Zion (the "heavenly Jerusalem") is the abode of the throne of God in Heaven. It is the heavenly manifestation of the kingdom of God, the establishment of His righteousness in creation and the eternal government and priesthood of Jesus Christ over all as Lord and King. God's supremacy as true, divine and just is manifested in the establishment and actualization of Zion. This is why when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he told them to ask that "thy Kingdom (Zion) come," and "thy will (the throne of God in the heavenly Jerusalem) be actualized on earth (the physical realm) as it is in Heaven" (the eternal and permanent destination of all who are good).

The Holy “City”

Let's examine the descriptions of Zion in the Bible. In the Book of Revelations John describes Zion as a 'City', not a vast land or forest country. It is also described throughout the Bible as a "Mount" or "hill" upon which a city is built. Isaiah & John (in Revelations) describe this city as having no light of the sun or moon and having no nighttime. The city derives its light from God and Christ "the Lamb". This speaks of a "city" quite different from what one on earth or the physical world might be inclined to think of. This city is not built of brick and mortar, iron and steel, contains no bridges, trains or any other infrastructure. This is a vast community built upon the knowledge and faith in the one who has called them into His kingdom and ordained them kings & priests of his House. This is no physical city. Zion in heaven is described as a square city, with three gates on each side, made of various jewels and ornaments, and streets paved with gold and flowing with water. In essence, we see a city with characteristics quite unmatched and unattainable by any feat of human scientific, engineering or architectural prowess. Zion is described as having myriads of angels - heavenly beings who serve and attend to God and Christ on His throne and see to the affairs of heaven.

The New Covenant

Zion represents a new covenant with God, one that speaks of redemption and mercy for sins, liberty in Christ and freedom through his blood on the Cross. As opposed to Mount Sinai (in the Old Testament), the mountain upon which the Ten Commandments were handed down to Moses, and where God appeared before the Israelites. On Sinai no one was allowed to come near the mountain, let alone touch it. They would be put to death if they did so. Sinai was just like any other precious or sacrosanct item of religious sacrifice which God instituted upon the Israelites and the Jews, e.g. the Tabernacle, Ark of Covenant, Temples, etc. As with Sinai, we observe similar rules of blatant justice meted out to those who failed to maintain or preserve the sanctity of these items or places. Zion, on the other hand, spoke of a liberal covenant with God, a place where we could meet with God without the religious sacrifices, rites and excessive ordinances to be followed or strictly adhered to. Here there are no death penalties for failing to obey any rules, no sacrosanct items of worship or impenetrable holy places reserved for only a select few or nobody at all.

Hence we get a sense of why there are no temples (or tabernacles, arks of covenant, etc.) in the heavenly Zion described by John in the Revelations. A key question remains to be answered: if it is the will of God that this heavenly Zion be manifested on earth ("thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.."), how can we, who are followers and believers of Christ, go about actualizing this Kingdom. What are the elements needed in our world to ensure the establishment of an earthly Zion, indistinguishable from that in Heaven? We can observe that there is obviously no need for temples or sacrificial worship in Zion. This means our organized system of worship in the modern world (churches, cathedrals, mosques, temples, etc.) are in no way going to lead to the actualization of an earthly Zion. In fact, all they do is stir up the kind of atmosphere prevalent in Sinai, create more religious items of worship, and lead to more deaths as a result of our inabilities to obey their rules.

The “Heavenly” Jerusalem

Isaiah gives us a hint in his book where he describes the new Jerusalem of the Israelites. This is an earthly “Zionic” establishment modeled after the city in Jerusalem. The people in this country have been marginalized and plundered by those economically and geographically more advantaged then they (in larger cities, coastal regions, islands, etc.). The prophecy here speaks to the restoration of the city and establishment of a new order occurring primarily on account of the return of the children of the captives and victims of a war-torn Jerusalem. Here, however, God still speaks of a temple to be built ("I will adorn my glorious house") and sacrifices to be made ("rams from Nebaioth will serve you and go up on my altar with acceptance.."). This was all prophesied prior to the coming of Jesus and his sacrifice (once and for all) on the Cross.

Hence we see the imperative for a fresh look at the institution of Zion and what it should entail. We are compelled to review the dimensions of this city which we have been so instructed to establish by Jesus through the Lord's Prayer. In essence, what are the things we can do to create a Zion free of the shackles of organized religion, endless sacrifice and the scourge of the law? We get a sense of these in Isaiah's prophecy, where certain steps are instructed to fulfil the mandate for Zion. Firstly, the children, the descendants of the broken are said to have returned home to, in effect "marry" their homelands. These lands were situated away from the coast, lacking any major economic activity or buzz. The return is characterized as "birds flying to their shelters", meaning the children will not only return, but will find shelter in their home, and possess the freedom (as of a bird) to go wherever they wished. Wealth is described to flow inward from the coastal (or outside) regions and island nations towards these countries.

Foreigners to these lands are portrayed as being the primary agents of reconstruction and rebuilding, and strangers to the land are servants to these cities, serving their "flocks" (or children) and tending to their "vineyards" (or businesses). The children are described as priests which in a modern day sense would imply a religious office. However we know from scripture that Jesus became the high priest of our salvation not after the Aaronic (or Levitical) priesthood, but after the Order of Melchizedek “thou art priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek” (a tripartite role of prophet, priest and king). This means we cannot follow conventional religious systems in a bid to attain this new priesthood, but instead model our priestly office after Christ. Jesus was by all accounts not your typical high priest. He broke many of the rules and regulations stipulated by the law and required of a high priest. He was a classic example of a deviation from the norm in terms of a selection for a high priest. He wasn't of Levitical stock (of the tribe of Judah), and even though the firstborn, throughout his ministry displayed the kind of lifestyle prohibited of high priests e.g. going near a dead body (as he did with Lazarus), desecrating the sanctuary or Sabbath (on account of the temple cleansing and miracles performed on the Sabbath), leaving the sanctuary of the temple (as he was known to be mobile), and letting his hair down (which he obviously did, considering his affiliations with fishermen, boats and the seas, and general associations with the poor and the public.

The “Royal” Priesthood

From the foregoing we can get a sense of what this Melchizedek Order entails and how we can live a life worthy of it. By modelling our lives after this "priesthood" we allow Jesus (the first high priest and king of this Order) to be our "light", as described by Isaiah and John ("and the city had no need for the sun to shine on it or the moon to illuminate its night, as the Lord became its light"). By doing so we also eliminate the darkness and despair in the world ("there will be no more night there") and usher in a new wave of systems and institutions that are built upon righteousness, love and truth, and that guarantee wealth, peace and joy ("your gates will never stand shut, they will always be open, so that the wealth of nations may come in").

On account of sin and disobedience to the Commandments, God sent all manner of plagues to the Egyptians and reprimanded the Israelites in the wilderness. This is because sin interferes with the divine nature of the land (the earth), which is an earthly or physical manifestation of God Himself, and as such those guilty of it must be purged from its system of existence so that the land (or 'God' in the physical universe) may remain pure and holy. Therefore in keeping with the commandments as priests in this new Order, we follow after the Command of God-the Son, or Jesus: "A new commandment I give you that you love your neighbors as I have your loved you..". Love abstracts away the complexities of the law and makes it easier to follow and obey. So as "priests" we are heralds of love for all of humanity, or "angels" under the authority of Christ on Earth. When we do this, Isaiah prophesies that the land will no longer be desolate (or rejected by God) but absorbed back into His divine natural existence and beloved by Him ("Beulah" and "Hephzibah"). Isaiah speaks of God appointing "peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler". Here we see a similarity with the prophesy of the coming of Christ who is heralded as the "Prince of Peace" upon whose shoulders the "government" of Zion will be. We as priests would obtain the newfound righteousness of God (not of the law) through Christ, our "High Priest".

The New Creation

In all we can observe that Zion is established by God in response to the inadequacies of the former covenant with man, the fragility of the old order for religious worship and the failure of the Israelites and children of men to conform the righteous standards required to serve Him and stand before His throne in Heaven. God places judgements on the proponents of the former orders and makes promises of a new heaven and a new earth in the Isaiah (chapter 65) this time without a temple for worship, but a city with gates, leading into His throne:

“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’

All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations, to a people who continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in the gardens and burning incense on altars of brick, sitting among the graves, spending nights in secret places, eating the meat of pigs and polluted broth from their bowls.

They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’

Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long." Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will pay it back into their laps, both for your iniquities and for those of your fathers,” says the LORD.

“Because they burned incense on the mountains and scorned Me on the hills, I will measure into their laps full payment for their former deeds.”

Here we see a people overtaken by an order of service or worship, similar to that prescribed to the Israelites on Mount Sinai, one that dictates religious sacrifices, sacred places and that puts them in constant contention with those who do not measure up to the high standards of religious correctness required by those systems. God in His ultimate intention to dwell in the hearts of men, finds this very upsetting as these people had become an obstruction to the very actualization of His Kingdom on earth, which could only be manifested by the unrestricted flow of the Spirit in all of humanity.

In the later parts of the chapter God makes a promise to those He calls His servants (the Priests described in earlier chapters, of the Order of Melchizedek):

“My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

My servants will shout for joy with a glad heart, but you will cry out with a heavy heart and wail with a broken spirit.”

We also see the same promise made in earlier chapters about a new name (Isa. 62:2):

“You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.”

God then goes on to make a final promise of a new heaven and new earth (also revealed to John in Revelations 21), to come after the passing away of the first heaven (which had a temple) and the earth (as we know and live in it):

“For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and take delight in My people. The sounds of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her.”

“Can a country be born in a day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children. Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?” says the LORD. “Or will I who deliver close the womb?” says your God.

and..

“I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flowing stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm, and bounced upon her knees.”

The Mandate

What can we do as stewards of this promise and priests of God in order to bring about the actualization of God's Kingdom on earth? Isaiah speaks about certain actions that must be taken to usher in the wave of Zion established on Earth (or in the physical realm):

The Watchmen

This speaks of the need for constant prayer and intercessions and the need to be hopeful for the actualization of a peaceful and just social, economic and judicial order on earth, akin to that in Heaven. As stewards of this hope, we are tasked with using all forms of creative expression to call out to God and constantly proclaim the establishment of His Kingdom on earth (as if in Heaven), i.e. to perceive the earth as the heavenly abode of God.

The Move

As priests in Zion, we are called into a movement, to go out and usher in the world into this new city, the Mount Zion, where the throne of God and of his Lamb - Jesus - resides. We are not to sit and be comfortable in this new home, but to take it upon ourselves, much like a cross on our shoulders, as Jesus did by leaving the security and confines of the temple to go out and liberate the sick, weak and hungry. The gates referred to here are the gates of Zion, which point in all directions, meaning we are mandated to move in all directions (and to all people) throughout the world (just as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission: "Go ye into the world.."). This is to be no ordinary move, but one done under the influence of the Spirit of God Himself, just as He promised in the Book of Joel: "In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh..". Note that the scripture says "all flesh" not just the Israelites, Jews or Christians. This means in the new heavenly Jerusalem, possession of the Spirit of God will be evidenced by one's propensity to move with this new Gospel, not necessarily by virtue of their religious disposition, upbringing or office. The Spirit of God is a 'moving spirit', which dwells in all creation: man, animals, rocks, water, air, etc., as can be seen even before creation itself: "and the Spirit of God MOVED upon the face of the deep."

The Way

In Revelations John talks about the Lamb being the light that illuminates the city and "by which the nations that come in will walk." Hence the way here refers to the new "priesthood" by which those in the city will live, with Jesus the "high way" or "High Priest" being the light of this way. Jesus Himself rightly said of himself: "I am the Way, the truth and the life" and "no one comes to the Father", that is into the throne of God in Zion (as described by John), "but by Me." We are tasked to "build up this way" or elevate the Christ in us (our "Emmanuel" or the Spirit of God), so as to effectively usher in the people of the world into Zion. Clearing away the stones implies removing the symbols of religion and the law that limit or hold us back. Stones were used to erect altars to God in Old Israel and so with the clearing away of the stones, God is instructing us to remove the limiting factors of religion between us and Himself so that He may have unrestricted access to the world through us.

The Banner

The Banner refers to a symbol by which the nations will recognize the new heavenly Jerusalem on earth. Isaiah prophesies that the wealth of nations "will be brought into Zion" and John says that "into it the nations of the world will bring their glory" (their crowns and kings). Hence for these to happen, there must exist a banner which will be used to identify Zion. Zion is illuminated by the Lamb (Christ) who has called us priests and given us a Law (Love) to walk by. So Love is the defining symbol of Zion and the foundation of the throne of God Himself. The Book of John says about Love: "by Him were all things made and there was nothing made that was not made by Him". Love is thus the glue that holds Zion together and the only ingredient required for its establishment on the earth. As such, Christians, faithful and believers around the world must rally around a new identity, a new symbol of faith and a new banner - Love. Love must be symbolized, identified and heralded in all of our representations, messages, music, creative works and son on. We can achieve nothing without it and it is our only hope of heaven and a Kingdom of God on Earth, Zion.

About The Author

The Moving Church (TMC) is a growing movement in Africa built upon the foundation of the truth of the Bible, and the Love of God in Christ. We are a non-profit, non-partisan and non-political organization of leaders, changemakers and creators with a shared vision of an Earthly Kingdom of God manifested through love in the hearts of men. Learn more and follow us to continue this conversation and join us as we build a new Jerusalem and Zion on Earth.

I have always been a proponent of scientific interpretations of religion and a fantastic example is the story of the creation. As a geoscientist I find it absurd to believe this empirically but when blended with the dynamics of faith and God as an unseen, omnipotent force or particle initiating the universe, one may give credence to the story as a ancient scaled out version of the Big Bang. We may not have answers to all the miracles of Jesus or the Bible, but we have an obligation as humans to explain the world around us, scientifically, morally and ethically, and for long we have always looked up to religious beliefs as the basis for many of our most deeply biased actions (tensions, social associations, morality and many more). 

As a Christian, much of my interest and understanding of scripture and religious obligations have stemmed from the wealth of information and knowledge I have been fortunate to access by virtue of my profession. I dare say I would still be in the dark on many aspects of modern life and sociology had I been in another profession. The mere fact that we depend on science, technology and digital innovation for much of our daily needs goes to show the potential of disruptive thinking in not only shaping our understanding of facts and figures of the real world through time, but also presents a unique opportunity to explore the wonders of the world as a unique expression of God's flawless creativity.

Science is nothing other than a set of rules which has evolved through time and by which we have chosen to interpret events and characteristics of our world and experiences of it. It's essential that as religious believers we work together with science to incorporate and harmonize our faith systems with this universal language in order to chart a straight course for the future of humanity, if adopting a faith-based lifestyle is to become something worth living by, especially as threatening physical circumstances, scientific revelations and disruptive schools of thought challenge our religious systems and beliefs.

Science does a great job at canceling doubts and expanding the mind on matters of physical and mathematical import, and what better way to show the magnanimity of God and his undisputed supremacy than through the instrument of his creativity, the process by which he makes all things, though random, good?

I have a strong feeling religion is the final piece of the scientific puzzle and you'll do the world a great service by sharing your faith (through science) as was rightly said by Jesus to be ‘greater’ and wiser than any miracle one could possibly conjure up. 

I lead an organization known as The Moving Church, where we apply our faith as Christians and religious believers in bringing about positive change and sustainability across Africa and the developing world. You might want to take a look at what we are up to. Visit https://themovingchurch.live to learn more and follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@themovingchurch) & Instagram (@tmcproud). 

The Church today faces an unprecedented challenge, taking the message of Heaven and the gospel of Christ to a rapidly changing and socially diverse world. This involves radically and dynamically transforming the way we present the person of God, and the salvation which we preach through the Blood of Christ. All around us society, technology and social systems are altering the way we live, work and design solutions in response to global issues such as pandemics, climate change, and a host of other challenges. Modern society relies heavily on these systems both for survival and sustainability and it’s high time we step up our role as the body of Christ on earth in shaping tradition, social systems, industry, government, politics, science, technology and the way we make decisions at all levels.

The Church is a global community of faith-based believers, creators and changemakers who are passionate about spiritual growth and transformation, and who do so with the grace and fellowship that comes with the belief in Jesus as the son of God and savior of mankind, through his death on the Cross. What if we through science, technology and creativity, especially across Africa and the developing world, used these platforms to bring about radical transformation and economic development? The sheer scale of religious influence and penetration in the developing world is staggering. The Moving Church was created with a vision to bring together the best of both worlds with one unified goal: transform and enrich the quality of lives of people citizens and communities for the better, through shared science, innovation and collaborative community development.

About The Moving Church (TMC)

TMC is a faith-based social movement in Africa built upon the foundation of the truth of the Bible, and the Love of God in Christ and the ultimate hope of the actualization of the kingdom on Heaven on earth. We are a non-profit, non-partisan and non-political organization of leaders, changemakers and creators with a shared vision of an Earthly Kingdom of God manifested through love in the hearts of men.

We have a primary vision of building spiritually connected, socially inclusive and environmentally friendly cities and communities throughout Africa, and the developing world. At its core TMC includes events, activities, initiatives and communities all woven around these goals to make the experience of actualizing a sustainable future that is effectively pleasurable and rewarding to all. Many of our activities have a development focus, while others feature social engagement opportunities, side attractions and events.

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We seek collaboration, support, partnership and funding to help drive the spread of the Gospel of Christ, and reach populations around the continent and the globe. Are you interested in working with us to achieve this vision? We would like to hear from you. Send an email so we can explore opportunities for you partner to bring God’s kingdom to reality on earth. Subscribe so you don’t miss out on any of our publications. To learn more please subscribe and follow us via any of our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram).

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