Isaiah 18--"The Land Shadowing with Wings"

This Isaiah chapter starts out with a small mistranslation. "Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia" (Isaiah 18:1). It sounds like a message of doom, but a closer examination of the Hebrew word hoy reveals its true meaning. Hoy is a greeting, and should be translated as hail. 

So where is this land shadowing with wings? There have been statements by Church leaders stemming as far back as Hyrum Smith, who said the wings represent North and South America. This notion seems to be supported by other Church leaders, including Brigham Young, Joseph Fielding Smith, and Spencer W. Kimball. America would certainly fit the description as being beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.

It is rather easy to visualize the wings of the Americas, and it's not a stretch to say the continents are shaped like wings.

I have attached a link to a site, and others can easily be found:

http://www.ldsfreedomforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=29823


"Go Ye Swift Messengers"

Verse 2 is graphic Isaiah imagery: "That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!"

Of course "swift messengers" as missionaries is not a new topic for Isaiah. He sees the future missionary force traveling in jet airliners. (I'm waiting for President Uchtdorf to elaborate on this.) Isaiah is left to describe the planes as sharp arrows (fuselage with the tail wings), bent bows (wings of the plane), and wheels like whirlwinds. He sees the missionaries sent out as "ambassadors," as they depart and arrive the same day without unbuckling their belts or untying their shoes (see Isaiah 5:27-29).

The missionaries are sent to gather the house of Israel--a nation "scattered and peeled." Isaiah extends a warning call:

"All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye" (Isaiah 18:3).

The word ensign in Isaiah always translates to "restored gospel." The message to the world is: when you see the ensign of the restored gospel and hear the sound of the trumpet, you need to perk up and pay attention to the ambassadors sent abroad.

In case you missed it, the trumpet sounded on September 22, 1827. There is an ancient feast in Israel called Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah. It is the Jewish New Year (or "head of the year") and occurs on the first day of the seventh month of Tishrei (see Leviticus 23:24). There is a memorial blowing of the trumpets. In the year 1827 this feast day fell on September 22--the day Moroni delivered the plates to Joseph Smith.

I have attached a link for verification of this date:

http://www.hebcal.com/hebcal/?year=1827&month=9&yt=G&v=1&nh=on&nx=on&mf=on&ss=on&i=off&lg=s&vis=on&D=on&d=on&c=off&geo=zip&zip=&b=18&m=50&.cgifields=nx&.cgifields=nh&.cgifields=mf&.cgifields=ss&.s=Create+Calendar

The final verse in Isaiah 18 describes a present given to the Lord upon completion of the ambassadors' mission. It will be the gathering on Mount Zion, the New Jerusalem, of the inhabitants of the house of Israel (see D&C 84:2-3). The city will be built on the north wing of the great eagle in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri.