Pay Attention to God's Calling
25 See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven. 26 His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. (Hebrews 12:25-27)
Closing out the chapter, the author gives a powerful warning about God. Previously, He spoke to the Israelites, giving them the Law through Moses, yet they ignored God’s message and faced His judgment many times, as seen in Hebrews 3:17-19:
17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
The author states that if the Israelites “did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven.” God has spoken to us through Jesus Christ. To reject Christ and the gospel message would result in God’s judgment.
When God gave the covenant at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19:18, the earth shook. When God’s judgment will be poured out again, both the earth and the heavens will be shaken, quoted from Haggai 2:6, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.” The author of Hebrews clarifies in verse 27 that this “indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain.”
Everything of God’s creation will be subject to His judgment, which will result in total destruction. But, if you are a believer, you are a part of God’s kingdom, which will not be shaken. Your eternal security because of Christ’s work will endure, which should then lead you to faithful living and enduring faith to tackle the trials of this life with joy.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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