Things That Cannot be Shaken - Part Two
by
Josprel
There is no permanency for a nation that forgets or out-rightly rejects God. In our era, the Soviet Union is a quintessential example of this truth. It leaders often vaunted their atheism; it disintegrated at the instigation of an American president who knew and loved God. Even so, America also is being weighed in the balances by God. And though we grieve to mention it, America also is found wanting. In the last several decades, our nation has had one president assassinated, one attorney general also assassinated, a civil rights leader assassinated, an entire administration quake and then fall, and an attempted presidential assassination.
In our lifetime, America has experienced race riots, youth rebellions, the undermining of family values, the abortion of millions upon millions of pre-born infants, the acceptance of the homosexual agenda, legal wedges driven between parents and their children, God shut out of the classroom and replaced by humanism, which is undermining our schools and all levels of our governments.
It may be a beneficial, though not very pleasant thing, to experience social earthquakes. I know a literal earthquake can be terrifying and I can think of nothing as attention-getting as one. I served a lengthy tour of duty with the U.S. Air Force, and was assigned to Japan, an island nation prone to devastating earthquakes. More than once I felt tremors under my feet. Imagine if you will, taking off and landing a plane, when the runway suddenly begins heaving and rolling. Thankfully, no one at our airfield ever was hurt as a result of an earthquake, but we certainly were apprehensive. Yes, an earthquake certainly catches one’s attention, and this is what occurred at the crucifixion of Christ. “The earth shook, the rocks split apart, the graves broke open, and many of God’s people who had died were raised to life. They left the graves and after Jesus rose from death, they went into the Holy City, where many people saw them. When the army officer and the soldiers with him who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and everything else that happened, they were terrified and said ‘He really was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:51-54; “The New Testament in Today’s Modern English”: The American Bible Society”).
There may be times when personal “earthquakes” shake our own lives. As we pass through them, it will stabilize and bless us to meditate on things that cannot be shaken.
The Word of God Cannot be Shaken!
In Psalm 138:2 David wrote: “I will worship toward your holy temple, And praise Your name For your lovingkindness and Your truth: For you have magnified Your word above Your name” (Psalm 138:2). “The New King James Version.”
We should permit these words of David to saturate our souls. He is exalting because God rests His reputation upon the truthfulness of His word. Governments may lie, persons may be untruthful, legislators and others may not keep their promises, but God’s word never fails; He rests His reputation upon His truthfulness. His word cannot be shaken. It never returns void.
The Word of Jesus Christ Cannot be Shaken!
Referring to His second coming, Jesus states: “But in those days, [Matthew 24: 29, includes the word ‘immediately’ before the following phrase] after the tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory . . . Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my word shall not pass away” (Mark 13:24-25 & 31). Our Lord assures us that His word is eternally more durable than heaven itself. It shall never pass away! As finite creatures, we find it impossible to fathom such mysteries.
How can the powers of the heavens be shaken, thereby creating what amounts to heaven-quakes? The Pulpit Commentary states: “The powers may here mean those great unseen forces of nature by which the universe is now held in equipoise. When the Creator wills it, these powers shall be shaken.”
How can words [promises] endure forever? As this author meditated upon this question, he concluded that this is possible only when an eternal redeemer such as our Lord Jesus Christ makes the promises. As to His other eternal promises to us, when he transforms us like unto His own image, we shall be continuing recipients of all of them, among them the promise that where He is we also shall be.
The Person of God Cannot be Shaken!
Some time ago, the author listened to a radio discussion by two liberal women ministers. They were discussing their plans to change the Bible by removing all masculine gender references to God and replace them with the neuter. Of course, we all realize that God is neither male nor female; He is God. Nonetheless, condescending to our finite comprehension, He inspired the Holy writers to refer to Him in the male gender. Not only so, but He chose to send us His Son, in the form of a man. In doing so God did not discriminate against women; rather, he created in Jesus Christ the second Adam, to regain for those who trust Him that which the first Adam lost because of his disobedience.
God is eternally God, eternally the same. His person cannot be shaken or changed, nor can that of His Son. However, in condescending to take the form of a man, the Lord Jesus Christ made an eternal sacrifice by stooping to become eternally identified with us as the Eternal Man.
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© Josprel
josprel@yahoo.com
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