Study Desk

The Lord 's special day for judging is coming soon! It is near and coming fast. People will hear very sad sounds on the Lord 's special day of judgment. Even strong soldiers will cry.

Your land by the sea will become empty fields for shepherds and their sheep.

But the Lord is still in that city, and he continues to be good. He does not do anything wrong. He continues to help his people. Morning after morning he makes good decisions for them. Not a day passes without his justice. He never gives a decision that is crooked or is something to be ashamed of.

The Lord said, "So just wait! Wait for me to stand and judge you. I have the right to bring people from many nations and use them to punish you. I will use them to show my anger against you. I will use them to show how upset I am—and the whole country will be destroyed.

Jerusalem, sing and be happy! Israel, shout for joy! Jerusalem, be happy and have fun!

On the first day of the sixth month of the second year that Darius was king of Persia, Haggai received a message from the Lord . This message was for Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak. Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah and Joshua was the high priest. This is the message:

"You people think the right time has come for you to live in nice houses. You live in houses with beautiful wooden paneling on the walls, but the Lord's house is still in ruins.

The Lord All-Powerful said, "You people look for a big harvest, but when you go to gather the crop, there is only a little grain. So you bring that grain home, and then I send a wind that blows it all away. Why is this happening? Because my house is still in ruins while each of you runs home to take care of your own house.

"I gave the command for the land and the mountains to be dry. The grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and everything the earth produces will be ruined. All the people and all the animals will become weak."

The Lord God had sent Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and to the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak. So these men and all the people listened to the voice of the Lord their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet. And the people showed their fear and respect for the Lord their God.

Then Haggai said, "This is what the Lord God said: ‘This is also true for the people of this nation. They were not pure and holy before me. So anything they did with their hands and anything they offered at the altar became unclean.

Your seed for planting is still in the barn. And look at the vines, the fig trees, and the pomegranate and olive trees. They have not yet produced any fruit. But beginning today, I will bless you.'"

The prophets were my servants. I used them to tell your ancestors about my laws and teachings. Your ancestors finally learned their lesson and said, ‘The Lord All-Powerful did what he said he would do. He punished us for the way we lived and for all the evil things we did.' So they came back to God."

I said, "Sir, what are these horses for?" Then the angel speaking to me said, "I will show you what these horses are for."

Then the Lord 's angel said, " Lord All-Powerful, how long before you comfort Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have shown your anger at these cities for 70 years now."

Then the angel told me to tell the people this: The Lord All-Powerful says: "I have a strong love for Jerusalem and Zion.

Then I looked up and saw a man holding a rope for measuring things.

There are two olive trees by the bowl, one on the right side and one on the left side. These trees produce the oil for the lamps. "

That tall mountain will be like a flat place for Zerubbabel. He will build the Temple, and when the most important stone is put in place, the people will shout, ‘Beautiful! Beautiful!'"

"Zerubbabel will lay the foundations for my Temple, and he will finish building it. Then you will know that the Lord All-Powerful sent me to you people.