How does Haggai 2:6 connect with Hebrews 12:26-27 on God's unshakable kingdom? Context of the Original Promise Haggai 2:6: “For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.’” • Spoken to returning exiles rebuilding the temple in 520 BC • Immediate aim: re-energize a discouraged people by reminding them God will intervene physically and visibly • “Once more” signals a decisive, climactic act still ahead of them Hebrews Repeats and Expands the Promise Hebrews 12:26-27: “At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well.’ The words ‘once more’ signify the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that the unshakable may remain.” • The writer looks back to Sinai (“His voice shook the earth,” v. 26) and then forward to a greater, final shaking • Adds heaven to earth, broadening Haggai’s scope to the entire created order Why God Shakes Creation • Purification: removes all that is temporary, sinful, and corrupt (cf. 2 Peter 3:10-13) • Revelation: exposes what is permanent and righteous (cf. Psalm 102:25-27) • Transition: ushers in “the unshakable kingdom” (Hebrews 12:28) promised in Daniel 2:44 and reaffirmed by Jesus (Luke 1:32-33) What Remains Unshakable • God Himself—“I the LORD do not change” (Malachi 3:6) • His Word—“The word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8) • His Kingdom—“The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44) • His People—those “kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5) Practical Implications for Believers • Gratitude: “Since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude” (Hebrews 12:28) • Reverent worship: “and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28) • Steadfast hope: “I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8) • Holy living: “What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” (2 Peter 3:11) Connecting the Dots • Haggai’s prophecy provides the original promise of a cosmic shaking; Hebrews identifies its ultimate fulfillment and clarifies the goal—only God’s eternal kingdom survives. • Both texts assure believers that upheaval is not random; it is God’s deliberate work to clear away the perishable and exalt the permanent. • Because the final outcome is certain, believers can face present instability with confidence, knowing we are citizens of a realm that can never be moved (cf. Psalm 46:6-7). |
    |