Why investigate Zechariah’s message? Pound for pound, Zechariah contains more Messianic prophecies than any other Old Testament book. His message is really quite clear: the Messiah will come and renew the faith of God’s people. He will accomplish all of this during Daniel’s seventieth week: the seven decades of covenantal transition. But rapturists have misunderstood Zechariah.

Most people (and definitely married people!) know that a minor misunderstanding has the potential to lead to mass confusion. You can state your opinion as clearly as you know how, only to have your listener get the wrong message. Sometimes the confusion persists until you re-examine and eliminate the minor misunderstanding that started it all. From His eternal vantage point, the prophet Zechariah knows exactly how this feels.

What is the minor misunderstanding that must vex this holy prophet? Today’s rapturists misunderstand the clear prophecies of Christ’s first advent and apply much of them to His second. This minor misunderstanding stems from the same motive as does the presumptuous parenthesis in Daniel. In spite of Daniel’s clear message, rapturists resist any implication that the kingdom of God might have been successfully established at the first advent.

Instead of understanding Zechariah as the clear and consistent prophet of the first advent, rapturists cut and paste this book into total confusion. They repeatedly apply one verse to the second advent, the next verse to the first advent, and then the very next verse to the second advent again. If their understanding is correct, Zechariah was one very confused prophet!

Each rapturist might tweak the details in a slightly different way, but, generally speaking, the chart on the opposite page illustrates their system. I have used the rapturist system to sort the verses into three groups: Zechariah’s time, the first advent, and the second advent. The dating in this chart assumes that rapturists are correct in their contention that the second coming must come before the end of the twenty-first century. Notice the confusion that their minor misunderstanding creates. The arrows illustrate the two-thousand-year gaps, both forward and backward, that rapturists insert.

Their system works for the first seven chapters, but then mass confusion develops quickly (as I have tried to show with the arrows). Notice that they understand the passage after 8:20 as future. But right in the middle of this passage, in 9:9 and again in 13:7, two verses pop up that were undeniably fulfilled by Christ in His first advent. It is undeniable because the New Testament applies them to the first advent. In addition, rapturists understand all of Chapter 11 in light of the first advent.

In a way, rapturists insert the same presumptuous parenthesis into Zechariah that they inserted into Daniel. But this time, it causes three round trips of two thousand years in both forward and reverse modes! We need to look at these “interrupting” verses.

Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7 in Mark 14:27 to describe His experience in the Passion. “Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” ’ ” So Zechariah 13:7 was undeniably fulfilled in the first advent. Yet rapturists place at least a chapter on either side of this one verse at least two thousand years later.

The difficulty in Zechariah 9:9 is even more acute. This verse is part of a single thought that extends at least as far as the tenth verse. To rip it out of its context does violence to Zechariah’s meaning. Rapturists believe the entire context around this verse speaks of the second advent, while this one verse is about the first advent. That verse is quoted in the Gospels as being fulfilled in the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem: “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Tell the daughter of Zion: Behold, your King is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass’ ” (Matt. 21:4–5). In spite of this, rapturists claim that all verses preceding and following 9:9 refer to events at least two thousand years later. Of course, the text gives us no hint of any repeated “back to the future” time warps.

In addition to these two verses, the whole of Chapter 11 cannot be taken as applying to anything other than Christ’s first advent. Yet rapturists believe that all of Chapters 10 and 12 are a discussion of twenty-first-century events. This interruption of thought goes far beyond the typical disregard of apocalyptic prophecy for time sequence. It makes a muddle of any attempt to understand Zechariah. This system in Zechariah is untenable.

If the rapturist system is faulty, what can a loyal Catholic make of Zechariah? The simplest interpretation of Zechariah is to understand it as a prophecy to encourage the Jews of the sixth century B.C. with the promised coming of Messiah. The prophecy starts with that time, but culminates with the events of Christ’s first advent. The second coming is not in view anywhere in Zechariah’s visions. A careful look at Zechariah substantiates this view.

Before we begin, however, we must recall that Zechariah builds on the message of Daniel’s seventy weeks. Daniel’s seventy weeks viewed the seven decades that began with Christ’s conception as a time of covenantal transition. Zechariah follows Daniel’s lead, and his prophecy includes all of Daniel’s seventieth week. To understand Zechariah properly, we must realize that Zechariah’s “day of the Lord” is identical to Daniel’s final week. It includes the coming of the Messiah, Christ’s judgment on His accusers in the destruction of the Temple, and even the founding of the Church.

This insight, which rapturists miss completely, clears up the minor misunderstanding. Zechariah understands that the Kingdom will be established in the first advent. He does not distinguish between the first and second advents in his prophecies because he has only the first advent in view. There are no two-thousand-year gaps between verses, because everything he prophesied was fulfilled by 70 A.D. Was Zechariah familiar with the oracle of the seventy weeks in Daniel? I believe it is evident that he was.

There are a variety of opinions among Catholics, but I believe the best understanding of the book is that it was written shortly after Daniel, at the time of the Jews’ return from the Babylonian captivity. Although the difference between the first and second half of Zechariah is widely acknowledged, the book’s similarity to Daniel is often overlooked. The outline below reflects Daniel’s influence on Zechariah the prophet, who imitates the broad outline of Daniel (without the deuterocanonical portions) to a surprising degree.

These similarities cannot be attributed to mere coincidence. Zechariah is conscious of Daniel’s book and uses it as a template.

He inserts the key-personality section between the oracles for the same reason Daniel did: otherwise, the later visions make no sense. The key-personality section in Daniel explains what is meant by the “coming” of God in judgment. Here in Zechariah, this section explores the key element in covenantal transition: the establishment of a New Covenantal people of God after the breaking of the old covenantal bond.

Zechariah uses a phrase to place his prophecy at a specific time in the future. He states that certain events will occur on the “day of the Lord,” or “that day,” which is equivalent to Daniel’s last week. By following this phrase throughout the book, we can understand the full scope of Zechariah’s message.

The prophet warms up to this phrase as the book continues. He uses it once in Chapter 2 as the climax to the third vision, once again in Chapter 3 as the climax to the fourth vision, and one more time in Chapter 8 as a climax to the historical setting of Section I.

Zechariah uses the phrase only once in the initial oracle in Chapter 9. Then, as he starts to recapitulate the initial oracle, he uses “that day” a surprising seventeen times (this is after the key-personality section). The book builds to a crescendo in the recapitulating oracle of the final three chapters. At the beginning of the book, Zechariah concentrates on the sixth-century-B.C. historical setting. In the second half, he focuses on the Messiah’s coming and the New People He will choose for Himself during “the day of the Lord.” These are the recipients of the blessings bestowed during Daniel’s final week of covenantal transition.

So what does Zechariah tell us about the “day of the Lord”? The scope of this book does not allow for an in-depth treatment. But simply following this phrase through the book will reveal much.

The first section, Chapters 1 through 8, contains the historical setting of Zechariah’s time and eight visions that are designed to encourage the Jews of the sixth century B.C. Those Jews were in peril as they returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity. They are promised that Jerusalem and its Temple will once again prosper and be the center of God’s activity on earth. There are two references to “that day,” pointing to the climax of the restoration of Jerusalem that unfolds during Christ’s first advent.

The phrase first occurs in 2:11. We learn that the gentile nations will convert and “join themselves to” the true God of Israel. This is a prediction of the mystery of the gospel, which came to fruition in St. Paul’s ministry. The mystery of the gospel is a major theme of the entire first vision of The Apocalypse, so we will return to that topic.

At that time, God will literally “dwell in the midst” of His holy people, a reference to the Eucharist. The Apocalypse is an extremely eucharistic book, but even here in the Old Testament we can detect hints of the Mass.

Further, God’s people will understand that He has been “sent” in “that day.” The phraseology whereby God is being “sent” by God is difficult to decipher without knowledge of the Incarnation. When else was God sent by God?

The prophecy continues by predicting that the Lord will “again” choose Jerusalem. When put into the context of what we find later in Zechariah, this is best understood as the choosing of Christ’s ekklesia; the New Jerusalem described in the Gospels and The Apocalypse. We will see this theme expanded in the key-personality section, in which Zechariah acts out the drama of Daniel’s seventieth week.

The phrase occurs a second time in 3:10. “In that day,” guilt will be removed “in a single day.” This is reminiscent of Daniel’s description of the seventieth week, when atonement was accomplished in a single day, Good Friday. We also learn that a generous love for one’s fellowman will be the outgrowth of God’s forgiveness.

The third time we see this “day” mentioned is at the end of this section. “In those days” the Gentiles will flock to God through the Jews. If Zechariah’s vision is to be taken seriously, the Jews would be quickly outnumbered in the Church: “Ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew” (8:23).

The first section is primarily focused on the events of the sixth century B.C., so this is all we learn about the first advent. Yet we already see the general theme of the New Covenant that was established during Daniel’s last week.

The second section encompasses slightly more than the next two chapters. This is the first of two major oracles that focus primarily on Daniel’s seventieth week. The message boils down to this: the countries surrounding Jerusalem are strong and hostile, but when the Messiah arrives, He will establish His everlasting dominion. The New Jerusalem will eventually be victorious throughout the earth.

Unlike earlier in the book, “that day” now becomes the major theme of the visions. Zechariah obviously understands “the day of the Lord” in the context of the first advent, as is evidenced in 9:9: “Lo, your King comes to you; triumphant and victorious is He, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass.”

This coming of the King results in “peace to the nations.” This is the famous peace of the New Covenant that Ezekiel proclaims: “I will make a covenant of peace with them” (37:26). This peace is built on the generous love of the earlier vision. That love was a result of the forgiveness obtained on “a single day,” Good Friday.

The Messiah’s “dominion shall be from sea to sea.” Rapturists who deny the establishment of God’s Kingdom during Christ’s first advent must explain these verses some other way. But Catholics can take them for what they obviously mean. When Christ came the first time, He rode into Jerusalem on a colt. As a result of what happened during Holy Week (and throughout the rest of Daniel’s week), He was recognized as the victorious King with an established Church that stretches into every corner of the world. The Church is the physical representation on earth of the Kingdom of God in Heaven. The Kingdom is essentially ecclesiastical.

“That day” reappears in 9:16. Salvation will come from God at this time. “Yea, how good and how fair it shall be!” (9:17). This exclamation reminds us of the “joy of our salvation” that we sometimes take so much for granted. Would anyone really want to be unregenerate again? It is a privilege to share in the benefits of “the day of the Lord.”

Zechariah 11:4–17 contains an interlude between the two major oracles of the second half of the book. Zechariah is the only key personality examined. His experiences as a shepherd become a living parable of the Messiah during “the day of the Lord” (GR3).

As a true and compassionate shepherd, Zechariah replaces a group of evil shepherds. It becomes crystal clear that these evil shepherds are the crux of the problem, not the sheep themselves. Jesus had harsh words for the chief priests and the scribes. Do you hear an echo of those words here in Zechariah? “My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders” (10:3).

Zechariah cares for the sheep: “So I became the shepherd of the flock doomed to be slain for those who trafficked in the sheep” (11:7). Here we see the love of Christ for His sheep. This love of God was the motivating factor in the Passion. Jesus, too, was “doomed to be slain” by His intense love.

But people are not satisfied with Zechariah as the shepherd. He is bought off with thirty shekels of silver: “They weighed out as my wages thirty shekels of silver. Then the Lord said to me, ‘Cast it into the treasury’—the lordly price at which I was paid off by them” (11:12–13). It does not take much experience in reading prophecy to see these experiences of Zechariah as pointing to the Messiah (GR3). The connection to the betrayal of Christ by Judas for thirty pieces of silver is striking.

Now the most important event in Zechariah’s living parable occurs. Zechariah breaks his two staffs, “Grace” and “Union”: “I took my staff Grace, and I broke it, annulling the covenant which I had made with all the peoples” (11:10). How much clearer must Zechariah be? This symbolizes the annulling of the covenant between God and Judah. During Daniel’s seventieth week, the Old Covenant was annulled and a New Covenant, a strong, everlasting one of peace, was established.

“Then I broke my second staff Union, annulling the brotherhood between Judah and Israel” (11:14). Judah was the believing remnant of the holy bloodline of Israel. Israel was the unbelieving majority. This symbolizes the breaking of any tie of unity between the believing and unbelieving remnant of God’s people. No longer would God concern Himself with a holy bloodline. The New Covenant will be primarily spiritual rather than physical. As Christ Himself stated, from this point on, His family will be those who hear and obey His commandments.

This is a crucial vision for any consistent understanding of Christ’s work during Daniel’s final week. The annulment of the Old Covenant when it was superseded by the New Covenant is clearly predicted. Zechariah is clear that the Good Shepherd will annul the Old Covenant during His first advent. This annulling is intimately associated with the death of the Shepherd, sold for thirty pieces of silver. How much more proof do rapturists require?

Zechariah’s second oracle (chs. 12–14) clearly recapitulates the first oracle, the events of Daniel’s last week. This oracle can seem like a puzzle unless we remain mindful that this vision comes after the shepherd story of Zechariah. In that object lesson, it becomes clear that God will be “annulling the covenant which [He] had made”; so the second oracle will concentrate on the New Covenant made with the New Jerusalem, otherwise known as the “strong” covenant of Daniel’s seventy weeks. The Church as the New Jerusalem comes into sharp focus only after Zechariah envisions the Good Shepherd breaking the two staffs, “Grace” and “Union.”

“That day” is liberally sprinkled throughout the second oracle because the seven decades of covenantal transition have taken front stage in Zechariah. We discover that at this time “all the nations of the earth will come together against” Jerusalem (12:3). This certainly happened when Titus invaded. His army was made up of soldiers from each of the ten provinces of the empire and even contained mercenaries from outside the empire.

As we noted in Daniel, the Jewish people believed to the bitter end that the Lord would deliver Jerusalem yet one more time. Zechariah also predicts this delusion. They wrongly believed that “the inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through … their God” (12:5). Zechariah predicts that they will believe this even after the rest of Judah has been defeated. In fact, the strategy of Titus was to defeat Judah first, “while Jerusalem shall still be inhabited” (12:6). Only when the surroundings of Judea were subdued did the Roman army turn its attention to Jerusalem. The decision of Titus might very well have been based on the devastating retreat of Cestius a few years earlier, but Zechariah had predicted it.

Zechariah now turns his attention to the New Jerusalem, created when the staffs “Grace” and “Union” were broken. “The Lord will put a shield” around His People. And in fact, as Eusebius records, not a single Christian died when Jerusalem fell. After earthly Jerusalem’s defeat, God will not abandon His New Jerusalem. We see in 12:9 that God will take vengeance on all those who come against His people.

The worship of the New Jerusalem will center on “the feast of booths” (14:16–19). This is the only festival mentioned during “the day of the Lord.” One unique feature of this feast was the holy day it observed. Normally, the Old Testament Jews kept the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the Sabbath. But the day of rest during the feast of booths was the first day of the week, Sunday (Lev. 23:33–36).

This is an amazing truth hidden in Zechariah. Rarely is Zechariah 14 used to help Seventh Day Adventists (this group of Christians worships on Saturday) understand why the Church worships on Sunday, the first day of the week. Of course, that is the day Christ rose (Easter) and the Church was born (Pentecost). But the institution of Sunday for “holy convocation” in the New Jerusalem is foretold all the way back in Zechariah.

As if that were not enough, the feast of booths commemorated the exodus of God’s people from the slavery of Egypt. This theme of the New Covenant exodus has already appeared in the first oracle: “They shall pass through the sea of Egypt” (10:11). The Apocalypse expands on the connection between the Old Covenant exodus celebrated in the festival of booths, and the New Covenant exodus from spiritual Egypt in 70 A.D.

During “that day,” “the inhabitants of Jerusalem … when they look on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him” (12:10). Rapturists believe this must happen at the end of the Great Tribulation, but the early Church understood this prophecy as being fulfilled during the fall of Jerusalem to Rome. For example, Lactantius, who lived in the second half of the third century, lists a long series of Old Testament prophecies that were fulfilled in the first advent: “Also Zechariah says: ‘And they shall look on me whom they pierced.’ Amos thus speaks of the obscuring of the sun: ‘In that day, saith the Lord, the sun shall go down at noon, and the clear day shall be dark.’ Jeremiah also speaks of the city of Jerusalem, in which He suffered: ‘Her sun is gone down while it was yet day; she hath been confounded and reviled, and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword.’ Nor were these things spoken in vain. For after a short time the Emperor Vespasian subdued the Jews, and laid waste their lands with the sword and fire, besieged and reduced them by famine, overthrew Jerusalem” (TED, 46).

When the inhabitants of Jerusalem were defeated, they realized that it was the punishment of God upon them for their treatment of Jesus. They had not been the “wise” who understood and fled. They were of the wicked, and so they mourned (Dan. 12). This understanding of Zechariah is substantiated in the Olivet Discourse.

The second oracle continues in Chapter 13 with more predictions concerning “that day.” Zechariah introduces a fountain, which he develops further in 14:8. This fountain of water flows with “living waters” which will “cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (13:1). Jesus used this “living waters” symbol in the New Testament. Ezekiel describes a thousand cubits of water flowing from the Temple. The Apocalypse uses all of these to symbolize the Holy Spirit and the blessings He bestows on us. What better description of the baptismal font of the New Jerusalem could we expect?

Next, we learn that “on that day” God will definitively defeat the idols that some Jews were worshiping (13:2). The worship of these idols is evidenced by two actions described earlier in Zechariah, lying and stealing: “Everyone who steals shall be cut off henceforth according to it, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off henceforth according to it” (5:3). From this it is not too difficult to figure out that the idols were material wealth and comfort, gained through deceit and power. The antidote is to “love truth and peace” (8:19). We see in The Apocalypse that Truth is the primary weapon of the New Jerusalem against the dragon’s deceit and power.

Prophecy will also cease, which reminds us again of Daniel’s seventy-weeks vision. All Old Testament prophecy has been fulfilled in Christ and His Kingdom.

A beautiful passage that returns to the theme of the Good Shepherd is inserted at this point. Before Zechariah continues with the last chapter of his book, he re-emphasizes the lessons of the shepherd parable. We read, “Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered” (13:7). A gruesome fact is pointed out that The Apocalypse will enlarge upon: “Two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive” (13:8).

This should tip us off. This last chapter will perhaps concentrate on the part of Daniel’s seventieth week in which the New Covenant Messiah was vindicated over the Old Covenant leaders. Zechariah 14 is perhaps the most important chapter in this book. It foreshadows a theme we encounter in Galatians and in The Apocalypse. The Old will be cast out in favor of the New when the two staffs are broken during the seven decades of covenantal transition.

Rapturists misunderstand this entire chapter as being in the future, yet there is really no good reason to do this. We have already noted the mass confusion caused by this approach.

There are seven references to “that day,” in the last chapter. Every one of them fits the events of 70 A.D. “The spoil taken from you will be divided in the midst of you” (14:1). After Titus defeated Jerusalem, the army regrouped while the residents and goods of the city were sorted, distributed, and sold. “The city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women ravished; half of the city shall go into exile” (14:2). This certainly has already occurred. The Romans were very thorough in their pillaging.

There is a ray of hope in this black picture: “The Lord will go forth and fight” for His people at this time (14:3). But we must not forget the lessons of the shepherd parable. God will not be fighting for Old Jerusalem, but for the citizens of New Jerusalem.

Historians tell us that not a single Christian was killed in the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Romans and their allies. The focus of God’s protection is now on New Jerusalem, since the Old Covenant has been “annulled.” God did indeed fight for His People, as we clearly see in The Apocalypse.

There remains one phrase in Zechariah that rapturists are absolutely certain remains unfulfilled. We read that “His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two” (14:4). Rapturists teach that this refers to the second coming. They understand the “split” very literally—the topography of Israel will be suddenly transformed. Mountains will literally be split in two and instantaneously flattened into plains.

But rapturists ignore the other uses of this kind of language in the Old Testament (GR5, 6). We have already encountered this even in Zechariah: “What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain” (4:7).

Christ’s greatest battle was won during the Passion. Just before that awful weekend, Jesus was on the Mount of Olives with His disciples, sweating great drops of blood while He prayed. This night was the climax of Daniel’s last week, the halfway point during which the “strong covenant” would be made with New Israel. The splitting of the topography was understood by the early Church in much the same way as other apocalyptic literature is understood: the great dynasties of the Jewish people were destroyed by the sacrifice of Christ, whom they rejected. Previous categories and loyalties (Jew and Gentile) have been superseded by two new groups of people (Christian and non-Christian). The holy bloodline’s two staffs were broken.

Tertullian clearly applies this prophecy to the Agony in the Garden. “ ‘But at night He went out to the Mount of Olives.’ For thus had Zechariah pointed out: ‘And His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives’ ” (AGM, IV, 40).

Eusebius also understood Zechariah 14:1–5 as being fulfilled in the first century. In fact, no Church Father found it necessary to justify this exegesis of Zechariah, leading us to the conclusion that it was probably the common understanding of the entire early Church (POG, VIII, 4:144–6).

Zechariah continues by predicting that the people of God “shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah” (14:5). Perhaps we easily miss the significance of this. Zechariah is predicting that during “that day,” people will flee for safety away from Jerusalem. This was antithetical to everything the Jews had done throughout their history when invaded by a conquering army. After all, a fortified city is a relatively safe haven during war. Zechariah can come up with only one instance from the past to illustrate their flight during the “day of the Lord”: when an earthquake struck the area, and the residents fled out of the city into the open country for safety.

This is exactly what Jesus exhorted His followers to do in the Olivet Discourse. This should assure us that we are on the right track. “That day” is the same period during which the Church was founded and then fled from Jerusalem into the desert. When given the opportunity, the Christians of Judea obeyed and were delivered.

The New Kingdom established on “that day” will be a blessed time with continuous day (14:6). It is interesting to look up every mention of light in the Gospels. Starting with the beautiful passage in John’s Gospel, Chapter 1, we see that Christ and His Church are viewed as the source of light in the world. The light of the Church will pierce the darkness of the world. This theme is taken up in The Apocalypse, along with the theme of the living waters.

The theme of the split between the Old Covenant Israel and the New Covenant Church is so important in salvation history that Zechariah revisits it in 14:14: “Even Judah will fight against Jerusalem.” No longer will there be a believing and unbelieving portion of the holy bloodline of Israel. The new categories of non-Christians versus Christians is dealt with in depth by St. Paul and St. John in the New Testament.

As we have noted, rapturists believe that Zechariah 14 describes events that will occur in the future, during a corporeal millennial kingdom of Christ. This minor misunderstanding led to the mass confusion we charted at the beginning of this appendix. Because of their misunderstanding, they understand the last two occurrences of “that day” in the last paragraph of Zechariah 14 as still future. This part of Zechariah has a personal relevance to me because of how it fit into my own reconciliation with the Catholic Church.

When I was a Protestant seminary student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, this paragraph became the topic of a discussion I will never forget. It describes the actions of all those “who sacrifice” in Jerusalem during the Millennial Kingdom (14:21). I was visiting with a teacher whose specialty was eschatology and who believed the Millennium was still future. A young man approached us and asked about the verse: “If Jesus’ sacrifice is final and complete, why will there be future animal sacrifices needed in Jerusalem during the Kingdom? After all, this is after the death and Resurrection of Jesus.” I will always remember what the teacher said: he reluctantly admitted that he knew of no plausible Protestant explanation for this verse!

The problem does not revolve around whether sacrifices will occur. Almost all rapturists believe that the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant will be reinstituted in the Millennium after the second coming of Christ. That is not the problem for which this teacher had no answer. The question was, and remains, “Why?”

Protestants are emphatic that the Crucifixion of Christ was the last sacrifice ever needed. Why would God even allow those endless animal sacrifices to be performed—sacrifices that were only a shadow of our Lord’s Passion?

Why? This question and its answer bothered me for more than sixteen years. I found a satisfactory answer shortly before reconciling with the Catholic Church at the age of forty-one. Zechariah was referring, not to the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant in a future Millennium, but to the Eucharist in God’s Kingdom here and now. The sacrifice of the Mass is being offered every day in Jerusalem. As Zechariah makes clear, the Eucharist is celebrated without interruption all over the world. I remember realizing with a jolt that the unbloody sacrifices of the Church were foretold in the Old Testament. The sacrifice of the Mass brings God’s grace gained at the Passion into our lives. It does this because it is actually the same sacrifice, brought into the present here on earth through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Since the Good Shepherd drama, Zechariah’s focus has changed from the earthly Jerusalem to the New Jerusalem, the Church. Given that, we can understand how Zechariah is able to close his book with the assertion that no Philistine, or “trader,” shall ever enter “the house of the Lord of hosts on that day” (14:21). On that day, a new House of the Lord will be built that will no longer depend on a physical Temple in Jerusalem: the worldwide, ecclesiastical Kingdom that Christ set up at His first advent, the Kingdom that we participate in through the sacraments. No one who is unworthy because of unbelief will be able to enter this spiritual Kingdom.

The insights of Zechariah are enough to take our breath away. Our brief treatment of this magnificent book has provided only a whiff of the feast that this prophet prepares for us. Remember, Zechariah lived in the sixth century B.C., yet the themes and predictions within his prophecies ring true throughout the New Testament and in the teachings of the early Church. Zechariah’s prophecies expand our knowledge concerning Daniel’s final week of covenantal transition. Our previous work in Daniel helped us develop the proper perspective. Zechariah views the seven decades surrounding Jesus’ Incarnation as a whole, just as Daniel did.