Jacob 5. With exactly 77 verses, it’s the longest and probably most confusing chapter in the whole Book of Mormon. But it essentially tells us everything, and I think we should talk more about it. I’m not going to do a full verse-by-verse analysis of Jacob chapter 5, but I will cover most of it and I do want to share a few of my thoughts with you about the allegory because I think it is absolutely vital in developing a correct understanding of what happened in Church History, what is going on right now in the LDS Church, and what is soon to take place.
First, I’d like to share what I consider to be a key to understanding the allegory of the olive trees, and it is this:
IT’S ONLY ABOUT THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
As far as I can tell, this key works pretty well while studying this chapter. What do I mean by it? I mean that the mother tree is the house of Israel. The natural branches are remnants of the house of Israel. And the Lord of the vineyard’s main goal is to save the mother tree and have it produce fruit. This is made very clear at the beginning of the allegory, when the Lord says,
I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard… (v. 3)
Oh, the Gentiles are mentioned, yes–they are the wild branches. But they are not the focus of the allegory. As you will see, they are used as a means to preserve the mother olive tree. Because the Book of Mormon came forth to the Gentiles first in 1830, what we would call the restoration of the church of Christ is actually not mentioned in the allegory, as odd as that sounds (you’ll see what I mean later). And that’s why the allegory being only about the house of Israel is a key. I’ll explain all this as we go along.
IT’S ALL IN THE VOICE OF THE LORD
Before we proceed, I’d be remiss not to point out that the entire allegory in Jacob 5 is in the voice of the Lord. He is the One telling the whole story! This explains the extreme prophetic power packed into it, and why we can believe everything that it says. Verses 1 through 3 prove that Zenos is quoting the Lord from verse 3 to 77. The big problem, of course, is understanding what it says. I’ll attempt to shed some light on this allegory, but take every single word I write here (and everywhere else, for that matter) with a grain of salt, and hopefully you can find something that will help you deepen your understanding… Here we go…
THE LEHITES ARE THE LAST
I interpret the taking of the olive tree as described in verse 3 as the Lord delivering the house of Israel from Egypt. From there, despite nourishing the tree (sending prophets, miracles, etc.), it begins to decay, so the Lord takes “many … young and tender branches” and hides them throughout the vineyard, “whithersoever [He] will” that He “may preserve the fruit thereof” (verse 8). This is probably the Northern Kingdom being taken away around 721 BC and Lehi leaving around 600 BC, as well as the Mulekites (around 587 BC) and other groups we don’t know much about. Jacob himself commented on this part of the allegory earlier in the Book of Mormon, even using “branch” imagery:
For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also. (2 Nephi 10:22)
Of these many branches hidden throughout the world, the allegory only mentions four of them explicitly (verse 10-25). Of these four, special attention is drawn to “the last”:
And he said unto the servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others. (v. 25)
A couple of clues in this verse indicate that “the last” branch is the Lehites. Firstly, the Lord promised Nephi at the very beginning that He would take them to “a land which is choice above all other lands” (1 Nephi 2:20). This must be America, the “good spot of ground” in the vineyard. And secondly, we know that the Lehite branch quickly and famously split into two main factions: the Nephites (tame fruit) and the Lamanites (wild fruit). These two clues make it fairly obvious that “the last” is the Lehites, and this identifier is consistently used from here on in the allegory, as we shall see.
THE WILD BRANCHES ARE GENTILES
We are told in verse 9 that the Lord grafted in wild branches to fill the voids in the mother tree after removing the branches in verse 8 (remember, the wild branches are Gentiles). According to verse 11, the Lord did this to “preserve the roots” of the mother tree. He wasn’t ready for it to die just yet. This part of the allegory is puzzling to me because I’m tempted to try to equate the grafting in of the wild branches with some one-time event in ancient history before Christ, but it’s these wild branches that produce so much good fruit later on:
17 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard looked and beheld the tree in the which the wild olive branches had been grafted; and it had sprung forth and begun to bear fruit. And he beheld that it was good; and the fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit. 18 And he said unto the servant: Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root thereof the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit. Now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree thereof would have perished. And now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit, which the tree thereof hath brought forth; and the fruit thereof I shall lay up against the season, unto mine own self.
In my opinion, these verses are very clearly a reference to the gospel of Christ having massive success among the Gentiles after the crucifixion. In the first several centuries A.D., the good news of Jesus spread like wildfire among the Roman world and many Gentiles were converted unto Christ and found salvation in Him. The wild branches produced good fruit. Paul, “the apostle of the Gentiles,” talks about this concept in Romans 11 (read the whole chapter). So, while the allegory makes it seem like the wild branches were grafted in right after Lehi and others were led away, the timing of events may not be as linear or immediate as we think it should be.
Regardless, if verses 17 and 18 are describing the Christian Gentile world, then we have to grapple with the fact that the mortal ministry of Jesus was not covered much at all in the allegory! Why would that be? Why would the coming of the Messiah to the Jews in Jerusalem–the most important of all events–not get any time in the allegory of the olive trees?
I think it has to do with the key I mentioned at the beginning, namely that the allegory is about the house of Israel, not the Gentiles. Because, even though Jesus did come to the Israelites in Jerusalem, He was largely rejected by them–even killed by them! So that didn’t cause any good fruit to come forth from the natural branches of the mother tree (if there were any left). Then, when the gospel turned to the Gentiles (who did receive His message), we don’t get a play-by-play in the allegory because it’s not about them. This explains why all of a sudden the Lord sees that the wild branches had preserved the roots and brought forth good fruit.
This leads me to believe that if Jesus’ mortal ministry is covered at all in the allegory, it must be somewhere within verse 15 and the first sentence of verse 16:
15 And it came to pass that a long time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard. 16 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labor…
And it makes me of the opinion that verses 17 through 28 correspond to somewhere between 40 AD and 1517 AD. The 1517 as an upper limit comes from the year that Martin Luther nailed his 93 theses to the door of the church,1 and 40 AD comes from the estimated date of Peter’s dream about the Gentiles in Acts 10.2 If this time range is valid, then that means that verse 25 is most likely not describing when Jesus showed Himself to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11, but takes place at a later time when wild fruit had again entered the Lehite portion of the vineyard… but that’s a story for another blog post.3
All of this is important to ascertain where the next section is on the timeline…
THE GENTILE CHRISTIAN CHURCH (ASSEMBLY OF BELIEVERS) IN TROUBLE
And it came to pass that a long time had passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor again in the vineyard. For behold, the time draweth near, and the end soon cometh; wherefore, I must lay up fruit against the season, unto mine own self. (v. 29)
Perhaps the “time draweth near, and the end soon cometh” phrase is a clue. I think that verses 29-51 describe the time period from roughly 1820 to 1837, and here I will explain why. When the Lord goes to the mother tree, after a very long time, He sees that all sorts of fruit is growing on it:
30 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard and the servant went down into the vineyard; and they came to the tree whose natural branches had been broken off, and the wild branches had been grafted in; and behold all sorts of fruit did cumber the tree.
31 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard did taste of the fruit, every sort according to its number. And the Lord of the vineyard said: Behold, this long time have we nourished this tree, and I have laid up unto myself against the season much fruit.
32 But behold, this time it hath brought forth much fruit, and there is none of it which is good. And behold, there are all kinds of bad fruit; and it profiteth me nothing, notwithstanding all our labor; and now it grieveth me that I should lose this tree.
During the 1800 years or so after Christ’s death, the gospel had blessed the lives of millions of people and a great many of them had produced good fruit and had been received into the rest of the Lord (see v. 31). But by the time the Lord of the vineyard returned, “all sorts of fruit did cumber the tree.” This is a very good symbol for the state of the Christian Gentile church at the time of Joseph Smith, with all sorts of denominations stemming from the simple gospel of the Son of God (see JS-H 1:5-12, 1 Nephi 13:4-9). These groups had “overcome the roots” and had grown “faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves (v. 48). In fact, compare verse 32’s “none of it which is good” to what the Lord told Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove in 1820:
<behold> the world lieth in sin and at this time and none doeth good no not one they have turned asside from the gospel and keep not <my> commandments they draw near to me with their lips while their hearts are far from me and mine anger is kindling against the inhabitants of the earth…4
But contrary to what you might think, it appears that the word links to Jacob 5:32 don’t end with the First Vision. They seem to continue on into the 1830s! You can find similar statements by the Lord Himself in D&C 33:4 (1830), D&C 35:12 (1830), D&C 82:6 (1832), and D&C 112:23 (1837), which might suggest that verses 29-49 include the early events of Church history. This is important to understand as we seek to comprehend Jacob chapter 5 and ascertain where we are currently in the allegory. As you can see, in my interpretation, this “none of the fruit being good” period extends to 1837, which is a good seven years after the formation of the Church–and so you may be asking, “What about the restoration of the gospel in 1830? What about the good fruit produced because of that?” And here would be my response to those questions:
This section of the allegory does not mention what we call the restoration of the gospel. The allegory as a whole does not mention it! Why?… It has to do with my initial interpretive key… It’s because the Book of Mormon first came forth among the Gentiles; the Church of Christ was organized on April 6, 1830 among the Gentiles; and the allegory of the olive trees is not about the Gentiles!!
That the organization of the Church wouldn’t be mentioned in the allegory is supported by D&C 5. In that revelation, given in March 1829, the Lord did not say He would restore His church through Joseph Smith and the movement he led, but rather that He would reform it. Here’s the original wording from section 5:
4 … But this generation shall have my words, yea and the testimony of three of my servants shall go forth with my words [the Book of Mormon] unto this generation; … And the testimony of three witnesses will I send forth and my word, and behold , whosoever believeth in my word, them will I visit with the manifestation of my Spirit, and they shall be born of me, and their testimony shall also go forth.
5 And thus, if the people of this generation harden not their hearts, I will work a reformation among them, and I will put down all lyings, and deceivings, and priestcrafts, and envyings, and strifes, and idolatries, and sorceries, and all manner of iniquities, and I will establish my church, like unto the church which was taught by my disciples in the days of old. (1833 Book of Commandments, ch. IV)5
Thus, contrary to the prevailing belief, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the organization that took place on 6 April 1830 was not to restore the New Testament church of Christ. It was to reform it because it was already there, and had been persisting among the Gentiles since the life of Jesus. Per Christ’s prophecy in Matthew 16:18, the gates of hell had not prevailed against it, but, like at the time of Martin Luther, the church sorely needed a reformation by the time Joseph Smith came on the scene.6
Another clue to this is in verses 36 through 38 of Jacob 5, where we learn that after all this time, the wild branches (Christian Gentiles) had preserved the roots of the mother tree:
36 Nevertheless, I know that the roots are good, and for mine own purpose I have preserved them; and because of their much strength they have hitherto brought forth, from the wild branches, good fruit.
Hitherto means “every time till now; in time preceding the present;” therefore what the Lord is saying here is that there had been good fruit produced in every time until verse 36. How could this be if what we call the Great Apostasy had made it impossible to be redeemed by Christ until 1830? More likely is that our concept of the Great Apostasy is flawed, and like the Lord stated in D&C 10:67-68, anyone who repents and comes unto Him is part of His church.
Additionally, I suspect that this “hitherto” is a subtle reference to the good fruit that was produced among the Gentile Mormons while they enjoyed the fullness of the gospel for a short time during the early Kirtland era. While the allegory skips over “the restoration” (as we call it), it does not shy away from the fact that there was some good fruit of the gospel between 1830 and 1837, but it didn’t last long and pretty soon it was all bad (as v. 32 states). Church history actually supports this view, as exactly 42 months after the fulness of the priesthood was given at the Morley farm on 5 June 1831, the Lord gave a revelation to the Church on 5 December 1834, saying some rather familiar terms:
Verily, condemnation resteth upon you, who are appointed to lead my Chu[r]ch, and to be saviors of men: and also upon the church: And there must needs be a repentance and a refor[m]ation among you, in all things… 7
Again, by the end of 1834, a reformation was needed, even among the Gentile Mormons themselves, but it appears that things never quite got back to what they should’ve been, and that at some point during the Kirtland era, “the fulness of the priesthood” was “taken away” from the Church (see D&C 124:28). Even still, the Kirtland Temple was completed, and at its opening, certain events transpired there that shed even more light on the meaning of the allegory.
On 27 March 1836 (Palm Sunday), Joseph Smith gave the dedicatory prayer for the Kirtland Temple, in which he said that the members of the church at that time were “identified with the Gentiles” (D&C 109:60). Many in our modern day (especially those influenced by Avraham Gileadi’s work on Isaiah) will stop there and declare that the LDS Church is Gentile; but very few will point out that the next 7 verses after this is a petition to God above that “all the scattered remnants of Israel” would begin to be gathered and that “from [that] hour” Jerusalem would “begin to be redeemed” (D&C 109:61-67). In a previous post, I showed that this day may have been “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” as predicted in Daniel 9. We’ll come back to this later.
Exactly 7 days after the dedication, on Easter Sunday (and Passover), 3 April 1836, the risen Lord appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, prophesying to them about the future of the Kirtland Temple. And then Moses appeared to them, granting unto them “the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north” (D&C 110:11). Surely, this event is indicative of the God of Israel starting to make preparations to begin the gathering of His people, the Israelites.
The Kirtland era of Church history was beautiful but also rough. During that period the saints failed to establish Zion, failed to redeem Zion, and failed to not treat lightly the commandments and the Book of Mormon (see D&C 84:54-58). They fell under condemnation, as we discussed above. The bank in Kirtland failed, bringing with it all sorts of speculations, losses, and apostasies. Things weren’t great in the Church. And frankly, things weren’t all that great in American society at the time either. The American Gentiles were largely rejecting the fulness of the gospel presented to them by the Mormons (see D&C 35:7, 12), and they were ripening for destruction.8 I believe a lot of this has to do with the reason for the devastations of the Civil War which would shortly follow this time… In fact, all of this sounds an awful lot like a prophecy made by Jesus to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 16. The context of this passage makes it clear that the Lord is speaking of the Gentiles who “have come forth upon the face of this land [America], and have scattered my people [the Lamanites] who are of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 16:7-9). Here’s what He prophesied:
10 And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. 11 And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.
According to Jesus Christ, the result of the North American Gentiles rejecting the fulness of the gospel would be the taking away of the fulness from them, followed by the gospel being taken unto the house of Israel. And this, I propose, is exactly what happened.
NATURAL BRANCHES BEGIN TO BE GRAFTED BACK INTO THE MOTHER TREE
Looking at the Kirtland period around 1837 and matching it to 3 Nephi 16:10 and verses 29-49 of the allegory of the olive trees, we see that the American Gentiles (even including the Mormons) were not bringing forth the good fruit anymore and the vineyard was an absolute mess. 1837 is a big year because it seems to match a major shift in the allegory. Here’s what the Lord said about this chaotic state of His vineyard:
… because that the wild branches have overcome the roots thereof it hath brought forth much evil fruit; and because that it hath brought forth so much evil fruit thou beholdest that it beginneth to perish; and it will soon become ripened, that it may be cast into the fire, except we should do something for it to preserve it. (v. 37)
This statement corresponds amazingly well with something that Joseph Smith wrote about a certain event in the early summer of 1837. Referencing the then-current state of the Church, he wrote the following:
In this state of things, … God revealed to me that something new must be done for the salvation of His Church. And on or about the first of June, 1837, Heber C. Kimball, one of the Twelve, was set apart by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, prayer and laying on of hands, of the First Presidency, to preside over a mission to England, to be the first foreign mission of the Church of Christ in the last days.9
Note the theme between this quote and Jacob 5:37 that “something” must be done to prevent utter failure.10 I do not believe this word link is a coincidence. For the Mormons, the solution was to take the gospel to England. For the allegorical vineyard, the solution was to begin grafting the natural branches back into the mother tree. In verses 50 through 54, the Lord proposes a plan to save the trees:
50 But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer.
51 And the Lord said: Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard.
52 Wherefore, let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came; and let us pluck from the tree those branches whose fruit is most bitter, and graft in the natural branches of the tree in the stead thereof.
53 And this will I do that the tree may not perish, that, perhaps, I may preserve unto myself the roots thereof for mine own purpose.
54 And, behold, the roots of the natural branches of the tree which I planted whithersoever I would are yet alive; wherefore, that I may preserve them also for mine own purpose, I will take of the branches of this tree, and I will graft them in unto them. Yea, I will graft in unto them the branches of their mother tree, that I may preserve the roots also unto mine own self, that when they shall be sufficiently strong perhaps they may bring forth good fruit unto me, and I may yet have glory in the fruit of my vineyard.
And in verses 55 through 57, they execute this plan:
55 And it came to pass that they took from the natural tree which had become wild, and grafted in unto the natural trees, which also had become wild.
56 And they also took of the natural trees which had become wild, and grafted into their mother tree.
57 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck not the wild branches from the trees, save it be those which are most bitter; and in them ye shall graft according to that which I have said.
All these word links suggest to me (and others before me have come to the same conclusion) that verses 50-57 of the allegory are describing the “new” approach of the Mormon apostles taking the gospel to the people of England in 1837; and that this marks the beginning of the fulfillment of 3 Nephi 16:11, when the gospel is taken to the house of Israel. Therefore, the British converts from this 1837 and subsequent foreign missions, were Israelites–natural branches being grafted back into the mother tree.
Further evidence to back this up comes from the dates of Church history themselves. I believe many mysteries can be unfolded by researching the dates on which certain events happen, and what I’m about to show is a perfect example of this concept.
Recall that Joseph Smith’s dedicatory prayer called for the beginning of the redemption of Jerusalem (see D&C 109:61-67). I said that this was likely “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” as prophesied in Daniel 9:25. That prophecy specifies that after this decree, a 7-week period and a 62-week period would follow before the Messiah came. Fascinatingly, such periods did in fact occur! Using a date calculator, we see that 62 weeks after Sunday, 27 March 1836 was Sunday, 4 June 1837. According to Heber C. Kimball, June 4th, 1837 was the very day that the Spirit moved upon Joseph Smith to call Heber on a mission to England.11 Exactly 7 weeks after 4 June 1837 (or in other words, exactly 69 weeks after 3/27/1836), Heber and a few other companions preached the first Mormon sermon in England on 23 July 1837, bringing the gospel of the Messiah to that people. Exactly 1 week later, a full 70 weeks after the Kirtland temple dedication, the first British converts were baptized, thus fulfilling Daniel’s 70-weeks prophecy about Jerusalem (the people). See my full article about this here:
Of course, since the prophecy was about the inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem, these remarkable alignments suggest that those first British converts were Israelites–descendants of the people of Judea. If true, then that means that the gospel has already gone forth to the house of Israel as 3 Nephi 16 predicted, and it means that many if not all of the foreign converts who flooded into Nauvoo and later Utah after 1837 were natural branches of the olive tree! And I think it’s very possible that once church leaders stopped calling for people to gather to America, they began to fulfil verses 54 and 55 by continuing to graft natural branches (i.e. the house of Israel) by spreading the gospel message and establishing stakes of the LDS church all around the world.
Hence we see that the fulfillment of Jacob 5:50-57 has been underway right before our very eyes and we didn’t even realize it! This is an ENORMOUS key to figuring out where we are in the allegory. For the past 188 years, we’ve been in verses 50-57. If you were looking at a giant map of Jacob 5, it would say “YOU ARE HERE” at this very spot.
Also going on during this period is a lot of “plucking,” as verse 57 indicates. My guess would be that this refers to various things, including the Civil War–which decimated much of Gentile America not too long after the 3rd Nephi, 1837 gospel switch–and then the subsequent World Wars, plagues, natural disasters, etc. There has been a lot of stuff packed into the last 188 years as the natural branches have been put back onto the mother tree–even a lot of things in the last 5 years or so.
But please note that in this period of the allegory, although natural branches are being grafted back into the tree, there is no fruit being produced. None of that tasty fruit the Lord of the vineyard wants is showing up on the tree… and, believe it or not, that’s apparently not His purpose in doing what He’s been doing for the past 188 years. Rather, in verse 53, He tells us explicitly why He’s doing this grafting of natural branches when He says, “And this will I do that the tree may not perish, that, perhaps, I may preserve unto myself the roots thereof for mine own purpose.”. It’s to preserve the roots! It’s a time of preservation and preparation, NOT a time of fruit production… And why does He need the roots preserved? We’ll see in the next section…
THE PLAN FOR “THE LAST TIME”
It’s in verse 58 that I believe a new phase begins in vineyard. Most people completely miss the transition, but I promise you it’s there. You can tell it’s a new phase when you carefully read the following verses and logically identify what’s going on:
1) v. 52-54 are a plan to graft in natural branches. See the language such as “let us,” “this will I do,” and “I will.” Here the Lord says this is His plan to “preserve the roots” of the trees for the future day “when they shall be sufficiently strong” to “bring forth good fruit.”
2) v. 55-56 are a clear execution of the plan to graft in natural branches. Notice the phrases “And it came to pass,” “they took,” and “[they] grafted.” Whatever actions they planned in v. 52-54 are explicitly being carried out in v. 55-56.
3) v. 57 is a commandment of the Lord to the servant to pluck out only the “most bitter” “wild branches” and to “graft [natural branches in the stead thereof] according to that which [the Lord had] said” in v. 52-54. It’s almost like an amendment to, or rather a clarification of the original plan given in v. 52-54, but still the purpose is to graft natural branches in, which the servant has obviously been doing in v. 55-56.
4) And then v. 58-69 are a NEW plan for the future, distinct from the plan given in v. 52-54. See the future-tense language in v. 58, such as “we will nourish,” “we will trim,” and “we will pluck.” And notice that in v. 60, the roots have been successfully preserved and natural branches have been successfully grafted back into their mother tree according to the plan made in v. 52-54 and carried out in v. 55-56!
Putting it all together, we see that the only logical conclusion is that v. 52-57 and v. 58-77 are actually two separate periods of vineyard work. This is an enormous key that most people don’t realize even exists when they read Jacob 5; but the points I made in the list above are undeniable. There absolutely is a phase change between verses 57 and 58. That being said, let’s take a closer look at verses 58-69 to see which plans the Lord has in store for the final phase of the vineyard:
First He says that He and His servants will “nourish again the trees of the vineyard” (v. 58). Notice that no “nourishing” was going on in Jacob 50-57.12 It was all just grafting and plucking the worst branches.
Second, He says that they will “pluck from the trees” the ripened branches that need to go and “cast them into the fire” (v. 58). This is likely a continuation of the plucking that took place in v. 50-57, as well as different types of branches being plucked (think politicians, religious leaders, institutions, systems, etc.). The Lord gives His reasoning for this action in verse 59:
And this I do that, perhaps, the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, that the good may overcome the evil.
Plucking out select branches makes a huge difference on a tree, and as far as the allegory goes, it will allow the good to overcome the evil. And as the good grows, finally the possibility of fruit returns:
60 And because that I have preserved the natural branches and the roots thereof, and that I have grafted in the natural branches again into their mother tree, and have preserved the roots of their mother tree, that, perhaps, the trees of my vineyard may bring forth again good fruit; and that I may have joy again in the fruit of my vineyard, and, perhaps, that I may rejoice exceedingly that I have preserved the roots and the branches of the first fruit—
61 Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.
And so we finally see why the Lord needed to go through that long, laborious stretch of preserving the roots–so that when the time and conditions were right, good fruit would grow on the tree once more. When the time came, He would call servants–in the plural–and they would work in the vineyard so He could bring forth the natural fruit again. This is, as verse 62 specifies, “the last time that [He] shall prune [His] vineyard.”
And so, in beautiful Book-of-Mormon chiasmic form, the Lord echoes the words of the prophet Ether and says to His servants:
63 Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.
First and last? Old and young? What are these terms referring to? I propose that these are mysteries that the Book of Mormon itself answers with stunning consistency…
Remember who The Last in this allegory is? It’s the Lehites! So, if I’m interpreting this scripture correctly, the Lord specifies that His great last work in the vineyard, after a long intermediate period of fruitless root preservation through grafting natural branches, will begin among the seed of Lehi, “that they may be first.” This is exactly what Ether taught thousands of years ago. Ether 13 gives us a plain explanation of Jacob 5:63…
5 And he [Ether] spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel.
6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land [America], unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.
7 For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.
8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.
9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new.
10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.
11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.
12 And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.
From this I propose the following definitions for the terms in Jacob 5:63:
- the last = the Lehites
- young tree = New Jerusalem
- old tree = Old Jerusalem
- the first = Jews/house of Israel
If true, this means that Jacob 5 is yet another evidence of the TWO gatherings of Israel in the last days. The first will be the gathering to the New Jerusalem in America, and the last will be the gathering to the Old Jerusalem in Palestine.
If you read the Savior’s sermon closely in 3 Nephi 20-21, you’ll see that He also makes this same distinction and talks about two different gatherings. After telling the Lehites that they are a remnant of Israel (3 Nephi 20:10), and saying that Isaiah would be fulfilled and the Father would gather all the scattered remnants of Israel and bring them to the knowledge of their Redeemer, He says,
“And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance.” (3 Nephi 20:14)
This is Him telling the Lehites that He will give them America (not Old Jerusalem) as their inheritance. And it seems to me like He continues speaking of the Lehite branch in verses 14 through 17 of that chapter. He tells the Lehites that they will become a lion among the North American Gentile sheep, whose ancestors scattered their ancestors (see v. 15 and 16-17). But then I detect a switch in His words in verses 18-21. In those verses, it sounds like He’s speaking of the house of Israel as a whole. It still applies to the Lehites, but also to the other remnants of Israel throughout the world. And then He makes His distinction clear in verses 21-22:
21 And it shall come to pass that I will establish my people, O house of Israel.
22 And behold, this people [the Lehites] will I establish in this land [America], unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.
This is the very first time in recorded scripture that the Lord mentions the New Jerusalem. I can only imagine the awe and realization that must’ve come across Joseph Smith’s and Oliver Cowdery’s young minds as they wrote this down for the first time. This is the Last olive branch, which will be restored first to the Young tree when the final vineyard phase begins, as described in Jacob 5:63.
The Lord continues to speak about the Lehites specifically in 3 Nephi 20:23-28. Here he also brings up how the American Gentiles will reject the fulness of His gospel (v. 27), which we’ve discussed previously. And then, it looks like the remainder of the chapter (v. 29-46) is about the rest of the house of Israel. He says that after He establishes the Lehites in the New Jerusalem, He will give the Old Jerusalem back to the house of Israel:
29 And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.
This is clearly referring to those who will gather in Old Jerusalem. These are the First branch who are last, who are grafted into the Old tree mentioned in Jacob 5:63. Note how He uses the word “their” and “they” to describe this other category of Israelites in verses 29-33…
33 Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them Jerusalem for the land of their inheritance.
After mentioning a “marred” servant who will be healed–who, according to its placement among these verses, apparently has more to do with the Old Jerusalem than the New–the Lord finishes chapter 21 with this:
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 Jerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance.
But it’s not over yet… In 3 Nephi 21 things start to get interesting because it ties so amazingly well into the allegory of the olive trees… Jesus gives the Lehites a sign:
1 And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;
What is this sign? How are we supposed to know when God is beginning to fulfill His covenant to gather His people? Here it is:
2 And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself … 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;
3 Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you; …
5 Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity; …
7 And when these things come to pass that thy seed 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.
Now, I’ve removed a bunch of side thoughts here to make it more clear… but what it looks like to me is that the sign that the Father has begun His work of gathering His people Israel in the last days will be the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the knowledge returning to the remnant of Lehites that they are Israelites. If this is true, then we have to ask ourselves, Has this happened yet? And I would have to say, Yes–the Book of Mormon did come forth in early 1830; and yes, the Lamanites did start to come to the knowledge of their fathers in late 1830… Remember how Oliver Cowdery was likely the spokesman prophesied of in 2 Nephi 3, who would not only write the entire Book of Mormon as it came through the Seer, but would also deliver and “declare” that Book to the Lamanites? I wrote about that here. Please check it out. THIS WORK OF THE FATHER THAT JESUS TOLD THE LEHITES ABOUT HAS ALREADY STARTED!
But, as we know, the Lamanites didn’t join the church in droves in the 1830s. Today, Oliver Cowdery’s mission to the Lamanites is largely hailed as a failure. It’s been relegated to a footnote in church history and is often only mentioned because it led him to baptizing Sidney Rigdon and the church eventually moving to Kirtland. What’s abundantly clear is that we didn’t get the Lehite branch grafted into much of anything when the Book of Mormon first came out.
However, what is less clear to people generally is that around 7 years after Oliver gave his first Book of Mormon to a Lamanite, the gospel was taken to England and the natural branches there began to be grafted back into the mother tree, as we have discussed above. So yes, the gathering that Jesus spoke of to the Lehites in 3 Nephi did begin with the Book of Mormon getting into the hands of Lehite descendants, and has continued on since then as Jacob 5:51-57 suggests. And amazingly, as I mentioned, the keys the apostles have been using to do this since 1837 were given to Joseph and Oliver in the KIRTLAND temple in 1836–a temple that only existed because Oliver first obeyed God’s command to take the Book of Mormon to the Lamanites. And I believe these particular keys are in themselves a huge key to understanding the last days.
You see, one of the biggest mysteries about the latter-day saint movement is exactly what keys Joseph and Oliver were given on April 3, 1836. D&C 110 tells us that Moses gave them “the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north” (v. 11). I’ve bolded what I deem the most important part here. It doesn’t seem to be all that remarkable on the surface, but if we drill into the prophecies of scripture we see that there is something huge here that almost nobody seems to talk about.
Ether 13:11 holds a clue. It tells us that those who gather to the Old Jerusalem…
“are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.”
Putting it all together, we see the following:
- the LDS apostles were given the keys to gather Israel from the four parts of the earth, and
- Ether prophesied that the Israelites gathered from the four quarters of the earth would go to the Old Jerusalem.
Therefore, the logical conclusion is that the people gathered into the LDS church by the keys held by the Quorum of the Twelve will ultimately gather to the OLD JERUSALEM, not the New Jerusalem!
I know this is new to most people’s ears. How can this be? Have we not all been waiting since Primary for the call to return to Missouri and establish the New Jerusalem there? I know I have… but regardless of what we’ve been taught or been expecting, the prophecies in the Book of Mormon apparently tell a different story. There’s a subtle clue to this in 3 Nephi 21. Read verse 23 most carefully, knowing that the LDS church has been gathering Israel to itself since 1837:
20 For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel;
21 And I will execute vengeance and fury 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 harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
23 And they shall assist my people, 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 New Jerusalem.
24 And then shall they 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 power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst.
Sounds to me like any people that repent and come unto Christ, be they Gentile or Israelite, will be numbered as Lehites. Perhaps this explains the natural branches being grafted into other natural branches in Jacob 5:68. These new Lehites will be the ones to build the New Jerusalem in America. But the main point that I’m getting at is located in verse 23. The essential phrase to understand in that verse tells us that only a part of the house of Israel will come to the New Jerusalem.
Who is the house of Israel? Who was given the keys to gather the house of Israel?… The LDS church!
So then we have to ask ourselves–Why is it that only a portion of the LDS church members will be willing to come to the New Jerusalem?
These are important questions to ponder as the timeline progresses. It’s important to realize that, as Jesus and Ether so clearly taught, there are actually TWO gatherings of Israel: First, the Lehite branch to the New Jerusalem; and Second, the house of Israel to the Old Jerusalem. And while we don’t typically learn this concept in Sunday School, the scriptures seem to have been telling us this all along.
But, you may be asking, Isn’t the LDS Church supposed to be the ones to build the temple in Independence, Missouri, and establish Zion there?
Joseph Smith once said that the Book of Mormon was “the most correct of any book on earth.”13 I believe he was right about that, and it is my conviction that the Book of Mormon tells us how everything is going to play out in the last days. Contrary to the notion that the LDS Church will build the New Jerusalem, the Book of Mormon teaches it will actually be the descendants of Lehi with the assistance of any Gentiles who repent and as many Israelites who are willing to help. The Lehites are the ones that will be given America, and anyone else who wants to can be “numbered among” the seed of Lehi. I’ve already quoted many of its passages that clearly teach this, so I won’t go over them again, but reread carefully 3 Nephi 20, 3 Nephi 21 (especially verses 22-23), Ether 13:6-8 (especially verse 8), 1 Nephi 14:2, and 2 Nephi 10:18-19. To further support this, Ether 13:10 might be saying that those who go to the New Jerusalem cease being of the house of Israel and become “the remnant seed of Joseph” instead:
And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.
At least, that’s what it sounds like to me. Regardless, as far as I can tell, America was promised to the Lehites and it will be theirs, and if we’re willing to repent before too long, we will be numbered among them… If we don’t repent in time, we may have to gather to the Old Jerusalem after a form of tribulation. I wonder if that’s what the Lord is talking about when He says, “They also of the tribe of Judah, after their pain, shall be sanctified in holiness before the Lord, to dwell in his presence day and night, forever and ever” (D&C 133:35).
But let’s get back to the allegory. As we just covered, verse 63 declares that the Last (Lehites) will be grafted in first, and the First (house of Israel) will be grafted in last, both the Young tree (New Jerusalem) and the Old tree (Old Jerusalem). Notice that all of the trees will be “nourished once again for the last time,” which I take to mean they will once again be given prophets who feed the sheep and speak the words of the Lord (see Jeremiah 23). And I think yet another clue to the mysterious timeline of the last days is hidden in verse 64:
64 Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh. And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.
This verse isn’t entirely clear, but I think we can piece together the clues to understand it. We already established who the Last is, right? It’s the Lehites. Therefore, when the Lord of the vineyard says, “these last grafts,” I think He’s referring to the remnant of Joseph and those numbered with them in the New Jerusalem. The question then is who is “them” in the last part of that verse?… Well, if He had just referred to the Lehites, then the logical identity for “them” would the rest of the house of Israel, the First! Therefore, I think He’s saying, “If the Lehites do well, do establish the New Jerusalem, and do bring forth the natural fruit, then you (the servant) shall prepare the way for the rest of the house of Israel, that they may gather to the Old Jerusalem.” As written, it’s weird, but you can imagine the Lord of the vineyard pointing to the young tree first, then pointing to the old and telling his servant to prepare the way for the old tree second. If this interpretation is correct, then it reinforces the idea that America’s Zion must be established first before Zion in Old Jerusalem can, and that this is the order in which things will happen in the end times. I believe the solar eclipses that already drew an “Aleph” over America (2017, 2023, & 2024) and that will draw a “Tav” over the Middle East (2027 & 2034) are a sign of this anciently-prophesied order of events (see my article on that here).
Interestingly, the “prepare the way” language in verse 64 also evokes the words of the Lord in Malachi 3:1–
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
This is Elias, Elijah, and John the Baptist type language. The Jews are awaiting the return of Elijah. Perhaps the servant is an Elijah? I believe there is a great mystery about the future of the world contained in Jacob 5:64.
Verses 65 and 66 go on to explain about those who do not repent. I believe it’s about Babylon, the nations of the earth, the wicked, etc.:
65 And as they [the first and last grafts] begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard.
66 For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard.
It’s almost like the parable of the wheat and the tares. In fact, I think it’s very much related. D&C 86 explains this parable, and it finally helped me to understand–which was probably obvious to a lot of other people–that the reason why the Lord can’t just have the tares ripped out right away is because it would also uproot the wheat. The tares are weeds, and if you rip them out too early, while the wheat doesn’t have strong enough roots on its own, you will inevitably pluck up some of the good wheat plants too in the process. That would be very bad and quite counterproductive. Therefore, if you’re going to weed the garden, so to speak, you can’t just go in there with a weedwacker whenever you feel like it. You have to do it at the right time–carefully, slowly, and methodically so as to save the good plants.
It looks like this is similar to what the Lord will do in the vineyard. He can’t clear out all the bad branches right away–it would kill the trees! But as the good stuff grows, He can carefully and simultaneously get rid of the bad.14 This paints a picture in my mind that is somewhat in contrast to the prevailing views of apocalyptic destruction and wars that we usually see when we think of the end times. I wonder if this part of Jacob 5 is evidence that things will progress much slower and safer than most people imagine. I think we can have comfort in the fact that God doesn’t want His trees to die!
The next verses seem to me like a reiteration of the plan right before it’s put to execution:
67 And the branches of the natural tree will I graft in again into the natural tree;
68 And the branches of the natural tree will I graft into the natural branches of the tree; and thus will I bring them together again, that they shall bring forth the natural fruit, and they shall be one.
69 And the bad shall be cast away, yea, even out of all the land of my vineyard; for behold, only this once will I prune my vineyard.
Interestingly, it seems like he listed the two gatherings in reverse order here–verse 67 being the scattered house of Israel going back to its mother tree from the four quarters of the earth; and verse 68 being the natural Israelites and Gentiles adopted into the remnant of Joseph being gathered with the Lehites. The only explanation I can offer for this possible arrangement of words is that in Ether 13:12–“there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.”
THE PLAN FOR “THE LAST TIME” IS EXECUTED
And then, finally, the plan is put into effect:
70 And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard sent his servant; and the servant went and did as the Lord had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few.
71 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.
72 And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.
We don’t get another run down of the plan, but that’s ok because I think we’ve drilled that enough for now. Most interesting to me is that the servant brings other servants with him. Often I hear people theorize about “the Davidic Servant” who will come and–like some kind of mythical superhero–will fulfill every single scripture about the end times, including setting the house of God in order (D&C 85), translating the sealed portion, gathering Israel, redeeming Zion, destroying the tower of the enemies (D&C 101), being the Root of Jesse (Isaiah 11), being the Rod of Jesse (Isaiah 11), opening the dispensation of the fulness of times, restore the fulness of the priesthood (D&C 124), etc. But Jacob 5 is clear that there will be multiple servants–in the plural! This actually makes the most sense given the various end-times prophecies in the scriptures. For example, I’ve shown in a previous blog how 2 Nephi chapter 3 is actually about THREE different end-times servants: the Choice Seer, the Spokesman, and the One Mighty (read that here). In fact, I believe Joseph and Oliver have fulfilled the first two roles and that the third person will be the one to restore the Lehites and “much of Israel” to the New Jerusalem (paraphrase of 2 Nephi 3:24). He is probably one of these “servants” in Jacob 5… The more I learn about the great and marvelous work, the more I come to see that it is indeed marvelous and far greater (i.e. bigger) than any one man could handle. Some people link the D&C scriptures that mention the “vineyard” and “the last time” to this allegory, and I think they’re right to do so. This is the last time the vineyard will be pruned by the Lord’s servants. (Compare D&C 95:2-4 to Jacob 5:62, 63, 64, 71 & 76.)15
Also of interest is verse 72, which states that “the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them.” I can’t say for certain what this means exactly, but it brings to mind 2 Nephi 3:5, which says, “the Messiah should be made manifest unto them [the Lehites] in the latter day.”–which to me sounds like a parallel event to what happened in 3 Nephi 11. To support this, the Lord teaches in D&C 42:35-36 that the New Jerusalem will be built so “That my covenant people may be gathered in one in that day when I shall come to my temple.” I wonder if Jacob 5:72 is a subtle nod to the prophecy that at some point during “the last time” of the work in the vineyard, Jesus Christ Himself will come down and visit the Lehites and those numbered with them at the future temple in the New Jerusalem…
Well, the work these multiple servants do pays off:
73 And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof.
74 And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.
We’re not told how long it takes for all the bad to be cast away and for all the trees to produce natural fruit again, but I would guess it takes some time–probably far longer than most Second Coming timelines currently plan for. But however long it takes, despite there being two gatherings of Israel, the two groups eventually become “like unto one body” with “equal” fruits. This suggests a couple of things:
First, that there indeed will be two main places of gathering–New Jerusalem and Old Jerusalem–but they will be LIKE one body, not literally one body in the physical sense. The scripture that comes to mind is from Isaiah 2: “out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Both places will be inhabited and the light of God’s favor will shine on them both.
And second, that there may be some differences in religious practice/belief between the two locations. I can see the New Jerusalem being more Christian (as we think of Christians today), while the Old Jerusalem may be more of the Messianic Jew ideology. Eventually, as the allegory suggests, “the fruits [will be] equal.” Both belief systems incorporate Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and both will be gathered, eventually to become one. With all the various religions around the world and with the house of Israel scattered all over, you can imagine that there will be different approaches to preaching the fulness of the gospel and gathering all things in one.
Based on my interpretive key at the beginning, and on the appearance of “natural fruit” in the vineyard once more, I wonder if the beginning of this final phase coincides with the end of the times of the Gentiles. It makes sense that the root preservation and natural-branch grafting of verses 50-57 take place during a time of the Gentiles. This explains why the fruit doesn’t come then, and why no nourishment is happening to the tree–because it’s still the Gentiles’ time! But, God is working wisely to preserve the roots of Israel so that when the fulness of the Gentiles comes in and their times are over, He can “nourish” the trees again and bring forth the natural fruit16…. I’ll have to explore this theory more in depth at another time…
Verses 75-76 describe a “long time” which is obviously the Millennium. A glorious time where it’s only good fruit, and people are happy living with their Lord:
75 And it came to pass that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them: Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
76 For behold, for a long time will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the season, which speedily cometh; and for the last time have I nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; wherefore I will lay up unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I have spoken.
And then it looks like the final verse (interestingly, the repeating-digit verse 77) is about “the little season,” when the Millennium comes to an end and the planet is destroyed:
77 And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I believe that the allegory of the olive trees in Jacob 5 is one of the most amazingly prophetic passages in our scriptures. We should be studying it and trying to understand it. I believe it reveals what is to come.
I believe it tells us exactly where we are in the timeline. We are at the very end of the period encompassing verses 50-57 and we are bordering on verses 58-69, which are a plan for the final phase. In fact, we might actually be in the very beginning of that final phase, which starts in verse 70.
Verses 50-57 tell of a period in which a portion of the house of Israel is being grafted back into the mother tree from the four quarters of the earth. Consistent with the scriptures and history of Mormonism, this period is the missionary work of the LDS Church, its apostles, and its missionaries who have been gathering Israel first to Nauvoo, then to Utah, then in wards and stakes around the world since 1837. Despite no natural fruit being produced during this period, it has been a good time for the vineyard because it has preserved the roots of the trees. It has preserved them for the final, culminating period of the vineyard…
In the final period, the servant of the Lord of the vineyard comes back and brings other servants with him. Although they are few, they begin to nourish the vineyard once more and the natural fruit begins to appear. First they begin with the Lehites (and all who will join) and the New Jerusalem. If this endeavor is successful (which it will be), then they will finish with the house of Israel (from the four quarters of the earth) and the Old Jerusalem.
I believe we are on the very cusp of this final phase of the vineyard. Realize that when the time comes, the remnant of Joseph, the Lehites, will build the New Jerusalem, and you can join them and help them if you want. If not, you may have to catch the next train to the Old Jerusalem, accepting with that all that it might entail. In the end, God will deliver His people. Hearken unto His voice and harden not your heart (see D&C 29:7).
I hope Jacob 5 makes more sense to you now. Thanks for reading this long explanation. (Give me a break, it’s a long chapter!) For more interesting content about the last days and other cool topics, follow me here, on YouTube, on Facebook, or on X at mormontheories. Hope to see you around.
Sources and Notes
- Martin Luther’s role in the reformation of the Christian church cannot be overstated. Much good fruit came from it, even up until the time of Joseph Smith. The Lord seems to look upon Martin Luther and other reformers in a favorable light, based on the Book of ben Kathryn and possibly this allegory.
↩︎ - https://mansfieldgac.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/timeline-of-the-book-of-acts.pdf ↩︎
- I allude to the theory that the final Nephite battle was closer to 1168 AD than 385 AD. But this will have to come in another article. ↩︎
- https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-summer-1832/3 ↩︎
- https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/book-of-commandments-1833/14#X4A993751-A553-4D26-B16D-A47864C80390. Compare with the modern D&C 5 here: https://comparedandc.com/ ↩︎
- An interesting study would be to look up the words restore and restoration in the scriptures to see how they’re applied, and then to figure out when the word restoration was first used to describe the movement started by Joseph Smith. When did the idea originate that Joseph Smith was “restoring” the New Testament church of Christ? ↩︎
- https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-5-december-1834/1 ↩︎
- History of the Church 2:489 says the following about this time: “At this time the spirit of speculation in lands and property of all kinds, which was so prevalent throughout the whole nation,[3] was taking deep root in the Church. As the fruits of this spirit, evil surmisings, fault-finding, disunion, dissension, and apostasy followed in quick succession, and it seemed as though all the powers of earth and hell were combining their influence in an especial manner to overthrow the Church at once, and make a final end.[4] Other banking {488}institutions refused the “Kirtland Safety Society’s” notes. The enemy abroad, and apostates in our midst, united in their schemes, flour and provisions were turned towards other markets, and many became disaffected toward me as though I were the sole cause of those very evils I was most strenuously striving against, and which were actually brought upon us by the brethren not giving heed to my counsel. No quorum in the Church was entirely exempt from the influence of those false spirits who are striving against me for the mastery; even some of the Twelve were so far lost to their high and responsible calling, as to begin to take sides, secretly, with the enemy.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/47192/pg47192-images.html ↩︎
- https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/47192/pg47192-images.html ↩︎
- The synchronicity of Jacob 5’s 37th verse being fulfilled in 1837 is not lost on me.
↩︎ - https://archive.org/details/LifeOfHeberC.Kimball/page/n125/mode/2up; https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-3-no-2-2002/heber-c-kimball-man-faith-integrity; Video reenactment of this event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvKME1sw5TU ↩︎
- See BOBK 1:7-9… 7 So bring I upon the Earth at every quarter, convulsion and upheaval, dismay, a setting on edge, fumes and smoke and a steamy vapour. As the water feedeth the desert from tumult, so shall old seed sprout from upheaval. Publish it abroad. Fear not, for I shall put the fear of thee on mine enemies, and at the time appointed I shall give thee the heart not of a rabbit but of a lion. At my word they shall have confusion of face, for lo, I have not spoken by prophet since days of old. 8 (But the prophet wrestled again) And I said: Why should they, O my Lord, hearken unto me, seeing I was not raised after the manner of my fathers, nor in the ways of my mothers? —Seeing also that thou hast not raised up a prophet unto this thy people for so long. Why should it be me? 9 And the LORD said: Away, get thee to thy task, for I shall be with thee; and who can prevail against thee? seeing I am a hawk upon thy shoulder and a falcon unhooded against its prey. Whom I call, I shall call, and whose feet I shall place upon the path before me, I shall send before me. Away, son of Isaac, get thee to thy people and declare thou mine heart, what I have placed in thine heart. (https://sitatcit.home.blog/bobk-01/)
↩︎ - Smith, History of the Church, 4:461; see also Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1976), 194. ; https://rsc.byu.edu/living-book-mormon-abiding-its-precepts/most-correct-book-joseph-smiths-appraisal ↩︎
- See my blog post about the Five Flowers that Jachanan ben Kathryn prophesied America will split into here: https://sitatcit.home.blog/2024/12/05/america-in-five-flowers/ In that post, I quote the following passage from the Book of ben Kathryn chapter 26, about people leaving the city of New York before its destruction to go to Zion: “ 3 Though there be many days until thy [New York City’s] fulfillment, it is because I extend them for the sake of Jacob, and not for thee. But it shall come to pass soon, saith the LORD, that I shall build me a city and an house. In that day I shall also prune thee of my people; and as thou sawest the nations usher to thee, so shalt thou also see them exit. I shall draw unto me their tender shoots. Unto me shall all of them be brought. And I shall plant them in Zion. I shall leave them grafted, and I shall graft them in with Israel, and my vines shall yield a sweet fruit, and I shall be surrounded by all my children, saith the LORD.”
↩︎ - Go here https://scriptures.byu.edu/ and search for all of the times the word “vineyard” is used in the D&C. ↩︎
- Interestingly, Martin Luther’s reformation work occurred between 1517-1546 (when he died). 70 “hebdomads” from his time would be 490 years, which makes a window of 2007-2037. Consider the following passages from the Book of ben Kathryn: “17 (The oracle for an end of time) Thus saith the LORD unto the nations: An end, an end cometh. The time hath returned. Now hath the time of your hebdomads come to fruition before me. Say not, From whence cometh destruction?— ye are within the seething pot. Your congregations saw false visions in the desert sand, and your house is laid desolate. Your retreat is also stalked. I set ye now to the time of your probation. Hear ye the word of the LORD: My mercy setteth ye a time. Shout it aloud, and from the rooftops let this message go forth! Get ye to repentance! Cast off your ways, O foolish people, and harden not your hearts. Put aside your uncleanness, your vanities, and your cold self-seeking hearts, and I shall lead you yonder Jordan where dwelleth Sharon’s fertile plain and Jezreel’s cultivated fields. 18 A son is a son, and the choosing of a son is the same. Cometh it not from the heart of him that chooseth? Therefore I was your God, and in far lands that heard of me not there I was called upon, and there I heard. But, come, your sins are a river crimson, and your ignorance is the puss of your infection. Your wounds I have opened because your strength is eaten up from within, expelled in riotousness and iniquity. 19 Come bind them with free gauze, and nurture them with balms that cost no money; where wit maketh thee none the wiser, and beauty none the better. Why spend money for that which perisheth? Come unto the LORD upon a free path, and perish not. 20 The end of the oracle: For when the Israelite shall smite the Assyrian, ye shall know your watchmen looked amiss and led you astray. The LORD shall cause an end of time upon the nations, upon their congregations; and their watchmen shall be no more. Ye shall return over Jordan and re-inhabit the desolate places, and Heshbon shall not be dwelt in until it is within a fertile valley, and her watchmen no longer see the desolate mountains of Ataroth and Rabbah; and the Ammonite and the Moabite shall dwell peaceably within the congregation of the LORD, and the nations shall dwell peacefully with Israel. (BOBK 20:17-20); 1 THUS saith the LORD thy God, in the year of the 70th hebdomad of the Gentiles set thy face to the east, and set it to the west, to the north and then to the south, and prophecy thou against them: Your times come to the full. The LORD God setteth ye a time to repent. 2 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: Set thee now a goodly vase before thee. Fill it with fine flowers, with delphiniums, roses, marigolds, wild flowers, and every beauteous flower thou canst find. 3 Prophecy unto the nations: For so is the LORD’s fulfillment. I set my ways and my laws to the purpose to which they were intended, and it nourisheth and causeth all beautiful things to grow and to sustain. 4 Empty now, my prophet, the vase of the goodly flowers. Prophecy unto the nations, unto my Bride, for so she fancieth herself: This is what ye call fulfillment; then smash it against a wall so that it shattereth. 5 Therefore thus saith the LORD God, so I do with thy fulfillment before me. So I make of thy fulfillment, and this shall be the end of thy fulfillment before me. 6 In the year of their 70th hebdomad, so set thy face against them and thus prophecy thou: In your probation ye shall traverse 40 miles. Your watchmen shall fall to the side of the road, the might of their camels collapse, the burden of their loads dropped aside; and ye shall leave their parched bones. But ye shall be holpen by the sight of Bethel, for the hand of the LORD rebuildeth it. Plant the goodly flowers at Bethel, the late flowers also and the early flowers in their season. They shall be sanctified by Bethel, by the spring breath of the LORD, and he shall blow their seed over Jordan and make Heshbon’s vista fertile. 7 But as for the vase, this is mine oracle against it, saith the LORD. Thus saith the LORD: When thy probation shall be ended I shall smash thee against the wall, for empty thou shalt be, and a vase be of no value unless it is set to the purpose to which it is intended. 8 Bend now a little; give me some time of your minds. I set thee now a sign and a riddle: Ezra riseth of the nations [Gentiles], from a cold and inhospitable place, and again with nails my laws, my ways, and my fulfillment are raised up unto all nations, and my laws go forth. 9 Upon the outer door they be, proclaiming not what is within but what is not. So understand ye the prophecy of the 70 hebdomads of the Gentiles, for they who calleth themselves my watchmen have been of heavy ears, heavy eyes all these hebdomads since. (BOBK 21:1-9)” (https://gatheredin.one/wp-content/texts/The%20Book%20of%20Ben%20Kathryn.html)... Interestingly the BOBK was published in 2006 and some theorize its author will begin his ministry TO THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL around 2036. ↩︎
Science Is True and the Church Is Too 
Listen to an audio version of this blog post/article/essay here: https://youtu.be/IblCVC6VDRs?si=bCFCmAnu7qgYUqao
LikeLike