For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once, its a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory ,saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give peace, saith the Lord of hosts. Haggai 2:6-9 (KJV)

It is a fact that people generally don't like to be shaken or shifted because during the process certain things and even people them selves could be moved out of their former places. We don't like it because sometimes it can expose our weaknesses or shift us out of our "Comfort zones".

That is why we are afraid the moment the wind of uncertain changes starts blowing, because we don't want our plans to be shaken, we don't want our business to be shaken; we don't want our families to be shaken; we don't want our careers to be shaken, we don't want our relationship with people to be shaken and none of us even wants our churches or ministries to be shaken.

Sometimes when we see things shaken, we tend to believe that it is because certain things are wrong with the things shaken or with the things from which they are shaken but I would like to submit to you that God could shake any thing He wants to shake whether they are good or bad. He does so not for the fun of it but that His later glory, which must be greater than the former, might be revealed in those things shaken.

Whatever God does, He does best and would never stop at anything until He produces a masterpiece. The bible says He does or makes all things beautiful in His time. Why? So they could give Him the glory, honor and pleasure for which they were created.

So stop looking at things from the physical appearance and jumping to quick conclusions and rash judgments concerning the stuff you or other people around you are passing through because even if the Devil is behind it, God will definitely turn it around for His own glory because the bible declares in the book of Romans chapter 8 verse 28" And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God even to them that are the called according to his purpose."

Again, we must understand that bad things sometimes can happen to good people and good things to bad people. God says in the book of Exd33: 19 & Rm9: 15-16 I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion; so then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (KJV)

The third heaven which is the throne of God was a good and perfect place even as it is still now but at one time it had to be shaken and rid of sin when pride entered Lucifer and he led a rebellion with his cohorts against God; and now God is also talking about shaking the heavens and the earth which refer to the moon, the stars and the sun; also the sky, the seas and dry land. Physically speaking, nothing has been wrong with these things in them selves as they have never disobeyed God starting from creation; but when we use them as metaphors for the systems and structures of the organizations and governments of the visible and invisible kingdoms of this world, we see why He says He's going to shake them in a little while and shake out stuff that are supposed to be shaken and uproot, destroy foundations not laid by God.

The nations of course will not be left out of this great shaking because there is much to be shaken out of them so that the glory of God will cover the earth as waters cover the sea and the glory of the later house greater than the former.

Of a truth, God is on a daily business of shaking things whether good or bad. Jesus in Matt.7: 24-27 told us about two builders who built their house on two different kinds of foundations, the sandy and the rocky foundation, yet when the rain descended, the floods came and the violent wind arose it shook both of them.. Jesus didn't say that since the other house was built on a solid rocky foundation it needed not to be shaken and tested rather he allowed both of them to go through the same process in order to prove the stuff they were made of and the kind of foundation upon which they were built. I could go on and on to show you that in this world, nothing, good or bad is immune from shaking.
It is possible that the present turbulence you are passing through is because God wants to shake some things out of your life. It is also possible that He is just trying to see if through it you will be able to prove to all standing and watching the drama, the true stuff you are made of and upon the kind of foundation you¡¯re built.

The truth however is that when God shakes our heavens we cry. David said in Ps.127: 1," I will look unto the hills or heavens from whence cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord who made the heaven and the earth" but what happens when you pray and fast and look unto the heavens and God says my son, my daughter, continue to look up don't you remove your focus from me, I will soon attend to you after shifting and shaking certain things off?

What happens when He shakes our earth and like Habakkuk in 3:17¡ª19 the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit in the vine and the labor of olives fails and the field yields no meat, and the flocks be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls? Can you still say like Habakkuk "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord and I will joy in the God of my salvation"?

What happens when He shakes the sea and your consignments delay to reach their destinations or hurricanes like Katrina and tsunami sweep across the land? What happens when He shakes the dry land and everything becomes so dry like a desert? Will you mourn and weep hopelessly like the heathens that do not know God or will you say to yourself "I know it shall be well with the righteous; according to the word of God; even in famine, I shall dwell in plenty, my God will make away for me where there seems to be no way."

Look child of God, do you really understand what He meant when he said" I will also shake all nations" Nations talk about human beings and you in particular. What God is saying here is," when I shake the nations, their desires will become my desire. When I rearrange things according to my will and purpose for their lives, their desires and priorities will line up with mine and only then will their expectations come".

And who is the desire and expectation of all nations? Of course Jesus Christ the son of the living God, for Christ in us is the hope of glory. There's no glory outside Jesus. He said, "Then the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill my house with glory. That's why I declare to you that the glory of your later house shall be greater than the former

Your life might have been like that magnificent temple built and decorated with silver and gold, costly stones and seasoned woods etc; once an object of attraction and admiration but suddenly a shaking began and you crushed down; and here the Lord is building you up again and restoring the entire structure and because for now the whole thing is still in skeletal form and its not yet clear in peoples' eyes where you heading to, they are shaking their heads in sympathy and saying "No matter what happens next in your life it will never be the same for you again" Have you ever heard people say that to you or to others? Yes they are correct, it will never be the same for you again rather it is going to be better than before.

If God wanted it to be the same for you forever, He wouldn't have allowed you to be shaken in the first place but He allowed it so that it will be better and more glorious in your life than before because the glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former.

Look at Exd19: 16-18, the first time God shook the earth was on Mount Sinai and let's look at the things that characterized the shaking; thunders and lightening, thick clouds upon the mountain, smoke billowing into the sky as the smoke of a furnace and the voice of an exceeding loud trumpet which made the people to quake and tremble. They are synonymous with fear, panic and confusion yet out of that scenario emerged the law (the Ten Commandments) the word of God that was a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their parts.

That's why in Haggai2: 67 God says yet once more it is a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land and I will shake all nations .I believe He was saying "just as I shook the earth on Sinai" and in the midst of what might look like thunder, lightening, smoke quake and trembling loud sounds of fear, panic and confusion, the desire of all nations Jesus Christ who is the word made flesh, the king of kings and Lord of lords will step into the stage and fill the house with glory and then the glory of the later house shall be greater than former.

If we look at it from a parallel scripture in Heb 12:26-27, the bible says that the word "Yet once more¡± signifies the removal of those things that are made or created, I would like to call them the things that are man made or human attachments that were not part of the God¡¯s original structure.

Things that are of the flesh and not of the spirit or Kingdom minded must be shaken so that the thing that cannot be shaken which is the Kingdom we have received will remain.

May God help us in Jesus name - Amen

Rev Basil & Eby Ukaere