Mount Zion
The Dwelling Place of God

Text: Isaiah 60:l-2

      "Arise Shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

        The statement of Isaiah here in this chapter is preferenced by a reference in verse 20 of the preceding chapter - "And the Redeemer shall come in Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord." We have talked about Zion as the city of covenantal salvation, the city of glorification, the city of God's habitation. It is the glorious city.

        Psalms 87:3
      "Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah"

        The glory of Zion is established by God himself.

        Isaiah 60:7
      "All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee; they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory."

        Zion is thus said to be glorious because God is there. We have talked about the fact that Zion is the habitation of God. God has declared that He will glorify the house of his glory. It should be observed that although the 60th chapter of Isaiah is eschatological and messianic in its full application. There is a historical and present application of the same which establishes the basic for this futuristic final fulfillment; in other words the 60th chapter of Isaiah is predominately and primarily still in the future; but there is a present application which we must come to understand, if we are to understand its clear and final fulfillment.

        Psalm 76:2
      "In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion."

        In II Chronicles the fifth chapter we talked about the construction of the temple by Solomon and we observed that when it was completed, the ark of the covenant was transported thereto from the tabernacle that David had constructed for it on Mount Zion, and we are told that the glory of the Lord filled the temple to the extent that the priest could not stand to minister in the temple before the Lord.

        II Chronicles 5:l3-l4
      "It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever; that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God."

        So we are talking here about Zion, the city of glory. It is because the Lord is there. Solomon's temple, we know, became a symbol and type of the new testament church, because the church today is the temple of God, the dwelling place of God throughout this dispensation.

        Ephesians 2:21
      "In whom all the building fitly framed together, groweth into an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

        The church we are told is a holy temple in the Lord. We are told that the church is builded together for a habitation of God through the spirit. It takes more than one person to build up this temple; you must have at least two, according to what Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew; said where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the mist of them. One brick does not make a house, two bricks do not make a house, l00 bricks do not make a house, just stacked over there to the side. They just got through building a big house over there next to us. Folks those bricks don't make a house, they have to be builded together, formed, fashioned, constructed, into a house.
        Beloved, the church is built together for a habitation of God through the spirit. Once that house was built and established by Christ, God moved in; the holy spirit condescended, he came in to dwell and abide in that house. We are talking still about Zion; about the glorious city, because as we have said, the church is Zion. Not purposing to repreach what we have already preached, but to remind you concerning the establishment of that church, the cornerstone was lain where; in Zion. "Behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone." That statement is quoted by Peter, very important we are told in Hebrew l2:22 - "Ye have come unto Mount Zion." Folks that's the church. Verse l8 - "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched." Can you touch Mount Zion? No! The Mount Zion of which we speak cannot be touched. We are talking about spiritual Zion here. Yes one day, we will be able to touch it, in my understanding. I want to point out once again - "ye are come" - and the Greek new testament says - "but ye have come unto Mount Zion." The idea here is you have already come; you are there. This is the emphasis and meaning of the perfect tense in the Greek new testament; that of completed action with present results in effect. Ye have come; thus you are come; you are there. And unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, and to the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Thus the church is the spiritual Mount Zion, the mount that might not be touched; this is the Mount Zion to which we have come. God has placed his glory in Zion; thus does it abide in the church today, institutionally speaking as she ministers Christ to the world.

        Ephesians 3:21
      "Unto Him be glory in the church of Christ Jesus, throughout all ages world without end."

        Folks that's Zion. Unto him be glory in Zion, in the church. Literally, it says unto all generations of the age of the ages. God has purposed to get glory through Zion, that is through the church. Now what does God have in store for Zion? Primarily we will deal with that part of it later. The perfection of Zion and all its glory and so forth, but for now let us concern ourselves with the thought that is before us.

        "Arise, shine, for thy light is come." Remember Zion; it means in Hebrew, shining mountain. Once again concerning the church Jesus said "a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Zion! The thread of truth runs all the way through, old testament and new testament. No way we have exhausted this subject when we are finished. I've just introduced the subject, but hopefully when you read and encounter the many passages that refer to Zion, you'll have a deeper and more abiding appreciation for what is being discussed.

        Isaiah 60:l-2
      "Arise, shine, for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

        Now beloved, I know that Isaiah was talking about literal Zion, literal Jerusalem, and there is no doubt that that is a part of it, but to take it further, the church is spiritual Zion. Physical Zion was despised and down-trodden, but even so, spiritual Zion today, the church is despised and down trodden.
        The glory of Zion is not seen by the world today, because of the gross darkness spiritually speaking which covers the earth. Beloved, the Lord has placed His glory in the church, but that glory is not seen today because of the gross darkness which has settled in upon the world. "But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." This has not happened yet! The glory of the Lord has not been seen, resting and abiding upon his people yet, but it will be. It will be a blinding glory. It will be a glory to which our world shall do homage to and recognize, but today, the world recognizes not the glory of the Lord which He has placed in Zion. Why? Because Satan has blinded the minds of the Lost.

        II Corinthians 4:3-6
      "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid from them that are lost." (Folks it is hid from them that are being destroyed. Not those that are lost in the traditional sense of lost; that is not what it is talking about. It is hid from them that are perishing, them that are being destroyed.) "In whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not, less the light of the glory of the gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

        God has given this light to those that will receive it, but beloved, there is a day coming in which God shall banish the darkness, and the light of Zion shall be seen by all the world. Yea, we are told that all the nations shall come to it; we are told that all the nations shall desire to approach unto it. This is not the case today, far from it! But this is what the 60th chapter of Isaiah deals with, and that is the magnification and unveiling of Zion's glory in the ages to come. The thought I am presenting in this part of the study, is that Zion's light is not recognized by the world today because of the gross darkness that abides upon the world, but one day Satan shall be bound, and the glory of Zion shall come to this earth in her full force and all the world shall seek unto it, shall be attracted unto it. Maybe that's what the scripture means when it speaks of some being banished to outer darkness. This speaks to me of the fact that they are far removed from the light of Zion, the light of God's city. Let us listen to what the scripture says:

        Isaiah 60:l-2
      "Arise, shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee, For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of the rising."

        I want you to notice there the point. It is that the Lord's glory shall be seen! When? When the Lord comes.

        Psalm l02:l6
      "When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory."

        Notice his glory shall be seen. His glory is not being seen by the world today because of the gross darkness that abides upon the world, but God will cause it to be seen.
        And we are told that the Gentiles shall come to the light. You can just put the word nations in there, I did not take the time to look that Hebrew word up, but I can assure you it means nations.
        All the nations are going to seek the light of Zion. Listen to what verse nine says. The thought is that God is going to magnify the light of Zion and all the nations of the world are going to seek the light of God's city.

        Isaiah 60:9
      "Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee."

        Next week, we will talk about the wealth the nations bring into Zion. The thought I want to leave now, is that God is going to magnify the light and glory of Zion, and all the nations are going to seek to that light. The isles spoken of here are figurative expressions to me, of the outer extremities, or the fact that nations from these outer extremities of the world are going to be attracted to the light of Zion and shall come up to Zion to worship the Lord and to lay their offerings at the feet of the Lord and the feet of the saints.

        Isaiah 60:l3
      "The Glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious."

        Zion is the place of God's eternal habitation. It is his eternal abiding place. We know that Lebanon was well known for her cedar trees and evidently timber business was big business in Lebanon. We know that Solomon contracted with the king of Tyre to transport and bring up the cedar used in the construction of the temple. Here we have a figurative expression - "the glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee."

        Isaiah 60:l5
      "Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated; so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations."

        No doubt Isaiah was historically speaking with reference to Jerusalem, which had been down trodden under the feet of the gentiles, which was despised and spoken reproachfully of in fulfillment of the prophecy Moses had told the children of Israel. He said, listen, if you don't do as the Lord told you to do, you will be down-trodden, despised of the nations, and as Jeremiah spoke concerning the rebellion of Israel, the Southern Kingdom, he said that the nations would wag their heads, shake their heads in disbelief of the judgment that God would bring upon Jerusalem. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, but beloved can we not equally make an application in our day to the attitude of people toward the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ has been forsaken and hated. As Paul said, we are but the filth and the offscouring of the world. Brethren, that's the way we are regarded by the world. In the world's eyes, if you do not have a large cathedral and thousands of people and this and that, you're just scum. I'm hear to tell you, God's going to bring down these churches and religious institution's of the world and he's going to exalt us, his church. We better make sure that we have identified ourselves legitimately and according to God's instructions, if we want to have any part of it.

        Isaiah 60:15
"Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee..."

        No man wanted to have anything to do with you. Does that not sound like the Lords church. Man, you can't drag people to the house of the Lord. People don't want to have anything to do with a church that believes the truth. People want to go somewhere they can party and play, socialize. I can tell you how to fill up the church. Go take some money out of the bank and get us some entertainers, you can fill the house up; but would the Lord be pleased with it; would the Lord be honored. I think the answer is obvious. The Lord and the Lord's people are not pleased with games and gimmicks when it comes to the Lord's business.

        Isaiah 60:l9
      "The sun shall be no more thy light by day: neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory."

        Beloved, the glory of Zion, is God himself. He has designated it as His dwelling place. Let there be no mistake about it; Zion is the dwelling place of God and in this dispensation that is the church. He has designated it as the place of His eternal habitation. The book of Revelation tells us that the tabernacle of God is with men. He shall make his eternal habitation with the saints of God.

        Isaiah 60:20
      "Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."

        Isaiah 60:2l
      "Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified."

        Zion is thus the city of glory to which the nations shall pay homage in the ages to come, bringing up their offerings, bestowing their glory upon Zion, the city of God.
        We'll talk about Isaiah 62 verses ll and l2 next week, but I'll read them now. It's a good place to end.

        Isaiah 62:ll-l2
      "Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; And thou shalt be called, Sought out, a city not forsaken."

        Beloved, Zion is the City of the Lord.