THE RULER - "I will make you like My signet ring"
HAGGAI 2:22-23 – THE RULER
“I will make you like My signet ring…”
Sunday, July 16, 2016, the Year of My Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of unshakeable peace, the LORD with full dominion. He has been given all executive authority in Heaven and in earth. Hag. 2: 22-23 reiterates the shaking of Heaven and earth, affirming the personal removal of the throne and strength of heathen kingdoms.
Hag. 2: 22-23: “I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the LORD, and will make you a signet ring for I have chosen you, saith the LORD of hosts.”
When we see “saith” in the Holy Word it means “to whisper, utter as an oracle.” The Word of His Lordship is heard with the inner ear of the hidden man of the heart and can only be discerned through pure worship (1 Ki. 19:12).
The chariots, with their horses and riders, represent the wisdom and strength of men. All will be swallowed up in the Day of the Lord. The Prince of Peace is the Ruler. His name is Jesus!!!!
Ez. 26:16: “All the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment…” (NIV)
We continue to watch Heaven and earth shake. There are days that it seems watching the chaos, carnage, and rioting to be more than we can bear. Yet, we continue to be protected and kept safe. It is grievous to watch yet we know the Word of God that which shall remain will be that which cannot be shaken.
I even considered stopping preaching this series from Haggai about the shaking, yet this is where we are. People who come to Eastgate expect to hear the Word of Lord as it pertains to the present reality.
Throughout the Old Testament, God promised to undo all other kingdoms except His own:
- In Nimrod’s day (Gen. 10:10)
- In Moses’ day (1 Sam. 10:18)
- In Joshua’s day (Deut. 3:21; Josh. 11:10)
- In David’s day (1 Chron. 29:30)
- In Solomon’s day (1 Kings 4:21)
- In Jehoshaphat’s day (2 Chron. 20: 6, 29).
- In Amos’ day (Amos 9:8).
Every power and affection will be shaken and removed in the Day of the Lord. Personally, each of us will be a house of prayer, the place of unshakeable peace and unbroken covenant. Jesus will have our whole heart, the whole dominion of His Bride. Our only source of strength will be His joy.
God will overthrow the “strength” of heathen kingdoms. This word means “power; to fasten upon, to seize, be strong, figuratively, courageous, to bind, conquer.” Everything alien to the Kingdom of God will be subdued in the name of the LORD.
Hail, King Jesus, the conqueror of our hearts and the thrones of nations of the World.
Luke 21: 11-14: “Jesus said to them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Great earthquakes shall be in divers places, famines, pestilences, fearful sights, and great signs shall there be from heaven. Before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. It shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what you shall answer.”
The third overthrow in Hag. 2:22 is “chariots.” This represents war chariots as weapons if warfare. These shall be smitten with confusion and madness in the Day of the Lord (Zech 10:5; 12:4). This past week we saw a mad man drive an 18 wheeler and use it as a weapon to kill and wound 150 innocent men, women, and children. ISIS put out a written decree for madmen to use trucks as weapons to kill.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Saul’s fleshly armor is useless in the Day when the Church apprehends the faith that overcomes the world. Jesus fought and won it at the cross!
Every ungodly relationship, every unholy alliance and confederation will be broken in the day of unshakable peace. All that will remain are Godly relationships which cannot be moved. As in the days of Gideon, Jonathan, and Jehoshaphat, the enemies of righteousness will turn upon themselves. The world (kosmos) will devour itself.
Isa. 19:2: “I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.”
We are there!
The prince of unshakeable peace, Jesus Christ will be given whole dominion. This prophecy in Hag. 2: 20-22 conveys and declares the dismissal of every other kingdom.
A race of compromisers and idolaters exemplify this spirit of antichrist, anarchy and the mixed bag of all secondhand thrones and kingdoms. The voice of God brings the shaking of the removal of all things that offend and them which do iniquity. (Mt. 13:41) The word from the mouth of His prophets separates the precious from the vile.
The prophet Daniel visualized the results of this cosmic convulsion. His Kingdom will stand (Dan. 2:35, 44; 7:27). The apostle John envisioned the same victorious reign of God. John was caught up into the spirit of the Day of the Lord, the day of ultimate triumph (Rev. 11:15). God will get Himself honor upon Pharaoh and all the chariots of Egypt. In that day, His dominion will be seen from sea to sea (Zech. 9:10). There will be no place to hide, no false hope of imminent evacuation when the Lord punishes the high ones of the earth. He will destroy everything that comes against his habitation of peace (Zech. 12:9).
After the removal, all that stands is the RULER Himself! With all enemies under His feet, Jesus Christ is Lord, the supreme, sovereign God whose name is above all others (Phil 2: 9-11).
He will build his church. That is probably the reason he didn’t tell me our assignment to start this new church.
The primary characteristic of the latter house of greater glory will be an unshakeable peace in the time of global shaking. The Lord has determined to oust the strength of every throne and chariot.
In verse 23, Zerubbabel is a type and shadow of Jesus Christ, the Conqueror of every enemy.
Dan 7:14: “There was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
Jesus’ “throne” is singular, contrasting all other thrones. He is the Chief Apostle, the highest authority in the Church (Heb. 3:1). We can contrast this with the “thrones” being overturned, the seat of the beast mentioned in Hagai 2:22.
The Person and finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly governor of Judah, is the surety, guarantee, and assurance of the New Covenant. The new creation reality of the finished temple is the formation of Christ within an overcoming people (Gal. 4:19).
The “signet ring” vision is to be fulfilled “in that day”. “That day” in the Old covenant is “this day” in the New Covenant.
The special word to the governor of Judah is, “I will take you…and will make you…” (Hag. 2:23).
This truth is illustrated by Jesus in the “lost and found” chapter---Luke 15---a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son. The latter is the story of two prodigals, one who strayed and one who stayed! The initial cry of the younger son was “give me”! Content to leave home with but part of his inheritance, he wasted his substance with riotous living. When he repented and returned to his father’s house, his cry was “make me…” (Lk. 15: 11-20)
Zerubbabel was apprehended as the chosen of God. All things were created by and for God. We have been apprehended. “Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (1 Jn. 5:4)
The word of “make” refers to the last Adam, the federal Head of the new creation. Our King is the set Man in Zion, the Word forever settled in Heaven. Jacob was created, but Israel, the new creation man was formed (Is. 43:1). Only God can “make us” into His vessel for his use.
Those who wear Zerubbabel’s signet ring look to the interests of the Lord and His purposes in the earth. True Israelites who have power with God and men are servants of all. Our apostolic boast? We are part of the privileged class---the slaves of Jesus (Rom. 1:1).
Zerubbabel was a seal guaranteeing the fulfillment of God’s promise to David (2 Sam. 7: 12-16). He was chosen, not by the people or even mighty Cyrus. This petty prince from Judah, a small impoverished nation under foreign dominance, was honored by the supreme RULER, the Lord of hosts. Zerobabel is in the lineage extending from King David to King Jesus (Mt. 1: 12-13).
The prophet declares the Governor of Judah to be a “signet.” The signet was a precious stone on which was engraved the name, emblem or design of the owner. The seal or ring was an official’s personal signature. Pharaoh gave his signet to Joseph as a badge of delegated authority. The seal was worn constantly on the king’s person---on his finger. The signet was an emblem of royal authority, a most prized possession, the power of attorney. Zerubbabel was designated by God to lead the returning captives back to Jerusalem and was invested with the highest honor.
All these thoughts about the signature-ring reveal the preciousness and power of Jesus’ name. Every ring requires a finger. Jesus compared “the finger of God” (Lk. 11:20) with “the Spirit of God” (Mt. 12:28).
True Kingdom authority must be by the power and nature of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Son (Gal. 4: 6-7).
Rom. 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is…in the Holy Ghost.”
Being chosen by God brings people into an intimate relationship with Him. God’s choices shaped the history of Israel, led to their redemption from Egypt, sent Moses and Aaron to work miracles, and gave them the Levites to bless in the name of the Lord. He chose their inheritance, including Jerusalem, where He dwelt among them.
Jn. 15:16: “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, he may give it to you.”
Mt. 28:18: “Jesus came to them, and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
Jesus has the signet! Jesus is the signet! Both testaments set forth His sovereign authority over all things. He alone wears the signature-ring, having been given jurisdiction over heaven and earth.
His eternal companion whom he has purposed to share his might and power with is the Bride of Christ. We have been predestined to be joint-heirs of His grace and life.
“For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (NIV)
By Him kings reign and princes decree justice (Prov. 8:15).
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V. unless otherwise indicated. I entered into the labors of Kelly Varner, Unshakeable Peace