Wait at the Mountain (Hebrews 12)

“For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest … but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God.”

(Hebrews 12:18,22)

Hebrews 12 ends with the author drawing our attention to a monumental event in the Book of Exodus. The author writes that these new believers in Christ had not gone to the mountain that burned with fire as the Israelites had but had come to Mount Zion. Vivid language describes what the Israelites saw when they gathered to meet God on Mount Sinai under Moses's leadership. But before they were to meet God on the mountain, they were given specific instructions to follow. Exodus 19 lists these instructions.

God said, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” Can you imagine being told that God is coming down to meet you in a few days? A wide variety of emotions may have bubbled within them. Fear, excitement, panic, joy … but no matter how they felt about it, God was coming.

And so, the people did as they were told. They washed, consecrated themselves, and ensured they did not cross the boundaries placed around the mountain, for God warned them that if they touched the mountain, they would die. After preparing themselves, the Israelites gathered around the mountain and waited for God to make his appearance.

Then, down came God.

His appearance was a grand one. Exodus 19:16-19 describes the scene. “There was thundering and lightning, and a thick cloud … the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people were afraid. Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire … and the whole mountain quaked greatly, and when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.” The presence of God Almighty was on the mountain, and no one in the crowd could deny it.

As I write this article, I am perched on my couch with the blinds open, watching a thunderstorm. The heavy rain is accompanied by thunder and lightning. This storm was predicted to be bad—so bad that school was cancelled today. Therefore, occasionally, while I type, my daughter shrieks from the booming thunder and the cracking lightning. How fitting of God to set the scene to match the theme.

But this storm is not terrible. I’ve seen worse. The worst I’ve heard is the kind of thunder and lightning that makes you repent. The kind of thunder and lightning that makes you acknowledge the power of God and how destructive nature can be. You know the kind… the kind of thunder and lightning that usually hits at night and is so tumultuous that you pray God will extend mercy to you and your surroundings.  

But what I cannot imagine is hearing thunder and seeing lightning to that magnitude and smoke and fire and loud trumpets that grow louder and louder with each passing second. And I assume that what the Israelites saw and heard was far worse than any thunder or lightning you or I have ever witnessed. Scared is an understatement.

The Hebrew writer in Chapter 12 reminds the believers of that terrifying day for a reason. The author reminded us of that day because he wanted to convince us of where we stand with God. He wrote, “You have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire … but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”

It was one thing for the Israelites to have gathered at that mountain under the mighty voice of God. They were so afraid that they asked God to stop speaking to them … “You speak with us, and we will hear, but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20:19). Even Moses was afraid (Hebrews 12:21). But it is another thing to gather at a mountain with God along with the many things written in this text. An innumerable company of angels, the general assembly, God the Judge, and Jesus Christ?  Look at how much more is at Mount Zion than at Mount Sinai.

According to this description, Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, exceeds Mount Sinai. As gloriously terrifying the appearance of God was on Mount Sinai, the appearance of God at Mount Zion will be greater. This is the same Mount Zion that the Prophet Isaiah spoke about in Isaiah 24:23. It is the same New Jerusalem that John saw descending from heaven in Revelation 21:2. Mount Zion is simply the holy city of God. It is where the saints will gather with God in the end.

The Hebrew author was trying to illustrate how we have a better thing at this new mountain in God. In Christ, we have a better covenant and will see far greater things if we wait for God until our last day. However, he also wanted to depict the terror that the Israelites experienced as a warning. He wrote, “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks.” The chapter ends with, “For God is a consuming fire.”

God’s nature has not changed. He is still the God whose appearance comes with great clouds, smoke, lightning, thunder, and loud trumpets. His appearance was terrifying to the Israelites then, and Christ’s second appearance will be terrifying to many in the end. The Bible calls the last day a great and terrible day. It will be great to see our Lord in all his glory, but it will be terrible for those who never knew Him.

The announcement has been made to us just as it was made to the Israelites. God called them to wash, consecrate, and prepare for his coming. When God came down from the mountain, although they were terrified at his power, they were prepared. So, let us prepare.

Let our sins be washed away be repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus. Let us consecrate ourselves by remaining holy and let us wait at the mountain the Hebrew author states we have come to. Although the Israelites were afraid at the mountain, terror will not fill us. Hebrews 9:28 tells us we eagerly wait on Christ to appear. And we know that we only eagerly wait for good things to come, not bad things.  

So, reader, I encourage you to wait for the glorious meeting of the Lord. We have not come to Mount Sinai. We have come to Mount Zion, that far greater mountain with far greater expectations. Let’s wait at the mountain and be prepared to see glory.

That’s all I have for you today. May God bless and keep you. Until next time, take care.

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Have a blessed day!

Sincerely,

Quin Arrington