Devotional 08 August 2025

August 08, 2025 • Steve Torres

Hebrews 12:28-29.jpg

"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:25–29, ESV)

The final movement of Hebrews 12 is not a warning in isolation—it’s the logical conclusion of the entire chapter, and in many ways the whole epistle. The writer has shown that Christ is better than angels, Moses, the priesthood, the old covenant, and the temple sacrifices. Now he pleads with his hearers not to ignore the one who speaks from heaven (Hebrews 12:25). The same God who once spoke from Sinai now speaks through His Son—and this voice doesn’t just shake the earth but also the heavens.

This heavenly shaking is not arbitrary. The writer draws from Haggai 2:6, showing that God’s plan has always been to remove what is temporary so that what is eternal might remain (Hebrews 12:27). Sinai trembled and brought fear. Zion remains and brings life. God is not demolishing creation—He is re-creating it. He shakes what was provisional in order to reveal the kingdom that is unshakable.

This is not just a future hope—it is a present reality. The writer doesn’t say “we will receive,” but rather “we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). In Christ, we already belong to the new creation. Paul echoes this in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Revelation opens our eyes to this same truth: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man… Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:3–5). We are not waiting to enter God’s presence—we live in it. God is re-creating creation now, in us and through us, as His Spirit makes His home in our hearts (Ephesians 2:22).

This truth reshapes our worship. No longer do we approach God through veiled rituals, shadows, and ceremonies. We offer Him our lives, “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). Our worship is not limited to songs or sacred spaces. It is our daily obedience, our gratitude, our love toward one another. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, true worshipers will worship the Father “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23–24), because His kingdom is no longer confined to mountains or temples.

We do not build on shifting sand—the traditions, efforts, or systems that once defined religious life. We build on the Rock, the foundation laid by the perfect Lamb of God, who alone is worthy (Matthew 7:24–27; 1 Peter 2:4–6). And so we worship with reverence and awe, not in terror, but in wonder. For our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29; Deuteronomy 4:24): purifying, refining, and consuming all that cannot endure His presence.

Let us be grateful. The kingdom has come. The fire has fallen. And we are part of a reality that will never be shaken.