Building the New Jerusalem

This week’s Come, Follow Me lesson gives us this invitation: “Look for prophecies about the last days in the Savior’s words in 3 Nephi 20–22. Which of these prophecies are especially exciting to you? What can you do to help fulfill the prophecies in these chapters?” Two of the great prophecies in these chapters concern both the spiritual and physical gathering of the House of Israel in the last days. I believe both of these kinds of gatherings were referred in this incredible statement: “And verily, verily, I say unto you, that when they shall be fulfilled then is the fulfilling of the covenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel. And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them” (3 Nephi 20:12-13). People from all over the world who are “scattered abroad upon the face of the earth” were to be literally gathered as they make covenants with the Lord, which surely we have already seen as tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints gathered in to be with the Saints in Kirtland, Missouri, Nauvoo, and ultimately Utah. As missionaries have gone forth and continue to go forth to all the world, people are also spiritually gathered unto the Lord as they are “brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.” We are blessed to live in a day when we see both physical gatherings of the Saints coming together and spiritual gathering of individuals who choose to come unto Christ.

                For me, though, the most exciting prophecy is still yet to be fulfilled and is part of the physical gathering. The Savior spoke of this twice in these chapters. He declared, “And 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 Nephi 20:22). The New Jerusalem, a real city yet to be built, will be established in Jackson County, Missouri. That the “powers of heaven” shall be there and that the Savior will “be in the midst” of us is an incredible promise that gives us so much to look forward to. The Savior spoke of this future event a second time when he said, “And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem. And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem. And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst” (3 Nephi 21:23-25). This is not figurative language; this is a promise of an actual city to be built in the future by the covenant people of the Lord. And the House of Israel will come from all the face of the land to build it up to the Lord. Again the Savior promised here that He would be in the midst of the city and that the power of heaven would be there. How great shall be that day when, as Orson Pratt said, “We shall in due time walk forth into Jackson County and build up the waste places of Zion.  We shall erect in that county a beautiful city after the order and pattern that the Lord shall reveal.”

                That this is a real city that we will indeed build sometime in the future was confirmed by President Eyring in this most recent general conference. He quoted this prophecy of the Lord to Enoch: “I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up 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.” He commented, “You will be an essential force in the gathering of Israel and in the creation of a Zion people who will dwell in peace in the New Jerusalem.” So how do we help fulfill this prophecy? For now we must seek to live more and more like a Zion people, to rid ourselves of contention, to take care of the poor, to dwell in righteousness. Only as we are purified and unified, full of love for God and our fellow man, will we be prepared. As Orson Pratt also said in the same discourse, “When we go back to Jackson County, we are to go back with power. Do you suppose that God will reveal his power among an unsanctified people, who have no regard nor respect for his laws and institutions, but who are filled with covetousness?” We must seek to become sanctified, to rid ourselves of covetousness and pride, so we can be ready for that great day when the Lord’s people will build unto Him the New Jerusalem.