"The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts." Haggai the prophet encouraged the repatriated Jews, the remnant from the Babylonian captivity who had returned to Judah, to start rebuilding the temple. The Lord told the people to "Be strong" and "Work" because He was with them beause they were His covenant people (vs. 4). And as His covenant people His Spirit remained with them (vs. 5). God promised that He will once again fill the temple with His glory and adorn it with treasures of silver and gold so that its future glory will be even greater than when Solomon first built the temple, and it will be a place of peace--Hebrew
shalom, meaning well-being or peace with God. While the ultimate fulfillment of this prophetic verse may be found in Christ's first and second comings, it has inferences for the individual lives of God's covenant people in the present, who are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). Contained in this verse is the promise that you have the potential to be more productive for God's Kingdom as you grow older if you work and be strong in the Lord because His Spirit remains with you! Be encouraged that the physical aging process is also a spiritual strengthening process for those who have God's Spirit.
