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Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie
declared,
In addition
to the rebuilding of the Jerusalem of old, the
latter-days are to see the initial building of
a New Jerusalem on the American continent, a
city which like its ancient counterpart will be a holy
city, a Zion, a city of God (Book of Mormon,
III Nephi 20:22). This New Jerusalem is to be built
by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints;
Jackson County, Missouri, is the spot designated by
revelation for its construction (Doctrine &
Covenants [D & C] 28; 42:8-9, 30-42;
45:66-67; 52:2, 42-43; 57:1-5; 58:7, 44-58; 84:2-5)…
This New Jerusalem on the American continent will have
a dual origin. It will be built by the
(Latter-day) Saints on earth and it will also come
down from heaven, and the cities so originating
will be united into one holy city. (Mormon
Doctrine, p. 532)
On the next page McConkie said that the
City of Enoch (which LDS believe was caught up to heaven
with Enoch) will return to earth and join the New
Jerusalem at Jackson County, Missouri. Then he said,
Thus it is
that the New Jerusalem shall be built by the
(Latter-day) Saints and shall also come down from
heaven. Events to transpire after the millennial
era and before the earth becomes a celestial sphere
have not been revealed. We do have an account,
however, of "the holy Jerusalem, descending out of
heaven from God" a second time, that is,
after the earth has become a celestial planet.
John refers to this celestial city in Revelation 3:12
and then gives a somewhat detailed description of it
in the 21st chapter of the same book. (Ibid. p. 533)
In our last article we mentioned why
LDS believe the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven a
second time.
McConkie did not just give his own
opinion on these things, but he stated what LDS
scripture teaches in the texts he mentioned above in the
Doctrine & Covenants. All of those LDS scriptures
were "revelations" to Joseph Smith, Mormonism’s founder.
One of them dated September 22 & 23, 1832 said,
A
revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph
Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their
hearts and lifted their voices on high. Yea, the word
of the Lord concerning his church, established in the
last days for the restoration of his people, as he has
spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the
gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion,
which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. Which
city shall be built, beginning at the temple
lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in
the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and
dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and
others with whom the Lord was well pleased. Verily
this is the word of the Lord, that the city New
Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the
saints, beginning at this place, even the place of
the temple, which temple shall be reared in this
generation. For verily this generation shall
not all pass away until an house shall be built unto
the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it which
cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall
fill the house. (D & C 84:1-5)
There are several things to notice about
this "revelation": The New Jerusalem is to be built
by "the gathering" of Mormons in western Missouri.
The exact location is identified as Independence,
Jackson County, MO, which would become an "everlasting
inheritance" (D. & C. 57:1-5). The
"gathering" of LDS to one place would provide the
manpower to build the New Jerusalem and it would be a
place of "safety" for them (D. & C.
45:67-71). The early Mormon concept of "gathering" to
Independence, MO, has now been replaced with the current
teaching that converts to Mormonism are to stay in their
own lands and not gather to the USA (Ensign,
March 2000, p. 79).
Joseph Smith was in Kirtland, OH, when he
said the Lord told him on August 2, 1833, "It is my will
that a house (temple) should be built unto me in the
land of Zion (MO) like unto the pattern which I have
given you. Yea, let it be built speedily by the
tithing of my people" (D. & C. 97:10-11). Smith
didn’t know that Mormon leaders in Missouri had already
signed an agreement to leave Independence two weeks
before that revelation because of the conflicts they
were having there. Since Mormons were expelled from
Independence, MO, it was not a place of safety
for them nor was it an eternal inheritance as
their scripture said it would be.
They left that area 172 years ago and
they never returned. So, they did not "speedily build"
a temple or the New Jerusalem there. But even if they
built a temple there now, it is too late to fulfill
Smith’s prophecy in Doctrine and Covenants 84:4-5
because Smith said the generation living in 1832
wouldn’t pass away before it was all fulfilled. That
was 173 years ago and no one is that old! Brigham Young
even said that a generation is 27 to 29 years (Journal
of Discourses, vol. 12, p. 118), which means that
the generation of 1832 ended long ago! Furthermore, the
New Jerusalem that is to come down from heaven in
Revelation 21:2 & 10 has no temple according to
Revelation 21:22.
Doctrine and Covenants
84:3 says the LDS are to build the
New Jerusalem, the temple and everything in it. Brigham
Young the second LDS Prophet said,
We will
have to go to work and get the gold out of the
mountains to lay down, if we ever walk in streets
paved with gold. The angels that now walk in their
golden streets, and they have the tree of life within
their paradise, had to obtain that gold and put it
there. When we have streets paved with gold, we
will have placed it there ourselves. When we enjoy
a Zion in its beauty and glory, it will be when we
have built it. If we enjoy the Zion that we now
anticipate, it will be after we redeem and prepare it.
If we live in the city of the New Jerusalem, it will
be because we lay the foundation and build it.
(Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, pp. 354-355)
The LDS New Jerusalem is a "do it
yourself" project much like Mormon salvation! In the
Bible, Hebrews 11:10 says Abraham "looked for a city
which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is
God." And Hebrews 12:22 says to believers, "Ye are
come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels." That doesn’t sound like something
mortal men will build.
Those who want to read more on this
subject can do so in the chapter entitled "More LDS
Scripture and Revelation" in my book Mormon Claims
Answered. Next time we will consider the Jesus
Christ of Mormonism.
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