Observation: The exiles have returned to Jerusalem. At first, they failed to begin the rebuilding of the temple, and through Haggai the Lord told them this was wrong, they needed to rebuild the temple or else all their efforts to rebuild their own lives would fail. Now they have begun, and they are disheartened by the results. The new temple seems to be far inferior to the old one. Some elders have memories of Solomon's temple, and using the rubble and inferior local wood, the new one is a shadow of the old. However, the Lord provides this encouragement ... in fact, in this one passage, the Lord makes TWO bold statements:
1) This temple will be "greater" than the first.
2) The Lord will "provide peace" in this place.
Given the context of this entire passage - the fact it is prefaced by the idea that the Lord is going to "shake all the nations" and bring the people of the entire world to the second temple - these two statements could be better understood as follows:
1) This second temple will be grander in size and status, better known throughout the world and even throughout history, than the first.
2) Within this very temple, the peace of the Lord will be passed to the entire world, with such great power that it will reverberate across time.
Does the Lord actually fulfill this one, small passage? YES!
This second temple is built, then expanded, with such grandeur that it eventually becomes the best-known building in the entire Roman empire, considered an engineering marvel of the time. Even after being destroyed, the part of it that still remains is a pilgrim site for Jews, and known throughout the world by everyone as the 'western wall'. The second temple is very much bigger and better known that the first temple.
As for historic peace, it was the second temple that Jesus visited. It was here he spoke and taught. It was here he confronted hypocrisy and declared hope and peace and joy. It was here that, upon Jesus resurrection, the Church first met, adopting thousands of believers from nations all across the world, and from this location they were all sent to pronounce the gospel of Jesus ... which is a message of finding peace with the Lord and thus personal salvation through simple faith in Jesus as Messiah.
God told the remnant that this seemingly unworthy copy of the temple would effectively become so grand that it would be recognized as a great building throughout history, and it would become the epicenter of peace throughout the entire world ... and it did.
Application: Yes, I see these two sentences in Haggai as Messianic prophesy. The Lord declared that the hope of peace to all mankind would emanate from the humble efforts of broken exiles, and it did. There is no other situation in human history where such a positive movement ever existed, let alone originated from such a hopeless origin point. However, that's consistent with every act of the Lord throughout the bible, throughout the history of faith, and throughout each of our own lives.
I believe in the prophesies of the Lord, and am delighted to learn of them.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your wisdom and knowledge, but most of all I thank you for your love and peace. May your Shalom be upon me, my family, my friends, your Church, and even all mankind, especially during this holiday season. I know peace begins with you. May it permeate the world. Amen.
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