"We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory." ~ 10th Article of Faith

Now in item 61, we set out that Ether of the Jaredites understood that America was the Land of Joseph. As a tenet of our religion, we further believe the the New Jerusalem will be built upon Joseph's land. And it should be presented that Jesus Christ will dwell and rule from being in the midst of the land of America, the New Jerusalem, the Land of Joseph, being in the midst of that people who are of the fruitful tribe of Joseph. When Jesus visited those of the house of Joseph in America, he stated:

"And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you." ~ 3 Nephi 20:22

'This people' are the people of Joseph who will have been given this land. It is in fulfillment of the that covenant with Jacob, Abraham and others that those of the tribe of Joseph, that is Ephraim as assisted by Manasseh, are to possess this land and take the gospel to all the earth in fulfillment of the Covenant of Abraham. This should be clearly understood. It was understood by Ether, as refered to above, that the New Jerusalem would be built by and to the people of Joseph, whose land this is.

"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, tht 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 sould 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 when 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; andthey are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel. ~ Ether 13:6-10

Who Should Come and Rule Joseph's Land?

Now there are two approaches to this point of the matter. The first is the simplest. Since this is Joseph's promised land for Joseph to posses, 'Who should rule Joseph's land? Should a person who is of the tribe of Judah rule Joseph's land? Ephraim is stated to be the firstborn in Israel in the sight of God. Now why would God put Judah ahead of and to rule over the firstborn of Israel, Ephraim who is representative of Joseph? Why would Judah rule over Joseph?

True, it is Jesus Christ who will come and rule and reign, but the Jews are quick that the Messiah is of the house of David. And thus they consider him a Jew. And thus they suppose themselves, the Jews, they who not only rejected the Messiah but crucified him, to be the tribe who will rule over all of 'Israel'? And will Judah so reign over all of Israel, the whole earth from Joseph's land, the land of the New Jerusalem? And will those of the tribe of the firstborn be placed in subjection to Judah?

The logic of that seem faulty. Joseph, through Ephraim, should rule over Joseph's land. And simply stated, if Jesus Christ is the Messiah ben Joseph as set out in this text, then certainly the logic of the matter has been followed. Joseph will rule over all of Isreal, the nations of the earth and those of the firstborn will be placed in subjection to 'Joseph', the tribe thereof, not Judah. This would be the case since Jesus Christ, the firstborn of God the Father, would be so established by earthly right as the heir of the firstborn, Ephraim or Joseph, in all the earth.

Judah long strove to take the right of leadership from Joseph. When Joseph was not to be killed as first planned, being preserved by the voice stated by Reuben, it was Judah who then contrived how to still rid himself of Joseph by suggesting in Rueben's absence that Joseph be sold as a slave. And thus Judah thought to rid himself of Joseph and to become the heir, the firstborn in Israel. It was Joseph's right to the firstborn and to the covenant as established by Rachel's prophecy, Joseph's dreams and Jacob's inspired selection after the failure of Reuben, not Judah's. Jacob so set forth and blessed Ephraim, Joseph's son to be the bearer of the covenant in Genesis 48. And we know that it is Ephraim who has been gathered first, being first led by that pure Ephraimite, Joseph Smith. From the land of promise, the land of Joseph, to all the world is the covenant of Abraham being fulfilled as set out in the Doctrine and Covenants and taught by the prophets and leaders of the church today.

The blessings of the fathers, since the preexistence and since God the Father of spirits first set forth the covenant and blessings of the father before the foundation of the world, has be preserved by Joseph (D&C 27:10). And it will not only be Joseph's covenant descendants in the last days who bring men to the gospel of God, but it will 'the covenant and promised seed of Joseph', even Jesus Christ, who has, who does and who will fulfill all things pertaining to the covenant under that covenant which was preserved and fulfilled in and through Joseph, not Judah.

This is the second point. The covenant was preserved and is fulfilled in its entirity by 'the seed'. That is 'the seed' which was 'the seed' of the woman who would have power to crush the serpant's head. This is Jesus Christ. This is the 'the seed' of the covenant which Abraham sought to be the father of according to the covenant and blessings of the fathers which so promised the coming of the Messiah, not only in the meridian of time but at the end of time to rule and reign and to fulfill all things of the blessings and the promises of the covenant. This is Jesus Christ. And it was bestowed upon Ephraim as the son of Joseph, to be the firstborn and heir of the covenant and thus 'the seed' of the covenant would come rightfully and legally according to the laws of God through that promised firstborn, Ephraim's seed, Messiah ben Ephraim, Messiah ben Joseph.

The covenant was never divided between Joseph and Judah for the Messiah to come of Judah and not of Joseph, and for Joseph to bear only the responsibility for the latter day work. The covenant stayed in tact. While Jesus is of the blood of Judah through Boaz, Boaz was but surrogate under the law of God. Boaz was raising up seed to the dead, Mahlon and the house of Elimelech. Obed was the rightful and legal heir of Mahlon, not Boaz and under the Law of God, Obed was 'the seed of Mahlon', not the seed of Boaz. In fact Obed was raised in Naomi's house, the grandmother, wife of Elimelech and mother of Mahlon. Obed was not raised in the house of Boaz.

"And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman [seed, a descendant], that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David" ~ Ruth 4:14-17

Obed, short for Obediah, meaning servant of the Lord, was the 'legal and rightful' son, under God's Law, the Law of Moses, of the house of Mahlon, Naomi, and Elimelech. He was not legally or rightfully a Jew. He was an Ephrathite, meaning like Joshua and Nun, he was of the tribe of Ephraim, a descendant of Joseph. And this particular line was the covenant line of Ephraim through which the Messiah would come. Jesse, Obed's son, was that Ephrathite of Bethlehem. And David was the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Mahlon, the son of Elimelech, who descended from Joshua the son of Nun, the rightful line of heirship to the covenant and the promised seed, even the Messiah to come, Messiah ben Joseph. And it is this Messiah's right to rule and reign from the city of New Jerusalem from the promised land of Joseph at His Second Coming when it will be revealed that he indeed is of the house of Joseph and that Messiah ben David, the glorious Messiah of the Second Coming, and Messiah ben Joseph, who was and is considered by the Jews as the 'suffering Messiah', is one and the same, that is Jesus Christ even the Great Jehovah.