“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.” (Hebrews 12:27)
“And this word...” we have to find out what that word is. The word is what is written in the previous verses. “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: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” (Hebrews 12:25-26) So the word verse 27 is talking about is the shaking of things on earth and heaven, meaning the sky. This shaking that is coming will remove all those things that are temporal and not eternal so those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
It's human to accumulate things. Everyone has things that we have collected throughout the years; little memorials of events, pictures, jewelry, treasured furniture, valued linens and collections of items made of precious metals such as crystal, silver, brass, etc. But how many countless of times when there’s a natural disaster such as a tornado or a hurricane, or perhaps there’s a devasting fire in which a house is completely destroyed, the owners always say, “The most important thing is that we are alive. All else can be replaced.” When it comes down to it, all the things we treasured, were not important. Their lives which are eternal survived.
There are beliefs that are also temporal. We think we have a strong belief until it isn’t. I think of those who’s beliefs are so contrary to God’s Word, they live in sin. Some have heard the Truth but choose lives that disobey God. They may live pleasant lives. They may take comfort in their way of living. But the emptiness in that place that only God can fill is unfulfilled. And that is felt. A solution is sought in many different religions, many different practices and many rituals, but unless one goes to the Maker, the One Creator of all, the peace and love they are needing is never found. When the shaking comes, they will have nothing to help them survive.
I once spoke with an atheist who said he couldn’t believe. I told him that a day will come in which no one and nothing will be able to help him. It will be a time when he will need the Lord Jesus. If he should call on Jesus, Jesus would be there to help him. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21) We all come to that place where only the Lord can help. I don’t know if that man ever turned to the Lord. I do know that when his time on earth expired, he had a very fitful time. The demons of hell tormented him as he was dying, and he was in uncontrollable in fear. My only hope for him is that he remembered my words and called on Jesus even on his deathbed. Even though he never believed, if at the end he had called on the Lord, he would have been saved. That I believe with all my heart.
Sometimes the temporal things that are shaken or need to be shaken are our relationships. There are people who fall apart when a relationship ends. Even marriages are shaken, and the lives of the family come apart. But even in such a shattering situation, if our lives are anchored in the Lord Who is eternal and never changing, we can survive with little or no damage.
In Hebrews, Paul wrote about a shaking of the heavens and the earth. There will be terrible chaos and confusion. The sun won’t shine, the stars will fall and everything we thought would stand forever will not be anymore. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31) The word “tribes” in verse 30 means races. Everyone who isn’t secured in the Lord will mourn. Nothing they had based their lives on will be important nor will be able to help them at such a time.
A pastor once said, “It’s good enough to live by, but it ain’t good enough to die by.” When our world is shaken, we can’t survive if our lives are not in the eternal, the One True God and the One True Lord, Jesus.
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