Joshua Hawk

In 598 BC, Judah was conquered by Babylon and Jerusalem fell. The city was reduced to rubble including Jerusalem’s crowning jewel Solomon’s Temple. For 70 years, the people of Israel lived in a foreign land as slaves. For those born after the siege of Jerusalem, captivity was all they knew. They had no memories of the time before. Their eyes have never beheld the beauty and splendor of Solomon’s Temple nor have they known what it was like to be free. Anything they knew of the life before was preserved by the generation before them who spoke often of those times and relished in their treasured memories.

After 70 years had passed, the Israelites were permitted to return back to their native land. I imagine not a single person was sorrowful the day they found out they were free and could return home. I also imagine the elders, those who lived in Jerusalem before the Babylonian captivity, wept tears of joy and praised God for answering their prayers of deliverance.

After some time had passed and the Israelites had settled into their homes, they started reconstruction of the temple to replace the temple that was destroyed 70 years before. Ezra chapter 3 describes this historic moment.

“When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.” Ezra 3:10-13 NKJV

Everyone was joyful that day, all except those who held memories of the first temple. They wept. Most people would assume they were weeping tears of joy but we see clearly in Haggai chapter 2 that they were not in fact weeping tears or joy but tears of bitterness and sorrow.

“Does anyone remember this house – this Temple – in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all!” Haggai 2:3 NLT

Those who remembered the first temple were weeping because the new temple wasn’t anything like the first temple. In fact, the new temple wasn’t as big nor was it as beautiful as the first. The new temple was simply put – ordinary. The old timers were discouraged and wanted things to be exactly the way they remembered; however, God provided them one of the most encouraging words ever given.

“I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace.” Haggai 2:7-9 NLT

And sure enough God kept true to His word and did exactly what He promised He would do. The second temple was greater than the first.

The reason I share this story with you is because I believe we are seeing something similar play out in the Western church today. The group of Christians that I find reminiscing on the past the most are the Baby Boomer generation. They are also the group that is most resistant to change and critical of the current state the church. A name that gets tossed around a lot in Assemblies of God churches in the Fort Worth area is Jacob Filbert. The elderly revere Jacob Filbert and for good reason. Jacob Filbert was an Assemblies of God minister in the 1950s and from what I have heard, the Lord performed many miracles through his ministry. I have heard stories that the shekinah glory of the Lord used to rest on those services in the form of a cloud. Jacob Filbert even compiled a hymnal called Songs We Sing that to this day is cherished by the elderly.

Jacob Filbert died in 1975 which was long before I was born. I never got to sit under his ministry and witness the things that God did during that time. But I know that many elderly people in the church today long for the old days. When they compare the church now to what they experienced then, they weep over their churches because the preaching isn’t like Jacob Filbert’s or their churches aren’t singing from Songs We Sing. In other words, church isn’t how it used to be!

I do agree that the church of today isn’t what it used to be. Outpourings of the Holy Spirit and healing miracles have become exceedingly rare but this is to no discredit to the few ministers who’ve remained faithful to preaching the true gospel. The reason God isn’t moving in our churches today isn’t because the minister and the music isn’t anointed anymore. The reason God isn’t moving is because the church has gotten away from being mission-minded.

The Baby Boomer generation experienced many incredible moves of God in the past but somewhere along the way, they shifted gears from being evangelistic-minded and went into protection mode. They became so afraid of losing what they had that it came at the expense of failing to reach lost souls. Over time, the mentality of the church shifted and now resemble country clubs while the spiritual condition of those outside the church was left to spiritual deterioration. In 2022, those still attending church services in America has dwindled down to 28% and it has become increasingly difficult to get people to come to church. Sunday evening and Wednesday night services are on life support. Many churches have dealt away with these services because of low attendance and I suspect it won’t be long until Sunday morning catches up.

Times are changing but I have this hope – the Lord is still building His church. God has always kept His faithful remnant throughout the centuries and there is a remnant of believers that God is raising up right now. I am seeing evidence of God raising up men and women who truly love Jesus, are kingdom minded, and want to see the souls that have been neglected for many decades receive salvation. God is raising up street preachers and evangelists all across America. There may come a time where the old religious system that we knew it will fall by the wayside but I am convinced the glory of the church in the near future will be greater than the glory of the church in times past. It’s coming. Are you ready for it?