Is Zion and Jerusalem the same?

Zion is in Jerusalem

Zech 8:3 This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."

Jesus will return to Mt Olives, probably at the same spot where he left.
Zech 14:4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.


Yes Jesus will rule from Jerusalem after the 7 years of Grief Tribulation.
Zech 14:17 And it shall be, that whosoever will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Is Zion and Jerusalem the same?
Zion means what?
Original word of Jerusalem means what?

Click to expand...

Zion is the mountain on which the first city of Jerusalem was built. It's often used as another name for Jerusalem. Both names existed before David captured the city (2 Samuel 5:6-10)

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Did Jesus promise to come back to Jerusalem and rule the world from there?

Click to expand...

No. Jesus rules from Heaven.

Jerusalem probably means City of Peace, from Urshalim, the second part being the same as Shalom.

Zion probably means Fortress or dry land, the etymology is a bit uncertain, and referred to the Jebusite Fortress that David is said to have taken to the south of Temple Mount (which is traditionally said to be mount Moriah where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac).

So Jerusalem was mostly built on the twin hills of Zion and Temple Mount, and as a consequence the names Zion and Moriah came to be used as metonyms for Jerusalem. This is similar to how people would say England while meaning the United Kingdom or use the name of a capital city to refer to a country's government.

We aren't exactly sure if our modern identification of the hill of Zion, being in the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem, is correct though. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD and rebuilt it along Roman lines as Aelia Capitolana. It is quite possible that the original Zion lies under the built-up area of Temple Mount as well, or that the mount of Olives or such might have been the original.

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Is Zion and Jerusalem the same?
Zion means what?
Original word of Jerusalem means what?

Did Jesus promise to come back to Jerusalem and rule the world from there?

Click to expand...

This is a great question! You are right to think that they are different things, because if you do a bible search for the phrase "Zion", you will find it is often used beside Jerusalem and they are used in such a way that makes it obvious that they had different meanings in the writer's mind:

BibleGateway - : zion

Jerusalem means "city of peace", whereas Zion has a much more spiritual meaning. There is a lot of literary prose in scripture, where a word has a deeper meaning than it's obvious dictionary definition. An example of this is the word "stone". Do you remember how Jesus spoke in Matthew 21, saying "The stone the builder's rejected has become the chief cornerstone"? He was using that quote from Isaiah to warn the Pharisee's that because they were refusing to use Him in the building of The Kingdom (even though God had appointed Him to it), the outcome for them would be that they would be deposed and He would become the foundation for a new Kingdom (Luke 13:34-35). (This is why there is no other name in heaven and earth by which man must be saved).

So the phrase "Zion", although being a literal name of a mountain in Jerusalem, it conveys much more meaning to the ones who have been following scripture's story of God and His people.

1c of the Merriam Webster definition has it pretty accurate IMO:

Definition of Zion
1
2: heaven
3: utopia
Definition of ZION

Have you seen how the scriptures talk about a Daughter of Zion? This isn't just talking about a person that was born from a mountain .. there's something much deeper to read in it, that she is the cherished offspring of a people who are dedicated to God. Scripture also mentions the sons of Zion and it says there are sinners in Zion, so it certainly seems to be describing a city (large community) of people pursuing the knowledge of Adonai.

As we know that Israel was displaced 2,000 years ago, his people were dispersed throughout the nations. We also know that Christians have received Jesus as the cornerstone of Zion (1 Peter 2:6), and His people are established all through the world. This goes to show that Zion is now not only a people of a given geographical place, but it is a worldwide spiritual kingdom. This goes toward the fulfilment of key prophecies such as Genesis 22:15-18, Isaiah 11:9, John 10:16, etc.

In the New Testament, there is only two original instances of the name Zion: Hebrews 12:22, stating it is The heavenly Jerusalem and the city of The Living God, and Revelation 14:1. Besides that, it is quoted only a few times to show where the old testament prophecies had been fulfilled in the new. Jesus is not recorded as having used the word (though He might have used it outside of the bible writings).

The New Testament uses the phrase "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" a lot, which I read as more than just a change in language, but a new power. Jesus appears to have brought a new authority to proclaim this era, if we consider the likes of Luke 16:16, Luke 11:20, Luke 3:16, Luke 13:34-35. Remember in Matthew 21:42-44 that Jesus prophesied to take the kingdom from the Pharisee's if they would not receive Him - consider how that fits with John 18:36-37, Daniel 7:13-14 and Mark 9:1.

Well, it's nice to have met you today I hope this will be useful to you!

Serving Zion said:

Zion has a much more spiritual meaning

Click to expand...

Because Zion was the hill on which the Temple was built, Zion (or in some places "holy hill" or "holy mountain") refers to the place where God lives:

Psalm 9:11: Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!

Psalm 14:7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

Linked to that is the idea of marching uphill to the Temple:

Psalm 122:1-4: I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” ... Jerusalem ... to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord.

This language also gets used in Christian hymns that refer to Heaven:

Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.

We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

And, of course:

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God!
He, whose word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.

Savior, if of Zion’s city,
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy name:
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Zion’s children know.

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Will there we war of Armageddon because of Jerusalem?

Click to expand...

Brother, these are really serious questions to suddenly have! It is a good sign, but it's also a delicate matter. There is a reason why Jesus said Luke 10:21, St. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 2, and Amos 3:7 goes with Mark 13:32 to show that the knowledge of how the end comes belongs to Adonai, and it is in everyone's best interests that it is protected.

Tensions have been accelerating rapidly through recent years, and Earth's present course is unsustainable. There is definitely a faithful people on the earth that is loyal to God, so we might think of them as Lot and Noah. They both remained faithful to God amidst wickedness and they were saved by their having received and obeyed God's instruction to them. Jesus spoke of this in Luke 17:26-29.

So I know it's an indirect answer, because He has not provided for me to give you a direct answer here. But do know that the move of the US Embassy to Jerusalem has already triggered an escalation of energy in the region, and energy is vital to movement. All three religions are pursuing His victory in faith, yet they do not have agreement about what that means. It is only a matter of establishing a universal knowledge - where truth is acknowledged over and above belief/tradition/history; but also as St. John writes in 1 John 4:6, there is a spiritual dimension to it.

Galatians 4:25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly

2 different animals

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Muslim based on what to claim that Jerusalem belongs to them?
Does their Koran say that?

Click to expand...

You tell me

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Will there we war of Armageddon because of Jerusalem?

Click to expand...

There will be a war of Armageddon because of human nature.

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Muslim based on what to claim that Jerusalem belongs to them?

Click to expand...

They took and held it for long periods of time I think. Also other things noted here

Why Jews and Muslims Both Have Religious Claims on Jerusalem

Jesus_is_Saint said:

Who is illegitimate?

Click to expand...

That is a loaded question. Do the Welsh have a claim on London on historical grounds? Could the Germans historic claims on Prussia support their invasion of Poland?

The fact is that the Jews took Jerusalem from the Jebusites and that it was largely a Jewish city for a 1000 years thereafter, before the Romans expelled them. The current non-Jewish inhabitants have continuous claims going back centuries as well, but with population changes as Jerusalem changed hands between Turk and Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman, down to the British Mandate.
Both are legitimate claims but for different reasons. Which should be given more weight? In general though, possession is 9 tenths of the law.

This is why the original plan was to make Jerusalem a free international city, back in 1948. To expect enemies to share something as fundamental to their nationhood as a capital city, is not reasonable. Either neither should have it, or it should be fully given over to one side - but there will always be someone unhappy with any decision made here.

Jesus_is_Saint said:

But the Bible clearly says Jerusalem is the City of King David.

Click to expand...

But there is no King David anymore.

Also remember that the Palestinian Christians are the descendants of Jews who converted to Christianity, almost 2,000 years ago. They have a right to Jerusalem too.

Quid est Veritas? said:

Jerusalem probably means City of Peace, from Urshalim, the second part being the same as Shalom.

Zion probably means Fortress or dry land, the etymology is a bit uncertain, and referred to the Jebusite Fortress that David is said to have taken to the south of Temple Mount (which is traditionally said to be mount Moriah where Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac).

So Jerusalem was mostly built on the twin hills of Zion and Temple Mount, and as a consequence the names Zion and Moriah came to be used as metonyms for Jerusalem. This is similar to how people would say England while meaning the United Kingdom or use the name of a capital city to refer to a country's government.

We aren't exactly sure if our modern identification of the hill of Zion, being in the Armenian quarter in Jerusalem, is correct though. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD and rebuilt it along Roman lines as Aelia Capitolana. It is quite possible that the original Zion lies under the built-up area of Temple Mount as well, or that the mount of Olives or such might have been the original.

Click to expand...

Native Hebrew speaker here According to Hebrew sources Jerusalem actually does not mean city of peace , Yerushalayim (Jerusalem in Hebrew) means: Yeru: to establish in biblical Hebrew; and Shalem: complete whole, together Jerusalem means a city established by a complete whole. Source: Why is Jerusalem called Jerusalem?

While Zion is actually a synonym for Jerusalem (It has other meanings too).

Hope this helps!

Messianic_Friend said:

Native Hebrew speaker here According to Hebrew sources Jerusalem actually does not mean city of peace , Yerushalayim (Jerusalem in Hebrew) means: Yeru: to establish in biblical Hebrew; and Shalem: complete whole, together Jerusalem means a city established by a complete whole. Source: Why is Jerusalem called Jerusalem?

While Zion is actually a synonym for Jerusalem (It has other meanings too).

Hope this helps!

Click to expand...

The name Jerusalem predates Biblical Hebrew. This is even evident in the Bible where David takes it from the Jebusites. A Hebrew reading of the name is thus folk etymology.

We see Rusalim in the Amarna texts in the 13th century BC and Urusalim in various cuneiform texts. The first part is the trinominal semitic root for words related to building, which underlies meanings like city or foundation. The second root is related to concepts of peace, which 'wholeness' would also fall under. So 'city of Peace' is a fairly good approximation of what the different semitic trinominal roots might mean, although foundation of wholeness is not an impossible one either.