Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make his appearance.
~ Joseph Smith in his History of The Church, Vol. V. p. 337
It was Orson Hyde, who, in the life time of Joseph Smith, was intrusted with the important mission of dedicating the land of Palestine for the return of the Jews.
~ Joseph Fielding Smith in his Essentials in Church History, p. 284.
At the general conference of the Church held in Nauvoo, Hancock County, April 6–8, 1840, Elder Orson Hyde, who had not departed for England with the other apostles, was appointed to take a mission to Palestine to dedicate there the land for the gathering of the Jews. Elder John E. Page, who had also tarried at home, was called to accompany him. While addressing the congregation on the 6th, Elder Hyde remarked that it had been prophesied, some years before, that he had a great work to perform among the Jews; and that he had recently been moved by the Spirit of the Lord to visit that people, and gather all the information he could find respecting their movements, hopes and aspirations, and communicate them to the Church. He expressed the desire to visit the Jews in New York, London and Amsterdam, on his way to the field of his appointment. It was moved and carried that he proceed at once on his mission and that Elder John E. Page be given proper credentials and accompany him. On the 15th of April, Elder Hyde left Nauvoo for Jerusalem. Working his way across the country to New York, he sailed, after some delays, for Liverpool, on his way to Palestine, Saturday, February 13, 1841. He traveled alone, as Elder John E. Page had failed to make the journey.
~ Joseph Fielding Smith in his Essentials in Church History, p. 284.
And we further testify that the Jews among all nations are hereby commanded, in the name of the Messiah, to prepare to return to Jerusalem in Palestine, and to rebuild that city and Temple unto the Lord.
And also to organize and establish their own political government, under their own rules, judges and governors, in that country.
For be it know unto them that we now hold the keys of the priesthood and kingdom which are soon to be restored unto them.
Therefore let them also repent, and prepare to obey the ordinances of God.
. . .
For be it known unto you, that the only salvation which remains for the Gentiles, is for them to be identified in the same covenant, and to worship at the same altar with Israel. In short, they must come to the same standard. For, there shall be one Lord, and his name one, and He shall be king over all the earth.~ Council of the Twelve under the leadership of Brigham Young, “Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints To All the Kings of the World.” 1845.
When you get to the land of Palestine, we wish you to dedicate and consecrate that land to the Lord, that it may be blessed with fruitfulness, preparatory to the return of the Jews, in fulfilment of prophecy and the accomplishment of the purposes of our heavenly Father.
~ Brigham Young in letter to Elder George A. Smith, his second counselor. 1873.
I wish in this testimony to say that the time is not far distant when the rich men among the Jews will be called upon to use their abundant wealth to gather the dispersed of Judah, and purchase the ancient dwelling places of their fathers in and about Jerusalem, and rebuild the holy city and temple.
For the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and the Lord has decreed that the Jews should be gathered from all the Gentile nations where they have been driven, into their own land, in fulfillment of the words of Moses their lawgiver. And this is the will of your great Elohim, O house of Judah, and whenever you shall be called upon to perform this work, the God of Israel will help you.~ Wilford Woodruff. 1879
Some of you may be familiar with the agitation that is going on at the present time, in the publications, against the Jewish people. There should be no ill-will, and I am sure there is none, in the heart of any true Latter-day Saint, toward the Jewish people. By the authority of the Holy Priesthood of God, that has again been restored to the earth, and by the ministration, under the direction of the Prophet of God, Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ have been to the Holy Land and have dedicated that country for the return of the Jews; and we believe that in the due time of the Lord they shall be in the favor of God again. And let no Latter-day Saint be guilty of taking any part in any crusade against these people. I believe in no other part of the world is there as good a feeling in the hearts of mankind toward the Jewish people as among the Latter-day Saints.
President Heber J. Grant, General Conference, April, 1921.
Journal entry from David O. McKay
When we parted from our guide last night, it was with the understanding that we should go to the Mount of Olives this morning; but we were surprised to learn first thing that the program was changed.
“Don’t ask me why I change,” said Michael, who seemed somewhat nervous, “just you trust me. I will tell you when we enter the city.”
Mr. Spiva and party were also disappointed in not finding their car ready to take them to the Dead Sea. We later learned that every driver was instructed not to run his auto, and that every Mohammedan and every Jewish business house and nearly every Christian place of business was closed for the day.
Said Michael: “This is a day of mourning; today the Mohammedans and Christians throughout Palestine unite in protesting against Lord Balfour’s declaration that Palestine shall be set apart as a gathering place for the Jews.”
This was revelation to me! At first I was inclined to treat the matter lightly, not crediting our man with a thorough understanding of the matter; but the more we questioned him and the more clearly we discerned his bitter antipathy towards the Jews, the more convince I became that we were going to witness this day a most significant demonstration.
Not a shop was open! Not a donkey or a camel did we see! Men and women were gathering in groups! We soon began to feel the spirit of tension in the city.
Michael was vehement — under his breath — in his protestations that the Jews shall never rule Palestine.
Said I, “Michael, standing here on the street of David, this 2nd of November, 1921, I was to tell you something to remember! No matter how much the Mohammedans and the Greek Christians oppose the Jews’ coming back to Palestine, the Jews are coming and will possess this land!”
“Never,” he cried with emphasis and bitterness, “The streets will flow with blood first!”
“The streets may and undoubtedly will flow with blood,” I answered, “but that will not prevent the Jews possessing their land. Don’t you believe your Bible?”
“I know the Bible says Jerusalem will be rebuilt,” was his admission, “but the time hasn’t come yet.”
“Yes, the time has come.”
. . .
By this time, 11:30 am, there was a good deal of Moslem rowdyism manifest in the narrow streets of the city, and our guide was so worried that his mind was more on what was going to happen than on what happened over 1900 years ago. And so was ours in a very few minutes! As we walked up David Street, we met hundreds of Mohammedans going toward the Mosque of Omar to pray. Suddenly behind them we heard imprecating yells and mingling with them cries for help. Hurrying forward, we saw two Jewish women, some children, and one or two men trying to escape from a mob with sticks and stones in their hands, pursuing them like hyenas after prey! I saw one fellow hurl a stone and strike a fugitive man in the back. The women’s faces were blanched with fear! . . .
The feeling in the street in which we now found ourselves was truly ominous. Recognizing us as Americans, the soldiers had permitted us to pass; but huddling groups of foreign Jews seems to eye us with suspicion. They were frightened but were consulting together and wondering what was going to happen. We tried in vain once or twice to talk to them, but none could understand English. Finally we approached a crowd in which a young man understood us, and whom we could understand. In reply to our question as to what the trouble was all about, he said: “The Mohammedans and Christians are opposed to the Zionist movement, and they make this demonstration as a protest against Lord Balfour’s declaration that Palestine should be given as a place for the Jews.”
We had asked and received answers to only a few questions, when the men whom we could see assembled in an arched hallway, ejaculated in what seemed to me to be protesting tones.
“Are they objecting to your talking to us?”
“Yes.”
“Well, tell them we’re Americans and favor the Jews coming back to Jerusalem. We’re Christians. . . .”
Later in the day, near the Damascus Gate, three Jews were killed — clubbed and stoned to death in reparation and vengeance! Wild rumors were afloat, and the tension was high, so it was difficult to obtain the real facts of the situation. Official orders were cried throughout the city that no one would be permitted on the streets after 5 o’clock p.m. And that order was implicitly carried out. At 6:00 p.m. the streets of Jerusalem were as deserted as a cemetery. Only the soldiers on guard and an occasional warning shot indicated the presence of the ominous spirit of the inhabitants of the Holy Land.
As I sat in my room thinking over the events of the day, only a hint of which I have here given, I was overwhelmed with the thought that we had witnessed on the 2nd of November the manifestation of a smouldering spirit of hatred which will some day in the near future cause much bloodshed!~David O. McKay, diary of his visit to the Holy Land in November, 1921.