Many years passed. People became more numerous and spread out across the lands. Satan had great control over the people and most of them were wicked. There were wars and bloodshed, with brother against brother, secret plots, and struggles for power.
For hundreds of years, Adam bestowed the priesthood on his righteous posterity. His great great great great great grandson Enoch was 25 years old when Adam ordained him. Enoch would go on to become to be a great prophet, missionary, and reformer.
As Enoch was traveling among the people, a voice from heaven led him to the top of Mount Simeon. There Jesus Christ spoke with him face to face, saying, "Tell the people to repent, for my fierce anger is aroused against them. Ever since I created them, they do not listen to me. I have prepared a Hell of endless torture for them if they do not repent."
Over the next 700 years after Enoch and the city of Zion were taken up to heaven, almost all of the new converts and faithful members of the Church on Earth were also taken up into heaven individually. Because of their righteousness, the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they were lifted up to join those in Zion.
Enoch was lifted to the presence of Heavenly Father, who said, "I created the people of the earth and told them to choose me, their Father, but they have made Satan their father. Now in my hot displeasure I will send a flood upon them, for my fierce anger and indignation burns against them." And Heavenly Father began to weep over them.
Jesus said to Enoch, "Zion I have blessed, but the rest of the people I have cursed." Enoch looked down over the battle-scarred surface of the earth, and saw Satan had power over all the land. He saw that the people were a mix of all of Adam's offspring except the offspring of Cain, for the offspring of Cain were black and had no place among them. And Satan looked up and laughed, and he and his angels rejoiced.
Sources:
• Moses 7:20-24
When the world could no longer stand its glory, Heavenly Father took the entire city of Zion and its surrounding regions—the people, their houses and possessions, the animals—and brought the entire thing up to a part of heaven reserved for those whom Heavenly Father assigns to be angels who minister to many planets.
The city of Zion existed on Earth for 365 years. During that time, Jesus gave Enoch more visions of the future. Enoch saw that Jesus would be born to a mortal life on Earth and then die on the cross. He saw that the Book of Mormon would come forth in the last days and that Christ's true Church would be restored. And he saw that Jesus would return to execute judgment on all at his Second Coming.
When Adam was 927 years old, he called together the most noble, righteous, and faithful teachers from among his offspring. Seth, Enoch, and Methuselah were among those who gathered at Adam-ondi-Ahman. Jesus appeared to them. Adam gave his offspring his final blessings, and then he prophesied the future of his offspring down to the last days.
Enoch built a city called Zion, and all its inhabitants lived harmoniously in righteousness. There were no poor among them. The people were so righteous that Jesus was often in their midst. Jesus established the laws and government under which Zion operated, and he blessed the land such that they flourished.
And so great was their fear of Enoch that the enemies of the people of God fled far off. And land rose up out of the depths of the sea, and they went to that land. And there were giants on that land. And a curse was put on them, and from that time forward there were wars and bloodshed among them.
Sources:
• Moses 7:13-16
Some of the people repented, were baptized, and became righteous, but most of them stubbornly refused to heed his call to repent. Enoch led the people of God when their enemies came to battle against them. And when Enoch spoke the word of Jesus, the earth shook, mountains fled, and rivers turned from their course.
And so, assisted by the Holy Ghost, Enoch preached throughout all the lands except Canaan. He told those who had become sensual and devilish to repent. He explained the Plan of Salvation and the need for baptism. He warned them about the Flood. He told them about Jesus coming to Earth one day and then returning again in the last days.
Jesus told Enoch he would send a flood over the earth and that all the wicked people would die in the flood—only Noah and his family would survive. Jesus told Enoch that he would give him power to make mountains flee and rivers turn their course. He told Enoch to go and preach repentance to all the people except for the people of Canaan to whom he was forbidden to preach.
Then Enoch saw the people of Canaan divide themselves in the land, and he saw Jesus curse the land with great heat and barrenness. And no one lived in the land except the people of Canaan. And a blackness came over the children of Canaan, and they were despised among all people.
Sources:
• Moses 7:5-8
Jesus gave Enoch a vision of the future. Enoch saw the people of Canaan, a numerous people who lived in tents north of the valley of Shum. He saw the people of Canaan come forth in battle against the people of Shum, and the Canaanites slaughtered them until there were none left alive.
Sources:
• Moses 7:5-8
NEXT:
Noah and the Flood
[click image to continue]
Also from the creator of The Brick Book of Mormon:
