Jesus commanded the Nephites, as well as us, to search the words of Isaiah. As we see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecies, we will know that God is keeping His covenant with the house of Israel. The Bible Dictionary explains that “the bulk of Isaiah’s prophecies deal with the coming of the Redeemer” (“Isaiah,” 707). The scattering and the gathering of Israel are also two of Isaiah’s major themes.
Teachings of the Redeemer and the gathering of Israel are closely related. God scattered Israel because they sinned and rejected Him. The Atonement, however, provides them a chance to be reconciled to God, to have their sins remitted, and to be gathered to Him both spiritually and physically.
For more information on the gathering of Israel, refer to “The Gathering of Israel” in the appendix (page 416).
The Savior spoke of fulfilling His Father’s covenant to gather scattered Israel. Who is Israel and why were they scattered? The Lord promised Abraham that his descendants would have the gospel and the priesthood and that through them all the families of the earth would be blessed (see Abraham 2:9–11). This promise was renewed with Abraham’s son Isaac (see Genesis 26:3–5), with Isaac’s son Jacob (see Genesis 28:12–15), and with Jacob’s descendants, the children of Israel.
Sadly, the children of Israel sinned against God and forfeited these promises. Eventually, in fulfillment of God’s warnings, they were expelled from their promised land and scattered throughout the earth. However, the Lord has not forgotten them. Heavenly Father promised that they would one day be taught the gospel and gathered to lands of promise. This promise is part of the covenant He made that He would gather and teach the children of Israel.
President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) explained that by accepting the gospel covenant, we comply with the law of the gathering: “Now, the gathering of Israel consists of joining the true church and their coming to a knowledge of the true God. … Any person, therefore, who has accepted the restored gospel, and who now seeks to worship the Lord in his own tongue and with the Saints in the nations where he lives, has complied with the law of the gathering of Israel and is heir to all of the blessings promised the Saints in these last days” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 439).
In the early days of the Church, leaders encouraged converts to join with the Saints in central places, such as Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Utah. Today the Saints are instructed to build up the Church where they live:
“In our day, the Lord has seen fit to provide the blessings of the gospel, including an increased number of temples, in many parts of the world. Therefore, we wish to reiterate the long-standing counsel to members of the Church to remain in their homelands rather than immigrate to the United States. …
“As members throughout the world remain in their homelands, working to build the Church in their native countries, great blessings will come to them personally and to the Church collectively” (First Presidency letter, Dec. 1, 1999; see also Dieter F. Uchtdorf, in Conference Report, Oct. 2005, 106; or Ensign, Nov. 2005, 102).
Elder Douglas L. Callister of the Seventy described the purposes and processes of Israel’s gathering in the last days: “Our present gathering is primarily spiritual, not geographic. Christ declared that in the latter-days He would ‘establish [His] church,’ ‘establish [His] people,’ and ‘establish … among them [His] Zion’ (3 Ne. 21:22; 3 Ne. 20:21; 3 Ne. 21:1). As He establishes His Church in our day, people can be taught the gospel and be ‘brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God’ (3 Ne. 20:13) without leaving their homes. In contrast to the pronouncements during the early days of the restored Church, our leaders have decreed that now the gathering should take place within each land and among every tongue. Our need to be physically near large numbers of Saints is less than it was a century ago because Church magazines and satellite transmissions bridge distance and time, creating a sense of oneness throughout the entire Church. All have access to the same keys, ordinances, doctrine, and spiritual gifts” (“Book of Mormon Principles: The Gathering of the Lord’s Faithful,” Ensign, Oct. 2004, 59).