1 Nephi 21: 19

19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants; and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.

It seems to me that this verse has to do with the gathering of Israel. It’s a rare exception in chapters 20 and 21 in that it is identical to the corresponding verse in the book of Isaiah. It is also identical in that neither verse has cross-references to help understand it. But it reminds me of a kid who’s been facing bullies. When the kid is surrounded by lots of friends who could help him fight back, the bullies leave and don’t bother the kid anymore. The Jews have been that kid for thousands of years, getting beat up by lots of bullies during that time. But with the Gathering, the bullies find out that the Jews have more friends than they thought. In fact, those friends that come and make the “land of [their] destruction” seem crowded actually come from the bullies’ nations. That’s where the gathered Israel will come from. So the bullies run away and their friends switch allegiance.

In terms of the spiritual gathering of Covenant Israel (which would include those in the Restored Church), as membership grows, and the Church becomes stronger, even claiming converts from those who persecute it, the persecutors will back off and “be far away.” As the Kingdom of God rolls forth and fills the earth, it will gain friends. That is what will end the persecution.