Gather Round The Carcass

In modern times, the Lord has declared that we “are called to bring to pass the gathering of [his] elect; for [his] elect hear [his] voice and harden not their hearts.”

Of course, this passage and command refers to missionary work; those who hear the gospel and are baptized are considered the Lord’s elect, and rightly so. But for those of us who are active members of the Church, there is a test to determine whether we currently fit into the category of the Lord’s elect.

It’s a rather obvious test to employ and interpret, yet only obvious on a personal level and not discernable by others. Plainly stated, one is an elect of God if he or she gathers to the carcass.

I know, sounds morbid. But these aren’t my words; indeed, these are the words of the Lord himself. Said He: “For wheresoever the carcase is, there shall the eagles be gathered together.” This phrase is placed at the end of a sermon by the Savior to his Disciples as he sat upon the Mount of Olives. The statement is rather odd and does not seem to really fit in with what he is teaching about the end times. But Joseph shed some light on it for us.

In Joseph Smith Matthew 1:27, the verse is described as a parable. The eagles are a symbol of God’s elect, and the carcass is a symbol of a covenant with the Father through Christ (the Law of Moses is the type here: the carcass of the bullock, ram, or lamb being the symbol of Christ and the covenant through sacrifice). Thus, one is an elect of God if one gathers to the covenant, i.e. wherever the covenant/sacrifice is offered.

Of course, in our day, this would be the altar of the Sacrament table — or anywhere else covenants are made or renewed (e.g. altars of the temples). But the key is not only to be gathered to these places, rather to actually take meaningful part in the process of covenant making. In this manner, one is an elect of God if he/she is truely gathered around the carcass.