Zechariah

Zechariah preached to the discouraged exiles who had returned to a ruined Jerusalem, urging them to finish rebuilding the temple. His very name means 'the LORD remembers,' and his message is that God has not forgotten His people or His promises. Through eight night visions, he reveals God's plans to cleanse, protect, and dwell among His people once more — assuring them that the work advances 'not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.' The later chapters rise into some of the Old Testament's richest messianic prophecy: a humble king riding a donkey, a shepherd betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, a fountain opened to wash away sin, one who is pierced and mourned, and finally the LORD reigning as King over all the earth.