Mesa Arizona Temple:

The Gathering of Israel

Sometimes unnoticed amid the overall beauty and power of the Mesa Arizona Temple are eight dramatic carvings high on its corners. These intricate panels represent the gathering of Israel as spoken of in Isaiah 11:12: “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.”

Following are close-ups of these panels and an identification of those being gathered.

1. After crossing the plains, early Latter-day Saints see the Rocky Mountains, thus fulfilling the prophecy in Micah 4:1 that many nations will flow to the “top of the mountains.”

2. As this ship lands in America, an Englishman leads the way, followed by the Welsh in native costumes, and then the Irish and Scottish.

3. Between 1856 and 1860, Latter-day Saint pioneers traveled by handcart from Iowa and Nebraska to the Salt Lake Valley.

4. This panel depicts the people of Mexico, who are a mixture of Spanish and Indian blood. They are leaving their old home and religion and joining with the Saints.

5. Traveling single file, as was their ancient custom, the Native American people go to unite with the Church. The chief and his council and medicine men direct them.

6. This panel represents the Pacific Islanders and is the only panel where the people are not represented as traveling.

7. Here we see the French and Swiss people on their way to Holland, having just come from the Alps. They are followed by the Italians.

8. German Saints prepare to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Next come the Dutch in their wooden shoes, leaving their windmills and homes behind.

Photographs by P. Gail Willis