What's ZECHARIAH about?

Summary

Zechariah is one of the twelve short prophetic books and was likely written in two parts—the first part when the exiles had been taken into slavery in Babylon and the second part, perhaps written by a student of the original Zechariah, when they had returned to Jerusalem and were about to re-build the temple.

The first part of the book focuses on Jewish history up to the enslavement, and includes eight “visions” including the famous Four Horses of the Apocalypse, assuring the readers that God is ultimately in control of the future.

The second half of the book is about how God's power will overcome oppression and how the people will finally live fulfilled lives. Many of the images in this part were used by early Christians to interpret Jesus' suffering and death.