Haggai 2:7
“I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord Almighty. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Haggai 2:1-9 and Hebrews 12:18-29
Haggai was one of the last prophets in Scripture. His ministry overlapped Zechariah’s and was equally as brief. He ministered during the reign of King Darius I of Persia and his main message was to encourage the Israelites to rebuild the temple after returning from exile in Babylon. The construction of the temple had stalled out. Haggai both rebuked Israel for not prioritizing this important task and reminded them of God’s glory that would fill the temple if they could only complete it.
But God wasn’t necessarily speaking of this exact temple in every instance. We pick up in chapter 2 where Haggai is delivering a message from God to the governor and high priest. His message was simple – get to work:
“But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid” (Hag 2:4-5, NLT).
God is telling them to look back to a specific time for motivation. During this time, God was with Israel as he led them out of Egypt. He is with them on this day as much as He was with Israel on that day. Then God elaborates:
For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” (Hag 2:6-9, NLT).
God looks back and also looks forward in His message. God continues to remind them of what he did during the Exodus. He says that he will “again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land.” During the Exodus, God shook the ocean and the dry land. He came to their rescue in a mighty and powerful way by dividing the sea and then killing the Egyptian army.
God tells them that He is going to do it again. He says that He will again shake the heavens and earth which means that He will shake the whole of all creation. What is God referring to here? We have the author of Hebrews to thank for telling us:
“Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.’ This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain” (Heb 12:25-27, NLT).
God will again shake all of creation so that only the unshakable things will remain. He shook the earth before when he shook the oceans and dry land. The next time He shakes, He will shake the heavens too.
I think God is ultimately referring to the end times when Jesus returns because He says, “And in this place I will bring peace.” There are dozens of prophecies that we have covered that speak of this future peace in Israel when Jesus comes back to reign as king over all the earth.
But there is a dual fulfillment in this prophecy because when Jesus was crucified, the earth and heavens literally shook:
“Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened” (Matt 27:50-52, NLT).
There was also an earthquake when Jesus rose from the dead:
“Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint” (Matt 28:2-4, NLT).
Jesus shook the heavens and earth when he defeated sin and death through his crucifixion and resurrection. Hebrews says that when God shakes the creation, only unshakable things will remain. This reminds me of what Jesus said about how we are to store up unshakable things:
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matt 6:19-21).
The treasures of earth are shakable. When God shakes creation, these things will be shaken and removed. Only the treasures that we have stored in heaven will remain because they are unshakable. The things of this world are temporary and will pass away. The things of heaven are eternal. We are to focus on filling God’s kingdom with as many people as possible because we are the treasure:
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matt 6:33).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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