On October 24, 1841, Elder Orson Hyde (1805–78) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered an apostolic prayer from the summit of the Mount of Olives on behalf of the Jewish people who were scattered throughout the world. At the time of his prayer there were few Jews living in Palestine, and the political climate was such that there was not much hope that they would ever be allowed to gather there. Since that time a number of remarkable events have occurred as the modern country of Israel was born and became a “homeland” for the Jewish people. While it is evident that the Lord’s blessings have attended this “gathering,” it is clear that this is not the fulness of the gathering of the Jews that was prophesied of by the prophets in the Book of Mormon.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained that the current gathering of the Jews to their homeland is not a fulfillment of this prophecy, but a political gathering. “As all the world knows, many Jews are now gathering to Palestine, where they have their own nation and way of worship, all without reference to a belief in Christ or an acceptance of the laws and ordinances of his everlasting gospel. Is this the latter-day gathering of the Jews of which the scriptures speak? No! It is not; let there be no misunderstanding in any discerning mind on this point. This gathering of the Jews to their homeland, and their organization into a nation and a kingdom, is not the gathering promised by the prophets. It does not fulfill the ancient promises. Those who have thus assembled have not gathered into the true Church and fold of their ancient Messiah” (The Millennial Messiah [1982], 229).
President Marion G. Romney (1897–1988) of the First Presidency spoke of the gathering of Judah. He read selections from the Book of Mormon that teach what the Jews must do before the Father will gather them to the land of their inheritance. From these selections we learn that when the Jews “no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel” (1 Nephi 19:15); when they “come to the knowledge of their Redeemer” (2 Nephi 6:11); when they “shall be restored to the true church and fold of God” (2 Nephi 9:2); when they “believe in me, that I am Christ” (2 Nephi 10:7); when they believe that Christ is the Son of God and believe in the Atonement and “worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands, and look not forward any more for another Messiah” (2 Nephi 25:16); when “the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto them” and they “shall pray unto the Father in [the Savior’s] name” (3 Nephi 20:30–31), then they will be gathered to Jerusalem, the land of their inheritance.
“These predictions by the Book of Mormon prophets make it perfectly clear that the restoration of the house of Israel to the lands of their inheritance will signal their acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Redeemer, to which I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1981, 21; see also pages 19–20; or Ensign, May 1981, 17; see also page 16).