The four chariots

The content prophesied in the eighth vision is that before establishing the Millennial Kingdom (the Messianic Kingdom), God will judge the Gentile nations that opposed Israel. “Now I raised my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were going out from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains” (v 1). (1) The two mountains are Mount Moriah and the Mount of Olives. Between them is the Kidron Valley (also called the Valley of Jehoshaphat; ref. Joel 3:2, 12). (2) This is the place where judgment of the Gentile nations will be carried out. It says “bronze mountains,” and “bronze” is a symbol of judgment. “With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong spotted horses” (v 2-3). In the first vision (chapter 1), red, sorrel, and white horses patrolled the earth and brought back their report to the angel of the Lord. In the eighth vision, four chariots (drawn by red, black, white, and spotted horses) are sent out to the whole earth.

The four Gentile kingdoms

This vision is related to the four beasts (Gentile kingdoms) that appear in Daniel 7:1-3. “‘These are the four spirits of heaven, going out after taking their stand before the Lord of all the earth, with one of which the black horses are going out to the north country; and the white ones are to go out after them, while the spotted ones are to go out to the south country.’ When the strong ones went out, they were eager to go to patrol the earth’” (v 5-7). (1) The black horses going to the north are God’s agents to judge Babylon. (2) The white horses that go out after them are God’s agents to judge Medo-Persia. (3) The spotted horses going to the south are God’s agents to judge Greece. (4) The “strong horses” are the red horses that pull the first chariot (v 2). Since they go out to patrol the earth, they are God’s agents to judge the empire that has spread throughout the world. “Then He called out to me and spoke to me, saying, ‘See, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north’” (v 8). (5) Zechariah is commanded to look at the black horses that went out to the north country. These horses are the agents that judge Babylon, but in Zechariah’s time the Babylonian Empire had already been judged. The next empire, Medo-Persia, was also in the process of declining. In other words, God’s plan is steadily progressing. Let us remember that God is the ruler of history. Also, let us remember that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed, and let us pray for the blessing of Israel.