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. It's 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 at times 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 have returned back with the 50,000 about 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. 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 Zerubbabel, the son of Sha'altiel, the governor of Judah, and to Yehoshua, the son of Yehotsadak, 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 Zerubbabel, saith the Lord, and be strong, O Yehoshua, the son of Yehotsadak, the high priest, and be strong, O 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, saith the Lord of hosts.

And in this place will I give shalom, saith 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 has given 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, Simu levavchem 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 have 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 occupied 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 challenged 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 have finished chapter 1 verse 15, they actually began 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 Zerubbabel, 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'd 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 twenty-fourth day of the same month, it took them about twenty-three 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?

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 if we're going to begin now to talk about chapter 2. This is exactly sometime 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 results 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 1 and 2 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 1 and 2. In verse 1, the date is said, 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 and 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 the twenty-one day of the month. That means about twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven 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.

It 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 is speaking to the civil leaders, he is speaking to the religious leaders, and he is speaking to the ordinary believers, ordinary Jewish people who came up from Bevel to the city of Jerusalem.

He is 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 is speaking to the collective company of God. He is 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 are organizers, 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 Zerubbabel 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 is 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, as nothing? Three questions he is asking these people of Israel, people of Judah who were building now the house of the Lord.

And you can just imagine, as they are putting there, beginning in the building of the house, they have 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 one challenged them that. And now, it's about 85 years passed by, and now he is 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 is 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 is telling them in the first question, and we know that he is 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 is 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 five years old, six years old, seven 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 Padren 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 have 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, 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. And 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 is challenging, and he is speaking to them, and you can just imagine. He knows why he is 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 was others, have 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, 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, once we read, in Ezra, chapter 3, and verse 12, was 15 years, yet earlier. When they saw, only the foundation, and they wept. The Bible called them, the Bible called them, ancient men, in Ezra 3, in 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, our thinking, that was not what, we used to have, in the good old days. They look backwards, and they see, they remember, what have 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 then 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, we get discouraged, and we can get, disappointed, and perhaps, put on the shelf, things,

and says, 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 he's going, to give you an encouragement, so he's telling them, in verse 3, with the three questions, after 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, 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, and 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, he says, is it not, in your eyes, notice he said to them, in your eyes, in comparison, 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, and look, they have in their, church group, hundreds of people, and we look at somebody

else, and we say, look at this, we have 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, no, 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, 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, and the accomplishment, that they have accomplished, it is required, from a steward, that he may be found, faithful, 1st Corinthians 4, verse 2, that 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 1st Corinthians, chapter 12, it says here, in verse 4, that 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, all, but the manifestation, of the spirit, is given, to every man, to profit, with all, for the one, who is 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 first 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, 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 is saying, now in these verses, first of all, verse 4, he is telling them, be strong, because I am with you. Look, and now be strong, O Zubbabel, says the Lord, be strong, O Yehoshua, the son of Yehoshedek, the high priest, be strong, all ye people, of the land, says the Lord, and work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts.

See what he is telling them, he is saying, listen, I know, it is not to be compared, with what you have seen, in the past. But you 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 is 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 is 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, 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 is alone, he is supposed, to lead the nation, and he was discouraged, as well, and he is

telling him, be strong, be courageous, this book of the Lord, shall not depart, from thy mouth, in other words, you are to follow, after the word of God, and 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, his might, Paul was encouraging, the believers, in first century, at the local assembly, at Ephesus, he's telling them, to the Ephesian brethren, he says, listen brethren, you're going to receive opposition, you're 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, 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, people, 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 the encouragement, that 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 is 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, 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, 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 tribes, 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 God is saying, to you and I, today, I am 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, with you, when ye 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

all, that he continue, according to what, according, to the word, that I covenanted, with you, when ye came, out of Egypt, 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 one, 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, 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 difference, the difference, 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 disciples, the disciples, 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, 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 is 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 remnants.

And they really needed it, in their time. They really needed it like you and I needed it today, in this present day. And so finally now, in 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 is a coming glory, he is telling them. There is a day coming, where there is glorious day, far above what happened in the past, and even in the present. And so, in verse 6, he is 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 is moving them now forward, and he is bringing them really, into the time of the tribulation period. And that is 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 will 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 am 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, 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 is applied, to that time. Where there will be, the balls, of God's wrath, is going to fall, upon man, 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, in verse 8. And so on, and so on. And this is exactly, a prophecy, concerning the future, judgment day, that God, is going to fall, upon the face, of this world. You notice, that he says, in our verse, in verse 6, of Haggai chapter 2.

He is 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 is moving them, to the tribulation period. He is moving them, what is 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 is 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 you, 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 said, 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 is 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.

No. The natural men, 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 nations, 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 rulers, 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 Chemdat Kol Aguim, is the wealth, and the riches, and the silver, and the gold, that the nations, glean, for themselves.

One day, what they have been, gleaning, for themselves. One day, they are going, to take, all what they have, gleaned, for themselves, and what they desire, for themselves, and they are going, to bring it, to the temple, in Jerusalem. Where the Messiah, will reign, and have his rightful place. And I am 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 are, precious for them, and they will bring it, to the city of Jerusalem, 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 Eifah, all they from Sheba, shall come. They shall bring gold, and incense, and they shall show forth, the praises of the Lord. Verse 7. All the flocks of Kedah, shall be gathered together unto thee. The rams of Nebaioth, 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, saith the Lord of hosts. And notice verse 8, connect with it immediately. For the silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. You see the context, what it tells us, it's speaking about the house of Solomon, that he had built.

And now this 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 is 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 the Zerubah Velik 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 Cape 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 a 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 ourself, and our time, and our energy, for the Lord's things.

Always abounding, in the work of the Lord. Because He is 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 is 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?