the assembly

Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.

Hebrews 12:22-24

Recently I was reading in Hebrews and this section stood out to me. It’s a similar vision as the “great multitude” in Revelation 7. For all the Jewish-ness and Hebrew-ness of the book of Hebrews, the vision of the Gospel of Jesus is still multi-national.

Here in this final vision, the hope of a “special rest” or “Sabbath observance” merges at last with Abraham’s hope of “a city with eternal foundations.” All the people of God are gathered with the angels in this city, whether they are called “the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven” or “the spirits of the righteous ones … made perfect” (12:23).

J. Ramsey Michaels, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary

As sons and daughters of Abraham, by faith, we all form a single group — the people of God. From all nations and tribes we have been chosen by God and come to him freely through faith in Jesus. We have a new family that transcends our ethnic identities and skin tones and cultures. And it is with this new family that we will spend eternity in the presence of our Great God.

heavenly Assemly on earth

But that’s not all … could it be that every time we gather as a church on earth we fore-shadow this assembly in heaven (New Jerusalem)? Of course not every assembly contains every tribe, but collectively we honor God as we gather around the world and worship Jesus who “is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:2).

All the people of God, past and present, have reached “perfection” by entering their Sabbath rest in the heavenly Jerusalem. This is what happens finally at the last day, the author is saying, yet it is also what happens “in a sense” (see 11:19; see note) every time the believing community gathers for authentic worship.

J. Ramsey Michaels, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary

What an incredible vision! Who am I that God has shown me mercy and allowed me to be part of this incredible assembly? I agree with the Psalmist …

Many, Lord my God,
    are the wonders you have done,
    the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
    they would be too many to declare.

Psalm 40:5