I Describe Zion in the Latter Days

 ZION

THE PLACE
Far away in the west.
The Rocky Mountain Empire -- temporarily.
Only the forerunner of the City of Zion that will someday emerge.
As the New Jerusalem.
Obscure and long forgotten now,
Its location has never altered from the Prophet's description
On the western border of the state of Missouri.
Independence,
The centerstake.
A quiet, misnamed hamlet whose history is
Persecution,
Hatred,
Murder,
And extermination sanctioned by a government sworn to defend
Independence and freedom to worship.
So now we wait in the mountains.
Babylon quietly assimilates a peculiar people,
Once strange,
Now loved and admired by the world.
No longer peculiar,
Accepted, while we luxuriate in our mountain Zion.
But the best teams of horses
And our finest wagons are not poised and eager for the call.
It is night.
All is well,
And we sleep.
Contented.
We have made certain the plans have changed.
We are righteous now.
The world attests to our popularity
Even the once-hated Missourians finally rescind the extermination decree.
Zion is now defined as the place you live,
While Jackson County waits,
Forgotten,
For the sound of the angel’s clarion trumpet that will
Cleanse,
Purify,
And sweep the inhabitants off as with the whirlwind,
Without so much as a little yellow dog left to tell the tale.
But now we prosper in our mountain retreat,
And slumber.

THE PEOPLE
Strangers and foreigners,
Seeking for a city whose maker and builder is God,
Their prayers ascending
As a witness against a world gone astray.
The meek among men,
Their calling and election assured,
But unheralded.
They know sacrifice,
Service,
The Spirit.
They fill their lamps with the oil of the gospel
Before the Bridegroom comes,
And watch patiently,
Never wavering in their faith of the coming dawn of a brighter day.
They lean on the arm of Spirit
While others sleep in the warm embrace of the arm of flesh.
They raise the ensign of faith through their consecration
Of time,
Of talents,
Of all with which they are and will be
Blessed.
They will welcome their cousins in Israel,
Long lost,
Fall upon their necks and kiss them,
And rejoice that they are found among the four corners of
Earth's expanse --
Refugees,
Outcasts,
But never "lost" again.
Together the people,
Peculiar again,
Are set unmoved at last on Zion's mount,
A beacon light to a dark and fallen world,
Groaning,
Weighed down in its iniquity.

THE CONDITION
The society of believers.
Everyone speaks
In the name of the Lord.
No one teaches his neighbor,
No need, since each inhabitant of the City of Zion knows Him.
The individual stewardship is magnified and enlightened
For the common welfare of all brothers and sisters.
Gone are the investment portfolios,
The retirement and pension plans,
The gods
Of stone,
Of glass,
Of metal,
Of chrome,
And wood.
Hearts are purged
Of lust and envy,
Of once-treasured financial strategies and
False worship.
The goal eternal life,
Spreading the truth as with a flood.
One heart,
One mind,
One faith,
One hope.
Independent of every creature beneath the celestial world.
Free from bondage in the "great society"
Consumed by the weight of its own avarice.
Granted its birthright in the fulfillment of destruction.
It is the great beginning.

THE TIME
Today. The sixth seal.
Here and now.
"Describing Zion will not bring it about," saith the Prophet.
Doing,
Loving,
Longing,
Serving,
Preparing.
Today, the eleventh hour of the sixth seal, and now the
Tomorrow our forefathers spoke of and prayed for
Yesterday.
Tomorrow is the seventh seal
Only a sunrise away,
And even now the fingers of
Light
Glimmer faintly on the horizon of our mountain Zion
Toward the east.
But still we sleep until
Vengeance
Begins upon our house
To awaken us.
Then Zion rises, clothed in her beautiful garment for the Bridegroom,
The bride,
The wedding,
And the feast.
The time for preparation?
Today.
The time of fulfillment?
Tomorrow.
Now and not yet,
But soon.

My Observations About Temples

This morning just for fun I asked Grok to summarize my postings on X about temples. This was the result, and I now share it on a broader platform for all those who are interested. . .

Summary of @david_goates' recent X posts about temples

Your posts treat temples as a mix of personal worship, family history work, local news, and spiritual teaching. Most activity centers on Utah temples (Lindon, Taylorsville, Salt Lake, Mount Timpanogos, Provo City Center, and the upcoming Heber City Temple).

Visits and photos

You regularly post pictures from temple grounds or sessions and note when you’re there “on the way to somewhere else.” Examples include Lindon Temple, Taylorsville Temple, Mount Timpanogos Temple, and a “twofer” day at Provo City Center and Lindon. You often mention doing family names (including very old ones from the 1600s) and adding names to the prayer roll.

Family and ordinances

One post highlights going with three daughters for an endowment session and how much you cherish that time together. Other posts tie temple attendance to faith, repentance, and exaltation—“Temples point the way to eternal life.”

News and construction

You share Church News and Deseret News links about the Salt Lake Temple open house (ticket batches and reservation dates) and updates on what’s coming to Temple Square. You also posted that you’re praying for the Heber City Temple to be finished.

Tone
The posts are consistently positive, faith-affirming, and low-key personal rather than argumentative. Engagement is highest on the photo posts from actual visits (especially Lindon and Taylorsville) and the family-history “twofer” post.

Overall, the thread of your temple posts is: temples are places you actually go, do work for ancestors, take family, and treat as the practical path to eternal life — not just symbols.

* * *

I confess that I am a newcomer to Grok, but this morning I learned something about myself that I could have never known without AI in my life. I became a fan.

Yesterday to celebrate my 79th (whew!) birthday by attending an endowment session in the Bountiful Temple. I went fasting and was rewarded with an answer to earnest prayers I have been offering for well over a year now. That smile on my face says it all without having to spell it all out in detail on this very public stage.

I am forever grateful to my Father in Heaven for prolonging my life after a brain tumor was discovered and removed in 2020. I was healed and have lived on in mortality despite that diagnosis. I am grateful beyond my ability to express it, and I consider myself to be a practiced writer (I won't say "accomplished," just "practiced"). He has been so good to me, and I acknowledge His love for me and my family that cannot be denied.

The temples in Utah are now abundant and offer me choices each week. Patsy and I served as ordinance workers in the Salt Lake Temple until it closed at the end of 2019 for the extensive renovations that ensued. At that time following my recovery we were offered positions at the Jordan River Temple as ordinances workers, but we decided to attend the temples of our choice to do the actual ordinance work for our ancestors. That's a work I have continued to do since her death on July 25th, 2023. I continue to attend various temples within an hour's reach of me to pursue the vicarious ordinances for them as they wait in the spirit world. There are many instances to which I can attest of their nearness to me when performing those ordinances on their behalf. I am so certain they will one day greet me in the spirit world with gratitude for that sacred role I have played for them in their eternal progression.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is restored to the Earth in our day. Of that I am a living witness. As I was seated in the chapel yesterday in the Bountiful Temple, my Book of Mormon opened to 3 Nephi 11.

28 And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been.

29 For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.

31 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.

32 And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.

33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.

34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.

35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

36 And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.

38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.

40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.

41 Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth. (Emphasis mine).

* * *

From time to time we need to revisit the Savior's teachings among the Nephites following His resurrection. His doctrine puts to rest whatever disputes there may be "out there" in the seemingly erudite and intelligent community who are unfamiliar with our doctrine. I am routinely criticized on social media for my posts about doctrine, "my doctrine," as He defined it Himself. Rather than get drawn into doctrinal disputes with detractors, I refer them simply to His words. His doctrine is not complicated, and I have no duty to defend it anywhere or anytime. His words are clear and simple. Accept them or reject them, they are not confusing or difficult to comprehend them. I pray that increasingly we will be bold enough to declare them to the world as it tends to sink lower without His light.

I am practicing "becoming as a little child every day" as I now embark upon my 80th year on this planet. The older I grow the simpler it seems to me now. . .

Bountiful Temple Yesterday

"What Was the Best Decision You Ever Made?"

I had this question waiting for me in an email this morning. It's a compelling question, isn't it? I couldn't resist making an attempt at an answer, so I will share openly with all of you out there in cyberspace. I hope it will prove insightful for each.

Without hesitation, the first thought I had at an early hour was, “That’s easy. Marrying Patsy Hewlett.”

Her body now lies in the Woodland Cemetery, but I testify through the many evidences of a spiritual confirmation that her eternal spirit now resides in the spirit world. She lives on. Many of you as well have testified of her ongoing influence in your lives through her subtle but persistent inspiration to you too. It’s harder for me now than ever to distinguish between the voice of the Holy Ghost and hers. To me they are one and the same voice.

Trust me, taking the step to marry the love of your life in the temple is a decision with eternal implications, then, now and always ever after. I was more concerned about the considerations of the moment at the time, but now that I am approaching the end of my life in mortality and she's where she is today, the eternal nature of our sealing is pulling me in her direction every day I continue to live.

“The most important single thing that any Latter-day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person, in the right place, by the right authority.” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, “Agency or Inspiration?” New Era, Jan. 1975, 38, emphasis mine.)

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) taught: “‘Soul mates’ are fiction and an illusion; and while every young man and young woman will seek with all diligence and prayerfulness to find a mate with whom life can be most compatible and beautiful, yet it is certain that almost any good man and any good woman can have happiness and a successful marriage if both are willing to pay the price.” (Marriage and Divorce [1976], 16, emphasis mine.)

I believe in soul mates, because I found mine in Patsy. Not everyone is as fortunate, however. It was my mother who first suggested the possibility of Patsy, and I immediately responded to the idea. It was heaven-sent inspiration. Happily for me, she agreed that I was also her soul mate. I get emails every week from our stake single adults group (36+), outlining social gatherings intended to promote “partnering” and I routinely discard them. At this stage in my life I have absolutely no thoughts of any plural marriage possibilities.

There are many of the rising generation among us, however, who are poised to make these momentous choices, and I certainly encourage that pursuit for each of you. I give you my counsel in this regard. Do NOT be discouraged by the misfortunes of others you may know in your age group. What is true for many of them does not have to be true for you. Your Father in Heaven is interested in helping and encouraging you in your righteousness as you contemplate an eternal marriage. The way is open as never before for making a success of your lives through seeking your eternal companion. In every sense it is a mutual decision between two consenting adults determined to make it work by putting the other person first in your lives.

I watched a couple who hesitated for many years before marrying, and then when they decided to move ahead with their temple marriage were never able to combine their prodigious talents together to make it into a success. Selfishness and greed entered into their relationship over things as trivial as dividing the space in the refrigerator into “his” and “hers” sections for food preferences. They also maintained separate bank accounts. Their marriage ended in divorce only months later, citing “irreconcilable differences.” I knew them both, and each sought my counsel, along with their bishop whom I also knew well. It all came crashing down.

We all know those kinds of stories. They should never be a deterrent to our faith in what is possible, however. Not everything has to be “perfectly in place” before proceeding to the altar of the temple in a sealing room where eternal marriage commences.

Truthfully, for Patsy and me it only required the desire in faith to take those first furtive steps into the unknown. And, yes, you can accuse us of naivete as you wish. Looking back these days is what I do best it seems. My lonely existence within these walls without her is buttressed by that eternal belief that I will one day be reunited with her. That hope sustains me now.

We have concluded the widespread celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this weekend. It culminated under the bowery here in Pine Valley with an outdoor sacrament meeting comprised of a testimony meeting. Family members bore witness of the Savior for a sacred hour.

The First Presidency had invited us all as a Churchwide membership to fast and pray for “religious liberty” to be expanded to all the nations of the earth, a prodigious goal to be sure. Our testimonies to one another focused on the blessings of the Savior in our lives.

No one mentioned a political party. Instead, we united our faith on behalf of all those inhabitants of nations where religious freedom is not yet a possibility. It was an evidence to me that the Brethren whom we sustain as living prophets among us are continuing to look outward for the blessing and benefit of our brothers and sisters everywhere.

I am keenly aware of my blessings as a resident of Utah. I am surrounded by temples of my choosing in which I can do my little part in extending those blessings to my ancestors from whence I sprang in England. And now I can also feel the promptings of Patsy to continue that work here in Utah in which she is still no doubt engaged full-time in the spirit world.

My decision to marry Patricia Brazier Hewlett Goates in the Salt Lake Temple on December 19, 1969, continues to be the crowning blessing in my life in time and eternity. I assure each of you that a similar blessing is within your reach too.

That single “best decision” has proven again and again to be efficacious in everything I do today.