Have You Asked That Mountain to Move?

 Have you ever wondered what Jesus really meant when He said to His disciples “...for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move;..." (Matt.17:14-21 NKJV)? What or who is "this mountain" and why would we want to move it? Taking the statement literally doesn't make much sense. To suggest that it means to teach that genuine faith is required to experience the fullness of God's power in our lives is true, but is that the whole lesson?

     Perhaps something the Revelator says in the 8th chapter can help shed some light on our Master's statement. We are told that when the second trumpet sounded (verses 8-9): “...something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea..." When the third trumpet sounded (verses 10-11): "a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became Wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter."

     Both of these trumpets have reference to two aspects of one great event, i.e., the casting down of Satan from heaven. The "great mountain" (kingdom or government) of the second trumpet is Satan's kingdom cast into the sea of humanity. "Therefore rejoice, O, heavens and you who dwell in them (God's Saints)! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Rev. 12:12; see also Isa. 14:12; Jer. 51:25; Zech. 4:6-7). Except for the church of the firstborn, Satan has the entire world (earth-sea) in his clutches.

     In the third trumpet we see the major effect of Satan having been cast out of heaven and onto the “earth and sea." It was like a "great star" whose name is Wormwood (bitterness) that fell from heaven (Isaiah 14:12). In this event, Wormwood falls in the “rivers and springs of water" - the pure truth of God's Holy Word - making the pure waters bitter by contamination with his lies (John 8:44). (See also Deuteronomy 29:18 and Proverbs 5:3-4.)

The incident that prompted our Lord's statement concerning "this mountain" in Matthew 17 was because of the disciples’ inability to remove a demon from a child. The child had recurring epileptic-type seizures and often fell into fires and water. After Jesus removed the demon from the child, the disciples asked Him. "Why could we not cast it out?' Jesus replied, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing shall be impossible for you.'

     Think of the implications of our Lord's response! Can we truly and fully appreciate what Jesus is telling us in this profound statement? Can we fully comprehend the incredible and unlimited power God offers each one of us to not only overcome demons, but to have full power and victory over all of the evil forces of Satan's kingdom by saying to "this mountain, 'move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you?" Brethren, the ruler of this world is Satan; he is our great enemy, a deceiver and a liar. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:12-13). There is no reason in the world why that mountain should still be in our way! We have the One on our side who is able to move it out of the way - if we truly believe (1 John 4:4). “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

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