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. Hebrews 12:22
Verse 18 of this chapter tells us that we are not come to Mount Sinai, and in our text, we are told that we are come to Mount Sion, or Zion. There is a world of differences between those two mountains! Mount Sinai was so terrible that even Moses was forced to declare ‘I exceedingly fear and quake’ (verse 21). We read of this mountain in Exodus 19 and 20, as the Israelites were making their way through the wilderness. The presence of God was there in thunderings and earthquakes, as God delivered to Moses the law, and proclaimed His holiness and His expectations for His people. The frightened Israelites could not endure the tremendous atmosphere of that place. To come to Mount Sinai is to come to a place that is far beyond us to endure, because of our sinfulness. No, it is to Mount Zion that we are come, not a mount of judgment but of blessing.
Just like the ancient Israelites, we could not endure Sinai. God had to provide those people with offerings and sacrifices to enable them to function as His people. In our case, God has provided the one great Sacrifice, the offering of His Son as the atonement for our sins. So instead of being under a tremendous burden of ordinances and legal requirements, God has brought us into a place where His grace has blessed us and made us acceptable to serve and worship Him. Mount Zion is a wonderful place!
Our text does not say that we will come to Mount Zion, but that we are already there. And yet, it speaks of our coming to the heavenly Jerusalem and the presence of angels. Does that not sound like Heaven itself? Yes, that is one of the wonders of Mount Zion. You and I are as sure of Heaven as if we were already there. We can also enjoy many of the same blessings that those in Heaven are enjoying, the richness of God’s presence in the person of the Holy Spirit. His seal upon us fixes us forever for the presence of God. God’s holy angels attend us today, just as they will when we are removed from this world and are transported to the next.
Mount Zion is the place of blessing, of the fulfilment of God’s great promises to those who are His. Not only do we have eternal life and the assurance of it, but we also have everything we require for our Christian experience. The promises of God apply to today as well as tomorrow. They guarantee us our daily bread, our right to enter with the saints into the place where worship is accepted, our strength to endure the trials and burdens of life, our comfort in the tragedies and losses we encounter, and our encouragement to live as ambassadors of Heaven.
To come to Mount Zion is to live as the people of God in the good of our eternal destination in the presence of God. – Jim MacIntosh