Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Messenger and Advocate on the Gathering of Israel

The following remarks on Native Americans and the gathering of Israel are taken from The Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate 2/4 (January 1836): 245.

One of the most important points in the faith of the church of the Latter Day Saints, is, through the fulness of the everlasting gospel, the gathering of Israel; - the happy time when Jacob shall go up to the house of the Lord, to worship him in spirit and in truth; to live in holiness, when the Lord will restore his judges as at the first, and his councellors as at the beginning; when every man may sit under his own vine and fig-tree, and there will be none to molest or make afraid; when he will turn to them a pure language, and the earth will be filled with sacred knowledge as the waters cover the great deep; when it shall no longer be said, The Lord lives that brought up the children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt, but the Lord lives that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the North, and from all the lands whither he had driven them; yea, that day is one all-important to all men! - And in view of it, with all the prophets have said, before us, we feel like dropping a few ideas, in connexion with the official statements concerning the Indians, from the general Government.

In speaking of the gathering, we mean to be understood, according to scripture, the gathering of the elect of the Lord, out of every nation on earth; and bringing them to the place of the Lord of hosts, where the city of righteousness shall be built, and where the people shall be of one heart and one mind when the Savior comes; yea, where the people shall walk with God like Enoch, and be free from sin.

The word of the Lord is precious, and when we read that the vail spread over all nations, will be destroyed, and the pure in heart see God, and live with him a thousand years on earth, we want all honest men, should have a chance to gather, and build up a city of righteousness, where even the bells on the horses, shall be holiness to the Lord.

The book of Mormon has made known who Israel is, upon this continent, and while we behold the government of the United States gathering the Indians and locating them upon lands to be their own, how sweet it is to think that, they may one day, be gathered by the gospel.

The author went on to give details about the government's declaration about Native Americans and some various statistics. The author is only marked with a "P." at the end, which I assume to possibly be William W. Phelps.

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