Zechariah, whose name means Yahweh remembers, served as both prophet and priest during the post-exilic times. His ministry began around 520 B.C., coinciding with the work of Haggai. The book of Zechariah can be easily divided into two parts. Chapters 1-8 were most likely written at the start of Zechariah’s ministry, at about the age of 30. Chapters 9-14 were composed during the latter years of Zechariah’s life.
Chapters 9-14 are organized around the phrase the oracle of the word of the Lord, found in both 9:1 and 12:1. The word oracle needs to be understood as a burden that was placed upon Zechariah’s heart by God and now is being communicated to God’s people. Over the coming weeks, we will focus our attention upon the second burden, which pertains to the return of our Lord during Israel’s final conflict. Look for phrases and terms such as On that day and Jerusalem as we explore chapters 12 through 14 together.
The Seven Signs is a short series in the book of John. The term signs is the English translation of the Greek word semeion (σημεῖον), which is the word John used for miracle. The reason why the Apostle John placed emphasis upon signs is addressed in 20:30-31, which states...
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
