Topics / Last Days
Scattered by covenant, gathered by covenant
The Gathering of Israel
One of scripture's longest unfinished threads, and the frame the Church uses for missionary work, temple work and family history alike. The gathering is described as literal, as covenantal, and as a work with servants few and the Lord labouring alongside them.
20 min2 sections
Scattering and gathering, announced together
3That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee.
Both halves are announced in the same breath, before either happens. That structure matters: the scattering is never presented as the end of the covenant but as a phase of it, which is why the gathering can be described as a return rather than as a new arrangement.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 11:11–12A second gathering, distinct from the return from Babylon, with an ensign to the nations.
- Jeremiah 16:14–16Fishers first, then hunters. The imagery is not comfortable and is not meant to be.
- Jacob 5:61–75The last pruning: servants few, and the Lord of the vineyard labouring alongside them.
- 3 Nephi 20:29–33The Savior at Bountiful on the gathering, quoting and expanding Isaiah.
- D&C 110:11The keys of the gathering restored, with a date.
What gathering means now
| Aspect | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Spiritual | Coming to a knowledge of Christ and making covenants — the primary sense in modern teaching |
| Ecclesiastical | Missionary work; and, since the mid-twentieth century, building up the Church where members live rather than emigrating |
| Temporal | Historically a physical gathering to Zion; the Church has taught since the 1950s that members should remain and build in their own lands |
| For the dead | Family history and temple work — the largest single component by volume |
Principle
The gathering is the fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant, and it is carried out today chiefly by bringing people to Christ and by temple work for the dead.
What this topic holds
Israel was scattered by covenant-breaking and is gathered by covenant-making.
The gathering is literal, and it is an article of faith rather than a metaphor about belonging.
Check your reading
3 questions01When are the scattering and the gathering announced?
02What does Jacob 5 describe about the final phase?
03How has the practical meaning of gathering changed?
Where to go next
Sources
- Gospel Topics, "Israel"
- Deuteronomy 30; Isaiah 11; Jacob 5; 3 Nephi 20; D&C 110 — The primary texts.