Franklin Reid

Finding New Jerusalem Franklin Reid

The title "New Jerusalem' is mentioned twenty times in the LDS scriptures, but only twice in the entire Bible, both of these are in the book of Revelation. In it John refers to the "city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." (Rev. 3:12) In a later chapter, John actually saw that future event when the holy city was coming down from heaven, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 21:2) The other eighteen references are in the latter-day scriptures. For instance, in the book of Ether, translated by Moroni, he tells us about this land of America: "And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord." (Ether 13:3) But there is another New Jerusalem as given in the tenth Article of Faith, "that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent." The New Jerusalem, then is two places or two cities, one built in heaven and another built on the American Continent. We read about these two cities coming together in the book of Doctrine & Covenants where we have the words given for the Saints to sing a "new song": The Lord hath brought down Zion from above. The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath. (D& C 84:100) This book is about the Saints changing their hearts to live the Celestial law and gathering from all parts of the world to Independence, Missouri. It is to that city that the prophet will then move the Church headquarters and begin building the city of Zion and the New Jerusalem.