In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.”
Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truths may enter in.
In that day
That day refers to the Day of the Lord, the final period of this age, in which all of God’s works of redemption and judgment will be consummated.
Shall this song be sung
A song is sung by those who are joyful, who are victorious through God.
in the land of Judah
The land of Judah symbolizes a spiritual place which is God’s land, where God’s people live. People anywhere on the earth can live in the spiritual land of Judah when they are obedient to God.
We have a strong city
This strong city is spiritual Jerusalem, the city where God has chosen to put his name. This is the capital of the land of Judah. It symbolizes the place on earth where God lives. We live in heavenly Jerusalem and worship there insofar as we are submissive to Christ as King.
“Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22).
“But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (Gal. 4:26).
In heavenly Jerusalem, God’s people worship in Spirit and in Truth.
In that day spiritual Jerusalem will be strong because God’s people will submit to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Today Jerusalem is not very strong, because the church is disobedient. Disobedience saps the church of power.
Currently, other spiritual cities can say that they are strong. Spiritual Babylon, for example is strong, for she currently rules the world.
Jerusalem was strong in the apostolic age, but since the first century she has been relatively weak. At the end of the age, Jerusalem will be strong again. Jerusalem must be rebuilt.
Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
Salvation is the wall of Jerusalem. The walls of a city mark its boundary. They delineate what is inside and outside of the city. They mark the city of God as being unique from everything which is outside it.
The walls of a city are for its protection. When God’s people are saved, they are protected from Satan and evil in the world. The walls of a city keep attackers out. Salvation also delivers God’s people from the defilements and evils of the world.
The wall of the city is the part of the city that may be seen by those who are outside it. Salvation is the interface point between the city of God and the world. People interact with the city on the basis of the gospel, and by hearing the testimonies of salvation and healing that happen there. These things either attract or repulse them from God’s city.
People enter into a city by entering in a gate in the wall. People enter the city of God by experiencing the salvation of Jesus Christ and becoming born again.
Open ye the gates that the righteous nation which keepeth the truths may enter therein.
This nation is the people of God, believers in Jesus. They are made righteous through faith in Christ. Being righteous means being in right-standing, or measuring up to God.
This nation is marked by the fact that they keep the truths. These truths are the commands of Christ and his apostles, which are the laws of Jerusalem and the ordinances of her divine service. One moves in and out of spiritual cities by obeying or refusing their respective words. One is inside Jerusalem insofar as one submits to Christ. One is outside Jerusalem insofar as one does not submit to Christ.
The gates of salvation open wide all over the world, to afford protection and covering for the people of God. In the midst of the darkness of the earth, there will always be light within the city of God. The people of God will always be safe within the city of God, enclosed by his powerful salvation.
Bethel Cornerstone 