Chapter 36 - Mount Sinai and Mount Zion (12:18-29)

36 Mount Sinai and Mount Zion (12:18-29)

For you have not come to a mountain that may be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word should be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” And this expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (12:18-29)

In addition to the pressures of neglect, unbelief, tradition, and impatience, which were keeping many Jews from fully trusting in Christ, was the pressure of fear. They were afraid of persecution—criticism, ridicule, economic loss, imprisonment, and perhaps even martyrdom (see Heb. 10:32-39). Some had already gotten a taste of persecution just from being associated with the church. All of them could see first-hand the suffering that many true and faithful believers were going through. It was evident that being godly in a godless society was costly.

This passage gives a warning of something far more fear-inspiring than what any human persecution can inflict—God’s judgment. Every man will be judged on one of two bases. He will either be judged by the law or by grace, by his own works or by Christ’s work, by the provisions of Sinai or by the provisions of Zion. God has two sets of books. In one set are recorded the names of those who have rejected God, in the other the names of those who have accepted Him through His Son, Jesus Christ (Rev. 20:12). The saved are in the book of life, sometimes called the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 13:8). Those whose names are in this book will be judged by what Christ has done on their behalf. Because they have trusted Him in faith, they will be measured and judged by His righteousness instead of their own. Those who have not trusted Him will be measured and judged by their own righteousness, which is of no more value before God than a “filthy garment” (Isa. 64:6).

The fear of those on the verge of accepting Christ should not be of persecution they might receive for believing in Him, but the judgment they will inevitably receive for rejecting Him. Their fear should not be of coming to Mount Zion but of turning back to Mount Sinai. The contrast is vivid.

MOUNT SINAI—THE FEAR OF THE LAW

The Old Covenant was associated with Mount Sinai because that is where God spoke to Moses when that covenant was instituted. It was a covenant of law, and it was also a covenant of judgment and of fear. It said, “Do this, or do not do that, or you will be judged.” In some cases it said, “Do not do this, or you will die.” That is not the place to which the New Covenant brings us. To that mountain you have not come.

As God was preparing to establish that covenant, the people were forbidden so much as to set foot on the mountain, under penalty of death. May be touched does not refer to permission but possibility. That is, Sinai was a physical mountain, and therefore was able to be touched, seen, and walked on. The earthly mountain symbolized the earthliness of that covenant, as contrasted with the heavenly Jerusalem (v. 22). The Old Covenant was the foundational covenant, the kindergarten covenant, which gave the rudiments, the elementary principles, of God’s nature, will, and standards. It was therefore given and was to be obeyed in more physical, tangible, picturesque, and symbolic ways.

Exodus 19 describes the requirements and restrictions God gave in preparation for His giving the law. The people were to consecrate themselves by washing their clothes (v. 10) and by abstaining from sexual relations (v. 15) and were forbidden permission to touch even the edge of the mountain (v. 12). God was so concerned that none of the people break those restrictions that He sent Moses back down the mountain to give them a final warning (vv. 21-22). God was going to demonstrate His awesome holiness, and no defiled sinner could come near and witness His holiness and live. It was to be a day unique in human history. The demonstration of power was through the physical means of thunder, lightning, thick clouds, loud trumpet sounds, fire, smoke, and violent trembling of the earth (vv. 16-18). The primary purpose of all these signs was to convince the people of the absolute unapproachableness of God. Sinful man could not come near Him and live.

Understandably, the people were terrified; they were gripped with fear. “They trembled and stood at a distance,” and pleaded with Moses, “let not God speak to us, lest we die” (20:18-19). At this, Moses assured them that they had no reason for being terrified unless they disobeyed. “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin” (v. 20). In other words, if they had the proper fear of God by honoring His holiness and obeying His law, they had no reason to fear His wrath. God intended that His people have a reverential fear of Him “so that [they] may not sin.”

The God of Sinai is truly a God to be feared, a God of judgment and of punishment. Sinai, representing the Old Covenant, was a mountain of fear and of judgment. The writer of Hebrews is saying to his readers, “If you go back to Judaism, you are going back to a covenant of law, fear, judgment, and death.” Paul described it as “the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones” (2 Cor. 3:7).

To stand at the foot of Sinai, even without touching it, is to stand under judgment and doom. It demands and it punishes. Since no man in himself can fulfill its demands, no man in himself can escape its punishment. At Sinai, sinful and unforgiven man stands before an infinitely holy and perfectly just God. Guilty, vile, and undeserving of forgiveness, he has nothing to expect from Sinai but God’s condemnation. The symbols of Sinai are darkness, fire, trembling, and trumpets of judgment. For an unforgiven sinner, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). There is good reason to fear at the foot of Sinai.

God gave Israel the covenant of law in the middle of the wilderness, away from all distractions, all interference, and all hiding places. They had nothing to focus on but God, and in doing so became terribly aware of their own sinfulness. The first thing that leads a person to repentance and dependence on God for deliverance is the awareness of his sinfulness. Apart from seeing his sinfulness, a person has no reason to seek salvation. Only seeing our sin can make us see our need for salvation from sin and from the judgment it brings. This was the purpose of Sinai, to bring the people face to face with their own sinfulness, with no place to hide.

The law is God’s great mirror. When we look into it, we see ourselves as we really are—immeasurably short of God’s standard of righteousness. There is not a single commandment that we have kept perfectly or can keep perfectly, in either act or attitude. The law makes no exceptions and no allowance for less than perfect obedience. The law overwhelms us, slays us. No sinner can endure Sinai. Every sinner who stands at the foot of Sinai is paralyzed with fear. So terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” Even Moses, to whom God had spoken through the fiery bush and through whom He had challenged Pharaoh, could not stand at Sinai fearless.

For many years the apostle Paul had been a student of the law. He knew the Old Testament as few men of his time knew it. Yet, until Jesus confronted him on the Damascus road, he had never really confronted the law of Moses. He had studied it, memorized it, and probably taught it. But he had never confronted it. He had never looked squarely into it to see himself. He had thought he was alive. In fact he had thought he was alive because of his obedience to the law. But in seeing Jesus Christ, he also saw the law—and himself reflected in the mirror of the law. Consequently, “When the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me” (Rom. 7:9-11). Though he had been active in Judaism all his life and was a scholar of the Old Testament, he had never before stood at the foot of Sinai. He had eyes, but had not seen, and had ears but had not heard (Jer. 5:21). He had not understood the clear and unmistakable declaration of Deuteronomy 27:26. But in Christ he came to understand it, and he quotes it to some Galatians who were beginning to fall back into Judaism: “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them’ ” (Gal. 3:10).

MOUNT ZION—THE GRACE OF THE GOSPEL

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. (12:22-24)

The mountain of the New Covenant is Mount Zion, representing the heavenly Jerusalem. The opposite of Sinai, it is not touchable, but it is approachable. Sinai symbolizes law and Zion symbolizes grace. No man can be saved by the law, but any man can be saved by grace. The law confronts us with commandments, judgment, and condemnation. Grace presents us with forgiveness, atonement, and salvation.

Ever since David had conquered the Jebusites and had placed the ark on Mount Zion, this mountain had been considered the special earthly dwelling place of God. “For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it’ ” (Ps. 132:13-14). When Solomon moved the ark to the Temple, which was built on nearby Mt. Moriah, the name Zion was extended to include that area as well. Before long, Zion became synonymous with Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was therefore the city of God and the place of sacrifices. Isaiah, who spoke often and hopefully of Zion, says that God will “grant salvation in Zion” (46:13).

Whereas Sinai was forbidding and terrifying, Zion is inviting and gracious. Sinai is closed to all, because no one is able to please God on Sinai’s terms—perfect fulfillment of the law. Zion is open to all, because Jesus Christ has met those terms and will stand in the place of anyone who will come to God through Him. Zion symbolizes the approachable God.

Sinai was covered by clouds and darkness; Zion is the city of light. “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth” (Ps. 50:2).

Sinai stands for judgment and death; Zion for forgiveness and life, “for there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever” (Ps. 133:3).

The Jews to whom Hebrews is speaking at this point are clearly believers, for they are told, you have come to Mount Zion. They were already on the gracious mountain of God, already in the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. As Christians, we are already citizens of heaven, where we now spiritually dwell (Phil. 3:20).

In coming to Mount Zion—that is, by becoming a Christian—we come to seven other blessings: the heavenly city; the general assembly; the church of the first-born; God, the Judge of all; the spirits of righteous men made perfect; to Jesus; and to the sprinkled blood.

THE HEAVENLY CITY

The city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, is heaven itself. Coming to Christ is coming to heaven, the only way to come to heaven. When we come to Mount Zion, we come by grace to the city Abraham looked for, “the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10). From the moment of salvation, heaven is our spiritual home—where our heavenly Father and our Savior are, and where the rest of our spiritual family is. That is where our treasure is, our inheritance is, our hope is. Everything we have of any value is there and all that we should want is there.

Until the Lord takes us there to be with Himself, however, we cannot enjoy its full citizenship. For now we are ambassadors on earth. As ambassadors we have full citizenship in our home country, but we are away from it for a while and cannot enjoy its full blessings. In the meanwhile we are to be faithful emissaries of our Savior and our heavenly Father, reflecting their nature before a world that does not know them. And Paul encourages us not to lose our perspective of the incomparable value of our heavenly inheritance (Rom. 8:17-18).

And like the writer of Hebrews, Paul uses Sinai and Jerusalem as figures of the Old and New Covenants and, consequently, of the old and new relationships to God that they represent. “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. . . . So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman” (Gal. 4:25-26, 31). Sinai is the mountain of bondage. Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, is the mountain of freedom.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

I believe the general assembly (panguris,”a gathering for a public festival”) refers to the myriads of angels, rather than to the church of the first-born. The translation could be, “But you have come to . . . an innumerable company of angels in festal gathering.” When we come in Jesus Christ to Mount Zion, we come to a great gathering of celebrating angels, whom we join in praising God. Daniel gives us an idea of just how many angels we will be joining in heaven: “Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him” (Dan. 7:10; cf. Rev. 5:11).

Innumerable angels were also present at Sinai, as mediators of the Mosaic covenant (Gal. 3:19), the covenant of law and judgment. But men could not join them there. Like the God they served, at Sinai they were unapproachable. The angels were not celebrating at Sinai; they were blowing the trumpets of judgment.

Contrary to what some churches teach, we are not to worship angels. We join them in worshiping God, and God alone. “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize,” Paul warns, “by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels” (Col. 2:18). During his vision on Patmos, John once was so awestruck that he fell at the feet of an angel and would have worshiped him. But the angel forbid him, saying, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God” (Rev. 19:10). In heaven, we will not worship angels, but will worship with angels. We will join them in eternal celebration and praise of God.

THE CHURCH OF THE FIRST-BORN

The church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven is the Body of Christ. The first-born are those who receive the inheritance. As believers, we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,” who is “the first-born among many brethren” (Rom. 8:17, 29).

Jesus tells us that we should not rejoice in the great works that God may do through us but that our “names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Our names are enrolled in heaven in “the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).

GOD, THE JUDGE OF ALL

On Mount Zion we can come into God’s own presence, an incomprehensible concept to a Jew who knew only the God of Sinai. But at Jesus’ crucifixion, “the veil of the temple was torn in two” (Luke 23:45), and the way into God’s presence forever made open for those who trust in the atoning work of that crucifixion. To come into God’s presence at Sinai was to die; to come into His presence at Zion is to live (cf. Ps. 73:25; Rev. 21:3).

THE SPIRITS OF RIGHTEOUS MEN MADE PERFECT

The spirits of righteous men made perfect are Old Testament saints, those who could only look forward to forgiveness, peace, and deliverance. When we come to heaven we will join Abel, Abraham, Moses, David, and all the others in one great household of God (cf. Matt. 8:11).

They had to wait a long time for the perfection that we received the instant we trusted in Christ. In fact, they had to wait for us (Heb. 11:40), in the sense that they had to wait for Christ’s death and resurrection before they could be glorified. In heaven we will be one with them in Jesus Christ. We will not be inferior to Abraham or Moses or Elijah, because we will all be equal in righteousness, because our only righteousness will be our Savior’s righteousness.

JESUS

Supremely we come to Jesus, in the fullness of His beauty and glory as the mediator of a new covenant. Our Lord is here called by His redemptive name, Jesus, which He was given because He would “save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). When we come to Mount Zion, we come to our Savior, our Redeemer, our one and only Mediator with the Father. First John 3:2 sums up the ultimate end of this truth: “we shall be like Him.”

THE SPRINKLED BLOOD

To come to Christianity is to come to the sprinkled blood, the atoning blood, through which we have redemption, “through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7), and by which all who “formerly were far off have been brought near” (2:13).

The sprinkled blood of Jesus far surpasses the sacrifice of Abel (Heb. 11:4) and speaks better than the blood of Abel. Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable to God because it was offered in faith, but it had no atoning power—not even for Abel, much less for anyone else. Jesus’ blood, however, was sufficient to cleanse the sins of all men for all time, to make peace with God for whoever trusts in that blood sacrifice (Col. 1:20).

RESPONDING TO THE GOSPEL

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” And this expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (12:25-29)

After giving the contrasts between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, the writer says, in effect, “Here is what you must do. You must not ignore Him who is speaking.” “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2). If men were held accountable for heeding God when He warned them on earth, from Mount Sinai, how much more will they be held accountable now that He warns from heaven, from Mount Zion?

The unbelieving Israelites who ignored God at Sinai did not enter the earthly Promised Land, and unbelievers today, Jew or Gentile, who ignore God when He speaks through His Son from Mount Zion will not enter the heavenly promised land. Whether God speaks from Sinai or from Zion, no man who refuses Him will escape judgment.

The blessings of receiving the second covenant are immeasurably greater than those for receiving the first. And the consequences for refusing the second are also immeasurably greater. “Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:28-29).

At Sinai, God shook the earth. From Zion He is also going to shake the very heavens, the entire universe. If unbelievers did not escape when the earth was shaken, how much less will they escape when both heaven and earth are shaken? The writer quotes from what the Lord had predicted through Haggai, “Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land” (Hag. 2:6; cf. Isa. 13:13). The sun will become black, the moon will become like blood, stars will fall to earth, the sky will split apart like a scroll, and every mountain and island will be moved out of its place (Rev. 6:12-14).

Commenting on the Haggai passage, Hebrews 12:27 explains that the expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Everything physical (those things which can be shaken) will be destroyed. Only the eternal things will remain.

Peter tells us that at that time, which “will come like a thief,. . . the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” and “the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” (2 Pet. 3:10, 12). This will constitute the “shaking” of those things which can be shaken, the total destruction of the physical universe by the wrath of God.

But some things are unshakable, and these will remain. God has prepared “a new heaven and a new earth,” which will include “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:1-2). This is the kingdom we receive. It is a kingdom which cannot be shaken. It is eternal, unchangeable, immovable. We will never be taken from it, and it will never be taken from us. For this amazing blessing in Christ, we should show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe. The right response, then, is a worshiping life offering holy service to our worthy and awesome God.

The closing verse of chapter 12 is perhaps the severest warning in the book of Hebrews: for our God is a consuming fire. The writer is warning again by saying, “Some of you have come to the edge of full acceptance of Christ. Don’t go back to Judaism now. Only judgment awaits you at Sinai, and even worse judgment in refusing the offer of Zion. Don’t be consumed in God’s fierce, unrelenting fire of judgment.”

To live under Judaism is to come to Sinai and its judgment, wherein all who trust in the works of the law, even God’s own law, will be condemned. To go back to Judaism, after hearing the gospel, after seeing Zion, brings even greater damnation. Those Jews who had “been enlightened” and had “tasted of the heavenly gift,” and even “been made partakers of the Holy Spirit” (Heb. 6:4) could not simply revert to Judaism. They could not pick up where they had left off. If they turned back now, they would be subject not only to Sinai’s judgment but to Zion’s as well.

For every man the choice is the same. Whether we are Jew or Gentile, to try to approach God by our works is to come to Sinai and to discover that our works fall short and cannot save us. Whether we are Jew or Gentile, to trust in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ is to come to Zion, where our heavenly High Priest will mediate for us and bring us to the Father, and where we find reconciliation, peace, and eternal life. And if you have truly come to Zion and received all its blessings, it is inconceivable that you would want to hold on to Sinai in any way.