Haggai’s prophecy holds something new and happy, and also something old and unhappy. In his time, the ancient church has petered out, and the substitute for it, the Jewish church, has lost its way and become a church only on the outside. The time is approaching for the coming of the Lord, and this scolding by Haggai has in it, in verses 6-9, a prophecy of that coming.

The time of this prophecy is after the 70 years of exile in Babylon, when many of the exiles are coming back to the holy land. Zerubbabel is the appointed governor of the land and Joshua, the son of Josedech, is the high priest.

In Chapter 1, in Verses 1-5, Haggai tells these leaders that the Lord has told him that the people believe that it isn’t yet time to build the Lord's house, but that he is here to say that it is time. He asks them, "Is it time for you to live in your fancy houses while the Lord’s house lies in waste? Consider your ways!" The people are willing to wait for Messiah to raise them to earthly wealth and power but that time has gone and the church they represent lies in waste.

In verse 6, Haggai reminds them that none of what they have done so far has prospered, and then he alternates between telling them to get busy on the Lord’s house and telling them the troubles that will come if they don’t (in verses 7-11). A true church can't be set up with them because they only care about themselves and don’t care about the Lord.

A good thing happens: Haggai's message gets through. The leaders - Zerubbabel and Joshua - listen, and enough of the people are worried enough about the way things were going (as Haggai had said) that work starts on a new rebuilding on the old foundation. (verses 12-14)