CHAPTER 6

(519 B.C.)

THE FOUR CHARIOTS

¹And I turned, and lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. (This portrays yet another Vision! And, behold, there came four chariots from between two mountains, denotes emissaries from the Lord; they are, in fact, very similar to the ones described in 1:8. The entirety of the Earth, it seems, is sectioned off between the Angelic occupants of these four chariots; perhaps, at times, they all cover a given area. As this was true then, it is undoubtedly true presently!

And the mountains were mountains of brass, must symbolize the Judgment of God, inasmuch as brass [copper] was the metal which covered the wood of the Brazen Altar, which itself symbolized judgment upon sin.)

²In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

³And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. (It is generally agreed that the colors of these horses are significant in their meaning, simply because the Holy Spirit is so careful to delineate such. These portray the symbolic horses of Rev., Chpt. 6, which portray the beginning of the Great Tribulation and the Judgment of God, which, at that time, will cover this Earth.

We are given here a glimpse into the spirit world. Evil men think they are the shakers and movers; however, they can only do, as described here, what the Lord allows them to do.)

GODS JUDGMENT

⁴Then I answered and said unto the Angel Who talked with me, What are these, my Lord?

⁵And 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. (And the Angel answered and said unto me, is probably the same Angel as previous, in reality, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.

These are the four spirits of the heavens, indicates, from other descriptions, that they are spirits of Judgment delegated by the Lord to various places of the Earth. Which go forth from standing before the LORD of all the Earth, indicates that their instructions come strictly from Him.)

⁶The 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. (If one is to notice, the red horses are not mentioned here, possibly because they were not in function at that time, due to the absence of war.

The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country, refers to north of Israel, as this Land is always the focal point. All of this has to do with the situation of the world during Zechariahs day, concerning the overthrow of the Babylonian Empire and the rise of the Medo-Persians. Men thought they were running the show, but we are told here that the Lord was guiding it all.)

⁷And 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. (The thrice-repeated phase, Walk to and fro, heightens the sense of the wholehearted energy of these mighty executors of Divine Justice.

All of this represents judgment upon the Earth in Zerubbabels time. Many who do not understand God or His Ways consider these actions as cruel, especially when the judgment is severe. What they fail to realize is that there is such wickedness, corruption, and evil in the world that, if certain measures were not taken, the wickedness and evil would only be intensified. Even though the surgery may be painful, still, the disease is far worse. If surgery [judgment] was not performed, the disease [sin] would destroy the patient [the world].)

⁸Then cried He upon me, and spoke unto me, saying, Behold, these who go toward the north country have quieted My Spirit in the north country. (This probably refers to the defeat of the Babylonians by the Medes and the Persians, with the consequent rise to power of Cyrus, who gave the decree that the Temple was to be rebuilt in Jerusalem [Ezra 1:1-3]. The building project was interrupted for a time, but it was ultimately brought to fruition, which quieted [Gods] Spirit.)

JOSHUA CROWNED: A SIGN OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR RESTORED JUDAH

⁹And the Word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

¹⁰Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come you the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah (through the Prophecy of Zechariah, the men here named are given a task, which, as we see, is very important);

¹¹Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the High Priest (Joshua symbolizes the Messiah with His double crown of Kingship and Priesthood; Heldai, of the previous Verse, and his companions foreshadow the future Exiles of Zion, who will return thither bringing their wealth with them, and who will become builders of the Temple, of which the Messiah will be the Master-Builder.

The plural crowns is used, but not necessarily denoting more crowns than one. In Rev. 19:12, Christ is said to have upon His Head many crowns, by which is meant a diadem composed of several circles. In fact, the Mitre of the High Priest is never called a crown; consequently, that which was placed upon the head of Joshua was a royal crown, a token of royal dignity, not his own, but His Whom he represents Christ, the Eternal Priest, the Universal King);

JOSHUA, A SYMBOL OF THE PRIEST-KING, THE MESSIAH, WHO WILL BUILD THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE

¹²And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaks 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 (And speak unto him, saying, refers to Zechariah speaking to Joshua, the High Priest. Behold the Man Whose name is The BRANCH, literally says in the Hebrew, Behold the Man, BRANCH is His Name. Christ is called The Man in both Testaments in this Verse and in I Tim. 2:5.

The name BRANCH has reference to the Son or Shoot of David; consequently, it is speaking of the Incarnation, i.e., God becoming Man [Isa. 7:14].

And He shall grow up out of His Place, and He shall build the Temple of the LORD, actually, even in the same Passage, refers to both the First and the Second Advents. Growing up out of His Place speaks of Christ being born of the Virgin Mary and of the Tribe of Judah. Building the Temple of the LORD speaks of His Second Advent, when He will come with Power and Glory and will set up His Eternal Kingdom):

¹³Even 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 He shall bear the Glory, refers to the Glory that Christ should have received, but did not, at His First Advent, but now certainly shall. And He shall be a Priest upon His Throne, proclaims the Eternal Priesthood of Christ, with Him serving as an Intercessor on behalf of all Believers [Heb. 7:26-8:2].

And the counsel of peace shall be between Them Both, presents the two offices of King and Priest combined in One Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither office is exalted higher than the other; consequently, there will be no enmity between the two offices as there is when two men fill them.)

¹⁴And 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. (The great Crown [Crowns plural of excellency] was made with the silver and gold brought by Exiles as a gift to the Temple then being built. It was deposited in the Temple as a memorial of the faith and love of these Believers and of their hopes. It also was a memorial pledging the fulfillment of the promised appearance and glorious reign and Priesthood of the Man Whose Name is The BRANCH.

Even though the Crown would certainly speak of the First Advent of Christ, more perfectly it speaks of His Second Advent, when He will truly realize His proper Place and position.)

MANY WILL COME AND HELP BUILD

¹⁵And they who are far off shall come and build in the Temple of the LORD, and you shall know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently obey the Voice of the LORD your God. (The Temple of the LORD spoken of in this Verse is of far greater import than the Temple being built by Zerubbabel. Even though that was implied, still, the greater meaning had to do with Christ and the building of His Church [Mat. 16:18], and the privilege of His Body in the helping of this building [Eph. 4:11-12].)