Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,
     in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

Beautiful in its loftiness,
    the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion,
    the city of the Great King.
God is in her citadels;
    he has shown himself to be her fortress.

Psalm 48:1-3 (NIV)

• In ancient times there were a lot of different ideas about the afterlife, but none of them were developed into a solid, comprehensive theology. The writers of the Old Testament were not communicating a polished theology about the afterlife–they were still learning about who God was.
• Samuel was a descendant of Korah.
• The Korahites (sons of Korah) helped with worship in the tabernacle/temple. https://www.gotquestions.org/Korah-in-the-Bible.html

• The heights of Zaphon refer to Mount Casius, which is about 30 miles northeast of Ugarit, not far from the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Today it is called Jebel el-Aqra and is located close to the Syrian-Turkey border.
• It was associated with Baal, and considered the mountain of the gods where the “divine assembly” would meet.
• Mount Casius was also known then as the "mountain of the north," being associated as such in the Hebrew language due to its importance and position. (Directional importance could sometimes be associated with how things were named or referred to in the Hebrew language.) 
• Mount Zion=2510 ft, Mount Casius=over 5000 Ft
• Mount Zion is/was not sacred in and of itself but because of God’s presence there. “...He has shown himself to be her fortress.” (Psalm 48:3)
• Mount Zion is symbolic of the seat of God, the fortress of His power. God’s seat of power is everywhere that He dwells, which is everywhere. 
• “From Dan to Beersheba” was not directional precision but a picture of something all-encompassing.
• Mount Zaphon (“Mount Zion in the far north”) is YHWH’s Mount Zion. The symbolic Mount Zion extends all the way to the north to Mount Zaphon, and encompasses it–a picture of God’s sovereignty.
• Nothing is bigger or more powerful or more sovereign than YHWH our God.

God’s presence is everywhere. Remember that nothing we face is bigger than God.