Zion—A State of Safety and Abundance
Dec 14th, 2009 by larrybarkdull
In a day when treasures are slippery, foundationless nations collapse under the weight of their pride, enemies combine against righteousness, and men’s hearts begin to fail them, we should “come to ourselves,” as did the awakening Prodigal, come out from Babylon and “flee unto Zion for safety.” As prophesied, only Zion is a condition of abundance, safety and security. “Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever.”
Wresting ourselves free from Babylon is not for the faint-hearted. From the moment that we declare our allegiance to Zion, Babylon will cry, “Treason!” Then Babylon will withdraw its support and declare us enemies. The Lord’s promises of protection for Zion people are comforting. What is said of Zion the society could be personalized and said of a Zion person, a Zion marriage or a Zion family:
[Zion is] “a city [family] of refuge, a place [home] of safety for the saints of the Most High God; And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion…And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.”
True Safety and Security
Clearly, God protects Zion people from the perils of the world. Other Zion scriptures that can be personalized:
“And all that fight against Zion [you and your family] shall be destroyed….”
“Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you–there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; And if any man lift his voice against you he shall be confounded in mine own due time.”
The Lord has promised that the homes of latter-day Zion people will receive the same protection that he extended to the ancient Israelites: “And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence.”
No danger of Babylon exceeds the safety of Zion provided by the power of God: “Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion [you and your family]; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.” The bounds of Zion’s enemies “are set, they cannot pass…therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”
Obtaining an Abundance in All Things
The condition of Zion is “that every man may improve upon his talent, that every man may gain other talents, yea, even an hundred fold.” Abundance, not poverty, describes Zion. But, as with other principles, abundance can be obtained in telestial, terrestrial and celestial ways–and amounts! Motivation lies at the heart of the issue. Whereas a telestial wealth is obtained through hoarding, personal genius, and self-service, celestial wealth is obtained by obedience to God’s commandments, building up his kingdom, and improving the condition of his children.
Telestial and Celestial Wealth
The Babylon and Zion (Christ and Anti-Christ) motivations for obtaining wealth are set forth in the scriptures. Nephi states the frightening situation of telestially gotten wealth:
But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.
Early on in his career, a telestially rich man must make a conscious decision to suppress the divinely planted urge within him to take care of his neighbor. Otherwise, he could not become and remain telestially rich. Rather, such a man must learn to sooth his conscience by dealing out comfortable portions; somehow he learns how to look himself in the mirror and declare that he has fulfilled his duty to God and his neighbors. Nevertheless, in the daily management of his affairs, he is ever vigilant to seek his interests first under the guise of providing amply for his family and applying take proper business practices. In the eyes of God, however, at the moment a man sets his heart on building his treasure, that man begins to despise the poor and persecute the meek. The sadly, God is obliged to pronounce a “wo” upon him.
On the other hand, Jacob forwards the celestial or Zion law of wealth and its motivation:
“Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good–to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.” Clearly, celestially gotten wealth follows those who “seek…first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Wealth-seeking is Strictly Forbidden
These scriptures point out an important distinction between the methods of Babylon and Zion for obtaining wealth. As we are told by substantially every prophet in the Book of Mormon, celestial wealth is obtained as a result of obedience to the commandments of God and becoming a conduit through which God can funnel relief to his needy children. Few other commandments are repeated as often as to not seek for riches but rather for the kingdom of God.
Some people rationalize their seeking for riches first because they claim to have the eventual intent of blessing the Kingdom of God. But their motive is transparent; God has never authorized the sequence. The Kingdom must be our first, entire and eternal focus. We are under covenant now to use all our time, talents and resources to do God’s work, which is to save and elevate his children. By doing so, God–not Babylon–will prosper us, so that our capacity for blessing others increases and progressively we will be able to give more. By following the correct celestial sequence that governs the obtaining of wealth, we will learn to become like God, who is the most generous Giver.
God or Mammon-The Ultimate Test
Developing this attitude toward wealth is a major step away from Babylon, which we must take in order to become Zionlike and Christlike. Clearly, it is impossible to simultaneously serve God and mammon. One master or the other will eventually claim our loyalty.
President Stephen L. Richards said, “The accumulation and utilization of wealth confront the human family with some of its major challenges in determining the righteousness of goals and the correctness of behavior.” Then quoting Franklin D. Richards, he added, “‘In many respects the real test of a man is his attitude toward his earthly possessions.’ The prosperity that results from honest and intelligent work is not necessarily repugnant to the spiritual quality of life, but the Church consistently warns of the risks of selfishness and personal aggrandizement’ that lurk in accumulating wealth. President Richards went on to say that Zion people believe that “everything rightly belongs to God (Mosiah 2:21-25) and comes to man ‘in the form of trust property’ to be used for God’s purposes.”
When we lay claim to God’s property as our own and use it contrary to its intended purpose (blessing God’s children and building up of the Kingdom of God for the establishment of Zion), we are like the employee who, without permission, pillages his employer’s resources to personally profiteer. While it is true that he is entitled to a fair wage, he is not entitled to his employer’s surplus.
Abundance and Personal Righteousness
Zionlike abundance and prosperity pivot on the principle of personal righteousness: “Inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land.” In addition, President N. Eldon Tanner outlined five principles for personal economic affairs: “pay an honest tithing, live on less than you earn, distinguish between needs and wants, develop and live within a budget, and be honest in all financial affairs.”
Abundance begins with Tithing
Consider the payment of tithes and offerings. Has anyone ever been impoverished by paying them? It would be impossible. The true Paymaster invites us to prove, or test, him on this matter, and he is a God of truth that cannot lie. Millions can attest that the windows of heaven certainly burst and spill out blessings that challenge our ability to receive.
Interestingly, it is upon the principle of tithing that we initiate our retreat from Babylon and our return to Zion: “Wherein shall we return [to Zion]?…In tithes and offerings.” Is it not interesting that tithing saves us from the devourer, ensures that the conditions of a telestial world will not destroy us, and makes of us a blessed and delightsome people? Zion indeed! Only consecration, which is manifested through offerings, exceeds tithing in the blessings of abundance, safety and security.
Exceedingly Prosperous
Zion is described as being exceedingly prosperous, which includes material wealth. This leads us to believe that telestial prosperity, as much as we are awed by it, does not compare to the abundance enjoyed by Zion people.
Of course the greatest wealth is not to be measured in terms of money: “Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.” The Lord added, “And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” The Lord counseled, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” And in our day, “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.”
Abundance, safety, security, friends, family, wisdom and eternal life–these are true wealth. This is the condition of Zion people.
Author’s Note
This article was adapted from my new book, The Three Pillars of Zion. Click here to receive a free sample.)
Helaman 13:30-37.
Nibley, Approaching Zion, p. 32-33.
1 Nephi 22:14; see 2 Nephi 27:3; Moses 7:20.
S. Richards, Conference Report, April 1923, 31,151.
Tanner, Ensign, November 1979, 81-82.
