Psalm 2:6       This one phrase is potent with meaning.  Look where it takes us – to Mount Zion, to Jerusalem; the city that has been at the centre of the world’s troubles since the time that this Psalm was written.  Jerusalem has been fought over, destroyed, rebuilt and changed hands more than any other city and yet it has no river, no vast natural resources, no great strategic value or purpose. It is currently dominated by Jews, Christians and Moslems who all worship in their various synagogues, temples, churches and mosques.  Mount Zion’s dominant buildings are the Moslem Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque and the atmosphere in the city is constantly filled with the Adhan [call to prayer] which is called out by the muezzins from the various mosques five times a day, traditionally from the minarets, summoning Muslims for mandatory worship.

The Jews venerate this site because it was here, on Mount Moriah, that Abraham offered Isaac and where King David later drew up the plans for the first Temple built by his son, Solomon.  It is traditionally, in Judaism, the holiest place on the earth.  Christians are drawn to the site because of the associations with the life and death and resurrection of Christ and because we believe that the ultimate reign of the Messiah will be from this holy mountain when all the world will bow to His authority.  Moslems claim this is a holy mount because, among Sunni Muslims, the Mount is widely considered the third holiest site in Islam.  Revered as the Noble Sanctuary, the location of Muhammad's journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, the site is associated with Jewish biblical prophets who are also venerated in Islam. 
Jerusalem has, for centuries, been a city that has witnessed endless bloodshed and hatred. Religious groups, including Christians, have sought to claim supremacy so that they might say their revelation is greater and better than the others. The trouble is that the Lord God Almighty stands in the way and while Satan tries every trick in the book to buy sympathy and tolerance around the world for his counterfeits, since 1948 the state of Israel has been restored and stood resilient and untouched by the numerous attempts to annihilate both the people and their beliefs.  The Jewish God is our God even though many Jews are blinded and do not believe in Him.  True followers of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, need to be aware of what is really going on and then to rejoice that God’s purpose is even greater than the centuries old conflict between Jews and Moslems and Christendom for, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 
We need to just take this thought one step further. The Scriptures, particularly the Psalms, are full of admiration for Mount Zion. If you didn’t know better, you might think it is one of the highest and most impressive mountains in the world. It is, at best, a low hill and from the Mount of Olives, you look down on it! 
“Sing the praises ofthe Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what He has done.”Psalm 9:11
“Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon[the sacred mountain of the Canaanites in the north] is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.” Psalm 48:2. [Read the whole Psalm!]
The glory of Mount Zion is not its elevation but the fact that God has chosen to dwell there. This is the only site of any permanence, on the whole earth, where the Lord God has allowed His presence to be seen and heard. Men, including the Jews, have abused that privilege BUT God’s King will be installed and He will reign from that Holy Mountain. If you want chapter and verse for the future rule and reign of God’s king from Mount Zion read: Isaiah 2:1-5. Joel 3:17-21. The Scriptures could not be clearer!
However, the Book of Hebrews [Chapter 12:22-24] takes us to a heavenly Mount Zion, the destination of all who truly follow Christ Jesus. There we will experience the joyful celebrations of hosts of angels, we will see God and His Son Jesus and will join with all whose names have been written in heaven. So, I leave you to decide; is Mount Zion in Jerusalem to be restored one day as God’s dwelling place OR is it just a portent of a greater heavenly reality, OR will the heavenly dwelling come down to earth one day in the future? What do you think? 

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