When, in the wisdom of Him Who knoweth all things, the Lord shall cause that the knowledge of the ancient Nephites and Lamanites should be made known unto the Gentiles according to the promises He made to the fathers of the much-favored Nephite people, then will we know that the Covenant which He made with Israel has already begun to be fulfilled, wherein the Lord covenanted that all of Israel's Tribes would be restored to the Lands of their Inheritance.; also read Ibid., 47:13ff)
In connection with the Prophecy of Ezekiel it is well to read III Nephi 5:24-26: "And as surely as the Lord liveth, will He gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the Remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth. And as He hath covenanted with all the House of Jacob, even so shall the Covenant wherewith He hath covenanted with the House of Jacob be fulfilled in His own due time, unto the restoring all the House of Jacob unto the knowledge of the Covenant that He hath covenanted with them. And then shall they know their Redeemer, Who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be."
Palestine will once more become the gathering place of the scattered Children of Judah, through the power of the Mighty One of Jacob, but He always accomplishes His purposes through the instrumentality of His children. When Israel was to be redeemed from Egyptian bondage, Moses was raised up and made the instrument of deliverance. At the end of the Babyloninn Captivity, Cyrus, the mighty Prince of Persia, was moved upon to set the captives free and his successors continued to extend to them their protection while they were restoring their Temple, and repairing the ruined walls of their City. In the same way, it is to be expected that, when the time comes for the last gathering and final restoration, the promises will all be fulfilled by means of natural agencies.
Cyrus was entrusted with power for the very purpose of enabling him to make the return of Israel to Palestine possible. For, about two hundred years before his birth, the Prophet Isaiah foretold his mission in these words: "Thus saith the Lord...that saith of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the Temple, Thy foundation shall be laid." (Ezra 1:2-3) That was a graceful act of acknowledgment of divine providence in the military and diplomatic achievements through whch Cyrus had risen to prominence and power.
Will not God, perhaps in our own day, literally entrust Egypt into the care of the great democratic powers. Notwithstanding the turmoil that divides the earth into two great armed camps, the future of Egypt is assured. It may cause men to wonder at His purposes, but, in the end, His Will will be done, and His Covenant made with the House of Jacob be fulfilled unto their gathering together in the Lands of their Inheritance.
Let us acknowledge the hand of the Almighty in all things leading to the fulfillment of the words of His prophets, their development and their accomplishment. He will give Egypt to the great nations of the earth, as we have said, as a ransom for Israel. It will rest with these great powers to restore the property unto the Lord, they having accepted the price.
There are indications that the thoughts of men are now being directed, as never before, toward the political necessity of restoring Palestine and the establishment in the ancient City of David, of a kind of International Court that will solve the problems that now divide and array nation against nation. Such an action would be due recognition of the interest all enlightened nations naturally have in the place where the cradle of their civilization stood.
When that question shall be actually brought up, good statesmanship will prompt the great nations to proclaim the independence of all Palestine, and to issue an invitation to the Children of Israel to return to the land of their fathers.
The establishment of the independent state of Israel is an auspicious beginning that will yet grow until all the kingdoms of the earth shall become the Kingdom of our Lord.
"Israel, youngest true democracy in the world, enters its seventh year amidst austerity, sacrifice and violence. These elements are not new, historically, to young states nor to the indomitable people who carved their homeland out of the hostile desert.