"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22 And aEnoch bwalked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23 And all the days of aEnoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24 And aEnoch bwalked with God: and he was not; for God ctook him." (Genesis 5:2-24)The Bible does speak of Enoch but there is little information but it is still intriguing. Ex. 4:10-12; Jer. 1:4-10; Isa. 6:1-10)
Enoch was a Prophet who taught and ministered to many, founding the City of Zion. Over the course of over 3 Centuries the City of Zion matured spiritually and was lifted up into the bosom of The Lord.
The Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind:Moses 7:18–19;
"Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is aZion—the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn." (D&C 97:21)
18 And the Lord called his people aZion, because they were of bone heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them." (Moses 7:18)
Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold," (Acts 4:34)
The community of Christ's disciples behaved just as righteously as the inhabitants of Zion. They learned well from Jesus.
The City of Zion is symbolic of the Kingdom of God. The people are of one mind and one heart and all are alike unto God. Jesus said much of this Kingdom in fact he said "John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."Jesus doesn't just mean accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, part of accepting His teachings is to act on them and live them out.
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34-35)
By their love shall all know that they are disciples of Christ.
By acting on the Teachings of Jesus we bring about The Kingdom of God. Christ said
'The Kingdom of God is within you" and that is the first crucial step in bringing about a Zion community anywhere.
An internal journey, finding oneself and having that baptism of fire is what will bring about a Christ-Like transformation that will unleash that righteousness laying dormant within us and then we shall see that the Kingdom is already here.
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:" (Matthew 3:11)
Jesus is a hard act to follow but we are called to carry our cross and follow Him. Hard a path as it is His Apostles learned to walk the walk not just talk the talk. They all were martyred:
Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia.
Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that city.
Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece.
John was put in a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward banished to Patmos.
Peter was crucified at Rome upside down.
James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem.
James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club.
Bartholomew was flayed alive.
Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors until he died.
Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel in the East Indies.
Jude was shot to death with arrows.
Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded.
Barnabas of the Gentiles was stoned to death at Salonica.
Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was at length beheaded at Rome by the Emperor Nero.
The Apostles believed in God and practiced that unconditional love so much that they, like Jesus, gave their lives for the cause of building up the kingdom rather than taking lives in the name of God.
The Apostles helped to grow the Jesus movement but around 70AD after the fall of Judea to Rome that movement died according to scholars and the movement that grew up out of that is what became the Catholic Church. After that community that "had no poor among them" disappeared there was a power vacuum that was filled by those who were hungry for power and the money that this new batch of followers had to offer.
After the Apostasy there seem no hope of another Zion community being raised up. But with each generation we have a new hope for helping to build up the Kingdom.
The hope for the Kingdom being built up on Earth as it is in Heaven is rekindled with every generation so it is always possible that we will get there.
But we each must be of one mind and one heart and pick up our crosses and follow the path of love Jesus tread. It lead to His exaltation and it will lead to our redemption.
Are we willing to sacrifice and work and to be transformed, baptized by the Holy Spirit and by fire? Are we willing to meet hate with love? Will we turn the other cheek? Will we practice what Jesus preached? Will we follow His commandments to love our neighbor and our enemies but above all our God?
The question is do we want those things not can we accomplish them.
