1 Nephi 22

I want to comment on something basic because if this isn't understood, chapters 20 and 21 won't make a lot of sense. In the Bible, Abraham is promised that his posterity will be as numerous the sands of the sea and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. This promise refers to the Savior's being born and the gospel coming through Abraham's lineage. If we follow Abraham's lineage, Abraham had Isaac and Isaac's son was Jacob. The Lord changed Jacob's name to Israel and he had twelve sons. All of the people born to those twelve sons became the nation of Israel. Their ancestral link to Abraham is important to them because the blessings promised to Abraham are also promised to them. By the time of Christ, 10 of the tribes of Israel (the posterity of 10 of the sons) who lived in the northern half of Israel have been scattered throughout the world because of other nations coming in and destroying them. The two remaining tribes, Benjamin and Judah intermarry and become the Jews and they are the only tribes left when the Savior is on the earth. In about 60 A.D., they're also driven out but are able to maintain their identity. Anyone who isn't related to Israel, or can trace his lineage back to one of the 12 sons of Israel is considered a Gentile.

So in chapter 22, Nephi explains to his brothers what these last two chapters of Isaiah mean. In the future, he says, all Israel will be scattered on the earth just like their family has been. In verse 4, he says "there are already many lost from the knowledge of those in 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. Other verses will say they are scattered throughout the earth. In verse 7, he prophesies that the Lord will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles after Israel is scattered and through the Gentiles in this nation, the Lord will do a marvelous work for the lost descendants of Israel who by this time will have lost the knowledge of the covenants that were originally made with Abraham. Through the Gentiles, Israel will be gathered again, come to know the Savior, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed because of this work. Read verse 12 because there are four promises made by the Lord to the lost tribes of Israel.

Once Israel is restored, there will come a time of great destruction when all of the wicked will be destroyed. This is prior to the Lord's second coming. The wicked are the ones who need to fear about this. But promises are made to the righteous in verses 17 to 26. Nephi promises 8 or 9 times that the righteous need not fear, that they will be protected. And verse 26 is an important teaching: it is the righteousness of the people that causes Satan to have no power. That is true as a people and it is true as individuals.