I confess I have this “zeal” and that I use this blog to give expression to my feelings. However, in research and writing, my zeal for Zion grows even more. What I am really talking about is what I feel for Jesus Christ and what He means for me and all mankind. However, talking about Jesus is a bigger canvas and it means so many different things to so many different people. My zeal for “Zion” is simply my zeal for Jesus in a more focused way and a more immediate future – when Jesus “comes down” to dwell among His people. That’s what Zion is for me in the most immediate chronological sense. Sure, everyone has this vague notion of going to heaven or wanting to be there – a concept that has no context except happening after death and w-a-a-y in the future. Not necessarily so. Heaven is going to come to us, into our society, our earth, and many of us will be around to see it actually happen.
In seems to be innate within us to seek to some utopia that frees us from war, disease, hate, injustice, and every negative thing related to our fallen natures. The “enemy” has used this desire to give us all kinds of counterfeit utopias via Hitler, Jim Jones, Mao, Lenin, etc – a long list of promises never kept and perfect societies never created. However, the followers of God keep their eye fixed on the goal, as Joseph Smith explained:
The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; we are the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory, ‘the dispensation of the fullness of times, when God will gather together all things that are in heaven, and all things that are upon the earth, even in one’ [
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one call things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance …
