We hold ourselves ready to go at a moment’s warning to the uttermost parts of the earth to subserve the principles of our holy religion, by making them known to others, to save Israel and bring out those the Lord has scattered, to aid in building up Zion, and in building temples of the Most […]
Posts by John Taylor Wilford Woodruff:
Thoughts on Zion 29: Early Saints Prep for Babylon’s Assault
Building on the great strides taken by the LDS Church in their 2nd decade in Utah to achieve independence from the American economic system, the Saints during their 3rd decade went to even greater lengths to insulate themselves from “Babylon” . In 1867, Church leaders realized the soon-to-be-completed railroad would threaten the social and economic […]
Becoming Zion People
If you are a Latter-Day Saint, interested in living in a future Zion society, you would probably like to know specific details on how to actually become a Zion person. We’ve been taught we need to become pure in heart, but haven’t been given clear, specific steps to take. By exploring the word of God […]
9. What Building Zion Requires of Us, Daniel H. Wells, 1859
“Are we ready now to take hold with one heart and with one mind to man the ship Zion — build a temple for instance? Are you ready, by a skilful and judicious husbandry of the soil, to bring forth its rich fruits, and store them up until you are called upon to contribute your […]
8. What Building Zion Requires of Us, Lorenzo Snow
Brethren, your eye should be single to the glory of God, to hearkening to the counsel of brother Brigham, and to the building up of Zion, then your bodies would be filled with spirit, and your understandings with light, and your hearts with joy, and your souls would be quickened into eternal life with the […]
7. What Building Zion Requires of Us, Jedediah M. Grant, 1854
“We may talk of making our own heaven, and of building up the city of Zion, and making it beautiful, and having it polished after the similitude of a palace, but we must have an experience in doing such a work, before we can accomplish it.” [emphases added] – Apostle Jedidiah M. Grant, 9/24/1854 In […]
Thoughts on Zion 28: Lorenzo Snow’s Experimental Zion Community
During the decade beginning in 1864, under the direction of Apostle Lorenzo Snow, Brigham City became a glowing example of Zion-like self-sufficiency and independence from the American economic system. When an extended financial crisis hit Utah in 1873, Brigham City barely noticed and their economy expanded in that year more than ever. Brigham City became […]
Thoughts on Zion 27 — Saints Built Zion Through Economic Independence From Babylon
The Latter-Day Saints’ second decade in the Utah Territory was marked by monumental efforts under Church direction to establish Zion by achieving economic independence from the American economic system, which they called “Babylon”. The Church’s motivation to achieve total economic self-sufficiency for the Saints before Babylon’s fall is reflected in statements like this one by […]
Zion Learning Laboratories – Preparing to Live in the New Jerusalem
Prefer to listen? In a recent Facebook conversation, some active LDS members and I were discussing the idea of building Zion organizations and communities prior to Christ’s coming. I was struck by what appears to be a common belief, that when people hear the phrase “building Zion”, they only seem to think about when the […]
Building Zion Was Central to Gospel During Territorial Utah
Here are four of twenty-two quotes by President Brigham Young I’ve found (so far) in the Journal of Discourses spanning 18 years that reflect the fact that building Zion was central to the mission and operations of the LDS Church in early Utah. Emphases are mine. 4/27/1852 “When you had obeyed the first ordinances of […]
Apostle Woodruff Said Saints to be “Removed” if they Don’t Build Zion.
One hundred forty-two years ago tomorrow, Apostle Wilford Woodruff gave a talk in Salt Lake City outlining our duty as Latter-Day Saints to build Zion and the consequences for us if we don’t. Below are five quotes from that talk along with a summary of the points made in each. 1. “The Lord has put […]
Thoughts on Zion 26 – The Three Musketeers and… Zion
Author Alexander Dumas, in 1844, published his legendary novel, The Three Musketeers. The story describes three inseparable friends who live by the motto “all for one, one for all”. This phrase also describes the Zion-like spirit of unity and cooperation behind the LDS Church’s effort to comfortably transition immigrants into the local economy. Created in […]
Many Good Things
Thesis: Under the “many-good-things-of-their-own-free-will” principle (D&C 58:27), interested Latter-Day Saints could work together to build Zion (or at least, pre-Zion) communities now, instead of waiting for someone else to build Zion for us. That way, we learn from our experiences to be better prepared for the official Zion and also, when Babylon is destroyed, we […]
Thoughts on Zion 25 – Building Zion Communities
The same spirit of Zion, of cooperation and mutual benefit, shown in how the Saints established Salt Lake City in 1847, and in their efforts to “gather the poor to Zion”, was then expressed in how the immigrating Saints founded the Mormon communities along the Rocky Mountains. In his book “Great Basin Kingdom”, Leonard […]
Thoughts on Zion 24 – Gathering Israel to Zion
The spirit of Zion, of cooperation and mutual benefit, which characterized the Saints’ temporal labors upon arriving in the Great Basin in 1847, carried over in their efforts to assist others to “gather to Zion” as well. “Believed literally and fervently, this tenet [of gathering to Zion] was nearly as fundamental as baptism.” LDS historian […]
BYU Student Can’t Fathom Zion, Can You?
A BYU Student named Akatzin Lopez recently wrote a paper for his religion class and titled it, Defining Zion: Striving for the Dream of Zion. Brother Lopez begins his paper by saying, “For me it is a little more difficult to really fathom what a Zion society would be like.” I admire his courage in […]