Zion, the New Jerusalem, is to be a place of safety, both physically and spiritually. The Savior, in speaking of the last days, counseled us to “stand in holy places” (see D&C 45:32) and promised us safety in Zion and in her stakes (see D&C 115:6). The Savior taught His disciples that the city of Zion, the New Jerusalem, would be “a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety” in the time leading up to the Second Coming (see D&C 45:66–71).
The tenth article of faith states: “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.”
On another occasion, the Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught: “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight; … it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory, ‘the dispensation of the fullness of times. …’ A work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, the renovation of the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of the human family” (History of the Church, 4:609–10).