Big Idea - We live in a time when it seems the nations are out of control. The world's great nations are amassing more and more power, more and more weapons, and moving toward a great standoff. Who will win? How will it end? What are we to do, as we will all be caught in the crossfire? Even in small and insignificant countries like Myanmar, we see oppressive leaders holding power, and it seems no one can stop them. How will it all end? Who can put a stop to the dominion of such power-hungry rulers? The book of Haggai is mostly about rebuilding the temple as the place where God's presence would dwell among them and where they could worship Him. Israel had been a great nation, not a superpower, but at times a well-established Kingdom that could hold its own in the world of nations. But, the people turned away from God, who was their shield and protection, and, as God promised, He handed them over to their enemies who destroyed Jerusalem, the Temple, and took the people as captives in exile to Babylon. But God was not finished with them. He was faithful to His promise, and after almost 70 years, he brought back a remnant to rebuild the temple and the city. Finally, after many years of delay and missed starts, the temple was being rebuilt, but would Israel ever be what it was? The temple represented God's presence in their midst, but the nation represented God's rule, His kingdom on earth. Would the rule of God ever again be felt on the face of the earth as Kingdom rule, a government holding dominion over the nation? Is the rule and reign of God the only hope to bring true peace to the world?

At the end of Haggai, we get a glimpse of the end of the story, like jumping to the last page of a novel to see how it ends. The short answer is that God will one day have dominion over the nations, but His dominion will not be limited to only the nation of Israel. He will overthrow every kingdom and nation and reign and rule over all the nations of the earth! What's more, Zerubbabel and his descendant are at the center of what is to come. God is not finished with Israel or with the line of David, the great King of Israel. God had promised that a descendant of David would sit on the throne and rule forever. God has not forgotten that promise. The throne of David ended with the destruction of Jerusalem, and the last king, Jehoiakim, when his son and heir to the throne, Jeconiah, was sent into exile. His son, and the next in line for the throne, Shealtiel, died in exile, without a child, without an heir. But, God's word and promise to Zerubbabel is that the line of David will be passed on through him as the one who was next in line for the throne. Not only that, but God will one day shake the nations and bring every human ruler, power, and all their armies to an end. On that day, Zerubbabel would be a signet ring of God the great king through one of his descendants. That is, he would rule as God's great representative over all the earth. And that is how the story ends. God wins, the nations are defeated, and His rule will be established over the earth forever!

The big question, then, is not how it ends but when? The answer comes in two parts. First, the end has already begun God has already. The great king, the descendant of Zerubbabel, has already arrived, and He has ushered in the first phase of His kingdom rule. Jesus was the Messiah, the promised "anointed ruler" and descendant of David and Zerubbabel. He came proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is the good news of His reign and rule over the earth! He came to break the power of and dominion of kingdoms and nations, but not in the way anyone expected. He triumphed over every power and authority, not by the sword but by the cross. Power and dominion are a problem when they are exercised apart from God and in defiance of Him. The nations are against Him because of sin and our rebellious hearts. But God broke the power of sin by sending His son to die on the cross, forgive sin, and break its power over us. In a very real sense, the kingdom rule of God has come and is having a great effect on the world as people put their faith in Jesus. When we trust in Jesus, we accept Him as king and submit to His reign and rule over our lives! We pray that His kingdom will come, and when we live according to His rule and law, His kingdom is coming and is present on the earth. All authority has been given to Jesus. He is the signet ring, and He sends us out with power and authority to bring His kingdom rule to the hearts and lives of all those who become His disciples! But this is all just the beginning, the warm-up. There will be an end to the story. The Bible is clear that one day Jesus will come again, and on that day, the prophecy to Zerubabbel will be fulfilled. The rule and dominion of the world powers will come to an end as He destroys them! The reign and rule of God will be absolute over all the earth, and only those who love Him and submit to Him will survive that day!