The Shaking

Shaking. That stirs memories of quotations used in my early years to terrify me into working harder to become perfect in preparation for a great time of trouble that will occur near the end of earth's history. I do not want to discount that a terrible time of trouble will indeed occur that is worse than anything in the history of the world and worse than anything we can even imagine. This is clearly predicted in the book of Daniel and I personally believe we are seeing the dark shadows of it looming behind the illusions promoted in the news media right now. But the assumptions about how we are to prepare for it need to be seriously challenged and revised considerably given the emerging truths about God and the nature of His glory that I have been learning about recently.

As I talk with different people about a looming financial collapse possibly as early as this summer and the very likely massive chaos that would ensue, the common theme that emerges is the desire to take control in some way or another. There is talk of stockpiling supplies so that we won't go hungry like everyone around us may. There is talk if attempting to wrest the government out of the control of those who have subverted its original intent and then returning us to a governance of a true Republic under the guidance and control of the common people. But all of these ideas and plans I believe are doomed to failure and loss because they do not take into account the dramatic difference between the two diametrically opposed concepts of reality.

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN." This expression, "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:26-29)

If our trust and hope gives priority to our schemes and beliefs about looking out for our own welfare, stockpiling vital supplies, defending ourselves through the threat or use of violence or building bunkers to trust in during times of upheaval, we will suddenly be shaken out of those false hopes and will too late realize that physical preparations are not the real issues that need our most urgent attention. Likewise, if we memorize Scriptures and compile convincing arguments to harden our positions behind lists of doctrines or favorite theological issues without giving even more effort to allowing the Spirit of God to transform and sweeten our own spirit, we will also find ourselves shaken and unstable in the coming violent social and spiritual earthquakes.

As I contemplate over this passage and try to understand some of the real meanings of these warnings I continue to look at the difference between the things as shakable and those that will remain. Implied in these verses is the idea that the Old Jerusalem and all hopes attached with it are going to be part of what is shaken and will not remain whereas the New Jerusalem needs to be the focus of our attention. Things that give emphasis to lots of display of power and inducing fear are the kinds of things that will pass away in the shaking whereas the things that don't appear to be so obvious to us and are right now unseen by us physically are actually much more real and stable.

The external, artificial, counterfeit reality that we humans have built cannot withstand the shaking caused when the true reality stirs from heaven. The things we tend to doubt as being real are more real that the things we insist are real. Heavenly beings must be baffled at our stubbornness and intransigence to believe in what is real, but we are so immersed in constant brainwashing to maintain our artificial perception of reality that we allow too little time for true reality to be perceived and to take root in our spirit and heart.

It takes nearly continual medication, infusions of fresh deception that seems so true and important, rehearsals of well-honed arguments, entertainment filled with our favorite themes of violence, perversion, false sources of life and artificial manipulations of our emotions – all of these keep us isolated or inoculated against the barrage of supernatural and natural messages coming to us from God in His desire for us to see His real beauty, intelligence and attractiveness.

It really takes a lot of constant effort to be lost. We say it is easy and it seems to be because we are so surrounded by the strong current of deceptions and it is easy to just be swept along with them. But if we would allow our spirit be quiet and step away from the commotion designed to keep us distracted, if we would pay attention to the cries and longings of our hearts without medicating them with addictions and pleasures, entertainment or intellectual obsessiveness we would notice that there is an alternative voice offering real healing, real life and real hope.

Because religion has been assumed to represent the truth about God in various ways we have been deluded, disappointed and cynical and have come to believe that God can't really be an effective solution for our “real” needs. We might say that we believe but what is our heart really feeling? But if we will look past the paradigms of religion of any persuasion and listen more carefully to the still small voice that has been there all along but drowned out by all the cacophony we keep going in our environment, then we will have a chance to move toward the “other” reality, the real one.

In reality our religion must far exceed that of religious people or we will never experience God in life-transforming ways as we need to. This is because most religious people have carefully segregated the spirit away from didactic or intellectual truth and in doing so the truth has lost all its power and the spirit has lost all its safety parameters. In this state of high instability, we will easily be shaken and will fall into ruin when true reality emerges as it is about to do.

Very clearly the first list in verses 18-21 here in Hebrews 12 are going to be shaken and removed soon and the second list which is completely stable and immovable will take its place. The real issue is, which kind of life are we choosing to trust our future with? If we trust in an intellectually dominated kind of religion based on our performance, an emphasis on outward symptoms and mixed with desires for power, control over others and impressive, fear-based rules and consequences, then we are entrenching ourselves in a system that is doomed to be soon shaken out of existence. This kind of religion is modeled after the world's artificial constructs and depends on externals as its foundation. And even though it may be very convincing and even righteous-looking it has no real, reliable foundation to withstand the explosion of reality soon to burst on this planet.

Of course, we always assume that it is the next person that has this delusion and it is never us. But to think that way is to betray the very pride and spiritual arrogance that is the clear indicator that we are in the greatest danger ourselves. The “goats” in Jesus' story of the judgment (Matt. 25) clearly were totally convinced and confident that they had religion all down pat and were deserving of eternal life. Jesus did not point out one single problem with their righteous performance or theology, but He sadly had to relay to them in essence that only intimate friends of the heart level are safe to bring into close proximity to the God who is a consuming fire.

Who is going to be ready for the great Time of Trouble? Who will be prepared or properly aligned so that they will remain after all the dust and smoke settles from the mighty shaking predicted here? All of Satan's kingdom, the artificial system of reality and relationships and rules based on fear, force and externals is going to be shaken so thoroughly that someday it will no longer exist in any form. The true reality of heaven is going to be restored in perfect love, freedom, harmony and joy. The Kingdom of Heaven referred to here that we have the privilege of receiving if we are willing to be aligned with it right now will be the winner of this time of shaking that we are now likely entering. But what does it really mean to be a part of that kingdom if it is radically different than anything we have assumed before?

Finding the answers to these most important questions will also give us crucial clues as to how to properly prepare for the very real crisis that is about to explode on our country and the whole world possibly in the next few months.

This kingdom is clearly much more about relationships than it is about performance. It is about joy, love and peace and not based on fear. It is focused on the real truth about God and what He is like instead of about getting ourselves fixed up nicely. It is about inner transformation of heart and spirit more than about displays of power and desires for control over others. It is about responding to the magnetism of heaven and the universal companionship waiting for us to reconnect rather than about fear-motivated obedience. It is about receiving the gifts of peace, righteousness, life and identity from Jesus. This is how we receive the kingdom which cannot be shaken.

When we begin to grasp the true nature of this kingdom – that it is not something which we create but simply receive – then our gratitude and service will be totally spontaneous and irrepressible. We will be so much in awe of the magnitude of the passion and glory of our God of love that we will not be afraid to trust Him to protect us in the face of anything this world may use to frighten or intimidate us. Our God does not give us a spirit of fear. If anything claims to be religious truth and utilizes fear as its lubricant I am always highly suspicious of its true origin.

One of the clearest texts in the Bible revealing those who will be able to remain through the shaking and will be prepared to approach this consuming fiery God is found in Isaiah. There are very serious implications in this passage about our typical preferences in entertainment and even news consumption. Allow the Spirit of God to speak as you meditate on this inspired word from the God of the real reality.

"Now I will arise," says the LORD, "Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up. "You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire. "The peoples will be burned to lime, like cut thorns which are burned in the fire. "You who are far away, hear what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge My might." Sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling has seized the godless. "Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?" He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, he who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; he who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; he will dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rock; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; they will behold a far-distant land. (Isaiah 33:10-17)

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