Ascending the mountain of God.
In the Bible Mountains play a significant role? Many things happened on the mountains. We will do a short study on mountains in the Bible and the role they played. Here is a part of “PARADISE RESTORED, A Biblical Theology of Dominion by David Chilton, Dominion Press Tyler, Texas.
“The Garden of Eden was on a mountain. God speaks to the king of Tyre (referring to him as if he were Adam, in terms of Man’s original calling) He says: “You were in Eden, the Garden of God. . . . You were on the holy mountain of God” (Ezek. 28:13-14).
That Eden was the original “Holy Mountain.” The substitutionary atonement in place of Abraham’s seed took place on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:2). It was also on Mount Moriah that David saw the Angel of the Lord standing, sword in hand, ready to destroy Jerusalem, until David built an altar there and made atonement through sacrifice (1 Chron. 21:15-17). And on Mount Moriah Solomon built the Temple (2 Chron. 3:1). God’s gracious revelation of His presence, His covenant, and His law was made on Mount Sinai. Just as Adam and Eve had been barred from the Garden, the people of Israel were forbidden to approach the holy mountain, on pain of death (Ex. 19:12; cf. Gen. 3:24). But Moses (the Mediator of the Old Covenant, Gal. 3:19), the priests, and the 70 elders of the people were allowed to meet God on the Mountain (after making an atoning sacrifice), and there they ate and drank communion before the Lord (Ex. 24:1-11). It was on Mount Carmel that God brought His straying people back to Himself through sacrifice in the days of Elijah, and from whence the ungodly intruders into His Garden were taken and destroyed (1 Kings 18; interestingly, Carmel is a Hebrew term for garden-land, plantation, and orchard). Again, on Mount Sinai (also called Horeb) God revealed His saving presence to Elijah, and re-commissioned him as His messenger to the nations (1 Kings 19).
In His first major sermon, Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant delivered the law again, from a mountain (Matt. 5 :1). His official appointment of His apostles was made on a mountain (Mark 3:13-19). On a mountain He was transfigured before His disciples in a blinding revelation of His glory (recalling associations with Sinai, Peter calls this “the holy mountain,” in 2 Pet. 1:16-18). On a mountain He gave His final announcement of judgment upon the faithless covenant people (Matt. 24). After the Last Supper, He ascended a mountain with His disciples, and proceeded from there to a Garden where, as the Last Adam, He prevailed over temptation (Matt. 26:30; cf. Matt. 4:8-11, at the beginning of His ministry). Finally, He commanded His disciples to meet Him on a mountain, where He commissioned them to conquer the nations with the Gospel, and promised to send them the Holy Spirit; and from there He ascended into the cloud (Matt. 28:16-20; Acts 1:1-19).
I have by no means exhausted the list that might be given of Biblical references to God’s redemptive activities on mountains; but those which have been cited are sufficient to demonstrate the fact that in redemption God is calling us to return to Eden: we have access to the Holy Mountain of God through the shed blood of Christ. We have come to Mount Zion (Heb. 12:22), and may boldly approach the Holy Place (Heb. 10:19), granted by God’s grace to partake again of the Tree of Life (Rev. 2:7). Christ has built His Church as a City on a Hill, to give light to the world (Matt. 5:14), and has promised that the nations will come to that light (Isa. 60:3). The prophets are full of this mountain-imagery, testifying that the world itself will be transformed into Eden: “In the last days, the mountain of the House of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it” (Isa. 2:2; Isa. 2:2-4; 11:9; 25:6-9; 56:3-8; 65:25; Mic. 4:1-4). Thus the day will come when God’s Kingdom, His Holy Mountain, will “fill the whole earth” (see Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45), as God’s original dominion mandate is fulfilled by the Last Adam.” – David Chilton.
Psalm 24 asks the question. “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?” We were called to a higher life than what we have experienced so far. In the plains you are not on the mountain. We are not called to have a “plain” life but to live extraordinary. God is looking for someone that can come up higher. John got that invitation from God in the book of Revelation. We are to be seated with Him in Heavenly, higher places. We are to live from an advantage point. We need to see things from His perspective.
When Jesus went up on the mountain He changed and became transfigured before their eyes. He was shining with the glory of God. When Moses went up on the mountain he came down and his face was shining with the presence and the glory of God. I believe that God is looking for a generation that will come up on the mountain with Him and then come back down carrying His glory for all to see.
In spite of popular belief Moses did not cover his face to hide it from the people but instead when the glory faded he covered his face(2 Cor 3). He did not want the people to look at the fading glory. In the new Covenant His glory remains. Jesus prayed that we would have His glory. He is ready to raise up a people that can carry it. He wants to make himself known to the world. They want to see Jesus. He is looking for a people that can come up on the mountain with Him!
