Doctrine and Covenants Commentary - Section 113

by Don R. Hender

Take not away from Christ what is his. We may share in his heirship and in accord with our righteous work be deamed like unto him as saviors on Mount Zion. We are not him, we are subject unto him and we should not replace him with any of ourselves.

Scriptural Text [& Editorial] Commentary & Explanation Footnotes ~ References ~ JST

           SECTION 113
Answers to certain questions on the writings of Isaiah, given by Joseph Smith the Prophet, March 1838. HC 3:9-10.
The Lord answers certain questions through the prophet Joseph Smith revealing His identify and ancestry more specifically. It Is Christ

Beaten and Pressed as the Olive Tree and its Fruit upon the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane, as represented by the tree of life, and the central figure of the temple menorah; is Jesus Christ.

1—6, The Stem of Jesse, the rod coming therefrom, and the root of Jesse are identifited;
7—10, The scattered remnants of Zion have a right to the priesthood and are called to return to the Lord. 1—6, The rod, stem and root of Jesse, that seed of posterity, is one and the same, even Jesus and from him comes to those who do follow after in his image.
7—10, Those scattered remnants of Ephriam by linage, responsibility and worthiness as Zion in fulfilling the Covenant of Abraham, have had a preemptive right to the priesthood, which is now open to all righteous men of God's Kingdom.

It Is Christ
If one carefully reads the question and answer in verses 1 and 2 of D&C 113, then there is little question as to the identity of who is being spoken of in verses 1-5 of Isaiah chapter 11. 'IT IS CHRIST'. The 'Stem of Jesse', meaning the posterity of Jesse or the Promised Seed, is obviously Jesus Christ. But when verses 3 and 4 of D&C 113 next asks and answers concerning the 'rod' of verse 1 of Isaiah 11, why then do a number of readers all of a sudden change it to be someone other than Jesus Christ? The first question answered who it was who was spoken of in all of the first 5 verses of Isaiah 11:1-5. And the posterity or the promised seed is in particular Christ in all those 5 verses 1-5. It speaks of no one else in those first 5 verses of Isaiah chapter 11 but Jesus Christ.

D&C 113:1 Who is the ^aStem of Jesse^a [posterity of Jesse] spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?
D&C 113:2 Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ.

The Stem The symbolic concept of a 'stem' is worked in may ways in the scriptures to refer to Christ. Such other names as 'shoot', 'sprout', 'tender young plant', 'bud', 'bough', 'rod' and 'branch' come to mind, all pointing to Christ. It was Aaron's 'rod' which did symbolically 'bud' forth symultaneously symbolizing the life of Christ coming forth of the cutting of the plant. The 'Word', meaning and refereing to Christ, is also symbolized as the 'rod of iron'-'the Word of God' in the Book of Mormon. A number of scriptural references refers to Christ as the 'Branch' also implying that which grows out of the stump and/or root of the plant. For all intense purposes the House of Jesse was considered to be a 'dead' and 'dry' root, as no Kings of Judah did reign since the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. The immediate past and present Kings of the Jews were not of the House of David. 1^a Stem of Jesse Before one can know what complete meaning of the answer, they much understand the question. What is the question being asked? To understand this question, it is critical to understand what is meant by the concept of the 'stem of Jesse'. Though for respect to the answer of the question being 'Christ' the itendifying concept of the 'stem of Jesse' in the Doctrine and Covenants earns a capital 'S' upon 'stem', it was not so capitalized in the two versions of the scriptures which yeild the very text being inquired about. Both in the Book of Mormon 'inspired translation' of the Brass Plates account rendered in 2 Nephi 21 and in the King James Bible, it is stated in a 'descriptive' phrase of 'stem of Jesse' and not in the form of a formal name as the 'Stem of Jesse'. Thus we need to determine what is meant by the 'stem of Jesse' for it is NOT a formal name of Christ but a descriptive reference perhaps to Him or even perhaps to any one who is able to qualify as being of the 'stem of Jesse'.
  Simply stated, the concept of the stem of Jesse is that 'out growth' from Jesse who is his posterity, the fruit of his loins, his seed. Thus the 'symbolic' inference of the 'stem of Jesse' may be replaced by the clarifying phrase, 'posterity of Jesse'. Thus the question which is asked in D&C 113 is 'Who is the posterity of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?' And that particular posterity called the 'rod' is Jesus Christ, there is no doubt about that. 1^a Isa. 11:1 (1-5);
      2 Ne. 21:1 (1-5);
      TG Jesus Christ, Davidic Descent

2 Nephi 21:1-5 1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
{In chiasmic scriptural parallelism, the two parallel statements yeilds that the 'rod' is the 'branch' and the 'stem of Jesse' is 'his roots'.}
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
To understand what is being said a solid knowledge of the Godhead is needed. The Holy Ghost will be upon Christ the 'rod/branch' as that connection between Christ and the Father of Spirits. Chirst's Lord is the Father. Christ the Son is spoken of in all verses.

Dual Ancestry of the Messiah

Some speak of the dual ancestry of the Messiah. But they little understand it. No where in D&C 113 does the name 'Judah' appear. The name is 'Jesse'. It is only through the Stick of Judah perspective of traditional Judaism that the bloodline of Boaz being from Judah is presented in the compiled Old Testament and New Testament genealogies above the actual legal and rightful linage of the Messiah being of the 'House of the Dead' or legally being the son of Mahlon and of the House of Elimelech and not of Boaz other than that Boaz perform as the vicarious surrogate parent under the Law of God (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). When that perspective is understood, then it makes perfect sense that Christ should be stated to be an Ephrathite as was Mahlon, Elimelech, Joshua and Nun, the heirs of the Covenant of the Firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9). Thus Christ should be stated to be a descendant of Ephraim as well as Jesse and of the House of Joseph.

D&C 113:3 What [Who] is the ^arod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?
D&C 113:4 Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ^a, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of ^aEphraim^b, or of the house of Joseph^c, on whom there is laid much ^bpower.

A Subtle Understanding Christ, the anointed, was anointed and consecrated by the Father to act in the Father's stead in all things in administering the affairs of this second estate. As such 'Christ' is properly refered to as the Father as well as the Son. Christ often speaks in the name of the Father as though he were the Father and in such cases he will speak of himself in the 'third person'. Thus one needs to NOT exclude Jesus the Son from consideration as qualifiying as being being refered to in these verses (see also commentary 1 Nephi 10:4 red note 'a').

Linage of Christ Son of God: Jesus Christ's father was God the Father.
Covenant Heir: In order to fulfill all righteousness, Jesus Christ is the legal heir of the Covenant with all of its rights and privileges as he was the rightful heir of the house of Joseph, by whom the promises remained (D&C 27:10), even the Covenant Firstborn of Israel.
Blood of Judah: Jesus Christ was of the bloodline of Judah due to the vicarious surrogate performance of Boaz, who did raise up seed to his dead Ephraimite cousin/brother Mahlon, son of Elimelech and rightful heir of the house of Joseph.

" . . . whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." ~ D&C 1:38

4^a a servant in the hands of Christ Some wish to stipulate particularly that 'this rod' is Joseph Smith. Others present that it may be any such servant of Christ who the Savior uses in building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. And others seem pointedly to specify that is but Jesus Christ himself. So who is 'the rod', is it Joseph Smith, any servant of Christ in use, or Jesus Christ himself? The answer may well be the singular word, YES! 'Whether by Jesus Christ or by one who opperates as an instrument in the hands of Christ, it is the same.'
   Joseph Smith: How might it be Joseph Smith? Well as the prophet of the dispensation of the fulness of times and as that promised prophet and seer, descendant of Joeph of Egypt; it is through Joseph Smith that the restoration of the gospel has taken place and Joseph Smith stands as the prophet head of this dispensation upon whom there is laid much power. Thus it may refer to Joseph Smith in this particular consideration.
  Other Servants of Christ in Israel: How might it be any such servant who is used by Christ as a rod/staff in Christ's hand who does the work of Christ. It would be hard not to see any of the prophets of this dispensation from Joseph Smith to Thomas S. Monson not so fulfilling the requirements of this designation. As a member of Christ's church they are of the House of Israel, which house stands upon the two olive branches of the tribe of Judah and Joseph or of David/Jesse and Ephraim. It may even be so applied to a humble missionary in the mission field, a Bishop of a ward, or even a Sunday school teacher in the classroom upon whom the Spirit of the Holy Ghost has laid the power of interprtation, presentation and administration in the Gospel processes. Any may be a servant in the hands of Christ. And as the scriptures and the verse from D&C 1:38 so states, when one speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, they speak with the tongue of angels, and "whether by mine own voice [the voice of the Lord] or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."
  Jesus Christ: And not then also, how is it that it might even refer to Jesus Christ himself? Now it is common to speak of someone taking their 'life in their own hands'. And in the case of Jehovah who in the perception of the Old Testament does stand in the stead of God the Father in all things, and as he also stands as Jesus Christ the Son in the New Testament, from a third person manner of speaking, he may be seen as being 'that servant, the Messiah, in his own hands, even the hands of the Father by divine investiture. We say, that some one takes their life in their own hands all the time. And again, whereas Jehovah has been ordained to act and speak in behalf of the Father in all things it has been common for him to speak of himself, when refering to the Messiah, in the third person. So it should not be to hard to understand that when the 'Lord saith: It is a servant in the hands of Christ', that it is but Christ in his own hands, taking his life in his own hands, who is being spoken of here by the voice of God.
4^b partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim This is an 'in-line' ancestry not an 'and also' secon line ancestry. Jesse is that Ephrathite or Ephraimite of Bethlehemjudah (1 Samuel 17:12), the son of Obed the legal and rightful seed and heir of those Ephrathites, Mahlon and Elimelech (Ruth 1:2) the heirs of the Covenant of the Firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9) from Joshua and Nun (Jasher 81:54) back to Ephraim and Joseph of Egypt. It is as stating that my son is a descendant of me as well as my father. It is that type of 'in-line' ancestry that precludes that if one is of Jesse, one is of Ephraim. Or in other words of the house of Joseph. The 'House of Judah' is not stated here at all. What is meant by 'partly a descendant' here has reference to the fact that Christ was mortal only in that He was the Son of Mary. The other part of Christ's ancestry is that He is the Son of God. Mary was his mother and God the Father was his father, which gave him the power to die as well as to raise from the dead and over come death. This is what 'partly' means here.
4^c or of the house of Joseph Simply stated, Jesus Christ was of the house of Joseph. He was only a Jew in the same sense as was Lehi, Ishmael and Nephi when they refer to themselves as being Jews, meaning of the nation of the Jews, though descendants of Joseph. Also, Jesus was of the bloodline of Judah through his vicarious surrogate performing parent Boaz, though the whole of the house of Obed, Jesse and David is that of being Ephrathite or Ephraimite after the legal and rightful course of the house of Mahlon and Elimelech. (See Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph) It seems somewhat appropriate that by his legal and lawful right, Christ was heir to the Covenant and Priesthood of the Firstborn through Ephraim and Joseph, while it was the surrogate blood of corruption of Judah that was spelt in Gethsemane. 3^a Ps. 110:2 (1-4)
4^a Gen. 41:52 (50-52);
      D&C 133:34 (30-34);
      TG Israel, Joseph, People of
   ^b 2 Ne. 21:10 (10-12)

The Rod and Branch The 'rod' paralleled with the 'branch' is Christ but due to the 'misleading' manner of the previous question and the lack of understanding how 'the anointed' of the Father, that is Christ, is set to be the 'Eternal Father' representing the Father and as such 'the servant' who is Jesus, can be said to be in the hand of Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament who stands to the world as the Father by divine investiture, thus Jehovah holds 'the servant' Jesus in his hand though he is both 'the anointed' and 'the servant'; therefore it is lost what the answer to this question is really saying.
Jesus, 'the servant', is partly a descendant of man and partly a descendant of God the Father. And since the House of Jesse is legally the seed of Ephraim of is of the house of Joseph, so is Christ partly of God and partly of Jesse was well as Jesse's legal ancestry, Ephraim and the house of Joseph. And much power, in fact the fulness of the God of the Father is placed upon Him. But without a full knowledge and understanding of God the Father and of the Son and the ancestry of the Son, this answer seems to contradict all the knowledge and understanding given by the Old Testament scriptures which proclaim the Messiah to be the 'branch' and the 'rod' come forth out of the posterity of Jesse.

The Root of Jesse/David
Now it ought to be easily understood that the root of Jesse is the same as the root of David, Jesse being the father of David and David being Jesse's son, they are of the same genealogy. Jesse may be used in some instances due to the fact that King David lost his eternal reward and position, and it is but through Jesse his father that the patriarchal order of heaven and of the priesthood does remain in tact.

"And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust." ~ Romans 15:12
The whole of the 15^th chapter of Romans is an expose of Paul concerning Jesus Christ and in verse 15 Paul centrally identifies 'the Root of Jesse' of Isaiah 11:10 as being non other than Jesus Christ.

"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behole the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." ~ Revelation 5:5

If Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, does that not preclude that he cannot be descended from Joseph? No. While Jesus was of the bloodline of Judah by the surrogate fatherhood of Boaz and thus accepted by the Jews as a kinsman Jew, legally he was the son of the dead Mahlon and of the house of Naomi and Elimelech, Ephraimites. Yet Judah desired to be the premire tribe of Jacob. And according to the perception and record kept by the Jews, since the day when David so chose Judah over Israel (see II Samuel 19 particularly verses 41-43) and since the captivity of the 10 tribes of Israel, being taken and scattered into the nations of the world, the Messiah, descendant of David, was considered of the tribe of Judah after his blood line from Boaz and Judah. That is, the genealogy was NOT kept according to the birthright, though by that birthright of the covenant did the blessings of heaven prevail from Jacob to Joseph (D&C 27:10) and thence down through Ephraim unto Christ by the surogate raising up a son unto the dead house of Elimelech; yet as skewed by the Jews, 'Judah prevailed' from their perspective (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." ~ Revelation 22:16

In Revelation 1:12, John turns to see 'seven golden candlesticks' or lamps and 'in the midst of them he sees 'the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about with a golden girdle'. 'His head hairs white like wool, white as snow, his eyes as a flame of fire and his feet like fine brass as if burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters'. This description is much the same as what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw when the Lord God Jehovah appeared unto them in the Kirtland Temple (see D&C 110:2-3). The Menorah of the temple is a seven lamp or candlestick candelabra in appearance. And this is want and who John seems to have seen. And like the briliant tree of life of Lehi's dream, it is and was a representation of Christ and of God's love, the source of eternal light and life unto all the earth. The seven candlestick being one for each of the seven churches of the seven dispensations of time, Christ's own being in the midsts of them. And he the 'bright and morning star' of them all.

"What [Who] is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10^th verse of the 11^th chapter? Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days." ~ D&C 113:5-6

As thus far defines, the 'root of Jesse/David' is Jesus Christ. All rightly belongs to him, the priesthood, the keys of the kingdom, yea even the very kingdom of God. He is our ensign unto whom the goather of the people is in the last days; unto Christ, Jesus. And as it further states in D&C 113:6, 'He is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph'. And that descent is direct, through Jesse back throuh Joseph (See Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph).

"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious." ~ Isaiah 11:10/2 Nephi 21:10

Yes, the root of Jesse is Jesus Christ and 'his rest' both of the Millennium and eventually in the Kingdom of God, will be glorious. Coming to know him and who he is, is a part of obtaining eternal life, 'For this is life eternal that they might know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent', and we are to 'search the scriptures for in them we think we have eternal life, and they are they which testify of him.'

Why Hidden?

The legal and rightful heir to the covenant blessings of the fathers, to the priesthood and the keys of the kingdom has been hid in Judah though of Joseph and Ephraim for some good reasons. Ever since the sons of Jacob sought to murder Joseph their brother in order to not have him become the heir of Jacob, their has been envy and jealousy of Joseph's house. The divide between Rachel's and Leah's children was strong. Since the time that Rueben defiled the concubine given Jacob by Rachel, the sons of Leah has despised Jacob's house through Rachel. And with Reuben, Simeon and Levi moved out of the way of descent to the covenant by their wickedness and shame brought upon Jacob, it was Judah who perceived that he stood in line to the birthright. When Judah ] saw that Joseph was not to be removed by murder because of Reuben's stand, it was Judah who then contrived to remove Joseph by selling him as a slave into Egypt. And so Judah usurped unto the covenant, to be the firstborn birthright holder of Jacob. But Joseph was not dead and gone, but returned. And the birthright was his (D&C 27:10). Even in life Jacob assured that it would fall upon Joseph and his descendants when he blessed Ephraim in the stead of the his firstborn. And Ephraim became Israel. But the tribe of Judah grasped their positional opportunity when David chose Judah over Israel (2 Samuel 19) and the kingdom of Israel/Ephraim, was destoryed and taken into captivity and scattered. Judah then became the record keepers of the Bible and that very Jewish perspective prevailed, that Judah, the kingdom of Judah was that which did remain and that through David was the Messiah to come. And the genealogy according to the birthright of Joseph/Ephraim was denied and decided that the genealogy would only be kept according to the bloodline from Boaz and not the legal and rightful line of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).
And it is to this end that the Messiah has been hidden in Judah, and so that the house of Jacob would not be divided and Judah rebel intirely from God. Even today the Jews resent any such claim by the house of Israel/Ephraim to any such honor in Israel. And until the return of Christ, it is likely that generally it will remain 'hidden' that Christ is the heir of Joseph through Ephraim rightfully to the covenant blessings of the birthright. And then as Ezekiel states, they shall become one in Christ, the New Jerusalem of Joseph and Christ being in America, the land of Adam, as well as the Jews retaining their chosen seat in the 'old' Jerusalem of their choice.

"Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven." ~ D&C 101:32-34

D&C 113:5 What is the ^aroot of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?
D&C 113:6 Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a ^adescendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the ^bpriesthood, and the ^ckeys of the kingdom, for an ^densign, and for the gathering of my people in the ^elast days.

Holders of the Keys There is but one unto whom all of the Keys belong, who governs and controls them all, overseeing the bestowal and commitment of them upon whom he will. The rest are 'holders' only. The Prophet today, as did the Prophet Joseph Smith, holds the keys to the kingdom. But they are not his, he is the earthly caretaker and keeper of them only. The Kingdom is the Lord's and the keys are his, and his alone. He may bestow them upon man, he may commit them to man, and often he does so, giving the charge of them through his servants to whom he will. And at any needful times, since they are his to give and take, he may recover them from the hands of man, there have been fallen prophets. Thus when it speaks of the root of Jesse to whom the keys of the kingdom do rightly belong, there is only one whose kingdom and keys they are. The rest are but appointees, keepers and holders of the keys. They may have them commited to the possesion of their hands and they may use them according to his direction and will, but they are but his and his alone. It is Christ who is the root of Jesse, the root of David, to whom the keys do rightfully belong, none else can so claim them in ownership but him. He paid for them with his blood. They are his by right. Yet he bestows and commits them to man, sharing the use of them with man to the end of bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, the spirit children of God who kept their estate before him. Again, Christ is the 'root of Jesse', the 'root of David'. It is he who is the 'Ensign' held up to the nations for the gathering of God's people in the last days. He is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, for Jesse is legally the seed of Joseph, and so would be Christ. It was Joseph and his son Ephraim to whom the covenant promises did pass, not Judah. And just as we who are of Ephraim have right to the priesthood, so also to Christ did rightly belong the priesthood by his legal heirship from Ephriam and Joseph. It is Christ who holds all the keys of the kingdom.
Unlike the lifting up of Jesus upon the cross to his dishonor and death, in the latter-days is Christ lifted up for an ensign to the nations in glory and to life everlasting. The lifting up of the fiery brazen serpents by Moses did not only forshadow the lifting up of Christ upon the cross, but the lifting him up as an Ensign to the world in glory and honor. He is our standard our example which we are to follow in all things.

General Application to All We are taught to 'liken' the scriptures unto ourselves and we are also taught to follow the course and the example of the Savior. Thus as men come forth and take the name of Jesus Christ upon them, there is a 'general application' of whom these verses do speak. Christ sets the standard that we are to follow. As is stated, Christ is the 'root of Jesse', the 'root of David' (Isaiah 11:1 & 10, Romans 15:12 (3-12), 2 Nephi 21:1 & 10, Revelation 5:5, 22:16, D&C 113:5). This descent can be interpreted to be either of being of dual descent through two separate lines of ancestry or it could well be interpreted as being of one single lineal line which linially contains both progenitors along one single proper line of ancestry.
In the D&C 132 it states, "I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was." We are taught and understand that all of the holy prophet of God were 'foreordained' in the preexistance, before the world was. Now the 'order' of this priesthood was patriarchal as D&C 107:40-41 states, "The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made. This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage ... " Now Abraham sought after and became heir to this priesthood and blessing, by since his father Terah was unworthy, Abraham received his priesthood from Melchizedek, which Melechizedek received it through his fathers, even till Noah (D&C 84:14).
5^a 2 Ne. 21:10 (10-12)
6^a Isa. 11;10
   ^b TG Priesthood, Melchizedek
   ^c D&C 110:11;
      TG Priesthood, Keys of
   ^d Isa. 30:17; D&C 45:9;
      2 Ne. 21:11 (10-12);
      TG Ensign
   ^e TG Israel, Gathering of;
      TG Last Days

Unto Whom Rightly
Belongs the Priesthood Like the discussion of the keys of the kingdom, there is but one to whom rightly belongs the priesthood, from whom it cannot be withheld for any reason, He being one with the Father. He is the heir of the Father, the firstborn son in the spirit, the anointed of the Father from the before the foundation of the world, and the Only Begotten Son in the flesh. To him rightly belongs the priesthood. And while by this divine right it was and is his, like that example set forth upon the ocassion of his baptism, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he also complied to the way of earthly right of the proper lineage right, which linage right remained through Joseph and his son Ephraim. Christ being that legal descendant of that Ephrathite Jesse, who was the legal descendant of that Ephrathite Mahlon and his father Elimelech, they being the rightful descendants of that Ephrathite Joshua and his father Nun, who were the rightful heirs of Ephraim and of Joseph, who were the rightful heirs of Jacob, Isaac and Abraham, which Abraham received the right of the fathers' to such blessing by the hand of Melchizedek and back through the fathers, Noah, Enoch and Adam, who received the right to the everlasting covenant which is inseparable from the rights of the priesthood. Thus in fulfillment of all righteousness did Jesus have right to the priesthood not only as the firstborn of the Father in the spirit and the Only begotten of the Father in the flesh, thus having the divine and eternal spiritual right to the priesthood of God, which was and is after his own only order, but by earthly temporal right, through the fathers of the covenant, down to Christ by legal and rightful linage, did Christ also have right to the priesthood, thus fulfilling all righteousness in the law both spiritual and temporal as he had done in the performances of all the temporal Law of Moses and even unto the being baptised by the hand of John.

D&C 113:7 Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion -- and what people had Isaiah reference to?
D&C 113:8 He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the ^apower of ^bpriesthood to bring again ^cZion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her ^dstrength is to put on the ^eauthority of the ^fpriesthood, which she, Zion, has a ^gright to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost.

8^a TG Priesthood, Power of
   ^b D&C 86:8; TG Priesthood, Keys of
   ^c TG Zion
   ^d Isa. 45:24; Isa. 52:1; 1 Ne. 17:3;
      D&C 82:14; TG Israel, Restoration of
      TG Strength
   ^e TG Authority
      TG Mission of Latter-day Saints
      TG Priesthood, Authority
   ^f TG Priesthood, History of
   ^g TG Birthright

D&C 113:9 What are we to understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of her neck; 2d verse?
D&C 113:10 We are to understand that the ^ascattered ^bremnants are exhorted to ^creturn to the Lord from whence they have fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that he will speak to them, or give them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. The ^dbands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants of Israel in their scattered condition among the Gentiles.

10^a TG Israel, Scattering of
     ^b Micah 5:3; TG Israel, Remnant of
     ^c Hosea 3:5; 2 Ne. 6:11
     ^d Isa. 52:2 (2, 6-8); TG Bondage Spiritual

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
SECTION 113 Answers to certain questions on the writings of Isaiah, given by Joseph Smith the Prophet, March 1838. HC 3:9-10.	The Lord answers certain questions through the prophet Joseph Smith revealing His identify and ancestry more specifically.	*It Is Christ* *Beaten and Pressed as the Olive Tree and its Fruit upon the Mount of Olives in Gethsemane, as represented by the tree of life, and the central figure of the temple menorah; is Jesus Christ.*
1—6, The Stem of Jesse, the rod coming therefrom, and the root of Jesse are identifited; 7—10, The scattered remnants of Zion have a right to the priesthood and are called to return to the Lord.	1—6, The rod, stem and root of Jesse, that seed of posterity, is one and the same, even Jesus and from him comes to those who do follow after in his image. 7—10, Those scattered remnants of Ephriam by linage, responsibility and worthiness as Zion in fulfilling the Covenant of Abraham, have had a preemptive right to the priesthood, which is now open to all righteous men of God's Kingdom.
It Is Christ If one carefully reads the question and answer in verses 1 and 2 of D&C 113, then there is little question as to the identity of who is being spoken of in verses 1-5 of Isaiah chapter 11. 'IT IS CHRIST'. The 'Stem of Jesse', meaning the posterity of Jesse or the Promised Seed, is obviously Jesus Christ. But when verses 3 and 4 of D&C 113 next asks and answers concerning the 'rod' of verse 1 of Isaiah 11, why then do a number of readers all of a sudden change it to be someone other than Jesus Christ? The first question answered who it was who was spoken of in all of the first 5 verses of Isaiah 11:1-5. And the posterity or the promised seed is in particular Christ in all those 5 verses 1-5. It speaks of no one else in those first 5 verses of Isaiah chapter 11 but Jesus Christ.
D&C 113:1 Who is the ^aStem of Jesse^a [posterity of Jesse] spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah? D&C 113:2 Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. The Stem The symbolic concept of a 'stem' is worked in may ways in the scriptures to refer to Christ. Such other names as 'shoot', 'sprout', 'tender young plant', 'bud', 'bough', 'rod' and 'branch' come to mind, all pointing to Christ. It was Aaron's 'rod' which did symbolically 'bud' forth symultaneously symbolizing the life of Christ coming forth of the cutting of the plant. The 'Word', meaning and refereing to Christ, is also symbolized as the 'rod of iron'-'the Word of God' in the Book of Mormon. A number of scriptural references refers to Christ as the 'Branch' also implying that which grows out of the stump and/or root of the plant. For all intense purposes the House of Jesse was considered to be a 'dead' and 'dry' root, as no Kings of Judah did reign since the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. The immediate past and present Kings of the Jews were not of the House of David.	1^a Stem of Jesse Before one can know what complete meaning of the answer, they much understand the question. What is the question being asked? To understand this question, it is critical to understand what is meant by the concept of the 'stem of Jesse'. Though for respect to the answer of the question being 'Christ' the itendifying concept of the 'stem of Jesse' in the Doctrine and Covenants earns a capital 'S' upon 'stem', it was not so capitalized in the two versions of the scriptures which yeild the very text being inquired about. Both in the Book of Mormon 'inspired translation' of the Brass Plates account rendered in 2 Nephi 21 and in the King James Bible, it is stated in a 'descriptive' phrase of 'stem of Jesse' and not in the form of a formal name as the 'Stem of Jesse'. Thus we need to determine what is meant by the 'stem of Jesse' for it is NOT a formal name of Christ but a descriptive reference perhaps to Him or even perhaps to any one who is able to qualify as being of the 'stem of Jesse'. Simply stated, the concept of the stem of Jesse is that 'out growth' from Jesse who is his posterity, the fruit of his loins, his seed. Thus the 'symbolic' inference of the 'stem of Jesse' may be replaced by the clarifying phrase, 'posterity of Jesse'. Thus the question which is asked in D&C 113 is 'Who is the posterity of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah?' And that particular posterity called the 'rod' is Jesus Christ, there is no doubt about that.	1^a Isa. 11:1 (1-5); 2 Ne. 21:1 (1-5); TG Jesus Christ, Davidic Descent 2 Nephi 21:1-5 1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. {In chiasmic scriptural parallelism, the two parallel statements yeilds that the 'rod' is the 'branch' and the 'stem of Jesse' is 'his roots'.} 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. To understand what is being said a solid knowledge of the Godhead is needed. The Holy Ghost will be upon Christ the 'rod/branch' as that connection between Christ and the Father of Spirits. Chirst's Lord is the Father. Christ the Son is spoken of in all verses.
Dual Ancestry of the Messiah Some speak of the dual ancestry of the Messiah. But they little understand it. No where in D&C 113 does the name 'Judah' appear. The name is 'Jesse'. It is only through the Stick of Judah perspective of traditional Judaism that the bloodline of Boaz being from Judah is presented in the compiled Old Testament and New Testament genealogies above the actual legal and rightful linage of the Messiah being of the 'House of the Dead' or legally being the son of Mahlon and of the House of Elimelech and not of Boaz other than that Boaz perform as the vicarious surrogate parent under the Law of God (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). When that perspective is understood, then it makes perfect sense that Christ should be stated to be an Ephrathite as was Mahlon, Elimelech, Joshua and Nun, the heirs of the Covenant of the Firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9). Thus Christ should be stated to be a descendant of Ephraim as well as Jesse and of the House of Joseph.
D&C 113:3 What [Who] is the ^arod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse? D&C 113:4 Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ^a, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of ^aEphraim^b, or of the house of Joseph^c, on whom there is laid much ^bpower. A Subtle Understanding Christ, the anointed, was anointed and consecrated by the Father to act in the Father's stead in all things in administering the affairs of this second estate. As such 'Christ' is properly refered to as the Father as well as the Son. Christ often speaks in the name of the Father as though he were the Father and in such cases he will speak of himself in the 'third person'. Thus one needs to NOT exclude Jesus the Son from consideration as qualifiying as being being refered to in these verses (see also commentary 1 Nephi 10:4 red note 'a'). Linage of Christ Son of God: Jesus Christ's father was God the Father. Covenant Heir: In order to fulfill all righteousness, Jesus Christ is the legal heir of the Covenant with all of its rights and privileges as he was the rightful heir of the house of Joseph, by whom the promises remained (D&C 27:10), even the Covenant Firstborn of Israel. Blood of Judah: Jesus Christ was of the bloodline of Judah due to the vicarious surrogate performance of Boaz, who did raise up seed to his dead Ephraimite cousin/brother Mahlon, son of Elimelech and rightful heir of the house of Joseph.	" . . . whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." ~ D&C 1:38 4^a a servant in the hands of Christ Some wish to stipulate particularly that 'this rod' is Joseph Smith. Others present that it may be any such servant of Christ who the Savior uses in building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. And others seem pointedly to specify that is but Jesus Christ himself. So who is 'the rod', is it Joseph Smith, any servant of Christ in use, or Jesus Christ himself? The answer may well be the singular word, YES! 'Whether by Jesus Christ or by one who opperates as an instrument in the hands of Christ, it is the same.' Joseph Smith: How might it be Joseph Smith? Well as the prophet of the dispensation of the fulness of times and as that promised prophet and seer, descendant of Joeph of Egypt; it is through Joseph Smith that the restoration of the gospel has taken place and Joseph Smith stands as the prophet head of this dispensation upon whom there is laid much power. Thus it may refer to Joseph Smith in this particular consideration. Other Servants of Christ in Israel: How might it be any such servant who is used by Christ as a rod/staff in Christ's hand who does the work of Christ. It would be hard not to see any of the prophets of this dispensation from Joseph Smith to Thomas S. Monson not so fulfilling the requirements of this designation. As a member of Christ's church they are of the House of Israel, which house stands upon the two olive branches of the tribe of Judah and Joseph or of David/Jesse and Ephraim. It may even be so applied to a humble missionary in the mission field, a Bishop of a ward, or even a Sunday school teacher in the classroom upon whom the Spirit of the Holy Ghost has laid the power of interprtation, presentation and administration in the Gospel processes. Any may be a servant in the hands of Christ. And as the scriptures and the verse from D&C 1:38 so states, when one speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, they speak with the tongue of angels, and "whether by mine own voice [the voice of the Lord] or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." Jesus Christ: And not then also, how is it that it might even refer to Jesus Christ himself? Now it is common to speak of someone taking their 'life in their own hands'. And in the case of Jehovah who in the perception of the Old Testament does stand in the stead of God the Father in all things, and as he also stands as Jesus Christ the Son in the New Testament, from a third person manner of speaking, he may be seen as being 'that servant, the Messiah, in his own hands, even the hands of the Father by divine investiture. We say, that some one takes their life in their own hands all the time. And again, whereas Jehovah has been ordained to act and speak in behalf of the Father in all things it has been common for him to speak of himself, when refering to the Messiah, in the third person. So it should not be to hard to understand that when the 'Lord saith: It is a servant in the hands of Christ', that it is but Christ in his own hands, taking his life in his own hands, who is being spoken of here by the voice of God. 4^b partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim This is an 'in-line' ancestry not an 'and also' secon line ancestry. Jesse is that Ephrathite or Ephraimite of Bethlehemjudah (1 Samuel 17:12), the son of Obed the legal and rightful seed and heir of those Ephrathites, Mahlon and Elimelech (Ruth 1:2) the heirs of the Covenant of the Firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9) from Joshua and Nun (Jasher 81:54) back to Ephraim and Joseph of Egypt. It is as stating that my son is a descendant of me as well as my father. It is that type of 'in-line' ancestry that precludes that if one is of Jesse, one is of Ephraim. Or in other words of the house of Joseph. The 'House of Judah' is not stated here at all. What is meant by 'partly a descendant' here has reference to the fact that Christ was mortal only in that He was the Son of Mary. The other part of Christ's ancestry is that He is the Son of God. Mary was his mother and God the Father was his father, which gave him the power to die as well as to raise from the dead and over come death. This is what 'partly' means here. 4^c or of the house of Joseph Simply stated, Jesus Christ was of the house of Joseph. He was only a Jew in the same sense as was Lehi, Ishmael and Nephi when they refer to themselves as being Jews, meaning of the nation of the Jews, though descendants of Joseph. Also, Jesus was of the bloodline of Judah through his vicarious surrogate performing parent Boaz, though the whole of the house of Obed, Jesse and David is that of being Ephrathite or Ephraimite after the legal and rightful course of the house of Mahlon and Elimelech. (See Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph) It seems somewhat appropriate that by his legal and lawful right, Christ was heir to the Covenant and Priesthood of the Firstborn through Ephraim and Joseph, while it was the surrogate blood of corruption of Judah that was spelt in Gethsemane.	3^a Ps. 110:2 (1-4) 4^a Gen. 41:52 (50-52); D&C 133:34 (30-34); TG Israel, Joseph, People of ^b 2 Ne. 21:10 (10-12) The Rod and Branch The 'rod' paralleled with the 'branch' is Christ but due to the 'misleading' manner of the previous question and the lack of understanding how 'the anointed' of the Father, that is Christ, is set to be the 'Eternal Father' representing the Father and as such 'the servant' who is Jesus, can be said to be in the hand of Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament who stands to the world as the Father by divine investiture, thus Jehovah holds 'the servant' Jesus in his hand though he is both 'the anointed' and 'the servant'; therefore it is lost what the answer to this question is really saying. Jesus, 'the servant', is partly a descendant of man and partly a descendant of God the Father. And since the House of Jesse is legally the seed of Ephraim of is of the house of Joseph, so is Christ partly of God and partly of Jesse was well as Jesse's legal ancestry, Ephraim and the house of Joseph. And much power, in fact the fulness of the God of the Father is placed upon Him. But without a full knowledge and understanding of God the Father and of the Son and the ancestry of the Son, this answer seems to contradict all the knowledge and understanding given by the Old Testament scriptures which proclaim the Messiah to be the 'branch' and the 'rod' come forth out of the posterity of Jesse.
The Root of Jesse/David Now it ought to be easily understood that the root of Jesse is the same as the root of David, Jesse being the father of David and David being Jesse's son, they are of the same genealogy. Jesse may be used in some instances due to the fact that King David lost his eternal reward and position, and it is but through Jesse his father that the patriarchal order of heaven and of the priesthood does remain in tact. "And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust." ~ Romans 15:12 The whole of the 15^th chapter of Romans is an expose of Paul concerning Jesus Christ and in verse 15 Paul centrally identifies 'the Root of Jesse' of Isaiah 11:10 as being non other than Jesus Christ. "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behole the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." ~ Revelation 5:5 If Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, does that not preclude that he cannot be descended from Joseph? No. While Jesus was of the bloodline of Judah by the surrogate fatherhood of Boaz and thus accepted by the Jews as a kinsman Jew, legally he was the son of the dead Mahlon and of the house of Naomi and Elimelech, Ephraimites. Yet Judah desired to be the premire tribe of Jacob. And according to the perception and record kept by the Jews, since the day when David so chose Judah over Israel (see II Samuel 19 particularly verses 41-43) and since the captivity of the 10 tribes of Israel, being taken and scattered into the nations of the world, the Messiah, descendant of David, was considered of the tribe of Judah after his blood line from Boaz and Judah. That is, the genealogy was NOT kept according to the birthright, though by that birthright of the covenant did the blessings of heaven prevail from Jacob to Joseph (D&C 27:10) and thence down through Ephraim unto Christ by the surogate raising up a son unto the dead house of Elimelech; yet as skewed by the Jews, 'Judah prevailed' from their perspective (1 Chronicles 5:1-2). "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." ~ Revelation 22:16 In Revelation 1:12, John turns to see 'seven golden candlesticks' or lamps and 'in the midst of them he sees 'the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about with a golden girdle'. 'His head hairs white like wool, white as snow, his eyes as a flame of fire and his feet like fine brass as if burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters'. This description is much the same as what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw when the Lord God Jehovah appeared unto them in the Kirtland Temple (see D&C 110:2-3). The Menorah of the temple is a seven lamp or candlestick candelabra in appearance. And this is want and who John seems to have seen. And like the briliant tree of life of Lehi's dream, it is and was a representation of Christ and of God's love, the source of eternal light and life unto all the earth. The seven candlestick being one for each of the seven churches of the seven dispensations of time, Christ's own being in the midsts of them. And he the 'bright and morning star' of them all. "What [Who] is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10^th verse of the 11^th chapter? Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days." ~ D&C 113:5-6 As thus far defines, the 'root of Jesse/David' is Jesus Christ. All rightly belongs to him, the priesthood, the keys of the kingdom, yea even the very kingdom of God. He is our ensign unto whom the goather of the people is in the last days; unto Christ, Jesus. And as it further states in D&C 113:6, 'He is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph'. And that descent is direct, through Jesse back throuh Joseph (See Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph). "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious." ~ Isaiah 11:10/2 Nephi 21:10 Yes, the root of Jesse is Jesus Christ and 'his rest' both of the Millennium and eventually in the Kingdom of God, will be glorious. Coming to know him and who he is, is a part of obtaining eternal life, 'For this is life eternal that they might know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent', and we are to 'search the scriptures for in them we think we have eternal life, and they are they which testify of him.' Why Hidden? The legal and rightful heir to the covenant blessings of the fathers, to the priesthood and the keys of the kingdom has been hid in Judah though of Joseph and Ephraim for some good reasons. Ever since the sons of Jacob sought to murder Joseph their brother in order to not have him become the heir of Jacob, their has been envy and jealousy of Joseph's house. The divide between Rachel's and Leah's children was strong. Since the time that Rueben defiled the concubine given Jacob by Rachel, the sons of Leah has despised Jacob's house through Rachel. And with Reuben, Simeon and Levi moved out of the way of descent to the covenant by their wickedness and shame brought upon Jacob, it was Judah who perceived that he stood in line to the birthright. When Judah ] saw that Joseph was not to be removed by murder because of Reuben's stand, it was Judah who then contrived to remove Joseph by selling him as a slave into Egypt. And so Judah usurped unto the covenant, to be the firstborn birthright holder of Jacob. But Joseph was not dead and gone, but returned. And the birthright was his (D&C 27:10). Even in life Jacob assured that it would fall upon Joseph and his descendants when he blessed Ephraim in the stead of the his firstborn. And Ephraim became Israel. But the tribe of Judah grasped their positional opportunity when David chose Judah over Israel (2 Samuel 19) and the kingdom of Israel/Ephraim, was destoryed and taken into captivity and scattered. Judah then became the record keepers of the Bible and that very Jewish perspective prevailed, that Judah, the kingdom of Judah was that which did remain and that through David was the Messiah to come. And the genealogy according to the birthright of Joseph/Ephraim was denied and decided that the genealogy would only be kept according to the bloodline from Boaz and not the legal and rightful line of Ephraim (1 Chronicles 5:1-2). And it is to this end that the Messiah has been hidden in Judah, and so that the house of Jacob would not be divided and Judah rebel intirely from God. Even today the Jews resent any such claim by the house of Israel/Ephraim to any such honor in Israel. And until the return of Christ, it is likely that generally it will remain 'hidden' that Christ is the heir of Joseph through Ephraim rightfully to the covenant blessings of the birthright. And then as Ezekiel states, they shall become one in Christ, the New Jerusalem of Joseph and Christ being in America, the land of Adam, as well as the Jews retaining their chosen seat in the 'old' Jerusalem of their choice. "Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven." ~ D&C 101:32-34
D&C 113:5 What is the ^aroot of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter? D&C 113:6 Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a ^adescendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the ^bpriesthood, and the ^ckeys of the kingdom, for an ^densign, and for the gathering of my people in the ^elast days. Holders of the Keys There is but one unto whom all of the Keys belong, who governs and controls them all, overseeing the bestowal and commitment of them upon whom he will. The rest are 'holders' only. The Prophet today, as did the Prophet Joseph Smith, holds the keys to the kingdom. But they are not his, he is the earthly caretaker and keeper of them only. The Kingdom is the Lord's and the keys are his, and his alone. He may bestow them upon man, he may commit them to man, and often he does so, giving the charge of them through his servants to whom he will. And at any needful times, since they are his to give and take, he may recover them from the hands of man, there have been fallen prophets. Thus when it speaks of the root of Jesse to whom the keys of the kingdom do rightly belong, there is only one whose kingdom and keys they are. The rest are but appointees, keepers and holders of the keys. They may have them commited to the possesion of their hands and they may use them according to his direction and will, but they are but his and his alone. It is Christ who is the root of Jesse, the root of David, to whom the keys do rightfully belong, none else can so claim them in ownership but him. He paid for them with his blood. They are his by right. Yet he bestows and commits them to man, sharing the use of them with man to the end of bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, the spirit children of God who kept their estate before him.	Again, Christ is the 'root of Jesse', the 'root of David'. It is he who is the 'Ensign' held up to the nations for the gathering of God's people in the last days. He is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, for Jesse is legally the seed of Joseph, and so would be Christ. It was Joseph and his son Ephraim to whom the covenant promises did pass, not Judah. And just as we who are of Ephraim have right to the priesthood, so also to Christ did rightly belong the priesthood by his legal heirship from Ephriam and Joseph. It is Christ who holds all the keys of the kingdom. Unlike the lifting up of Jesus upon the cross to his dishonor and death, in the latter-days is Christ lifted up for an ensign to the nations in glory and to life everlasting. The lifting up of the fiery brazen serpents by Moses did not only forshadow the lifting up of Christ upon the cross, but the lifting him up as an Ensign to the world in glory and honor. He is our standard our example which we are to follow in all things. General Application to All We are taught to 'liken' the scriptures unto ourselves and we are also taught to follow the course and the example of the Savior. Thus as men come forth and take the name of Jesus Christ upon them, there is a 'general application' of whom these verses do speak. Christ sets the standard that we are to follow. As is stated, Christ is the 'root of Jesse', the 'root of David' (Isaiah 11:1 & 10, Romans 15:12 (3-12), 2 Nephi 21:1 & 10, Revelation 5:5, 22:16, D&C 113:5). This descent can be interpreted to be either of being of dual descent through two separate lines of ancestry or it could well be interpreted as being of one single lineal line which linially contains both progenitors along one single proper line of ancestry. In the D&C 132 it states, "I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was." We are taught and understand that all of the holy prophet of God were 'foreordained' in the preexistance, before the world was. Now the 'order' of this priesthood was patriarchal as D&C 107:40-41 states, "The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made. This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage ... " Now Abraham sought after and became heir to this priesthood and blessing, by since his father Terah was unworthy, Abraham received his priesthood from Melchizedek, which Melechizedek received it through his fathers, even till Noah (D&C 84:14).	5^a 2 Ne. 21:10 (10-12) 6^a Isa. 11;10 ^b TG Priesthood, Melchizedek ^c D&C 110:11; TG Priesthood, Keys of ^d Isa. 30:17; D&C 45:9; 2 Ne. 21:11 (10-12); TG Ensign ^e TG Israel, Gathering of; TG Last Days Unto Whom Rightly Belongs the Priesthood Like the discussion of the keys of the kingdom, there is but one to whom rightly belongs the priesthood, from whom it cannot be withheld for any reason, He being one with the Father. He is the heir of the Father, the firstborn son in the spirit, the anointed of the Father from the before the foundation of the world, and the Only Begotten Son in the flesh. To him rightly belongs the priesthood. And while by this divine right it was and is his, like that example set forth upon the ocassion of his baptism, in order to fulfill all righteousness, he also complied to the way of earthly right of the proper lineage right, which linage right remained through Joseph and his son Ephraim. Christ being that legal descendant of that Ephrathite Jesse, who was the legal descendant of that Ephrathite Mahlon and his father Elimelech, they being the rightful descendants of that Ephrathite Joshua and his father Nun, who were the rightful heirs of Ephraim and of Joseph, who were the rightful heirs of Jacob, Isaac and Abraham, which Abraham received the right of the fathers' to such blessing by the hand of Melchizedek and back through the fathers, Noah, Enoch and Adam, who received the right to the everlasting covenant which is inseparable from the rights of the priesthood. Thus in fulfillment of all righteousness did Jesus have right to the priesthood not only as the firstborn of the Father in the spirit and the Only begotten of the Father in the flesh, thus having the divine and eternal spiritual right to the priesthood of God, which was and is after his own only order, but by earthly temporal right, through the fathers of the covenant, down to Christ by legal and rightful linage, did Christ also have right to the priesthood, thus fulfilling all righteousness in the law both spiritual and temporal as he had done in the performances of all the temporal Law of Moses and even unto the being baptised by the hand of John.
D&C 113:7 Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion -- and what people had Isaiah reference to? D&C 113:8 He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the ^apower of ^bpriesthood to bring again ^cZion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her ^dstrength is to put on the ^eauthority of the ^fpriesthood, which she, Zion, has a ^gright to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost.		8^a TG Priesthood, Power of ^b D&C 86:8; TG Priesthood, Keys of ^c TG Zion ^d Isa. 45:24; Isa. 52:1; 1 Ne. 17:3; D&C 82:14; TG Israel, Restoration of TG Strength ^e TG Authority TG Mission of Latter-day Saints TG Priesthood, Authority ^f TG Priesthood, History of ^g TG Birthright
D&C 113:9 What are we to understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of her neck; 2d verse? D&C 113:10 We are to understand that the ^ascattered ^bremnants are exhorted to ^creturn to the Lord from whence they have fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that he will speak to them, or give them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. The ^dbands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants of Israel in their scattered condition among the Gentiles.		10^a TG Israel, Scattering of ^b Micah 5:3; TG Israel, Remnant of ^c Hosea 3:5; 2 Ne. 6:11 ^d Isa. 52:2 (2, 6-8); TG Bondage Spiritual