I feel therefore to say to my brethren who bear the holy priesthood, and I say it to myself and to all—I do not think we have much time to lie down and slumber. We have no time to speculate in trying to get rich, in trying to accumulate gold and silver. What we have […]
Monthly Archives: September 2017
255. Its Temporal Too!, John Taylor, 1878
And if we, as Latter-day Saints, were to strictly observe the Sabbath day, and pay our tithes and offerings, and meet our engagements, and be less worldly minded, be united in temporal and spiritual things, Zion would arise and shine, and the glory of God would rest upon her. – John Taylor, 7/7/1878
254. Babylon – Zion’s Antithesis, Stephen L Richards, 1951
There is no fence around Zion or the world, but to one of discernment, they are separated more completely than if each were surrounded with high unscalable walls. Their underlying concepts, philosophies, and purposes are at complete variance one with the other. The philosophy of the world is self-sufficient, egotistical, materialistic, and skeptical. The philosophy […]
253. Early Utahns Were Building Zion, John Taylor, 1875
We read of the Zion that was built up by Enoch…. We have been expecting all along to build up a similar Zion upon these mountains…. – John Taylor, 8/31/1875
252. We are obligated to build Zion, John Taylor, 1879
It is difficult, as has been remarked, for us sometimes to realize the position we occupy—the relation we sustain to our heavenly Father—the responsibility that rests upon us, and the various duties we have to perform in the fulfillment of the purposes of God; in the interest of a world lying in wickedness; in the […]
251. Central to The Gospel, John Taylor, 1879
…the time had come, in the councils of heaven, that it was necessary to start the latter-day work, and to prepare a people, gathering them together to build up Zion and establish the kingdom of God upon the earth, that His will might be done upon the earth as it is done in heaven. – […]
250. Its Temporal Too! Brigham Young, 1874
I will now ask the question, where is the individual who can draw the line and show us that, when Jesus prayed that his disciples might be one, he meant a oneness only in spiritual things, and that it was not to extend to temporal affairs? Will any of you draw the line and tell […]
249. Babylon – Zion’s Antithesis, Erastus Snow, 1877
Now the Latter-day Saints are gathering from all nations and tongues, with divers customs and habits and traditions, and we have brought them with us, unfortunately we could not leave ourselves behind, while we gathered to Zion. Having brought ourselves along we have the labor of separating the follies of Babylon, the traditions of the […]
Thoughts on Zion #55: Overcoming Babylon’s Greed

In the April 1873 General Conference, President Brigham Young pointed out another value of Babylon, Zion’s opposite, that the Saints have yet to overcome – avarice, the insatiable desire for wealth or gain. He said, “Babylon is in the hearts of the people, that is to say, there is too much of it. What did […]