Did you know that the Bible tells
us that God has horses too? When I started contemplating this topic
the following four instances came to mind where the Bible speaks of
horses in connection to God. The first instance is in the life of
Elijah. You all know that Elijah was an Old Testament prophet sent
to Israel to proclaim God's coming judgment on them. He was sent so
that Israel might repent of their sins and of following Baal and
turn back to God. Elijah did many miracles in the process, and God
was mightily with him. The end of his life was no less
extraordinary. He never died, but while talking with Elisha, God
came to fetch him:
Then it happened, as they
continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared
with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went
up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11).
God came to fetch Elijah with
horses of fire. Isn't it amazing? God's horses are horses of fire,
burning to the glory of His name, connecting man with Heaven. They
came and took Elijah to Heaven.
Another instance where heavenly
horses are mentioned is in 2 Kings 6:17. The king of Syria was very
angry with Elisha, because by the Spirit, Elisha could warn the
king of Israel of where the king of Syria wanted to attack next.
The king of Syria became so angry that he sent horses, chariots,
and a great army to Dothan to capture Elisha. Elisha's servant was
beside himself with fear when he saw this multitude coming for
them. But Elisha was cool and relaxed because he knew that those
who were with them were more than this great army. He then prayed
and asked God to open up the eyes of his servant:
And behold, the mountain was
full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings
6:17).
Once again, horses of fire are
mentioned. And this time they are symbolic of God's protection, a
loving God looking after His people. It is so reassuring, knowing
that horses of fire are there to protect us from the onslaughts of
the other four horses coming our way.
Another time horses are mentioned
is in 2 Kings 7:6. Here, the king of Syria besieged Samaria. Severe
famine started to infiltrate Samaria, but God was merciful to them.
Look at what God did:
For the Lord had caused the
army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of
horses-the noise of a great army; so they said to one another,
"Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the
Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!" Therefore
they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact-their
tents, their horses, and their donkeys-and they fled for their
lives (2 Kings 7:6-7).
God fought on their behalf with His
horses and freed the people of Samaria. And He will do the same for
us. He will come with His horses and drive away the enemy so that
they need to flee. Isn't it just wonderful? Then the final time
that God's horses are mentioned is in Revelation 19. This is when
Jesus and His army come to destroy the Antichrist and his army.
Now I saw heaven opened, and
behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful
and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes
were like a flame of fire… And the armies in heaven, clothed in
fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
(Revelation 19:11-12, 14).
The horses of fire are finally
replaced by white horses. Why? Because Jesus is coming as the
Victor; He is coming to live on earth. His eyes this time were the
flame of fire. In other words, the horses of fire represent Heaven.
Now when Jesus comes, He represents Heaven; He is
the heavenly One. The horses are not symbolic of it anymore because
He is here, living amongst His people. The white horse represents
now His righteousness given freely to men. But to those who didn't
accept Him, the white horse will mean victory over them!
All and all, God's horses represent
Heaven, our connection to Heaven. They also represent protection
and victory over our enemies. We needn't fear. God's horses are
ready to stall the other four horses in their tracks and to chase
them away. All we need to do is to make the Kingdom of God our
primary concern. Then everything else will be added unto us
(Matthew 6:33).
(Excerpt from The Four
Horses by Ilze Henderson)