Going Up to Yahweh Shammah: The Jerusalem of the Kingdom

Every time our Israel tour bus makes the great climb “going up” (Hebrew aliyah) to Jerusalem, as I expectantly stare out the front window, I cannot help but refocus my gaze from the earthly to the future. I do so because I believe, in the not-too-distant Millennial Kingdom, every faithful follower of King Jesus will behold a city far grander than the vague reflection that sits atop Mount Zion today.

The Seat of Global Authority

The book of Zechariah identifies the specific city the Lord will rule from as His global seat of authority.

Therefore thus says the LORD: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 1:16).

To reiterate His point, the Almighty declared yet again:

Thus says the LORD: “I will return to Zion, and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, the Mountain of the LORD of hosts, the Holy Mountain” (Zechariah 8:3).

From these two passages, along with many others, we learn exactly where Jesus plans to establish His new government—in Jerusalem. Not in Brussels, Washington DC, Rome, Dubai, nor any of the other great cities of the world; no, Jerusalem alone will become the seat of global authority during the Millennial Kingdom.

Jerusalem is the city where the throne of the Lord will be established. The prophecies concerning the Davidic King restoring the “tabernacles of David” signify that any claim to the Davidic throne must be made in Jerusalem (Amos 9:11-12; see also Jeremiah 3:17). And, the Davidic throne is not in heaven, but on the earth, in Jerusalem. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, differentiated between God’s heavenly throne and His earthly footstool in Jerusalem, calling Jerusalem “the city of the great King” (Matthew 5:35).

The Lord taught through His prophets about the coming age when the Davidic King will dwell among His people (Zechariah 2:10-11). His people will, in turn, seek out and worship the King. They will even confer with Israel’s patriarchs, such as Abraham and Isaac, as they, too, will be making Jerusalem their home (Zechariah 8:20-23; 14:8, 9, 16; Matthew 8:11). Only from Jerusalem will Jesus Christ rule the regathered tribes of Israel and on into “the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:1, 10).

It is from Jerusalem that the Lord will teach His moral law to the peoples of many nations (Isaiah 2:3), for it is there in that Holy City that the Prince of Peace will reign forever on the throne of David (Isaiah 9:6-7). God’s faithful Jewish remnant will all gather together to live in that city, and they will make it their home (Isaiah 11:10-11).

The Gentiles from Egypt and Assyria, as well as many other nations far off, will one day begin making their annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Isaiah 19:19-25; 66:18-22). Isaiah foretold how these pilgrims will enjoy the King’s lavish banquet (Isaiah 25:6). They will be filled with gladness and joyful shouting, and so festive harmonies will be carried upon the winds in Zion (Isaiah 35:10). The people will shout from the rooftops the good news that there, in Jerusalem, the Lord God omnipotent reigns (Isaiah 40:5; 52:7; 60:1-2). They will praise Him for having their sins forgiven (Isaiah 52:13–53:12).

It has also been foretold in the book of Isaiah that even with the millennial Jerusalem’s greatly expanded dimensions, far beyond the meager acreage of today, the city will still not be large enough (Isaiah 54:1-17; 60:3-17). Zion will be so full of people that there will not be enough room for the world’s inhabitants to visit all at once.

Jerusalem’s New Name

The book of Ezekiel, especially chapters 40–48—nine whole chapters—greatly adds to our knowledge about Jerusalem’s role during the Millennial Kingdom. We learn that not only will Jesus Christ be called by the new name of Yahweh Tsidkenu, but also during that time, Jerusalem, meaning the “City of Peace,” will forevermore be called Yahweh Shammah, meaning “the LORD is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).

The city’s change in name is meant to express the Lord’s forgiveness of the Jewish people and their restored solidarity with Him. The Jews will forevermore be dedicated to living as God’s people and will call to Him alone to be their God.

The Highest Mountain

The book of Micah provides some very interesting details concerning both Jerusalem’s importance and topography during the Millennial Kingdom.

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths” (Micah 4:1-3; parallel passage in Isaiah 2:2-4).

Those who take the position that there will be a literal change in elevation to the city look to the aforementioned prophecy of a river of people flowing upstream to the mountain of the Lord. The lowly of the earth will find it necessary to climb to the heavenly in the sky. The nations will receive the Lord’s teachings, not only at the center of an earthly structure built upon a plateau, but by physically climbing to the top of a mountain, where God and man commune together. Zechariah 14:1-9 appears to support a geographical change in elevation, as Jerusalem is cast as “the navel of the world” and “the highest point on earth,” and everything outside of Jerusalem is merely level ground that the nations must traverse before they can ascend to speak to the King.

The prophecy can also be taken as an elevation in esteem. Today’s comparatively insignificant Mount Zion will one day be exalted and rise to a position of dominance over the earth, and all the nations will stream up to a metaphorical latter-day Everest.

Further geological changes to the currently landlocked city of Jerusalem are mentioned in Isaiah 33:20-23. This passage notes that one day Jerusalem will become a place flowing with broad rivers and streams (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:4-11).

No ships will patrol these waters in defense of the King’s city, for though the Mighty One in Jerusalem will be surrounded by great rivers, His awesome power will assure the new Israelis that they need not be concerned with a maritime invasion. The high elevation and surrounding waters will make the city of Yahweh Shammah impregnable so that its inhabitants can enjoy absolute safety. And, from the unassailable and lofty heights of Yahweh Shammah, the Davidic King will render God’s verdicts to the nations as they seek out His arbitration and wisdom.

The Holy Condition

The prophet Isaiah declared that Yahweh Shammah would be known for the city’s most holy condition:

It shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem (Isaiah 4:3).

Likewise, the prophet Zechariah described in colorful detail the holiness inherent to Yahweh Shammah:

In that day “holiness to the Lord” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORD’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 14:20-21).

The important point Zechariah was making is that even what we would consider the least impressive of everyday items will still be reserved as holy. And not only will the priestly vessels be consecrated to the Lord, but even every pot and bell that’s to be found in Jerusalem, from the least to the most important object. They will all become fit to receive sacrificial offerings.

This future sanctification of Jerusalem will even spill over to the city’s inhabitants, for Zechariah 14:21 proclaimed no “Canaanite” will dwell there. This degree of purity was unheard of in the Jerusalem of antiquity, and that is true of today, showing this blessed holy condition remains yet future.

The Feast of Tabernacles

Isaiah prophesied that the institution of the Feast of Tabernacles would expand beyond the Jewish people and become celebrated on a global scale.

Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down; not one of its stakes will ever be removed, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the majestic LORD will be” (Isaiah 33:20-21).

Believers in Christ now live under the new covenant, and so we are not responsible for keeping the seven Jewish feasts. But during the Millennial Kingdom, the world will understand and engage in at least one of these ancient feasts—the Feast of Tabernacles.

Isaiah noted that when the Davidic King once again tabernacles with His people, inhabitants from all nations will stream up the slopes of Mount Zion to likewise tabernacle with their King (Isaiah 2:2). Once they’ve reached Jerusalem, there, they will “Behold, My Servant” who “shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high…kings shall shut their mouths at Him” (Isaiah 52:13, 15).

The nations will stream up to the heights of Zion to meet their King face to face to receive His wisdom and instruction and blessings, then they will rush back down the slopes to refresh and restore the world below. Because the Feast of Tabernacles will be instituted on a global scale, a torrent of blessings will cascade down from Zion to cleanse and renew the world.

And so the purified citizens of the Millennial Kingdom will stream up to a purified Yahweh Shammah and tabernacle with their perfect King. And much like the days when Jesus taught the crowds from the hillsides, the citizens of the kingdom will hang on to every word our Lord utters, learning and growing and fellowshipping with their Savior.

I hope you will join me there by having accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. What a great day it will be for everyone to tabernacle together in Yahweh Shammah!

Resource

To learn more about what life will be like living in the Millennial Kingdom, pre-order Dr. Nathan Jones’ newest book, The Coming Millennial Kingdom, published by Harvest House Publishers in mid-2025!