“The Lord gathers His people when they accept Him and keep His commandments. …
“… The Lord gathers His people to worship, to build up the Church, for a defense, and to receive counsel and instruction. …
“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that in all ages the divine purpose of gathering is to build temples so that the Lord’s children can receive the highest ordinances and thereby gain eternal life [see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 416–17]” (“The Spirit and Purposes of Gathering” [Brigham Young University–Idaho devotional, Oct. 31, 2006], byui.edu).
