2 Sticks of Ezekiel 37

The children of Israel are to be gathered by the record of Judah (the Bible); and the record of Joseph; of which the Nephite Record is only a part. I will now quote from Ezekiel xxxvii: 16-21, which is plain concerning this matter. Remember that in ancient times, writing was engraved upon stone and upon metallic plates, and they also wrote upon parchment which they rolled around a stick. A roll of parchment was called a "stick."

"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: and join them one to another in one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanst by these? children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land."

It is evident that this, like many other prophecies, refers to the time when the Israel of God will be gathered together in righteousness

say unto them, .... Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land."

It is evident that this, like many other prophecies, refers to the time when the Israel of God will be gathered together in righteousness.




and holiness; when they shall be God's holy people forever. It says in this chapter, 23d to 28th verses, that when they are gathered, they shall "No more defile themselves with their idols .... nor with any of their transgressions," and the Lord "will cleanse them, so they shall be my people, and I will be their God." ... and "they shall walk in my judgments ... and (I) will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. .... And the heathen (all who are not Israel) shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore." (Concerning a literal gathering of the House of Israel, in righteousness and holiness, see chapter 2.) The Gentiles are first now, and the Jews last: but the Jews and all the House of Israel will be first some day, and the Gentiles last. It is through the "fullness of the Gentiles," that the veil of blindness which is now over Israel, shall be taken away. The cup of iniquity of the Gentiles is almost full; then God will turn to Israel, for Israel is not cast away forever. "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.... There shall come out of Sion, the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." (See Romans 11th chapter).



GENESIS CHAPTER 49

1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

ROMANS 11
11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.



The man referred to in Genesis xlix:24, and by Paul in Romans xi:26. The passage in Genesis is Joseph's blessing: "From thence is the Shepherd, the stone of Israel." From the seed of Joseph will come a man who shall be the Shepherd to gather scattered Israel in the last days. This does not mean Christ, for he came from the seed of Judah. The other passage in Romans says, "There shall come out of Sion (this land) the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." This does not mean Christ, as you can see by reading the context.



2nd Nephi 2
5 For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph, who was carried captive into Egypt.
6 And great were the covenants of the Lord, which he made unto Joseph; wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day.

This man is to be of the seed of Joseph, (of Egypt) of the seed of Lehi, who is a descendant of Joseph, which Lehi came over to this land from Jerusalem 600 years B.C.: The American Indians (the Lamanites) being the remnant of that seed.

7 And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins, the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel;
8 Not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off; nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord,
9 That the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light; yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.
10 For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.
11 Yea, Joseph truly said, Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins.
12 And unto him will I give commandment, that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.
13 And I will give unto him a commandment, that he shall do none other work save the work which I shall command him.
14 And I will make him great in mine eyes: for he shall do my work.
15 And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.

17 But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins;
18 And not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.

19 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write;
20 And that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together,
21 Unto the confounding of false doctrines, and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins,
22 And bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days;
23 And also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.
24 And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
25 And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless;
26 And they that seek to destroy him, shall be confounded:
27 For this promise, of which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of thy loins, shall be fulfilled.
28 Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise.
30 And he shall be like unto me; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation;
31 Yea, thus prophesied Joseph, I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses: for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed for ever.
36 And the Lord said unto me also, I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins: and I will make for him a spokesman.
37 And I, behold, I will give unto him, that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.
38 And the words which he shall write, shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins.
39 And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith.
40 And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them.
41 And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words.
42 Because of their faith, their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren, who are the fruit of thy loins;
43 And the weakness of their words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I made unto thy fathers.
44 And now, after this manner did my father of old prophesy.
45 Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed: for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book.
46 And there shall raise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith.
47 To work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren.

This Choice Seer (A Lamanite-Native American himself) is to convince the Lamanites in person, and do a great work among them ("his brethren") in person.

2 Nephi 11:130 For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed, shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth: for, behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.


To understand 2 Nephi refer to the article ( Lehi is quoting Joseph to his youngest son)