Creating a Little Zion
In Moses chapter 7, Enoch was tasked with creating Zion. As I read this chapter, I noticed that the nations of Enoch’s day were intent on destroying each other. This fear loomed over them constantly. In a way, it gave Enoch a way to reach the people in a way that caused them to listen and repent. He was able to replace their fear with the covenant promises of God’s protection if they would repent.
As part of the restoration of the gospel, we are tasked with the same thing. The difference for us is that we are relatively comfortable. We don’t have the fear of being killed by neighboring nations looming over us. However, we live among much contention and strife. The prospect of living in a Zion society is appealing.
So, I did some research to see what it takes to create and establish Zion. This is what I got from a scripture-based AI.
What Zion is
- Pure in heart: “For this is Zion—the pure in heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 97:21).
- Unified and just: “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18).
Core instructions the Lord gives to build Zion
1) Become one in Christ
- “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27).
- “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul… and they had all things common” (Acts 4:32).
2) Live consecration and care for the poor
- “And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support; that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken—” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:30).
- “And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free” (4 Nephi 1:3).
3) Practice charity and eliminate contention
- “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people” (4 Nephi 1:2).
- “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:47).
- “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).
4) Live by celestial law
- “Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself” (Doctrine and Covenants 105:5).
5) Build holy houses and organize under covenant
- “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:119).
- “Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob” (Isaiah 2:3).
6) Gather Israel to a place of refuge
- “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” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:66).
- “And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:69).
7) Act with agency and steady diligence
- “Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will” (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27).
- “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).
Scriptural case studies to study next
- Enoch’s Zion: unity, righteousness, no poor (Moses 7:16–21).
- The Nephite Zion after Christ’s visit: no contention, all things common, great joy (4 Nephi 1:1–3, 15–18).
I realize that we are not Enoch, tasked with building a city that will be taken up into heaven, but there is something we can do— we can build a mini Zion in our homes. The principles are the same. It is still not a simple task. We must eliminate contention in our homes and family. We have to be on the same page with each other. One major factor in the story of Enoch and in our homes is that we must have Jesus Christ at the center of our lives. If we can attend church and the temple together as families, we stand a much better chance of achieving our own little Zion.
I hope you will consider these ideas and try to implement them in your homes. If enough of us do it, we may be able to establish a Zion society. That is our task.