President Nelson disavows the 10th Article Of Faith.

[Guest]

Revelatory Russell...

Better days await, he promised.

“As you individually grow to become more of the person God wants you to be, you can know for yourself that better days are ahead for the people of Puerto Rico,” he said. “You can face your tomorrows with great optimism, knowing that the best days of your life are ahead for you and for your loved ones.”

https://www.ldschurchnews.com/global/20 ... cane-47908

But he then goes further...

“Most important, the Lord knows you,” he said. “Puerto Rico and other islands of the sea are very important to the Lord. These islands are rich with the blood of Israel. You are a vital part of God’s promises. Those promises are to be fulfilled by people from the islands of the sea. Those prophecies pertain to the gathering of Israel.”

Israeli blood? Are you sure Russell?

That “gathering” is spiritual, he added.

Did he just throw the 10th Article Of Faith under the bus?

We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes[;] [t]hat Zion [(the New Jerusalem)] will be built upon this1 [the]1 [American]2 continent[;] [t]hat Christ will reign personally upon the earth[;] and[,] that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiac[al] glory.

He did!

[_tapirrider]

Did he just throw the 10th Article Of Faith under the bus?

Yes.

[_grindael]

And you wonder why anyone follows these guys. They just make it up as they go along when things don't work out the way that jolly ol' Jo predicted...

That “gathering” is spiritual, he added. People of the world are being gathered “into the fold of Jesus Christ” in each of their respective lands. And in their native lands, they take upon Christ’s name, are baptized and faithfully keep God’s commandments. But even with those blessings, God’s children can expect difficulties. “That is part of life. It’s why we’re here. We are here to have a body and to be tried and tested. Some of those tests are physical; some are spiritual, and your trials here have been both physical and spiritual.

I guess ol' Jo meant to say that the gathering of Israel was literally spiritual....

[_grindael]

You know, it is AMAZING how deceptive they are when they try and change scripture. Here is something from an article on the gathering from 1998:

As Joseph’s seed brings others into the Church, these new members are then commissioned likewise to go and spread the gospel. In the aggregate, millions will be gathered to help them in their return to the Lord. But in individual specificity, the Lord told Jeremiah that sometimes the gathering entity will be small: “I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion” (Jer. 3:14). Thus, it is only through the work of thousands of missionaries and millions of Church members that those among the nations who want to return actually “return.” In the beginning decades of the Church, converts were encouraged to relocate to places where the Church was headquartered, whether that was Kirtland, Nauvoo, or Salt Lake City. That particular era has passed. Today those who join the Church are encouraged to gather to its stakes—or to build new stakes. Jacob of the Book of Mormon foresaw this development: “They shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” (2 Ne. 9:2; emphasis added). https://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/07/gath ... w?lang=eng

Yet, when you read it, it's not about the scattered "tribes", it is about the JEWS:

2 That he has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they [THE JEWS] shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they [THE JEWS] shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.

Unbelievable... Joseph taught that the "lost tribes" were off on their own "in the north countries" and had their own "prophets", and that they would someday return, so they didn't need to be "restored to the true church," but the Jews did. I guess they have thrown this out the window with the gathering. They just completely disregarded the whole context of the scripture they quoted. I guess they had to, because there is literally NOTHING in the scriptures that supports the gathering being a "spiritual" one.

Everything he quotes, he takes out of context. Here is another one, and he leaves out the important parts that show it was to be a gathering OUT of the lands they were then in,

26 And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem.

27 Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.

28 Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance.

29 And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/Book of Mormon/3-n ... lang=eng#3

How are they to be "gathered home" WHEN THEY ARE ALREADY HOME in their own lands? These people are freaking crazy.

[_grindael]

Did they throw this scripture under the bus also?

After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north. (D&C 110:11)

This means that they are to be gathered FROM where they are TO somewhere else. It's plain as day. It is simply ridiculous that they want anyone to believe their ad hoc interpretation of these plain as day scriptures.

[_grindael]

John Taylor:

It may be proper here to remark, that there will be two places of gathering, or Zion; the one in Jerusalem, the other in another place; the one is a place where the Jews will gather to, and the other a mixed multitude of all nations. (The Government of God, Ch.11)

Lorenzo Snow:

There will be a universal gathering to America and Palestine. Mormonism teaches that prior to the Millennial reign of peace, there is to be a universal gathering of scattered Israel, the lineal descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; meaning not only the Jews, but also the "lost tribes" and such of the chosen seed as have for generations been mixed with other peoples. This gathering, which includes the converted Gentiles, is preliminary to the glorious advent of the King of kings, and the resurrection of those who are Christ's at His coming. The places of assembly are America and Palestine, the former taking chronological precedence as the gathering place of "Ephraim and his fellows," while the "dispersed of Judah" will migrate to and rebuild Jerusalem. Here, upon the American continent, will be reared Zion, a new Jerusalem, where the Saints will eventually assemble and prepare for the coming of the Messiah. (Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p.153)

[_grindael]

D&C 133:

1 Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the Lord your God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you—

2 The Lord who shall suddenly come to his temple; the Lord who shall come down upon the world with a curse to judgment; yea, upon all the nations that forget God, and upon all the ungodly among you.

3 For he shall make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of their God.

4 Wherefore, prepare ye, prepare ye, O my people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my church, upon the land of Zion, all you that have not been commanded to tarry.

5 Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.

6 Call your solemn assemblies, and speak often one to another. And let every man call upon the name of the Lord.

7 Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

8 Send forth the elders of my church unto the nations which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea; send forth unto foreign lands; call upon all nations, first upon the Gentiles, and then upon the Jews.

9 And behold, and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about.

10 Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.

11 Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.

12 Let them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto Zion.

13 And let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, unto the mountains of the Lord’s house.

14 Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon.

15 But verily, thus saith the Lord, let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goeth, let him not look back lest sudden destruction shall come upon him.

This is why it is a LITERAL gathering of Israel. How they can now call it "spiritual" is baffling.

[_I have a question]

I’m slightly confused.

We can always trust the living prophets. Their teachings reflect the will of the Lord...

https://www.lds.org/topics/prophets?lang=eng

10 We believe in the literal gathering of Israel...

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1.1-13

”Those prophecies pertain to the gathering of Israel. That “gathering” is spiritual”, he added.

https://www.ldschurchnews.com/global/20 ... cane-47908

Given the contradiction between two Prophets - Joseph Smith and Russell Nelson, the statement on lds.org and at least one of the statements made by them have to be false.

[_cinepro]

Did he just throw the 10th Article Of Faith under the bus?

Hope you don't mind if I borrow that for the other board. I suspect the answer is that it's (now) referring to a future date tied in with Christ's return.