Monday, July 13, 2009

1 Nephi 21:18

We consider this verse today:

"18 Lift up thine eyes round about and behold; all these agather themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride."

I believe here that the Lord is still speaking to the house of Israel, but it appears to be Zion too. Lift up your eyes and behold the gathering, the gathering of Israel in the last days. They shall be clothed like a bride. There are several references to this found in the scriptures. The Old Testament Institute Manual explains this well, under the chapter of Isaiah 49 (Which I don't know why I didn't look here before! : )

"(17-8) Isaiah 49:18–21. Israel’s Latter-day Gathering Shall Be Rapid and Sustained

"In Isaiah 49:18–21, the latter-day gathering of Israel is spoken of. In the same way that a new bride adorns herself for her wedding day, so will the Zion of the latter days spiritually adorn those who come to her for blessings. This imagery of Christ as the Bridegroom and His covenant people as His bride is seen elsewhere in the scriptures (see Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:14; Matthew 25:1–13; Revelation 19:7; D&C 33:17; 133:10, 19). And just as a bride puts on her finest clothing in preparation for the marriage, so will Israel clothe herself in righteousness in preparation for her coming 'marriage' (see Revelation 19:8, where the 'clothing' of the bride is described)."

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