25 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.
26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan
has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for
he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in
righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.
27 And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you that all these
things must come according to the flesh.
28 But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and
people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will
repent.
29 And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak
further as yet concerning these things.
30 Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should
consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are
true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
31 Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father
are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye
shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved
at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.
When the Jews are gathered, they will be gathered from the
four quarters of the Earth. Isaiah
prophesied:
“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, [Deliver 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).
Paul wrote, “That in the dispensation of the fulness of
times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” (Ephesians 1:10).
At that time, Christ will number his sheep. He will know them and they will become a part
of the one fold, with Christ as their shepherd.
Stephen Ricks and RoseAnn Benson explain:
“[H]ow do his followers know that he is their God? God
manifests that he knows them by fulfilling his covenant promises, as
illustrated in the following passage: “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). From this passage we learn that
an important aspect of God's knowing his people in this covenant agreement is
for God to gather his children under his care so that he can care for and
protect them.”[1]
Satan will lose his power and be bound for many years. He will not have power of the children of men. “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years” (Revelation
20:2). Writing about General Moroni,
Mormon would give this witness.
And also, that God would make it known unto them whither
they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the
Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did
glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his
people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.
“Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been,
and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell
would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the
hearts of the children of men” (Alma 48:16-17).
Speaking of the Millennium, the Lord said, “And Satan shall
be bound, that he shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men” (D&C
45:55). Monte Nyman writes that someday
we will have a more complete record of these events.
“We do not have all the record of Enoch, but the 24 Jaredite
plates may confirm what Joseph said about Adam, Enoch, and others and add what
was promised to come ‘in due time.’ As people become more righteous, Satan will
be bound; thus his works may be made known more fully without the danger of
destruction that was the case anciently (see 1 Nephi 22:26). The knowledge of
the abominations that bring curses on the land will serve as a deterrent to
darkness rather than as a means for evil men to gain personal power.”[2]
Nephi testifies that all things he taught will come
about. Those who repent and accept
Christ will dwell in safety.
Nephi tells us he must end what he is saying, “for I durst
not speak further as yet concerning these things” (1 Nephi 22:29). He testified, to his brethren, the brass
plates are a true record that “[testifies] that a man must be obedient to the
commandments of God” (1 Nephi 22:30). If
they obey the commandments given in the brass plates, they will be saved at the
last day.
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