Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. Th.D.

SERMONS
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 a sense, 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 should understand 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
of God'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
that visions 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 horseman comes and
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 God
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 of slaughter" Oer.
7:32). Oneofthegloriousconsequences
of the corning of Christ would be that
valleys would be 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 which Judah
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 in comfortwhile our progress is so
NoveIllber,1991 t THE COUNSEL of C)lalcedon t 21
slow and -'we are so vulnerable? The
vision begins 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 T estamenthistory 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 .the leader of the 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 great swarming 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 is 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
of God the Sonintheaffairs
of His people brings addi-
tional comfort to the belea-
gueredsaints. Andnotonly
We sfwufd 6e 60fd as Christians, seek:.
ing to perfonn righteousness and
promote truth. Let us not 6e afraU[
wftat 11U1ft can cfo to us. 11
is Christ present, but He
knows thelongingsofjudah (2) The number of angels
is spoken of in several places in Scrip-
ture as involving greatnumbers. Psalm
68:17 speaks of thousands times thou-
sands. In Revelation 5:11 Jo1m hears
"ten thousaful times ten thousand." The
soenebefore Zechariah is of a magnifi-
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 in you 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
ShOlild be 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-
22 'I THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon f November, 1991
and personally intercedes for them,
Zech. 1:12.
2. The Plan of God
But what is the plan of God iIi all of
this? What is Judah'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;
Zion is the mOllllt where the temple
stood.) And Zechariah was to tell the
people such. As a matter of fact, 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 spent on Israel. 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 jealous God whowillnotshare
Hisglorywithanother, Isa. 42:8; 48: 11.
We today, even, must be desirous of
His worship and glory, if we expect His
blessing.
(2) Jerusalem was to be restored.
Jerusalem was still largely in ruins as a
metropolis, though thepeoplehad built
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 the 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 growth and prosperity (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
of God because of:
3. The Power of God
Thevisionalso represented 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 there doing
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
nature of their mission: to takeanactive
part in the control of the nations. The
red horse is the color of bloodshed, 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 the
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 might build God's temple (2 Chron.
36:22).
At that time Judah was overshad-
owed by one of the four great ancient
empires: the Medo-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 of Chalcedon 23
---- _ ._ --- ._ ---
....... _--_. __ . __ . __ .. - _._-
-- ._-- -
close as the soul of man to his body.
The spiritual is active above and in the
material reahn. There are 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 would accomplish His plan.
judahcould depend on thepromisesof
God So may we. We pray every
Sunday, UIhy will be done an earth asit is .
in heaven. Christians that is the plan of
God and it will be accomplished by
Him through His own power . .Q
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appreciated.
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24 ~ THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ November, 1991