For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14
This is an un-retouched photo.
11-26-13
This is Part 3 of a study in Hebrews Chapter 12 ... Faith for the last days.
TWO MOUNTAINS: Earthly and Heavenly
“For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: ‘And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.’ And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.')
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels … Hebrews 12:18-22
Mt. Sinai--Old Testament
Moses experienced his first encounter with God on Mt. Sinai as God revealed Himself in a flame of fire in a bush that was not consumed. "I have surely seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians ..."
See Exodus 3:7-8.
Moses received the call of God on Mt. Sinai to lead the children of Israel out from bondage in Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, a land flowing with milk and honey. Moses was to tell wicked Pharaoh, "… let us go three days journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God." Exodus 3:18
"Let My People Go!" Exodus 5:1
"And Pharaoh said, 'Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.'" Exodus 5:2 In retaliation, Pharaoh showed his contempt for the God of the Hebrews by increasing the oppression and hardship of the children of Israel.
If Egypt is a picture of the sinful world system, Pharaoh is a picture of the devil.
After the final plague of judgment on all the firstborn of Egypt, Pharaoh let God's people go. But later, Pharaoh and his mighty army set out to massacre God’s people. This was to be their last and ultimate encounter with Almighty God. "The Lord will fight for you!" And so it was, for in glorious triumph, "The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!" Exodus 15:1
Three Months Later ...
"In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. For they had departed from Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain.
"And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
"And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." Exodus 19:1-6
The children of Israel responded, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." Then the Lord told the people to consecrate themselves and to 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." Exodus 19:11
"You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.
"So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, 'Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.'
"Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
The Children of Israel Meet God
"And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, 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. Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
"And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish." Exodus 19:12-21
Out of this spectacular encounter with God Almighty came the covenant between the Lord and Israel, including the Ten Commandments. God would have a people, and Israel would have their God. We are thankful for the Israelites, “to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” Romans 9:4-5
Mount Zion—New Testament
"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." Hebrews 12:22-24
What is Mount Zion? In the Old Testament, Zion is the city of David and then expanded in meaning to include Solomon’s Temple. Later it was used for the city of Jerusalem, the land of Judah, and the people of Israel. As time progressed further, the word “Zion” transitioned from referring to the earthly realm to God’s spiritual Kingdom. Revelation 14:1 reveals, “Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion…”
Peter refers to Christ as the Cornerstone of Zion: "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 1 Peter 2:6
This is not referring to the foundation of an earthly building, but rather the heavenly building:
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:19-22
When did you come to the city of the living God? When you heard the message of the cross and made a commitment to Jesus Christ and received Him as your Lord and Savior.
The Mystery of The Earthly and The Heavenly Revealed
“And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
“As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 15:45-58
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LIFE APPLICATION SUGGESTIONS
The Apostle Paul exhorts us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by …what? The renewing of the mind! Romans 12:2
Only God’s Word can renew the mind to Kingdom ways.
In light of this study, comparing the earthly and the Heavenly, read through the Who I Am in Christ scriptures slowly and ask yourself, is this scripture pertaining to the earthly realm or the Heavenly? Just click on this link: Who You Are
Saints, did you notice all the prophetic scriptures that were hidden in Exodus, Chapter 19, when Moses introduced the children of Israel to their God?
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PRAYER: The Church—The Lost—Elected Leaders
When you pray, be mindful of your seat of authority in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians Chapter 1, and also 2:6.
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