Stay with me here, through the first couple of paragraphs of context. This may be the most important thing I've ever written.
" ...Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear..." Hebrews 12:26-28
In the first part of this chapter Paul had reminded them that God chastises those he loves in order to bring them to perfection, to prepare them for the heavenly realm. He also reminds them how Moses quaked and was fearful at the encounter with God on the mountain He also reminds them that they are approaching the heavenly city, God's city, and the angels, the church and Jesus our savior and the new and better covenant. He goes on to say, "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:" and then goes on with the above three verses.
Now, Paul wrote this letter a little before God brought about the end of the Jewish system, the Jewish regime, and the dispensation - in 70 AD - fulfilling the words of Jesus that not one stone would be left upon another. That entire system was to be shaken to its core, completely shattered. Paul is saying that the system about to be destroyed was but an earthly representation of heavenly things, and therefore it was important for them to be anchored in the heavenlies, the eternal. That was the purpose of the letter.
But that wasn't all. There was a future vision here. A vision of the heavenly destination, that the earthly was only a prelude to our eternal destination. The earthly shaking of the Jewish system was only half the story. Only half the shaking. He is telling them that not only would the temporal be shaken out, but so would the spiritual. There was to be a second shaking out - a spiritual one.
The spiritual would also be shaken to its foundations, to determine what would abide spiritually. We have been going through this spiritual shaking. It is almost complete, and it is the final great shaking of heaven and earth, which has begun and is about to dramatically increase. Suddenly.
I would be seriously concerned if I had not noticed a distinct spiritual shaking over the past few years. That would mean I am out of touch with the spiritual realm.
This spiritual shaking has several aspects to it. One is accountability for what God has given us. Jesus Christ gave us far more than the Jews ever had. We were given the ultimate blood sacrifice by the Lamb himself, we were given revelations which had been withheld - mysteries - from all of heaven itself. We have been given his Word - the Bible - the Word of God himself. Through that Word we have been given information of exactly what to expect in the end times. We have also been given the Holy Spirit indwelling us. The previous order, the Jewish temple etal, had none of this. We have access to God beyond anything they ever dreamed of.
What have we done with all this? That is the question we have been answering and continue to answer through our actions at this time in history. God will certainly hold us responsible and accountable for the revelation of all of this. He will certainly want us to have done something with it.
We are going to be brought face to face - up close and personal - in extremely drastic ways to answer to God for this advantage over all previous history. We have been passing through personal spiritual experiences that are required to be our very life - our very survival - spiritually.
The things we have been given, these amazing advantages we have received, are being sifted of all interpretation, ritual, tradition, mental consideration ... stripped of everything, placing us squarely and face to face with the Cross, obedience, seeking God's perfect will, how we spend our time, how we live out our relationships, how we carry out our jobs, our priorities, our time, the Great Commission, our interaction with the body of Christ - everything that defines being a follower of Christ.
At the end of this age the Christians are facing such spiritual intensity, such stress, pressure and testing that it will reveal how our claim to be Christians holds up to the reality of our lives. All things will be revealed about you personally. Is your faith real? Have you died to self? Does your life reflect Christ in you?
This sifting that has been going on is the very thing that has shaken out the majority of the 'church' and has resulted in apostasy and heresy throughout Christendom. Satan has been allowed to sift us as he did Peter. He has been allowed to use selected individuals (from the foundations of the world) - seminarians, preachers, lay leaders, laymen, the entire gamut. These leaders have joined in Satan's program to infiltrate a new doctrine, a new faith, another Jesus into our religious systems, which have become spiritually static and lifeless, but physically entertaining and sensual. The Lord will not preserve the 'isms,' the new 'prophets,' the phony dreams and visions, the voodoo rock music, the worship of pictures and statues, the lust for the world, the systems, programs and traditions, the trendy new church, and on and on. No, he will not.
"... that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." That is the Word of the Lord. He wants and will have those whose spiritual properties cannot be shaken.
" ...Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear..." Hebrews 12:26-28
In the first part of this chapter Paul had reminded them that God chastises those he loves in order to bring them to perfection, to prepare them for the heavenly realm. He also reminds them how Moses quaked and was fearful at the encounter with God on the mountain He also reminds them that they are approaching the heavenly city, God's city, and the angels, the church and Jesus our savior and the new and better covenant. He goes on to say, "See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:" and then goes on with the above three verses.
Now, Paul wrote this letter a little before God brought about the end of the Jewish system, the Jewish regime, and the dispensation - in 70 AD - fulfilling the words of Jesus that not one stone would be left upon another. That entire system was to be shaken to its core, completely shattered. Paul is saying that the system about to be destroyed was but an earthly representation of heavenly things, and therefore it was important for them to be anchored in the heavenlies, the eternal. That was the purpose of the letter.
But that wasn't all. There was a future vision here. A vision of the heavenly destination, that the earthly was only a prelude to our eternal destination. The earthly shaking of the Jewish system was only half the story. Only half the shaking. He is telling them that not only would the temporal be shaken out, but so would the spiritual. There was to be a second shaking out - a spiritual one.
The spiritual would also be shaken to its foundations, to determine what would abide spiritually. We have been going through this spiritual shaking. It is almost complete, and it is the final great shaking of heaven and earth, which has begun and is about to dramatically increase. Suddenly.
I would be seriously concerned if I had not noticed a distinct spiritual shaking over the past few years. That would mean I am out of touch with the spiritual realm.
This spiritual shaking has several aspects to it. One is accountability for what God has given us. Jesus Christ gave us far more than the Jews ever had. We were given the ultimate blood sacrifice by the Lamb himself, we were given revelations which had been withheld - mysteries - from all of heaven itself. We have been given his Word - the Bible - the Word of God himself. Through that Word we have been given information of exactly what to expect in the end times. We have also been given the Holy Spirit indwelling us. The previous order, the Jewish temple etal, had none of this. We have access to God beyond anything they ever dreamed of.
What have we done with all this? That is the question we have been answering and continue to answer through our actions at this time in history. God will certainly hold us responsible and accountable for the revelation of all of this. He will certainly want us to have done something with it.
We are going to be brought face to face - up close and personal - in extremely drastic ways to answer to God for this advantage over all previous history. We have been passing through personal spiritual experiences that are required to be our very life - our very survival - spiritually.
The things we have been given, these amazing advantages we have received, are being sifted of all interpretation, ritual, tradition, mental consideration ... stripped of everything, placing us squarely and face to face with the Cross, obedience, seeking God's perfect will, how we spend our time, how we live out our relationships, how we carry out our jobs, our priorities, our time, the Great Commission, our interaction with the body of Christ - everything that defines being a follower of Christ.
At the end of this age the Christians are facing such spiritual intensity, such stress, pressure and testing that it will reveal how our claim to be Christians holds up to the reality of our lives. All things will be revealed about you personally. Is your faith real? Have you died to self? Does your life reflect Christ in you?
This sifting that has been going on is the very thing that has shaken out the majority of the 'church' and has resulted in apostasy and heresy throughout Christendom. Satan has been allowed to sift us as he did Peter. He has been allowed to use selected individuals (from the foundations of the world) - seminarians, preachers, lay leaders, laymen, the entire gamut. These leaders have joined in Satan's program to infiltrate a new doctrine, a new faith, another Jesus into our religious systems, which have become spiritually static and lifeless, but physically entertaining and sensual. The Lord will not preserve the 'isms,' the new 'prophets,' the phony dreams and visions, the voodoo rock music, the worship of pictures and statues, the lust for the world, the systems, programs and traditions, the trendy new church, and on and on. No, he will not.
"... that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." That is the Word of the Lord. He wants and will have those whose spiritual properties cannot be shaken.
(There may be a Part II - I don't feel that the Holy Spirit has put a lid on it yet :-)
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