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An End to Permission of WickednessParadise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!
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worldly paramours in the Babylonish “land of Shinar” have no reason to go back to that “wickedness” that belongs in that place of its inception. Our course of loyalty to Jehovah as the Sovereign Lord and only true God is to persist in his pure, undefiled worship at his spiritual temple under his High Priest, Jesus Christ. We take to heart what his inspired psalmist has written: “Jehovah is guarding all those loving him, but all the wicked ones he will annihilate.”—Psalm 145:20.
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Chariots of God Safeguard CoronationParadise Restored to Mankind—By Theocracy!
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Chapter 13
Chariots of God Safeguard Coronation
1. Are the chariots seen in Zechariah’s eighth vision those brought up from Egypt?
CHARIOTS make their appearance in the eighth and final vision given to the prophet Zechariah. These chariots are not any brought up from Egypt for the protection of the temple builders at Jerusalem in that year of the vision, 519 B.C.E., or the second year of the reign of King Darius I of Persia. The higher source of these more powerful chariots is revealed in the vision. Let us watch with Zechariah as they dash on the scene:
2. From between what did the chariots come forth, how many were there, and by what kind of horses were they drawn?
2 “Then I raised my eyes again and saw; and, look! there were four chariots coming forth from between two mountains, and the mountains were copper mountains. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot, black horses. And in the third chariot there were white horses; and in the fourth chariot, horses speckled, parti-colored.”—Zechariah 6:1-3.
3. What do the colors of the horses serve to do, and what question comes up as to the mountains?
3 We need not make guesses as to what the differentiating colors of the horses mean. The colors of the horses served to distinguish the chariots pulled by each color group. How many horses were hitched to each chariot, Zechariah does not tell us. But those two copper mountains from between which the four chariots come forth—what do they represent? They certainly do not picture the mountain height of Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives right to its east. What they stand for becomes clear from what Zechariah is now told:
4. From where does the angel say that the chariots come forth?
4 “And I proceeded to answer and say to the angel who was speaking with me: ‘What are these, my lord?’ So the angel answered and said to me: ‘These are the four spirits of the heavens that are going forth after having taken their station before the Lord of the whole earth.’”—Zechariah 6:4, 5.
5. Who is “the Lord of the whole earth,” and why did the four chariots take their stand before him?
5 Aha! not material war chariots from the flatlands of Egypt are these, but they are visionary chariots, symbolizing the “four spirits of the heavens that are going forth after having taken their station before the Lord of the whole earth.” And who is that “Lord of the whole earth”? (Zechariah 4:14) It is Jehovah of armies. (Micah 4:13) And where is he located? In the heavens, in his holy spiritual temple. It is before Him that these four symbolic chariots present themselves, taking their stand respectfully before Him to receive their official commission, their assignments with respect to the earth of which He is the Lord. After that they emerge from between the two symbolic copper mountains.
6. Scripturally, what do the two copper mountains picture?
6 These two mountains of copper must accordingly picture mountains of God. That is to say, governmental organizations of God. This is not surprising, for in the Holy Scriptures mountains are used as the symbols of royal governments, kingdoms. For example, God’s angel said to the Christian apostle John concerning the seven-headed wild beast that carried the harlot, Babylon the Great: “The seven heads mean seven mountains, where the woman sits on top. And there are seven kings.” (Revelation 17:9, 10) So the one copper mountain would picture the personal kingdom of Jehovah God in which he reigns as Universal Sovereign. The second copper mountain would represent the Messianic kingdom that Jehovah establishes in the hands of his only-begotten Son, Messiah Jesus.
7. (a) That second mountain was seen by Daniel in vision as coming into existence in what way? (b) When and how does the fulfillment of its work take place?
7 This second copper mountain is the one seen in a dream by King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon just eighty-seven years before this eighth vision to Zechariah. This was at first the stone that was cut out of a large mountain without hands and that then struck and crushed the political image of Gentile domination of all mankind, after which that symbolic stone grew and became a large mountain that filled the whole earth. Explaining this mountain to be a picture of the Messianic kingdom of God’s Son, Daniel said: “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.” (Daniel 2:35, 44, 45) That Messianic kingdom was “cut out” in the year 1914 C.E., at the close of the Gentile Times, and in the oncoming “war of the great day of God the Almighty” at Har–Magedon, it will clear the earth of all these Gentile governments.
8. When did these chariots come forth from between the two symbolic mountains, and how does their being of copper comport with what they symbolize?
8 Consequently, after the Gentile Times ended in early autumn of 1914 C.E., there were two symbolic “copper mountains,” namely, Jehovah’s royal government of His universal sovereignty and the Messianic kingdom of his royal Son Jesus Christ. So it is from between these two heavenly governments that the four symbolic “chariots” come forth. Evidently they came forth in the postwar year of 1919 C.E., when the remnant of spiritual Israel was released from Babylon the Great and went to work at building up the theocratic worship of Jehovah God at his spiritual temple. Anciently, copper was a noble metal like gold and silver, and it was used in Jehovah’s sacred tabernacle of worship and also in the temple at Jerusalem. Appropriately, then, the noble quality of the copper of the two symbolic mountains represented the noble quality as well as the weighty stability of Jehovah’s kingdom of universal sovereignty and of his Messianic kingdom by his Son.
9. How is it that the four chariots are said to be the “four spirits of the heavens,” and what service do these render?
9 How can it be that the four chariots pulled by sets of horses of different colors are “the four spirits of the heavens”? (Zechariah 6:5) It is because, in the fulfillment of the prophetic vision, they are angelic spirit forces, who have access to the presence of the heavenly “Lord of the whole earth.” Jehovah is the One “making his angels spirits.” (Psalm 104:1-4; Hebrews 1:7) He being “Jehovah of armies,” he can use these angels as in a military capacity for the protection of his chosen people. As Jesus Christ said to the apostle Peter before a mob in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father to supply me at this moment more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) Since these “four spirits of the heavens” are pictured by horse-drawn war chariots, they picture bands of heavenly angels who are commissioned by their heavenly Commander in Chief to protect His people on earth during the time of rebuilding His temple of worship at Jerusalem.
10. Where do the chariot-drawing horses go on their respective assignments?
10 Where, then, is it that (1) the red horses, (2) the black horses, (3) the white horses, and (4) the speckled, parti-colored horses go forth on assignment? In answer, the angel explained to Zechariah regarding the movements of the four chariots: “‘As for the one in which the black horses are, they are going forth to the land of the north; and as for the white ones, they must go forth to behind the sea [literally, ‘after them’; that is, to their own rear]; and as for the speckled ones, they must go forth to the land of the south. And as for the parti-colored ones, they must go forth and keep seeking where to go, in order to walk about in the earth.’ Then he said: ‘Go, walk about in the earth.’ And they began walking about in the earth.”—Zechariah 6:6, 7.a
11. (a) Why do the red horses seem to be overlooked? (b) What assignments do the other horses respectively have, and in what behalf?
11 The “red horses” seem to be overlooked here; but this seeming oversight may be because they have already finished their assignment of military patrol duty. The black horses go to the “land of the north,” that is to say, to territory formerly that of Babylonia. The white horses go their way westward, the direction opposite from what they were facing (the sunrising). The speckled, parti-colored horses appear to have a double assignment, namely, “the land of the south” (toward Africa, including Egypt) and to reconnoiter the remaining open country, the eastern parts not covered by the other chariots. Jehovah’s angel told all the chariots to go to their assignments respecting the various quarters of the earth. Obediently they did so, to safeguard God’s people in Judah.
12. Of what force is this vision to those restoring pure worship, and what scriptures do they have in mind?
12 What a comfort such import of this vision must have been to the temple builders in Zechariah’s day! They did not have to worry about violent interference from their enemies to stop their work on the house of Jehovah’s worship. How strengthening and heartening this is, too, for the anointed remnant of spiritual Israel today while they are engaged in restoring to the fullest extent the pure, undefiled worship of the Sovereign Lord of the whole earth at his spiritual temple! They confide in the divine promise: “The angel of Jehovah is camping all around those fearing him, and he rescues them.” (Psalm 34:7) By faith they see what the eyes of the prophet Elisha’s attendant at besieged Dothan were opened miraculously to see: “The mountainous region was full of horses and war chariots of fire all around Elisha.”—2 Kings 6:17.
13. As the chariots go forth on patrol duty, what does Jehovah say about the black horses as respects his spirit?
13 The eighth and last vision to the prophet Zechariah closes as he sees and hears Jehovah’s approval expressed as the military patrol work of the four symbolic chariots proceeds. Zechariah tells us: “And he proceeded to cry out to me and speak to me, saying: ‘See, those going forth to the land of the north are the ones that have caused the spirit of Jehovah to rest in the land of the north.’”—Zechariah 6:8.
14. How was danger shown to exist in that “land of the north” even in the days of King Darius I of Persia?
14 The expression “the land of the north” refers to Babylonia. (Jeremiah 25:8, 9) Even during the reign of King Darius I of Persia there was danger from that quarter. As indicative of this, we read in the book “Babylon the Great Has Fallen!” God’s Kingdom Rules! page 376, the following history:
. . . This is, of course, not Darius the Mede, but King Darius I the Persian, who began ruling the empire in 522 B.C.
In that year Darius I had to move against Babylon and its local ruler (Nidintu-Bel), who had taken the name of Nebuchadnezzar III. Darius defeated him in battle and shortly afterward captured him and killed him at Babylon, which had tried to assert its independence. After that Darius I was recognized as king of Babylon till September, 521 B.C.E. Then Babylon revolted under the Armenian Araka, who took the name of Nebuchadnezzar IV. Thus Darius had to reconquer the Babylonians. After the city had been taken by storm that same year, he entered Babylon as conqueror. The old tradition was thus broken, namely, that Babylon’s god Bel was the one to confer on a man the right to rule that part of the earth; and Darius the conqueror ceased to acknowledge such a false claim. What a blow for Bel or Marduk! This time, after the Persians took the city, they did not deal with it leniently, as Cyrus had dealt with it.—See also page 317, paragraph 1.
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