Zion versus Jerusalem?

“For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

This verse (Isaiah 2:3) and others like it are often cited by RLDS to support the idea that there will be two distinct centers of influence for God’s people –Zion versus Jerusalem. They claim that “out of Zion shall go forth the law,” whereas “the word of the Lord [shall go forth] from Jerusalem,” as if these were two separate activities occurring in two separate cities. Of course, RLDS believe the Zion spoken of here refers to Independence, Missouri.

This interpretation displays a major lack of understanding of the Old Testament. Large portions of the Old Testament, especially the Prophets and Psalms, are written in Hebrew poetic structure, a predominant characteristic of which is parallelism. The simplest and most common type is synonymous parallelism, where the thought of the first line is echoed–and therefore reinforced–by the second line. This is done by using words or phrases having equivalent meanings. Consider these examples:

“The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul,
The testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7)

“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud,
thy transgressions,
and, as a cloud, thy sins.” (Isaiah 44:22)

Therefore, to cite Isaiah 2:3 in support of a Zion in Independence, Missouri is self-defeating. The scripture actually proves that Zion and Jerusalem are synonymous terms– they are really just different names for the same city.

What Does the Bible Say About Zion?

The Bible uses the name Zion in three general senses.

1. Israel’s Capital. The term Zion is first used in the Bible as the title of the Jebusite fortress conquered by David circa 1,000 b.c., also known as Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:6-7). After he conquered Zion David renamed it the “City of David,” which title remains to this day. Just north of the the City of David is the temple mount where David’s son Solomon built Israel’s first temple, resulting in its designation as “Mount Zion.” The term Zion ultimately came to refer to the entire ever-expanding city of Jerusalem.

2. Millennial Zion. “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3), is one of many prophecies about Jesus conducting His millennial rule from Jerusalem, or Zion (see also Isa. 1:27, 4:1-6; Joel 3:16; Zech. 1:16-17; 8:3-8). In the Bible, Zion refers only to Jerusalem. It has nothing to do with any other city or any other land whatever.

3. New Jerusalem. Finally, Zion (or Mt. Zion) in the Bible also refers to the eternal city of God which comes to reside on earth after all things have been made new following the millennial Kingdom Age (compare Heb. 11:10; 12:22-24 to Rev. 21-22). In the book of Revelation the eternal city is called the Holy City or the New Jerusalem. God’s new creation will replace everything in the universe (Rev. 21:1-4). The curse of deterioration and death brought by mankind’s sinfulness will be lifted from the new eternal world (Rev. 22:3). It is only fitting that the Lord’s seat of power during that coming age be referred to as the New Jerusalem.

 

Feature	Biblical New Jerusalem	Joseph Smith's New Jerusalem
Location	Jerusalem of Israel	Independence, Missouri
Builder	God alone builds it for His children	Latter Day Saints build it for God
Timing	after Christ's millennial return, all things shall be made new	before Christ's millennial return and in preparation for it
Number of cities	only one	two—New Jerusalem in Independence, Missouri and "old" Jerusalem in Israel coexist, both before and after Jesus' return

Conclusion

It is clear that by designating Independence, Missouri as the New Jerusalem, Joseph Smith created an “upside-down” city of promise bearing no resemblance at all to the New Jerusalem of the Bible (see chart above). This doomed his followers to a life of confusion and frustration trying to build a city which was never a part of God’s will, but only a figment of Joseph’s own imagination. As a result, RLDS are also blinded to God’s real plan as given in the Bible.