Shalom - Covenant Peace
To establish Zion, even the New Jerusalem, is to establish a City and Society of Peace. The ancient City of Jerusalem was established to be a City of Peace whose Chief Cornerstone was the Throne of God. As Christ said, " Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head (i.e. Chief) of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?"(Matthew 21:42)
When we think of the cornerstone of a temple we often think of one of the corner foundations stones set at one of the cardinal points of a temple like so:
But as any trained stone mason from the ancient world will tell you, the chief cornerstone was the capstone of a temple as depicted thus:
Or as depicted on the Seal of the American Zion:
Literally the city of Jerusalem and more specifically the Temple of the Most High is considered Zion. The temple with it's furnishings with what we call the "Ark of the Covenant" was literally the throne/crown of God on Earth. From the Throne of God streams of living waters (or divine instructions of grace) were delivered to the children of God here on Earth. Jerusalem was the Governing Capital and Religious Center of All Israel. It was literally the habitation of God and one of the names or titles of God in Hebrew is Peace or Shalom.
To understand the definition of peace is to understand the Crown or Throne of God. As the Psalmist wrote:
"For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation." (Psalm 132:13)
"Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face." (Psalms 89:14)
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. (Psalms 97:2)
"And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep?" (Moses 7:31)
The pictures above are a Hebrew Symbolic representation of the Tree of Life. They are also a Key to Zion and hold the mystery of Jacobs Ladder- the Ascension of Mankind. For the kingdom of Zion- The New Jerusalem- to be established on Earth it must mirror the Habitation/Throne/Crown of God in Heaven. In other words the Kingdom on Earth depicted at the base of the diagram must be the mirror image of the Crown or Habitation of God at the Top of the Diagram. To accomplish this mystery, we must learn to establish our self and national government on the pillars of Justice and Mercy. When the two columns find equilibrium between them it will signify the union of the Heaven and Earth or the union of the Zion above and the Zion below. This is symbolized by the union of the attributes of God or twin pillars upon which God establishes his thrown. In it we find the presence of God and the perfected man.
This sacred marriage will create a burning tree (bush) to radiate throughout the human body and the body of Zion, filling it will divine Light.
It reveals that the body of man is the Temple of the Most High in the flesh, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
(1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
By partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Life we are filled with joy. It is not like the joy of the world but eternal joy. As Lehi expressed, "And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen. And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit." (1 Nephi 8:10-12).
This ancient knowledge and balance has been hidden in symbol meant to both reveal and conceal:
And Was Preserved for Future Generations in the Ancient Symbol of the House of Israel:
Upon partaking of this fruit and obtaining this balance, we will find ourselves in the fulfillment of 3 Nephi 21:25, "And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst."
