First of all, thank you for finding the link to come here and view my blog. I can only write 500 hundred characters on my home page at YouTube and I don't want to monopolize those comment sections. I would rather have the space available for you and your comments.
I had scripture study today and while I was reading in Isaiah, I stumbled upon a study aide that allowed me to recognize this same chapter of Isaiah was also included in Nephi's record. I will quote the chapter of Isaiah and visit scriptures both in Isaiah and in the Book of Mormon as I see necessary to illuminate and add commentary to this particular chapter of scripture.
Isaiah was a great seer and amongst many of the Biblical prophets, he wrote not only of the Savior's first coming but that of the "Latter-Day Work" which would take place prior to Jesus Christ's triumphant return.
My aim is to present the information as best as possible, keeping the scriptures constantly before me and help provide cross-references for "ease of additional searching" that you undoubtedly may do!
Messiah shall be a light to the Gentiles and shall free the prisoners—Israel shall be gathered with power in the last days—Kings shall be their nursing fathers—Compare 1 Nephi 21.
Isaiah Chapter 49:
1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
5 ¶ And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a alight to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
10 They shall not hunger nor athirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
13 ¶ Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
18 ¶ Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
24 ¶ Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
26 And I will feed them that ppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
Nephi, the son of Lehi also wrote about and quoted entire passages of Isaiah. They had the prophesies of Isaiah but Nephi included certain chapters of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon... almost as though he knew! Well, according to the Book of Mormon, he saw the same signs and revelations that the Apostle John did see but he was forbidden to write them for John had already been commissioned of Jesus Christ to write them as "The Book of Revelations".
No doubt, Nephi saw our day and thought that these Latter-Day prophesies would be of great worth to the Children of Men, more especially those who belonged to the House of Israel through the covenant.
One of my favorite verses in Isaiah 49 is verse 16: For the "Lord" surely saw the savior and what he would be subject to and how the nails would be driven through his hands. Isaiah is "so poetic" in his writings that he lets Israel know that they are engraven upon the palms of his hands which is symbolic for the "sacrifice" that he would perform by being raised up on the Cross. Furthermore, Zechariah would also echo this when he sees what the Jews response when they view him return triumphant saying, "What are these woulds in thine hands? and Christ will reply, "These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends." and in this instant, the entire Jewish nation will recognize their messiah and know that it was he who came the first time.
Many prophecies of Isaiah and John the Revelator are still pending but the most powerful testament that God's work is being carried out in the world today is being done through the Latter-Day Saint church, as described by Isaiah.
22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
There are many who contest the meaning of this scripture. I testify to you that Isaiah truly meant these shoes to be filled by the Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days. Priesthood authority would be given unto the gentiles to once again, help reclaim Israel, God's ancient covenant people. If this mission was meant to have been accomplished by another sect or creed, it certainly isn't being done at the level in which the Mormons are doing it.
They have spread all across the globe declaring glad tidings and publishing peace. Like unto the early days of Christ's church which fell into Apostacy a few decades after Christ's 40 days spent with his Apostles. All biblical prophecies both old and new testament had to come to pass just the way that it did.
Daniel said that the stone cut out of the mountain without hands would fill the whole earth! (Daniel 2)
Malachi testified that a prophet would prepare the way of the Lord just prior to his second coming. No other earthy recording of this prophecy has been brought to the world's attention save the mission of the LDS Church claiming ownership of these prophecies' fulfillment. Malachi testifies of Joseph Smith's mission. (Malachi 3:1) (compare 3 Nephi 24)
It is this same Church of Jesus Christ which will redeem Israel to the fulfillment of Malachi's other prophecy, "and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness or in other words, the Priesthood Authority will be restored to Israel and they will be redeemed from the fall through the blood of the lamb. (Malachi 3:3)
Searching for these prophecies
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
Many people, once they join the Church of Jesus Christ, have left the church and continue to leave. They feel "ashamed" to belong to the true church of God and this shame is taught by the precepts of men. It is like Lehi's dream of the tree of life which is later elaborated upon by Nephi. There are but save two churches on the earth today. The Church of God and the Church of the Devil. 1 Ne. 14: 10
It is also said that the members of this church of God would be few. Even at 13 million, it is a spec of sand compared to the billions of people living on earth.
It was the mission of the church to "find the elect" and help "build the kingdom of God on earth" Many are called to the work, but few are chosen, and why are they not chosen? "Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and caspire to the honors of men..." D&C 121:35
24 ¶ Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
We learn that the "lawful" are considered as scattered Israel. Which was prophesied they should become a "hiss and a byword" and in many cases, they were imprisoned as well as found in foreign lands. The coming of the Lord the second time would mean that Israel first would begin to be gathered back into their own lands. Israel began returning to the Holy land in droves as a sign of the times which should also come forth in the latter-days and we know that the house of Judah and many others are returning to Israel at this time.
25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
26 And I will feed them that opress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
God has promised judgment against those responsible for deterring the work of God even with harsh and absolute judgment. It will have been better that they had never known of the name Jesus Christ, whom they professed to be fighting for. They are like unto "Saul of Tarsus" save there is no redemption prepared for them for they are bitter to the very end and fight against Zion until their bodies have no more breath in them. Even in their dying words, they will curse God for they never knew him, as they so profess such.
I hope you enjoy this short 10 minute video and use "Chapter 22" of 1 Nephi to assist you in the convincing of both the Jew and Gentile that the latter-day work is moving forward. Let them know that the Lord could use their help! Warm them with the pleasing word of God until their spirits are no longer cold and calloused. Nourish them until they come to the knowledge of our savior. Speak unto them with full purpose of heart and let them only feel of your love for them. God loves them and has a place for each of them if they so choose to listen with their hearts.
If they be "true followers of Jesus Christ" they will recognize his voice and take their rightful place in the house of Israel and be saved along with Abraham, and with Isaac and with Jacob;
I thank everyone who has visited this blog and wish them a pleasant day. It is my prayer that you get into the scriptures and pray to the Lord over them and he will truly bless you with the spirit of discernment and with the spirit of prophecy so that the words of both Isaiah and those of Nephi can be understood in your minds as the Lord would have you know them.
The latter-day work continues forth and does so with or without us. It is my prayer that it will go forth with us so that we, along with our many fellow brothers and sisters in Christ may too enjoy the blessings of the Celestial Kingdom with our father and dwell with him in the mansions of our Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment