Some background
For the past few months, I’ve been searching the scriptures an awful lot, especially the prophecies concerning the last days and the fulness of times. In the last week (January 7-14), as I read the scriptures that dealt with the scattering and gathering of Israel, I was also listening to the news we’re getting of the conflict happening in Gaza and, both being in my mind, I began to hold up the State of Israel to prophetic scrutiny, meaning that I compared the State of Israel to the prophecies that were before me to see if it fulfilled them. The conclusion I came to was that its existence did not fulfill prophecy, both the prophecies concerning the scattering of the Jews, as well as the restoration (gathering) of the Jews to the lands of their inheritance.
As this realization dawned on me, a feeling came over me that the State of Israel would be broken up, and its inhabitants scattered and then later the real gathering of the Jews would take place. This feeling has persisted to this day. As it wasn’t a direct revelation from the Holy Ghost, with attendant manifestations, I filed it under miscellaneous and kept it to myself.
However, on Thursday, January 15, in preparation for some advertising I was doing for the silver bartering currency, I went to the LEAP/EUROPE2020 web site to print out their summer 2009 prediction, their September 2008 prediction (which came true), and their March 2009 prediction and I noticed that they had a new article published about Israel:
Upon seeing this, I thought, “Maybe there is something to this feeling, after all.” I called up what4anarchy to get his two cents and then decided to broach the subject on this blog.
Why the State of Israel does not fulfill prophecy
The main problem I have with the existence of the current State of Israel is that it does not appear that the Lord is the one who has gathered them. It looks like the hand of man (the nations of the earth) used their colonial powers to establish them in Palestine. Unlike the redemption of Zion, which will be redeemed by the power of the Lord, the gathering of Jews to Jerusalem appears to be the hand of man trying to force the fulfillment of prophecy.
Prophecies, when they are fulfilled are totally obvious to those who live during their fulfillment. There is no guess-work involved or straining to make a prophecy fit. Even the most enigmatic of prophecies become plain to those who live during their fulfillment. This is why Nephi says that the Lord “doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men” (2 Ne. 26: 33). The Lord aims to leave the children of men without the excuse of saying, “I couldn’t recognize the fulfillment of your prophecies.” All men who are aware of the prophecies and who live during their fulfillment will be able to recognize their literal fulfillment. That goes even for the prophecies of Isaiah, of which Nephi says, “in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass” (2 Ne. 25: 7).
Forcing the fulfillment of prophecy
As men, we are often guilty of super-imposing our current circumstances upon the ancient prophecies and if there is a resemblance, will often declare them fulfilled. Those who believe in the prophecies want to see them fulfilled every whit, as their belief and faith depends upon it. Unfulfilled or false prophecy is a great trial to faith while fulfilled prophecy confirms it. Besides, no one likes to be wrong by believing a lie (a false prophecy), so every effort is made to force interpretations that make the prophecy seem fulfilled.
This anxiousness on the part of preachers and religionists is unnecessary because, in their literal fulfillment, prophecies become plain to all men.
Forcing prophecies is also unwise because if the literal fulfillment is still future and you broadcast its fulfillment now, conditions may change which undo the supposed fulfillment, which may cause a loss of faith. Those putting forth the forced interpretations end up looking like jack-asses and those who otherwise might have believed the prophecies and gospel begin to doubt.
A prime example is section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which prophesied the War Between the States and that it would be started “at the rebellion of South Carolina.” At the time that the prophecy was received, though, South Carolina was already in rebellion with its nullification convention and the smell of war was in the air. Many broadcast the prophecy far and wide, sure that its fulfillment was imminent. Then conditions changed and South Carolina backed down. Those taking the prophecy on their missionary journeys stopped showing it to people as proof that Joseph Smith was a prophet. Its literal fulfillment did not come until decades later when conditions changed again.
Unless all the conditions called for in a prophecy are exact, no one should force a fulfillment upon it, no matter how closely the conditions come to the actual conditions needed for its fulfillment.
Many Christians (and LDS) have done this with the State of Israel. Seemingly overnight the Jews went from a scattered state to a gathered one in Palestine (by the nations of the Gentiles.) “The hand of the Lord! Prophecy fulfilled!” So went, and still goes, the cry. (The religious right in particular is guilty of this.) All government programs which supported and aided and supplied Israel with arms and other things it needed to survive in the region have been lobbied by this group so that the apparent fulfillment of prophecy remains fulfilled. After all, the promise is that once the Jews are gathered by the Lord in the last days, they will never be scattered again. (See 1 Ne. 15: 20.)
Not all Jews agree with the forced establishment of the State of Israel. Over the years, I have come across Jews and Jewish organizations that say that the Jews are to remain scattered until the Lord, and the Lord alone, gathers them, and that this forced gathering is a false gathering and does not fulfill scripture. For example, consider the following quote by one such organization:
“God-fearing Jews believe that the ultimate Redemption of the Jewish Nation will come about only through the Hands of God, and that at the time of the Redemption, peace will reign in the entire world. Any other type of forced redemption is but a sinful transgression, condemned by God and His Holy Torah.” (Taken from The Torah Position on the Current Conflict in Gaza article found on the JewsAgainstZionism.com web site.)
My study of the prophecies bears this assessment out.
If, or when, the State of Israel ceases to exist and the Jews are scattered again, what will become of the religious right? Will they lose credibility in the eyes of the people? If our own LDS people have bought their faulty arguments concerning the fulfillment of prophecy, will our own people lose faith? According to LEAP/EUROPE2020’s analysis, Israel can cease to exist in a matter of weeks. Conditions can change that rapidly. Can our confidence in prophecy change to doubt as quickly?
The LDS are prophetic morons
Sadly, we LDS tend to skip over prophecy and just focus on the doctrines of Christ when reading the scriptures. We rely on the chapter headings, institute and church manuals and general conference addresses to interpret prophecy and tell us what it all means. When those sources only go so far, we then rely on the Christians’ analysis of prophecy. In other words, we haven’t done our prophetic homework and obtained the spirit of prophecy and revelation so that we can understand these sayings. There are few prophets left in the church. The rest of us are led by blind guides (the Christians) who are even more in the dark concerning prophecy than we are, having less prophetic writings than we do.
So, if you are among the membership that believes the State of Israel was established by God and fulfills prophecy, I invite you to take up your scriptures alone and to leave aside the Christian and LDS commentaries. Let nothing but the Spirit and the scriptures guide you and see if you still come to the same conclusion.
To help you in that end, let me list some Book of Mormon prophecies that deal with the scattering and gathering of the Jews. You may start to see an emerging pattern once you take a look.
The prophecy of Lehi in 1 Ne. 10
1. Messiah slain (1 Ne. 10: 11) 2. Jews scattered (1 Ne. 10: 12-13) 3. Jews gathered/come to knowledge of true Messiah (1 Ne. 10: 14)
The prophecy of Nephi in 1 Ne. 11-15
1. Messiah slain (1 Ne. 11: 33) 2. Jews fight apostles (1 Ne. 11: 35) 3. Jews broken up, destroyed (1 Ne. 11: 36) and scattered (1 Ne. 15: 12-18) 4. Jews believe in Redeemer (1 Ne. 15: 13-16) 5. Jews restored (1 Ne. 15: 19) 6. Jews never to be scattered again (1 Ne. 15: 20)
The prophecy of Zenos in 1 Ne. 19
1. Messiah slain (1 Ne. 19: 10) 2. Jews reject Christ (1 Ne. 19: 13) 3. Jews scourged and scattered (1 Ne. 19: 13-14) 4. Jews believe in Christ (1 Ne. 19: 15) 5. Jews gathered by the Lord (1 Ne. 19: 16)
The prophecy of Nephi in 1 Ne. 22
1. Jews reject Christ (1 Ne. 22: 5) 2. Jews scattered (1 Ne. 22: 3-5) 3. Lord does marvelous work among Gentiles (1 Ne. 22: 8) 4. Jews believe in Christ [through new records] (1 Ne. 22: 9-12) 5. Jews gathered by Christ (1 Ne. 22: 12, 25)
The prophecy of Jacob in 2 Ne. 6
1. Messiah slain (2 Ne. 6: 9) 2. Jews reject Christ (2 Ne. 6: 10) 3. Jews scattered (2 Ne. 6: 11) 4. Jews believe in Christ (2 Ne. 6: 11) 5. Jews gathered by Lord (2 Ne. 6: 11, 14)
The prophecy of Jacob in 2 Ne. 10
1. Messiah slain (2 Ne. 10: 3, 5) 2. Jews reject Christ (2 Ne. 10: 5) 3. Jews scattered (2 Ne. 10: 6) 4. Jews believe in Christ (2 Ne. 10: 7) 5. Jews gathered (2 Ne. 10: 7-8)
The prophecy of Nephi in 2 Ne. 25-30
1. Jews reject Christ (2 Ne. 25: 12) 2. Messiah slain and resurrected (2 Ne. 25: 13-14) 3. Jews fight against church of God (2 Ne. 25: 14) 4. Jews destroyed, scattered (2 Ne. 25: 14-15) and scourged for many generations (2 Ne. 25: 16) 5. Jews believe in Christ (2 Ne. 25: 16; 2 Ne. 30: 7) 6. The Lord “sets his hand again the second time to restore” Jews (2 Ne. 25: 17; 2 Ne. 27: 26) 7. Jews receive new records that will judge them (2 Ne. 25: 18; 2 Ne. 29: 11-13) 8. Both Jews and records gathered in one (2 Ne. 29: 14; 2 Ne. 30: 7)
The prophecy of Jacob in Jacob 4: 15 – 6: 4
1. Jews reject Christ (Jacob 4: 15) 2. Jews scattered (Jacob 5) 3. The Lord sets “his hand again the second time to recover” Jews (Jacob 6: 2) 4. Servants of the Lord go forth for the last time to nourish and prune vineyard (Jacob 6: 2)
The prophecy of Zenos in Jacob 5
1. Jews scattered (Jacob 5) 2. Servant and Lord bring forth new records (Jacob 5: 55-56) 3. Servant, Lord and other servants bring forth new records (Jacob 5: 61-69) 4. Servant, Lord and other servants labor for last time (Jacob 5: 70-73) 5. Both Jews and records gathered in one body (Jacob 5: 74)
The prophecy of Mormon in 3 Ne. 5
1. Jews scattered, then gathered by Lord (3 Ne. 5: 24) 2. Jews to receive new records of Christ (3 Ne. 5: 25-26) 3. Jews then to be gathered after they believe in Christ (3 Ne. 5: 26)
The prophecy of the Lord in 3 Ne. 16
1. Jews scattered (3 Ne. 16: 4) 2. Gentiles take new records to Jews (3 Ne. 16: 4) 3. Jews believe in Christ (3 Ne. 16: 4) 4. Jews gathered (3 Ne. 16: 5)
The prophecy of the Lord in 3 Ne. 20
1. Covenant of Father to Israel fulfilled when Isaiah’s words fulfilled (3 Ne. 20: 11-12) 2. Jews scattered (3 Ne. 20: 13) 3. Gentiles scatter Jews (3 Ne. 20: 15) and scourge them (3 Ne. 20: 28) 4. Jews receive new records (3 Ne. 20: 13, 30) 5. Jews believe in Christ (3 Ne. 20: 30) 6. Jews gathered by the Lord (3 Ne. 20: 13, 18, 21, 29, 33, 46)
The prophecy of the Lord in 3 Ne. 21
1. The sign that Israel is about to be gathered and Zion is about to be established (3 Ne. 21: 1) is when the record of the ministry of the Savior to the Nephites goes to the Gentiles (2 Ne. 21: 2) and from the Gentiles to the remnant of Israel (3 Ne. 21: 3. See 3 Ne. 21: 1-7) 2. In that day kings will shut their mouths (3 Ne. 21: 8) 3. In that day Father will perform great and marvelous work (3 Ne. 21: 9)
—I will expound 3 Ne. 21: 11. “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.”
—”My words” in the phrase “whosoever will not believe my words” means the record of the ministry of the Savior to the Nephites (not the abridgment made by Mormon.) Remember, Mormon was about to write the full account of the ministry contained on the large plates of Nephi, because these words were prophesied to come forth, as these were the words meant by the Savior in this verse, and these are the words that would implement the “cut off” clause of the prophecy, but the Lord forbade it (3 Ne. 26: 11).
—”Him.” Can you guess who “him” is in the phrases “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”? (See 3 Ne. 21: 9-10.) This “him” man will bring forth the record of the Savior’s ministry. Again, this is not speaking of the abridgment.
—”Cut off.” The prophecy of Moses says, “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.” This prophet is Christ. The fulfillment of this prophecy happens when the record of the Savior’s ministry to the Nephites (not the abridgment) comes forth. Then, everyone who reads the record will be left without excuse. Either they believe the words of Christ and become numbered with the house of Israel, or they disbelieve them and cut themselves off. In other words, Moses had view of this last record coming forth when he spoke his prophecy.
—What this all means: At some point a “healed” servant of the Lord will appear and will bring forth the record of the Savior’s ministry (the full account) as well as other records. These “last records” will show that the first records (including the Book of Mormon) are true and will convince everyone that Jesus is the Christ, leaving no one with an excuse. They will go first to the Gentiles and then to the Jews, which will turn them both to the Lord and into bona fide Israelites. Then the Lord will gather with power those who have accepted these last records to the lands of their inheritance. Everyone else will be cut off and gathered into bundles to be burned. The “last records” will cause a great division among the people (2 Ne. 30: 10). This latter work, in which this “healed” servant comes forth and produces the “last records,” first to the Gentiles and then to the Jews, after which everyone is gathered, is known as the marvelous work and a wonder, the great and marvelous work, the second time the Lord will set his hand again to restore his people, etc.
That is all I will say about this chapter.
The prophecy of Mormon in Morm. 5: 14
1. Scattered Jews receive new records, believe in Christ and are restored (Mormon 5: 14)
The prophecy of Ether in Ether 13
1. Jerusalem destroyed (Ether 13: 5) 2. Jews scattered (Ether 13: 11) 3. Jerusalem to be built up again (Ether 13: 5) 4. Jerusalem to be a holy city of the Lord (Ether 13: 5) 5. Jews to be clean “washed in the blood of the Lamb” (Ether 13: 11. See also 2 Ne. 25: 16 “with pure hearts and clean hands.”)
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21 Comments
LDS Anarchy 
An interesting post. I have poured over those scriptures many times, but it is nice to see a list.
In the end, though, I’m going to have to quote the X-File’s Mulder on this one: “I want to believe…”
But when Orson Hyde dedicated the Land of Israel for the gathering of the Jews, it was supposed to start pretty quickly. And it did.
I don’t like what is happening to the Palestinians (though I lost a lot of sympathy for them when they elected Hamas leaders). I certainly don’t see the current Israeli state as a direct fulfillment of prophecy, nor as a desirable end. But the Jews have started gathering there, and I don’t see them being scattered again, though it is going to be pretty rough there for everyone involved.
I am not a jew indeed although RC I do not go to church, hence not a radical thinker either way. I could never understand why Isreal was not left alone regardless of who or why it was created. Should it cease to be, I imagine so will half the middle east?.
Okay, I’m finished with this post. I’ll fill it with tags later.
I take my previous comment back. As the smoke is clearing in Gaza, I certainly do believe that the state of Israel could be destroyed and the prophecies concerning the Israelites still be fulfilled. I still don’t agree with a number of particulars in this post, and I certainly don’t agree with the time line, but I just don’t see the current state of Israel fulfilling any actual prophecies right now. Instead it is doing a lot of harm. I still don’t like Hamas, though, or Hezbollah for that matter. What a mess that area is.
i think that missanderstanding of the holly books torah ,gospel, and quran create very big conflit for humanity the werds of god is for peace but we understand it in wrong way we think that god order us to kill each other we should read more more our holly books to lead humanity to peace
quien a escrito este comentario, por favor le ruego que redacte bien todo este escrito, porque no se entiende nada, estan confuso lo que leo que me hace pensar que esto escribio un lunatico.
Question: What if those who say they are Jews today, are NOT Biblical Hebrews of the line of Jacob?
It would seem to me to open the possibility that the prophecies concerning “Israel” have an entirely different dimension to them.
ANd, NO, Im not anti-Semetic.
thanks—
I wonder if this article from the World Tribune has any merit? It appears that they are the first (and as yet, only ones) to report this:
Lebanon reports Israeli buildup along border
In case anyone wants to review the scriptures that the JewsAgainstZionism.com rabbis use as evidence that the State of Israel is a false gathering, you’ll need to know the answer to some questions posed by the site’s author(s). First, enter the site (by clicking the link above.) Then click on the Scriptures tab on the left-hand side. You’ll be asked, “How many commandments are there in the Torah?” The answer is 613. You’ll also be asked, “What is the number of blessings which must be given to G-d each day?” The answer is 100. Then, type in your first name and click Login. You can then review the scriptures (in Hebrew and as an English translation) and their explanations of those scriptures in Adobe PDF format.
Here we go again?
Israeli war planes strike on Gaza (from Gulf News)
It is true that there are some Ultra orthodox groups of Jews called Neturei Karta who say State of Israel should not have been created until Messiah/lord came but they are like less than 1% of Jews in world and are looked upon as nuts in Israel. I lived in Israel 2 years. The Jewish Rabbis and sages say in all their writings that a Jews is not supposed to rely on a miracle to survive. Meaning you can pray and hope for one but if presented with a situation which requires you to take a stand (fight, take action, be proactive) then you must not say “oh, but a miracle or God will save me” The reason the Jews of Israel fought so aggresively to have state created in 1948 is that they saw no miracles would happen without their own sweat and efforts. This is why pioneers starting immigrating from 1865-1935 in large droves to build and plant( Hebrew University was built in 1920-before state declared) I have lived among Jews and they were so fed up with sense of alienation that creating state of Israel and settlling the land was of urgent necessity. I think we should not be too judgemental. They have done a great job of making land bloom. Before they arrived it was desert because Arab natives did not dare drain the swamps and make the efforts the Jews did. Many Jews suffered horrible deaths trying to clear the malaria swamps and created a blooming desert. Take a pciture of Israel in 1900 and after 1950 to see how much they invested in creating a healthy acrigulture. I agree all the prophecies are not fulfilled but they have done damn good job of making land physicall fruitful.
I am wondering if this coming week, in particular, or perhaps this month (August) or next month (September), will be when Iran is attacked by Israel, culminating in Israel’s break up.
I am also wondering if next month (September) will be when the devastating earthquake strikes California, culminating in further financial chaos and in the silver market, in particular.
Lastly, I am wondering whether this October will be when the massive eathquake that breaks up the unified church occurs in Utah.
I’ve been in a prophetic mood of late and these three thoughts are what my mind is hooking onto. But I don’t, as yet, have any confirmations. Just in case, though, may I recommend that all Melchizedek Priesthood holders in these areas perform a priesthood blessing upon their houses to resist and withstand the shaking of a very large earthquake?
I feel confident that the earthquake will happen during one of the next three Oct. Gen. Conf. Although my promptings [no revelation yet] have been more towards a Oct. 2011 break-up. I, however, have been preparing my wife and her parents for what my indeed come at this next conference.
My father [who has no religious affiliation] has been asking my about the role of Israel in the last days. Even he senses something big is going to happen in that area. I told him to not be swayed by other Christians he might talk to who insist that the current nation of Israel will not fall.
Inspection of Iranian cargo (ships) seems, to me, at least, to be the spark that is going to set off the Iranian/Israeli conflict. Under the new sanctions, certain countries are obligated to do this under certain circumstances. Iran has stated, and even passed laws to the effect, that they will retaliate in a BIG WAY if any country tries to inspect their ships. As yet, no country has dared do it.
Well, now we have a new date to worry about, per Fidel Castro:
Okay, so if, on September 7, the UN Security Council finds that no country has inspected these ships, I wonder if the US will be sent on an inspection mission…
The Latter Day Saints church members are Israel, not the Jews.. Look at the prophecy like that.
I read a post on someone else’s blog today and I felt the need to refute it, so, here I go…
The author of the post in question quoted from several General Authorities to show that unbelieving Israel will be gathered and after Jesus shows up, they will then convert and believe in Him. Here are the pertinent quotes, and you can read the post yourself to see the full quotations:
After quoting 1 Ne. 15:13-17, Bruce R. McKonkie writes:
Then there is:
Now, these men were wrong on this point. It doesn’t matter what their church positions and calling were, they were still wrong. The house of Israel wil be gathered to the lands of their inheritance only after they believe in Christ, which will occur after the Gentiles have rejected the gospel. All of this precedes the Millennium.
More quotes:
This is also totally wrong. The Jewish state is a false gathering and the inhabitants will be scattered and Jerusalem destroyed yet again. I now know this as a fact. Also, the Jews will believe in Christ before Christ comes, not after He comes. These Mormon leaders were following the interpretation of apostate Christianity, which is false, and thus falling into the same errors. If they had the spirit of prophecy and revelation, they would have known that this is patently false.
Again, this is a false understanding.
When I first joined the church, I read these same words in these same books and allowed them to color my understanding of the scriptures and interpret them for me. So, when the author of the hyperlinked blog post concludes: “From these quotes we may conclude [that]…the times of the Gentiles will not be fulfilled until the Jews accept Christ at the beginning of the Millennium“, this was my same conclusion, that I arrived at as a young man. Nevertheless, I was wrong, and so is he and so were the writers of these books.
I have since learned, from the Spirit, that the same pattern that applies to Zion will also apply to Jerusalem. The gospel will be taken from the Gentiles, for they will reject its fulness, which will be appearing later in the form of other records, such as the plates of brass, the plates of Nephi, the sealed book of Daniel, and so on and so forth. The remnant Gentiles who accept the records will become numbered with the house of Israel, which will be scattered, which will then become converted to Christ through the records. And these remnants of the house of Israel, which includes the seed of Lehi as well as the remnants of scattered Judah, will receive the power of the Father to gather back to the lands of their inheritance. These believing seed of Jacob, along with the believing remnant Gentiles, will build the two cities: the New Jerusalem (Zion) and the old Jerusalem. The wicked Gentiles will seek to fight against Zion or the believing people of the Lord and the wrath of God will be kindled agaist them. Among the wicked, there will be those who refuse to take up arms against Zion and Jerusalem, and against their neighbor, and these will flee to these cities for safety. So, there will be, among the believers who will have built these two cities, unbelieving Gentiles and unbelieving Jews. But the unbelieving Jews found in Jerusalem will be the minority, for the people who build the city of Jerusalem will be believers in Christ who are of the literal blood of Israel. When Jesus finally shows up on the mount of Olives, the unbelieving Jews, who will have fled to Jerusalem for safety, will be the ones who will mourn for thirty days because of their iniquities and they will be the ones who become converted to Christ after they have repented. The only reason these will be spared is because they will flee to Jerusalem for safety and refuse to fight the people of the Lord. The believers of Israel in Jerusalem will not mourn and repent at Jesus’ appearance, for they have already repented and exercised faith and been baptized, received the Holy Ghost, etc. These, then, will rejoice at Jesus’ return, having patiently watched and waited for Him in faith to deliver them from the wicked Gentiles, whereas the unbelieving Jews who will have fled to Jerusalem for safety will be in need of repentance, and they will repent, but it will take them a full 30 days of mourning before they finally obtain a forgiveness of sin.
The Lord will not protect any people from destruction that does not believe in His Son, so, the people who initially gather to Zion and Jerusalem and build those cities will be believers in Christ, of both Jew and Gentile. Again, the unbelieving Jew and Gentile found in those cities are spared simply because they are in a place of safety and also because they do not fight against the Lord. Just as Zion will have from every nation on earth, so will Jerusalem, for the righteous of the house of Israel, that will be gathered there, will call to all to come to the city and be spared the destruction pronounced upon the wicked.
This error, of the Christians and now also the Mormons, in not understanding that there will be two sets of people in these cities when Christ comes: believers and unbelievers, and that the builders will be believers, and that no gathering will take place until the people believe in Christ, has caused the LDS church to miss a great opportunity to point all to the Book of Mormon, for the Book of Mormon plainly teaches these principles.
While many in the Christian world predict the hand of God in saving Israel from destruction from Iran, and the initiation of Word War III, etc., Mormons should be lifting up their voices and declaring the gathering of Israel to be a false gathering and declaring that any confict between Iran and Israel will result in Israel being scattered and ceasing to exist as a state, and in the destruction of Jerusalem. We should be making this contrary prediction based upon the prophecy of the Book of Mormon, so that when it comes to pass, the people of the world may turn their attention to the Book of Mormon as a legitimate book of prophecy, and thereby help in their conversion.
If no one else will do this, though, then I will, here and now: Israel will be scattered and not delivered by the hand of the Lord, nor by the nations of the Gentiles. It will cease to exist as a State. Jerusalem will be destroyed. And they will never be gathered again to Palestine until they have received the new records and become converted to Christ. Then, and only then, will they be gathered back to the lands of their inheritance and it will not be by man’s power, but by the power of God.
The coming scattering of Israel, or further scattering of Israel, will be harsh upon the seed of Jacob, for they are exceeding lofty (prideful) and they will be cut down to the very ground, until they are humbled to the dust, more so than they have ever been, to the point that when the Gentiles finally reject the gospel, and it is brought to the house of Israel, they will finally accept Jesus as their Messiah, for they will finally realize that their rejection of Him has been the cause of all the calamity that will have come upon them.
One last thing: The Book of Mormon will play the chief role in the conversion of both Jew and Gentile, not the other records. The Book of Mormon will be the link between the Old World records (the Bible) and the New World records (plates of brass, etc.) No one will believe the plates of brass unless they also believe the Book of Mormon. So, when the Gentiles reject all the new records, and these are brought to the scattered Jews, who will finally be humbled to the dust, it will be the Book of Mormon that converts them to Christ and then they will accept the other records, also, including the biblical records that testify of Christ, etc. So, we ought to be lifting up the Book of Mormon in the eyes of all people as our standard.
If I could add to the above comment about the Book of Mormon’s future role. There are four groups of records mentioned in the Book of Mormon that are to appear during the marvelous work and a wonder: Jewish records, Nephite records, Lost Tribe records, and records from the tribes of all the earth. The Bible-only crowd will believe none of these things, not even the lost or hidden biblical records from the Jews, because they believe the Bible is already complete. It is only through a belief in the Book of Mormon do we discover that all these records will be coming forth and that the Bible doesn’t contain it all. So, without first believing the Book of Mormon, men will reject everything that is coming. Also, the Book of Mormon’s doctrine of Christ, which is pure, will be a tool of discernment to ascertain what is a genuine record and what is a counterfeit from Satan. So, although there will be great and marvelous records that will come forth, the Book of Mormon’s simple words will be the tool to gather all these records and tribes together in one.
Great writing..
Speaking of forcing the fulfillment of prophecy
http://beforeitsnews.com/prophecy/2014/05/third-temple-blasphemy-that-is-happening-in-israel-right-now-to-usher-in-the-messiah-video-oyep-2461664.html
I wonder when the state of Israel will end? I cannot decide whether it will be under the Constitution or later, under the NAC. One thing is for sure, under the NAC, it will end almost overnight, right after the NAC is installed. But I cannot perceive the timing of this future event, try as I might. It is (so far) hidden from me.
This passage (which speaks of the destroying angel) has a dual fulfillment, the second one being during the end times.
Now, the tribes of Israel were brought the first time into the lands of their inheritance by the destroying angel working mighty miracles and giving instructions to Joshua, who was the point man on the ground leading them:
At that time, only Joshua saw the destroyer, and so it was only Joshua that groveled before the him (which is the normal and appropriate reaction to the destroyer). The rest of the house of Israel dealt only with Joshua and, as a result, they ended up disobeying the instructions they received from the angel.
But in the end times God will be changing things considerably. Instead of sending the destroyer to a point man, who then leads the people, He will be making the destroyer the very point man on the ground leading them, so that the Exodus scripture will be fulfilled quite literally and thus the tribes of Israel will be brought a second time into the lands of their inheritance by the very destroying angel.
As the destroying angel has not, as yet, brought the tribes of Israel into the promised land in our days, nor has he established the state of Israel, this is scriptural evidence that the state of Israel is a false gathering. They must and will be scattered off the land and then the destroyer himself will bring the house of Israel back to the lands of their inheritance, fulfilling these scriptures one the last time.
[Note: The majority of the Bible-believing world believes that the above two passages, found in Exodus 23 and Joshua 5, refer to Jesus Christ as the mentioned angel and captain, and a minority believe the angel/captain to be Michael the prince, who is the archangel, but they are all wrong on both accounts. It is the destroyer, Abaddon, that is spoken of in both passages. In a future post I will fully expound these scriptures.]