be the Lord’s salvation to the Earth.
“The servant has a role to play with both the house of
Israel and the Gentiles. Among the house of Israel the servant’s responsibility
is ‘to bring Jacob again to [God]’ and ‘to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to
restore the preserved of Israel’ (Isaiah 49:5–6).”[4]
“He is to be God’s “salvation unto the end of the earth”
(Isaiah 49:6). In his responsibilities God has prepared him with the qualities
that will enable him to be an instrument in God’s hands.”[5]
Even though there will be those who hate the Servant, there
will be kings and princes who will worship him, “because of the Lord that is
faithful” (1 Nephi 21:7).
The Lord said when an acceptable time comes, He will hear
them. In the day of salvation He will help and preserve them, giving them his
servant as a covenant to the people.
“And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that
kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they
see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
“For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work,
which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be
among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto
them.
“But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand;
therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them.
Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than
the cunning of the devil.
“Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not
believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to
bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall
bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they
shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant” (3 Nephi 21:8-11).
This covenant will “establish the earth, to cause to inherit
the desolate heritages” (1 Nephi 21:8).
The servant will speak to prisoners at that time. Christ
referred to this in Nazareth. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he
hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).
Paul told the Romans…
“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we
die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.
“For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived,
that he might be Lord both of the dead and living” (Romans 14:8-9).
Speaking to the Jewish leaders, He made it clear “[t]he hour
is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God:
and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25).
Peter wrote about His ministry to the dead.
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for
the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the Spirit:
“By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in
prison” (1 Peter 3:18-19).
He will go to those who are in darkness. Lehi, speaking to
his son, Joseph, taught, “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 3:9).
These who are in darkness will feed in the Lord’s pastures. “I
will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall
their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall
they feed upon the mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel 34:14).
“And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the
earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one
fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find
pasture” (1 Nephi 22:25).
They will be in high places. They will suffer from the heat
and the Sun. They will neither be hungry nor experience thirst. He will guide
them by springs of water.
“This passage refers to the Lord’s blessings for those who
are returning from exile, as well as for those returning from spiritual
bondage. In physical captivity, exiles suffer from hunger and thirst. The heat
of the sun threatens them. Spiritual exiles thirst for gospel truth and peace.
The Lord protects and nourishes them. In all circumstances, it is only through
Christ that spiritual hunger can be satisfied (John 6:35; Alma 31:38; 32:42; 3
Nephi 12:6; 20:8). The expression “springs of water” symbolizes living water
(Isaiah 35:6–7; 41:17–18; 43:19–20), or Jesus Christ.”[6]
The mountains will be made a way and highways exalted. “Go
through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast
up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people”
(Isaiah 62:10).
The house of Israel will come from all directions.
“Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from
the east, and gather thee from the west;
“I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep
not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have
created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:5-7).
When the happens, the heavens are told to sing. “Sing, O ye
heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break
forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the
Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel” (Isaiah 44:23).
The Earth is to be joyful for Israel returns. Mountain
should sing as they will no longer be smitten. The Lord will comfort His people
and have mercy on the afflicted. “And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but
thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down” (2 Samuel
22:28).
While Zion will claim the Lord has forsaken and forgotten
Israel, He will show he hasn’t.
For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should
not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I
not forget thee, O house of Israel.
Cana woman forget her child? Would she not have compassion
on her son? Israel may forget, but the Lord will remember.
“Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument
having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, [IE Israel’s erstwhile strong
enemies] and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
“Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away,
and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt
glory in the Holy One of Israel.
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and
their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel
will not forsake them” (Isaiah 41:15-17).
“Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the
Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil
one” (Alma 46:8).
“And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I
say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I
have not forsaken you: (D&C 61:36).
He will have marks on His palms. Isaiah tells us we belong
to the Lord; we are the marks on His crucified palms.[7] “And one
shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer,
Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6).
Israel’s children must flee their destroyers. If they fail
to do so, “wast shall go forth of thee” (1 Nephi 21:17).
“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.
“Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and
all their enemies shall be cut off.
“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;
“And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down
all thy strongholds;
“And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou
shalt have no more soothsayers;
“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;
“And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so
will I destroy thy cities.
“And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings,
and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.
“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” (3 Nephi 21:13-20)
Many will gather against Israel and will come upon them.
“Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say,
Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.
“But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither
understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the
floor.
“Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine
horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many
people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance
unto the Lord of the whole earth” (Micah 4:11-13).
“We can clothe our creative works with meekness and humility
‘as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride’ (1 Nephi 21:18; compare
Isaiah 49:18). As we pry the bondage of pride from our hearts, Hammarskjöld
says that we can realize our individuality, ‘becoming a bridge for others, a
stone in the temple of righteousness.’”[8]
The waste, desolate places, the land of destruction will be
narrow because of the inhabitants. Those that will fight them will be kept far
away.
Israel will again hear His word. “And I will be found of
you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you
from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith
the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be
carried away captive” (Jeremiah 29:14).
“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 107:2-3).
“And after the house of Israel should be scattered they
should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received
the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants
of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the
true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer” (1 Nephi 10:14).
It will be said in his heart, “[w]ho hath begotten me these…”
(1 Nephi 21:21). He is desolate and a captive.
“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into
singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are
the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the
Lord” (Isaiah 54:1).
“For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not;
break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more
children than she which hath an husband” (Galatians 4:27).
“[W]e note compelling allusions to servitude in the desert.
The reference to ‘children’ born while one is ‘a captive’ (1 Nephi 21:21;
compare Isaiah 49:21) could certainly be understood as pointing to Jacob and
Joseph, children born to Lehi and Sariah in the wilderness. Moreover, the
remark about the one who would ‘deal very treacherously’ but from whom the Lord
will ‘defer [his] anger . . . that [he] cut [him] not off’ could apply not only
to Nephi’s older brothers but also to a desert tribesman to whom Lehi’s family
owed temporary allegiance (1 Nephi 20:8–9; compare Isaiah 48:8–9).”[9]
Then the Lord will turn to the gentiles.
“For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come,
that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my
glory.
“And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those
that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the
bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame,
neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
“And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto
the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and
upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the
Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the
house of the Lord” (Isaiah 66:18-20).
Here we learn what is meant by “Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Tubal,
and Javan.”
Tarshish
Tarshish, the precise location of which is unknown, was
probably a prosperous and bustling Mediterranean seaport. Through Tarshish,
Solomon imported luxury items, including gold, silver, ivory, apes, and
peacocks (1 Kings 10:22). Perhaps because of the city’s wealth and affluence,
the destruction of Tarshish and its ships symbolizes the Lord’s judgment on the
proud and arrogant (Psalm 48:7; Isaiah 23:1, 14).[10]
Pul
Tiglath-Pileser
III (Pul), king of Assyria[11]
Lud
Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow; which some take to be the
same with Put and Lud, or Lybia and Lydia, which go together, Jeremiah 46:9
both countries in Africa, famous for archery; and the Vulgate Latin version
renders it Africa and Lydia; though Bochart, and after him Vitringa, take Pul
to be the same with Philas, an island upon the Nile, above Syene, between
Ethiopia and Egypt, of which Diodorus SiculusF13 and StraboF14 make mention; or
Elephantine, the same with Phil, near the other. Kimchi interprets those that
draw the bow of the Turks.”[12]
Tubal
“The Old Testament and Pearl of Great Price introduce Tubal-cain
as “an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron” (Genesis 4:22; Moses
5:46). The name Cain (qayin) in Hebrew means “smith,”17 and “Tubal” is a
prominent iron locality cited in Ezekiel 27:13. Since Tubal-cain is the sixth-generation
descendant of Cain and Noah is the eighth generation from Seth, these
scriptures imply a date for ironworking prior to the great flood and place
Tubal-cain over two millennia before the beginning of the so-called Iron Age in
the eastern Mediterranean (1200 b.c.).”[13]
Javan
Son of Japheth; regarded as the founder of the Greek race.[14]
He will establish his standard.
“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall
stand for an ensign of the people; to it [OR unto him] shall the Gentiles seek:
and his rest shall be glorious.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall
set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which
shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush,
and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the
sea.
“And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:10-12).
“All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth,
see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a
trumpet, hear ye” (Isaiah 18:3).
“And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the
flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as
an ensign upon his land” (Zechariah 9:16).
The Lord will bring the sons their
arms and the daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
The physical fulfillment of Isaiah’s words occurred after
World War II. The state of Israel was established. From Gentiles will come
things of great value. They will bring the blessings and keys and covenants of
the gospel to the house of Israel.[15]
“And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed
to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto
our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles
and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders” (1 Nephi 22:8).
“And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in
from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts
of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me,
saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.
“Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers
unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the
promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and
who can dispute?
“But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine
inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land” (2 Nephi 9:8-10).
Through this nation the message of salvation will go forth.
It will be as though we treated them to a royal banquet.[16]
Nephi gives us an image of kindness shown by the Gentiles to
the house of Israel – carrying them in their arms and nursing them.[17]
Kings will be His nursing fathers.
“The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come
bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at
the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion
of the Holy One of Israel.
“Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man
went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many
generations.
“Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt
suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour
and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob” (Isaiah 60:14-16).
“Nevertheless, after they shall be nursed by the Gentiles,
and the Lord has lifted up his hand upon the Gentiles and set them up for a
standard, and their children have been carried in their arms, and their
daughters have been carried upon their shoulders, behold these things of which
are spoken are temporal; for thus are the covenants of the Lord with our
fathers; and it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren who
are of the house of Israel” (1 Nephi 22:6).
Queens will be His nursing mothers. They will bow before Him
and know he is Lord. Those that wait for Him will not be ashamed.
“Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so
he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured” (Provers 27:18).
“Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant
people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the
Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for
him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah” (2 Nephi 6:13).
“Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have
entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth[18], and
are recorded with this seal and testament-the Lord hath sworn and decreed that
they shall be granted” (D&C 98:2).
“Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise
and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go
ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.
“Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour…
“For since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor
perceived by the ear, neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee, how great
things thou hast prepared for him that waiteth for thee” (D&C 133:10-11, 45)
Isaiah asks, “shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or
the lawful captives delivered” (1 Nephi 21:24). In verse 25 the Lord answers, “the
captives of the mighty will be taken away.” The terrible prey will be deliver.
The Lord will contend with those which contend with Him and the children will
be saved.
Those that oppose the faithful will be fed their own flesh.
“And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was
poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars
and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth.
“And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all
the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto
me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold,
thou seest all these things-
“And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out
upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the
earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father
shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which
he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel” (1 Nephi 14:15-17).
“And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is
the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war
among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own
heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.
“And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of
Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit
which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against
Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right
ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the
dust and great shall be the fall of it” (1 Nephi 22:13-14).
“And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the
Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he
will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction
of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none
will he destroy that believe in him.
“And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both
by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by
pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy
One of Israel.
“For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful
captive delivered?
“But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty
shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for the
Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will
contend with them that contendeth with thee-
“And I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own
flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and
all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty
One of Jacob” (2 Nephi 6:14-18).
They will be drunk on their own blood as though it was a
wine. All Jacob will know He is their Savior.
“And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose
name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying:
Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth,
and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord-Wo be unto this people, for I
have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and
except they repent I will visit them in mine anger.
“And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God,
behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they
shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their
enemies.
“And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am
the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people”
(Mosiah 11:20-22).
[1] Information in this chapter comes from Christ’s
Interpretation of Isaiah 52’s “My Servant” in 3 Nephi., Gaye Strathearn and
Jacob Moody, Journal of the Book of
Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 18/1 (2009): 5-15.
[2] Bowels of Mercy, John Durham Peters, BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 4
(1999): 28.
[3] The Image of the Hand of God in the Book of Mormon
and the Old Testament, David Rolph Seely, Maxwell Institute website.
[4] Christ’s Interpretation of Isaiah 52’s “My Servant”
in 3 Nephi, Gaye Strathearn and Jacob Moody,
Journal of the Book of Mormon and
Other Restoration Scripture 18/1 (2009): 4.
[5] Ibid., pg. 6.
[6] Blessings and Duties of the Righteous, Visualizing Isaiah
– Blessings: 67, Maxwell Institute website.
[7] Discussions on the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 19-22,
KBYU, Dr. Robert L. Millet.
[8] Beauty on the Mountains: Inspiration from the Book of
Mormon for LDS Writers, Cynthia Hallen. Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14/1
(2005): 107.
[9] Refining the Spotlight on Lehi and Sariah, S. Kent
Brown, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/2
(2006): 53.
[10] Ancient Israel’s Neighbors – Visualizing Isaiah:26,
Maxwell Institute website.
[11] Book of Mormon Event Structure: The Ancient Near East,
Robert F. Smith, Maxwell Institute website.
[12] studylight.com
[13] Metals of the Book of Mormon, Wm. Revell Phillips.
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/2 (2000): 39.
[14] Bible Dictionary, Javan entry.
[15] Discussions on the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 19-22,
KBYU, Dr. Victor Ludlow.
[16] Discussions on the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 19-22,
KBYU, Dr. Robert L. Millet.
[17] Discussions on the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 19-22,
KBYU, Dr. Thomas Wayment.
[18] Sabaoth – Hosts; Lord of Hosts; Lord of Sabath was
another name for Jehovah (Bible Dictionary, Sabaoth entry).
