Promise of the gathering of Israel will be fulfilled
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Church members are part of a great moment — the gathering of scattered Israel, said Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve.
"I speak of this doctrine today because of its unique importance in God's eternal plan," he said Sunday morning.
Elder Nelson said that anciently the Lord blessed father Abraham with a promise to make his posterity a chosen people. References to this covenant occur throughout the scriptures. While some aspects of the covenant have already been fulfilled, the Book of Mormon teaches that this Abrahamic covenant will be fulfilled only in the latter days.
"It also emphasizes that we are among the covenant people of the Lord," Elder Nelson explained. "Ours is the privilege to participate personally in the fulfillment of these promises. What an exciting time to live."
Elder Nelson related that as descendants of Abraham, the tribes of ancient Israel had access to priesthood authority and the blessings of the gospel, but eventually the people rebelled and became scattered. God promised that in the latter days he would send "swift messengers" to these people who were so "scattered and peeled" (Isaiah 18:2, 7).
"This promise of the gathering, woven all through the fabric of the scriptures, will be fulfilled just as surely as were the prophecies of the scattering of Israel," said Elder Nelson.
After a great apostasy, the Lord called upon the Prophet Joseph Smith to be the prophet of this dispensation, he continued. "This dispensation of the fulness of times would not be limited in time or in location. It would not end in apostasy and it would fill the world."
Elder Nelson said the gathering of Israel is an integral part of the restoration of all things.
"As prophesied by Peter and Paul, all things were to be restored in this dispensation. Therefore, there must come, as part of that restoration, the long-awaited gathering of scattered Israel. It is a necessary prelude to the Second Coming of the Lord."
The doctrine of the gathering is one of the important teachings of the Church, he said.
"The dispensation of the fulness of times was foreseen by God as the time to gather, both in heaven and on earth."
Elder Nelson said, through temple work, the invitation to come unto Christ can be extended to those who died without a knowledge of the gospel. On earth, he added, missionary work is crucial to the gathering of Israel.
"The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment.... Every nation is the gathering place for its own people."
Publications, communications, and congregations are now such that nearly all members have access to the doctrines, keys, ordinances and blessing of the gospel, regardless of their location, Elder Nelson said.
"Spiritual security will always depend upon how one lives, not where one lives," he declared. "Saints in every land have equal claim upon the blessings of the Lord."
