Season of the 4 horses – Warning, then Release

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YHVH God gives a warning 3 months before the 4 horses are seen.

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In Zechariah, we see the same 4 horses that we see in Revelation.

Looking at the timing and other details given in Zechariah might provide a clue as to what to watch for in the days ahead.

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There is a warning in September / October.

The horses appear in January/February.

They are then released sometime after that.

Things are in full swing by March.

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Going back to the historical context may help us how these months mentioned coincide with historical events.

Then we may ask, “will the horses follow the same pattern this time?”

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Cheshvan –  September / October – warning

Zec 1:1 In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

** This is the 8^th month on the Hebrew religious

calendar, not civil calendar.

Zec 1:2 The LORD hath been sore displeased with your fathers.

Zec 1:4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and [from] your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.

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Shevat –  January / February – appearance after 70 years

Zec 1:7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which [is] the month Sevat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,

Zec 1:8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that [were] in the bottom; and behind him [were there] red horses, speckled, and white.

Zec 1:10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These [are they] whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.

Zec 1:11 And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

Zec 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

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Month – ? – Release of horses – Continuation from Zech chapter 1

Zec 6:1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains [were] mountains of brass.

Zec 6:2 In the first chariot [were] red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;

Zec 6:3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.

Zec 6:5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These [are] the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.

Zec 6:6 The black horses which [are] therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.

Zec 6:7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.

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Historical correlation to determine release of horses

The time of the vision occurred after the 70 year Babylonian captivity, and Israel was back in the land. Cyrus the Persian released them to return and build their temple.

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First appearance of horses in Zechariah 1

The first appearance of the horses is after the captivity and may reflect the season in which they acted to begin with – winter.

Here, the horses are at rest after their activity.

So when were they released?

They were released when they appeared.

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Nebuchadnezzar came against Assyria, Egypt, Syria and then Jerusalem.

He had to first go through the other territories before he got to Israel, so war was already in progress by the time Jerusalem fell to Babylon.

Jehoiachin (son of Jehoiachim) reigned until Adar ( March) 598 BC, when he was captured by the Babylonians.

So, by spring, the horses had ridden the first time, and initiated the 70 year captivity.

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Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem

 

Reference:

http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p250B.html

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In the reign of Jehoiakim Nebuchadnezzar came against Assyria, Egypt, Syria and then Jerusalem.

He left Babylon in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (Dan. 1:1).

God sent against him the Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites and bands of Ammonites to weaken Judah in order to have them removed (2Kgs. 24:1-4).

Jehoiakim died in his eleventh year.

His son Jehoiachin reigned in his place for three months when he was 18 years of age.

***Notice similar names between father and son.

The Babylonians came against Jerusalem and laid siege to it in this year, which was 598 BCE. The Interpreter’s Dictionary states that it was in the year 599 BCE that Nebuchadnezzar brought his newly strengthened army against Syria and the allies of Egypt, and in 598 he attacked Judah (ibid.).

In 2Kings 24:12 we are told that Nebuchadnezzar took him in the eighth year of his reign. Bullinger assumes the text refers to Jehoiachin and tries to explain that as being from when he was entrusted with regal authority by his father Jehoiakim in the fourth year of his reign.

Jehoiachin’s reign (son) commenced in 598 BCE, and his captivity commenced in that same year.

On 15/16 March 597 BCE the city was captured and that was before the New Year.

Jehoiachin’s captivity was thus in the year 598/7 BCE, and the second year of his captivity began shortly thereafter.

We know that Jerusalem fell and that Jehoiachin was taken prisoner on the second day of Adar or 15/16 March in the year 597 BCE (according to Encyclopedia Judaica; see also Interpreter’s Dict. (loc. cit)).

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Second appearance of horses in Zechariah 6

They are riding again, and from the same location – Babylon.

The 2 mountains of brass are the 2 mountain ranges surrounding Babylon, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which is Iran today.

*** Iran has copper (brass) mines in both mountain ranges.

See references at the end of this post.

This second ride seems more futuristic, as it mentions the Branch, the Messiah in the same chapter.

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Would history repeat itself?

In the first invasion, the warning occurred in the fall of the year, in September / October, and then the horses were ready to ride in January.

By Adar, March, Jerusalem had been taken.

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When the 4 horses ride again, in the end times, will they follow the same timeline and pattern of warfare?

While they walk to and fro throughout the earth ( not just the middle east, like the first time) their main activity is to the north country, maybe as far as Russia, but at least to what was ancient Assyria before (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon), and to the south, toward Egypt.

This Zechariah 6 attack pattern parallels Daniel 11, which describes the antichrist forerunner, Tiberius, and the wars against the kings of the North and South.

The horses will still come out of Babylon, as it is the source and origin of the activity, and their object will be Jerusalem once more – directly or indirectly.

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Past and future

If history did repeat itself, as suggested by the months named in Zechariah and historical fulfillment of past “horse” activity, then I would expect a

1. warning of some kind in September / October or the fall season, prior to the year of release of the 4 horses.

2. once more, they would initiate from the ancient enemy Babylon, now Iran and surrounding areas

3. Activity being obvious in January /February

4. Full war by spring or March

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All or one at a time?

Another thing that seemed important is that the horses in Zechariah were all released at the same time, rather than sequentially.

In Revelation, each horse is associated with a seal being broken, giving us the impression that it is sequential release, but we do not know how quickly each seal is broken.

There could be months between each seal, or days, or minutes.

They may all occur at the same time as well. No waiting period between seals is mentioned, so there may not be any.

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Modern Israel as a target

Modern Israel has been in existence since 1948, officially, although a Jewish presence has been there for 4000 years.

Some say it was official in 1947, but was not enacted until 1948.

Either way, Israel has been in its own captivity since then, even though the original intent was to liberate them, and provide a safe homeland.

This captivity is to its hostile Arab and non -Arab Muslim neighbors that want Israel destroyed.

As before, other nations may be invaded by the horses and “Babylon” on the way to Jerusalem, possibly starting in the winter time of a designated year.

*** One nation that would have to be subdued before an invasion of Israel is the United States. How this attempt develops is of great prophetic interest.

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Final note

As of this date, September 11, 2011, Israel is in its 63^rd / 64^th year

of captivity in its own land.

What will happen THIS Cheshvan (Fall) and THIS Shevat (Winter)?

What will happen next year at this same time?

Watch and pray…..!!

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See also:

Shevat 24

Persian-Ram-a-Red-Horse

4 Horses , 4 Horns, 4 Beasts of Zechariah and Revelation