“…but now, He has promised, saying, ‘Once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.'” Hebrews 12:27
In the context of the building of the second temple after the period of the deportation had reached its fulfillment of seventy years, the Lord gave to Haggai in his short book, a prophecy of things to come, both soon after, and then much farther along in history. Haggai first wrote it down by saying, “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more it is a little while I will shake heaven and earth, the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake the nations and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory.” (Hab. 2:6,7) There are many extraordinary applications to this prophecy, first of all as it applied to the remnant in Israel who had been stopped in their effort to finish the building of the house of the Lord. God’s promise of “all nations” coming to this place of peace would be for the true worship of God, would also at the same time be fulfilled in the coming of Christ, and the revelation of the glory of God. For these events to occur, in light of the spiritual conflict opposing them, there would need to be a shaking, a breaking up of the structures of spiritual powers of resistance, and those of men. God, as was the case in the confrontation of the people of Israel with the defiant walls of Jericho, would work in the unseen, dealing with those invisible powers of darkness behind those walls, to shake the control and authority that they had established to resist God, and His people. This He would do in response to the faith of Joshua and the people’s faithful obedience, revealing that God’s work done in God’s way would never lack God’s supply. The walls would crumble and fall, revealing that the spiritual control that the enemy maintained over the people, and those physical elements standing in defiance of God, were stripped of their power. The fulness of the Amorite’s iniquity had come, and with it, the judgement of God upon the sins of the idolatrous, defiant inhabitants of Canaan. Not only would the obstacles which hindered Israel be removed, but strength was provided to the people to go up and possess the land, the power of God being revealed in that which God had commanded the people to do.
In the case of the rebuilding of the temple, the powers of darkness needed to again be addressed by God, and this in answer to obedient faith. This would occur in a different way than the example of the walls of Jericho falling, but the result would be the same. The enemy would be overcome, and the will of God would be done.
At this point, we might ask, “What does this have to do with the church, the living body of Christ on earth today, and every member of it?” We find the answer in the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, where God again speaks: “Yet, once more I shake not only the earth but also heaven.” (12:27) The call here is to examine the Lord’s explanation of these words. “Yet once more indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” (v.27) In other words, by the Lord’s spoken words, by His power and authority, specifically that of Christ, God promises to deal with those powers of darkness which use physical obstructions, devices, and people, to oppose Christ’s church, and the fulfillment of the mission of that church on earth. This is seen in Jesus’ words by declaring, “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18) God, in response to faith, intervenes in individual lives, peoples and nations, breaking up spiritual deadlock in minds, hearts, and circumstances, so that His redeeming, saving power, by His grace will be revealed.
Dear Father, Show forth Thy power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.