Hebrews 12:25-27 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Based on verses 22-24, the readers must respond with an affirmative yes to Jesus. The author has compared the old way of the law to the new way of Jesus. He has offered the incentive of heaven. Now, he gives another strong warning to highlight the judgment faced by those who reject Jesus. This warning should be a wake up call to the readers, especially those who are tempted to go back to their old ways and forsake God’s promises in Jesus. God gives warnings through prophets and events. The Epistle to the Hebrews is one such warning. Going back to the story of Israel in the desert discussed in chapters 3-4, God warned the people about disobedience, but they still rejected God’s promises and so ended up wandering in the desert of doubt for forty more years. That generation never did experience God’s promises. God has warned people in a new and more powerful way through his words given in his Son (Hebrews 1:2). Jesus brought and embodied God’s promise of eternal life in heaven and victorious life on earth. God shakes the world through different ways. Some of the readers may have been experiencing hardship and this was a form of God’s discipline to wake them from their complacency and to show them the dangers of doubt. The earlier part of chapter 12 discusses the topic of discipline. The author is try to wake up the readers with more warning in these verses. They need to examine themselves carefully and heed the conviction that God gives them. The easy thing to do is to become complacent and lazy, which leads to doubt which then ends up in fear. God loves us and does not want us to experience judgment. But judgment is the response for those who do not heed God’s warnings
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