The author of the book is Zechariah, the one whom the Lord remembers. The book was written for the Jews of Jerusalem who had returned from their captivity in Babylon. The book was written around 520 BC. The main theme of the book is the reconstruction of the Temple, which is only the first step. When we read Zechariah, it's almost like reading Haggai all over again. The messages are very similar and are written in the same period. A year was said to have passed between the two and their message of encouragement. The biggest difference between the two writings is that words like Messiah and Kingdom appear in Zechariah's story. There is more prophecy in Zechariah's story than in Haggai. There is nothing negative about this; I liken it to today's lectures where there are many different speakers on the same topic or theme. There is so much to learn from each one, it's wonderful. Zechariah's message was to give hope to God's people by revealing the future of God who is liberated through the Messiah. The exiles had left Babylon to rebuild the temple, but the work had been done ...