Haggai 2

The coming glory of God's House

There will be a generation of believers that will rebuild and restore the House of God once last time. It will no longer be abused by some as a money maker. The little foxes of strive and jealousy will be taken out. In His House there will be peace. In His House all the fruit of the Spirit will be manifest. The Bride of Christ will be made ready to meet her Groom. We must be willing to stand up for what we hear God telling us. We must be His hands and His voice in a troubling and decaying world. We cannot fear what others think of us. We must be doers and not just hearers. The Holy Spirit is refining us in affliction. The dross, the waste, is being poured off and what is left will be pleasing to God and will benefit all His people. We will become One Body, with every part in place, to do His will. From the day that we ask Jesus into our life, the seed is planted, and is at work in us. In unity the Holy Trinity, the mind, body and spirit of the living God, take out the old, change us from within, and refine us to be used for the glory of God. God is all knowing, all seeing and all powerful. He knows who will or will not receive Him from the beginning of time. He chooses whom He wills, to do His will. He wants that no one perish but that all have everlasting life. Jesus is the plumb line that is set on the horizontal line of the cross of salvation where heaven meets earth, for life or death. God gives everyone the opportunity to choose life…..take it! It is offered in His mercy and shouts Grace, grace to those who choose to accept it. Those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are in the process of sanctification and we will be changed, precept upon precept.

2:1 In the seventh month, on the twenty-first of the month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: 2 "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: 3 'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? 4 Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,' says the Lord; 'and be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all you people of the land,' says the Lord, 'and work; for I am with you,' says the Lord of hosts. 5 'According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!'

6 "For thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; 7 and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the Lord of hosts. 8 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the Lord of hosts. 9 'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the Lord of hosts."

17 I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,' says the Lord. 18 'Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid—consider it: 19 Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless.' "

20 And again the word of the Lord came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: 'I will shake heaven and earth.

23 'In that day,' says the Lord of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the Lord, 'and will make you like a signet ring;
for I have chosen you,' says the Lord of hosts.

The NKJ study Bible puts it this way:

The twenty-first of the month by our calendar would be October 17, 520 b.c. In the ancient Jewish calendar this day was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. During this holiday the people of Israel lived in booths, or temporary shelters, commemorating their departure from Egypt when they lived in temporary shelters in the wilderness. I am with you: The Lord's words to the people (1:13) were the same as His great words to Moses. God brought the people back from Babylon as He had brought them back from Egypt. God would be present with them. Finally, the mission in the Promised Land was the same, to build a place for the true worship of God. The people's captivity in Babylon had not rescinded the covenant relationship that insured God's presence with His people. The purpose of the day of the Lord is to prepare the earth for the glorious reign of Jesus Christ on earth. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, the gold in all coffers, and the wealth of all nations. Peace includes good health, well-being, and an abundant life. The term speaks of everything being as it ought to be. The people had worked hard to rebuild the temple, only to be told that their worship would be unacceptable in the new temple. The existence of the temple itself guaranteed nothing.
The hearts of the people had to be in harmony with the sacrifices being made. Despite God's acts of withholding His blessing, the people still had not turned fully back to Him. God determined to bring His blessing on His people, but He demanded that they recognize Him as the source of their great productivity. Haggai focused on the power of God to do as He wills among the nations. He institutes the rule of His Son as King of king. God used this imagery to indicate that Zerubbabel was in His hand, that he was highly valued, and that he represented God's authority in his leadership of the people. Even though the people had been told they were still unclean in God's eyes (see 2:10–14), their leader Zerubbabel was encouraged to guide them through those spiritually trying times. Signet ring is derived from a verbal root meaning "to affix a seal," "to seal up," or "to fasten by sealing." The signet in OT times was an engraved stone set in a gold or silver finger ring, bracelet, or armband (see Song 8:6). When pressed upon wax or soft clay, the ring left the impression of the personal insignia of the bearer .The signet ring was like an identification card or badge in the ancient world (Gen. 38:18). It symbolized status or position and the binding nature of the authority attached to items sealed by the ring (