The New Jerusalem

I am particularly interested in those scriptural phrases and ideas that are found in all four standard works. Clearly if we find scriptures that are repeated in all the canonized books of scripture then we can know that these are particularly important for us. The most obvious of these is the promise of Malachi to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the fathers to the children. We find variations on this promise also in the New Testament and all three books of the Restoration. Similarly, the promise to Abraham that in his seed all the kindreds of the earth should be blessed is found in all four books of scripture. Both of these ideas deal with the latter days when temples will be upon the earth to seal families together and when the priesthood will be restored to take the gospel and its ordinances to all the earth. Another scriptures promise of the latter days connected with these that is found in all four books of scripture is that a New Jerusalem will be established. In the New Testament, John spoke about this as he recorded his vision of the end of times: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” I love the promise he heard from heaven: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:2-4). This New Jerusalem will come down from above and be established in the Millennium as the place where our God will dwell and where all sorrow will be done away for the faithful. What a glorious day that will be!

                Before that New Jerusalem comes down from heaven, we also must build up a city, also called New Jerusalem, on earth to be ready to receive it. Joseph Smith taught that “Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent” and one of the revelations highlights the dual source of this city in the “new song” to be sung in the Millennium: “The Lord hath brought down Zion from above. The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath” (Article of Faith 10, Doctrine and Covenants 84:100). The revelations of the Lord to Enoch recorded in the Pearl of Great Price help us understand better what these two parts of the New Jerusalem are: “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 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. 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” (Moses 7:62-64). The city of Enoch, taken up into heaven to be in the bosom of the Lord, shall be the New Jerusalem which shall come back down out of heaven to join the city that we will build on the earth. That “Zion from above” shall meet up with the “Zion from beneath” to create the abode of the Lord for the Millennium. Ether and Moroni seemed to understand this idea as well: “A New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph…. And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth;… And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein” (Ether 13:6,9-10). There will first be a New Jerusalem built by the remnant of Joseph, and then (another) New Jerusalem will come when there is a new heaven and earth, meaning the one which will come down from above. Our job then is to build up that earthly city and be spiritually prepared to live with the people of Enoch who were taken to heaven because of their righteousness. We look forward with great anticipation when we will be called to do so and find peace and protection there: “And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God; And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:66-67).