THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 1, Introduction and Chapter 1 Today we open the Book of Zechariah with an introduction to prepare us to more thoroughly study it. This introduction will be less extensive than is my typical because reading the introduction to the Torah Class study of the Book…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 2, Chapter 1 Continued I’ll begin this 2nd lesson in the Book of Zechariah with a plea I made in the 1st: do not proceed until you have first studied the Book of Haggai with us. It is a very simple matter: these two books…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 3, Chapter 1 Continued 2 We left off at verse 11 of Zechariah chapter 1, where it was dealing with Zechariah’s vision of the 3 horses that were roaming the earth to give a report to Yehoveh about the condition of the world at that…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 4, Chapter 2 We leave chapter 1 and begin chapter 2 of Zechariah, a most unique Prophet in the way he presents the oracles God gave to him, which operates mostly in complex symbolism because it deals so very much with the future. When I…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 5, Chapter 2 Continued At this point in our study, Zechariah’s third vision in this long series of vision/oracles has been given. Now it is immediately followed with a warning. Have you ever considered why God announces warnings that can come anywhere from several months…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 6, Chapter 3 I think the best way to frame what Zechariah chapter 3 is all about is first to provide the context of how Yehoveh saw Judah at the time He exiled them, and the resulting condition of the returned exiles in general. That…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 7, Chapter 3 and 4 We’ll continue today in the ultra-complex Book of Zechariah by finishing up chapter 3, and then moving briefly into chapter 4, with still 10 more chapters to go after that in the coming weeks and months. If you can survive…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 8, Chapter 4 Continued This fifth vision/oracle that opens chapter 4 is primarily about Zerubbabel, the Persian King Darius’s choice to govern the province of Yehud, the former Judah. This vision organically connects to the one of chapter 3 that was all about Joshua the…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 9, Chapters 4 and 5 This 4th chapter of Zechariah is aimed at encouraging Zerubbabel, the civic leader of the returned Jews from Babylon, in his role as the Persian-appointed governor of Yehud. The chapter before this one did essentially the same as concerned Joshua,…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 10, Chapters 5 and 6 We ended our previous lesson at Zechariah chapter 5, verse 7, and we were left with a couple of questions to answer. They were: what has a lead lid over the ephah basket to do with anything, and why would…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 11, Chapter 6 Continued The first half of Zechariah chapter 6 is a symbol-laden prophecy of something in the future; for Zechariah, just how far into the future was not calculable. The symbol consisted for 4 horses pulling chariots and being dispersed from Jerusalem to…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 12, Chapters 6 and 7 When we ran out of time in the previous lesson, we were still in Zechariah chapter 6 on the subject of the Tzemach… variously translated as branch, shoot, or sprout… and in both Judaism and Christianity this tzemach is identified…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 13, Chapter 7 If I was to give the middle verses of Zechariah chapter 7 a title, I think it’d call it “caught red handed” or “busted!”. This chapter is short so let’s re-read it to get started. RE-READ ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 7 all Here’s what…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 14, Chapters 7 and 8 We ended our previous lesson with Zechariah chapter 7 verses 11 and 12, which says: CJB Zechariah 7:11-12 11 But they wouldn’t listen, they stubbornly turned their shoulder away and stopped up their ears, so that they wouldn’t have to…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 15, Chapter 8 As the Book of Zechariah progresses, we find with each new chapter its messages hitting closer and closer to home because more and more of it has to do with a time in history that not only lies not far ahead of…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 16, Chapter 8 Continued We were in Zechariah chapter 8 at verses 16 and 17 when we ran out of time, so that’s where we’ll begin today. CJB Zechariah 8:16-17 16 These are the things you are to do: speak the truth to each other;…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 17, Chapter 9 Zechariah chapter 9 makes a significant turn in the nature and style of what is being prophesied. So much so that mainstream scholarship no longer accepts that Zechariah is still the one doing the prophesying. The Book of Zechariah as it has…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 18, Chapter 9 Continued As we continue in the ultra-cryptic Zechariah chapter 9, let’s briefly review our previous lesson. I’ll begin by reminding you that in modern times, the Book of Zechariah is seen by most Bible scholars as consisting of 2 books by 2…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 19, Chapters 9 and 10 As we continue today in Zechariah chapter 9, the first chapter in that part of the prophet’s book that for some time has been labeled “Second Zechariah”, we need to keep the bigger picture in mind otherwise we’ll got lost…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 20, Chapter 10 We barely opened Zechariah chapter 10 last time before we needed to stop. So, we only got through the first verse. Let’s start things off by re-reading the entire chapter. RE-READ ZECHARIAH CHAPTER 10 all Verse 1 could be summed up by…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 21, Chapter 10 Continued The opening 5 verses of Zechariah Chapter 10 painted us a vivid picture of divine providence and a stark contrast between God’s power and goodness and the failings of false leaders who are either self-deceived, or lie and manipulate for their…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 22, Chapter 11 To repeat the mantra that I’ve spoken since the introduction to the Book of Zechariah, this is perhaps the most challenging book in the Bible to properly interpret, and, yet, one of the most important from which to glean knowledge. Chapter 11…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 23, Chapter 11 Continued We’ll continue, today, to work our way carefully, thoughtfully, through the intricate maze of Zechariah chapter 11. While indeed it is quite the task, it is worth it because of the important information that God wants us to know about the…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 24, Chapter 11 Continued 2 We’re still in Zechariah chapter 11, and concluded our last lesson at verse 8. The material is so dense in information, and yet can be so puzzling in its meaning, that it is always best that we take brief moment…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 25, Chapter 11 Conclusion As we progress through Zechariah chapter 11, we paused last week as we were looking at verse 12. Much symbolic action has been taking place… spiced up with a number of metaphors, and not an insignificant amount of irony has also…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 26, Chapter 12 Just as Bible scholars tend to divide the Book of Zechariah into two books… First Zechariah that is chapters 1 – 8, and Second Zechariah that is chapters 9 – 14… so, they further divide Second Zechariah into two sections, chapters 9…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 27, Chapter 12 Continued Before we re-open the amazing, mysterious, informative, complex Zechariah, I want to spend some time with a subject that is greatly entangled within its pages, which is also in some ways the elephant-in-the-room for Bible students, and for those that haven’t…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 28, Chapters 12 and 13 We paused in Zechariah 12:10 last time. As a mini-refresher, this entire chapter is about an attack on Jerusalem by the nations. The way the Bible uses the term “the nations” always means gentile nations. And, that always means every…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 29, Chapter 13 Since we barely got started last time in Zechariah chapter 13, let’s re-read the entire chapter. Open your Bibles to Zechariah 13. READ ZECHAHARIAH CHAPTER 13 all Zechariah has to be one of the most impactful prophecies that affects us personally and…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 30, Chapters 13 and 14 Whenever we get deep into studying a Bible book… especially so as concerns an Old Testament book… it is important that we occasionally back away from it, float up to the 30,000-foot altitude in our hot air balloon, and take…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 31, Chapter 14 Christians have traditionally looked primarily to the Book of Revelation for their guide on End Times matters and information about the return of Messiah. In addition, we find other New Testament books like Matthew, Luke, John, and Thessalonians, which seem to provide…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 32, Chapter 14 Continued We’ve worked our way to this final chapter of Zechariah, and last week paused at verse 8. Starting at verse 6 we read about changes in nature, or better a change in the very nature of nature, that has (since Creation)…

THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH Lesson 33, Chapter 14 Conclusion Just as the viewpoint of the biblical Creation Story is earth-centric as though someone was standing on earth to record God’s process of Creation, so as Zechariah winds down the viewpoint reduces further to Jerusalem-centric. Earth, so far as we know,…