Zion-In-Our-Day.Pdf

Copyright © 2020 David R. Anderson All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author. __________________________________________ Additional copies can be obtained at: www.zioninourday.com ii CONTENTS Preface . ..........................................................1 Chapter 1 ........................................................ 4 We Establish Zion as We Separate Ourselves from Babylon Chapter 2 ....................................................... 22 Our Ascent to Zion Through the Doctrine of Grace Chapter 3 ....................................................... 39 Sanctification, the Essence of Zion Chapter 4 ........................................................ 52 Faith, Repentance, and Zion Chapter 5 ....................................................... 72 Spiritual Gifts, the Building Blocks of Zion Chapter 6 ....................................................... 90 Zion and the Family Chapter 7 ......................................................101 Prayer in Relation to Zion Chapter 8 ......................................................108 Seeking Zion Through Truth and Knowledge Chapter 9 ......................................................122 Zion and the Spirit of Revelation Chapter 10 . 135 Zion, the Kingdom of God, and the Priesthood iii Chapter 11 .....................................................153 The Temple Endowment is the Foundation of Zion Chapter 12 .....................................................160 Israel’s Gathering and the Spiritual Awakening of Zion Chapter 13 .....................................................177 Building Zion Through Adversity Chapter 14 .....................................................187 The Choice to Build Zion Bibliography ....................................................200 iv Zion in Our Day DAVID R. ANDERSON v Preface he goal of every dispensation has been to establish a Zion society, yet we Tonly know of a few select groups who succeeded. Why have we not achieved this goal? Elder Robert D. Hales has said, “This promised Zion always seems to be a little beyond our reach. We need to understand that as much virtue can be gained in progressing towards Zion as in dwelling there. It is a process as well as a destination.” He went on to say that “many are perfected on the road to Zion who will never see the city in mortality” (Hales, 1986). President Ezra Taft Benson said, “It takes a Zion people to make a Zion society and we must prepare for that” (Benson, 1986). Until we prepare on a spiritual level, nothing else matters. A Zion society is made up of people who have taken advantage of Christ’s atonement and repented of their sins. A Zion people have learned how to put off the natural man and put on the image of Christ by making and living covenants. They have secured their status as a people who are highly favored of the Lord. They are a people who have had all things in the past, present, and future made known to them according to their desires. A Zion society is comprised of people who have the spirit of revelation and prophecy, a people who have received the truth and taken the Spirit as their guide, and a people who converse with angels. They are a people who have entered into the fullness of the Priesthood and have been faithful in keeping all the covenants of the House of the Lord (Alma 9:20-21). Zion grows in stature one man or woman at a time by individuals who are valiant in the testimony of Jesus. Estab- lishing Zion does not need to continue to stay beyond our reach. Determined people working together can accomplish anything. We have the capability to establish Zion in our lifetime. Striving for the cause of Zion is being part of something larger than ourselves. The spiritual definition for Zion is “where the pure in heart dwell,” and only by becom- 1 ing pure in heart can a Zion society be established. Zion is comprised of the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. It exists both as an organization and a mindset: it is the state of the soul and is built upon the principles of both love of God and our fellow man. Zion is comprised of those who strive to keep the commandments of God—all of them: “When men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth” (JST Genesis 9:21). Here we learn that Zion is brought forth by our striving to be completely obedient to God’s commandments. Zion is not just a place, it’s a condition of the heart where the righteous are gathering and awaiting our Savior’s return. This book has been written with the intent to broaden our understanding and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension of what it really means to build and establish Zion in our day. It was also written for the purpose of helping us to understand what God has asked of us to become: a pure people, a peculiar people, and a sanctified people. This book discusses a variety of the components that make up Zion which can aid us in seeing Zion in a new light and becoming more aware of the significant role we each play in bringing forth Zion. Our lives begin to change as we allow the Spirit to play a more active role in how we think and make decisions. When we do this, we help to speed up the process of establishing Zion. Increasing our understanding of the doctrine surrounding Zion can motivate us to manage our time in areas that would be of greatest worth. In this book, I will attempt to show the effort it would take, along with all the mechanics involved, to create a Zion society and will discuss how we prepare to become a Zion people. It is my hope that by reading and applying the concepts taught in this book, you will draw closer to the Spirit, and your desire to build Zion will be strengthened, enabling you to attain a higher level of righteousness in your personal life. While serving a mission in Missouri, I had the opportunity to visit many sacred places. Two of these places which had significance to me were the New Jerusalem Tem- ple site in Independence, Missouri, where the Garden of Eden was located, and the site of Adam-ondi-Ahman near Gallatin, Missouri, where Adam and Eve resided after being banished from the Garden. As I contemplated the significance of these enormously im- portant sites, I became aware of the many special events that will transpire at these sites in the near future. I gained a strong testimony of the revelations from the Lord received through the Prophet Joseph Smith recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants concerning Zion. There we are taught how Zion is to be built and the blessings associated with cre- 2 ating a Zion society. I have felt an intense desire to learn more about Zion and share it with others. The concepts in this book have been written according to my own knowledge and understanding; I take full responsibility for the contents of this work. This is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. David R. Anderson 3 Chapter 1 WE ESTABLISH ZION AS WE SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM BABYLON esus Christ is coming soon to claim a holy people. Holiness, however, is only Jacquired after enduring refinement. Isaiah teaches us, “For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (1 Nephi 20:10). We live in challenging times, and it seems all the world around us is in upheaval and commotion. Storms are on the horizon and there are hardships that we must pass through before the Savior’s return. As the days ahead become more difficult, our faith will be tested like never before. It will be something extremely uncomfortable because we have been so comfortable. The spiritual condition of our lives will be the determining factor on how we will weather the storm. The same was true for the Nephites who survived the destruction described in the 8th chapter of 3 Nephi. In Nephi’s account, we learn that one year after the catastrophic events (34 AD), 2,500 of the more righteous people who remained were gathered at the temple in Bountiful. There, they experienced a personal encounter with the Savior. What happened to them spiritually during that one-year time period to prepare them to meet the resurrected Christ? The prevailing theme of this book is about preparing to meet the Savior. If you could do anything in the coming year to prepare yourself spiritually, what would you do? How do you become sanctified and worthy to enter His presence? Have you done all that you can as an individual to eradicate sin and darkness from your life? If we are where the Lord wants us to be in our lives, we will be at peace in our hearts. If we have prepared, we shall not fear but will have confidence, secure in our trust in God (D&C 38:30). 4 One of the most significant challenges that confronts us today is learning to protect our hearts from the world by separating ourselves from Babylon. Have you ever contemplated why keeping the world out of our hearts is so difficult? One reason is that nations decline spiritually when people’s hearts are set on riches and the vain things of the world. People become so wrapped up in themselves that they can’t see beyond themselves. They live day to day thinking only about their own selfish desires. Is this something you have noticed too? Have you, like me, felt a growing concern that people in the world are moving in the wrong direction? The spiritual condition of the world’s nations reflects directly on how overall populations are living their lives. Let’s focus on the United States for a moment. In the mid-1950s, the printing of the first Playboy magazine in the United States was a national scandal.

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