“In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of Jehovah by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest” (Haggai 1:1).

The name Haggai means “Festive” or “Festival.” Haggai was one of the 12 Minor Prophets closing out the Old Testament record. He prophesied during the period of the Persian Empire. Considering the time periods of the Minor Prophets, Hoshea through Micah prophesied during the Assyrian period, Nahum to Zephaniah during the Babylonian period, and Haggai to Malachi during the Post‑captivity period.

BACKGROUND

After the completion of 70 years, King Cyrus in his first year gave permission for the Israelites to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. Many people returned to Jerusalem and work began. Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Joshua, the high priest, were leaders among them. When they started rebuilding the temple, complaints arose from neighboring people and the work ceased till the second year of Darius Hystaspes, king of Persia (not to be confused with Darius the Mede). God sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the Israelites to resume the temple construction work.

God’s message came to Haggai in the second year of Darius five times, on four different dates. The last two messages were on same date. The dates of these messages were: (1) month six day one, (2) month six day 24, (3) month seven day 21, and (4,5) month nine, day 24.

The Prophet Haggai

FIRST MESSAGE (HAGGAI 1:1-12)

“In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of Jehovah came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: ‘Thus says Jehovah of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of Jehovah.’ Then the word of Jehovah came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, ‘Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins? Now, therefore, thus says Jehovah of hosts: Consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says Jehovah of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says Jehovah. You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares Jehovah of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.’ Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of Jehovah their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as Jehovah their God had sent him. And the people feared Jehovah.”

The commandment to build the temple represents the beginning of the Spiritual Temple from the day of Pentecost. The initial work on the temple at Jerusalem went well, representing that the beginning work of the Apostles building the spiritual temple, the Church, also went well. Their work was very energetic and many came into Christ. However, the work on the temple at Jerusalem was impeded, as opposition was raised from the people of the land who were not Israelites. Soon the temple work ceased. Similarly, after the death of the apostles, many tares developed and the growth of the spiritual temple slowed. It became even worse during the Dark Ages.

As the rebuilding work was restimulated by the words of Haggai, so the effort to complete the spiritual temple was restimulated in the period of the Church prior to the Harvest. This would correspond to the sixth church, the Philadelphia period. This we can confirm by the prophecy of Daniel 12:9, 10, “He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”

Apparently, Haggai received the word of God in the sixth year of Darius, which also confirms that the antitype points to the sixth period of the Church. But Haggai received two messages in the sixth month, one at the beginning and another at the end. So, antitypically, God gave messages to the true church near the beginning of the sixth church, and another near the end of sixth church.

We suggest that in the first message, Haggai represent the sixth messenger, William Penn (compare Beauties of the Truth, February 2000 issue, “The Cross and The Crown: William Penn, Messenger of Brotherly Love”). Penn was a key leader in bringing the Christian ethic to America, preparing the way for the later Harvest work.  It is notable Penn’s work was in Pennsylvania, the same ground from which later sprang the Harvest work under Br. Russell, from Allegheny, Pennsylvania. We suggest that Penn’s work opening up the new world as ground for the later Harvest Movement is indicated typically in the book of Haggai after the first message.

SECOND MESSAGE (HAGGAI 1:13-15)

“Then Haggai, the messenger of Jehovah, spoke to the people with Jehovah’s message, ‘I am with you, declares Jehovah.’ And Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of Jehovah of hosts, their God, on the twenty‑fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.”

This second message also came on the sixth month, but toward the close of the month, that is, on the 24th day. Elsewhere in scripture the number 24 represents the end of something particular. For example, Daniel was in fasting and prayer about the Temple for 21 days from the 3rd day of the first month, and he received a reply from God on the 24th day. The intervening 21 days reflects that the literal temple would be completed in 21 years, and parallels that completing the antitypical temple would take portions of 21 centuries.

Here in Haggai, perhaps mention of the 24th day indicates to us that the work of completing the spiritual temple is at hand. Haggai’s mention of this day is still within month six, suggesting that this message reflects the work that was preliminary to the harvest, and in preparation for it. There was such a work toward the close of the Philadelphia period, it was the Adventist Movement, in which William Miller was the key leader.

This second message in Haggai was 23 days after the first message. Is this meaningful respecting the work of William Miller? It seems to be. The foundational time prophecy underlying the work of William Miller was the 2300 years of Daniel chapter eight. Seeing that the 2300 years were soon to expire, prompted Miller’s effort to prepare for the second advent of Christ.

This perhaps confirms that the first two messages to Haggai pertain to the sixth church period: William Penn at the beginning and William Miller at the end.

In the work of reconstructing the temple, both Zerubbabel and Joshua played an important role. Each of them represents our Lord Jesus from a different perspective. Zerubbabel was governor, Joshua was more directly a spiritual leader. Is it possible that here we have a reflection of the influence of Jesus, overseeing the rebuilding work through William Penn (a governor), and William Miller (more directly a spiritual leader).

THIRD MESSAGE (HAGGAI 2:1-9)

“In the seventh month, on the twenty‑first day of the month, the word of Jehovah came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: ‘speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares Jehovah. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares Jehovah. Work, for I am with you, declares Jehovah of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says Jehovah of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says Jehovah of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares Jehovah of hosts. The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says Jehovah of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares Jehovah of hosts.’”

Temple building, supervised by Zerubbabel

The third message was given in the seventh month, representing the seventh stage of the Gospel Age. This is the period during which God’s house is filled with Glory. The Lord’s words through Haggai here reflect the message to God’s people in the seventh church. Haggai here represents the seventh messenger, Br. Russell. God used him to reveal His wonderful plan and the importance of Christ’s ransom sacrifice.

This provided a highly encouraging message to God’s people. As God said, the glory of the spiritual temple will be greater than even the glory of Solomon’s Temple. The shaking of heavens and Earth (Haggai 2:6) represents the shaking of world systems at the end of the age. At that time, gold (the true church) and silver (the Great Company class) will be the property of God. “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of hosts” (Haggai 2:8).

This speaks of the completion of the Church and the Great Company, both spiritual classes. This vision was given on day number 21, reminding us of the completion of the heavenly temple classes. The number 21 also is the product of 3 (atonement) and 7 (seven stages of the Church), suggesting that day 21 points to the end of the first age of redemption, closing with Laodicea.

FOURTH AND FIFTH MESSAGES (HAGGAI 2:10-23)

“On the twenty‑fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Jehovah came by Haggai the prophet, Thus says Jehovah of hosts: ‘Ask the priests about the law: If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?’ The priests answered and said, ‘No.’ Then Haggai said, ‘If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?’ The priests answered and said, ‘It does become unclean.’ Then Haggai answered and said, ‘so is it with this people … and so with every work of their hands.

“And what they offer there is unclean. Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of Jehovah, how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares Jehovah. Consider from this day onward, from the twenty‑fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of Jehovah’s temple was laid, consider: Is the seed yet in the barn? Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing. But from this day on I will bless you.’

“The word of Jehovah came a second time to Haggai on the twenty‑fourth day of the month, ‘speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms. I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders. And the horses and their riders shall go down, every one by the sword of his brother. On that day, declares Jehovah of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares Jehovah, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares Jehovah of hosts.’”

The fourth message is about completing work on the temple, figurative of the spiritual temple, the Church. The fifth message, on the same day, is about the overthrow of world nations. These messages were given day number 24. As day 24 in chapter one represented the end of the sixth church period, so 24 in this chapter represents the end of the seventh church period.

Both the completion of the Church (the point of message four) and the removal of present kingdoms (the point of message five) occur at the end of the age. Hence God gave these two messages on the same day, the 24th day.

LESSONS FOR US

We all share a part in being selected for the spiritual temple. We should remember that this is not a time to develop our own desires. We need to consider whether our covenant of consecration, being baptized into Christ, is pleasing before God. If not, then as in Haggai, God warns us through our fellow Brethren, and through His words. If God’s blessing of truth is deficient within us, let us remember the period when the Church was beginning, and the zealous work of the Apostles for God. These are the encouraging tools for us to focus in spiritual development, rather than worldly goals. If we do so, we will realize the blessings of God through the truth. As Haggai insisted the people go to the mountains to bring wood for the temple, let us seek our Almighty God, refresh our faith in the ransom (the wood), and be motivated afresh to apply ourselves to building up the temple of God. Let us build a temple for God, which He will desire.

— Br. J. Joshua, India

 

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