Zechariah Bible
Study #9
The Four Chariots
Zechariah 6:1-8
6
lifted
up my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming
forth from between the two mountains; and the mountains were
bronze
mountains. 2
With
the first chariot were
red
horses, with the second chariot black horses, 3
with
the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong
dappled horses. 4
Then
I spoke and said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are
these, my lord?” 5
The
angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going
forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth, 6
with
one of which the black horses are going forth to the north country;
and the white ones go forth after them, while the dappled ones go
forth to the south country. 7
When
the strong ones went out, they were eager to go to patrol the earth.”
And He said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.
8
Then
He cried out to me and spoke to me saying, “See, those who are
going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of
the north.”
Verse
1 - The emphasis on the chariots in this vision instead of the
horses which were the focus of the first vision, demonstrates that
this vision has more to do with war and judgment. “The two
mountains” to a Hebrew mind at the time this was written, would
have been Mount Olivet and Mount Zion. God's judgments are sent
forth.
The
chariots and the horses together are said to be “four spirits of
heaven” in verse 5, so that saves us a lot of time trying to figure
out what they are. This area of the world will be the location of
God's government during the millennial reign. From it will go forth
blessings and judgment. It seems that the angelic beings who were
sent forth in the first vision to “report” are now being sent out
in this vision to carry out the will of God.
Psalm
103:20 Bless
the Lord,
you His angels,
Mighty
in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying
the voice of His word!
21
Bless
the Lord,
all you His hosts,
You
who serve Him, doing His will.
Psalm 104:4 He
makes the winds His messengers,
Flaming
fire His ministers.
David Baron and Calvin
both agree here, “We may surely learn that it is by the will and
power of God, and by His direct interposition, either by visible,
natural, or by angelic agency, that empires rise and fall.”
“Behind visible phenomena and all human motives and actions there
is the central purpose and power of God, and the invisible active
agency of His angelic hosts.” David Baron
The
prophet implies that all the revolutions in the world are from the
Spirit of God and are as it were, His messengers or spirits [CALVIN].
Verse
2 – Red horses=carnage, death, destruction.
Black horses=sorrow, famine.
Verse
3 – White horses=joy and victory.
Grisled or bay horses=a mixture of adversity and
prosperity
Verse
4 – Every time we are seeking for the proper interpretation we need
only ask the Author and await His answer.
Verse
5 – The verses from Psalms give us insight in to this realm, which
we are not normally privileged to see. It is the Lord, who sends
forth the causative agents of all that takes place on the earth. Sin
brought death into the world, but God remains in control and is
seeing His purposes worked out in all of this.
Verse
6 - The
Babylonian kingdom had already be vanquished at the time of the
writing so it shows up at the beginning of the vision but not at the
end, in the interpretation. The red horse has done its work, Babylon
is vanquished. Which leaves the Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and the
Roman. All these must be placed under the Messiah's feet, before the
establishment of His kingdom. Psalm 110:1The
Lord
says
to my Lord: “Sit
at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your
feet.”
(Psalm
110 and Psalm 2 are the two most quoted in the NT) The fourth
chariot, has to do with the last great world power, Roman. It starts
out in its first contact with Israel from the south, but is then
given 'power' to go through out the whole earth, to meet it in every
place where it is established. The last power in Daniel 7:7 is seen
as 'strong exceedingly' and so the 'strength' of the angel going
forth is also emphasized.
Verse
8 – Since Babylon was already conquered, dealt with and judged at
this point, God's spirit is quieted, His anger is completed against
this power.
The
cup of Providence in the hand of the Lord is
full of mixture,
by
these uncommon appearances and actings of providence God's wrath is
executed upon the enemies of the church, and his favours are
conferred upon the church, both which had long been deferred, and in
both God had fulfilled his will, accomplished his word, and so
quieted
his Spirit. Matthew Henry
The
final three paragraphs in Barons' chapter on this section will give
us our ending also.
“Then
God's judgments shall be fully poured out, and anti-Christian
world-power be finally overthrown to make room for the Kingdom of
Christ, whom the Father has invested with all power and dominion and
glory, “that all nations and languages served Him.” His dominion
is an everlasting dominion, “ and His Kingdom shall never be
destroyed.”
And
this, dear reader—the establishment of Messiah's throne of
righteousness on Mount Zion, that from it, and Israel as a center,
His beneficent rule may extend over the whole earth and bless all
peoples—is the appointed goal of history toward which all things
are moving. It is the motive, also, of all God's providential
dealings with the nations. “Political changes, are the moving of
the shadow on the earth's dial-plate that marks the might motions
going forward in the heavens”; and however conflicting and
confusing to our poor human judgments, they mark but the various
stages of a plan and counsel which God formed from eternity.
In
reference to the four great world-powers, whose successive course was
to make up the “times of the Gentiles,” we have to note that
three of them have already long ago disappeared, in accordance with
the clear predictions of Scripture, and the fourth, which (as also
foreseen and foretold) was to drag on longest, is now, as is
generally agreed by all students of the sure Word of Prophecy, fast
approaching its very last phase of existence. We may, therefore, say
with confidence that we are on the eve of the most solemn events in
the world's history, and are very fast approaching “the day,” not
only of our own final and complete “redemption” as believers at
the manifestation of Christ, but the “set time,” when God shall
again arise and have mercy upon Zion, and when, through the
restoration and blessing of Israel, “the nations shall fear the
Name of Jehovah, and all kings of the earth His glory.”
My
final thoughts, Rome and its “left-over” world-powers will be in
control and set the stage for the final enemy, the anti-Christ to
arise, but when he does arise that will signal the beginning of the
end of the 'times of the gentiles' and the anti-Christ will arise
from the brothers of the Jews, Islam. The Roman empire had
conquered areas including the Middle East, so it is not a
contradiction that the anti-Christ will arise from there. Also I
have to say the “beginning” of the end of the times of the
gentiles because of these two verses pointed out to me by, my friend,
Reggie Kelly, Lk
21:24 , Rev 11:2. Just
my opinion, and others who know more than me have helped me to
continue "working it out.”
Luke
21:24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led
captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under
foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Revelation
11:2 Leave
out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for
it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the
holy city for forty-two months.
