Psalm 48:1-3

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.


This Mount Zion was where David pitch a tent for the presence of the Lord and all Israel danced and sang with great joy – it was a free and happy place!


So when Paul was looking for a word to communicate what ‘church’ should be like he said “ZION”. It should be as outrageously happy and free as Zion.


Hebrews 12:22-23 (AMP) you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in joyful gathering, And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven.


In the succession of altars, tents and temples where God had resided with his people, Zion’s tent was especially a picture of how the Church would be in the end times … let’s contrast it to the structure that came immediately before, the Tabernacle of Moses.


The Plans for the Tabernacle that Moses erected in the wilderness were given to him on another mountain – Mount Sinai. He was told See that you make all things (the tabernacle) according to the pattern shown you on the mountain (Hebrews 8:5).


So when we back up a little in Hebrews 12, where he says you have come to Mount Zion, he specifically says (v18) you have not come to the mountain … that burned with fire … and the voice … so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. This describes Mount Sinai.

So in finding language to describe “church”, he says, it’s not this (Moses’), but it’s this (David’s).


The fresh things about David’s that Moses’ didn’t have were:


  1. 1.The joyful noise (happy people in joyful interaction with the God of mirth and laughter)


  1. 2.A royal priesthood (a priest who was a reigning king = throne room authority in the priesthood)


  1. 3.No fences! It looks open, it looks free – remember God had already pulled down the boundary of law to allow David to minister as priest – so the Church that is the joy of the whole earth in these days doesn’t operate with regulations or requirements.


        It has truly discovered what Paul said (2 Cor 5:14) – that love constrains us (i.e. love sets the boundries

        of what I do what I do not do). Love that flows from His presence brings a Godly harmony and order to

        our lives together. Zion is a free place!


  1. 4.It’s like God has lifted the Holy of Holies out of Moses’ Tabernacle and placed it, without the rest of it’s surroundings, on Zion. In other words, the glorious Presence that was rare and difficult to access in Moses (only one individual, once every 365 days), had now become their easy and continuous focus.

        The Presence of Jesus is everything here.


        This is the greatest news any person on earth could hear – no matter what nation, what religion, what

        philosophy, what life experiences they have on their resume – you were created to know and enjoy a

        happy friendship with the King of Love, His wonderful life and presence is available for at not cost to you.


        Zion – the happy free church – is on earth to announce that, to demonstrate that and to bring multitudes

        of people into the enjoyment of that – they are the joy of the whole earth!


It is impossible to stop the spread of what Rotherham called “the glad gospel of the happy God” – but as soon as the Church started to spread beyond the Jewish nation, there were objections from the Jews – a council was called – debate ensued until James stood to speak: 


Acts 15:13-19 


James declares “This phenomena of the gospel going to every nation is the very thing of which Amos had prophesied”


Amos 9:11-15

  1. •NB: he speaks about a small tent as if it’s a building of stone – which is inapt if it really was a physical structure he had in mind.

  2. •However, it wasn’t the physical, it was the phenomena of this place that God declares he will raise up again.

  3. •1 Chronicles 15:1, 25 – 16:1

  4. •That laughter, that freedom, that passion, that creativity, that love and grace; the songs, the dancing;  that joyful friendship with God, that happiness – I will raise up


You’ll notice that Amos thought he was aiming his prophetic word at the return of the captives from Babylon to Jerusalem “I will bring back the captives”. He wasn’t wrong - Isaiah 51:11 So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads.  The phenomena of Zion accompanied their liberation from captivity, however, that fulfillment was only a stop over.


Fulfillment of this in the early church, was just a stop over, too.

  1. •It had caused Paul to write: Hebrews 12:22-23 (AMP) you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

  2. •And it was harvest-time as countless thousands of Jews and Gentiles were responding to the happy gospel and becoming part of that free, joyful, passionate company.


However the true end of journey for this prophecy are the days that our generation have begun to witness. It’s these end time days that completely fulfil; Amos’ prophecy.

  1. •John in Revelation saw it – Jesus with his family, the Church triumphant … there was an awesome sound of worship like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne. Revelation 14

  2. •Where were they? v1 standing on Mount Zion!

  3. •The phenomena of David’s tent – it’s the joy of the whole earth.

  4. •Then before the chapter finishes, Jesus appears with a sharp sickle, and an angel cries with a loud voice to Him, Trust in your sickle and reap for the harvest of the earth is ripe!

  5. •It’s only been in my lifetime that true Davidic joy and gladness – the praise and worship of Zion – has been restored to the Church.


Amos 9:11-15

  1. -That they may possess the remnant of Edom  = from Esau who sold his birthright (backslider)

  2. -all the Gentiles who are called by my name

  3. -the plowman overtakes the reaper = (Message)Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won't be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once--and everywhere you look, blessings!

  4. -A day in which mountains drip and hills flow with the sweet wine of joy.


This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24) [ let's celebrate and be festive! Message ]




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The Joy

of the Whole Earth