A Teaching Outline for the Book of Zechariah

Prophesying from 520-518 BC, Zechariah was commissioned by God to bring a message of motivation and hope to the small remnant of Jews who had returned to the Promised Land after Babylonian captivity. Though this first group of Jews, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, had been back in the land for over sixteen years, distractions and difficulties had led to their neglect of the temple. Thus, God first raised up the prophet Haggai, and then two months later the prophet Zechariah, in order to motivate the people to prioritize the Lord and His house (cf. Hag. 1:1, Zech. 1:1 ).

In order to provide the people with soul-stirring hope, Zechariah received divine revelation of a number of future blessings for the nation. But it was necessary for him to begin his ministry with a call to repentance first: “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Return to Me,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I may return to you,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 1:3). By this point in time, the people had already been working on the temple for two months, thus the turning to God that Zechariah called for was not due to apathy or neglect of the temple (as was the case under Haggai’s ministry). Rather, this was about their pride and self-righteousness in thinking that their newfound obedience, and the temple itself, would entitle them to divine blessings (cf. Hag. 1:14, 2:14). Like their forefathers, they were only “half-turned” (Hos. 7:8)—a nation of religion without regeneration—failing to understand that the kingdom of God is only for those who have been born again (cf. John 3:3). The previous generations didn’t admit their wrongdoing until they went through judgment, which Zechariah wanted his people to avoid experiencing again (cf. Zech. 1:6). Thus, before he described the glories of the kingdom to come, he labored to make them a people spiritually ready for such a kingdom.

Three months later, Zechariah received a whopping eight visions from God in a single night.

The series of visions began with a group of angelic horsemen who had patrolled the earth and reported back to a leading man on a red horse. After the man dismounted his horse and stood among a group of myrtle trees, the patrols explained to him that they noticed a stark contrast between the Gentile world, which was “peaceful and quiet” (particularly as the Persian empire was enjoying its dominance), compared to the small Jewish nation, which was small, weak, and insignificant (cf. Zech. 1:11). Nevertheless, God wanted His people to know that He was “exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion,” indicating that one day the nation would be prepared, populated, and prosperous like never before (cf. Zech. 1:14-17). Like the evergreen myrtle trees that the leading man stood among, God’s nation as a whole would be ever-protected to see these promises come to fruition because He was among them.

The second vision, reminiscent of the prophet Daniel’s dream of the four beasts (cf. Dan. 7:1-7), outlined the succession of world empires—though not to the same level of detail as Daniel’s. Zechariah saw four “horns” (the source of an animal’s power), symbolizing the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman world empires that had been, or would be, used by God in oppressing Judah (cf. Zech. 1:19). He then saw four “craftsmen” (a person with the ability to hammer the horns into pieces), symbolizing the world empires that would conquer their predecessor: Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and finally, the kingdom of Christ. No matter how history unfolds, God would keep His promises to curse those who curse His people (cf. Gen. 12:3), ultimately rescuing them from every enemy.

The third vision involved a man holding a measuring line to assess the size of the city of Jerusalem (cf. Zech. 2:1-2). This vision reassured the people that God cared for them as “the apple of His eye” (Zech. 2:8) and would one day rebuild the city far beyond what it was in Zechariah’s day (cf. Ezek. 40:3-4). Furthermore, the city would be so populated that it would be as if people were spilling over the walls—and not only believing Jews, but those of other nations as well (cf. Zech. 2:4, 11).

In the next vision, God provided a glimpse of the means by which sinful people could enjoy these wonderful blessings He had promised. This fourth vision depicted Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Lord clothed in filthy garments. Unfit to be in the presence of God, due to his own sinfulness, he endured accusations from Satan (cf. Zech. 3:1). Yet, God in His grace, took away the polluted garments from Joshua and provided him with clean clothes, giving him a righteous legal standing. This act depicted the glorious doctrine of double imputation: the Lord Jesus Christ taking upon Himself the sins of His elect people, and in exchange, granting them His perfect righteousness through faith alone (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21, Rom. 4:22-25).

To those discouraged about the efforts to rebuild the temple, God provided a fifth vision to reinforce both the power and the promise of its success. Depicting the nation as a lampstand (since Israel was supposed to be a light to the world, cf. Gen. 12:3, Deut. 4:6), God explained that through the leadership of the two golden pipes (Zerubbabel and Joshua) the nation would be continually supplied with oil (power) from the olive tree (the Holy Spirit) in order to complete their task. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit” was God’s explanation (Zech. 4:6). Thus, the Jews were told not to be disappointed in the completion of the second temple, even though it was a “small thing” (cf. Zech. 10:6). Rather, they should rejoice because even in its insignificance, it represented the power of God working through frail servants—an encouragement for all believers today regarding any capacity in which they serve Christ.

In the sixth vision, Zechariah looked up and saw a flying scroll—the free and fast-acting Word of God overlooking sinners (cf. Zech. 5:1). Having the same twenty-by-ten-cubit dimensions as the holy place in the tabernacle made it clear that God’s holy standard of righteousness was evaluating all over whom it flew (cf. Exod. 26:8). Thus, this scroll served as both a warning and an encouragement: a warning to apostate Jews who thought they could get away with their double life of hypocrisy, and an encouragement to faithful Jews bothered by the hypocrites. God wanted them to know there would come a day in which all sinners in the land would be gone, overtaken by the curses described in His Word.

The seventh vision served as a counterpart to the sixth. Just as God would one day remove all sinners from the land of Judah, so too would He remove all sin. Zechariah saw a woman (representing idolatry—spiritual harlotry) sitting in an “ephah” (a basket used as the largest unit of measure in commerce). The woman in the ephah was then covered with a metal top, indicating the finality of her containment. It was then carried away by two other women with stork-like wings. Just as storks are birds known to return to the same nest every year, so too would God send idolatry back to its source: Babylon, the mother of spiritual prostitution and abominations (cf. Rev. 17:5). All idols, and the sins that follow them, would one day be totally purged from the land by God (cf. Zech. 13:2).

The eighth and final vision again depicted angelic patrols, but this time in judgment over the entire world. Four chariots were commissioned, departing from between bronze mountains (bronze representing judgment, cf. Deut. 28:23, Rev. 1:15). They each departed to a corner of the earth, indicating the pouring out of God’s wrath on a worldwide scale. Since the north was the typical direction from which Israel’s conquerors came, it was pointed out to Zechariah that God’s wrath would be appeased there, representing the future destruction of all of Israel’s enemies.

After this series of visions, Zechariah performed a symbolic ceremony by putting on Joshua, the high priest, a double crown consisting of silver and gold (cf. Zech. 6:9-11). This was intended to demonstrate that the person God was going to send—the Branch of David—would provide blessings to the people by serving as both a priest and a king. Zechariah ended the illustration with a caution: the timing of this coming King to rebuild the temple and rule in the kingdom would coincide with the generation that “completely” obeys the Lord—which, sadly, has yet to happen (cf. Rom. 11:25-26, Isa. 53:3, Ezek. 36:33).

Two years later, with the temple nearing completion, Zechariah answered questions about fasting. The Jews in exile had started an annual tradition of solemn fasting in remembrance of horrific events from their past: fasting in the fourth month in memory of the capture of Jerusalem, in the fifth month over the burning of the temple, in the seventh month over the murder of Gedaliah the governor, and in the tenth month over the siege of the city. With the temple almost finished, though, the Jews wanted to know if fasting, particularly in the fifth month for the burning of the previous temple, was still necessary (cf. Zech. 7:3). Though the Lord never answered their question directly, He reminded them not only that their practices of fasting were man-made (as fasting still is today), but that to ask if they had to fast implied that the practice had become little more than a religious burden and formality at that point. And, in fact, in the future kingdom there will be only joy and feasting, rather than gloom and fasting (cf. Zech. 8:19). To that end, the Jews needed to be more concerned about walking in obedience and love (cf. Zech. 8:16-17).

Zechariah’s book finishes with two glorious prophecies about Israel’s future (cf. Zech. 9-11, 12-14). The first prophecy outlined God’s plans for the near future (rescuing His people from coming oppressors), far future (regathering His people to bring them into the kingdom), and the intermediate future between the near and far events (the destruction of Judah under the Romans, the rejection of Christ at His first coming, and the rise of the Antichrist who is yet to come). In order to explain the three intermediate events, Zechariah acted out the role of a shepherd, foreshadowing Christ’s shepherding ministry. First, he dismissed three other shepherds for failing to shepherd properly (representing the elders, scribes, and chief priests that Jesus would clash with at His first coming, cf. Luke 20:19, Mark 15:1). After then snapping his staff in half, indicating the ruin and disunity of the nation of Israel, Zechariah then asked to be paid what his onlookers thought he was worth. They weighed out thirty shekels of silver, indicating their estimation of him as being no better than a common slave (cf. Exod. 21:32), foreshadowing precisely the same amount that would be paid to Judas in order to arrest Jesus. Finally, Zechariah portrayed himself as “foolish” shepherd, who would devour the sheep rather than care for them, though this shepherd would ultimately be disabled and disarmed (cf. Zech. 11:17). This foreshadowed the coming Antichrist who will one day turn on the Jewish people after gaining their trust—but be defeated in the end by God.

The second prophecy explained events for Israel in the future Day of the Lord (the period of time following the Rapture of the Church through the end of the Millennial Kingdom). Israel will not only be saved from her external enemies, but also her internal sin (cf. Zech. 12:3, 13:2). Once the Holy Spirit comes upon the Israelites alive at that time, they will remember how their nation crucified its own Messiah, and will confess that He truly was the substitutionary Lamb of God who should have been received by them long ago (cf. Zech. 12:10, Isa. 53:4-7). In the end, Christ will return to the Mount of Olives exactly as He left (cf. Zech. 14:4, Acts 1:9-12), sit on the Davidic throne (cf. Zech. 14:9), inaugurate an entirely holy nation (cf. Zech. 14:20), and reign over the whole world such that every foreign nation must come and give honor to Him (cf. Zech. 14:16-19).

With such a sweeping range of prophecies, it’s no wonder that Zechariah’s name means “Yahweh remembers.” Throughout all that has happened and will happen to Israel, this nation has been remembered by God. And though it is our great privilege in the Church to be called God’s people presently, there will come a day when God returns His redemptive program to Israel, and rather than being “Lo-ammi” (“not My people”) they will be called “sons of the living God” (Hos. 1:9-10, Rom. 9:25-26). It will then be a glorious moment when we all, as one united flock, believing the one true Gospel, enter the one righteous kingdom, to be with our one Good Shepherd (cf. John 10:16).

As one of the most quoted Old Testament books in the New Testament, the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ ought to instill both great confidence and great joy in those of us looking forward to Christ’s second coming. As you teach verse-by-verse through this wonderful book, may Zechariah’s name and message help your disciples remember that “Yahweh remembers.” The following outline is offered to help.

The Preparation for a Glorious Future (Zechariah 1:1-6)

The Call of the Prophet (Zech. 1:1)

The Command to the People (Zech. 1:2-3)

The Caution from the Past (Zech. 1:4-6)

The Vision of the Horsemen: Renewal of the Nation (Zechariah 1:7-17)

The Patrols of the Earth (Zech. 1:7-10)

The Peace of the Nations (Zech. 1:11)

The Pain of Jerusalem (Zech. 1:12)

The Perspective of God (Zech. 1:13-15)

The Promise of Restoration (Zech. 1:16-17)

The Vision of the Horns: Rescue from Enemies (Zechariah 1:18-21)

Gentile Empires Raised Up (Zech. 1:18-19)

Gentile Empires Thrown Down (Zech. 1:20-21)

The Vision of the Measuring Line: Rebuilding the City (Zechariah 2:1-13)

The Measurement of the City (Zech. 2:1-2)

The Multitude of the People (Zech. 2:3-5)

The Migration Back from Dispersion (Zech. 2:6-9)

The Merging of the Nations (Zech. 2:10-12)

The Message to the World (Zech. 2:13)

The Vision of the Priestly Garments: Redemption from Sin (Zechariah 3:1-10)

Sin Purified (Zech. 3:1-5)

Service Proposed (Zech. 3:6-7)

Salvation Previewed (Zech. 3:8-9)

Safety Promised (Zech. 3:10)

The Vision of the Golden Lampstand: Reassurance of Success (Zechariah 4:1-14)

God’s Power for the Nation (Zech. 4:1-7)

God’s Promise for the Temple (Zech. 4:8-10)

God’s Presence for the Leaders (Zech. 4:11-14)

The Vision of the Flying Scroll: Removal of Sinners (Zechariah 5:1-4)

God’s Unstoppable Word (Zech. 5:1-2)

God’s Unchangeable Standards (Zech. 5:3)

God’s Unquenchable Judgment (Zech. 5:4)

The Vision of the Ephah: Removal of Sin (Zechariah 5:5-11)

Evil Captured in Israel (Zech. 5:5-8)

Evil Carried to Babylon (Zech. 5:9-11)

The Vision of the Chariots: Retribution upon the World (Zechariah 6:1-8)

The Arrival of God’s Patrols (Zech. 6:1-3)

The Assignment of God’s Justice (Zech. 6:4-7)

The Appeasement of God’s Wrath (Zech. 6:8)

The Symbol of the Crown (Zechariah 6:9-15)

The Representation of the Coming King (Zech. 6:9-11)

The Results of the Coming King (Zech. 6:12-13)

The Reminder of the Coming King (Zech. 6:14)

The Recognition of the Coming King (Zech. 6:15a)

The Requirement of the Coming King (Zech. 6:15b)

The Folly of Fasting (Zechariah 7:1-14)

Concern Over Rituals (Zech. 7:1-3)

Correction of Hypocrisy (Zech. 7:4-7)

Caution from the Past (Zech. 7:8-14)

The Future of Fasting (Zechariah 8:1-23)

Compassion for the City (Zech. 8:1-8)

Courage for Obedience (Zech. 8:9-17)

Conversion of Rituals (Zech. 8:18-19)

Curiosity from the World (Zech. 8:20-23)

God’s Plans for the Near Future (Zechariah 9:1-17)

Rescue from Alexander the Great (Zech. 9:1-8a)

Reminder of Eventual Peace (Zech. 9:8b-12)

Rescue from Antiochus Epiphanes (Zech. 9:13-17)

God’s Plans for the Far Future (Zechariah 10:1-12)

Reinforcement from God (Zech. 10:1-5)

Regathering of Exiles (Zech. 10:6-12)

God’s Plans for the Intermediate Future (Zechariah 11:1-17)

Ruin of Judah (Zech. 11:1-9)

Rejection of Christ (Zech. 11:10-14)

Rise of the Antichrist (Zech. 11:15-17)

Israel’s Revival in the Day of the Lord (Zechariah 12:1-14)

Safety from Enemies (Zech. 12:1-9)

Sorrow over Sin (Zech. 12:10-14)

Israel’s Refinement in the Day of the Lord (Zechariah 13:1-9)

Separation from Idolatry (Zech. 13:1-6)

Survival of Judgment (Zech. 13:7-9)

Israel’s Restoration in the Day of the Lord (Zechariah 14:1-21)

Success in Battle (Zech. 14:1-5)

Security in the Land (Zech. 14:6-15)

Service in the Kingdom (Zech. 14:16-21)