This article is pure speculation but worth considering.
robinkartchner,
Avow, August 2016
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
JST (Joseph Smith Translation) Matthew 1:31 "And again, this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come, or the destruction of the wicked;"
"The end" is a phrase in the scriptures that sometimes refers to the end of the telestial earth, and other times refers to the end of the terrestrial earth. I think "the end" mentioned in Matt 24:14 and JST Matt 1:31 surely refers to the end of the telestial earth -- when Jesus appears in glory to the whole world and the wicked are consumed (those who survive the tribulations). This is the event when the earth receives its paradisiacal/terrestrial glory. Those wicked who have not been sanctified or quickened by the terrestrial light/spirit/glory will be burned and consumed by that glory when it is revealed to all the world.
We often have discussions in the church and on AVOW about what it means for the Gospel to be preached to all the world and whether or not it has already happened; and if it has not already happened, how close we might be to the fulfillment of that prophecy. We figure that if that prophecy has been fulfilled -- or is close to being fulfilled -- then time must be really getting short, or time to the tribulations starting is short and the time to a call out to places of refuge must be very close, etc.
I believe that the Gospel has not been preached to all the world yet, and that The Lord never intended for this to happen in this particular phase of missionary work in the church.
President Brigham Young stated:
“The set time is come for God to gather Israel, and for His work to commence upon the face of the whole earth, and the Elders who have arisen in this Church and Kingdom are actually of Israel.“Take the Elders who are now in this house, and you can scarcely find one out of a hundred [who is not] of the house of Israel. …
“Will we go to the Gentile nations to preach the Gospel? Yes, and gather out the Israelites, wherever they are mixed among the nations of the earth. … Ephraim has become mixed with all the nations of the earth, and it is Ephraim that is gathering together.
“If there are any of the other tribes of Israel mixed with the Gentiles we are also searching for them. … We want the blood of Jacob, and that of his father Isaac and Abraham, which runs in the veins of the people. …
“It is the house of Israel we are after, and we care not whether they come from the east, the west, the north, or the south; from China, Russia, England, California, North or South America, or some other locality. … The Book of Mormon came to Ephraim, for Joseph Smith was a pure Ephraimite, and the Book of Mormon was revealed to him.” (Journal of Discourses 2:268–69.)
Who is Israel?
“Israel, the Lord’s chosen people, were a congregation set apart in the preexistence. In large measure, the spirit children of the Father who acquired a talent for spirituality, who sought above their fellow, to do good and work righteousness – all these were foreordained to be born in the house of Israel.They were chosen before they were born. This is the doctrine of election. They were true and faithful in the premortal life, and they earned the right to be born as the Lord’s people and to have the privilege, on a preferential basis, of believing and obeying the word of truth. Believing blood, the blood Abraham, flows in their veins. They are the ones of whom Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand…their numbers were known and the days of their mortal probation were selected in advance,…”
(Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man, Excerpts from Chapter 16)
It is pre-mortal Israel that is being gathered right now (primarily Joseph, along with remnants of other tribes).
JST Matthew 1:26 "For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."
There are at least four prophesied appearances (I think) of the Savior in the end times. These are the appearance in the order I think they will occur:
1) Jesus suddenly comes to his temple at New Jerusalem
2) Jesus appears in glory to the whole House of Israel at Adam-ondi-Ahman
3) Jesus appears to the Jews at the battle of Armageddon
4) Jesus appears in glory to the whole world, and the wicked are consumed
D&C 45:51 "And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
52 Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
53 And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.
54 And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them."
D&C 90:9 "That through your administration they may receive the word, and through their administration the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth, unto the Gentiles first, and then, behold, and lo, they shall turn unto the Jews.
10 And then cometh the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power in convincing the nations, the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, of the gospel of their salvation.
11 For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ."
D&C 90 verse 11 is referring to the fulfillment I believe of Matt 24:14 and JST Matt 1:31 when the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached to all the world as a witness unto every nation before "the end" comes, or the destruction of the wicked at the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
What is going on in right now in this dispensation is that the church is gathering Israel -- pre mortal Israel (primarily Joseph along with remnants of other Tribes). After the last of Israel is gathered to the church (mortal Judah will be the last of Israel to be gathered after Jesus appears to them at Armageddon), then the gospel will be taken in power to the Gentiles/heathens throughout the world to sift the terrestrials from the telestials before "the end". It will be tolerable for terrestrials because they will abide the great and dreadful day of the Lord when the wicked are consumed. It will not be tolerable for the telestials (and future post-mortal sons of perdition) for they will be consumed at that day.
So, I go back to my statement in the beginning that the Gospel has not been preached to all the world yet, and the Lord never intended for that to occur in this first phase of missionary work in the church. He never intended, I believe, for the Gospel to be preached to all the world until after all of pre-mortal Israel has been gathered to the Church. The Gospel will not be preached to all the world until after the Tribulation is underway; until after the City of Zion has been built; and until after the first three appearances of the Savior have taken place. At some point, our current missionary force will be called home just before or just after the tribulation starts. The 144,000 will be commissioned thereafter to gather to Zion the remaining members of Israel then living on the earth. Any Israelite they miss will be gathered by angels at the time Jesus appears to the whole House of Israel at Adam-ondi-Ahman in fulfillment of this prophecy:
"JST, Luke 17:36–40.
Compare Luke 17:37
36 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord, shall they be taken?
37 And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is gathered; or, in other words, whithersoever the saints are gathered, thither will the eagles be gathered together; or, thither will the remainder be gathered together.
38 This he spake, signifying the gathering of his saints; and of angels descending and gathering the remainder unto them; the one from the bed, the other from the grinding, and the other from the field, whithersoever he listeth."
It is pre-mortal Israel that is being gathered right now (primarily Joseph, along with remnants of other tribes).
JST Matthew 1:26 "For as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."
There are at least four prophesied appearances (I think) of the Savior in the end times. These are the appearance in the order I think they will occur:
1) Jesus suddenly comes to his temple at New Jerusalem
2) Jesus appears in glory to the whole House of Israel at Adam-ondi-Ahman
3) Jesus appears to the Jews at the battle of Armageddon
4) Jesus appears in glory to the whole world, and the wicked are consumed
D&C 45:51 "And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
52 Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
53 And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.
54 And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them."
D&C 90:9 "That through your administration they may receive the word, and through their administration the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth, unto the Gentiles first, and then, behold, and lo, they shall turn unto the Jews.
10 And then cometh the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power in convincing the nations, the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, of the gospel of their salvation.
11 For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ."
D&C 90 verse 11 is referring to the fulfillment I believe of Matt 24:14 and JST Matt 1:31 when the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached to all the world as a witness unto every nation before "the end" comes, or the destruction of the wicked at the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
What is going on in right now in this dispensation is that the church is gathering Israel -- pre mortal Israel (primarily Joseph along with remnants of other Tribes). After the last of Israel is gathered to the church (mortal Judah will be the last of Israel to be gathered after Jesus appears to them at Armageddon), then the gospel will be taken in power to the Gentiles/heathens throughout the world to sift the terrestrials from the telestials before "the end". It will be tolerable for terrestrials because they will abide the great and dreadful day of the Lord when the wicked are consumed. It will not be tolerable for the telestials (and future post-mortal sons of perdition) for they will be consumed at that day.
So, I go back to my statement in the beginning that the Gospel has not been preached to all the world yet, and the Lord never intended for that to occur in this first phase of missionary work in the church. He never intended, I believe, for the Gospel to be preached to all the world until after all of pre-mortal Israel has been gathered to the Church. The Gospel will not be preached to all the world until after the Tribulation is underway; until after the City of Zion has been built; and until after the first three appearances of the Savior have taken place. At some point, our current missionary force will be called home just before or just after the tribulation starts. The 144,000 will be commissioned thereafter to gather to Zion the remaining members of Israel then living on the earth. Any Israelite they miss will be gathered by angels at the time Jesus appears to the whole House of Israel at Adam-ondi-Ahman in fulfillment of this prophecy:
"JST, Luke 17:36–40.
Compare Luke 17:37
36 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord, shall they be taken?
37 And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is gathered; or, in other words, whithersoever the saints are gathered, thither will the eagles be gathered together; or, thither will the remainder be gathered together.
38 This he spake, signifying the gathering of his saints; and of angels descending and gathering the remainder unto them; the one from the bed, the other from the grinding, and the other from the field, whithersoever he listeth."
Will we know when the Gospel is being preached to all the world? Surely yes. We won't have to debate whether or not the gospel has yet been preached to all the world before "the end". We'll know when it is happening. How will we know? Because many of us will probably be at the New Jerusalem Temple when Jesus suddenly comes to his temple and sets his tabernacle of glory on the earth. All of the faithful Saints will be at Adam-ondi-Ahman when the Savior appears in glory to them there. And all of the House of Israel will accompany Jesus when he descends upon the Mount of Olives to save the Jews at Armageddon. The House of Israel will be the army of Jehovah that will destroy the armies of the anti-Christ at Armageddon which will open the way for the preaching of the Gospel in power to all the world by translated missionaries -- to every man, woman, and child then living, before "the end". We'll know because we'll be at Adam-ondi-Ahman, and we'll be at Jerusalem at the end of the Battle of Armageddon. It is only after those events, that the Gospel will be preached to all the world. Many of us likely will be part of the translated missionary force that will take the Gospel in terrestrial power to the Gentile/heathen nations at that time.
To those in the Church who still think things cannot/will not fall apart for at least another 50-100 years -- because they think that it will still be many more years before the Gospel will be preached to all the world (e.g. we're not in China yet, we can't yet teach the gospel to many Muslim nations; we can't proselyte in Israel, etc.) -- I say it doesn't matter if the gospel is taught to all the world or not right now. That is not related to the timing of the tribulation, or to the timing of the building of Zion, or to the timing of the first three appearances of Jesus Christ in the end times. Those events/processes are not "the end" and they are not dependent upon the Gospel being preached to all the world first. Only the final appearance of Jesus when he appears in glory to the whole world is dependent for its timing on the preaching of the Gospel to all the world; and that is probably a few years, perhaps many years, down the road; but the tribulation, in my opinion, could start any time. Isn't that what we are -- or should be -- preparing for right now? To survive the tribulations until we can establish Zion on the earth? The Zion that will finally and ultimately save this earth and its inhabitants (at least the inhabitants worthy to abide "then end").
