Chapter Six: The Day of the Gentile
The question should be rightfully asked at this point: "How does the covenant, which Noah made with his son, Japheth (Genesis 10:2-5), through whose lineage have been born countless millions of middle division spirits of pre-mortality whom we refer to as gentiles, to whom the gospel is to be taken, relate to the missionary program of the Church today?"
Concerning this, a comprehensive reference is made to certain prophecies in the Book of Mormon as follows:
Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.
And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the foundation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.
Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.
And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou has seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest - because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God - because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceeding great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands (North and South America), which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren (I Nephi 13:25-30).Continuing these prophecies concerning the Gentiles:
And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks -
And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel. . . . (I Nephi14:1-2).With regard to taking the gospel to the gentiles, the Lord, speaking unto Nephi, had this to say further. His words clearly identify the particular day in which we now live, as the very day when these things will transpire:
And verify I say unto you, I given unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place - that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion: . . .
For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel (III Nephi 21:1, 6).
Joseph Smith Identified with This Period of Time
Thus the day of the gentile is clearly identified by the Lord as he ministered among the Nephites. This, he proclaimed, would take place in the last days when the plan of the gospel would be restored and go forth unto the world beginning with the gentiles (D&C 45:28).
To further identify this period of time, the Lord declared unto the Nephites that a man would declare it unto them, (Joseph Smith) whom, for the most part, the people would not believe. Here are his words:
For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them.
But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant (III Nephi 21:9-11).
The Last Opportunity for the Gentiles
The conditions of the unfolding of this prophetic period, with the gospel being taken to the gentiles, is unmistakable. This period is their last opportunity to receive it. If the people of the lands of America, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere in the world where the gentile nations reside, do not receive the gospel during the period referred to, judgments and disasters will come upon them that, in comparison, will go beyond anything that has ever happened to them. These disasters will occur when the Lord withdraws his Spirit from these lands because of disobedience and unwillingness to accept the gospel plan.
Judgments to Come If Gentiles Reject Gospel
When we think of the terror and devastations that have occurred throughout the world upon various historical occasions, and realize that these incidents are small compared to that which the Lord will permit if the gentiles fail now to repent, we can understand how terrible the judgments of God will be. And yet the extent of these things can be avoided if enough of the gentiles accept the truth, or for those who do accept the gospel, realizing of course that the righteous sometimes suffer with the wicked when the judgments of God are poured our on the people. The Lord, however, has said that the righteous will be gathered out. Here is the statement of the Lord on this:
For it shall come to pass, said the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel;
And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem (III Nephi 21:20-23).
Gentiles Who Respond Will Be Saved
If they will repent and hearken unto the Lord, and harden not their hearts, his Church will be established among them, and they shall come in and be numbered among the house of Israel. Here then is the promise and prophecy from the Lord concerning the gentiles. It concerns the plan of the gospel to be taken to them by the heralds of truth, who are the missionaries of this dispensation.
Gentiles Throughout Worlds to Receive Gospel Call
While the Lord speaks more generally of the gentiles who will occupy the promised land of America, the proclaiming of the gospel unto the gentile is not to be confined to those in America, as explained by Nephi, the prophet:
And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest - because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God - because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, and exceeding great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them (I Nephi 13:29).
The Gentiles
Who then are the gentile nations of today?
The record of Moses and contained in Genesis, will help us to understand this by identifying the ancient genealogy of the children of Japheth, the eldest son of Noah, with whom the covenant of adoption was made. This same record gives the genealogy of all the three sons of Noah, of whom the whole earth was overspread (Genesis 9:19) following the landing of the Ark after the great flood (Genesis 8:16).
Of particular concern for the purpose of this writing is that part of the record which refers to the descendants of Japheth, which tells of the origin of the great Gentile races who have come from Japheth. The record so given refers ethnologically to these peoples rather than individually.
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.
The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Mescach, and Tiras.
And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.
And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations (Genesis 10:1-5).A detailed study of the dispersion of the Japhethic races, both as to their eastward and westward migrations from the second beginning of Earth civilizations has been made to some extent by the author (See "This Age of Confusion" chapters 6-10). A brief account only will be given here of these ethnic descendants of Japheth, the eldest son of Noah, with whom as we have learned, a covenant was made by Noah leading to their inclusion in the house of Israel through the Law of Adoption, if faithful and obedient to the gospel offered to them in the day of the gentile, which day is today.
The Descendant Civilizations of Japheth
Ethnologically speaking, the descendant civilizations of Japheth are the descendants of Gomer who are the French and the British. Those of Magog and Tiras are associated with the Germans, Teutons, and the Slavs, while those of Madai are found in the far and Middle East principally the Hindu, the Chinese, the Korean, and the Japanese, together with those of the Malayan Peninsula and near areas. These people are all descendants through eastern migrations and amalgamations from Madai forming the great Aryan or Indo-European and Asiatic races (Note: for a more comprehensive study of the ethnic affinities of the Far East, see, This Age of Confusion, Section Two, Chapters 6-10, by the Author). Javan is the ancestor of the people of Greece and Turkey and of the inland countries. Of Tubal and Meschach, these find their ethnic affinities in Siberia and Russia.
The many references to rivers, mountains, customs, writings, and other things connect civilization with civilization which in the earlier days settled first in the nearby areas of the Ark, landing in the Near East, then by migration into extended areas throughout what is now modern Europe and Asia.
America received its influx of gentiles by migration, principally from Europe.
These ethnic descendancies can be traced in our modern time, all of which is of significant interest in the realization that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is actually pursuing a fixed course of proclaiming the gospel to the descendants of Japheth throughout the world and, in doing so, are fulfilling the covenant which Noah made with him, to the end that "he shall dwell in the tents of Shem" (Genesis 9:27).
The Blood of Israel
The genealogical record of Genesis clearly identifies Shem, the son of Noah, as the progenitor of the house of Israel or the house of God (Genesis 10:21-31), into which lineage of people are born the spirits of the pre-mortal estate who because of abedience and development in that sphere of existence merited such a mortal lineage birth.
Of this particular lineage, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, an ethnic descendant of Shem, as follows:
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice (Genesis 22:18).The blood of Israel, particularly that of Ephraim, has been sprinkled among these very nations (See "Who Am I?", Dyer, pp. 457-461). It is difficult for members of the Church to know how much of the blood of Ephraim or others of the literal seed of Abraham they have in their bodies. The Prophet Joseph Smith was a blood descendant of Ephraim. But it is almost a sure thing that a great deal of gentile blood is in all who accept the gospel, mixed as it may well be with the blood of Ephraim, Manasseh, and others. But it matters not for when Gentiles accept the gospel from among the nations of the earth today, they are generally speaking assigned by adoption to the tribe of Ephraim.
Difference In Reaction of the Gentile and Pure Blood Descendant of Israel
The differentiated characteristics of gentiles and those of the chosen seed when accepting the gospel are described by the Prophet Joseph Smith:
There are two comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. The first comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure knowledge (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 149-150).This is the day of the gentile! And the gospel is being declared unto them here in America, Europe, Asia, and throughout the world. Their birth into these various mortal lineages is in accordance with their station in the pre-mortal realm. We are given to know that they did not rebel against God, but perhaps were not so valiant there as those born into the chosen lineage.
A Caution to Those of Gentile Lineage
Because of this evaluation, those who have come into the Church today who are of gentile lineage should be alert to the tendency of accepting only that part of the gospel to which they may become attached for one reason or another, while not accepting all of its teachings. Some there are, for example, who find it difficult to pay a full tithing, settling for a tithing contribution or none at all. The payment of an honest fast offering is neglected; they may pay some, or none. The observance of the Word of Wisdom is often found lacking. In these and other character traits, there is evidenced a lack of complete conviction. Such responses indicate a carrying over of the traits of their pre-mortal existence.
They are probably guilty of the sin of omission rather than the sin of commission; they are not valiant in the testimony of the Lord. True valiance means to sustain the Church and all of its teachings - not to select just certain of its laws to keep, but to accept and obey all of them. If they do not accelerate to full acceptance, they will leave this mortal existence without having made the most of their adoption into the house of Israel, or may even lose their place.
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