Beyond 2012 by Julia Loren

Author:Julia Loren [Loren, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-06-22T16:58:53+00:00

The Unshakeable Kingdom in a Shakable World:

keys for 2012 AND BEYOND

by Stacey Campbell

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘YET ONCE MORE I WTT.T. SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.” This expression, ‘Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:26-29 NASB)

Christians worship a king whose kingdom “is not of this world” (John 18:36). Yet they are to pray that His “kingdom comes . . . on earth” (Matt. 6:10). Jesus told us to pray this prayer because He wants His kingdom to be here “as it is in heaven.” Evidently, He believes that prayer will help bring His kingdom to earth. You will note in the two portions of Scripture mentioned above that there are at least two kingdoms: the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of this world (see also Matt. 4:8; Rev. 11:15; Rev. 12:10). One is shakable; the other is not. It is our joy and privilege to labor with Jesus in actions and prayer so that His unshakable kingdom will come to earth.

Prophets have always seen, and continue to see the clash between the kingdoms. They see the parts that can be shaken (even Jesus Himself spoke of them in Matt. 24). And since prophecy is the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 19:10), it is always redemptive in nature (“And they shall call his name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins”). Therefore, whenever true prophecy is in operation, something of the nature of our Savior is being revealed. Even the Old Testament prophets, who prophesied the various judgments of God, only did so in order to try to turn the nation of Israel back to Him. As the book of Jonah illustrates, God’s mercy always triumphs over even the prophesied judgments of God. And as the book of Judges illustrates, God uses judgment to bring His own people back to Him. The great prophet Isaiah understood this clearly:

At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; For when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9)

Isaiah’s longing for God produced in Him the understanding that God’s judgments would produce righteousness on the earth. Today our world is in desperate need of righteousness, and judgment and discipline are used by God to turn nations back to Himself whenever they have veered off course.

A cursory reading of any daily headline will be ample illustration for how far a nation is from the will of God. Obviously, great alignment is needed between heaven and earth, between the nations and God. And so shakings are here and they are coming, not for destruction, but for purification .

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