Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The Zion Of God

The Living Stone Laid In Zion (1 Peter 2:4-12)
As you come to Him, The Living Stone—rejected by men
But chosen by God and precious to Him--
You also, like living stones,
Are being built into a spiritual house
To be a holy priesthood,
Offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
Through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

'See, I lay a Stone (Christ) in Zion
A chosen and precious cornerstone,
And the one who trust in Him will never be put to shame,'

Now to you who believe, this Stone is precious.
But to those who do not believe,

'The Stone the builders rejected has become the Capstone,
And, 'a Stone that causes men to stumble
and a Rock that makes them fall.'

They stumble because they disobey the message--
Which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
A people belonging to God,
That you may declare the praises of Him
Who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;
Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world
To abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
Live such good lives among the pagans
That, though they accuse you of doing wrong,
They may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
(1 Peter 2:4-12)

Zion is the spiritual house that God has been preparing
Throughout the ages.
It consists of living stones (those alive in Christ), a holy priesthood,
Who offer spiritual sacrifices (worship) acceptable to God.
Zion is The Body of Christ, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
A people belonging to God, that we may declare the praises of Him
Who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.

Zion The Heavenly Jerusalem
The City Of The Living God
The apostle Paul says:
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire;
To darkness, gloom and storm;
To a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words,
So that those who heard it begged
That no further word be spoken to them,
Because they could not bear what was commanded:
'If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.'

The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, 'I am trembling with fear.'
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem,
The City of the Living God (Zion).
You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels
In joyful assembly,
To the Church of the Firstborn (Christ),
Whose names are written in heaven.
You have come to God, the judge of all men,
To the spirits of righteous men made perfect,
To Jesus the mediator of a new covenant,
And to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word
Than the blood of Abel.

See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks.
If they did not escape when they refused Him
Who warned them on earth,
How much less will we,
If were turn away from Him who warns us from heaven?
At that time His voice shook the earth,
But now He has promised,

'Once more I will shake not only the earth
But also the heavens,'

The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken--
That is created things—so that what cannot be shaken, may remain.

Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom that cannot be shaken,
Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:18-29)

God's King Installed On Zion
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.
'Let us break their chains,' they say, 'and throw off their fetters.'
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
Then He rebukes them in His anger
And terrifies them in His wrath, saying,
'I have installed my King on Zion , My holy hill. (Isaiah 2:1-6)

The Lord Will Do Battle On Mount Zion
This is what the Lord says to me:

'As the lion growls, a great lion over his prey--
And though a whole band of shepherds is called together against him,
He is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor--
So the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion
And on its heights.
Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord almighty will shield Jerusalem;
He will shield it and deliver it, He will 'pass over' it and will rescue it.'
(Isaiah 31:4-5)

The Lord's Fire is in Zion His Furnace is Jerusalem
Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man;
A sword, not of mortals, will devour them.
They will flee before the sword
And their young men will be put to forced labor.
Their stronghold will fall because of terror;
At the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,' Declares the Lord,
Whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
(Isaiah 31:8-9)

The Lord Enthroned in Zion
Sing praises to the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
Proclaim among the nations what he has done. (Psalm 9:11)

The Gates Of The Daughter Of Zion
O Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
That I may declare your praises
In the gates of the daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.
(Psalm 9:13-14)

Salvation Will Come Out of Zion
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad! (Psalm 14:7)

Help From The Sanctuary, Support From Zion
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
And grant you support from Zion. (Psalm 20:1-2)

Zion, The Joy Of The Whole Earth
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,
In the city of our God, his holy mountain.
It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth.
Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion.

Zion Perfect In Beauty
The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks
And summons the earth from the rising of the sun
To the place where it sets.
From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. (Psalm 50:1-2)

Make Zion Prosper
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
Whole burnt offerings to delight you;
Then bulls will be offered on your altar. (Psalm 51:17-19)

Praise Awaits God In Zion
Praise awaits you, O Bod, in Zion;
To you our vows will be fulfilled.
O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come. (Psalm 65:1)

God Will Save Zion
Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all that move in them,
for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah
Then people will settle there and possess it;
The children of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love his name will dwell there. (Psalm 69:34-36)

Mount Zion God's Dwelling Place
Remember the people you purchased of old,
The tribe you redeemed as your inheritance--
Mount Zion, where you dwelt. (Psalm 74:2)

God's Dwelling Place Is Zion
In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel.
His tent is in Salem, His dwelling place in Zion. (Psalm 76:1-2)

The Tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, The House Of Praise
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
As a man wakes from the stupor of wine.
He beat back his enemies; He put them to everlasting shame.
Then He rejected the tents of Joseph,
He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.
(Psalm 78:67-68)

[Here the Psalm states that the tribe of Judah is Mount Zion,
The House of Praise.]

How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place-Zion
How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty!
My soul years, even faints for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the Living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young--a place near your altar,
O Lord almighty , my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
Who have set their hearts on the pilgrimage.
As they pass through the valley of Baca,
They make it a place of springs;
The autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength
Till each appears before God in Zion. (Psalm 84:1-7)

[Zion is the destination for those who follow Christ Jesus.]

All My Fountains Are In You
He has set his foundation on the holy mountain;
The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Glorious things are said of you O City of God:
'I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me--
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush--
And will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'

Indeed, of Zion it will be said, 'This one and that one were born in her,
And the Most High himself will establish her.'
The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:
This one was born in Zion.'

As they (those born in Zion) make music they will sin,
'All my fountains are in you.' (Psalm 87)

[The Lord establishes Zion and lives within her,
Therefore, those born in Zion declare, that all their fountains are in her;
That is in the Spirit of God that is the LIFE of Zion.]

It Is Time To Show Favor To Zion
Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad
Because of you judgments, O Lord.
For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods. (Psalm 97)

The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble;
He sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
Great is the lord in Zion; He is exalted over all the nations.
Let them praise you great and awesome name—He is holy.
(Psalm 99:1-3)

But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
For it is time to show favor to her;
The appointed time has come.
For her stones are dear to Your servants;
Her very dust moves them to pity.
The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
All the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
He will not despise their plea.

Let this be written for a future generation,
That a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
'The Lord looked down from His sanctuary on high,
From heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners
And release those condemned to death,'
So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
And his praise in Jerusalem’s
When the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.
(Psalm 102:12-22)

The Lord's Scepter Will Extend From Zion
The Lord says to my Lord:
'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool
For your feet.'

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
You will rule in the midst of Your enemies.
Your troops will be wiling on Your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
From the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of Your youth.
The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind:

'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'

The Lord is at your right hand
He will crush kings on the day of His wrath.
He will judge the nations,
Heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook beside the way,
Therefore He will lift up His head. (Psalm 110)

Mount Zion Cannot Be Shaken
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion
Which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.

The scepter of the wicked will not remain
Over the land allotted to the righteous,
For then the righteous might use their hands to do evil.

Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
To those who are upright in heart.
But those who turn to crooked ways
The Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be upon Israel. (Psalm 125)

The Lord Brings Back The Captives To Zion
When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion,
We were like men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
'The Lord has done great things for them.'
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
(Psalm 126)

May the Lord Bless You From Zion
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.
You will ear the fruit of your labor;
Blessings and prosperity will be yours.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
Your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.
Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.

May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life;
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,
And may you live to see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel. (Psalm 129)

For The Lord Has Chosen Zion
For the Lord has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His dwelling:
'This is my resting place forever and ever;
Here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it--
I will bless her with abundant provisions;
Her poor will I satisfy with food.
I will clothe her priests with salvation,
And her saints will ever sing for joy.

Here I will make a horn grow for David
And st up a lamp for my Anointed One.
I will clothe His enemies with shame,
But crown on His head will be resplendent.' (Psalm 132:13-18)

The Lord Bestows His Blessing On Mount Zion
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down the beard,
Running down on Aaron's beard, down the collar of his robes.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even LIFE forevermore.
(Psalm 133)

May The Lord Bless You From Zion
Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord
Who minister by night in the house of the Lord.
Lift up you hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.

May the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion. (Psalm 134)

Praise Be To The Lord From Zion
Praise be to the Lord from Zion to Him who dwells in Jerusalem.
(Psalm 135)

Zion My Highest Joy
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars we hung our harps,
For there our captors asked us for songs,
Our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
They said, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!

How can we sing the songs of the Lord wile in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you,
If I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. (Psalm 137:1-6)

Zion's God Reigns Forever
The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise God, O Zion
Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion,
for He strengthens the bars of your gates
And blesses your people within your borders
And satisfies you with the finest of wheat. (Psalm 147:12-14)

Let The People Of Zion Be Glad In Their King
Praise the Lord.

Sing to the Lord a new song,
His praise in the assembly of the saints.

Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing
And make music to him with tambourine and harp.
For the Lord takes delight in his people;
He crowns the humble with salvation.
Let the saints rejoice in this honor.
And sing for joy on their beds.

May the praise of God be in their mouths
And a double-edged sword in their hands,
To inflict vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
To bind their kings with fetters,
Their nobles with shackles of iron,
To carry out the sentence written against them.
This is the glory of all his saints. (Psalm 149)

In The Last Days The Law Will Go Out From Zion
In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established
As chief among the mountains;
It will be raised above the hills' and all nations will stream to it.

Many peoples will come and say,
'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.
The law will go out from Zion the world of the Lord from Jerusalem. 
(Isaiah 2:2-3)


Why does Islam hate Zion?  
Because of God's great Promises to her.

Today, the world is raging against God, rushing toward oblivion. (Psalm 2)
America is being ground to powder because of her SIN against God.
Save yourself from this Corrupt Generation! (Acts 2:40)
As God has written, so shall it be! Hallelujah! Maranatha!
Father, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in Heaven!

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