Moses 7 – “The Lord Called His People Zion”
Moses 7 teaches us about the potential for divine nature that we all possess. As Enoch saw the misery and wickedness of humankind, he wept and his heart swelled, foreshadowing the atonement of Jesus Christ. As we increase our consecration and our compassion, we can live as Enoch and his city did.
“The LDS Story of Enoch as the Culminating Episode of a Temple Text,” Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, BYU Studies 53, no. 1
Moses 7 gives a detailed account of how and why Enoch and his people created a holy city. The general structure of the second half of the Book of Moses follows a pattern exemplifying faithfulness and unfaithfulness to a specific sequence of covenants that is familiar to members of the Church who have received the temple endowment. The story of Enoch and his people in these latter chapters of the Book of Moses provides a vivid demonstration of the final steps on the path that leads back to God and up to exaltation.
“Enoch,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Rulon D. Eames, James H. Charlesworth, Lewis R. Church
This short article overviews what we know about Enoch from Moses 6-7 and from three ancient Hebrew apocalyptic books of Enoch.
“Enoch and the City of Zion: Can an Entire Community Ascend to Heaven?,” David J. Larsen, BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 1
One of the most significant additions to the Book of Genesis in Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of the Bible is to the story of the prophet Enoch, who the biblical record briefly implies was taken up into heaven alive. In Joseph Smith’s rendering of the story, however, not only Enoch, as an individual, ascends into heaven, but also his entire community. This article explores the notion of communal ascent in ancient Jewish and Christian literature and seeks to find affinities with the story of Enoch’s Zion found in the LDS Book of Moses. Ancient narratives such as The History of the Rechabites provide some interesting parallels, however the idea of a group ascending into heaven is more strikingly presented in texts that are arguably designed for ritual purposes, as we see with the biblical Epistle to the Hebrews and the Hodayot and Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice texts from among the Dead Sea Scrolls. We can see in these texts a pattern that entails an individual being taken up into heaven and taught the celestial mysteries, then being appointed to return and teach others so that they can also, as a group, ascend into the heavenly realm.
“Zion, Zion, Zion: Keys to Understanding Ether 13,” Jeffrey S. O’Driscoll, The Book of Mormon: Fourth Nephi through Moroni, From Zion to Destruction, BYU Religious Studies Center
What do we know about the return of the city of Enoch? What role will the people of Enoch play in the millennium? Zion is both a social structure and a geographic location. This article looks at Moses 7, Ether 13, Revelation, and the Doctrine and Covenants to understand Zion as a goal for all Saints.
“The Narrative Call Pattern in the Prophetic Commission of Enoch (Moses 6),” Stephen D. Ricks, BYU Studies 26, no. 4
There is a striking example of a “narrative” type call in the prophetic commission of Enoch in Moses 6:23–36. This study considers the elements of the narrative call pattern; those elements of this form found in the prophetic commission of Enoch are examined and compared with the biblical narrative call passages.
“Book of Moses Essays,” Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, at Book of Mormon Central and Pearl of Great Price Central
These essays, with MP3 audio versions, delve into the philosophical aspects of the book of Moses.
“A Strange Thing in the Land: The Return of the Book of Enoch,” Hugh W. Nibley
This series of 12 articles (later published in The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, volume 2, Enoch the Prophet) examines the Enoch account in the book of Moses. It includes information about the pseudepigraphic books of Enoch and Joseph Smith’s teachings on Enoch.
- Isaiah 13–14; 24–30; 35 – “A Marvellous Work and a Wonder”
- Isaiah 1–12 – “God Is My Salvation”
- Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12 – “The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom”
- Psalms 102–103; 110; 116–119; 127–128; 135–139; 146–150 – “Let Every Thing That Hath Breath Praise the Lord
- Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – “I Will Declare What He Hath Done for My Soul”
- Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – “The Lord Is My Shepherd”
- Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – “Yet I Will Trust in Him”
- Esther – “Thou Art Come … for Such a Time as This”
- Ezra 1; 3-7; Nehemiah 2; 4-6; 8 – “I Am Doing a Great Work”
- 2 Kings 17–25 – “He Trusted in the Lord God of Israel”
- 2 Kings 2–7 – “There Is a Prophet in Israel”
- 1 Kings 17–19 – “If the Lord Be God, Follow Him”
- 2 Samuel 5–7; 11–12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11 – “Thy Kingdom Shall Be Established for Ever”
- 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–18 – “The Battle Is the Lord’s”
- Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–3 – “My Heart Rejoiceth in the Lord”
- Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – “The Lord Raised Up a Deliverer”
- Joshua 1–8; 23–24 – “Be Strong and of a Good Courage”
- Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – “Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord”
- Numbers 11–14; 20–24 – “Rebel Not Ye against the Lord, Neither Fear”
- Exodus 35–40; Leviticus 1; 16; 19 – “Holiness to the Lord”
- Exodus 24; 31-34 – “My Presence Shall Go with Thee”
- Exodus 18-20 – “All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do”
- Easter – “He Will Swallow Up Death in Victory”
- Exodus 14-17 – “Stand Still, and See the Salvation of the Lord”
- Exodus 7-13 – “Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt”
- Exodus 1-6 – “I Have Remembered My Covenant”
- Genesis 42-50 – “God Meant It unto Good”
- Genesis 37-41 – “The Lord Was with Joseph”
- Genesis 28-33 – “Surely the Lord Is in This Place”
- Genesis 24-27 – “The Covenant Is Renewed”
- Genesis 18-23 – “Is Any Thing Too Hard for the Lord?”
- Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2 – “To Be a Greater Follower of Righteousness”
- Genesis 6-11; Moses 8 – “Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord”
- Moses 7 – “The Lord Called His People Zion”
- Genesis 5; Moses 6 – “Teach These Things Freely unto Your Children”
- Genesis 3-4; Moses 4-5 – “The Fall of Adam and Eve”
- Genesis 1-2; Moses 2-3; Abraham 4-5 – “In the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth”
- Moses 1; Abraham 3 – “This Is My Work and My Glory”
