"His foundation is in the holy mountains." (Psalm 87:1)

It is fascinating to study God's selection of several key mountains to mark key events in human history. Mount Ararat was the first great mountain of Scripture where God's Ark of safety would rest (Genesis 8:4). Then, when the first nations failed and God had to form a new nation, it was on Mount Moriah that Abraham passed the great test with his son, Isaac, and became "the father of all them that believe," testifying that "in the mount of the LORD it shall be seen" (Romans 4:11; Genesis 22:14). When the time came for God's law to be revealed, "the Lord came down upon mount Sinai," and gave Moses "upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (Exodus 19:20; 31:18).

"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion," where the holy city was built and where Christ will reign in the great age to come. For God has promised concerning Christ: "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 48:2; 2:6).

Insignificant in size, but preeminent in importance, is the small hill outside Jerusalem that has come to be called Mount Calvary. There a "stone was cut out of the mountain" which "became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:45, 35) when Christ died there and conquered death. He arose from the grave and then ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, to which one day He shall "so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Finally, in the new earth, "every mountain and hill shall be made low" (Isaiah 40:4), and the only mountain will be "a great and high mountain," the beautiful city of God, towering "twelve thousand furlongs" (Revelation 21:10, 16) over the fruitful plains of the eternally new earth below. HMM