D&C 29: Gather

Segment 1

Scriptures:
D&C 29:34 (Laws of the spirit)

Segment 2

Scriptures:
D&C 29:1 (The Great I AM)
D&C 38:1 (The Lord introduces Himself again)
D&C 39:1 (Another divine declaration)
D&C 88:41 (God is in all things)
Exodus 3:4-6 (God reveals to Moses)
John 18:4-6 (Christ reveals Himself to the Roman soldiers)
D&C 20:77,79 (Willing to take on the name)

Translations:
YHWH - Jehovah, derived from hiya meaning “I will become who I will become” or “He causes to be” (Hebrew)

Words of the General Authorities:
To me, that [John 18:4-6] is one of the most stirring lines in all of scripture. Among other things, it tells me straightforwardly that just being in the presence of the Son of God—the great Jehovah of the Old Testament and Good Shepherd of the New, who bears no weapons of any kind—that just hearing the voice of this Refuge from the Storm, this Prince of Peace, is enough to send antagonists stumbling into retreat, piling them in a jumble, making the whole group wish they had been assigned kitchen duty that night.

“Whom seek ye?” With all our hearts we answer, “Jesus of Nazareth.” When He says, “I am he,” we bow our knee and confess with our tongue that He is the living Christ, that He alone atoned for our sins, that He was carrying us even when we thought He had abandoned us. When we stand before Him and see the wounds in His hands and feet, we will begin to comprehend what it meant for Him to bear our sins and be acquainted with grief, to be completely obedient to the will of His Father—all out of pure love for us. To introduce others to faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and receiving our blessings in the house of the Lord—these are the fundamental “principles and ordinances” that ultimately reveal our love of God and neighbor and joyfully characterize the true Church of Christ.Brothers and sisters, I testify that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the vehicle God has provided for our exaltation. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “I Am He”, October 2024 General Conference)

Segment 3

Scriptures:
D&C 29:2 (Like a hen gathers chickens)
CR: D&C 10:65
3 Nephi 10:4-6 (How oft He gathers us)

Study Helps:
Chicks and Hens (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 2025, “Jesus Christ Will Gather His People”)

Segment 4

Scriptures:
D&C 29:3 (Sins are forgiven)

Early Questions Scripture Chain:
D&C 29:7-8,27 (Gathering)
D&C 29:13,26 (Resurrection)
D&C 29:14-25 (The Second Coming)
D&C 29:28-30 (Final Judgement
D&C 29:31-33 (Creation)
D&C 29:36-37 (Agency and Pre-earth life)
D&C 29:40-41 (Fall of Adam and Eve)
D&C 29:42-45 (Mortal Life)
D&C 29:46-50 (The Atonement of Christ)
D&C 68:25-27 (Age of accountability)
Articles of Faith 1:10 (Earth will be renewed)

Words of the General Authorities:
When the Lord created the earth, He first created all things spiritually. After the Fall all things became temporal. At the end of the earth, the temporal will again become spiritual. Thus, in the beginning things were spiritual first and temporal second. In the end things will be temporal first and spiritual second. (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, also found in Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, “Prepare against the Day of Tribulation”)

Study Helps:
Even though the Church of Jesus Christ had been organized in 1830, many gospel truths were still yet to be revealed, and several early Church members had questions. They had read prophecies in the Book of Mormon about the gathering of Israel and the building up of Zion (see 3 Nephi 21). How would that happen? (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 2025, “Jesus Christ Will Gather His People”)

Segment 5

Scriptures:
D&C 29:7-8 (The gathering of Israel)
D&C 110 (Restoration of the keys of the Gathering)

Words of the General Authorities:
The gathering of Israel is a miracle. It is like an enormous puzzle whose pieces will be set in place prior to the glorious events of the Second Coming. Just as we might be perplexed with a mountain of puzzle pieces, the early Saints must have seen the commission to take the restored gospel to all the world as a nearly impossible task. But they began, one person, one puzzle piece at a time, finding the straight edges, working to rightly frame this divine work. Little by little, the stone cut without hands began to roll forth; from hundreds to thousands, to tens of thousands, and now millions of covenant Latter-day Saints across every nation are connecting the puzzle pieces of this marvelous work and a wonder. (Neil L. Andersen, “A Witness of God”, October 2016 General Conference)

The main object [of gathering] was to build unto the Lord house whereby He could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His Kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be done in a place or house built for that purpose. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church vol. 5, as recorded in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 36: Receiving the Ordinances and Blessings of the Temple)

That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty…There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. (Russell M. Nelson, “Hope of Israel”, Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018)

This gathering is “the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth today”! It is a cause that desperately needs women, because women shape the future. So tonight I’m extending a prophetic plea to you, the women of the Church, to shape the future by helping to gather scattered Israel. (Russell M. Nelson, “Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel”, October 2018 General Conference)

When we speak of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil, we are referring, of course, to missionary, temple, and family history work. We are also referring to building faith and testimony in the hearts of those with whom we live, work, and serve. Anytime we do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel. (Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail”, October 2020 General Conference)

Segment 6

Scriptures:
D&C 29:18-19 (Consequences to the wicked)
D&C 29:3 (Sins are forgiven)
D&C 29:17 (BUT not for the unrepentant)
D&C 29:14 (Greater signs of the Second Coming)
D&C 29:27 (Righteous gathered with Christ)

Words of the General Authorities:
Do I delight in the destruction of the children of men? No. Does the Lord? No. He gives them timely warning, and if they do not listen to His counsel, they must suffer the consequences. (Joseph Smith, “The Church and Kingdom of God” by Wilford Woodruff as recorded in the Journal of Discourses 2:201)

I will prophesy that the signs of the coming of the Son of Man are already commenced. One pestilence will desolate after another. We shall soon have war and bloodshed. The moon will be turned into blood. I testify of these things, and that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even at your doors. If our souls and our bodies are not looking forth for the coming of the Son of Man; and after we are dead, if we are not looking forth, we shall be among those who are calling for the rocks to fall upon them [see Revelation 6:15–17]. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church 3:390, as recorded in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, Chapter 21: The Second Coming and the Millennium)

Quotes:
When the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity)

Study Helps:
We may well believe that in addition to the plague of flies there shall be included in this prediction the plague of microbes, or bacilli, new to the scientific world and with which they will not be able to cope, much of which will be the result of impure lives." (Smith and Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, p. 152)