Can you comment on Zion, Zion, I long thy gates to see. Some say it is not scriptural because Zion is the church in every sense, and never heaven, as it seems in the song.<\/p>\n
Thanks for your consideration. I wish to be accurate when I sing a song, but I love this song!<\/p>\n\t
\nThere Is a Habitation<\/h2>\n
by Love H. Jameson<\/p>\nThere is a habitation,
\nBuilt by the living God,
\nFor all of every nation,
\nWho seek that grand abode.\nA city with foundations
\nFirm as th’eternal throne;
\nNor wars, nor desolation
\nShall ever move a stone.\nNo night is there, no sorrow,
\nNo death and no decay;
\nNo yesterday, no morrow-
\nBut one eternal day.\nWithin its pearly portals
\nAngelic armies sing,
\nWith glorified immortals,
\nThe praises of its King.\nRefrain:
\nO Zion, Zion,
\nI long thy gates to see;
\nO Zion, Zion,
\nWhen shall I dwell in thee?<\/blockquote>\nZion is one of the names for the mountain upon which Jerusalem was built. “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great King<\/em>” (Psalms 48:2). To speak of Zion is to speak of Jerusalem. “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the remnant whom the LORD calls<\/em>” (Joel 2:32). Thus the prophecy that salvation would come from Mount Zion, “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob<\/em>” (Romans 11:26).<\/p>\n
Where Jerusalem was a physical place in the Old Testament, in the New Testament the new Jerusalem represents God’s redeemed people: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel<\/em>” (Hebrews 12:22-24). In prophetic language that heavenly Jerusalem still is seen as sitting on a mountain: “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God<\/em>” (Revelation 21:10).<\/p>\n
The desire for our heavenly home, as expressed in the song, is stated in: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ<\/em>” (Philippians 3:20).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Can you comment on Zion, Zion, I long thy gates to see. Some say it is not scriptural because Zion is the church in every sense, and never heaven, as it seems in the song. Thanks for your consideration. I wish to be accurate when I sing a song, but I love this song!…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[520,76,1417],"class_list":["post-42026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-music","tag-terminology","tag-zion"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23248,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-singing-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":42026,"position":0},"title":"A Singing Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 7, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Brock Hartwigsen The church was prophesied in the Old Testament as a singing church. In II Samuel 22:50 and repeated in Psalms 18:49, David stated: \"Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.\" Years later the apostle Paul by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/songbook-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":48124,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-the-hebrew-writer-contrast-mount-sinai-with-mount-zion\/","url_meta":{"origin":42026,"position":1},"title":"Why does the Hebrew writer contrast Mount Sinai with Mount Zion?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeffrey, I hope you are doing well. I have a question regarding Hebrews 12:18-29. Why does the writer use the example of the events in Mount Sinai (verses 18-21) and contrasts them with Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem and everything else in verses 22-24? What is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19469,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-so-bad-about-a-cottage-in-a-vineyard\/","url_meta":{"origin":42026,"position":2},"title":"What is so bad about a cottage in a vineyard?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: \"And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city\" (Isaiah 1:8). What's so bad about 'a cottage in a vineyard' and a 'lodge in a garden of cucumbers'? Answer: \"Your country is desolate,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67180,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-i-defile-myself-by-sexually-touching-a-woman\/","url_meta":{"origin":42026,"position":3},"title":"Did I defile myself by sexually touching a woman?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings, I just wanted to know if I sexually touched a woman with clothes on but no intercourse, did I defile myself as Revelation 14:4 says? \"These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60509,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-church-in-prophecy\/","url_meta":{"origin":42026,"position":4},"title":"The Church in Prophecy","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jerry C. Brewer Over the period of many centuries, the process of revealing God's eternal purpose in the church was gradual. As parents impart knowledge to their children in portions and parts from infancy to adulthood, God dealt with the human race in the revelation of His eternal purpose.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":86768,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-mountain\/","url_meta":{"origin":42026,"position":5},"title":"The Mountain","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Christians have come \"to the mountain that may not be touched\" (Hebrews 12:18-25). It is a spiritual mountain. It is \"in Christ\" in \"the heavenly places\" (Ephesians 1:3). Our mountain is \"exalted above the hills\" (Isaiah 2:1-4). 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