Welcome All To
The New And Everlasting Covenant
Part VIIa
(The Covenant Blessings of Heaven By Way of the Fathers)

" . . . For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:" ~ see Ezekiel 37:15-28, v.16

     Today, that is in the latter-days before the Great Millennial Day, all are the same unto the Lord. Where as in times past 'Israel' was but a select family of the descendants of such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and even Judah and Joseph/Ephraim, through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ ALL are to come and become the accepted and recognized People of God and bear the name of Israel. And today the Lord is through Ephraim's covenant leadership, 'pushing' the people together to the ends of the earth (Deut. 33:17). And this as the blessing pronounced on Joseph of his descendants by Moses the prophet:

"¶ 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 aglory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns [the wild ox]: 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

In Christ's day, that is after his death, Peter the chief aposlte received a revelation from God that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was to be taken to Gentile and Jew alike. But until today, the latter day, before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the full covenant promise unto Abraham, that through his seed all the nations of the earth, every nation, kindred, tongue and people, would be blessed and may become even as is Israel, the Covenant People of the Lord.

This is the 'WELCOME' and 'INVITATION' offered to the people of the world today. Where Judah is pretty much still just the Jews and their companions associated with Jerusalem, according to the fulfillment of the Covenant of Abraham, it is through the work of the remnant of Ephraim/Israel whose responsibility it was as the 'birthright' family of Israel, to fulfill the fulness of the blessings of God and Heaven according to the Covenant of Abraham and the promises of the fathers that through that covenant and those promised blessings the nations of the earth would be blessed, every nation, every kindred, every tongue and every people. This promise is fulfilled and those promised blessing are now available to all the earth.

"And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Old Testament | Genesis 12:3; New Testament | Revelation 5:9; 14:6; Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 19:17; 2 Nephi 26:13; Mosiah 3:20; Mosiah 15:28; Doctrine and Covenants | 133:37

The latter day developmental sequence was to first establish Ephraim and accomplish the initial restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Ephraim's promised heirs of the Abrahamic covenant birthright. Jacob, grandson of Abraham, bestowed that covenant birthright of the firstborn upon the head of Ephraim as told in Genesis (Genesis 48 and JST Genesis 48).

Notice with Joseph placing Ephraim at his right side and Jacob crossing over his right hand upon Ephraim's head, Ephraim was at both the right hands of Jacob and Joseph as the heir of the Birthright of the Everlasting Covanant.

That the birthright resides in Joseph and Josesph's sons, with Ephraim in the stead of the firstborn Reuben is confirmed in 1 Chronicals:

"NOW the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel [Jacob]: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
"For Judah* prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
~ Old Testament | 1 Chronicles 5:1-2

As stated the 'birthright' was Joseph's not Reuben's. And as further stated, it was Jacob, whose is named Israel, who bestowed or gave that same birthright to the sons of Joseph told is Genesis 48, when he placed his right hand upon Ephraim to give him the greater blessing, and his left hand of Manasseh to give him a blessing to support his brother Ephraim in that birthright blessing. Thus it was upon the shoulders of Ephraim, his descendnats, to fulfill the covenant blessings of Abraham in taking the blessings of God to the nations of the world, at least to all those who would accept and join themselves unto the blesssings of the covenant, which are the blessings of the Gospel of the promised Messiah to be had through the Gospel of Jesus Christ today. Now is the time of era of Ephraim's gathering the earth unto God's Zion and spreading of the blessings of the Everlasting Covenant of the Lord as promised unto Abraham to the whole of the world, every nation, kindred, tongue and people.

*[The matter of the Jewish perspective that Judah prevailed and the genealogy of David was to therefore be reckoned after Judah and not after Joseph is of another matter, the details of which are lengthy to cover, so not here gone into but linked to where they may be fully discussed elsewhere as Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph.]

The understanding of the rolling forth of the Kingdom of God, as seen by the Prophet Daniel as the a stone cut out that roll forth unto the filling of the earth as a mountain in that Day of Lord is of major interest:

"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
"Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."
~ Old Testament | Daniel 2:34-35

Now let it be known that this stone, this Kingdom, has come on earth after that order which is in Heaven. It has been established under its proper name as 'The Church of Jesus Christ' to identify it as being that of Jesus' Church on Earth, and the name of 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' to particularly deliniate that it is his church of the latter-day composed of those who have taken upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ, as his peculiar people. It first came and was restored through a rightful heir of the House of Joseph, a most pure Ephraimite known as Joseph Smith Jr. (2 Nephi 3:14-16 and see JST Genesis 50). The Lord had prophecied and made promises unto Joseph of Egypt that the covenant blessings would come in the latter-days through the fruit of his loins, particularly beginning with one named Joseph after himself and also after the name of his immediate father Joseph.

"And thus prophesied Joseph, saying:
"Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise;
"And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation."
"Yea, thus prophesied Joseph:"
~ 2 Nephi 3:14-16

Thus so quoted the prophet Lehi from what had been written upon the plates of brass which has been maintained by the seed of Joseph. Of this latter-day Joseph, the descendant of Joseph of Egypt, the scriptures further state according to the words of promised unto Joseph of Egypt:

"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and go unto my fathers; and I go down to my grave with joy. The God of my father Jacob be with you, to deliver you out of affliction in the days of your bondage; for the Lord hath visited me, and I have obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of my loins, the Lord God will raise up a righteous branch out of my loins; and unto thee, whom my father Jacob hath named Israel, a prophet [Moses]; (not the Messiah who is called Shilo;) and this prophet [Moses] shall deliver my people out of Egypt in the days of thy bondage.
"And it shall come to pass that they shall be scattered again; and a branch shall be broken off, and shall be carried into a far country [seed of Lehi]; nevertheless they shall be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, when the Messiah cometh; for he shall be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the Spirit of power; and shall bring them out of darkness into light; out of hidden darkness, and out of captivity unto freedom.
"A seer [Joseph Smith] shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer [Joseph Smith] unto the fruit of thy loins.
"Thus saith the Lord God of my fathers unto me, A choice seer [Joseph Smith] will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins [Joseph of Egypt], and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren.
"And he shall bring them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers; and he shall do whatsoever work I shall command him.
"And I will make him great in mine eyes, for he shall do my work; and he [Joseph Smith] shall be great like unto him whom I have said I would raise up unto you [Moses], to deliver my people, O house of Israel, out of the land of Egypt; for a seer [Moses] will I raise up to deliver my people out of the land of Egypt and he shall be called Moses. And by this name he shall know that he is of thy house; for he shall be nursed by the king's daughter, and shall be called her son."
~ JST Genesis 50:24-29

Now mixed together, did the Lord promise Joseph of Egypt that two great delivers would come (not the Messiah) to deliver the children of Israel. The first would be Moses whom it is interesting to note, if read correctly, would be 'considered to be' of the fruit of the loins of Joseph 'for'/because he would be nursed and raised as the son of the king's daughter of Egypt. That would mean that the King of Egypt of that date and his daughter were of the seed of Joseph of Egypt. This is an interesting twist which other such histories of the Jews has failed to disclose. But along with this Moses, who would the deliver the children of Israel from the captivity of slavery unto the Egyptians. And also another deliver, a choice seer, is also promised Joseph of Egypt to come (also not the Messiah) of the fruit of his loins, who would deliver the children of Israel, Joseph[/Ephraim] haveing obtained the name of 'Israel' under the hand of Jacob (see JST Genesis 48), in the latter days. That latter day delivence would not be from the captivity of 'slavery' unto Egypt, but it would be a deliverence from the captivity of 'darkness' as to the word and covenants of God. It would be the bring to the inhabitants of the earth the blessings of the covenant promises of the fathers since such as Adam, Enoch, Noah and thus on through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (D&C 27:10).

"And also with Joseph and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, your fathers, by whom the promises remain;"
~ D&C 27:10

Now Abraham had sought unto the obtaining of these blessings of the promises of the fathers in his day and he had obtained them (see Abraham 1:2-4). Now these blessings of the 'fathers' of Abraham where those blessings as given and covenanted unto such as Adam, Enoch and Noah before Abraham and they included that Everlasting Covenant promise of the Messiah, which God had made unto man of providing man a means whereby man might be redeemed and that through Jesus Christ the Messiah to come, that is 'concerning that blessed seed' (see Genesis 3:15, Moses 6:53-68, Moses 7:28-69 (particularly verse 53), Moses 8:23-24, Abraham 1:2-4 (particularly verse 4).

These blessings sought by Abraham were not only unto such as the priesthood of God, though that is the power of God by which things are wrought, but it was also centered round the 'seed', that blessed seed Jesus Christ, and the ancestry by which he would come. This was he who was to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. And thus are those 'Blessed' who are those of that ancestry by whom the Savoir was to been born. And it included Abraham as it was part and particle of the Abrahamic Covenant. Now little known to many, even as it was that Moses was to be considered to be of the seed of Joseph of Egypt because he was raised by the king's daughter, so also was the blessed Messiah to be of that covevant line which included Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and even Ephraim (see Messiah ben David ~ Messiah ben Joseph).

Now Abraham was promised that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through his seed.

"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." Genesis 22:18 (also Gensis 18:18; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 27:29; Psalms 72:17-19; Galatians 3:8-9)
~ ~ ~ "And this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." D&C 133:37; (see also, Revelation 5:9; Revelation 14:6; 1 Nephi 19:17; 2 Nephi 26:13; Mosiah 3:20; Mosiah 15:28; Mosiah 16:1; Alma 9:20; Alma 37:4; Alma 45:16; D&C 10:50-52; D&C 77:8 & 11; D&C 98:33-34)

This is a promise and it is a two prong effort. Indeed it is by the blessed seed, that is Jesus Christ, by whom the blessings come. And yet also it is by the preaching of his servants that the word is spread. This is his servants as unto whom the greater blessings or greater responsibility fell under the hand of Jacob (JST Genesis 48). And that was set out upon the head of Ephraim and thus upon the tribe of Ephraim, Ephraim's descendants, that the responsibility of taking the Word of the Lord to all the earth, every nation here and now in the latter days. And the Gospel, now estabished in, by and of Ephraim, is open to All, to come and join in unto Christ, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, that they may become numbered in and with Israel, that is 'All of Israel and His Companions'.

The Perspectives of the Everlasting Covenant There are many perspectives of the Everlasting Covenant: Part I: The Eternal Perspective Part II: The Blessings of the Fathers Perspective Part III: The Perspective of the Covenant of Noah Part IV: The Abrahamic Covenant Perspective Part V: God's Marriage Perspective Part VI: The Perspective of the Deliverer Part VIIa: The Fulfillment Via Ephraim Perspective Part VIIb: Univeral Israel Perspective Part VIII: The Perspective of the Second Coming Part IX: The Perspective of the Millennium Part X: The Perspective of the Final Judgment Part XI: The Perspective of the Portholes of Time Part XII: Summary of the Everlasting Covenant

'I Shall Come Again' "They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn." ~ Old Testament | Jeremiah 31:9 ~