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Haggai 2:1-3

1 In the seventh [shabiy`iy] month, in the one [echad] and twentieth [esriym] day of the month [chodesh], came the word [dabar] of the LORD [Yahovah] by [yad] the prophet [nabiy] Haggai [Chaggay], saying [amar],
2 Speak [amar] now to Zerubbabel [Zarubbabel] the son [ben] of Shealtiel [Sha'altiy'el], governor [pechah] of Judah [Yahuwdah], and to Joshua [Yahowshuwa] the son [ben] of Josedech [Yahowtsadaq], the high [gadowl] priest [kohen], and to the residue [sha'eriyth] of the people [am], saying [amar],
3 Who is left [sha'ar] among you that saw [ra'ah] this house [bayith] in her first [ri'shown] glory [kabowd]? and how do ye see [ra'ah] it now? is it not in your eyes [ayin] in comparison [kamow] of it as nothing? KJV-Interlinear

1 On the twenty-first of the seventh 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? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison? NASB

Nearly a month has passed since the previous message from Haggai. During this period there have been several feasts as well as the usual sabbath days. The Feast of Trumpets on the first day, the Day of Atonement on the 10th, and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) from the 15th to the 21st, with Tishri the Sacred Assembly, on the 22nd also being a rest day, Lev 23. Nearly half of the possible work days were lost due to the feast and sabbath celebrations.

These feasts represent the end of the Age of Israel and the beginning of the new age at the end of human history, from the Second Advent to the end of the Millennium. See the Calendar and Feasts study chart in your e-book or online.

Note also that there is a significant gap in time between the early feasts in April and these feasts in October. The early feasts represent the First Advent and the second set of feasts represent the Second Advent and the Kingdom years. There is also a second interruption with the Feast of Pentecost in June which has come to represent the interruption of the Age of Israel by the Church Age. The Feast of Trumpets has also come to represent the Rapture which is the end of our current Church Age and the resumption of the Age of Israel. You might review your dispensation notes from our past studies. See also the Dispensation chart.

By the way, since the Crucifixion occurred at Passover and as scheduled, then we might consider that the Rapture will occur at the Feast of Trumpets in October on the first day. This is of course speculation since no one knows the hour or the day of the Rapture. Trumpets first represented the Second Advent, and that also implies that it will occur in the Fall of the year, which means that the Rapture will occur seven years earlier (perhaps in the Fall too). The Tribulation is seven years in length.

We know that the rapture generation will not know it is coming. This implies that they might be somewhat indifferent toward Bible doctrine which would suggest that the spiritual force in the world will be at an all time low as it was in the time of Noah. But, unlike in Noah's day where the believers remained and the unbelievers were taken, when the Rapture occurs, the believers will be taken and the unbelievers will remain. That will be the beginning of the Tribulation.

Now this is all speculation, but we are studying Haggai. So how are the two connected?

Haggai comes to the people after a month of work, which saw most of that month as time off without work.

The Temple is in rubble. It has been in rubble for several decades since the time of its destruction by Babylon. Even if these people had been alive prior to its destruction they would not have seen it in its all time greatest glory, which was in the time of Solomon. For centuries after Solomon the spiritual lives of the nation had deteriorated and so too did the Temple. It was in sad shape even before it was destroyed.

As goes the spiritual lives of the people, so goes the condition of the temple building. It was in need of repairs but a spiritually poor nation will be greedy and not give to the temple, so funds being low means that things do not get fixed. Thus when the spiritual assets of the people are poor, then the financial assets of the temple are also in the state of poverty.

Conversely, when the spiritual state of the people is low, then the financial resources of false religions is great. No extra charge for that principle.

Now, back to Haggai. He comes to the people and leaders and asks three rhetorical questions

'Who of you... saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?'

The nature of these questions indicates that the people were somewhat cocky in their thinking. That is to say, given the time of the year, and their spiritual state, the fact that they were not an independent nation but were subject to the rule of a foreign power, and most important, the state of the temple. It was still in a shambles. Not much work had been accomplished, yet the people were speaking (implied) of its grandness and it was they who were rebuilding it. Now they have done little more than a couple of weeks work to date.

None of them had seen the former glory of the Temple, and yet they all could see its present condition. God was doing the rebuilding not them, and they had not done much of anything as of yet. So any boasting or suggestion of their association with its rebuilding as being something more than it was, was out of line.

Likewise, Haggai implies that the Temple will not take on its former glory until the Second Advent, and only then it will exceed that former glory by a long way.

In these opening verses Haggai gets their attention and then he will rebuild their confidence in the following verses with Gods promises.

Nothing you do in life gains you any credit in the Plan of God. Each persons participation is nothing more than an honor placed on us by Gods graciousness. None of us will save or redirect Gods plan. None of us will modify it one little bit. But we can advance ourselves in His plan for us, by complying with that which God expects of us, which is nothing short of advancing in our spiritual lives through our daily Bible study.

What ever we accomplish in this world will never approach the glory which God has waiting for us in heaven or, by the way, in spiritual maturity.

So we never boast of our accomplishments nor speculate that we might be the selected privileged few, to do something for God. History will roll on in Gods chosen course, regardless of our participation or lack of it.

Now, that said, this should not deter you from doing all that you can do within your spiritual life, because who knows, God just might use you in some dramatic event in history that you would otherwise miss out on if you remain indifferent or do not advance in your spiritual life.

Do not expect to make history, just advance toward spiritual maturity and God will take care of all the rest. All of what you can do will pale in comparison to the smallest of things which God can accomplish.

Now is the time to post a prayer.

End Of Lesson

Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.

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