Establish Again Among Them My Zion

When the Savior was among the Nephites He spoke briefly about Zion. He did so as He spoke about events of the last days. He said, “And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.” Speaking of that time when His people would be gathered together in the last days He continued by quoting the words of Isaiah: “And then shall be brought to pass that which is written: Awake, awake again, and put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion…. And then shall they say: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!” (3 Nephi 20:29, 36-37, 40). Zion will receive her strength and her bands will be loosed from her neck in these last days; Zion will be gathered together again and be able to know that her God indeed reigneth. The Savior confirmed in this dispensation that these words which He shared with the Nephites indeed speak of events in our day. When asked, “What is meant by the command… Put on thy strength, O Zion—and what people had Isaiah reference to?” He responded this way: “He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost” (Doctrine and Covenants 113:8). Zion putting on her strength is to happen in these last days through the power and authority of the priesthood being put upon His people who will be gathered.

                The Savior also said this about the establishment of Zion: “And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.” So what is that sign? He continued, “And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them; Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you” (3 Nephi 21:1-3). In other words, as the chapter heading states, “Israel will be gathered when the Book of Mormon comes forth.” The Book of Mormon is the sign that Israel is being gathered and that Zion is being established in our dispensation. And it is the key means by which God’s people are being found. President Nelson confirmed, “The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a tangible sign to the world that the Lord has commenced gathering Israel and fulfilling covenants He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…. The Book of Mormon declares the advent of the gathering and is God’s instrument to bring about that gathering. Without the Book of Mormon, there would be no gathering of Israel…. Zion exists wherever righteous Saints gather.”

  The Book of Mormon is the key instrument in gathering God’s people again, and they gather to build up Zion and prepare for the return of the Savior to the earth. The words of the Lord unto Enoch also confirmed the reality of this gathering and the establishment of Zion through the Book of Mormon: “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 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” (Moses 7:62). That truth that He will send forth out of the earth is the Book of Mormon, and it will sweep the earth as with a flood to gather out the Lord’s elect and inspire them to build up Zion, the New Jerusalem in preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord. We should never underestimate the power of this sacred book of scripture to turn the hearts of many to gather with the Saints and build up Zion.