The Testimony of Prophecy

From: Association With Evil: Does It Defile? By: Albert Edward Booth

• 5 min. read • grade level: 9

Having now closed our lessons on the types, we will briefly notice prophecy, mainly that of Haggai. This is one of the last three prophets, and ought to be read with the books of Ezra and Neh. I purposely refer to this prophecy because of its special application to our day and to those for whom I write. It was also part of the last voice (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) from the Lord to His people before John's voice announced Christ's coming.

This remnant to whom they prophesy, having returned from Babylon, are once more in their land—once more in the place of Altar (Sacrifice) and Temple (right place of worship). God can now meet and bless them according to His Word. This no doubt represents the return of God's people in those last days to God's order as given in the Word for His people, which the church had so sadly departed from—a return to the true ground of Christian fellowship and worship, left, by the great Head of the Church until His return to take His people home.

Now, if Ezra and Nehemiah are read with care, it will be seen that although the work commenced in the energy of the Spirit, yet failure soon manifested itself among these people in their tendencies to indifference and carelessness about the things of God. Hence the need of the prophet's voice to bring them into God's presence in exercise as to their walk and ways, and also as to the need of always maintaining order and good government firmly as established by the Lord for the blessing of His people. Now we will turn to that wonderful prophesy of Haggai—just two chapters, yet five distinct messages for His people. Hag. 1:1-11¹In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, ²Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built. ³Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, ⁴Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? ⁵Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. ⁶Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. ⁷Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. ⁸Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. ⁹Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. ¹⁰Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. ¹¹And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. (Haggai 1:1‑11) give the first message. Here their sins are pointed out—faithfully presented. They were dwelling in their ceiled houses, and the Lord's house laid waste, as the Apostle wrote later: "All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (Phil. 2:21²¹For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. (Philippians 2:21)). Home life, comfort, and ease were sought and provided for, but the Lord's work—the Lord's interest here on earth—was neglected. No wonder a great dearth follows: "Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit" (Hag. 1:10¹⁰Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. (Haggai 1:10)). Have we not seen the same? Have we not felt this keenly? May God give us further awakening everywhere, as in the prophet's day. Hag. 1:12¹²Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord. (Haggai 1:12) shows how this first message affected the remnant: "The remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God."

Second message—Hag. 1:13¹³Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord. (Haggai 1:13). The Lord's Word is full of cheer and encouragement to an awakened people: "I am with you, saith the Lord." Then they once more resumed the work of the house of the Lord that they had neglected because of the difficulties from their enemies around. "In the world ye shall have tribulation" is a truth ever true until our Lord comes, yet "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world," are His words to His people (John 16:33³³These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)).

Now in Hag. 2 we learn lessons of another character.

Fourth message—Hag. 2:10-19¹⁰In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, ¹¹Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, ¹²If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. ¹³Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. ¹⁴Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith the Lord; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of the Lord: ¹⁶Since those days were, when one came to an heap of twenty measures, there were but ten: when one came to the pressfat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty. ¹⁷I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord. ¹⁸Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it. ¹⁹Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you. (Haggai 2:10‑19). Here we learn of the Lord's further desire—a revival of holiness and purity among themselves (this is also the testimony of Mal. 1 and 2). "Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No" (Hag. 2:11, 12¹¹Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Ask now the priests concerning the law, saying, ¹²If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy? And the priests answered and said, No. (Haggai 2:11‑12)). That is, could holiness and purity be transmitted to others by association? The answer is but one, as given here: No. To follow the same principle further, if you put one drop of pure water into a bucket of poison, will it cleanse it? Surely not.

"Then said Haggai, If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean. Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before Me" (Hag. 2:13,14). How God's standard of purity as given in Num. 19 abides ever the same, be it in the wilderness—the beginning of their history—or among the remnant in Haggai. This passage insists upon this weighty truth, that association with evil defiles. Hence, if in Hag. 1 we get a revival of work, in Hag. 2 we learn of God's desire for a revival of walk and association according to His Word. We will not dwell further upon this defilement by the dead, having done so in the previous pages on Num. 19.

Fifth Message—Hag. 2:20-23²⁰And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, ²¹Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; ²²And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. ²³In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:20‑23). These verses give us the closing message. Now the prophet seeks to revive their interest in the future, when every enemy would be overthrown. Yet, in that day, God's people (as Zerubbabel) would have a sure abiding place. This will all be fully realized at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Association With Evil: Does It Defile?

• Association With Evil: Does It Defile?

• The Testimony of Type

• The Testimony of Prophecy

• The Testimony of the New Testament

The Testimony of Prophecy

Association With Evil: Does It Defile? [Pamphlet]