This is another in a series of excerpts from The Book of Life: What the Bible Says about God’s Registry of the Redeemed from High Street Press and available at Amazon. This except comes from Chapter 15: Assembly of the Firstborn: Hebrews 12:23.

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Mount Zion

The writer of Hebrews contrasts Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. God descends in a thick cloud on Mount Sinai and delivers the Law to the Israelites (Exod. 19ff). In many respects, it’s a terrifying time:

For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear. (Heb. 12:18-21; cf. Exod. 19:12; Deut. 9:19). 

Mount Zion, however, stands in stark contrast to Mount Sinai. It beckons the believer and promises great blessings. While Sinai is restricted to Moses and a few others, Zion is the scene of angelic and human worshipers, basking in the glory of the triune God. While death threatens those who touch Sinai, eternal life adorns the inhabitants of Zion. And while even God’s chosen leader – Moses, who is a type of Christ – is terrified as he approaches Sinai, followers of Jesus are reminded that we should not be afraid (e.g., Matt. 10:26-31; Mark 5:36; Luke 5:10; 12:32; John 6:20; 14:27). 

There’s an earthly Zion and a heavenly Zion. Ever since David conquered the Jebusites and placed the ark of the covenant on Mount Zion, this mountain is considered the earthly dwelling place of God. As the psalmist notes: “For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his home: ‘This is my resting place forever; I will make my home here because I have desired it’” (Ps. 132:13-14).

But there’s a heavenly Zion as well. The writer of Hebrews identifies Mount Zion as “the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem)” (12:22). Whether we enjoy the bustling streets of major cities or the deafening silence of a solitary life off the grid, Christians are born again to be city folks. That’s because God is preparing a massive city in heaven that descends to earth one day and welcomes all of us to its streets of gold. 

John introduces us to this city, which he calls “the new Jerusalem”:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. 21:1-2).

Much of Revelation 21:1 – 22:5 offers a virtual tour of our future home. This massive metroplex – a cube covering 1,400 miles in height, width, and depth – is the same shape as the holy of holies in the ancient tabernacle and temple. It serves as the place where God’s name, that is, his very presence, resides. 

Unlike the holy of holies, there is no veil in New Jerusalem separating the divine presence from human mediators, who are required to enter with atoning blood to cover their sins, and then the sins of the people. Christ, the one mediator between God and people (1 Tim. 2:5), passed through the veil in heaven with his own blood to take away our sins and offer direct access to the Father. As the writer of Hebrews notes:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus ​— ​he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh) ​— ​and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful (Heb. 10:19-23).

What Christians experience now in the spiritual realm – intimacy with God through worship, Bible reading, and prayer – gives way to a fuller expression of true life as we encounter God face-to-face in our glorified bodies. We truly see God as he is and become like him (1 John 3:2). 

This is how God created people in the beginning and intended them to live. Adam’s fall resulted in banishment from Eden and the withdrawal of God’s paradise. But New Jerusalem is God’s final answer to sin, Satan, and death. Yahweh once again resides with us, and we are invited to join him forever in the heavenly city.

Next: Key Features of New Jerusalem – Part 1