[THE SHAKING OF ALL THINGS - PART IV]
Consuming
fire. In the passage we have been emphasizing
concerning the "shaking of all things" (Heb.
12:18-29), note that the very last statement is: "for
our God is a consuming fire." Let's take a further look
at the role of the "fire.” The apostle Peter saw through
prophetic revelation the earth being renovated by
fire (II Pet. 3:10-13). It is my personal conviction
that what Peter saw actually comes in two phases. Many times those to
whom prophetic revelations of the future were given did
not discern the time elements involved, or it was not
their purpose at the time to make known such time
elements. Such were revealed to others at a later
time. For example, Jesus
said, as recorded in John 5:28-29, that "all that are in
the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth;
they that have done good to
the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil
to the resurrection of
judgment." It sounds from His statement like both the
resurrection to life and the
resurrection to
judgment takes place at the same time. But a later
revelation was given to John on the isle of Patmos which
separates these two resurrections by one thousand years
(Rev. 20:4-5). Further illustrations could be
given, but I believe this is sufficient to make the
point. Peter gives us the picture of the earth's
renovation by fire as follows: "But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth
also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
. . looking for and hurrying
to the coming of the day of
God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be
dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells
righteousness."
Two-fold. In a later revelation
by the apostle John, however, we see that the fire
(probably atomic) of God's wrath shakes and purges the
earth of its iniquities at the close of this age, just before and at
the return of Christ in power and great glory (Rev.
8:5-7; 13:13; 14:18; 16:8; 17:16; 18:8), and also that
at a later time (some time after the 1000 year
millennium) the earth goes through a more complete and
transforming "baptism of fire" (Rev. 20:9). Only at the
time of this later "fiery baptism" will there be a
complete "new heaven and earth" (Rev. 21:1), and the
present "heavens" (atmosphere) "being on fire shall be
dissolved,” and "pass away with a great noise"; and
the very "elements shall melt with fervent heat"
(II Pet. 3:10, 12). THEN there will be "no more sea"
(Rev. 21:1); all waters being evaporated in that
complete fiery holocaust. The earth will then become the
arena for the final schooling of the glorified sons of
God, as they learn to transform the very substances of
the earth and eventually launch it into a higher plane
of existence.
Pattern. God conforms
all His works to a basic pattern, and as the outer
transformation of the earth and heavens is in two
phases as described above, so is there a two-fold
work of the "fire” of God's Holy Spirit in our
Individual lives. The first is to purge and refine us
within, and this is why we are to receive the
baptism of the Holy Spirit and FIRE (Mt. 3:11),
which burns to the "core" of our being, and facilitates
God's work of removing the "dross" of our carnal nature,
or "old man" of sin. This is a part of the process of
making a "new heaven and earth" within us. But the final
renovation of our whole being—spirit, soul, and body, to
where it can be said that "the former things are passed
away" and ALL things are made new for the overcoming
Christian, comes only at the experience which is
called the "rapture" or translation of the saints, when
we shall be WITH the Lord.
Near.
The evidence points to the fact that this
translation, when we shall be made like Him (I John
3:2), and receive a glorious body like to His (Phil. 3:21), is near at
hand. This is why God is
shaking everything that can be shaken IN us, as a
testing, and as a catalyst, to "shake loose" and remove
all that is not of Him. We are being prepared for the
final change, when the very "elements" of our bodies
will be "dissolved" (or loosed, which is the literal
meaning of the Greek word luo), for the very atomic
structure of our bodies will be
changed as they are "loosed" into the glorified
estate. Only then will we experience the complete "new
heaven and earth,” with the transformation of our whole
being.
Fire of
God's Spirit. The Biblical TYPE for our coming
complete change is Elijah being caught up into heaven in
a whirlwind and a chariot of FIRE (II Kings 2:11).
Both wind and fire speak of God's Spirit. "Wind"
indicates the action of invisible power, but "fire"
speaks of a CHANGE. In the natural, fire does not
destroy anything, it merely produces a chemical action
whereby elements are changed (such as, from solid to
gas). Even so shall the "fire" of God's Spirit come on us at the time of our
translation, and the elements (or atoms) of our
bodies shall be restructured into a glorified body.
The word "elements" in II Pet. 3:10 & 12, is from a
Greek word which means "a basal, fundamental,
initial constituent; that which is rudimental; also
something orderly in arrangement." Cannot we see in
this definition what our scientists call "atoms,” in II
Pet. 3:12 we read that the "elements" shall "melt" with
fervent heat. The word "melt" here is again the Greek
word luo, also translated "dissolved" twice in 3:11-12.
The basic meaning is to "loose or break up" and can
refer to the change in atomic structure of substances.
Although the passage in II Pet. 3 refers primarily to
the change coming in this material world and its
atmosphere as we have seen, it forms a pattern for the
change that is coming, as each one who is ready receives
the final "baptism of fire" of God's Spirit, and these
present bodies shall be changed and fashioned (made
like to) Jesus' glorified
body (Phil. 3:21). Until then may we be willing to let
the "fire "of God's Spirit continue to purge and remove
the dross within, that He may finish the work that He
has begun in each of us (Phil. 1:6). Now let's take a
final look at events that are impending and our relation
to them as God continues to "shake all that can be
shaken."
Day of
Wrath. On Aug. 6th, 1945, at 8:15 in the morning,
three U.S. B-29's had approached the city of Hiroshima,
Japan, from the north-eastern direction. One of them
stopped its engine as it glided over the central part of
the city. It dropped a single bomb and, making an abrupt
right-angled turn, sped away at full speed.
The bomb fell rapidly and one and a half minutes
later, above the ground level, it exploded in a
fire-ball, then sent reddish-blue or dark brown flames
shooting out against the ground at an astonishing
velocity, radioactivating some forty percent of the city
area. Simultaneously a
cluster of white smoke became visible, which, centering
around a mass of dark-red cloud, enveloped in a
yellowish mass, mushroomed upward, topped with a crest
of white cloud. Fifteen minutes later rain began to fall
and brought back radioactive particles to the ground.
Pressure waves from the blast flattened practically all
buildings; fires broke out all over the city. In this
unprecedented holocaust more than 240,000 persons
lost their lives and more than 165,000 were injured. The
first atomic bomb ever exploded on a human city had
taken place. It is my conviction that this event BEGAN
the fulfillment of Rev. 6:17 where we read that "the
great day of God's wrath is come." However, the first
verses of Rev. 7 indicate that the "winds" of judgment
were to be held back for a time, and we know that this
has come to pass. We are now in this "holding" period,
even though the "fire" of God's wrath has been cast into
the earth (Rev. 8:5), resulting in the loosing of the
atom's fire-power.
Evil
returns. I point out the above to emphasize the fact
that the outpouring of God's wrath on this earth is to come
primarily through the instrumentality of man; that
is, God allowing the consequences of man's evil to
RETURN ON HIS OWN HEAD (Joel
3:4). In light of this fact, we can better grasp the
significance of the question asked in Isa. 14:16-17
following the destruction of a certain powerful man: "Is
this the MAN that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the
world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof;
that opened not the house of his prisoners?" If you read
Isa. 14:12-20, you will see that the passage is talking
about Lucifer's rebellion, whereby he sought to
exalt Himself and become like God.
But God's sentence on
Him is that he is to be completely cast down (see
also Rev. 12:9). When this takes place he will enter in
and take possession of a certain MAN, and MANIFEST as a
man in this end time, even as the "man of sin" described
in II Thess. 2:3. Through this man he will seek to
completely dominate the nations of the world, and
through his "false prophet,” he will punish those
nations who refuse to submit by causing atomic fire to
come down on their cities (see Rev. 12:13), thus
fulfilling the prophecy in Isa. 14:16 that a man would
cause the earth to tremble (with fear) and shake
kingdoms (with atomic destruction).
Thus, in a sense, man's kingdoms will be judged
by the madness of a man. Furthermore, in God's
providential workings, the evil of this "man of sin"
will also return on his own
head. For God will enable certain nations to resist
his dominion, and retaliate, so that atomic fire will
fall on his kingdom, as we read in Rev. 16:10: "And the
fifth angel poured out his vial on the seat (throne) of the
beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they
gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the
God of heaven because of their pains and their sores,
and repented not of their deeds." Thus man destroys man
in a final great holocaust, but God directs and times this in such a way that
it is the fulfillment of His wrath and judgment on the evil of this world. Man
"shakes,” but God is behind the shaking, causing it to
be the fulfillment of the counsel of His own
will.
Vivid
prophecy. I don't have time in this short treatise
to go into detail, but read ail of Isa. 24 for a vivid
description of the end-time shaking.
Note especially verses 17-20: "Fear, and the pit,
and the snare, are on you, O inhabitant of the earth.
And it shall come to pass, that he who flees from the noise of the fear
shall fall into the pit (bomb shelters); and he that
comes up out of the midst of
the pit shall be taken in the snare (drafted and forced
into public service): for the windows (trap-doors of
bombers) of heaven from on high are open, and the
foundations of the earth do shake (from the explosion of
many nuclear bombs). The earth is utterly
broken down, the earth is clean dissolved (rent
asunder), the earth is moved exceedingly (shaken
violently). The earth shall reel to and fro like a
drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage (or sway
to and fro like a hammock); and the transgression
thereof shall be heavy on
it; and it shall fall, and not rise again (its
orbit around and inclination to the sun shall be
changed)."
Final.
There is one final shaking referred to in the
scriptures that will be totally the Lord's doing, and
will bring the final wind-up to this present age. We
read about it in Zech. 14:4.
When Jesus Christ, as the Lord of glory, personally
returns to the earth, His mighty presence will literally
stagger this planet." And His feet shall stand in that
day on the mount of Olives,
which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of
Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east
and toward the west, and there shall be a very great
valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the
north, and half of it toward the south. And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be
clear, nor dark: but it shall be one day which shall be
known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come
to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." (Zech.
14:4-7). Hallelujah! THAT DAY will be the evening of the
feast of Tabernacles, the 15th of Tishri, in the fall of
the year, when Jesus makes His descent to this earth to
tabernacle with His people.
The pallor of death hangs over the earth on the
14th of Tishri. Millions lie slain; the nations are
exhausted through all-out atomic war; cities lie in
ruins. So much debris has been thrown into the
atmosphere through massive explosions, along with great
banks of gaseous smoke mixed with the debris, that the
light of the sun has been blotted out (Mt. 24:29).
It is a grey-like, murky day, neither light nor
dark. The remaining few inhabitants of each nation (Isa.
24:6) are all desperately calling on the Name of the Lord for
preservation (Acts 2:20-21). As the evening draws near (closing the 14th of
Tishri and opening the 15th), in the time-zone where
Jerusalem and the Holy Land is located, suddenly the
skies shine with a very brilliant light, as the
inhabitants of that area see the SIGN of the Son of Man
in the heavens—the supernatural glory cloud (Mt. 24:30),
for at evening there comes light (Zech. 14:7).
Shortly afterward they shall see Jesus personally
coming in the clouds (His saints returning with Him) of
heaven with power and great glory. Hallelujah! No wonder
Zech. 14:7 says that it will be ONE DAY which shall be
known to the Lord.
Fabric.
Let me give one more illustration to show how the Lord
views the present world society. Supposing you had a
garment that was old and frayed, and you realized that
there was no way it could be saved. If you tried to
patch it up with portions of new material, it would only
tear and be worse. Remember that Jesus
spoke a parable and said, "No man puts a piece of new garment on an old; if otherwise, then
both the new makes a rent,
and the piece that was taken out of the new agrees not with the old" (Lk.
5:36). Not only would the new rend the old, but the new
material would not match the old. When God looks at our
present Babylonish world society, He sees an old
garment, worn and frayed, which cannot be saved. To
patch it up would only make it worse, and the NEW which
He purposes to introduce DOES NOT MATCH the old (ways of
man). The "shaking" which
we are now experiencing in the world is simply the "old
garment" of man's ways beginning to tear apart. It simply cannot
stand the stresses being
placed on it. The entire
"fabric" of society in its present condition is not
strong enough to hold together. God has purposed to make
all things new, and we are now in the transition period.
Those of us who are born-again Christians have become
"new creatures in Christ,” and the "old" in God's sight
has already passed away (II Cor. 5:17). We are already
partaking of the new. We have "tasted the good word of
God and the powers of the age to come" (Heb. 6:5). We
belong to a new kingdom which shall never pass away
(Heb. 12:28). We have "new garments" which will never
wear out (Isa. 52:1). Let us be willing to
let God divest us of all the remnants of the
old.
God
working. We have already alluded to the "shaking"
effect of the new thing which God is doing in the earth,
as He moves by His Spirit. We should pray earnestly for
more of this kind of shaking. In Acts 4:23-31, read of
the early Christians gathering together for prayer after
being persecuted. Verse 31 says, "And when they had
prayed, the place was SHAKEN where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,
and they spoke the word of God with
boldness." Ah, beloved. God wants to shake things up.
The prophet cries out, "Woe to them that are at ease in
Zion" (Amos 6:1). There is a positive as well as a
negative shaking going on in the world. It is the result
of God's moving on the behalf of His people. Let us not
resist this shaking, but joyfully anticipate and
embrace all that the Lord is doing to bring us into
the FULNESS of His purpose in this
day.
Pressures. In the natural, an
earthquake is caused by a movement of the earth's
crust along "fault-lines.” The movement is very gradual
and indiscernible until a certain amount of pressure is
built up—then something has to give; and a sudden shift
takes place as segments of land on either side of the
fault-line suddenly shift to release the pressure and adjust to each other. In His
providence God, who created the earth, knows its every
"fault,” the movements and pressures involved, and is
able to TIME earthquakes to fulfill a portion of His
will—as instruments of judgment, etc.
Especially is this true as we approach the end of
this age. Jesus said that one of the signs (portents)
indicating the nearness of His coming would be
"earthquakes in diverse (various) places" (Mt.
24:7).
>
The affairs
of men. As in nature, so in the society of humans.
There are "fault-lines" (weaknesses) in the economic,
political, and religious systems of men, and we are
living in a time of great change (movements) causing
pressures to build up; so that man is increasingly
experiencing sudden shifts in the power struggle,
shaking and turmoil in social patterns, religious
rumblings and upsets, economic Instability,
etc.—all because God in His providential workings is
MOVING mankind toward a new Kingdom era. Whatever cannot
stand the shaking and adjust to the will of God must be
destroyed. "And there was a
great earthquake. . .and the cities (societies, systems)
of the nations fell" (Rev. 16:18-19). The same
is true in your individual life. God knows your
"fault-lines" (weaknesses); those areas which must be
willing to "give way" and adjust to the will of God. God
in His love will continue to move you (with pressures,
if necessary) into His unshakable Kingdom. Fear not the
"shakings" in your experiences; for it only
indicates God's purpose to remove those things that CAN
be shaken, that those things which cannot be shaken MAY
REMAIN (Heb. 12:27). Amen!
[END]
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