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THEBOOKOFHAGGAI
Lesson3,Chapter2
Let’sopenHaggaichapter2bysummingupchapter1.Thefocusisclearlythe
Templethatstilllayinruinsaftercloseto2decadesoftheJudeansreturningto
theirformerhomeland.TheirformerhomelandisnowbutaPersianprovince
calledYehud,andtheareaisnotquitewhatJudahusedtoencompass,however
itisapproximatelythesame.Evenso,onlyafractionoftheformerJewish
residentshadcomehome,oreverwould,preferringinsteadtoremainwhere
theywereorexploringothernationsforbetteropportunitiesfortheirfamilies.
ThereturningJews(ananachronisticnamethatisNOTwhattheycalled
themselves)actuallyreferredtothemselvesasJudeans…meaningresidentsof
JudahasopposedtoidentifyingasbeingfromthetribeofJudah.Tribalismhas
longagofadedawayintonationalidentity.Fromtheirperspective,theywerethe
rightfulownersandresidentsoftheland.KeepinmindthatJudahdidnotinclude
theformerNorthernKingdomofEphraim/IsraelthatwasscatteredaroundAsia
andNorthernAfricaacoupleofcenturiesearlierbytheAssyrians.Themajority
offormerJudeansthathadbeenhauledoffunwillinglybytheBabyloniansto
Babylonhadbynowdiedoffduetoage.Itwasmostlytheirchildren,andtheir
children’schildrenwhowerereturningtoJudah.Apparentlytherewereahandful
ofquiteelderlyJudeanscomingbackthatwerechildrenwhentheyleft,sothey
hadsomememoryofthesplendorofSolomon’sTemplepriortoitsdestruction.
ThereturningJudeansmainlyhadtheideaofreclaimingfamilylands,orchards
andvineyards.Butwhattheymetuponreturningwerenewresidents,suchas
theSamaritans,thathadmovedinandtakenovertheseoften-vacantfarmsand
fields.TheybroughtwiththemtheSamaritanformofreligionthatincludedthe
corruptedSamaritanversionoftheTorah,andtheequallycorruptedSamaritan
worshippractices,allofwhichcollidedhead-onwiththoseoftheJudeans.
Needlesstosay,thingsdidnotgowell.
ThePersiansmadeagood-faithattempttoallowalltheformerstatesthat
BabylonhadconqueredmoreindependencethantheBabylonianshadallowed.
So,thePersiansselectedtheJudeanSheshbazzarasthegovernorovertheir
provinceofYehud.He,alongwiththeHighPriest,attemptedtorebuildthe

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Templebutgotnofurtherthangettingthefoundationlaidduetotheconstant
interferenceoftheSamaritans,andthelackoffunds,andthenthelackof
interestfromthosereturnedJudeans.AfewyearslatertheProphetHaggaiis
introduced.HebringsaninsistentmessagefromYehovehtogettheTemple
project(thathadlaiddormantfor15years)goingagain.
Apparently,eventhoughtherewasnoTemple,theAltarofBurntOfferingthat
wasonTemplegroundshadbeenputbackintooperation.Sacrificingwas
happeningagain.Perhapsthisisoneoftheseveralreasonswhythereturned
JudeanshadlostinterestinrebuildingtheTemple.Afterall,probablytheprimary
religiousconcernoftheJudeanpeoplewastosacrificeinordertohavetheirsins
forgiven(somethingthathadbeenimpossiblefortheprevious70years).
However,welearnthatGoddidnotaccepttheirsacrifices,nordidHeaccept
theirambivalenceatnotmakingrebuildingtheTempleprioritynumberone.A
reasonablequestiontoaskiswhythiswassoimportanttoYehoveh.Wasn’tthe
Templemerelyabuilding?
I’llnotgointodepth,becauseIansweredthatquestioninsomedetailinthe
previouslesson.Briefly,theTempleinJerusalemwaswhereGoddesignated
thatHewouldmakeHisearthlyabodeandmakevisitationthere.Thisiswhere
fellowshipbetweenGodandHischosenpeopleweretooccur.Butmore,the
TempleisattheheartoftheCovenantofMoses.TheTemple(atfirstthe
WildernessTabernacle)wasordainedbyGod,indetail.ItwaswherethePriests
operated.Fullyone-thirdoftheentireLawofMosesisaboutpriestlydutiesand
Templematters.
TheTempleis,andhasremained,crucialtotheHebrewstothisday(asitshould).
ItisthegentileConstantinianChurchthathas,aspartofit’s
the-Church-has-replaced-Israelunderlyingdoctrine,determinedthatthe
TemplenolongerhasvalueandthattheconstanthopeofrebuildingtheTemple
thathasextendedintothe21
st
centuryiswrongmindedandanoffensetoGod.
Thisisafalsenarrative.HaggaiandZechariahemphasizethecriticalnecessityof
theTemple,andthenEzekielinthefinal8chaptersofhisPropheticbookgointo
exactingandextensivedetailsofthebuildingoftheTemplethatwillbeinuse
duringthe1000-yearreignofChristonearth.ItistimethatYeshua’sfollowers
understandthis,repentofthisfalsedoctrine,andrealizethattheTempleisnot

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merelyaGodrequirement,itisthevisiblesymboloftheongoingrelevanceofthe
CovenantofMoses.ThefactisthatGodonearth,MessiahYeshua,isgoingto
maketheMillennialTempleHispalace.
Withthat,openyourBiblestoHaggaichapter2.
READHAGGAICHAPTER2all
Chapter2contains3moreoraclesfromGod,giventhroughHaggai.Theseoccur
inthe7
th
andthe9
th
monthsoftheHebrewcalendaryear,stillinthe2
nd
yearof
KingDariusofPersia’sreign.Thefirstofthethreeopensthechapter,andHaggai
recordsthatitcameonthe21
st
dayofthe7
th
month.Thinkonthatdayfora
moment.ThisisthefinaldayoftheFeastofTabernacles…Sukkot…thatisthe
grandestdayoftheentirefeast.Thisfactisthecontextoftheoracleandwould
havebeenattheforefrontofeveryJudean’sthoughts.
AnothernameforSukkotistheFeastofFinalIngathering,becauseitiswhenthe
finalharvestofthecurrentyear’sgrowingcycleisbroughtin.Thereweretobe
manyofferingsandsacrificesofthefirstfruitsofthisharvest.But,thisharvest
hadturnedouttobeameager,ifnotamiserable,one.Thenumberofsacrifices
andthequalityoftheproducewouldhavebeenvisiblypoor.
AboutamonthhaspassedsinceworkhasbegunanewtorebuildtheTemple.The
neworacleisaddressedtoeveryone…theleadership(Zerubbabel,governorof
Yehud,andJoshua,theHighPriest)…aswellasalltherestofthepeople.Taking
intoaccountthateveryoneknowsthisisthefinaldayoftheFeastofSukkot…the
granddaddyofallthefeasts…andthattheyareinsomewaycelebratingit…
althoughinamostsubduedwaytothewayitusedtobedonewhentheglorious
Solomon’sTemplewasstillstanding…thenwecanunderstandtheimpactofthe
questionGodasks.Hesaysinverse3:
CJB
Haggai2:3'"Whoamongyouisleftthatsawthishouseinitsformerglory?
Andhowdoesitlooktoyounow?Itseemslikenothingtoyou,doesn'tit?
Ouch.Thisrebukealmostrisestosarcasm.Nomatterwhatnationyouarepart
of…andI’llusetheUSAasmyexample…canyouimaginebeingtakenoverbya

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foreignpowerthroughwar,andthenstandingtogetherinfrontofourdestroyed
CapitalBuildinginWashingtonD.C.tocelebrateJuly4
th
,IndependenceDay,and
Godsaystous:so,howdoesthisfeeltoyou?Isthereanyoneleftamongyou
whosawitbeforeitwasdestroyed,andnowhastoseeitinthisfarlesssplendid
condition?Whatdoesthislooklikeinyoureyes?Doesitseemlikenothing?
ThisisnomorenorlessthanGodtellingHispeoplethatthisiswhatdisobedience
toHimbrings,andwhatitlookslikeasaconsequence.Wereadaboutthissame
situationintheBookofEzra.
CJBEzra3:10-13
10
Whenthebuilderslaidthefoundationofthetempleof
ADONAI,thecohanimintheirrobes,withtrumpets,andtheL'vi'imthesonsof
Asaf,withcymbals,tooktheirplacestopraiseADONAI,asDavidkingofIsra'el
hadinstructed.
11
Theysangantiphonally,praisingandgiving"thankstoADONAI,
forheisgood,forhisgracecontinuesforever"towardIsra'el.Allthepeople
raisedagreatshoutofpraisetoADONAI,becausethefoundationofthehouseof
ADONAIhadbeenlaid.
12
Butmanyofthecohanim,L'vi'imandheadsoffathers'
clans,theoldmenwhohadseenthefirsthousestandingonitsfoundation,wept
outloudwhentheysawthishouse;whileothersshoutedoutloudforjoy-
13
so
thatthepeoplecouldn'tdistinguishthenoiseofthejoyfulshoutingfromthe
noiseofthepeople'sweeping;forthepeoplewereshoutingsoloudlythatthe
noisecouldbeheardatagreatdistance.
AlthoughitseemsuponacasualreadingthatEzraissayingthatthereasonfor
thepriestsandtrumpetsandLeviteswiththeircymbalsarepraisingGod,isthat
itisincelebrationofthelayingofthefoundationoftheTemple,thatisnotso.
Haggai’sinformationtellsusthatthiscelebratinghadtodowithobservanceof
theFeastofSukkot.Evenso,EzrapointsoutthattheolderJudeansweptloudly
indespairovertherealitythatalltheywerestandinginfrontofwasnotaTemple
atallbutonlyabarefoundation.And,itwasobviousbyitssizeandconstruction
thatwhatwouldbebuiltontopofitwouldbebutashadowofthemagnificence
ofwhatstoodbeforeitsdestruction.Itwastheyoungergenerationthathad
neverseenSolomon’sTemplethatwerewildlyhappyandenthusiastic.I’msure
theoldergenerationcouldn’tunderstandtheyoungergeneration’shappiness,
andtheyoungergenerationcouldn’tunderstandtheoldergeneration’simmense

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sadness.Thereisanimportantlessonhereaboutrelativity…andIdon’tmean
thatwhichEinsteinproposed!
Itseemstobehumannaturethatwemeasuresuccessorfailure,progressor
stagnation,andgoodversusevilbasedonwhatwehavepersonallyexperienced.
Thatis,weallstartwithabaseline.Asanexample,thosewhowerebornin
Americaafewyearsbefore,during,andtheninadecadeorsoafterWWII,have
aperspectiveonthegenderbattlesweseetodaythatisbasedonhowitwas
whenwewereyoungandgrowingup.Ourbaselineismuchdifferentthanfor
thoseborninthepast3decadesandespeciallythosebornwiththelast20years.
We,theoldergeneration,areappalledandbaffledbywhatwehearandsee.We
can’timaginethatsuchadebateovergenderidentitycouldevenoccur,letalone
betakenseriously.MostofusarefollowersofChrist(toonedegreeoranother),
believethattheBibleisthetruth,andsoweseesuchgenderissuesassettled
andsoisamatterofgoodversusevil.But,theyoungergenerations…including
thosewhoclaimChrist(again,tosomedegreeoranother)…seethismostlyasa
matterofharmlesshumanpreferencesthatareneversettled,andhasnothingto
dowithrightorwrong,normalorabnormal,goodorevil,sosomeevencelebrate
theemergenceofgenderfluidityandchoiceasademonstrationoflove.Itisall
relative.
Folks,theConstantinianChurchisavictimofthatsortofrelativity.Yet,asGod
pronouncedtothosereturningJudeans,thiswarpedmindsetanditsterrible
consequencesisalltheirfault.Itistheresultoftheirdisobedienceandnot
puttingGodfirst.TheChurch,asithasbeenknownsincelateinthe4
th
century,
isrelativelyfarfromwhatYeshuaprescribedtoHisdisciplesandfollowedHimself.
ThesameChurch,todayinthe21
st
century,isrelativelyfarfromwhatthe
earliestConstantinianChurchprescribed,andsoevenfartherawayfromwhatis
biblicallymandated.Yet,ineachstage,astheyoungestofthecongregationgrew
tobecometheoldest,theoldestonlymeasuredtheincreasingdistancefrom
whatChristactuallytaughtrelativetothebaselineoftheirexperienceintheir
youngeryearsandnottowhattheBibletellsus.Ittrulyistheproverbial
frog-in-the-kettlescenario.
Mygreaterpointisthis:fortheolderChurchgoingfolkslisteningtothislesson,
asbadassomeofusseethingsnow(accordingtothatperspective)don’tever

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thinkthatwewere,andare,morefaithfultoGodandHisWordtoanygreater
extentifwehavesimplyremainedwithinthatsameinstitutionalenvironment
andfaithmindset.Perhapsfromarelativestandpointwearebetter,butGod
doesn’tdealwithhumanity…andespeciallywithHisworshippers…froma
relativestandpoint.IthinkifYeshuawalkedintoanyChurchthatweattended
whenwewerechildren,Hewouldhavebeenjustasdumbfoundedand
disappointedasaChurchHewouldwalkintotoday.Neitherhavemuchtodo
withobedienceorfaithfulnessaswefinditrequiredofusintheaccordingtowhat
YeshuaspokeandtheBibledemands.
So,thoseoldestJudeans…theonesweepingovernothingbutafoundationthat
wasthereastheytriedtocelebratetheFeastofTabernacles…weren’tsomuch
weepingovertheirlossofrelationshipwithGod,orthesinoftheirdistancefrom
followingHisTorahindevotion,astheywereinthelackofthesplendorandthe
pridetheyoncehadinthemagnificentTempleofSolomon,thatwas(whenitwas
firstcompleted)seenasonethewondersoftheworld.Godhastheanswerfor
thisproblem,andwe’lldiscussitwhenwegettoverse5.
Inverse3,whereweseeGodspeakingoftheTemple’sformerglory,thisisthe
alternateuseoftheterm“glory”(kavedinHebrew)thatwefindintheOld
Testament.Theonewediscussedinourpreviouslessonisapropernounandis
literallythenameofacertainmanifestationofGodcalledTheGlory.Here,
however,gloryisanadjectiveanddescribestherelativesplendoroftheTemple
buildingasitusedtobecomparedtowhatitisnow,andisgoingtobe,even
whenfinished.
Therefore,inverse4,sincethisrealizationhasreallyhithometoYehud’sleaders
andtotheEldersoftheJudeans,thenthemessagefromGodisoneof
encouragement:“bestrong!”Thatis,havecourageandbefearless.The
resistanceoftheSamaritansthattheJudeansdealtwith15orsoyearsearlier
maybeless,butitisstillpresent.Sothatthereisnomistake,andasameansof
emphasizingthemessage,Godgivesittoeachleader,andtothepeopleasa
whole,separately.Yet,itispreciselythesamemessage.
Whoismeantby“peopleoftheland”?IsiteveryoneinYehud,oronlythe
Judeansthathavereturned?Toanswerthequestion,wehavetodiscernjust

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whoitisthatGodplacestheresponsibilityupontorebuildtheTemple.Whilethat
primaryresponsibilitylaysonthereturningJudeans(otherwisetherewouldhave
beennoneedtowaituntiltheexilewasovertorebuiltit),atthesametimethose
Samaritansandotherscannotbeentirelyexcluded.Afterall,especiallythe
SamaritansclaimYehovehastheirGodaswell.Thattheirdoctrineshaveled
themfarastrayisbesidethepoint,becausethat’stheirownfault.So,yes,those
livinginthelandandstillthereaftertheJudeanshavereturnedarepartofthe
groupexpectedtorebuildtheTemple…althoughprobablynotexpectedtobeas
heavilyinvolvedasthehighlymotivatedreturnees.
Verse5is,astheysayintheentertainmentbusiness,amic-drop.There’sreally
littlemorethatneedstobesaid,ormuchthatcouldtopit.IthinktheCJBdoes
apoorjobwiththisverseandmutesitsimpact.TheKJVismoreliteralandmore
tothepoint.
KJV
Haggai2:5AccordingtothewordthatIcovenantedwithyouwhenyecame
outofEgypt,somyspiritremainethamongyou:fearyenot.
SomeotherBibleversionssubstitutetheword“promise”forthephrase“the
wordthatIcovenanted”,andthatsteersusoffcourse.TheHebrewforwordis
dabar,andthisiswhatwefindhere.Andoneofthewordsusedtoindicatea
covenantiskarath,whichwealsofindhere,anditmeans“tocut”(incovenant
terminology,onecutsacovenantanditcomesfromthepracticeofcuttingand
sacrificingananimaltoconsecrateanagreement).Byretainingthetruesenseof
theseHebrewwords,thenwebetterunderstandthatGodissayingtheJudeans
aretoreturntothecovenantHemadewith…who?Thenextwordsofverse5
answersthe“who”question.ItwasthosewhocameoutofEgypt.Whatcovenant
didGodcutwiththeHebrewswhentheycameoutofEgypt?TheCovenantof
MosesatMt.Sinai.Weneedtoconsiderdeeplythatthiscovenantbindsboth
manandGodtoit;that’stheverynatureofacovenant.Godofferedthe
covenantandboundHimselftoit;thus,itisveryimportanttoHim.Thisagain
confirmswhatIsaidinourpreviouslesson.TheTempleisthefocusandthe
tangiblenationalsymboloftheCovenantofMoses,andtheplacewhereGod
chosetohavefellowshipwithHispeople.Therefore,aslongastheTorah
continuestoexist,aTempleisanecessaryelement.Thatattimesitdidn’texist
becauseitwasdestroyeddidn’tchangethatfactatall.

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Iwantyoutonoticesomething.Scholarshavealwaysnotedthatthisisa
complicatedpassage.Ontopofsyntaxissues,thereseemstobeamissing
word…probablyaverb…betweenverses4and5.Thatis,verse5kindofjust
hangsintheairwithoutmuchconnectiontowhathasjustbeensaidinverse4
withoutanactionword,andalthoughvirtuallyalltranslatorsandinterpreters
takeitthatverse5instructsaboutwhatistobedoneaboutverse4,that’snot
howwefinditintheBible.EricMeyerssaysthatclearlyanactionwordismissing,
almostcertainlybecauseofacopyisterror.Andthewordhesuggestsis“do”
becausethat’swhatisbeingassumedbymostBiblescholarsanyway.So,since
thisisnotatallcontroversial,butitjustaddstotheclarity,hereishowweought
toreadthisverseandtakeittomean:
DoaccordingtotheWordthatIcovenantedwithyouwhenyecameoutofEgypt
somyspiritremainethamongyou;fearyetnot.
I’llclarifyfurther.Theinstructionis,inplainlanguage,DotheTorah.Todistillit
furthersinceit’sobviouslynotthehistoryofIsraelthatwefindintheTorahthat
needstobedone,butratheritisthefollowingofGod’slawsandcommands,then
mostspecificallyitmeans“dotheLawofMoses”.Bydoingthat,GodsaysHis
spiritwillbewiththem.FearnottodotheinstructionsoftheLawisthebottom
line.WhywouldtheJudeansfeardoingthat?Becausetherewillbeopposition,
mostlyfromtheSamaritans,whocreatedtheirownversionoftheTorahandit
boreonlysomeresemblancetotheTorahGodgavetoMoses.Notonlythat,but
especiallyduetotheirlongtimeawayinBabylon,muchnewtradition(manmade
doctrine)hadbeenintroduced.
IwanttopauseheretoaddressthosewhocallourselvesHebrewRoots,or
JewishRoots,orMessianic,orsomesuchsimilarname.Itisourmutualgoalto
separateourselvestosomedegreefromthecustomarywaysanddoctrinesof
theConstantinianChurchandinsteadtodoourlevelbesttoreturntowhatthe
NewTestamentcalls“TheWay”.TheWayisthefirstdesignationgiventothose
disciplesthatdeterminedtofollowYeshua’steachingsandleadership.Itinvolved
anumberofthingsincludinghelpingtheirbrethren.But,atthecoreofwhatit
meant,itwasasYeshuapreachedontheSermonontheMount,whichinvolved
this:

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CJB
Matthew5:17-20
17
"Don'tthinkthatIhavecometoabolishtheTorahorthe
Prophets.Ihavecomenottoabolishbuttocomplete.
18
Yesindeed!Itellyou
thatuntilheavenandearthpassaway,notsomuchasayudorastrokewillpass
fromtheTorah-notuntileverythingthatmusthappenhashappened.
19
So
whoeverdisobeystheleastofthesemitzvotandteachesotherstodosowillbe
calledtheleastintheKingdomofHeaven.Butwhoeverobeysthemandso
teacheswillbecalledgreatintheKingdomofHeaven.
20
ForItellyouthatunless
yourrighteousnessisfargreaterthanthatoftheTorah-teachersandP'rushim,
youwillcertainlynotentertheKingdomofHeaven!
Itisnotmygoaltodemonizethosewhoaredevotedtowhateverdenomination
youare.Thatsaid,Icannotstandwithyouontoomanyofyourbeliefsexceptfor
thedeityandsavinggraceofChrist,whichistheoneandonlywaytotrue
salvation.Manmadetraditionsespeciallysincethe4
th
centuryhavedriventhat
faithwelltrack,substantially,becauseitlongagoceasedtoreflectandagree
withGod’swrittenWordandinsteadsoughttopleaseaRomanEmperorandhis
powerbrokers,someRomanBishops.So,Icaneasilysumupthisinstructionin
Matthew:DotheWordIcovenantedwithyouatMt.Sinai.Yeshuasaidinevery
waypossibleinthose4versesinMatthewthatHeistalkingabouttheTorahand
morespecificallyabouttheLawofMosesbecausethat’sthepartoftheTorah
thatcontainsthelawsandcommandsofGod.Healsosaysthatitisthedoingof
thesethingsthatmatters.Doingisobedience;notdoingisdisobedience.The
PhariseesandtheScribes(intheCJBSternscallsthemTorahTeachers)were
teachingthepeoplemostlytheirdoctrinesandtraditions.AndYeshuatoldHis
listenersthatfollowingthosethingswascertainlynotgoingtogainthepeople
muchrighteousness,andnowherenearenoughtoentertheKingdomofHeaven.
Evenmore,thosedoctrinesandtraditionsthatseemedsorightandimportantto
themattimesdirectlywentagainsttheWordofGod.Therelationshipbetween
whatwereadinHaggaiandwhatwereadChristsayinthisregardontheSermon
ontheMountisremarkable…butwhywouldn’tthatbeexpected?Whatelse
wouldHesay?DisobeyMyFather?
OverthequartercenturythatIhavetaughttheTorah,I’veheardeverymanner
ofretorttothisteachingofChrist,fromtellingmethatIemphasizeittoomuch,
tosuggestingthatPaulwasthebetterauthorityonthematter,andlatelytoa

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mindsetthatdeclaresthatnothingthatChristsaidpriortoHisresurrection
mattered,becausethateventchangedeverything,anditdismissedeverything,
thatHesaidbeforeit.Theseretortsallfalltothegroundandholdnowater,
becauseasstrongasthisstatementisinMatthewinEnglish,itisevenstronger
andmoreexplicitintheGreek.TheTorahremainsineffect(asmuchasitcan
withoutaTempleandPriesthood),andwearetoDOitasYeshua’sfollowers(as
muchaswecandointhesocietiesinwhichwelive).Itisahugebarriertoour
righteousnesswhenwedon’t.So,imaginewhatitmeansforYeshua’sviewofthe
ChurchthatsaysnotonlytodisregardtheLawofMoses,butalsoweoughtto
enjoybreakingthoselawsandcommandsbecausethat’swhatJesuswantsofus.
So,tomyHebrewRoots,orJewishRoots,orMessianicbrethrenorwhatever
nameyoumaychooseforyourselves,Isay:donotfear.Don’tbediscouraged
becausewearerelativelysmallvoiceinagiantpoolofopposingvoices.Inevery
agetherehavebeenthosewhobrokewiththemanmadetraditionsofthefaith
becausetheyfinallyrealizedthatthesedoctrinesleadpeopleastray,andof
coursethosewhobrokewiththedemandsoftheChristianinstitutionswere
slanderedanddemonizedbythosewhopreferredtheirdoctrinesoverGod’s
writtenWord.
CJB
Matthew15:1-3ThensomeP'rushimandTorah-teachersfromYerushalayim
cametoYeshuaandaskedhim,
2
"Whyisitthatyourtalmidimbreakthe
TraditionoftheElders?Theydon'tdon'tilat-yadayimbeforetheyeat!"
3
He
answered,"Indeed,whydoyoubreakthecommandofGodbyyourtradition?
FellowfollowersofYeshua,wearefacingnothingdifferentthanwhatYeshuaand
Hisfollowerswereaccusedof.Wehavetodealwithnothinganygreaterthan
whatYeshua’sfirstfollowershadtodealwiththatalsocamefromthe
institutionalreligiousestablishment.Thefactis,OurLordandSaviorexpectsus
tohavetodealwithit,andtodoittakescourage,becauseitchallengeswhat
doesnotwanttobechallenged,becauseitcannotstanduptothechallenge,and
sowithnootherresponseavailableitfuriouslylashesback.Getusedtoit;it’s
notgoingtochangeverymuch.
BacktoHaggai.When,inverse5,GodsaysthatHisSpiritwillbewiththe
Judeans,itistheHebrewwordruachthatliterallymans“breath”or“wind”.But

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italsodoublestomeanGod’spresenceingeneralor(atothertimes),anactual
manifestationofGod(aswiththetermHolySpirit).WhenGod’sspiritiswith
someone,thismeansthatanunseendivineprotectionisgiventhatleadstoour
fearsbeingtemperedoreliminated.Ihavenodoubtthatinthisverseitmeans
God’sactualpresence,especiallybecauseitisallabouttheTemple…theplace
whereGod’spresencewastoreside.
I’llsummarizeandparaphrasewhatisbeingsaid.GodissayingtoeveryJudean
returnee,rebuildtheTemplesothatMySpiritwillbewithyoujustasmy
CovenantwithMosesprovidesfor,andthenyouwon’tfear.And,evenin
sincerelydoingtheworkofrebuildingtheTemple,Iwillalsobewithyouina
sufficientenoughwayastotampdownyourfearstoenableyoutocompletethe
worknomatterwhatkindofoppositionyoumightface.Whatweultimately
realizeisthatverse5isacommand,itisanencouragement,itisapromise,and
itistheantidoteforwhathasbeenailingtheJudeansallthesemanyyears…the
lackofGod’spresence,andthesevereconsequencesthatlackofpresencehas
meantforthem.Icannotrecommendstronglyenoughtoappropriatethisverse
foryourselves.Itistrulyamic-dropstatementfromGodthatleaveslittleleftto
besaid.But,ofcourse,moreissaid.
Verse6beginswithatypicalPropheticWordformulathatagainannouncesthat
itisYehovehofHostswhoistheauthorofthismessage.Aswediscussedbefore,
itisusingroyalcourttermstoindicatethatthemessageoriginatesbyGodgiving
ittoHisDivineCouncilinHeaven,andthereafteritgoestoHaggai.Idon’twant
togettoohungupinourthinkingaboutthesequenceofGodpresentingittothe
Heavenlyelohim,andthentoHaggai,becausethatthenintroducestheelement
oftime,somethingwhichhasnoexistenceandthereforenomeaninginHeaven.
And,thenotionoftheabsenceoftimeis(Icontend)nothingwehumanshave
anywaytomentallyprocessorvisualize.
Themessageitselfistranslatedinvariouswaysduetoitscomplexities.Idon’t
favorthewaytheCJBdoesit,asittakesmuchtoomuchlibertywiththewords.
ThemostliteralistheYLT(theYoung’sLiteralTranslation)thatsoundsalittle
strangetoourearsbutnotsomuchsothatwedon’tgetit’smeaning.

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YLT
Haggai2:6ForthussaidJehovahofHosts:Yetoncemore--itisalittle,And
Iamshakingtheheavensandtheearth,Andthesea,andthedryland,
TogetthetruestsenseofthisinawayourWesternearscanhearitbetter,it
oughttobe“yetoncemore,inalittlewhile…”Thisiswhatscholarscall
eschatologicallanguage.Inreal-peoplewords,thatsimplymeansEndTimes
vocabulary.Itcertainlyhasthesenseofimminencetoit;thatis,theEndTimes
eventitspeaksofisnear.Yet,thereismoretoit.Weneedtoaskourselvesa
coupleofquestions.Wasthereapreviousshaking(sinceGod’swordsare“once
again,inalittlewhile”),andifsowhenwasit?And,evenmorefundamentally,
whatexactlyismeantbythisterm“shaking”?
ThereacoupleofplacestogointheBiblethatcanhelpustounderstandthis
better.First,Habakuk.
CJBHabakkuk3:1-8ThisisaprayerofHavakuktheprophetaboutmistakes:
2
ADONAI,Ihaveheardthereportaboutyou.ADONAI,Iamawedbyyourdeeds.
Bringyourworktolifeinourownage,makeitknowninourowntime;butin
anger,remembercompassion.
3
GodcomesfromTeman,theHolyOnefrom
MountPa'ran.(Selah)Hissplendorcoversthesky,andhispraisefillstheearth.
4
Hisbrightnessislikethesun,rayscomeforthfromhishand-thatiswherehis
powerisconcealed.
5
Beforehimgoespestilence,andclosebehind,theplague.
6
Whenhestandsup,theearthshakes;whenhelooks,thenationstremble,the
eternalmountainsaresmashedtopieces,theancienthillssinkdown;the
ancientpathsarehis.
7
IsawtroubleinthetentsofKushanandthetenthangings
shakinginthelandofMidyan.
8
ADONAI,isitagainsttherivers,againstthe
riversthatyourangerisinflamed?Isyourfurydirectedatthesea?Isthatwhy
yourideonyourhorses,anddriveyourchariotstovictory?
GodshakingsomethinghappenswhenHebringschaostothatthingoreven
destroysit.ItcanalsobethatwhenGodappearsonearthinHisfullestpresence,
becausethesheerweightandawesomenessofHisactualpresencecausesthe
earthtobuckleandthecosmostoreact.That’swhyHisfullestpresenceonearth
isnecessarilytherarestofevents.Itissofearsometohumans,thatnoonecan
standbeforeit.

Lesson3-HaggaiChapter2
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NowlistentothewordsoftheanonymousauthoroftheBookofHebrews.
CJB
Hebrews12:18-29
18
Foryouhavenotcometoatangiblemountain,toan
ignitedfire,todarkness,tomurk,toawhirlwind,
19
tothesoundofashofar,and
toavoicewhosewordsmadethehearersbegthatnofurthermessagebegiven
tothem-
20
fortheycouldn'tbearwhatwasbeingcommandedthem,"Ifevenan
animaltouchesthemountain,itistobestonedtodeath";
21
andsoterrifyingwas
thesightthatMoshesaid,"Iamquakingwithdread."
22
Onthecontrary,you
havecometoMountTziyon,thatis,thecityofthelivingGod,heavenly
Yerushalayim;tomyriadsofangelsinfestiveassembly;
23
toacommunityofthe
firstbornwhosenameshavebeenrecordedinheaven;toaJudgewhoisGodof
everyone;tospiritsofrighteouspeoplewhohavebeenbroughttothegoal;
24
to
themediatorofanewcovenant,Yeshua;andtothesprinkledbloodthatspeaks
betterthingsthanthatofHevel.
25
Seethatyoudon'trejecttheOnespeaking!
Forifthosedidnotescapewhorejectedhimwhenhegavedivinewarningon
earth,thinkhowmuchlesswewillescapeifweturnawayfromhimwhenhe
warnsfromheaven.
26
Eventhen,hisvoiceshooktheearth;butnow,hehas
madethispromise:"OnemoretimeIwillshakenotonlytheearth,butheaven
too!"
27
Andthisphrase,"onemoretime,"makesclearthatthethingsshakenare
removed,sincetheyarecreatedthings,sothatthethingsnotshakenmay
remain.
28
Therefore,sincewehavereceivedanunshakeableKingdom,letus
havegrace,throughwhichwemayofferservicethatwillpleaseGod,with
reverenceandfear.
29
Forindeed,"OurGodisaconsumingfire!"
Thereisagreatdealsaidinthispassagebutwe’reonlygoingtodealwithone
aspectofit.ClearlytheauthorofHebrewsinterpretedHaggai2:6asspeaking
aboutGoddescendinguponMt.SinaitogiveIsraelHiscovenant,andwhenthat
happened,theearthwasliterallyshaken.ThepresenceofGodwassoterrible
partlybecauseeverythingandeveryonefeltthecatastrophicweightoftheGreat
JudgeandHisjudgingwill,thatevenleftMosesquakingwithdread.Then,we
readinverse26that“Hisvoiceshooktheearth…andonemoretimewillshake
notonlytheearth,buttheheavens,too”.
So,thefirstshakingwasatMt.SinaiuponGoddescendingtogiveMosesandall
IsraelHisTorah.But,Haggaiprophesies,andtheauthorofHebrewsbelieves,
therewillbeasecondshakingthatisgoingtobefarlargerinscopeandmore

Lesson3-HaggaiChapter2
14/14
catastrophicandviolent.Theshakingwillaffecteverythingfromthestarsinthe
skytothelandandtheseaonearth.Nothingwillbeleftuntouched.Thiswillalso
bewhenthenations(gentilenations)areconfrontedanddestroyed.This
shakingisnotsomehyperbolicsymbolorfigureofspeech;itisquiterealandit
iscoming.
Yes,theearthshakeswithregularityfromearthquakes;andthereisshakingin
theskieswithstarsexploding,andmeteorssmashingintooneanother,andour
Sunoftenhavingbeyondviolentexplosionstheequalofamillionhydrogen
bombseachtime.Thesearebutthepreludeofwhatisgoingtohappenbecause
naturealone…ofitself…isinsufficienttocauseit.Rather,thenextshakingwillbe
onlythesecondshakingoftheLordofwhichweareaware;theEndTimes
shakingthatwereadaboutinseveraloftheProphets,includingintheBookof
Revelation.Theeffectsofitwillbebeyondanywordsorthoughtswecanconjure
up.
So,eventhoughHaggailikelythoughtthis2
nd
shakingwasimminent,itwasnot.
Howlongbeforeitwouldcome?Haggaididn’tknowandwestilldon’tknow
exceptthatmuchmoretimehaspassedsinceHaggai’sera,andthesignGod
gavetousoftheimminentapproachoftheEndTimeshashappened:Israelhas
returnedasanation,backonitsownGod-givenland.
We’llcontinuewithHaggaichapter2nexttime.