The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Who was that?

Again the writer reminds the readers of the experience at Mount Sinai. From numerous places throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, they learned that the shaking of the mountains when God gave his people the Decalogue was an extraordinary event. The speaker obviously is God, whose voice shook the mountain and made the people trmple with fear. But the same voice also utters a promise that has recurring and lasting significance. Through the prophet Haggai, God spoke to the Israelites concerning rebuilding the temple and said, "In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory" (2:6-7). From the literature of the Jewish rabbis, we learn that this particular passage was considered to be messianic.

The prophet predicted a shaking of the heavens and the earth. The writer transposes the terms heaven and earth to show the sequence of the effect of Christ's work. The earth shook when Jesus died and when he arose (Matt. 27:51; 28:2), but more importantly the preaching of the gospel and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit shook the entire world. The heavens also experienced change: the angelic hosts sing Christ's praises (Rev. 5:12); angels rejoice when one sinner repents (Luke 15:10); angels are sent out to minister to the needs of believers on earth (Heb. 1:14); and angels long to look into the mystery of salvation (Eph. 3:10; I Peter 1:12). It is Christ, therefore, who is at the center of this upheaval on earth and in heaven. He will cause heaven and earth to shake when he appears a second time (Matt. 24:29; II Peter 3:10).