By Staff
The title statement is not reality … yet. God is the Living God of Heaven. There is no other God (Isaiah 43:11). God is in control and will triumph.
There are myriad religions in the world. Most of them promote the permanence of the earth and the efforts of people to spiral upward toward self-made perfection through self-denial and allegiance. These religions can bring temporary comfort in that they promote the perpetuity of mankind. Fact is, neither the earth nor civilization as we know it is permanent.
God declares through the New Testament epistle of Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 25, "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven."
Within a few days after God delivered the nation of Israel from Egyptian slavery, He desired to speak directly to the people. God gave careful instructions and had the people gather to Mt. Sinai. On a certain day God came down. When He touched the mountain, there was smoke and fire and the mountain shook greatly (Exodus 19:18). God did speak to the people, but they could not tolerate such power and majesty.
The people requested of Moses in Exodus, chapter 20, verse 19, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die."
God gave the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments express the righteous will of God for man. It is obvious from the history of man and the reading of the Bible that God's people did not listen and obey the commands of God.
The serious issue brought up by the writer of Hebrews is that God will soon not only shake the earth again, but also heaven (Hebrews 12:26).
When God came down on Mt. Sinai, He did not desire to frighten the people with His presence, but when His holiness touched a sin-cursed earth, there was a violent reaction.
The shaking of earth and heaven promised by God will be purposeful to destroy. The writer of Hebrews says the shaking will separate the "things that are being shaken" from the "things which cannot be shaken."
Things that can be shaken are the visible things, including the earth and the heavenly bodies. We all know the catastrophe of two pieces of earth grinding against each other causing an earthquake.
Imagine the living God of Heaven literally shaking the earth as a whole, while shaking the sun, moon, and stars.
Great stories are made of the possibility of one stray asteroid or comet hitting the earth. Think of the possibility of multiple collisions and earth reeling through the heavens, being pummeled continually until nothing is left.
The things that can be shaken will be removed, so the "things which cannot be shaken may remain" (Hebrews 12:27). The things which cannot be shaken are faith in Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and the promises of God.
So, God says, in essence, "Listen up, do not refuse me." Verse 25 of Hebrews 12 states, "they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth." God brought severe and total judgment on the unrighteous acts of the Children of Israel. Verse 25 continues, "much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven."
One day we will all have identical theology. For our good and the glory of God, it is better for that to be sooner than later, because it will be "Game over; God wins!"
Rev. Dan Puckett is a minister with Life Action Ministeries. He writes a weekly column for the Niles Daily Star.