Desire of All Nations

“And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,” says the LORD of hosts.

 Haggai 2:7

Under Zerubbabel, the returned exiles from Babylon began to rebuild the temple. Unfortunately, it had been sixteen years since the foundation was laid and the building was far from done. The prophet Haggai rebuked the repatriated house of Judah for allowing personal interests to usurp God’s work. Everyone could see that the new temple would never be as impressive as Solomon’s. However, Haggai assured the reluctant workers that God would fill this sanctuary with glory because the Desire of All Nations would be there. It would, in fact, surpass Solomon’s glory.

When the Lord of Glory came to the second temple a large crowd shouted “Hosanna” and laid palm branches and clothes in His path. If these folks failed to give Him glory, Christ said that the stones would have immediately cried out. Immanuel had come and it was a big deal.

The arrival of the Messiah has shaken up the nations for almost two millennia. In the first century, the mob in Thessalonica complained that Christians had turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). It took three centuries for the Roman Empire to change from polytheistic to Christian. Different cultures on all the continents have been transformed by Christ through great revivals that have occurred periodically over the centuries.

Today, the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way around, and the Desire of All Nations doesn’t seem to have His same appeal. It’s illegal to preach about the Savior in 37 countries and church attendance in the U.S. is going down. Materialism is the new paganism and this is just one more sign of Christ’s return.

Even so, in Africa, South America, and on the Pacific Rim, Christ’s church is seeing tremendous growth. Anywhere there are oppressed and needy people, the gospel message is still good news to hungry souls. Folks still want their sins forgiven and to receive eternal life. Men and women everywhere still seek the Savior. After all, He’s never stopped being the Desire of All Nations.