This is Monday morning, January 7, 1974, in Richmond, Virginia. Ministry is being given through Brother Stephen Kong.
Lord, how we praise and thank Thee. Thou who art so great, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; and yet Thou art pleased to dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit.
So, Lord, as we come together this morning, we come with a heart of humility. We bow low as we worship Thee. We open our hearts today and look to Thee to fill us with Thyself.
O Lord, how we praise and thank Thee because Thou art the God of all comfort. Comfort us, strengthen us, encourage us, that we may follow Thee all the way. Lord, our one desire is to please Thee and glorify Thyself. May Thy will be done on earth today, among us and among Thy people everywhere, as it is in heaven. In Thy precious name we pray. Amen.
Last night, we read from Haggai, and this morning we will continue in Haggai 2.
Have we all found it? It is not difficult to find, because if you begin from the last of the Old Testament and go up, you find Haggai, the third to the last. Haggai 2—we will read the first nine verses.
In the seventh month, on the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,
Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,
Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? and how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes as nothing?
Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts,
according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and My Spirit abode among you: fear ye not.
For thus saith the Lord of hosts: Yet once, it is 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 latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.
We mentioned last night that we find the history of the recovery among the people of Israel in the two books of Ezra and Nehemiah—how God allowed His people to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the house, the temple, and also to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, that the testimony of God might be re-established on earth.
But the prophetic side of the recovery is found in three books in the Old Testament: the books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. If we want to know God’s work of recovery among His people, we should study not only the historical books of the recovery; we should also study the prophetic books of the recovery, because prophecy occupies a very important place in the work of recovery.
As a matter of fact, whenever there is a declension, a falling away, or a weakness, God, out of His great compassion, will send His messengers, His prophets, to His people in order to recover and restore.
So it is rather strange, and yet it is not strange, that you have more prophets and prophecies at the time of declension than at a normal time. Why? The prophetic ministry is not a permanent order. Priesthood and kingship are permanent orders of God, but prophecy is a temporary order. One day prophecy will pass away, but we shall be kings and priests unto God forever and ever.
Yet prophecy plays a very important part in recovery. We find that the rebuilding of the temple was completed through the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah.
So, brothers and sisters, as we apply these things to our day and to ourselves, we find that today the testimony of Jesus is in a state of failure. How can the testimony of Jesus be re-established on this earth? Two things are essential.
The life of God’s people with God, as typified by the rebuilding of the temple, must be recovered—not just our individual life with God, but our life as a people must be restored. Then our life with one another, as signified by the rebuilding of the wall, must be recovered. When these two things are being recovered and restored, then the testimony of Jesus will be re-established on earth.
In order that this may be accomplished, we need to hear prophetic utterance. We need to know the mind of God. We need to hear what God has to say concerning our present situation and what He wants us to do. What will please and satisfy Him?
We need people with vision, people with sensitivity, people with discernment, people who know the mind of God and will tell us what God’s mind is. That will be a great help in the work of recovering the testimony of Jesus.
In the case of the remnant, we find God raised up Haggai. Haggai probably was an old man by this time; he might have been around ninety years of age. Often we think that the hope is with the young people, and that is true. But God is no respecter of persons. God can use older people as well as younger people.
We find in the person of Haggai an older one, and in the person of Zechariah a younger one. Through the cooperation of the old and the young, the work was done.
So, brothers and sisters, we do hope that older people are encouraged. If we have a heart for the Lord, if we seek to know His mind, that is good.
Why did God use Haggai? Because Haggai was one who sought the mind of God. He was concerned with the situation of the remnant. He was troubled by the stoppage of the work of rebuilding the temple, and he was looking to God for a solution. As he waited upon God with his heart and spirit open, God’s word came to him.
So, brothers and sisters, if we are open to the Lord, if we are burdened for the Lord’s interest, if we inquire of Him, if we seek to know His mind, we shall know what His mind is. We will be used to communicate to God’s people, especially to the remnant—to those who have responded to God—that we may be able to tell what God’s mind really is.
Now, last night we mentioned that Haggai prophesied for only about four months. Not only were the days of his prophecy short, but his prophetic utterances were few. Altogether, there were five utterances on three different occasions. Yet you find the effect of his prophecies was great. It was through these prophetic messages that the people, the remnant, responded, and the work was done.
So it is not really a matter of how many words you say or how often you speak. It really is whether God is speaking through you. When God speaks, His Spirit works in His people.
Last night, we began with the first occasion of Haggai’s prophecy. It was on the first day of the sixth month, in the second year of King Darius. Through the prophet Haggai, God challenged His people.
Now remember, the challenge was not to the world. God does not challenge the world, because they are not His people. God did not even challenge the whole nation of Israel, because most of the people of Israel remained in Babylon. They did not come back. They cared too much for themselves to care for God’s interests.
But God challenged a remnant of the Jews—those who came back, who had a desire to stand for God. The remnant said, “This is not the time to build the temple. Let us wait for a more convenient time, and then we will build the house of God.”
And God said, “Is it time for you to build your own houses? You allow the house of God to lie waste, in ruin, and you dwell in your ceiled houses”—that is, in houses with paneled walls. You live in comfort. You live in luxury. And you allow the house of God to remain in ruin.
Is this a time for yourself and not a time for God? Now, that is the challenge.
This remnant came back for God. They were willing to be uprooted. They paid that price with the one and only purpose of rebuilding the temple. Yet they were not building it; they were building their own houses.
Brothers and sisters, this continued for about forty years. As the years went by, the longer the period continued, the less sensitive their spirits became. A kind of spiritual lethargy had developed among this remnant—a spirit of indifference.
They had not totally forgotten the house of God, because that was what they came back for. Yet there was a lethargy, an indifference, a slowness, a spiritual slumber. They could allow the house of God to lie waste for years and years, and the longer the years continued, the less sensitive they became.
That was the condition of the people. So God sent His prophet Haggai to speak to their conscience:
Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your ceiled houses, while it is not time for you to build My house? Consider your ways.
You are under the discipline of God, and you do not know it. You labor much; you sow much, but you reap little. You eat much, but you are still hungry. You drink much, but it does not satisfy. You clothe yourselves, but you do not get warm. You earn wages, but the wages are put into a bag with holes.
Now why is it that you are not satisfied? Why is it that nothing is full? Why? Because you are under God’s discipline. You are God’s people. You have committed yourselves to God. You are committed to build the house of God, and now you are building your own houses.
The hand of God is upon you. He does not allow you to be satisfied. He does not allow you to be full. You should know; you should realize it. Yet you are not conscious of it. You are not aware of it.
Brothers and sisters, that is the danger of spiritual lethargy. How we can start out with a fresh spirit—living, sensitive, keen for God—and yet, when we meet difficulties and opposition, we do not give up altogether, but gradually a kind of spiritual lethargy develops within us.
We may now be under God’s discipline, and yet we do not know it. We wonder why we labor so much and reap so little. We wonder why there is drought. We wonder why God does not bless us more, and yet we never come to realize why: because we are under God’s discipline.
The prophecy says:
Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord of hosts.
God wants to arouse us from our spiritual lethargy and cause us to be diligent in seeking His face, getting the materials from Him, and working on the rebuilding of the house of God.
Now thank God, through this challenge the people’s spirits were stirred—the spirit of Zerubbabel, the spirit of Joshua, and the spirit of the remnant of the people. They hearkened to the voice of God.
So the second word came to them, a word of comfort and encouragement. The Lord said, “I am with you.” Now go ahead. Now you are where I am, and I am with you.
On the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, within a month, the people came together and started. Now, that was the first occasion of the prophecies of Haggai.
This morning, we would like to go to the second occasion of Haggai’s prophecy.
In the seventh month, on the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai.
This was about two months from the first prophetic message, and within a month the remnant had begun building the temple.
Now, brothers and sisters, they started the rebuilding of the temple on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, and now it was the twenty-first day of the seventh month. They had worked on this temple for about a month.
How long did it take them to finish the building of this temple? Four years. It took them four years to finish the building. But after they had worked on it for about a month, one thing was already clear. You did not need to wait until the temple was finished to know this.
Within a month, one thing was too clear to them: this temple which they were now building could never be compared with the temple built by Solomon. There was not any comparison.
Within a month, they could see very clearly that what they were doing could never match up with what Solomon had done. That discouraged them. Is it worthwhile to rebuild it? It can never arrive at the glory of the temple of Solomon. Then why bother? Should we just give it up because there is no possibility of arriving at the glory of Solomon’s temple?
When you realize that, it is like a dagger thrust right into your breast.
Compare the temple built by Solomon with this temple to be rebuilt by the remnant. Solomon spent seven years building the temple. He started in his fourth year and finished in his eleventh year. This temple was completed in four years.
When Solomon built the temple, he mobilized seventy thousand people to bear burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters, and three thousand six hundred supervisors to superintend the work. But look at the remnant. The whole number of those who came back was only about fifty thousand. Even if everyone worked—the men and women, servants and children—everyone would be involved, and it was still only fifty thousand.
Solomon had seventy thousand just to bear burdens, eighty thousand stonecutters, and three thousand six hundred supervisors. You cannot compare. It was a small thing.
When Solomon built the temple, he had gold in abundance, silver in great measure, and stones and timber that could not be numbered. There was no limit to his resources.
Look at this remnant. They were slaves coming back from captivity. Even if they put all their possessions into the temple, together with what the people offered, and even with the few vessels that King Cyrus allowed them to bring back, if you compare the material and the resources, there was no comparison. One was abundance, and here there was very little.
Compare the size. Solomon’s temple was majestic and gigantic. It was built with massive stones and covered with gold, with porches and pillars. Even though the holy place and the holiest of all were of the same size, this temple was just a small building in comparison.
Later on, at the time of Christ, Herod the Great spent forty-six years enlarging the temple. But when the remnant built that temple, it was rather small. You could compare every aspect of what the remnant was building with what Solomon had built, and there was no comparison—no comparison.
Those who had seen Solomon’s temple—probably some of the older men—when they looked at what they were doing, their hearts went down. It was nothing. It was nothing.
And God knew what was going on in their minds. God knew that even when they began to work on it, they had already harbored this thought.
Therefore, within a month, the word of God came to the remnant through Haggai and said:
Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not in your eyes as nothing?
You still had some among you who saw the former glory of this house—that is, the glory of the temple built by Solomon. Even though only a few might be left, a few might be talking, and soon everybody knew.
Oh, brothers and sisters, do not nurse secretly within you those thoughts. God says, “Bring it out. Bring it out.” God knew what was going on in their minds. They dared not say it, and yet it was eating them up within.
God was not afraid to bring everything out into the open. God does not want us to deceive ourselves and say, “All right, all right.” If you compare what you are doing now with what Solomon had built, it was nothing in your eyes—and you were right. It was nothing.
But was it nothing? Does God measure things by outward appearance? Is the value of all things based on the physical, or is it the spiritual that really matters?
It is true: the temple of Solomon was majestic, built with splendor. This that the remnant was building was small and much cheaper. If you look at things by outward appearance, if you put value on outward things, this was nothing.
But God said, “This is not the way I look at it. I do not put value on the physical—all the materials, all the price, all the outward appearance. My value is in the spiritual, in that which is real.”
Notice one thing: God does not say, “The glory of the former house.” God says, “The former glory of this house.” You see the difference?
God does not say, “Have you seen the glory of the former house, and now you see the little, the nothing, of this house?” God does not say that. God says, “Have you seen the former glory of this house?”
In other words, with God there is only one house. Whether it is the tabernacle of Moses, the temple of Solomon, the temple rebuilt by the remnant and enlarged by Herod the king, or the spiritual house that Christ builds, it is only one house.
Today rich people may have many houses. You may have a winter house and a summer palace; you may have different houses. But our God has only one house. He does not believe in many houses.
To people, they may think the house of Solomon was one house and the house built by the remnant was another house. But God says, “No.” There is a continuity, there is a unity, there is a oneness.
God says, “The tabernacle built by Moses, the temple built by Solomon, this temple you are rebuilding, and even in the New Testament the spiritual house Christ will build—this is just one house.”
The former glory of this house is the glory you saw in the temple built by Solomon. But what you are building here is the same house, not another one. Sometimes it may look very majestic; at other times it may not even be seen, or it may look as if it is nothing. But they are all part of the same house.
Yes, sometimes it may look big; at other times it may look small. Sometimes it may be full of splendor; at other times it may not even be noticed. But God says, “They are all parts of My house, just the same.”
In other words, what you are doing is not lost. What you are doing is part of My plan—part of My plan. You are building My house, and that is what really matters. It does not matter how you look outwardly. So long as you are involved with the building of My house, that is what really matters. Do not be discouraged.
Brothers and sisters, when you read the New Testament and go back to the first few chapters of the book of Acts, you see the former glory of the house. Then you see what you are involved in today, and you may have the same feeling: “Do we have the same? Why bother? We can never regain that glory you find in Acts 1, 2, 3, and 4.”
But God says, “It is one house He is building.” He does not care about the outward things. So long as you are involved in the building of this house, that is what matters.
The Lord said, “Be strong. Be strong, O Zerubbabel. Be strong, Joshua. Be strong, all ye people of the land, and work.” Do not brood over these things. Do not be discouraged by outward appearance. Be strong and work, because this is what I want.
The Lord said, “I am with you. I know what you are going through. This is My way. Just be faithful. That is all that I require.”
It is not in the outward things. Why? Because one day, God said, “I will shake the heaven and earth, the sea and the dry land.” All that is physical will be shaken eventually. Do not put value on outward things.
Sooner or later, all these outward things will be shaken to pieces. All that can be shaken will be shaken off, that the kingdom which cannot be shaken may remain. Now, brothers and sisters, that is what really matters.
Here we may be building something big, but it is not of God. It is a deception. One day the fire will burn it; one day it will be shaken and disappear.
But if it is something done in the will of God, something done out of love, something done with God, even though it may not appear to be anything, in eternity you will find it there. You will find it there.
The tabernacle of Moses, the temple of Solomon, and the temple rebuilt by the remnant—all that is typified there is realized in the spiritual house, the church of God, and consummated in the holy city, the New Jerusalem. All are parts of the New Jerusalem.
Furthermore, God said:
The word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, and My Spirit abode among you: fear ye not.
God said, “I have not changed.” I wonder what the word which God covenanted with the children of Israel refers to. I think probably it refers to Exodus 19:1–6.
You know, in Exodus 19, after God had brought them out of Egypt and brought them to Sinai—because that was the sign God gave to Moses that it was He who sent him there—the sign was that the people would worship Him at Mount Sinai.
God had brought His people to Mount Sinai as on eagles’ wings. God had brought His people to Himself. And God said, “If you will hearken to My voice, if you will keep My covenant, I will make you a peculiar people, a people of My possession, out of all the nations. I will make you a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”
Now, brothers and sisters, this was God’s purpose for the children of Israel in the first place, when God took them out of Egypt. God said, “My word and My covenant have not changed.”
In spite of what had happened through the years, My covenant stands. My word stands. This is what I said, and I still keep it. I will make you a peculiar people, My special possession, a kingdom of priests, that you may serve Me.
Not only has God’s word not changed—not a bit—but He said, “My Spirit remains among you.” The Spirit of God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness, into the promised land. The same Spirit remains with us.
His word and His Spirit remain with us. Brothers and sisters, what else do we want? We may change; we often change. But God’s word stands forever. His covenant with us never changes, and His Spirit remains with us. With His word and with His Spirit, all things are possible.
Brothers and sisters, how the hearts of the remnant were comforted. God said, “I remain the same with you—yes, as in the beginning, when I led you out of Egypt unto Myself.” What a promise that is.
Those who are faithful to the Lord will have His word and His Spirit to strengthen them as they go.
But you know, God looks far ahead, beyond the immediate. So God said, “After a little while, yet once more, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and earth, and the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory.”
The remnant were looking at the little house they were building, and they were quite discouraged. But God said, “I am looking way ahead. Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the desire of the nations shall come.”
Now, what is the desire of the nations? I believe the desire of the nations is Christ.
Here you find the prophet going further and further out into the future. God says, “Do not be discouraged. The little you are doing—it is true, physically speaking, it is nothing—but that does not matter, because all that is physical and outward will be shaken after all.”
Even the heavens and the earth will be shaken. All these things will go. The whole nations will be shaken. I will bring in My Christ.
And when I bring My Christ, I will fill this house with glory. Brothers and sisters, what is this house? This house is realized in the church.
This little house built by the remnant is that house where the glory of the Lord shall be when Christ comes. We should be confident.
If only we can see this—oh, the remnant, if only they could see this—they would not be discouraged. They would know what they were doing.
It is in line with God’s divine purpose. You can almost draw a line. Here is a straight line: God is working; then there is a dip, the fall, the failure; and here the remnant is going up and joining that straight line, going forward until God finishes His work in New Jerusalem. Nothing is lost. It is just in the process—part of it, part of it.
And the Lord said, “The desire of the nations shall come, and He will fill this house with glory.”
The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts.
Do not be so concerned that you have no gold and little silver. What can we do? When Solomon built the temple, there was gold and silver in great abundance. How you would like to build with abundant gold and silver—but you do not have them.
But the Lord said, “The gold is Mine, and the silver is Mine.” Gold represents the glory and nature of God; silver speaks of the redemption of our Lord Jesus. The house that Christ is building is built with gold and silver. There is no lack of it. He is the Supplier.
He will build the spiritual house. He will build His church with gold—with His own life, His own nature, and His own glory. He will build His church with the redemptive work of Christ. Everything is based upon the redemption that our Lord Jesus has finished for us.
If you come to the holy city, New Jerusalem, you will find gold everywhere. The Lord says, “It is Mine. I am able to supply it. I am able to do it.”
The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith the Lord of hosts.
Do not think back to the time of Solomon and look at the glory of it, then look at what you have here. As a matter of fact, this temple which the remnant built was not only small and cheaper in every way and could not be compared with the temple of Solomon, but even after the temple was built, certain things were missing.
You did not have the ark with the mercy seat upon it in this temple. The ark was missing. You did not have the Shekinah glory of God. God’s glory did not come and rest upon the mercy seat as it did in the temple built by Solomon.
You did not have the fire that came down from heaven to burn the sacrifice. You did not have that. And you did not have the Urim and Thummim that the high priest had on his breastplate in order that he might discern the mind of God.
If you consider what the remnant had done, you find that even after they had finished the work, some of the most essential things, we may say, were still missing. Brothers and sisters, when you think of that, your heart just sinks. Why bother? If that is the case, why do it at all?
But the Lord said, in spite of all these lacks, “The latter glory of this house shall be greater,” saith the Lord.
Yes, at Solomon’s time there was the ark. When the ark was brought into the temple built by Solomon and the staves were pulled out, the ark permanently stayed there. The glory of the Lord not only filled the holiest of all, but filled the whole temple, so that even the priests could not serve there.
When King Solomon prayed, fire came down from heaven and burned the burnt offering on the altar. The priest had the Urim and Thummim to discern. Everything was glorious.
But, brothers and sisters, all these were but types.
The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former glory. Why? Because this house is not built with dead materials; it is built with living stones. This house is God’s dwelling place. Not only will He fill it with His glory, but He says, “I have My rest.”
There is a union—not only a city, but a union. There is a union and communion that far surpasses the former glory of this house.
Oh, brothers and sisters, to think that one day there will be the manifestation of the house that God has been building through these centuries. God has been building all the time.
One day, when the holy city, the New Jerusalem, appears, the light of it is as the glory of God. Nothing can be compared with that. What little you are doing here contributes to that. Nothing is lost. It is all there.
And God said, “In this place will I give peace.” There will be peace forever.
Brothers and sisters, sometimes we need to be challenged. When we are not where we should be, when we are not doing what we should do, this is the time that we need to be exhorted.
But there will be times when we need to be comforted. If we answer to the Lord, if we are what He wants us to be and do what He wills us to do, sometimes we can be discouraged, seeing the little—the nothing—in our hand.
But the Lord says He is the God of all comfort. He understands; He knows. He is just working out His plan, and the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former glory.
When God spoke in that way, Zerubbabel, Joshua, and all the heart of the remnant were comforted. They were able to carry on. May the God of all comfort comfort His people today.
Lord, Thou hast to speak. Thy Spirit has to carry Thy word into human hearts, that we may hear, that we may be comforted. Comfort those who need to be comforted. Challenge those who need to be challenged.
Oh, we do want to be where Thou wantest us to be, and we do want to be engaged in what Thou wantest us to be engaged with. O Lord, have mercy upon us.
We praise and thank Thee because Thou dost not look at outward things—how big, how beautiful, how expensive, how visible. Lord, one day all these will be shaken away. But the kingdom that cannot be shaken shall remain.
O Lord, we want that kingdom. We want to be engaged in that work. Help us, Lord. In Thy name we pray. Amen.