Zechariah, a companion prophet who began his ministry about two months following haggai, was chosen to motivate the hebrews to repentance and a deeper level of spiritual dedication see zechariah 1. The book of zechariah was likely written in two primary segments, between 520 and 470 b. Zechariah is not studied nearly often enough because it is hard. They overlapped by one month as contemporaries, but zechariah continued to prophesy after haggai. None of these prophecies apply to the earthly city, which was destroyed by the romans in 70 ad. He was one of those captives in babylon but, under the leadership of a political ruler whose name was zerubbabel, zechariah, together with some 50,000 of his hebrew kinsmen, returned to their native palestine cir. The lord who rules over all says, turn to me, says the lord who rules over all, and i will turn to you. That day is a reference to the day of the lord, and the one who stands on the.
In our third installment on the messianic prophecies, rev. The lord who rules over all says, turn to me, says the. Apr, 2009 278 visions and prophecies of zechariah of the going down of the sun viii. The critics have not to criticize much in the first part of the book chap. David shows how zechariahs visions which all occurred in one night are tied into daniel and other prophets. Messianic prophecies throughout the tanakh reveal this righteous branch to. The books of haggai and zechariah were completed in 520 b. Hag 12, though both prophets were clearly interested in spiritual renewal as well. From the web site, for more on this see revelation. The second part chs 914 differs from the first in both style and subject matter. The bible zechariah, including the arrival of jesus christ. Only chapters 18 contain the prophecies of zechariah. Zechariah prophecy study page 1 messianic literary corner. He especially wished to give encouragement and help to the leader and governor of the people, zerubbabel, and the priest joshua.
Many or most of the prophecies of zechariah are still future to our time and need to be understood. In addition to a good translation of the bible, the two best books you will need to understand zechariah are this one by merrill unger and zechariah by david baron. Yet in perusing the computer index of the dispensational journal par excellence, bibliotheca sacra, from 19551995, not one article on zechariahs book. These prophecies truly accomplish the purposes of the gospel. The prophets zechariah and haggai wrote about the year 520 bc during the restoration of jerusalem and judah. The prophecies are dated a few years later than those of haggai. Chapters 18 deal principally with judahs spiritual. Subsequently, the focus will be laid on the messianic prophecies in. It is a thrilling prophetic book essential for comprehending much about the endtimes and important if you want to fully understand many symbols and allusions found in the book of revelation.
Both haggai and zechariah encouraged the returned exiles from babylon to rebuild the jerusalem temple, particularly their leaders joshua the high priest and prince zerubbabel, the governor of judah and the. The book of zechariah contains the clearest and the largest number of messianic. Zechariah is the longest book of the minor prophets. Zechariah emphasized that god has used his prophets to teach, warn and correct his people. Zechariah s prophetic writings focus primarily upon the restoration of the second temple in jerusalem after the 70 year babylonian captivity, but also foretells the coming of the messiah to suffer and. Grandson of the priest iddo, zechariah prophesied to the people of judah. Prophecies of the future, astrology, nostradamus, bible prophecy, the king james version english bible. Though the book contains 14 chapters, only the first eight are oracles of the prophet.
Even so, zechariahs prophecies looked far into a future in which the jews would again be exiled from their homeland, and this time scattered worldwide. Conclusion literature few books of the old testament are as difficult of interpretation as the book of zechariah. The bibles book of zechariah prophecies interpreted for. It is time for a contemporary commentary on the book of zechariahone of the most messianic books of the bible.
The chief purpose of zechariah and haggai was to rebuke the people of judah and to encourage and motivate them to complete the rebuilding of the temple zec 4. Without a doubt, these passages should cause one to stop and think. Zechariahs prophetic writings focus primarily upon the restoration of the second temple in jerusalem after the 70 year babylonian captivity, but also foretells the coming of the messiah to suffer and. Zechariah is a commonly used name in the old testament and means the lord remembers, a meaning that contributes to the hope of the messiahs first and second coming prophesied in zechariahs book. Grace probably means the grace of god and union is the bond between judah and israel. That day is a reference to the day of the lord, and. The prophecies of first zechariah can be dated to the late sixth century b. The books of ezra and nehemiah are also key literary sources on the restoration. In keeping with the postexilic books of the restoration, zechariah 1. Haggai focuses explicitly on the present temple work, while zechariah deals with the larger picture of israels history and future. Sixteen years have passed since the jewish returnees from babylonian exile laid the foundation of jehovahs temple in jerusalem. The book also bears evidence that even prophecy could be corrupted. The dates mentioned in the book confirm that he was a contemporary of haggai zechariah 1.
Zechariah was a person in the hebrew bible and traditionally considered the author of the book of zechariah, the eleventh of the twelve minor prophets. The book of ezra names zechariah as the son of iddo ezra 5. Zechariah remembered of jehovah was the second postexile prophet and a contemporary of haggai. The majority of these quotations and references are taken from the book of isaiah, but they range over the entire corpus of jewish writings. Brief commentary on the book of zechariah the book of zechariah is called the apocalypse of the old testament. Old testament messianic prophecies quoted in the new testament. Zechariah emphasized that god has used his prophets to teach, warn, and correct his people. Zechariahs prophetic writings focus primarily upon the restoration of the second temple in jerusalem after the 70 year babylonian captivity, but also foretells the. Zechariah was active at the same time as his fellow prophet haggai. The end times according to zechariah grace thru faith. The book of zechariah falls into two major segments. The book of zechariah consists of fourteen chapters. Zechariah overview james burton coffman commentaries on. Between 520 and 518 bc in the old testament book of zechariah, chapter 12, the bible said that there would come a time when people would lament over one who was pierced, as one would mourn if they had lost their only son.
The motif of the messiah in zechariah 914 digital commons. Zechariah was a levite who was born in babylon neh 12. Several of his prophecies foretold the millennial temple of the messiah. The prophecies of zechariah gives us a prophetic perspective above history and time, peering into israels immediate and far distant future. Few books of the old testament are as difficult of interpretation as the book of zechariah.
We see that this socalled minor prophet figure is prominently remembered in the brit chadashah new testament, which contains 41 citations or allusions to his prophecies. This prophecy was the eleventh in a collection of a dozen short books known as the twelve minor prophets, coming at the end of the second division of the heb. One sabbath in may 2001, we gathered together for fellowship and, on that day i was led to read some things from the book zechariah. Brief commentary on the book of zechariah harbor bible. Zechariah overview james burton coffman commentaries on the. Written in 520 bc to the jews returning from the babylonian exile, zechariah encourages and exhorts gods people by laying out before them the future of israel. What haggai and zechariah proclaimed is recorded in the bible books bearing their names. It is the eleventh of the minor prophetic books and the thirtyeighth book in the bible as a whole. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. The book of zechariah, the 11th book of the twelve minor prophets, dates from the same period as that of haggaiabout 520 bce. In the painting the hebrew text of the book of zechariah is shown in the form of. Zechariah, book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The second part of the book, chapters nine through fourteen, contain prophecies relating to the messiah and the messianic age.
The visions within the book can be divided into two sections. The book of zechariah, because of its great variation in style, content, and language, is widely believed to be a composite work. May 01, 2001 david shows how zechariah s visions which all occurred in one night are tied into daniel and other prophets of the old testament whose prophecies are for the end times when jesus will come a second time. He especially wished to give encouragement and help to the leader and. Book of zechariah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. In hebrew the book is titled hyrkz meaning yahweh remembers b. The book of zechariah is an extraordinary and clearly inspired book of the bible. The mod the messianic prophecies in the book of zechariah. Zechariah was a prophet who lived in the 6th century before the birth of christ. John stovall connects the predictions of the incarnation to the gospels and the. There are more than eight thousand prophetic verses in the bible. Zechariah prophesied extensively about the lord coming to earth, including enlightening details about his millennial kingdom.
The new testament frequently cites jewish scripture to support the claim of the early christians that jesus was the promised jewish messiah, but only a handful of these citations are actual predictions in their original contexts. Zechariah probably wrote the undated part of his book chap. This book is about zechariah who was a prophet during the rebuilding of the second temple. Although zechariah addressed the issues of his day, his prophecies reach far beyond them into the time of yeshua and, to a large extent, the end times in which we are living. Zechariah was a prophet in jerusalem about 2500 years ago. Zechariahs amazing prophecy of the betrayal of christ. Jul 10, 2014 what a pity that zechariah is not studied more. Zechariah prophesied in the same time period as haggai ezra 5. Stir up the people to resume the work of rebuilding the temple. The occasion is the same as that of the book of haggai see background. Even so, zechariah s prophecies looked far into a future in which the jews would again be exiled from their homeland, and this time scattered worldwide.
In fact, because of the diminutive size of zechariahs book, it could be argued that it is the most quoted old testament book in the new testament, pound for pound or shekel for shekel. Book of zechariah, the 11th of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in the jewish canon in one book, the twelve. The efforts of these prophets succeed, and the temple is completed five years later. The penultimate book in the old testament is the book of zechariah. The book of zechariah, attributed to the hebrew prophet zechariah, is included in the twelve minor prophets in the hebrew bible. The jerusalem zechariahs prophecies apply to is the heavenly one. His visions were relevant to getting the people to complete the second temple, but also are relevant for the last days we are living in right now. Old testament messianic prophecies quoted in the new.
This book contains some of the most obscure prophecies, mostly relating to the end times. The book of zechariah made up of first zechariah chaps. We must study them together because zechariah builds upon the truths. Zechariah has two staffs, one called beauty or grace and the other union. Haggai is very literal, directly addressing the economic decline and the tangible solution building the temple. Dec 19, 2012 none of these prophecies apply to the earthly city, which was destroyed by the romans in 70 ad. The book of zechariah introduces the prophet as the son of berechiah, the son of iddo zechariah 1. Zechariahs prophecies took place during the reign of darius the great, and were contemporary with haggai in a post exilic world after the fall of jerusalem in 5876 bc. Prophet zechariah prophet zechariah story prophet zechariah prophecy the prophet zechariah bible study on the prophet zechariah book, the prophet zechariah summary, the prophet zechariah explained, the prophet zechariah truth, the prophet zechariah information, the prophet zechariah lessons, the prophet zechariah scriptures, the prophet zechariah message and how the prophet zechariah. Book of zechariah overview insight for living ministries. Messianic prophecy study of book of zechariah introduction.
Top 40 most helpful messianic prophecies jews for jesus. He says abide in me and i in you,thus we are that latter temple made without hands,as our bodies are the temple of. The book of zechariah does not explicitly state that messiah will come twice, yet we do see two pictures of the king, coming once as a man of peace and again as a conquering king. Zechariah s prophecies took place during the reign of darius the great, and were contemporary with haggai in a post exilic world after the fall of jerusalem in 5876 bc. These final three chapters are the object of our interest because they describe the end times according to zechariah. Yet, the temple is not completed, and the building work is under ban. He was a prophet of the kingdom of judah, and, like the prophet ezekiel, was of priestly extraction. In contrast to the direct and simple language of haggai, zechariah employs many figures and symbols to enforce his message.
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