Understanding the Gathering of Israel

 "An understanding of the doctrine of the gathering of Israel is essential to a sound understanding of the gospel. Of the gathering, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "It is a principle I esteem to be of the greatest importance to those who are looking for salvation in this generation."

The doctrine of the gathering stands at the very heart of the message of the restored gospel. We do not really understand who we are as a people, the covenants God has made with us, or the destiny that is ours until we gain a meaningful understanding of this doctrine" 

Joseph Fielding McConkie, Religious Educator 11, no 1 (2010): 47-64. 

Now is the Time to Bury Your Weapons of War

 President Russell M. Nelson taught: “If you are serious about helping to gather Israel and about building relationships that will last throughout the eternities, now is the time to lay aside bitterness. Now is the time to cease insisting that it is your way or no way. Now is the time to stop doing things that make others walk on eggshells for fear of upsetting you. Now is the time to bury your weapons of war. If your verbal arsenal is filled with insults and accusations, now is the time to put them away. You will arise as a spiritually strong man or woman of Christ.”

Gathering Of Israel is Going to Happen Whether We Help or Not

 "The gathering is going to happen whether we help it or not, " said Brother Allgaier. "It's the Lord's work, and He's going to make sure that it's done. For those that are more active in it, there will be more blessings poured upon their heads."

Meredith Gerard and Sarah Lott Helzer, "How We Gather Israel Today," Liahona, Dec 2021. 

11 Day Journey in 40 Years

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Israel’s Exodus and Deliverance—Then and Now

By Kerry Muhlestein

Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University

The book of Deuteronomy begins with a striking verse. In parentheses between verses 1 and 3, verse 2 reads, “(There are eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea)” (Deuteronomy 1:2). Because it is set within parentheses and because it seems to be relaying minutia, this verse is easily passed over. But, at closer examination, it can be one of the most thought-provoking verses in the Old Testament.

Identifying two of the sites in the verse makes this clearer. Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, and Kadesh-barnea is the place where Moses and the children of Israel camped as they sent men into the promised land as spies. Kadesh-barnea was on the border of the promised land, and it was intended that the children of Israel would go from there and inherit the land.

In other words, it took the children of Israel 40 years to travel the distance they could have traveled in 11 days.