Mon.’s Devo - Red Horse and the Red Dragon

Read: Zechariah 1:1-21; Revelation12:1-17; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 30:17 Zechariah’s name means “Yahweh Remembers”. He prophesied with Haggai and his message was the same. He was called to rally the people to return to the task of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. God told Zechariah that he had been very angry with their ancestor’s because they had rebelled and refused to listen to him so he wanted Zechariah to tell the people what he was saying. He wanted them to repent and return to him. He reminded them that everything the prophets had said to them came true and they had gotten exactly what they deserved because they hadn’t heard the prophets then. He begged them to listen now. Three months later, Zechariah had a vision of a red horse standing among the myrtle trees in a valley. Behind him were horses with riders. The horses were red, brown, and white. God explained that these riders were his messengers that patrolled the earth and brought back to him the message that the whole earth was at peace. An angel with the Lord reminded the Lord that he had been mad at Israel for 70 years and wanted to know when he would show mercy on them. God reassured the angel that the time was now and that he had never stopped loving Israel. It was time to harm the nations that harmed them. He showed them four horns that stood for the four nations that had been Israel’s enemies and four blacksmiths who were being set loose to harm them and destroy them. These four nations were the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman kingdoms. In Revelation, John was shown an event in heaven. A woman was clothed with the sun, standing on the moon. She wore a crown of 12 stars. She was in labor with her child. Then there was another event. A large red dragon with seven heads and ten horn and seven crowns on his heads appeared. With its tail it swept away one-third of the stars in the sky. He threw them to the earth. He stood before the woman ready to devour her baby. She gave birth to a baby who was destined to rule all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God before the dragon could get him and the woman fled to the wilderness. The dragon was the devil who was thrown down to earth. No longer could he accuse God’s people before the throne of God. When the devil realized he was on earth, he went after the woman but God had given her wings like an eagle so she could go to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be protected for a time, times, and half a time. The devil tried to flood her out but the earth helped her bay swallowing the river. The dragon was so mad he declared war against the rest of her children and all who keep God’s commandments and testify of Jesus. Since Revelation is for the past, present, and future we can see that this woman stands for Mary, the Church right now and those who will go through the Tribulation. Jesus is the baby who is destined to rule all the nations. The third of the stars that were thrown to the earth are the unborn, the babied during the time of Herod and the children who are being killed now. They never got to shine as their lives were cut short. Whenever God is about to do something significant on the earth there is an onslaught against innocent children. Lord, may we know the hour in which we live and be courageous and not give up.