The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1899-09-06
ENCOURAGING THE BUILDERS.
international sunday school Lesson
for September 40, IsOo-Test, HsR-
act 2ii-t-Memory verses 4, o,

| GOLDEN TENT.-Be strong, all ye poo
pie Of the land. saith the Lord. and work
Tor I am with you.-liag al
| READ the Book OF lagFai and Isaiah On.
LIGHT FROM OTHER sCRiPTUREs.-
The History Ezra, Chaps. t-6. Prophecy
Compare lisa. 80; Dan. tn; Mic al. .; the
whole OF zech.; Nal i:ii. Encouragements.
-Psa. ~; lisa. 2:2-t; 90. Z, liI-ii; uiS-20:
Eek S6:25-2S
TIME. This prophecy was delivered on
the 2ist OF the seventh month september.
October). II. c. $50. 10 years after the layins
of the temple foundations
EXPLANATORY.
l. The Prophet Inspiring Courage
and llope.-Ns. 10. This prophecy war
uttered seven weeks after the first one,
nearly a month after work had com.
menced on the temple. Its object was
to remove the hindrances in the minds
of the people and TO encourage them TO
persevere in the good work. They were
poor and weak; all they could do would
not make the present equal 10 the past /;
enemies were many and strong Ezra
j:3-lO; the work was vast and hope
less; they would impoverish themselves
10y undertaking such an Herculean task.
Ilaggai's reply was:
First. God is with you. V. 1. "ln the
seventh MONTH" Tisri, October. "In
the one and twentieth days" The
seventh day Of the feast OF tabernaeles
(Lev. %: 33-s6). v. 3. "Who is left
among you:" 1t was &C years since
solomon's temple was destroyed, and
there might well be not a few who had
seen Il. saw this house:" The TEN.
pie was ever regarded as one and the
same temple, however many times II
was rebuilt or restored. "ln her first
glory" AS Solomon built II, with mar
bic and gold and gems from all over
the world. THE Holy of HOLES was
empty. The ark, the cherubs, the tables
of stone, the vase Of mama, the rod Of
Aaron, were gone. The golden shields
had vanished" land the high priests
breastplate, with the oracular stones"
Cambridge Bible. as II not in &.
comparison of it as nothing:" (See Ezra
3:I2, 1871 V. 4. yet now be strong:"
There are other things besides these
that you see with your bodily eyes. II
am with you. saith the LORD:" Je-
hovah, as always when printed in CAPT
tails. "Of hosts" Organized armies
and companies, not only OF angels and
the forces of Heaven, but of all the
powers and forces Of nature, which are
organized to do His will.
Second. lie is the same God now that
lie has been in the past. Ills covenant
made centuries before was still in force.
IS. Omit according to-" 81 am with
you" ". - is "the word that covenant
ed with you when ye came out OF
Egypt" zen. 1888, G; 20:45, 40; 34:IO,
III Gods covenant with Israel, when
the people came out of Egypt, was this,
that they should be His people. and He
would be their God. $50 my spirit re-
maineth among you:" He had wrought
wonders for their fathers In deliverance
from Egypt, from the Red sea, from
numberless dangers. lie had Just
wrought wonderful return for these
His later people. lie had punished ard
disciplined those who disobeyed in the
early ages; lie had done the same in
the exile. He had restored and blessed
the penitent in former times; so now.
Third. He controls the nations and
will compel them TO aid in building the
new kingdom. V. 6. yet once, II is a
little while:" Yet once, again, in a lit
tie while. In their past history God had
shaken the nations many times. II will
shake the heavens:" The invisible
spiritual powers, the ideas, thoughts,
plans, which control the earth. V. Z.
"And the desire OF all nations shall
II. ", the desirable things of
all nations, the objects which the ma
tions most desire, their choicest treas
ures. Thus Isaiah writes: The album
dance of the sea shall be converted into
thee, the forces q. e., resources or
wealth." il Is as here singular
noun with a plural VERDI of the Gen.
tiles shall come unto thee" and he adds
In almost verbal accordance with with
this prophecy of Haggai: They shall
bring gold and incense and 4 will glor-
Ify the house of my glory lisa. CO.: 5-7.
II, 10, II. See also l:6)."-Perowne
Fourth. V. s. THE silver Is mine, and
The gold is mine:" He created IL, and
lie controls IL, and compels II TO work
Tor the furtherance OF Ills kingdom.
Fifth. A Glorious Promise.-V. o.
The glory of this latter house shall be
greater than of the former" Better
is II. ", the latter glory of this house |
shall be greater than the former. the |
house" being regarded as the same
house from Solomon's time till Herod's,
md the spiritual temple which grew
tut from il. More Of the wealth OF the |
world should come TO IL; but chiefly |
gas this promise fulfilled In the pres
nee Of Christ, in the birth of the new
lispensation. in the abiding of the spirit
IF God.
"And in this place will ! give peace;"
The house Of God was preserved invio-
ate during the terrible conflict be-
ween the Persian and the Greek en-
,ires. There was a larger fulfllment
n the coming Of the Prince OF Peace.
ringing peace to the heart, peace with
iod, peace with man, peace within each
oul; and also bringing peace on the
arth, whose rays, now shining on the
mountain tops, are beginning TO de-
cend into the plains and valleys. Peace
means prosperity, happiness, growth.
Progress.
PRACTICAL.