“Inheritances in Zion Are to Be Purchased; the Lord Decrees Wars, and the Wicked Slay the Wicked; the Saints Are to Gather to Zion and Provide Moneys to Build It Up”
Doctrine and Covenants 63:24–48
24 And now, behold, this is the will of the Lord your God concerning his saints, that they should assemble themselves together unto the land of Zion, not in haste, lest there should be confusion, which bringeth pestilence.
25 Behold, the land of Zion—I, the Lord, hold it in mine own hands;
26 Nevertheless, I, the Lord, render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s.
27 Wherefore, I the Lord will that you should purchase the lands, that you may have advantage of the world, that you may have claim on the world, that they may not be stirred up unto anger.
28 For Satan putteth it into their hearts to anger against you, and to the shedding of blood.
29 Wherefore, the land of Zion shall not be obtained but by purchase or by blood, otherwise there is none inheritance for you.
30 And if by purchase, behold you are blessed;
31 And if by blood, as you are forbidden to shed blood, lo, your enemies are upon you, and ye shall be scourged from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few shall stand to receive an inheritance.
32 I, the Lord, am angry with the wicked; I am holding my Spirit from the inhabitants of the earth.
33 I have sworn in my wrath, and decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked, and fear shall come upon every man;
34 And the saints also shall hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am with them, and will come down in heaven from the presence of my Father and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire.
35 And behold, this is not yet, but by and by.
36 Wherefore, seeing that I, the Lord, have decreed all these things upon the face of the earth, I will that my saints should be assembled upon the land of Zion;
37 And that every man should take righteousness in his hands and faithfulness upon his loins, and lift a warning voice unto the inhabitants of the earth; and declare both by word and by flight that desolation shall come upon the wicked.
38 Wherefore, let my disciples in Kirtland arrange their temporal concerns, who dwell upon this farm.
39 Let my servant Titus Billings, who has the care thereof, dispose of the land, that he may be prepared in the coming spring to take his journey up unto the land of Zion, with those that dwell upon the face thereof, excepting those whom I shall reserve unto myself, that shall not go until I shall command them.
40 And let all the moneys which can be spared, it mattereth not unto me whether it be little or much, be sent up unto the land of Zion, unto them whom I have appointed to receive.
41 Behold, I, the Lord, will give unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., power that he shall be enabled to discern by the Spirit those who shall go up unto the land of Zion, and those of my disciples who shall tarry.
42 Let my servant Newel K. Whitney retain his store, or in other words, the store, yet for a little season.
43 Nevertheless, let him impart all the money which he can impart, to be sent up unto the land of Zion.
44 Behold, these things are in his own hands, let him do according to wisdom.
45 Verily I say, let him be ordained as an agent unto the disciples that shall tarry, and let him be ordained unto this power;
46 And now speedily visit the churches, expounding these things unto them, with my servant Oliver Cowdery. Behold, this is my will, obtaining moneys even as I have directed.
47 He that is faithful and endureth shall overcome the world.
48 He that sendeth up treasures unto the land of Zion shall receive an inheritance in this world, and his works shall follow him, and also a reward in the world to come.
President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:
“We are told that Zion is to be purchased. This fact was taught the early members. They were warned against creating antagonism among their neighbors, many of whom were extremely bitter towards the members of the Church. The Lord said the land could not be obtained by the shedding of blood. Those who had the privilege of assembling there should not go up to Zion in haste, but gradually. The reason for this advice is apparent, for haste would lead to confusion, unsatisfactory conditions and pestilence, and then, also, it creates consternation and fear in the hearts of their enemies and arouses greater opposition. Satan desired to destroy them and in his anger endeavored to stir them up to strife and contention as well as the older settlers in Missouri. The destruction of the wicked is decreed. Once more the Lord declared it; but the wicked were to destroy the wicked, and the Saints were to avoid bloodshed. These warnings were repeated frequently and the members of the Church were told that wickedness shall cease. Judgments shall be poured out without measure; destruction shall come like the whirlwind when the cup of iniquity is full.
“We, ourselves, too often fail to understand. The word of the Lord shall not fail, and even now we have seen many of these dreadful judgments come upon the peoples of the earth. We have not seen the end, for these conditions will continue until our Lord comes to cleanse the world and change it to its paradisiacal condition.
“Until that great and dreadful day the Lord declares there shall be foolish virgins among the wise. However, the day will come when the Lord will ‘pluck out’ of His Church the wicked, ‘and cast them into unquenchable fire’ [D&C 63:54]. This unquenchable fire is, of course, the torment which comes to the wicked who do not repent and who have failed to keep the covenants and commandments. It will be the torment of the mind and soul.”
(Church History and Modern Revelation, 2 vols. [1953], 1:232.)
