“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….