Vision of Zion: Recent Episodes
Craig Perry
Zion is both a state of being and a place. “This is Zion—the Pure in Heart.” Zion is also the New Jerusalem, and any place where the righteous gather. It is nothing less than heaven on earth. Zion will be created on earth before the second coming of Jesus Christ. This podcast explores the end times, and the events that are unfolding right now that are creating the conditions that are making ancient prophecies and covenants about Zion a reality. We will not only explore the word of God spoken to his prophets but also, we will put them in the context of today's current events, how you fit into God's plans, and the great joy and blessings that will come from participating in this heaven-ordained movement. We will also discuss the principles we need to learn and master in order to become a Zion people, our hearts knit together in love and unity.
On December 1, 2023, we joined a group of dedicated volunteers to visit Hopiland. Together, we brought wood for fuel, cottonwood for kachina doll making, call for ceremonies, food, and clothing.
Orlan, who is a member of the Yellow Fox Clan, owns a kiva in the village of Moenkopi, which is next to Tuba City, AZ. Orlan invited us to enter his kiva where we could discuss spiritual matters. Eighty-three volunteers fitted into this humble structure. We were there for over 2 hours, and Orlan spoke to us and talked about the Hopi ways, how when, they get together for their ceremonies in the kivas, they pray for all humanity and for us to return to the peaceful simple ways of life and living.
He said a prayer in the Hopi tongue for us and let one of our Christian brothers pray as well. Mike sweat, who runs the nonprofit organization UnitedRain.org, and it has helped to get volunteers to assist the Hopi, reminded us more than once how rare and blessed of an occasion this was to enter a kiva as an outsider. He was only aware of this happening with four other individuals on past occasions. This may have been the first time that a Christian prayer was ever offered in a kiva.
In this video, we will chronicle our trip, some things that we learned, and some efforts being made to assist these people and to feel their love and humility. We sincerely hope this podcast will encourage people to get involved in helping them further their economic prosperity as they seek for replacement revenue from losing coal mining jobs and receipts for the sale of coal, which previously provided important financial stability to their communities.
Today, May 4, 2023, is the U.S.A.'s National Day of Prayer. As the Children of Israel prayed for relief from their enslavement in Egypt when Pharoahs came to power "who knew not Joseph," so we need to pray for our nation's escape from the false ideas and attacks on our freedoms. We ask that you join us in prayer for divine intervention in exposing the falsehoods that are hurting our nation and pray that the truth will be exposed. Angels are available to assist, but we have to ask for their help--or their power to assist cannot be loosed.
In this episode, Jane discusses some significant events leading up to the Second Coming that are especially significant to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:1. In 1984, Dallin Oaks and Russell Nelson were called to be apostles at the same time. Shortly thereafter, she recalled that when Dallin Oaks became a "president," either the President of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles or President of the Church; it was a time marker of significant changes within and without the church. 2. In 2015, one of her impressions was fulfilled that apostles would die in rapid succession. This occurred when three of died within this year. 3. She saw Joseph Smith leading a group of people, in fulfillment of his mission that has not yet been completed; it appears related to the redemption of the land of Zion. His ongoing involvement, along with other dispensation heads, during this "Dispensation of the Fulness of times, is well documented. See The autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt.; The life and travels of Parley P. Pratt : Pratt, Parley Parker 1807-1857, pp. 370-371, D&C 101:56 ("And the lord of the vineyard said unto one of his servants: Go and gather together the residue of my servants, and take all the strength of mine house, which are my warriors, my young men, and they that are of middle age also among all my servants, who are the strength of mine house, save those only whom I have appointed to tarry"); D&C 103:21 ("Verily, verily I say unto you, that my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. is the man to whom I likened the servant to whom the Lord of the vineyard spake in the parable which I have given unto you"); and Visions of Glory by John Pontius, Chapter Seven.
In this episode we explore Jane's recollection of the return of the City of Enoch, which is prophesied in JST Genesis 9:21, "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself." Moses 7:62-64: "And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which 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. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; and there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest." Messiah's appearance at the Mount of Olives, Zechariah 14:4, "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."The "rapture" will not occur as an escape for the righteous from the tribulations. But the saints will eventually be caught up when the Savior descended with the hosts of heaven, in the midst of great rejoicing and joy. Although we will have martyrs in our generation for the cause of Christ, Revelation 6:9-11, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Jane saw that in the Lord's mercy, our spirits will leave our bodies before we have to suffer a painful death, seconds before.Jane's statement that a female spirit is attached to this earth is confirmed in Moses 7:48, "And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?"
In this episode, we ask Jane about her recollections concerning the last days. In this episode, we cover apostasy among church members, the causes of that apostasy, the gathering of saints, the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, the anti-christ who shall appear in the temple after three-and-a-half years, and the probable meaning of the 70 weeks set forth in Daniel chapter 9:24-27: '""Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." This corroborates with the scriptures set forth in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." As far as time is concerned, see Daniel 12:7, "And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished,"
In this first installment of a second interview with Jane, we begin to discuss events relating to the last days that she witnessed during her out-of-body experience as a child, which began coming back to her from the time she was in her twenties until the present time. This first installment is basically an overview of the things she saw. We will get into more details in the next few parts.
Part Four of the first interview with Jane who, when she was a child, was called out of her body and taken up into heaven, where she was shown events of her premortal past, reminded of the covenants she made, and the reasons she needed to remain in mortality. Most of the details of this vision were taken from her, until one evening, a priesthood holder was prompted to visit her and give her a blessing. In that blessing, she was blessed that her memory would be unsealed. From that time until the present, she has continued to recall things that she was shown during her out-of-body experience. She will share some of those recollections in a later podcast.
Continuation of an interview with Jane. In part three of her interview, she describes the beauty and organization of heaven as she recalls it. She also talks about her understanding of the veil that separates these memories from our limitations in mortality.
Continuation of Interview with Jane, who had an out-of-body experience when she was a child. Due to our experiences in pre-mortality, were we foreordained to accomplish certain things in this life? Or is there such a thing as predestination? What is the role of free agency?
Jane was very young when she was called out of her body. She was taken into a heavenly place, with throngs of angels awaiting her. She met the Savior. She overwhelming love she felt from him, and for him, is hard to describe. With a guide (John the Revelator) by her side, She recalled many interactions during her pre-mortal experience and was reminded that she had been sent to earth to fulfill certain covenants that she had made with the Savior. All of us are sent here for various reasons and missions to fulfill.
Welcome to an Extra episode, Episode 2. The first Extra was a four-minute introduction on why I felt these extras were needed.
In this podcast we discuss how the cleansing, prior to the second coming, will begin. And it begins with cleansing the inner vessel....
Learn about the only two things that angels envy us for...
It is time to drill deep on certain topics about the last days in a perhaps narrower and more unique approach. These "extras" may be a little more than most listeners are interested in. The target group for these "extras" is members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
To everyone else, feel free to come along for the ride! There are no secrets here; however, it may be too narrow for many of my listeners. Nevertheless, I'm going to pull out all stops and dive deep into the rich sources of information available to members of the Church about the Second Coming and about building up of Zion. It is a very rich honey pot of knowledge; for you skiers out there, this is a black diamond series,
So, for those who do not mind jumping into the deep end of the pool, or taking a drink out of a fire hose, you are welcome to join! But, because this is an advanced graduate-level type of course, I will not be covering pre-requisites--meaning I won't be taking the time to explain all of the background information that would be helpful. You will need to return to the regular series of podcasts for that,
As I go, be prepared to be overwhelmed--I know I often am! The advanced series will all be under "Season 2" for purposes of organization.
Heavenly signs of future events were first mentioned in Genesis 1:14. The word appears frequently in both the Old and New Testament several times in both the Hebrew and the Greek, respectively. Not ony are there heavenly signs about the end of the world (or destruction of the wicked) but also signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ, or the "coming of the Son of Man" on earth. Jesus describes a number of them privately to his disciples in Matthew 24.
In this podcast we discuss broadly the importance of signs--are they for the believing, the unbelieving, or both?
I also provide a general summary of the types of events foretold by the prophets, namely various phases of latter-day events, and the signs that that end times are near: apostasy and restoration, a period of tribulations, the judgments of God, and the second coming, followed by the Millennium. Each topic will be dealt with in more detail in later podcasts.
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." The objective of Vision of Zion is not merely to share insights and information about prophecies concerning the last days, but to teach and encourage you to develop your own ability to understand them through personal effort, guided by the Holy Ghost.
In this podcast, I suggest some of the things that I have done to help me better understand prophecies concerning the last days, in the hopes that they will inspire you to do the same.
We are about to embark on a study of the prophecies concerning the Last Days, as contained in the Tanakh (Old Testament), the New Testament, and more. In this podcast I explain what we are going to be studying, and why.
One of the valuable lessons we can learn is how to apply the art of reason. There are two kinds of reasoning: deductive and inductive. Deductive is drawing conclusions from axioms--it works great with math--but not so good with the natural sciences. It took humankind centuries to go from a geocentric solar system to a correct, heliocentric understanding. Inductive reasoning gathers data and facts first (i.e., the empirical method) before trying to draw conclusions. This method has its own set of problems but is generally a better approach.
You can read about God and religion and then try and draw your own conclusions, using deductive reasoning, but if your assumptions are wrong, so will be your conclusions. The Gospel is meant to be lived and experienced, In this way, we can better understand eternal truths.
God will sometimes reason with us as one person reasons with another. But the gold standard for learning truth is feeling His spirit and letting it edify us. We might make mistakes, but the Spirit of God will lead us to light and rejoicing. If something is not from God, it leads to darkness and confusion. God is merciful and forgiving as He leads us along, teaching us the difference--if we remain humble and teachable.
While preparing to review lessons from the book, "Evolution Under the Microscope," by David W. Swift, I found some thoughts that came to me when I read this book a few years ago. I thought I'd share some of them with you. They are kind of random.
My notes deal with the best of things is yet to come, some truths about truth, and one of the limits of evolution. Spoiler on the last one: evolution has not explained how life began; it can only (partially) attempt to explain what happens to life after it shows up.
I kept this one short and sweet in case you wanted to replay it consider each point. I hope it's thought-provoking.
God taught Adam and Eve they had the power to crush the head of the serpent, or Lucifer, even though he could bruise their heal. By calling upon the name of Jesus Christ, we can cast the devil out from our midst, out of our lives, as often as is needed.
Casting out Satan is as fundamental to Christianity as any other principal Jesus exemplified. We should be well-versed in recognizing the power we have been given to command him, "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
In this podcast, the author describes his learning about this principle, which is not only taught in the scriptures, but also in the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is one of the most overlooked and underutilized aspects of Christian theology.
I've attended Church my entire life! Have I ever been tempted to drop out? Only on rare occasions when I felt like a social outsider.
Let me share with you why I've seen people choose not to go to church, and why I have decided to keep going. I've never regretted my decision! If you're thinking about leaving? Please reconsider. I'll give you a few reasons why you should stay, based upon personal experience.
When someone wrongs you, is it easy for you to forgive? In this podcast, the presenter shares an experience in real time about the importance, nay, the requirement, that we forgive one another
We need look no further about the power and necessity of forgiving others than the example of Jesus Christ.
The prophets spoke to God, and they describe how powerful yet friendly it was. They spoke to him face to face, as we speak to each other. They spoke to him the same way friends speak to each other. Prophets encourage us to do the same.
No one has brought God down to the level of every child, woman and man more Jesus Christ. The Son of God let us know how accessible God is speak with any one of us.
The notion that God has said all is going to say or will ever say to us does not comport with the Lord's open-ended invitation to ask, seek and knock.
We are created in God's image, male and female. He is our Father. And he is anxious for you to renew your fellowship with him. He can do the same things in our day that he did in days of old. He lives, and does his Son, Jesus Christ!
Dearest children, God wants to bless you! Jesus has encouraged us to ask, seek, and knock. God is not stuck in the past, he is as able to answer you today as he was in days of old. God has spoken in the past, he is speaking, and he will speak to you if you approach him. He is liberal in his answers, as a father treats his child.
In this podcast, the presenter describes recent blessing given to his brother, and shares some of the specifics of that experience, to illustrate and help you understand how much love God has for you, too.
One of the ways our Heavenly Father speaks to us is through prayer. Learn how to pray and approach him. Finally, as God's boots on the ground, we need to pray that Heavenly Father will protect our children and those around us from abuse, that we can be God's eyes and ears and help those who are praying to be rescued.
Many people have seen God and Jesus Christ in their spiritual glory. Visions, out-of-body and near-death experiences can be found in scripture, journals, books, and other recorded accounts. While such spiritual events occur, Satan is raging to suppress knowledge of the very existence of God--deceiving many. From the time that old serpent, the Devil, appeared in the Garden of Eden, God has promised Adam and Eve--and their posterity--that through Christ, we have had the power to crush his head. With any spiritual experience or insight, we should expect that the Devil is given the opportunity to test and to try us, to see if we are true and faithful to those experiences and the abilities we acquire to bless others. Satan is trying to stop our effectiveness in blessing our families and others.
The power of the Devil is real. He wanted to force righteousness on all of God's children who inherently have the power of free will. Because Satan's plans of "exaltation for all" was rejected in favor of the eternal plan of agency and accountability, he became our bitter enemy, and we are at war. In the end, Satan can only offer hopelessness, fear, despair and suffering. However, we can reach out to Jesus Christ and his redeeming power for our salvation, his arms always remain stretched out to embrace and receive us.
In this episode, the presenter reviews portions of the visions of Alfred Douglas Young, a Mormon Pioneer, Joseph Smith, Jr., and Moses--to establish a pattern of the Devil, who tries to prevent these individuals or persuade them to deny their spiritual encounters with Deity. Through these experiences, we learn that spiritual warfare is going on, and that we can and will win. But we must prepare to endure the buffetings of Satan and cast him out of our lives, as often as necessary. While we may not have the same lofty spiritual experiences of others, we can expect to be tried and tested to the degree that we advance spiritually. We have all the spiritual armor and weapons that we need to overcome and defeat Satan, finding light, peace, and joy.
The last three episodes described Zion or Heaven on Earth, and the power that can be generated by a group or city of righteous people, and the power, protection and the joy that comes from this collective righteousness: God protects his people. In this episode, return to the fundamental principles and ordinances that are central to how we, individually, get to that point. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, and consists of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost--nothing more, nothing less. Faith is the moving cause of all temporal and spiritual action. Through repentance, we can get rid of the effects of sin and become truly free to act in accordance with God's will. Baptism is how we demonstrate our commitment to Jesus Christ, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth of all things (John 14:26; John 15:26). Personal examples of these principles in practice are shared.
According to Methodist Scholar Margaret Barker, and others, the accounts of Enoch and Melchizedek were scrubbed from the post-exilic Jewish scriptural compilations. Why? Were their miraculous stories and incredible successes too fantastic to believe in a modern world? 1 Enoch also speaks about an end-times Messiah--was it too much to believe? Although today's Bible barely mentions them, Enoch and Melchizedek were known to the ancients, and there is clear evidence that the book of 1 Enoch was read and quoted by the apostles and familiar to Jewish society. In this podcast, we learn that similar acts of protection may be necessary to protect the righteous, give Mother Earth a rest, and reestablish Zion once again upon the earth, a place or places where the righteous can dwell in peace and safety while the world rages against them and against one another.
Are the Church and Kingdom of God the same thing? Initially the two enjoy a symbiotic relationship, as a mother and child. But they become separate entities with separate functions. The Kingdom of God is destined to become a secular organization. Within its structure, a plurality of religions and religious beliefs will be protected and permitted to exercise freedom of conscience. Has the Kingdom of God been born yet, as described in Revelation 12, or is it still waiting to be born?
The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream that only the exiled Jewish prophet, Daniel, could interpret: the stone cut out of a mountain, without hands, filling the whole earth, crushing every remaining kingdom set up by man. This was the kingdom of heaven, and it's still coming. Flashes of this kingdom have been set up upon the earth in the past. We'll explore in some detail the church and kingdom that Peter and the apostles established following 40 days of instruction from the resurrected Lord (Acts 1:1-3). The love of God is what makes heaven on earth possible. Meanwhile, Satan attempts to set up his coercive plans of external force, threats and economic control to try and establish his kingdom. The kingdom of God leads to unconditional sharing, crimeless, and classless societies where miracles, knowledge and riches abound, while the latter leads to misery, crime, poverty, and destruction. Which kingdom will we choose?
Trials of faith are more valuable than gold. 1 Peter 1:7. We won't receive an affirmation of our faith, or witness, until we are tried first. In this life, we face opposition in all things. For every good thing we receive, we can expect opposition from the adversary. Expect it and be aware of it. But there is no comparison to the joy we can feel versus the opposition we will have to endure.
Instead of focusing on the obstacles that the adversary is putting in our way, we need to remain focused on the Lord's plan to bring about heaven on earth--through us (boots on the ground).
While we prepare for heaven on earth, we will be gathered to safe places. The Lord will watch over and protect his flock.
What does it mean to be born again? Who can be born again? In this episode, I talk briefly about my approach to Bible study before beginning an examination of the Savior's doctrine that we must be born again as set forth in John chapter 3. We study the examples of the Day of Pentecost, Saul's conversion, Alma the Younger, and personal experiences of witnessing the Holy Spirit speaking to and converting others. Also, what do we do after we have been born again? Is it a guarantee that we will stay on the path of righteousness? In the end times, we will be tried and tested for our commitment to Jesus--but that path of discipleship is a joyful path, in spite of its challenges. If we keep on the path we will participate in building the kingdom of God on the earth.
In this podcast, I explain what faith is, as I have come to understand it, through scripture, scriptural examples, personal experience, and the testimony of others. There is no greater force that will change the world than your exercise of faith in Jesus Christ.
The prior episode dealt with how the Lord uses his servants who are on the earth, prophets, you and me, to accomplish his work. This podcast addresses people who give blessings to the sick and afflicted. Giving blessings to loved ones is a privilege. Let go and let God speak through you to those need his help. (The picture for this podcast cover depicts Jesus ordaining one of the apostles, which is also performed by the laying on of hands).
How does God accomplish his designs? Does he operate from the heavens above using a top-down approach? Or does he rely upon his children upon the earth to call down the powers of heaven, a bottom-up approach. The answer may surprise you.
Welcome to my new podcast, Vision of Zion! I will be examining the end-time prophecies of the Bible and will also add insights from other scriptures that are part of the standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I take literally the prophecies of the last days as contained in the Bible, and together we will explore their meaning in light of today's unfolding events. It's time we learn and become engaged in the things that the Lord has in store for us.