How Zion will be established: Not by a church

During the life of Joseph Smith, everything in the church aimed at one goal: establishing Zion, a tangible city of men and women who lived the Terrestrial law, a place where there are no poor¹ and where everyone keeps all of God’s commandments.² After Joseph’s life, successive changes shifted the goal posts: the commandments were modified, eradication of poverty was replaced with a program to regularly treat its symptoms,³ and physical gathering was abandoned.

The question today is: as an institution, are we progressing closer to Zion, or are we moving further away? Early leaders who lived through both eras juxtaposed the church under Joseph and the church after his death. George Q. Cannon, who arrived in Nauvoo as a British convert at the age of 15 and lived two years in close proximity to church leadership (his lived with his uncle, John Taylor), said the following:

The feeling has grown upon me, and is growing upon me every day, that as a people we do not live up to our privileges. We do not have the knowledge of the things of God that we should have. There is not that amount of revelation enjoyed by us which there should be. The gifts of the spirit are not manifest to the extent they should be. Is there revelation? Yes, I know that and can testify of it. Are there gifts, are there blessings enjoyed by the people? Yes, I am convinced of it. Are there manifestations of the goodness and the power of God among this people? I am satisfied that there are manifestations of this kind. The sick are healed. The mind and will of the Lord is communicated to the people, but it is not to that extent, that it should be considering our circumstances, and considering the length of time the Church has been organized. Who is there that is not conscious of this. (George Q. Cannon, JD 22:103.)

Orson Pratt felt the same way. He noted that the trajectory of the Saints in Utah was not headed towards Zion.

There must be a reformation. There will be a reformation among this people, but He will plead with the stronger ones of Zion, He will plead with this people, He will plead with those in high places, He will plead with the priesthood of this church, until Zion shall become clean before him. I do not know but what it would be an utter impossibility to commence and carry out some principles pertaining to Zion right in the midst of this people. They have strayed so far that to get a people who would conform to heavenly laws it may be needful to lead some from the midst of this people and commence anew in the regions round about in these mountains. (Orson Pratt, JD 15:360.)

Apostle (later president) Joseph Fielding Smith wrote of his concerns both about how far from Joseph’s teachings the church had drifted in the preceding 20 years, and how far the church would continue to drift:

It is a very apparent fact that we have traveled far and wide in the past 20 years. What the future will bring I do not know. But if we drift as far afield from fundamental things in the next 20 years, what will be left of the foundation laid by the Prophet Joseph Smith? It is easy for one who observes to see how the apostasy came about in the primitive church of Christ. Are we not traveling the same road? (Joseph Fielding Smith Journal, 28 December 1938.)

Members during Brigham Young’s tenure believed that they were only in Utah for a season, and that one day they would return to Jackson County to build Zion. Over time, this belief eroded into what modern Mormons believe: that Zion is not a physical city at all, but that we gather to Zion as we join and remain in the church in congregations around the world.

In reality, both views are incorrect. The truth contained in the scriptures, and understood by some few early leaders, is that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints never had the charge to build Zion, and will not build Zion. Instead, Zion will be built by the Lamanites—a remnant of Joseph:

What says the Book of Mormon in relation to the building up of the New Jerusalem on this continent one of the most splendid cities that ever was or ever will be built on this land? Does not that book say that the Lamanites are to be the principal operators in that important work, and that those who embrace the Gospel from among the Gentiles are to have the privilege of assisting the Lamanites to build up the city called the New Jerusalem? This remnant of Joseph, who are now degraded, will then be filled with the wisdom of God; and by that wisdom they will build that city; by the aid of the Priesthood already given, and by the aid of Prophets that God will raise up in their midst, they will beautify and ornament its dwellings; and we have the privilege of being numbered with them, instead of their being numbered with us. It is a great privilege indeed (and we are indebted to their fathers for it,) that we enjoy of being associated with them in the accomplishment of so great a work. (Elder Orson Pratt, JD 9:178.)

Third Nephi 21 is worthy of a significant study beyond the scope of this book. Suffice it to say that it directly challenges many traditions in modern Mormonism, including the ideas that the LDS church will establish Zion, that the “marvelous work and a wonder” is something that has already occurred, that the United States will still exist as a country at the coming of Christ, and that the gathering of Israel has commenced.

Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity; For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel....For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant. And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off. Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots; And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers; Thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands; And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities. And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away. For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel; And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance; 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. And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem. Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name. Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward. (3 Nephi 21:5-6,9-29.)

Orson Pratt summed up this chapter this way:

There are four major events to take place in the Last Days with regards to these people. First, a remnant will be converted; second, Zion will be redeemed and all among the Gentiles who believe will assist this remnant of Jacob in building the New Jerusalem; third, missionaries will be sent...to gather all...His people unto the New Jerusalem; fourth, the power of heaven will be made manifest in the midst of this people, and the Lord also will be in their midst. (Orson Pratt, JD 17:302.)

None of these items on Elder Pratt’s list has yet occurred.

Some minority of the Latter-day Saints will repent from their false traditions, receive a covenant, and be numbered among the remnant of Jacob (see 3 Nephi 16:10-16), but most will be destroyed in the calamites the Lord has promised to bring at the conclusion of the space allotted for the Gentiles to repent:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face. Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord. (D&C 112:23-26.)

Those who profess to know God’s name but do not really known Him⁴ and who have blasphemed against him in the midst of his house⁵ are those upon whom this judgment will fall.

While modern Mormons consider themselves the Lord’s chosen people, the scriptures suggest they are little more than a group doomed to failure whose singular achievement will be having preserved the Book of Mormon for the Lamanites to later accept.