Revelation Six - When The Four Horsemen Ride
Zechariah is the second-to-last prophet in the Hebrew Scriptures, and he is the last prophet to be murdered by Israel. And, when you read the Book of Malachi, you can see why Zechariah was murdered. Malachi also shows us that the prophecies of Zechariah are not for Second Temple Israel. Even though Zechariah also speaks about his present day, the prophecies about the Last Days are the most powerful. When we get to the last chapter, there won't be any confusion over whether he is a prophet of the Last Days. However, we have yet to start with Chapter 1. So, let's do that. ———————————— Keep this ministry alive with a donation. And, read my two books: I created five Android Apps that will help you read through the Bible in a Year. You can find them here: https://revelationsix.com/android-apps/ If you miss my rantings about geopolitics, idiocy, resource collapse and incompetent globalism, follow me on Twitter. ———————————— Zechariah 1 - A Biblical Overview, Part 2
One thing that we will need to remember as we go through the Book of Zechariah is that he is a teenager at this point. Maybe even pre-teen. In chapter two he will be referred to as a young man, but the Hebrew word is נער (ponounced, nah-ar). It means boy, or 'youth'. But, my feeling is that he is old enough to do some of the physical things he is commanded to do, like create a crown in chapter 6. But, such 'feelings' should not be considered as truth. All of this is verification that Zechariah was young enough at the start of his ministry, that he would have still been around when the people of Jerusalem became corrupt, and slew him just as Jesus said in Matthew 23:34-36. As I said, the last prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures, Malachi, confirms the terrible corruption in the temple and Jerusalem, so we can be confident that the Zechariah of the Book of Zechariah really was a martyr for his faith in God. However, allow me to say that Zechariah and Berechiah were very common names. So, there is some possibility that Jesus was referring to an even later Zechariah ben Berechiah, one that is not recorded in the Bible. Remember that our responsibility is to be Biblical, and not using a feeling to say, "thus saith the Lord." A Call For Israel To RepentIn the first part of chapter 1, God speaks to Zechariah and tells him to speak to those around him to repent of their wickedness and not be like their fathers who rebelled against God's words spoken to them by the prophets.
And, how did the people respond to this kid who was speaking the words of God to them? They obeyed. Think that through for a moment. A teenager gets up and tells the people that God told him that they need to repent of their sins and turn back to God. And, they do it. That's pretty amazing. Yes, his grandfather Iddo was a prophet, so the people might have respected that. And, Zechariah and Iddo were priests, so some more respect would have come Zechariah's way. But still... ...a teenager? Telling me to repent of my sins and return to God? YES. God really can work with any and all who follow Him. From a young age, Zechariah dedicated his life to following God, and God gave him a special place in His Kingdom. You are never too young or too old to serve God. A Vision Of Revelation's HorsesAlmost four months later, Zechariah has a vision that should be of special significance to all of us:
Does this remind you of anything? The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse! I have spent a lot of time talking about eschatology with other Christians, and I almost never find anyone who can connect the four horsemen of Revelation 6, with the horsemen that we see in Zechariah. And, this won't be the only time that we will see God speak about them in this book. What are these horsemen? They are servants of God doing God's will. They aren't evil spirits. They aren't demons. They aren't human beings. Whatever they are, they certainly represent the will of God because they report back that they've accomplished their mission and that the earth is at rest. What is the purpose of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? They bring great destruction, taking civilization to the brink of collapse so that when Seal Six occurs, our way of life is utterly crushed. Over that period, billions will die, but for a moment... the world will also be at rest. I do not believe that it is a coincidence that these horsemen in Zechariah are similar to those in Revelation. And, why would God wish for the earth to be at rest at the time of Zechariah? Well, as we'll see, God wishes for Israel to rebuild the Temple, to restart the sacrifices and offerings, and to follow the laws commanded by God in Torah. What will be the result of the Four Horsemen of Revelation? The destruction of the rules-based, global order that we have now. That collapse and chaos will allow the coming of Gog and Magog and the Redemption of Israel through faith in Christ. There won't be a Third Temple, but it will be a time of continual praise and offering to God at Jerusalem. But, the price will be really high. God Will Comfort JerusalemThis next part of Zechariah 1 is difficult. The angel that was standing with Zechariah in this vision, asks Yehovah when He will have mercy on Jerusalem. God answers with a definitive yes:
The angel is asking God for mercy after this 70 year period of desolation. And God responds that He will choose Jerusalem again. But, I'm having trouble with this. Why? We know from Ezra 5, Zechariah was also prophesying for the building of the Temple. But, we find a huge amount of corruption towards the end of the Ezra. And when we get to Nehemiah, the corruption is terrible. And, Zechariah is still alive in Nehemiah 12, but they eventually murder him after that. Then, when Malachi comes along much later, Jerusalem and the Temple are in a very sorry spiritual state. So, when the LORD says this:
I'm having a lot of trouble putting that verse in any period of time in the past except during the time of the Hasmonean Dynasty, which lasted less than 50 years as an independent kingdom. That's why I've always considered this to be a Last Days prophecy, even though it does not say that it is about the Last Days. Again, this means that there's a question mark over verses 12 to 17. The Horns That Will Scatter The NationsThen, in verses 18 to 21, God speaks of four horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. And, we know that God used gentile nations to scatter Israel to every part of the earth. But then, God shows Zechariah four craftsmen. What do these Four Craftsmen do? Their job is to TERRIFY the nations. And, I use all caps because the KJV gets that word wrong. The KJV says 'fray' which means to 'wear away'. But, the Hebrew word is להחריד (L'Ha-Cha-Reed, ch as in Bach). It means to terrify or horrify. Not wear away. So, yet another KJV error. Here's the verse:
Here's the question: Was this the rise and fall of the Hasmonean dynasty? I'm sorry, but no. (Or, MAYBE no.) The Hasmoneans did a lot. And, for the short amount of time in which they ruled, they were powerful. But, they fell quickly. And, they certainly didn't terrify the Romans or the Seleucids. And, the Romans weaseled their way in and took over. But, I'm fully prepared to be wrong in this, since I wasn't there. ConclusionThere is a lot in this chapter. Some of what is written here is pretty obvious, and we even have some extra insight into the Book of Revelation. I really, really dislike having to be uncertain about parts of this chapter, and my instinct is to point to the future and not the past. It's also deeply disturbing that Israel constantly turned towards corruption so quickly. Every time that Ezra or Nehemiah would turn their back on them, the Israelis would go back to their corrupt ways - even though they had absolute proof that God had punished them for their corruption and would do so again if they didn't stop. And of course... ...they didn't stop. Now, if you think that Israel was worse than we are, think again. We Christians have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so we have far, far less excuse than those Israelis more than 2300 years ago. But, we're doing the same stupid corruption that they did. Yes, Israel was stupid. But, we are proving to be even worse. We really are a special kind of stupid. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. ———————————— My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. |
