Chapter 9: The Gathering of Israel

“Chapter 9: The Gathering of Israel,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson (2023)

“Chapter 9,” Teachings: Russell M. Nelson

Chapter 9

The Gathering of Israel

The great gathering of Israel … is the most important work taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude. Nothing else compares in importance.

From the Life of Russell M. Nelson

When Russell M. Nelson was a young husband and father, he also oversaw a busy surgical practice. One day he told his wife Dantzel that he felt he wasn’t making any spiritual progress. He then asked, “Would it be okay with you if I got up an hour earlier each day to study the scriptures and to learn to play the organ?”

Dantzel readily agreed, and Russell began arising at 4:30 a.m. to study and practice. He wore earphones connected to the organ so he wouldn’t wake his family.

During this time, many gospel subjects captured his attention, but none more than the gathering of Israel. As he later explained during his service as an Apostle, everything about this topic intrigued him. This included the ministries and names of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and the covenant God made with them. His interest also included the scattering of the twelve tribes and the prophecies about the gathering in the dispensation of the fulness of times.

As President of the Church, President Nelson has spoken many times about the significance of the gathering of Israel, calling it the most important work on earth today. He has repeatedly emphasized that there is room in the gospel net for every person who is willing to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Teachings of Russell M. Nelson

God wants to gather Israel. He is our Heavenly Father!

In Exodus we read that “God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” (Exodus 2:24). God told the children of Israel, “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me” (Exodus 19:5).

The phrase “peculiar treasure” was translated from the Hebrew segullah, meaning a highly valued possession—a “treasure.” …

Why was Israel scattered? Because the people broke the commandments and stoned the prophets. A loving but grieving Father responded by scattering Israel far and wide. [See also Guide to the Scriptures, “Israel,” Gospel Library.]

However, He scattered them with a promise that one day Israel would be gathered again into His fold.

The tribe of Judah was given responsibility to prepare the world for the first coming of the Lord. From that tribe, Mary was called upon to be the mother of the Son of God.

The tribe of Joseph, through his and Asenath’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (see Genesis 41:50–52; 46:20), was given the responsibility to lead in the gathering of Israel, to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. …

It is only natural that God wants to gather Israel. He is our Heavenly Father! He wants each of His children—on both sides of the veil—to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Study Questions

What do you learn about Heavenly Father as you consider the scattering and gathering of Israel?

This gathering is all about giving every soul the chance to accept the gospel

When we speak of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil, we are referring, of course, to missionary, temple, and family history work. We are also referring to building faith and testimony in the hearts of those with whom we live, work, and serve. Anytime we do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.

Every child of our Heavenly Father deserves the opportunity to choose to follow Jesus Christ, to accept and receive His gospel with all of its blessings—yes, all the blessings that God promised to the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who, as you know, is also known as Israel.

This gathering is all about giving every human soul the chance to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is all about saving souls. It is all about the promise of “never-ending happiness” (Mosiah 2:41).

Study Questions

What experiences have you had gathering Israel in the manner described by President Nelson? How have these experiences affected you and those you love?

No other work is so universally inclusive

The Lord has commanded that we spread the gospel and share the covenant. That is why we have missionaries. He wishes for every one of His children to have the opportunity to choose the Savior’s gospel and embark upon the covenant path. God wants to connect all people to the covenant He made anciently with Abraham.

Thus, missionary work is an essential part of the great gathering of Israel. That gathering is the most important work taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude. Nothing else compares in importance. The Lord’s missionaries—His disciples—are engaged in the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, the greatest work on earth today.

But there is even more—much more. There is a huge need to spread the gospel to people on the other side of the veil. God wants everyone, on both sides of the veil, to enjoy the blessings of His covenant. The covenant path is open to all. We plead with everyone to walk that path with us. No other work is so universally inclusive. For “the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name” (Helaman 3:27).

Study Question

Given your current circumstance in life, what is your role in gathering Israel?

The Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel, and you can be a part of it

These surely are the latter days, and the Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. … If you choose to, if you want to, you can be a big part of it. You can be a big part of something big, something grand, something majestic! …

Just think of the excitement and urgency of it all: every prophet commencing with Adam has seen our day. And every prophet has talked about our day, when Israel would be gathered and the world would be prepared for the Second Coming of the Savior. Think of it! Of all the people who have ever lived on planet earth, we are the ones who get to participate in this final, great gathering event. How exciting is that!

Our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His most noble spirits—perhaps, I might say, His finest team—for this final phase. Those noble spirits—those finest players, those heroes—are you!

Study Question

What is one thing you can do to help gather Israel on both sides of the veil?

Participating in the gathering of Israel will require some sacrifice on your part

Would you like to be a big part of the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth today?

Would you like to help gather Israel during these precious latter days? Would you, who are the elect, be willing to help find the elect who have not heard the message of the restored gospel? Would you like to be among those “swift messengers” of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke? [Isaiah 18:2].

Now, participating in the gathering of Israel will require some sacrifice on your part. It may even require some changes in your life. It will definitely take some of your time and energy and your God-given talents. Are you interested? …

… There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing.

This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth. …

What will help you? As you continue to read daily from the Book of Mormon, you will learn the doctrine of the gathering, truths about Jesus Christ, His Atonement, and the fulness of His gospel not found in the Bible. The Book of Mormon is central to the gathering of Israel [see 3 Nephi 5:23–26]. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur. …

… Disengage from a constant reliance on social media, in order to decrease its worldly influence upon you. … I acknowledge that there are positives about social media. But if you are paying more attention to feeds from social media than you are to the whisperings of the Spirit, then you are putting yourself at spiritual risk—as well as the risk of experiencing intense loneliness and depression. …

… Do a thorough life assessment with the Lord … to ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the covenant path. If you have wandered off, or if there are some things you need to let go of to help your mind and heart be more pure, today is the perfect time to change. … Please do not stay off the covenant path one more minute. Please come back through true repentance, now. …

… Pray daily that all of God’s children might receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You and I are living to see, and will continue to see, Israel gathered with great power. And you can be part of the power behind that gathering! …

… Stand out; be different from the world. You and I know that you are to be a light to the world. Therefore, the Lord needs you to look like, sound like, act like, and dress like a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Yes, you are living in the world, but you have very different standards from the world to help you avoid the stain of the world.

Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel

Establish a pattern of regular temple attendance. This may require a little more sacrifice in your life. More regular time in the temple will allow the Lord to teach you how to draw upon His priesthood power with which you have been endowed in His temple. For those of you who don’t live near a temple, I invite you to study prayerfully about temples in the scriptures and in the words of living prophets. Seek to know more, to understand more, to feel more about temples than you ever have before. …

I love you and thank you and now bless you with the ability to leave the world behind as you assist in this crucial and urgent work. Together we can do all that our Heavenly Father needs us to do to prepare the world for the Second Coming of His Beloved Son.

I invite you and your family to pray each day intentionally about what you can do that very day to help gather Israel. …

As you work together to remodel your home into a sanctuary of faith—filled with learning together from the home-centered, Church-supported curriculum—that is gathering Israel.

As you parents create experiences where your children can learn to feel the Spirit of the Lord—that is gathering Israel.

As you do family history; serve and worship in the temple; use your discretionary time to draw closer to Heavenly Father and to His Son and to help someone else do the same—that is gathering Israel.

As you help to strengthen the testimonies of others; as you repent and help others to repent; as you reach out in your communities and participate in worthy efforts to alleviate suffering—that is gathering Israel.

These are things that you and I … can all do.

My beloved brothers and sisters, our glorious cause is that of Almighty God. He lives. Jesus is the Christ. This is His Church, restored to help gather Israel and prepare the world for His Second Coming.

Study Question

What changes will you make in your life to be part of this great work?

The gathering of Israel is necessary to prepare the world for the Second Coming

The Lord has declared: “I give unto you a sign … 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 21:1]. The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign to the entire world that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [see Genesis 12:2–3; 26:3–4; 35:11–12]. We not only teach this doctrine, but we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil.

The Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives. The Lord is gathering those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives.

Why is this promise of gathering so crucial? Because the gathering of Israel is necessary to prepare the world for the Second Coming! And the Book of Mormon is God’s instrument needed to accomplish both of these divine objectives. …

Regarding the Second Coming, we know it is “now nigh at hand, and in a time [yet] to come” [Doctrine and Covenants 63:53]. And when the Savior comes again, it will not be in secret. Meanwhile, much work must be done to gather Israel and prepare the world for the glorious Second Coming.

Study Question

How does the gathering of Israel prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?

The endpoint of the gathering of Israel is the sealing of families in temples

Missionary work is evidence to the world that the promised gathering of scattered Israel had begun. But that is not the endpoint. Those families need to be sealed in temples to qualify for that consummate blessing of eternal life. And surely the Lord will fulfill His promise to come again as we help to prepare the world for that sacred event.

The gathering of Israel is not an ultimate endpoint. It is but the beginning. The end to which we endure includes the endowment and sealing ordinances of the temple. It includes our entrance into a covenant relationship with God either by lineage or adoption and then dwelling with Him and our families forever. That is God’s glory—eternal life for His children [see Moses 1:39].

Study Questions

What is the ultimate goal of the gathering of Israel? What can you do to help someone achieve that goal?

Invitations and Promises

Read daily from the Book of Mormon

As you continue to read daily from the Book of Mormon, you will learn the doctrine of the gathering, truths about Jesus Christ, His Atonement, and the fulness of His gospel not found in the Bible. The Book of Mormon is central to the gathering of Israel [see 3 Nephi 5:23–26]. In fact, if there were no Book of Mormon, the promised gathering of Israel would not occur.

Disengage from a constant reliance on social media

Disengage from a constant reliance on social media, in order to decrease its worldly influence upon you. … I acknowledge that there are positives about social media. But if you are paying more attention to feeds from social media than you are to the whisperings of the Spirit, then you are putting yourself at spiritual risk—as well as the risk of experiencing intense loneliness and depression.

Ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the covenant path

Do a thorough life assessment with the Lord … to ensure that your feet are firmly planted on the covenant path. If you have wandered off, or if there are some things you need to let go of to help your mind and heart be more pure, today is the perfect time to change. … Please do not stay off the covenant path one more minute. Please come back through true repentance, now.

Pray daily that all of God’s children might receive the blessings of the gospel

Pray daily that all of God’s children might receive the blessings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You and I are living to see, and will continue to see, Israel gathered with great power. And you can be part of the power behind that gathering!

Pray each day intentionally about what you can do to help gather Israel

I invite you and your family to pray each day intentionally about what you can do that very day to help gather Israel.

Be a light to the world

Stand out; be different from the world. You and I know that you are to be a light to the world. Therefore, the Lord needs you to look like, sound like, act like, and dress like a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Yes, you are living in the world, but you have very different standards from the world to help you avoid the stain of the world.

Establish a pattern of regular temple attendance

Videos

The Scattering and Gathering Is First Spiritual

A Prophetic Call: Experience the Joy of Missionary Service

Related Talks

“The Everlasting Covenant” (Liahona, October 2022; text of a talk President Nelson gave in March 2022)