Hebrews 12:22

Heb. 12:22. 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,

Blank Bible:

22, 23, 24] see p. 704**

704** Hebrews 12:22; Hebrews 12:23; Hebrews 12:24 But ye are come unto Mt. Sion etc.] There seems to be throughout this whole Period, a Reference to the Manifestation God made of himself upon Mt. Sion, as being milder than that upon Mt. Sinai. And the heavenly Society with which Christians are incorporated is considered as resembling the former (that is, Mt. Sion) in those circumstances, in which it was more amiable than the latter. Sion was the City of God. In the Temple which stood there, cherubim were the ornaments of the walls, both in the holy and most Holy Place, to signify the Presence of angels. There was a general assembly and Congregation of the Priests, which where substituted in place of the first-born, of whose name Catalogues were kept. There was God as the supreme Judge of Controversies, giveth forth his oracles. The high-Priest was mediatour between God and Israel (compare Luke 1:8-10.) and….

Qualifications utilizes this text along with others:

7. That the visibility was not merely of moral sincerity, but of that sort of saintship which the saints in heaven have, is manifest by this, that they are often spoken of as visibly belonging to heaven, and as of the society of the saints in heaven. So the apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians speaks of them as visibly of the same household or family of God, a part of which is in heaven. Ephesians 2:19, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Together with the next chapter, verse 15, "Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Where the context and continuation of discourse demonstrate, that he is still speaking of the same family or household he had spoken of in the latter part of the preceding chapter. So all visible Christians are spoken of as visibly the children of the church which is in heaven. Galatians 4:26, "Jerusalem which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all." The same apostle speaks of visible Christians as being visibly come to the heavenly city, and having joined the glorious company of angels there, and as visibly belonging to the "general assembly and church of the first born, that are written in heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," Hebrews 12:22; Hebrews 12:23. And elsewhere they are spoken of as being visibly of the number of those who have their "names written in the book of life," Revelation 3:5; Revelation 22:19. They who truly have their names written in the book of life, are God's true saints, that have saving grace, as is evident by Revelation 13:8: "And all that dwell on the earth, shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." And Revelation 20:12, "And another book was opened, which was the book of life." Verse 15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." We are told, in the conclusion of this chapter, how they were disposed of whose names were not written in the book of life; and then the prophet proceeds, in the next chapter, to tell us, how they were disposed of whose names were found there written, viz., that they were admitted into the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:27, "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And yet in the next chapter it is implied, that some who were not truly gracious persons, and some that should finally perish, were visibly of the number of those that had both a part in the New Jerusalem, and also their names written in the book of life. Revelation 22:19, "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city."

Edwards began to preach on this passage in April 1740. Hebrews 12:22-24 (1) "I. I would now shew how Christians may be said to be come to Mt. Sion." A series of seven sermons, one on each statement in the passage, follows.

Coming to Mt. Zion means Mt. Moriah where the joyful sound of the silver trumpet and not the awful sounds of Mt. Sinai were heard. There the Savior rather than the Lawgiver was heard. So it was the mount that Christians come to, the throne of grace.

Heb. 12:23