•         The Royal City of Jerusalem

    Esther 1:
    5. And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace
    6. Where were white, green and blue hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble; and both were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble
    7. And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, the (the vessels being divers from one another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king.
    And the drinking was according to the law: none did compel for the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man’s pleasure
    9. Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.

    We were meditating on the unending feast we enjoy in Christ as we behold Him and are transformed into the Christ image we behold. We will continue to learn of the King in all eternity. He said to come to Him and learn of Him. This is feasting. His presence is a feast; the increasing knowledge of Him is a feast and hearing from Him is yet another feast. In general the Lord Who was, Who died and lives for ever more is all of a bundle of feast that grows and expands with eternal life.

    After feasting the empire for 180 days, displaying his wealth and the majesty of his military might and readiness, king Ahasuerus went further to feast the people in Shushan, the capital city where he lived. This reminds me of Zion; this reminds me of Jerusalem. Zion is Jerusalem; Jerusalem is Zion. One of the first things king David did after the tribes of Israel came to him in Hebron informing him they wanted him as their king was to take the strong hold of Jerusalem that, in the narrative, is also, by engaging the Hebrew poetic device of parallelism, is Zion. “And the king and his men went to Jerusalem….(the Jebusites, original inhabitants) thinking, David cannot come here hither, nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion, the same is the city of David” (2Samuel5:6-7). Zion is a city inside a city; it’s the location of the palace of a great king. The glorious feast which has already begun in this dispensation and continuing in the ages to come ( only increasingly more intense) is and will take place in Zion. Jerusalem, nay, Zion, signifies royalty. Therefore, I’m not gunning for heaven alone, not even Jerusalem alone; I’m after Zion, the dwelling of the Lord himself. “Ye are come unto mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrew 12:22). To be in Zion is to have the opportunity of being part of the royalty. Everyone in Christ is offered this opportunity to be in heavenly Jerusalem, no doubt. However, while others may be satisfied with being in Jerusalem within the precinct of the feastable glory of His presence, I crave a nearer presence where the intensity of the brightness of his glory is at it’s zenith. There in Zion where the Lord resides, there’ll be feast of feasts or what somebody aptly put as the father of all feasts! It’s not for the fun of it that a woman once sidled up to the Lord Jesus, gained his attention, and passionately pleaded that her two lovely sons who were also disciples of the Christ would at either sides of the Lord of his kingdom. This was in anticipation of the coming feast. It’s not a sin to demand this vantage place; it’s false humility to desire less. The city is for those who’ll go the extra miles with the Lord: it’s reserved for those with crazy obsession! . “And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion and with him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having the Father’s name written on their foreheads….These are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which followeth the Lamb withersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and unto the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Revelations 14:1,4-5). The Lord didn’t rebuke James, John and their mother for their lofty desire, nor does he rebuke me even if this height is seen too much beyond me. However, Christ referred to a baptism of battles and sufferings: “…. Are ye able to drink the cup that I shall drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”(Mathew 20:22). The feast in Zion is for the overcomers, those that stand in the thick battles with the Lord; the battles are against the kingdom of sin and darkness. “…… and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelations 17:14). What comes to my heart now with the speed of light is the story of Gideon who was to raise an army for the Lord. The men were all called. Then came the test at a water pass where few of the men were chosen. Of course, the chosen were faithful.
    My being called is no more in doubt. But, Lord, may I be chosen and be found faithful with you. You’re the consummation of all the ages; the realization of the inheritance of God in man; the showcase of life eternal.
    Zion is complete possession of God – the dawning of life eternal. “In the hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie” (Titus 1:2). Eternal life is a forever feast in the royalty presence and radiance of the Lord! This, You see, Lord, has been a lofty hope for me – going beyond the normal, the average to the totality of You. But I must not despair of attaining this Divine urging from eternity. Why are you cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God, O my soul. He’s my shepherd. Lord help me. Thank you for helping me for I shall know what it means to wake up in your likeness, in your very presence.