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“WHY IS EVERYONE SAYING IT IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME
FOR REBUILDING MY TEMPLE? ASKS THE LORD.” Hag. 1:2
From the prophet Haggai comes a thrilling story that
may yet be another key to your need. Dear partners,
when we finally learn that the key to everything we need,
and even those secret desires of our hearts, is found in the
pages of God’s holy word — our lives will be filled with
“joy unspeakable and full of glory,” just as St. Peter
describes. Praise the Lord!
The story begins with a
decree from Cyrus, king of Persia.
Seventy years have passed since
King Nebuchadnezzar conquered
Jerusalem and destroyed the
great Temple of God that
Solomon had built. The prophet
Jeremiah had prophesied that
after seventy years the Jews
taken captive would return to
Jerusalem and rebuild the walls
and the Temple of God.
Of course, the many enemies
of the Jews protested and
tried in every way to stop their
return and to hinder the rebuilding
of Jerusalem and the Temple.
By now Persia had a new king, Darius, and a search was
made for the decree of Cyrus. King Darius discovered
that King Cyrus had, indeed, issued a decree permitting
the Jews to return to their homes in Jerusalem and
rebuild it. The book of Ezra gives the whole story and it
is glorious to see the hand of God move upon the hearts
of these heathen kings to fulfill His will and His prophecy
given through Jeremiah.
So now multitudes of the captive Jews have
returned to Jerusalem. The walls and gates have been
rebuilt and repaired but the Temple of God still lies in
ruin. Houses are built, vineyards planted, olive trees,
and orchards reestablished; but years pass with no plans
yet to rebuild God’s house. And God gets upset! Wow
— not a good thing to get God angry! In fact God goes
on to say in response to our opening theme Scripture:
“IS IT THEN THE RIGHT TIME FOR YOU TO
LIVE IN YOUR LUXURIOUS HOMES, WHEN MY
TEMPLE LIES IN RUINS?” Hag. 1:2
Now right here we have to
bring this important truth down
into our dispensation of grace.
From Jesus’ time on earth to
this present day we have been
commanded to build very
different Temples. No longer
magnificent structures of gold,
silver and cedar — Jesus’ command
is to “go into all the
world and preach the Gospel to
every creature” (Mark 16:15)!
The apostle Paul makes it just
as clear —
“KNOW YE NOT THAT YE
ARE THE TEMPLE OF
GOD, AND THAT THE
SPIRIT OF GOD DWELLETH
IN YOU?…FOR THE TEMPLE OF GOD IS HOLY,
WHICH TEMPLE YE ARE”! I Cor. 3:16
Surely, every true child of God can see that
millions of human Temples lie in ruin worldwide! Now,
right here is the KEY to your need, your healing,
your financial need, your lost loved ones, and that
secret desire of your heart.
We will come back to this truth in a moment,
but let’s look and see what was the key that turned
everything around for the Jews returning from captivity.
Believe me, the Jews had a need! In fact, they were
in deep trouble! God speaks again and tells them
clearly what their problem is for not building His Temple:
“YOU PLANT MUCH BUT HARVEST LITTLE. YOU
SCARECELY HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT OR DRINK, AND
NOT ENOUGH CLOTHES TO KEEP YOU WARM. YOUR
INCOME DISAPPEARS AS THOUGH YOU WERE
PUTTING IT INTO POCKETS FILLED WITH HOLES!”
Hag. 1:6 TLB
God speaks again and gives them the simple cure for
their poverty:
“THINK IT OVER, SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY…
THEN GO UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS AND BRING
DOWN TIMBER, AND REBUILD MY TEMPLE, AND I
WILL BE PLEASED AND WILL APPEAR THERE IN MY
GLORY.” Hag. 1:7,8 TLB
There is not enough time or space in this short letter to
record all of God’s anger with His people. In a classic
“chewing out,” He makes it clear that because of their
selfish attitude He is holding back the rain, destroying their
crops, cattle, and everything else!
Finally Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, the
governor, and some of the elders and others GOT THE
MESSAGE! They arose and inspired the people to act and
begin the construction of God’s house.
God goes on to say:
“EVERYTHING YOU DID WENT WRONG. BUT ALL
IS DIFFERENT NOW, BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEGUN TO
BUILD [MY} TEMPLE.” Hag. 2:15 TLB
So here was the key for God’s people, the Jews. AND
HERE WE SEE THE COMPASSION AND MERCY OF
OUR GOD. He concludes His very stern discourse with
His people with this precious promise —
“FROM TODAY…AS THE FOUNDATION OF THE
LORD’S TEMPLE IS FINISHED…FROM THIS DAY
ONWARD I WILL BLESS YOU.”
And to make His promise even more precious, He
concludes with this final word:
“NOTICE I AM GIVING YOU THIS PROMISE NOW BEFORE YOU HAVE EVEN BEGUN TO REBUILD THE
TEMPLE STRUCTURE, AND BEFORE YOU HAVE
HARVESTED YOUR GRAIN…GRAPES, FIGS, POMEGRANATES
AND OLIVES…FROM THIS DAY, I WILL
BLESS YOU.” Hag. 2:18, 19 TLB
So have we gotten the message? God wants us to
build HUMAN TEMPLES! And to make the love and
mercy of God even sweeter, He promises to begin our
blessings the moment we decide in our hearts that we will
obey His word and BEGIN TO BUILD HIS TEMPLES!
As I have said before, God will accept our I.O.U. and begin
meeting our needs from that moment onward! Oh, what a
glorious God we serve!
So how do we build God’s Temples today? I’m so glad
you asked! TBN has over 200 prayer partner telephones
— they ring 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Multitudes
of those calls are for salvation and come from many
nations around the world. When I see a white slip being
filled out I rejoice within my heart and soul –
WE HAVE JUST BUILT ANOTHER TEMPLE
FOR GOD TO LIVE IN!
Dear Partner, many of you love and support TBN’s
6,500 TV stations and 46 great angel satellites —
THANK YOU — Jan and I wish we could put our arms
around you and give you a holy hug of thanks! And believe
me, in heaven we will do just that! But many who read my
simple letters, and watch and are blessed by TBN, do
NOTHING to help us keep this great Voice ON THE AIR.
How sad.
I have just given you another blessed KEY to meet
your needs, but God’s promise of provision is only to those
who help build HIS TEMPLES!
Please join us —
APRIL 4 THRU 8
for another great week of revival Praise-A-Thon®. Yes, sing,
shout and even dance with us as we promise and pledge to
God that we WILL BUILD HIS TEMPLES around the
world!
Finally, let’s remember Jesus’ own promise —
“BUT SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF
GOD…AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED
UNTO YOU.” Matt 6:33
Join us for revival Praise-a-thon®, April 4-8.
Let’s build “human temples” for God’s Kingdom!
While recently in India, Paul and Dr.
Manakam Prakash, TBN’s liaison in
India, visited a satellite dish “farm.”
TBN reaches about fifty percent of the
1.2 BILLION people of that great nation
via cable!
Since last May, all FIVE networks: TBN, JC-TV, THE
CHURCH CHANNEL, ENLACE AND TBN ITALIAN have
been blanketing Europe, the Middle East and northern
Africa with the Gospel. Just this past January, the SIXTH
network, the new Arabic language “Healing Channel,”
signed on the air! YOUR TBN is taking the Gospel to the
ends of the earth!
Winning SOULS for Jesus is at the heart of TBN! The
reward for building “human temples” is eternal—
THANK YOU for being our Partner!
