When the Book of Mormon was published by Joseph Smith in 1830, it contained references as well as quotes of prophets known from the Old Testament of the Bible - men such as Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. There were also references and quotes from the writings of unknown prophets such as Zenos, Zenock, Neum, and Esaias. The Nephite prophets were quoting from the ancient Jewish record known as the Brass Plates. What record was this that Lehi's family brought with them from Jerusalem?

When Lehi received the commandment to take his family and flee the destruction that was coming upon Jerusalem, the Lord required him to obtain the original records of the Israelite nation:

For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews, and also a genealogy of thy forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass. - 1 Nephi 1:61

This record of the Jews which was "engraven" upon metal plates in the Egyptian language must have been the original account begun by Moses at the Lord's commandment.

Moses wrote his book of the law in the Egyptian language, and before his death ordered the book to be kept in the Ark of the Covenant (see Deut. 31:24-27). Apparently at some point in Israel's history, possibly in the time of King David and the priest Zadok, it was removed from the Ark and placed in the care of a descendant of Joseph. Since Joseph had received the birthright for the House of Israel, his descendants had the right to the tribal records. In the day of Lehi, a descendant of Joseph, Laban was the custodian. We are told by King Benjamin why Lehi had to have this particular record - to teach its truths to his children:

For it were not possible that our father Lehi could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates: For he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians, therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time. - Mosiah 1: 5 - 6

When Nephi and his brothers returned to the desert camp of their father with the Brass Plates, Lehi searched them and made this record of their contents:

. . . the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world; and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents; and also a record of the Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; and also the prophecies of the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to . . . the reign of Zedekiah; and also many prophecies . . . by the mouth of Jeremiah. - 1 Nephi 1:159-163

Lehi also found a genealogy of his fathers and learned that he, like Laban, was a descendant of Joseph. This was an important truth to be taught to his children. Lehi was a contemporary of Jeremiah, and must have been familiar with his activities and prophecies. Obviously someone, perhaps Jeremiah, was keeping the original record current.

The phrase "from the beginning" is applied both to the "record of the Jews" and "prophecies of the holy prophets." Surely the record which dealt with the House of Israel had its beginning with Abraham, making it probable that the prophets referred to, could have lived between the day of Abraham and King Zedekiah.

This is confirmed by the words of Nephi, son of Helaman, when he recorded his witness concerning the coming of Christ:

And now I would that ye should know, that even since the days of Abraham, there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos did testify boldly.... And behold, also Zenock, and also Ezaias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah. - Helaman 3:53-54

The word, Ezaias, is the Greek form of the name Isaiah. Yet both the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants speak of both Ezaias and Isaiah as two separate prophets. (Ezaias has the variant spelling with either a z or s.) The Doctrine and Covenants tells of an Esaias "who lived in the days of Abraham and was blessed of him"(D. & C. 83:2e).

Zenock's name is always mentioned in company with other prophets, usually with Zenos. Perhaps these two lived at the same time, as did Lehi and Jeremiah. Their prophecies, as quoted in the Book of Mormon indicate that they came after Moses and before the day of Isaiah. Perhaps they lived during the reign of the Judges. We cannot prove when they lived, nor where, but we do have one clue that might help - they were both of the seed of Joseph.

When Mormon recorded the terrible destruction which took place among the Nephites at the death of Christ, he declared that all these things had been prophesied in the Scriptures:

Behold, I say unto you, Yea, many have testified of these things at the coming of Christ, and were slain because they testified of these things; Yea, the prophet Zenos did testify of these things (see 1 Nephi 5:254-257), and also Zenock spake concerning these things, because they testified particular concerning us, who are the remnant of their seed. Behold our father Jacob also testified concerning a remnant of the seed of Joseph (see Alma 21:54-59). And behold, are not we a remnant of the seed of Joseph? And these things which testify of us, are they not written upon the plates of brass which our father Lehi brought out of Jerusalem? - 3 Nephi 4:70-73

The seed of Joseph is only to be found in the descendants of his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob, their grandfather, adopted them and made them equal with his own sons. In the blessing placed upon them by Jacob, Ephraim, the youngest, was set above his brother, putting him in the position of the firstborn (Gen. 48: 19-26). Joseph had been given the birthright in the place of Reuben; apparently Ephraim then inherited it. When the tribes of Israel were led out of Egypt to the promised land, Joseph's sons received the largest land inheritance, as was the right of the firstborn.

They settled in the north central sections of the land promised to Israel by Abraham. Following the division of the Israelite nation into the southern and northern kingdoms, Ephraim became the dominant tribe. The southern kingdom was known as Judah, and the northern kingdom became known as Ephraim or Israel. The seed of Joseph largely dwelt in the northern kingdom.

Zenos and Zenock, being of the tribal heritage of Joseph, probably lived and ministered to their countrymen in the northern kingdom. They knew the House of Israel would be scattered, and prophesied, in particular, concerning a remnant of the House of Joseph. (That remnant could include both Ephraim and Manasseh.) They also foretold the coming of the Messiah; that He would be rejected of the Jews and die on the cross.

We are indebted to the Book of Mormon prophet Alma for the only personal glimpse we have into the life and times of Zenos, but this glimpse only tells us that he had enemies and lived in a turbulent period of Israel's history:

Thou art merciful O God, for thou best heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness:

Yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me:

Yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field;

When I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.

And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer.

And when I did turn unto my closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me;

Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee to be heard of thee, and not of men, and thou wilt hear them;

Yea, O God, thou hast been merciful unto me and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations;

Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out, and have been despised by mine enemies;

Yea, thou didst hear my cries and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger, with speedy destruction;

And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my sincerity;

And it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me;

Therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions; for in thee is my joy;

For thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.

-Alma 16: 178-184

One other thing is known of these two men - they are among the prophets martyred for their witness. The record says of Zenock, "because the people would not understand his words, they stoned him to death" (Alma 16: 189), and of Zenos, who "did testify boldly; for the which he was slain" (Hel. 3:53).

It is possible that the teachings of this ancient prophet are contained in an apocryphal fragment known as the Vision of Zenez (Kenaz). It is included in a work known as the Pseudo-Philo which was published in The Biblical Antiquities of Philo by Montague R. James (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1917), p.34.

In the Old Testament, the name of Kenaz is associated with Caleb and Othniel and would fit into the period of the Judges. The fragment contains a prophecy left by Zenez (or Kenaz) to his son in which he speaks of the planting of a vineyard by the Lord and also of the corrupting of the fruit. Perhaps this small fragment will eventually be found to fit into the lengthy parable of Zenos, and inscribed on the Brass Plates (Hugh W. Nibley, Since Cumorah, 2d ed. [Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1988], pp. 286-290).

Nephi had made a second set of metal plates with those plain and precious parts of the prophecies used for the instruction of the people from generation to generation. On these Small Plates were recorded the words of the Nephite prophets, as well as prophecies taken from the Brass Plates. Following the death of Nephi, his younger brother Jacob, took charge of the Small Plates and continued to record the things he felt to be important for future generations. He gives us a glimpse of the work involved, when he tells us that he can write but few of the words he had been preaching to the people in the temple, because of the difficulty of engraving these words upon plates. Then he tells us why they considered it so important:

For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory, many hundred years before his coming, and not only we, ourselves, had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. Behold, they believed in Christ, and worshiped the Father in his name; And also, we worship the Father in his name. - Jacob 3: 4-5

So it is Jacob who labored to record on the Small Plates this most important parable dealing with the House of Israel, as found on the Brass Plates. We have to ask why, when they had the original account. He had access to the Brass Plates. Why did he make a copy of this parable on another record? Did he know that the words of Zenos would be lost to the world?

We do know Jacob recognized that the parable dealt with a future time and would not be fulfilled in his day. It had to be on the Small Plates which became the first part of our Book of Mormon because the culmination of the parable was to treat with our time.

The parable is found in the book of Jacob and begins with the words of Zenos:

Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord: For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard: and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay. - Jacob 3:30-31

Due to the length of the parable an attempt will be made to summarize the events by sections and to give an interpretation. In verses 32-36 we learn that the top of the tree is dying, even though a few small, tender branches remain alive. The master of the vineyard does not wish to lose the tree, so the servant is sent to bring branches to be grafted in from a wild olive tree in place of the main branches which are to be cut out and cast into the fire. The House of Israel (the olive tree) was dying and the main branches were to be destroyed. The captivity of both the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah) fulfilled this part of the parable. Assyria conquered the northern kingdom in 721 B.C. and scattered the people. Judah fell to Babylon in 586 B.C. Some of the people of Judah returned to Jerusalem from the latter captivity and they represent that portion of the tame olive tree in which the wild olive branches were to be grafted.

At this point we quote Apostle Paul. His letter to the Romans not only gives us a time line for the parable, it also tells us that Paul was acquainted with the parable of Zenos and knew how to interpret it. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he cherished his heritage in the House of Israel:

For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. - Romans 11:1

Paul identifies the Gentile Romans as the wild olive tree being grafted into the tame tree House of Israel:

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wast grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches, for thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. For if thou boast, thou wilt say, the branches were broken off, that we might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold, therefore the goodness and severity of God; on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wast cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And then all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. - Romans 11: 17-26

In the above quotation, Paul identifies his period in history as the time of the grafting in of the wild olive branches. The Gentiles of his day who had accepted the gospel of Christ were grafted into the true olive tree, from which they were to be nourished. When they covenanted with Christ, they were then numbered with the House of Israel. Nephi supports this interpretation:

For behold, I say unto you, That as many of the Gentiles as will repent, are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent, shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none, save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel. - 2 Nephi 12:77-78

We return to the parable (Jacob 3) to learn what happened to the small, tender branches which were spared when the Lord of the vineyard decreed that the main branches were to be cut out and cast into the fire. Verses 37-49 refer to the servant who was attending to the "grafting in" program while the Lord of the vineyard took the tender branches and hid them in various places in the "nethermost parts" of his vineyard. Verses 63-69 describe four of these plantings.

Some five hundred years before Christ's birth, Nephi confirms the scattering of the House of Israel by the Lord's design:

And behold there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea; and whither they are, none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away. - 1 Nephi 7:7-10

Nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land: for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea. But great are the promises of the Lord unto those who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore, as it says, isles, there must needs be more than this; and they are inhabited also by our brethren. For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. - 2 Nephi 7:34-38

In the parable, a period of time passes; then the Lord of the vineyard, with his servant, visits the vineyard and finds that the wild branches grafted into the original tame tree have brought forth good fruit. The explanation given is that the strength of the root caused the wild branches to produce tame fruit. The fruit represents the souls of those brought into the covenant with the Lord, thus becoming heirs to the promises made to Abraham. In symbolism, we would see this as representing the early centuries of the New Testament church.

Then the Lord of the vineyard, with his servant, went to the nethermost part of the vineyard to visit those natural branches which had been planted in various places. Verses 58-72 tell of this visit. The servant questions why the Lord had planted two of these in such poor soil, but the Lord points out that both, plus a third planting, have brought forth good fruit. Only the last tree, which was planted in very good soil, had become a divided tree with both tame and wild fruit. The servant is told to cut off the bad branches and burn them, but he pleads for more time in the hope that with pruning and nourishing it may yet produce good fruit.

Apparently at least four separate groups taken from the House of Israel had been planted by the Lord in various parts of the world. Some of these could have been taken from the northern kingdom (Israel) at the time of the Assyrian conquest. Lehi's family was led away just before Jerusalem fell to Babylon. If the divided tree refers to Lehi's colony, then it could well have been the last planting. Of the two planted in poor ground one might have been located on the desert coast of Peru in South America. If a branch of the House of Israel was planted there, then we can account for the Incan legends of the visit of the "white god." Christ told the Nephites that he had to go to all of the House of Israel after His resurrection, and that there were others like themselves far from Jerusalem (3 Nephi 8:4; 7: 15-16).

Christ's personal ministry, by voice and person, was to be given only to the House of Israel. We do not know where all of these other remnants of the House of Israel were planted, but the Lord assured the people of Nephi that they were not lost to the Father. At that time Christ also made another statement which has tremendous implications for all the world:

They understood me not that . . . the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice; that I should not manifest myself unto them, save it were by the Holy Ghost. - 3 Nephi 7:22

After a long time the Lord of the vineyard and his servant came again into the vineyard to gather the fruit. Verses 72-100 describe what was found in the vineyard this time.

The grafted in branches of the wild olive tree no longer held tame fruit but were weighed down (cumbered) with all sorts of different fruit. The Lord of the vineyard tasted each kind and declared none to be good. Though the root of the tree was still alive, the branches had overrun the roots and had produced so much bad fruit that the tree was beginning to die.

If we see this as symbolic of the New Testament church, after the grafting in of the Gentiles, then we would point to the development of the various Catholic movements, followed by further divisions of the Protestant world. The fruit was certainly varied and the Lord of the vineyard called it evil fruit. An explanation was given to the Restoration church as to why the fruit was considered evil:

For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant; they seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world. - Doctrine and Covenants 1:3 d-e

Next the Master and servant go to visit the natural branches planted in the most distant parts of the vineyard. Again, they are disappointed. The fruit of the first, second, and last plantings are said to be corrupt; the third planting is not mentioned. This time there is no doubt about the identity of the last planting being the Nephite-Lamanite nation:

And behold, this last, whose branch hath withered away, I did plant in a good spot of ground; yea, even that which was choice unto me, above all other parts of the land of my vineyard. And thou beheldest that I also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this tree in the stead thereof. - Jacob 3:93-94

In verses 109 to 124, we find the solution that is finally proposed to save all the trees of the vineyard. The first suggestion had been to cut down all the trees and put them in the fire in order to clear the vineyard. But the servant asks that they be spared a little longer and the Master grants the servant's request. Then the Lord of the vineyard suggests an unusual program of grafting that might save all the trees. This part of the parable is the most difficult to interpret because it treats with the end of the time line (the latter days) and is the part which involves the Restoration church, as the seed of Joseph.

The grafting program is outlined in verses 112-117. The roots of the mother tree, as well as the roots of the natural branches planted in a far place, are alive and healthy. The plan calls for grafting the branches from the scattered trees back into the mother tree and to take branches from the mother tree to graft into the trees in the nethermost parts of the vineyard. All of these branches are now producing wild fruit, but the hope is that the roots will be strong enough to cause the grafted branches to bring forth tame fruit. In the process, the branches with the most bitter fruit are to be pruned out and the grafts put in their places. The hope is expressed that the natural branches, by drawing strength from the mother root of the natural or tame olive tree, will eventually produce good fruit, rather than evil fruit.

If we have a problem of understanding the parable, so did Lehi's sons. Either Lehi was familiar with the parable, or he had discovered it when searching the Brass Plates. He attempted to teach it to his family but the brothers asked Nephi what it meant:

Behold, we can not understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles. - 1 Nephi 4:8

Twice Nephi inscribes an explanation on the Small Plates - once the words of his father, and again, his own words. Lehi recognized that his people were one of the small, natural branches that was being broken off from the House of Israel to be planted in a far land. Then he defines the meaning of the final grafting in:

After the Gentiles had received the fullness of the gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer. - 1 Nephi 3:19 (see 16-19)

Nephi's explanation to his brothers is more detailed and he gives a time frame for the grafting in. It will come in the latter days, many generations after Christ's first appearance, and generations after their own seed will have become unbelievers.

The fullness of the gospel will have gone to the Gentiles in that day and they will be held responsible for taking the gospel to these remnant branches of the House of Israel:

Wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved. . . Behold, I say unto you, Yea: they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree. - 1 Nephi 4:19, 23-24 (see 4: 14-30)

The whole climactic point of the parable is caught up in verses 118-125. The intent of the grafting program is that all of the trees shall eventually produce only tame fruit. The bitter branches shall be removed and destroyed:

And the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning. - Jacob 3:144

But time is running out. Four times in verses 125-140, we are told that this is the last time He will visit His vineyard:

Wherefore, let us go to, and labor with our mights, this last time; for behold the end draweth nigh: and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard. - Jacob 3:126

To implement the program, the Lord sent his servant to call other servants to assist but "they were few" (verse 136). The servants are sent out with certain instructions concerning the order of the grafting:

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. - Jacob 3:127

Nephi explains this passage to us when he writes of the time when Christ shall come into the world:

And after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles, and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first: and the first shall be last. - 1 Nephi 3:199-200

Christ's ministry was first to the House of Israel, then it was taken to the Gentiles. But in the latter days, His gospel is to be made manifest first to the Gentiles. The House of Israel will be the last to receive it. Thus the Jews, who were first, shall be last.

The parable ends with the assurance that all of the House of Israel will be restored. The final verses point to the long time when the Lord will enjoy the fruit of the vineyard (the Millennium), then comes the little season and the final judgment (verses 145-153).

Jacob ends his quotation of Zenos's parable with his own prophecy that all the words of Zenos will come to pass:

And in the day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard; and after that, the end soon cometh. - Jacob 4:3

We are living in that time - the latter days when this prophecy is being fulfilled.

As has been shown, times for certain events described in the prophecy can be given. The destruction of the two kingdoms of Israel, the planting of a remnant of Joseph in a far land, the grafting in of the wild olive branches in the early centuries of the Christian era, and the changes in the New Testament church can all be traced on a historical time line. Zenos, as well as Nephi and other Book of Mormon prophets, has said that the restoration of the House of Israel can only be accomplished in the latter days.

The restoration of the Church and the gospel, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, began the period of the latter days when the words of Zenos can be fulfilled. We have positive evidence that we are now in the period which the Lord of the vineyard designated as the "last time" He would visit His vineyard. The following quotations are from revelations given to Joseph Smith in 1830 and 1831:

For behold, the field is white already to harvest; and it is the eleventh hour, and for the last time that I shall call laborers into my vineyard. - Doctrine and Covenants 32:ld

Wherefore lay to with thy might and call faithful laborers into my vineyard, that it may be pruned for the last time. - Doctrine and Covenants 39:5a

Wherefore, labor ye, labor ye in my vineyard for the last time . . . and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth. - Doctrine and Covenants 43:7a,b

Jacob, father of the House of Israel, placed a very special blessing upon his son, Joseph. We remember that Joseph had been given the rights of the firstborn in place of the oldest brother, Reuben.

Jacob explains that as Joseph had saved his father's house from the famine, which was a type and shadow of the future, so should Joseph's seed eventually bring salvation to his father's house:

For thou hast prevailed, and thy father's house hath bowed down unto thee, even as it was shown unto thee, before thou wast sold into Egypt by the hands of thy brethren; wherefore thy brethren shall bow down unto thee, from generation to generation, unto the fruit of thy loins for ever; for thou shalt be a light unto my people, to deliver them in the days of their captivity, from bondage; and to bring salvation unto them, when they are altogether bowed down under sin. - Genesis 48:10-11

The blessing was to continue through Joseph's seed - the "fruit of his loins."

Jacob blessed Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, but placed the birthright blessing on the head of Ephraim, the younger son. He was told that his seed should become a multitude of nations. Centuries later, Moses blessed the tribes just before they were to cross the Jordan and enter their promised land. Joseph's seed was to have a special land, choice above all others, separate from their brethren. Moses, too, placed the leadership role on Ephraim with a reference to the "tens of thousands of Ephraim" and the "thousands of Manassseh" (Deut. 33:17; see D.&C. 108:6e).

The prophets of the Book of Mormon, from Lehi to Moroni, were of the seed of Joseph, through the oldest son Manasseh (Alma 8:3). They studied the words of Zenos because he, being a prophet of the seed of Joseph, had a particular interest in this remnant which had been led to a choice land. He knew that the nation would be divided and even prophesied concerning the future of the Lamanites (Hel. 5: 101). Is this why, in the parable, we can only identify the one planting that divided and became two separate nations?

When Christ appeared to the Nephites in the Land Bountiful, He made them His promise:

And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a new Jerusalem. - 3 Nephi 9:58

Ether, the last prophet of the Jaredite nation, left information concerning the role of this land in the promises made to Joseph of old:

Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a new Jerusalem upon this land . . . And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph. Wherefore the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built up 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. - Ether 6:4-8

We have identified Joseph's land and a remnant of the tribe of Manasseh. Now we must identify the seed of Ephraim who hold the birthright.

Joseph Smith, Jr., the Restoration prophet, called by the Lord in 1830 to restore His church, was of the seed of Joseph through his son Ephraim (The lineage of Joseph Smith, Jr., is known through his patriarchal blessing given at Kirtland, Ohio, on December 9, 1834, by his father, Patriarch Joseph Smith, Sr.). Today, the majority of the members of the Restoration church are of the lineage of Ephraim. When God called Joseph Smith, of the seed of Joseph, living in Joseph's land, to restore the fullness of His gospel to the world, it was to fulfill the prophecies of many of the holy prophets of ancient times. The promise of salvation for the rest of the House of Israel was through the seed of Joseph, and He placed the church in the hands of Ephraim, that this prophecy might be fulfilled. The Lord made this plain in the early days of the Restoration:

And they who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord . . . And they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of Ephraim my servants. . . And then they shall fall down and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim. - Doctrine and Covenants 108:6

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days; and the rebellious shall be cut off out of the land of Zion, and shall be sent away, and shall not inherit the land; for, verily, I say that the rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim, wherefore they shall be plucked out. - Doctrine and Covenants 64:7a-b

This instruction not only identifies the church as Ephraim, but it gives an insight into the grafting in process and the pruning of those Gentile branches which produce bitter fruit

Not only could most members of the Restoration church know their Ephraim lineage, but the Lord gave a wonderful promise to the priesthood:

Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers, for ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God: therefore your life and the priesthood hath remained, and must needs remain, through you and your lineage, until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began. - Doctrine and Covenants 84:3a-b

The priesthood restored in these last days will not be taken away; it will continue until the grafting program is completed.

These priesthood members are the servants who are to assist in pruning and nourishing the vineyard in this final visit. Note the reference to the rebellious who shall be "plucked out" (a phrase taken from the parable). This must apply to the pruning of the Gentile branches which produce the bitter fruit.

We also have evidence of how the Lord called other servants to assist in this program. This message was given to David Whitmer:

Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, who created the heavens and the earth; alight which can not be hid in darkness; wherefore, I must bring forth the fullness of my gospel from the Gentiles unto the house of Israel. And, behold, thou art David, and thou art called to assist. - Doctrine and Covenants 12:5 a-c

Another call was given to a Baptist minister, James Covill, in 1831:

Thou shalt preach the fullness of my gospel which I have sent forth in these last days; the covenant which I have sent forth to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel.... Thou art called to labor in my vineyard and to build up my church, and to bring forth Zion, that it may rejoice upon the hills and flourish. - Doctrine and Covenants 39:3e,4b

This servant declined the invitation and did not identify himself with the Lord's program. He remained as a fruit on one of the wild branches of the Gentile tree.

Christ gave this information to the Restoration church:

Behold, I say unto you, that all old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing, and this is a new and everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning . . . for it is because of your dead works, that I have caused this last covenant, and this church to be built up unto me; even as in days of old. - Doctrine and Covenants 20:1a-c

The covenant being restored was not a new one, but the one that had existed since the days of Enoch. Because all of the trees of the vineyard were corrupt, the Lord of the vineyard had to intervene and make this covenant available again:

And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy; and the general assembly of the church of the first-born shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is my everlasting covenant, which I made with thy Father Enoch. - Genesis 9:22-23

The everlasting covenant was a promise to Enoch that eventually his city would return to earth to be a part of the "holy city" which was to be called Zion, the New Jerusalem (Gen. 7:70). The Lord continued to confirm this to the Restoration church:

Wherefore I say unto you, that I have sent unto you mine everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning, and that which I have promised I have so fulfilled, and the nations of the earth shall bow to it. - Doctrine and Covenants 49:2d

Again, the Lord spoke to one of His servants who would become an apostle in His church:

Verily I say unto you, Blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fullness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children of men, that they might have life, and be made partakers of the glories, which are to be revealed in the last days, as it was written by the prophets and apostles in days of old. - Doctrine and Covenants 66:lb

The Lord continues to link the everlasting covenant with the fullness of His gospel and the last days. Joseph Smith's first task was to translate the Book of Mormon which is the record of Lehi's seed - the Manasseh branch of the House of Israel. We are repeatedly told that this was because it contained the fullness of His gospel (D. & C·17:2c-g).

Joseph Smith, the modem prophet for the House of Joseph, was commanded by the Lord to restore many scriptures missing from the book of Genesis in the Inspired Version of the Bible. Thus we know that the gospel of Christ was taught from the days of Adam, down through the successive prophets to Noah, and beyond. Enoch taught the salvation of the individual by the sacrifice of the Only Begotten, who was to come in the meridian of time, and he also taught the need to gather together in a holy city. His city was eventually taken unto God and it became the symbol, the prototype, of what the Kingdom of God on earth should be.

The gospel of Christ is twofold: (1) to offer personal salvation to every soul, that each might be redeemed from the fall; and (2) to offer them corporate salvation that they might live in the Kingdom with the Lord on earth. This represents the fullness of the gospel - or the two sides of the coin. If we test this concept against the parable of Zenos, we recognize wherein the House of Israel failed to live by the fullness.

Certainly, the fullness of the gospel was understood in the days of Abraham and Melchisedec, when the Kingdom principles (see Genesis 14) existed for a short time. Even Moses was fully aware of the program of Christ and tried to teach his people to understand and accept it, but they chose otherwise. By the time the kingdom divided, after Solomon's reign, the House of Israel had lost the concept that the expected Messiah was a Savior and saw Him only in the role of a conquering king who would rule over their nation. Thus, the main branches of the olive tree were fruitless and ready to be "plucked off and cast into the fire."

At the time when the New Testament church was grafted into the root of Israel, the apostles understood and taught the total program of Christ, and for a time good fruit came from the graft. But the Christian movement eventually lost the concept of a Kingdom on earth and saw Christ only as the personal Savior who died for our sins. Thus they too saw only one side of the coin and their fruit was not acceptable to the Lord of the vineyard.

The one original branch of the tame olive tree which we identify as Nephite-Lamanite did succeed with a Kingdom in operation for nearly two hundred years, but when that concept began to fail, only wild fruit was the result.

It became necessary for the Lord of the vineyard to come, for the last time, to restore His church with the fullness of His gospel and the promise of the everlasting covenant. The Lord restored His priesthood in 1830 to perform the necessary ordinances of salvation for all who would come, Gentile and House of Israel, and gave commandments that a holy city should be built, which would be the New Jerusalem.

The latter day church, which contained the seed of Joseph, was restored to a Gentile nation. For centuries, the Western world had been the home of the many divisions of the Christian religion. Here would be found the branches of the wild olive tree, each producing a different kind of fruit. The promise was that the Gentiles should have the first opportunity to accept the fullness of the gospel:

Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O House of Israel, in the latter day shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fullness of these things shall be made known unto them. - 3 Nephi 7:31

The message of the Restoration church was first taken to the Gentile nations. The missionaries went to the United States, Canada, England, and Australia - the leading nations of the Gentiles. Thousands were brought into the Church, but the prophets had said that the Gentiles would reject the fullness of the gospel; and when that day came, then the Lord would turn again to the House of Israel (3 Nephi 7:34-36).

Israel as a nation was restored in 1948. The city of Jerusalem was reclaimed by Israel in 1967. Surely the time allotted to the Gentiles has been fulfilled, for the Lord has begun his work of restoring all of the House of Israel. How does the Church today fit into the parable? Unlike Nephi's brothers, we cannot point to the distant future - the parable is our future!

The leadership of the Reorganization has continued to ignore the implications of the parable of the olive tree. Not only are there no inspired directives from the prophetic office having to do with remnant Israel; there is little understanding among the people. Today, the leaders of the Reorganized Church consider themselves a part of the Gentile world and seem anxious to be identified with the Protestant community. The leadership does not represent the Church as the chosen seed of the tribe of Joseph, with the responsibility of bringing salvation to the House of Israel. If individual members, congregations, or leading councils no longer envision the role the Lord intended for His Church, then they, too, are the fruit of the wild olive tree.

The parable can be interpreted at several levels. In its broadest sense, it deals with the Lord's relationship to the whole House of Israel as the olive tree. Within that framework, there is concern shown for the branch of Joseph - one tribe or even one family (Lehi' s divided tree). A third element is the Lord's concern to save every individual; the good fruit He wishes to gather.

Put into the historical perspective, the parable covers at least 3,000 years of history. The servants of the Lord of the vineyard, the prophets such as Zenos, Isaiah, Paul, Alma, Mormon, and Joseph Smith, Jr., have played their roles in the story. But now we are told that it is the eleventh hour and the end is near. The plucking out of the unbelieving branches of the Gentile tree and the grafting in of the natural branches (particularly the other half of Joseph's seed) must be speeded up. The Church must discard the goals of the Gentile nation in which we live, and return to the commandments given by the Lord.

When leaders fail to lead, then congregations, families, and individuals must take the responsibility and follow the Lord's directions. This period of apparent disorder in the Church is a time for deciding who we are. True Israel will continue to believe in the everlasting covenant and the fullness of the gospel. We are reminded of words Christ spoke to the disciples during His last night with them:

I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. - John 15:5-8

Only the natural branch (seed of Joseph) grafted into the natural tree (Israel) can produce the tame (good) fruit desired by the Lord of the vineyard. If we do not produce the true fruit of the tree, we are as a withered branch ready for the fire.

Grafting is a process of separation that is painful and causes trauma. In the Reorganized Church today, there are members, families, even congregations, suffering from the need to choose between the appeal of the Gentile world in which we live and the commandments of the Lord, as given in our Scriptures.

Such decisions are the cause of separations that are extremely distressing. We must be ready to bear the pain of the right choice, even when it separates us from our fellow members. The parable tells us that the grafting program will be a success. The Lord shall praise His servants for having labored with Him this last time, and "will crown the faithful with joy and with rejoicing" (D. & C.52:9f).

After the grafting in comes the New Jerusalem. In the Zenos parable, the prophet said that when all the trees were restored and the fruit was the same, it would be as though they had become one body. That is when we can expect the return of Enoch's city. Then Christ will share with all the prophets from Adam to our day in the restoration "of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began" (D. & C. 26:2b; 84:3b).

The Lord has given us a song to sing at that time:

The Lord hath brought again Zion:

The Lord hath redeemed his people, Israel,

According to the election of grace,

Which was brought to pass by the faith

And covenant of their fathers.

The Lord hath redeemed his people,

And Satan is bound, and time is no longer:

The Lord hath gathered all things in one:

The Lord hath brought down Zion from above:

The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath;

The earth hath travailed and brought forth her strength;

And truth is established in her bowels;

And the heavens have smiled upon her,

And she is clothed with the glory of her God:

For he stands in the midst of his people:

Glory, and honor, and power, and might,

Be ascribed to our God, for he is full of mercy,

Justice, grace and truth, and peace,

Forever and ever, Amen.

- Doctrine and Covenants 83:17a-c

Joseph, my son, I lay my hands upon thy head in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to confirm unto thee a father's blessing.... Thou hast been an obedient son. The commands of thy father and reproofs of thy mother, thou hast respected and obeyed - for all these things the Lord my God will bless thee.

Thou hast been called, even in thy youth to the great work of the Lord, to do a work in this generation which no other man would do as thyself, in all things according to the will of the Lord. A marvelous work and a wonder has the Lord wrought by thy hand, even that which shall prepare the way for the remnants of his people to come in among the Gentiles, with their fullness, as the tribes of Israel are restored. I bless thee with the blessings of thy fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and even the blessings of thy father Joseph, the son of Jacob.

Behold, he looked after his posterity in the last days, when they should be scattered and driven by the Gentiles, and wept before the Lord. He sought diligently to know from whence the son should come who should bring forth the word of the Lord, by which they might be enlightened, and brought back to the true fold, and his eyes beheld thee, my son.

His heart rejoiced and his soul was satisfied, and he said, "As my blessings are to extend to the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills, as my father's blessing prevailed above the blessings of his progenitors, and as my branches are to run over the wall, and my seed are to inherit the choice land whereon the Zion of God shall stand in the last days; from among my seed, scattered with the Gentiles, shall a Choice Seer arise whose bowels shall be as a fountain of truth, whose loins shall be girded with the girdle of righteousness, whose hands shall be lifted with acceptance before the God of Jacob to turn away his anger from his anointed, whose heart shall meditate great wisdom, whose intelligence shall circumscribe and comprehend the deep things of God, and whose mouth shall utter the law of the just.

"His feet shall stand upon the neck of his enemies, and he shall walk upon the ashes of those who seek his destruction. With wine and oil shall he be sustained, and he shall feed upon the heritage of Jacob his father. The just shall desire his society, and the upright in heart shall be his companions. No weapon formed against him shall prosper, and though the wicked mar him for a little season, he shall be like one rising up in the heat of wine - he shall roar in his strength, and the Lord shall put to flight his persecutors.

"He shall be blessed like the fruitful olive, and his memory shall be as sweet as the choice cluster of the first ripe grapes. Like a sheaf fully ripe, gathered into the gamer, so shall he stand before the Lord, having produced a hundredfold." Thus spake my father Joseph.

Therefore, my son, I know for a surety that those things will be fulfilled, and I confirm upon thee all these blessings.

And now my son, what more shall I say? Thou art as a fruitful olive and a choice vine. Thou shalt be laden with precious fruit. Thousands and tens of thousands shall come to a knowledge of the truth through thy ministry, and thou shalt rejoice with them in the Celestial Kingdom. Thou shalt stand upon the earth when it shall reel to and fro as a drunken man, and be removed out of its place. Thou shalt stand when the mighty judgments go forth to the destruction of the wicked. Thou shalt stand on Mount Zion when the tribes of Jacob come shouting from the north, and with thy brethren, the sons of Ephraim, crown them in the name of Jesus Christ. Thou shalt see thy Redeemer come in the clouds of heaven, and with the just receive the hallowed throng with shouts of hallelujahs, praise the Lord. Amen.

Verneil Simmons became a student of The Book of Mormon while a teenager. She was intrigued with the question of where the Book of Mormon lands were located. Although many Book of Mormon readers believed that these lands included all of North, Central, and South America, she became convinced that internal clues found within the book pointed to a more specific and limited location.

Her research into the geography of the Book of Mormon led her to pose many other questions. Her sphere of interest and corresponding research began to grow.

The author and her family spent most of the decade of the 1940s outside the United States, residing first in Aruba, N.W.I.; then Costa Rica, Central America; and then Venezuela, South America.

In 1950 the author's husband, Wayne Simmons, became the first appointee missionary to Latin America for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In later years, the family moved to Mexico City, where Verneil began intensive research into the archaeology of Mesoamerica. She took courses at the National University and attended many hours of lectures at the Instituto Naci'onal de Arqueologia e Historia.