Thy Kingdom Come, #4 | Mac Hammond
Recap
Pastor Mac continued his series “Thy Kingdom Come.” His text was Hebrews 12:26, “Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” He reminded us that things are going to get shaken… not only on earth but in the unseen realm in the heavenlies! How you respond to the shaking will determine your quality of life. You’ll either be removed or transformed. Which one will be your future?
Dive Deeper
Basic text:
Hebrews 12:26–28, “Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 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. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:” (KJV)
Take note: We are receiving a “kingdom that cannot be shaken.” We are even now in the process of receiving this unshakable kingdom.
Amp.: “Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens. 27 Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation…”
The Amplified Bible says the purpose of the shaking is for the final removal and transformation.
Note: The conjunction “and” also means “or” and is frequently translated “or.” It makes more sense to translate it this way: “the final removal or transformation of all that can be shaken.”
It says “receiving” in the continuous present sense: “A kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offered to God pleasing service and acceptable worship.”
Passion translation: “The earth was rocked at the sound of his voice from the mountain, but now he has promised once and for all, I will not only shake the systems of the world.”
The Passion translation says two things will be shaken.
One: The systems of the world are being shaken. The systems being talked about would be medical, the power grid, water purification, food production and delivery, communication, information, navigation transportation… All of these systems will be shaken at an ever-increasing rate.
Two: “And also the unseen powers in the heavenly realm.” The phrase “unseen powers” is a reference to the prince of the powers of the air, who is Satan. The Bible says he is the god of this world for this present time till the end of this age.
These unseen powers dwell in the heavenly arena. They are not consigned to hell, as some tradition says. Their consignment will occur at the end of the battle of Armageddon.
At present, they dwell in the atmosphere above the earth. These unseen powers are going to be shaken as well.
The word “shaken” means “to cause to tremble with fear and concern.” The unseen powers, or demonic hosts, will tremble with fear and concern at what they see taking place on earth, the shaking of the systems which many of them have sponsored and control.
The systems that govern human experience of life are being shaken themselves.
The phrase “once and for all” indicates the final removal of things that are shaking. The “old order” will be shaken. Only what is unshakeable will remain.
Look at the next phrase: “since we are receiving our rights to an unshakeable kingdom.” Since we are receiving our rights to an unshakeable kingdom, we should be thankful to God and offer up to Him the purest worship.
The implication is that the systems of the world are being shaken; and to the extent that we, even as believers, are more dependent on the systems that the world has in place, we will be shaken.
The end of the church age is at hand. We are witnesses to the actual change of dispensation. For that reason, we need to know what is going on in the world.
The disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His return. And we’ve seen a lot of signs over the last hundred years. We’ve seen wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, events that cause men’s heart to fail. World Wars I and II were earth-shaking events. Some thought Hitler was the Antichrist.
Another confirmation we are in the last days is the regathering of Israel in 1948.
The shaking that’s going on right now should alert us to the closeness of the day that we live in. The decisions we make and the way we relate to the shaking will greatly affect our experience of life. The extent to which the shaking shakes you will determine your experience in the balance of this dispensation.
The shaking will be for the purpose of removal or transformation, one of the two.
People that are shaken because a system is shaken will be removed unless transformation occurs. Removal doesn’t refer to your salvation. And if you’re saved, you’re on your way to heaven.
Christians should want to leave when they hear the shout and the trumpet.
And so, what do you do when you start shaking?
Realize the first consideration has to be transformation. That’s the only alternative to shaking.
How can we begin receiving our rights to that unshakeable kingdom? The first thing you do is to be saved, to be born again.
Read About It
Hebrews 12:26, “Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 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. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:”
Discussion Questions
The Bible says one of the signs of the end times is that the world will undergo a shaking. There are two places that will be shaken. What are they?
What are the results of being shaken?
There are many signs in the earth that indicates we are living in the end times. What are some of those signs?