The prophet Haggai declared God’s message among the Jewish people who were allowed to return to Israel after the 70 years of captivity in Babylon. The purpose of his message was to encourage the people in the rebuilding of the temple. The Lord was withholding His blessing from the people because of their misplaced priorities. They were totally focused on providing for self without thought to providing for reestablishment of their relationship with God through the restoration of the temple and the associated sacrifices and offerings. The Lord declares through the prophet that He is with them and desires to bless them, but that He will not do so until they decide to put Him first. In spite of all their efforts in trying to provide for themselves, their crops were insufficient, they had no warm clothes, and their wages were meager; they certainly had nothing to spare. Haggai tells them that God will change all that if they will but honor Him by rebuilding the temple to His glory. He knows that it will be a far inferior structure to the one that had been destroyed, but that isn’t what matters. His concern is that His people honor and obey Him. God would be faithful to His word.
Leviticus 26:44-45 “And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.”
God is always faithful to His word—even when His people are not.
Then come some special words of encouragement from the Lord. Following is a quote from my journal.
Haggai 2:6-7 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.
These verses are very familiar in my study of prophecy regarding the return of Messiah Jesus as King of kings. I believe that has to be the main subject of this prophecy since it will result in God filling the temple with glory. Although Jesus brought glory to the temple by His very presence there during His first coming, it is His second coming that will result in God’s glory being restored to the temple as it was in the time of Solomon. It is His second coming that will be preceded by a shaking of the heavens, earth, sea and dry land as so vividly detailed in the book of Revelation.
My focus has always been on the physical impact on the planet. Creation will be shaken as God pours out His wrath in judgment upon the nations of the earth. The thing that stands out to me now is that the Lord’s coming is described as “the desire of all nations.” I think the word desire could only apply to those who have turned to God in faith during that time. Though it is true that this has been the desire of the church since its beginnings (and it is true that the church is composed of people from all nations), the Lord is clear that His wrath is reserved for His enemies, the wicked.
Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
So even though this could be a reference to the desire of the “church,” the church will not be here to experience the wrath of the day of the Lord that precedes His coming. The nations here would refer to the body of believers that come to faith during the tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel. This period will include the time of wrath prophesied by Isaiah.
Isaiah 13:11-13 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Always of interest is the difference in God’s perspective on time and ours—God declares it to be “a little while,” and it’s already been over 2500 years since Haggai made this prophecy.
Haggai 2:8-9 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
Staying in context, the Lord is saying that there is nothing you could use to make this temple more beautiful that I could not provide you. When the Lord returns to rule from the throne of David, that temple will have far greater glory than Solomon’s temple. It will house the very throne of Messiah. When He establishes His kingdom, there will finally be peace in the land of Israel.
Come Lord Jesus!
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