"And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be."
Now we encounter words that require us to know meanings first. For the Lord's "Zion" to be brought forth, we need to know what "Zion" means. What is it? When the Lord calls it "my Zion" does it belong to Him. Will the Lord be the one who "brings again Zion" as stated earlier in the 3rd Nephi materials of Christ's prophecy? (3 Ne. 16: 18, quoting Isaiah 52: 8.) What are the role of people in "seeking to bring forth His Zion?"
Will they actually "bring again Zion" or is that the Lord's doing? Unless the Lord determines to "bring again Zion" will men be able to accomplish it? Even if they are quite sincere and determined? What, then, must precede Zion's return?
Even if they are not given the commission or command to participate in Zion's return, will they nevertheless be blessed if they seek to bring it again? Is the promised "gift and power of the Holy Ghost" promised to those who would seek to bring forth Zion? What does that mean? How could anyone accomplish that?
What does it mean to "publish peace?"
What does it mean to "publish tidings of great joy?"
How does the "publishing of peace" and "tidings of great joy" relate to having your feet become beautiful upon the mountains? (I've already discussed having your feet clean of the blood and sins of your generation in an earlier post, How Beautiful Upon the Mountains.)
Why feet "upon the mountains?" What "mountains?" Are these literal, or figurative, or both? If the "mountains" are a symbol, what do they symbolize?
Tuesday I went to the Salt Lake Temple early with a missionary who reported to the MTC on Wednesday. I teach him in priest quorum. I wanted to make sure before his departure that the "endowment" he received would include some details of what the Mountain of the Lord's House was intended to confer. Young men are still teachable. I'd really like to move to the Primary, however. Primary kids, despite their energy, have open hearts and they are willing to receive.
By the time we get LDS adults to teach there is just too much idolatry to deal with....
I'm the Sunbeams teacher. :) We talk about Jesus and parents and food and being nice and food and play a lot of lego's. (All boys.) Once they had a "special" mtg. in RS we got to go to... goodie! After about 5 min. I was thinking, "I've been missing RS for what?" It was almost *weird* to me. Having been in Primary for over 3 yrs. I have not "depended" on my ward per se for any real spiritual nourishment... it's all been personal study. I wonder how long I'll be in Primary, cuz one of us is getting weirder all the time... :O
ReplyDeleteDenver, in your view what are the major factors in making adults idolatrous and not teachable like primary or YM/YW? Is it missionary service? College? Careers? Marriage?
ReplyDeleteDenver, I have a son whom I never thought would go on a mission that is about to turn in missionary papers in a few weeks. Going through the temple has been on my mind too. I have thought I would pull out his Dad's clothes and show them to him for one thing. But what suggestions might you have about what I should talk to him about...if you are willing. Your understanding is so much greater than mine.
ReplyDeleteLet him know that the language of the Temple is symbolism. The ceremony is not telling you about history, but telling you about the universal problem of mortality. It is the story of every person who has ever lived or will ever live.
ReplyDeleteI've written a paper about the first three words spoken by the players in the endowment. If you've sent your email address in we've sent you a copy. I think the talk is a good example of how the Temple has meaning to orient all of us in what we are now facing in mortality.
The more you bring with you to the Temple, the more you get out of it. It was intended to make us reflect or meditate deeply. Its meaning surrenders to patient and solemn thoughts. It is a feast for those willing to contemplate meanings and explore symbolism.
Anon.... is there a temple prep. class in your ward? If so, perhaps that would be helpful for your son?
ReplyDeleteAbout bringing forth Zion... I believe that is only possible, even individually in our own homes, if we are pure in heart, meaning we truely have Charity, the Pure Love of Christ.
ReplyDeleteCharity is an added Endowment from heaven, after we have proven we will keep all our covenants.
Unfortunately the willingness to do what it takes to receive this gift of Charity seems very rare today. But it must be acquired before we try to establish Zion, or all our attempts will fail.
Thank you for your suggestions about the temple, Denver.
ReplyDeleteYou remember all the questions Aidan used to have? You would have been a wonderful teacher for him.
ReplyDeleteI would have enjoyed that immensely. Children are open to truth in ways adults will no longer tolerate.
ReplyDelete