1991 issue 8 - sermons on zechariah: the angelic horseman - counsel of chalcedon

8/12/2019 1991 Issue 8 - Sermons on Zechariah: The Angelic Horseman - Counsel of Chalcedon

1/4

Kenneth

L

Gentry Jr Th.D.

S RMONS

ON ZECHARIAH

THE ANGELIC HORSEMAN

Zech.

1:7-17; Rev. 5:11-6:8

We come

now upon the first

vision

received by Zechariah. This is the

first

of

a

series

of nine

visions

given on

one

night,

Zech.

1:7,8.

This

series

of

visions

stretches

from Zechariah 1:8

through

6:

15

andis

Iargelyconcemed

with]udah's

immediate future

history.

In asense, the

first vision is

an ovelView

of the others,

giving

the general theme of the whole

selies. The

other

visions

advance the

message

contained in this one.

The object of the present vision was

to uplift the

dejectedJews

who, despite

their returning to their land from cap

tivity,

did not see much hope before

them,

Zech.

1:13. The burning ques

tion in their hearts

is

asked for them by

theangeloftheLord,Zech.1:l2. Aswe

shall see, the point of the vision is the

necessity of divine intervention on

Judah's

behalf.

I

believe

we shouldunderstand the

source of comfort for Judah and for us

to be based on three

realities: l)

The

Presence of God, (2) The

Plan

of God,

and

(3)

The

Power of

God.

Before

we

begin we should recall

that Zechariah

initially

gave

a warning

ofGod's wrath and a call to repentance

to Judah about

three

months earlier,

Zech. 1:2,3. It is obvious that the call

had a measure of

success, for

the

Lord

indicated His pleasure in Judah. His

pleasure may be seen in His granting

this

vision,

which promised

blessing.

In addition, four

years

later

the

temple

was completed, by God's grace, Ezra

6:15.

God

promises His

people :

If

Il' Y

people,which are called

by

my name, shall

humble themselves, and pray,

andseekmy

face,

and tum from

their wicked ways;

then will I

hear

from

heaven, and will

forgive

their

sin,

alld

will heal their

land

(2 Chron. 7:14). This is a truth for all

times,

even

our own.

The entire vision itself

is actually

recorded in one verse:

Zech.

1:8. It is

explained and proclaimed in the re

maining verses of our

text. Let us

briefly mention the basic elements of

the vision before we interpret and ap

ply the three comforting truths that

flow forth from these.

l)

The vision occurs at night.

In

thatvisions could occur in the daytime

and in that this is not a dream, which

would naturally occur at night, this

seems to be a notable feature, as we

shall

see. (2)

The vision

involves

horse

men who are riding upon horses of

three

different

colors: red, white, and

speckled. These

horsemen are un

doubtedly

angels

in that

angels are

mentioned in the context. (3) The

vision emphasizes one particular an

gelichorsemanonaredhorse. (4)This

particular

angelic

horsemancomesand

standsamongsomemyrtletrees.

Myrtle

trees are fragrant ornamental plants

that

are

mentioned several times in

SCripture and are indigenous

to

Israel.

They probably represent Judah since

the whole purpose of the vision

is

to

bring comfort toJudah (vv. 13-14, 17).

In fact,

the Promised

Land is

called a

pleasant land in Scripture (Dan.

8:9;

11:

16), which such aromatic plants

would represent.

(5)

These myrtles are

ill

the bottom, i.e., in a valley.

Well now, what

is

the hope for

Judah? Why

are

the heathen at peace

(Zech.l:ll)? Whatshallbetheanswer

to their

heart'S

longing (Zech. 1:12)?

Andhowmayallofthisapplytous?

Let

usnowopenthisvisionarytreasureand

draw from

its bounty.

1.

The

Presence of od

In that the myrtle trees represent the

Jews, we should notice that these trees

are in the bottom, i.e., a valley. In

SCriptural imagery a

valley

is often rep

resentative

of dire circumstances. The

psalrrtistsaid,

Though lwalk

through

the

valleyoftheshadowofdeath

n

CPsa.23:4).

lsaiah wrote about

the

burden of the

valley

of

vision (Isa.

22:1). Jeremiah

wrote of the

valley

o

slaughter

Oer.

7:32). Oneofthegloriousconsequences

of the corning of Christ would be that

valleys wouldbe raised

(lsa.

40:4; Luke

3:5). Despite herfreedomfromcaptiv

ity Judah

is

in a dismal condition still

yet, Zech 1:12.

To

make

matters worse, the hea

then are at peace, Zech. 1:llb. Why

should

there

be comfort and peace for

the heathen when God's people are so

low?

This

forms the historical context

and

moral

dilemma with whichJudah

finds

herself faced.

The questions before the Jews are

Why?

and How

long?

Does God

not care?

Is

our new found freedom a

ruse? Shall the heathen live out their

days incomfortwhileour progress is so

NoveIllber,1991 t

THE

COUNSEL of C)lalcedon t 21


2/4

slow

and

-'we are so vulnerable? The

visionbegins answering these inquiries.

Then on the

visiOI\aI}' scene

come

thunderingtheangelichorsernen.

With

Zechariah we ask, \Vhat are these?"

(Zech. 1:9a).

It

seems significant that

the

~ o

is

not only at night (Zech.

1 8)

but theactivityis

among the myrtle

plaD.ts

deep in a

valley. These

three

factors

suggest

the

hiddenness of

the

horsemen. I will return to

this

in a

moment.

andina

valley

.As presented,

then, they

are invisible

.

But

they

are

there

As

such

thisvisionisreminiscentofElisha's

in

2

Kings

6:15-17.

The Jews are

encouraged to

recognize

the presence

of

God

through His ministering

angels

- even though they are unseen 1be

spiritual world

is

real and

always

present. There

is

more

to

this world

than

meets the eye.

Judah

must take

comfort in that fact. The weapons

of

the heathen

are

not the ultimate

reality.

self,

Whoappears

from time

to

time

in

Old

Testamenthistory in pre-incarnate

form.

For example,

he

appears as

the

captain of the Lord's

hosts to Joshua

(jos.

5:14) and to prepare

Gideon for

victory (jdgs.

6:

11).

HeisGod

the

Son,

very God of very

God He is

said

to

"encamp round about them that fear him

and

deliver

them"

(Psa.

34:

7).

Note also that Christ appears in

the

vision as

.

he leader

of

he angelic hosts,

who

are there to protect.

1be others

are "behind"

Be not

misled: the

horses appearing

are

of

threedi erent

colors,

but

there are not just three or

four

horses. Since these

are

angelichorsemen and

since

their number

is

not

limited in any

way,

their

count

is

most certainly

enormous.

We may con

clude

this

fortwo reasons:

(1)

There is a great em-

phasis in thischapter on

the

Lord "of

hosts"

(Zech.

1:3,4,6,

12,

14, 16,

17).

The greatswarming

hosts

are the

angels of

God,

who

appear here

as horsemen.

We,

too,

must recognize

that

greater

is

Jfe that

is

in Y )U tftan

lie

tftat

is

in

tlie worU'.

jot

s always powerfuJf:y

Him

(v.

8

and

report to

Him

(v. 11).

Godisnotjust

present through His

min-

isteringangels,

but through

His own

Son

. In fact,

He

Himself is

leading the pr0

tecting

mes

of

God

present

for

JBs

peopfe

reganfess

of

tfie numbers in opposition

to

us

...

Christ

appears in Rev

elation

1

iIi Jo1m's vision

walking among His

churches as their

Protector.

The

personal iIivolvement

ofGod

the

Sonintheaffairs

of

His people

brings

addi

tional comfort

to

the belea

gueredsaints.

Andnotonly

We

sfwufd6e 60fdas Christians, seek:.

ing

to perfonn righteousness and

promote

truth. Letus

not

6e afraU[

wftat 11U1ft can cfo

to

us. 11

is Christ

present, but He

knows

thelongingsofjudah2) The

number

of

angels

is spoken of in

several

places in

Scrip-

ture

as involving

greatnumbers.

Psalm

68:17speaks of thousands

times

thou

sands.

In

Revelation 5:11 Jo1m

hears

"ten thousaful times ten thousand." The

soenebefore Zechariah

is of

amagnifi

cent

cavalry

of

powerful angels.

But what

is

the angelic

function

in

Scii.pture?

Angels

do

God's

bidding.

1bey

carry out

his decrees in His king

dom rule,

Psa

103:19-21. Conse

queruly, they

n;present

the presence

of

God.

Beingmourited on

horses

in

the

vision symbolizes their great strength

and speed

by

which

they

perform

the

bidding of

God.

Now

in

the vision

these angels

are

hidden in

the

night, amongsttheplants,

We,too

,mustrecognize that"greater

is

He that is inyou than he that is in the

world."

Godisalwayspowerfu.llypresent

for His people,

regardless

of

the

num

bers ip.

opposition to us. As Hebrews

1:

14 notes of

angels:

Th0' are minis

tering spirits, sent forth to minister for

them

who shall be heirs

of

salvation." We

ShOlildbe

boldas

Christians,seeking to

perform

righteousness

and

promote

truth. l.etusnotbeafraid whatniancan

do

to us.

But there is more Not only are

Gad's angels

there

in

mass numbers

representing Himself to Hispeople,but

one

of

these is

"the

angel of the lord"

(Zech. 1:8,

10-11).

The "angel of

the

lord"

is

none other than Christ Him-

'I THE COUNSEL

of

Chalcedon f November, 1991

and personally intercedes

for

them,

Zech

.

1:12.

2. The Plan

ofGod

But what

is the

plan of

God

iIi all of

this?

What

isJudah's legitimate hope?

1bere

are

spoken

words

of comfort to

Judah,Zech.1:13.

And this comfort is

offered iIi

the

conteXt of her

desire

to

seeJerusalemarisefromtheruins,Zech.

1:12.

Throughseverttyyearsofcaptivity

Judah

suffered.

But

she has

been

back

in the

land

almost twenty years now.

WillJerusalem'sdegradationneverend?

What

is

God's

plan?

Has

He

forgotten

her?

God loves Jerusalem and Zion and

was not

indifferent

to her

suffering,

Zech.1:14. Oerusalemisthecityitself;


3/4

Zion is

the

mOllllt where

the temple

stood.) And Zechariah was to tell

the

people such. As amatter offact,

God

is

angry

with

the

heathen despite

their

apparent ease,

Zech.

1:15. Nowverse

15 does

not contradict

verse 2. Inverse

2 Zechariah

was

talking about the

in

tensityofGod'sangerwithJudah.

Here

God

is

talking about the length of time

His angerwas

to be

spentonIsrael.

The

nations did not just cany out God's

decree,

but delighted in

the

evil that

hadcomeuponJerusalem.

Theysought

to

prolong Israel's suffering, so God

destroyed Babylon by use

of Persia.

The immediate concern

of the

prophecy is to open

the plan

of God

regarding Jerusalem

to

the Jews. Ac

tually there

was

a

fourfold promised

plan:

l)

His house --the

temple-

would

be

rebuilt

again,

so

that the

proper

worship

of

God

might

be

held

in

the

earth,

Zech

. 1:16a.

Their

former

foot

-dragging in this regard had been

overcome in

repentance.

The temple

was

completed four

years

later, in

the

sixth year

of

Darius.

Godis firstand foremost

concerned

that His name be worshipped. Our

God is a ealous

God

whowillnotshare

Hisglorywithanother,

Isa.

42:8; 48:11.

We

today,

even,

must be

desirous of

His worship and glory,

ifwe expect

His

blessing.

(2)

Jerusalem was to be restored.

Jerusalem

was

still

largely

in

ruins

as a

metropolis, though

thepeoplehadbuilt

themselves houses.

Buthere

Godshows

that in His plan

there

will

be

a line

stretJ::hed out over the ruins ofJerusa

lem.

This line is

the

surveyor's line.

In

other

words, God

has a blueprint, a

plan, for the rebuilding of

Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was rebuilt seventy years

later,

under

Nehemiah. God

acts

in

history

to the good of His people, then

and

today.

(3) His plan is notlirnited

toJerusa

lem. Zechariah

is commanded to cry

still

further,

Zech

. 1:17.

The idea here

is

that all of

he cities

ofJudah

will

burst

with numbers.

There will

not

be

just a

few

cities here

and

there

inJudah,

there

would be an abundance in

Israel

with a

multitude of cities.

The

Hebrewtermtranslated spread

abroad"

is actually

"scattered." This

term

is

used in

scattering

as

in

war. But

thisscatteringwillnot

be

byafoe butby

the forces

of

growthandprosperity

(cp.

2:4; 8:4;

9:17;

10:7). This occurred

later in

the

follOwing centuries under

the Hasmonean princes.

(4) lhe fourth promise is here

only

faintly

alluded to.

The

promise

to yet

comfort Zion"

probably

relates to the

coming of Christ, who is

the consola-

tion oj

Israel

(Lk. 2:25). More will be

revealed

of

Christ

in later

visions. We

will

not spend much

time

developing

this at present

There

is hope

for

Judah in

the

plan

ofGod

because

of:

3. The Power of God

Thevisionalsorepresented

to

Judah

something of

the

irresistible power of

God.

The

horsemen

may be

hidden in

the shadows away from

the

sight of

men,

saint and heathen

alike. But they

are quietly and powerfully engaging

the wise

plan

of God. Notice

their

function

in the vision

.

They are

patrolling

the

earth,

Zech.

1:11. God has not lost His

grip

on

the

world;

His angelic hosts are

theredoing

His

bidding.

God

is not shut up and

inactive in heaven, though outlawed

from the schools" as the humanists of

the day

would

have liked.

This

is why

His plan

will

work.

The

idea

of these angelic

horsemen

being sent is reflective of how kings of

empires

project their power in

the

world.

God

is concerned and

involved

in governing

His

kingdom,

the

world.

God's angels

actually cany out his de-

crees

in

His kingdom rule,

Psa

.

103:19-21.

lhese

myriads

of horses were not

sent just

to

report back information,

but actually to perform their tasks, as

were

the horsemen in Rev.

6, e.g. verses

2-4. The colors of the horses,which are

prominent in

the

vision, indicate the

natureoftheir

mission:

to

takeanactive

part in

the

control

of the

nations.

The

red horse is

the

color ofbloodshed, as

in war. The white is the color repre

sentative of

peace.

lhe

speckled or

mixed

colored horse is a mixture of

both.

Godhas Hiswayin the

armies

of he

earth

(Dan. 4:35). Theking'sheartisin

thehandofGod, who turns it where

He

wills

(Prov. 21:1).

These

angels

effect

war

and

peace

and the mixture of

both.

The reason

the

nations are still and at

peace (v.

11)

is because it is God's

will

Why? So that Judah might finish the

templesheshouldhavecompletedlong

ago.

Rather

than

feeling

sony

for

her

relative poverty,

while the nations were

at peace,

she

should be taking advan

tage of the peace and pursuing the

will

of God. It was God Who effected the

peace

for that

reason His

patrolling

angelic

armies

causedit,justas Godput

itin

Cyrus

heart

to

release Israelso that

she

mightbuild

God's

temple

(2

Chron.

36:22).

At that time Judah was overshad

owed

by one

of

the four great ancient

empires:

the M edo-Persian.

But she is

to

be comforted in

this

vision to know

that

larger forces are at work: Lord of

hosts employs his hosts. These hosts

effect war

and destruction at the bid

dingofGod,asweli. TheMedo-Persian

would fall. Then the Greek empire

would collapse. Finally the Roman

empire would

be

the last empire to

govern

the

world, when Christ's king

dom had come.

The spiritual and material worlds

are close, not separated. They are as

November, 1991 THE COUNSEL ofChalcedon 23

_ ._ ._

. . . . ..._ _. __

__

.. -

-

._

-


4/4

close

as the soul of man to

his

body.

The spiritual is

active above

and in

the

material

reahn

. Thereare

angels

sent to

minister to

us

(Heb. 1:

14).

Judah

should not forget

this. We

should not

forget this. The great power of God

in

the spirirual world manifests itSelf

in

the physical world, which He created.

Conclusion

Despite the immediate circum

stances, God was present with His

. people. He had a plan for their good.

And His power exercised through an

gelic forces wouldaccomplishHisplan.

judahcould dependon thepromisesof

God So may we. We pray every

Sunday,

Uhy

will be done an

earth

asit is .

in he ven Christians that s the plan of

God and it will

be

accomplished by

im

through

His

own

power

.

.Q

Dear Counsel of Cbalcedon,

hank

you for

your

part

n

supplying

this

barren land

with

a hristian periodical

that is vigorous, nurturing,

and God-honoring. Even the

busiest of persons should

regard it

as

urgent

and

profit

able. Your discernment

in

what you print or quote is

appreciated.

E.B.

,Mi

Justice For

U

or

any

judy Roger's

tape for the new

subScription. Please

fill in

the form

below and thank you in advance.

Please continue

sending

me TIle Counsel of

Chalcedon

and

send

me 0 the book

o

he tape, check one please. 0

Enclosed

is

25

.00 for

my subscription.

NAME

D D ~ S __________________________________

CITY STA1E

ZIP

24 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon November, 1991

1991 issue 8 - sermons on zechariah: the angelic horseman - counsel of chalcedon

Documents