The Future Glory of the Temple

The Future Glory of the Temple
– Haggai 2 –

By Brother Scott     12/4/25

⁽¹⁾”In the second year of Darius the King, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, ⁽²⁾’Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ⁽³⁾”Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory?  How do you see it now?  Is it not in your sight as nothing?”’”

When I read this, it made me think what the temple must have looked like, and how beautiful it must have been, compared to what they see now as he asks them these questions.  I pictured rubble from old walls, broken pieces of wood charred from fire, scattered and scorched shards of shattered clay jars, basically a heap of ruins.  Anything that was of value, long gone from scavenging, more or less a shadow of what once was the “Temple of God.”

That’s when it hit me … Now, I believe there are four things necessary for Biblical teaching:

#1 Reading

Reading the Bible is one of the ways God speaks to us.

#2 Studying

Studying the Bible is how we begin to understand what God is saying.

#3 Meditation

Meditating on God’s Word is how we can learn to grasp it in all of its fullness.

#4 Application

This is the most important.  How does this apply to my life?  How does this apply to me?

As I’m going through these processes, God speaks to me.  …  It’s all about the temple.  I am the temple, you are the temple, we are the temple!!!  Now let’s go back and look at the text with a new perspective.  The same questions in verse 3, let’s ask about ourselves:

#1 …Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory?  Remember all the people that were around you when you were doing good, when you were at your best?  How many are left?

#2 … How do you see it now?  You are the Temple of God.  How do you see yourself?  Take a long hard look!   This Is where sin and rebellion has led you.

#3 … Is it not in your sight as nothing?  Look at yourself.  Are you still under the false idea that you are in control?  Are you still full of pride?  Do you still think that you run things?  There are none so blind as those who will not see!!!  Open your eyes!!!  We are under constant supervision, we are told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.  And we think we are running something?  It’s not what we are running; it’s what we are running from, and that, my brothers, is the truth.  The truth is we are not in control; we never were, not just in here, but out there too!!!  I want you to keep in mind that this temple that Haggai is speaking of is in ruins!  Listen to what God is telling us through Haggai in Verse 6:

⁽⁶⁾”’For thus says the Lord of Hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.’”

Now I want you to notice he says “once again,” not “once” but “once again.”  How many times?  Once again, and again, and again, as many times as it takes until we get it. God is going to shake the foundations of existence until everyone and everything bows before Him.  There is nowhere to hide.   We’ll see how full of pride we are then, when He comes in all of His glory.

Isaiah speaks in a little more detail, and it gives me chills every time that I read it!

Isaiah 2: 8-12  ⁽⁸⁾”Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their own hands, to what their own fingers have made.  ⁽⁹⁾So man Is humbled, and men are brought low – do not forgive them!  ⁽¹⁰⁾Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust from before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of His majesty.  ⁽¹¹⁾The haughty looks of men shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.  ⁽¹²⁾For the LORD of Hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up – and it shall be brought low.

Let me say it right now: I do not, I repeat DO NOT want to be on the receiving end of the Lord’s terror. The higher we lift ourselves, the farther we fall!!!  Keep this in mind.   Let’s go back to Haggai, Chapter 2, Verses 7 & 8: ⁽⁷⁾”’and I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of Hosts.  ⁽⁸⁾The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of Hosts.’”

This really hit hard for me.  These two verses made me think of everything that I have lost.  My house, my land, my vehicles, all my possessions, everything I worked my whole life for, my wife – God rest her soul; most of my friends, my freedom, everything I loved, everything I was, ultimately my life!!!

But, here comes the truth … are you ready for this … it was never mine to begin with!!!  None of it!!!  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of Hosts.  Everything is the LORD’s!!!  EVERYTHING!!!  And here is some more truth … I had to lose it in order to realize what is truly valuable.   You see, I was blind, but praise God the Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth and everything that is, Now I See!!!

Paul says in Philippians 3: 7-8, ⁽⁷⁾”But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  ⁽⁸⁾Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ.”  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:10, “Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor, has come to have no splendor at all, because of the splendor that surpasses it.”

Remember what Haggai said: “I will fill this house with splendor.”  I love that word “SPLENDOR”!!!   Splendor is defined as great brightness or luster.  You can’t have brightness or luster without light.  Brightness and luster are only the result of the reflection of the light.  Now with that explanation …

Back to Haggai 2:9 … “The latter splendor of this house hall be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity.”

Now I want you all to apply these scriptures to your life.  Look at yourself, look at your temple.  Is your temple in ruins?  Or is your temple being filled with splendor?  Do you still consider worldly things as valuable, and take pride in “the work of your own hands?”  Don’t fool yourselves.  Pride brings with it destruction.  If it can happen to the temple of God in Jerusalem, what makes you think that it can’t happen to the temple of God that is YOU?  Let go of pride, let go of all the idols in your life, let go of yourself, and let God fill your house with SPLENDOR!!!

Link to PDF of The Future Glory of the Temple