To Where Have We Now Come?

Heb. 12:22-24 NLT

22 ". . .you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.  23 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 over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.  24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance . . . "

We have learned about Christ, the great sacrifice; Christ the High Priest; Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; Christ the restoration home; Christ, the Redeemer of humankind lost to sin. We are, by faith, God's children, being daily restored into His image-- new creations, born of The Spirit. The Writer to Hebrews describes us as having arrived but where is it we have come to?  He calls it the 'Mount Zion.' To Hebrews this meant God's home or God's Holy Place. He called it 'the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.  He describes what we could see if we could see with our spiritual eyes. There are 'countless thousands of angels' joyfully gathered to welcome us home.

We have arrived where the 'spirits of the righteous ones' have awaited us since they were taken to heaven in their own times, as martyrs or simply as passing at the end of their faithful lives. They, too, will be celebrating our arrival. They have been made 'perfect' as we will be upon our passing into that place. Whether we are alive when Christ returns to earth, and then transformed, or we pass into that heavenly perfection as a part of God's plan for the end of our earthly existence, either way our perfecting will be made complete. We have already come to Jesus, that means we already are there in Heaven. Our tasks now in this existence involve submission and obedience as the Lord uses us for His purposes to bless others. We aren't living this life to experience personal comfort, accomplishment, fame, fortune or recognition. We live it solely to fulfill the Lord's will in ways that draws others to Himself.

Jesus is the 'one who mediates the new covenant between God and people.' Jesus shed His blood as ultimate sacrifice so that we all could be forgiven and changed. Since we have come to this glorious place ought we not to be rejoicing today? In spite of what experiences you might be facing, you could also be rejoicing in your Lord and your newness of life today. Moreover, you could be inviting another to experience what you are now able to experience.

Your Servant in Christ's Love
Dan
drdanelliott@gmail.com