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This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her."This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem." Zech 8:2-3
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. (Isa 52:7-10 NIV)
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zeph 3:14-17 NIV)
Do you have a favorite place on earth, a place you enjoy so much that you are passionate about it? Perhaps it's a small plot of flowers in your back yard, a place that you tend and guard and cherish with a passion that is almost compulsive. Or perhaps it's a fishing hole at the lake, a place where you go to get the pure enjoyment of just being there. God also has a favorite place on earth, a place about which He is extremely passionate! It is often described by God as "the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name." That place is Jerusalem, or Zion. It is the place of the glorious throne of King Jesus: "the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem." (Isaiah 24:23). "His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion." (Psalm 76:2) "For the LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling: 'This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.'" (Psalm 132:13-14) "On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God." (Psalm 87:1-3) There are many other Scriptures that attest to this. The prophecy quoted above, from Isa 52, captures the spirit of joy and excitement of those who are witnessing the LORD's victorious return to His favorite place. The numerous prophecies regarding the future of Jerusalem are bursting with the themes of comfort, restoration, reconciliation, vindication, and delight. Remember that when the Lord Jesus approached Jerusalem, He could only weep and lament about her future - but soon "He will take great delight" in her. However, before that happens, Jerusalem will also weep, about Him, realizing that she did in fact crucify her King. "They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great." (Zech 12:10-11 NIV) That will be a very sad day, but they will also soon be crying tears of joy, because the Son of David will establish an everlasting covenant of peace with them. What a happy day when the Prince of Peace, the King of Jerusalem, comes back to His favorite place! "David my servant (the Messiah) will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.'" (Ezekiel 37:25-28 NIV) We who are citizens of Zion, who have bowed to the King of Salem, can watch with great wonder and delight as the reclamation of God's favorite place occurs before our eyes!!
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