I completed a brief study of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities during my English undergraduate training.
The central theme drawn over several papers I wrote focused into an exploration of altruism, most strikingly demonstrated by the actions of a central figure, Sydney Carton, who selflessly dies in the place of another, to spare a family the loss of their own son.
The parallel to Jesus' atoning sacrifice is obvious to most Christian readers, but I concluded with my own observation regarding altruism as it contrasts with other forms of sacrifice. Dickens' story contains several instances of sacrifice, with varying motivations, and varying levels of depth.
Sacrifice usually involves giving up something of immediate necessity or convenience, in return for something else, of greater long-term import. This may be done for different reasons, and there is nothing wrong with this type of sacrifice.
But it differs from altruism, a purer form of selflessness, shown by performing some sacrifice that gives no benefit to the offeror in return.
Jesus' declaration that,
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," was clearly illustrated by Sydney Carton.
Giving one's life in an act of altruism is the highest form of love, as Jesus said. I believe this is because the offeror is actually removed from the society they intend to bless by their actions. They therefore forfeit future opportunities for returns on their altruistic investments into humanity.
Not everyone is called to die for their fellows, as many have. Some are called to live for them instead, sacrificing their lives not by a premature ending thereof, but by a consistent effort to give their time, talents, and treasures to the genuine benefit of others, throughout a long, intentional span of useful productivity.
Offering your life to others doesn't really require losing your own joy.
What sacrifices of self must be made to bring about the kind of world we are working to provide for those who will come later?
Here's what Sydney Carton said about it:
"I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long years to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out.
"I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy, in that England which I shall see no more. I see Her with a child upon her bosom, who bears my name. I see her father, aged and bent, but otherwise restored, and faithful to all men in his healing office, and at peace. I see the good old man, so long their friend, in ten years' time enriching them with all he has, and passing tranquilly to his reward.
"I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. I see her, an old woman, weeping for me on the anniversary of this day. I see her and her husband, their course done, lying side by side in their last earthly bed, and I know that each was not more honoured and held sacred in the other's soul, than I was in the souls of both.
"I see that child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name, a man winning his way up in that path of life which once was mine. I see him winning it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his. I see the blots I threw upon it, faded away. I see him, fore-most of just judges and honoured men, bringing a boy of my name, with a forehead that I know and golden hair, to this place-- then fair to look upon, with not a trace of this day's disfigurement --and I hear him tell the child my story, with a tender and a faltering voice.
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
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Enoch and Melchizedek
Anciently, we remember two shining examples of Zion cities, identified with the distinguished leaders thereof.
Think how Enoch and Melchizedek built up their cities unto God. In these two prototypical Zion cities, do we see a large influx of people who changed the landscape from a place of wickedness into righteousness?
Look again. It was not by a flood of Zion-minded people that those Zion cities were established and built. It was by the preaching of the word of God, which has a greater effect upon the mind of man than the sword, or anything else. (See Alma 31: 5)
Many people were already in those locations, and were converted by the preaching of the Gospel. Enoch worked for years, and eventually enjoyed 365 years of righteous prosperity. Melchizedek established peace in Salem, building it into New Salem, or Jeru-salem.
The New Jerusalem will be the capital city of a new Zion society to be built up in America, which will see a veritable flood of new inhabitants who will flee the wickedness of the Babylon of the world. I believe this flood will come after the establishment of Zion in the midst of Babylon, which has been happening for the last few hundred years.
But the New Jerusalem will not be the only place Zion is established! When referring to Zion, we must be careful to use that word correctly. There are different ways the Lord and His servants use it. We ought to expand our understanding to encircle all that has been revealed so far about Zion. Don't rely on informal cultural cues brought about by osmosis through contact with others who believe in Zion. Search the scriptures yourself.
Many references are to sites in the old world, where the kingdom of God will be built by the gathered children of Judah.
Most significantly, Zion refers to a people, who have received the covenants of the Lord and have become "pure in heart." (Doc. & Cov. 97: 21)
This is the result of their having offered to the Lord their broken heart, and contrite spirit. (2 Nephi 2: 6-7; 4: 32; 3 Nephi 9: 20; 12: 19-20; Mormon 2: 12-15; Ether 4: 14-15; Doc. & Cov. 20: 37; 56: 17-18; 59: 8; 97: 8-9)
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Zion and Jerusalem
These last days, leading up to the Second Coming of the Savior are unique in all human history. Never have we seen such a strong organization for spreading the Gospel worldwide. Never have we seen Satan likewise enjoy such a widespread influence over the people, at least since the great Flood in the time of Noah.
Zion communities have existed before, and the great new culture to be established will likewise follow the same principles upon which they were founded.
Among them is the requirement to live the Lord's law of consecration. This is a high form of sacrifice. It involves voluntarily offering all of one's earthly possessions, in addition to time and talents, to establishing the cause of Zion. This law of consecration will lead to the establishment of an economic structure that enables all to enjoy peace and security, and will bring about the perfect equality many in the world are seeking today. Not all the details of this law have been revealed yet. We can read hints of it in a few places in the scriptures. (Acts 2: 44-45; 4: 32-35, 3 Nephi 26: 19-20; 4 Nephi 1: 2-3; Doc. & Cov. 38, 42, 51, 52, 54, 57, 58, 63, 64, 68, 70, 72, 78, 82, 83, 84, 85, 94, 96, 97, 101, 104, 105, 119)
I believe that "having all things common" does not mean there was common or shared ownership of property, but that each person owned the same things as any other person, according to their need. They were common with all others in that the property they owned was comparable to others'. There were no divisions between rich and poor, as "all were made partakers of the heavenly gift." (4 Nephi 1: 3) No one jealously guarded their property, but they regarded it as being available to anyone else who was in greater need than they. Entering this system of consecrated properties places participants into the position of being stewards over definite amounts of property, appropriate to their families' needs and their abilities and skills to manage.
"But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish."
2 Nephi 26: 31
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Other references to Zion are to the land of America, including all of the northern and southern continents.
Zion can also mean those communities established throughout the world, anywhere the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being lived, loved, and taught.
Zion of course also refers to the city of God to be built up, beginning at the place where Jackson County, Missouri is located. But it is not confined to the city itself, as there will be a whole nation known as Zion, of which the New Jerusalem is the capital.
Fleeing Babylon to build Zion does not require moving to the Kansas City, Missouri area. Zion is built everywhere there can be found those who have placed their trust in God. We have seen Zion established and spread from such places as Kirtland, Ohio, Nauvoo, Illinois, Salt Lake City, Logan, Manti, and St. George, Utah, to name a few. What do these places all have in common? Temples of God, built up to His glory.
We will see the redemption of Zion, meaning the land including the location of Independence, Missouri. (Doc. & Cov. 103, 105) This area was forcibly taken from humble followers of Christ in the 19th century. Following an executive order from the governor of the state which legalized the murder of followers of Joseph Smith, the Lord's kingdom has been scattered and planted in many rich and fertile fields around the world. We are seeking to build up the Kingdom by planting stakes around a perimeter, to raise the great tent in the middle which will provide shelter from the storms brought about by the heathenistic, hedonistic Gentile culture saturating the world with all manner of darkness. (Isaiah 4; Doc. & Cov. 45: 66; 115: 6)
In every past establishment of Zion, the righteous gathered and fled out of the geographic location of "Babylon," or the wicked world.
In this last time, though, it appears the process will be more gradual, and involve individuals making choices that place them within Zion personally, as the general assembly of Zion comes about by the purging out of wickedness from among them. It's less like seeing a righteous group form, who then leave the area and seek another location, than it is like a sifting process taking place among all the people, whereby they are filtered into different standings based on their personal righteousness rather than physical location only.
Think of wheat and tares, growing up together, and being sorted from each other only at harvest time. Think of corrupt olive branches that are cut away and burned only as quickly as there are good branches growing in to replace them.
Remove yourself from the Gentile culture currently swallowing many into fear, doubt, loneliness, weakness, self-indulgence, jealousy, pride, corruption, greed, lust, and a hundred other negative patterns of thought, behavior and motivation.
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"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
The "great and terrible" day of the Lord will be either great or terrible, based on your response to the call to come unto Christ.
Come.
See also:
Israel, Israel, God Is Calling, by Jeffrey R. Holland