Then the LORD spoke to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah: ‘I am ready to shake the sky and the earth. I will overthrow royal thrones and shatter the might of earthly kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and those who ride them, and horses and their riders will fall as people kill one another. On that day,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
Haggai 2:20-23 NET
Haggai was a prophet who ministered in Judea after their return from exile in Babylon. Zerubbabel was a descendant of David, whom the Persians had appointed as the governor of Judah. You also find Zerubbabel in the genealogical record of Jesus found in Matthew 1:12.
This message from God, through Haggai, to Zerubbabel was a look into the future. A future that included Zerubbabel. God was going to shake the sky and earth, overthrow kingdoms, and destroy armies. And on that day, God would make Zerubbabel like a signet ring. God had chosen him. The idea was that God would defeat the surrounding nations and that Zerubbabel would rule as a king under God’s authority.
A Failed Prophecy?
On the surface, this prophetic message concerning Zerubbabel would seem to have failed. None of that happened during Zerubbabel’s lifetime. So, was Haggai a failed prophet? The Jews certainly did not believe so since they included his writings in their sacred Scripture. Instead, they understood it to be a prophecy yet to be fulfilled.
A key to timing the fulfillment of this prophecy is in the expression “shake the sky and the earth.” This expression is also used in Haggai 2:6-9 about the future of the temple currently under construction. The author of Hebrews refers to Haggai 2:6 and understands this shaking as the removal of the created order (Heb. 12:26-27). This would point to the fulfillment of this prophecy as one that will come at the end of this age.
The issue, then, is the role of Zerubbabel. Will a resurrected Zerubbabel sit on the throne of a recreated Israelite nation in a new heaven and earth? More likely, this is a messianic prophecy that looks forward to one who will be like Zerubbabel. One who will, after God has upended the world order, lead his people out of exile and establish a kingdom as God’s vice-regent.
Who is that one like Zerubbabel? We know him now as Jesus, the Son of God and a descendant of David and Zerubbabel. The final fulfillment of this prophetic message is yet to come. But even now, Jesus leads those who trust him out of exile and into his kingdom.
