Verses: 2 Samuel 5:7, Luke 1:32, Psalms 9:11, 84:5, 132
Fun Fact: Zion National Park was formerly known as Mukuntuweap National Monument
Favorite Hike: Angel’s Landing and The Narrows to Wall Street
For many, myself included, Zion tops the list of favorite parks to visit. Attracting over 4.5 million visitors annually, Zion is rated our country’s third most popular national park. The Virgin River flows through the middle surrounded by impressive sandstone cliffs, vast canyons, and high plateaus. A favorite experience when visiting Zion is to hike The Narrows. This is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon, where you can wade through the Virgin River with the impressive canyon walls towering thousands of feet high on either side of the 30-foot-wide gorge. To reach the famous Wall Street section, hikers must travel a minimum of 6 miles round-trip, 4 miles of which is also in and along the Virgin River.
What many people do not know is before the park was known as Zion, it was named Mukuntuweap National Monument, but the National Park Service felt that was too difficult to pronounce (understandable).
Mormons began settling the region in the mid 1900s, including Isaac Behunin who built a one-room cabin near the current site of Zion Lodge. The story goes that he would gaze at the sandstone walls around him and say, “Here we have natural temples.” and felt as though he could worship just as well among the rock cathedrals as in a traditional church, and thus named the canyon Zion. There was some debate on the name in the following years, but in 1918 Zion National Monument was established and a year later Zion National Park.
Due to early Mormon and Methodist visitors, the park has several religious themes including
Angel’s Landing, one of the most thrilling and terrifying hikes in all of the national parks, the Great White Throne, a white sandstone mountain towering 6,744 ft into the Utah sky, and the Court of the Patriarchs, three neighboring sandstone peaks named after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then of course, there is also the name Zion itself.
But what does Zion mean? As is probably the case for many Christians, you have heard the term in Old Testament references, sermons, or songs. The word Zion is mentioned over 150 times in the old testament, mostly in the books of Isaiah and Psalms, first appearing in 2 Samuel 5:7 referring to the hilltop fortress David captured in Jerusalem and is synonymous with the City of David (1 Kings 8:1, 1 Chronicles 11:5).
In the following chapter (2 Samuel 6:12), we see David bring the Ark of the Covenant to the mount and Zion becomes associated with the tabernacle and the Holy of Holies, or the place where God meets his people and dwells among them (Isaiah 8:18). As we continue in the old testament, Zion usually refers to the entire city of Jerusalem (Isaiah 28:16) where the temple was built. Zion refers to the city of God’s presence.
As we continue further, Zion is used as a word of prayer and worship throughout the Psalms (9:11, 84:5, 13:2). It becomes more prophetic as it speaks to a heavenly Zion where we will dwell with God for eternity (Luke 1:32) and also of Christ’s return and his earthly reign in Jerusalem during the millennium (Micah 4:6, Isaiah 2:2). We see this period described in Revelation chapter 20 when Satan will be bound, (v 1-3) and the Savior reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords on Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Revelation 14:1). After these 1000 years, the Lord will establish a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21; 2 Peter 3:13). He will make all things new!
Friends, a time is coming when the Lord will return and He will reign and rule in Zion. This is the culmination of all of scripture, the fulfillment of the God’s promises. We should anticipate this, hope for this, long for this. For the time is coming when justice and peace will prevail, when He will wipe away every tear, when there will be no more death or sorrow or pain. This is the hope of Zion. What a joyous day this will be for those who love the Lord! I pray that as you walk among Zion, you marvel at the splendor of the park and are reminded of the Lord’s presence, His promises and our hope for His glorious return!
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion
Revelation 14:1
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