Zechariah was a prophet in Jerusalem after the exile who encouraged the people to rebuild the temple. He emphasized that God uses prophets to teach and correct His people, and that disobedience brings punishment, while obedience brings blessing. Zechariah's visions foretold a future messianic king and salvation available to all nations through God's mercy. The book conveys messages of hope, joy in God's redemption, and trusting God even in difficult times.

1. “The Lord Remembers”

2.  Hebrew Name” hyrkz, meaning Yahweh remembers.
 Zechariah was a Levite who was born in Babylon (Neh. 12:1, 16)
 The son of Berekiah and the grandson of Iddo the priest (Zech 1:1)
 Zechariah was a prophet (Zech 1:1)4. A contemporary of Haggai
the prophet, Zerubbabel, and Joshua, the high priest (cf. Ezra 5:12; Zech 3:1; 4:6; 6:11)

3.  The Book of Zechariah teaches that salvation may be
obtained by all. The last chapter depicts peoples from all
over the world coming to worship God, who desires that all
people follow Him.
 This is not the doctrine of universalism, i.e., that all people
would be saved because it is God's nature to save. Rather,
the book teaches that God desires that all people worship
Him and accepts those who do, regardless of their national
or political expressions, as in the freeing of Judah and
Jerusalem from their political enemies.

4.  Finally, Zechariah preached that God is sovereign over this world, any
appearance to the contrary notwithstanding. His visions of the future
indicate that God sees all that will happen.
 The depictions of God's intervention in the world teach that ultimately
He will bring human events to the end He chooses.
 He does not eliminate the individual's freedom to follow God or rebel,
but holds people responsible for the choices they make.
 In the last chapter, even the forces of nature respond to God's
control.

5. Zechariah 1:1 identifies the author of the Book
of Zechariah as the Prophet Zechariah.

6. Zechariah was a prophet and a priest. He begun his ministry in 520
B.C., shortly after Haggai had begun his prophetic work.

7. Zechariah emphasized that God
has used His prophets to teach,
warn and correct His people.
Unfortunately, they refused to
listen. Their sin brought God's
punishment. The book also bears
evidence that even prophecy.

8. Zechariah 1:3, "Therefore tell the people: This
is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to
me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will
return to you,' says the LORD Almighty."
Zechariah 7:13, "'When I called, they did not
listen; so when they called, I would not listen,'
says the LORD Almighty."
Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of
Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your
king comes to you, righteous and having
salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a
colt, the foal of a donkey."
Zechariah 13:9, "This third I will bring into the
fire; I will refine them like silver and test them
like gold. They will call on my name and I will
answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,'
and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

9.  CHRIST
- Christ is the theme of the Book of
Zechariah. Jesus is the Savior of Israel, a
fountain whose blood covers the sins of all
who come to Him for salvation (Zechariah
13:1; 1 John 1:7).
 ENCOURAGEMENT
- Zechariah sought to encourage the
people to build the temple in view of the
promise that someday Messiah would
come to inhabit it.

10. Universal Themes

11.  Joy in God’s redemption.
Time and again throughout
Zechariah we see the joy that
comes with God’s merciful
redemption of his people.
The fasts that will be
celebrated at the time of
Zion’s coming restoration will
be “seasons of joy and
gladness and cheerful feasts”
(8:19)

12.  God expects sincere worship and
moral living of us today.
Zechariah's example of breaking
through national prejudice
reminds us to reach out into all
areas of our society. We must
extend God's invitation of
salvation to people of all national
origins, languages, races and
cultures.
 That salvation is only available
through the shed blood of Jesus
Christ on the cross, who died in
our place to atone for sin. But if
we reject that sacrifice, there is
no other sacrifice through which
we can be reconciled to God.
There is no other name under
heaven by which men are saved
(Acts 4:12). There is no time to
lose; today is the day of salvation
(2 Corinthians 6:2).

13.  Zechariah, like Haggai
, encouraged the
people to finish
rebuilding the temple.
His vision gave the
people of hope. He
told the people of the
future king who could
one day establish an
eternal kingdom.

14.  Even in times of
discouragement and despair,
God is working out his plan.
God protects and guides us.
We must trust and follow him.

15.  The Global
Message of
Zechariah
for Today

16. Compassion for the
needy.
In the meantime, as we
wait for Christ’s second
coming in great power and
glory, Zechariah reminds us
to extend compassion to
the needy and those who
are oppressed even Christ
has extended compassion
to us.
(Zechariah 7:8-10; compare
8:16-17)