This final message was given on the same day as the previous one. It is addressed to Zerubbabel, the Governor. God is about to shake the heavens and the earth. We live in a world where there are both human and spiritual powers. We like to neglect the spiritual powers and view life as purely human, but this is not the case. Christ is Lord of both the heavens and the earth, and what happens in the heavenly realms affects what happens here on earth.
Many powerful kingdoms would be overthrown. The language of v22 is reminiscent of language used elsewhere in the OT when talking of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt and other nations. It is the Lord who overthrows kingdoms.
So why does God tell Zerubbabel this? What was the immediate context and what was it a foretaste of?
The reign of Darius involved much upheaval, but Zerubbabel was no messiah. So what is going on? Is Zerubbabel one of the many who looked forward without receiving what was promised (Heb 11:13)? However, Zerubbabel is thought very highly of by later generations (eg Ecclesiasticus 49:11). Maybe he is representative of the nation, and maybe he is a type of Christ.
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