The 4 Spirits of Zechariah 6

Biblegems #56

I was reading in Zechariah today and something just caught my attention. In Zec 6 it is talking about the four spirits...when explaining where each one was going, it did not mention the fourth, which would be the one going to the east. Is there a reason for this and is it ever explained somewhere else? Thanks for taking your time to help those who want to know the Lord's Word in better detail.

The four spirits of Zechariah chapter six refer to angels of God’s judgment upon the rebellious nations of the earth, especially those who come against Israel in the Last Days just before Jesus’ Return. The scene in Zechariah’s vision seems to be the same one described in Revelation 6:1-8:

(1) I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” (2)I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. (3) When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” (4) Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. (5) When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. (6) Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (7) When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” (8) I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

All four spirits are described in Zechariah as “coming out from between the two mountains” (1), indicating that they were carrying out God’s judgment from heaven over the entire earth.

The spirit identified by the red horses represents worldwide war (Rev. 6:4), as Revelation 6 picks up where Zechariah leaves off. The black horses represent starvation and death as a result of this war (Rev. 6:5-6). The “pale” or “dappled” horses represent death on a massive scale, not only from war but from diseases and disruptions throughout earth’s collapsing societies (Rev. 6:8). The white horses symbolize God’s victories over His enemies as Jesus returns in power and glory with His vast army of angels (Rev. 6:2; 19:11, 14; Matt 24:30-31).

As Jesus Himself reminds us, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk. 21:28).