Haggai 2:13-14
Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”
Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled."
Their priorities were defiled. They were a nation polluted by the corruption of mingling spiritual life with commercial interests. Their foul designs were death to their souls. And their idolatry brought shame upon them. God tried to get there attention, plagues, mildew, famine, wars, and finally exile. And still too many have not learned from these things.
But God says he's going to forgive this remnant because, in-spite of their pollution they have come to rebuild the temple city. Though they are corrupted, unclean by virtue of their time among the pagans, God is making them clean again.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
(vs 19b)
Friends,
The earth is going to be shaken. There is going to be turmoil and complex political situations and wars. The nations will plunder the earth. And God is going to shake it all down. What's coming is an eschatological intervention by God into our modern world history. He is causing the nations to destroy themselves through war, by means of a massive fratricide. But through that world war will come a final new political power that is a better covenant. A restructuring. A new order established would by God where he rules from his new temple on his new earth. Just as Haggai explained that God's presence is in the midst of the temple rebuilding community and involved in that rebuilding, so too is God with the community of believers in the new temple. In Haggai's time God was there to sanctify the work of building the temple, to bless their economic conditions, and to turn their filthy rags into righteousness. In the kingdom come God's royal representative with make them holy as he is holy, and the new temple and new earth will flourish under his Sovereign rule.
Further food for thought:
In Revelation 11:4 John's prophecy calls the two witnesses “the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
This harkens backs to what was foreshadowed by a prophecy in Zechariah 3-4. And these two individuals called the “two olive trees.” is linked to the names “Joshua” and “Zerubbabel”. They are there at the time of the setting down of the foundations. Zerubbabel was a political officer and Joshua was a High Priest at that time (Haggai 1:1). And God’s power will energize these two witnesses at the time of their calling. One for political power and the other for priestly authority. No human military power will be able to resist the Divine power that will flow through these Two Witnesses. These two witnesses will proclaim God’s truths to an unbelieving world which does not welcome their message.
It's coming and I believe soon. Sooner than we think but maybe not as soon as many of us would wish.
But the lesson today is through all of it the faithful need to hear God's message from Haggai...
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”