"And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land." ~ Zechariah 9:16

Now, 'in that day' is in direct reference to the latter days. And that ensign being lifted up is unto all the world through the fulfilling of the promises of Abraham, that through his seed, particularly the covenant seed of Ephraim, the nations of the earth would be blessed. And it is upon this land of America where that 'ensign' has been lifted up to the world. And the LORD by way of Zechariah here identifies this land where the 'ensign' is raised as being 'his land', the Lord's land. And he also speaks of 'his people', which dualistically begins with those of the restoration which is Ephraim, and from thence to all who will become his flock and 'his people'. That the land of America is 'his land', and that America will also be shown to be the Land of Joseph, seems particularly identifying, that is Christ in association with the tribe of Ephraim who is of Joseph.

From before the foundation of the world it was to be so that the land of promise, the land of Adam, the land of the Jaredites, the Land of the Nephites, this America was to be the land choice above all other lands and the land of Joseph, son of Israel or Jacob. This seems to be a strong statement. But it is true. Ether who wrote, kept and likely saw the same 'vision of all' from the beginning of the world to the end thereof so stated it as recorded by Moroni. That is, before Joseph of Egypt ever lived, Mahonri Moriancumr, the brother of Jared, was shown the 'vision of all' from the beginning of the world to the end thereof. And he did write it. It was preserved by Ether and by Moroni and was also translated by King Mosiah. It was and is that sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. In Ether 13, Moroni give a peek into the vastness of the understanding and knowledge which this vision has by name of those who were to come and be and play a role in the critical events of the history of the earth. Carefully read and consider Moroni's peek into the vision of all from the quoted and paraphrased statements and words of Ether the preserver of the 'vision of all' seen by the brother of Jared and other prophets of God through time including such as Lehi, Nephi, Isaiah, the Apostle John, Ether, and likely Mosiah and Moroni as well, not to mention our own Joseph Smith.

"For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether, for he truly told them all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof, And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land. And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel. And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type. For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not. Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come whem the earth shall pass away. And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel. And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham. And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first. And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people." ~ Ether 13:2-13

Those who read the Book of Mormon quickly and who consider the chronology of things, often read these verses as coming of Moroni though it clearly state that Ether some 600 years before Christ was the one who so prophesied them. Now Ether lived at the time of Lehi, Jeremiah, Zedekiah and other such contemporaries. Yet Ether was reporting and prophesying from the beginning of the world. It must be remembered that Ether had access to the 'vision of all' of which Mahonri Moriancumr had received of the Lord and was commanded to write. Ether was the keeper of the vision and the source of it to the Nephites, which came forth witht he 24 plates of gold which Mosiah did translate. Thus it must be presumed that Ether had received that same vision of all and was speaking and prophesying therefrom. That vision of all was had by the brother of Jared at the time of the Tower of Babel. And that was before the time of Abraham, Israel and Joseph, yet in the vision of all from the beginning, all things are contianed therein and as stated by Moroni's report, they where known and refered to by name.

So what does this have to do with Christ being of the seed of Joseph through Ephraim, which is the central topic of this presentation? It is one thing to point out that America is the promised land of Joseph and it may seem to be quite another that Christ was legally and rightfully the seed of Joseph, the Messiah, even Messiah ben Joseph, the one and only 'True Messiah'. Thus let us build upon this foundation that 'America Is the Land of Inheritance of Joseph, the son of Israel, the chosen 'firstborn' of Israel by God.

The first structural frame which we will add to this foundation is that of whom the Lord did bring to this land of promise, the land of Joseph and who it was that the Lord did subsequently visit and reveal himself to unto his visitation to America after his resurrection in the land of Jerusalem.

According to the Book of Mormon the Lord brought two named groups to this land of Joseph, and both were specifically brought here by the hand of God. We have the record of the Nephites which are the representatives of one of these two groups, but the whys and wherefores of that 'other' group who was brought to this land of Joseph. We know that the family of Lehi and the family of Ishmael were both of the tribe of Joseph, Lehi being of Manasseh and Ishmael was a descendant of Ephraim. These were the two sons of Joseph and of the promise under the hand of Jacob as recorded in Genesis chapter 48. And it is very logical and appropriate that they would be brought unto this land of Joseph as a remnant of Joseph. But what of that other group?

The people of Mulek where brought here by the Lord into the land north according to Helaman 6:10. And Mulek was a son of King Zedekiah the son of King Josiah of the house of David. And most all religious scholars will clearly state that the house of David descended through the tribe of Judah according to the ancestry as set out by the Jewish Old Testament, that David was the son of Jesse the son of Obed the son of Boaz who was of the tribe of Judah. So why was those of the tribe of Judah being brought to the land of Joseph's inheritance at the same time that the remnant of Joseph was begin brought to possess the land?

Now this text has already set out how it is that Obed was not the legal and rightful seed of Boaz according to the Law of Moses. And that he was raised up by Boaz, the surrogate performing kinsman, to be the legal and rightful heir and seed of the dead Mahlon and the house os Elimelech and Naomi, who were Ephrathites. If Mulek were the royal legal seed of the house of Joseph through the heirs of Ehraim, this would well be reason for Mulek to be brought by the hand of the Lord to the land of Joseph's inheritance. This considerations has also further been supported by the facts of the patriarchal blessings given to those who would be the descandants of Lehi and Mulek in the Americas today, and they are overwhelmingly of the house of Joseph with Judah being even scarcely mentioned at all.

Now when the Nephites happened upon the descendants of Mulek, the people of Zarahemla, the people of Zarahemla out numbered the Nephites. So they were of no little insignificant population. But some might suppose that after some 2600 years, the blood of Joseph would have over powered any blood of Judah. But that would also have to be after only about 275 years or about eight generations for the Nephites did not happen upon the Mulekites until about 250 to 300BC. (1-MosiahI, 2-Benjamin, 3-MosiahII/AlamI, 4-Alma, 5-Helaman, 6-Helaman, 7-Nephi, 8-Nephi ~ 8 Generations). And the Lord when he appears at the temple of Bountiful states that he is speaking only to the remnant of Joseph.

"Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph. And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you." ~ 3 Nephi 15:12-13

Now either the Lord is being very descriminatory and selective, speaking only to the descendants of Lehi and not of Mulek, thus being a respector of persons or else some how the people of Zarahemla, the people of Muleck who were known to have been of he house of David were also in some way a part of the 'remnant of the house of Joseph'. This text presents that way in which the house of David is of the house of Joseph. It presents that Messiah ben David and Messiah ben Joseph are one and the same Messiah. And in this way the land of Joseph's inheritance, these Americas, is also the rightful land of inheritance of the a remnant of the house of David, for the house of David is legally and rightfully the heir of the house of Joseph and Ephraim and is ancestor to the Messiah, Christ being of the house of David.

Now again, if it were just this one item which did point to the fact that Christ, the house of David, is the heir of the tribe of Ephraim and Joseph, then it might easily be dismissed and discredited. But it is only one of the many items which this text does point out which so indicates that this is the case. How many evidences are necessary to complete the picture that Christ is Messiah ben Joseph as well as Messiah ben David?

There is one last consideration to add which seems to fit within this current discuss. The Gospel was restored to the earth, to the land of Joseph, that is the land of Joseph's inheritance. And the Gospel and salvation is to go forth out of the land of Joseph as part of the Abrahamic covenant. Only with the correlation of Christ being the source of the gospel and from whom it was to come and go forth to all the nations of the earth does the parallel fit that it is from the land of Joseph, the land of Christ, as Christ is Joseph's heir, that the gospel is to be carried forth unto all the world in the fulfillment of the covanant made with the fathers. This is Christ's land. It is his, not only by being its creator, but as being its earthly heir. And in this he also fulfills all righteousness. Perhaps Eratus Snow might be please to know, who he stated to be but a 'sprinkling of Judah', the people of Zarahemla who were more numerous than the Nephites (Omni 1:17, Mosiah 25:2-3), were not legally of Judah at all, but legally and rightfully of Ephraim as well. And not only of Ephraim but of the house of Joseph from which the Messiah was to come as had been stated throughout scripture for those who study it carefully.