In the small province of Yehud in the sixth century BC, Zechariah the prophet was thoroughly engaged with the realities of his own day, but never closed in by them. He knew that life was to be lived now in the light of the coming day when there would be ‘one LORD, and his name the only name’, and when this God would be ‘king over the whole earth’ (Zech. 14:9). Zechariah’s preaching was driven by the conviction that God’s kingdom would come, and his will be done, whatever obstacles human beings might put in his way.

This unwavering conviction gives the book of Zechariah its special character and unifies its diverse visions and oracles. Barry Webb’s masterful and perceptive exposition challenges us to make Zechariah’s conviction our own, and focuses our longing for God’s kingdom on the person of Jesus the Messiah.