The Unshakable Kingdom
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2025 · 23 February 2025
Tonight we come to a most informative portion, really the last great contrast between the Old Testament and the New Testament. What happens to a man refuses the salvation offered in Christ? So then what happens to the person who never really makes a full heart commitment to Christ? Is his judgment as severe as the one who didn’t know? There are five of these warnings, and this is the last one.
And God says, “And don’t worry about the pressures that come, and the trials that come, that’s part of the loving discipline of God. It’s not to be a thing that you fear.” In fact, He says if you don’t experience the discipline of God, you ought to be afraid, because verse 6 says, “Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and every son he scourges, if you be without chastisement, then you’re bastards and not sons.”
Now, as we approach this text, it’s easily divided for us. Verses 18 to 21 is Mount Sinai. Verses 22 to 24 is Mount Zion. Verse 25 to 29 is what you do about it. Let’s begin by looking at Mount Sinai where we look at the fear of the law. The old covenant, the Mosaic covenant, was associated with Mount Sinai because that’s where God spoke to Moses and it was a covenant of fear.
Hebrews 12:18-29, “For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, 20 for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. 21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said,
I am trembling with fear. 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, 23 to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood,
Which says better things than the blood of Abel. 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. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.” The Earth, while orbiting around the sun is shaking.
The earth has been affected by sin. Everything shakes, everything trembles in the throes of corruption; it is all shaking. And no one can do anything about it. In the future the kingdom of this world will be finally shaken, so as to be shaken out of existence; and nothing will be left, including space. God will Himself shake the earth and the sky. Verses 26 - 27 says, “The removal of created things.”
So we’re talking about the Day of the Lord. This is a period of time called the Great Tribulation, in which all these judgements come in rapid fire. First in Revelation there are the seal judgments, and out of the seventh seal come the seven trumpets, and out of the seven trumpets come the seven bowls; and you can see the destruction of the created universe, that takes place in stages.
Ezekiel 43:5, “And the Spirit lifted me up and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.” In Ezekiel’s vision after this judgment on earth, the millennial kingdom will come. The desirable things will be left, and they will all be in the house of glory, and all glory will go to the Lord. It’s headed toward complete destruction, followed by the kingdom of Christ for a thousand years.
At the end of that thousand years, the entire universe goes out of existence in an atomic un-creation, and the Lord creates the new earth. Mark 13:24 says, “After that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see Christ coming in clouds with power and glory.”
Well there are two possible answers, you have two options, and those options are laid out by the writer of Hebrews in connection with two mountains. Verse 18-19 says, “For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, 19 to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them.”
What mountain is that? Mount Sinai. Don’t come to God at Sinai. That mountain was a mountain of death. Verse 20-21 says, “for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. 21 The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear.” Let me remind you of the experience of those who did come to that mountain.
Never approach God on the basis of law. Verse 22, “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering.” And what does it speak of? Grace. And I come boldly to the throne of grace. Mount Zion represents grace, atonement, and forgiveness. “And by coming to Jesus Christ, you’re coming to Zion.”
Verse 23, “to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven.” Who is the church of the firstborn? Well, that’s the body of Christ. Firstborn means those who get the inheritance. Does every believer get the inheritance? Romans 8 says, “You are heirs and joint heirs with Christ.” The firstborn is the right of inheritance. Every member of the body gets the inheritance.
Verse 24, “and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood.” To come to Zion is to come to Jesus, to have a personal relationship with Him. You’re coming to your Savior.” And there’s no other mediator; there’s only one. He’s saying to come to Christianity is to come to grace, to peace and safety, to worship, to fellowship, to come to God, and to come to Jesus.
Verse 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. Who spoke in Christ? God did. He says, “This is My beloved Son, hear Him.” You better listen to the God who speaks in His Son. The Israelites in the wilderness didn’t escape.
Verse 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.” There’s coming a day when God’s going to shake the whole universe. This means the whole universe collapses. All the stars fall out of the heaven. God’s going to close out the universe. But He is not done yet, there is more.
Verse 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.” That denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” Everything in the created universe shakes and trembles under the Curse.
Daniel 2:44 says, “In the future, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” There is coming an unshakable, eternal kingdom, established by the God of heaven, with the Lord Jesus Christ as the reigning King.
In Daniel 7 he has this vision: “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days,” who is Yahweh, “and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him.”
His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” And in Daniel 7:27, “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey Him.”
That’s where human history’s going. You can’t save the planet, you can’t save the environment, because it’s headed for destruction, because everything that is created has been affected by the Curse; it’ll all be destroyed. The only thing that will remain is that which is righteous and holy, set apart unto God; and that will be the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.
Verse 28-29, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe. 29 for our God is a consuming fire.” What do we do? We come to God in grateful worship that we don’t belong to the shakable kingdom. We belong to the kingdom which cannot be shaken. Worship that is well pleasing and righteous.
And if you’re only part of the creation and the kingdom that can be shaken, you will be burned up because God is a fire. You need to come in an acceptable way. “Well how do I do that? How do I escape the kingdom that will be shaken? How do I find entrance into the kingdom which will never be shaken, which will ride through all the judgments into the new heaven and the new earth?
The Israelites, came to the wilderness of Sinai, and they camped there at the foot of Sinai. The Lord called to him from the mountain, Exodus 19:4, ‘Thus you must say to the house of Jacob: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.’ Verse 7, Moses came back and summoned the elders and set before them all the words from the Lord.”
All the people answered together and said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do!’ And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.” Verse 10-11, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes 11 and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.”
Go back now to Hebrews. You see those images being repeated by the writer when He says, “Don’t go to that mountain because that’s a mountain that can’t be touched. Even though you could touch it physically, you don’t want to touch a mountain that is blazing fire, darkness, gloom, whirlwind, blast of judgment trumpets, sounds of judgment words, and the promise of death.”
All the law does is expose your sin and the threat of judgment. God gave His law in a desert, a place of utter solitude. The people had no distractions; there was nothing to see. There was only God, and there was only all that but His voice. And there was their own conscience, and no place to hide. They were naked, facing Holy God, facing their inability to go near Him.
Galatians 3:10 says, “Cursed is everyone who continues not in all the things written in the book of the law to do them” You’re cursed if you don’t do all the law of God perfectly all the time, and that means we’re all cursed. You don’t want to come by your supposed goodness and works. There’s no forgiveness there; you’ll just be everlastingly alive while being incinerated in hell.
What happened at Jerusalem? God set up a sacrificial system at Jerusalem, a provision by which He could grant forgiveness to those who believed in Him, recognized their sin, and knew they needed His forgiveness. You wanted to go to Jerusalem, south of the Old City called Zion, which King David conquered and made his royal residence in the seventh year of his reign.
And he made it the religious center of Israel by putting the Ark of the Covenant there. Zion, the mountain in Jerusalem, became the dwelling place of God. Jerusalem was His city. “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.’”
Zion is the city of God. Zion is the place where God set up the sacrificial system that pointed toward the cross. Listen to Psalm 132, “For Yahweh has chosen Zion; He has claimed it for His habitation. ‘This is My resting place forever; here I will inhabit, for I have claimed it.’” Jerusalem and Zion became one. Psalm 50:2, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.”
And you come, “to Jesus, the mediator of a New Testament.” You come to Jesus. We’re already in relationship with Him, aren’t we? We’re one with Him, and He with us. Through Him we can come to God. And lastly, so important, you come “to the sprinkled blood.” Jesus’ sacrifice is much greater. Christ shed His blood for all who would ever believe through all of human history. Let us pray.