There are some books in the Bible that aren’t quite as popular as they ought to be, and none fall into this category more than those often categorized as the minor prophets. Despite their brevity, these books are packed with profound lessons waiting to be explored.

This week, we will delve into two such books — Haggai and Zechariah — and the one name that stands out prominently in those books: Zerubbabel. For a while, I was intrigued by the man Zerubbabel and the monumental task he was assigned. But before we proceed, let’s take a moment to understand the backdrop of ancient warfare, as it provides crucial context for the challenges he faced.

In ancient times, warfare extended far beyond military victories. Conquerors often employed a systematic process of long-term control through cultural, religious, and social assimilation. The first phase of this involved displacing and scattering the conquered people from their ancestral lands, thereby weakening their unity and potential for rebellion.

This was followed by a strategic religious conquest, where the scattered populations were coerced into adopting the religion of their new homeland.

Finally, cultural and social assimilation was subtly enforced through intermarriage and the erosion of the original culture, so much so that the desire for home was lost. The ultimate aim of all these was to prevent uprisings and create a unified citizenry loyal to the conquerors and in many great civilizations in ancient recorded huge successes in this approach.

It was against this backdrop that men like Daniel, Nehemiah, Ezra, the three Hebrew boys, and Zerubbabel were given their mandates to represent God. Little wonder why they all faced intense resistance, which often mean that their lives were on the line. Zerubbabel, in particular, was appointed governor of the southern tribe of Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital, during the reign of the Persian King Darius (Haggai 1:1). As governor, he was in charge of a territory that was not sovereign, despite him being from the ancestral kingly line of David. This meant that Zerubbabel’s role was one of stewardship — as he was to oversee Judah as a trust for the Persian king and if he carried out any action that could be perceived as a threat to Persia it will be considered treason, potentially costing him his life, along with the lives of his family members as it was the custom of Persia when punishing deterrents (Daniel 6:24).

Yet, despite these dangers, Zerubbabel was commanded by the Lord through the prophet Haggai to rebuild the temple (Haggai 1:1–3), which had been destroyed by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25:8–9; 2 Chronicles 36:18–19). Now, the temple in ancient Israel wasn’t just a building; it was the symbol of Israel’s identity, it represents the physical abode of God on earth, and thus assert Israel’s status as His chosen people. Therefore, rebuilding the temple would undoubtedly prompt a massive return of Jews to their ancestral lands, potentially setting the stage for a rebellion against the ruling government. Zerubbabel knew this, which is likely why the prophet Zechariah was sent to inform him that the purpose of the new temple was not to incite a political uprising but to serve as a spiritual beacon heralding the coming of the Messiah (Zechariah 1:13–17; 9:9; 4:6–10), who would, in turn, show the world the path to God, thereby making any sacrifice leading to the rebuilding of the temple worthy.

Just as Zerubbabel was tasked with rebuilding the ancient physical temple despite the threats to his life, believers today are given the assignment of preserving the spiritual temple of the Lord — i.e. our bodies — and using them to honour the virtues of the King, and carry out His mandates despite any resistance as we anticipate His second coming. As our senior pastor once said, no price is too steep to pay if the end result leads to eternal life, echoing the truth of Matthew 16:26.

It is important that we realize that as believers, we all live in a world where the same principles of ancient warfare are at play. The world seeks to displace believers from Zion into Babylon by making evil and debauchery appear good, while righteousness is portrayed as evil. For example, speaking the truth in many places now leads to being “cancelled” or even prosecuted. We see a new religion of false inclusion being promoted across all facets of society — from government to sports, and even in elementary education. Lastly, there is a strategic effort to entrench these false narratives in the social sphere through music, podcasts, and other social engineering tools.

While standing with these narratives may guarantee immediate gains, going against them could cost one their life — literally or figuratively, hence, we must ask ourselves, what price am I willing to pay for either standing with God or standing with the world? If your choice is God, which I encourage you to make, know that He is faithful, and His reward is eternal — unlike the ephemeral promises the world offers.

We may not know the exact end of Zerubbabel’s story, but we do know that he obeyed God, and God came through for him by leveling all the mountains of opposition in his path. In the same way, if we choose to stand for Christ by minding our temples in this warfare against the hordes of hell, we can rest assured that beyond leveling the mountains of opposition, God will go a step further by raising a standard against them (Isaiah 59:19).

So, receive boldness this week and beyond to confront and challenge evil with good as we preserve our temples, help other believers to preserve theirs, and enlist more people in the mission of preserving temples in anticipation of the return of the King.

Shalom!

Nonso Orji

Instagram/X(Twitter): @nonso_orji