Article/Talk: "Come to Zion" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson (which I HIGHLY recommend)
Music Resource: Mormon Tabernacle music and other music from General Conference. Search, listen and download hundreds of songs for free!
Zion--The Pure in Heart
The prophet Enoch is only mentioned in a few verses in Genesis, but fully represented in the restored chapter of Moses from The Pearl of Great Price.Here's all we get from Genesis on Enoch (Genesis 5: 21-24):
And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
And in fact, ZION is never mentioned in Genesis.
Here's an interesting ZION word count summary; the word ZION appears
- 155 times in the Old Testament (twice as "sion")
- 7 times in the New Testament (as the word "sion")
- 41 times in the Book of Mormon
- 14 times in the few pages of the Pearl of Great Price, and
- 187 times in the Doctrine & Covenants
So it must be a pretty important concept.
What exactly IS Zion?
As LDS we understand the term Zion to mean several things:
A LOCATION:
- Enoch's city was called ZION or the City of Holiness (Moses 7:8-9) “And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is fled” (Moses 7:69)
- Solomon's temple was built on Mount Zion (1 kings 8:1)
- Jackson County, Missouri is called Zion throughout the revelations of the D&C
- The city of the New Jerusalem (to be built in Jackson county) is to be called Zion
- Stakes of the church are extensions of Zion. "Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about." (D&C 133:9)
- A Refuge: “And that the gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:5–6). (See the video "Gather in Stakes" with Elder Oaks)
A CAUSE:
- "[S]eek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion." (D&C 11:6)
A SPIRITUAL STATE
- "Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion—THE PURE IN HEART" (dyc 97:21)
A PEOPLE
- "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)
- Christ is the "King of Zion" (Moses 7:53)
- "For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments." (D&C 82:14)
 |
| I think men will be cleaning more bathrooms in Zion |
What is the opposite of ZION? Babylon!
The LDS scholar, Hugh Nibley, had a great deal to say about Babylon in his book Approaching Zion. Here's a quote from the Foreword of his book:
All my life I have shied away from these disturbing and highly unpopular--even offensive--themes [the uses of money]. But I cannot do so any longer, because in my old age I have taken to reading the scriptures and there have had it forced upon my reluctant attention, that from the time of Adam to the present day, Zion has been pitted against Babylon, and then name of the game has always been money--"power and gain."
How do we use our money?
Like residents of Zion or residents of Babylon? Or maybe, as Neil A. Maxwell remarked, are we trying to establish our residences in Zion but keep a summer cottage in Babylon?
I struggle with this constantly, and I guess that's a good thing, to keep trying to pull out of Babylon. I am always impressed with people who earn a lot of money, but don't flaunt it. Or those who are quick to share their abundance with others.
We have some wonderful neighbors who are very devout Catholics. They recently bought a (used) boat and when we were chatting with them about how much fun boats are, they offered to let us take it out any time we wanted to! They practically insisted that we take it out some day. And we plan to!
 |
| Law of Consecration Truck (the real one was white) |
Another dear friend of ours (who has since passed away), owned an old truck and lent it out to anyone who needed it. We all called it the "Law of Consecration Truck" and it blessed the lives of many people. Another friend who has the means, keeps a third car in good working order to lend out to people that need a car for temporary use. Still another family owns a cabin and will let others stay there free of charge if they'll do a little maintenance work. The list could go on and on.
These are all examples of people who are using their resources to help and bless the lives of others. In my opinion, they will feel comfortable living in ZION.
What would it be like to live in a Zion community?
I think most of us would love to live in Zion. Let's dream a little...
- Christlike love for each other (Excellent Mormon Message: How Do I Love Thee? by Elder Holland)
- Anxiously engaged in a good cause (See Be Anxiously Engaged by Elder M. Russell Ballard)
- Seeking education (See this awesome Mormon Message Focus on Education)
- Cooperation instead of competition
- No covetousness--all are seeking the good of his neighbor
- More time for studying the gospel and development of talents (fewer resources have to go to police, criminal justice system, law suits, military defense etc)
- No speed traps on hills...OK, maybe I'm dreaming a little too much!
How can we build Zion right where we are?
Elder D. Todd Christofferson makes this crucial point in his talk, "Come to Zion":
We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen—Zion will come only as they happen.
Elder Christofferson recounts the reasons the early saints failed to establish Zion: jarrings, contentions, envyings, strifes, lustful and covetous desires.
But are we any better?
In order to establish Zion in our homes, wards and stakes, we must rise to the standard set in Moses 7:18:
“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”
Elder Christofferson lists three developments that must happen if we want to build Zion:
- to become unified in one heart and one mind;
- to become, individually and collectively, a holy people; and
- to care for the poor and needy with such effectiveness that we eliminate poverty among us.
Challenge: How can we build Zion right now?
One idea would be to discuss this list with our families and prayerfully consider one change which would move you closer to Zion.
No comments:
Post a Comment