(Isa. 11:14)
“They shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the West.” We recognize the fulfillment of that prophecy in the founding of this Church by Joseph Smith, a lineal descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who thus lifted the Ensign for the gathering of their descendants from their long dispersion among the nations. But a part of the fulfillment rests with the Gentiles. Their steamships, their railroads, their means of rapid transit and communication—these are “the shoulders of the Philistines,” upon which the children of Ephraim have been and are being brought to the West, to the land of Zion, where the New Jerusalem is to rise, where the pure in heart will assemble, and the necessary preparation be made for the coming of the Lord in his glory. God works outside as well as inside his Church, and uses big things and little things for the accomplishment of his purposes.
(Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, Oct. 1919, 69.)
Compare the translation in the New International Version: “They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia.” As Israel gathers to God’s signal (ensign) and possesses righteousness, the priesthood, and the power received in the temple, then Israel’s former enemies, the Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites—symbols for the nations of our day—will be subject to them.
(Donald W. Parry, Jay A. Parry, and Tina M. Peterson, Understanding Isaiah [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998], 124.)