2 Ne 12:3 out
of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem
In this passage,
¡°Zion,¡± refers to the New Jerusalem to be built in Jackson, Co. Missouri, ¡®this is the land of promise, and the place for
the city of Zion¡¯ (DC 57:2). When
Christ comes to reign on the earth, the political administration of his kingdom
will come from this Zion. The ecclesiastical direction during the Millenium
will come from the Old Jerusalem. These two great cities shall be the world
capitals in the Millenium. Temples will be built in both locations and will be
built upon the tops of hills or mountains, in fulfillment of Isaiah¡¯s prophecy.
¡°He [God] will assemble the Natives, the remnants of Joseph
in America; and make of them a great, and strong, and powerful nation: and he
will civilize and enlighten them, and will establish a holy city, and temple,
and seat of government among them, which shall be called Zion. And there shall be
his tabernacle, his sanctuary, his throne, and seat of government for the whole
continent of North and South America forever. In short, it will be to the
western hemisphere what Jerusalem will be to the eastern. And there the Messiah
will visit them in person; and the old Saints, who will then have been raised
from the dead will be with him. And he will establish his kingdom and laws over
all the land¡¦.The city of Zion, with its sanctuary and priesthood, and the
glorious fullness of the gospel, will constitute a standard which will
put an end to jarring creeds and political wranglings, by uniting the
republics, states, provinces, territories, nations, tribes, kindred, tongues,
people, and sects of North and South America in one great and common bond of brotherhood¡¦.Americans!
This mighty and strange work has been commenced in your midst, and must roll on
in fulfillment.¡± [originally published Apr. 6, 1845] (Messages of the 1st
Presidency 1:239-261 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 130).
Harold B. Lee
¡°With the coming of the pioneers to establish the Church in the tops of the mountains, our early leaders declared this to be the beginning of the fulfillment of that prophecy (2 Ne 12:3)¡¦.Years ago I went with the brethren to the Idaho Falls Temple [dedication], and I heard in that inspired prayer of the First Presidency a definition of the meaning of that term ¡®out of Zion shall go forth the law.¡¯ Note what they said; ¡®We thank thee that thou hast revealed to us that those who gave us our constitutional form of government were men wise in thy sight and that thou didst raise them up for the very purpose of putting forth that sacred document¡¦.We pray that kings and rulers and the peoples of all nations under heaven may be persuaded of the blessings enjoyed by the people of this land by reason of their freedom and under thy guidance and be constrained to adopt similar governmental systems, thus to fulfill the ancient prophecy of Isaiah and Micah that, ¡®out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem¡¯¡± (Improvement Era, Oct. 1945, p. 564 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 128)
Joseph Fielding Smith
¡°ZION: THE LAND OF JOSEPH. There are many references in the
Bible to Zion, a land or place separate and distinct from Jerusalem. Two such
passages are found in the 2nd chapter of Isaiah and the 4th chapter of Micah.
It would be foolish to say that these references to Zion were to the hill in
Jerusalem where David dwelt.
¡°¡¦This western continent is known as the land of Joseph and
is also designated as the land of Zion. The holy city which is to be built upon
this land is sometimes called the City of Zion. We should keep in mind that
these terms (City of Zion, and New Jerusalem) have reference to the same
sanctified place from whence shall go forth the law, with the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem.
¡°¡¦.Palestine is to be the gathering place of the tribe of
Judah and ¡®the children of Israel
his companions,¡¯ after their long
dispersion as predicted by the prophets. America is the land of Zion. It was
given to Joseph, son of Jacob, and his descendants to be an everlasting
inheritance. The children of Ephraim (son of Joseph) and ¡®all the house of Israel his companions,¡¯ will be gathered to Zion, or America.
¡°¡¦In each land a holy city shall be built which shall be
the capital from whence the law and the word of the Lord shall go forth to all
peoples. The Savior said to the Nephites: ¡®Behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto
the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it
shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of
this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.¡¯ (3
Ne 20:22)
¡°Moroni, writing of the Jaredites, has said: ¡®Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he
spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land. And he spake also concerning
the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come-after it
should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord;
wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old;
but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it
should be built unto the house of Israel.¡¯ (Ether 13:4-5)¡¦.
¡°ZION AND JERUSALEM: TWO WORLD CAPITALS. When Joseph Smith
translated the Book of Mormon, he learned that America is the land of Zion
which was given to Joseph and his children and that on this land the City Zion,
or New Jerusalem, is to be built. He also learned that Jerusalem in Palestine
is to be rebuilt and become a holy city. These two cities, one in the land of
Zion and one in Palestine, are to become capitals for the kingdom of God during
the millennium¡¦.
¡°TEMPLES IN ZION AND JERUSALEM. ¡®And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and
truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only
Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all
men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a
flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a
place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird their loins,
and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my
tabernacle and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
"And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and
all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they
shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our
necks, and we will kiss each other; And there shall be mine abode, and it shall
be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and
for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.¡¯ (Moses 7:62-4)
¡°When Christ comes in fulfillment of this promise, there
will be on the earth two great cities made holy with holy sanctuaries, or
temples. One will be the city of Jerusalem in the land of Judah, which shall be
rebuilt; the other the city Zion, or the New Jerusalem, in the land of Joseph.¡±
(Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 66-72)
¡°In
our own time we have seen the political developments that have prepared the way
for the gathering of Judah to old Jerusalem, to the land of their inheritance.
Our comparatively recent history has also unfolded the preparation of the land
of the Americas for the restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph
Smith, and we have witnessed much of the gathering of the remnants of Joseph in
the land of the New Jerusalem and the grafting of the natural branches of
Israel into the new tree of the restored gospel. We ourselves are witnessing
the fulfillment of the words of the great prophet Isaiah: (quotes Isa. 2:2-3)
¡°And though we have seen the beginning only, yet shall the
work of bringing Israel again to Zion expand to the uttermost parts of the
earth. In this regard, I am reminded of the words of the prophet Habakkuk: ¡®For I will work in your days, which ye will
not believe, though it be told you.¡¯ (Hab.
1:5.)¡± (¡°Our Paths Have Met Again,¡± Ensign, Dec. 1975, 4)