ZECHARIAH: Apocalyptic Literature

One of Haggai’s contemporaries (maybe even a well-known acquaintance) was the prophet Zechariah. When one does the dating of the return of Ezra-Nehemiah and considers that they are referred to as “young men” in their prophecies, it stands to reason that Haggai and Zechariah were toddlers when the first few waves of returnees hit the ground in Jerusalem. To give these prophets some “real life context,” these two boys grew up in the mess and struggle that was the Remnant.

While Haggai’s ministry is short and sweet, Zechariah’s ministry spans a few decades. Zechariah gives consistent images that are meant to inspire the people to push forward into the future God has ahead of them. Zechariah is another prophet who will employ very heavy and intentional use of apocalyptic literature. As we’ve mentioned before, apocalyptic literature utilizes symbols and images to convey hope to their present day. And at the risk of repeating myself from our Ezekiel discussion (it’s worth it; this is important), apocalyptic literature is not trying to map out visions of the “end times” and lay out blueprints for the future. That is simply not how apocalyptic literature functions. Whether God decides to do things in the future in a way that lines up with these prophesies (something God loves to do — He loves to reference His own book) is up to Him, but the inspired prophecy of Zechariah is not primarily about our future world.

On the contrary, Zechariah is a prophecy about the remnant that has returned and the need for them to persevere in the face of imperial rule. Trying to rebuild the glory of “the good ol’ days” while you sit under the control of a Persian government begins to weigh on a person’s psyche. Zechariah tells them to hold on, and he does it by employing metaphors, visions, and images.

As is true with much apocalyptic literature, the pictures are often full of symbols that represent God and His people, the trials of the audience, and the eventual triumph of God’s good agenda. Also typical of apocalyptic literature, the prophecy begins with images that encourage faithfulness and endurance, and then moves to close the prophecy with the assuring proclamation that a new kingdom, a new reality, and a new ruler is on the way. Zechariah is quite insistent that if God’s people will persevere, their future king will come to them. But for now, they must walk obediently the path that lies before them — the path through Persia.

Having a grasp on apocalyptic literature and the movement of the prophet allows us to read books like Zechariah and understand them. We love to cherry-pick passages from Zechariah that fit our needs for a good proof text, but we rarely find these passages used in context. For example, one of the most famous passages from Zechariah is the humble king who comes riding on a donkey:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
    and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
    His rule will extend from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The sun has not set on too many Palm Sundays without that verse being quoted at least once — and for good reason. However, what we often fail to understand is what Zechariah’s original intent was when he prophesied those words. Zechariah was insisting that if God’s people would find a way to live obediently within empire, God would send them rescue. And this rescue wouldn’t come through armies and military might, but by God’s divine providence.

They would see their king rise to power through humility.

Sound familiar? And no, I’m not talking about Jesus. We will certainly address this later, but at this point in the story, Jesus isn’t here yet. We have to hear this story in its original context in order to appreciate what Jesus will do with it.

And if the people of God will walk in obedience — even in the midst of Persia — God will do something in the world that will destroy the weapons of war and the chariots of oppression.

One final note before we’re done: It’s worth noting that almost all the images of Zechariah will show up later in the book of Revelation. John will end up taking the apocalyptic images of the Tanakh and use them to craft his own message to the early church.

Zechariah’s prophecy starts with a man walking among the myrtle trees; Revelation starts with a man walking among the lampstands.

Zechariah speaks of the horns that were sounded to scatter Israel; Revelation speaks of trumpets that are sounded to usher in destruction and rescue.

Zechariah speaks of a measuring line used to measure Jerusalem; the same image is employed in Revelation at the end of the vision.

Zechariah talks about clean garments of the high priests; John tells us about a multitude in clean, white robes.

Zechariah tells us about scrolls; so does John.

Zechariah speaks of a woman in a basket; Revelation speaks of a woman on a beast.

Zechariah contains the vision of four horses drawing chariots; so does Revelation.

And yet, we stand around and wring our hands and moan about how the book of Revelation is so vague and complex and hard to understand. Everything in Revelation has already been said centuries before. Maybe it would help if we became familiar with the Hebrew scriptures that John is quoting — just a thought.

I think it’s time to get in the Text.