Zechariah 1- The Four Horsemen

On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.” And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they answered the Angel of the LORD, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” Zechariah 1:7-11

The prophet Zechariah has his first vision, this vision may seem familiar with you, as the Apostle John references the same similar vision in Revelation. (Revelation 6, Revelation 19) This is one thing to understand when interpreting the Bible, scripture interprets scripture. So as your studying the book of Revelation, you need to reference the Old Testament prophets, as they typically have interpreted the symbols already in their writings

a man riding on a red horse (v8)

In general, the horses are symbolic of God’s judgment, red is obviously symbolic of bloodshed, the Holy Spirit reveals the meaning of the Red Horse in Revelation also

Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:4)

and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow;  (v8)

It’s interesting because the Myrtle Trees seen in the vision are symbolic of peace and prosperity. It’s clear judgement is coming because of the wickedness and rebellion of God’s people. The divine protection is being lifted for judgement by the sword (Red Horse)

and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white (v8)

As we see, there are multiple horses:

Red = bloodshed/war

Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:4)

Sorrel (Brown) = plagues/death

Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:8)

White= Peace and Victory

So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer. (Revelation 6:2)

There are differences in the interpretations of these horses, specifically the (sorrel/brown) horse, however if we allow scripture to interpret scripture I think this is accurate

Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are. (v9)

If we are confused by this vision, don’t feel bad, the prophet Zechariah was perplexed by this vision and asked the angel to interpret it for him. We see this happen many times throughout scripture, that’s why its important to cross reference scriptures to get the most accurate interpretation

And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” (v10)

The horses in the vision were sent by God for judgement. We see this happen throughout the history of Israel, God will allow a nation to become mighty to bring judgement upon another nation. Why did God allow Israel be overtaken and scattered? Because of judgement for their disobedience and wickedness, including the murder of the prophets and Christ

So they answered the Angel of the LORD, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” (v11)

Notice who answers the prophet Zechariah in the end, the “Angel (Messenger) of the Lord (Yahweh)  this is Jesus Christ himself (Genesis 16, 18, 22, Judges 2, Judges 6, Joshua 5), as Christ is foretelling victory  “all the Earth is resting quietly” and notice its not just Victory for Israel but the entire Earth (New Covenant) 

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. (Revelation 19:11)

Zechariah 1- Call To Repentance

In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, “The LORD has been very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the LORD of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts. “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the LORD. “Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? Yet surely My words and My statutes, Which I commanded My servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your fathers? “So they returned and said: ‘Just as the LORD of hosts determined to do to us, According to our ways and according to our deeds, So He has dealt with us.’ ” ’ ” Zechariah 1:1-6

Today we begin our journey through the prophet Zechariah, I think he’s probably one of the forgotten prophets, yet might be one of the most important prophets with regards to the second coming of Christ. Zechariah, by the Holy Spirit, gives great details about the death of Christ and His return, including the exact location. Zechariah was an actual priest, he was alive during the restoration of Israel from exile in Babylon, and he was preaching during the time of the rebuild of the 2nd temple, with the prophet Haggai

According to The Lord Jesus , in the gospel of Matthew, , the prophet Zechariah was eventually murdered by the religious leaders  in the temple courtyard (Matthew 23:34-36) This is no surprise as they eventually crucified The Lord for preaching the truth also!

The prophet Zechariah begins, like all the prophets and apostles, a message of repentance “Return to Me, says The Lord and I will return to you” A very simple message of repentance, if we would just turn from our sins and turn to God, he will forgive and save us. However the human heart is stubborn and hard, just like Israel always fell away, we see the same behavior in the Church, a call to repentance is necessary for all mankind!

This is consistent with the same message Christ had preached from the very beginning “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) And while the call to repentance is so offensive to the human heart, its actually a beautiful thing that God is willing to forgive and restore us back into relationship with Him, despite all of our failures and short comings

Despite the countless times God called Israel to repentance , he reminds them “they did not hear nor head me” What’s it going to take for us to repent to God? When are we going to turn from our evil ways and turn to The Lord Jesus Christ for salvation? 

God reminds them, Israel repented before and they can restore their relationship with God again “So they returned” a beautiful reminder of Gods love, patience, and mercy. However , everyone then seems to forget their covenant with God, as the Apostle Peter stated “Like a dog going back to their vomit” (2 Peter 2:22) Just like Israel, we need to break the cycle of sin and Return to The Lord!