Even before a single word of the Book of Mormon
was translated, Isaiah’s teachings were
an important factor in the restoration.
From the very beginning, in the Sacred Grove,
Jesus Christ quoted Isaiah as he taught Joseph
Smith about the condition of the world.
This tradition was carried on by Moroni as
he prepared Joseph to receive the golden plates.
Moroni spoke of prophecies in Isaiah chapter
11, seemingly connecting Joseph to the “root
of Jesse” and the Book of Mormon to the
“ensign” that would be “set up for the
world.”
In Far West Missouri, Joseph Smith was asked
what the “root of Jesse” is.
He answered saying, “it is a descendant
of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom
rightly belongs the priesthood and the keys
of the kingdom, for an ensign, and for the
gathering of my people in the last days”
Though there are many interpretations of Isaiah
11, looking at Joseph Smith and the Book of
Mormon as fulfillment of this prophecy, as
Moroni implied, testifies that God has set
the final stages of gathering Israel into play.
And now you know why.
