Haggai 1–2; Zechariah 1–4; 7–14: Lesson 157

Zechariah 7–14

The Day of the Lord Cometh

Through His prophets, the Lord reveals details about future events so we can recognize and look forward to them with confidence. Zechariah prophesied that the Savior will return and protect His people from the nations gathered to fight against them. This lesson can help students feel confident that the Savior will be with them during the events preceding the Second Coming.

Student preparation: Invite students to read “Second Coming of Jesus Christ” in Topics and Questions (Gospel Library). Encourage them to come to class prepared to share what they learned or what questions they have.

Possible Learning Activities

Anticipating the Savior’s Second Coming

Consider starting class by asking students to think about some big events they anticipate in the future, like going on a vacation, serving a mission, or getting married. Invite them to share how they feel about these events.

Then show an image of the Savior’s Second Coming. Invite students to list several words on the board that could represent how individuals might feel about this event. The list might include words like excited, ready, confident, peaceful, scared, uncertain, nervous, or unsure.

To assess how they feel about the Savior’s Second Coming, students could do the following.

In your study journal, answer the following questions:

• Which words describe how you feel about the Savior’s Second Coming?

• What influences how you feel about this event?

Write down any questions you have about the Savior’s Second Coming.

As you study events related to the Second Coming, listen for impressions from the Spirit to know how you can feel more confident that the Savior will be with you during these events.

You might invite students to share what they wrote. Encourage students to look for answers to their questions as they study Zechariah.

Note: You do not need to answer every question about the Savior’s Second Coming. If students want to learn more, they can study resources like “Second Coming of Jesus Christ” in Topics and Questions (Gospel Library).

Zechariah prophesied the Savior’s Second Coming

To help students understand Zechariah’s prophecies about the Savior’s Second Coming, you could read or summarize the following paragraph. Students could also read the chapter headings for Zechariah 10; 12–14.

Zechariah prophesied that in the last days, a great battle, known as the battle of Armageddon (see Revelation 16:16), will take place near Jerusalem. All the nations of the earth will gather against Jerusalem (see Zechariah 12:2–3). As part of the battle, Jerusalem will be under siege as armies encompass the city (see Zechariah 14:2). The Savior will then appear on the Mount of Olives (see Zechariah 14:4).

To help students learn more about how the Savior will help His people during these events, consider using the handout “What Will the Savior Do For …” You could read the verses as a class and invite students to write below each question the words or phrases that describe what the Savior promised to do for the faithful.

Alternatively, you could organize the class into three groups and assign each group a question to study and share with the class.

If students have questions about what will happen to the wicked at the Savior’s Second Coming, you could invite them to read Zechariah 14:12–13, 17–19. These verses describe conditions for people who choose not to follow Jesus Christ.

After students complete the handout, invite them to ask questions about what they studied. If you are uncertain about an answer, tell them you don’t know. Invite them to search for an answer. You could also search for an answer with them in or out of class.

The following question can help students identify truths from Zechariah’s teachings.

• What do these passages teach you about Jesus Christ?

  As part of the discussion, invite students to summarize what they learned about the Savior in a simple statement of truth. Students might share a variety of answers, including Jesus Christ will return in the last days and gather, save, and protect His people.

  Power comes when students recognize that the truths they are learning from the scriptures are evidence of the love, power, and mercy of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in their lives. This realization can help students feel a closer connection to Them.

  The following questions can help students reach this understanding.

  (For additional training on asking questions that connect the Lord’s love, power, and mercy to the truths being taught in the scriptures, see “Help learners recognize the Lord’s love, power, and mercy in their lives” in Teacher Development Skills.)

• How can knowing this truth about Jesus Christ help us face His Second Coming with confidence?

• What are some ways Jesus Christ gathers, saves, and protects His people today?

Answers to the previous question could include: Jesus Christ gathers by inviting all to come to Him, follow His gospel, and receive the blessings of the temple. He saves by offering the gift of His Atonement and the ordinances of the gospel. He protects by revealing His will through living prophets and scriptures.

Show what you know

The following activity can help students express their confidence in what the Savior promised to do for His people when He comes again. Students could work individually or in groups. Invite them to use the scripture verses from the handout to complete the activity.

To prepare students to write their own lyrics, you could show the video “Come, O Thou King of Kings” (3:43) on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Read the lyrics to the hymn “Come, O Thou King of Kings” (Hymns, no. 59). Then write an additional verse to the hymn. Include Zechariah’s teachings about what the Savior promised to do for His people during His Second Coming, and how these promises help you feel confident that the Savior will be with His people in the last days.

Invite students to share the lyrics they wrote.

You might consider singing the hymn together as a class, including one or more of the verses students wrote.

To conclude, you could share your testimony of the Savior and how He helps you look forward to His Second Coming with confidence.

Additional Resources

What have modern prophets taught about the Savior’s Second Coming?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

The Lord will return to the land that He made holy by His mission there in mortality. In triumph, He will come again to Jerusalem. In royal robes of red to symbolize His blood, which oozed from every pore, He shall return to the Holy City (see Doctrine and Covenants 133:46–48). There and elsewhere, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5; see also Doctrine and Covenants 101:23). His “name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

He will govern from two world capitals: one in old Jerusalem (see Zechariah 14) and the other in the New Jerusalem “built upon the American continent” (Articles of Faith 1:10). From these centers He will direct the affairs of His Church and kingdom. Another temple will yet be built in Jerusalem. From that temple He shall reign forever as Lord of Lords. Water will issue from under the temple. Waters of the Dead Sea will be healed. (See Ezekiel 47:1–8.)

In that day He will bear new titles and be surrounded by special Saints. He will be known as “Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that [will be] with him [will be those who] are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14) to their trust here in mortality. Then He “shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

The earth will be returned to its paradisiacal state and be made new. There will be a new heaven and a new earth (see Revelation 21:1; Ether 13:9; Doctrine and Covenants 29:23–24).

It is our charge—it is our privilege—to help prepare the world for that day. (“The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming,” Ensign, Apr. 2020, 16–17)

What feelings can we experience as we prepare for the Savior’s return?

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

As you live righteously year after year, I assure you that your experiences will confirm to you again and again that Jesus is the Christ. The spiritual rock under your feet will be solid and secure. You will rejoice that God has placed you here to be a part of the final preparations for Christ’s glorious return. (“Spiritual Whirlwinds,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 21)

For additional counsel on how to experience hope as we prepare for the Savior’s return, see President Nelson’s article “The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming” (Ensign, Apr. 2020, 7–11).

Where can I learn more about the battle of Armageddon?

For a detailed discussion about the battle of Armageddon, see The Battle of Armageddon: A Prophetic View (Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings–Malachi [2003], 291–95). You could also study about this worldwide conflict in Ezekiel 38–39; Zechariah 12–14; Revelation 11; Doctrine and Covenants 45:47–53; and Guide to the Scriptures, “Armageddon” (Gospel Library).

Supplemental Learning Activities

Zechariah 9:9. Prophecy of Christ’s triumphal entry

You might explain that in addition to prophecies of the Savior’s Second Coming, Zechariah foretold an event that would happen during Christ’s mortal ministry.

Invite students to read Zechariah 9:9, looking for the prophecy about Jesus Christ. Then invite them to read Matthew 21:4–11, looking for how Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy. To help students visualize the event, you could show “The Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem” (1:22).

You could then discuss how the Lord reveals truths about future events to His prophets and what that teaches us about the Lord. Students could list other examples from the scriptures where prophets prophesied of Jesus Christ. They could discuss how those prophecies strengthen our testimonies of Him.

Being ready for the Savior’s Second Coming

To help students feel prepared for the Savior’s Second Coming, you might show one or both of the following video clips:

• Israel, Israel, God is Calling—Highlight 1 (1:53): President Jeffrey R. Holland shares thoughts about how he wants to be found when the Savior returns.

• The Righteous Need Not Fear (1:06): President Dallin H. Oaks teaches that the righteous need not fear when the Savior comes.

Finding answers to questions about the Second Coming in the Scriptures

To help students use the scriptures to find answers to questions they have about the Second Coming, you could organize the class into small groups for the following activity. Assign each group one of the following questions and the accompanying scripture verses. Invite students to study some or all of the verses and prepare a short presentation about what they discover. Invite each group to share what they learned with the class.

• What will happen to the righteous and the wicked at the Second Coming?

  • Zechariah 14:12–13, 16

  • Malachi 3:1–3; 4:1–3

  • 1 Nephi 22:15–17, 19, 22–23

• Will I be there when the Savior returns?

  • Zechariah 14:5

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:14–17

  • Doctrine and Covenants 45:44–46

  • Doctrine and Covenants 88:96–98

• Do we know when the Savior’s Second Coming will be?

  • Matthew 24:36

  • Doctrine and Covenants 39:20–21

  • Doctrine and Covenants 49:7

• What are some other signs of the Savior’s Second Coming?

  • Ezekiel 47:1, 8–9

  • Joel 2:30–32

  • Zechariah 14:8

  • Luke 21:25–28