KJV Isaiah 35:1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
In that day when the lost tribes are “literally” gathered in and the wilderness rejoices and Zion’s waste places built up, the desert will blossom as the crocus. Why? Crocuses are among the earliest and most reliable blooming flowers, even blooming through the snow as early as February or March, signaling a new season. They bring rapid, vibrant color to winter weary landscapes. Isaiah teaches us to look for signs promised. There are so many if you know how and where to look.
Over the last decade or so, I have written numerous times about the “unbelief” of my fellow Latter-day Saints (Mormons to the rest of the world). Over the last two decades, I have written and spoken about the subject of Jesus Christ’s return and the conditions that must be met before He returns in glory. But I missed one scripture – one detail – about the day that He returns with Enoch, that great city which is the heavenly New Jerusalem to meet the New Jerusalem here on Earth.
JST Genesis 9:15 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I will establish my covenant with you, which I made unto your father Enoch, concerning your seed after you. 21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself. 22 And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy; 23 And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch.
Only Noah and his family survived the flood, for which they prepared. If you are reading this, YOU are Noah’s posterity. How many of us today are:
1. Keeping ALL of God’s commandments? 2. Embracing the truth? 3. Looking upward?
1 Nephi 13:37 And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
Who is actively seeking to bring forth Zion? I have talked with people over the years who don’t feel ready or don’t want the Lord to return any time soon. But we must be ready now.
Moses 7:18 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.
The three characteristics of Zion are:
1. One heart, one mind 2. Dwell in righteousness 3. No poor among them
I have unpacked these at length in other blogs and YouTube videos. Over the years to the displeasure of fellow Mormons, I have repeatedly said over the pulpit, as a gospel doctrine teacher, and as a class member that we can be perfect in this life. We have been commanded to be perfect both in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon. And God does not give us a commandment unless He prepares a way for us to keep it (1 Nephi 3:7). I have listened to fellow LDS quote general authorities who say that we don’t have to be perfect now, but one day in eternity, we will become perfect. I have also written about this subject:
In the Bible, God called Job and others perfect. God did not wait for them to become perfect in the next life!
Eight years ago, I wrote another blog here, wherein I quoted Jesus Christ:
Ether 4:13 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief. 14 Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief. 15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
Jesus has more to say in this chapter and by addressing the Gentiles and the house of Israel, He excludes no one. We are without excuse. Until one parts the veil as Enoch, Moses, the brother of Jared, and others, one is kept from “remembering” or “knowing” the covenant because of unbelief. It is this unbelief, which keeps one:
1. In an awful state of wickedness 2. Hardness of heart 3. blindness of mind
Or in other words, under condemnation. And Jesus said so again in D&C 84. Every member of the church should by now be intimately familiar with this section. We are being compared to Moses and the ancient Israelites and their failure.
The Lord commanded Moroni to write the words, and so he did:
Ether 4:4 Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared. 5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord. 6 For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord. 7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.
We don’t have the sealed portion of the plates because of our unbelief and because of our awful state of wickedness and because of our hardness of hearts and because of the blindness of our minds. Our unbelief is why we largely refuse to believe in becoming perfect today. So, why worry about these things until it’s too late where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth? Why are we not keeping ALL of God’s commandments? Why are we not looking up in anticipation of Christ’s return? Why are we not actively seeking to bring forth Zion?
Before Charlie Kirk was assassinated, he addressed a group of Mormons in Utah and said, “I think it’s time for you Mormons. You gotta get your mojo back. We need the strong Mormon church back in this country.”
I’ve written a book about this and the anticipation of Zion and what is needed:
Charlie Kirk showed us all up. He went to battle as the armies of Helaman. He gave his life for it. What are we doing? If you do not believe these words, Jesus Christ personally said this continuing in Ether chapter 4:
Ether 4:8 And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh. 9 And at my command the heavens are opened and are shut; and at my word the earth shall shake; and at my command the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by fire. 10 And he that believeth not my words believeth not my disciples; and if it so be that I do not speak, judge ye; for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh, at the last day.
“…The Law of consecration could not be kept here, & that it was the will of the Lord that we should desist from trying to keep it, & if persisted in it would produce a perfect abortion, & that he assumed the whole responsibility of not keeping it untill proposed by himself.” Minutes and Discourse, March 6, 1840 (JS Papers, Documents Vol. 7.)
I have spent many years pondering this. Today, while LDS temples are being built and announced in record numbers, giving the impression that our church is growing in leaps and bounds, the fact remains that while we covenant to live the law of consecration, there remains a gross inequality throughout the global church.
1828 Dictionary: ABOR’TION, noun [Latin abortio, a miscarriage; usually deduced from ab and orior.] 1. The act of miscarrying, or producing young before the natural time, or before the fetus is perfectly formed. 2. In a figurative sense, any fruit or produce that does not come to maturity, or any thing which fails in its progress, before it is matured or perfect, as a design or project. 3. The fetus brought forth before it is perfectly formed.
I find Joseph’s usage of the word “abortion” interesting. I believe it refers to the woman’s child mentioned in Revelation Chapter 12. Furthermore, Joseph assuming the whole responsibility for the saints’ refusal/inability to to keep it bore grave results. Zion was never redeemed, and as of today, nearly two centuries later, we are further from Zion than ever before. Consider the following revelation given in 1832:
D&C 78:3 3For verily I say unto you, the time has come, and is now at hand; and behold, and lo, it must needs be that there be an organization of my people, in regulating and establishing the affairs of the storehouse for the poor of my people, both in this place and in the land of Zion— 4 For a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church, to advance the cause, which ye have espoused, to the salvation of man, and to the glory of your Father who is in heaven; 5 That you may be equal in the bonds of heavenly things, yea, and earthly things also, for the obtaining of heavenly things. 6 For if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things; 7 For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you. 8 And now, verily thus saith the Lord, it is expedient that all things be done unto my glory, by you who are joined together in this order…
Just two years later, the Lord declared the following:
D&C 105:2 Behold, I say unto you, were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now. 3 But behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them; 4 And are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom; 5 And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself. 6 And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.
As long as there is inequality in the church, Zion will not be redeemed within the church. It just can’t be. I believe the Lord will do it His own way with His own “strange act.” In the allegory of the olive trees in Jacob chapter five, the fruit is always corrupt except “in the beginning” and until all the fruit becomes “equal.” Then and only then is the fruit no more corrupt:
Jacob 5: 74 And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.
Notice some key words in the next verse:
75 And it came to pass that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them: Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
Temples may dot the entire Earth and members covenant to live the law of consecration, all while Zion remains unredeemed (meaning to be brought back into Jesus Christ’s presence as with Enoch and his city). Here in the United States, if we experience a reprieve from a collapse of some sort, and Americans experience a tiny surge of prosperity, what will they do with their new “Golden Age” as President Trump promises? Will it prove our final condemnation? We read what will happen to us in 3 Nephi chapters 20 through 22.
Today’s entry is just a quick blurb and not at all exhaustive. I share much more in my ongoing YouTube playlist titled “Book of Mormon Spotlights.” In my studies, I noticed a hierarchy of Gentiles mentioned in various places in the Book of Mormon, but mostly within the first two books of Nephi. They are:
1. Mother Gentiles 2. Gentiles 3. Gentiles who repent 4. Gentile Kings and Queens
Consider the following and feel free to make any corrections. Nephi wrote about the Mother Gentiles (1 Nephi 13:17) who would wage war against those Gentiles (1 Nephi 13:12-16) who wanted a better life and were brought to America by the power of the Lord. In the Old Testament, the northern kingdom of Israel, also known as Ephraim was destroyed by Assyria and the people were dispersed. They assimilated into gentile nations, but dispersed Ephraim was predicted to emerge in the last days to serve as “nursing fathers” and “nursing mothers” (2 Nephi 10:9) to the remnant of the House of Israel that is restored in the end-time. These “kings” and “queens” who are also referred to as these nursing fathers and nursing mothers by Nephi and also referred to as “foster fathers” and “nursing mothers” by Isaiah will be among those Gentles who repent and become covenant people of the Lord (2 Nephi 30:2) because as many of the Gentiles as repent are the covenant people of the Lord;
Now lets fast forward to Joseph Smith’s day. Joseph Smith knew that he and the converted saints were those Gentiles (D&C 109:60) that Nephi prophesied about – and that the Book of Mormon would come by “way of the Gentile” (Title Page) – should become the Gentile Kings and Queens because of Ephraim’s birthright. This refers to spiritual kings and queens and not political kings and queens. There are NO kings and queens on the Earth who care about Zion. They – meaning world leaders and leaders of nations – love Babylon and all her riches and power and don’t care at all about Zion.
In order to understand this concept better, we need to go back to Genesis chapter 48 where Jacob blesses his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh. Remember that Ephraim was the younger brother who was given the birthright blessing of the first-born, which traditionally would have been Manasseh’s birthright. Ephraim was blessed to become a greater nation than Manasseh and that the descendants of Ephraim would become a “multitude of nations.”
Latter-day Ephraim has the birthright duty to bring the fullness of the gospel to his brother, Latter-day Manasseh, and also his other brethren of the House of Israel (D&C 103:1). Those of us who have been through the temple know that we have been anointed to become kings and queens but that we will not see this realized except through our faithfulness. How do we know what serving as kings and queens involves unless we learn how the scriptures define those roles and then begin emulating those who had those roles? How can we expect to be exalted as those kings and queens IF we never serve or know how to serve, using the role models provided in the scriptures of what those kings and queens actually did? One example would be Ammon, son of King Mosiah who selflessly declined becoming the next political king and instead became a spiritual king to serve his heathen brothers and sisters, the Lamanites in the form of a lowly servant to the vassal king Lamoni.
You get the idea. Then Jesus Christ gives a sequence of events in 3 Nephi chapter 21, which are already underway. But there are still a number of great events which I consider will be the great and marvelous work (although it began with Joseph Smith). But pay attention to how many times Jesus Christ declared, “…and then shall…” and it will become clear just how much is yet to happen. But these events will be sequential. 3 Nephi chapter 21 is a great chapter to study deeply.
D&C 103:15 Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power; 16 Therefore, I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of Israel. 17 For ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched-out arm. 18 And as your fathers were led at the first, even so shall the redemption of Zion be. 19 Therefore, let not your hearts faint, for I say not unto you as I said unto your fathers: Mine angel shall go up before you, but not my presence. 20 But I say unto you: Mine angels shall go up before you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land.
Latter-day Lamanite 