Author name: Jack Lawson

It was Zechariah’s turn. He was probably a much younger man than Haggai, chosen perhaps to appeal to a younger demographic. Remember, the people had divided along age lines when the work first stopped 15 years earlier. A week or so after Haggai had silenced the ageing grumblers, Zechariah stepped in to encourage the younger generation. He was a priest whose grandfather, Iddo, had travelled back from Babylon 15 years earlier. Zechariah was perhaps in his early 30s. He was also a prophet with a completely different approach to Haggai: Haggai was brief and blunt. Zechariah, on the other hand, would have loved PowerPoint! He presented many of the greatest word-pictures in the Bible, but he started with a very simple message, just like Haggai had. His first words were:

606BCNebuchadnezzar invades Judah and takes first captives to Babylon600BC?Birth of Haggai?586BCNebuchadnezzar completes destruction of JerusalemFinal captives taken to Babylon555BC?Birth of Zechariah?536BCDecree of CyrusFirst return under ZerubbabelIddo, Zechariah’s grandfather, returns with exi…