2 Nephi 12

(All of my own thoughts are in red type.5/20 Green 2/21 Orange 4/22 Brown 2023

Chapter 12

Isaiah sees the latter-day temple, gathering of Israel, and millennial judgment did I always think the judgment was pre-millennial? Is the millennial judgment when the wicked are destroyed? and peace—The proud and wicked will be brought low at is it "at" like it was for the Nephites before He appeared or is it literally "at"? I would think it's before so those who are left are worthy to see him. Or maybe not...maybe "every knee must bow" first? the Second Coming—Compare Isaiah 2. About 559–545 B.C.

  1 ^aThe word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: seeing them in the last days...
  2 And it shall come to pass in the last days,  here in the beginning of Isaiah he establishes that his vision was concerning OUR day! We should know these prophecies! ^awhen the ^bmountain of the Lord’s ^chouse shall be established in the top of the ^dmountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. We've been taught the 'mountain of the Lord's house' in the 'top of the mountains' is the Salt Lake Temple/Church headquarters. 'All nations' came to SLC during the 2002 Winter Olympics and other times. We also had something pertaining to the United Nations here in 2019 I personally feel, to be true to the words, that all nations need to come to the temple seeking endowment. And 'flow' suggests a steady stream. I wonder if it's after it's a second capital of the New Jerusalem, but it would make more sense that all nations would flow unto 'that' temple, so it would make this scripture refer to before that. Gileadi says "mountain" means "nation" or "Kingdom"  and "house" is the temple. From that place Jehovah directs the affairs of his people and of all nations.
  3 And many ^apeople shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the ^bmountain of the Lord, to the ^chouse of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will ^dwalk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. I am hoping that we'll soon have a worldwide conversion of millions. They will not need to literally come to the SL Temple. Not sure about the phrase, "and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem". That sounds like after Christ comes...it could refer to Christ's words that he gave in the New Testament. That came "out of Jerusalem"... maybe it's during the next Civil War when visionaries say millions will flee to the rocky mountains for safety. Gilieadi says it's the end time exodus to Zion.
  4 And he shall ^ajudge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks this sounds like either people repent and/or they don't have to defend themselves anymore against their enemies—nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. This definitely sounds like Millennium.
  5 O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all ^agone astray, every one to his ^bwicked ways.The house of Jacob is Israel. This sounds present day... It is getting easier and easier to see how we have ALL gone astray to some extent...
  6 Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto ^asoothsayers like the ^bPhilistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. The Lord doesn't really forsake. We just forsake him. The sins here are relying on others for our needs, confidence in the future, and the pleasures of the flesh. If this is likened to us, Gentile Israel, then it could be saying that we buy all our goods from China and listen to people who pretend to have prophetic powers (think YouTube?) and engage in child sex trafficking....Is it any wonder that we feel forsaken? For so so many have forsaken God! Gileadi says "Jacob" is a spiritual category of people who do not repent and follow the customs of the culture. They turn to pagan sources for spiritual light, cutting themselves off from the light Jehovah provides/is.
  7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their ^atreasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots. We live in much abundance. Definitely us today. A sign the Day of Judgement approaches quickly.
  8 Their land is also full of ^aidols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. We worship all kinds of things: movie stars/singer, sports, homes, cars, electronics, fine clothes, etc and our phones!
  9 And the mean man ^aboweth ^bnot down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not. There is no repentance, so there can be no forgiveness. Pride is our downfall as a society. We have replaced gratitude to God with our self-sufficiency. We have forgotten the blessings of God and the blessings of His covenants given to our righteous ancestors that we benefit from.
  10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and ^ahide thee in the dust, Gileadi says "dust" is the final de-created state of the wicked for the fear of the Lord and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee. The wicked cannot endure the presence of the Lord. Just his glory will cause you to faint, let alone his judgment.
  11 And it shall come to pass that the ^alofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Every knee shall bow. The Great and Spacious Building will fall. The righteous experience a reversal of circumstances.
  12 For the ^aday of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the ^bproud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low. This judgment is not just on America. It's all nations.
  13 Yea, and the day of the Lord shall come upon all the ^acedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan; 'ceders' and 'oaks' represent people
  14 And upon all the ^ahigh mountains, and upon all the hills,  'mountains' and 'hills' represent large and small nations and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people;
  15 And upon every ^ahigh tower, and upon every fenced wall; 'towers' and 'walls' represent human institutions
  16 And upon all the ships of the ^asea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. 'ships' represent the shipping industry
  17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the ^ahaughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in ^bthat day. Clearly NONE shall be exempt. Christ alone will reign and all will acknowledge Him.
  18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish. Our idols are our wealth, the works of our hands, man and his institutions. People have become their own gods. They think their prosperity is their own doing.
  19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the ^aglory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
  20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; which he at first took with him into the caves and holes of the rocks.
  21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the majesty of his glory shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Literal earthquakes?
  22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of? The wicked may be told by Satan there is a way to hide or escape, but the very breath we breathe comes from our creator and we are in His hands. Gileadi says "the things of this world are but a shadow of God's world. Only the word of God endures forever. Preoccupation with what is of man robs a person of what is of God.