THREE CONSEQUTIVE PROPHECIES If the prophetic voice flared the hearts to work, God in His love for His people, provided them with three consecutive prophecies, to encourage all hands to strive by the spirit of God to the account of the inner house, set upon the Lord Christ, the ‘Desire of All Nations’. These three prophecies came to speak of the following: 1- The temple of the “Desire of All Nations 1 - 9 2- God seeks the temple of the heart 10 - 19 3- The new temple and the divine seal (the signet ring) 20 – 23 1- THE TEMPLE OF THE DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS: The second divine message came while the builders have been working for almost a month, as a message of encouragement and support. If the first prophecy wounded them by reproach, This prophecy came to heal their wounds by divine words of comfort and encouragement. The date of this prophecy was “in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month” (1); Namely in the seventh day of ‘the feast of the tabernacles’, the last feast of the harvest in the Jewish year (See Leviticus 23: 39-44). That feast was characterized by joy and offerings of sacrifices of thanksgiving, especially on its last day. It was befitting of everyone to be filled with joy, not only for the feast, but also for beginning the work to build the house of the Lord; And to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to the lord who is restoring to them the lost glory. But the devil, not enduring to see the joy and the thanksgiving of the children of God, invoked thoughts of despair, through some elders who were contemporaries of the old temple before its destruction (70 years ago), who counted the current work as nothing compared to the splendor of the glory of the old one. While the Priests and the Levites were praising and blowing the trumpets in joy for the work, those elders were bitterly weeping on the glory of the old temple; almost turning the joyful day into one of grief and depression of heart. That is the way some elders, even nowadays, who are used to belittle the work of the new generation, counting it as nothing, compared to their own efforts. That is why the wise Solomon advises us, saying: “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’” (Ecclesiastes 7: 10). In order to take away from them that spirit of despair, He encouraged and supported them by saying: (1) “’Now, be strong, Zerubbabel, and be strong Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and be strong, all you people of the Land, and work; for I am with you’, says the Lord of hosts” (3). As though He demands from the governor, the priest, and all the people, not to be preoccupied with the comparisons between the new and the old, but to concentrate on the work, strong for the sake of God who dwells in their midst. I wish every believer would not scatter his energy by thoughts destructive of the soul, but make his will, heart, and all his energies stronger; through being sure that the Lord, who is with him, is the secret of his joy and glory. If the goal of the building is to encounter with God through the covenant, and to enjoy His dwelling among them; In the midst of the work, He says to them: “’According to the words that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My spirit 16 remains among you; Do not fear’” (5). It is as though He says to them: ‘Do not fear; I will enter into a covenant with you, and My Spirit will dwell in your midst, as long as you work That is the true glory!’ (2) “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (in a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations; And I will fill this temple with glory’, says the Lord of hosts” (6, 7). In the old, when He set the covenant on Mount Sinai, the Lord shook the location, and caused the mountain to smoke. But now, He shakes the heaven (the soul), the earth (the body), the sea (the talents), and the dry land (the energies). He destroys the old man, to set in us the new man; to carry His features in our souls, and to have our bodies, talents, and energies sanctified. Together with shaking our old nature, we shall get a new life, working to the account of the kingdom of God, with harmony in the body and soul. This shaking is a sign of the coming of the ‘Desire of All Nations’, who comes to dwell inside us, in the water of baptism, when we are buried together with Him; and the forces of darkness, and our outer man are destroyed. … And at the end of time, with the coming of the Lord, as an eternal heavenly King; nature will strongly shake, and the material world will be wiped away. Some interpret the expression “when the Desire of All Nations comes” as (when the riches of All Nations comes); Namely, when the new temple is filled with splendor, through the entrance of the Gentiles into the fellowship of the church, presenting their faith in the Savior; and their zeal, as a secret of spiritual riches. (3) “’The silver is mine, and the gold is mine’, says the Lord of hosts” (8). If the measures of glory is the abundance of silver, gold, and precious stones, that filled the old temple; In the new temple, Him being our gold, silver, the adornment and the glory of the house. the Lord says: “Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts” (Matthew 10: 9); St. John Chrysostom believes that the prophet uttered these words, because many of the Jews found it difficult for the old temple to come back, with its gold and silver, after turning into dust and ashes; To whom the Lord says: ‘Why do not you believe, that the gold and silver are mine? I am in no need of borrowing from anyone to adorn my house! 1’. (4) “’The glory of the latter temple shall be greater than the former’, says the lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace’, says the Lord of hosts” (9). If we compare between the glory of the first temple, built by Solomon, and the second one, built by Zerubbabel, We shall find that the former, beside the greatness of its building, is greater, with what it contained of gold, silver, and precious stones. In the Babylonian ‘Telmud’, it came that the temple built by Zerubbabel lacked the holy fire, the Ark of the Covenant, the Orim and the Thummim, and the spirit of prophecy. But here, we are raised, not to the temple of Zerubbabel, but up to the temple, referred to by the Lord Himself, as His body (John 2); the glorious new temple, in which the reconciliation between God the Father and humanity through the bloodshed on the cross (Colossians 1: 20) took place; That is why He says: “’In this place I will give peace’, says the Lord of hosts”. 1 In 1Cor. Hom 34: 9. 17 If God has chastened His people by captivity, and the destruction of the temple of Solomon; It was to make them rebuild a temple of greater glory. That is how the Lord, according to the words of St. John Chrysostom1, chastens us to grant us better splendor. 2- GOD SEEKS THE TEMPLE OF THE HEART: This prophecy came two months after the previous one; In it God clarifies that, if the glory of the temple is the dwelling of the Lord in the midst of His people; The goal of the temple is therefore the sanctification of the heart. Hence God seeks from us, not to concentrate our thoughts on the stone building, but on the heart. As, What would be the benefit, if we set the stone building with unclean hearts?! … In this prophecy, it is to be noticed: (1) God demands from the prophet to “ask the priests concerning the law” (11). Although he was a prophet, and was sent by God to provoke the priest to work, Yet He demands from him to ask the priests concerning the interpretation of the law; to teach us that, every member of the church is concerned with a certain work, with no preference of one over the other, except as far as his performance of the work allotted to him, is concerned – The prophet in his prophecy, and the priest in the interpretation of the law. St. Jerome says: [Great is the task of priesthood -- answering the questions concerning the law; Any lack of knowledge in the teaching of the priest would therefore, affect his performance in doing his job. And as much as he edifies the church of Christ by the virtues of his life, he would harm her more by his failure to confront those who tend to draw her downward2]. (2) If one carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and with the edge he touches something; he will not make it holy. But the one who became unclean because he touched a dead body, whatever he touches he will make unclean (12, 13). By this He intends to confirm that contagion moves to the life of others, in sin faster than in holiness; As demolition is faster than building. It is as though He demands from them to care for their spiritual well-being and sanctification, because every sickness and uncleanness move and get around fast. (3) He says: “If one carries holy meat”, and does not say “holy sacrifice”. With their persistence on evil, God would not let them build His house, however magnificent and beautiful; and would not receive their sacrifices, but would see it as “meat”. He demands from them to reconsider themselves, lest while being preoccupied with the outer building, they lose the sanctification of the heart; saying: “And now, carefully consider from this day forward; from before stone was laid upon stone in the temple of the Lord…” (15). (4) Without having their heart sanctified, Even if they build a temple for the Lord in their midst, they will nor enjoy the blessing; God says: “’Since those days, when one came to a heap of twenty ephahs, there were but ten; When one came to the wine vat to draw out fifty baths from the press, there were but twenty. I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands, yet you did not turn to Me’, says the Lord” (17, 18). There will be no blessing, neither on the threshing floor nor in the wine vat. The plants, likewise, will be struck with blight 1 Letters to The Fallen Theodore 1: 13. 2 Ep. 53: 3. 18 (violent wind), mildew (pests), and hail; namely, even the nature will oppose him, hoping to bring him back to his Creator. 3- THE NEW TEMPLE AND THE DIVINE SEAL (THE SIGNET RING): This last prophecy was proclaimed on the same day of the proclamation of the previous one; In the first prophecy, the Lord confirms the necessity of paying attention to the sanctification of the temple of the heart, so that the believer would be filled with blessing, and would enjoy the dwelling of the lord inside him. Whereas here, He proclaims to Zerubbabel the governor, a descendant of David, that He will bless him through destroying the opposing heathen Gentile nations, and being chosen by Him, He will set him as a seal (signet ring) for the Lord. If Zerubbabel represents the Lord Christ (who was born in Babylon); Having borne our body, came to our land, and entered with us even to the tomb; Yet, He is the only-begotten Son, in whom God the Father is pleased, and in whom we have become God’s elect (Ephesians 1: 4). In Him, we enjoy conquest, not over human nations, with their chariots and horses, But over the evil hosts of darkness. By baptism, the works of the old man, as collapsed heathen nations, would be defeated under our feet; and we would enjoy the heavenly seal; Something coveted by the bride of the song, who says: “Set me as a seal upon your heart; As a seal upon your arm” (Song 8: 6). By Him we became like a seal, baring the honor, riches, and spiritual authority of the lord; to testify to Him like a bride united with Him on an exalted level.
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