SHOCKING Date of 26 : Have a look and THINK
PREPARE YOURSELVES THE LORD IS COMING!
The Desire of the Nations
The Hebrew prophet Haggai wrote about B.C. 520 during the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem (B.C. 520-516) after the Babylonian Exile. His goal was to encourage the builders by giving a word of hope.
Haggai may be a contraction of Haggiah meaning “festival of Yahweh.” He was evidently born in Babylon during the exile, or was an extremely old man who returned to Jerusalem as a member of the group of nearly 50,000 with Zerubbabel. He recorded his messages during the reign of Darius (c. 520 B.C.).
It is said that the Jewish rabbis were accustomed to lament that five things in the first temple were lacking in the second. These were the sacred fire, the Shekinah, the ark and cherubim, the Urim and Thummim and the spirit of prophecy. As to the outward appearance the second temple was greatly inferior to the first. Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had removed the temple treasures and vessels (Ezra 3:12, 13; 2 Kings 24:12-13).
There were some very old people in their midst who had seen the Temple in its former glory and this new one they were building was “nothing in comparison” (2:3). Word was getting around the camp so Haggai preaches to encourage them to continue on with the task for God’s glory. “Now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of hosts” (v. 4). You can’t miss his emphasis. It is “take courage,” “take courage,” “take courage” “and work” because the Lord is with you.
There is no reason to fear because the Lord is with them. “I am with you . . . My Spirit is abiding in your midst” (vv. 4-5). Don’t despise the days of small things if God has His hand in it. The Lord is their King and Shepherd and they will therefore lack nothing in the service of the Lord. He will provide the means of fulfilling His temple with splendor.
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land” (v. 6).
Perhaps the LORD is reminding the people of the time when He shook the world when He descended upon Mt. Sinai and gave the covenant to the people of Israel (Exodus 19:16-20; cf. Heb. 12:26). However, the prophet is speaking of a time when the shaking of the world will be more violent and will affect the heavens and the earth. All nations will be affected and even the islands of the sea. We are given the impression that the whole universe will be shaken.
This “shaking” is a herald of the coming of the Lord to judge the nations of the earth. It reminds us of the vivid prophecy of Isaiah in 24:18-23.
The later prophets employed the imagery of the shaking of the nations as the inauguration of the messianic age (cf. Ezek. 33:19-33; Isa. 13:13; 24:18-23; Joel 3:15-21). Haggai foresees the whole universe in convulsions that effect every nation.
The apostle Peter wrote of such a shaking in 2 Peter 3:10-13. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”
Nothing in the universe will remain the same. The Almighty God and His Messiah will break the power of the nations. The ultimate fulfillment of this passage will be at the Second Coming of Christ. Haggai continues in verses 21-22, “I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. And I will overthrow the thrones of the kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots and their riders, and the horses and their riders will go down, every one by the sword of another.” Yahweh is the sovereign ruler who overthrows the powers of the kingdoms. He is sovereign over the nations. Wars and revolutions are nothing but His shaking of the Gentiles. The LORD God reigns. He uses these cosmic events to accomplish His redemptive purposes.
Earthquakes - Read Haggai 2:6
Coincidence? Or merely picking the "right" natural catastrophes, even if they were the largest and most disastrous in the last few centuries? Or is God really trying to remind us of what has been foretold in the scriptures?
Haggai 2:6 goes on to say:
"I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory.
Coincidences? Interesting!
The Hebraic numerical value of the Hebrew letters of God's Holy name: YHVH is 26! Something to think about! This matches our Haggai 2:6 reference perfectly! He is shaking the nations especially the nations where pagan worship or worship of false gods is prevalent! In His mercy and grace He'll shake some to save many! Blessed be His Name! Shalom Aleichem!
Take a look at this list too.
OTHER HISTORICAL disasters:
Why is it always 26 ? Read Haggai 2:6 --- 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"
AND NOW DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT 26/11 (Mumbai Terrorist attacks on Taj Mahal Hotel in 2008 AND 26/7 Mumbai Floods in 2005
EVERY 26 MAKES ME THINK AND PRAY,
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It is my prayer that you will let Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, the Messiah become the desire of your heart. If you need help in knowing Him in an intimate personal relationship visit this blog often for faith based messages of the Bible. |
Selected Bibliography :Title: Haggai 2:6-9 The Desire of the NationsSeries: Christ in the Old Testament Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2008.
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