Harvest 1874
Well-Known Member
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn [the Church], which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect [the OT saints], And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Heb 12:22-24)
Paul now presents us with the occupants of the New Jerusalem by divine inspiration.
1. An innumerable company of angels
2. The Church (the NT saints)
3. God the Judge of all
4. The spirits of just [justified] men made perfect (the OT saints)
5. Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant
6. The blood of Christ in the heavenly Sanctuary
Where you make your mistake here my friend is in the assumption that this was a done deal, the Apostle is not speaking of something which is presently here, but is pointing down to the end, or consummation, of this Age, to the finished picture.
“The context indicates that at the end of this Age everything that can be shaken will be shaken--all will be shaken out except that which is unshakeable. And the unshakeable thing is the Kingdom, which will then be ushered in. The Apostle likens the time of its inauguration to the inauguration of the Law Covenant at Mt. Sinai, when all the people heard the thundering’s, and the noise of the trumpets, and saw the lightning’s and the mountain smoking; and when Moses "drew near unto the thick darkness where God was"; and Moses went up into the mountain. All of this was typical--the sealing of the Law Covenant at the hands of the typical mediator, Moses.--Exod 20:18-22.
The antitype is what we are approaching--what will be reached by the Church at the end of this Age. There will then be commotion, strife, in the world--thundering’s, lightning’s. And as in the type, so in the antitype, the people will be discouraged, and in great fear and trouble. By the end of the time of trouble, the New Covenant will be inaugurated. The Mediator will be Jesus the Messiah, as the glorified Head, and the Church His Body.
The Apostle says that we are approaching the General Assembly of the Church of the First-borns. In this will be included Christ, the Head, and all the faithful of this Age, of the past and of the present. It will include both the Little Flock and the Great Company; for together they constitute the Church of the First-borns, whose names are written in Heaven.
After telling about the assembling of the Church of the First-borns, the apostle tells of another class--"the spirits of just men made perfect." There is a reason why these could not be of the spiritual class, and would be the Ancient Worthies--and that is that neither the Church nor the Great Company will be "men (humans) made perfect." The very condition on which the prospective members of the Church become of the spirit class is that they give up the human nature.
The figure of a mountain is one commonly used in the Scriptures for a kingdom. Mount Zion represents the Kingdom of God. This Mount Zion Kingdom is to include the whole earth. This Kingdom is about to be established. Its establishment is what the Apostle is discussing.
A kingdom is in figure also called a City; but strictly speaking, a mountain represents the nation, and a city represents the government of that nation. This figure of speech is very common today. If we read that Berlin does thus and so, we know that the German Government is referred to; similarly, Washington would represent the Government of the United States, and London, the British Government.
Our text has reference to the holy Kingdom of God. And then, not to lose its identity, but to carry the thought that the City represents the whole Kingdom, the Apostle speaks of the City of God as the Heavenly Jerusalem. Thus he carries our minds to the thought that as the literal Jerusalem was the capital of the typical Kingdom of God, so there will be a New Jerusalem--a higher Government--which is to be God's Kingdom to rule over the whole earth. Thus these various pictures are used to show us the antitype of the kingdom of earthly Zion, of Jerusalem. Then follow the other statements, and the one that appertains to the righteous in spirit made perfect. These were already righteous in spirit, and now they will be made perfect, by having this better Resurrection (Heb 11:35), which the Lord has promised.
In connection with this we have the statement, "an innumerable company of angels." These we think will be the spiritual angels of God, who have had to do with so much service for God. We think they are the same angels of whom our Lord spoke when He said that He would confess us before His Father and before the Holy angels--those who have been ministers to the saints all the way down through this Age. It is very fitting that they should meet us, and that they should see our introduction to the Father.” R5294
Thus we have a picture of the whole kingdom structure, not as it is, but as it shall be.