THE SECOND BOOK OF NEPHI
CHAPTER 21
Stem of Jesse (Christ) shall judge in righteousness—The knowledge of God shall cover the earth in the Millennium—The Lord shall raise an ensign and gather Israel—Compare Isaiah 11. [Between 559 and 545 B.C.]
[ This chapter of Isaiah was quoted by the angel Moroni when he first appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith on September 21, 1823. Moroni stated that the chapter "was about to be fulfilled." (JS-H 1:40.). ]
1 AND there shall come forth a rod [ D&C 113:1-6 What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse? Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. ] out of the stem of Jesse, [ A stem is defined by Websters 1828 as: "the principal body of a tree." So here we are talking about the principal body of the tree of Jesse. Answer is found in D&C 113:1-6: Who is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah? Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. Christ once defined his role as the Stem in (John 15:5) "I am the vine...the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can do nothing". So it is because thay derive their power from Jesus Christ that they will be able to survive. He is the one that will deliver Judah at that day (Rev. 19:11-16,19-20)] and a branch shall grow out of his roots. [ So the Jews will be preserved in the last days via what is symbolically referred to as a transplanted cutting of a plant. This is the same cutting that was transplanted beyond the vineyards wall which is a direct reference to the House of Israel. The "Branch" has been defined in Zech 6:12-13 as the Davidic servant of whom it is prophesied would precede the Lords second coming (Ez. 47; Rev 11:1-2) and restore the temple in Jerusalem in the last days. Suggesting that this is not Christ himself as Christ cannot preced his own return - at least in theory as that would be his second coming. Additionally; the Branch is a Branch of the stem of Jesse - which would make Christ a branch of himself, which does not make sense. ]
2 And the Spirit of the Lord [ He will go forth under the direction and influence of God himself. ] shall rest upon him, [ The Rod. ] the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; [ He will be given the gift of discernment to know whom to destroy. ] and he [ The Rod. ] shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, [ His judgements will not be earthly judgements, or the judgements of men but will be the judgements of God. ] neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; [ This Rod will come forth with Christ like characteristics. So while he will swiftly judge the wicked and destroy them, and not hold anything back. But because of his righteous judgement the righteous need not fear. ] and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, [ He will do all things aas given to him by God in righteousness. He will not do anything for his own power, wealth or personal gain. ] and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
[ He will be a faithful and obedient servant to God - Or he will not spare mercy were mercy is not justified. He will do as he has been instructed. ]
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; [ Isaiah and other prophets have indicated that during the Millennium enmity will cease between beast and beast, between man and beast, and between man and man. ] and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den.
9 They [ Those who would oppose God. ] shall not hurt nor destroy [ They cannot hurt nor destroy because they have been run out of the land. This is the beginning of the millennium. It will first start in America because the antichrist and his forces along with anyone who is of that nature will be destroyed or have fled. The rest of the world will still have to grapple with the antichrist. The Rod will not pursue the antichrist to Jerusalem because he knows that he still has a role to play there in purging Jerusalem. This is where the Root of Jesse will come into play. ] in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, [ John. What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter? Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days. ] which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious. [ LeGrand Richards has provided the following commentary on verses 10-13: From this prophecy we learn: First: That the Lord would establish an ensign among the Gentiles. Second: That the Lord would set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people. Third: It will be noted that when the Lord would set His hand "the second time" to gather Israel, it would be twofold in nature: (1) That He would "assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah." (2) That this great movement would have its inception among the Gentiles, the Kingdom of Israel or Ephraim. Fourth: That "The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim." (IDYK, pp. 153-54.). ]
11 And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand [ His hand implies that he is personally involved in the work, the same hand that created the earth is here reclaiming them. ] again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he [ John. ] shall set up an ensign for the nations, [ Nations implies countries, not geography. Ensign = banner or flag under which armies fought. So here we have Jehovah rallying his people to return from exile. Verse 11 implies that he does it with his hand and here we have a ensign or banner. Another way of saying this might be that I will raise up a new nation, one of his people - God's Nation. ] , and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together [ The Hebraic definition of Israel is "Let God prevail", So the gathering of Israel takes on added meaning in that the Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives. The Lord is gathering those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives. See Let God Prevail By President Russell M. Nelson Oct 2020 Gen Conference. These include that hosts of the Lost Ten Tribes that were held back until America was made safe (those who are not part of the army that will come first and destroy the wicked), as well as the scattered remnants among all nations. ] the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy of Ephraim [ Why does Judah envy with Ephraim? The birthright tribe. ] also shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah [ The ruling tribe. ] shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. [ Why? Because they are now one nation, brought together under Jehovah's servant, they are no longer divided by are one. John will most likely be the de facto leader until the Savior returns and assumes his role. BUt in the mean time John will oversee the residual gathering that must take place after America is free from the antichrist. Since John is the one who will lead the returning army to restore America, he will most likely after success there turn his focus to the rest of scattered Israel through out the world. This he will accomplish with the 12,000 from each tribe totaling 144,000. They will go to all of the nations of the world and gather them back to America. Thise who choose not to come here for protection will be left to the destruction of the antichrist and his minions. ]
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines towards the west; they shall spoil them of the east together; [ something to understand about the 4 cardinal directions in prophetic language. Like numbers, it represents quality, not direction. Facing East is always the "correct" way to face. It is covenant-keeping. Example: the Garden was placed Eastward in Eden. Christ will come from the East when He comes again. The sun/son rises in the East. Because you face East, that is what is in your future. Thus, what is in the West is in your past. It is your history, your anchor. It is the words and the prophets. When you face East, the North is on your left hand. This is not a good place to be from. This is covenant-breaking. Israel was taken captive into the North countries, or the covenant-breaking countries of the world. And it is out of them that Israel must return. North is also the only direction in which, if you face it, you will never see the sun/son. The south shares the same word in Hebrew as "parched", probably because the world's largest desert lay to the south of Israel. Though it is sparsely populated, the peoples are cared for by the Lord. It is a land of "milk and honey". It is Egypt, a place of refuge. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, even the Child Jesus sought refuge in the south in Egypt. But they did not stay there. It is the only direction which, if you face it, you will always see the sun/son, and view its highest point in the sky. ] they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey [ The children of Ammon have been through out history adversaries to the children of Israel, but according to Isaiah this will all change. This group is most likely the remaining Muslims of this day. See Daniel 11 for the role the Muslims will play in opposing the antichrist, and the destruction they will face at that opposition. ] them.
[ John and the 144,000 sent forth into the world to gather those who will come to America fro protection. ]
15 And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue [ Meaning that the people will not longer talk about the event - the parting of the red sea. Why? Because he is going to work a miracle far more miraculous and grand, such that no one will talk about the former. Jeremiah said the same thing. (Jeremiah 16:14-15) ] of the Egyptian sea; [ When the Lord caused that the Children of Israel walked through the red sea without harm, and the army of the Pharaoh was drowned in it. ] and with his mighty wind he shall shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod. [ This is the highway talked about in the next verse. ]
16 And there shall be a highway [ A way for the Lost Ten Tribes to return. They will return from where they are with a grand highway that will be more grand than the parting of the red sea. ] for the remnant of his people [ The Lost Ten Tribes. Esdras mentions this event in 2 Esdras 13:40-47 "Esdras 13:40 Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their own land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria led away captive, and he carried them over the waters, and so came they into another land.
Esdras 13:41 But they took this counsel among themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth into a further country, where never mankind dwelt,
Esdras 13:42 That they might there keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land.
Esdras 13:43 And they entered into Euphrates by the narrow places of the river.
Esdras 13:44 For the most High then shewed signs for them, and held still the flood, till they were passed over.
Esdras 13:45 For through that country there was a great way to go, namely, of a year and a half: and the same region is called Arsareth.
Esdras 13:46 Then dwelt they there until the latter time; and now when they shall begin to come,
Esdras 13:47 The Highest shall stay the springs of the stream again, that they may go through: therefore sawest thou the multitude with peace." Just as Isaiah said they would in the previous verse here. "that they may go through... " (2nd Esdras 13:40-47). ] which shall be left, from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.