Haggai: Haggai 2:6-The Lord Prophesies that He Will Shake the Heavens and the Earth

Haggai 2:6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.’” (NIV84)

A comparison of Haggai 2:4 with 2:5 makes clear that the citizens of the remnant of the kingdom of Judah must not be afraid of anyone or anything while they completed the work of rebuilding the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem since He was in their presence to protect them and give them success in this task.

This remnant’s greatest fear were the nations which surrounded them.

This leads us to Haggai 2:6-7 which assert that the Lord who rules over the armies will not only shake the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, and its various bodies of water and dry land but also these nations.

Thus, this remnant need not fear these nations because the Lord will intervene on their behalf by judging these nations.

Haggai 2:6 is composed of a causal clause which contains an emphatic declarative statement which is prophetic since it presents the reason for the Lord’s previous solemn command at the end of Haggai 2:5, which required the remnant of Judah to not enter into the state of fear as they completed the work rebuilding His temple.

Haggai 2:6 asserts that the Lord who rules over the armies will once again in a little cause the earth’s atmosphere, the stellar universe, the earth and its various bodies of water and the dry land to shake.

Now, notice that once again, in Haggai 2:6 that the prophet Haggai employs the proper noun yhwh (Yahweh) “Lord,” which is the covenant-keeping personal name of God and is used here in connection with His covenant relationship with the Jewish people.

This is significant since this term emphasizes the covenant relationship that the kingdom of Judah had with the Lord.

This word emphasizes the “immanency” of the Lord meaning that He involves Himself in and concerns Himself with and intervenes in the affairs of the citizens of the kingdom of Judah.

Here in Haggai 2:6, the Lord asserts that He is about to intervene on behalf of His covenant people, the remnant of Judah by causing the earth’s atmosphere, the stellar universe, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land to shake.

Also, as was the case in Haggai 1:2, 5, 7, 9, 14 and 2:4, we have the expression the yhwh ṣĕbāʾôt (יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת), “the Lord ruling over the armies” here in Haggai 2:6.

The term “armies” (ṣābāʾ) pertains in this context to a military congregation as a large fighting or combat unit and denotes a large organized body of armed personnel trained for war especially on land.

These armies refer to both human and angelic armies because we are speaking in the context of God.

Therefore, this expression “the Lord ruling over the armies” is speaking of the God of Israel’s sovereignty over all creation and every creation, both human and angelic beings.

This expression also emphasizes the divine origin of the statement here in Haggai 2:6 and it would also be a reminder to this remnant of Judah that the God of Israel was in control and not the human rulers on the earth who might be hindering this rebuilding project or preventing them from performing this task.

If the God of Israel is the Lord ruling over the angelic and human armies, then this remnant has no excuse for not rebuilding the Lord’s temple.

If the God of Israel wants this remnant to rebuild His temple, they should waste no time in doing so since no one will be able to stop this task from being accomplished if God is sovereign and ruling over human and angelic armies.

So therefore, this expression is designed to encourage the remnant of Judah to complete the task of rebuilding His temple in Jerusalem and reassure them of His presence as they completed this task.

Now, the Lord’s assertion here in Haggai 2:6 that once again, in a little while, He indeed is about to cause the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land to shake implies the Lord has done this before.

The context would indicate that He did this previously for the Exodus generation since Haggai 2:5 asserts that the Lord’s promise to the remnant of Judah to be with them corresponds to His promise to the Exodus generation when they departed Egypt.

Therefore, the Lord shook the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land on behalf of the Exodus generation when He judged Egypt and He also did this when He gave the Law to Israel on Mount Sinai.

This prophetic statement in Haggai 2:6 will be fulfilled during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which terminates this week.

This is indicated by the statement in Haggai 2:7, which asserts that the Lord will shake up all the nations and subsequently, they will offer their treasures to Him, then He will fill His temple with glory.

This prophetic statement in Haggai 2:6 has never taken place in history but the Old Testament Scriptures and the book Revelation make clear that this will take place at Jesus Christ’s Second Advent.

The statement in Haggai 2:7 that the nations will offer their treasures to the Lord and He will fill His temple with glory will be fulfilled during Jesus Christ’s millennial reign will immediately follows His Second Advent.

The writer of Hebrews quotes Haggai 2:6 in Hebrews 12:26.

In Hebrews 11:26-29, the writer of Hebrews is teaching that those who are in union with Jesus Christ possess an unshakeable kingdom that will endure God’s judgments against all of creation and mankind and every living thing during the tribulation portion of the seventieth week of Daniel.

Therefore, in Haggai 2:6, the Lord is telling the remnant of Judah that they must not be afraid because of what He will do during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ which terminates this week.

The implication is that they must not be afraid because He is sovereign over all of creation and is omnipotent.

The shaking of the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere, the earth itself and its various bodies of water and dry land would require the exercise of divine omnipotence and a person who is sovereign over all of creation.