The End Of The World (Haggai 2:21-23)
Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)
(Hag 2:21-23 NKJV) "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying:
'I will shake heaven and earth. {22} I will overthrow the throne of
kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will
overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and
their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother.
{23} 'In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'I will take you,
Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the LORD, 'and will
make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,' says the LORD of
hosts."
Judgement day is coming and the kingdoms will fall - but the saints
of God will be chosen and precious. God will shake "the heavens and
the earth" and as He does so the Gentile kingdoms will
be cast down and their kingdoms will fall. The chariots - which
symbolise the means by which kings glorify themselves will be
overthrown. Their wealth will seem like rags, their diplomacy will
fail them, their publicity machines will totter and their propaganda
will be useless in the day of wrath. The kings and presidents that
career along in them will be thrown out of their "chariots" and
destroyed. The horses and their riders - symbolising the driving
forces and powerful systems and those who control them (the riders),
will collapse. Finally the military might of these nations will be
annihilated and they will be destroyed by internal divisions "Every
one by the sword of his brother..."
In this chaos it will seem that "the world is coming to an end" and
it is! The "world" as an organised system of rebellion against God is
meeting its Judge and being found wanting. That which has seemed so
imposing will now collapse before the righteousness of God. The
world systems are like chariots and one day "the wheels will come
off" and spectacularly! Revelation tells us that they are fragile
and brittle and will be dealt with harshly by those God gives
authority to. (Rev 2:26-28 NKJV) "And he who overcomes, and keeps
My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations;
{27} 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to
pieces like the potter's vessels'; as I also have received from My
Father; {28} "and I will give him the morning star.
Between now and then it will seem as if the Gentile kingdoms are
awesomely powerful and if Revelation 13 is to be taken literally
they will achieve a terrible dominance over the church and seem to
be totally in control for a short while. Zerubbabel was a
"governor", a puppet king of the massive Persian Empire. The largest
known empire of its time. He must have felt dwarfed by the Gentile
kingdoms but here he is given an assurance that one day he will
dominate them. When "the world" seems overwhelming we need to
remember that it is fragile and brittle and temporary and to make God
our refuge, fear and dread. "(Isa 8:12-14 NIV) "Do not call
conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy ; do not fear
what they fear, and do not dread it. {13} The LORD Almighty is the one
you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the
one you are to dread, {14} and he will be a sanctuary;"
Prayer:
Lord You are King! One Day all the kingdoms of this world will bow
before you or be destroyed. You are our refuge and You have chosen
us. Praise the Lord! Keep us from sin and from fearing the world and
its conspiracies and systems. May You alone be our Fear. Amen.
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John Edmiston ([email protected])
Editor - Eternity Online Magazine http://www.eternity-magazine.org/
Cults, exegesis, bible teaching, Christian life and leadership.
For the thinking Christian!