EPHRAIM AND MANASSEH PREPARERS OF ZION

There have been many prophecies, in all books of scriptures, that say in the last days that Zion would be gathered. The tribe of Joseph, which includes both of his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh are to play a pivotal roll in the preparations leading up to the establishment of Zion. Each of these tribes have their individual responsibilities and strengths. However, when working with each other for the salvation of the rest of the "family", the House of Israel, miracles of untold proportions have, do, and will occur. Ephraim and Manasseh are brothers who have been called upon to help Israel be ready not only for Zion but to be prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Power accompanies this work, especially when Ephraim and Manasseh work together as brothers on both sides of the veil.

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CITATIONS: 
JST Genesis 48:5-11, 1 Nephi 6:1-2, Alma 10:3, 1 Nephi 5:14. 16-17, 1 Nephi 7:1, 1 Nephi 10:12-15, 1 Nephi 13:34, 37, 1 Nephi 15:14, 16-18, 1 Nephi 17:3, 1 Nephi 18:23,  Deuteronomy 33:13-17,  2 Nephi 3:4-5, Doctrine and Covenants 113:8, 1 Nephi 21:9, Isaiah 49:8-9, 1 Nephi 21:6, 8-9,
James E. Faust, “Priesthood Blessings”, Oct. 1995
David A. Bednar, (in Conference Report, Oct. 2005, 49–50;)
Bruce R. McConkie, (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 508–9)
Brad Wilcox, 'The Scattering and Gathering of Israel Part 1", BYU 2021
Institute Students Genesis 37–50: "Joseph: The Power of Preparation" 
Russell M. Nelson, Chapter 9, “The Gathering of Israel”, TOP
Brad Wilcox, “3 Things Latter-day Saints should know about the Tribes of Israel”, LDS Living, Aug. 2022
Come Follow Me Study, Cali Black
Joseph Smith, Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Vol. 23, pg. 66
Erastus Snow, “God’s Peculiar People”, JOD 23:81
Rian Nelson, “Unicorn in the old Testament”, Book of Mormon Evidences, Nov. 14, 2021
Russell M. Nelson, “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again”, Oct. 2024
Heber J. Grant, Dedication of Laie Hawaii Temple, November 27, 1919
Robert E. Parsons, “Hagoth and the Polynesians,” in The Book of Mormon: Alma, the Testimony of the Word, ed. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), 249–62. 
Gerry Avant, “The most memorable part of the Mexico City temple dedication was these words from President Hinckley”, Church News, June 2018
Matthew Cowley, Oct. 1947
Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon, the Gathering of Israel, and the Second Coming”, Ensign July 2014 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Hello, friends. Welcome to the Thinning of the Valve podcast. I'm your host, Tia Smith, and today we're going to be discussing something that has just been impressed or pressed on my mind over and over and over again for the last few months. I have been prompted to study about it. And so whenever that happens, I always pay close attention to it because it is the Lord trying to teach me. And so I'm hoping that I get to share today some of the things that I picked up on or learned as I studied about Ephraim and Manasseh and their roles in the gathering of Israel. Now, if you are from another tribe, from another tribe, stay with me because I will also include some of the roles that are going to be and are being fulfilled by those other other tribes as well, and how we should look at the tribes that we're from. So before we get into it though, I wanted to just remind everyone, anyone who's having a thinning of the veil experience and or knows about an ancestor story and would love to share it with me. I am all ears. So if you would email those to me at Tia at thinningofthevail.com and I will get to them. If you give me permission at some future point, I would like to share them on the podcast. I believe that all of the testimonies that are being born on this podcast add to one another and then further adds to the overall testimony that the thinning of the veil and revelatory experiences can and should be happening within our efforts to gather Israel. Also, if you feel like you want to donate, every single little bit helps. Those of you who have donated, I am deeply, deeply grateful. There is a couple options. You can do a one-time donation, as some of you have. Again, so greatly appreciated. Or you can do a monthly, various different amounts. It even starts at $3, and you can go to my website for that. All the links are in the description. I am just very, very grateful for all the support. The best thing, though, that you can do for me is to share this with your friends to help move this work forward and this podcast forward. I believe that it's pretty unique, that my podcast is super unique. I'm not an apologist. I'm just barely learning what that is. Um I don't try to counter cultural statements. There's a lot of podcasts out there that do a lot of that. But I believe that this podcast, and this isn't because of me, but this podcast is pointed towards a subject that isn't talked about a whole lot. And that is revelatory experiences, revelation, the gathering of Israel, and all of the doctrines related to that. So the best you can do for me is to share this with your friends, to like and subscribe. I don't know how that helps my algorithm, but it does. And commenting, as always, helps for sure. So let's get to speak about these two brothers. I'm so excited about it because I think it goes to sometimes we don't, we're not looking forward to this preparation period for the second coming. Obviously, it's becoming more and more difficult. But if we understand the promises made to those who are prepared before the second coming and for the coming of Zion, then it makes things that we're going through a little bit easier and gives us a better way to look at things. The first thing that we need to do when we're talking about this preparatory set of brothers is we need to frame this in the right context. Uh and let me read this quote really fast by Elder James E. Faust, and then we're going to talk about some of the words that we need to use that might be helpful in reframing that. Elder James E. Faust says, We know that the gospel always has and always will operate through families. Since early biblical times, order has been brought into the house of Israel through family units. The family unit had inherently and internally the nature, the natural love and concern and the blood ties to bring a governing peace and stability to the peoples of God. The same is true today for essentially the same reasons. No other unit of society is an effective substitute for the ties of love and affection inherent in families. Any work that we do in furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ always will operate through families. It has been and ever will be the pattern. So when we're looking at the 12 tribes of Israel, and we say tribes over and over again, we're actually talking about a family unit. We're talking about brothers, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issacher, Zebulon, Joseph, and that's where we get Ephraim and Manasseh from, and Benjamin. I have a dear friend who is a who is from the tribe of Manasseh. And she has been saying over and over again something that struck me that just keeps echoing in my mind, which is one of the reasons why I'm doing this episode today, is that Ephraim and Manasseh are brothers or sisters. When we're looking at, I think sometimes we get too tribal, we get too separate from one another because we're not from the same tribe. Well, I'm from Manasseh, so therefore this is where I'm going to, you know, keep my preaching or spend my time in my spiritual gifts, or I'm from Ephraim, and this is my certain calling. If we take the wider lens and look at it the way that our Heavenly Father and the Savior look at it, they are looking at it within the family context. So as we're talking today about Ephraim and NASA, and to a certain extent, all of the rest of the brothers, we can know and understand that the work that we're doing isn't meant to separate, but is it it's to bring us all together in one so that there may be a governing body or power within that family unit that can bring about the stability and peace that comes with Zion and during the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now, I'm going to point out then a quote by Elder David A. Bednar and Bruce R. McConkey in relation to all of the tribes. Because I think as I talk about Ephraim and Emanasseh specifically, I want all of the tribes to know and understand that they are also part of this great gathering, that they are needed. And especially those of you who are from the other tribes, think about this for a minute. You are on the forefront. Your tribes in general, I'm talking about those other than Ephraim and Manasseh, have not been gathered in mass yet. But if your patriarchal blessing tells you you are from those tribes, you hold an important part and play an important role in your tribe in particular. You are the leaders of that tribe. And as you come into the gospel of Jesus Christ and do missionary work and temple work, you are bringing more and more of your tribe in. But you are the forerunners or the blazers of your brothers coming into the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, David A. Bednar says, truly great responsibility rests upon the seed of Abraham in these latter days. So he's talking about not just two brothers, but he's talking the whole of the seed of Abraham has great responsibility. That includes all of the brothers. He writes, How do these promises and blessings relate to us today? We are the seed of Abraham. One of the primary reasons we receive a patriarchal blessing is to help us more fully understand who we are as the posterity of Abraham and to recognize the responsibility that rests upon us. So part of the reason for getting a patriarchal blessing is to not only understand who we are, but then but that we also have responsibilities. He follows, we have been given much, and much is required of us. May all, and he uses that term all of us, rise up and bless the nations of the earth with greater testimony and spiritual power than we ever have before. Now, in the latter days, it's prophesied that the great gathering would take place and that the lost ten tribes would uh begin to be gathered in the latter days. We see that again. I've done an episode on that, that I believe it can occur in two ways, but we're seeing that for sure within uh missionary work, and the people are waking up to a knowledge of who they are and are part of those lost ten tribes. That was described in the testimony of Sister Wendy Nelson in Hope of Israel in that talk that her and pro and President Nelson made back in June of 2018. Uh let's look then at what Bruce R. McConkie says about this all and our privileges, as we are the seed all of us of Abraham. He says, the promises made to the fathers are the provisions of the Abrahamic covenant, whereby the seed of the ancient patriarchs are entitled to receive the priesthood, the gospel, and eternal life, including celestial marriage. We are the children, not just some of us, all of us, the seed of Abraham, are the children. And after we we receive these blessings for ourselves, our attention turns almost by instinct to the well-being of our ancestors who died without a knowledge of the gospel. We that's all of us, are Abraham's seed, and they were Abraham's seed, those are our ancestors, through Isaac, through Jacob, and through the house of Israel. It thus becomes our privilege on the basis of salvation for the dead to search out our ancestors, to whom the same blessings have been promised as have come to us, and to make these blessings available to them through the vicarious ordinances of the house of the Lord. I think this powerful gathering of the lost Ham tribes is actually happening more in mass on the other side of the veil than it is, than it is here. You can go to the temple on a regular basis and see names from all over the world being placed within those sacred places of different people in different tribes. And although they're not giving uh patriarchal blessing, obviously, when we do temple work for them, no doubt that they are all from different tribes, that those lost ten tribes are also being found on the other side of the veil. Again, probably in bigger numbers than through missionary work on this side of the veil. But what I love about that is that those lost ten tribes, those who are being connected to the gospel on the other side, when they receive their sacred ordinances and make those covenants with our Savior Jesus Christ, they're given power to help their children on this side of the veil, in those tribes, understand who they are and bring them also into the gospel of Jesus Christ. The force and the good that the seed of Abraham can do on the other side of the veil as we do work for them is so powerful, I think we underestimate it in bringing about the restoration of the ten tribes on this side of the veil. And it is all happens in the temple. Now, um, I'm going to have you listen to a little bit about um from Brad Wilcox. And this was a talk, we're going to listen to it later on this week, but I wanted to give it a little bit in little bits and pieces to help us understand whether we're from Ephraim or Manasseh or any of the tribes, how to look at our patriarchal blessings. Because sometimes I've I know personally families who are all from the tribe of Ephraim, and then one child is from Manasseh. Now you go, how can that happen? Well, in this little clip, Brad Wilcox describes a little bit about how that happens and why it happens, because there's a reason for that. So let's listen to Brad Wilcox for just a second.

SPEAKER_00 13:14

Let's recap yesterday. We talked about how the gathering of Israel actually gives us the why for why we live, the commandments we live, why we live the peculiar life we live, why we choose to be in the world and not of the world. Because we have a birthright. Who can remember what that stands for? Birthright. What is it? Right back there. A double portion. And you've received a birthright, a double portion. Where did it come from? We lined the house of Israel up here, and then we talked about those that are from Ephraim, those that are from Manasseh. We didn't talk about other tribes, but there may be some from those other tribes as well. Now, how do we know we're from those tribes? Not through a DNA test, but through inspiration. When the patriarch puts his hands on your head, it's not a DNA test. He's not telling you this pure blood line that you have back to one of these ancestors. At this point, in Harry Potter language, we're all mud bloods. Because those lines have been so mixed throughout the entire earth that there's nobody who's a pure blood descendant of any one of those tribes. So the patriarch is not just talking to you about your past. He's also talking about your link to the future, your past and the future. He's telling you the tribe through which you will be blessed and the tribe through which you will bless others, the tribe through which you are blessed and receive your blessings, and the tribe through which you will bless others. So can identical twins be from different tribes? Yes, I've seen it. Can there be a whole family from Ephraim and then somebody declared from a different tribe? Yes, I've seen it. Because the patriarch is giving this blessing by inspiration, and he is not just declaring your past, he's also telling you about your future. So what future does that entail? What role will these tribes play in your future?

SPEAKER_02 15:38

So the pronouncement in your patriarch blessing is not just to tell you what tribe you're from, it's the tribe you're going to be blessed through, but also the responsibilities that the Lord uh needs you to fulfill. Now we're going to talk a little bit then about Ephraim and Manasseh, because for right now, um, that is who we have the most doctrine on, is those two tribes. The reason being is that they are the birthright tribes, um, and more specifically Ephraim, which means they also have greater responsibilities because they have the double portion. So we're going to be talking now a little bit about Ephraim and Manasseh in that context. But if you are from another tribe, please understand that these patterns also apply to you as well, especially in the blazing of the trails into your own tribes or brothers, as we learned earlier in the podcast, that we really need to look at this as a family unit and not separate tribal units. Because when we start talking about tribes, then we go to the ites, and that's when separation happens, and it makes it impossible for Zion to come because we are not of one heart and of one mind. So all anyone from any tribe, please listen. But when we're going to be talking within the context of Ephraim and Manasseh now, in uh the Institute manual, it says, Joseph began his mission for preparing salvation for Israel at age 30, just as Jesus began his ministry of preparing salvation for the world at age 30. When Joseph was finally raised to his his exalted position in Egypt, all bowed the knee to him. Joseph, son of Jacob, because of his faithfulness and integrity to the purposes of the Lord, was rewarded with the birthright in Israel. Now we know that very, very unfortunate story of these brothers selling Joseph for all of the reasons, right? Jealousy, obviously, they were not of one heart or one mind, and they sold him into slavery. Now, Joseph overcome many difficult circumstances, and because of that, was also a preparer for his people to save them from the great famine. And he was the savior for his family. Now, because of all of that, uh, and because of Reuben's indiscretions, he became the birthright son. We read from President Russell M. Nelson, the tribe of Joseph, through his and Asanoth's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, was given the responsibility to lead in the gathering of Israel to prepare the world for the second coming of the Lord. It is only natural that God wants to gather Israel. He is our heavenly father. He wants each of his children on both sides of the veil to hear the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. When we're talking about gathering of Israel, we're talking about fathers. And we can also then think about uh God in the context of a father, our heavenly father. And these tribes or brothers, I should say, were going to be especially prophesied in the latter days that Joseph's responsibility was to lead in the gathering of Israel and to prepare the world for the second coming of the Lord, as just mentioned by President Russell M. Nelson. That's Ephraim and Manasseh. Now, in the beginning, Ephraim had the major portion or the major responsibility of beginning the work. Slowly, Ephraim or Manasseh, and now very, very quickly, Manasseh has been added, and we are working together as brothers and sisters from Ephraim and Manasseh and other tribes to bring about this gathering in preparation for the second coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, because our Father wants his family gathered. Now Brad Wilcox says, in our dispensation, the covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was renewed once again. With the publication of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel, the gathering of scattered Israel began. Descendants of Ephraim responded first, and then descendants of Manasseh. And now those two birthright tribes work hand in hand to prepare for the second coming of the Savior and his millennial reign, events that will truly, truly change the world. In hindsight, we can see the unique contributions of both tribes in the temporal and the spiritual affairs of kingdom building. Manasseh, Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, they together, as referenced in 2 Nephi, are meant to teach each other and work in unison to spearhead the gathering of the rest of Israel. Descendants from all tribes will bring unique gifts and strengths to the table. Everyone will be needed as we strive to move this work forward. So when we're talking about Ephraim and Manasseh in particular, their role was to spearhead the gathering in the beginning of the dispensation. Now each tribe will bring their own unique gift and talents required for the building up of Zion. But when they come in mass, that will be more evident. Again, we are all though to work together in unison to prepare the world for the second coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. And that comes through the gathering. So when we're looking at, sometimes we are too, we get divided into various different localities, meaning branches and wards and stakes. But we must think in a bigger context and in a bigger picture that when we come across someone who is from another tribe, and generally you may not know that by looking at them, but it is this combination of working together, especially the combination of Ephraim and Manasseh in this last part of the last dispensation, coming together in spreading the gospel to all the world. We must not think separately, and even to a certain extent, Extent each tribe or Ephraim or Manasseh separates themselves into tribes. You have the Polynesian islands, and those islands sometimes separate each other, separate from each other, meaning, oh, I'm Tongan or I'm Samoan or I'm from New Zealand. Instead of saying, wait, we're all we're all, and I'm just generalizing here. I know that there are Tongans and Samoans that are from different tribes in New Zealand. There are also people in uh, you know, the European countries who are not Ephraim. So I'm just generalizing right now. Um, but we are meant to work together and to drop the it thing that we seem to be holding on as a tradition of our fathers. All right, now let's look at Genesis 48, 5, the Joseph Smith translation of it, um, because that kind of sets the stage for um the furthering discussion that we're going to have today. In Genesis 48, verse 5, it says, And now of thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt, behold, they are mine, and the God of my fathers shall bless them, even as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be blessed, for they are mine. Wherefore they shall be called after my name. So therefore they were called Israel. Verse six says, And thy issue which thou begettest after them shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren, in their inheritance, in the tribes, therefore they were called the tribes of Manasseh and of Ephraim. And Jacob said unto Joseph, When the God of my fathers appeared unto me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, he swore he swear unto me that he would give unto me and unto my seed the land for an everlasting possession. Therefore, O my son, he hath blessed me in raising thee up to be a servant unto me, in saving my house from death, in delivering my people, thy brethren, from famine which was sore in the land. Wherefore the God of thy fathers shall bless thee and the fruit of thy loins, that they shall be blessed above thy brethren and above thy father's house. For thou hast prevailed, and thy father's house house hath bowed down unto thee, even as it was shown unto thee, before thou wast sold into Egypt by the hands of thy brethren, wherefore thy brethren shall bow down unto thee from generation to generation, unto the fruit of thy loins forever. For thou shalt be a light unto my people, to deliver them in the days of their captivity from bondage, and to bring salvation unto them when they are altogether bowed down under sin. So because of Joseph's willingness to be a savior, in the latter days his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were also called upon to do the same work, to also bring about the saving ordinances to the rest of the brothers, to the rest of the tribes. For they shall be a light unto my people, verse 11, to deliver them in the days of their captivity from bondage and to bring salvation unto them. Now, what does that mean to uh free them from bondage, to deliver them from captivity and to bring salvation unto them? Because I think sometimes we get um too narrow in our understanding of some of those verses. Now, this was from a come follow me study by Callie Black, and I love the way that she said this. She said he gave them blessings. He's talking about Ephraim and Manasseh. He then taught them about their lineage, he testified about God and his promises. So he's talking, she's talking about all these specific verses. This is what we should be getting out of what I just read. And then he tells Ephraim and Manasseh about their special calling, for thou shalt be a light unto my people to deliver them in the days of their captivity from bondage, and to bring salvation unto them when they are altogether bowed down under sin. These two men, and thus their posterity, were given some specific callings and assignments, to be a light to other people, to deliver others from the captivity of sin, to teach others about salvation. That means extra responsibility, not just to be a burden for these two tribes of Israel, but to give them something worthwhile to do, to feel belonging and confidence before the Lord, to grow in service and in love with all humankind. It's the calling given to these members of these tribes. This calling has been extended and it just needs to be accepted and fulfilled to the best of anyone's ability. Ephraim and Manasseh were given these extra responsibilities, especially on the front end of the latter days. We have been working hard to fulfill those responsibilities to our other brothers and sisters from the other tribes, but we are to be a light also in bringing the rest of the family home. And it's not a burden for us, it's actually a blessing. Now, if you're from another tribe, again, then this same pattern applies to you as you are a light bearer to the rest of your tribe. When you are a light and you deliver others and you teach others, you then take on the same responsibility that Ephraim and Manasseh were given in on the front end of this dispensation. Brad Wilcox says, Since Ephraim was adopted before Manasseh, he and his descendants became heirs to the birthright. However, Ephraim was never alone in receiving those blessings and responsibilities. We read in 1 Chronicles 5 1 that Reuben's birthright was given unto the sons, that's plural, of Joseph. President Joseph Fielding Smith confirmed the birthright was given to the sons of Joseph. Ephraim was not substituted as a tribe for Reuben. On another occasion, President Smith wrote, The remnants of Joseph found among Manasseh have part in this great work. Similarly, President Spencer W. Kimball taught that the descendants of both Ephraim and Manasseh are chosen people. I think sometimes we hear a lot about the tribe of Ephraim and the responsibilities. Obviously, it's in uh a lot of scriptures. We read about Ephraim a lot. But I think sometimes we need to understand that Manasseh is also part of the same responsibility, the same moving this work forward in these latter days. They are both brothers, and it seems when you work together that there's more power within the responsibility and work that you've been given. I feel uh on my end, and I'm feeling it quite um, I don't know, I've just been feeling it a lot lately, that part of my working with gathering of Israel has come more and more contact with in general people from the tribe of Manasseh. And I'm loving this working together with these dear brothers and sisters of mine. I'm from the tribe of Ephraim, and when we come together and we have these ideas, it's interesting to note that it is trying to educate not just Ephraim, but more particularly Manasseh about who they are, the role that they are called upon to make in the latter days, and talking about their spiritual gifts in using that for the gathering of Israel. Now, this is really cool because we've talked in the beginning about looking at this in the context of family. Um there's a family in the Book of Mormon that exhibited how Ephraim and Manasseh should work together, and that's Lehi's family. In 1 Nephi chapter 6, verse 1, we read, and now I, Nephi, do not give the genealogy of my fathers in this part of my record. For it sufficeth me to say that we are descendants of Joseph. So Nephi comes out and says, Look, I'm a descendant of Joseph, this the son that was sold into Egypt. He's very aware of it. In fact, that was one of the reasons that they were sent back to get the plates of brass, is to understand their genealogy. That's one of the important pieces that came from the plates of brass for Lehi and his family. In Alma chapter 10, verse 3, it says, And Amenidi was a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren. So we learn that not only are Nephi and Lehi descendants of Joseph, but more specifically, they are of the tribe of Manasseh. Now, anytime that you see genealogy in the scripture, I think people just go, well, yeah, that's nice. What does this even have to do with anything? Genealogy matters because of the promises made to the fathers. When you know and understand what brother from the large family of Abraham that you come from, then you can start to understand your responsibilities and the blessings that come from being from those specific tribes. Joseph F. Smith said, I would like to say to you, brethren and sisters from New Zealand, he was speaking in New Zealand at the time, you are some of Hagoth's people, and there is no perhaps about it. As I've talked to my different New Zealand friends, this is some, this is knowledge that they hold on to and they hold sacred, that they are from Hagoth. And you remember who Hagoth is in the scriptures. He was the shipbuilder who uh built ships, came back, got some more people, and then left again. They assume that they were drowned in the sea, but it seems that there has been some, at least some of the people that went with Hagoth were actually landed in a foreign land and established a society there and established families there. Now, Joseph Smith, in a genealogical, in a historical magazine, that's where it was quoted, said, You will recollect that when Lehi and his family had gone from Jerusalem out into the wilderness, he also brought out Ishmael and his family, which were mostly daughters. This Ishmael and his family were of the lineage of Ephraim, and Lehi's sons took Ishmael's daughters for wives, and this is how they have grown together. Quote, a multitude of nations in the midst of the earth. If we had those 116 pages of manuscript which Martin Harris got away with, you would know all about it. For Ishmael's ancestry is made very plain therein. That is how it came about that Ishmael's lineage, as well as Lehi's, was not given in the Book of Mormon. I love this little gem that Joseph Smith gives us because all of the rest of us have not read the 116 pages of Lehi's descendancy and his teachings. Those have been lost. But it wasn't lost to the memory of Joseph Smith. He obviously knew what was in those 116 pages. Part of the information that was contained therein was the genealogy of Ishmael, which makes sense. As Lehi started having these visions and dreams about having to go to a promised land, aka Zion, I'm wanting to point you to the patterns that this family went through because it is literally a family of Ephraim and Manasseh working together. Their children are of Ephraim and Manasseh literally. Now, obviously, when you get your patriarchal blessing, you may not be a direct descendant of that tribe. But nevertheless, you get those blessings through those tribes and also the responsibilities. So what I wanted to do really quickly is look at this pattern of this family, this Ephraim and Manasseh family working together to get to the promised land. Because within the pattern, we can then look and say, okay, in our day, as daughters of Ephraim and Manasseh, or daughters, as sons of Ephraim and Manasseh, and even the other tribes, let's look at the pattern of Lehi and Nephi in trying to navigate to the Promised Land as we try to navigate to Zion in preparation for the second coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. Now let's look at Lehi's pattern then. First, we see in 1 Nephi 5.14, Lehi states, and it and it, well, Nephi is stating about Lehi. And it came to pass that my father Lehi also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his father's, wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph. Now that's important because of the responsibilities that then come through Joseph to the rest of the world. This was important for Lehi to understand before he started out on his particular mission in the gathering of Israel. It follows, yea, even that Joseph, who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine. So you can see within this Joseph responsibility is saving all of the father, that means all of the brothers' families from perishing from famine. And thus my father Lehi did discover the genealogy of his fathers. And now when my father saw all these things, he was filled with the Spirit and began to prophesy concerning his seed. He had not prophesied in mass about his seed until he read his genealogy. That is something that all of us should be paying attention to. That when he saw who he was related to and who his ancestors were, it filled him with the spirit, and he began to prophesy concerning his seed. When we're talking then about our own genealogy and our own fathers, as we discover the genealogy of our fathers and mothers, we then should, the pattern says, be also filled with the spirit, and we can also prophesy concerning our seed. Now, prophecy obviously is not contained for the church, but you start to understand what's going to happen to your descendants as you read the patterns in the scriptures. So prophesying with your within your own family, you can start to get that kind of revelation as you remember your fathers. Then we go to first Nephi 7:1. And now I would that ye might know that after my father, Lehi, so had made an end of prophesying concerning his seeds, so this is the next step. It came to pass that the Lord spake unto him again, saying that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone, but that his sons should take daughters to wife, that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise. So in the brass plates, it clearly states the messages and the responsibilities of Ephraim and Manasseh. Now Lehi has just learned that he is only from Manasseh. He knows and understands how not sure, but that Ishmael needs to come obviously with daughters, because these blessings come according to families. You can't have seed without married sons and daughters. And the tribe needed to be from the tribe of Ephraim. So this was part of the prophecy and understanding that he gained as he was filled with the Spirit that they needed to go back and get the daughters of Ishmael so that Manasseh and Ephraim could work together to bring a people to the promised land. Therefore, in our day, Ephraim and Manasseh should be working together, remembering our genealogy, being filled with the Spirit as we move towards Zion. Then in 1 Nephi 10:12, this is the next corresponding happening thing, after they went to go get the ladies. Nephi 10 12 says, Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive tree, whose branches should be broken off and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. Wherefore he said, It must needs be that we should be led with one accord into the land of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord, that we should be scattered upon all the face of the of the earth. Now that's interesting. After he reads the brace of the brass plates, after he discovers the genealogy, after he gets uh Ephraim to come along with him, he begins to start prophesying about the house of Israel in uh on a regular basis. He is starting to understand that we they need to be led to the land of promise, and then they're going to be scattered, as the prophecies say. Verse 14, and after the house of Israel should be scattered, they should be gathered together again, or in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fullness of the gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer. And after this manner of language did my father prophesy. So he's continuing to prophesy about the house of Israel, about this family that will be broken, that will be gathered, then broken and then gathered, especially in the latter days. Now, Lehi is seeing all of these things. He's also receiving dreams and visions at the same time. His son Nephi is watching this happen. He's listening to the prophetic pronouncements that his father, who was his prophet at the time, was speaking about the seed and being led to Zion. And I think this was impressed upon Nephi because then Nephi goes and wants to seek out and understand what his father is seeing and understanding. He's beginning to understand that he too can also and needs to understand because the journey ahead is going to be uh very, very difficult. So then we read in 1 Nephi 13, 34, this is when Nephi is experiencing this vision of many, many things. Uh, and it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying, Now remember, he's seeing what his father is seeing, he's seeing this gathering and scattering. And it's not just random people, these are his children. They're being gathered and scattered, so you can, I mean, sit in that for a minute. He's watching what's going to happen to his children, to his posterity. And it must have been overwhelming. There's a lot of good, but there is so much bad that's coming to his posterity. But then what is one of the focuses that the angel wants him to focus on? And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth meet my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the same gift that lighted upon Lehi as he was studying about his fathers. He's talking about us, his seed of Ephraim and Manasseh in the last day, having the power of the Holy Ghost to for what reason? To bring forth Zion. That verse follows, and if they endure unto the end, they shall be lifted up at the last day and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb. And who shall publish peace? Yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountain shall they be. That was one of those positive things that Nephi saw. That eventually, in the latter days, his children, you and me, specifically from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, for that is what his seed was, because his the mothers were from Ishmael, therefore they were from Ephraim, and Nephi and his brothers were from Manasseh. That seed in the latter day will bring forth Zion because of the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost. Then after that experience, Nephi in 1 Nephi 15 14 says, And at that day, he's learning still, shall the remnant of our seed, whose seed? Nephi's seed. Seed, and his wives, and the rest of the covenant-keeping brothers, know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord. And then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer. Behold, I say unto you, yea, they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel, they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree. Wherefore our father hath not spoken of our seed alone. So here comes the important part. He's under he's talking about the olive tree, which was in discussion in the prophetic pronouncements that Lehi was giving to his family. Lee Nephi is now experiencing that in real time. And he's understanding that in the latter days, Ephraim and Manasseh will wake up to who they are, that they may help others in the rest of the tribes understand. But verse 18 is inclusive of all the tribes. It says, Wherefore our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days, which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. We go back to remembering what Elder Bednar and Elder Makonke said, the seed of Abraham in the last days, all of them, through the work of specifically Ephraim and Manasseh on the front end, through that work, and as tribes come to know who they are, those trailblazers in other tribes will help all to know that they're Abraham's seed. Pointing to the covenant, it's not just about knowing who you are, but it's about the covenant that was made, the blessings and the responsibilities. That Nephi learns that. And then he says, 1 Nephi 17, 3, and thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God, he doth nourish them and strengthen them and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them. Wherefore he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness. Now that's important as we're looking at prepares of being Zion as leading, as the leaders of trying to bring all of Abraham's seed to Zion. We need not worry. Sometimes it seems impossible, but the promise is that God will nourish us and strengthen us and provide means in whatever capacity you've been called upon to move this work forward. For me in particular, it has been to start this podcast. And there are times where I pray and say, I where are the provided means that are promised in moving this work forward and helping me in particular in my work? Now, what is your mission and role in your specific tribes, in being a trailblazer, in preparing the world for Zion and for the second coming? Because it cannot come unless the knowledge of who we are, as sons and daughters, a family unit of Abraham, an even larger of God's family. He will strengthen and it will provide the means while we are in the wilderness. Because right now, my friends, we are all hyper-aware that we are in the wilderness. Definitely not Zion yet. In mass. I guess we can have Zion in our own homes for sure, but I'm talking about when Jesus comes and establishes his kingdom on the earth, that Zion is covering all of the earth. That cannot come unless those of us in the tribes in the latter days do the work of letting people know who they are and getting them to the temple. In 1 Nephi 1823, after Nephi test testifies of that, there's a very simple sentence. And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days, we did arrive at the promised land. They finally made it to their Zion. Was it a picture perfect journey? Absolutely not. There was fight, there was contention, as families do. But we can choose to look at the pattern as their seed in the latter days. Are we going to pattern ourselves after Laman and Lemuel? Are we going to pattern ourselves after Nephi and Sam and Lehi? We have the choice to make, but the pattern is there. And if we study, especially within the context of this Ephraim and Manasseh working together, we can be blessed and filled with the spirit as Nephi and Lehi. And if you look at their spiritual gifts and their spiritual experiences, as they try to fulfill the promise of the gathering, because they were gathering their family to a promised land, they experienced dreams and visions. They experienced the Leahona. The spirit was with them. That there's also then the opposition was the contention that was brought on the other end of that. So who are you going to choose to pattern after Nephi or Lehi or Laman and Lemul? It's our choice. We are the seed to bring about this wonderful promised land that is yet to be. something that is near and dear to my heart, and that's unicorns. A lot of you, I may have mentioned this before. We my friend Joan Lancaster and I started the Unicorn Club. We have, she had and I have very rare health conditions. And so instead of calling ourselves mutants, because both of our problems have been genetic, so we're genetic mutants. I thought it'd a better word to call ourselves unicorns because we're just special in all the ways. And so my dear friend, she was struggling through her own L ALS diagnosis. She brought and bought unicorns for all of us within this club. And there was a couple of others of us as well. So I have actually two unicorns in my office to remind me not only of my dear friend Joan, but also to remember that we are all unique in our own different ways, and that the Lord will strengthen and nourish us and cause us to stand in the places that we have been called to stand. And for some, that's on the other side of the veil. For me, it is still here on this side of the veil. So that's the context that I love unicorns, but this is going to blow your mind as we speak a little bit more because unicorns in Ephraim and Nassah actually go together. So uh Erastus now said, if we turn back to the blessing which Moses gave to the 12 tribes of Israel as found in Deuteronomy, we're going to read that in just a minute. We shall there see that in the blessing, in blessing the tribe of Joseph, he especially charged them with the duty of gathering the people from the ends of the earth. Said he, Joseph's horns are like the horns of unicorns, which shall push the people together from the ends of the earth, and they are the thousands of Manasseh and ten thousands of Ephraim, showing that it shall be in the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh, who shall be in the foremost ranks of bearing the gospel message to the ends of the earth and gathering Israel from the four quarters of the world in the last days. Okay, so that's the context. We're going to read verses uh thirteen through seventeen in Deuteronomy 33 to just get the larger context. And then we're going to break it down so that we can understand this unicorn situation when we're talking about the sons of Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and their roles in the last days. So in verse 13 it starts, 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, for the precious things brought 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 fullness 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. Now pay attention to this last verse. His glory, that's important, glory, is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth, and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim and are the thousands of Manasseh. Now we're going to bit by bit go over that last verse 17. What does it even mean? And I was reading a blog post as I was studying this, and I found this post that just broke it down so very well. It was something that I had been learning, but I love the way that they put it together. And this is a blog post called Unicorn in the Old Testament. And I will leave the link. Obviously, the citation is going to be in the description of this video. But this is what it says. The correct answer lies in the text itself, starting in verse 13 by Tim Adams. Okay, so what does verse 17 mean? We're going to go over 17. His glory is like the first lane of his bullock. Okay, so let's go over that first. First of all, his glory. Okay, who is the his here, right? We have to understand his glory. That obviously was stated by Erastus Snow as Joseph. And in the verses in front of it, it was uh noted that we're talking about Joseph's the son, the last son. Well, not the last son, but the son that was saved the rest of the house of Israel, Joseph, is who we're talking about here. Now that word glory, please remember glory, his his work and his glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. So Joseph's glory, that will make sense in just a minute, is like the first ling. Okay, when we're talking about first ling, that is singular. And of his bullock, that is also singular. The Hebrew word for boloch is sour, and that means bull or oxen. So Joseph's glory is like the first ling, which is single, of his bull or oxen. Okay. Now we're going to break the down the second part of that verse. And his horns are like the horns of unicorn. Okay, so this is how you can break it down his, whose horns, right? Joseph's horns, who is the bull, his horns in the plural. So he has two horns. This bull or this oxen, aka Joseph, has two horns in plural. His horns are like the horns in the plural of unicorns. Okay, so now we're seeing a singular bullock or a singular ox, which is represented by Joseph, has horns plural, like unicorns. So let's go to verse um three. Unicorns, and the Hebrew word is reem, translated as wild ox. Okay, so now we're seeing this wild ox again. This ox. So his horns are like the horns of unicorns, translated wild ox. So now let's go a little bit further. With them plural, meaning the bull's horns will push the people together to the ends of the earth. Okay, that's important. So now we're talking about an oxen with two horns. Those horns, plural, are going to push the people together to the ends of the earth. Five, they and they are what are the horns? They are this verse conveys two horns and are the two brothers of Ephraim and Manasseh, because it says, 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. Then he writes, When has this verse ever been fulfilled in history? It is occurring right now. Ephraim and Manasseh are our elders of the tribe of Joseph in modern times, going out to the four quarters of the earth to push the elect of the Lords together. Right now, generally more than all of the other tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, the two horns of Joseph, are pushing the people together in modern times. How does that happen? He writes, we bring them together through baptism into the house of Israel. In our temples, we have a font on the back of twelve oxen, so that when we bring them in, those who come unto Christ are brought in on the backs of Ephraim and Manasseh and all of the rest of the tribes. But this is a prophecy that extends to Ephraim and Manasseh because they are the horns of Joseph. And remember, this goes back to glory. Right? Do you not realize that Joseph, as an ancient, as in ancient times, saved his family from a famine in the land? Instead, today is saving his family once again. Joseph's role is to be a savior on Mount Zion. He is doing the same thing today through his sons as he did himself in ancient times. In Amos we read, Behold, the the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. Thus Joseph gains glory by whose two sons, represented as an ox, the twelve oxen in the baptismal font. The two sons are pushing the rest of the house of Israel to where?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:12

They're pushing people together to the ends of the earth. And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:25

We are actually fulfilling that prophecy as we go to the temple, no matter what tribe you're from. But we look at the temples being built in all of the different places around the world, and it's staggering to me. And I'm going to say, in general, most of the building of the temples occurred in the European nations in the early days of the church. But now we are seeing more and more temples being built in the lands of Manasseh and all the other tribes at an unprecedented rate. It is something that as children of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, as we fulfill our roles in becoming saviors, it is part of us also preparing for the second coming of our son, of his son, Jesus Christ, and also for Zion to be built. It is by pushing the two brothers, the horns of the ox, to the baptismal fonts, to the temples, thus preparing the world. Okay, we're going to talk a little bit about Ephraim and Manasseh as preparers of Zion. Now in 2 Nephi chapter 3, we read, Joseph and Egypt saw the Nephites in vision. So not only did Nephi and Lehi see our day, their seed, but Joseph also saw Lehi and Nephi. So he has the same gift of prophecy. You see, when you look at the gifts of the tribes, and you can look at the forefathers and look at the spiritual gifts that they exhibited, it should be evident in their seed, these gifts. And clearly that was evident as Nephi and Lephi, Nephi and Lehi emulated the pattern of their father Joseph. So Joseph in Egypt saw the Nephites in vision. He prophesied of Joseph Smith, a latter-day seer, of Moses who would deliver Israel, and of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. And we're talking about 588 to 570 BC. Now, starting in 2 Nephi chapter 3, verse 4, we read, For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins, and I am a descendant of Joseph, who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph. I think this is when Lehi is giving patriarchal blessings to his sons. Now let's jump down to verse 5, wherefore Joseph truly saw our day, and he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins, this is the promise that Joseph attained to from the Lord, out of the fruit of his loins, which is Ephraim and Manasseh, the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel, not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, that the Messiah should be made manifest to them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness, unto light, yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom. So this is what Joseph saw, not only Nephi and Lehi's days, but he also saw the latter days, that in the latter days the fruit of his loins, his seed, Ephraim and Manasseh, would be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, and that the Son of God would be made manifest to his seed in the latter days. For what reason? To bring power and to free them out of darkness, meaning the rest of the house of Israel. Exhibited as the same pattern as Joseph saved his brothers, so his seed will also save the seed of his brothers in the latter days. Now, something that's interesting when we read in the spirit of power unto the bringing them out of darkness, that citation leads us to 1 Nephi 21:9. What does that mean? That thou mayest say to the prisoners, go forth to them that sit in darkness, show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. We're not just talking about missionary work, but we're also talking about the house of Israel on the other side of the veil, saying to that seed, um, show yourselves that they may say to the prisoners, go forth. Part of the blessings that come from being uh a messenger in these latter days from Joseph and all the tribes, but I'm talking about Joseph right now, is that our ancestors in some way, shape, or form can show themselves to us that they may be free, that they may be welcomed into those high pastures, high places, which that's interesting because that is the temple. High places were always temples. So the seed of Ephraim and Manasseh, through yes, gathering on this side of the vale, but now really on the other side of the veil, because it could not happen until the latter days. Temples did not dot the earth in the way and means that it needed to, in the numbers that it needed to, that all of these tribes of Israel would be saved on the other side of the veil. It only could happen now. Russell M. Nelson said, The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the second coming of the Lord. Remember, we're getting, we're journeying through the wilderness right now to get ready to go into the promised land. What are the preparations? Ephraim and Manasseh are preparers of Zion when they gather Israel, and especially when they're gathering Israel for those on the other side of the veil. We need to push them to the temple that they may also receive the covenants. And Doctrine Covenants 113. It says he had reference to those whom God should call in the last days. Have you been called? Have I been called? As descendants or seed of Joseph or any of the tribes, have you been called? Who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion and the redemption of Israel, and to put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage, also to return to that power which she had lost. Inherent in Zion are rights and responsibilities, and some of those rights are that those who are of the seed have the authority and should be given the authority of the priesthood to bring about Zion that Israel shall be redeemed. And Joseph saw all of this, our forefather. Nephi and Lehi saw all of this, as many other prophets also saw this in the latter days. It was the one thing that gave them hope, because they had to endure the sight of all of the traumas and afflictions and horrible wars and contentions and fightings that were going to happen within their posterity. This is the one thing that they held on to. And it's our call, especially to Ephraim and Emmanasseh in the latter days, that we might be prepared not only for ourselves, but prepare all of the rest of the house of Israel for Zion to come, that our God will reign with us, and that Israel will finally, finally be redeemed. Now I wanted to talk about the Isles of the Sea really quickly. In Isaiah 49, verse 8, because in general, a lot of Manasseh's people reside on the islands of the sea. And also, you know, in South American countries. And before you come after me, just sit with me for a minute and listen to some of the things that I have pulled together, all doctrinally based, right? First of all, let's look at Isaiah 49, verse 8. Thus saith the Lord, in accept in it in an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee, and I will preserve thee and give thee for a covenant of the people to establish the earth and to cause to inherit the desolate heritages, that thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth to them that are in darkness, shoe yourselves, they shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. K. That is an Isaiah. In evil spirits, I took Isaiah's prophecy and then looked at it in Nephi's, how Nephi changed just a few things of it. And as we've been talking about why that would be changed, or why would he be by the Spirit given this should this should say it this way? Obviously, we can look in context of the visions that Nephi was receiving. It was all about family, and it was all about the latter days. So let's look at the difference between Isaiah 49 verses verses 8 and 9. And we're going to go to 1 Nephi 21, and we're going to start with verse 6 because that will give us context. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob. Now that is Jacob as a whole. That's not Joseph. Joseph was Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob obviously had all of the sons. So let me read that again. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth. Now let's go to verse 8. This is where we're going to see an overlay of Isaiah versus Nephi. Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, O Isles of the Sea. That was not in the original scripture in Isaiah. He just said, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and then moved on. But Nephi adds in, O Isles of the Sea, clearly he's understanding that from his perspective, his posterity, Nephi's seed, was going to reside some of it in the Isles of the Sea. And in a day of salvation have I helped thee, and I will preserve thee. That's the same. And give thee here's where it's different again. In Isaiah it says, Give thee for a covenant of the people. Nephi says, and give thee my servant. So here he's restor, he's um referring to Joseph Smith, for a covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherit the desolate heritages. So my servant was not in the original Isaiah 49. Nephi is again seeing that in the latter days there will be a servant, Joseph Smith, come that will help restore the covenant uh that the desolate heritages. Now, when we think about heritage, we think about posterity, we think about genealogical lines, we think about family lines, cause to inherit the desolate heritages. Because the covenant had been taken off, they had killed each other, they walked away from the gospel, there were many desolate heritages that were not being taken advantage of. The heritages are the passing down of spiritual gifts, of knowledge, those things had become extinct because the knowledge had become lost. Now let's go then verse 9 because this is a little bit different. That thou mayest say to the prisoners, now that citation is salvation for the dead. So that puts into context what Isaiah and Nephi were both referencing. Go forth to them that sit in darkness, Nephi says. In Isaiah, it says, shoe yourselves. That basically means the same thing. I'm inviting you, those you prisoners who sit in darkness, who sit in those prisons on the other side of the vale, show yourselves that what the desolate heritages might be inherited at some point. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in a hall in all high places. Again, a reference to possible temples. So you can see how for Nephi, the isles of the sea were important to him because it was about his posterity, his sons and daughters, his children. Now, I think it's interesting when we're talking generally about Manasseh, that a lot of the times the knowledge of who they are came through temple dedications. So I'm going to read through a couple of those temple dedications, revealing the knowledge that on the Isles of the Sea or in other nations, native nations, they were starting to understand who they were. The darkness was falling from their eyes. They were understanding their role, who they are in the latter days. Now, this is about um, this is Hebrew J. Grant at the dedication, original dedication of the La Ie Hawaii Temple. Okay, we thank thee that the thousands and tens of thousands of the descendants of Lehi. This is in the dedication. So he's pointing out in this particular temple, which is an Isle of the Sea, on an isle of the sea, that the thousands and the tens of thousands of the descendants of Lehi. Now you can see why that verse in second in 1 Nephi was important to him. The descendants of Lehi in this favored land have come to a knowledge of the gospel, many of whom have endured faithfully to the end of their lives. We thank thee, our Father and our God, that those who are living and who have embraced the gospel are now to have the privilege of entering into this holy house and laboring for the salvation of the souls of their ancestors. And now that this temple is completed and ordinance work will soon be commenced, we beseech thee, O Father, that thou wilt open the way before the members of the church in these lands, as well as of the natives of New Zealand and of all the Pacific Islands, to secure the genealogies of their forefathers, so that they may come into this holy house and become saviors unto their ancestors. Remember the power that came when Lehi remembered his ancestors, when he learned of the genealogy of his particular forefathers. The power is then the same for his seed, as they come to know who they are, who their forefathers are, Nephi and Lehi. They then will also become saviors unto the rest of the seed that do not know and understand that yet on both sides of the veil. Now, another uh temple dedication that kind of brought this knowledge to some of these tribes of Manasseh, because in the beginning the knowledge was given to Ephraim about who their forefathers were, were in probably more often than Manasseh. But now we're starting to see this coming into light of Manasseh, thus bringing these brothers closer and closer together in doing the work for the restoration of Israel. David O. McKay on April 20th, 1958, at the rededication of the Hamilton, New Zealand Temple says, We express gratitude that to these fertile islands thou didst guide descendants of Father Lehi and hast enabled them to prosper. Okay, so we're getting multiple confirmations from prophets that Manasseh, especially within uh the Pacific Islands in general, that they are of the tribe of Manasseh. Eller Goid Gordon Behinkley commented upon Europeans being assembled with the Maoris of the Pacific at the dedication of the New Zealand Temple. He says, again, there was something prophetic about it. Here were two great strains of the house of Israel, the children of Ephraim from the Isles of Britain, and the children of Lehi from the Isles of the Pacific. So in this context, President Gordon B. Hinckley generalized it, that Ephraim is uh started really within the European communities, and that Manasseh is starting to come to know who he is, not only at the Pacific Islanders, but in South America as well. Again, if you are from a different tribe, you are a trailblazer and you are starting to understand who you are. It's important to note where you're at in this uh needing to be part of the raising of the house of Israel. Now, when the cornerstone was laid at the New Zealand Temple, Eller Huey Brown stated in the closing prayer, We thank thee, O God, for revealing us to us the Book of Mormon, the story of the ancient inhabitants of America. We thank thee that from among those inhabitants, the ancestors of these whose heads are bowed before thee here came from the western shores of America into the South Seas, pursuant to thy plan, and now their descendants humbly raise their voices in grateful acknowledgement of thy kindness, thy mercy, and thy love for them and those who went before them. We humbly thank thee that this building is erected in this land so that those faithful Maoris who came here in early days, descendants of Father Lehi, may be remembered by their descendants and saved through the ordinances that will in this house be performed in their behalf. That's how important this Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon, is for all of us, but especially when we're talking about the descendants of Lehi and Nephi. Remember what happened to Lehi as he came to know who his forefathers were through the brass plates. That same miraculous experience can happen as those tribes who have descended from Ephraim and Manasseh, those children, those seeds, read the Book of Mormon in context that it's a genealogical record. The Spirit of the Lord will light upon those people who understand that and also help them to understand their responsibility in to not only their tribe, but the rest of the tribes, the rest of the sons. Now, this was taken part at a Mexico City temple from Gordon Behinkley. He says, six new temples have been dedicated this year, he said. These were unplanned in terms of particular prophecy, but most of these temples have been built to serve descendants of Lehi. I believe the Lord has touched his prophet, then President Spencer W. Kimball, to bring into play those processes by which he is remembering ancient covenants concerning descendants of Lehi. The knowledge of knowing who you are cannot be underestimated in importance. Now I'm going to read a quote by Matthew Cali, who was an Ephraimite, who worked a lot within Manasseh in helping Manasseh come to a knowledge of who they are. He says, as I go about the islands of the sea, I learn that Christianity has only been among those natives a little more than 100 years. Where is the salvation for the ancestors of those people, the children of Israel, Nephites, who lived prior to 100 years ago in that vast expanse of ocean on those islands? Where outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is their salvation for the Polynesians of the Pacific who lived prior to the year 1840 in those islands? Someone has said a bridge has no use unless it reaches both banks. We have the bridge, brothers and sisters, extending from one bank over to the other. You who work in the temples of God cross over that bridge from day to day, and you know that there is no other organization on this earth which has a bridge extending from one bank over to the other, so that they can walk across and reach back beyond the year 1840 or 1740, or whatever the year may be, and bring across that bridge those great and noble souls who are who are our ancestors, the children of God. That is God's will that all his children who have lived in every day and age and dispensation of time shall come to the Father by His Son. Therefore, let us cross the bridge and take the gospel of the Son to our ancestors. Let us get the names together, let us not neglect this great and important work. And I know it is important because when I see our people in the islands of the sea, writing their names down, gathering their genealogy and trying to get those names over to the temple, trying to get there themselves, I know that within their hearts they know that they are children of God. They know that their ancestors were the children of God. And no Polynesian islander would want to be saved without his great and noble ancestors. God grant that we may turn some attention, brothers and sisters, to the work for those who live on on the other side of the bridge. Let us cross the bridge over to them. Ephraim and Manasseh in the last days have been called to the forefront in bridging the gap between the ancestors and the covenants, bridging the gap between the gospel ordinances and the house of Israel. We are a bridge. The temple is the bridge. The tribes, if you are involved in temple and family history work, they are bridges. Not only for themselves, but for the whole house of Israel. That same friend, Holana, who said that Ephraim and Manasseh are brothers, we talk regularly, and she says that there needs to be a bridge between Ephraim and Manasseh. Part of this episode is to hopefully bridge a gap. As I have seen that sometimes we separate ourselves, the brothers tend to stay in their own sphere of influence. May we look and reach out and look at our brothers and sisters from Manasseh and all of the other tribes and be that bridge that connects us as a family instead of living in separate spaces and places. I'm going to finish with a quote by Russell and Nelson about Ephraim and Manasseh being prepared for the second coming. Why is this promise of gathering so crucial? Because the gathering of Israel is necessary to prepare the world for the second coming. And the Book of Mormon is God's instrument needed to accomplish both of these divine objectives. Regarding the second coming, we know it is now nigh at hand and in a time yet to come. And when the Savior comes again, it will not be in secret. Meanwhile, much work must be done to gather Israel and prepare the world for the glorious second coming. The Lord reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant in our day through the prophet Joseph Smith. In the temple, we receive our ultimate and highest blessings as promised to the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We need to gain that heavenly perspective. We need to know about the Abrahamic covenant and understand our responsibility in helping to bring about the promised gathering of Israel. We need to know why we are privileged to receive patriarchal blessings and learn of our connection to ancient patriarchs. Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, became the seed to lead in the gathering of Israel. Other tribes were to follow. The gathering of Israel is not an ultimate endpoint. It is but the beginning. The end to which we endure includes the endowment and sealing ordinances of the temple. It includes our entrance into a covenant relationship with God either by lineage or adoption, and then dwelling with him and our families forever. That is God's glory, eternal life for his children. Our loving Father in heaven truly wants his children to return to him, not by coercion, but by individual choice and personal preparation. And he wants them sealed as eternal families. That is our Heavenly Father's perspective. That is the beloved son perspective, and it can be our perspective as well. My friends, I hope that if as you've listened today, no matter what tribe you're from, but as you've listened today, you've understood that you are a preparer of the second coming, that you are a preparer of Zion to come, that you are a you are restoring the house of Israel. You are building the generations. So many of our brothers and sisters on the other side of the veil have not had the opportunity yet to come to the knowledge of who they are. They don't understand their lineage. But by doing the work in the temples, we are literally giving that gift to them.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:43

As I look about the speed at which temples are being built across the earth, I am grateful to be a daughter of Ephraim and helping to lead the way that other tribes may come.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:05

I am happy that I am working with friends, sons and daughters from Manasseh as we try to do the work that the Lord has asked us to do. In looking at our father Joseph and understanding his desires and wants for us in our fathers of Nephi and Lehi, and their desires for their seed to work together, may we understand from our Heavenly Father's perspective that we are not tribes, but we are brothers and sisters coming together, that we may be sealed as His in His eternal family. That is also our Son's His Son's perspective as well, our Savior Jesus Christ. And that when we choose to be prepared, to be restorers, to be saviors, to be redeemers, all with little consonants, that we gain the powers of savior, restore. We are blessed with priesthood power. We are not only being given glory, but we are also that glory is extending to our fathers and our mothers, our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All of them are being given glory as we perform the work that we've been called upon to do in the latter days. And it is not an accident that you are sent here now. Whatever tribe you're from, whatever brother you have descended from, whatever blessings are going to come through that line, you were sent here for a purpose. You are sent here to initiate the work of the gathering within your own tribe. Thus creating Zion, working with all of our all of us as brothers and sisters, becoming of one heart and one mind. I hope that this perspective has maybe helped you a little bit as I've studied the promises specifically for me, for Joseph, and for all of the sons of Israel and the daughters. I am grateful for the unique position that I find myself in. And I'm hoping that you understand the unique position that you are in. You cannot comprehend the amount of ancestors from your tribe that are praying for you. To one, know who you are, but to push them to the temple, thus receiving and being freed from their prison houses and receiving light and covenants and ordinances. That power grows and grows and grows until it will take over the whole earth as prophesied in Zion. Please join me tomorrow, my friends. Uh, I have another cool story, another couple thinning of the Vell experiences uh relating to temples. And then join me on Thursday with Colette and Friday. Uh, this really, really cool talk that will put an exclamation point on what we learned this week. Thank you, my friends, for joining me. Have a great day. Bye.