INTRODUCTION

We come now to the final vision of the ten which were given to Zechariah in one night.

So far we have seen:

(1) The riders under the myrtle trees;
(2) The four horns;
(3) The four smiths;
(4) The man with the measuring line;
(5) Joshua and Satan;
(6) The Branch and the Stone with seven eyes;
(7) The lamp stand and the two olive trees;
(8) The flying scroll; and
(9) The woman in the ephah;
And now the tenth, the four chariots.

VISION OF THE FOUR CHARIOTS

And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass [Zech. 6:1].

“I … lifted up mine eyes, and looked” indicates again that his eyes were wide open;

We ended last week with the judgment of Babylonian commerce – the woman in the ephah
This vision follows closely
The prophet simply turned and lifted up his eyes
Again, he saw these things
This was not a dream.

“Two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.”

The majority of commentators say that these two mountains are Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives,
But we can all agree that they symbolically represent the place where God dwells and from which the chariots are sent

“There came four chariots”

These are the divine messengers God used as His instruments in executing His judgment and pouring out His wrath on the earth

“And the mountains were mountains of brass.”

These mountains were of brass, or literally of bronze.

i. Symbolically, bronze is used in the Old Testament to represent judgment.

1. It was one of the metals that were used in the tabernacle in the two articles of furniture, which were used in the judgment of sin.

a. The brazen altar

b. The laver of brass.

2. Both stood in the outer court of the tabernacle,

3. Both had to do with the judgment of the sin of the people.

Since the mountains in this vision are mountains of brass,

i. These mountains speak of judgment.

ii. Judgment is going to come from God

There are four judgments - they are pictured here as four chariots.

In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses Zech. 6:2–3

1. The colors of these horses

a. We have the same colors in the four horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6.

a. The red horse in John’s vision represents war.

b. The black horse represents famine

c. The pale horse is identified as picturing death.

i. All of these picture judgments from almighty God.

d. The white horse symbolizes victory.

b. This tenth vision was given to Zechariah for the encouragement of his people,

a. God would judge the gentile nations as he would judge His own people.

Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth [Zech. 6:4–5].

1. “These are the four spirits of the heavens.”

a. Speaking of the 4 chariots

b. The “spirits” - the angels are in charge of the judgments which will be coming upon the gentile nations

1. We see this in the Book of Revelation.

The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth [Zech. 6:6–7].

c. Using Jerusalem as the reference point

1. The black and white horses will go forth into the North Country - Babylon

2. The “grisled” will go forth into the south country - Egypt

3. The red horse (bay)? Goes to and fro - Literally war throughout the world

Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country [Zech. 6:8]

The black horse goes up into the North Country.

The judgment of the Great Tribulation period begins with Russia coming down into the land of Israel, #. Judgment will first go to the king of the north, to Gog and Magog in the north.
Judgment will also go south toward Egypt.

In the Book of Revelation we are given the series of events in the Great Tribulation period,

When the white horse rides forth,

i. He will bring a victory that will set up a false peace upon the earth.

ii. The world will think that it is entering the Millennium when actually it will be entering the Great Tribulation period.

Immediately after the white horse there will come the red horse of war

i. War breaks out worldwide

Followed by the black horse of famine. i. Famine follows war
As do plagues and death, which are symbolized by the fourth, the pale horse.

God intends to judge all the nations of the earth, and the four chariots represent those judgments.

All take place during the Tribulation period.

This concludes the visions given to Zechariah.

THE CORONATION OF JOSHUA

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah [Zech. 6:9–10].

Three men from Babylon.

They come bearing gifts from the exiles remaining in Babylon

i. Heldai = “robust”;

ii. Tobijah = “God’s goodness”; and

iii. Jedaiah = “God knows.”

It would appear this took place right after the visions
Zechariah was commanded to take these men with their gifts to the house of Josiah, son of Zephaniah
Their gifts were silver and gold to help in the reconstruction of the Temple
Look what Zechariah was told to do:

Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest [Zech. 6:11].

This seems like a strange thing to do.

Why did they place the crown on the head of Joshua the high priest rather than on the head of Zerubbabel who was in the line of David? #. They were not to crown Zerubbabel

i. Zeruabbel was a descendant of Coniah – Matt 1;12

1. This branch was cursed of God and prohibited from having a part in the Messianic line – Jerr 22:24-30

Zechariah was to make only ONE crown
Joshua, the high priest, in this passage is representative of Jesus who is our great High Priest today.

The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us to consider our great High Priest.

Christ, after His resurrection, ascended into heaven, and as our great High Priest He has passed within the veil. #. He is seated now at God’s right hand and is waiting for the time when His enemies will be made His footstool.
He will come and establish His Kingdom upon earth.
This chapter pictures His coronation.

Notice the sequence

After the visions that depicted the judgment of God upon His people and upon all the gentile nations of the world,
We have the coming of Christ and His crowning as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

THE COMMISSION OF JOSHUA

And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord [Zech. 6:12].

“The BRANCH” is not the name of Joshua.

Joshua the person is not the center of attention here

i. It is Joshua the High Priest

ii. The position

It is a prophetic name, which is given to Jesus
He came to this earth two thousand years ago as the Branch, a root out of dry ground

Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Jesus Christ is coming again as the Branch,

And this time the Branch is going to rule the world.

Behold the Man

Same words used by Pontius Pilate in presenting Jesus to the multitude after he had been crowned with thorns

John 19:5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

“He shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.”

What an encouragement to the remnant in their struggle to rebuild the temple.
In the Book of Haggai, it looked small and insignificant to many of them,

i. But not in God’s eyes

Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord [Zech. 6:13–14].

“Even he shall build the temple of the Lord.”

“Even he” is the sprout, the Branch who grew out of poverty and obscurity.
“He shall build the temple of the Lord,”

Four temples have a place in Israel’s history

Solomon’s Temple – destroyed by the Chaldeans
Zerubbabel’s temple – renovated by Herod
Herod’s temple – destroyed by the Romans
The millennial Temple – to be built by the Messiah, NEVER to be destroyed
Zechariah refers to the millennial temple.

Christ the Messiah, “shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne.”

No longer sitting on the right hand of the Father
Now he shall have His own throne
He shall ruler forever as both King and Priest.
The two offices will be combined in one person.

“The crowns shall be … for a memorial in the temple of the Lord.”

Joshua did not wear these crowns.
They were placed upon his head only for the symbolic crowning.
Then, according to Jewish tradition, they were placed as symbols in the top windows of the temple for a memorial,
Serving as a reminder that the Messiah would come and that He would be not only the King but He also would be the Priest.

And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God [Zech. 6:15].

“And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord.”

Isaiah speaks of the coming of gentile nations to the temple in Jerusalem during the Millennium:

Isa. 2:2 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it”

Back in verses 12 and 13 of this chapter it says that Christ (the Branch) shall build the temple of the Lord.
Now “they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the Lord.”
The nations shall build in the temple of the Lord in that they will bring their wealth into it.

Isa. 56:6–7 “Also the sons of the stranger [Gentile], that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord…. Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people”

“And ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.”

Christ, the Messiah, will Himself establish the truth of God’s Word.

“And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

Not saying that the fulfillment of the prophecy will depend upon their obedience,

i. The prophecy is in the eternal plan and purpose of God.

Rather, their participation in it depends upon their faith and obedience.
Israel of Zechariah’s day and our day has failed, but the Israel of the future will obey completely and will experience national regeneration and all the blessings Messiah will bring

CONCLUSION

1. This finishes the first major division of the Book of Zechariah

2. All of this was given by God through Zechariah as an encouragement to the discouraged remnant in his day who was struggling to build the temple.

Zechariah 06 - Vision of the Four Chariots - Lesson 07

INTRODUCTION

CONCLUSION