Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
(Verse 1).
You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of a better world than the blood of Abel...Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12
Zion means fortification. The Jebusites first ruled over Zion in the city of Jerusalem, but David overthrew them, conquering Zion and calling it the City of David. During his reign, the king made it an even mightier fortress. Zion included the temple area by the time Solomon built the ornate edifice for his God. When Jesus came to us, Zion was the alternate name for Jerusalem. Zion. Where God lives and fortifies His people. The holy tabernacle was the site of the sacrifices that purged the Jewish people of their sins. God chose to meet with His people in its sacred interior--the Holy of Holies. To cleanse them, instruct them, look at them face to face, to hear their pleas, to cradle them in safety and to build them up in faith. It was the seat of the Old Covenant. The law. But in A.D. 70 that Zion was obliterated. The Old Covenant passed away with it. No more animal sacrifices needed. The New Covenant in the blood of Jesus, our forever atonement, established a new city that would last forever, founded by the victory over Satan, the last stronghold of man, overwhelmed in battle by the spilt blood of God's Only Begotten Son. As you come to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are built up (fortified, strengthened) as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame." 1 Peter 2.
The first Zion was a physical earthly place. A real live hill in the Holy City. But something took place in heaven when Jesus ascended there to His Father. A ceremony. A christening of the new Zion where Jesus stands with His army to rule and to fight for those of us who have surrendered our lives to His lordship. Zion is just as real as it was when it existed in Israel, but it's now much more expansive. The Precious Stone that laid its foundation declared all who come to Him to be citizens forever of the mighty fortress where He reigns. Nothing will ever shake heaven. God cannot be forced to move. Evicted or vanquished. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am safe when I run to Zion.
Feeling vulnerable today? Like the foundations of your life are quaking with the troubles here? Know you a citizen in a fortified city under the leadership of the One Who rescued you from death then bought you a mansion in the New Jerusalem. None of life's earthquakes can rattle us to the point of absolute defeat. Because we trust in our God, we are like the city itself. Hedged in. Protected. Built up in faith. Motivated by love. Secure in our adoption. Precious beyond knowing to the One Who stands atop heavenly Mount Zion while His army sings and plays their harps in a symphony that sounds like the thunderings of a mighty cascading waterfall (Revelation 14). Jesus is in complete control of all things from His vantage point. Everywhere. All the time. When we trust in Him we rely upon the One Who cannot be vanquished ever, ever again. Believe in Him Who rules the heavens and the earth. It is He Who does the shaking, so we are safe from any other. If you belong to Him, you are fortified against the troubles of today and the wrath to come. Hedged about on all sides like the original Mount Zion was surrounded by hills. Warring angels are beckoned for our sakes and the Holy Spirit edifies and strengthens us. Trust. Don't be moved. Our faith is built on a solid rock.
Therefore, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15.
(Verse 1).
You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of a better world than the blood of Abel...Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12
Zion means fortification. The Jebusites first ruled over Zion in the city of Jerusalem, but David overthrew them, conquering Zion and calling it the City of David. During his reign, the king made it an even mightier fortress. Zion included the temple area by the time Solomon built the ornate edifice for his God. When Jesus came to us, Zion was the alternate name for Jerusalem. Zion. Where God lives and fortifies His people. The holy tabernacle was the site of the sacrifices that purged the Jewish people of their sins. God chose to meet with His people in its sacred interior--the Holy of Holies. To cleanse them, instruct them, look at them face to face, to hear their pleas, to cradle them in safety and to build them up in faith. It was the seat of the Old Covenant. The law. But in A.D. 70 that Zion was obliterated. The Old Covenant passed away with it. No more animal sacrifices needed. The New Covenant in the blood of Jesus, our forever atonement, established a new city that would last forever, founded by the victory over Satan, the last stronghold of man, overwhelmed in battle by the spilt blood of God's Only Begotten Son. As you come to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are built up (fortified, strengthened) as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame." 1 Peter 2.
The first Zion was a physical earthly place. A real live hill in the Holy City. But something took place in heaven when Jesus ascended there to His Father. A ceremony. A christening of the new Zion where Jesus stands with His army to rule and to fight for those of us who have surrendered our lives to His lordship. Zion is just as real as it was when it existed in Israel, but it's now much more expansive. The Precious Stone that laid its foundation declared all who come to Him to be citizens forever of the mighty fortress where He reigns. Nothing will ever shake heaven. God cannot be forced to move. Evicted or vanquished. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am safe when I run to Zion.
Feeling vulnerable today? Like the foundations of your life are quaking with the troubles here? Know you a citizen in a fortified city under the leadership of the One Who rescued you from death then bought you a mansion in the New Jerusalem. None of life's earthquakes can rattle us to the point of absolute defeat. Because we trust in our God, we are like the city itself. Hedged in. Protected. Built up in faith. Motivated by love. Secure in our adoption. Precious beyond knowing to the One Who stands atop heavenly Mount Zion while His army sings and plays their harps in a symphony that sounds like the thunderings of a mighty cascading waterfall (Revelation 14). Jesus is in complete control of all things from His vantage point. Everywhere. All the time. When we trust in Him we rely upon the One Who cannot be vanquished ever, ever again. Believe in Him Who rules the heavens and the earth. It is He Who does the shaking, so we are safe from any other. If you belong to Him, you are fortified against the troubles of today and the wrath to come. Hedged about on all sides like the original Mount Zion was surrounded by hills. Warring angels are beckoned for our sakes and the Holy Spirit edifies and strengthens us. Trust. Don't be moved. Our faith is built on a solid rock.
Therefore, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15.
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