The Book of Zechariah
Eight visions and a flood of prophecy that points straight to Christ's final week.
Zechariah ministered alongside Haggai to the same discouraged, Temple-rebuilding community, but his fourteen chapters range far wider - opening with eight elaborate night visions before turning to some of the Old Testament's clearest predictions of the Messiah. Start with Zechariah chapter 1.
About Zechariah
Zechariah is the thirty-eighth book of the Bible and the eleventh Minor Prophet, written by Zechariah son of Berechiah beginning in 520 BC and spanning 14 chapters -- the longest of the Minor Prophets. A contemporary of Haggai, Zechariah also ministered to the returned exiles to encourage Temple reconstruction, but his messages went far beyond Haggai's in their scope, containing some of the richest Messianic prophecy in the entire Old Testament. The book begins with eight night visions, followed by two oracular sections of great prophetic importance. Chapters 9-14 contain a concentration of Messianic predictions cited repeatedly in the New Testament. Major themes include the call to genuine repentance, the rebuilding of the Temple as a symbol of restored relationship, God's protection of Jerusalem, the coming of the Messianic King, the role of the nations in God's plan, and the final eschatological victory of God. Key chapters include Zechariah 3 (Joshua the high priest clothed in clean garments), Zechariah 9 (the king coming on a donkey -- fulfilled in Jesus' triumphal entry), and Zechariah 12-13 (the piercing of the one they have pierced). Famous verses include Zechariah 4:6 -- Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty -- and Zechariah 9:9 -- See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey. Zechariah KJV Bible reading reveals Christ throughout the Old Testament. Read the Book of Zechariah online here in full.