Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Doctrines
The first Nephi saw the final result, as between Israel and their
enemies, some six hundred years before the birth of our Savior.
Speaking of the time when they should be brought out of captivity, and
gathered to the lands of their inheritance, he says, "And the blood of
that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth,
shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves,
and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and
they shall be drunken with their own blood. And every nation which
shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against
another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare
the people of the Lord;" 1 _Nephi_ 22. 13, 14.
The sacred and profane history of the world evidences that all people,
outside of the covenant seed of Abraham, when brought into association
with that seed, have exhibited an instinctive antagonism to them. As a
result, there are few nations that have not oppressed them, when there
has been opportunity.
The quotations made on this subject, and many more not noticed, show
that Israel will rule over all these in the future. As a result
the future princes of the earth will be of that lineage. Then will
be fulfilled another very important promise which the Lord made to
Abraham: "Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;" _Gen_. 22.
17.
The promise in the following, _verse_ 18, which is also repeated in a
number of places in the sacred writings, is a very important one: "In
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." It was through
the lineage of Abraham that Jesus came in the flesh to redeem the
world. It was only to the seed of Abraham that he personally ministered
while in the flesh.
He was born in Bethlehem of Judea, almost under the walls of Jerusalem;
_Luke, chap_. 2. He grew up in Nazareth, a city of Galilee; _verse_
39. He was baptized in Jordan, the chief river of the land of promise;
_Matt_. 3. 13. His chosen twelve disciples were of the house of Israel.
They were sent first to preach the Gospel to the house of Israel:
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into
the way of Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel;" _Matt_. 10. 5,
6.
All the labors of Christ's earthly mission were in the midst of Israel.
Among them he was slain for the sins of the world; his body was laid in
a tomb cut in the rock of the promised land; in the midst of those with
whose fathers he had covenanted he ascended up to his Father.
After his resurrection he told his disciples that Christ must needs
suffer and rise from the dead, "That repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem;" _Luke_ 24. 47.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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