A Call to Build the House of the LORD
Haggai 1.1-2KJV:
"In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,
Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built."
NIV;
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:
This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.'
Does this sound familiar? It seems to me that everytime somebody tries to urge the body of Christ to go out and make a difference, akk theire lame excuses turns up.
" We need to approach with wisdom, we need to say things in the right ( pokitical correct) way, if we just end up in a discussion it`s fruitless, we must wait for the Lord, and so on it goes. Forever and ever.
Well, if i remember right, Jesus says that the autumn is white as snow and are ready to be harvested. But the flesh always comes up with all this excuses to avoid doing Gods will, because it will be so uncomfortable. Yes, it is uncomfortable. Get used to it.
Haggai 1.3
KJV:
Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
"Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?"
NIV:
"
3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
Of today, it sems like the spiritual house of the Lord remains a ruin. sleepy church attendees, "do as I say, not as I do", seems to be the general term, a static churchculture where the cakes and coffe is the highlight of the day. We live in our paneled church ( which looks good) and are happy with the same rituals. It`s safe, It`s nice, it`s unchallenging.
We also live in our private houses, staring at the telly, when rather should go invite your neighbours over, or invite yourself over to them. Show them what you have to offer.
NIV:
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat (the word og God) , but never have enough. You drink ( of the Holy Spirit), but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm ( you should dress up in Christ). You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat (the word og God) , but never have enough. You drink ( of the Holy Spirit), but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm ( you should dress up in Christ). You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
( You should pay tithe)"
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD.
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD.
How often do we think about how we really lives our lives? How often do we go into the high heavens to pull down spiritual timber that we can use to build the spiritual temple ( that consists of people) of the Lord?
9 "You expected much ( waiting for revival) , but see, it turned out to be little ( a born again now and then). What you brought home, I blew away ( Spiritual newborns die spiritually if the church doesn`t have the ability to nurture them, or they don`t want to take care of them) .
Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. ( People of today have enough with themselves, are to into their own life and their own children to take any responsebility for a spiritual newborn)
10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands."
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.
13 Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD.
14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God,
15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.
So when people of God gets out of their comfortable paneled homes and churches, and begins to meet people where they might be living, or where they might be in life, both physically and spiritually, The Lord may actually be able to get something done. The Lord may actually be more with you outside of your house, than within it, and The Lord will stir up your spirits, so you can begin to work on The Lord Almightys spiritual house, both on the inside and the outside of it.
The Promised Glory of the New House
NIV:
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
2 "Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them,
3 'Who of you is left who saw this housein its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?
4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty.
5 'This is what I covenantedwith you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'
The temple of The Lord isn`t what it once were. it`s supposed to be built a certain way, to be many living stones grined and built on top of eachother, but today it`s just a small truthful remnant left, which makes todays "temple" nothing than a heap of rubble. The teachings of evolution, has taken over as the socalled "truh", and if the church doesnt buckle up, itsgonna stay that way.
6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty.
8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty.
9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."
Get ready for a church shakedown, `cause the Lord will not anylonger take lightly on hypocrits, liars, molesters, wifebeaters, false prophets and all other ungodly people that looks holy in apperance. but who are bloodthirsty deceitful wolves on the inside. He will clean his house, and there will be things happening that will bring the glory of God and fear of Him back to the churches. And then will the desired of all nations come to se what is happening in the temple of the Lord.
Blessings for a Defiled People
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai:
11 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Ask the priests what the law says:
12 If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?' " The priests answered, "No."
13 Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?" "Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."
14Then Haggai said, " 'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
15 " 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on--consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple.
16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.
17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD.
18 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought:
19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' "
Blessings for a Defiled People
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Haggai:
11 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Ask the priests what the law says:
12 If a person carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, oil or other food, does it become consecrated?' " The priests answered, "No."
13 Then Haggai said, "If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?" "Yes," the priests replied, "it becomes defiled."
14Then Haggai said, " 'So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,' declares the LORD. 'Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
15 " 'Now give careful thought to this from this day on--consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the LORD's temple.
16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty.
17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not turn to me,' declares the LORD.
18 'From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid. Give careful thought:
19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. " 'From this day on I will bless you.' "
TO BE CONTINUED
