Dec 21, 2022
HAGGAI 1-2:
I
hope you saw correlations to Revelation in the 3rd chapter of
Zephaniah yesterday— in what God plans for the nations and for
those who come to the new Jerusalem.
Mears gives a helpful summary about the prophets:
- Of the 16 prophets, most of them— eleven, prophesied before the exile,
- just two prophesied during the exile (Ezekiel and Daniel),
- while three prophesied after the exile. We turn to the first of these now— Haggai.
This book (with only two chapters) consists of four prophecies in four months— each dated and all in the second year of King Darius’ reign. In the modern calendar these dates would have been between August 29 and December 18, 520 B.C. This places Haggai’s messages two months before Zechariah started to prophesy. Haggai’s purpose was to move a discouraged nation to rise up again and rebuild the temple.
ISAIAH 58:
In
chapter 57, we saw again that God considers idolatry to be a sin
against him that is just like a wife being unfaithful to her
husband. In such a context of explicit and harsh condemnation,
these words stand out:
Is.
57:18 NLT I have seen what they do,
but I will heal them
anyway!
I will lead
them.
I will comfort
those who mourn,
19
bringing words of praise to their lips.
REVELATION 12:
In
chapter 11, John again took an active part in the vision he was
seeing. He was given a rod (as a measuring stick) and told to
measure the temple, the altar, and count the worshippers. What
other prophet participated in measuring a temple in a vision? John
was told not to measure the court of the Gentiles. I encourage you
to dig for gold there. While you are at it, find out what ideas
people have about the two witnesses. John is not the first prophet
that saw olive trees on both sides of a lamp and lamp stand. Who
was the prophet? And how is John’s vision different than the other
prophet’s vision?
At the end of the chapter, we heard ‘the last trumpet’. Say, is the same ‘last trumpet’ that Paul mentioned?! The words of praise by the 24 elders and the last verse in the chapter give a big clue as to what the seventh trumpet brings.