The Book of Zechariah was written at the same time as The Book of Haggai
(Zec 1:1). It's written at the end of the Jew's 70-year Babylonian captivity
(Zec 1:12). The book contains many messianic prophecies about the first coming
of Messiah, but especially about his second coming.
The Lord told the people of Judah through Zechariah that if they returned to him,
he would return to them (Zec 1:2–4). That is, they needed to spend time in the word and pray to build a relationship with God, see also Sanctification.
God looks at our hearts and our motives when we do something for him (Zec 7:2–7),
see Fasting and Confronting Meaningless Religion.
The Lord said through Zechariah:
- Speak the truth to one another (Zec 8:16a)
- Render true judgments (Zec 8:16b, 7:9a).
- Show kindness and mercy to one another (Zec 7:9b), see Unity.
- Don't oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor
(Zec 7:10a, Malachi 3:5). - Let none of you devise evil in your heart against another
(Zec 7:10b, 8:17a), see Love and not revenge in
The Sermon on the Mount. - Don't love false oaths (Zec 8:17b).
(Zec 2:6–7). God had promised to bring the people back from Babylon (Jer 24:6). They would return after 70 years of captivity (Jer 25:11, 29:10, Dan 9:1–2,
Isaiah 14:1), see the Prophet Jeremiah. They had reached the end of this 70-year period, and reached the time when the Babylonian kingdom was conquered by the
Medo-Persia Empire, which would allow the Jews to return to their land. God opened the doors for the Jews to return to their land, but not all Jews wanted to return. Therefore, God encouraged them to do that, not to be part of God's judgement on that land. (Zec 2:8–9).
Zechariah prophesies the same thing that the prophet Haggai encouraged the people to do through his prophesies, that is to rebuild the temple (Zec 1:15–17), see
The Book of Haggai. Zechariah received encouragement from the Lord to
Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, that the rebuilding of the temple won't be by human strength, but by the Holy Spirit. Zerubbabel's hands had laid the foundation of the temple, and his hands would also complete it. (Zec 4:6, 8–9).
Zerubbabel would also bring forward the top stone (Zec 4:7), that is, Messiah would come from his lineage: Zerubbabel is part of Jesus' genealogy but also Jechoniah's grandson (Mat 1:12). This means that Jechoniah isn't the same person as the cursed Jechoniah, see The Curse of Jeconiah.
When Zechariah asked the Lord what the two branches of the olive trees were, which were next to the two golden pipes from which golden oil was poured out, he was told that they are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of all the Earth
(Zec 4:2–3, 11–14). This can be seen as an example of a prophetic principle of two parallel meanings called "The law of double reference", and is described in
Visions and Dreams by Prophet Daniel. In the short-term fulfillment, they are
Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest (Zec 3:1–7, Haggai 2:23 (24 in some translations)). For the long-term fulfillment, see The Two Witnesses.
God says through Zechariah that the nations that have scattered the Jews will be scattered (Zec 1:18–21). The Jews need not be afraid of them. Jerusalem was to be inhabited as villages without walls. God will be like a wall of fire around the whole city and be the glory in the midst of her. (Zec 2:1–5). The temple was built in Jerusalem about 75 years before the walls around the city were completed. A wall is used for protection, but God would be the protection around Jerusalem. This is still the case, and will continue to be the case during the millennial kingdom.
Zechariah gave several prophecies regarding the first coming of Jesus. Messiah would come righteous, bringing Salvation, humble, mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zec 9:9, Mat 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luk 19:28–40,
John 12:12–19). When a king in that area entered a city riding a donkey, he entered in peace. If he came as a conqueror, he came on a stallion. Messiah would come from Judah and be a cornerstone (Zec 10:4a). Zechariah even gave a prophesy about the 30 pieces of silver Judas received for betraying Jesus (Zec 11:12–13,
Mat 27:3, 5, 7), see Why Judas betrayed Jesus.
Messiah will build the temple of the Lord (Zec 6:12–13a). The end-time temple isn't a physical building. The true temple of God is now the body of Christ. The believers of Christ are the body of Christ, that is, the temple of of God
(1 Cor 3:16–17, 6:19, 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:19–22), see Ezekiel's Temple and
Jesus the Light of the World.
Zechariah prophesied about the second coming of Messiah as a Branch
(Zec 3:8–10, 6:12a), see The Return of Jesus. The Branch in the Bible is a symbol
of Jesus Christ. Joshua, the high priest, with a crown on his head, is a picture of the coming Messiah, who will be both priest and king, and will bring harmony between the two roles (Zec 6:11, 13b). Joshua is the Old Testament form of the Greek name Jesus (Luk 1:31). Messiah will rescue Israel from the attacking forces when he returns (Zec 9:11–16). He will supernaturally strengthen the people to resist when Antichrist attacks them (Zec 12:3–8). Two-thirds of the Jewish people will perish during the Great Tribulation, but one-third will be left alive
(Zec 13:8, 14:2, Mat 24:21–22). The Lord will fight against the attacking nations when he returns on the Mount of Olives (Zec 12:9, 14:3–4, 12–13, Acts 1:9–12).
The remnant of the Jews will recognize Messiah as Jesus, whom they had rejected (Zec 12:10, 13:9, John 19:37, Rev 1:7, Rom 11:25–27). Messiah will rule as king over the entire world from Jerusalem (Zec 8:3, 9:10b, 14:9). He will remove idolatry and false prophecies from Israel (Zec 13:1–3). Every survivor of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles (Zec 14:16–19).
See also Messiah's Second Coming in The Prophecies of Isaiah.
The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated in memory of how God cared for and provided for the Jews during their desert trek journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land
(Neh 9:15a, 20b–21). During the existence of the temple in Jerusalem, it was one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, on which the Israelites were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the temple.
Israel will be protected and blessed when Jesus returns to rule over the whole world from Jerusalem for a thousand years, sitting on a throne, and many Gentiles will be part of God's people (Zec 2:10–12, 8:4–8, 11–14, 20–23, 9:8, 10a), see
The Millennial Kingdom in The Prophecies of Isaiah.
See also The Prophet Books in the Old Testament.
