Question
Dear Gramps,
I remember from my childhood hearing about prophecy that says the city of Enoch will return to the earth, that the land has continually grown as the people of Enoch, in their perfection, don’t die, and that the return of this land will cause a cataclysmic event….But I can’t find anything on it in the scriptures. Am I looking in the wrong places (the standard works)? Does this tale come from apocrypha, or did the teller tell me pipe dreams? I think it’s a fascinating story. Thanks!
Kelly
Answer
Kelly,
For generations, the story of Enoch and his city—Zion—has inspired hope among the faithful, particularly within the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to both ancient scripture and modern revelation, Enoch’s city was so righteous that God took it from the earth, promising its return as a moment of monumental significance in the last days. But why must this translated city descend? What purpose does this future reunion serve, both cosmically and personally?
The figure of Enoch holds a unique place in both biblical and Latter-day Saint traditions. In the early Genesis account, Enoch “walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). The restored scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expand this narrative dramatically: Enoch gathered a community so unified and pure that they earned the name Zion, “because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them” (Moses 7:18). According to these scriptures, their collective righteousness led to their translation—they and their city were taken up from the earth to abide with God until a prophesied day of return.
Translation is a significant doctrine in this context. Unlike the full resurrection, translation is described as a change that allows beings to live without sickness or death, aiding in God’s work while not yet receiving a glorified, resurrected body. Some Latter-day Saint thinkers have posited that translation is a priesthood ordinance, sharing patterns with other saving rites and potentially possessing future stewardship implications.
But the city’s departure is only the first act. The promise lingers: Zion—the City of Holiness—will return. Ancient Enoch’s experience thus provides the blueprints for faithful communities through the ages, including the Latter-day Saints, who are admonished to build their own Zion, an echo of Enoch’s unity, purity, and care for the poor.
Modern revelation in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is explicit about Enoch’s city and the eventual merger of heavenly and earthly Zions. The Book of Moses (in the Pearl of Great Price) recounts Enoch’s querying of the Lord: “When shall the earth rest?” The Lord responds with a sweeping prophecy:
Righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth…to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City…the tabernacle of the Lord shall be with them. (Moses 7:62)
Doctrine and Covenants 45:11-14, 66-71 describes Zion coming down from heaven. The heavenly Zion (Enoch’s city) will unite with the earthly Zion (the New Jerusalem). This is sometimes described as a great reunion of two Zions.
So what will this reunion look like?
According to LDS teachings:
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The New Jerusalem will be built on the American continent.
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The City of Enoch will descend from heaven.
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The two Zion communities will embrace or unite.
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This occurs in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
This prepares the way for two cities—the New Jerusalem to be built by present-day Saints, and Enoch’s Zion—to meet in a transcendent union:
Then shalt thou 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 mine abode…and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest.” (Moses 7:63-64)
This moment is both literal and symbolic—a reunion not just of peoples, but of heaven and earth, past and future, spiritual and temporal. It will mark the dawn of the Millennium, a time of peace and divine presence.
Joseph Smith, founder of the Church, clarified that this event would be more than a symbolic restoration. Men and angels, the living and the translated, would be “co-workers in bringing to pass this great work,” and in this fusion of communities, the full “renovation of the earth” would begin. Some suggest that, just as keys of priesthood were restored from heavenly messengers representing past dispensations, Enoch may return to deliver stewardship over translation or other knowledge essential for millennial living.
Here are what some of the other early leaders have said about the City of Enoch:
Brigham Young:
He explained that when Zion is built on the earth:
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The Saints must become pure enough to receive Enoch’s people.
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Then the two Zion societies will meet and embrace.
He stated (Journal of Discourses):
“When we have prepared Zion… the Zion of Enoch will come and join with us.”
Orson Pratt, an early apostle known for explaining doctrine in detail, taught that:
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The New Jerusalem will be built in Jackson County.
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The City of Enoch will descend and unite with it.
He described the reunion of the two cities as a literal event where translated beings return to the earth to live among the righteous.
Why must Enoch’s city return rather than simply remain a spiritual example? Several layers of meaning emerge from restored scripture and commentary.
The very purpose of the “dispensation of the fullness of times” is to gather together all former dispensations and unite them in Christ. As such, the return of Enoch’s Zion stands as both a fulfillment and a symbol—a gathering of the righteous who, across ages, sought peace and union with God.
Prophets have taught that during the Millennium, resurrected beings, translated beings, and mortals will labor together for the salvation of mankind. Enoch’s city, having already achieved such unity and righteousness, can assist, strengthen, and perhaps share hidden knowledge or spiritual gifts, aiding earth’s final preparation to “fill the measure of her creation.” As Hugh Nibley and others note, apocryphal writings describe Enoch’s community as guardians of divine knowledge, suggesting their return may facilitate millennial harmony and progress.
The Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis renders the rainbow not just as a sign of no more global floods, but also as a token of God’s covenant with Enoch: when humanity is ready—obedient, unified, and seeking upward—then Enoch’s Zion will return, “and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy.
The language of meeting—falling on each other’s necks, embracing, sharing tears and joy—displays emotional and spiritual reconciliation. Latter-day Saints believe the Millennium will bring not only rest to the earth but healing to human hearts, as long-separated peoples and dispensations unite in holy friendship.
For members of the Church today, the doctrine of Enoch’s city and its return is not a remote apocalyptic detail; it is a living summons. Modern scripture consistently ties the readiness for Zion’s return to the creation of a present-day Zion—one marked by unity, purity, and caring for the poor and needy. Thus, the New Jerusalem is not a gift to be handed down, but a city painstakingly built—spiritually and physically—by covenant-keepers across the globe.
Hugh Nibley and other scholars have drawn parallels between early Christian communities, separatists, and those who sought to live according to the pattern of Enoch’s city. The task set before contemporary Saints is to gather out mine elect, to practice the same unity and righteousness, and to join in the work of salvation with the confidence that their efforts are part of an ancient, ongoing project. The rainbow, then, becomes a sign not just of peace but of a still-pending homecoming.
Gramps
