“…Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleths righteousness..”

THE SHAKING OF THE HEAVENS AND EARTH. HEB 12:26-27

“..Yet once more I shake not the EARTH only but also HEAVEN, … The word, .. Yet once more signified THE REMOVING OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE SHAKEN, as of THINGS THAT ARE MADE (rudiments, elementary principles and man’s ways of life, principalities and powers), that those THINGS WHICH CANNOT BE SHAKEN (principles of true spiritual worship through the leadership of the spirit Jon 4:24, Rom 8:1-2,14) may remain, wherefore we receive a kingdom which cannot be moved,..” Heb 12:26-28.

In the book of Isaiah.13:13 51:6, we are told, this shaking is to be done”… in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger” wherein “the heavens shall vanish way like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, (the old covenant which was also a principle of life is also “wax old” and” ready to vanish away” Heb 8:13, meaning that, this language of things ‘vanishing away’ is not dealing with literal objects – planet earth and skies). And they that dwell therein (that is those, still engaged in religious activities and elementary principles of life) shall die in like manner”.

Let’s quickly give a clear definition of this heavens vanishing away as Paul borrowed the language from Isaiah from the Message translation as used in the Book of Hebrew..

“So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings(Laws of Mit Sanai) didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? (New covenant ideals) 26 His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time — he’s told us this quite plainly — he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” 27 The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered”. Msg. Heb 12:25

28 Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. 29 He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!

Can you get this? That, what the Father is dealing with even today is the religious historical junks in order to allow the truth, the new covenant principles to stay that we might experience God? To the Jews, what was their mainstay were the Jewish laws and rituals as we have stated before, and that was their heaven of authority and power. Now don’t forget again that, Hebrews was written in AD 63-67 and Jerusalem fell in AD 70. That is why in Heb 8:13, it is said the old order is “ready to vanish away”, meaning that order was about to come to an end, and that happened when the Temple with its rituals and priesthood ended in AD 70.

Why is it so? Because their source of life – heaven is gone, and he that have his life – things of the world, shall loose it, but he that loose his life now in Christ shall find true riches in Him. Luke 9: 24 12:15. This is because”… my salvation (in Christ) shall be forever; and my righteousness (God’s way of true worship, right standing with God) shall not be abolished”. Isa. 13:13,51:6 KJV. So please please understand also what God is consuming, when you say our God is a consuming fire. It is idiosyncrasies that he consumes.

BUT WHY IS THIS SHAKING NECESSARY? It is because man has placed his confidence on other gods, such as wealth, education, politics, economic system, spiritual advancement on the negative side, religious Babylon and on the Pentecostal level, the spirit of comportment of the gifts of the spirit, without moving forward in God. So God will have to have all of these wrong concepts and proud ideas removed, so that He will take His rightful place in our lives as our refuge, our only true source of confidence in times of trouble. see Ps 46:1; 11.

Therefore, when we read of He that sat on “a great white throne “from” whose face THE EARTH and THE HEAVEN fled away; “Rev 20:11. It is simply Christ in His righteous judgment (white throne) from whose presence (face) all that are made – heaven and the Adamic man -earth cannot stand, even as He rules over them by setting His right foot upon the sea (mankind) and His left foot upon the earth (Adamic carnal nature). Rev 10:1-2, thereby removing from all realms of creation, all that man has cherished and has been bowing down to, ‘elements in heavens’.

This is why the Spirit is saying “seeing then that all these things (mode of worship, carnal nature, customs etc) shall be Dissolved (Luo-loosed, destroyed, dissolve, melt, put off etc). what manner of person ought ye to be in all holy conversation (manner of life) and godliness” 2 Pet 3:11.

And this move of Christ upon the people, is unexpected, hence it is “like a thief in the night” for not being mindful of the type of life they are living. Just like it was with the church in Sadis, Rev 3:3. The candlestick being the source of life and illumination. So the shaking of the heaven and earth is the dethronement of that which is highly exalted even as: “ heaven” represents that which is elevated. Hence we read that God, in His anger” cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel” Lam 2:1-3.

Here Israel; is represented as being veiled by the hand of God’s judgment the beauty of Israel is His Temple. His footstool] was the Ark of the Covenant as it’s often called, and this was done through the cloud of Judgment.

So the casting down of the beauty of Israel from heaven as a kingdom, with her principal rulers and their powers, was her destruction by Babylon as by fire.. Compare the shaking of Edom. Obadiah 4,8. Isa 34:4-7. Capernaum, Math 11:23.

Therefore we see that, all those who are proud, loud mouthed and arrogant in their ways of life and religiosity (Ps 73:8-9, 18. Rev 13:5-6,) energized by the beastly nature in man by his self-will and confidence, shall be destroyed to give way for God’s true righteousness and Glory for which he was made. The heavens is truly passing away.

To be continued…

(c) 2015 – Dr. David O. Ogaga