Sat.’s Devo - God’s Patrols -

Read: Zechariah 6:1-7:14; Revelation 15:1-8; Psalm 143:1-12; Proverbs 30:24-28 Zechariah was shown four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. The first was pulled by red horses and the second by black. A third chariot was pulled by white horse and the fourth by dappled-gray. They were sent by God to patrol the earth. The black were sent north, the white went west and the gray-dappled was sent south. John was shown what happened to the chariot sent north. It vented God’s anger until it was subsided. Zechariah received another message that Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah would bring gifts of silver and gold from the Jews exiled in Babylon. When they arrived, Zechariah was to take them to the house of Josiah. There, they would accept the gifts and make a crown from the silver and gold and put it on the head of Jeshua. He was called the Branch and he would branch out from where he was and build the Temple of the Lord. He would receive royal honor and rule as a king. There would be a perfect harmony between his role as a priest and his role as a king. (No separation of church and state there.) People would come from all over the world to help him build the Temple of the Lord. This was a picture of Jesus the Branch who would come the first time to redeem us from slavery. His salvation would branch out to all peoples and many would become a part of the Kingdom of God. Jesus would come back a second time to set up an earthly kingdom where he will have a Temple on earth and we will all come and worship him there. In the fourth year of Darius’ reign, God came to Zechariah and gave him his response to the people of Bethel. They had sent representatives to Jerusalem to ask if they should continue to mourn and fast the anniversary of the Temple’s destruction. God responded with a question. Were they really doing all that fasting for Him or for themselves? Then God gave them the same answer that Isaiah had given the people about fasting. Fasting isn’t about not eating but it was about not sinning. It was about judging fairly, showing mercy and kindness to one another; not oppressing the widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor and not scheming against each other. This had been the crux of the situation 70 years ago and it was the same now. In Revelation, John saw the sea of people standing before the Temple with harps singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. They were people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. The Temple doors were thrown wide open. The seven angels holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple. They were clothes in white linen robes with gold sashes across their chests. They were each handed a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God. The Temple was so filled with God’s presence that none could enter until the bowls had been poured out on the earth. Lord, I don’t know where we are as pertaining to Revelation and the end, but I do know that it is how we honor you and treat one another that is what is important to You. May we honor what your honor and hate what you hate. Lead us through the chapters of our lives. Thank you that You patrol the earth and You make the decisions for us. We trust in You.