ZION
GENERAL OVERVIEW Many people confuse the bible term "The City of David" between the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, because both cities are referred to as "David's city" in scripture: Jerusalem is called "The City of David" because David invaded the Jebusites, who occupied Jerusalem, and ousted them (2 Samuel 5:5-9), and Bethlehem is referred to as "The City of David" because Joseph, stepfather to Jesus, was a native of Bethlehem and a member of David's descendants (Luke 2:4). David's own father was also born in Bethlehem, and apparently so was David (1 Samuel 17:12, 15). How important was Jerusalem / Zion to Israel? Almighty God Himself chose Zion to be the hub of true worship (1 Kings 14:21), thus His temple was located there (Psalm 68:29, Mark 11:11). This meant the Israelites would make special efforts to travel to Jerusalem for important occasions, such as the Passover observation (Luke 2:41, John 11:55), the Festival of Dedication / Hanukkah (John 10:22), and other rituals according to the current Jewish Law (Luke 2:27). Jerusalem was located in the region of Judah (Joshua 15:63), and interestingly enough the lineage of the kings descended through the line of Judah (Matthew 1:1-16). Originally, the city of Jerusalem was named Salem (Genesis 14:18) and was referred as such by the Psalmist, although, by then it's name had been lengthened to "Jerusalem" (Psalm 76:2 compare with the first mention of Jerusalem at Joshua 10:1). Salem was identified with the Melchizedek priesthood (Genesis 14:18, Hebrews 7:1-3). It is fitting that our God would choose Jerusalem to be his chosen holy city, for "Salem" means "Peace" (Hebrews 7:2).
MOUNT ZION Just as spiritual Mount Zion is related to the spiritual tribe of Judah (Psalm 48:11, 78:68), so too, was the physical city of Zion / Jerusalem related to the physical region of Judah (Joshua 15:63). It is worth noting that earthly Jerusalem was simply a physical copy of the spiritual Jerusalem in Heaven (Hebrews 8:5, 9:24). According to scripture, Mount Zion will endure forever (Psalm 125:1), for it is a place of refuge for God's faithful followers (Joel 2:32). New Jerusalem / Mount Zion, will come to earth, a merging of the heavenly with the earthly, when God's Kingdom comes (Ezekiel 37:26-28, Revelation 3:12-13, Revelation 21:1-4). |