Our Destiny: The Call and Election of the House of Israel

by Robert L. Millet, Joseph Fielding McConkie

The call and election of Israel goes back to the pre-mortal life, where it was based on individual faithfulness to gospel principles we were taught there. In essence, it was and is a covenant relationship - we made covenants with the Lord there that carry over to our present life. In this book, all of this and much more becomes not only a spiritual and intellectual education that interestingly imparts knowledge on a vital subject, but also a fascinating story that will make readers feel closer to their forefathers of millennia ago - in that sense turning the hearts of the children to the fathers. Even more important, it will inspire and help readers in their strivings to make their own calling and election sure.

Genres: Religion, Church, Nonfiction

157 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Robert L. Millet, professor of ancient scripture and former dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University, holds a master s degree in psychology from BYU and a Ph.D. in religious studies from Florida State University. He is a popular speaker and prolific writer whose other books include Lost and Found: Reflections on the Prodigal Son; Grace Works; and More Holiness Give Me. He and his wife, Shauna, have six children and live in Provo, Utah.

Reviews

[Ryan]

This is a great book for helping members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints understand their individual identity and the role of the Church in the context of the scattering and gathering of Israel. It traces the doctrinal concept of covenant Israel from the premortal life to the Millennium. It provides readers with a sound understanding of the role of the Abrahamic covenant in the plan of God for the salvation of His children, both temporally and spiritually, in this last dispensation. Very good introduction for those who are new to these ideas or a great review for those more familiar with the concepts.

[Britt]

This book discusses how "the call and election of Israel goes back to the pre-mortal life, where it was based on individual faithfulness to gospel principles we were taught there. It was and is a covenant relationship - we made covenants with the Lord there that carry over to our present life".

These are some of my favorite topics - covenants, the house of Israel, calling and election - so I loved every page. I read this book twice, and I think I'm finally starting to get it... kind of.

[Colette]

3.5 stars. This is a small, but dense book. I probably read at least half the paragraphs more than once. This book will be a great reference to turn back to. There are so many quotations from prophets and apostles.

One of those who was heavily quoted was Bruce R. McConkie (which is understandable given the authors, the time period it was written, and, most especially, the subject matter). I just got a little bugged when so much was quoted from The Millennial Messiah and A New Witness for the Articles of Faith. Sometimes they quote from one of these books and leave it like that, as if that explained their position. I was left wondering where he got his explanation.

The authors kinda lost me in chapters 8 and 10. In these chapters they made many definitive statements about how things will happen in the future or what constitutes fulfillment of prophecy. I’m of the mind that there are many ways prophecies are fulfilled, and there are many meanings to scripture passages. It seemed like these authors had one definitive interpretation and vision of how things will play out. I don’t know if that’s how they still think about things (it being 30 years later, now), but it sure sounds like that’s what they thought then.

Overall, I’m very glad I found a copy and read it. I have been fascinated with the gathering and return of the House of Israel for decades. I’m not sure how I never knew about this book until seeing it mentioned in a YouTube video recently. It’s really great to have all this information together in one place. I’ll probably revisit this one.

[Nolan]

This is a well-written complete history of covenants and their immense value from the perspective of authors who are well-known scriptural scholars in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The authors explore what I would call the granddaddy of all covenants--the one instated by God to Abraham in the book of Genesis. The authors explain the value of covenants kept and broken throughout history, and they never lose sight of the importance of covenants made in the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

I learned far more than I thought I would. My smug "I already know this" attitude took a good kicking in a place or two, as well it should. I learned new things and readjusted my thinking on some things--all healthy and for me, frequently necessary. This flew by—buzzed it at 2.8X on a windy, rain-soaked Saturday night. The volunteer narrator was awful, but my desire to gain information from this book offset his lack of ability.

[Brian]

Good introduction to the topic. Written in more church/scholarly language.

[Chappyfamily]

Deep, must be fully awake to understand.
This is one of my Grandma Adams’s favorite books.

[Matt]

Great book! If you want to better understand the House of Israel, and your own place within it, this book is perfect. The beginning chapters on covenants were especially great.

[Rae]

A interesting and concise look at the LDS doctrine of election with regards to the House of Israel.