3 Nephi 21

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 7/20 orange 7/21 Brown 10/22-23)

Chapter 21

Israel will be gathered when the Book of Mormon comes forth—The Gentiles will be established as a free people in America—They will be saved if they believe and obey; otherwise, they will be cut off and destroyed—Israel will build the New Jerusalem, and the lost tribes will return. About A.D. 34.

  1 And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a ^asign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—“about” means the sign will be right before it takes place, which makes it sound like this gathering is not something that takes place over generations, but is more of an event that has a definite start and end... that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion; We should be looking for this "sign". Notice the language - the Lord establishes Zion...we don't. He does it among us. How exciting is that! He could still be talking about establishing Zion among the Jews...
  2 And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that ^awhen these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, what does this mean? That is recorded in 3 Nephi? and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them; the Lamanites?
  3 Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made ^aknown unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, ^bfrom them unto you; this is the coming forth of the Book of Mormon...but has it really come forth from us to them? 
  4 For it is wisdom in the Father that they the Gentiles should be established in this land, and be set up as a ^afree people by the power of the Father, all the America haters do not understand that this nation was established by God and not by evil slave owners...Why did the Book of Mormon come forth? that these things this record might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the ^bcovenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people O house of Israel; and what is the covenant? That they would be gathered and restored to the true knowledge of Christ. Their record would go to the Jews
  5 Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter the record we call the Book of Mormon shall come forth ^afrom the Gentiles, unto your ^bseed has this really happened? which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity; this happened
  6 For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be ^bnumbered among my people, O house of Israel; We, the Gentiles, were given the Book of Mormon by the power of the Father, so that we could come unto Christ, repent, be baptized and know the true points of doctrine SO we could be numbered among His people and become a part of the house of Israel. This has happened...
  7 And when these things come to pass that thy ^aseed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel. the Jews? The Lamanites are of the House of Israel too... So the coming forth of the Book of Mormon signaled the beginning of the gathering of Israel. But has the seed of the Nephites and Lamanites begun to know these things? Is this American Lamanites or South American or Mexican or Tongan, etc. 
  8 And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they ^aconsider. What do you suppose this phrase means? I believe it is from Isaiah in reference to how the end-time servant is received. Jesus just taught this in chapter 20: So "that day" that is to come is when we see the end-time servant go before the world in power.
43 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
44 As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—
45 So shall he ^asprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they ^bconsider.
46 Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall ^aJerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance. This has not happened yet. Another more current reference to this end time servant is in Doctrine and Covenants 85:
7 And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in ^aorder the house of God, and to arrange by ^blot the ^cinheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God; 8 While that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to ^asteady the ^bark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death, like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning. Not sure what this is saying...any man who is called of God and appointed (church leaders) or a particular man (the prophet?) will try to “steady the ark of God” (meaning reject this servant and try to stop him?) will die? If this happens then you’ll know that is what this prophecy means. Whatever it means, if it is a prophecy it will come to pass. Or it could just be a warning to those “called and appointed.” 
  9 For in that day, for my sake shall the Father ^awork a work, which shall be a great and a ^bmarvelous ^cwork among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. The standard interpretation of this verse is that the marvelous work was the Book of Mormon and that there will be those who don’t believe it thought a missionary has declared it to them. But Isaiah seems to make clear that the marvelous work is this great gathering by this end time servant. If that is correct then there will be some “among them” (the church?) that do not believe him and what he says... which seems right since he goes on to talk more about this end time servant (not Joseph Smith)...
 10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be ^amarred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that ^bmy wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.  This has not happened to anyone yet. Joseph Smith’s being tarred and feathered was not this...
 11 Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause ^ahim  still talking about his “servant”  to bring forth unto the ^bGentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be ^ccut off from among my people who are of the covenant. This may be the coming separation that Pres. Nelson referenced in April of 2020. “The time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from those who do (see Doctrine and Covenants 86:1–7)”
 12 And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a ^alion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Are these the Mexicans coming in through the southern border illegally? 
 13 Their hand shall be lifted up upon their ^aadversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.
 14 Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they ^arepent; Is this the church Gentiles? the American Gentiles? for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy ^bchariots;
 15 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy ^astrongholds;
 16 And I will cut off ^awitchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers;
 17 Thy ^agraven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands;
 18 And I will pluck up thy ^agroves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.
 19 And it shall come to pass that all ^alyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.
 20 For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that ^aday whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I ^bcut off from among my people, O house of Israel;
 21 And I will execute ^avengeance and ^bfury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
 22 But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and ^aharden not their hearts, I will ^bestablish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be ^cnumbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their ^dinheritance;
 23 And they shall assist my ^apeople, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the ^bNew Jerusalem. So everything preceding this verse is BEFORE the New Jerusalem is built and probably not in Joseph Smith’s day, but our day...
 24 And then shall ^athey assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
 25 And then shall the ^apower of heaven come down among them; and ^bI also will be in the midst. See..Christ will be with us in the New Jerusalem! Does this cross reference with the verse in 1 Nephi 14:14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. 
 26 And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, His work is only then "commencing"? even ^awhen this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of ^bthis people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been ^clost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem. The Lost Tribes will need the gospel preached to them?
 27 Yea, the work shall commence among all the ^adispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may ^bcome unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.
 28 Yea, and then shall the work commence, He has said three times now “then shall the work commence”...supporting the idea that his “marvelous work and wonder” is this work He’s talking about here that will “commence” when the Ten Tribes return...with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be ^agathered home to the land of their inheritance. Is the greatest part of the gathering of Israel after the New Jerusalem is built? I think Pres. Nelson is right when he says the gathering of Israel is the greatest work...but I don't think it is our own missionary work right now that is part of this "greatest gathering", but that is yet to take place.
29 And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall ^anot go out in ^bhaste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward. I'm not able to comment on this chapter more than the chapter heading, but I will say that since most of this was a repeat of chapter 20, that the prophesies are important and significant. Found a few more things to comment on.  And still a few more...