I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that very well. Psalm 139:14

Haggai 1-2

Haggai 1

A Call to Rebuild the Temple

¹ On the first day of the sixth month, in the second year of the reign of Darius the king, the word of the LORD came by Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying ² that this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

These people are saying,
“The time has not yet come,
the time for the house of the LORD to be built.”

³ Then the word of the LORD came through Haggai, the prophet, saying,

⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves
to dwell in your paneled houses,
while this house lies in ruins?”

⁵ Now therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Consider your ways.
⁶ You have sown much
and brought in little.
You eat, but you do not have enough.
You drink, but you are not filled with drink.
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm,
and he who earns wages
earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”

⁷ This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Consider your ways.
⁸ Go up to the mountain,
bring wood, and build the house.
I will take pleasure in it,
and I will be glorified,” says the LORD.

⁹ “You looked for much,
and it came to little,
and when you brought it home,
I blew it away.
Why?” says the LORD of Hosts,
“Because of my house that lies waste,
while each of you is busy with his own house.

¹⁰ Therefore because of you
the heavens withhold the dew,
and the earth withholds its fruit.
¹¹ I called for a drought on the land,
on the mountains, on the grain,
on the new wine, on the oil,
on that which the ground produces,
on men, on livestock,
and on all the labor of your hands.”

The People Obey

¹² Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD, their God had sent him, and the people feared the LORD.

¹³ Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, spoke the LORD’s message to the people, saying, “I am with you,” says the LORD.

¹⁴ The LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the LORD of Hosts, their God, ¹⁵ on the 24^th day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

Haggai 2

Greater Glory in the New Temple

¹ On the 21^st day of the seventh month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet, saying, ² “Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying, ³ ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? In comparison, is it not, in your eyes, like nothing?’

⁴ Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ says the LORD.
‘Be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest.
Be strong, all you people of the land,’ says the LORD.
‘Work, for I am with you,’ says the LORD of Hosts.
⁵ This is the word that I covenanted with you
when you came out of Egypt.
My Spirit lives among you.
Do not be afraid.”

⁶ For this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

“Once again, in a little while,
I will shake the heavens, the earth,
the sea, and the dry land;
⁷ and I will shake all nations.
The precious things of all nations will come,
and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of Hosts.

⁸ The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,
says the LORD of Hosts.
⁹ The latter glory of this house
will be greater than the former,
says the LORD of Hosts,
and in this place I will give peace,
says the LORD of Hosts.”

Blessing for a Defiled People

¹⁰ On the 24^th day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ¹¹ “The LORD of Hosts says: ‘Now ask the priests concerning the law, saying, ¹² If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of his garment, and the fold touches the bread, stew, wine, oil, or any food, will it become holy?’ ”

The priests answered, “No.”

¹³ Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean because of a dead body touching any of these, will it be unclean?”

The priests answered, “It will be unclean.”

¹⁴ Then Haggai answered, “So it is with this people, and so it is with this nation before me, says the LORD, and so it is with every work of their hands. That which they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵ Now, please consider from this day and before it, before one stone was laid on another in the temple of the LORD. ¹⁶ Through all that time, when one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty, there were only twenty. ¹⁷ I struck you with blight, mildew, and hail in all the work of your hands, yet you did not turn to me, declares the LORD.

¹⁸ Consider, please, from this day and before it, from the 24^th day of the ninth month, since the day that the foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid, consider it. ¹⁹ Is there any seed still in the barn? Yes, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not produced. From this day, I will bless you.”

Zerubbabel the LORD’s Signet Ring

²⁰  The word of the LORD came the second time to Haggai on the 24^th day of the month, saying, ²¹ “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, that I will shake the heavens and the earth. ²² I will overthrow thrones of kingdoms. I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them. The horses and their riders will come down, everyone by the sword of his brother. ²³ On that day, says the LORD of Hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the LORD, and will make you like a signet, for I have chosen you, declares the LORD of Hosts.”

Revelation 11

The Two Witnesses

¹ A measuring rod like a staff was given to me. Someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it. ² Leave out the court which is outside of the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for 42 months. ³ I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

⁴ These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands, standing before the Lord of the earth. ⁵ If anyone desires to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. If anyone desires to harm them, he must be killed in this way. ⁶ These have the power to shut up the sky, so that it may not rain during the days of their prophecy. They have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

The Witnesses Killed and Raised

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will go to war with them and overcome them and kill them. ⁸ Their dead bodies will be in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. ⁹ From among the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations, people will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. ¹⁰ Those who dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who live on the earth.

¹¹ After the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. ¹² I heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” They went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them. ¹³ And in that moment, there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe is past. The third woe is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and great voices in heaven followed, saying,

“The kingdom of the world
has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Messiah.
He will reign forever and ever!”

¹⁶ The 24 elders, who sit on their thrones before the throne of  God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying:

“We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty,
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power and reigned.

¹⁸ The nations became angry,
and your wrath has come,
as did the time for the dead to be judged,
and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and those who fear your name
to the small and the great
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

¹⁹ Then the temple of God that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen in his temple.  Flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and thunder, and an earthquake, and great hail followed.

Psalm 139

You have Searched Me and Know Me

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me,
and you know me.
² You know my sitting down and my rising up.
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ For not a word is on my tongue,
without you, LORD, knowing it altogether.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before.
You laid your hand on me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It is too high.
I cannot attain it.
⁷ Where could I go from your Spirit?
Or where could I run from your presence?

⁸ If I ascend up into heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in the pit, you are there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the dawn
and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will lead me,
and your right hand will hold me.

¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me.
The light around me will be night,”
¹² even the darkness does not hide from you,
but the night shines like the day.
The darkness is like light to you.
¹³ For you formed my inmost being.
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will give thanks to you,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful.
I know that very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in secret,
woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body.
In your book everything was written,
the days were ordained for me
before the days began.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is their sum!
¹⁸ If I counted them, they would would be more in number than the sand.
When I wake up, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, O God, would kill the wicked.
Get away from me, you bloodthirsty men!
²⁰ For they speak against you wickedly.
Your enemies take your name in vain.
²¹ O LORD, do I not hate those who hate you?
Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?
²² I hate them with perfect hatred.
They have become my enemies.
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart.
Try me, and know my thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the everlasting way.

Proverbs 30:15-16

¹⁵ “The leech has two daughters:
‘Give, give.’

“There are three things that are never satisfied;
four that never say, ‘Enough:’
¹⁶ The grave,
the barren womb,
the earth that is not satisfied with water,
and the fire that never says, ‘Enough.’

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