![]() Isaiah and Nephi see the people are in the “deep sleep” of apostasy until a book comes forth with words “out of the dust.” They prophesy of Joseph Smith, through whom the Lord will do a “marvelous work and a wonder.” Then Isaiah writes, “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness” (Isaiah 29:18 2 Nephi 27:29 emphasis added). In Isaiah 29, which Nephi quotes and expounds upon in 2 Nephi 27, Isaiah foretells in great detail the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Each sign will be illustrated with examples from the Asia Area. I will suggest five signs prophesied by these great seers indicating how the restored latter-day Church would one day emerge out of obscurity. When Joseph Smith walked into the Sacred Grove in 1820, the house of Israel and the Church of Jesus Christ were mired in obscurity and darkness. That prophecy of apostasy was fulfilled several times, first by the northern kingdom of Israel, followed by the southern kingdom of Judah, then the Church organized by Jesus Christ during His mortal ministry, and finally the civilization of the Nephites. we wait for light, but behold obscurity for brightness, but we walk in darkness” (Isaiah 59:2, 7, 9 emphasis added). Isaiah declared to the house of Israel, “ your iniquities have separated between you and your God. In Isaiah 59, this prophet-whose great writings Jesus invites us to search (see 3 Nephi 23:1–3)-warned that personal and institutional apostasy would cause the house of Israel to wander and become lost along darkened paths. These seers saw our day and their inspired usage of the word “obscurity” informs us of what the restored Church of Jesus Christ should be doing, and I testify is doing, in the latter days. The English word “obscurity” is recorded only seven times in scripture by four prophets: Isaiah, Lehi, Nephi, and Joseph Smith. Third, a historical comparison of improving public perceptions about the Church and its members in Asia, drawing on lessons from Taiwan. Second, a contemporary assessment of how the “Mormon Moment” in the U.S. You might ask, “Are we making any progress in Asia?” I will respond, “Yes!” My remarks today examine this question and answer it from three perspectives:įirst, a prophetic overview for the Church coming forth out of obscurity and darkness and how ancient prophecies are being fulfilled in Asia today. The last frontiers are Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Red dots are beginning to cover Southern Africa. North America is covered with red dots representing meetinghouses, as is South America, Western Europe, the Pacific, and North Asia. ![]() If you visit the Church Newsroom web site and look at the map of our meetinghouses across the world, you will see the ongoing fulfillment of this prophecy. It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America-it will fill the world” (Chapter 11: “The Organization and Destiny of the True and Living Church,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 2007, pp. ![]() you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. In 1834, Joseph Smith prophesied, “Brethren. Thus, to the vast majority of Asian people who have never met a Mormon, the Church is probably just one more obscure Western religion. Yet, Church membership in Asia is only 161,000, which is just a minuscule one in every twenty-two thousand persons. The Asia Area is comprised of twenty-five countries and territories with a combined population of more than 3.5 billion people or one-half of the world total. It excludes Japan and Korea, which are in the Asia North Area, and the Philippines which is its own area. This area ranges from Mongolia on the north to Indonesia on the south and from Taiwan on the east to Pakistan on the west. In today’s presentation, Asia will refer to the region designated by the Church as the Asia Area.
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