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There are passages in the Bible that mention the ‘mountain of the Lord,’ and ‘Zion.’ Some mention Zion and the mountain of the Lord in the same passage. To wit, one such passage, Zechariah 8:3, says “Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.”
Commentators assert that Zion is a derivative of Mt. Sinai. This is plausible since Mt. Sinai is where Moses went to hear from God, and thereafter Mt. Sinai is often referred to as the mountain of the Lord. Ironically, the Biblical Mt. Sinai is believed to be located on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, just south of Israel and home of the misery imposed on the Hebrews by an Egyptian Pharoah. One may wonder why it took forty years to travel what amounts to 160 miles from Mt. Sinai to the borders of Israel. At the outside, depending on where in Israel the Hebrews were headed, it should have taken no more than 5-10 days, traveling at 5 miles an hour and 6 hours a day.
More to the present day, there is talk of a political movement referred to as Zionism, which calls for the absolute establishment of a home for the Jews in Israel. Thing is, it is not only this movement calling for that; numerous Passages in the Bible refer to a return to Zion. In many such passages, including Zechariah 8:3 above, Zion has become a symbol for God’s habitat. In Ezekiel 36:24, also in the OT, the Lord says, “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.” So Zionism isn’t just a political movement, it is a religious one as well.
Did Jesus have anything to say about a so-called return to Zion? Seems that if he did, he’s not quoted in the Bible. An inference that he may have favored it can perhaps be found in the New Testament, though Jesus doesn’t mention it directly. Romans 11:25-26 says “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob” ...Some have linked that quote to -Isaiah 59:20 which says “’And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares the LORD.”
Perhaps somewhere along the way, Jesus had a conversation with his disciples which mentions a place where those whose devotion is to God may arrive. That may not seem far-fetched, since Jesus was familiar with the Book of Isaiah. There is also an indirect association with Jesus and Zion, via Revelation 14:1 in which John says, “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” Commentators have stated that the Lamb is Jesus.
The NT, in line with Jesus’ quest to spread God’s Word to all nations, extends this Zion homecoming to others aside from Jews, who believe in God through Jesus.
As far as Jesus paying much mind to the establishment of a Zion homeland, one might presume that his first priority was spreading the Word. If so, the idea, then, of a coming to Zion or return to Zion may be little more significant than a return to a summer home or resort each summer, to be rejuvenated, or maybe a return trip to Rome to see the Pope. Thing is, since there are billions of people in the world, they cannot all fit in a physical land that may be referred to as Zion.
But one can’t discount the importance to many of a place to be associated with God, as at least being on the same level as our houses of worship. And in a sense, to deny Zion to anyone who worships God would be like denying someone an entrance into a house of worship of the Lord.
Commentators assert that Zion is a derivative of Mt. Sinai. This is plausible since Mt. Sinai is where Moses went to hear from God, and thereafter Mt. Sinai is often referred to as the mountain of the Lord. Ironically, the Biblical Mt. Sinai is believed to be located on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, just south of Israel and home of the misery imposed on the Hebrews by an Egyptian Pharoah. One may wonder why it took forty years to travel what amounts to 160 miles from Mt. Sinai to the borders of Israel. At the outside, depending on where in Israel the Hebrews were headed, it should have taken no more than 5-10 days, traveling at 5 miles an hour and 6 hours a day.
More to the present day, there is talk of a political movement referred to as Zionism, which calls for the absolute establishment of a home for the Jews in Israel. Thing is, it is not only this movement calling for that; numerous Passages in the Bible refer to a return to Zion. In many such passages, including Zechariah 8:3 above, Zion has become a symbol for God’s habitat. In Ezekiel 36:24, also in the OT, the Lord says, “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land.” So Zionism isn’t just a political movement, it is a religious one as well.
Did Jesus have anything to say about a so-called return to Zion? Seems that if he did, he’s not quoted in the Bible. An inference that he may have favored it can perhaps be found in the New Testament, though Jesus doesn’t mention it directly. Romans 11:25-26 says “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob” ...Some have linked that quote to -Isaiah 59:20 which says “’And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares the LORD.”
Perhaps somewhere along the way, Jesus had a conversation with his disciples which mentions a place where those whose devotion is to God may arrive. That may not seem far-fetched, since Jesus was familiar with the Book of Isaiah. There is also an indirect association with Jesus and Zion, via Revelation 14:1 in which John says, “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.” Commentators have stated that the Lamb is Jesus.
The NT, in line with Jesus’ quest to spread God’s Word to all nations, extends this Zion homecoming to others aside from Jews, who believe in God through Jesus.
As far as Jesus paying much mind to the establishment of a Zion homeland, one might presume that his first priority was spreading the Word. If so, the idea, then, of a coming to Zion or return to Zion may be little more significant than a return to a summer home or resort each summer, to be rejuvenated, or maybe a return trip to Rome to see the Pope. Thing is, since there are billions of people in the world, they cannot all fit in a physical land that may be referred to as Zion.
But one can’t discount the importance to many of a place to be associated with God, as at least being on the same level as our houses of worship. And in a sense, to deny Zion to anyone who worships God would be like denying someone an entrance into a house of worship of the Lord.
