John has prepared his reader for the crushing judgment of God upon the world as the Lamb breaks the last seal. Chapter six had concluded with “the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, [hiding] themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains,” crying in terror against the face of God and the Lamb, “for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15, 17). But that wrath does not explode from the outset of chapter seven. Just at the moment of greatest crisis, an interruption occurs; the vision changes, and an interlude begins, bringing a moment of quiet and explanation to the reader.

Such a break in flow characterizes the John’s pattern. At each turning point, as events are about to get ugly, he pauses to give encouragement and hope through explanation. Chapters four and five do this for the six seals, chapter ten for the third woe, chapter fourteen for the seven vials, and chapter 20:1-6 for the battle of Gog and Magog. This is exactly the case here.

Chapter seven answers the question posed in 6:17: “Who shall be able to stand?” when the Lord sends his great judgments upon the earth? The answer is those who possess the seal of the living God. This sealing secures and protects the righteous from the great destructions that will be poured out upon the earth’s inhabitants, including the desolations that accompany the blowing of the seven trumpets and the pouring out of the seven vials (bowls) in Revelation 8, 9, and 16. Joseph Smith taught that the sealing mentioned here “signifies sealing the blessing upon their heads, meaning the everlasting covenant, thereby making their calling and election sure.” (TPJS, 321.) The number of those sealed are 144,000; they are all high priests.

The events portrayed in this section will occur during our dispensation; they continue the events surrounding the opening of the sixth seal, which is discussed in Revelation 6:12 and in Doctrine and Covenants 77: 10: “Q. What time are the things spoken of in this chapter [Revelation 7] to be accomplished? A. They are to be accomplished in the sixth thousand years, or the opening of the sixth seal.”

verses 1-8 The sealing up of the saints of God against the wrath that is to come forth.

1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

verse 1 “after these things” After the events recorded in Revelation 6.

“four angels” As the new vision opens, John sees four angels standing on the four corners of the earth. The repetition of the number four suggests geographical fulness – all the world will be involved in the events of chapter seven. These angels hold in check the wind so that it “should not blow on the earth.” The Greek word anemos, translated “wind,” indicates a storm wind, sometimes almost hurricane-like. Such winds brought drought, heat, insect plagues, and desolation. The mention of sun and withering heat in verse sixteen suggests that John had in mind the sirocco, a scorching wind that burnt up vegetation and left the land dust dry. Biblical people viewed such winds as displays of divine wrath (cf. Hosea 3:5; Revelation 16:9, “great heat” being from a scorching wind). In this light, the angels play the role of divine executioners with power to destroy the whole earth.

Modern revelation confirms this view and adds depth: “Q. What are we to understand by the four angels, spoken of in the 7th chapter and 1st verse of Revelation? A. We are to understand that they are four angels sent forth from God, to whom is given power over the four parts of the earth, to save life and to destroy; these are they who have the everlasting gospel to commit to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; having power to shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the regions of darkness” (D&C 77:8). We thus learn that God commissioned these four angels and gave them power to both destroy life and to save it. They have power over the process of condemning judgment and the spreading of the gospel. They have, as it were, two faces. They are not only destroying angels, but saving angels as well. What makes the difference is how men respond to the message they dispense. These four angels may be the same angels referred to in the parable of the wheat and the tares (see D&C 86:5-7; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). In both cases, the angels with the power to save or to destroy were instructed by their leader to wait until the wheat has been gathered (see Matthew 13) or until the saints have been sealed (see Revelation 7). In the meantime, their work is to prepare the nations of the world to receive the restored gospel and to bring the world to repentance, even by the use of natural disasters if need be.

The angels have long since left their home in heaven and are now on the earth. These angels are those who in 1831 were “waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned” (D&C 38:12). President Wilford Woodruff stated that these angels have been loosed and are at work here. (“Temple Worker’s Excursion,” 512.) However, their job is not just to destroy but to commit the gospel as well. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:300-01.) Their main period of operation is the sixth seal, or the period just preceding the Millennium. Thus, in this dispensation angelic administration is combining with mortal efforts to assure the world-wide preaching of the gospel during that time (see D&C 77:10). Only after they fulfill that commission will they unleash the winds of destruction.

The signs associated with the sixth seal – the earthquake, the darkened sun, the bloodred moon, falling stars, the heavens opening as a scroll, the movement of mountains and islands, and fear coming upon humanity – play a major role in the objectives of the sixth seal. Their function is not primarily destruction. They represent additional effort on the part of God to bring all men to him. The four angels symbolize the spiritual forces that oversee and assist in fulfilling this objective. During the sixth seal, the fulness of his gospel will be restored to the earth and both natural and supernatural forces will combine to see that it spreads to all lands and cultures. Those who respond with fulness of heart will enter into the rest of the Lord and find peace and safety. Those who reject it will find vexation and misery.

The world has already rejected the gospel many times, but during the sixth seal conditions are such that one more rejection will assure its doom. This is because the gospel, preached with tremendous power, will not be easily ignored. Those who reject it will not do so out of ignorance. Therefore, events during the sixth seal will heighten the ideological conflict between the forces of good and evil. The conflict will not be resolved during the sixth seal, but the battle lines will be clearly drawn.

The battle lines will fall between the church of the devil and the Church of Jesus Christ. The mortal perspective may not perceive and report it that way, but from a spiritual standpoint the issue is clear.

The armor of the saints – righteousness and tremendous power from God – will protect them from the world-embracing colossus of wickedness, pride, and spiritual apathy while the destroying angels prepare to move against it. As noted above, the primary preparation will be the preaching of the gospel. Pure testimony will flow through the nations during the sixth seal. Many will respond. Those who do not, who willfully rebel against the light and who seek to destroy God’s work, will face the wrath of the seventh seal.

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,

verse 2 “an angel from the east” In concert with the four angels, John sees another angel ascending from the east. The imagery used in these verses reminds one of the rising sun, which recalls the glory of God, spreading light and life. The idea is reminiscent of Ezekiel 43:4, where the glory of Jehovah comes out of the east. This angel “is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve tribes of Israel; . . . and, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things” (D&C 77:9).

Speaking of this Elias, Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said:

Correcting the Bible by the spirit of revelation, the Prophet restored a statement of John the Baptist which says that Christ is the Elias who was to restore all things (JST, John 1:21-28). By revelation we are also informed that the Elias who was to restore all things is the angel Gabriel who was known in mortality as Noah (D&C 27:6-7; Luke 1:5-25; TPJS, 157). From the same authentic source, we also learn that the promised Elias is John the Revelator (D&C 77:9, 14). Thus, there are three different revelations which name Elias as being three different persons. What are we to conclude?

By finding answer to the question, by whom has the restoration been effected, we shall find who Elias is and find there is no problem in harmonizing these apparently contradictory revelations. Who has restored all things? Was it one man? Certainly not. Many angelic ministrants have been sent from the courts of glory to confer keys and powers, to commit their dispensations and glories again to men on earth. At least the following have come: Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James and John, Moses, Elijah, Elias, Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael (D&C 13; 110; 128:19-21). Since it is apparent that no one messenger has carried the whole burden of the restoration, but rather that each has come with a specific endowment from on high, it becomes clear that Elias is a composite personage. The expression must be understood to be a name and a title for those whose mission it was to commit keys and powers to men in this final dispensation (McConkie, Commentary, 3:491-92. See also Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:170-174).

“seal of the living God” This seal pertains to the Abrahamic covenant and making one’s calling and election sure, as Joseph Smith explained: “Four destroying angels holding power over the four quarters of the earth until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads, which signifies sealing the blessing upon their heads, meaning the everlasting covenant, thereby making their calling and election sure. When a seal is put upon the father and mother, it secures their posterity, so that they cannot be lost, but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father and mother” (TPJS, 321).

In another setting, Ezekiel envisioned the sealing, or marking, on the foreheads of the righteous and the subsequent destruction of the wicked as prefiguring the events recorded in Revelation 7:1-8: “And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the man that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark” (Ezekiel 9:4-6).

The seal of the righteous recalls the mark of blood at Passover (Exodus 12:13). At that time those who possessed the mark of lamb’s blood – that is, those who desired to make Christ’s atonement effective in their lives – were spared the plague of God (Isaiah 44:5; Galatians 6:17).

In short, God marks and seals the righteous with his seal, making them his and placing them under his protection. In the last days, those who possess God’s seal on their foreheads will not be destroyed by the “four winds of the earth” (Revelation 7:1-3). Joseph Smith explained: “Then, having this promise [of one’s calling and election made sure] sealed unto them, it was an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast. Though the thunders might roll and lightnings flash, and earthquakes bellow, and war gather thick around, yet this hope and knowledge would support the soul in every hour of trial, trouble and tribulation” (TPJS, 298).

As a counterfeit to the true and sacred things of God, Satan places a mark on the forehead or the right hand of his followers (Revelation 13:16; 14:9). These followers, however, will not be protected from God’s “four winds,” and they eventually will be destroyed by God (see commentary on Revelation 13:16; see also Revelation 16:2; 19:20).

“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God; and I heard him cry with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea”

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

verses 4-8 John states that the number of those sealed is 144,000. The number need not be taken literally. The Doctrine and Covenants states “that those who are sealed are high priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn” (77:11). Note that this scripture does not specify a number. Instead it notes that the group is composed of high priests who have a special calling “to administer the everlasting gospel” and “to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn.”

Joseph Smith associated them with the temple (HC, 6:365). The symbolic meaning of the number supports this association. Twelve represents the priesthood. Biblical people squared a number to amplify its symbolic meaning. Thus, 144 suggests a fulness of priesthood authority. But John is not satisfied with that. He gives the image a superlative quality by multiplying 1,000, representing completeness. In this way, he shows the strength and breadth of the priesthood in the latter days, in this dispensation that is, indeed, the dispensation of the fulness of times. During this period that complete priesthood authority will operate.

The attachment to the temple fits perfectly since only there can one receive the fulness of the priesthood (D&C 124:25-30). Elder McConkie states that the 144,000 are kings and priests “converted, baptized, endowed, married for eternity, and finally sealed up unto eternal life” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:491). Their mission is not merely to bring people into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It goes beyond that. They will have “general authority” status. Their special assignment centers in getting people sealed into the church of the Firstborn through the administration of the fulness of the endowment (on the church of the Firstborn, see D&C 76:50-70; 93:21-23).

John indicates that the 144,000 will be those sealed from all the tribes of Israel. Curiously, he leaves out Dan and adds Manasses (Manasseh, the son of Joseph) to get twelve tribes. John gives no hint why he left out Dan. Some early Christians believed that John dropped the tribal name because of a tradition that the Antichrist would arise from there. The disfavor into which Dan fell goes all the way back to 1 Chronicles 7, which also omits Dan from the list of tribes. It may be that Dan’s association with idolatry marked the tribe for omission since Jeroboam set up his idols in that tribal territory (see Judges 18:30; 1 Kings 12:29). Since John was writing in part against the influences of idolatry invading the church, he may have omitted Dan as a warning.

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

“And the number of them who were sealed, were an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

verses 9-17 The vision of the great triumphant multitude of the saved

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

verse 9 “great multitude, which no man could number” John’s vision expands beyond the 144,000 to include a vast congregation “which no man could number,” composed of those saved from all nations and peoples. In Revelation 5:11 John saw that there were one hundred million, plus “thousands of thousands,” of angels around God’s throne. Here John witnesses innumerable exalted saints from all nations, extended families, and languages standing before God and Jesus Christ in heaven.

“clothed with white robes” Exalted saints wear white robes, signifying that they have overcome Satan and made the atonement of Christ effective in their lives (Revelation 7:14).

“palms in their hands” “Palms,” or palm branches, symbolize victory and joy (D&C 109:76; 113:51). The “palms in their hands,” meaning the hands of the exalted saints, recalls Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem before his sacrifice, when his disciples “took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). The symbolic “robes of righteousness,” “palms in [the] hands,” and “crowns of glory” are the attire of the exalted saint in heaven (D&C 109:76).

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

verse 10 “cried with a loud voice” The hymn is sung by exalted souls, and they will sing again when Babylon falls (Revelation 19:1). The voice is loud here because of the sheer numbers who are crying with the loud voice, “a great multitude, which no man could number” (Revelation 7:9).

“Salvation to our God . . . and unto the Lamb” The multitude directs their words to both the Father and the Son. The word translated “salvation” (stria) expresses the idea of a great deliverance by the hand of God through which his people find total victory. But in this context, they are celebrating neither God’s salvation nor their own. Rather they are celebrating the victory of God and the Lamb. Joseph Smith defined salvation as “nothing more nor less than to triumph over all our enemies and put them under our feet”(Dahl and Cannon, Teachings of Joseph Smith, 600). Certainly, this definition fits nicely into this context of victory and exaltation. The term salvation is used on two other occasions when the multitude sings a hymn (Revelation 12:10; 19:1). Other versions clarify the confusing phrase “salvation to our God.” For instance, the Revised Standard Version says, “Salvation belongs to our God,” and the Good News Bible reads, “Our salvation comes from our God.”

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God,

verse 11 “all the angels stood round about the throne . . . and worshipped God” In an earlier scene (Revelation 5:11-14) the angels directed their devotion to Christ, but here they bow down before God the Father.

12 Saying, Amen; Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen.

verse 12 “Amen: Blessing/ glory/ wisdom/ thanksgiving/ honour/ power/ might. . . Amen” The seven attributes of God uttered by the angels represent the totality of his perfections, for the number seven represents completion. The angels begin and close their statement of worship with “Amen,” one of the titles of Christ (Revelation 3:14). “The word amen connotes the idea of that which has been unalterably confirmed (Numbers 5:22), that which is sure, trustworthy, and faithful” (McConkie and Parry, Guide to Scriptural Symbols, 115).

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

verses 13-14 “arrayed in white robes” One of the twenty-four elders, acting as a guide and an interpreter for John, asks him, “What are these which are arrayed in white robes” and “Whence came they?” John’s response to his heavenly guide is simply, “Sir, thou knowest.” The elder then explains that these exalted saints are those who have experienced tribulation during mortality and have made the atonement effective in their lives by washing their robes in Christ’s blood (through repentance, obedience, and endurance).

“great tribulation” Tribulation has always been part of the lives of those who accept and follow Christ (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12; D&C 138:13), and eternal blessings and glory come after great tribulation (D&C 58:3-4). The tribulation mentioned here “is referring primarily to that final series of woes which will immediately precede the end. It is the hour of trial that is to come upon the whole world (Revelation 3:10)” (Mounce, Book of Revelation, 16).

“washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” This statement is a common one in the Book of Mormon. It is clear that one’s robes become pure and white through that individual’s faith, faithfulness, and belief in Christ and his atoning sacrifice (1 Nephi 12:10-11; Alma 5:21; Mormon 9:6).

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

verse 15 This verse changes the verb tense to the future. It appears that at this point John begins speaking from the standpoint of a prophet foretelling the future. He views the final abode of the saints upon the celestialized earth.

Millions will prevail during this time of trial because they heeded the warnings and prepared themselves, “therefore are they before the throne of God.” John’s use of the word “therefore” is deliberate. It means that the multitude stand before God because they have been purified from all sin. They have “washed their robes” in Christ’s blood that they are able to stand before God in heaven (D&C 121:45).

“serve him day and night in his temple” The exalted saints serve God “forever in his kingdom, where, in the literal sense, there is neither night nor a temple. See Revelation 21:22- 23” (McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:496). The word serve (Greek latreu) specifically denotes the performance of ceremonies associated with God’s sanctuary (cf. Hebrews 8:5), which these men can perform because they are kings and priests of the Most High.

“he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them” A better translation for the phrase “shall dwell among them” may be found in the Jerusalem Bible, which reads “will spread his tent over them.” This expression recalls the tabernacle of Moses, which was a tent. Similar to the way the earthly temple renders spiritual protection for those who worship therein, here God himself will serve as a temple and provide eternal shelter for the righteous. The Lamb feeds them and leads them. God himself wipes away their tears. Hunger, thirst, discomfort are all unknown to them, for the one who “sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.” Having overcome, they are honored by those whom they honor and loved by those whom they love. Such is the state of eternal life.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

verse 16 “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst . . . neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat” The language of this verse recalls Isaiah 49:10: “They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.” It also recalls Psalm 121:6: “The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.” This symbolic language indicates that exalted souls will not suffer the tribulations associated with mortality, such as fatigue, hunger, and thirst.

In the literal sense, it will not be necessary for the sun to shine on those who inherit the celestial kingdom because “the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23; 22:5; Isaiah 60:19).

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

verse 17 “Lamb . . . shall feed them” Many translations say the “Lamb . . . will be their shepherd” (RSV, NEB, JB, NIV, GNB; see also Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:23; John 10:11-16).

“lead them unto living fountains of waters” Metaphorically, Christ is the “fountain of living waters” (Jeremiah 17:13) and the “fountain of all righteousness” (Ether 12:28). He says to those who are spiritually thirsty, “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (Revelation 21:6; 22:17). A parallel is found in Revelation 22:1, which speaks of a “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

“God shall wipe away all tears” The language of this passage recalls Isaiah’s prophecy that “the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces” (Isaiah 25:8). Later in Revelation we read, “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying” (Revelation 21:4). Tears come from the pain and sorrow associated with mortality: affliction, pain, death, and personal sin. When he dwells with us after his coming, Jesus Christ, who is well acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), will remove the pains of our mortality.

Chapter six, anticipating the outpouring of the wrath of God, asked the question: “Who shall be able to stand?” John answers that question in chapter seven: those who have been sealed against destruction by washing their robes in the blood of the Lamb. By this means they become pure and are able to dwell with the Lord. However, that dwelling need not be just in heaven. There is an earthly counterpart to paradise: Zion. The Lord has said: “Let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion – the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn. For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it? The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people; yea, it shall not be stayed until the Lord come . . . nevertheless, Zion shall escape” (D&C 97:21-23, 25).

As early as the first millennium of earth’s history, prophets understood the importance of the latter-day Zion as the means of preserving the Lord’s people. To Enoch the Lord declared:

As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah; and the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; and righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem (Moses 7:60-62).

It is little wonder that, with righteousness and truth sweeping “the earth as with a flood,” the judgment of God pours out against those who reject it. As for those who respond, they shall be gathered to places of safety. As the Lord declared, the righteous shall be gathered “upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes . . . for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:6). The Lord has specified that “those places which I have appointed for refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead” (D&C 124:36). In other words, the Lord shall gather his people to his temples.

This brings us back to the 144,000, those special ministers sealed by the four destroying angels against the day of indignation. Those under their care will find

a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God; and the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.

And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another. And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand. And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy (D&C 45:66-71).

In this light, the most important work for the saints of the sixth seal is the establishment of Zion by faithfulness, diligence, and especially purity. Missionary work must spread, temple work increase, and righteousness flow out of the homes and into the communities of the saints. In this way God will have a people “prepared to receive the glory that I [God] have for them, even the glory of Zion” (D&C 136:31).