In the last segment we saw that after the tragic events of Genesis  3–11, God called a man Abraham (hereafter referred to as Abram, his given name) to begin the story of redemption.  I hinted earlier that the restored family would need a homeland like Adam and Eve had in the garden. In this segment I want to introduce Abram’s connection to that homeland or “the land.”  

It should not surprise us that Abram’s call was twofold.  It consisted of a relationship between God and Abram (including his descendants) as well as a homeland.  Quite simply, God followed the pattern he established back in Eden.  He created a human family and provided a place (physical geography) where he could live with them.  Let’s see how this played out in the Abram story¹.

One of the early recorded events of Abram’s life was the rescue of his nephew Lot who’d been captured by the armies, of four invading kings.  Abram, being informed of the plundering armies gathered 318 of his own men and set out on a search and rescue mission for his nephew.  Returning from a successful expedition, he was met by the enigmatic Melchizedek who was a king of Salem and priest of God Most High.

This is where the story gets interesting.  It seemed that Melchizedek initiated a kind of supernatural encounter with Abram.  As a priest of God Most High (from Salem) he blessed Abram, but why? We’re given very few details, which seems odd because obviously the event is important and as a reader, I would hope for a few additional sentences.  Regardless, let’s try to unpack the blessing.

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
Genesis 14:19

Let’s focus on the phrase “possessor of heaven and earth”  which Melchizedek used to describe the God he served as priest. If God is the “possessor,”  then he can give what he possesses to whomever he chooses. That is his choice.  And since Melchizedek is King of Salem, then Salem must have been given to him by God, the possessor. Melchizedek, the priest, is representing and speaking for God “the possessor.”  In this role he confirms Abram’s call to the land by blessing his victory over the invading kings.

Could it be this is why Abram was successful over 4 kings with their armies?  God was fighting for him and with him to secure victory and the return of Lot.  As God’s priest, Melchizedek confirmed and blessed what had just taken place. God the “possessor of all things” has given Abram the land of his calling since it was his to give away. Up to this point we have seen that Abram is called to a land and with divine authority he is blessed by the priest of God in that land.  Later, God further established Abram’s relationship to that land with a covenant and then confirmed that land covenant to his child and grandchild (Isaac and Jacob).

Salem becomes the eternal city of God (Zion)
There were other kings in the land where Abram was sojourning (such as the king of Sodom), but none of the other kings (save Melchizedek) were identified as priest of God Most High.  Salem was the city from which Melchizedek ruled as king and priest.  It is next mentioned in Psalm 76:2 where Salem was identified with Zion. 

His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.
Psalm 76:2

This verse introduces Zion, another name for Salem.  The astute reader will recognize the name change pattern in other Biblical accounts and shortly we will explore God’s purpose(s) in the changing of a name.

God worked in and through Abram to defeat the invading kings. As priest of God Melchizedek recognized and blessed the work God was accomplishing in the life of Abram.  The defeat of the four kings secured the establishment of Salem as God’s earthly habitation against enemy forces.  But when the Most High moves in and dwells in the city, the manifest presence transforms the city into Zion, “the city of the great king.”¹

Jerusalem
Things get a little messy after Abraham.  Eventually, his descendants migrate to Egypt due to famine and ultimately find themselves in slavery for hundreds of years. But God never forgot his promise of creating a people and a homeland.  In the intervening years we have the stories of Joseph and Moses, the Exodus, wilderness experience and of course Mt. Sinai. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the people to take possession of the promised land (the land of Abrahams sojourning). By this time, it had been over four hundred years, and the land promised to Abraham was now occupied by other nations. But neither the passage of time nor present circumstance changed the promise of God to Abraham. 

In Joshua 10 we read about the battle which involved Jerusalem (formerly Salem) and its’ king Adonizedek. It is a detailed account of Joshua (Israel) recapturing the land.  You may hear echoes of Abrams battle with the four kings as Adonizedek builds a coalition of kings to block Israel’s progress.

Notice some of the parallels with the Abram/Melchizedek story. The kings against Abram and kings against Joshua, the battle over land rights in both accounts and the opposing kings Melchi-zedek vs the opposing king Adoni-zedek.

We can begin to see that God has a progressive story that he is working out in the earth. The essence of that story is that God is building a family and providing them a place to live with him on the earth.   There are many details to that story but let us not lose sight of the big picture.

It should now be easy to establish the relationship between Jerusalem and Zion. Many scriptures connect Zion and Jerusalem together and I highlight a few of them below. But why does the scripture use two different names for the same city?

Consider Biblically what a name represents.  A name speaks to character or destiny of the object being named.  Some examples include Adam naming the animals, naming his wife Eve, God renaming Abram and later renaming Jacob.  Jesus renamed Simon to Peter and later Saul to Paul.  And now we have God renaming a city.  All of these have to do with purpose, calling or prophetic destiny.  Certainly, the supernatural purpose for Jerusalem to become Zion is the fulfillment of its prophetic destiny as the city of the great king.  This will occur when Jesus rules on the throne of his father David in the heart of the land promised to Abraham.

The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.
Joel 3:16

So the angel who talked with me said to me, ‘Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster. Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’”
Zechariah 1:14

Thus says the LORD: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts, the holy mountain.
Zechariah 8:3

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Zechariah 9:9

Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion;
put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.
Isaiah 52:1

Since we are laying a foundation for the study of Revelation and the last days, it is important to understand the role of Abraham’s descendants (Jews) and their relationship to the land (Israel) and its capital (Jerusalem). This understanding will figure prominently in our study as God’s ancient adversary (Satan) seeks to prevent the establishment of God’s kingdom which will be centered in the Jewish homeland with Jerusalem/Zion as its capital city.