Item 144
Hid with Christ in God
~ and ~
Divine Investiture of Israel

"Murmur not because of the things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come." ~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 25:4

The wife, Emma Smith, of the prophet Joseph Smih was counceled that there are things which are withheld from us, "the world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come." This is applicable to us in many ways. Jesus often taught his gospel principles in parables that had levels of understanding and application. He explained to his desciples that he did so as things that were meant for his desciples to understand were not given to all men to be understood and the levels of understanding 'hid' in his parables were taught thus to keep the understandings of men as it were until when the spirit might reveal them when a person was ready and prepared to receive them.

"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God." ~ Pearl of Great Price | Articles of Faith 1:9

While this article of faith seems to have a general application of things revealed and known in the past, present and future, it may also have specific personal applications as what seemed to be that spoken of to Emma Smith. An unchurched non-believing person certainly does not have that knowledge and understanding of the things of God given to them as does the diligent student of the truth Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And even within the Church there are those who are greater and less informed as pertaining to the things of God. And it such situations the ninth article of faith does have various meanings of relative understandings of the gospel, its truths and its principles dependent both upon one's own diligence of study and also what would seem to be even that of one's need to know even in relationship to such as the various positions that one does hold within the the structure of the church and its administration. For example: The prophets wife did not have the same need to know all that the prophet of God, Joseph Smith, needed to know and was given to main as pertaining to his position as God's prophet.

And then we also need to understand that besides the specifics of individual knowledge and understanding, there is also much that is of a 'general nature to all.' That is there are yet many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God that know of us have yet come to or been given to know, which are yet to be revealed. There are things of God which not even the prophet of the Lord has yet been given to know. And even in a more particular sense, on individual such as of basis, even the lowly humble member of the church may and does know things that the prophet himself does not know and even understand, for each man is given to him according to that diligence and even purpose relative for his need and depth of study which the individual is given to to have obtained of the Lord and the spirit of revelation so given to him particularlly.

It is said that no one is so completely knowing that they have not met another that does not know somethings that even the greatest of scholars may not know. That is, we all such be humble enough to learn from each other, for each of us knows something that others of us, even the most highly learned does not yet know. In short, there is none of us that cannot learn something more from another that he does not yet know that is known to that other person. Such is the vast nature of the knowledge of this universe we live in. There is just so much to learn, know and understand. And we can all contribute to each others understanding of it. We all have some things that we know that can contribute to the vast collective knowledge and understanding of man.

Now all this haveing been said, is relation to that which God may have 'hid from man's understanding' there is much to still learn of Him. As simple as the basic understanding of God is that a child may understand it, there is also the further vastness of God that there are many great and important things pertaining to God, to the Kingdom of God, that man has yet to learn. There are some things that are not yet give unto any man to know of yet, there are things that are selectively revealed to those who search them out and and have become ready to know and undnerstand them as they are given to man dependent upon that man's diligence in his persuit of them. A child in Sunday School learns and knows some things and has a testimony of God. A missionary in the mission field gains greater knowledge and understanding about the things of God and his testimony grows. It those who have grow older with the church and have continued to seek, knock and ask of the Lord in their continued studies and searchings of the things of God, then those person's testimonies, intelligence, knowledge and understanding of the things of God has even further been give to growth, knowledge and understanding of the things of God. And their testimonies have also grown in their degrees of understanding and stages of further development of greater intensities and comprehensions than even that which was held as a missionary.

In one respect, a person's testimony, knowledge and understanding of the things of God has either or the further potential of growth or even a further potential of shrinkage. Testimony and the understanding of God is like the use of a muscle of the body. With use it may be strengthened, with the lack of use it will loose it strength and even begin to shrink in size and ability to do. So is our understanding and testimony of God. Sadly many a return mission does begin to loose that depth of testimony which he or she had attained to while on their mission. As their life style may begin to pull away from that life style of the mission field their spirituallity begins to also withdraw and shrink from that which it once was. On the other hand, those that remain active in the church and in the fulfilling of church assignment, even then their knowledge and testimonies continue to grow and develop.

The bottom line in this part of the discussion is that there are all levels of Gospel understandings. Even those who seem the humblest of the church may have great knowledge, understanding and testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then even those who have had high positions may not be the greatest in their understandings as they can often become involved in the procedures of duty and not in the matters of continuing in the processes of study, asking, knocking and seeking out the 'greater things of the understandings of the gospel of God. Simply, once these leaders become involved in the processes of the meetings of service, they no longer attend Sunday School lessons or even regular priesthood meeting lesson and discussions. And thy may even neglect their personal study of the scriptures in lew of their time spend in their callings and processes of administration apart the studying and learning of the things of god. In short, regardless of the position held in the church, the testimony and gospel knowledge and understanding of the things of god may vary greatly and do not always follow commensurate with he position held. The person called and working in the nursery may have a greater knowledge and gospel understanding that the Stake President even dispite that greater oppotunities of that knowledge and understanding that the position of the State President may present themselves to be.

    It is said that as Christians, and being of the people of the Lord, that of converted Israel, of Jesus Christ, we have as a people been hidden with Christ in God. And herein lies a mystery which understanding of the Divine Investiture of God in Christ, that is the Father in Jehovah his firstborn spirit son; does help to gain a grasp of the matter of the Lord's assigned position and of those who are they who are given to him by the Father.

¶ "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
"I receive not honour from men.
"But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
"How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?" ~ New Testament | John 5:39-44

"THESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
"As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." ~ New Testament | John 17:1-5

There is a certain facination of understanding the links these two scriptures. We are commanded to search the scriptures that testify of Jesus Christ and life eternal is tied up in coming to know and understand God the Ethernal Father and Jesus Christ whom He hast sent. Knowing, understanding and having a testimony of Jesus Christ, knowing who he is and his relationship to our Eternal and Celestial Father in Heaven is paramount in gaining eternal life. Yet for centuries the apostate Christianity kept the scriptural word of God tied up in the Latin language and denied men the right to have, read and study the word of God in their own languages. Those were the centuries and the ages of darkness. And men were told that God was a mystery and could not be understood by man and God's word was taught to the common man in the Latin langurage which they did not understand nor comprehend. Our very hope is in Christ that through him we may gain eternal life. And an understanding of the nature of our God is needed but with out the Spirit of Understanding it is such as was lost by the learned Bishops of the age of Constantine the Great.

And as for science, it was the great scientist Sir Isaac Newton who pointed out to that the innovated mystery of the meta-physical nature of God tied up in the Doctrine of the Trinity is not where this understanding of God was ever intended to be found. In simplicity it is such that a child may understand and comprehend it. Yet it is of such a nature that men of the ages have been stump by it without the Spirit of Truth there to guide their understanding. And the 'holy fathers' of Nicea rejected Bishop Eusebius' explanation that the three members of the Godhead were corporally separate and distinct individuals as even it was well expanded in the very first book and the first chapters of his prepared Ecclesiastical Hitory of the Church by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea.

You tell a child that he has a Father who lives in Heaven and the child immediately grasps it and understands the matter. You tell that child that we are the spirit child of that God of Heaven, that he or she is a Child of God, and they know and understand immediately that that is who they are. You tell them at the time of their baptism that there is a Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, who is sent by God, that he may communicate with our spirit and tell us what is right and what is wrong and they know instinctively that this is the truth for their young years has experienced that voice of inner conscience already over their few young years.

What then is the mystery of God? "Our Father Who Art in Heaven." That Man of Holiness is the high and Celestial being who does resided in the Celestial Heaven of Glory. That glory which fallen man is not able to endure, being a being of the natural corruption of mortality. And certainly such a Father and Holy God as He is would have a facilitator that communicates between God and man, even the Holy Spirit that may speak to the spirit of man spirit to spirit.

But then in that which God needs to enteract with man person to person, who or what then is the solution? There is God that Man of Holiness of the Celestial Kingdom and their are the spirit of God's children who have come to earth by way of Adam and Even and the avenue of mortality and that fallen creature of the natural man or corruption. How then to deal with and solve the enigma?

There is God the Eternal Father, that Man of Holiness, that Celestial being of eternity; indeed he will not turn to come and retrogress to a state of corruption below his Celestial estate to a Telestial temporal world of mortality. But then there are all of His spirit children who, if they are to ever become even as the Celestial Father is, they must further develop in the maturation of their agency, and take upon themselves the tangible temporal being and learn to become master of it, to subject it to the rule of their spiritual spirit of the realm of holiness, truth and light. They all must come into mortality if they are to advance, but their Celestial Father will never see or come into that mortal state to dwell.

Who can solve the enigma of Salvaion, who can forsee the answer to the question; "Who shall the Father send?"

"Here am I. Send me." Jehovah answers, who is the eldest firstborn son in the spirit. He is the most intelligent and advanced of all of the Father's spirit children. Yes he can and will go 'down' to do the Father's work which the Father will and hath given him to do. He it is that is one of us who does pertain to and must pass through that mortal estate an realm. And he it will, would and alway be by and through whom all must pass because invested in him would be the singular link between heaven and man. But by what means and power, how is it to be done? Now that is the very Plan of Redemption.

That plan is presented in the scriptures. It is in the Bible and as a second witness that it is so, it has been substantiated by that witness of another nation of America in the Book of Mormon. It consists of the story history of Adam and Eve and how it was requiste that they were to 'fall' from the presence of God. That is 'For since by man can death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ may all be made alive.'

The mean by which Jehovah would do the work of God, that Celestial Man of Holiness, is that the Father would place upon his firstborn spirit son all of the fulness of the power of God. And since the Celestial Realm of Glory was above and not the same as the temporal realm of mortality of man, even the temporal creation would have to be by and under the hand of the power of the empowered son Jehovah. That is, he who was known as the Word, for he upheld and taught the Word of God: He as a Spirit Empowered being, standing in the place of God as though he were God; He would need be who it was that would create the temporal heavens and the earth, that is to order and form them for the use of mortal man. And he would do it by the power of God, in the stead of God, being empowered by God, and acting under the direction of God, as though he was God. And thus it was given him to become he who was to Minister unto use, he fellow spirits, he who was our elder brother, he who was endowed by the Father to stand and act as the Father in the place and stead of the Father as our Ministering God Jehovah.

In the Old Testament Era Jehovah would stand and speak in the stead of the Father as though he were the very father which he did represent. This was the Divine Investiture of the Father given unto Jehovah, the firstborn son in the spirit, so that the Plan of Redemption might go forth. And so that all that was created by the hand of Jehovah under the direction of the Father, might therefore also then be redeemed by he who had created it, even Jehovah, who would also perform the redemption, the atonement, taking upon himself all of the sins of his fellow man, he to be the one who was without sin and the one who could and would atone for the fall of man.

There is a scriptural chain to be followed here. And beginning with a chronogical sequence there is not better place to begin than in the preexistence beginnings. That is were Paul takes us in speaking to the saints of Corrinth.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:" ~ New Testament | 1 Corinthians 2:7

Here Paul references what God has foreordained in heaven. This included not only the anointing, empowering, and foreordaining of the firstborn son in the spirit, Jehovah, to come forth to fulfill his ministering mission of being selected by God the Father of spirits to act in the stead of the Father in all things and to be the Saving Redeemer of the world. It also included the foreordination blessings of many of the sons of God to their ministering responsibilities as well. One such set of such ministering responsibilities was given unto those whom God and Jehovah had determined and selected to assist the Messiah in the latter day gathering of Israel and also in blessing of the nations of the earth with the gospel, to take the message of Christ to bless every nation, kindred, tongue and people as was promised to father Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
"For ye are dead (spiritual separated from the presence of God-spiritually dead), and your life is hid with Christ in God.
"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." ~ New Testament | Colossians 3:2-4

This presents the concept of just who is or has been "hid with Christ in God." It is those who have fulfilled their foreordinantion blessing by having accordingly 'set their affections on the things above of God rather than on things on earth. That is they have joined themselves with the church and people of God on earth in order to properly fulfill their foreordinational blessings. And then after having so fulfilled their preexistednt foreordinational blessing on earth, 'when Christ comes again then will they appear with him in glory.'

Now again, after that observation of Paul, we come to the present time and just how such does apply to those of us whose life has been 'hid in Christ with God' does work out in the day of our living.

"Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—
"For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God—
"Therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.
"Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lord hath said it. Amen." ~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 86:8-11

So how has this played out? In the Pre-mortal world, those so selected to be the Lord's servants unto the salvation of the world were, with the Lord, pre-selected and ordained to their missions on earth. This ordiantaion included being of the lineage of the priesthood right or the birthright. And that being a descendant of Joseph of Egypt, the last great patriarchal father of the patriarchal order and his sons Ephraim and Manasseh. It is through this promised lineage of the birthright that the priesthood did remain by that right in the earth. And it is by the birthright that those who were of the blessed birthright were called forth to minister to and that the Gospel Message to the earth to the ends of blessing every nation, kindred, tongue and people according to the blessings of the fathers that has come down through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (D&C 27:10). And we of this promised birthright that had remained through that last great patriarch Joseph, have been "hid with Christ in God."

Now what does this have to do with Christ being the same as Messiah ben Joseph? It has more to do with how he was to be hid with the rest of the posterity of Joseph from the general knowledge and understanding of man as a strategical point of the Plan of Redemption. When Jehovah condescended from his Godly throne on high to come to earth to redeem man kind, his arch enemy Lucifer would arise to tempt him and try to over come him and even destroy him. While that is an part of the story line of God and his Redeemer that will not be gone into here in detail, it is that part of the plot and story line by which Christ was to be Hid in God as it were. And as a part of so hidding of the coming Messiah, it was of importance to not allow Lucifer to know all the goings on and just how they were to be played out. For Lucifer would attempt to foil all the plans of God just as he did attempt to destory the plan in the beginning both in the war in heaven and even in the Garden of Eden in getting Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit.

And yet there in the Garden, Lucifer not being totally aware of all the plans and doing of God, was only furthering the plan of God by having Eve partake of that fruit. If Lucifer really understood all the means and ways of God, he would have done all he could to prevent Eve from partaking of the fruit and thus foiling and preventing the plan of God to go forth for as long as he could so do. But thus is the master intelligence and wisdom of our Celestial Father in Heaven and that also of his firstborn son in the spirit, even Jehovah who stands as our Ministering God and Redeeming Lord and Savior.

Now the order of heaven is the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood of God. And it is through that Patriarchal Order and connection of it upon earth that the rights of the everlasting covenant(s) of God are set out and governed. And the Last Great Patriarchal Father of that Patriachal Order on earth that connect to heaven was held by Joseph of Eygpt. It was by, in and through that order of the priesthood on earth as it is in heaven that the blessed Messiah was to be born. That is the ancestry of the Messiah was tied to those of the fathers by who those rights and power did stand and remain on earth, from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to Joseph. And by that order of heaven on earth was the work of God to be administered as man on earth would come to bear that priesthood of God on earth to act in and by the power of God in behalf of God according to the cause of God to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

Lucifer was aware and understood much concerning that order of the priesthood of God. Lucifer knew that it was to be by the seed of Joseph, out from which the Messiah was to come. Joseph was the worthy son of Jacob and heir of the covenant birthright. The other older sons of Jacob were not worthy of that blessed birthright. From Reuben even to the least of those sons, they were not worthy to hold the birthright blessings. Who better than to hid the Messiah in but in one of those. They were murders in their hearts as they sought to murder their brother Joseph in secret combination amonst themselves as was the order and plots of those who were of Cain, the first murderer by the guiding hand of Lucifer. Then even when Reuben put an end to that plot by establishing a strong resistence to it and denoting that it would not be a secret act to which he would agree with, it was then Judah that devised the alternate plan. Joseph would be sold into egypt as a slave. And in Judah's mind and in the minds of Joseph's brethern, 'then Joseph would certainly not prevail to hold the birthright from Jacob.'

But Joseph did prevail. And Joseph did fully receive the birthright of Jacob and all that it did entail, including that the blessed Messiah would come by way of his right in the priesthood of God. And by the hand of Jacob, Ephraim was set to be the means of preserving the seed in the earth. And there again the hand of Lucifer did rise up to oppose Joseph and the seed of Ephraim. Lucifer joyed in that Ephraim was scattered into all the earth that the seed would be poluted. He contended with and over through all those of Lehi, Ismael and even Mulek who were of the Nephite nation who believed in Christ. And that even after Christ was born. In short Lucifer has opposed and fought against the Plan of Redemption and the Redeemer from the beginning and does continue to do so. In the world today, whereever Christianity is under attack, it is by the hand and motivation of Lucifer.

But God is more intelligent than Lucifer, and so is Jehovah, the same is Jesus Christ. And though Christ was to come of the Patriarchal Birthright of whom Joseph of Egypt was the last standing great Patriarchal leader an who the Messiah would come through, it would be that the Messiah would be hid not only in God, being the Ministering God Jehovah, but he would also be hid in the 'seed' of Joseph's brothers. In fact it would be in the very seed of Judah that the Messiah of Joseph would be hid.

How is that possible one would ask? This text presents that answer. The answer to how it is that Jesus Christ is Messiah ben David and at the same time Messiah ben Joseph / Ephraim as well. By the Laws of God it is not the 'blood' that defines the man. It is by the priesthood rights and priesthood bindings that define a man. A man does not become an eternal son of Abraham just because he is born of the bloodline and ancestry of Abraham. To become a true son of Abraham and of the covenant, one but be of the order of the Son of God. That is it is by the gospel ordinance and principles on the one hand. And by those ordiances and gospel living and follow Jesus Christ may all become the sons of Abraham and of the House of Israel even if it is by the means of the adoption laws of God.

Thus by the adoption laws of God was Oben born to be of the blood of Judah but of the covenant lineage of Ephraim and Joseph. According to the Law of God, which was the Law of Moses, a surrogate kinsman was to raise up seed to a deceased 'brother' by way of the deceased's wife if the deceased had no children, no sons to carry on his name in Israel. And the covenant seed of Joseph was preserved in the seed of Obed, he being the legal and rightful heir of Elimelch, Chilion and Mahlon who were those Ephrathites or Ephraimites of the covenant descendent most likely down from Jehoshua or Joshua the son of Nun. Which Joshua was he who receive the mantle of Moses. But Nun was the heir by right from Ephraim and father Joseph.

Just how many times, here and there and every where, did Lucifer so seek to prevent the promised seed from Joseph to come unto the world? The kingdom and people of Ephraim were scatter throughout the earth. Lehi, Ishmael and even Mulek were taken to America, and their seed taken into the islands of the Ocean. Like the Scarlet Pimpernile, to seek him here, and seek him there, but was he found or not? Hidden away as one little one among the thousands of Judah would the Savior of the world be found. And when Lucifer found him there, he did seek to resist him and even to have him cricified still not fully understanding the ways and means by which his redemption would come.

Thus in many ways is the Messsiah still hid from the world. The the various reasons for such still hidden in the ways and means unto salvation in the mind, plan and will of God. In searching and coming to understand the scriptures are many things still to be found. Many of which will not be yet given. For we believe all that God has revealed. We also believe all that God does not reveal. And we believe that God will yet reveal many important things pertaining unto the kingdom of God. Things hid away in the mind and will of God, where Lucifer cannot find them. Only out of hatred and anger does Lucifer continue to strive. He represents in part that opposition in all things that is the experience of man. To that end, he but continues to aid in the plan of God. And God will always prevail and have the upper hand over the Devil. For Goodness, truth and light will always prevail over the darkness and ignorance of that lost light and truth of God.

For those who are seasoned students of the gathering of Israel, there seems to be one addition revealing manner in which Christ and his servents are hid which can again raise the concept of Christ being in and among those who are the members of the promised seed of the covenant in Ephraim. First a few points of understanding.

There are three Gods at work though it is unto, in and through whom we must come to be saved. 1) There is God the Father of spirits, Our Father Who Art in Heaven. And he does work with man, but not directly like unto 2) the Lord God Jehovah, who stand as one among us, he so pertaining unto this creation even as we do in the essential respects. And 3) there is the Holy Ghost, who has the power and authority of God, yet his works in such manners that facilitate the workings of God with, in and through man, he being yet a spirit and can commune with man spirit to spirit, and witness and testify; lead and guide; directed and even command man in all those things that he must recieve and do of God by spiritual impression to the hearing of the word of God within one self and even by way of visitation as well. All three do work together unto one united end and purpose of "bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

What does become confusing at times is that our appointed and empowered God of the Old Testament, Jehovah, often speaks in the stead of the Father as those he is the Father. In such instances he will often speak of himself in the third person and refer to himself in the first person as though he were the Father. Even such messengers from and of God to man do also, even the Holy Ghost. They will have an asigned message to deliver in the name of God, and they will deliver the messages in the first person as though they are God, though they are but a messenger of God. And thus often some scriptural verses may become a bit confusing as to just who is speaking and in what 'person' they are speaking and just who it is that they are refereing to in the first and third persons. Such maybe the case below as well be pointed out.

"WHEN Israel [Jehovah] was a child, then I [Elohim] loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." ~ Old Testament | Hosea 11:1

"When he rose, he took the young child [Jesus/Jehovah] and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
"And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet [Hosea], saying, Out of Egypt have I [Elohim] called my son [Jehovah]." ~ New Testament | Matthew 2:14-15

^** The Bible has translated the name LORD as being the Higher LORD and God of even Jehovah. That the published Book of Mormon missed this distinction that is in the Bible record is an understandable human error of not recognizing the roles of the Father of Spirit, Elohim, and the Almighty God of the Old Testament, Jehovah. This is the same distinction as quoted by Jesus Christ when he presented himself as the Son of God the Father of Spirits, Elohim; when he quoted Psalm 110:1.

"THE LORD [Elohim] said unto my Lord [Jehovah], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine eenemies thy footstool." ~ Old Testament | Psalms 110:1; see also Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34; and Heb. 1:13

In the first verse, with what may seem to be a bit redundant, the Book of Mormon version from the plates of brass as the 'record of Joseph' kept by the house of Laban as of Manasseh, as was also Lehi (1 Nephi 5:16-18) does actually reveal much. The key is to pay attention to just who is the antecedent of the pronouns me and my. By the way, if you haven't learned the proper uses of the language to know what is meant by the antecedent of a pronoun is and how it is used in identifying people in the sentence and paragraph structure of you language, then you may be missing a lot of information being given. And even worse you may be variously atributing just any ole person to the pronoun and confounding the intended meanings of the scriptures you are reading. Often people intent on their own interpretation will do this. They will state that the pronoun being used applies to whom ever they chose in each case to make their own subjective case and thereby confound the true meaning of what a scripture is actually stating. So best learn your language in order to properly comprehend what is being said.

So now to the antecedent of me and my. In the Book of Mormon verse 1 is always in reference to but one persons. This will continue in the next verse which well be spoken of as we proceed. Contextually when it is said speaking of Israel, my people it is the Lord Jesus Christ/Jehovah who is speaking in the authoritive case as himself as carried over from 1 Nephi 20/Isaiah 48. Israel, whether taken collectively as all the tribes of Israel or taken particularly as applying but unto who Jacob extended his name upon, that is his son Joseph and particluarly Ephraim in the primary but also including Manasseh in the secondary as well. The essential point in verse 1 is to not change the person to whom the pronoun has been refering to in mid-stream just in order to subjectively make the last part of the second sentence all of a sudden have a different antecedent than who it has been referencing all along. When it states, " ... the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother he made mention of my name.", the antecedent of me and my is still Jesus Christ/Jehovah and "the Lord" and the pronoun "he" becomes a reference to God the Father, Elohim.

Many have attempted to change the course of thought and reasoning by mixing up the language's pronoun antecedents, which brakes the rules of the language as when a pronoun is being used consistantly in reference to one person, you just do not change that person to suit your own subjective interpretation. The Isaiah verse uses the word Lord in all capital letters, which does properly identify that the LORD being spoken of is that Higher LORD and GOD, that Man of Holiness, Elohim. While the Old Testament is not always consistent in its translated uses of this distinction, it is correctly so often enough to consider it in cases of proper interpretation. (Consider the case of the often qouted reference Jesus used to promote that he was the son of GOD when his quoted Psalm 110:1.)

So it is established that Jehovah/Jesus Christ is speaking in the first person as 'me' and 'my' and that the LORD, which should properly be in all caps, is the 'he' who is Elohim. And it is Elohim who has called Jehovah/Jesus Christ from the womb, from his earthly mother Mary, and who has made mention of Jehovah's/Jesus Christ's name as being that of Jehoshua (most proper name form of Joshua in the Hebrew or Jesus in the Greek).

In verse 2 it is a matter of clarifying that 'he' is the LORD Elohim, who has hid Jehovah/Jesus in the shadow of 'his' hand as a polished shaft. This given an absolutely most correct understanding when the Doctrine and Covenants states the the lawful heirs of Israel have be hid from the world with Christ in God (D&C 86:9 see this verse quoted above). And from that D&C verse which speaks of the "lawful heirs" of the priesthood, they being descendants of Joseph of Egypt as Joseph Smith and others were, it becomes most properly identified just who "have been hid from the world with Christ in God—". This becomes even more pointedly significant when verse 3 is next further considered.

Still speaking in the same sentence frame of reference as verse 2 and also of verse 1 and chapter 20, it is the LORD GOD Elohim who said unto Jehovah: "Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Too often the scriptural reader will have forgotten or never have even ever realized that he is mixing apples and oranges by switching pronoun antecedents from what is really being said here in this verse. It is Jehovah who is being stated as being Elohim's servant in whom Elohim will be glorified. That is consistent in the fact that Jehovah stated to Elohim that he, Jehovah would do the work of the Father and return the glory back to the Father (Moses 4:2, John 7:17-19, 3 Nephi 9-13).

So did you miss what was just revealed in verse 3 by not properly applying the and keeping tract of the proper pronoun antecedent? Jehovah is the servant of Elohim selected from the beginning. Jehovah is who will glorify God the Father and return all glory to the Father. AND it is Jehovah who was first called by and given the name of ISRAEL. Read it again keeping the pronouns and their proper antecedents consistently correct and you will then discover that Jesus' name from the beginning was Israel. When he changed the name of Jacob to being Israel, Jehovah was placing one of his own names upon Jacob. And when Jacob placed the name Israel upon Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob what naming the true lineage of the patriarchal priesthood to one such as Joseph Smith, a pure Ephraimite descendant of Joseph of Egypt and his son Ephraim of the priesthood birthright of the covenant. And thus begin "hid from the world with Christ in God" takes on a full new layer of meaning as used in D&C 86:8-9.

Now consider the the phrase and concept of the "Divine Investiture of Israel." It is Jesus Christ of whom we speak has being placed to stand in the stead of the Father in all things pertaining to his ministry unto the children of God on earth. That is the grand Divine Investiture of God the Father, the Man of Holiness, bestowed upon His son Jehovah is the preexistence. The priesthood of God has been bestowed upon man as well. It is given to men to act by that power of priesthood in the name of God. The whole of the priesthood is the Melchizedek priesthood, the lesser Aaronic priesthood being just a portion of that greater priesthood of the outward administrations of the powers of God. By its fuller and proper name it is 'The Priesthood of God after the Order of the Son of God' by which men minister the acts of the priesthood today. Only through, by and in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ is that priesthood so ministered. Christ is the only one true why. He it was, as is the case in a number of such names, who was first called and named by the name of Israel. He was the first who did prevail in the name of God, that being in the name of God the Father of Spirits, even Elohim.

Perhaps missed by most readers is the plea made by Jehovah to the LORD GOD ELOHIM due to not keeping their antecendents properly sorted out. The "my" and "me" pronouns are first person pronouns and they have been used by the speaker Jehovah to reference himself. In verse 4 it is still Jehovah speaking in the first person. Those that haven't their Godhead or antecedents sorted out properly will certainly most often miss this plea of the Almighty God Jehovah of the Old Testament unto his Father of LORD and GOD, Elohim who stands above him is he hierarchy of heaven. It is the plea of the Son of God who has been laboring in the vineyard and does dispear over his vineyard as in the allegory of the olive trees of Jacob 5. Put that verse in its proper antecedent and diety perspective and this is what verse 4 says:

"Then I, Jehovah, said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my GOD, Elohim." (See also Jacob 5:41-47)

The dispear of the Lord Jehovah/Jesus Christ is heartbreaking to hear and understand over Israel in that love and care which he has shown unto them. Jehovah brought Israel down into Egypt that they might be speared to live by the hand of Joseph in Eghpt. The Lord brought them out of the bondage that they had fallen into in Egypt by the hand of Moses and settled them into their land of promise by the hand of Joshua, his own namesake. Yet by the mouth of Moses, Jehovah had noted that Israel would not remain true and would fall into wickedness and need to be scattered according to the allegory of the olive trees spoken by Zenos in Jacob 5. And yet the Lord would have gathered them as a hen doth gather his chick under her wings. But again even after the initial scatterings the scatterd braches failed and the Jews did deny and crucify the Lord Jesus Christ/Jehovah. And then the great dark ages of dispear did set in which brought out the Lord's great lamintation as recorded in Jacob 5:41-47 and echoed here in 1 Nephi 21:4/Isaiah 49:4.

That Jehovah was acting in the name and to the glory of Elohim cannot be overlooked if one is going to gain the greatest understanding of verse 4. In Zechariah 3, Elohim did confirm Jehovah as Jehoshua, that is Jehovah the Deliver as his chosen BRANCH of the Covenant the remained in Joseph of Egypt D&C 27:10. And it was also in Zechariah 3 that Elohim did set his final pre-mortal judgment upon Lucifer as Satan, he that did stand to accuse Jehovah. (See commenatary Zechariah 3) And thus it was unto the Father, the LORD Elohim, that Jehovah did state that "surely my judgment is with the LORD ... my God."

As stated above concerning the matter of speaking in the first or third person, and just who it is that is speaking, there is just such a case that begins in verse 5. Yet verse 5 itself is not so confusing if one but realizes that it is all one sentence of 'introduction' to who it is that will be speaking, beginning in verse 6. Verse 5 begins, And now, saith the Lord—, but the rest of that long sentence is still introducing 'the Lord' that will be speaking as to just who it is that will be speaking beginning in verse 6. That Lord who will be speaking is he who 'forms men from the womb that they should be his servant, and in such forming it is also stated unto what task the Lord is forming them to perform for him. In this case it is unto that to bring Jacob again to the Lord, even though Israel 'be not gathered. Then the speaker, the prophet Isaiah appear to insert an asside directed by the spirit that he would be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, who had formed him, and that God shall be his strength.

In verse 6, after the lengthy introduction of verse 5, the Lord does speak. And he said: "It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to retore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth."

Now here in comes a mystering in Isaiah's writings. Is this the Lord God Jehovah speaking unto

1) It is the responsibility of the birthright tribe of Ephraim to fulfill the gathering of Israel and the world unto the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are to take the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. Within those who study the process of the gathering, it has been said that it appears that for the most part, for over the first 150 years of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, the missionaries and the Church have for the most part been gathering the gatherers. That is the seeming overwhelming number of those who have come into the Church have been those who are the descendants of Joseph, that is of Ephraim and Manasseh.

As a part of this first point, it could go on and make two separated point out of this first point or they could just divide this first point into two separate process. The central goal has been to build up Zion. The Church first emphasized the building up of Zion by calling it converts to gather centrally to one Location unto Zion, whether to Ohio, Missouri, Illinois or to the west in Utah. Brigham Young seemed to branch out a bit by attempting to set out Mormon colonies round about Salt Lake, establishing addition branches and eventually Stakes in the west. But still it was a concept of gathering to the United States and primarily to Utah.

Then as some point the Church started to recommend to the new converts that rather than to gather to the Zion in the tops of the mountains of Utah, they were to remain where they were at an begin to build up Zion as the pure in heart, where they were at and to begin to have Stakes of Zion not only around the United States but around the world where the church was beginning to have larger groups of converts that could do this. Along with this concept, temples began to be build not only in the United States but in other nations as well.

As this process of building up Zion where it was that people lived continued the church has not only grown to over 15,000,000 in membership in 2015, but they also have 150 operating temples around the world. And at some point there has also seemed to be a shift in the process of just gathering the gatherers, that is primarily those of Joseph, of Ephraim and Manasseh. Now there seems to be a marked shift in the gathering as the church is now reaching out to nations further away and those they previously could not get into.

2) Some set a mark of 1978 as a benchmark date that seems to square with this new movement. That is when the Church marked moved out from merely gathering of the gatherers first, that is those of Joseph, in Ephriam and Manasseh. This is when the Church anouced the revelation that it had now become time that the priesthood and those priesthood blessings, where available to every worthy male member of the Church. Some point that it was when the black African race could now be able to hold the priesthood. Others mark is as when the Church had reached the point where they were no longer just primarily just gathering the covenant gatherers, the servants of the Lord who were the Lord's foreordained servants who by the covenant blessings of the fathers where who was responsible for taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue and people according to the Covenant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph by whom those promises with their responsibilities and blessing were set to come by.

The truth is that the ever increasing numbers of those of Ephraim and Manasseh have continued to grow, but now there is also an increasing percentage of 'Gentiles' and some of the other tribes of Israel also showing up withing the ranks of the Church. Slowly so in those of the other tribes of Israel increaseing as perhaps those nations and location where they reside have not been opening up. But in such as Africa, where certainly there would be mostly those who would be Gentiles rather than Israel located, they are beginning to grow and develop and become member of the Church in large numbers with a number of LDS temple now being in the Continent of Africa today. 3) While the Church is still not to the point of gathering large number of the lost ten tribes of neither Judah, which it said to be last gathered; it is pointed out that the Church is increasingly establishing the Stakes of Zion around the world that could be a basis for servicing the eventual increase of handling such large increase that finding and bringing the number of the other tribe beyond Ephraim and Manasseh alone. Thus in one sense, the Church is at a point where they have gather many of the servants of the Lord to aid in the work in the Lord's vineyard, and it may be quite near to the time when the Lord will be ready to begin openning the avenues whereby he will work with bring in the other tribes of Israel in increasing numbers as well.

Well that is a summary of what some consider the state of the gathering of Israel and taking the Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people is at. Often it take events of sacrifice to open up areas. Not that war and 'upheaval' of various types are nice events with what happens to individauls in the process. But often there is a relationship of additionally opening up some areas that were once closed to the Church when some such events occur. The map below show those countries that do have any of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership activity into their nation. Most are non-Christian and do not tollerate religious freedom. Islamic extremist terrorist do attempt to murder and remove any Christians from lands that they invade. They have not consideration for humanity or people or God's children.