Relief Society Lesson October 9,2011

THE GATHERING OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
Pg. 245

Jacob was a great prophet.  Due to his faithfullness, he was given the name of Israel, which means "one who prevails with God,", or, "let God prevail."  Jacob was a grandson of Abraham.  The Lord's covenant with Abraham was renewed with Isaac and with Jacob and his children.  God promised that the Israelites would be His covenant people as long as they would obey His commandments.  They would be a blessing to all the nations of the world by taking them the gospel and the priesthood.  Thus, they would keep their covenant with the Lord and He would keep His covenant with them.

The house of Israel was split into two kingdoms.  They failed to keep the commandments.  Ten of the twelve tribes lived in the Northern Kingdom and two tribes lived in the Southern Kingdom.  Both were eventually conquered and the tribes were taken captive.  The Southern Kingdom was conquered and the city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C.  This is the time when Lehi and his family came to the American continent.  Jerusalem was again destroyed after the time of Christ.  The covenant people were scattered throughout the world.

The Lord promised that His people would again be gathered.  As people come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, receive the ordinances of salvation and keep the covenants, they become the children of the covenant.  God has important reasons for gathering His children.  He gathers them so they can learn the teachings of the gospel and prepare themselves to meet the Savior when He comes again.  He gathers them so they will build temples, perform sacred ordinances for ancestors, strengthen one another and be unified in the gospel, and to prepare themselves to share the gospel with others.

Joseph Smith was given the authority to direct the work of gathering the house of Israel by the prophet Moses.  Each subsequent prophet has received "the spirit of gathering."  The physical gathering was initially to gather in Ohio, then Missouri, and then to the Salt Lake Valley.  Today the place of gathering is in the homeland of each saint.  The physical gathering of Israel will not be complete until the Second Coming of the Savior and on into the Millennium.  Then the Lord's promise will be fulfilled.