There are a number of Old Testament books that I think someone should be familiar with in order to make sense of the various images and ideas that appear in Revelation, the last book in our Bibles. In previous posts, I’ve highlighted the two that I think are the most important: Daniel and Ezekiel. The third book that I would recommend reading is also a prophet: Zechariah. While dubbed a “Minor Prophet” because of its length (it actually has more chapters than Daniel, but less words), it plays a major role when it comes to understanding the meaning of various elements within Revelation. I’ll point out seven of the most significant connections between these books before offering some reflections on what they show us.
The One Pierced and Mourned Over
The opening chapter of Revelation directly quotes Zechariah when it says in 1:7: “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him.” The first part of this statement (“Look, he is coming with the clouds”) is a reference to Daniel 7:13, while the latter part of it is from Zechariah 12:10. These words connect the figure of the Son of Man mentioned in Daniel with the king described in Zechariah – one who is humble (see Zechariah 9:9) but also rejected (see Zechariah 11) – and shows Jesus to be that promised figure. There is a subtle shift in the wording, as Revelation says that “all the tribes of the earth” will mourn over him while Zechariah 12:10 speaks about the residents of Jerusalem. This is not a contradiction but an expansion of the vision to include not just people from Israel but people from all nations, something Zechariah 14 hints at as well. After being rejected, Jesus will come back as the reigning and ruling king, worshipped by people from all nations who have recognized their sinful rejection of him. This is a good reminder that even those of us who were not at Jesus’s crucifixion (or even born yet) played a role in his death; as it says in the song “How Great the Father’s Love for Us,” it was our sin that held him there, so there is a sense in which he was “pierced” because of us.
The Horsemen
The appearance of four horses with different colors in Revelation 6 is a fairly famous element of Revelation (“the four horsemen of the apocalypse”), but this detail has a precursor in Zechariah. In Zechariah 1, the prophet sees four horses with different colors, and he sees yet another set of four colored horses in Zechariah 6. The colors of the horses are slightly different in the two passages in Zechariah and also a little different from those in Revelation 1, but some are similar (red, white) and the number connects them. The different colors in Revelation seem tied to the particular elements they symbolize (white = conquering; red=sword; black=famine; pale green=death). The function of the horses in Zechariah is to punish those who are opposing God’s people, with these horses showing that God is watching and patrolling the earth. That image helps to make sense of what these horsemen are doing in Revelation; they show that God is in control and punishes those who oppose God’s people. Therefore, rather than these horsemen striking fear in God’s people, they should provide comfort and hope that God is caring for them even in hardship. Like the saints in the fifth seal of Revelation, we can still pray about and wonder how long suffering will last as we look for God to bring complete justice on the earth, but we should also be able to recognize that God is still watching over His church even in its suffering.
The Lampstands
There are multiple places in Revelation in which we read about a lampstand. In the first chapter, John sees the “Son of Man” walking amongst seven lampstands (1:12-13). These are later identified as the churches to which John writes (1:20), empowered by the Spirit to testify and shine in the world. Imagery from Zechariah also appears in the background here, as Zechariah sees a lampstand representing the rebuilt temple, which God uses his “two olives trees” – who he identified as God’s anointed ones in terms of Zerubbabel (a descendant from David the king) and Joshua the priest – to rebuild (see Zechariah 4). Therefore, the church has the same sort of function as the temple did; it is the temple and the place where God’s glory and His Spirit resides. In the letters that follow, Jesus declares that he can take a lampstand from the church if it fails to repent (2:5), perhaps showing that just as God’s Spirit can leave the temple, so also the Spirit can leave the church when it is no longer being holy.
Later we are told of two witnesses who are said to be lampstands as well as olive trees (11:4-5). The use of the image of lampstands for the church in Revelation 1 means that these two witnesses are less likely to be particular individuals and more likely to be the church itself, serving as the “two witnesses” that were required in the Old Testament to provide testimony. Further supporting this is the connection Zechariah noted above, which is even stronger in this passage as these two figures are said not only to be lampstands but also “olive trees” just like in Zechariah 4. Whereas before the king and priest were God’s special agents in this work, now it is the church as a whole that performs God’s work – here testifying to the world.
Satan’s Accusations Against God’s People
A further link between the books of Revelation and Zechariah is the idea of Satan bringing accusations against God’s people. In Revelation 12:10, we are told that Satan is the “accuser of the brothers and sisters.” We see him doing this accusing work in Zechariah 3, as Satan accuses Joshua the high priest. There, God responds to Satan’s accusation by clothing him with fine clothes, a theme that also resounds in Revelation as the saints are clothed in white robes. Not only does Zechariah provide for us a window into what these accusations look like, but it shows that it is all Christians and not just a special class of Christians who face them. The passage in Zechariah and imagery of Revelation shows that we can respond to such accusations by remembering the truth that God has cleansed and transformed us through His son.
The Seven Eyes
In Revelation 5:6, we see the Lamb who was slain (Jesus) as having seven eyes, which are said to be the “seven spirits of God.” This image can be both grotesque sounding (seven eyes!) and also confusing (isn’t there just one spirit?). The reference to the “seven spirits of God” is a way of referring to the Holy Spirit, as the number seven represents perfection (so the greeting in Revelation 1:4-5 is from all three persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
In Zechariah 3, there is a stone with seven eyes and then in chapter 4, there is a reference to the seven eyes of the Lord that watch over all things. Thus, this reference to seven eyes points to the all-knowing nature of Jesus (the presence of seven horns as well shows that he is all powerful). The link with the seven Spirits also points to the way that Jesus is present and seeing all things through the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The Final Battle and the Eternal Kingdom
I’ll note the sixth and seventh elements together because they appear linked to each other. I noted in the post on Ezekiel how Revelation utilizes the imagery of the final battle and river of life in the eternal kingdom found in that book, but it is not the only book that stands in the background of this part of Revelation. Zechariah 14 also speaks of the nations being gathered up for battle but then God fights against them and defeats them – offering yet another picture of the end that resounds with that of Ezekiel and Revelation. There is also a reference to living water flowing out of Jerusalem (14:8) and the holiness of the city (14:20-21). Revelation thus builds upon and unpacks the vision given in Zechariah, showing the hope that awaits for people of all nations when Christ’s kingdom is established.
The Significance of These Connections for Studying Revelation and The Bible
I hope knowing the connection these images have to this Old Testament book – and the others I have referenced – not only helps you to understand the book of Revelation but also how to think about and study the book of Revelation. If you are confused or baffled by something, one of the first questions you should consider is whether the image or idea is drawing upon something from the Old Testament. That background not only can help you understand Revelation but also see to an even greater degree how the Bible is a book with a unified message and reflects an overarching plan of God that unfolds and is revealed throughout time.
Questions about the Bible or theology? Email them to Pastor Brian at Theology@WeAreFaith.org. You can also email to be added to the list that receives weekly emails with our blog posts.
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible translations are from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers.
