Vision of the Four Chariots
“Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze. With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
And the angel answered and said to me, “These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth. The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.” Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth.” So they walked to and fro throughout the earth. And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.”
The Command to Crown Joshua
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Receive the gift from the captives—from Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have come from Babylon—and go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah. Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying:
“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, aand He shall build the temple of the Lord; yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’
“Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the Lord for Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”
At first, this vision is confusing. Many people think that the two mountains referred to here are the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion. Referring to these mountains as mountains of bronze indicates that they are robust and unlikely to crumble. What is the significance of the colors of the horses? Red generally indicates war, black, famine and death, white, victory, and dappled, famine and pestilence.
Both the black and white horses are sent to the North, the location of Babylon and Magog. These angelic monitors are to bring peace to that area. ““See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My Spirit in the north country.” The dappled, representing pestilence, are headed to the south. There is no assignment for the red horses but they too are roaming the earth.
The second part of the vision concerns the creation of an elaborate crown that will be created as a memorial in the temple of the Lord. The crown is to be placed on the head of Joshua, the high priest as a sign of the eventual sovereignty of the Messiah. ““Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the Lord; yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’
Traditionally, the roles of prophet, priest, and king have been separated, except for one man: King David. David wrote psalms, many of which were prophetic. David fulfilled some priestly roles, although he was careful to avoid infringing on the duties of the priests. And of course, David was King over Israel. Here the current high priest Joshua is to be crowned as a prophetic gesture of the triple roles the Messiah will play: the ultimate prophet, priest, and king. Why is Joshua so crowned rather than Zerubbabel? Perhaps Joshua’s family is more closely descended from the Davidic line than Zerubbabel’s. And Zerubbabel is only the political leader whereas Joshua is a spiritual one who might fulfill two roles, prophet and priest. The most important statement is the final one: “the counsel of peace will be between them both.”
Finally, the crown is to remain in the rebuilt temple as a memorial to the four men who donate the silver and gold to create it. But it will also serve as a sign that God’s promises will be fulfilled if only His people will remain faithful.
APPLICATION: Reading these visions, your response might be, “O.K., great, but so what? What does this have to do with me?” Think about the actual situation the returnees from Babylon are facing. Jerusalem is in ruins; her gates have been burned with fire. Nature abhors a vacuum, and while the exiles have been in Babylon, other people have moved in to occupy the land, many of whom are furious that these Jews have returned. The Jewish leaders are realizing that many of their people have no interest in building the temple but only in accumulating the wealth that may have escaped them in Babylon. It’s tough leading a bunch of people who are dragging their feet.
Anybody who has ever headed an institution, whether it be a mission hospital, a church, a school, or a business can sympathize with Zerubbabel, the political leader and Joshua, the high priest. These two men are doing their best in the midst of trying circumstances; however, it’s a discouraging business. Part of the reason behind this vision is to encourage Joshua as the spiritual leader of this motley group.
Perhaps you find yourself in a position not unlike Joshua’s. You have set out to do something great, but now the very people on whom you have hoped to rely are failing you, wandering off to pursue their own interests. You feel downhearted and frustrated. Are all your efforts and sacrifices going to result in failure? God wants you to know that He is the One who can give success and victory and He will bless the efforts of those who serve Him.
In the late 1980’s a book came out detailing the story of a Swedish missionary couple who went to the Belgian Congo. These people met satanic opposition and the only person they led to the Lord was the little boy who sold them chickens and eggs. Shortly after leading this boy to Christ, the wife died and was buried near their small hut. The husband gave up his baby daughter to missionary friends and returned to Sweden, a broken man. The baby girl passed to a second missionary couple when the first people died from some tropical disease. These missionaries returned to the United States, where they raised the little girl as their own. But when the little girl grew up and began looking for her roots, she discovered something magnificent: that little boy who was the only convert had led his tribe to the Lord and had eventually become the head of the national Assemblies of God Church in Zaire. (Now Democratic Republic of Congo) The spiritual seeds planted by that little Swedish missionary lady have yielded fruit far above her expectations.
Have you been working for the Lord in some lonely place and now feel like quitting? Remember Joshua, the high priest. Joshua did not ask for that crown, nor did he order anybody to create it. God moved Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah to donate silver and gold to create that crown. Hang on! Keep the faith! Your crown is coming! Revelation 2:10 tells us, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, touch the hearts of all who are discouraged and help them to realize that You are watching and that You applaud their efforts. Thank You for taking our puny attempts and multiplying them into something magnificent. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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