12 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that when they shall be fulfilled then is the fulfilling of the covenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel.
13 And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.
One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is for the house of Israel to “know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever” (Title Page). In this chapter, Jesus teaches the people about those covenants. He tells them in the prior verse that they should search the words of Isaiah, and He informs them that when those words are fulfilled, “then is the fulfilling of the covenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel.” He then lists two things that will happen in order for that covenant to be fulfilled:
1. They will be gathered from every place on the earth.
2. They will know God and understand His deliverance.
We recognize that these two processes are linked: as people come to a knowledge of the gospel, they are gathered with other people who share their faith. As Russell M. Nelson clarified:
People can be “brought to the knowledge of the Lord” without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation…. The place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is in Korea; and so forth. Zion is “the pure in heart.” Zion is wherever righteous Saints are. Publications, communications, and congregations are now such that nearly all members have access to the doctrines, keys, ordinances, and blessings of the gospel, regardless of their location (“The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” General Conference, October 2006).
Today, I will be grateful that I can be part of the fulfilling of God’s covenants. I will recommit to participate in missionary work and to share the message of the gospel with the people I speak with, so that they can be gathered and can come to the knowledge of their God.
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