Haggai—Shaking the Nations
The book of Haggai ties step by step to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In this book, God gives a sign of when He would start shaking the nations. It has everything to do with nuclear weapons and the extermination of all mankind—if Christ didn’t intervene.
“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:7). God always keeps His Church up to date in specific and direct ways. He would certainly let His people know when and how He will shake the nations.
The Signet
“In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:23). “In that day” means the message is for this end time! Many commentaries will confirm this. God says He will take Zerubbabel, a man, and make him a signet.
What is a signet? Unger’s Bible Dictionary defines it as “an impression made therewith had the same legal validity as an actual signature.” If you sign a check, it can be cashed even when you aren’t there because it has your stamp of approval. God’s signet was a man who restored all things to the Earth. Once he died, God commanded his successors to build on his work and wield his authority as a stamp of God’s approval. We must follow a specific formula.
The Anchor Bible Commentary expounds on the signet: “The use of such a seal was the way of carrying out the authority of the person to whom the seal belonged. It is like using the king’s ring to stamp a document.” In the case of God’s signet, Zerubbabel, the leader is now dead. Do you know who this man is?
I wrote in my free booklet Haggai: God Has Begun to Shake the Nations:
The whole idea of the signet is about God and His government. God reveals a signet’s meaning only to those who submit to His government. The signet is an emblem or seal of authority. God’s authority. Zerubbabel is the signet, but he is God’s signet. … The only reason you need the signet is if the person in authority is not there.
The man may be gone, but He left behind God’s message and work. Both have God’s authority. You can prove that. The work under this man was powerful. The work in this final phase since his death revolves around this signet. A big work precedes a smaller work done by a loyal little remnant. Two works are tied together as one.
Church Rebellion
“Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the Branch” (Zechariah 3:8). These rebels are men wondered at, or men of sign. The rebellion in God’s Church after the end-time Zerubbabel died is a sign. We are living in the Laodicean era—the lukewarm last era—of God’s Church. This evil Joshua type is in the bonds of the devil and surrounds himself with his own fellows, not God’s fellows (verse 1).
“In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree” (verse 10). The Church rebellion and the coming nuclear destruction may seem like bad news, but we need to see where it is leading. The conclusion is far more glorious than the rebellion is dreadful. God will rule all people. He will give every family a plot of land so they can have a peaceful life without fear of violence ever again. God has already begun shaking the nations to bring this marvelous future to pass.
We have the start of a time line of events leading directly to Christ’s return. First, the end-time Zerubbabel dies and becomes a signet. Second, God’s Church goes off track. Events don’t skip from the rebellion straight to the Second Coming, so what happens next?
The Zerubbabel Inset
Zechariah 4:6-10 is known as the “Zerubbabel inset.” The book of Zechariah is about a lukewarm era that came on the scene after Zerubbabel, but God placed a five-verse inset here to show the rebels where they went astray.
“The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you” (verse 9). Zerubbabel restored all things, but then the Church rebelled.
I wrote in the Haggai booklet about this verse:
It is talking about a “hands on” operation by a man in the latter days. That verse twice mentions hands, designating a starting and finishing of a project. The Anchor Bible Commentary says hands is literal and expresses participation in temple building. That is, it was built by God through a human being with “hands,” not built “without hands”—as Christ often builds and destroys.
“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (verse 6). Zerubbabel didn’t rely on human power and ability. The magnificent work under him was only possible through God’s Spirit. God’s people forgot that God was the ultimate source of their success. They began relying on themselves, and Satan wrecked them! Smashed them to pieces!
Because God’s people turned away, another work had to succeed Zerubbabel. It is within this time frame that God begins to shake the nations.
Two Olive Branches
“Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?” (Zechariah 4:11). The two trees are the Father and the Son.
“And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth” (verses 12-14). The two olive branches represent two men in charge of two consecutive works in this end time. God pours out golden oil, symbolizing revelation, through these men to His people.
“And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things” (Matthew 17:10-11). An Elijah-type must come before the Second Coming and restore all things. Has that happened?
The Zerubbabel-type and the Elijah-type are the same man. After his death, another man used his signet and continued the Work. The book of Haggai discusses this period.
The Sign of Shaking
“And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:7). God shakes the nations to get their attention. He will do so more and more until people listen. Each individual who receives the warning message will also receive protection from the trouble that comes after the shaking of the nations.
This verse talks about a house. Which one? “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts” (verse 9). Anciently, Zerubbabel’s temple was nothing compared to the temple of Solomon that existed before it, so it can’t fulfill this verse. God is describing a spiritual temple that far exceeds any physical building!
Notice: Verse 9 also mentions a place of peace where God’s spiritual temple dwells. The Hebrew wording shows that “place” refers to a physical building—a house for God. There was a physical house for God during the Zerubbabel era too. We raise up the ruins and duplicate the work under that man! Zerubbabel was a builder anciently. The Zerubbabel-type was a builder in this end time—both spiritually and physically.
The context clearly explains that God gives peace to a physical house on Earth while He shakes the nations. This is a phenomenal prophecy that has come true. Christ’s return is next.
Please request my free booklet Haggai: God Has Begun to Shake the Nations to learn more. You will be glad you did.
