3 Nephi 20: 13

3 Nephi 20: 13: 

"And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them."

Notice "remnants" is plural. This is Christ speaking, and the scope of the message is universal. It is not local. It includes local events, to be sure. But the time of this fulfillment will be global. All the "remnants" will be affected.

It will not matter if the particular "remnant" is anywhere "upon the face of the earth" they will be "gathered in."

Why would they necessarily be "gathered?" What is the purpose of "gathering?"

Why "gather" merely to then return them to their lands of inheritance? (See discussion of 3 Nephi 21: 27-28 here.)

Which is more important, to gather physically or to gather "to the knowledge of the Lord their God?"

How could people gather "to the knowledge of the Lord their God?" What kind of "knowledge of the Lord God" will be involved? Do you get that knowledge by supporting men in their callings? Do men and their callings even matter? Can you grow in knowledge of God by following, even memorizing, a handbook;  following, memorizing talks and inspirational literature? What does a person need to follow, to do, to abide by in order to gain "knowledge of the Lord their God?" What about those who testify to you about programs and personalities, but never preach about Christ and Him crucified?

Do true messengers speak about one another, or about their Lord? How can a man, any man, save you? Who alone has the capacity to redeem you? Is "knowledge of the Lord their God" related also to knowledge that He "hath redeemed them?" Can you "know" Christ and not acquire in the process of knowing Him the knowledge that He "hath redeemed" you?

Do you come to understand He has redeemed you by also coming to know Him?

Do Joseph's remarks about the Lord coming to visit with the remnant in the Rocky Mountains explain how both those coming from the four corners of the compass will gain "knowledge of the Lord their God" and also know He "hath redeemed them?"

Do you begin to see a pattern of consistent prophetic foreknowledge of the last days? Do Christ's words in this message of the Book of Mormon give any greater reason to believe in the promises?

If these promises are made by Him, should you expect it possible for you to go ahead and "gather in" to Him even before there are others willing to do so?  Can this "gathering in" occur in your lifetime, for you? If God is no respecter of persons, then what would you need to do today to obtain the same blessings others will receive as they "gather in" in perhaps greater numbers in the future? Is it possible to do that? Are you willing to try?

It seems to me this doctrine is important in a macro sense in understanding prophetic promises and future gatherings. But it is perhaps more important in the micro sense, in that anything promised to anyone in any age is always available on the same principles to anyone willing to abide them at any time. (D&C 130: 20-21.) Do you really believe these teachings of our Lord? Then why not act on them?

I know these things are truly within the reach of almost all of you. The overwhelming majority of readers of this blog have lived better lives than I have You are almost all better qualified than I was. I believed these things, trusted the Lord, acted on His promises. As a result, I am among those who has been "gathered in" and I "know the Lord my God," having been "redeemed by Him." It is more than possible for you.

3 Nephi 21: 27-28

3 Nephi 21: 27-28:

 

"Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.  Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance."

When it begins in earnest and for the last time, it will be universal. There won't be an effort among one part of the vineyard which isn't mirrored by similar efforts in other parts of the vineyard. All the natural branches will be returned and reunited with the natural roots, as all are gathered again into one.

The Father will determine the timing. The Son will implement the plan. The process will require everyone, in every scattered part of the vineyard, to "come unto Christ." Unless they "come unto Christ," they will not be gathered and cannot be saved.

 

When they are brought again into their original state and begin to bear fruit, "they may call on the Father in [Christ's] name"  with His approval and blessing. Without that, the "gathering home" cannot become a reality.

 

The Father's work will be "among all nations" because it will involve the judgment and destruction of all nations. (D&C 87: 6.)

 

This will "prepare the way." Why does the work need to happen "among all nations" for the way to be prepared?

What does it mean to now call all those who are to be included in this final gathering "his people" meaning the Father's people? Why would they end their long sojourn by becoming the "Father's people?" Christ has spoken of them being "His people" (meaning Christ's) but now the culmination will result in them becoming the "Father's people" as well. (D&C 76: 92-95.)

 

Notice that part of the final covenant being fulfilled involves re-gathering into the lands promised as their inheritance. This does not mean a single step. It means that the great work of the Father in destroying the nations, eliminating the wicked, and returning knowledge and a connection to Him through His Son, will prepare the way for the final step of gathering the chosen people into the lands of their inheritance.

There will be gatherings, and a great gathering, and at last a distribution of the survivors into their respective promised lands. Between the time of the great upheavals, and the time of the final distribution, there will be a season in which there will a great gathering in the "Mountains" (2 Ne. 12: 2) where it will be a fearsome, even terrible thing for the wicked to contemplate. (D&C 45: 68-70.) This will be in "the tops of the mountains." (Micah 4: 1; 2 Ne. 12: 2; Isa. 2: 2.) This will be where the New Jerusalem will exist. This will be before the final distribution into the various places of inheritance of the Lord's people.

 

Before the return to the lands of inheritance, however, there will be terrible days, the likes of which have only been seen in the final pages of the Nephite record. (Mormon 6: 6-22.)

The choice is between the Lord, His offered redemption and protection, and destruction. The gentiles are now offered a choice while reenacting the same poor judgment that led to their own loss of opportunity. That needn't be true of individuals. It seems apparent that the prophetic message of the Book of Mormon foretells gentile arrogance and pride, collectively claiming they are on the road to Zion, while they are instead doomed to repeating the errors of prior civilizations of this continent. We will get to that in the coming days, but for now we remain interested in the definition and destiny of the "remnant" of the prior occupants.

(What an interesting text this Book of Mormon proves to be. It makes one wonder why it would ever suffer from neglect.)