In the small province of Yehud, in the sixth century BC, the prophet Zechariah was completely devoted to the realities of his own time, but he never confined himself to them. He knew that present life must be lived in the light of a future day when "the Lord will be one, and his name one," and when that God "will be king over all the earth" (Zech. 14:9). The firm conviction that the kingdom of God would come, and that his will would be done despite the many obstacles humans might place in its path, was what guided Zechariah's preaching. This unwavering certainty gives the book of Zechariah its special character and unifies its distinct visions and oracles. Barry Webb's masterful and insightful exposition challenges us to appropriate Zechariah's conviction and to center our longing for the kingdom of God in the person of Jesus, the Messiah.
