When I hear the word Zion, I shudder. Internally, I translate it to Zionists and Zionism. Those words, in the context of modern world affairs, stir images of rage, hate, bigotry, and nationalism. That’s part of what’s broken in our culture. We take good and pure things and turn them rotten. I think that’s exactly how Satan works. He trades truth for lies (Romans 1:25) and light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20).
This becomes clear to me when I read Psalm 87.
On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God. — Psalm 87:1–3 (ESV)
I don’t get past verse 2 without feeling it. That word Zion catches in my throat. Is this how it all started?
The answer is both no and yes. No, because the Zion I hear about on the news is not the Zion of Scripture. But yes, because the original Zion, the place where God chose to dwell, is where the story begins. To understand it, we need a full picture of what Zion truly is.
Zion is a hill in Jerusalem, not just any hill, but the one where God established His dwelling. There, His people gathered to worship. Yet Psalm 87 reveals something remarkable. The city’s register includes names from far beyond Israel: Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush (v. 4). Nations once known for slavery, pride, and sin are written as if they were born there. Even Babylon, later described in Revelation 17:5 as “the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth,” is named among those who belong.
How can that be? Because Zion isn’t about who controls the ground; it’s about who is welcomed home. It isn’t about who has sinned and who has not. We all have. Zion points higher to God’s presence among His people and His desire to gather the nations to Himself.
Zion is a picture of Jesus. Through Him, we are purified and made worthy to live in God’s presence. He writes our names in His book, making us citizens of His eternal city, permanent residents in His household, together on that holy hill where God dwells with His people.