In the previous vision God has spoken about how judgment begins with the household of God. But this does not mean that judgment never comes to the enemies of God. Here we turn to discover that the purposes of God in judgment are consistently displayed throughout the entire earth.
Zechariah does more than lift his eyes this time; he turns and raises his eyes. Four chariots come out from between two mountains of bronze. The chariots are pulled by horses of various colors — red, black, white, and dappled or mixed. The horses stand, eager to go. Given the word, the blacks head north, toward Babylon, followed by the white horses. The dappled horses head south toward Egypt. The destination of the red horses is not mentioned specifically. The chariots are the spirits (or winds) of the Lord, going out from the presence of the Lord of all the earth, bringing judgments of various kinds.
Contrasting this with the first vision, we see scouts replaced by war chariots, and we see the report of peace replaced with the stirring up of war and distress. We see a gulch filled with myrtle trees replaced by a valley between two bronze mountains.
Earlier in Zechariah (4:7), we learned that a great mountain before Zerubabbel would become a plain, meaning that the obstacle presented to him would be readily overcome. Here, the conquest of God proceeds from between two mountains of bronze, indicating their indestructible nature. Remember that we are in Jerusalem. The mountains probably correspond to the two great mountains there — Mt. Moriah, where the Temple was being built, and Mt. Zion, which was a symbol of regal power (Ps. 48:2; 2 Sam. 5:7). Consequently, the mountains correspond to the two olive trees, which represented the priestly line and the royal house respectively. The ecclesiastical and civil nature of the kingdom of God are united, distinct, and impregnable.
The number four indicates universality. The four chariots here mean the same kind of thing meant by the four winds of Daniel (Dan. 7:2), the four cherubs of Ezekiel (Eze. 1:5), the four angels at the four corners of the earth in Revelation (Rev. 7:1), and the four winds earlier in Zechariah (2:6).
The red horses symbolize bloodshed and war (Rev. 6:4). We are not given a particular destination for these horses, but we may assume they had a role to play outside the purpose of Zechariah’s vision. The black horses symbolize famine and gloom (Rev. 6:5-6). The city of Babylon had been subdued by the Persians shortly before this, but three years later, they revolted and were utterly wasted by Darius. The black horses did head north. The white horses symbolize the victory and peace which follow a conflict (Rev. 6:2). The white horses follow the black ones to Babylon, meaning the conflict would be done and Babylon was to be subdued. The dappled or mixed horses symbolize a mixture of war and peace. These horses headed south to Egypt, another great prideful adversary of the people of God.
We may see in this vision a principle that comforts the faithful throughout all generations. First, God works all things according to His good pleasure. His purposes concerning His kingdom are fixed and sure. When we consider how God intervenes in the history of the sons of men, we should remember that His chariots leave the valley between two bronze mountains. The gates of Hades will not prevail against His church.
There is more to this than holding the fort — a good defense is insufficient. The chariots go forth, and they accomplish His will in the affairs of all men, whether believing or unbelieving. The fact that we see no pattern simply means that we do not understand His purpose and plan; it does not mean that He has no purpose and plan. One who does not understand something complicated, like a tactic in a battle or a play in a game, does not have the right to accuse those who do understand it of advocating anarchy. And lasta, when God acts in judgment, it brings rest to His Spirit. In a way consistent with His immutable character, the sins of men grieve and offend God. When He acts in judgment, it brings Him rest.