Zion or Babylon

Through the word of God we learn that there are several "either-or" propositions or choices that we have while in this probationary state, such as: Good or Evil; Light or Darkness; Happiness or Misery; and Justice or Mercy.

There is another of which we don't often associate with a choice of one or the other: Zion or Babylon, which appear in scripture as two mutually exclusive entities. Zion represents what Babylon is not, and vice versa. A person cannot belong to both, but must choose one or the other, just as we must choose good or evil, or justice or mercy. Isaiah, for example, describes Zion as both a people and a place--those of the Lord's people who repent and the place to which they return or to which the Lord delivers them. Babylon is the antithesis, namely those who do not repent, and the world--all that the Lord destroys in the day of judgment.

If Zion consists of those of the Lord's people who repent, who return, and whom the Lord delivers, then Babylon consists of all who do not repent, who do not return, and whom the Lord does not deliver. If Babylon stands for the world and the wicked whom the Lord destroys in the day of judgment, then Zion stands for what He does not destroy at that time.

Historically, Babylon was an idolatrous, materialistic world empire which is used in scripture to define latter-day Babylon, which is the idolatrous and materialistic world in which we live. Our choice, therefore, becomes this world (Babylon) or Zion (to which we must be delivered after we repent). We cannot have both as they are mutually exclusive.

We can't claim that we live in the world, but not of the world. We are all in Babylon. But where is the cry among the Lord's people to be delivered from Babylon? It will only come from those of the Lord's people who are repenting, and who desire and want Zion to be established, and who will labor, not for money, but for Zion (2 Nephi 26:31). We cannot ally ourselves with Babylon.

Zion are those of the Lord's people whom the Lord exalts, spiritually and temporally, following a time of probation. Babylon are those who exalt themselves now but who in the end suffer humiliation. They are those whom Lehi and Nephi saw in the large and spacious building, who pointed the finger of scorn at those who ate the fruit of the tree of life.

So how should we view our present situation of being in Babylon where Zion has not yet been established? Hugh Nibley, in his enlightening book Approaching Zion, articulates many problems we face today in becoming a Zion people. As he points out, instead of having become more Zion-like since the restoration of the Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, we seem to have acquired more of the characteristics of Babylon. Instead of having become God's peculiar people, a nation of kings and priests, queens and priestesses, we have become, as some of our modern prophets tell us, an idolatrous people, a people under condemnation, treating lightly the things (words) we have received. 

If this is the beginning point, where do we go from here?

First, we must recognize where we are. We live in Babylon and our employer is Satan, and it is his system that we work and labor in. This has been true (with a few exceptions where Zions was established) since the time of Adam, where Cain and many after him rejected God and chose to operate under Satan's system--which is Babylon, and which will be destroyed.

Second, we must recognize that we are slaves in this system and cannot deliver ourselves from it, even though we can pray for and desire it. Like the children of Israel in Egypt, we are slaves in Babylon and must be delivered.

Third, we must recognize that there is something better--Zion or the Lord's law which will be established, whether we choose to leave Babylon or not. But if we choose Zion over Babylon, we must prepare ourselves to leave Babylon.

Fourth, we must feast upon His words and believe them--not treat them lightly (D&C 84:49-58). Through His words we come to know that Zion will be established by those who believe His words, exercise faith in Him, repent and rely totally upon His merits to save them. Through His words we learn that the Prophet Joseph laid the foundation for the latter-day Zion, and that callings and offices in the restored Church of Jesus Christ exist expressly for the purpose of establishing Zion and her stakes (D&C 107:36-37, 59, 74). The Saints' labors in the Lord's vineyard build up the Church, which helps bring forth Zion (D&C 39:13). We will come to know that the purpose of the Doctrine & Covenants is to lay the foundation for the building up of the latter-day Zion. We must labor for Zion and not for money (2 Nephi 26:31).

Fifth, we must come to know that Zion cannot be built up unless it is built up by the law of the celestial kingdom (D&C 105:5), meaning we must desire to live the law of consecration so there will be no poor among us.

But are we enjoying Babylon so much that we don't even think of Zion? Are we like the Jews who were captured by the Babylonians and taken back to Babylonia, only to want to remain in Babylon even after they were free to go back to Jerusalem?

(I recommend reading Paradigms of Zion by Avraham Gileadi, for a very comprehensive scriptural analysis of Zion and Babylon, not only the historical Zion(s), but the prophesied Zion(s) of the latter-days).

Taking Strength Unto Ourselves

In Zenos' Allegory of the Olive Tree, the Lord asks His servant the question: "Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?" The servant answers with another question:  Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard--have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves, behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?" (Jacob 5:48 emphasis added) 

Another reference to taking strength unto ourselves is found in Helaman 4:13 which says that when we boast of our own strength, we will be left to our own strength. By being left to our own strength we will not prosper and will become corrupted. This description is associated with not only the pride of their hearts, but also the denying of the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation, descriptions of people who no longer believe in the power of God, having chosen to rely on their own strength and power. (Helaman 4:23)

Corrupted is also used in the scriptures to describe the people in the days of Noah before the flood, and specifically "...the wickedness of men had become great in the earth, and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually" (Moses 8:22). 

This particular type of wickedness is consistently described in the Book of Mormon and other scripture, and particularly describes the conditions of the last days, not only among the world but among members of the Church as well.  "For they seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol..." (D&C 1:16). 

Because God is the source of all goodness, and because we do not merit anything of ourselves, it is death for us to take strength unto ourselves.

  

By describing Himself as the vine, He reminds us that we are but branches and cannot bring forth fruit of ourselves. C.S. Lewis reminds us that Satan is perfectly content to see us being chaste and self-disciplined, while he sets up in us the dictatorship of pride. He cures our cold but gives us cancer. 

George MacDonald put it another way: "True victory over self is the victory of God in the man, not of the man alone. It is not subjugation that is enough, but subjugation by God. In whatever a man does without God, he must fail miserably--or succeed more miserably."

Liken the Scriptures Unto Ourselves

We will not get much out of the scriptures if we continually think of ourselves as the 'good guys' and fail to liken the scriptures to ourselves. It has been said that wo unto that generation who knows what the Book of Mormon is all about. It is written for us by those who saw our day. And what did they see?

Specifically when Moroni was shown our "doing" he did not describe us as we might like to see ourselves. He said that he knows that we walk in the pride of our hearts, and that we have transfigured the holy word of God. He asks us why we are ashamed to take upon us the name of Christ, and why we value the things of the world and adorn ourselves with that which has no life. And he asks us why we have polluted the holy church of God? He tells us we love money and our substance more than we love the poor and the needy. And he also warns us that the sword of vengeance hangs over us.

A specific scripture we can liken to ourselves to see if the conditions spoken of are present with us is found in 3 Nephi 6, and describes the people of the church as being distinguished by ranks according to their riches and their chances for learning. We do not have to look too hard at the Wasatch Front to see that we too are distinguished by ranks. There are those who have riches and as a result receive greater learning because of their riches, while many are ignorant because of their poverty and their lack of opportunities to gain an education.

This inequality was described as great wickedness and iniquity, especially because it existed in the Church. And it was a result of pride and seeking of the vain things of the world. And, moreover, these people did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught them, therefore they did willfully rebel against God. Could it be that we too know better, and yet persist in setting our hearts upon the vain things of the world?

These are the same conditions that existed among the Church in Alma's day (Alma 4) and we can also liken them to ourselves. When Alma describes the people as waxing proud because of their riches which they had gained by their industry, could it be that he is also describing us? It was so bad that their pride did exceed the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God. Alma also describes great inequality among the people of the Church, and describes this inequality as iniquity and wickedness. 

There were, however, others who were humble, who did help the poor and the needy. These also suffered all manner of afflictions for Christ's sake. They, according to the spirit of prophecy, did look forward to the day that Christ should come, retaining a remission of their sins being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead.

Alma mourned, however, because of the persecutions which were heaped upon the humble followers of God by the remainder of his people, seeing all their inequality.

Isaiah tells us that the people of Ephraim are drunk with the wine of self-deception, and he also had many other things to say about us in these latter-days, almost identical with the descriptions by Alma and Nephi. The humble followers of Christ act no hypocrisy and no deception, meaning they do not see themselves as anything but what they are in comparison to the goodness of God, having retained in remembrance their nothingness. Therefore, they rely wholly upon the merits of Christ, and do not rely on their own industry and strength.

The Salt of the Earth

As with all key phrases in the scriptures, the phrase "salt of the earth" is used consistently to describe a certain group of people. There are other key words and/or phrases that are used in connection with the phrase "salt of the earth" such as covenant, savor, saviors of men, trodden under foot of men, cast out, light, gentiles and the house of Israel, which help to define who are the salt of the earth, what their role is and what is prophesied concerning them.

D&C 101:39-40 tells us who are the salt of the earth, and what they are called to be. "When men are called into mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men; they are called to be the savor of men; therefore, if that salt of the earth lose its savor, behold, it is therefore good for nothing only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men."

President Benson clearly taught that references to the salt of the earth in the D&C referred to Church members of this last dispensation. In CR April 1985, Ensign 15 (May 1985), he said:

"The Lord said to the Church members of this dispensation: 'But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail against them. For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men; and inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men' (emphasis added).

Salt is linked with light. In 3 Nephi 12, the Lord said to the people "...I give unto you to be the light unto this people." This is said immediately after saying "...I give unto you to be the salt of the earth." Light and salt are therefore linked by the words 'ye are' and the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount says "Ye are the salt of the earth," and in the next verse He says "Ye are the light of the world." This connection is made even clearer in D&C 103:8-10 wherein the Lord tells the Church members, or those who have entered into the covenant, that "they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the saviors of men; and inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor."

The idea of being saviors of men is also introduced. Since we know that men can be saved only in and through the Savior, being saviors of men implies that we bring people to Christ to be saved. The Lord also makes it clear that in order to be saviors of men ye must "...hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up..." (3 Nephi 18:24).

The phrase 'trodden under foot of men' is used with the phrase salt of the earth to denote the consequences of the salt of the earth losing its savor. Both 3 Nephi 16:15 and 3 Nephi 20:16 are prophecies concerning the salt of the earth (members of the Church), and also tell us that it will be the House of Israel that shall tread down the salt that hath lost its savor. This is a reversal of the Gentiles coming to America and casting out Lehi's descendants (who are of the House of Israel) and treading them down. It is the Gentiles in the latter days who are to be cast out and trodden under the feet of the House of Israel. Since these references makes clear that these Gentiles shall become as the salt of the earth which has lost it savor and is good for nothing but to be trodden under the foot of men, the Lord is prophesying what will become of many who have entered into the covenant. (3 Nephi 16:15) These are those who have received the Gospel but rejected the fulness of the Gospel. (3 Nephi 16:10), or those who have not repented, thereby linking the failure to repent to the salt losing its savor. "And thus commandeth the Father that I shall say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts...; and if they shall do these things and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them" (3 Nephi 16:10 emphasis added).

The prophecies in 3 Nephi 16; 20 & 21 concerning the Gentiles who are the Salt of the Earth are quite clear in that there is no question but that many of the Salt of the Earth (members of the Church) will reject the fulness of the Gospel, reject God's words which have been revealed unto them, and because they refuse to repent, will be trodden down under foot by the House of Israel.

In an end time context, those "cut off" include wild branches of the olive tree (Gentiles) who do not "continue in his goodness" (Romans 11:22; cf. Jacob 5-65-66), "whosoever will not believe" the words of Christ, which the Lord's "servant" will bring forth to the Gentiles (3 Nephi 21:10-11); cf. Isaiah 52:13-15), "whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son" at that time (3 Nephi 21:20), and those who "will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles" when the "arm of the Lord" is revealed (D&C 1:14; cf. JS. Matt. 1:55; JS-History 1:40).

In this end time setting, the Lord's "servant" who brings forth the words of Christ to the Gentiles, is also "like unto Moses." Jesus says of those who disbelieve his words at that time, "(It shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant (or the Salt of the Earth)" (3 Nephi 212:11).

This test may help you determine which of the Gentiles you are associated with. To whom is Nephi speaking when he says "A Bible! A Bible!"? Of the two ways in which we can interpret this prophecy, do we accept what the Book of Mormon is actually telling us or do we subscribe to current popular opinion? From what Nephi has seen when viewing our day, it seems evident that we "who are identified with the Gentiles" (D&C 109:60), are particularly vulnerable.