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Book: Haggai
 Print ( PC Only )
Haggai 2:6,7 The Desire of All Nations
Intro. If you have lived in California for any length of time, you have
experienced the sensation of the earth swaying and snapping as
the result of an earthquake. The scientists are constantly
warning us that the big one is coming. We have a major fault
line running almost the length of the State known as the San
Andrus fault and as the tectonic plates move over one another
it seems that pressure builds slowly and must be released
every hundred years or so. When this happens it sends out
seismic waves that roll along the surface of the earth, and
under the surface. These seismic waves can be measured and
monitored and the earthquakes are measured on a scale usually
of 1-10. Earthquakes of a magnitude of 7 can cause great
damage. A measurement of 8 or more causes catastrophic
destruction. Earthquakes are usually felt along certain known
fault lines, and are thus localized in areas close to these
fault zones.
I. God has promised that a universal earthquake is coming.
A. Yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and
the earth, and the sea, and the dry land: And I will shake all
nations.
1. Isaiah declares 2:19 And they shall go into the holes
of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear
of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He
ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
2. Again in 13:13, Therefore I will shake the heavens and
the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath
of the Lord of hosts, and in day of His fierce anger.
3. Isa. 24:18 And it shall come to pass, that He who
fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the
pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit
shall be taken in the snare; for the windows from on
high are open, and the foundations of the earth do
shake.
4. Joel 3:16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and
utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the
earth shall shake, but the Lord will be the hope of his
people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
5. Hebrews 12:26,27 Whose voice then shook the earth: but
now He hath promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake
not the earth only but also heaven." And this word once
more, signifieth the removing of those things that are
shaken, as of things that are made, that those things
which cannot be shaken may remain.
6. Finally in Revelation 16:18 And there were voices, and
thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the
earth, so mighty and earthquake, and so great.
B. These scriptures are all describing events that will take place
during the time that is known in the scriptures as the great
tribulation.
1. This great tribulation is the judgment of God against
the people and nations of the earth for their great
sins and their rejecting of Jesus Christ to reign over
them.
2. The Law of the Lord is perfect, but man refuses to live
by His laws. Our Supreme court has gone so far as to
declare the teaching of the Law of God to children in
our public schools, unconstitutional.
a. Gods law declares that we are not to kill, lie,
cheat, commit fornication, or to steal that
which belongs to someone else.
b. The schools can must teach the theory of
evolution, that man exists apart from the
creative acts of God, that we are here by
chance not by design leading to the conclusion
that there is no real purpose for our
existence.
c. They are taught that there is no universal
truth or right or wrong, that it is all
relevant to the mores of the society where you
may live.
3. Is it any wonder that we are having such trouble in our
schools today, with students assaulting one another and
also the teachers? We have told them that they are
animals, and are now decrying the fact that they are
acting like animals. In some of the schools they must
pass by metal detectors to get into the school
buildings, to make sure they do not carry their knives
or guns into the classrooms.
4. Can these kind of acts go on forever? How long can a
society exist when crime continues to escalate? At what
point does the whole system just break down, and the
mobs take over the streets?
5. How long will God just stand by and observe?
6. How bad must it get before men say, "God help us."
7. Three women beat a young mother of 4 to death while the
crowd just watches. Parents allow a pet rat to kill
their infant child. Ten large semi truck load of goods
are hijacked every week, but it does not even make the
news unless a guard is killed in the hijacking.
8. When is enough, enough? What will it take to turn our
society around?
C. This promised shaking of the earth by God is not a local
earthquake, nothing so mild as that. If the San Andrus should
let go and California suffer immense damage, that would not
come close to the catastrophic damage that will incur when God
shakes the foundations of the earth. That will be a universal
earthquake, it will effect the whole earth.
II. The scriptures teach that God is not going to stand by and let things
go forever.
A. God is about ready to intervene.
1. Jesus said that as it was in the days of Noah, so shall
it be when the Son of Man will come.
a. In the days of Noah, they were experiencing a
population explosion.
b. The wickedness of man was great upon the earth.
c. Every imagination of his heart was only evil
continually.
d. The earth was corrupt before God and filled
with violence.
e. That's like reading the newspaper today.
2. The scripture declares that just before God intervenes,
the nation of Israel will be reborn in an environment
of turmoil. But when they began to say peace and
safety, then sudden destruction would come upon them.
B. There is an abundance of signs in the earth that give hope to
the believer in Jesus Christ, signs that were predicted in the
scriptures things that would exist and precede the return of
Jesus Christ in Glory.
C. One of the final acts of Gods judgment upon the earth during
the great tribulation period will be the great universal
earthquake.
D. Our text declares, "I will shake the nations and the Desire of
all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory,
saith the Lord of hosts.
III. The conditions on the earth are going to get so bad that decent good
people are going to long for a change.
A. Jesus said to the Jews, "You will not see Me again, until you
say, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." Luke
13:35"
1. They did not desire Him when He came the first time.
They chose Ceasar to reign over them. They said to
Pilate when he asked them if he should release to them
their King, "We have no king but Ceasar."
2. The reign of Ceasar was oppressive and cruel. They were
made slaves of the government.
3. The government would take by force their earnings, the
fruit of their hard labor.
4. When they dared to resist the power of Ceasar, they
were all slaughtered.
5. Their choice was foolish, and destructive.
B. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy.
1. When He comes, these will be the conditions that will
exist upon the earth. Righteousness, peace, and joy.
2. You cannot have real joy without peace. You cannot have
peace without righteousness.
3. Ignorant people who do not know the message the Bible
teaches, often refer to the ministers of Jesus Christ
as dooms day prophets.
4. Well if righteousness, peace and joy sound like dooms
day to you, then I guess that is what we are.
5. As far as I am concerned, the front pages of the
newspapers sound like doomsday.
C. Is Jesus your desire today?
1. Would you like to submit to His kingdom?
2. Would you allow Him to rule in your life? Will you live
by His rules.
3. What are His rules. Love God with all your heart,
strength and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.
Love God supremely and love one another.
4. What kind of person would find that odious? One who
loved themselves supremely.
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