1 WHO is the Stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of Isaiah? [The KJV for this verse is: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots The Jewish Publication society (JPS) translation renders it: But a shoot shall grow out of the stump of Jesse, A twig shall sprout from his stock. The context for Isa. 11:1 comes from Isa. 10:32-34 where the king of Assyria is presented as wreaking havoc on Jerusalem's neighbors and ultimately upon Jerusalem herself. Jerusalem and her people are compared to a forest that it cut down. Hence the symbolism of the rod/shoot growing out of the stem/stump. Jesse was the father of David, king of Israel, thus the reference here is to the Davidic king, and kingdom of Judah, bring brought to and end. However, from this Davidic lineage future rulers of will arise. ]

2 Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. [ So the stem or the stump is Jesus Christ. Messiah ben Judah. ]

3 What is the rod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse?

4 Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant [ So it is one who is separate and different from Jesus Christ. ] in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, [ They will be of mixed lineage. Jesse and Ephraim the two royal lineages of Israel; Judah and Joseph. It was Joseph who was the head of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, so therefore the lost Ten Tribes, and it will be the lost ten tribes that will eventually liberate America - the inheritance of Joseph. Christ was also known as the King of the Jews, and was the person to liberate Judah. So one who has dual lineage would have the authority of both kingdoms. ] or of the house of Joseph, [ Messiah ben Joseph. The rod/shoot is a servant of Christ whom is mainly lineage of Ephraim, which we could take to be referring to Joseph Smith, cf. JS-H 1:40. ] on whom there is laid much power.< [ However the hallmark of this person's mission will be the exhibition of great power and authority.This power will be used to prepare the nations of the earth for the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, which sanctification will come through the application of fire on the earth. Maybe this person will be a great leader of the Lords restituted army of the ten tribes. ]

5 What is the root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter?

6 Behold, thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, [ David's father. ] as well as of Joseph, [ John has dual tribal lineage. Judah and Joseph both of the tribes that remain on the earth today. The other ten tribes are somewhere else and are known as the lost ten tribes, and there they are presided over by John. ] unto whom rightly belongs the priesthood, [ John was given the priesthood by Jesus Christ, he has been on the earth since he received that priesthood so it would still be in effect with him. ] and the keys of the kingdom, [ John can restore all keys only because he holds all keys. See D&C 7:7. Therefore when John returns he will return with the keys and the authority to put all thing of the kingdom in proper order. He will come at after the time that wormwood has subdued the saints and broken the princes of the covenant. John will overthrow wormwood and free America. He will then be the presiding authority on earth over the righteous until the Savior returns. ] for an ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days. [ The gathering of the entire house of Israel - including the ten tribes HC 1:176. This mission was given specifically to John. ] [ Verses 5-6 say the root/stock is mainly of the lineage of Jesse, and therefore of David, and he has a right to the Priesthood via lineage. So Jesse was David's father. This would be John The Revelator. If we contrast Johns described here with the mission of the Root found in D&C 77:14 where we are taught that this Elias (John) will gather all of the tribes of Israel and restore all things. The restoration of the Ten Tribes of Israel is one of the most important things yet to be restored, and this will be done through John. ]

7 Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion—and what people had Isaiah reference to?

8 He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, 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.

9 What are we to understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of her neck; 2d verse?

10 We are to understand that the scattered remnants are exhorted to return to the Lord from whence they have fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that he will speak to them, or give them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses. The bands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants of Israel in their scattered condition among the Gentiles. [ This section of text deal with Isa. 52:1-2 where Zion is portrayed as a woman standing up out of slavery and squalor and becoming beautiful and powerful. The symbolism draws heavily on imagery developed earlier in the book of Isaiah where Zion and Babylon are typified by women. Zion, who is to be the bride of the Lord, has been playing the role of harlot and the Lord therefore rejects her. The result is she is abandoned and sold into slavery. Meanwhile, the mistress Babylon is exalted by the world. However, on the Day of the Lord He will return and reverse the positions of the women. Zion will be redeemed by the Lord and Babylon will be thrust into squalor. Verse 8 indicates that the strength of Zion is the Priesthood, that Zion has a right to it by lineage, thereby indicating that the target audience is natural Israel, which is presently scattered. Verse 10 refers to the scattering as being a curse, which identifies a classical covenant derived from Lev. 26:33-39. ]