Haggai: Haggai 2:22-The Lord Will Overthrow Governments and Destroy Their Military Capability

Haggai 2:20 The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I will shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. 23 “‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” (NIV84)

Haggai 2:22 contains five prophetic statements.

The first asserts the Lord will surely cause thrones of kingdoms to be overthrown and presents the result of the prophetic statement in Haggai 2:21 which asserts that the Lord was about to cause the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere and the earth to shake.

Therefore, the prophetic statement in Haggai 2:21 and the first one here in Haggai 2:22 are teaching that the Lord will surely cause thrones of kingdoms to be overthrown as a result of the Lord causing the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere and the earth to shake.

The implication is that the governments of the world would be adversely affected by the Lord causing the stellar universe, the earth’s atmosphere and the earth itself to shake.

In Haggai 2:22, the noun kis·sē(ʾ) (כִּסֵּא)refers to the thrones of various civil authorities of various civil governments and the noun mamlākâ (מַמְלָכָה) pertains to the dominion and rule of a sovereign over a particular realm or region.

Therefore, this first prophetic statement asserts that the Lord will cause thrones of various civil authorities of various civil governments to be overthrown.

This act would express God’s wrath or righteous indignation against these nations which have rebelled against Him as a result of being deceived by the members of Satan’s kingdom who have been unified in their purpose to oppose Him from the tower of Babel.

The second prophetic statement in Haggai 2:22 asserts that the Lord will surely cause the military capability of kingdoms of the nations to be destroyed.

This second prophetic statement is epexegetical because it explains in further detail the first one.

Therefore, this second prophetic statement identifies specifically for the reader what the Lord means when He declares that He will surely overthrow the thrones of kingdoms or civil governments.

This indicates that when the Lord declares He will surely overthrow the power of foreign kingdoms, He means that He will surely cause the military capability of kingdoms of the nations to be destroyed.

The articular form of the noun gôy(גּוֹי), “foreign” means “the nations” since the word refers to a large group of people based on various cultural, physical, and geographical ties, extending to clan relationships and refers to a group of people that form a political entity.

The word speaks of a politically organized body of people under a single ruler or government.

In the third prophetic statement in Haggai 2:22, the Lord declares that He will surely overturn chariots as well as their drivers or riders.

This statement serves to further identify what is meant by the first prophetic statement and is an addition to the second which also serves to identify the first.

The fourth prophetic statement is an addition to the third and asserts that horses and their riders will surely die.

In the fifth prophetic statement, the Lord declares that each man will die by the sword of his brother.

Now, each of these five prophetic statements in Haggai 2:22 are a reference to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27; cf. Dan. 7:25; Rev. 12:6; 13:5) and His Second Advent (Matt. 24:27-31; Mark 13:24-30; Rev. 19:11-21).

Specifically, it refers to the Lord Jesus Christ destroying the military capability of kingdoms of the nations during the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

This act would express God’s wrath or righteous indignation against these nations which have rebelled against Him as a result of being deceived by the members of Satan’s kingdom who have been unified in their purpose to oppose Him from the tower of Babel.

This interpretation is indicated by the fact that the prophetic statement in Haggai 2:23 is Messianic since the Lord asserts that He will make Zerubbabel His signet ring for He has chosen him.

In this verse, “My servant” is Messianic as it is in many Old Testament passages (2 Sam. 3:18; 1 Kings 11:34; Isa. 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; Ezek. 34:23-24; 37:24-25).

Therefore, Haggai 2:23 indicates that the prophetic statements in Haggai 2:22 pertain to the last three and a half years of Daniel’s seventieth week and Second Advent, which not only brings to an end the seventieth week of Daniel but also brings to an end “the times of the Gentiles.”

The latter will come to an end upon the completion of these four hundred ninety prophetic years.

The times of the Gentiles refers to an extended period of time when the Gentiles are the dominant world powers and Israel is subject to those powers.

It extends from the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. and continues through the Tribulation (Revelation 11:2) and ends with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

This period of history includes the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the church age and the Tribulation period.

This phrase does not rule out temporary Jewish control of Jerusalem as has occurred in the past during the Maccabean era (164-63 B.C), the first Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70), the second Jewish revolt (A.D. 132-135) and now since 1967 and the Six-Day War.

However, this control is only temporary because Revelation 11:1-2 predicts at least another three-and-one-half years of Gentile domination during the last half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, also known as the Tribulation.

Therefore, any Jewish takeover of the city of David before the Second Advent of Christ must be therefore viewed as a temporary one and does not mean that “the times of the Gentiles” has ended since it can only end with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which will forever stop Gentile powers waging war against Israel.

In Luke 21:24, the Lord Jesus Christ makes mention of “the times of the Gentiles” in relation to the Tribulation period in His Olivet Discourse.

There are two great prophecies that appear in Daniel chapter two and chapter seven, which present to us the prophetic outline of the Gentiles during the Times of the Gentiles.

The prophecy that appears in Daniel chapter two, views the Times of the Gentiles from the perspective of man whereas the prophecy in Daniel chapter seven, views it from God’s perspective.

These two prophecies also reveal that there will be a revived form of the Roman Empire during the Tribulation period under Antichrist, which will be destroyed by the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

Also, the prophetic statements in Haggai 2:22 are describing the events of the day of the Lord.

Specifically, they describe that portion of the day of the Lord which will take place during the seventieth week of Daniel and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

To summarize, “the day of the Lord” prophecies were already fulfilled in history in several different ways:

(1) Assyrian deportation of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. (Amos 5:18, 20), (2) locust plague in Joel’s day (Joel 1:15), (3) Babylonian exile of Judah between 605-587 B.C. (Zeph. 1:7; Ezek. 13:5), (4) Babylonian defeat of Egypt in 587 B.C. (Ezek. 30:3), (5) destruction of Edom (Obad. 1-14).

There are several “day of the Lord” prophecies which will be fulfilled during the last three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Zeph. 1:14; Joel 2:1; 2:11, 31; 3:14; Zechariah 14:1-2; Is. 13:6-16).

There are some that will be fulfilled through the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (Zech. 14:3-8) and His subsequent millennial reign (Zech. 14:9-21; Joel 3:17-21).