Shalom everyone, the song that we just have been singing, You Are My Hiding Place, is a song that has been taken from the book of Psalms, is one of the songs of Israel, that Israel had been singing when they have gone through times of trials and difficulties and discouragement in their lives. And I think this song is so suitable in light of the passage that we are going to be reading today, the prophet Haggai, I think it is very appropriate because Haggai was the kind of a man that saw the discouragement in the life of the people of Judah and Benjamin, and he sought to encourage them.

And what he said to them, that they should be strong in the strength that God is giving to them. And this is something that is very appropriate when we are finding ourselves a time discouraged as believers in the Messiah, in the Lord Yeshua, in the Lord Jesus the Messiah. It is so appropriate for us to find ourselves encouraging ourselves in the person and the work of the Lord Yeshua, the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And you see, beloved brothers and sisters, this is exactly what happened in the time when Judah and Benjamin returned to build the temple in Jerusalem, and they were in a need of encouragement in a time such as this.

They needed correction, but they also needed encouragement. You and I need corrections in our lives, but we also need encouragement. So today, we are going to be reading from Haggai chapter 2, and we are going to read the first nine verses of this second chapter. Haggai, part of the company of Hebrews, of Jewish people who returned back to the land of Israel, he was one of those that had returned back with the 50,000 Jewish people, Hebrews, Jews who came from Babylon, returned back to the promised land. And now he is receiving a message from God for the Jewish people who were building the house of the Lord.

And let me read you those verses. Chapter 2 and verse 1. In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubabel, the son of Sha'altiel, the governor of Judah, and to Yehoshua, the son of Yehoshadak, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison to it as nothing? Yet be strong, O Zerubabel, saith the Lord, And be strong, O Yehoshua, the son of Yehoshedek, the high priest.

And be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work. For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts, according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt. So my spirit remaineth among you, fear ye not. 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. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former, sayeth the Lord of hosts. And in this place will I give shalom, sayeth the Lord of hosts. I'm stopping in the reading today with verse 9, because in verses 1 to 9 we have the second message that God had given to Haggai for the nation of Israel, for the people of Judah and Benjamin. You see that these two chapters that we have here in the prophet Haggai, There are four times that God had given messages to Haggai to give the Jewish people who returned from Babylon. Message number one we have covered, and that really takes the whole first chapter of the book of Haggai.

In the second chapter of the book of Haggai, we have three additional messages that God is giving to Judah and to Benjamin through the prophet Haggai. In the first message, which we have already covered in the first chapter, those 15 verses, you remember that these people of Judah need to be corrected. They needed to be instructed and actually, in a sense, he is just challenging them and he is telling them, how come you are dwelling in your own homes while the house of the Lord is left unfinished? And he told them, if you remember, consider your ways. Look at yourself. Look at your behavior. Watch how you are walking.

And he actually, in the Hebrew, he said to them, Check your hearts and see where you are standing and what you are doing. We made a parallel, if you remember. The parallel it is to us in this present day dispensation, in which there was a revival in the development, if you will, the revival where Christians, where believers have now have been awakened since the 1800s and so on. And they have the truth of the word of God, which was always there, had brought up to the surface. And people have been convicted and came back to the fundamental truth of the word of God. They have been revived, if you will.

But what happened? It didn't take too long. And that revival that had occurred, you find out that things are no longer the same the way they used to be in the past. Believers have been once awakened, once walking with the Lord, once enlightened by the truth of the Word of God, have kind of slowed down in the spiritual progress. Instead of building the house of the Lord, there will be an occupation, or there is an occupation, with self, and building that which is for ourselves, and not occupy with the building of the house of the Lord. And you know very well that the house of the Lord, when it's come to our present-day dispensation, as believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah it's not the building that is made with bricks and with cement it is the living stones which is composition of every believer in Yeshua the Messiah this is the church the ecclesia the house of God which is the church of the living God and so the parallel is while these Jewish people need to be in challenge because of the lack of faithfulness you and i need to be challenged because of our own lack of faithfulness to build the house of the Lord.

But now, you see, when we finish chapter 1 verse 15, they actually begin to build the house of the Lord. If you remember, it says in verse 14 and 15 of chapter 1, and the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zubbabel, the son of Shaltiel, the governor of Judah, and the spirit of Yehoshua, the son of Yehoshedek and the high priest and the spirit of the remnant of the people and notice what it says in verse 14b and they came and they did the work of the house of the Lord their God and if you remember we close with this statement in verse 15 when did they come and they done that it was in the four and twentieth day of the six months in the second year of king Darius in other words from verse 1 where he was speaking to them on the first day until the 24th day of the same month it took them about 23 days to figure out and to speak within each other and to be convicted for.

The necessity of building the house of the Lord and then they began to build the house of the Lord and they were building the house of the Lord but you see what happened beloved brothers and sisters Because when they were building the house of the Lord, apparently something had happened. To these brethren, these Jewish people who were building the house of the Lord, something came in, and apparently what came in is discouragement among themselves. They began to be discouraged. And you will see this as we're going to begin now to talk about chapter 2. This is exactly sometimes how you and I feel when we are seeking to build the house of the Lord.

You find yourself many times being discouraged because you don't see the result that you would like to see. Many a time when I hear brothers or sisters that discuss with me and talk with me and I with them, I hear words like that they are disappointed. Now what's the use? And oh what's the point I'm carrying on and I don't seem to see results and you know in a time such as this thank God that he doesn't leave us to ourselves he doesn't leave us discouraged and dismayed because we do not see the fruit that we like to see thank God for the encouragement that we get through others through the Scriptures in the power of the Spirit of God that believers can be an encouragement to each other in a time when others finding themselves discouraged because there is no fruit.

They don't seem to see that there is any results of the hard labor that they have put into. And so chapter 2, another message is coming for those people. There was message of challenge, awakening, move on, you need to do something about it, but now there is another message and the message is listen i want you to be encouraged to continue to build the house of the Lord and look what he's doing now we read in verses one and two about the date that the message was given to those Jewish people who came back from Babylon what is the date it's fine in verses one and two in verse one the date it says in the seventh month in the one and twentieth day of the month came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai saying notice it is in the seventh month you see when we read earlier in chapter 1 and verse 1 it was in the sixth month and in the first day and when we close chapter 1 in verse 15 it says it was the sixth month but it was in the four.

And twentieth day but now we are moving to the seventh month and it's the word of the Lord come in a 21 day of the month. That means about 25, 26, 27 days later. Here are these Jewish remnants. These people who came from Babel, they now are already building now the house, but they are looking around. And they are looking at that building that they begin to build, and they are looking, and they are really puzzled because it doesn't seem to be in comparison to what they have seen in the past. Doesn't seem to be as nice and as beautiful and as attractive in comparison to what they have seen in the past.

Look, not only at the date, but to whom he was speaking this word, the word of the Lord. In verse 2, the Lord is saying, speak unto Zerubbabel, and then unto Yehoshua, and also to the residue of the people. Zerubbabel, by the way, the son of the Shaltiel, he was a governor. Yehoshua, the son of Yehoshedek, he was a priest. And the residue of the people was the ordinary Jewish remnant who came back from Babylon. In other words, he doesn't exclude anyone here. He's speaking to the civil leaders, he's speaking to the religious leaders, and he's speaking to the ordinary believers, ordinary Jewish people who came up from Bevel to the city of Jerusalem.

He's speaking to everyone. He doesn't neglect anyone from challenging or encouraging them with the word of the Lord. That tells us something very interesting as well for us. When God is speaking to his people, he doesn't only speak to one individual up there or to the religious leader, if you will, or to the civil leaders. He's speaking to the collective company of God. He's speaking to all the people of God. We are not exempt from God's encouragement as well as from God's correction. And here we find out, brothers and sisters, that the word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel the governor, to Yehoshua the priest, and to the rest of the people of Judah together.

That means that when we are hearing the word of God today, it's not only applied to the leaders, it's not only applied to the people who organize us, if you will, or the movers and the shakers. While the word of God is applied to them but really it is coming to all the people of God when God is speaking he is speaking to all of us when we are today in the present day dispensation the assembly of the living God God's word is applied to you applied to me and we are the ones that God is challenging in chapter one but encouraging in the second chapter of the prophet Haggai and so he is speaking he spoke through Haggai to Zerubabel the son of Shealtiel he spoke through Haggai to Yehoshua the son of Yehoshedek the priest and he spoke to Haggai to the residue of the people of Judah and look what he is telling them in verse 3 beloved brothers and sisters he asking them three questions question number one who is left among you who saw this house in his first glory question number two he says how do you see this house now question number three is is it not in your eyes in comparison to the first house.

It's nothing three questions he's asking these people of Israel people of Judah who were building now the house of the Lord and you can just imagine as they're putting there and beginning in the building of the house they've gone to cut trees they brought it down they start to cut and put things together and they are looking at this house and in their mind they are looking back to history they are looking at least 70 years ago but even more than 70 years because you remember they were 70 years in Babylon as captive in the diaspora now they came back after 70 years and they started to put the foundation as we have it in the book of Ezra but they stopped to build the foundation of the house for about 15 years they didn't do anything anymore about this that's what chapter 1 challenged them that and now it's about 85 years passed by and now he's telling them and actually beloved brothers and sisters really the prophet Haggai does not so much speaking to the young men or the young people now.

But he's speaking to the older generation because the older generation some of them we do not know how many of them but they were old enough to remember what was existing when they were carried captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar and that's why he's telling them in the first question and we know that he's addressing the older generation because look what he says in verse 3. Who is left among you, notice the word left, who saw this house in her first glory. He's actually talking to the older generation and you know what we see here in this verse that apparently there were some Jewish people who survived the seven years time in Babylon.

Maybe they were little children, they were carrying captive like Daniel and others who were being carried. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, we read it in the book of Daniel, in the prophet Daniel. Many of these young boys, maybe they were 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, I do not know. And they somehow have seen the beauty of the temple when it was done there, when Solomon, Shlomo, the king of Israel, that he had built it under the instruction of God through the formation that he received from his father, David. The Padre that God had given to David. Solomon built this beautiful, magnificent temple. And they were young kids.

And they were carried captive with their own parents to the city of Babylon. And they perhaps looked back and they saw this magnificent temple. This wonderful temple that God had established in the midst of the nation of our own people, the people of Israel. And where God set his name there, and where God was the center, God was the object, and the people of Judah, the people of Israel, were worshipping this wonderful God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But now they were carried captive, and they were taken by the Babylonian, who came to Jerusalem, and they came three times, six or five was the first time, and they destroyed completely later on the temple.

They destroyed, they burned the temple. They took all the articles from the temple and carried these to Babylon. And here these boys survived the seven years of captivity. They have lived out the command of Cyrus to come to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, which we read in the book of Ezra. Then they have survived an additional 15 years when the foundation was laid in waste and nobody continued to build the house. And now God is asking them, Who is this among you elder Jewish men and women? Who is this among you who saw this house in his first glory? And he's challenging and he's speaking to them and you can just imagine.

He knows why he's speaking to these older men and women. Perhaps there were not many, because remember, there were only about 50,000 who came back from Babylon. And those 50,000, of course, grew, there were others who had been newborn individuals, but there were not too many people. And maybe there were very few left. And they were discouraged. They were dismayed. They were looking back. And you remember that we have read in the book of Ezra, in chapter 3, that when they have seen the foundation laid, they wept. If you remember, we read this in Ezra chapter 3, many of the priests and the Levites and the chief fathers who were ancient men, when they have seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, they wept with a loud voice.

Now remember, beloved brothers and sisters, what we read in Ezra chapter 3 verse 12 was 15 years yet earlier. When they saw only the foundation and they wept. The Bible called them ancient men. In Ezra 3 and verse 12, they wept. And now when they are building those 20-something days and they continue to lift up the walls after the foundation had been laid, perhaps they were so discouraged that perhaps they were talking with the other young ones and others around. And they were saying, you know what, I'm really discouraged. That is not what I was thinking. That was not what we used to have in the good old days. They look backwards and they see, they remember what had happened.

And you know, we all have somehow, and we look back at some things that were very special for us in our lives. What happened 20 years ago and 30 years ago and 40 years ago. And we look and we say, Wow, I remember those days, how things were. And look at the condition that is existing now. It's just like you and I in our building of the things of the Lord, When we first became believers, and after 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years in the faith, and we look and we say, I remember when. I remember the time that we have had those Bible studies. I remember the time that we have spent time in reaching with the gospel.

We used to be on the streets, and we used to share the message of the gospel, and people got saved. I remember when. And look at this now. We look around, and we see things are not the same. And we can get discouraged. And we can get disappointed. And perhaps put on the shelf things and say, what's the use? Now here come the Lord. And He's giving them a word of encouragement to these older men. And He says, listen. Listen. You need to be assured that I'm there for you. Don't look at things around you. But look at me. And I'm the one that is going to give you an encouragement.

So He's telling them in verse 3 with the three questions. Telling them who it was left among you who saw this first house by the way you notice he used the word this first house till as far as God's concerned there is only one house we might call it the first temple the second temple the third temple the fourth temple but as far as God's concerned there is only one temple one house and so he's telling them who is left among you who saw this house at his first glory. And then the second question that he tell them, and how do you see it now? What do you think about what's going on right now?

What do you see about this? And of course, he asking them a question. And I'm sure the answer that came in their hearts, at least, is, oh boy, you can't even compare. You can't even make a proper comparison, because it is completely different the good old days the glory of this first house was so much superseding what. I'm about to finish building what i see before me and so he said to them how do you see it right now and the third question he said to them in verse 3 says is it not in your eyes notice he said to them in your eyes in comparison of it is nothing he's actually telling them exactly what they actually thought in their eyes it was nothing brothers and sisters let me tell you something you and i sometimes when we do the things of the Lord we always seem to compare ourselves with what somebody else is doing we look at somebody else's look they have in their church group hundreds of people and we look at somebody else and we say look at this what he had accomplished in his sphere of service and then we look at others and we start to compare ourselves with ourselves and we get very discouraged because we look at what we have done supposedly we have done and we don't see much.

And then we get discouraged but where do we find ever in the Bible that God told us to look at somebody else do you remember when Peter and John were following the Lord at the end of the gospel of John, and Peter asked the Lord, he said, what about him? And Yeshua said to him, what is it to you? You follow me. If I will, that he will remain here, and so on, what is it to you? You see, we sometimes despise time of small things. We sometimes compare ourselves with others, and we make this mistake, is because when we compare ourselves with others, others have done much greater works than we ever have been used by the Lord to do.

But the important thing that God is trying to tell these Jewish remnant is look whatever you do for the Lord do it from your heart whatever you do from the Lord be occupied with the Lord and whatever he gives thank God for that and if somebody the Lord used to do something greater something big thank God for that because. If you thank God for what somebody else was used for the Lord and you are thanking God for what the Lord used you to do, you will never have to be discouraged when you see others succeed in much greater way than you are. The Lord promised to be in the midst of his people and to use us in the sphere that he had given to us.

How many times, brothers and sisters, believers get discouraged because they are looking at other brothers and sisters and what they do in their lives as believers, an accomplishment that they have accomplished. It is required from a steward that he may be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 2. That's what God wants from us, that we will be faithful in a small corner that we have been used by the Lord. Sometimes there is a song for the children. You in your small corner and I in mine. Every one of us needs to be faithful in the corner, in the area where God had given to us, and not to be discouraged, because.

We haven't seen great things that have happened by others. I want to read a verse that is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. It says here in verse 4, now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of administration, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operation but it is the same God which work in us all but the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit with all for the one was given in by the spirit the word of wisdom and to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit to another faith by the same spirit and he's speaking about all the gifts that God had given to the people of God and he's telling us at verse 11, dividing to every man severally as he will.

God gave us gifts, but he gave it to us to use it for his own glory and for the blessing of other individuals in the body of Messiah. In fact, I just. Want to read the last verses here in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the ear shall say, because I am not the eyes, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? Verse 17, and if the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But God has sent the members, every one of them in the body, as it has pleased him. That's what we learn here in comparison or in parallel between what Haggai was trying to say to the Jewish people of all, and what the Lord, through the Apostle Paul, is trying to say to us in this present-day dispensation. Don't look, don't compare, but be thankful for what God had given them, and be thankful for the Lord is using you in this present-day dispensation. Let's realize this. This is a message for us as well today. So those three questions were asked by Haggai, by the Lord, through Haggai, to the leaders of Israel, the ancient men and women who have looked back and saw the glory of the first house.

And so now, in verses 4 and 5, he gives them an encouragement to carry on the work of God. And he's saying now in these verses, first of all, verse 4, he's telling them, be strong, because I am with you. Look, and now be strong, O Zerubabel, Sayeth the Lord. Be strong, O Yehoshua, the son of Yehoshedek, the high priest. Be strong, O ye people of the land, sayeth the Lord, and work. For I am with you, sayeth the Lord of hosts. See what he's telling them? He's saying, listen, I know it's not to be compared with what you have seen in the past. But you've got to be strong in carrying on to do the work of the Lord.

Be strong, move on. Continue to do the things that the Lord have given you to do that's what he's telling them don't look back and try to make comparison to the past be strong in what you do even in this present day he's telling to these Jewish people be strong and he promised them notice that he will be and that he is actually with them verse 4 he says I am with you says the Lord of hosts you know it is better to have the promise of the presence of the Lord in the midst of His people and in a time of small things than having Him not among His own people at all.

Do you remember what He said? God says to Joshua, Joshua chapter 1, who after Moses, Moshe, when Moses died, Joshua, the servant of the Lord, remained, and He was the one who was going to lead the people of Israel forward into the promised land, and He said to Joshua, Joshua, this book of the Lord shall not depart from thy mouth, and you shall meditate in the wind day and night. And then He said to him, Be strong and be courageous, Joshua chapter 1. Joshua perhaps was discouraged also. His leader died, Moshe died, God had taken him. Now he's alone, he's supposed to lead the nation. And he was discouraged as well, and he's telling him, be strong, be courageous.

This book of the law shall not depart from thy mouth. In other words, you are to follow after the word of God. Be strong. He promised him that he was going to carry him through and he will lead him and the people of Israel into the promised land. Here he is telling them to be strong and to continue on in spite of the fact that the comparison, that the house that they are building are nothing to be compared to the great house that Solomon had built many, many years earlier. For you and I, beloved brothers and sisters, the New Testament passage is very clear in the book of Ephesians.

The apostle Paul, Shaul, said to the early believers in Ephesus, he said to them in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12, he said, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Paul was encouraging the believers in the first century. At the local assembly at Ephesus, he's telling them to the Ephesian brethren, He says, listen brethren, you are going to receive opposition. You are going to face conflicts here. You have issues to deal with in this world, but be strong. Don't be strong in yourself. Not be strong in your own flesh and in your own energy.

No, because we are weak in ourselves, spiritually speaking. But to be strong in the Lord, in Yeshua our Lord, in the Messiah, and in the power of His might, not in ourselves. It was the Apostle Paul who said, when I'm weak, then I'm strong. When I'm weak in the flesh, in other words, not depending upon myself, I'm strong in the person of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. That's what he's saying. And so they are encouraged to be strong. And you notice he's telling them, I am with you. God is saying to the people of Judah, I am with you as you are building this house.

Look at the beautiful encouragement that he gives them. Okay, it's not a great building. Okay, it's not a Salomonic house, a temple that Solomon had built. But I'm with you. And brothers and sisters, when the Lord is with his people, whether it is a great work or a smaller work, it's still the Lord in the midst of his people. One of the most wonderful verses that we love to read is found in Matthew 18 and verse 20, Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, Yeshua the Messiah said, there am I in the midst of them. He promised to be in the midst of the God of saints, even in a time of weakness.

Even in a time when things are falling apart all over. And that's why it is important to come to a meeting. That's why it is important to gather together on a consistent basis, every week on a regular basis, to have a Bible study, to have a prayer meeting, to have a ministry meeting. It is important because the Lord promised to be in the midst of His own. And if the Lord is there, don't you think we should be there? If the Lord took the time to be in the midst of His own people, His people should have the desire to be where the Lord is.

And that's the point. The question is, we need to ask ourselves, wherever we meet, wherever we go, do we have the presence of the Lord in the midst of His people? And it is that which is encouragement has been given to these Jewish remnant to return from Babylon, especially the elder needed to be encouraged because they look back and they saw in comparison, it is nothing in comparison that what was built by Solomon. And so, he's telling them, I will be with you. I think of Matthew chapter 28, when the first Hebrew believers have gone to preach the gospel into the world and the Lord Yeshua said to them I will be with you up to the end of the age he promised them that as those few are going to preach the message of the gospel to a world that is lost and undone without the knowledge of sin forgiven he promised them to be with them in Hebrews chapter 13 there is a quotation from the old testament from the Tanakh that the apostle who wrote to the Hebrews who told them in chapter 13 for he said I will never leave you nor forsake you and here we have the same thoughts beloved brothers and sisters the promise of God of Israel to be with these remnant that were building the house of the Lord small things not big the rest of the Jewish people were in Babylon Esther and we read in the book of Esther many did not come.

Back to the land they were part of the nation the northern tribe still scattered there were few who gathered they look back and they see it's not the same and God promised them to be with them and that tells us a lot what God had given you to do are we faithful in what God had given us to do are we faithful and encouraged with the little things that God had given us to do if not then how can we have the approval of the Lord even upon the little things that we are doing and the important thing that's God saying to you and i today i'm with you be strong carry on the work that you have received for me to do and now he's continuing to encourage them in verse 5 and i think it is very interesting in verse 5 notice and i think we need to learn to distinguish between the present day dispensation in which we live in the church age and the old testament if you will under when Israel was still under the law and look what.

He's telling them in verse 5 he says according to the word that i covenanted with you when he came out of Egypt so my spirit remaineth among you fear ye not you notice what he's telling them he's saying to them in verse 4 I am with you says the Lord of hosts and he continue according to what? According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt now you know God does not make mistakes he knows that these Jewish people did not come out of Egypt they came now from Babylon some of them I mean all of them came from Babylon but some of them were born now in the land but only about 50,000 now he's taking them back to the time that they came out of Egypt.

And he's saying, according to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. Now, they didn't come out of Egypt. They came out of Babylon. Those particular ones. But as far as God's concerned, just the same like there is only one house, there is only one nation. When years earlier, the people of Israel came out of Egypt, they are the same people who the one who came up from Babylon back to the city of Jerusalem. They are looked at as united as one. Just the same. And that's why the Lord is saying to them, according to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt.

God made a covenant with the people of Israel who came out of Egypt and he made a covenant with them and he told them, when you obey me, I will bless you. When you submit to my word, I will bless you. In chapter 19 of Exodus, we read in verse 5, he says, Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. He covenanted with the people of Israel, that he will take care of them, That he will watch over them, that if they will obey him, there will be a testimony to him, a people to him.

You see, that is exactly what happened now with those Jewish people who came from Babylon. They started to build the house and they were obedient to him there. And that's why he's telling them, I'm with you. When there is obedience, there is a presence of God. When there is obedience, there is a blessings of God. When there is disobedience, there is not the presence of the Lord. When there is disobedience, the blessings of the Lord do not come upon his people. In fact, judgment and discipline coming upon the people of God when there is disobedience. And so he's telling them in Haggai chapter 2 and in verse 5, he says, according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt.

And then he's telling them in verse 5, So my spirit remaineth among you, fear ye not. Now that is a very interesting expression here. So my spirit is remaining among you. He says in verse 5, the Hebrew word for my spirit is ruchi, my Ruach, my spirit. Omedet betochachem, my spirit is remaining among you. And we know very well from the Old Testament Scriptures, if you remember, in the book of Numbers, in chapter 11, when Moses was seeing the rebellion of the people of Israel he was very tired he was discouraged and God said to Moses Moses you take other 70 men you can read it in Numbers chapter 11 you take other 70 men and I will take of the same spirit that was upon you and I will put of that same spirit I will put it upon them that they will continue to serve me among the people of Israel but you know this beloved brothers and sisters he doesn't speak about the spirit dwelling within them but the spirit remains among you now what's the different the different of course it is the same holy Spirit of God who worked among the people of Israel of old among the people of Judah in the time when they returned and used them and gave them strength and encouragement for you and i in this present.

Day dispensation after the Messiah Yeshua have died for us on the tree and he was buried and he rose from among the dead he sent the Holy Spirit of God not only to dwell among us not only to come upon us for a certain mission and service but the Holy Spirit the Ruach HaKodesh came to dwell in the believer and in the body of Messiah. You and I in this present dispensation, not only that we have the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit dwelling among us, but the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in every child of God. The Holy Spirit of God is dwelling in the midst of the people when they are gathering together around the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah.

Let me read you, I think, a verse that is appropriate to be read here in the gospel of John and in chapter 14 Yeshua before he left the Lord Jesus before he left to the father he said to the disciple these things in chapter 14 and. Verse 16 and 17 and i will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither know him. But ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and notice what he adds in verse 17 at the end, and he shall be in you.

The Holy Spirit of God is not only dwelling with us, but he is dwelling in the believers. But the beautiful thing to learn here from this passage is that the Ruach HaKodesh, the Holy Spirit of God, was the one that guided them, that influenced them, that encouraged them to build the house of the Lord. And the Holy Spirit of God, do not make any mistake. He directs the attention of the people to God. That's what the Holy Spirit of God is doing for us today. He is directing us to the person of the Lord Jesus our Messiah and so he's encouraging them he told them to be strong in verse 4 he told them that the spirit remaineth among them in verse 5 he gave them this challenge this encouraging word that he wanted to give those Jewish remnant and they really needed it in their time they really needed like you and i needed today in this present day and so finally now this second message in verses 6 to 9 he is talking about the coming glory he just told them in verse 3 about the glory of the first house and now he is moving them forward to the future there is a day coming there's a coming glory he's telling them there is a day coming with this glorious day far above what happened in the past and even in the present and so in verse 6 he's telling them that something is going to happen before that great glory is going to come he says in verse 6 for thus says 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 he's moving them now forward and he's bringing them really into the time of the tribulation period and that's the reason why we read today in our reading in Revelation chapter 16 there is coming a day when there will be a shaking in this world a shaking the Hebrew word for shaking is rash many times when there is an earthquake we use the Hebrew word for rash shaking when there is an earthquake if you experience an earthquake and you'll see those who tell us who experience an earthquake they experience that rash the noise and the shaking and the moving of everything around them and God is saying to these Jewish remedies he says listen there is coming a day I'm going to shake notice he says in verse 7 I will shake all nations and in verse 6 he says thus says the Lord of hosts yet once it is in a little while and I will shake the heavens.

The earth the sea and the dry land if you will look carefully in Revelation chapter 16 in the second half of the tribulation period you will see how clearly it's applied to that time where there will be the balls of God's wrath is going to fall upon men that rejected him God is going to judge this world in righteousness he is going to judge this world in Revelation we read in chapter 16 about those balls that are going to fall down those vials that we read of them they fell upon the earth it says in verse 2 of chapter 16 of Revelation they fell upon the sea in verse 3 of Revelation chapter 16 it fell upon the rivers in verse 4 Revelation chapter 16 it fell upon the sun Revelation 16 and verse 8 and so on and so on and this is exactly a prophecy concerning the future judgment day that God is going to pull upon the face of this world you notice that he says in our.

Verse in verse 6 of Haggai chapter 2 he's using the heavens the earth the sea the dry land everything is going to shake when God is going to come in judgment upon the face of this world so he's moving them to the tribulation period he's moving them what's going to happen just before the introducing of the kingdom and God going to have his rightful place and the millennial temple is going to be built by the Lord and then notice what he's saying in verse 7 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 now I might disappoint you a little bit in giving an interpretation of this verse because most Bible teachers when they take this verse and it says and the desire of all nations shall come most of the time it's applied to the Messiah and to the second coming of the Messiah i read a few writers and most of those who write about this and speak about this do speak that.

That means that the Messiah will come now i may disappoint you here a little bit because the Hebrew here does not use the word desire of all nations the word desire is really not here The Hebrew word is Chemdat Kol Hagoyim. Chemda, it has to do with that which is the precious things that belong to all the nations. Now let me just tell you quickly for a moment, if people say that the desire of all the nations speaks about the Messiah, let me tell you, is this the desire of all the nations of the world that the Messiah will come? The answer to me is no.

In fact, the human race says, I don't want you, God, in my life. I don't want the Messiah we don't want Jesus we don't want Yeshua at all we don't want God you read Psalm 14 Psalm 53 the wicked the evil man says in his heart God no the natural men do not want God it obviously could not be applied to the Messiah because no he is not the desire of all the nations he is the desire of the redeemed company he is the desire of the saved company those that belong to him they long for him to come you remember the Revelation come Lord Yeshua come Lord Jesus the spirit and the bride says come but the nation says no the nations are raging against the Lord and against his anointed Psalm 2 why do the heathen rage we read in Psalm 2 and imagine the rules, imagine vain things against Jehovah and against his Mashiach, his anointed.

Be sure of this. Neither you and I ever wanted the Lord. It is God who produced this in our own hearts that we will say, Lord, I need you. I need a Savior. I need forgiveness for my sins. We did not want God in our lives. The desire of all nations in this passage has to do with the wealth and the precious things that the nations are gleaning for themselves it has to do with the wealth and the riches that they have for themselves it has to do the is the wealth and the riches and the silver and the gold that the nations glean for themselves one day what they have been gleanning for themselves one day they are going to take all what they have gleaned for themselves and what they desire for themselves and they're going to bring it to the temple in Jerusalem where the Messiah will reign and have his rightful place.

And I'm going to show this to you if you will please turn with me to the prophet Isaiah chapter 60 and verse 5. The prophet speaking about the future day when the nations will come to Jerusalem and they will bring all what they're precious for them and they will bring it to the city of Jerusalem him to the house of God. Then thou shall see, verse 5 of Isaiah 60, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee. The forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee. The dromedaries of Midian and Eifa, all they from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and incenses, and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. Verse 7, all the flocks of Kedam shall be gathered together unto thee. The rams of Nebaiot shall minister unto thee. They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Isaiah received a message from the Lord concerning the future day when the nations will bring to the house of the Lord, will bring to the. Nation of Israel that which is precious for them, but in the future day they will bring it to the house of the Lord and to the land of Israel the desire of all nations shall come and i will fill this house with glory sayeth the Lord of hosts and notice verse 8 connect with it immediately for the silver is mine and the gold is mine sayeth the Lord of hosts you see the context what he tells is speaking about the house of Solomon that he had built, and now these remnant building this house, it is the same house, but it is not appearing to be as beautiful as the house that Solomon has built, and the Lord encouraged them to continue to build, because there is a future house that is going to be built by the Messiah himself, we read it in Ezekiel chapter 40 to 48 the millennial age messianic temple that we know from the book of Ezekiel and that is going to be built and all the nations will bring that which is precious for them they.

Will bring it into the city of Jerusalem they will bring it into the land of Israel and they will worship Jehovah as well and that's the encouragement that Haggai that God is giving to these Jewish people as they are being discouraged because they compare the past to the present. And let me conclude with this verse. In verse 9, he is telling them that the latter house will be greater than the former house. The messianic house, the temple, will be greater than the solomonic house. When the Messiah will establish the kingdom in a future day, and the glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of hosts.

And in this place will I give shalom, saith the Lord of hosts. And now notice verse 9, and I'm going to close with that. In verse 9, we read that he's encouraging to continue to build the same house that they are building. And you know what happened with this house, by the way? That was this rubavelic house. That we call it later on if you remember the very same house was enlarged by the king herod herod enlarged the house you remember the disciples saying to him look at this house look at the temple the magnificent temple that was enlarged this small little house little temple that they have been building 85 years after the camp of Babylon was enlarged by king herod and when Yeshua was on Mount Olives the disciples wanted him to look over and to see the greatness of this temple and indeed it was such a great temple that was enlarged by Herod the very same temple that had been enlarged but not only this beloved brothers and sisters he is also telling them that I will give shalom I will give peace says the Lord of hosts well when did he ever have been brought peace he will bring peace and we know that in the future millennial age there will be shalom there will be peace the Jewish people will be restored to the land there will be the millennial kingdom and Messiah Yeshua will reign there.

As king of Kings and Lord of lords but you see to the very same temple that they have built one day about 2000 years ago from our point of view walked in the one that came from heaven whose name was Yeshua of Nazareth he came to the very same temple you read it actually also in the prophet Malachi he was suddenly coming to his temple and the Lord Jesus the Messiah came into the very same house to the very same temple though enlarged now by Herod and you remember what happened in this same area the same temple, the same city that it was there that the Lord Jesus the Messiah was rejected by men and eventually he was placed on a Roman cross on the tree and it was there in Jerusalem that the Messiah died and while he did not bring yet peace on the whole earth and the whole nation of Israel he gave spiritual peace to those that believe on him Romans 5 1 says therefore we have peace.

Shalom with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah and you and i beloved brothers he promised that i will give peace it was the work that he had accomplished when he came in his first coming that brought peace to the heart of everyone that believes on him while the worldwide peace shalom is still waiting when he is going to come at his second coming and then Israel will look upon him whom they have pierced then a nation will have to acknowledge that he is the king of Kings and Lord of lords and it is then that there will be that shalom that peace as the prince of peace sar shalom will reign and rule over this world in which you and I live in and what a day that will be and for now for us an encouragement to build to continue to build the house of the Lord in the present day the church of the living God to seek to continue to be encouraged in moving on, spending ourselves and our time and our energy for the Lord's things, always abounding.

In the work of the Lord, because He's soon coming, and we are not going to have anymore the opportunity to serve Him as we have Him right now, while it is a day of grace, and He's still leaving us here for a little bit longer. And so thank God for the shalom that you and I have in our hearts today, And may God hasten the day that there will be shalom in this world. It is such a miserable condition, wars and rumors of wars, and yet there is much worse to come in this world in which we live in. We can look forward for the coming of the Lord for us all.

What a day that will be. Can we say Amen to that?