HEBREWS 12 (THIRD READING)
HEBREWS 12 (THIRD READING)
Ques In what sense would you say we have come to these things in these verses?
CAC We have come to them, one might say, dispensationally. It is not so much whether we have apprehended all that is contained in these wonderful statements, but we have come to them that we might apprehend them. Things that are present realities in the mind of God have come into being according to the divine thought; they are the things we have come to in contrast to the tangible things. The things we have come to are intangible in a material way, but they exist so that it can be said that we have come to them; they are subsisting realities. In coming to these things we receive a kingdom that cannot be moved. We come to God the judge of all, so we need never have any misgivings as to whether we get our rights or not.
These things all form part of the divine speaking from heaven (verse 25). It is not like the ten words on Mount Sinai but another system of things connected with heavenly speaking. There is a majestic voice speaking from heaven. The voice here is not so much the voice of grace but a majestic voice. It is God surely, but God speaking in a majestic way. It is like the voice that spoke to Jesus on [p. 136] earth and those that heard it said that it thundered; it was a majestic voice. It is a voice that asserts the divine majesty; it is connected with the shaking of everything that can be moved. There is a system that cannot be moved.
Ques The people could not endure the speaking from Sinai. Is this greater than that?
CAC This voice has to do with the establishment of every divine thought. The speaking in Son is a majestic speech; it is God speaking in majesty greater than in the law. The voice of Jehovah must ever be full of majesty. It is not a voice to be trifled with. It is the God who is a consuming fire whom we have to serve; there is a complete shrivelling up of the flesh. That voice shook everything in Saul of Tarsus.
Ques What does Mount Zion represent in this Scripture?
CAC It is the place where the kingdom is set up in victorious power. The word Zion means fortress. It is called in the Old Testament the stronghold of Zion; it is the city of David. It is mentioned very little historically in the Old Testament. David brought the ark there and took the stronghold. There are many references to it in the Psalms and prophets, but very little is said of it historically. What Zion stands for is made good in the assembly; it is where things are set up in power. David is brought in as the chosen man fulfilling God’s will and bringing in “sure mercies” connected with resurrection. Zion stands for what is set up on earth in resurrection power. It says that we have come to these things; therefore they must be there for us to come to.
Ques Does Zion stand for grace in opposition to Sinai-law?
CAC Yes. After the legal system broke down and God forsook Shiloh, Zion came to light in connection with [p. 137] David. It represents the establishment of God’s will in resurrection.
Ques Is it not spoken of in connection with God’s sovereignty in mercy?
CAC Yes, the chosen man and the chosen place go together. David represents Christ in victorious power subduing all enemies. The enemies’ power is broken. Zion is a fortress — a stronghold, it is the seat of the kingdom. It is a military thought which of course enters into the assembly. The Lord talks of building His assembly and hades’ gates not prevailing against it. It is the assembly viewed as a fortress. Zion is established now in a spiritual sense. Zion would stand in relation to what is hostile; therefore it is connected more with resurrection than with heaven. In the power of resurrection every hostile power is defeated.
Ques Would the city bring in the thought of administration?
CAC The city is more administrative, the assembly of the firstborn more their personal relations with God, the family thought.
Rem Christ is the Firstborn and the assembly is the assembly of the firstborn.
CAC Yes, all are distinguished sons. There are none of second class; all are objects of delight to His heart. We were sadly astray when we said, ‘In whom is all my delight’. This thought of “firstborn” would raise much enquiry in the hearts of the Hebrew believers, for we cannot suppose that they had much light. These things are presented as great subjects of enquiry; they must have been unknown to the Hebrews, yet the speaking from heaven and the ministry of this letter brought them before the saints. Mount Zion was a familiar thought; they would have understood that all that had been said of Zion in the Old Testament was somehow or other a spiritual reality [p. 138] now, but the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, must have been a new thought to them.
Ques Would the faith system cover this? They apprehended by faith in contrast to the visible order of things.
CAC It is necessary for us to get such an apprehension of this that we are freed from the things that are seen.
Ques What is the difference between this and “Jerusalem above” in Galatians?
CAC It is very much connected with this, but in Galatians it is a system of things that is our mother, not exactly heavenly Jerusalem, but Jerusalem above, stressing its character. It is a system of liberty in contrast to a system of bondage. It is not the heavenly character of Jerusalem so much as its elevation and ability to give birth to children who are spiritually free. It is interesting to notice that “myriads of angels, the universal gathering” comes between “heavenly Jerusalem” and “assembly of the firstborn”.
An angel stood at each gate in the holy city, which suggests the thought of a guard — an angelic guard. Think of the power of angels! The Lord said that He could ask for more than twelve legions of angels; that suggests the thought of the enormous resources of military strength that are with the Father. His Father could have given Him seventy thousand angels to protect Him. One angel could kill one hundred and eighty five thousand in one night and think nothing of it. Think what one angel could do! What marks the angels is that they excel in strength. One angel could bind Satan and cast him into the bottomless pit; angels have tremendous power. It speaks here of myriads of angels. John says that their number was ten thousands of ten thousand and thousands of thousands. I like the thought that it is protection. They are all sent forth now as ministering spirits to minister to the heirs of salvation.
[p. 139] That is protective. Many a christian might be killed by a chimney-pot falling on him if it were not for the protection of an angel. The Lord was succoured by an angel from heaven who strengthened Him. That is one of the remarkable things in Scripture — the Creator was strengthened by one of His creatures in His hour of distress! This explains why angels come in at this point. We get the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem and everything set up there administratively; then we get this great army, myriads of angels, safeguarding and protecting all that is of God so that nothing can touch the place in which the firstborn are with God. The firstborn are all registered in heaven; they have their place and portion in heaven.
Ques Does this sustain the thought of majesty?
CAC We need always to have that thought in relation to God; there never should be familiarity with God. The majestic character of God needs to be pondered; it needs grace that we may serve acceptably with reverence and fear.
Ques What is the thought of the universal gathering?
CAC The word refers to a festive assembly, a gathering that is marked by joy, the celebration of God in a joyful way — the festive gathering of innumerable myriads of heavenly and intelligent beings superior in their order of creation to man. This is somewhat similar to the tribes around the tabernacle. The tribes around the tabernacle are for military defence; the tabernacle sets forth the place of the assembly.
Rem The Levites, representing the firstborn, were within the square formed by the twelve tribes.
CAC Yes, there was a cordon guard all round. God’s system is a wonderful one. The character of the system is that they are persons who know God and stand in creature relationship with Him. That is what marks the system; it [p. 140] is God as He may be known. This system is not unapproachable light that belongs to Deity, but it is all of God that may be known by creatures, all set together in a wonderful system. God has come into the light of revelation that men may know Him, He is to be known in His universe through men. God as the judge of all assigns to each his proper place. We may say that God lets His saints be persecuted and ill-treated; the answer to that is that God is the judge of all. It would help us greatly to see this. He will never give me a place I am not fitted for, for He is the judge of all and appraises everything perfectly, so that each will have his proper place.