Elder Dale G. Renlund recently reminded us that the Savior’s return to the earth will be a joyful time. (See “Personal Preparation to Meet the Savior,” General Conference, April 2025.)
Near the end of Doctrine and Covenants 84, we read the words of a song which represents that joy. The song begins with a recognition of what has happened and why:
The Lord hath brought again Zion;
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The Lord hath redeemed his people, Israel,
According to the election of grace,
Which was brought to pass by the faith
And covenant of their fathers.
- Isaiah prophesied that the Lord’s watchmen will sing together “when the Lord shall bring again Zion” (Isaiah 52:8; Mosiah 15:29; 3 Nephi 16:18). When Abinadi quoted that passage, he testified repeatedly that God would “redeem His people” (Mosiah 15:1, 9, 11-12, 18, 23-24, 30).
- Paul told church members in Rome that they are not alone. There are other believers who receive God’s gifts “according to the election of grace” (Romans 11:5). And the resurrected Jesus assured the people at the temple in Bountiful that they were blessed because of the faithfulness of their ancestors: “ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers” (3 Nephi 20:25).
Zion and redemption come because of the Savior’s grace and the covenants we make with Him.
The next stanza lists some of the blessings that will accompany the Savior’s return:
The Lord hath redeemed his people;
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And Satan is bound and time is no longer.
The Lord hath gathered all things in one.
The Lord hath brought down Zion from above.
The Lord hath brought up Zion from beneath.
- John the Revelator prophesied that Satan would be bound for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2). Nephi clarified that Satan will have no power because of the righteousness of the people (1 Nephi 22:26). He will be “bound” because no one will listen to him.
- John also prophesied of an angel who would declare, “that there should be time no longer” (Revelation 10:6). How that works in practice is beyond me, but I’m assuming life is less stressful when you’re not always in danger of being late or missing a deadline!
- Paul told church members in Ephesus that God would “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). Elder Bednar explained that this involves understanding the gospel holistically and grasping the interrelatedness of true principles. (See “Gather Together in One All Things in Christ,” General Conference, October 2018.)
- And the Lord revealed to Enoch that he and his people (the ancient city of Zion) would return to earth with Him (from above) to unite with the Zion which we are now building on the earth (from beneath). (See Moses 7:62-63.)
The Savior will free us from the influence of Satan and the pressures of time. He will integrate doctrines and unite people.
The third stanza describes the triumph of the earth after struggling and laboring for this outcome:
The earth hath travailed and brought forth her strength;
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And truth is established in her bowels;
And the heavens have smiled upon her;
And she is clothed with the glory of her God;
For he stands in the midst of his people.
- Travail means “painful or laborious effort.” In the scriptures, it is often associated with childbirth. (See, for example, Isaiah 13:8; 2 Nephi 23:8; Isaiah 54:1; 3 Nephi 22:1.)
- King David testified that God wants us to have more than a superficial commitment to truth. “Thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” he said (Psalm 51:6).
- Aaron and his sons hoped that the children of Israel would please God. “The Lord make his face shine upon thee,” they prayed. “The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:25-26; see also Psalm 67:1).
God will be pleased with the efforts of people on the earth to establish Zion and prepare for the Savior’s arrival.
The final stanza is a doxology, a formal expression of praise:
Glory, and honor, and power, and might,
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Be ascribed to our God; for he is full of mercy,
Justice, grace and truth, and peace,
Forever and ever, Amen.
- A similar doxology appears in the book of Revelation, where heavenly beings sing a song of praise to the Father and the Son: “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (Revelation 5:13).
- The first four attributes—glory, honor, power, and might—represent our recognition of God’s supremacy. They are attributes that we ascribe to Him.
- The last four attributes—justice, grace, truth, and peace—are inherent traits, qualities that He possesses in perfection and that we are working to emulate.
- Standing between these lists is an attribute that represents His interaction with us—mercy. Jesus loves us with a perfect love, and as He testified to the people at Bountiful, “I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy” (3 Nephi 17:7).
We will be profoundly grateful for God, who makes all of these blessings possible.
Today, I will anticipate the joy and peace we will all feel when the Savior returns to the earth. I will be grateful for covenants and faith, for God’s redemptive power, and for the efforts of many good people on the earth. I will praise God for His goodness and power, and especially for His mercy and grace.
Paul: In a moment of clarity while lying in a coma in a hospital many years ago, I awoke and pinned a couplet that I have struggled to understand:
“There was a time when time was not;
“There is a place where time is not now;
There will be a time when time is no more.”
(Before the fall; how Celestial beings can travel what we consider across vast space; after millennium?) maybe? 😉