The Greater Glory in the Temple: Jesus Christ

 

"The Greater Glory"

The people of Israel were discouraged. They were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem after returning from exile, and it was a pale shadow of Solomon’s magnificent structure. Some of the older generation wept when they saw it—not from joy, but from sorrow. They remembered the former glory and could not believe that this humble project could ever compare.

Then came the word of the Lord through the prophet Haggai: “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former.” How could that be? The gold and silver were fewer. The craftsmanship was simpler. There were no ark, no tablets of stone, no visible cloud of God’s presence.

But Haggai spoke of a deeper glory.

He foretold a time when God would “shake all nations,” and the One who is “desired by all nations” would come. This was not merely about bricks and mortar. This was about Jesus Christ.

Centuries later, Jesus Himself would walk in the courts of that second temple. The Son of God, the very radiance of God’s glory, entered the place made by human hands. What Solomon’s temple had in splendor, this second temple surpassed in significance. For here, Immanuel—God with us—stood and taught and healed. Here, the glory of God was not hidden behind a veil, but seen in the face of Christ.

And now, beloved, we must take this even further. Jesus did not just fill that earthly temple with glory. He became the new temple. He said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days,” speaking of His body. The ultimate glory is not in stone, but in the Savior who gave Himself for us and rose again.

And today, we are His temple. His Spirit dwells in us. The prophecy of Haggai reaches forward into the church, into us, into the Kingdom that cannot be shaken. The glory that once filled a building now fills a people. The peace God promised in that place has come through Jesus, who is our peace.

So let us not look back in sorrow to what was, but forward in faith to what God is doing and will yet do. For the greater glory is here—and His name is Jesus. Amen.

More: Lesson 6 Understanding Sacrifice