The work before us is a great one… Israel is to be gathered, Jerusalem rebuilt, Zion established, the vineyard of the Lord pruned and the corrupt branches cut off and cast into the fire…. – Erastus Snow, 2/2/1884
Central to The Gospel
As I scoured the Journal of Discourses for every quote mentioning “build Zion” or “establish Zion”, I was surprised to discover a huge amount of them showed that building Zion was a central element of the Gospel, right up there with “preach the gospel” and “redeem the dead”. I do not make the mistake of faulting our current church leaders for not pursuing Zion as vigorously as Brigham Young and John Taylor did. Having read the economic history of the early Saints, I realized that the Saints were literally conquered by the US Government, and, consequently, their efforts to build a Zion society were put to an end. We are left to languish in Babylon. The Good News is that Babylon will fall. And since it will, shouldn’t we be getting ready to build Zion when it does? I believe the Church is making preparations, although quietly. We should too.
361. Central to The Gospel – George Q. Cannon quote, 1870
How was it with us when we first heard the truth? Oh! How sweet and delightful the sound of the Elder’s voice when he proclaimed that God had spoken from the heavens; that angels had come to the earth again, and that the holy Priesthood was bestowed upon men!… When they heard the gathering preached […]
386. Central to The Gospel – Brigham Young quote, 1855
…we will roll on the Kingdom of our God, gather out the seed of Abraham, build the cities and temples of Zion, and establish the Kingdom of God to bear rule over all the earth, and let the oppressed of all nations go free. – Brigham Young, 7/8/1855
282. Central to The Gospel – Erastus Snow quote, 1884
…the keys of the Holy Priesthood… [bring] life and salvation to the dead as well as to the living. Having these keys committed unto us, we proceed to establish Zion; to build up her Stakes; to build her temples; to gather together those who purify themselves before the Lord…. – Erastus Snow, 2/2/1884
356. Central to The Gospel – Franklin D. Richards quote, 1882
It remains for us to continue to bear our testimony to the world, to build our Temples, in which to perform the work for ourselves and our dead, essential to salvation and exaltation in his kingdom, and to build up a Zion to the glory of God. That this may be our determined purpose to […]
337. Central to The Gospel – John Taylor quote, 1883
…we are a chosen people, a royal Priesthood, selected by the God of Israel for the accomplishment of His purposes, for the organization and purification of His Church, for the establishment of His Kingdom, and for the building up of His Zion on the earth. – John Taylor, 6/24/1883
323. Central to The Gospel – Brigham Young quote, 1868
I testify that this work of God in which we are engaged has been commenced to gather the house of Israel and establish Zion in the last days… – Brigham Young, 5/10/1868
318. Central to The Gospel – Brigham Young quote, 1873
The Lord has blessed me; he has always blessed me; from the time I commenced to build up Zion, I have been extremely blessed. I could relate circumstances of so extraordinary a character in regard to the providences of God to me, that my brethren and sisters would say in their hearts, “I can hardly […]
297. Central to The Gospel – John Taylor quote, 1883
If you will give me your attention and your faith and prayers I will endeavor to address you. It always affords me pleasure to meet with the Saints of God. In company with my brethren we have been traveling up and down lately, associating with the Saints in the different conferences, trying to speak of […]
327. Central to The Gospel – John Taylor quote, 1874
I want to be the friend of God and God to be my friend; I want to help to roll forth the Kingdom of God and to build up the Zion of the Most High, and I want to see my brethren engaged in the same work, and we will do it. In the name […]
229. Central to The Gospel, Heber C. Kimball, 1854
Let us go, to work and build up Zion as well as build up ourselves, for when we build up Zion we build up ourselves, when we enrich Zion we enrich ourselves. – Heber C. Kimball, 11/26/1854
246. Central to The Gospel, John Taylor, 1878
We will operate together, and with all Israel and with the gods in the eternal worlds, and with the patriarchs, prophets and apostles, and all the holy men of God who have lived before us, in assisting to bring to pass all the designs of God of which the prophets have spoken, and in building […]
270. Central to The Gospel – Wilford Woodruff quote, 1873
…the Saints, and although mixed like corn in a sieve among the Gentile nations they have been prepared from the foundation of the world to come forth as the sons of Jacob in these latter days, to build up the Zion of God on the earth. We have got to come to it. – Wilford […]
171. Central to The Gospel, Brigham Young, 1867
We have many duties to perform, and a great work is before us. We have Zion to build up, and upon this we are all agreed, but we differ more or less respecting the modus operandi for we wish, in the majority of instances to follow the dictates of our own inclinations. – Brigham Young, […]
179. Central to The Gospel, Brigham Young, 1868
Christ lives and is the Savior of the world, and has commenced His work in the last days, to gather His people, redeem and build up Zion, gather the remnants of Israel, bring the Gentiles into His covenant who will receive the gospel, restore the Jews to their land, and establish the New and Everlasting […]
288. Central to The Gospel – Joseph F. Smith quote, 1877
Then let us search after truth—for the light of the Spirit which leadeth into all truth, that we may comprehend the Gospel, be able to sustain the hands of the servants of God in their efforts to build up Zion, and work out our own salvation. – Joseph F. Smith, 4/2/1877