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INDEX
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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries,
Word Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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Hebrews 12:22 But
you have
come to
Mount
Zion and to the
city of the
living
God, the
heavenly
Jerusalem, and
to
myriads of
angels,
(NASB:
Lockman) |
Greek:
alla
proseleluthate
Sion
orei
kai
polei
theou
zontos,
Ierousalem
epouranio,
kai
muriasin
aggelon, panegurei
Amplified: But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless
multitudes of angels in festal gathering,
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
NLT: No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to thousands of angels in
joyful assembly. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Young's Literal: But, ye came to Mount Zion, and to
a city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of
messengers, |
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References |
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Albert Barnes
John Calvin
Adam Clarke
Thomas Constable
Dan Fortner
Dan Fortner
Scott Grant
Dave Guzik
Matthew Henry
Jamieson, F, B
S Lewis Johnson
F B Meyer
Phil Newton
A W Pink
John Piper
A T Robertson
C H Spurgeon
Ray Stedman
Today in the Word
Marvin Vincent
Drew Worthen
Precept Ministries
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Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12:18-24,
Hebrews 12:18-24
Hebrews 12:24-25,
12:25-29,
12:26-27
Hebrews 12:14-29 The Voice of Grace
Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12
Hebrews 12:4-11,
12:12-17,
18-24 Audio
Hebrews 12:6 ,
13-14,
22-24,
27,
29
Hebrews 12:1-3;
4-11;
12-17;
18-24;
25-29
Hebrews 12:18-19;20-21;
22-24;
22-24
Hebrews 12:3-11;
12-17;
12:18-29
Hebrews 12 Greek Word Studies
Hebrews 12:24;
24-25;
24-25;
12:25
Hebrews 12:18-24 Blessings Now Possible
Hebrews 12:18-29;
12:14-29
Hebrews 12 Greek Word Studies
Hebrews 12:18-24;
12:25-29
Hebrews Download Lesson 1 of Part 2
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BUT YOU HAVE COME TO MOUNT ZION
AND TO THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM: alla proseleluthate (2PRAI) Sion
horei kai polei theou zontos (PAPMSG) Ierousalem epouranio:
The writer's point in this
section is that instead of returning to Mount Sinai, the Hebrew
audience is urged to continue their approach to Mount Zion, the
spiritual mountain and city where the living God dwells and reigns.
The Nelson Study Bible
nicely summarizes this section noting that...
In these verses, the author of
Hebrews contrasts the Mosaic covenant with the New Covenant by
contrasting two mountains: Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. At Mount Sinai,
the Israelites received the Law from God with fear and trembling, for
God displayed at that time His awesome power (see Ex 19:10-20:26). In
contrast, Christian believers have come to a heavenly Jerusalem on
Mount Zion through Jesus’ blood. This mountain is a celebration of the
Holy One, attended by angels, believers, and righteous people. The
author makes the contrast between the two covenants vivid, and then
once again exhorts his readers not to reject Christ’s offer of
salvation (see Hebrews 12:25-29).(Radmacher,
E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. The Nelson Study Bible: NKJV.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Have come
(4334)
(proserchomai from prós = facing + erchomai = come)
means literally to come facing toward and so to approach or come near. To
come to visit or associate with. It describes the approach to or entry into
a deity’s presence. In the
Septuagint (LXX)
proserchomai was the verb used to describe the approach of the
priests to Jehovah for worship and to perform of their priestly (Levitical)
functions. But here in Hebrews, under the
New covenant, all seven uses of proserchomai refer to believers
possessing the privilege of access to God the Father
through Christ the Great High Priest.
Here are the seven
uses of this proserchomai in Hebrews...
Hebrews 4:16 (note)
Let us therefore draw
near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
and may find grace to help in time of need. (Comment: "Let us..."
emphasizes that this privilege is always available to those under the New
Covenant. Do we really comprehend and avail ourselves of the profundity of
this privilege?)
Hebrews 7:25 (note)
Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near (present
tense = emphasizes
continual activity) to God
through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 10:1 (note)
For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not
the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year,
which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.
Hebrews 10:22 (note)
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies
washed with pure water.
Hebrews 11:6 (note) And without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes (drawn near) to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Hebrews 12:18 (note) For you have not come
(drawn near) to a mountain that may be touched and to a
blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,
Hebrews 12:22 (note) But you have come
(drawn near) to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels
The writer uses the
perfect tense
which views this heavenly possession of Mt Zion as already attained by
those who have believed the new covenant and which is their continuing
possession. In spirit they were residents of the city already, though
in body they were strangers and aliens on earth. That there is yet to
be an earthly manifestation of the city is clear from the later
reference in
Hebrews 13:14
to “the city which is yet to come.”
Mount Zion (see
notes on Zion) is the
site of
Mt Moriah
(means "the place where Yahweh sees") where Abraham sacrificed Isaac
and corresponds to the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount.
Many scholars feel that the Temple Mount area is in the approximate
site of
Mt Moriah
where Abraham offered Isaac
his "only son" whom he loved. Centuries later Mt Moriah was the site
of the threshing floor of
Ornan which David purchased for
Solomon's temple (1Chr
21:18ff,
2Sa 24:24,
25,
2Chr 3:1] And nearby is another
"mount" of sacrifice known as
Golgotha
(Jn19:17)
also called
Calvary
(in same range as
Moriah
but slightly NW) on which
God the Father offered up His only Son, the Son Whom He loved (Jn
3:16,
3:35)
Mount Zion was also the location of
the Jebusite stronghold that David captured (2Sa 5:7) and made the
religious center of his kingdom by bringing to it the golden Ark of
God representing God’s presence with His people. This is the site on
which Solomon later built the Temple and
installed the Ark (1Ki 8:1).
Zion is synonymous with
Jerusalem and thus this holy place became the
earthly dwelling-place of God. In the new Covenant, believers in Christ have come to
the heavenly
counterpart, the Jerusalem from above.
Paul distinguished
between the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem in his allegorical
exposition on Hagar (and Ishmael, born according to the flesh) and
Sarah (and Isaac, born according to the Spirit)...
Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in
Arabia, and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in
slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our
mother. (Galatians 4:25-26) (Comment: The phrase
Jerusalem which is above was familiar to the rabbinical teachers, who
conceived the heavenly Jerusalem as the archetype of the earthly. On
the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, the heavenly archetype would
be let down to earth, and would be the capital of the messianic
theocracy.)
And so as depicted allegorically
by Paul in Galatians 4, the Law (the Old Covenant) had its Mount
Sinai but faith has its Mount Zion which is the same city
which Abraham and the patriarchs sought, the writer of Hebrews
recording that by faith (not sight) Abraham
was looking for the city which has foundations, Whose Architect and
Builder is God... (see note
Hebrews 11:10)
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has
prepared a city for them (see note
Hebrews 11:16).
John saw this city in his vision
recording...
And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there
is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her
husband. (See notes
Revelation 21:1;
Revelation 21:2)
In one sense, this is
still to come (see note
Hebrews 13:14, “but we are looking for the city that is to
come”), but we have also already arrived there in spirit. In Ephesians
for example Paul describes the heavenly position of believers writing
that God has...
raised us up with Him (Christ), and
seated us with Him (Christ, Who is at the right hand of the throne of
God) in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus (see note
Ephesians 2:6)
Christians are now citizens of
the heavenly city and enjoy its privileges. Paul wrote that believers
are enrolled as citizens of heaven even while on earth Paul explaining
that...
our citizenship is in
heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior the Lord Jesus
Christ
(see note
Philippians 3:20)
We are in
Mount Zion by virtue of our incorporation in Christ as explained
above. To reiterate, the use of the
perfect tense
(have come) emphasizes our permanent, continuing state. This is why
the seemingly endless miles of life’s marathon and the inevitable
heartbreak hills should not deter us from pressing on toward the goal,
running the race with endurance.. We are both in Zion and yet at the
same time are marching to
Zion!
Law had its earthly Jerusalem
but faith has its heavenly capital above. The city of the living God
is in heaven, the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and
Builder is God.
As someone has well stated...
We have already
arrived in principle where in full reality we shall be forever. The
future is already the present. In today we possess tomorrow. On earth
we own Heaven.
AND TO MYRIADS OF ANGELS: kai muriasin aggelon:
Myriads (3461)(murias
from muríos = very many, innumerable) means a myriad (an
indefinitely great number) or ten thousand or simply a number that
cannot be counted.
Wuest comments
that...
The angels are
introduced here because they are the usual accompaniment of God’s
glory and ministers of His will.
The myriads
of angels are referred to several times in Scripture. For example
Moses records a "sighting" with which most of his Jewish readers would
have been familiar...
And he said, "The LORD came from
Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came from the midst of ten thousand holy ones; At His right
hand there was flashing lightning for them. (Dt 33:2) (Evidently there
were myriads of holy ones with God on Mount Sinai as His right hand
wrote the commandments for Israel on tables of stone.
Angels
were present at the giving of the law Luke recording...
you who received the law as
ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it." (Acts 7:53)
In a parallel
passage Paul asks...
Why the Law then? It was added
because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels
by the agency of a mediator, until the seed should come to whom the
promise had been made. (Galatians 3:19) (Comment: The account
of the giving of the law through Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus
19:9-25 makes no mention of angels. However as noted above Deuteronomy
33:2 does mention holy ones which is almost assuredly a
reference to angels through whom the Law was ordained. See also Psalm
68:17).
And earlier in
Hebrews the writer reminded his readers of...
the word spoken through angels
(which) proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just recompense (see notes
Hebrews 2:2)
And as the writer of Hebrews
asked rhetorically in the first chapter...
Are they (referring to angels) not
all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of
those who will inherit salvation? (See note
Hebrews 1:14)
These angels are mighty flaming
spirits passing in and out of our lives, moving around us
and over us just as they did saints of old.
The Living God - a phrase
repeated 28 times in the NASB...
Dt 5:26 'For who is there of
all flesh, who has heard the voice of the living God speaking
from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
Josh 3:10 And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the
living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess
from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite,
the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.
1 Sam 17:26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by
him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine,
and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised
Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living
God?"
1 Sam 17:36 "Your servant has killed both the lion and the
bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them,
since he has taunted the armies of the living God."
2 Ki 19:4 'Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of
Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach
the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD
your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is
left.'"
2 Ki 19:16 "Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open Thine
eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which
he has sent to reproach the living God.
Psa 42:2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psa 84:2 My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the
LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Isa 37:4 'Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of
Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach
the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD
your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is
left.'"
Isa 37:17 "Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open Thine
eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who
sent them to reproach the living God.
Jer 10:10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living
God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes,
And the nations cannot endure His indignation.
Jer 23:36 "For you will no longer remember the oracle of the
LORD, because every man's own word will become the oracle, and you
have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of
hosts, our God.
Dan 6:20 And when he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried
out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel,
servant of the living God, has your God, whom you
constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions?"
Dan 6:26 "I make a decree that in all the dominion of my
kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He
is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom
is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever.
Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like
the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And it will
come about that, in the place Where it is said to them, "You are not
My people," It will be said to them, "You are the sons of the
living God."
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God."
Mat 26:63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to
Him, "I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us
whether You are the Christ, the Son of God."
Acts 14:15 and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We
are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you
in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living
God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL
THAT IS IN THEM.
Rom 9:26 "AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID
TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF
THE LIVING GOD."
2 Cor 3:3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ,
cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the
living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of
human hearts.
2 Cor 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God; just as God
said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR
GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
1 Tim 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may
know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which
is the church of the living God, the pillar and support
of the truth.
1 Tim 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we
have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior
of all men, especially of believers.
Heb 3:12 Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one
of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living
God.
Heb 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 10:31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of
the living God.
Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads
of angels,
Rev 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of
the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried
out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to
harm the earth and the sea,
><> ><> ><>
An illustration - The little girl was happily humming a hymn as she
dusted the furniture to help her mother.
“Mommie, will I be dusting God’s
chair when I get to heaven, the way the hymn says?” she asked.
Mother looked up with surprise,
“Which hymn, honey?”
“And dust around the throne,”
her little girl quoted.
It took a while before the
mother learned that she was quoting a line from the hymn “Marching to
Zion,” with the phrase, “and thus surround the throne”!
><> ><> ><>
Our Daily Bread - Thoughts Of
Heaven
Cartoonists often depict those
who have gone to heaven as white-robed, ghostly forms floating among
the clouds or sitting on golden stairs playing harps. What a far cry
from the picture we find in the Bible!
In 1 Corinthians 15, we read that our resurrection bodies, although
not subject to death, will be real and tangible—not mere apparitions.
And Revelation 21:1-5 tells us that God will bring about "a new heaven
and a new earth." He will bring down "the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12:22), and set it upon the new earth as
the "New Jerusalem." It is described as having streets, walls, gates,
and even a river and trees (Revelation 22:1-5).
Life in that city will be wonderful, free from all the debilitating
effects of sin. There will be no more death, sorrow, mourning, and
pain, for God will make "all things new." But best of all, He Himself
will come to live among us, making possible a new level of intimacy
with Him.
It's difficult to envision such an existence, but what an exciting
prospect! It is all possible because of what Jesus did when He died
for us on the cross. This should motivate us to worship Him, live
godly lives, and tell others how they too can be assured of a glorious
future. —Herbert Vander Lugt (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The more we love Jesus the more we'll long for heaven.
><> ><> ><>
F B Meyer - Our
Daily Walk - OUR HERITAGE AND OUR GOAL-
Heb 12:22-24.
WE ARE far from being perfect.
When in our deepest moments, we ascend into the Holiest, on the wings
of faith and prayer, we pass through a vast host of sympathetic
spirits, all of whom are devoted to the same Lord and Master, and are
joining in the same act of worship. Many of them have known and helped
us in our earthly life, and they have been sent forth to minister to
us, and to help us on our way. "Ye are come to the spirits of just men
made perfect."
We are also come unto God, the
Judge of all. When Moses stood before God on the Mount, he said: "I
exceedingly fear and quake." But we may come with boldness to the
footstool of the Eternal Throne, though our God is a consuming fire,
for in Christ Jesus we stand accepted. He is the Mediator of the New
Covenant, and His Blood speaks better things than that of Abel. That
blood cried against Cain. But the Blood of Jesus cries on our behalf;
it has opened the way into the Holiest; has cleansed us from our sins;
has ratified the New Covenant, and is the Pledge of our redemption.
Therefore, although we realise
our sinfulness and imperfection, let us arise into the unseen, and
join with the One Church of the Redeemed in heaven and on earth. We
are come to it in the purpose of God, and by the all-sufficing work of
Christ our Lord, but let us see to it that we come also in our
spiritual realization, communion, and fellowship.
We are members of the Church
Universal, citizens of the Heavenly City. Heirs of that precious
Redemption, which has severed us from things that are seen, and made
us part of that blessed throng that no man can number--"the general
Assembly and Church of the First-born, which are written in heaven."
Neither life, nor death, nor rite, nor church-order, can divide those
who are for ever one with each other because they are one with Christ.
Nothing but sin and obtuseness of soul can exclude us from living
fellowship with saints of all communions and sects, denominations and
ages.
PRAYER -
Accept our thanks, O God, for this
foretaste of the bliss of Paradise. To Thee we would pour forth our
tribute of adoring love, and join with angels and the spirits of the
Redeemed in worship. Unto Him that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto
the Lamb, be blessing and honour, glory and dominion, for ever. AMEN.
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Hebrews 12:23 to
the
general
assembly and
church of the
firstborn who
are
enrolled in
heaven, and to
God, the
Judge of
all, and to the
spirits of the
righteous
made
perfect,
(NASB:
Lockman) |
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Greek:
kai
ekklesia
prototokon
apogegrammenon
en
ouranois,
kai
krite
theo
panton,
kai pneumasi
dikaion
teteleiomenon,
Amplified: And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who
are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of
all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who
have been made perfect,
(Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
NLT: You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn
children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God
himself, who is the judge of all people. And you have come to the
spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now been made perfect. (NLT
- Tyndale House)
Young's Literal: to the company and assembly of the first-born
in heaven enrolled, and to God the judge of all, and to spirits of
righteous men made perfect, |
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TO THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND CHURCH OF THE FIRST-BORN WHO ARE ENROLLED IN
HEAVEN: kai ekklesia prototokon apogegrammenon (RPPMPG) en ouranois:
General
assembly - note that in the Greek text paneguris is the last
section of Hebrews 12:22 (see there) but is placed in verse 23 in the
English.
General assembly (3831)
(paneguris from pás = all, + águris
= an assembly from agora = public square, marketplace) is used
only here in the NT to describe a solemn assembly convened for
purposes of a happy, joyous festivity. The Greeks used paneguris to
describe a festal gathering of the whole people to celebrate public
games or other solemnities.
The verb form
panegurizo is used in Isaiah where God declares...
Be joyful with Jerusalem and
rejoice for her (Septuagint
translates the
Hebrew with the verb panegurizo = to celebrate a public
festival), all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad with her, all you
who mourn over her (Isaiah 66:10)
As explained below Jesus is the
firstborn and by virtue of our union with Him we are firstborn
sons of God. All the rights of inheritance go to the firstborn—to us
who are “co-heirs with Christ” (see note
Romans 8:17).
First-born
(firstborn) (4416)(prototokos
from protos = first, foremost, in place order or time; rank
dignity + titko = beget, to bear, bring forth) can mean
first-born chronologically (Lu
2:7), but refers primarily to position, rank, priority of
position and emphasizes quality or kind, not time with the idea of
"preeminence".
Prototokos is used 8 times
in the NT and four refer to Jesus --
Colossians 1:18 (note),
Romans 8:29 (note),
Hebrews 1:6 (note), and
Revelation 1:5 (note) Each of these
references to Christ as prototokos are in
somewhat different contexts so be careful not to be confused.
Vine helps untangle these uses by
pointing out that in
Colossians 1:18 (note)
and
Revelation 1:5 (note) firstborn
refers to His resurrection, in
Romans 8:29 (note)
to His position in relationship to the Church, in
Hebrews 1:6 (note) to His Second Advent when
the word “again” is place in the right place (the Authorized Version
gives a wrong translation, making the “again” seem to introduce a
quotation, instead of signifying the second time when God will bring
His Son into the world).
In both Greek
and Jewish culture, the first-born was the son who had the
right of inheritance. He was not necessarily the first one born
chronologically. Although Esau
was born first chronologically, it was Jacob who declared the “first-born”
in regard to the blessing from Isaac (Jacob speaking to Esau said
"First swear to me"; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright
(Septuagint translates Hebrew with Greek word prototokos) to
Jacob." [Gen
25:33]).
The nation of
Israel was figuratively called God’s first-born in
Ex 4:22 and
Jer 31:9. Though Israel clearly was
not the first people born, they held first place or the place of
pre-eminence in God’s sight among all the nations (cf
Deut 7:7).
Solomon was the
preeminent son of David, although he was not the actual first born
("Sons were born to David at Hebron: his first-born [Septuagint
translates with Greek prototokos] was Amnon"
2Sa 3:2)
In
Ps 89:27, God says of the Messiah
that He "shall make him My first-born" then defines what He
means—"the highest of the kings of the
earth."
In
Revelation 1:5 (note), Jesus is called the
first-born of the dead even though He was not the first person to be
resurrected chronologically.
Of all ever
raised, He is the preeminent One.
Romans 8:29 (see note) refers to Him as the
first-born in relation to the church. In all the above cases,
first-born clearly means highest in rank, not first
created.
In the present verse the firstborn enjoy the
rights of firstborn sons, because of their union with Christ,
the Firstborn.
The assembly of the firstborn
will have all Christians of all times as its members. It will have its
first full assembly in the future age with the OT spirits of
righteous men made perfect are together with NT saints forever.
And thus this reference is to the whole
communion of saints (all Christians of all times) who have come, not
merely into the presence of the church, but into its membership by
faith in Christ. The writing of their names in heaven recalls Jesus’
words to his disciples,
Rejoice that your names are written in
heaven (Lk10:20).
They will all share with Jesus the title of
firstborn
(Col 1:18) because they are “heirs of God and coheirs with Christ”
(see note
Romans 8:17).
AND TO GOD,
THE JUDGE OF ALL: kai krite theo panton:
God the Judge - Earlier
the writer had reminded his readers of this certainty explaining that
there is no reincarnation but...
it is appointed for men
to die once and after this comes judgment (see note
Hebrews 9:27)
Yes even as at Mt Sinai He is a
Righteous Judge of all but PRAISE GOD, we have been justified and
redeemed by the payment of the precious blood of the Lamb of God and
no longer stand under the curse of the Law and its condemnation. In
fact as the writer has already stated...
God is not unjust so as
to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name,
in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. (see
note
Hebrews 6:10)
On the other hand the writer
reminds us that...
there is no creature
hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the
eyes of Him with whom we have to do (see note
Hebrews 4:13).
And for those who reject Jesus'
sacrifice and insult His Spirit of grace there remains no hope but
instead...
a terrifying expectation of
judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES
(See note
Hebrews 10:27)
For we know Him Who said,
"VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY." And again, "THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS
PEOPLE." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living
God. (see notes
Hebrews 10:30;
10:31).
By faith we see God the Judge of
all. No longer does darkness and gloom hide Him for to faith’s vision His
glory is transcendent. And so these believers do not come to a literal
mountain on earth but instead have been granted the privilege to enter
God's holy sanctuary in heaven.
Even now, by faith, we approach God in confession, praise, and prayer. We are
not limited to one day of the year like Aaron and the other OT high
priests on the day of atonement (Lev 16), but have access to the holiest at any
time with the knowledge that we are always welcome through our Great
High Priest Christ Jesus. God no longer
does God warn us to “Stay at a distance” but in marked contrast, He
beckons us to “Come near with confidence.” Amazing grace!
Without
exception, all humans must stand before God to be judged. But the
glory of the gospel is that believers may stand before Him without
fear, since Jesus, Who Himself is the Amen assures us...
Amen, Amen, I say to you,
he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life,
and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into
life. (John 5:24)
This relief from the fear of judgment is an enormous blessing
to those who know themselves to be (saved) sinners in thought, word and deed.
AND TO THE
SPIRITS OF RIGHTEOUS MEN MADE PERFECT: kai pneumasi dikaion
teteleiomenon (RPPMPG):
See note
Hebrews 11:40
(apart from us they should not be made perfect)
The righteous men -
As to the meaning of this phrase Stedman observes that...
Commentators have
differed over whether this describes “believers of pre-Christian days”
(Bruce) or “New Testament believers” (Bengel). It likely looks back to
Hebrews 11:40 and the
Old Testament saints who would be made perfect “together with us.”
Since it is their spirits which have been made perfect and not their
bodies, it suggests that these saints, who lived before the Cross, are
waiting with us for the resurrection to come. Jesus spoke to the Jews
of “other sheep [Gentiles] that are not of this sheep pen.” “They
too,” he added, “will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock
and one shepherd” (Jn 10:16). As we have already noted, when the
heavenly Jerusalem comes to earth, as John sees it in
Revelation 21:2 (see note),
these words will be fulfilled. Its gates are named for the twelve
tribes of Israel, and its foundation stones bear the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Hebrews 12:18-24 Blessings Now Possible)
The OT saints, who were saved by
the gospel by grace through faith just as are NT saints (see Ge 15:6,
Hab 2:4, Gal 3:8) waited for centuries for the perfection we received
when we trusted Christ, because that came only with Christ’s death and
His finished, perfecting work on the Cross, for
“For by one (sacrificial) offering
He has perfected (perfect
tense = speaks of
the permanent effect of this offering) for all time those who are
sanctified (present
tense
= being daily, continually set
apart from the world and unto God, so called present tense salvation -
see
Three Tenses of Salvation).
” (see note
Hebrews 10:14).
The OT saints, justified by faith, they stand in
spotless purity because the value of Christ’s work has been imputed to
their account. They await the time when the grave will yield up
its ancient charges and they will receive glorified bodies, probably
not at the rapture but at the end of this present church age, at the
inception of the Messianic age (cp Da 12:13).
The KJV Bible Commentary explains that...
Since they are spirits,
they are those who have died but have not yet been resurrected. Since
they are just men made perfect, certainly they refer to the Old
Testament saints who could not be made perfect before Christ’s time
(see note
Hebrews 11:40); but now,
they have been made perfect through His one sacrifice (see note
Hebrews 10:14). ( | | |