so because one day the Hebrews would once again have a wealthy empire as they did in the days of David and Solomon, drawing upon the wealth of other nations. In this portion of the message, we begin to see how the present and the future intertwine in the prophet’s preaching. The immediate task at hand was the restoration of the temple; one suspects that Haggai knew full well that it would not match Solomon’s for splendour. The times had changed, and they must do what they could. But the prophet saw