Zechariah 12:9-10 - And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.

Zechariah 13:6-7 - And [one] shall say unto him, What [are] these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, [Those] with which I was wounded [in] the house of my friends. Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man [that is] my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Bible Survey - Zechariah
Hebrew Name - Zekar-yah "Yahweh is Remembered"
Greek Name - Zacharias (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Zechariah (According to Tradition)
Date - 520 BC Approximately
Theme - The First and Secong Coming of Messiah
Types and Shadows - In Zechariah Jesus is the Humble King

Quick Overview of Zechariah. � � 1:1-6 � � the Lord's anger toward Israel and rebuke of their fathers � � 1:7-17 � � the vision of the man among the myrtle trees � �1:18-21 � � the vision of the four horns and the four carpenters� � 2� � the vision of the surveyors measuring line, and God's promises of blessing� � 3� � the vision of Joshua's cleansing � � 4 � � the vision of the golden lampstand � � 5 � � the vision of the flying scroll and the ephah� � 6 � � the vision of the four chariots, and the crowning of the high priest � � 7 � � the question is raised about fast days � � 8 � � the fasts that become feasts of celebration � � 9 � �the rise of a world ruler and the rise of the Prince of peace � � 10 � � the divine Prince of peace and his triumph � � 11 � � Israel rejects her good Shepherd � � 12 � � the siege of Jerusalem on the day of the Lord, and Yahweh appears with wounds in hand and feet � � 13 � � Israel's fountain of cleansing at the reception of the Messiah � � 14 � � the final messianic kingdom.

Zechariah, like Haggai and Malachi, was a prophet of the Persian period. He prophesied to the Jews who had returned from exile around 520 BC when the Persian Empire was ruling the world. Each of these prophets encouraged the Jews to continue the work of God and rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah begins his message reminding the Jews that the captivity had been a result of their own disobedience, and God rebuked their fathers as well. Zechariah received a series of visions in which God revealed his plan for the history and future of the world, showing that he is ultimately in control and he will fulfill the promises that were made to their fathers and to Abraham. The city of Jerusalem is seen as a city so wonderful and prosperous that it needed to be enlarged in order to contain all the people (Zechariah 2). In the vision of Joshua the high priest Zechariah saw him in filthy rags, which was no doubt the nation of Israel repenting and receiving their Messiah and being cleansed of their sins (Zechariah 3). Other visions reveal the coming judgment of God, and his victory over sin, and everything is about the Messiah and his coming. Zechariah prophesied about the nations that oppressed Israel, there be a time of destruction and later they would come to worship the Lord in Jerusalem. The prophet Zechariah spoke more about the Messiah than any of the prophets, except the prophet Isaiah. There is one fabulous prophecies of Zechariah reveals about the Messiah's death:
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Zechariah was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo (Zechariah 1:1, 7). He was born in Babylon and had returned to Jerusalem in the group led by Zerubbabel sixteen years previous to the time of his ministry (Nehemiah 12:4, 16). He was a contemporary of Haggai and began to prophesy two months after Haggai in 520 BC. The work of rebuilding the temple was already in progress. Zechariah preached at least two years longer than Haggai (Zechariah 7:1) and possibly even longer.

The situation was the same as described in the introduction to Haggai. The purpose of Zechariah's preaching was to strengthen the people in the reality of their calling, their history, and their future, as well as that of the nations. Zechariah also joined Haggai in the task of encouraging the construction of the temple and to see it through to its completion. Zechariah reproved the people, he gave them encouragement and exhortation, as well as the promises of God's blessing and spoke much about the Messiah and what would happen to the Jews and the nations when He comes.

The contents of the book may be analyzed further as follows :

Outline of the Book of Zechariah

The book is divided into two parts: Zechariah 1-8, concerned mainly with the rebuilding of the temple, and Zechariah 9-14, dealing with future events, notably the coming of Messiah and the glory of His reign.

Zechariah begins his book (Zechariah 1) with a reminder that the captivity had been a result of disobedience. He continues by relating a series of visions designed to show that God is in control of history and will bring a glorious blessing to the faithful remnant of His people. Jerusalem is pictured as so prosperous it is having to be enlarged to hold the people (Zechariah 2). The vision of Joshua the high priest, clothed in filthy rags (Zechariah 3) seems to be a definite prevision of the atonement of Christ. Other visions in the book point to the certainty of God's judgment and ultimate victory over sin, culminating in the coming of the Messiah.

Read Zechariah

Select a Chapter

• Zechariah 1
• Zechariah 2
• Zechariah 3
• Zechariah 4
• Zechariah 5
• Zechariah 6
• Zechariah 7
• Zechariah 8
• Zechariah 9
• Zechariah 10
• Zechariah 11
• Zechariah 12
• Zechariah 13
• Zechariah 14

The Story of the Bible - Part One - The Old Testament

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