Besides telling of the importance of Christ in relation to God’s rebuilding work in the preceding eight visions, Zechariah also prophesied of the various aspects of the two comings of Christ in chapters nine through fourteen of his book. In His first coming, Christ would come as the King of Israel, meek and mounted on a colt, the foal of a donkey (9:9; Matt. 21:1-10); eventually He would be betrayed by one of His disciples for thirty pieces of silver (11:12-13; Matt 26:14-16; 27:3-10). He also would be smitten as the shepherd, and His disciples would be scattered as sheep (13:7; Matt. 26:31). His two hands would be wounded on the cross in the house of Israel (the house of the friends who loved Him) (13:6; John 19:18a), and His side would be pierced (12:10; John 19:34a), opening a fountain for the children of Israel for sin and for uncleanness (13:1; John 19:34b; Matt. 26:28). Furthermore, He will come a second time, accompanied by His saints (14:5; 1 Thes. 4:16a, 14b), and His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which is outside of Jerusalem (14:4; Acts 1:9-12). He will fight for the children of Israel, His chosen people, against the nations that besieged them and will save them from destruction (14:2-3, 12-15; 12:1-9). At that time, the whole house of Israel will look upon Him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him; thus, all Israel will be saved (12:10-14; Rom. 11:26). Afterwards, He will be the King to reign and rule over the nations; all the people will go up to Jerusalem from year to year to worship Him, and all will be sanctified unto Him (9:10; 14:16-21).
There were three returnings of the children of Israel from the land of captivity. The first return was led by Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:2), the second return by Ezra (Ezra 7:1, 6-7), and the third return by Nehemiah (Neh. 2:5-6).
Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer. When he heard that those who had returned from the captivity were in great affliction and reproach, and that the wall of Jerusalem also was broken down and its gates were burned with fire, he wept, fasting and praying before God. In the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I (not the same King Artaxerxes who stopped the people of Israel from rebuilding the holy temple), Nehemiah was granted permission by the king to return to Jerusalem for the rebuilding of its walls (Neh. 2:1-6, 17). He was appointed to be the governor in the land of Judah (Neh. 5:14). Ezra was a lineal descendant of Aaron the high priest; hence, he was a priest. He was also a ready scribe in the law of Moses which God had given. In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes I, Ezra obtained permission from the king to lead the people of Israel up to Jerusalem. He had set his heart to study the law of God, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances (Ezra 7:1-10).
Nehemiah, ordered by the king of Persia, went back to Jerusalem to govern the people of Israel, and he encouraged the returned ones to continue and to complete the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, that they may no longer be a reproach. So they strengthened their hands for this good work (Neh. 2:17-18). They were each assigned to rebuild a section of the wall. The enemies, led by Sanballat and Tobiah, were at first very angry, and they mocked the people of God. Then they caused a disturbance among them and sought to harm and bring false accusation against Nehemiah. However, the people, under Nehemiah’s leadership, rebuilt the walls with one hand doing the work and the other hand holding a weapon. They were also encouraged by him not to fear their enemies (Neh. 4:14-20). Because the nobles and the rulers of Israel exacted usury from the people, the people were poverty-stricken and there was a great cry among them. So Nehemiah rebuked the nobles and the rulers, urging them to redeem their brothers and stop the usury (Neh. 5:1-11). Moreover, although he was the governor, Nehemiah had not eaten the bread of the governor that he might not increase the burden of the people. Rather, one hundred fifty people ate at his table daily (Neh. 5:14-17). The rebuilding of the wall from the start to the completion took fifty-two days (Neh. 6:15).
At that time, Ezra joined in to recover the things pertaining to the worship of God contained in the book of the law. All the people gathered themselves together as one man into the broad place that was before the water gate, and they asked Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses which God had commanded to Israel. Then Ezra brought the law and read it before the congregation, those who could hear with understanding (Neh. 8:1-3). Furthermore, in accordance with God’s commandment, the people dwelt in booths in the feast of the seventh month (Neh. 8:13-17). They also recovered the Sabbath (Neh. 13:15-22). Both Nehemiah and Ezra strictly forbade the people to marry foreign wives, and they also repented and confessed to God for such practices of the people (Neh. 13:23-31; Ezra 9—10).