The covenants With Joseph and  Book of Mormon's Purpose

 

"But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 10:6

 

"He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 15:24

God made a promise to Abraham and his descendants, that their disregard for God's commandments would cause them to become a scattered people.  Only after they began to recognize Christ as their savior, would the lost remnants be gathered together again.  This event is prophesied to occur in the last days.

 

So, how is this knowledge of Christ going to occur in the last days?  If you had to choose from one of two topics for which to teach or preach about, and the topics were:

 

1)How the Jews will be restored to a knowledge of the truth in the latter Days; or

 

2) The story of Joseph (coat of many colors) his eleven hateful brothers, their selling Him to Egypt, his reign in Egypt, the famine and re-uniting of His family;

 

which topic would you feel more at ease discussing?  Most people would choose #2, the story of Joseph.  Every Christian learns about Joseph and his coat of many colors in their youth--the events are familiar and easily recalled.  But these same Christians,  at first glance, may avoid topic #1, because it's events are shrouded in old testament prophecy, and some may not even be aware that a "re-gathering" has been prophesied since the Genesis account.

 

Here is the good news:  if you know the details of the story of Joseph, you already know the pattern by which God is going to restore the Jews (House of Israel) to a knowledge of the truth in the last days.  This handout will discuss:

 

1)     a synopsis of Joseph's life, then

2)     a comparison of Joseph's story to prophecy in the Bible, and

3)     a summary of the Book of Mormon's main purpose--to be a tool in restoring the Jews to a knowledge of the truth in the Latter days.

 

Although the language can sometimes seem confusing, most of the Old Testament prophets wrote about this significant event:  the scattering and re-gathering of the House of Israel.  But not only the old Testament prophets, Christ too, and the early church apostles also foretold these events to happen in the last days.

 

The Book of Mormon is the key to understanding this essential part of God's plan, though, like a missing puzzle piece which when perfectly fitted with the whole, reveals the hidden picture, is the information that makes God's plan clear.  God has a plan to restore literally millions of descendants of Abrahams' grandchildren to a knowledge of the truth.

 

How did the covenant people become lost and scattered?

 

1.  The beginning of a nation:  As stated, Abraham had a promise that his descendants would be blessed, and that they would cover the earth as the 'sands of the sea.'

 

• Genesis 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing; and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee shall the families of the earth be blessed.

 

2.     The establishing of a covenant.  Isaac, the son of Abraham receives a promise that his seed will be the covenant people of God.

 

• Genesis 17:25 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bare thee a son, and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish my covenant with him also, for an everlasting covenant with his seed after him.

 

2.     The sons of Jacob--The House of Israel.  The twelve sons of Jacob, later called Israel, became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Judah will receive the right to lineage (until Christ came) and from them Christ would be born, but a rich blessing is put on the head of Joseph, above all others.

 

• Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days. …9 Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion, who shall rouse him up? 10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and has ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes;

 

• Genesis 49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall; 23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him, 24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel;) 25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb; 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

 

 

2.     The Nation under Moses

• Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine;

 

2.     The Cursing and the Blessing made to the House of Israel

• Deuteronomy 29:25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt; 26 For they went and served other gods, and worshiped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them; 27 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book; 28 And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.
• Deuteronomy 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing, and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee;

 

2.     The promise to David.  The right of leadership through lineage would always rest upon Judah, through David.

• I Kings 2:45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.
• II Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee; thy throne shall be established forever.

 

2.     The scattering begins:  Why?  basically because they disagreed with the leadership of the church.

• II Chronicles 10:16 And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to your tents, O Israel; and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.
• Blessing remains despite unrighteous leadership.  II Chronicles 13:5 (Said the unrighteous leader to the rebellious tribes) Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

 

• Amos 9:9 For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. 10 All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.

 

2.     Ten Tribes go to the North.  Two tribes remain (Judah and Benjamin).  After the split, the two remaining tribes are henceforth called "Judah";  the ten departed are referred to as 'Israel'.   Keep this in mind when reading the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. because they prophecy to both groups.

 

• II Chronicles 10:19 And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

 

2.     The tribes will come to a knowledge of Christ and be re-gathered in the Latter Days.

• Jeremiah 30:16 But all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. 17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. 18 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. 19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry; and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. 20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

 

• Jeremiah 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion;

 

• Deuteronomy 30:3 That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

 

Allegory

 

While all the events in the Old Testament really happened, prophets who wrote about the events also explained how the events were often allegories, (or 'types' or 'similitudes')--the events in lives of people would eventually represent the lives of nations to follow.  Take, for instance, the story of Abraham's sons Ishmael and Isaac.  These brothers, one born to a slave woman, and one born to a free, and their father's blessings, created a course of history that would produce the eventual Arab nation and the Hebrew nation.  But thousands of years after the events, Paul (Galations 3 ) writes how this story was an allegory, the slave and her son (Ishmael) represented the Law of Moses, the free woman and her son (Isaac) allegorically represented the Law of Christ.  Other allegories, or types, exist.  Abraham offering up Isaac, was a type for God offering up Christ, etc.  The hope (of God) is that by understanding the stories in the physical, we will understand God's purposes in the spiritual.

 

Chapter 6 of Ether (in the Book of Mormon) makes it clear that the story of Joseph is a type for how the Jews will be restored to a knowledge of the truth in a day soon to come.  Let's find out more.

 

 

 

Brief History of Scattering & Tribal Destinations

(taken from: Yair Davidy, "Brit-Am" P.O.B. 595Jerusalem 91004Israel Telephone: (0)2-9973182)

 

http://www.jerusalembooks.com/download/tribes.txt

 

Tribe	Final Destination Today
Ephraim	Britain
Manasseh	USA
Reuben	France
Simeon	Celts and Jews
Levi	With the Jews
Yehuda	Jutes and Jews
Issachar	Swiss and Fins
Zebulon	Holland
Gad	Sweden
Asher	Scots
Benjamin	Belgae and Normans
Dan	Danes and Celts
Naphtali	Norwegians

 

(References are from the Hebrew Bible)

According to the Bible, Abraham was chosen to be the forefather of a nation through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12;2), who would keep the way of the LORD to do justice and judgement (Genesis 18;19), and who would themselves become numerous, great, mighty, and blessed (Genesis 22;16-19).The blessings, in effect, were made unconditionally(ibid.) and may be considered more as a means to achieve, rather than an effect of the ordained national role.

Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob who was renamed “Israel” (Genesis 32;28) who had twelve sons and these became the twelve tribes of Israel. Under kings Saul, David, and Solomon the twelve tribes were united in one kingdom which, at various stages, controlled a significant portion of the Middle East.

King David, from the Tribe of Judah, established the capital at Jerusalem within which his son Solomon built the Temple. In the reign of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, ten of the northern most tribes seceded and formed their own kingdom (1 Kings 12;20-23), whichwas referred to as “Israel”, (e.g. Hosea 5;5), whereas the remaining tribes who remained faithful to the House of David were called “Judah”.

From inhabitants of the Kingdom of “Judah”are descended the modern Jews, though many individuals from the northern seceding tribes also made their way south (e.g. 2 Chronicles 15;9) in the course of time, and these too became  part of the Jewish nation. In approximately the period 740-720 b.c.e. the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and all of its people were exiled (2 Kings 17;18). 

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, also exiled more than 200,000 people from the kingdom of Judah which number, at that stage, must have accounted for a good portion of the total Judean population. It follows that those Israelites exiled by the Assyrians included many from Judah, whereas those in Judah, who were not exiled, included many from the northern tribes who had made their way south previously. Even so, it is conventionally accepted to name those exiles taken away by the Assyrians “The Lost Ten Tribes” after the original body who broke away from Judah.

The Lost Ten tribes were destined to lose their identity. The exile appears to have been complete. There are almost no archaeological remains pertaining to Israelites in the northern “Israel” area1 and dating from after the Assyrian exile.

Some later traditions indicate that a small percentage did remain and these either joined their brothers in “Judah” or else amalgamated with the “Samaritans” who were foreigners settled by the Assyrians in place of the evacuees (2 Kings 17;24)2. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of Israelites had been taken away to places named in the Bible, in Talmudic literature, and other sources, to locations wherein Israelite presence is confirmed by archaeological evidence and from popular legend.

It will be shown that the exiled Israelites are identifiable, very often, in their places of exile by the every same Tribal and Clan names they must have had before their exile, and that they were destined to continue to play an important role in human history. The Israelites had been exiled because they worshipped other gods and followed pagan customs (2 Kings 17;7-23). In their places of exile the Israelites were to continue on the whole their idolatrous practices and adoption of foreign ways. Despite their imitation, throughout the ages, of the peoples surrounding them, the Hebrew nature of the exiles was to reassert itself from time to time and this enabled the realization of their inherited mission to tame and humanize the pagan world.

The Israelites were transported en- masse firstly mainly to areas in northern Mesopotamia and to Hara and from those regions they later moved northward into “Scythia” (roughly the area encompassed in the past by the U.S.S.R.) whence they migrated in several waves to the extreme north and west of Europe from which their descendants settled North America, Australasia, and SouthAfrica. The peoples in these said nations today are thus in the Biblical and historical sense brothers of the Jews who came from the remaining southern kingdom of Judah and comprised the second half of the Hebrew nation with the Lost Ten Tribes comprising the remainder.

The Jews and the Lost Ten Tribes together form the Israelite or HEBREW nation. The word “HEBREW” is a transliteration of the Hebrew word ”Ibri”, or “Ivri” and has been understood as meaning” descendant of Eber” or “someone from over the river Euphrates”. The name “IBRI” may be literally understood also as meaning simply “outsider” and is derived from the root “aver” or “over” which, in both English and Hebrew connotes “above and beyond”.

The first Hebrew in the Scriptural sense was Abraham the Hebrew. A Midrash (Genesis Rabah 42) says that: All the world stood on one side while Abraham the Patriarch stood over on the other. Abraham was the forefather of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Ten of these Twelve Tribes disappeared and were lost so that only two remained to be historically identified. These remaining two tribes became the Jews of history. The Jews were exiled from their land and suffered persecution and unjustified hostility for more than two thousand years.

 

(for more information from Yair Davidy, see www.nazarene.net)

 

 

·         

Genealogical Chart Notes

 

1.  Abraham received promise that "…in his seed, all nations would be blessed" (Gen. 18:17, 22:22, 26:4)

 

2. Abraham has Isaac and Ishmael, one born to a free woman (non-slave), the other born to a slave.

These become an allegory for the covenants of the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ (Gal. 4)

 

3.  Isaac is almost sacrificed, another allegory which perfectly parallels God offering His Son, Jesus for our Sins. (Gen. 22)

 

4.  Abraham's slave is cast out, with her son, Ishmael, but He has the promise to become a great nation also (Gen. 21)

 

5.  Jacob, later named Israel (meaning "God will come in Power"), gets blessing and to him 12 sons are born

 

6.  Joseph, is sold out of his homeland, and eventually becomes a ruler in a land of "Gentiles" (unbelievers).  (Gen 35-Gen 48).  Has visions as a boy of family bowing down to him,  In a time of famine, this is fulfilled literally as he provides food for his lost family.  This story is also allegorical, being a type and shadow for how the record preserved by the Nephites (who were Joseph's descendants), will be preserved in the land of the Gentiles, and will provide spiritual nourishment to their lost tribal brothers in a day to come.

 

7.  The Descendants of the 12 brothers become twelve great kingdoms.  Later, under Solomon's son, 10 of the 12 tribes revolt.  (2 Chronicles 10-15). The two remaining tribes, Judah and Benjamin, become as one and are known as "Jews". The "Jews" and the 10 other tribes become known as the Hebrew Nation, Israelites, or "the House of Israel".  The 10 tribes became scattered throughout the earth, to be re-united (restored) in a day to come, because of God's promise.  This is the culmination of the "Gathering", and is a major purpose of the Book of Mormon, to be the spiritual nourishment (as in Joseph's story) for his lost brothers some day.

 

8.  The tribe of Joseph becomes his two Sons, Ephriam and Manasseh.  From Manasseh, eventually is born Lehi, who comes to America.  Lehi's coming is the literal fulfillment of the promise to Joseph that a remnant will be preserved (as was a remnant of his coat), that his descendants would go "over the wall" meaning the ocean (Gen. 50),and that they would be among the Gentiles, and rise to authority again in the last days (Micah 5:8).

Synopsis of Joseph's Story

 

·        Israel (Jacob) has 12 sons, to 4 different wives. The wife Israel loved the most was Rachel

 

·        Joseph born to Rachel and Israel (Jacob). (Benjamin also born to Israel)

 

·        Joseph is loved the most, Father makes him a coat of many colors  (Gen.37; 3)

 

·        Joseph, about 17 years old,  dreams his brothers and family bow down to him (sheaves, stars)

 

·        Joseph's father rebukes him for sharing this, but stores it in his heart (Gen.37:11)

 

·        Hated by brothers, Joseph is sold as a slave into Egypt.

 

·        Brothers plot to lie to Israel that Joseph had been killed, bring a remnant of his coat back to Israel

 

·        Israel apparently believes mourns the loss of his son (Gen.37:35)

 

·        Joseph gains authority in Egypt, has God's blessing (Gen.39:1)

 

·        Framed by Potiphar's wife, thrown into prison.  (Gen.40)

 

·        Joseph later is remembered in prison, correctly interprets Pharaoh's dreams of the seven years of plenty, and the following seven years of famine to cover all the world. (Gen.41)

 

·        Joseph's, now 30 years old, has authority in Egypt is restored (ring, clothes bestowed) (Gen. 41:42)

 

·        Famine hits the world.  Family of Jacob is starving.  Jacob, Joseph's father, sends 10 of his remaining sons to Egypt to buy corn.  Keeps Benjamin, Joseph's only full blood brother, at home, fears losing him as he did Joseph over 20 years prior. (Gen.42)

 

·        Brothers meet Joseph unaware.  He gives grain, but in order to see Benjamin and father, pretends to believe his brothers are spies.  Holds one for ransom.  Sends brothers back with grain and conceals their money in their sacks.  This blessing by Joseph is viewed as a cursing by the brothers (Gen. 42)

 

·        Joseph's brother's return,  ("…we will arise and not die…"),   brings Benjamin.  Joseph's identity still hidden.  Makes feast for them, gives Benjamin 5 times the portions as all the others. (Gen. 43)

 

·        Brother's leave for the second time, but a silver cup is secretly hidden in Benjamin's grain sack. The mock discovery by Joseph's servants allows Joseph to bring brother's back again. (Gen. 44)

 

·        When brother's return, Joseph intends to keep Benjamin, hoping this will lure his Father to Egypt, but the emotion is so great seeing the anguish of his brothers, Joseph reveals his identity. (Gen. 45)

 

·        Joseph shares that 'God sent him forth to preserve a posterity in the earth' (Gen.45;7); but Gen.45:5 says not only to preserve his family's life, but to "..preserve life.." Genesis 50:20: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

 

·        Israel and families gather in to dwell in Egypt, the Land of the Gentiles.  Receive peace and happiness and blessings. (Gen.46)

 

·        Finally, Israel blesses the 12 sons, and also the sons of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh), giving the younger, Ephraim the choice blessing.  Joseph's posterity is blessed, promising that "his seed will travel over the wall", and a choice seer will be raised up out of his descendants.

 

·       The story, now ultimately "re-starts" with the literal fulfilling of the prophecies given to the sons, being acted out in the generations of their descendants.

 

 

 

 

 

he story of Joseph is allegorical to the prophetic re-gathering of Israel.  The events that happened to the sons of Israel, happen to the nations born of those sons.  Remember, the rich promise if placed upon Joseph.  This final section will discuss the story, the prophecies about the nations, and the explanation for the prophecies, made clear by the Book of Mormon.

 

Story of Joseph Gen 36-48

Story of Joseph is a type and shadow for the regathering of Israel

·        Ether 6:6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type; for as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there;

 

·        Ether 6:7 Wherefore the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph, that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph, that he should perish not;

 

·        Ether 6:8 Wherefore the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built up upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come, when the earth shall pass away.

 

·        Ether 6:10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.

 

Abraham--Grandfather, in thy seed shall nations be blessed.  Gen. 12:2,

Life of his descendants is literally fulfilled in the descendant nations

·        1 N 4:26-9, Exek 34:6

·        Micah 7:20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

 

·        Jeremiah 31:10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

 

·        Ezekiel 20:34 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched-out arm, and with fury poured out.

 

·        Ezekiel 28:25 Thus saith the Lord God; When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant Jacob.

 

·        John 11:52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

 

Joseph, one of 12 sons born to Israel Gen 37:1-3

The Literal head of the House of Joseph, and his life is the prophetic pattern of his descendants destiny.

·        2 Nephi 7:26 For I will fulfill my promises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh.

 

 

Joseph dreams that his family bows down to him Gen. 37:7, Gen 42:6

• Amos 5:15 ….the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

 

• 1 Nephi 6:53 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

 

• 2 Nephi 5:20 They shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet;

 

• 2 Nephi 5:33 Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord, shall lick up the dust of their feet;

 

Coat of Many Colors Gen 37:3 , Remnant of Coat Left Gen 37:32

The Remnant of Believers, descendants of Joseph, who are the American, Central and South American Indians today.

• Alma 21: 54, 56
• Amos 5:15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate; it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

 

• Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved;

 

• Micah 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people, 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.

 

• Moroni Rends his clothes in similitude that God would rend them if not faithful Alma 21:54, 56

 

• Genesis 7:58 And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah; and he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand.

 

• Isaiah 10:22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return; the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.

 

• Jeremiah 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

 

• Jeremiah 31:7 For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. (Jeremiah was a contemporay of Lehi, these prophecies were near the time of Lehi's Departure (Revealed to lehi that jeremiah was imprisoned)

 

The coat represents the house of Israel, the remnant returned represents the faithful that believed:

• Alma 21:41 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it, In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children; and he fastened it upon the end of a pole thereof. 42 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat (and he called it the title of liberty),

 

• Alma 21:54 Moroni said unto them, Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren, into many pieces;

 

• Alma 21:56 Yea, let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death; for behold he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved, and had not decayed.

 

Joseph taken away out of  his homeland Gen. 37:28

• Lehi, (and others lead) away with truth, but Lehi's efforts produced enduring, non-corrupt record.
• Genesis 49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall;

 

• II Kings 19:31 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion; the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.

 

• Isaiah 37:32 For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant; and they that escape out of Jerusalem shall come up upon mount Zion; the zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this.

 

• Isaiah 46:3 Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb;

 

Unknown to Joseph, Egypt will be the future Land of His immediate family's inheritance

• 2 Nephi 7:30 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and they who shall be numbered among thy seed, for ever, for the land of their inheritance:

 

• 1 Nephi 3:177 Which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance, will not utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren; (178) Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren;

 

Joseph first in authority, then a prisoner Gen 39:41

• 1 Nephi 3:182 Wherefore, after I have visited them  in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles; ('Them' is refering to the Lamanites)

 

• 2 Nephi 7:27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; ('Thy Seed'  is refering to the Lamanites)

 

• 1 Nephi 6:35 And now, saith the Lord, that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him: Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.

 

• 3 Nephi 7:37 And I will shew unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you, but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fullness of my gospel.

 

• 2 Nephi 11: 87 Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed, have been destroyed speedily: and the multitude of their terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away. 88 Yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an instant, suddenly. 89 And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief, shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles.

 

• 1 Nephi 3:182 Wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles; (183) And after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly because of the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which has been kept back, by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb, I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb; (184) For behold, saith the Lamb, I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious;

 

 

 

Joseph, at one time a  prisoner in Egypt, is now a ruler under Pharaoh in the Land of the Gentiles (Gen, 41:39-44)

Joseph was imprisioned by the same person who later freed him.  Native Americans, prisoners in the nation, will one day blossom as the rose. Scattered by the same people who will nourish them.

• DC 49:5a  But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness; and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.

 

• Amos 5:6 Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.

 

• Zechariah 10:6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off; for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them.

 

• Isaiah 10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

 

• Isaiah 10:21 The remnant shall return, yea even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

 

• Micah 5:8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people, 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.

 

• Isaiah 49:23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

 

• 1 Nephi 6:53 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

 

• 2 Nephi 5:19 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers:
• 1 Nephi 7:12 Wherefore, they shall be scattered among all nations, and shall be hated of all men. 13 Nevertheless, after they have been 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; 14 And it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren who are of the house of Israel. 15 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; 16 And by them shall our seed be scattered. 17 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; 18 Wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles, and being carried in their arms, and upon their shoulders. 19 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles: 20 And not only unto the Gentiles, but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 21 And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth can not be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations. 22 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel, unto those who are of the house of Israel.

Famine in the Homeland Gen 41:56

The truth is lost, spiritual famine for hearing and having the word  & authority of God.

·        Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord;

 

"… We will arise…" The lost tribes will one day 'arise' and come to the knowledge of the truth.

• Genesis 43:8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

 

 

• 2 Nephi 1:36 Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind, and in one heart united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity; that ye may not be cursed with a sore cursing;

 

• 2 Nephi 1:39 Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.

 

• 2 Nephi 5:114 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

 

• Moroni  10:28 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion, and strengthen thy stakes, and enlarge thy borders for ever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

 

• (from prodigal son) Luke 15:18  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee;

 

 

 

The 11 brothers go to Egypt for food, unknowing that it is the 12^th brother who gives them nourishment Gen 42:6-8

Israel (house of Judah), of the covenant, will in a future day,  receive the long awaited truth in power, not deny the Christ anymore.  US helps Israel today.  No coincidence that the prolamation restoring Israel's status as a nation was signed by Harry Truman in 1948 in Independence MO. "..will Be a father to them.."

·        Isaiah 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it; 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, everyone to his wicked ways. 11 And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 12 For the day of the Lord of hosts soon cometh upon all nations; yea, upon everyone; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon everyone who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.  .....17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

 

Joseph supplies Judah with physical nourishment

The word of the Lord from the House of Joseph will supply the house of Judah (Jews) with Spiritual Food in the last days.  The Book of Mormon, which is the record of the house of Joseph in this land, will be the vehicle by which this process occurs.

·        DC 18:3c  which is my word to the Gentiles, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant, that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come.

 

·        1 Nephi 4:21 Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? 22 Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God? 23 Behold, I say unto you, Yea: they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; 24 They shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree;  (Covenant fulfilled in the Latter Days)

 

Joseph's heart softened toward his brothers, weeps alone, cares like a father for his brethren

·        2 Nephi 7:28 Nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them;

 

Joseph nourishes them Gen 43

Gentiles bear the responsibility for bringing the truth to the Jews. "..Queens shall be their nursing mothers.."

• 1 Nephi 3:191 And after it had come forth unto them, I beheld other books which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles, and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true.

 

• DC 28:8c  that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first in all things,

 

• 1 Nephi 3:200 And the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.

 

• Ether 6:8 Wherefore the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built up upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come, when the earth shall pass away. (9) And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old, save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. (10) And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel. 11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; 12 And they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father Abraham. 13 And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, There are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.

 

• Matthew 19:30 But many of the first shall be last, and the last first.

 

• Matthew 20:9 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

 

• Matthew 20:11 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received a penny, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying, These last have wrought one hour only and thou hast made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.

 

• Matthew 20:15 So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few chosen.

 

• 1 Nephi 3:199 And after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles, and also unto the Jews, (200) And the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. (201) And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling-blocks, and harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; (202) Yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel;

 

Joseph Reveals Himself Gen. 45

• DC 3:15a  And I will show unto this people, that I had other sheep, and that they were a branch of the house of Jacob; and I will bring to light their marvelous works, which they did in my name;

 

• DC 108:1b  For he shall make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of their God.

 

• 1 Nephi 7:21 And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth can not be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations.

 

• 1 Nephi 7:22 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel, unto those who are of the house of Israel.

 

• Mosiah 7:80 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

 

• Mosiah 8:69 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations: and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

 

• 3 Nephi 7:45 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God.

 

• 3 Nephi 9:73 The Father hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Father; and the Father and I are one.

 

• Isaiah 52: 8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. 9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

 

Pharoah--promises to share the best of the land with him Gen 47:6

2 Nephi 7: 30 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and they who shall be numbered among thy seed, for ever, for the land of their inheritance: (31) For it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands;

 

 

The Father comes to the Land of the Gentiles

Signifies the gathering of Israel to the land of the Gentiles

• 1 Nephi 3:18 And after the house of Israel should be scattered, they should be gathered together again;

 

• 1 Nephi 5:255 Yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth;

 

• 1 Nephi 7:56 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth;

 

• 2 Nephi 5:29 Nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance.

 

• 2 Nephi 6:3 When they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.

 

• 2 Nephi 7:13 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;

 

• 2 Nephi 9:127 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.

 

·        2 Nephi 12:85 And it shall come to pass that the Jews which are scattered, also shall begin to believe in Christ: and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land;

 

Re-uniting of Joseph and Israel came with 'weeping on necks'

Gen.46:29

Zion described as falling on necks, weeping rejoicing.

 

• Isaiah 1:9 Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

 

• Isaiah 10:20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

 

• Isaiah 10:21 The remnant shall return, yea even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

 

• DC 36:13a  And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shall you and all your city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us, and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other,

 

God sent him to preserve a posterity in the earth  Gen 45:5, 7, 8

Return to Homeland

• Deuteronomy 30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing, and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, (2) And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; (3) That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.

 

• Jeremiah 31:10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

 

• II Chronicles 34:9 And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.

 

 

• 3 Nephi 9:58 And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a new Jerusalem.

 

• 3 Nephi 10:2 And also, as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem;

 

• 3 Nephi 10:3 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.

 

• Ether 6:4 Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land; and he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come; after it should be destroyed, it should be built up again a holy city unto the Lord;

 

• Ether 6:5 Wherefore it could not be a New Jerusalem, for it had been in a time of old, but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord: and it should be built up unto the house of Israel;

 

• Ether 6:6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type; for as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there;

 

• Ether 6:7 Wherefore the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph, that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph, that he should perish not;

 

• Ether 6:8 Wherefore the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built up upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come, when the earth shall pass away.

 

• Ether 6:10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.

 

 

Covenant fulfilled in the Latter Days

1 Nephi 4:21 Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? 22 Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God? 23 Behold, I say unto you, Yea: they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; 24 They shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree;

 

25 And this is what our father meaneth; 26 And he meaneth that it will not come to pass, until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; 27 And he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may shew his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel: 28 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days;

 

29 Which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 30 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; 31 Yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews, in the latter days; 32 And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; 33 And after they were restored, they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again.

 

 

How then, does Joseph's story relate to the restoration of the Jews to Christ?

 

·        Ezekiel 37:15 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, for Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions; 17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these?

·        19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. 20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land; 22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all;

 

 

Lehi and his family were a remnant of the house of Joseph (Manasseh).  They left Jerusalem, as was Joseph, and were led to a foreign land, the Americas.  As they kept the commandments, they prospered; as they disobeyed, they perished.  Although wickedness brought the believers' eventual destruction, a promise was made to the children of Laman and Lemuel (the 'Lamanites') that they would one day have the blessings of the Lord again.  Joseph, too, had a day of authority in the Pharaoh's court, his day of imprisonment, then his sudden return to authority as a ruler.  So it has been, and will be, with the descendants of the Lamanites ( the Native Americans, or "Indians').  Perhaps they are still enduring their 'imprisonment' now, but this remnant of Manasseh will 'one day blossom as the rose' (DC 49). 

 

The day is approaching in which the spiritual food, the Book of Mormon, from this descendant of Joseph, will spiritually nourish the other eleven lost tribes of Israel, just as Joseph spiritually fed his starving brothers.  When the word of the Book of Mormon is made known to the lost tribes, it will be fulfilling a promise and covenant of the Book of Mormon, to convince them that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God (see Book of Mormon preface).  IT will, with the Bible (the record of the Jews) grow together to the convincing of all the world that Jesus was and is the Messiah.  Just as Joseph was sent forth to preserve a posterity for his family (Gen. 45:, 5, 7,8), so was this remnant of Joseph sent forth to preserve a spiritual posterity for generations to come.

 

When the Jews and lost tribes begin to acknowledge Christ, then will be the beginning of their re-gathering, as was Joseph's family gathered to a land of Gentiles

 

The Re-gathering

 

• 1 Nephi 7:56 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth;

 

• 3 Nephi 9:67 And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people, and I have covenanted with them, that I would gather them together in mine own due time;

 

• Jeremiah 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion;

 

• Isaiah 11:11 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. 12 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.

 

• 1 Nephi 7:56 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth;

 

• 2 Nephi 5:29 Nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance.

 

• 2 Nephi 6:3 When they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.

 

• 1 Nephi 3:18 And after the house of Israel should be scattered, they should be gathered together again;

 

• 2 Nephi 12:82 And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers.

 

• 2 Nephi 7:13 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;

 

• 3 Nephi 9:86 And verily, I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place, that I shall gather in from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.

 

• 3 Nephi 9: 88 That they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them; …93 And when these things come to pass, that thy seed shall begin to know these things, it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.

 

• 3 Nephi 13:54 And now behold, I say unto you, that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles, according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled;