Zion

The LORD swore to David
a firm oath that He will not renounce,
“One of your own issue I will set upon your throne.
If your sons keep My covenant
and My decrees that I teach them,
then their sons also,
to the end of time,
shall sit upon your throne.”
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
He has desired it for His seat.
“This is my resting-place for all time;
here I will dwell, for I desire it.
I will amply bless its store of food,
give its needy their fill of bread.
I will clothe its priests in victory,
its loyal ones shall sing for joy.
There I will make a horn sprout for David;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.
I will clothe his enemies in disgrace,
while on him his crown shall sparkle.”
Psalm 132:11-18 (Tanakh)

An everlasting dwelling place

Continuity

Some verses from Scripture which illustrate the importance of Zion, its continuity, and which also confirm that the Covenant has not been annulled by Paul et al.

[Assignment: Compare historical-Zion, Jerusalem today, Jerusalem tomorrow^†, Zion tomorrow^‡ , and the New Jerusalem^†† . Discuss the imagery in detail. Discuss your findings with regard to the timeline. Discuss your findings with regard to the education of children and new converts.]

^† I looked up, and I saw a man holding a measuring line. 6 “Where are you going?" I asked. “To measure Jerusalem," he replied, “to see how long and wide it is to be.” 7 But the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him. 8 The former said to him, “Run to that young man and tell him:
“Jerusalem shall be peopled as a city without walls, so many shall be the men and cattle it contains. 9 And I Myself—declares the LORD—will be a wall of fire all around it, and I will be a glory inside it. (Zechariah 2:5-9 (Tanakh))

^‡ 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 peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations 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 word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:1-2 NIV)

^†† The Spirit took control of me, and the angel carried me to the top of a very high mountain. He showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City, coming down out of heaven from God 11 and shining with the glory of God. The city shone like a precious stone, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates and with twelve angels in charge of the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of the people of Israel. 13 There were three gates on each side: three on the east, three on the south, three on the north, and three on the west. 14 The city's wall was built on twelve foundation stones, on which were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 The angel who spoke to me had a gold measuring stick to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city was perfectly square, as wide as it was long. The angel measured the city with his measuring stick: it was fifteen hundred miles long and was as wide and as high as it was long. 17 The angel also measured the wall, and it was 216 feet high, according to the standard unit of measure which he was using. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself was made of pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The foundation stones of the city wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh yellow quartz, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chalcedony, the eleventh turquoise, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each gate was made from a single pearl. The street of the city was of pure gold, transparent as glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. 23 The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God shines on it, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The peoples of the world will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their wealth into it. 25 The gates of the city will stand open all day; they will never be closed, because there will be no night there. 26 The greatness and the wealth of the nations will be brought into the city. 27 But nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of the living will enter the city. (Revelation 21:10-27 GNT)

For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling, saying, 14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it.” (Psalm 132:13-14 NIV)

[Assignment: Discuss the implications for Paul's competence and his new-covenant doctrine.]

Historically, a fortress

[Assignment:What is the spiritual significance of Zion's history as a stronghold?]

Zion's Cornerstone

There is an assurance with the Tanakh translation of the complete trustworthiness of that 'tower', or lighthouse, or beacon which will stand on Mount Zion following the rebuilding of David's fallen Tent:

What could be better than the Covenant, standing tall, with its foundations sunk deep into the rock of Mount Zion?

Enduring and everlasting

A place of refuge

Zion, a refuge, picks up on the historical fortress captured by David_10C (above).

God's dwelling place on Earth

God's everlasting residence

With the ending of the age, Zion - which includes Jerusalem - will continue as the New Jerusalem.

Zion ploughed

Zion, the city of Israel's festivals

Zion, a city which endures

Zion will be rebuilt

Deliverance

[^‡ Teman, Darom, Negeb are three terms for 'the south'. The allusion is to Jerusalem (verse 7), which was always approached from Babylon by way of the north. (Tanakh)]

The Law will go out from Zion

'In the last days...' is an explicit statement as to the enduring nature of a Covenant defiled and trashed by Paul et al.