Week 38

These are some excerpts from Section 12 of "A Strange Thing in The Land" by Hugh Nibley

It is mostly centered on Zion today and Enoch. Combine that with the Priesthood and the History of the Church and your testimony will be strengthened.

I love you all!

Elder Blackburn


Zion is a glorious ideal, albeit a rare reality, in the world’s history; it is “the Holy Order that God has established for his people in all ages of the world when he has had a kingdom on the earth. We may call it,” said Brigham Young, “the Order of Enoch, the Order of Joseph, the Order of Peter, or Abraham, or Moses, and then go back to Noah …” who, of course, takes us to Enoch.

“They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory; And are priests … after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God.”“And when all the people in the region about heard that the Lord had chosen Enoch, they took counsel together and said: Let us go and acclaim [tsyelyim] Enoch. … And they hailed Enoch, saying, Blessed art thou of the Lord the King of the eternities! Now bless thy people and glorify them before the face of the Lord, inasmuch as the Lord has established thee as one taking away our sins.” (Slav. En., Vaillant, pp. 60f.)


Above all, Zion is the community of the Saints, the Elect, “the pure in heart,” who are “of one heart and one mind” so that there are “no poor among them.” (Moses 7:18.) This is the Zion envisioned by the prophets; the book of Moses, the Doctrine and Covenants, and apocryphal works all expressly call it the Zion of Enoch:

There the Saints live without discord or dissension; they are angelic beings, wise and gentle, without malice or deceit, constantly visiting each other. There is perfect agreement among the worlds, each having its particular glory and rejoicing in the glory of the others as all share their treasures of knowledge with each other. They are vast distances removed from each other, but through their common Lord and God they all share a common glorious awareness of each other.

Each of these worlds is a Zion, having no law courts, no hunger or thirst, no cold or heat, no hatred or fear, no war, no slavery, no harmful creatures or plants. Magnificent buildings stand beside tranquil seas; flowing springs give life-giving water. Everything vibrates with joy.

It was natural for the church in every age to identify itself with the Order of Enoch if only because that order is the only one acceptable to God at any time:
“The Lord spake unto Enoch [Joseph Smith, Jun.] saying: Hearken … [ye] who are ordained unto the high priesthood … who have assembled yourselves together. … The time has come; … it must needs be that there be an organization of my people … in the land of Zion—Or in other words, the city of Enoch [Joseph], for a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church … to the salvation of man. … If ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things.” (D&C 78:1, 3, 6.)
For “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.” (D&C 105:5.) “If my people observe not this law … it shall not be a land of Zion unto you.” (D&C 119:6.)
The presence of such a society is a standing rebuke to the rest of the world. As Brigham Young puts it, “We are following the customs of Enoch and the holy fathers, and for this we are looked upon as not being fit for society. We are not adapted to the society of the wicked, and do not wish to mingle with them.” (JD, 10:306.) Enoch was hopeful that his Zion, “a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God” (D&C 45:66), was here to stay; the Lord indicated to him that this was not to be:
When the sectaries of the Dead Sea labeled their society the Yahad (lit. unity, oneness) it was a reminder that unity is the first law of Enoch’s society by which the Saints are expected to live in every dispensation.
Moses 7:18. And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, … and there was no poor among them.
Though communities aspiring to the glory of Zion have been on earth a number of times, it is the final return of Zion in the last days toward which all the prophets have looked. And while the church in every dispensation had certain aspects that resembled the Zion of Enoch, the closest parallel will be the Zion of the End-time.
The Latter-day Saints have been taught to view their own dispensation as the ushering in of the final restoration of Zion. The Church itself, never again to be taken from the earth, must ever more closely approximate the Zion of Enoch as those “which have been scattered shall return to … build up the waste places of Zion … to be established, no more to be thrown down.” (D&C 103:11, 13.) It is the same work under the same auspices: “I am the same which have taken the Zion of Enoch into mine own bosom; … even as many as have believed in my name.” (D&C 38:4.) The Latter-day Saints “are they who have come … to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. …” (D&C 76:67; italics added.) “The Lord spake unto Enoch [Joseph Smith, Jr.], saying: … it must needs be that there be an organization of my people … in the land of Zion—Or in other words, the city of Enoch [Joseph], for a permanent and everlasting establishment and order unto my church.” (D&C 78:1–4.)
Zion is the common designation of the Church established in the world: “the land of Zion” being “in other words, the city of Enoch.” (D&C 78:3–4.) Even though the work is still in its preliminary stages, one is justified in saying, “this is the new chapel,” when only the foundations are in. Thus the Church can be called Zion even though its work has barely begun: “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory … of Zion” (D&C 136:31), and if they are faithful “they shall have power after many days to accomplish all things pertaining to Zion” (D&C 105:37). The Saints are told not to despair: “Concern not yourselves about Zion, for I will deal mercifully with her” (D&C 111:6), and “Zion shall be redeemed in mine own due time” (D&C 136:18), “although she is chastened for a little season” (D&C 100:13). Brigham Young constantly reminded the Saints of the preparatory nature of the work in which they were engaged:
“We have commenced to organize, I will say partially, in the Holy Order that God has established for his people in all ages of the world when he has had a kingdom on the earth. We may call it the Order of Enoch, the Order of Joseph, the Order of Peter, or Abraham, or Moses, and then go back to Noah, and then step to our own position here, and say that we will organize as far as we have the privilege … under the laws of the land. Many branches of industry have been organized here to help to sustain each other, to labor for the good of all, and to establish cooperation in the midst of the Church in this place.” (JD, 17:113.)
“We are not yet prepared to go and establish the Centre Stake of Zion. The Lord tried this in the first place. … He gave revelation after revelation; but the people could not abide them.” (JD, 11:324.)
“Are we fit for Zion? … Could we stay in Independence? No, we could not. … Can the Saints see? No, or a few of them can.” (JD, 15:3.)
“Then do not be too anxious for the Lord to hasten his work. Let our anxiety be centered upon this one thing, the sanctification of our own hearts, the purifying of our own affections, the preparing of ourselves for the approach of events that are hastening upon us. This should he our concern, this should be our study, this should be our daily prayer, and not be in a hurry to see the overthrow of the wicked.” (JD, 9:3.)
“Joseph could not have been perfected, though he had lived a thousand years, if he had received no persecution. … You may calculate when this people are called to go through scenes of affliction and suffering, are driven from their homes, and cast down, and scattered, and smitten, and peeled, the Almighty is rolling on His work with greater rapidity.” (JD, 2:5, 7–8.)“While we were in Winter Quarters, the Lord gave to me a revelation … I talked it to my brethren … but with the exception of one or two of the Twelve, it would not touch a man. … I would have given [millions] if the people had been prepared to then receive the kingdom of God according to the pattern given to Enoch. But I could not touch them.” (JD, 18:244.)The spectacular departure of Enoch’s Zion will be matched by its no less astonishing return. There are things here beyond the scope of men’s everyday experience: “The redemption of Zion must needs come by power.” (D&C 103:15.) Once established in her place, Zion serves as a sort of bridgehead, preparing the way for the return of Enoch’s Zion, when the two shall fuse.