What is the kingdom that cannot be shaken in Hebrews 12:28?

Refuse not the One who puts all this blessedness before you; "for if they escaped not who refused him that spake upon earth, much more shall not we" (anyone, no matter who he may be, the apostle can associate himself with them all) "escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven." All this truth that we have had in Hebrews is heavenly truth, as contrasted with Sinai. It is the gospel of grace as distinguished from law. He says, How shall we escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven; reminding us of the question in the second chapter, "how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation." He is the one who shook Sinai. But He says, Yet once more will I shake not the earth only, but heaven also; and you read in Revelation how the very stars of heaven are shaken from their places like the droppings of untimely figs shaken from a fig-tree in time of storm. The time is coming when God will shake heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land; everything will be shaken but the Kingdom which cannot be moved, the Kingdom of divine grace, the Kingdom of Christ into which we have been brought. This can never be moved, and as we have received this Kingdom, He says, let us have grace; for grace alone can enable for His service, and it is "exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." Let us have grace, then, whereby we may serve our God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire (not merely as is sometimes said, that "God out of Christ is a consuming fire;") He will indeed not spare the adversaries, and will also judge His people's ways, both here and at the judgment-seat of Christ,

First, the announcement is made, "I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land." Have these convulsions been? While there have been shakings of kingdoms in the political sense, and the earth has often been shaken physically and otherwise, this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit bears witness to it in the New Testament, for we read in Hebrews 12:26-28, "Whose voice then (at Sinai in a physical manifestation) shook the earth; but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven. And the word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved (the coming kingdom and not the church) let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear." This settles the question as to the futurity of this prophecy. Critics have objected to this interpretation on account of the statement that this universal shaking is to be in "a little while." They apply it therefore to the nearer political events of that period. But the future in prophecy is often fore-shortened, and besides this, the little while is not man's little while, but God's; with Him a thousand years is as a day. Furthermore, in the political events of the times which followed the restoration of the Jews from Babylon not all nations were involved. The prophecy before us declares, "I will shake all nations;" this, too, is future. The Messiah, spoken of next as "the desire of all nations," came the first time, but His coming did not bring the blessing and glory to nations as predicted here, nor did the promised peace come. He made peace in His sacrificial death; the foundation for "peace on earth" was then laid, as well as for the great future blessing of all the nations. But the Jews delivered Him into the hands of the Gentiles, and the Gentiles treated Him as did the Jews. In anticipation of His rejection He said, "Think not that I am come to bring peace, but the sword." Then followed the present age, unknown with its mystery, the church, to the prophets. It will close with the shaking of all nations, when the King-Messiah will appear again and bring the promised blessing to all nations. The silver and gold, which belong to the Lord, will then be brought by the nations. (Isa. 60:5).

The age in which you and I live began at Sinai, and it began with the shaking of the earth, and it will be concluded by the shaking of the heavens and the earth, so we are told in the latter part of this list of the things that we are to come to. “Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only but also heaven.” He is not only going to shake earth, but heaven. “He has promised.” It is a promise given to you and me to cheer and encourage our hearts. I can understand a person not established in the grace of God saying, “I should be terrified at that. Even an earthquake would terrify me.” But this is what we would want to see, because this once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made. I want to see everything shaken that can be shaken, and everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and will be removed. You and I know God well enough to know that God will shake all that can be shaken, and all that can be shaken will be removed. God will have no part in His universe that can be shaken. God will have all on a good foundation, and whatever remains it will be impossible to shake. God spoke at Sinai and the mountain trembled. This was an indication that all that was announced at Sinai will be removed. He will speak again and the heavens will be shaken. Why? Because the heavens are not clean in His sight. All that is clean will remain. But if man has defiled the earth the Devil has defiled the heavens, and when the heavens are shaken the Devil will come down and the whole order of earth and heavens will be altered. Satan will no longer be the prince of the power of the air. He will no longer be the ruler of the darkness of this world. The saints will be in the heavenlies. Everything in the heavens will be according to God. Satan will have no place on earth or heaven; he will go down into the bottomless pit, and from there will be cast into the lake of fire. He will never more have place in the heavens. He has his place there now, but the heavenly Jerusalem will occupy the sphere that Satan and his legions now occupy; and instead of darkness the light of the love of God will stream down into men’s hearts and all will be warmed and comforted by the light of the love of God. All things will be changed. What was brought in at Sinai will be removed. The order of the heavens will be changed. “And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” And what are the things that cannot be shaken? It is this; “Yet have I set My king upon My holy hill of Zion.” There will be no end to His kingdom. If there is to be no end to His kingdom and we receive the kingdom along with Him, “let us have grace” (not law) whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire.” When we think, as Peter says, all these things shall be dissolved, we may well ask ourselves “What manner of persons ought we to be in all manner of holy conversation and godliness?” All that has been defiled by sin will be shaken and removed, but he that does the will of God abideth forever. We want to be found doers of the will of God, serving Him acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. What an array of things we are brought to! “Ye are come to Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly: and church of the firstborn which are written in heaven: and to God the Judge of all: and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.” We are not come to the new covenant. The new covenant will never be made with us, but we are come to the Mediator and the terms of the covenant are expressed in the Mediator “and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” What a wonderful thing that you and I, Gentiles, can be said (because it is true of Gentile as of Jew) to have come to the blood of sprinkling! When the old covenant was given, Moses took the blood and sprinkled the book and all the people. We are sprinkled by the blood of the new covenant. It is the blood of Jesus. That blood that has made atonement for our sins. That blood that is the seal and the confirmation of all that God is to us in the fathomless love of His heart. We are under that blood. The blood which is the witness of the love of God to us. It is the seal of the covenant because death has come in. How secure we are! What is said in chapter 9 of this epistle is, that “a testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no force while the testator liveth.” A man makes his will and I might be mentioned in his will and come in for an inheritance, but the man lives after he has made his will and it is of no force while he lives.

Meanwhile the first fruits of this new creation were being formed; and in Christianity God was forming the heavenly part of the kingdom that cannot be moved; and Judaism — the centre of the earthly system and of human responsibility — was passing away. The apostle therefore announces the shaking of all things — that everything which exists as the present creation shall be set aside. With regard to the present fact he says only, "we receive a kingdom that cannot be moved"; and calls us to serve God with true piety, because our God is a consuming fire; not — as people say — God out of Christ, but our God. This is His character in holy majesty and in righteous judgment of evil.

"Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire" Blessed such a kingdom of eternal character, but received now by faith. "My kingdom is not of this world," the King Himself has declared (John 18:36), for "the world passeth away, and the lust thereof" (1 John 2:17). Since this kingdom cannot be moved, let us not be moved either, but draw from God the grace to serve Him acceptably, that is, in a manner acceptable to Him, consistent with His eternal nature and counsels. And a becoming reverence is to be accompanied by godly fear, a wholesome, serious regard for the awful majesty of God. For He is a consuming fire, fearful in holiness, consuming all that will not stand the test of eternity. The display of His grace by no means involves the slightest giving up of His holiness.

"Therefore let us, receiving a kingdom not to be shaken, have grace (or, thankfulness), whereby let us serve God acceptably with godly fear and dread. For our God is a consuming fire." See the beautiful picture of this in Rev. 4, where the glorified elders are wholly unmoved by the lightnings and thunders and voices which proceed out of the throne; but when the living creatures render glory to Him that sits on it, they are all activity, leave their thrones, fall before Him, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O our Lord and our God. And this is revealed to act on our souls now. For we are qualified already, true worshippers in the hour that now is to worship in Spirit and truth. By grace we fear yet love Him, and would serve Him. Undoubtedly "our" God is a consuming fire; notwithstanding is He our Father who loves us perfectly. And He loves us equally as "God." None the less does He hate sin, as He has proved in the cross of Christ; and He has given us a nature that hates sin, even Christ who lives in us as He died for us. Nothing more opposed to truth than making grace a veil or excuse for sin, as every believer confesses. Therefore says the apostle to the saints in Rome, "Sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under law but under grace." If we were under law, it is powerless for holiness, and can only condemn, being a ministry of death. Christ is the rule of life working on and in us by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit again, in an apostle, comments upon this of the prophet. (See Heb. 12) He tells us, that all that which is to be shaken is "all that is made" — that is, as I judge, all that has not its root or it foundation in Him in whom "all the promises of God are yea and amen." He only is the rock. His work is perfect. Christ the Lord can say, and will say, "The earth and its inhabitants are dissolved; I bear up the pillars." What is of Him cannot be shaken. It remains. And in the faith and hope of what we have in Him, and from Him, beloved, let us say to one another, in the words of the apostle, "we, receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." Amen.

And, accordingly, the kingdom, which by and by the saints order, is a kingdom that "cannot be moved." The earth has already been shaken; heaven and earth will, by and by, be shaken; but the kingdom of the saints "cannot be moved." The "consuming fire" can never reach it, though it may burn up all beside.* The saints are heirs of such a kingdom; they receive a kingdom that "cannot be moved," and have in subjection to them "the world to come" — a world not passed or to pass, but still to come and to abide." (See Heb. 1:8; Heb. 2:5; Heb. 12:28.)

First, as to the action of God, whose voice at Sinai had shaken the earth but now we learn from Hebrews 12:26-27 that "He has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this yet once more signifies the removal of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain" — that would be the heavenly side of the kingdom which we have received (ver. 28). How unaccountable it seems, without further testimony as to the causes of it, that this is what is before the earth and the heavens connected with it,* after it had been the scene of the magnificent display of the glory of God, made good and maintained throughout the kingdom by the Son of man, everything in heaven and earth having been subjected to Him.

*After the shaking of heaven and earth in [Haggai 2, the Lord promises to fill the house with glory, to give peace there, and to make Zerubbabel His signet, i.e., to establish him and his authority irreversibly. In Hebrews 12 this shaking is referred to; but the whole epistle gives us, additional to Haggai, that the believer is to share the signet or "the immovable kingdom" with the true Melchizedec, and also largely unfolds, as we know, the title by which such share in the kingdom is to be held. Thus, ulterior scripture is continually filling up or completing previous scripture.]