The Coming Day of the Lord

August 3, 2025|The Coming Day of the Lord|Haggai 2:20-23

JD Cutler

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This morning we come to the final message in our study through the book of Haggai. A book about some of God’s communication with a remnant of his people post Babylonian exile, who had returned to a ruined and broken down Jerusalem with a ruined and broken down temple. It is a record of four messages that God gave his people through the prophet Haggai, for which this book is named. We say some of God’s communication because we also find communication from God in the book of Zechariah during the same time, who was a contemporary of Haggai. While Haggai’s messages were fairly straightforward God used Zechariah to communicate much more prophetically and with visions, similar to the difference in John’s writing in 1st John and his writing in revelation. Like the book of revelation, in Zechariah we find riders on horses, measuring lines, horns, golden lampstands, two olive trees, scrolls, a woman called wickedness, winged creatures, chariots, crowns, and a temple. If you have never looked at the prophetic books of the Bible like Zechariah, Daniel, or Isaiah, you might miss that the book of revelation uses much of the same or similar imagery. I only bring up Zechariah this morning because we will be cross referencing some key scriptures that address Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah. This fourth and final message in the book of Haggai is unique in a couple of ways. One it has a sole recipient- Zerubbabel Two, it continues a previous subject- the shaking of the heavens and the earth A quick summary of the messages God has sent through his prophet Haggai.

first message- begin rebuild the temple again (stop making excuses and stop focusing on building up your own houses and return to the work I have called you to)

second message- encouragement in the midst of the work (both God’s presence of his future work)

third message- a message about holiness and proper worship (the people had been presuming that carry out the motions of worship made them holy whereas God says their disobedient lives actually corrupted their worship)

fourth message- prophetic message of promise

We are not given a reason for God returning to the subject of shaking the heavens and the earth, or why Zerubbabel is singled out. Perhaps after God’s message about shaking the heavens and the earth and all nations, Zerubbabel had questions on what that meant for the nation of Israel. Maybe as one of their leaders he was unsure what this meant for them right now. What we do know, is that while God did expound, the message is clearly bigger than just Zerubbabel.

In fact, to truly understand what this message may mean for Zerubbabel we need to step back and put the events of Haggai into the larger context of the Biblical narrative.

God had established his covenant with the people of Israel when he brought them out of Egypt, according to the promises he had made to Abraham to make him a mighty and innumerable nation. Post Egypt, the people had repeatedly failed to rightly worship and obey God. God has raised up prophets and judges to call them back to himself. Finally, Israel rejected a direct theocracy and asked for a king, which God gave them in Saul. Saul through disobedience was replaced with David and then Solomon, when the first temple was constructed in Jerusalem. After Solomon, the kingdom split into the Northern and Southern kingdoms. From then on there were good kings and bad kings, but ultimately through disobedience both kingdoms were given over to nations that took them into captivity, the northern kingdom by the Assyrians, and the southern kingdom, Judah, later by the Babylonians. During the Babylonian captivity God had shown the king Nebuchadnezzar a dream that troubled him and God gave Daniel, a young Hebrew taken into captivity both the dream and the interpretation. The Babylonian kingdom, while large and powerful, would not stand forever, three subsequent lesser kingdoms would follow. According to popular understanding the second kingdom that followed Babylon was the Persian empire, those who were in power during the time of Haggai and the rebuilding of the temple. All of that to say that when God says he is going to shake the heavens and the earth and the nations, it is not a new thought but a continued description of what he is going to do as he carries the world to its intended end, with the kingdom of God ultimately breaking all kingdoms to pieces and bringing them to an end, a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, a kingdom not made by human hands, but a kingdom from God.

That meta-narrative becomes super important as we zoom into what God tells Zerubbabel in this day.

As we finish this little book, I want to offer three takeaways from God’s message to Zerubbabel and really the whole book of Haggai.

If you haven’t already, open your bibles to the book of Haggai, chapter 2, at verse 20. Let’s read these last few verses together.

Haggai 2:20–23

20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, 21 “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, 22 and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. 23 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

Three takeaways, the first is this.

I. GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL OF HEAVEN AND EARTH

Lexham Survey of Theology God’s Sovereignty over Creation

To affirm that God is sovereign is to affirm that God reigns, universally and invincibly. God’s sovereignty implies his absolute ownership (Gen 14:22; Deut 10:14; Job 41:11; Ps 24:1), authority (Ps 47:2, 7), and control (Job 38–39; Jer 5:22; Eph 1:11) over all things.

The book of Haggai is one long reminder of God’s sovereignty.

Passages like this confront us with the reality that God has authority and control over all things, otherwise his promise to shake the heaven and the earth and to overthrow kingdoms and to declare the end from the beginning are just words.

Either God is sovereign over all of creation or he is sovereign over none of it.

The book of Haggai is one long reminder of God’s sovereignty.

From his first message to his last, he declares his sovereignty over creation-

‘I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.’

‘I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, the silver is mine, and the gold is mine.’

‘consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.” and in his final message,

'I am about the shake, I am about to destroy, I will take you, I will make you, I have chosen you, declares the Lord of Hosts.'

Indeed, as we saw in our second message from Haggai, the very name God uses throughout this book communicates his sovereignty. 11 times in these 38 verses we find thus says or thus declares the Lord of Hosts. Lord of Hosts or - (Jehovah Sabaoth) Literally Yahweh of Armies, sometimes translated as ‘the Lord Almighty’. There we said that the underlying image is that Yahweh, the divine King, commands all armies in Heaven and on Earth to accomplish His purposes, all forces both natural and spiritual, fall under his control.

Listen to the way God communicates to Zerubbabel. I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. I am about to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I am about to overthrow the chariots and their riders. I will take you, I will make you, for I have chosen you.

God clearly wants Zerubbabel as one of the leaders of his people, the other being Joshua, the High priest, to understand that God is going to accomplish the things he has promised and while he may use Zerubbabel or Joshua, or anyone else he chooses, he is the one with authority and in control over all things.

And just in case he didn’t get it, through the prophet Zechariah, God says, Zechariah 4:6–10a “6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ” 8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel…

Not by might, nor by power- the idea here is shear human strength and power.

The message comes through Zechariah as God is showing him a vision, described in Zechariah 4:2-3 (ESV) a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” Later the angel who is communicating with Zechariah describes these two olive trees as (ESV) the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth, most likely representing Zerubbabel and Joshua. God had chosen Zerubbabel and would use him to not only start the rebuilding of the temple but its completion, but it would not be by his power or might, but by the Spirit of the Lord that it was done.

Emphasized even further when you realize that Zerubbabel is a descendent of David who the Lord promised to establish a king from and Joshua is a descendent of Aaron. Therefore, with one descending from David and the other from Aaron, these two officials have the divine authority to rebuild the Temple. God had placed exactly who he wanted, exactly where he wanted them, so that the temple would be rebuilt by whom he wanted.

To bring this back to the conversation we started a couple weeks ago concerning our own mission to make disciples of all nations. We know that we have been commanded to make disciples of all nations and we know that according to what God showed the apostle John in Revelation 7:9–10 “9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”” that one day there will be men and women from all tribes and peoples and languages.

That is God’s sovereignty on full display. He will ensure that what he commands, comes to pass. And yet, He chooses to use his chosen vessels to carry out pieces and parts of his plan in a way that brings glory to him alone.

When confronted with God’s sovereignty, I think we can respond incorrectly is we come to the conclusion, well if God is in control of everything, then I can just sit back and he will take care of everything. The right response is since God is in control of everything, he has the authority to command my life, and I will do what he commands, trusting that however imperfectly I do it, he will by His Spirit bring it to its intended end.

God’s sovereignty ought not cause us to stop working, it ought to compel us to get to work and stay working, realizing that God in his abounding grace chooses to work his plans out through imperfect, fallible, sinful human beings like you and me.

Furthermore, when he accomplishes great things through us, we should remind ourselves of his message to Zerubbabel, yes you will finish my house, but it will not be by might or power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.

The first takeaway is that God is sovereign, second…

II. GOD WILL BRING ABOUT THE DAY WHEN HIS SOVEREIGN RULE WILL BE CLEARLY EXERCISED OVER ALL CREATION.

This one is closely related to our first takeaway, but I think it deserves a little more attention.

When we look around at the world, sometimes it can seem that it is spinning out of control. We might be tempted to question whether God is really sovereign or not. I know that the world certainly does.

A popular challenge to a Biblical understanding of God is the presentation of a trilemma credited to the Greek Philosopher Epicurus.

1) If God is unable to prevent evil, then he is not all-powerful.

2) If God is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not all-good.

3) If God is both willing and able to prevent evil, then why does evil exist?

This is often referred to as the problem with evil. While many theologians and critics have offered explanations, the reality is that we are dealing with the incomprehensibility of God when we dive into these topics. We can only know as much about God as he has revealed to us through his word and the person and work of Jesus Christ. While God has not explicitly made his reasoning for allowing evil known, he has more importantly told us how he will handle it in the end.

God in his goodness and in his sovereignty has already ordained the final conquest over evil and its ultimate riddance from his universe.

God in his goodness and in his sovereignty has already ordained the final conquest over evil and its ultimate riddance from his universe. We are told that in the end, for those apart from Christ there will be a day where they will be judged according to what they have done, while those in Christ will be covered by the blood of Christ who bore the righteous and just punishment for the sins of his people on the cross. In the end God will punish every evil act, either through the atoning sacrifice of Christ or by casting those who have rejected him into an eternal punishment for their sins against a thrice holy God. Evil will be dealt with.

In that day God will set all thing right and for those covered by the blood of Christ we are told. Revelation 21:1-7 (ESV) 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

You say, Pastor what does that have to do with Haggai? I’m glad you asked. The second part of God’s word to Zerubbabel is this. 3 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

On that day, is the way God communicates about future events. When what he promised comes to pass, it will be on that day. There are many days like this in scripture, but they all point towards the final day, when all of what God has promised will come to pass.

There was coming a day that the temple would be completed, a day that is described in the book of Ezra.

First after Zerubbabel led in the rebuilding of the temple there was immediate pressure to stop. Some Persian officers wrote to Darius to ask him whether the Jews should be allowed to continue working. After searching the royal archives, not only did they find the decree by Cyrus that allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple he discovered that the king had decreed the cost of the construction would be paid by the royal treasury, something that had not happened.

Listen to his response.

Ezra 6:7-10 (ESV) 7 Let the work on this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. 8 Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River. 9 And whatever is needed—bulls, rams, or sheep for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, or oil, as the priests at Jerusalem require—let that be given to them day by day without fail, 10 that they may offer pleasing sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.

Ezra 6:13-18 (ESV) 13 Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. 14 And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; 15 and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.

16 And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. 17 They offered at the dedication of this house of God 100 bulls, 200 rams, 400 lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel 12 male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their divisions, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.

Not only did the temple get completed, God brought the treasures of all nations in so that his house would be completed just as he said it would be. Then the people celebrated the first passover after the exile with joy, because the Lord had made them joyful and turned the heart of the King of Assyria to them so that he aided them in the work of the house of God. Sixty years later, God would bring Ezra and another wave of Jewish exiles, with letters of peace, financial backing, and a continued promise of support from Artaxerxes through the regions surrounding Jerusalem. Thirteen years later, God brings Nehemiah with letters to use timber from the king’s forest to rebuild and the wall of Jerusalem is rebuilt.

In all of this we see God’s purposes and promises coming to fruition. Just like one day, we will see Christ return and all of God’s promises and purposes come to fruition in the day of the Lord. Which brings us to our last takeaway.

God is sovereign over all creation and one day all creation will fully understand this, and finally…

III. GOD WILL BRING ABOUT THAT DAY IN HIS WAY AND IN HIS TIME.

Returning to God’s message to Zerubbabel, let us look at some of the details concerning Zerubbabel. 3 On that day, declares the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.”

God says he is going to take Zerubbabel and make him like a signet ring, which is interesting language. Zerubbabel’s grandfather Jehpoiachin (Coniah) is cursed by God in Jeremiah 22:24 “24 “As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off”. and then in verse 30. Jeremiah 22:30 “30 Thus says the Lord: “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.”” Zerubbabel is in the line of David and even though God does not make him king, he says he will be like a signet ring, not sitting on the throne of David, but indicating that God would indeed keep his promise that an heir of David would sit on the throne of David forever.

How can God say that no offspring of Coniah will sit on the throne of David and yet fulfill his promise that David’s line would inherit the throne? Here is where it gets really interesting to me.

In Matthew, Matthew traces Jesus lineage through his ancestor David through Abraham. He says…

Matthew 1:1–17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father ... and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy through Joseph, that although he was like a father to Jesus, was not his father and therefore was not the offspring of Coniah.

Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy through Mary, who was a descendent of David through his son Nathan, meaning that Jesus was descended from David but not through the cursed line of Coniah, although God used a descendent of Coniah, Joseph to act as his paternal father.

God both honored his promise to the line of David and honored his curse on Coniah’s line.

God both honored his promise to the line of David and honored his curse on Coniah’s line.

God chooses when and how he will have his word come to pass. Concerning the culmination of Christ’s reign and his physical return on that day, we are not told when it will happen.

Jesus, post resurrection, told his disciples when they wanted specific times, Acts 1:7 (ESV) He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. When he was on Earth he told his disciples about that day, Matthew 24:36-39 (ESV) 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

God will bring about the final day in his time and in his way.

We can study and we can be wise students of scripture to discern the signs and the times, but ultimately we are not called to have it all figured out, we are called to trust that when the time is completed, God will bring his redemptive plan to its proper conclusion.

God has chosen to do that through his son Jesus Christ, who is his representative, his signet ring, his chosen servant, the possessor of all the authority in heaven and on earth.

Perhaps the most interesting note is that the remnant or even Zerubbabel is not commanded to do anything in particular outside of build temple. God would bring the day to pass in his way and in his time, exactly because he is the Lord of Hosts. Which serve as the four last words of the book of Haggai. the Lord of Hosts.

I think that is a fitting conclusion to this little book that reminds us that God deserves our priority, that he desires us to regularly consider our ways and whether we are living obedient lives to the almighty God, a book that reminds us that the only right response to God’s call to repent and work is immediate and wholehearted, a book that reminds us that in the work we can trust that God is with us, that the condition of our heart is what makes our worship acceptable or not, and finally that God is the sovereign God over all things.

There is coming a day when the kingdom of God will be the only kingdom of God will stand, when God will bring all the kingdoms and systems of the world to an end. When he will shake the heavens and the earth fully and finally, which the author of Hebrews says by which he will remove the things that are shaken, the things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. He goes on to say, Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe.

Haggai stands as one small piece of God’s redemptive plan culminating in the kingdom of God, ushered in at the coming of Christ and culminated at his return. His chosen Messiah, his annointed one, the king of kings and Lord of Lords.

As those who stand as participants of the new covenant, those who belong to the unshakeable kingdom, may we rest in the sovereignty of God, worship Him with renewed vigor, and labor in obedience to advance the kingdom of God until God brings it to completion.

Let us pray.