The Shaking

“...whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will not only shake the earth, but also the heavens." And this word, "Yet once more," signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, so that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (Hebrews 12:26-27)

At first read, it seems clear, but the language confuses the issue. The Hebrew author is reporting what God has said, saying we should listen and obey (not refuse) God because those who refused didn’t escape His judgement. Specifically, he’s talking about the angels who disobeyed, the Hebrews who didn’t make it to the Promise Land and the Israelites who committed idolatry when they were at ease in the Promise Land. “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape, those who refused him that spoke on earth, much more we shall not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from Heaven,” (Hebrews 12:25) It is God who has spoken to us and we should obey.

God shook the earth when He descended on Mt. Sinai to meet with Moses. It was such a fearful thing that the elders chose Moses to relate what God said to them because they were afraid to die hearing the voice of God. “And it happened on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain. And the voice of the trumpet was exceedingly loud, so that all the people in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God. And they stood at the lower part of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was smoking, all of it, because Jehovah came down upon it in fire. And the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” (Exodus 19:16-18) That should put the fear of God in anyone. And yet, when Moses went up to meet with God Who was giving him the Ten Commandments, the people rebelled and compelled Aaron to make the golden calf. It’s hard to understand how they weren’t filled with the fear of God, seeing just a glimpse of His power and might.

Scripture says that again He will shake the earth and even the heavens. Then the Hebrew writer says that this shaking will remove the things made. Jesus gave a hint. “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) The shaking will remove the earth and the heaven, meaning the sky. I cannot even imagine that. What terror! But this is done in order that those things which cannot be shaken remain. When all the superficial world things are destroyed, the only thing that will remain is God’s Word. There will be no more earth and no more sky, only God, God’s kingdom and His Word will remain. This will be after the rapture, after the Second Coming and after the Thousand-Year Reign. It has to be after all of that because the Thousand-Year Reign is on earth. So what is left? ... only God and only God’s Word. We will be in Jesus. In the end, the only thing that matters is God and His Word.

Now this is where it gets so hard to understand. We will be in Jesus and Jesus in us, all in God and with God. That’s a world we have not been privy to know what it is like. We’ve been given little glimpses into the Rapture, the Second Coming, the Thousand-Year Reign of Christ and now the shaking and destruction of the earth and the heaven and the creation of the new earth without the sea and the new sky. But after that? We do have the promise that we will be with Christ forever in eternity. Will this be in heaven?

And here we are given hope. Life will be like God desired back in Genesis with a new heaven and a new earth.  Isaiah prophesied. Some think this prophecy is about the Thousand-Year Reign of Christ, but it is not.  It’s the new heaven and the new earth. “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the things before will not be remembered, nor come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I will rejoice in My people; and the voice of weeping will no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying be heard in her. There will not be an infant, nor an old man that has not filled his days. For the child will die a hundred years old; but the sinner who is a hundred years old will be despised. And they will build houses and live in them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build, and another live in them; they will not plant, and another eat. For like the days of a tree are the days of My people, and My elect will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth for terror. For they are the seed of the beloved of Jehovah, and their offspring with them. And it will be, before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the food of the snake. They will not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, says Jehovah.” (Isaiah 65:17-25)

And after there is no more earth, no more heavens (sky) and no more sea, God will make again an earth and a sky, but not a sea. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And the sea no longer is. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her Husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:1-3) These Scriptures tell us the end of what the Lord will do. He will make a new earth and a new heaven. There will be a new Jerusalem. The Lord God will be with us as He was with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We will live eternally with Him on this new earth. We are given a glimpse. We don’t know all the details, but to be in a place where God is with us like He was with Adam is beyond my comprehension. And like Peter wrote, “But according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2Peter 3:13) It will be a place where there is no unrighteousness, no evil and no sin. It will be God’s place. And where He is, nothing evil can exist. It will be consumed if it comes near. But it cannot because the author of sin and evil is the devil. And he will be destroyed in the lake of fire that never ends. Peter says this is a promise of God. And God has never gone back on His promises. He has been faithful to fulfill every one of them. Those that are to come will surely come. Since the beginning, Moses who trusted God’s Word wrote in Numbers, “God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19) The Lord fulfilled every promise He made to Moses and Moses was strengthened to obey because He knew God would fulfill what He said to Him if he obeyed. Isaiah prophesied about the Babylonian captivity about a century before it occurred. And yet the Lord speaks with compassion promising their return, “...so shall My Word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11) God doesn’t change. And Paul reminds the Corinthians and us when we read, “For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God by us.” (2Corinthians 1:20) 

One thing we must remember is that if we are in Christ, the promises are for us too, as children of Abraham because of faith which was promised to Abraham and as children of the Most High God, (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26) as born-again of God. (John 1:13) God’s promises are for us. Some are fulfilled and some are yet to come. They will come. Like Moses, let’s trust God, obey knowing God is with us and will not fail none of His promises to us. (Numbers 23:19) Let’s obey with wisdom, knowing God’s plans are not only for us but for the world and for the end of things. He has revealed them. He has given us a glimpse. We would not be able to understand, nor would we be able to accept all the details of life with God in the new earth today.

Let’s conclude with some gems and priceless nuggets from this lesson. This earth and the skies will be shaken so that it’s destroyed leaving nothing but God and His Word. God will make a new heaven and a new earth. God said it. We should not doubt it at all because the Lord has proven time and again that what He said is Truth and will happen if it hasn’t yet. And because of this, we can depend on His promises to us. He is faithful and has never failed those who believe and trust in Him.

Let us pray:

Father God, Your promises and plans for us are too great to understand. I thank You that You have revealed to us that which we can handle, what we can understand and what we can accept. I know that in my earthly state, it would be too confusing for me because these are the things of Your kingdom which I cannot begin to imagine. But Father, You have promised Your presence, Your love and Your provision of wonderful plans for me. I received them Lord. And I believe Your Word which is Truth everlasting. I thank You that nothing can stop Your plans for me, for Your children and for creation as it is now and what You will create after. I believe Your Word Lord. I accept Your Word Lord. But I cannot imagine it. I rest in the knowledge that whatever happens, You will make sure all things result in good for me because of Your great love, Your great mercy and Your great goodness that cannot lie and has always been faithful. I ask for ears to hear Your voice. And I ask You for help and strength to obey Your Word and to do what You want me to do as long as I live here on this earth. May You be glorified in all my deeds and words. May they be a blessing on this earth. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.