Dear Yitzhak,
> Both of you are reading these verses with a theological message, and that
> theological message may be appropriate for you and those who abide by
> your theological beliefs.
HH: The Bible is a theological message.
> That theological message and set of beliefs must
> be set aside, however, and the verses interpreted in their proper context to
> understand what Haggai was talking about.
HH: The theological message may be taken from the text rather than
imposed on it.
HH: The Jews of the first century saw the world shaking predicted by
Haggai as an event still in the future.
> Haggai was speaking to a
> people who did not know of a third temple, who did not expect a third
> temple, who did not expect the Davidic line of kings to be interrupted.
HH: The Davidic line of kings had already been interrupted. The fact
that these people were not expecting a third temple is not determinative
because biblical prophecy sometimes speaks of events hundreds or even
thousands of years in advance of the fulfillment.
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