Well indeed might Christ be termed by the prophet Haggai the Desire of all nations (Hag. 2:7), for surely in this inspired description of the state of things under His rule in the world to come, we behold the answer to the longings of men’s hearts in every age. Poets have stepped in to voice the inarticulate sorrows of men, but they have only dreamed dreams; prophets have feigned out of their own imaginations a coming era of universal bliss; and politicians have labored in the first to redress grievances, to break the yoke of the oppressor, and to pass laws which should secure liberty and freedom for the people. But all these dreams, imaginations, and labors have been falsified in the issue, and have thus come to naught. And why? Let the answer be written large: IT IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL IGNORED SIN, AND BECAUSE THEY HAVE SHUT OUT CHRIST. It is through the reign of another Man, even the exalted Christ, and through His reign alone, that the happiness of man will be secured. O that men would acknowledge this even now, and in view of the coming of Christ listen to the exhortation of the psalmist, “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (Psa. 2:10-12).
We have not forgotten that thus far only the earthly side of the kingdom of Christ has been considered. We turn now, therefore, to another scripture which brings before us all the elements of that day, good now to faith, but which will be in the coming age, in actual display. The Apostle is contrasting the age of law with the world to come — Sinai, as representing the quintessence of law, and Mount Zion where David established the ark of God, are significant of royal grace. After setting forth the terrors of Sinai, which affected even Moses so greatly that he said, “I exceedingly fear and quake,” he proceeds, “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, the general assembly, and to the church of the firstborn which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Heb. 12:22-24).
If the reader has comprehended the slight alterations made in the text, he will the more readily perceive the division of the several clauses, each of which is then introduced by the conjunction “and,” as in the original. And if our attention is directed for a moment to two of the things named, the character of the scene here introduced will be placed beyond question. These two are “mount Sion” and “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” Now it is evident that these do not exist at present in the sense here intended, excepting in the purposes of God. They are spoken of in the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments; but they are not to be found as yet on earth, and therefore it is clear that the Apostle speaks of what is true to faith. Hence it is that he can say to believers, “Ye are come unto mount Sion,” for faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In the coming age, the world to come, spoken of in chapter 2, these things will be seen as in actual display when, as we read in Psalm 48, “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King,” and in the Revelation, “He... showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” Rev. 21:10-11).
Having made plain that the actuality of these things is in the world to come, wherein all things, whether in heaven or upon earth, are put in subjection to the Son of man, a brief reference may be made to the several particulars here brought together. The first is mount Sion, and the next “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”; these have already been spoken of. Then we have, “and to an innumerable company [myriads] of angels ... the general assembly” (or “the universal gathering,” that is, of the heavenly hosts). These are the myriads of angels spoken of in Revelation 5, all of whom will be attendants upon the Son of man in His kingdom, the executors of His commands, or the ministers of His pleasure (see John 1:51). The Lord speaks of Himself also as “the Son of man... when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38).
Next we have (as it should read), “And to the church of the firstborn, which are written [enregistered] in heaven.” These are saints of the present period, whose names are recorded in the book of life, those who will form the bride of Christ, all of whom are counted as firstborn ones in virtue of their association with Him who is the Firstborn from the dead, and who, on this account, will share in His inheritance, and are, therefore, called His coheirs. Then follows, “and to God the Judge of all.” Allusion to this character of God (for it must be remembered that it is the world to come which is in question) is frequently found in the Psalms, as for example, “He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth” (Psa. 96:13). But He will do so by “that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). Then we have, “and to the spirits of just men made perfect.” Another class or family of the redeemed here comes into view, one, it may be judged, which includes all saints of every age prior to the coming of Christ into this world. As we may gather from Hebrews 11, they were all heirs “of the righteousness which is by faith” (see vss. 4-7), and on them had dawned the light and glory of the world to come (see vss. 8-16). But all the blessing in which they stood before God was in virtue of the death and resurrection of Christ which were yet to be accomplished. Now that redemption has been effected, Christ having obtained eternal redemption, they can be spoken of as “the spirits of just men made perfect”; and hence, when Christ comes to claim His people, they will share in the first resurrection. We thus read in. Matthew’s Gospel “That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 8:11), a time which refers to the period of our subject; namely, the time of the public display of Christ’s glory in the kingdom.
The next thing is, “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.” There is a profound reason for the introduction of this office of Christ in this place. Two things in connection with this subject have been previously taught in this epistle. In chapter 8 it is said that Christ “who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man... hath... obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (vss. 1, 2, 6); and furthermore, it is said that the new covenant is made with the house of Israel, although it is ever to be remembered, as 1 Corinthians 11 and 2 Corinthians 3 evidently show, that all believers are brought into the enjoyment of the blessings which the new covenant secures. Now Christ is both High Priest and Mediator. As the Great High Priest He appears before God on our behalf; as Mediator He is the One through whom God has approached man. In other words, God comes out through the Mediator, and man (the believer) goes in through the Priest. And there is to be added to this, that the terms of the new covenant explain God’s attitude toward man. For Israel it secures, as may be seen in this chapter, the law written in the heart, and forgiveness of sins; and for all believers now, righteousness and the Spirit, according to the Apostle’s teaching in 2 Corinthians 3.
We may now point out the reason of the introduction of the new covenant in this place. It will form the ground of God’s relationship to Israel in the coming age, ratified as it has been in the blood of Christ, and it reveals at the same time the attitude of God towards all, the terms of His relationship toward all, who are under the rule of Christ in the kingdom. In brief, it will form the basis of His righteous government in grace.
Last of all, and indeed as the foundation of all the blessedness which has been unfolded to our view, we have, “and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” The reference is undoubtedly, we judge, to the sprinkling of the blood upon and before the mercy seat on the day of atonement, inasmuch as it was the blood upon the mercy seat, making propitiation as it did, which constituted the efficacious ground of God’s relationships with His people. In like manner the blood sprinkled upon the lintel and doorposts of the dwellings of Israel in Egypt secured them from judgment, formed the righteous basis of their redemption out of Egypt, of their passage through the Red Sea, and of their entrance into Canaan. The precious blood of Christ, it cannot be repeated too often or too strenuously, is the foundation of all blessing, for therein God’s righteousness has been declared and His heart revealed. And these two things pursued to their consequences make up the gospel of the grace of God. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Apostle adds, “that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” This called down from God vengeance upon Cain, whereas the former, the blood of Christ, has secured the blessedness of believers now, the heading up of all things in Christ in the world to come, and the new heaven and the new earth, after the first heaven and the first earth shall forever have passed away.
To seize the significance of this glorious scene it is necessary to remember that Christ is the Head and Center of it all. Every redeemed family is brought into it, all the heavenly hosts are there, together with all principalities and powers; and the joy of all alike will be found in their willing subjection to Christ as Head of all. Thus it is a scene on which God will rest in His love, in entire complacency, for then all distance will have been removed, and everything will have been brought back into ordered suitability to Himself. It is then that the song of praise will be uttered by every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” At this blissful prospect the four living creatures said, “Amen.” And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped. And surely our hearts also will be bowed before God with adoration as we contemplate this glorious period when in the very scene of His sorrows and rejection Christ will be universally exalted and glorified.