Item 148
ISRAEL — ISRAEL
~ Eternal Israel ~
Yisrael: (yisreh=will fight) + (el=God)

"The people of Israel were a distinct and noble people in the premortal existence. ... Because of their faithfulness in the premortal existence, the people of Israel were foreordained to become a holy nation." [Doctrines of the Gospel (LDS) Student Manual, Chapter 21: The Foreordination of Covenant Israel and Their Responsibilities]

    Israel was the new name that God set upon Jacob (Gen. 32:28). And Jacob then set it upon Ephraim (JST Gen. 48:5; Gen. 48:16). But the name Israel was not in and of itself a new name first beginning with Jacob. "Israel" is an eternal name of God that was in use in the preexistence in our premortal habitation. Israel was a name and word which was applied to those who faithfully stood with Jehovah and prevailed in and with God and His selected Redeemer Jehovah named Jehoshua (Zech. 3). Isreal is the name of all those who so stood and prevail in and with God. And it is within that context that the name Israel and the use of that name ought to be studied and understood. In the end of the world, all those who have been faithful in coming unto and being joined to Jesus Christ and his true Gospel well be denoted to be Israel.

In terms of the name Israel being derived from 'will fight' and 'God,' the concept ought not be that of fighting against God but rather that of figthing with or for God. In the preexistence, it was those who were of 'Israel' that stood with Jehovah, on his side in the war in heaven against Lucifer and his angels. And therein the name and the reward of the foreordination blessing of the people of Israel makes perfect sense. Those who fought with Jehovah valiantly against Lucifer and his angels would be those of whom God would be prone to bless as his chosen people Israel.

Zechariah beheld a vision of the 'Determination Council' held in heaven wherein Lucifer as Satan was condemned and where Jehovah, that is Jehoshua, was unheld and confirmed along those of his fellows. In that vision Zechariah heard God the Father of Spirits speak to Jehoshua/Jehovah and his fellows [Israel] and say:

"Hear now, O Jehoshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH." ~ Old Testament | Zechariah 3:8 [Note: Zechariah Chapter 3 is a worthwhile study in it self.]

This was God the Father of Spirits' confirmation upon they who had prevailed against the war which Lucifer had waged against the Plan of God in heaven. After this final determination and pronounced judgement, Lucifer would be cast out of Heaven down to the earth, he and his forever spirits that followed after him.

There were and have been a number of name application give to this group of people who stood as the elect of God with Jehovah against Lucifer and his angels in that war in heaven. One name applied to them is that they are a peculiar people. And in and by these peculiar people, was Jehovah, Jehoshua, so proclaimed and confirmed that God the Father would bring forth 'Branch,' even Jesus Christ the Redeemer and Savior of the world.

"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.
"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
"And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." ~ Old Testament | Exodus 19:4-6

"YE are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
"For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself [the LORD], above all the nations that are upon the earth." ~ Old Testament | Deuteronomy 14:1-2)

"Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:
"And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;
"And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken." ~ Old Testament | Deuteronomy 26:17-19

"For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his [the LORD's] peculiar treasure." ~ Old Testament | Psalms 135:4

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
"These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee." ~ New Testament | Titus 2:13-15

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:" ~ New Testament | 1 Peter 2:9

[See also: Lev. 20:26, Deut. 7:6, Deut. 10:15, Isa. 41:8, Amos 3:2, D&C 86:11, D&C 100:16, D&C 101:39, D&C 115:5]

This peculiar people are they who have prevailed in and with the Lord. They are they upon whom the name appilation has been given as Israel. And the name of Israel may properly be applied to all who have, who do now and forever will stand and prevail in and with the Lord. And it is a name application which also has an association with that spoken of by Ezekiel the prophet when he speak in Ezekiel chapter 37. There Ezekiel speaks of Judah, the children of Isreal his companions and of Ephraim, all of the house of Isreal his companions (verse 16).

Ezekiel was speaking of the two sticks or records that would come forth. The one was the Stick of Judah and the others was the stick(s) of Joseph/Ephraim. These were the scriptural records of those two division of the Lord's people Israel. They were divided and numbered per those two divisions, that is those with Ephraim, the Kingdom of Israel and as to Judah, the kingdom of Judah, and each of their companions and such as of Israel who did and would associated with each of them. (Ezekiel 37:15-38)

Zechariah sees in his next vision, chapter 4, sees the golden candlestick of the menorah of the temple which is a representation of the administrations of Isreal in the earth under the light of Jehovah and his leading companions. In that vision Zechariah sees that the oil provided which burns to provide the light of the candlestick are represented as being supplied by two olive trees or branch of such through which the pipes do empty the golden oil. Then Zechariah's angel guide to the vision askes Zechariah, "Knowest thou not what these be?" Zechariah admits that he does not know. And the angel tells Zechariah, "These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." (Zechariah 4:1, 11-14 (1-14))

These two olive trees collectively represent that same as which Ezekiel spoke of, that is being Judah, the children of Israel his companions and Ephraim, all the house of Israel his companions. Ezekiel uses the term companions, Zechariah used the term fellows. The Doctrine and Covenants speaks of the blessings of the everlasting God upon the tribes of Israel. There it states that the richer blessings are upon the head of Ephraim and his fellows.

All this to this point has been presented in this item to set forth that there is a peculiar people, and elite people if you will, who are so associated with the Lord. While the name title of this people has been given to be that of Israel, it ought to be noted here the position that Jesus so stated during his mortal ministry responding to the Jews who touted that Abraham was their father.

"Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." - New Testament | Luke 3:8 & Mathew 3:9

Now stones were a negative appilation that the Jews/Israel has taken up to name the Gentiles, who they considered to be death as to God in comparison to the chosen children of God, Judah or Israel. Now how does God raise up his children unto Abraham, unto Israel, today? Be it not those who come unto Christ and are baptised and live according to the word of God? To this end the Book of Mormon states:

"For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel." ~ Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 30:2

To be members of the Lord's chosen people is not by bloodline birthright but by that righteous birthright of the covenant of God of being faithful unto he cause of righteousness, to repent and believe in and follow the Son of God; they are they who are the companions and fellows of the Holy One of Israel. They are they who are to be accounted as being faithful Israel, those who have prevailed in, with and of the Lord.

That being said and established, we turn to the righteous lineage of the Everlasting Covenant, even that which has been preserved by the covenant fathers of the Patriarchal Order of heaven as exercised upon earth (see D&C 27:10). As stated and implied in D&C 27:10-11, the Everlasting Covenant has come down through father Adam by way of the righteous patriarchs even down unto Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. And those covenant blessings and promises of God have remained in the earth in and by those great patriarchs even down and through that last great patriarch Joseph, as presented in another item, and Joseph's son Ephraim. That is the covenants and promises made by the Lord in and through and by Joseph and his son Ephraim, which include as being presented in the text the birthright even down to Jesus Christ himself being he who is Messiah ben Joseph.

This is what well be addressed here, the preserving of the birthright of the covenant as it has fallen through and in and of Joseph, his sons Ephraim and Manasseh.

That holy and dutiful title of the name of Israel, as bestowed upon Jacob, to degesinate that the picular people of the Lord, his chosen lineage to preserve the covenant blessings, would be next preserved in and come by way of Joseph and his sons, particulary Ephraim and his seed.

As set out in a previous item, it was the Lord's great covenants that were given to Joseph, wherein the blessings unto all the earth were to be preserved. That is both as to the ancestry of the Messiah, by whom would come the fulfilling of the requirements of the atonement, the suffering for the sins of the would and the making and openning of the way of man to God and salvation and eternal life. Also, so that man might partake of those blessing of the atonement, the required ordiances and performances that the righteous must follow were to be provide all of mankind through the restoration of the Gospel in and through the very seed of Ephraim, of Joseph, who are those of Ephraim, all of the house of Israel him companions, who do come forth, join themselves unto that cause and true Church to take those blessings and made them available to all, every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people; AND unto both the living and the dead, that is any and everyone who has ever lived upon the face of the earth will have had their chance and opportunity to join themselves to the righteous of God and to be counted with the angels of heaven and to be of God's Kingdom.

This will be not followed in a number of further details of that matter.

When Jacob set his hands upon Manasseh and Ephraim, he wittingly (knowingly) placed his right hand upon the head of Ephraim and his left hand upon the elder son Manasseh. Joseph who had brought his son to Jacob with Manasseh to Jacob's right hand and Ephraim to Jacob's left hand according to their births. When Jacob crossed his hands to place his right hand upon Ephraim, Joseph entreated Jacob, whose eye sight was failling, that it was not to be so. This is Jacob's response:

"And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he [Manasseh] also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." ~ Old Testament | Genesis 48:19

And thus Jacob did bless the sons of Joseph saying that in them (greater by Ephraim) would Israel be blessed. And upon Ephraim came the blessing of the 'BIRTHRIGHT.' At that time the 'birthright' not only pertained to the covenant blessing of the ordinances of the Gospel, but it still pertained unto who was to be the recognized ancestor of the Redeemer, the Messiah, even Jesus Christ, who does provided the means by which man may be receipents of salvation and eternal life. The ephrasis is upon that they 'may be' enabled, but by their own agency of choice they may also come to not being such.

Now both Ephraim and Manasseh were to participate in the fulfilling of the covenant blessings. That is the tribe of Ephraim was and is to be assisted by the tribe of Manasseh; brothers joined together in that great cause, both being the sons of Joseph. How it was that Ephriam became the ancestor to the Messiah has been the topic of this entire text, thus it will not be dwelled upon here but alluded to. But Ephraims own personal mission as a tribe would be further to bring to every nation, kindred, tongue and people an opportunity to recieve of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But first it will be noted just how it is that Manassah has, will and does assist the tribe of Ephraim it that great assignment.

In sports, particularly in basketball, there is not only recorded the points of the scoring shot, but also if a fellow team mate had given up his own opportunity to handle the ball and score to enable the scoring shot by another to shoot, he is credited with 'an assist' on the shot. For the first assist let us turn to the blessing upon Ephraim and Manasseh of Joseph, which Moses did pronounce upon them jointly. (Here is given the entire blessin upon Joseph by Moses, though all the sons of Jacob were dead, Moses blessed the tribes of Jacob accordingly):

¶ "And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
"And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
"And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
"And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
"His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh." ~ Old Testament | Deuteronomy 33:13-17

Perhaps unknowingly, but by inspiration did Moses speak his word upon the tribe of Joseph and his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. And Moses did speak concerning about that land that would be the inheritace of Joseph. Joseph's blessing of the covenant of Abraham did not name specifically give to Joseph, who was separated from his brothers as a shadow of that to come, the land of Canaan. Canaan was given unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's seed. But Joseph blessing had "prevailed above the blessings of my (Jacob's) progenitors (Abraham & Isaac) unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren." (Genesis 49:26)

The land of the everlasting hills, of which both Moses and Jacob spoke, is and was that land of America (It is the land shadowing with wings, Isaiah 18).It was the land upon which Adam dwelt, to which the Jaredites did return, and to which all of the branches of Joseph, that would be broken off to cross the ocean, would be lead to by the hand of the Lord.

The first of Joseph that would come would be those of Lehi who was a descendant of Manasseh. He was accompanied by the family of Ishmael a descendant of Ephraim. And almost concurrently would come those of the party of Mulek the son of King Zedekiah. Thus according to the perspective being set out by this text, Mulek was also a descendant of Joseph of Joseph's son Ephraim, as he was of that Royal lineage of King David, by whom the Messiah was promised to come.

But it would be Lehi's posterity that would kept the records and provide the representive scriptural record of the stick of Ephraim/Joseph. One of the central purposes of that record was to witness and testify and support the truth of the Bible. As the world has distanced it self from the days of Jesus Christ, in many respects they as a disbelieving people have began to attack the Bible as a compiled record out of the joint myths and legends of Babylon rather than a scriptural record of God's dealings with man since the days of father Adam.

The learned prideful world of ego and godlessness has come to look upon the story of the Garden of Eden as fanciful folklore, the flood of Noah as a local flood of the fertile cresent of Babylon taken and built up from flood stories there, and they utterly deny the very idea of the lands of the earth having divided in the days of Peleg. And they have further taken to discrediting the Bible as a whole, both the Old and the New Testaments.

Christ, the world denies his divinity. They deny that he was crucified and did rise from the grave after three days. Like the lying Jews who pretended to the story that the apostles stole his body away, they deny even the very witness of the Roman soldiers who were on guard, the many who afterwards did see him and did testify of him, and those who have written down their testimonies in what is now the New Testiment. They deny all witness and testimony of the Bible, both of the ancient Jew of Judah, who they have persistantly persecuted and also of all of Traditional Christian who have come and developed from it. And today the world has began to persecute and to take actions of violence against even unto death as did the pagan Romans of old.

To these comes a New Witness, a New Scripture, not from the Holy land of Jerusalem, but from the Western Hemisphere of the United States of American. It is the record written and preserved by those of father Lehi, of his descendants from Nephi to Moroni. And it includes an abridged record of the Jaredites as well. The Book of Mormon states and witness that, YES, there was father and mother, Adam and Eve of the Garden of Eden. It says yes there was the flood of Noah whose waters were still receding off of the land in the days of the Jaredites. And the record not only confirms the teaching of the Bible and that Jesus did raise from the grave, but that Jesus did come and visit the people of the Book of Mormon, descending out of heaven. And he did minister to and teach them in that same manner as he did unto the people in the Eastern Hemishere. The Book of Mormon stands as a witness to the truth of both New and Old Testaments of the Bible.

This is a great and needful assistance that those of Manasseh has provided to Ephraim and the world today defending the Bible truth and in coming forth to the aid of deliving of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. This added scripture is not only needed in the defense of the Bible. It was needed in order that the Gospel might be restored and that the prophecies of Ezekiel of chapter 37 might be fulfill in the coming together of the two sticks or recorded of Judah and Ephraim/Joseph, and all those events there dependent upon the two records having come together. In short there is not resoration or latter day fulfillment with the stick of Joseph/Ephraim.

The Book of Mormon is not all that Manasseh was to provide Ephraim assistence in accomplishing. The latter part of Moses' blessing addresses whatelse Manasseh was to do. Upon Joseph was laid the responsibility to provide for the spiritual needs of Israel. It was and is a part of that covenant that was laid upon the last great Patriarchal Father, Joseph of Egypt. Providing the atonement through being the ancestor of Jesus Christ was only a part of the responsibilty. Providing the Book of Mormon by Joseph's son Manasseh was only a further part of the responsibilty. The rest of the responsibilty was that of the deliver of the Gospel, delivering the Book of Mormon and the Bible as the word or God accompanied by the preaching, teaching, testifying of the word and then the performance of the gathering was also needed.

Moses states that the responsibility of Joseph was further to bring the gospel and people together, and to facility the gathering of the people in unto Christ. Where does Moses say that? It is where it says that, "His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of (wild ox or such as long horn cattle today) unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh."

There is plenty of work of assistance to do. And both Ephraim and Manasseh are to do it together along with all else of Israel and their companions who have been joined unto them. The work of the Gathering is not only that of Missionary work. Carrying the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people is to all the people whoever have lived and goes beyond the missionary work of converting and baptising the living. It includes the work of family genealogy and temple work for the dead as well as the living. And it does not stop there. The pushing of the people together, that is those of all the ends of the earth unto God including all sorts of Chruch work of not just spreading the word, gathering together the people, but as any good hurdsman or shepherd knows it is also of the guarding of the herd or the flock and the keeping, herding them, leading them in together.

When the God spoke of resting from 'your' labors on the Sabbath Day of the Lord, He was not speaking about taking a rest from His Work that he expected to you continue to perform on that day. The Lord expects much of his people. He expects more of his Servants. Lord primary Servants of the Latter-day are and have been those of Ephraim as assisted by Manasseh. And that included all of Israel and his fellows and comparnions who have joined themselves unto them in the glories work of the Lord.

In summary, the Lord had taken of Manasseh one branch of Joseph, in Lehi and his descendants. The Lord took Lehi of Manassen and led him unto the land of promise, a land that is and was choice above all other lands. And he gave of Lehi and his descendants the work to do of providing the supporting witenss of God and His Christ to the world. And upon that record of Joseph, which when used in the restoration and the added books thereof, it also became a part of the stick of Ephraim as will as a witness to the world that Jesus Christ is the God of this world and even more specifically he was and is the Lord and God of this land, these Americas. And those who dwell upon this promised land of Joseph must worship him as their God or else they will be destroyed from off of this land. Jehovah is the God of this land. Jehovah is the God of the earth. There is not other God but Jehovah who has been place to administer and mistering to the children of God but Jehovah, that has been so placed as such by the hand of God the Father of Spirit, even Elohim.

What has been just spoken of is in terms of Manasseh though it has ran over into what is expected by the Lord of others who join themselves unto him. But leaving Manassah, there are other Branches of Joseph who are of Ephraim who will next be addressed. Again here it is mentioned that the ancestry to Messiah ben Joseph, that is Jesus Christ, does come in and by Joseph's son Ephraim. And again since this entire text is that which is given as evidence of such, it will but be alluded to here for now. So what other branches of Joseph have been broken off and crossed over the ocean to perform thier responsibility of fulfillment?

There are many such branches and they have not been limited to being in association with just one single family line such as those of Lehi and the Christ believing Nephites of the Book of Mormon. The work of the coming forth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter-days begins upon the eastern hemisphere. After Christ's death there was a great apostasy from the pure, plain and precious Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though it began among the early church of the apostles while the apostles yet lived. That is the worldly corruptions were many of the effects of the common beliefs of the Greeks and the Romans, and the Jews and other the other national people who had had their own systems of beliefs and philosophies of religion to draw upon to corrupt the pure and simple Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The man held responsibility did not have such modern means to address as worldwide religion such as the Gospel of Jesus Christ did demand in order to be maintained. Therefore the corruption had began in the days of the Apostles and markedly had taken hold when the very nature of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ became corrupted into the Doctrine of the mystical, philosophical and pagan religion based concepts of the non-understandable Doctinr of the mythical Trinity of three gods in one. The great apostasy led the earth into an age of darkness that was of full force upon the Americas by the time of the destruction of the Nephite Christ believing society and approximately at that same time frame when the Doctrine of the Trinity was of that same age solidified.

So from about 380 A.D. the earth has fallen into a state of great darkness which would become known as it progressed, as the Dark Ages. It was not until the days of the 'Reawakening of the Renaissance' that the light of learning and truth began to reenter the earth that Europe progressively begain to recover. The Renaissance was followed by that of the Reformation where some of the Religious corruptions and falsehoods begain to be addressed and challenged. With that new progressive age of enlightenment and return to basic religious truth being taken to the people, there came the discovery of America and the Colonial period wherein many began to seek a Religious and personal freedom from the tyranny of both the heavy hand of life restricting false religion and the government of kings.

American became a fruitful ground for the desires of liberty and to worship the true God according to the truth of God's Word. Amid that fertile soil grew up from the many branches of Joseph who had come to America, the light of liberty and it Revolution against the tyranny of the Old World under which they had long been restricted from the truth of God. The writters and weilders of the Constitution of the United State was inspired by God upon the enlightened mind of men and the Revolution gave birth to a new country born of liberty and based upon the worship of God Almighty.

It was only in such a land of libery and freedom of religion that the Restoration of Jesus Christ's Gospel could be restored. From among the many branches of Joseph, that had been broken off from the confines of Europe, were who were born of the scattered and sifted seed of Ephraim of Joseph. The Prophet Joseph Smith was one such man and he was compassed by many others. Together as led by the prophet, they formed a newly founded Church of Jesus Christ in the new country of religious freedom in 1830. The church was set upon its keystone of the uniting Book of Mormon, a record of Jospeh's people upon the American Continent that established the truth and sorted out the confounded doctrines of men from which they had planted and grown in corruption of Bible abuse and mis-understanding.

From that beginning the Church now numbers of 15,000,000 members around the world. Like the British boast of old, today the sun does not set upon the kingdom of God on earth.