A New Book

I have been reading a new book by Neal A. Maxwell called the Enoch Letters. It is a series of fictional letters from a character named Mahijah to his friend Omner. In the letters he describes his association with Enoch and how he learns of Jesus Christ through this amazing prophet. While the letters are fictional, Elder Maxwell uses scriptural references in his descriptions.

I was impressed in the introduction to the book at the reasons why it was written. Elder Maxwell says that studying the city of Enoch is relevant for the following four reasons:

1. There was a group of people who were successful at applying the commandments.

2. It is just as important to know the positive consequences of righteousness.

3. These people were preserved in the midst of awful evil.

4. In Moses chapter 7 it describes a reunion of the people from the city of Enoch with the righteous at Christ's second coming which is unique.

It had been awhile since I had read Moses 6-8 and I had forgotten the details surrounding the city of Enoch. The two things that surprised me from the above list is that I had somehow forgot that these people lived in perhaps one of the most wicked times on the earth. In fact, the entire earth was flooded soon after! It just goes to show me that being truly committed to Jesus Christ is possible no matter how bad it gets.

The second thing that I had no recollection of reading was about this amazing reunion. The scriptures say:

"And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt 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 mind abode, and it shall be Zion..."

That sounds like a reunion of people that know and love each other!

I started thinking about it and realized that this reunion will be like this because the people will understand each other. I think about this concept a lot because so many times in life we are misunderstood. The truth in this principle is that when we are living the gospel of Jesus Christ to the fullest, we see people as they really are and love them for who they are. That would be Zion!