Redemption of Zion by the Judgment of the Holy Ghost, the Endowment of the servants of Almighty God with the Holy Ghost and the promised visitation of Jesus.
Introduction Scriptures repeating the words of Jesus Christ, the chastisement and promises unto the Church and Priesthood which are to be obeyed necessary for the Redemption of Zion.
4c Behold, thus saith the Lord unto my people, You have many things to do, and to repent of; for, behold, your sins have come up unto me, and are not pardoned, because you seek to counsel in your own ways.
4d And your hearts are not satisfied And ye obey not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness.
5a Woe unto you rich men, that will not give your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation:
5b The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!
5c Woe unto you poor men, whose hearts are not broken, whose spirits are not contrite, and whose bellies are not satisfied, and whose hands are not stayed from laying hold upon other men’s goods, whose eyes are full of greediness, who will not labor with their own hands!
6a But blessed are the poor, who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs;
6b for, behold, the Lord shall come, and his recompense shall be with him, and he shall reward every man, and the poor shall rejoice; and their generations shall inherit the earth from generation to generation, forever and ever.
3a Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances.
3b They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.
3c In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.
4a Verily, I say unto you, Notwithstanding their sins, my bowels are filled with compassion toward them; I will not utterly cast them off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy
4b I have sworn, and the decree hath gone forth by a former commandment which I have given unto you, that I would let fall the sword of mine indignation in the behalf of my people; and even as I have said, it shall come to pass.
4c Mine indignation is soon to be poured out without mea sure upon all nations, and this will I do when the cup of their iniquity is full.
4d And in that day, all who are found upon the watchtower, or in other words, all mine Israel shall be saved.
1 Verily I say unto you, who have assembled yourselves together that you may learn my will concerning the redemption of mine afflicted people:
2a Behold, I say unto you, Were it not for the transgressions of my people, speaking concerning the church and not individuals, they might have been redeemed even now;
2b but, behold, they have not learned to be obedient to the things which I require at their hands, but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh Saints, to the poor and afflicted among them, and are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom;
2c and 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;
2d and my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.
3a I speak not concerning those who are appointed to lead my people, who are the first elders of my church, for they are not all under this condemnation; but I speak concerning my churches abroad;
3b there are many who will say, Where is their God? Behold, he will deliver in time of trouble; otherwise we will not go up unto Zion, and will keep our moneys.
3c Therefore, in consequence of the transgression of my people, it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season for the redemption of Zion, that they themselves may be prepared, and that my people may be taught more perfectly, and have experience, and know more perfectly, concerning their duty, and the things which I require at their hands;
3d and this can not be brought to pass until mine elders are endowed with power from on high;
3e for, behold, I have prepared a great endowment and blessing to be poured out upon them, inasmuch as they are faithful, and continue in humility before me;
3f therefore, it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season, for the redemption of Zion; for, behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion; for, as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfill, I will fight your battles.
4a Behold, the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste mine enemies;
4b and not many years hence, they shall not be left to pollute mine heritage, and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my Saints.
Commentary by Richard Boyden
The Judgment of the Holy Ghost and the Endowment will be a simultaneous event. For those Saints that are ‘righteous’ in the sight of God, the experience shall be the Endowment. For those that are ‘unrighteous’, it shall be the Judgment which shall prove fatal to some while others shall be gathered out of Zion by Jesus Christ.
The Endowment is the filling of ones soul (body and spirit) with both the Power and the Love of God through the Holy Ghost. They go hand and hand. They are not separate spiritual conditions.
The gift and power of the Holy Ghost allows us to walk and talk with God and to hear his voice. Thus, we then are able to do the “works of Jesus” based upon the ‘assurance’ of “hearing the voice of Jesus”, thus our faith is ‘knowledge’ of this fact that Jesus is speaking to and commanding us to do a ‘work of the kingdom’, so that when a servant speaks the word in the name of Jesus, the work of Jesus follows. No longer is faith just ‘guessing or speculation’ but knowledge based upon the fact one is truly hearing the voice of Almighty God such that we then have the ‘assurance’ of that which is hoped for and evidence of things not seen becoming a reality in the realms of time. This then is how the powers of heaven are released in the realms of time and thus, how Zion will be established.
The promise of Jesus below is that He would appear unto those who obeyed which is necessary to receive the Endowment which is the gift and power of the Holy Ghost necessary to do His works which are the works of the Kingdom even the bringing forth and establishing the cause of Zion. Failure to do that is the result of rebellion and unbelief and unto the condemnation of those who are called but still not chosen because they have not and cannot magnify their called until they are filled with the gift and power of the Holy Ghost necessary to hear the voice of Almighty God.
This is what Jesus desires to teach us, show us, and have us practice once He is in our midst. This then will be the beginning of Zion for those that love and obey Him unto the blessing of all His children. He states that He rewards those that diligently seek Him.
“This is Eternal Life (Zion), to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent”. He is waiting for us to ask for His personal ministry and the Endowment of the Holy Ghost.
Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed. Isaiah 1:26-28
And it shall come to pass, they that are left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even everyone that is written among the living in Jerusalem;
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. Isaiah 4:2,3
Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it be so that the fullness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, They shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire. I Nephi 7:36,37
[Sec 34:5b] and the Scriptures shall be given even as they are in mine own bosom, to the salvation of mine own elect; for they will hear my voice, and shall see me, and shall not be asleep, and shall abide the day of my coming, for they shall be purified even as I am pure.
[Sec 38:2b] I am in your midst and ye can not see me, but the day soon cometh that ye shall see me and know that I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day: wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared.
[Sec 67:3a] And again, verily I say unto you, that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent, and you shall see me and know that I am;
[Sec 85:18b] Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him: for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.
[Sec 90:1a] Verily, thus saith the Lord, It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face, and know that I am, and that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;
The following is from the vision given to Elder White as found in the book “Infallible Proofs”. Almighty God is very clear as to how Zion shall be redeemed and who will receive the endowment and who will be judged.
A Vision/Revelation Given by Jesus Christ to Elder Alfred White
During the summer of 1885 my mind was very much exercised about the manner of the redemption of Zion, which was caused by the manifestation of the Spirit, both in tongues and in prophecy, given at several different times through the summer and through several different persons and all agreeing that the redemption of Zion was very near at hand, and some saying of it as “even at the door.”
I had been thinking of Z. H. Gurley and J. W. Briggs, and what they had done for the cause; and after all they had fallen, although they had occupied such high positions. This caused me to wonder how the weak ones of the Church could stand, if men who had received and borne such great testimony could be so shaken in their faith with regard to tithing, the doctrine of gathering and the redemption of Zion, as I knew that the Church had accepted these doctrines, as well as the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, in which they [were] taught. I had understood from reading Section 63, paragraph 8, of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that the redemption of Zion would be by purchase.
These things caused me to doubt whether the before-mentioned gifts were of God or not, as it appeared to me to be an utter impossibility for the Saints to purchase this land anywhere in the near future, because of the very high and rapidly advancing prices of all real estate in this region of country.
These things were a very great trial to my faith, because of the seeming impossibility for the land of Zion to be redeemed in the short time indicated through the gifts, without the intervention of the power of God.
These thoughts caused me to exclaim, “Oh, Lord, why suffer thy people to be tried so severely in this matter? Why not reveal unto thy people that which will relieve them of this great trial and let them know how the redemption of Zion shall be,” when I heard a voice (which I understood to be the voice of God) saying, “The time was when my people might have redeemed Zion, if they had kept my counsel, but now it has passed out of their power. I will redeem Zion in its time, and I will do it in this way.” Then I saw a narrow and very bright red ring, which enclosed Independence and a portion of the surrounding country, the center of which seemed to be a little southwest of where I was standing, on a high spot of ground. [(The Temple Lot is on a high spot of ground.)]
Then He said, “Do you see that ring?”
I said, “Yes.”
Then He said, “I have sanctified all of the ground inside of this ring, and I will not suffer any person to live inside of this ring except those who keep the celestial law. Now mine elders shall receive an endowment, and it shall be the same endowment that Peter had when he judged Ananias and Sapphira.” I was given to understand that only such elders received this endowment as were chosen by the Holy Ghost at this time.
“Now all written law ceases on the inside of this ring, but on the outside it shall continue as it is. Now my judgment commences inside of this ring which is the judgment of the Holy Ghost, that no sin may escape. By the written law and the judgments of men, many guilty ones go unpunished and many of the innocent suffer. You read in my word that Zion shall be redeemed by judgment. Many of my elders misrepresent me in regard to my judgment. They say it is storms, pestilence, earthquakes, etc., but this is not what I mean. I mean the judgment of the Holy Ghost, and as you see Peter yonder judging Ananias and Sapphira by the Holy Ghost, so shall the judgment be here. Death is laid at the feet of every person.
Then the vision opened to a very great distance, where I saw Peter judging Ananias and Sapphira by the Holy Ghost. Then looking back to near the center of the ring, I saw the judgment going on, yet at sufficient distance to prevent me from knowing anyone engaged in it. There were about ten or twelve men standing with their backs toward me, and about four or five feet to their right stood a man judging some person who was in front of them, yet hid from my sight by the other men. Immediately there was a very great excitement around where the judgment was going on, which soon extended to all parts within the circle, all seeming to know that everyone must immediately get out of the ring or come up and be judged by the Holy Ghost, which proved fatal to all whose consciences did not hold them guiltless; and I saw many hastening to get outside of the ring.
Some ran, some walked and others went in wagons, one of whom I noticed more particularly. After he had driven over the ring he turned toward me, so that I could see the tears running down his cheeks, and I was enabled to hear what he was saying to himself. He said, “Now I have lost this great blessing because I have not lived up to my privilege.” I was also given to understand that he could soon prepare himself by repentance and faithfulness to return and be able to abide the judgment, which he immediately sought to do.
I also noticed another one, on foot, who did not care for, or know, what he had lost, but seemed to be glad he had escaped the judgment, and showed no signs of repentance. I understood that both of these were Saints. I looked back to where the judgment had been going on, but it had all vanished.
Then I asked to know what degree of perfection would have to be attained to enable one to abide the judgment, and to have it manifested by pointing out someone that I knew. This He refused to do, but would tell me what kind of a character could abide the judgment and what kind of a character would have to go out. He said all those whose words had been just and true, all those in whose hearts there was no guile or deceit, can abide the judgment. He also told me that the following characters could not abide the judgment: All those that forgive with their lips, but not with their hearts; all those who have not spoken the true sentiments of their own hearts.
I had formerly believed that the land of Zion would comprise a great portion of America, which caused me to say, “If this is all the land of Zion, it is a failure, as I understand it.”
Then He said, “It is wisdom in me to sanctify but a small portion at a time, for you saw that many went out, and if I had sanctified a large portion there would so many have gone out that it would have left a great part of the land desolate and waste; but by sanctifying a small portion at a time there will enough remain on the inside with those who are on the outside who are prepared, who will be invited to come in immediately to build up and occupy the places that are going to waste; and when all of the land on the inside is filled up, I will move out the line and sanctify another portion as you read in my word, ‘The borders of Zion shall be enlarged.’ This is what I mean. It is wisdom in me to prepare my Saints in this way for my coming. If I did not prepare them, they could not abide my presence. If I should come unto them in their present condition, my glory would destroy them.”
I was given to understand that the time had now come that the gospel should go forth from this place to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, with signs following it; and should go forth by those who received this endowment and that they had power given them to smite the earth with all the plagues as often as they would—such as lightning, plagues, earthquakes, etc.
After I saw the foregoing vision I was very much exercised in my mind over it, as it was so different from anything I had ever thought of. I commenced reading and studying the Book of Doctrine and Covenants to see if it would corroborate any such idea, and immediately after I had finished it, which took about six months, I dreamed that I was telling the vision to some person, and told it all right until I came down to where I saw the judgment going on, and I said “He laid death at the door of every house.”
Then I heard the same voice that I heard in the vision saying to me in an emphasized tone, “Tell it as I told it to you. You have misrepresented me. I told you I would put death to the feet of every person” (italics added).
I said, “I see I misrepresented a little, but I thought it would not make any difference.”
He said,”It does make a difference, for this belongs to the vision I gave you and is a part of it.”
I awoke immediately after this. I never told the vision until I received the above dream. (Vision 30:3–4)
This vision was published in Autumn Leaves in 1890, Zion’s Ensign in 1901, and Infallible Proofs in 1930.
The Gathering Out of Zion of the Wicked in Mathew 13 Inspired Version of the Bible
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house. And his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man.
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked.
The enemy that sowed them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked.
The reapers are the angels, or the messengers sent of heaven.
As, therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world, or the destruction of the wicked.
For in that day, before the Son of Man shall come, he shall send forth his angels and messengers of heaven.
And they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them out among the wicked; and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
For the world shall be burned with fire.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matt. 13:35-45
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves;
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste.
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the water shall overflow the hiding place.
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night; and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report…
For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites.Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; Isaiah 28:15, 18, 19; 33:14-17.
What I have said unto you, must needs be, that all men may be left without excuse; that wise men and rulers may hear and know that which they have never considered;
that I may proceed to bring to pass my act, my strange act, and perform my work, my strange work. That men may discern between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God. D & C 98: 12d,e
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4:1; Joel 2:28-32.
Scriptures Pertaining to the Establishment of Zion…the New Jerusalem on this land!