Mount Zion, the Dwelling Place of Salvation in the Last Days
“Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” — Revelation 14:1
In every era, God has used His prophets to inform people in advance of the place where they could receive salvation. For example, during the ancient Samhan period in Korea, there was a sacred sanctuary called “Sodo,” which served as a designated place for religious rituals. Even if someone committed a crime, anyone who fled to “Sodo” was exempt from punishment and prosecution during that era. In this manner, God has always revealed a place of salvation to His chosen people for each generation, much like the “Sodo” of the Samhan period.
In the time of Noah, the place of salvation was “Noah’s Ark.” The Scriptures record that, aside from the eight members of Noah’s family who boarded the ark, everyone else was judged and destroyed by the flood. Likewise, during the time of Lot—Abraham’s nephew—the place of salvation was the “city of Zoar.” When Sodom and Gomorrah were judged with fire and sulfur, Lot and his two daughters fled to Zoar and were able to escape the judgment. Thus, the Bible clearly documents that there is a specific place of salvation for each era.
About 2,000 years ago, Jesus declared, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Heaven is where God dwells, and hell is where the devil resides. At the First Coming, because the Spirit of God dwelt within Jesus, Jesus Himself was the heaven where God resided. Therefore, to go to heaven at that time meant coming forward to Jesus.
Conversely, remaining under the religious leaders of Judaism—who at that time were accompanied by the spirit of the devil rather than coming to Jesus—was equivalent to being in hell.
The Place of Salvation at the Lord’s Second Coming
Let us now discuss the place (dwelling) of salvation at the time of the Lord’s Second Coming. Jesus stated that the time of the Second Coming would be like the days of Noah and Lot. In short, this means that a “Great Judgment” will occur during the Second Coming just as it did in those eras. Do you know where you must flee when that time comes? If you do not know, you will be unable to escape the judgment when it unfolds.
“The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” — Isaiah 60:14
The passage above is an Old Testament prophecy concerning Jesus, indicating that Jesus is “Zion.” “Zion” means “light.” Jesus also referred to Himself as the “Light of the World.” Furthermore, the Bible compares human beings to “dust,” just as it is recorded that Adam was formed from the dust. Physically speaking, a place where dust accumulates is called a “mountain.”
The same applies spiritually. Since human beings are dust, a gathering of people becomes a spiritual “mountain,” much like the idiom representing a massive crowd of people (Insaninhae). During the First Coming, Jesus was followed by His twelve disciples and those who believed in His words. Consequently, Jesus (Zion) and the people who believed and followed Him (the mountain) together formed the “Mount Zion” of the First Coming. Simply put, to receive salvation during the First Coming meant coming to Jesus and His disciples to escape judgment and attain salvation.
Now, let us examine the place where contemporary believers must seek salvation at the time of the Lord’s Second Coming.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” — Matthew 24:15–16
The Book of Matthew, recorded by Jesus’ disciple Matthew, prophesies about the events of the Lord’s Second Coming.
In the passage above, the phrase “the abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place” refers to the events of apostasy and destruction. When you witness such events taking place, you are commanded to flee to the “mountain.” That time corresponds precisely to the days of Noah and Lot spoken of by Jesus. Therefore, to escape the judgment, one must flee to the “mountain” as warned.
Then, where is this mountain to which we must flee? Is it Bukhaksan? Achasan? Seoraksan? This mountain does not refer to a physical mountain, but rather to a spiritual mountain. The “Mount Zion” mentioned in the text is the mountain to which we must flee at the time of the Second Coming.
In the present-day region of Israel, there is a physical geographical location named “Mount Zion,” standing 800 meters above sea level. Does this mean people all over the world must flee to that physical location? Of course not. As mentioned earlier, the reality of Mount Zion during the First Coming 2,000 years ago was Jesus and His disciples. Likewise, the Mount Zion of the Second Coming is also a “organization of people.”
In the text, the “Lamb” refers to Jesus (just as John the Baptist testified of Jesus as the “Lamb of God” during the First Coming). Furthermore, it is recorded that “144,000 stand with Him.” This means that at the Second Coming, Jesus and the 144,000 accompanying Him constitute Mount Zion, to which people must flee to escape the judgment.
However, it is written that the names of God and Jesus are written on the foreheads (minds) of the 144,000. Let us briefly examine what it means to have the names of God and Jesus written on one’s forehead.
“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” — Hebrews 8:10
The passage above prophesies that God’s people will record God’s law (= the words of the Bible) in their minds and hearts. Learning God’s word (the Bible) and recording it in one’s mind is expressed in the Book of Revelation as “having the name written on the forehead (mind).”
In short, the 144,000 refer to those who have mastered the words of the Bible. Coming forward to these individuals to learn the words of the Bible is precisely what it means to “flee to Mount Zion” to escape the judgment at the time of the Lord’s Second Coming.