Zion
And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
Moses 7:18
The establishment of Zion is a major part of the last days. Before the Lord comes, Zion will be established. Though there are many spiritual aspects of the establishment of Zion in which we must become pure in heart, this discussion focuses primarily on some of the physical aspects of Zion. These include:
1. The city of Zion
2. The Church to stand independent
3. Zion as a place of refuge
4. Return of the city of Enoch
5. Two world capitals
The City of Zion
And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
Moses 7:62
As part of the preparation for the second coming, Zion, the New Jerusalem, will be built in this dispensation. The location of Zion was revealed to Joseph Smith.
Joseph Smith:
“Zion, the New Jerusalem, will be built upon the American continent. (Articles of Faith 1:10)
“The Lord designated Jackson County, Missouri, as the land of Zion—a place where the Saints of Joseph Smith’s day would gather and where the holy city of Zion would eventually be built.
“Chapter 15: Establishing the Cause of Zion,”
Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),182–91
Unfortunately, after the saints began to purchase land and settle in Jackson county, they proved by their actions and attitudes that they were not prepared to live the Zion community that God ordained as part of the inheritance of the land. Then they were driven by mobs from their homes, and lost all access to the county.
The Teachings of the Presidents of the Church manual explains:
In the early 1830s, the Saints attempted to lay the foundation of Zion in Jackson County, Missouri, as commanded by the Lord, but were unable to do so because they were not spiritually prepared. The Prophet Joseph Smith said the following about the time when Zion would be established: “I cannot learn from any communication by the Spirit to me, that Zion has forfeited her claim to a celestial crown, notwithstanding the Lord has caused her to be thus afflicted, except it may be some individuals, who have walked in disobedience, and forsaken the new covenant; all such will be made manifest by their works in due time. I have always expected that Zion would suffer some affliction, from what I could learn from the commandments which have been given. But I would remind you of a certain clause in one which says, that after much tribulation cometh the blessing [see D&C 58:4]. By this, and also others, and also one received of late, I know that Zion, in the due time of the Lord, will be redeemed; but how many will be the days of her purification, tribulation, and affliction, the Lord has kept hid from my eyes; and when I inquire concerning this subject, the voice of the Lord is: Be still, and know that I am God!”
We build up the cause of Zion by becoming a people who are pure in heart and by working diligently with one heart and mind.
…So long as unrighteous acts are suffered in the Church, it cannot be sanctified, neither can Zion be redeemed.”
“Chapter 15: Establishing the Cause of Zion,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),182–91
The Lord said of this occasion:
D&C 105:9-10
9 Therefore, in consequence of the transgressions of my people, it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion—
10 That they themselves may be prepared, and that my people may be taught more perfectly, and have experience, and know more perfectly concerning their duty, and the things which I require at their hands.
After a little season, the promises and prophecies will yet be fulfilled in every detail.
Gospel Principles:
Building of the New Jerusalem
Near the time of the coming of Jesus, the faithful Saints will build a righteous city, a city of God, called the New Jerusalem. Jesus Christ himself will rule there. (See 3 Nephi 21:23–25.) The Lord said the city will be built in the state of Missouri in the United States (see D&C 84:3–4).
“Chapter 41: Signs of the Second Coming,” Gospel Principles, 265
In time, both old and new Jerusalem are to be built up.
Joseph Fielding Smith:
“Before many years have passed away, the Lord will command the building of the City Zion, and Jerusalem in Palestine will in due time be cleansed and become a holy city and the habitation of the Jews after they are cleansed and are willing to accept Jesus Christ as their Redeemer.”
(Doctrines of Salvation, 3:69–71.)
3 Nephi 21:23-25
23 And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
24 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
25 And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst.
D&C 84:3-4
3 Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.
The building up of this city and temple is one of the signs of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Gospel Fundamentals:
Jesus said we will know He is coming soon when His Church has built a city called the New Jerusalem. Jesus said He will rule in that city, and righteous people will live there. He has told us where this city will be built. It will be in the state of Missouri, in the United States.
“Chapter 33: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ,” Gospel Fundamentals, 185
Orson Pratt:
“We shall, in due time, [go] forth into Jackson County and build up the waste places of Zion. We shall erect in that county a beautiful city after the order and pattern that the Lord shall reveal, part of which has already been revealed. God intends to have a city built up that will never be destroyed nor overcome, but that will exist while eternity shall endure; and he will point out the pattern and show the order of architecture; When the Temple is built…those who are ordained to the Priesthood of Melchizedek…will enter into that Temple…and all of them who are pure in heart will behold the face of the Lord before he comes in his glory in the clouds of heaven, for he will suddenly come to his Temple, and he will purify the sons of Moses…. In doing this, he will purify not only the minds of the Priesthood in that Temple, but he will purify their bodies until they shall be quickened, renewed and strengthened, and they will be partially changed, not to immortality, but changed in part, that they can be filled with the power of God, and stand in the presence of Jesus, and behold his face in the midst of that Temple.
Orson Pratt, JD, 15:366
Place of Safety and Refuge
66 And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God;
67 And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.
68 And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
69 And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.
70 And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.
71 And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.
D&C 45:66-71
As life on earth gets more difficult, the church will become more and more a place of refuge. As the church establishes Zion, this refuge will become the only safety on earth.
Joseph Smith:
“The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live…”6
“Anyplace where the Saints gather is Zion, which every righteous man will build up for a place of safety for his children.”7
“There will be here and there a Stake [of Zion] for the gathering of the Saints. … There your children shall be blessed, and you in the midst of friends where you may be blessed. The Gospel net gathers of every kind.
“Chapter 15: Establishing the Cause of Zion,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),182–91
Wilford Woodruff:
“Before Christ comes a people have got to be prepared by being sanctified before the Lord. Temples have got to be built; Zion has got to be built up; there must be a place of safety for the people of God while his judgments are abroad in the earth, for the judgments of God will visit the earth, there is no mistake about that; the revelations are full of promises to this effect, and as the Lord has declared it, he will not fail in keeping his word. “
“Chapter 24: Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 250
Joseph Smith:
“The city of Zion spoken of by David, in the one hundred and second Psalm, will be built upon the land of America, ‘And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads’ [Isaiah 35:10]; and then they will be delivered from the overflowing scourge that shall pass through the land.
“Chapter 15: Establishing the Cause of Zion,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),182–91
Joseph Smith:
“… We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. … The time is soon coming, when no man will have any peace but in Zion and her stakes.”
“Chapter 15: Establishing the Cause of Zion,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007),182–91
The Church to Stand Independent
Behold, this is the preparation wherewith I prepare you, and the foundation, and the ensample which I give unto you, whereby you may accomplish the commandments which are given you;
That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world;
D&C 78:14
In order for Zion to become a place of safety where people can flee for refuge from the world, the church must become independent of all other organizations and groups.
Bruce R. McConkie:
“The Church, which administers the gospel, and the Saints who have received the gospel, must be independent of all the powers of earth, as they work out their salvation—temporally and spiritually—with fear and trembling before the Lord!
“Be it remembered that tribulations lie ahead. There will be wars in one nation and kingdom after another until war is poured out upon all nations and two hundred million men of war mass their armaments at Armageddon.
“Peace has been taken from the earth, the angels of destruction have begun their work, and their swords shall not be sheathed until the Prince of Peace comes to destroy the wicked and usher in the great Millennium.
“There will be earthquakes and floods and famines. The waves of the sea shall heave themselves beyond their bounds, the clouds shall withhold their rain, and the crops of the earth shall wither and die.
“There will be plagues and pestilence and disease and death. An overflowing scourge shall cover the earth and a desolating sickness shall sweep the land. Flies shall take hold of the inhabitants of the earth, and maggots shall come in upon them. (See D&C 29:14–20.) “Their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes from their sockets” (D&C 29:19).
“Bands of Gadianton robbers will infest every nation, immorality and murder and crime will increase, and it will seem as though every man’s hand is against his brother.
“We need not dwell more upon these things. We are commanded to search the scriptures where they are recounted with force and fervor, and they shall surely come to pass.
“It is one of the sad heresies of our time that peace will be gained by weary diplomats as they prepare treaties of compromise, or that the Millennium will be ushered in because men will learn to live in peace and to keep the commandments, or that the predicted plagues and promised desolations of latter days can in some way be avoided.
“We must do all we can to proclaim peace, to avoid war, to heal disease, to prepare for natural disasters—but with it all, that which is to be shall be.
“Knowing what we know, and having the light and understanding that has come to us, we must—as individuals and as a Church—use our talents, strengths, energies, abilities, and means to prepare for whatever may befall us and our children.
“We know that the world will go on in wickedness until the end of the world, which is the destruction of the wicked. We shall continue to live in the world, but with the Lord’s help we shall not be of the world. We shall strive to overcome carnality and worldliness of every sort and shall invite all men to flee from Babylon, join with us, and live as becometh Saints.
“As the Saints of the Most High we shall strive to “stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world” (D&C 78:14). Our only hope is to free ourselves from the bondage of sin, to rid ourselves from the chains of darkness, to rise above the world, to live godly and upright lives.
“Relying always on the Lord, we must become independent of the world. We must be self-reliant. Using the agency God has given us, we must work out our own economic and temporal problems.”
Bruce R. McConkie, “Stand Independent above All Other Creatures,” Ensign, May 1979, 92
Return of the City of Enoch
And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
63 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;
64 And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.
65 And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years;
Moses 7:62-65
In the Millennium, the city of Enoch will return and join the city of Zion.
Bruce R. McConkie:
“We do know, of course, that the city of Enoch will return in the Millennial day to join with the earthly zion then built up by mortals.”
Bruce R. McConkie, “The Glorious Gospel in Our Day,” Tambuli, Apr 1980, 82
John Taylor:
“When the time comes that these calamities we read of, shall overtake the earth, those that are prepared will have the power of translation, as they had in former times, and the city will be translated. And Zion that is on the earth will rise, and the Zion above will descend, as we are told, and we will meet and fall on each other’s necks and embrace and kiss each other. And thus the purposes of God to a certain extent will then be fulfilled”
(in Journal of Discourses, 21:253).
Two Capitals
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:3
During the Millennium, Christ will be the head of all government.
Joseph Fielding Smith:
“When our Savior comes to rule in the millennium, all governments will become subject unto his government, and this has been referred to as the kingdom of God, which it is; but this is the political kingdom which will embrace all people whether they are in the Church or not. Of course, when every kindred, tongue and people become subject to the rule of Jesus Christ such will be in that political kingdom. We must keep these two thoughts in mind. But the kingdom of God is the Church of Jesus Christ, and it is the kingdom that shall endure forever. When the Savior prayed, ‘Thy kingdom come,’ he had reference to the kingdom in heaven which is to come when the millennial reign starts.
“When Christ comes, the political kingdom will be given to the Church. The Lord is going to make an end to all nations; that means this nation as well as any other. The kingdom of God is the Church, but during the millennium, the multitudes upon the face of the earth who are not in the Church will have to be governed, and many of their officers, who will be elected, may not be members of the Church.”
(Doctrines of Salvation, 1:229–30.)
There will be two world capitals in the Millennium. One will be in Jerusalem, and the other will be in Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Joseph Fielding Smith:
“We are informed in the revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, that the city of Zion and the New Jerusalem is one and the same. [D&C 28:9; 42:9; 45:66–67; 57:2; 58:7.] . . .
“Jerusalem of old, after the Jews have been cleansed and sanctified from all their sin, shall become a holy city where the Lord shall dwell and from whence he shall send forth his word unto all people. Likewise, on this continent, the city of Zion, New Jerusalem, shall be build, and from it the law of God shall also go forth. There will be no conflict, for each city shall be headquarters for the Redeemer of the world, and from each he shall send forth his proclamations as occasion may require. Jerusalem shall be the gathering place of Judah and his fellows of the house of Israel, and Zion shall be the gathering place of Ephraim and his fellows, upon whose heads shall be conferred ‘the richer blessings.’ . . .
“These two cities, one in the land of Zion and one in Palestine, are to become capitals for the kingdom of God during the millennium.”
(Doctrines of Salvation, 3:69–71.)
.
.
.
The Second Coming Series
Part 1:Studying the Signs of the Second Coming of Christ
Part 2:The Restoration and Spreading of the Gospel
Part 4:The Gathering of Israel
Part 5:Destruction of the Wicked
Part 9:Conditions During the Millennium
Part 10:The Work and Purpose of the Millennium
Filed under: Uncategorized , adam-ondi-ahman, capital, church, city of enoch, enoch, jerusalem, Jesus, jesus christ, Joseph Smith, lds, millennium, mormon, new jerusalem, pure in heart, refuge, safety, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, zion
