Escape from the grasp of this awful monster] Through the plan of the Father, the gospel of God, an avenue of escape from the perils of mortality is provided. Christ’s atonement provides deliverance from both death and hell.
“The House of Israel… Like Unto an Olive-tree”
A detailed discussion of the destiny of the house of Israel (as depicted through the allegory of the olive-tree) will be undertaken in Jacob 5-6. For the moment let us make some simple observations. The Lord chose an olive tree to dramatize the destiny of his chosen people. An olive tree almost never dies. It may be pruned and worked with over numerous generations before the fruit is such as to satisfy the owner of the vineyard; this is often after many and varied cuttings and trimmings and replantings. So it is with the house of Israel. That house is stubborn and often requires constant and enduring care. it frequently requires chastening and pruning, actions painful at the time but ultimately accepted as a blessing and perhaps the only means of preservation. As it is with the dedicated gardener, so it is with the Lord-his mercies and tender regard will simply not allow him to let his chosen people go: he pleads with his people Israel to cleave unto him as he cleaves unto them. (Jacob 6:5.)