In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He [Jesus Christ -Yeshua]
was in the beginning with God.
HAGGAI
The Book of Haggai is the tenth of the twelve books of the
Minor
Prophets in the Old Testament. The name of Haggai comes from the Hebrew
word Haggiah meaning, “festival of God”. This name may have been given
to him after being born on a day of a major Jewish feast. He ministered
along with Zechariah to encourage the freed Babylonian captives to
finish rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. The prophecies of Haggai,
Zechariah and Malachi spanned an era from c. 520-425 BC with Haggai c.
520-518 BC.
Cyrus the Great of Persia issued the first decree in 538 BC
allowing the captives of Judah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the
temple. The restoration began in 536 BC. By 520 BC, however, the
restoration had not been completed. The people had become preoccupied in
seeking their own fortunes and building their own houses. They reasoned
that the time was not right to rebuild the temple. Consequently, God
chastised them by bringing hardship upon them. The harder they worked
for themselves, the less they prospered from their labors. Through
Haggai God commanded the people to complete the temple, and He promised
blessings in return for their obedience. The people obeyed the word of
God, and Zerubbabel and Joshua led the people to complete the temple. As
a descendant of David, Zerubbabel would represent the Messianic line of
Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Haggai prophesied what was to come regarding the temple. Even though
some elders considered the restored temple as mediocre in comparison to
Solomon’s temple, God promised that the latter temple would be more
glorious than Solomon’s temple. This prophecy was partially fulfilled
when Christ filled the enlarged temple of Herald the Great with His
glory. The final temple will surpass all others when Christ returns the
second time to inhabit it after redeeming
Israel and judging the
Gentile nations.
Haggai 1: The incomplete temple; God’s command to finish the temple
Haggai 2: Disobedience and obedience; future glory of the temple; the
judgment of Gentile nations