The Land of Missouri
Where is the Border of the Lamanites the Lord speaks of in D&C 28 & 54?
“Wherefore, go to now and flee the land, lest your enemies come upon you; and take your journey, and appoint whom you will to be your leader, and to pay moneys for you. And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of , unto the borders of the Lamanites.” D&C 54:7-8
“Hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints. Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion. And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.” D&C 57:1-3
Not Guatemala nor Jordan
The Scriptures are clear that Missouri is the Promised Land, and Independence is its Center place, and the borders of Missouri (West of the Mississippi) are where the Lamanites lived. Our scriptures don’t mean that Illinois or Iowa are not beautiful and special lands. It just means Missouri and specifically Independence was chosen by the Lord. Doesn’t it make sense that Guatemala, Mesoamerica, Iran and Jordan are not the specific Promised Lands spoken of?
Some may say, well, the Promised Land is not just in Missouri it is all of North and South America. That raises a question. Don’t we know the Land of Israel was also a Promised Land, which doesn’t include Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Iran does it? Sure there are good lands outside of Jerusalem and Independence, MO, but surely these further away places are not “the” Promised Land that was chosen to have the Lords people live were they? The Lord can’t have Guatemala or Jordan be the places from which the gospel spread from.
President Hinckley said, “I should like to say a few words about America…. No land is without its beauty, no people without their virtues, and I hope that you who come from elsewhere will pardon my saying a few words concerning my own native land, America. I know that she has problems. We have heard so much of them for so long. But surely this is a good land, a choice land, a chosen land. To me it is a miracle, a creation of the Almighty….” Gordon B. Hinckley, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled 1974.
Misunderstood Quote
“You know there has been great discussion in relation to Zion–where it is, and where the gathering of the dispensation is, and which I am now going to tell you. The prophets have spoken and written upon it; but I will make a proclamation that will cover a broader ground. The whole of America is Zion itself from north to south, and is described by the Prophets, who declare that it is the Zion where the mountain of the Lord should be, and that it should be in the center of the land. When Elders shall take up and examine the old prophecies in the Bible, they will see it.” President Joseph Smith’s Remarks–The Whole of America Zion–April Conference, 1844 Section Six 1843-44, p.362 See more here: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/the-most-misunderstood-quote-by-mesoamerican-theorists/
“Because of his faithfulness and integrity, Joseph received greater blessings than the progenitors of Jacob, and was rewarded with the land of Zion. His brothers, with malicious intent, separated him and cast him out from among them. The Lord, in rewarding him, separated him from his brothers — the other tribes of Israel — and gave him an inheritance in a land that is choice above all other lands, which, we have learned from the Book of Mormon and modern revelation, is America… We are informed in the revelations given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, that the city of Zion and the New Jerusalem is one and the same. In a number of revelations the Lord speaks of the New Jerusalem which is to be built…” Zion and Jerusalem by Joseph Fielding Smith, Improvement Era Vol. 22 JULY 1919 More explanation here from Jonathan Neville Blog Here
The New Jerusalem
“And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites.” D&C 28:9
“And behold, and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go ye forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about.” D&C 133:9
“Wherefore I, the Lord, have said, gather ye out from the eastern lands, assemble ye yourselves together ye elders of my church; go ye forth into the western countries.” D&C 45:64 “And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God;” D&C 45:66
“I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.” Moses 7:62