Mountain-Moving Prayer/Faith
ABSTRACT: This article analyzes the evidence from the Scripture that the moving of mountains as described by Jesus is accomplished by a change in the physical location on the earth of the north and south Poles. Second, how God developed that faith in Joshua. Finally, the specifics of the mountain moving changes that will occur at the time of the return of Jesus.
Copyright Ó 2001 Bruce Alan Killian updated 2001 email bakillian at earthlink.net
To index file: www.scripturescholar.com/MountainMoving.pdf
Grammar update 27 July 2019 A.D.
How many believe that we can only observe mountains moving over the space of millions of years? Was Jesus speaking metaphorically when he said, “if you say to this mountain move from here to there is would be done?” This is the standard teaching of geologists today. The Bible predicts that at the time of our Lord’s return, mockers would be teaching only gradual change. 2 Peter 3:3-4 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." Peter goes on to say, they forget the creation and the flood. The Bible does not teach uniformitarianism or only gradual change but does predict that it uniformitarianism would be taught.
Jesus twice spoke of moving mountains by faith. Jesus said that this could be done if one had even a mustard seed of faith. This implies that one may have less than a mustard seed of faith. But Jesus revealed prayer is a major component of mountain-moving faith. Fasting and forgiveness appear to be two other components of this type of faith.
The book of Revelation (6:14) reveals that every mountain and island will be moved from its place. Islands are mountains in the sea. First, I will explain how mountains could move, not continents inching along by the centuries as part of continental drift. Then I will discuss the training that Joshua went through to make it happen. So following Joshua’s example, we might also be able to move mountains. Finally, a mountain-moving event to expect at the time of our Lord’s return.
The event that can move mountains is a change in the spin axis of the earth. The earth is an oblate sphere. The earth bulges at the equator and is flattened at the poles due to centrifugal force. If the position of the earth’s spin axis were to move either slowly or rapidly, the position of the equatorial bulge would change. <<DIAGRAM>> This would cause compressive and tensile forces in the crust. Where the crust was compressed mountains would form, and seabeds would be exposed. Where the crust was put into tension valleys would form, mountains would move apart or lose elevation, and coastal land would sink into the sea. Places moving toward the new equator would be stretched; places moving toward the new poles would be compressed. In some places, magma would come up through the cracks created.
Because the poles would move to a new location, the ice caps would melt in the areas that moved toward the equator and would begin forming in the areas that moved towards the poles. <<GLOBE>> If the poles moved far enough an ice age would end in one location and begin in a new location.
The Bible records two instances where these pole shifts rapidly occurred. In both cases, it occurred in response to prayer at the time of an important battle between the forces loyal to God and their enemies. These are Joshua’s long day and the going back of the sun in Hezekiah’s day. In both cases, there was a great victory. In both cases, the shift was evident because the sun appeared to move unusually.
It is a common theme of the Scriptures, but one that is not talked about very much—cataclysms—major disasters and upheavals. God’s Spirit talks about the valleys of the sea being exposed (Psalm 18:15). In other places, the Spirit may talk of the day being twice as long as a normal day (Joshua 10:12-13) or the shadow of the sun moving in the wrong direction on a sundial (2 Kings 20:11, Isaiah 38:8, Ecclesiasticus 48:23). Have you ever asked yourself what may cause these sorts of incidents to occur and what actually occurred? I believe that it is the word of God received in prayer coupled with mountain-moving faith to believe that God will act. Jesus pointed to a particular mountain while he was in the region of Bethany and said if you say to this mountain be removed and cast into the sea and do not doubt it will be done for you. Which is the greater act of faith, to say to the sun and moon slow down or to a mountain move from here to there or are they equivalent? Mountain moving faith involves prayer and probably fasting and forgiveness. This is two-way prayer, one must implore God, and one must hear God’s voice.
About the midpoint of Jesus’ ministry, He had already given his disciples the ability to heal every kind of sickness, raise the dead and to cast out demons. They had then gone on a missionary journey announcing the kingdom of God, healing the sick and casting out demons. Now they had returned from their missionary journey, but while Jesus was returning from being transfigured, nine of his apostles together were unable to cast a demon out of a boy. Jesus responds to this by criticizing their little faith, because if they had faith the size of a mustard seed (not a grain of sand) then they could say to this mountain move from here to there and it would obey. Nothing would be impossible for you. But earlier I said that prayer was involved, when the apostles asked Jesus why they could not cast out the demon, Jesus said that this kind comes out only by prayer and fasting. This was tougher than the usual demon—one had to pray (and hear from God) to know how to deal with this type of demon so that it could be cast out. It was never in doubt that it could be cast out and that the mountain could move—the “what” to do to make it occur was in doubt—God had to reveal the manner to accomplish the fact. I believe that the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius are a way in which one can learn to hear God’s voice in prayer.
There are two instances in the Scriptures where the mountains have moved and at least one in the future where all the mountains will move. These events are recorded but not clearly stated, but archaeologically the mountain moving does show up. Because of the shortness of time, I will try to summarize Joshua being trained by God to be a man of communicative prayer faith.
Joshua spent forty years in the desert as a servant to Moses, the man of God. While Moses was alive, God told him, do not make any covenants with the people of the land[1], After he died God told Joshua that no enemy will be able to stand before you (Joshua 1:9, 10:8). Notice Joshua was a man of prayer—I say that because he was able to hear the voice of Yahweh. He spent forty years training Moses, the man of God, so he had discovered and worked at hearing the voice of God. I believe that this is the first step to mountain-moving faith, that is one must know God to hear His direction and respond in faith. God chooses the time and place to move mountains we respond in faith, and it happens.
Also, Joshua, during Moses leadership, was the commander of the Israelite army, he had captured dozens of cities in the Transjordan before Moses died. After Joshua had taken over as leader at God’s command, he was told by God when and how to cross the Jordan River. Following God’s instructions, the Israelites miraculously crossed the Jordan River at flood stage on dry ground. This is akin to, but maybe less than mountain-moving faith. Then Joshua was instructed as to how to go about taking the city of Jericho and what was to be done to Jericho and its inhabitants. Joshua followed the instructions to the letter; Jericho and its inhabitants were conquered without any loss to the Israelites. But there was a problem, Achan, an Israelite, disobeyed the instructions—and the problem did not show up until later. Joshua next decided to capture the town of Ai—it was so small that it only had 5000 warriors defending it. Because it was small, Joshua did not consult Yahweh—it looked easy, after all the conquests that Joshua had been involved in, but a problem resulted. In the attack, Israel lost 36 men. This was a disaster, and so Joshua consults God in prayer. The result is that a lottery is done to reveal who is guilty. Achan is revealed, and it turns out that he stole some gold, silver, and clothes that had been dedicated to God from Jericho. This revealed, Achan and his family were stoned, Joshua again prayed, and the solution to the conquest of Ai was revealed—everything worked as predicted by God, and Ai was taken. So, God is training Joshua to consult Him in prayer before he acts.
Often responding in faith is doing what we should when it would be far more convenient to let it pass. Jesus described how to grow in faith (Luke 17:5f) continue to do the will of ones master after one has stretched oneself to do all that was required. In an example from Joshua, the Gibbionites, a people of four cities (9:17) in the Promised Land were frightened at the approach of Joshua and the Israelites. They resorted to a ruse to get Joshua to make a covenant with them (Joshua 9). They got old dry bread, worn-out sandals, and patched clothes they dressed in these and went as a diplomatic committee to Joshua. The committee convinced Joshua that they had come from an extremely long distance away and wanted to make a treaty of peace with the people of Israel. Joshua did not consult with Yahweh but relied on the evidence of his eyes, the worn sandals, patched clothes, and dry bread went ahead and made a peace treaty with the Gibeonites. Three days later, Joshua learned of his mistake.
Now Joshua and the Israelites are involved in the conquest of Canaan. The kings of Canaan realize that the Gibeonites have made a treaty with Joshua and they are alarmed. The kings of all the cities in the southern half of Canaan decide to attack and destroy Gibeon because of the treaty they made with Joshua (Joshua 10). They gather all the fighting men in the entire area, and lay siege to Gibeon and begin to attack. The word of the attack on Gibeon comes to Joshua—an excellent opportunity to get out of this bad covenant. Just do nothing, and the Gibeonites will be destroyed. No! Joshua had forgiven the Gibeonites, and he and the soldiers of Israel make an all-night, forced march uphill of about twenty miles. Joshua prays, and God promises victory. At dawn, Joshua surprises and engages the forces of these kings. Joshua was fighting to defend this deceitful city from the attack of this huge army. God has told Joshua that he is to take the land killing all the inhabitants who remain and that he must honor his covenant with Gibeon.
The battle is big, there are too many soldiers, and although Joshua routed this enemy army and they flee, Joshua does not have enough daylight to catch and kill them all. Joshua knows that if he can kill all of these enemy soldiers, his job of conquering the cities of the south will be much easier. Joshua knows that under cover of darkness many in this army will escape to fight another day. Now God starts helping Joshua by throwing great stones (big meteors if you will) (not hailstones in Hebrew it is ABN stone in Greek lithos) at the escaping soldiers (Joshua 10:11). Joshua prays at the leading of the Holy Spirit, for the sun and the moon to stand in the sky so that they will have enough daylight to slay all these escaping men (Joshua 10:12-14). Now, remember that the Israelites did not get any sleep because they were rushing uphill in the dark to defend Gibeon. God answers Joshua by having the day extend to the length of two days. There are records from the opposite side of the earth of a long night. Joshua is doing more that was required. The army has been up for a day-a night-and a day, and Joshua is asking to make that a long day, I am sure that they were very tired.
What does God do? For the sun and the moon to hang around in the sky for twice as long something dramatic has to have happened. This occurred late in the year when the daylight hours were short. I believe that it can be proven that God caused the earth to dramatically shift the position of the poles in the course of that one-day. The position of the poles shifted and in moving, caused the length of the day where Joshua was to be much longer. A pole shift can only occur due to an outside force acting on the earth. No earth-born process can overcome the inertia due to the equatorial bulge. I believe that we also are told the means that God used to accomplish this. Before Joshua prayed, God was already launching a large number of large meteorites at these escaping armies. These meteorites upset the gyroscopic motion of the earth. About 1400 BC the position of the North Pole moved from a position off the coast of Norway to a position near the Hudson Bay. The ice age ends in Europe and starts in North America.
Besides a longer day, what other effects would this kind of change have caused? Worldwide earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains forming, moving, or being destroyed. This is because areas of the earth’s crust that are moving toward the new equator are being stretched, causing rifts and valleys and an overall lowering of the level of the land. Areas that are moving away from the equator experience compression of the land this compression is the force that builds mountains.
The shift would also dramatically affect the climate. Sodom and Gomorrah two cities that were near or in what is today the Dead Sea are in some of the bleakest climate in the world, a very sparsely vegetated desert. But Moses tells us that at the time of Abraham some 600 years earlier that these were garden cities like Zoan in the Nile delta—extremely lush and green. We also know that the climate of the Sanai peninsula was more hospitable because there was food for the large flocks and herds if Israel. Today there is very little grass in the Negev desert.
So God answered the prayer of Joshua fighting to keep a covenant that he did not want.
In the book of Revelation telling of the time of the return of Christ, we are told many things that will happen. We are told of a worldwide earthquake, of mountains and islands disappearing. We are also told of the probable cause of these events three separate events where smaller and large meteorites and asteroids strike the earth.
Jesus said you will say to this mountain be uprooted and be planted in the sea. We are also told that at the time of Jesus return in Zechariah that as his feet touch the Mount of Olives that it will split with half moving to the north and half moving to the south. That sounds very much like the rift due to a pole shift. If a rift is occurring, then the land is being stretched, and therefore the Mount of Olives is moving closer to the equator. This also means that the average elevation is decreasing and mountains could and will disappear into the sea. The North Pole would move toward or into Alaska. <<Diagram Pole Shift and Rift>>.
God responds to men's prayers when they are in line with His will. One can know the will of God best by being in communication with God. Faith praying God’s will—in the right time will again move mountains. Joshua was able to forgive the Gibeonites. The 'Our Father' tells us that we need to forgive those who sin against us, an ingredient to mountain-moving faith.
Satan is the father of lies and we have been besieged by lies. Much of the scientific community is atheistic and one of the sources of these lies. Many of the most important discoverers and inventors of all time were deeply religious men — Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Tesla, etc. Without the belief in God, many of the most important discoveries could never have been made because God has revealed himself as a God of order, so men looked to understand the order that God had created.
The slowing of the speed of light—is a subject well documented but not often discussed. If light is slowing, then the age of the universe is dramatically less than its billions of years and evolution loses its main support enough time” for things to change. This is because of two things if the speed of light was greater then the length of time it takes light to reach the earth from the most distant stars was much less in the past. Second, the rate of radioactive decay is inversely proportional to the speed of light—the higher the speed of light the shorter the time for radioactive decay. This explains things like polonium halo and the extreme length of the age of the earth.
Some may have difficulty accepting this teaching because it goes against so many things that are taught in our current enlightened society.
Mountain Moving Faith
Zechariah 14:1-11 A day of Yahweh is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. 2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. 3 Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. 6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime--a day known to Yahweh. When evening comes, there will be light. 8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. 9 Yahweh will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Yahweh, and his name the only name. 10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.
Matthew 17:9-20 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead." 10 …. 14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him." 17 "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" 20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 21:18-22 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, "May you never bear fruit again!" Immediately the tree withered. 20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. "How did the fig tree wither so quickly?" they asked. 21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Mark 11:19-25 When evening came, they went out of the city. 20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. 21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" 22 "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."