Mon.’s Devo - The Lord’s House

Read: Haggai 1:1-2:23; Revelation 11:1-19; Psalm 139:1-24; Proverbs 30:15-16 Haggai prophesied in the second year of Darius’s reign. Ezra had led the people to Jerusalem and began the rebuilding of the Temple. They had encountered much persecution and delay so the people had built their own houses instead. God was rebuking them for doing that because their reason for returning was to rebuild the Temple. Because the people had tended to their own needs above God’s, none of their labor was prospering. God told them that it was because they hadn’t put him first. The people heard what the Lord said and the remnant and the governor, Zerubbabel and the high priest Jehozadak obeyed. They began working on the temple once again. God encouraged them by telling them not to compare the simplicity of the one they were building to the splendor of the one Solomon had built because the glory of this temple would be greater than the glory of the last. The last was glorious in its building, this would be glorious in spirit. God asked Haggai to ask the priests this question. If a person accidentally became unclean would it make everything he touched unclean. Haggai answered, no. Then God asked him if a person knew he was unclean then intentionally touched something would it make it unclean. Haggai answered, yes. God explained that they were not blessed before because what they were doing was unclean which made everything they did not clean. Now that they repented and began working on the temple, though they sin, it will not be held against them. God will bless what they do. He would especially bless their leaders Zerrubbabel and Jehozadak for leading the people to do what was right. John was given a measuring stick and told to measure the Temple of God, the altar and to count the number of worshipers. The outer courtyard had been turned over to the nations. They would trample the holy city for 3 1/2 years. God would raise up two witnesses who would prophesy during that time. They were olive trees (anointed) and lamp stands (had revelation). They could kill anyone who opposed them with fire that come from their mouths. I don’t know if that was like when Jesus spoke to the scribes and Pharisees and shut them up or actual fire. They were given the power to turn the rivers to blood and to strike the earth with plagues like Moses did. When their mission was complete, the beast will be given power to kill them just like they did to Jesus when his mission on earth was finished. They would lie in the street three and a half days and not be allowed to be buried. People of the world will celebrate their death. Then God would breath life into them and they will stand up and God will call them to heaven while the earth watches. A terrible earthquake will hit and destroy a tenth of the city. Seven thousand will die because of it. That was the second terror. The third was about to happen. The seventh angle blew his trumpet and heaven proclaimed that the world had now become the Kingdom of out Lord and of his Christ and he will reign forever and ever. In heaven the 24 elders will bow down and worship the Lord. The earthquake will open the Temple where the Ark would be visible. An earth quake and a terrible hailstorm hit. Lord, may we complete our mission and hear you say, “Well done.”