THE DESTINY OF ZION

 

When Elder Bruce C. Hafen was the Area President here in Australia he shared with me that the goal of the Church was at that time to prepare the members for Zion. That was some 25 years ago.

I learnt something important this year from Section 105 of the Doctrine and Covenants. I was reminded of Elder Hafen and I came to see how important the Church is as an organisation of the body of saints because of its leaders who are implementing this preparation.

We are told certain conditions need to be met before Zion can be established as ‘the bridge between the world as it is and the world as God designed it and meant it to be’ (Hugh Nibley, “Approaching Zion” p 4).

Firstly, the elders of the Church are to be endowed with power from on high that we the members might be taught more perfectly in order to develop more experience concerning our duties and what God requires of us (v 10,11).

There are some who believe they can be inactive in the Church and in the end show up at New Jerusalem’s gate expecting to live a Zion life. Imagine arriving to Zion without any experience behind you that would have taught you to be obedient to the leaders’ instructions and to be  united with other members of the Church community.

Zion can only be built ‘according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom’  (v 3-5). It is this law and this only that enables men to obey the law of consecration whereby they impart of their ‘substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and the afflicted’ (v 3). This was the success of the city of Enoch. Because they were of one heart and one mind they willingly met each other’s needs so there was no poor among them (Moses 7:18).

If God’s goal for the human family is unity, you can be assured that Satan’s is division. I don’t know how much progress we have made in the last 25 years since Elder Hafen was here. Right now the world is divided into left and right and contention and disunity is rife. President Nelson is constantly warning us against this because our destiny as the Church of Jesus Christ is great.

The celestial law that will get us to Zion is not just about obedience but also love. Love leads to unity. The Lord called the city of Enoch, Zion the Pure in Heart. The people of this city ‘walked’ with God (Moses 7:69) which means they were ‘true’ followers of Jesus Christ and as true followers of Jesus Christ they were endowed with the ‘pure’ love of Christ (Moroni 7:48).

This is the key: He leads and we follow. We follow His example of love, compassion, understanding, tolerance, respect, giving and ministering……today obedience, tomorrow Zion, the day after Celestial Kingdom. In Joseph’s words: “We are on the pathway to eternal fame, and immortal glory.” 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As I Have Loved You by B. Laura Wilson)

GUARDIANS OF HAPPINESS

 

I read some years ago one of the prophets had said something very profound about marriage. He said that divorce is always a result of selfishness and that a marriage can be successful when both partners put their spouse first and consider themselves guardians of their partner’s happiness. That way both parties win and happiness ensues.  I was divorced by then and I reflected back on my marriage and understood this to be true.

Over the years as I have studied the Gospel and most importantly, came to know the Saviour more, I have come to the point where I am understanding more and more that selfless love is the path to true happiness, and not just in marriage. This is the kind of love that will prevail in celestial kingdom by law.

Consider what President Joseph Fielding Smith said concerning the pioneers’ failure to live the law of consecreation:  “It is verily true that before we can enter into the celestial kingdom we will have to learn how to live in unity with the love of our fellows at heart, desiring their good as well as our own, and not preferring ourselves before them. The Lord gave to the Church the plan and the opportunity to prepare themselves by obedience to celestial law. They failed, and the privilege to practice this law of consecration had to be postponed because we were not able to esteem our neighbour as ourselves.”  (“Church History and Modern Revelation”, 1:322)

The law of consecration as outlined in Section of Doctrine and Covenants 82 required the members of the Church to be equal but even more than that, the mandate was that every man should be ‘seeking’ the interest of his neighbour’  (v 19). To seek means to be on the look-out for your neighbour’s needs and be the source of help, even at your own expense….it means to put others before yourself.

I know of no one in history who is a better example of caring and constant concern for the well-being of his fellowmen than Abraham. I have studied about his life and have found amazing gems of his generosity, love and sacrifice for others. Abraham came the closest to the Saviour’s character out of anyone I have heard of.

There is a story in Midrash, a Jewish interpretation of biblical texts, that tells how Abraham earned the promise of Isaac. It tells of Abraham sitting outside his tent one day in the heat of the day on the plains of Mamre with the breath of hell whirling the heat and the dust and the sand. He was worried thinking that there was some stranger out there lost in that dust storm so he sent his servant Eleazer out to look in all directions but Eleazer came back and said he couldn’t find anyone.

Abraham was still worried so he went out into that hell himself though he was very sick following his circumcision at such an old age (Genesis 17:24) but he found no one. Upon his return there were three strangers at his tent. It was the Lord with two others. Abraham threw himself down on his face in obeisance and it was then that he was given the promise of Isaac…..as a reward for what he had done. Abraham found someone more significant in that dust storm than he had ever imagined….he found his son Isaac.  (see Genesis 18 and “The Faith of an Observer – Conversations with Hugh Nibley, pp 28-29)

Whether embellished or not, it’s a memorable story of our Father Abraham who went ‘seeking’ and who sits today exalted on his throne (D&C 132:29).

There is someone else who seeks the lost in the dust storms of Mamre. If you are there, He will seek you and He will find you…..and He will place you on His shoulders and bring you home.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Bring You Home by Sandy Freckelton Gagon)