Revelation

I've been taking a class this semester from Brother Draper (my religion professor from Jerusalem) about the Book of Revelation. I've always been interested in Revelation, probably because it deals so much with the last days/end times, so when I had the opportunity to take it, I thought, why not?
Anyway, I've been learning a lot and it all makes me really think. Sometimes it makes me worried, but that just makes me want to do better. Today we talked a little about those who will be spared when the destroying angels come. In chapter 7, it tells us that those who bear the seal will be saved, but what does that really mean? How do we become one of those sealed ones? The answer is simple, but not easy. Besides entering into covenants with God, we have to be worthy of those covenants. Our worthiness relates directly to the state of our hearts. As it says in Psalm 24:3-4, "Who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart." We learn in the Doctrine and Covenants (97:21) that the pure in heart are Zion.
For a long time members of the church have been trying to build Zion. But what does that really mean? The word "zion" means citadel, or fortress. Zion is a place of protection. Zion is what will keep us safe when no other place in the world will be able to do so. But Zion is more than that. As already mentioned, it is the pure in heart, it is the people who love others and care about others.
This is where it kind of gets scary. In chapter 6 (I think) of Revelations, the temple is measured. This measuring is a protection, what is measured will be spared. But part of the temple is NOT measured: the court. As Brother Draper so aptly put it, "Proximity is not enough!" If we are CLOSE to righteousness, that is not enough, we have to enter in! But what if you think you've entered in, and you really haven't? Think of the parable of the 10 virgins. All of the virgins were waiting for the bridegroom, but only 5 were really ready. I'm sure when they first began, the 5 unwise virgins thought they were prepared, but in the end they weren't.
So how can we be sure that we aren't just standing in the court? I'm sure there are a lot of things that we need to be doing, but Zion is what ensures our safety; we need to build Zion! The devil is really trying hard to keep Zion from being built, and to do that he is fighting purity and love. He is trying to get people to love THINGS rather than love PEOPLE (and for many, it seems to be working). He is attacking morality, virtue, and modesty. And there, too, it often seems that he is winning. But that does not mean he will win over us. We don't have to let him win, we can't let him win!
These are just some thoughts that I had after my class this morning, and I thought I would share it with you. Don't freak out. I'm not an end of days fanatic, it just interests me. And I am very grateful that we have time to become better people, because I know that I'm not quite there yet.