“Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel? When the Lord restores his people, Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.”
Psalm 14:7 NLT
The place “Zion” produces emotions in people ranging from joy to loathing. The Jews associate “Zion” with Jerusalem, and “Mount Zion” is a hill on the south east side of Jerusalem, where once King David built a citadel. But there are Muslim nations who regard the “Zionists”, the Jews, with contempt, and continue to profess a desire to eliminate them from the face of the earth.
To the Jews, Zion has both a physical and spiritual meaning. After Solomon built the first Temple in Jerusalem, it became the place about which Jeremiah wrote, “For there will be a day when the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim cry out, ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the Lord our God’ ” (Jeremiah 31:6). The Temple acquired a special significance because after its dedication we read, “The Lord said to him [Solomon], “I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honoured forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart” (1 Kings 9:3). Where else could the Jewish nation go to worship God than in the place where He could be found? Isaiah went further and associated the Israelites with the name “Zion” – Isaiah 60:14, “The sons of those who oppressed you will come bowing down to you [in submission], And all those who despised you and treated you disrespectfully will bow down at the soles of your feet, And they will call you the City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” So many refer to the Jews by their alternative name, “Zionists”.
There are many references to “Zion” in the Bible but we pilgrims associate “Mount Zion” with the place from which Jesus will rule and reign. We read in Revelation 14:2 something that John observed in his vision, “Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads”. We will one day find ourselves at Mount Zion, “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering” (Hebrews 12:22). Wonderful things will happen there, as we will find out one day.
So, what do we pilgrims make of “Mount Zion”? Most of us do not have a Jewish heritage, so the geographical place, “Mount Zion”, or the Temple once located in Jerusalem, will not have the same significance. But we look forward, with anticipation, to a future “Zion” where we will find Jesus. John, in his vision, ” … saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). And there will find God Himself, who ” …will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4). We have read the end of the Book and we know what will happen. And so we look forwards and upwards, as the vision of “Mount Zion”, and God Himself, start to appear over the horizon. The Heavenly clock is ticking. One day we will be in His presence, with Him on “Mount Zion”.
Dear Lord Jesus. What else can we pray than the single word “Maranatha – Come Lord Jesus”? Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 