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There are three prominent people in the Bible named Zechariah (or Zacharias), and their profiles are shown below:
• Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist
Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist
The father of John the Baptist, and husband of Elizabeth. He was a priest belonging to the order of Abijah. While he was offering incense in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, and told him that his wife Elizabeth who had been barren for many years would give birth to a son, and the son's name would be John. Zechariah, who was an old man, did not believe the angel, and because of his disbelief, was struck dumb unable to speak, until the prophecy was fulfilled.
When the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, she did bear a son. On the eighth day when the child was circumcised, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father, but Elizabeth said "No, he is going to be called John." This surprised everybody because none of their relatives had this name. They then asked Zechariah, who was still mute, what name he wanted to give his son. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." Immediately Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. (Luke 1:5-79).
Zechariah was a prophet from 520 BC to 518 BC in Jerusalem, about 2500 years ago. During that era, many Jews were returning from the Babylonian Captivity to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, which had been destroyed by the Babylonians.
Zechariah, the son of Iddo, was instrumental in inspiring his fellow Jews to rebuild the Temple (see Ezra 6:14).
Zechariah began prophesying during the same year as the prophet Haggai, in about 520 BC. Zechariah's prophecies came from visions that showed God's power, God's judgment of sin, the importance of spiritual strength, and the promise of things to come, including the promise of the Messiah.
Zechariah's prophecies often looked far into the future, a future in which the Jews would again be exiled from their homeland and scattered throughout the world. His prophecies said that Jews would be persecuted worldwide, that Jerusalem would become a battleground of nations, and that Jerusalem would become the religious center of the world.
Today, we can see with our own eyes that Zechariah's prophecies accurately described the worldwide dispersion of Jews that has taken place during the past 1900 years, as well as the fact that Jerusalem has become a focal point of the international community (the United States and Europe, and the United Nations) and a religious focal point among Jews, Christians and Moslems.
Zechariah, means "Yah has remembered". His book is the 11th book of the twelve minor prophets.
Zechariah became the 14th King of Israel. He was the son of King Jeroboam II and he reigned for only 6 months around 746 BC. He was assassinated by Shallum, who then became king. Zechariah is described as an evil king in 2 Kings 15:9. He was the fourth and final king to be descended from Jehu. This fulfilled God's prophecy to Jehu of allowing Jehu's son, grandson, and great-grandson to reign as kings of Israel for destroying the dynasty of the evil King Ahab (2 Kings 10:30). Zechariah's story is found in 2 Kings 14:29 and in 2 Kings 15:8-12.
Next person in the Bible: Zechariah, King of Israel
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