The City of Zion, the New Jerusalem, will be established in North America on the land of Zion.  North and South America are Zion, the “islands of the sea.”  North America is the “north country.”  Every nation that has taken Israel captive has been destroyed:  Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Rome.  Native Americans are a remnant of the house of Israel through the seed of Joseph.  This land will be their inheritance.  

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Location of Zion, Native Americans Gathered as Part of Israel

From Zion’s Reveille, Sep. 2, 1847
By John E. Page (Edited by James J. Strang)

  A TREASTISE ON THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH
AND THE LAND PROMISED TO HIS POSTERITY--
THE PLACE OF THE MOUNT ZION OF GOD IN THE LAST DAYS.

In the 15th, 19th and 20th Nos. of "Zion’s Reveille" we have treated at length on the "temporal covenant" God made with Abraham, concerning the land of Canaan. We now call the attention of our readers to the land promised to the "branches" (posterity) of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob.

Those that are familiar with the history of Joseph, as given in the scriptures, know that the brothers sold him into Egypt, because of envy that arose in their hearts against Joseph in consequence of a dream that he had concerning some sheaves, in which the sheaves of his brethren bowed to his sheaf. The interpretation of the dream indicated to Joseph’s brethren that they should yet become dependent or subservient to their brother Joseph. And as human nature always stood opposed to the divine purposes of God, dictated by the voice of revelation, so Joseph’s brethren could not endure the thought that God should make their younger brother in any matter superior to them; so they readily devised a scheme in which they vainly thought to thwart the plans of the Great God.

To effect this they sold Joseph into Egypt , and there Joseph became one of the principal men in the affairs of Pharaoh, king of Egypt . Joseph had taken a wife in Egypt, and there were born unto him two sons, "Ephraim and Manasseh."

There arose a famine in the land of Canaan, in which Jacob was compelled to send his elder sons, together with his younger one, (Benjamin,) down into Egypt to buy corn. This gave occasion for Jacob and his sons to go down into Egypt, and there became subject to the political government of the dynasty of the Pharaoh’s.

Fourteen years before the death of Jacob he had the pleasure of once more seeing his beloved son Joseph, whom he thought, by the report of his other sons, had been slain by the wild beasts. For what we have stated above, read Gen. xxxvii. to the xlvii. inclusive.

Gen. xlviii, 1, "And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2. And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4. And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession.
5. And now, thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh which which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt , before I came unto thee into Egypt , are mine: as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6. And they issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
8. And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?
9. And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place, ( Egypt .) And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and kissed them, and embraced them.
11. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand, toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the first-born.
15. And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16. The angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac: and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.
18. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.
19. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it; he (Manasseh) also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his (Ephraim’s) seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21. And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die; but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22. Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."

The peculiarity of Jacob crossing his hands "wittingly" in confirming this blessing show that the direct gift of revelation of God dictated in this matter, for Joseph had presented his sons in the common order to receive the promises of God, according to age, the oldest son should be respected with the "right hand" blessing; consequently Joseph presented Manasseh at Jacob’s right hand, he being the oldest of the two sons’ of Joseph. But the spirit would have it otherwise, and Jacob declared Ephraim should "BECOME A MULTITUDE OF NATIONS."

Now comes the all-absorbing question relative to one of the grand items of the peculiar faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Wake up ye sectarian divines, of this the nineteenth century, and answer it, or by your silence show your ignorance. On this point we will acknowledge we stand or fall as a church. If our answer to our own question is true we stand forever, if not we fall to rise no more.

The question is this,--Where did the posterity of EPHRAIM "become a multitude of nations?" Answer it we pray you.

Not on the land of Canaan, surely, for of the seed of Jacob there never was but two nations, viz.: Judah and Israel, on that land.

The following scriptures are connected with the several sayings of Jacob on all of his twelve sons. We pass over all except the blessing on the head of his son Joseph.

Gen. xlix. 1, "And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel :)
25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren."

The fact that Manasseh should "become a GREAT PEOPLE" and Ephraim a "MULTITUDE OF NATIONS," would certainly justify the figure by comparing Joseph to a "fruitful bough" which should run over the wall or boundaries from where they were first planted in the land of Canaan. "The archers (sharp shooters) have shot at him, and hated him."

It is a common mode with many of the prophets to speak of things future as past or present. We call the attention of our readers to the last verse of the scripture quoted above, with the following questions and answers:--

Who were Jacob’s "progenitors?" ANS. Abraham and Isaac. What were their "blessings?" ANS. The land of Canaan.-- What was the blessing given to Joseph’s "branches," (posterity,) that was "above" the land of Canaan ? ANS. Land or country. What land? ANS. The land bounded unto the "utmost" (furthest off) "hills." And as the western mountains of North America are the furthest off, or the "utmost" from Egypt, it cannot signify any others. More especially when we consider the fact that there is such an overwhelming abundance of developments already made, demonstrating the fact that the Indians of America are the literal descendants of old ancient Israel. For a history of those developments we refer the reader to a book entitled "The Wonders of Nature and Providence," by Josiah Priest; also to the "American Antiquities," by the same author. Also to Messrs. Catherwood and Stevens’ "Incidents of travels in Central America ."

In fact it has now become a settled point by all efficient antiquarians and American historians, who have written at length on the habits, language, customs, maxims, manners and religious character of the Indians of America, that they are truly descendants of old Israel, and that it is a matter of impossibility that their peculiarities in so many respects of manners, language and religious ceremonies should be so consonant with the manners, language and religious ceremonies of old Israel by mere accident."

If the reader will review the blessing of Jacob on his son Joseph impartially, he will readily see that those peculiar sayings could not possibly apply to Joseph or his posterity on the eastern continent; neither is there a people now known on the face of the whole earth unto whom those sayings will apply, except those to whom we have applied them. But when we turn our attention to the American Indians, we find that every letter is brought to bear in full, without the loss of one word.

The Indians of America have become a "multitude of nations" in the midst of the earth, and are all of one family likeness as a general thing. The gentile "archers" (sharp shooters) have literally "SHOT at them, and SORELY GRIEVED them, and HATED them."

The following scripture was delivered by Moses as a prophetical blessing on Joseph and his land:--

Deut. xxxiii. 13, "And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh."

There was nothing peculiar in the land of the inheritances of Joseph, Manasseh or Ephraim on the land of Canaan that render it in any degree distinct in point of character from that of the rest of Canaan, neither did Ephraim there become a multitude of nations, neither could he. Neither was he there in any sense whatever any more "separate from his brethren" than any other tribe was separate one from the other.

But when we consider the peculiar saying of Moses on the head of Joseph concerning his land in connection with that of Jacob, (as inserted above,) then turn our attention to America, and on this continent we find a land bearing all the peculiar characteristics spoken of by Moses concerning the land of Joseph; which sayings we cannot apply to any other land but America.

As it may seem rather a strange thing to many so say that the prophets of the eastern continent know anything about the western continent, we insert the following:--

Isaiah xviii. 1, "Woe (ho) to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia (Africa):
2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes (rushing vessels) upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!
3 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ENSIGN on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.
4 For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
5 For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.
6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the BEASTS of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth SHALL WINTER UPON THEM.
7 In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.

Considering the locality of the prophet as being at Jerusalem, in Canaan, (Ethiopia anciently included all Africa,) we must look "beyond" the "rivers" of Africa for the "land shadowing with wings," or spreading forth like wings. Please look on your map and notice North and South America, with their conjuction at the Isthmus of Darien, and there is nothing in nature that affords a better figure to represent the form of the American continent than the spread "wings" of a fowl.

From Palestine, looking through the Mediterranean beyond the rivers of Africa, we behold America, and a people, the American Indians, "scattered and peeled" and "trodden under foot." The third verse calls the attention of the whole "world" to the dispensation of the restoration of all Israel, first the Ephraimites to "Mount Zion," on the land of Joseph, and then the "house of Judah" in the four corners of the earth, and the house of Israel in the "north country," to the land of Canaan. For further evidence that the "city," or the " Mount Zion ," of God should be built in the land of America , read Psalm xlviii.

Psalm xlviii. 2, "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King."

"On the sides of the north"--this expression will not apply to the ancient Mount Zion at Jerusalem, because that was on the south of Jerusalem; therefore it must refer to the side of the earth, and as we have the equator as the only line from which we can reckon sides of the earth, we can only infer that Mount Zion should be north of the equator instead of south; then, as a matter of course, if Zion is to be in America it must be in North America.

Palm cxxxii. 1, "LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:
2 How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
13 For the LORD hath chosen Zion ; he hath desired it for his habitation."

As for Jerusalem, or Mount Zion at Jerusalem, David knew all about them and their location, and needed no further revelation concerning their locality; but his resolve was to know further on the things concerning the last days,--he gained his answer of the Lord, and said, "Lo, we heard of it (Zion at Ephratah; (the land of Ephraim:) we found it (Zion) in the fields of the wood." For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation."

The term prairie is a French term, and signifies meadows. I ask, are not the prairies of North America literally "fields of the wood?" and are they not meadows?

Isaiah lix. 20, "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion , and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

lx. 1, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.
7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.
8 Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
9 Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
10 And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.
11 Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.
17 For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
22 A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time."

lxi. 1, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

xlix. 1, "Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.
5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel : I will also give thee for a light to the GENTILES, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me."

Zech. x. 6, "And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them: for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will hear them.
7. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their hearts shall rejoice as through wine: yea their children shall see it, and be glad; their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.
8. I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased."

Obad. 17, "But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.
19 And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.
21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD's."

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