The Monarch Butterfly—An Illustration of Transformation—Part 22—The Created Realm and Further Exhibits

 

Monarch Butterfly

Introduction and Review

The previous part of this series examined the number four and its connection to categorizing themes of current events and prophecy.

This installment will study the same connection as it applies to nature and creation.

Killdeer Eggs in the Field 

Killdeer—Bird of the Field—Four

The Killdeer is also known as a plover, a ground-nesting bird, and a bird of the field. It makes its nest in sandy gravel and in bare, open areas far from water (in the wilderness). It lays four eggs that hatch in 28 days (4 weeks). The young are born ready to run and peck to eat. They mainly feed on ground invertebrates. They use an interesting technique to distract potential predators from their eggs and young by pretending to be injured and leading the offender away from the nest.

A Box Jellyfish
Smithsonian Science

The Box Jelly Fish—Four

The Box Jellyfish, otherwise known as Cubozoa, is a cubed-shaped creature that differs from other Jellyfish species and is stamped with the number four.

They have 24 (4 x 6) eyes of four types (up, down, dark, and light), 16 (4 x 4) of which are pits containing light-sensitive pigment. One pair (8 - 4 x 2) in each cluster has more intricate parts, of which there are four (lens, retina, iris, and cornea). These are said to point towards the sky regardless of conditions and to assist in navigating murky water. There are four brain clusters and 60 (4 x 15) anal regions. This one, in particular, is a deadly Jellyfish known as the Sea Wasp. Its nervous system is more developed than that of other Jellyfish. It can weigh up to 4.4 pounds and swim up to speeds of 4 knots. Unlike other varieties of Jellyfish, it is predatory. It rests at night and eats during the day.

Mars

The Fourth Planet

Mars is the fourth terrestrial planet in our solar system. It is approximately 4,000 miles in diameter and is known as "the red planet," presumably because of its iron oxide, or rust. Iron in the Bible symbolizes rebellion, stubbornness, and the decay that comes from it. It was named after the Roman god of war. The Borealis basin covered 40 percent of the planet and was flown by Mariner 4 in 1965. After Mars, the four planets are gaseous, depicting flesh by the first four and spirit by the second four.

... the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 

— I Corinthians 15:46

May "His Kingdom come, and His will be done on the earth as it is in heaven."

Julius Schnoor von Carlsfeld

All Created Things and Events Are Under His Feet

Matthew 14:24-26, Mark 5:47-49, and John 6:47-49 record some fours that exhibit the created realm as well as a signal that change is about to occur.

It concerns an event just after Jesus' feeding of the five thousand, which represented Christ's provision of salvation to the Jews. Jesus departed to a mountain, and Mark records that.

"He alone was on the land." 

Matthew wrote the following after He instructed His disciples to head towards the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Now in the fourth watch of the night (time) Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 

— Matthew 14:25

John records that this event occurred after 

... they had rowed about three or four miles. 

— John 6:19

Four events occur consecutively during this time, and all of them show Jesus' power and authority over the created realm, as displayed and illustrated by

  1. the wind and the waves,
  2. followed by a man loosed from a spiritual malady,
  3. followed by a woman with a physical issue of blood, representing sin and sickness,
  4. followed by death.
These four events collectively show us that everything in this created realm is under His feet and subject to His authority, whether natural, spiritual, sin/sickness, or death.

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 

— I Corinthians 15:24-25  
 
Joshua Renewing the Covenant With Israel
Illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company, 1907

Covenant

The entire Bible is set forth to reveal the concept of covenant—the life-and-death agreement between God and His man and the relational terms of that arrangement.

C.I. Scofield once again observes in his Bible commentary on the Genesis Covenants.

"Of the eight great covenants which condition human life, and the divine redemption, four, the ... 

1. Edenic 
2. Adamic 
3. Noahic 
4. and Abrahamic 

... are in this book (Genesis), and these are the fundamental covenants to which the other four, 

1. The Mosaic 
2. the Palestinian 
3. Davidic 
4. and New Covenant 

... are related chiefly as adding detail or development."

There were four commissions to the Edenic Covenant

1. Be fruitful, and
2. multiply, and
3. replenish the earth, and
4. subdue it

— Genesis 1:28

Royal Grant covenants customarily consisted of four main sections:

  1. a preamble noting the parties involved;
  2. the provisions in the grant;
  3. restrictions or stipulations for the continuance of certain oaths taken at the time of enactment and
  4. some sort of covenantal sign
Genealogies of the Ancient Near East served four functions
  1. economic
  2. tribal
  3. political
  4. domestic
The Expositor's Bible Commentary

This concludes part twenty-two of this series. The twenty-third installment will offer some final notes and a complete list of sources for this series.

© 2014 Tamarajo

Links to All Parts of the Series

The Monarch Butterfly—An Illustration of Transformation—Part 1—Introduction






The Monarch Butterfly—An Illustration of Transformation—Part 9—Transformations in the Book of Acts

The Monarch Butterfly—An Illustration of Transformation—Part 10—The Number Four and Doors

The Monarch Butterfly—An Illustration of Transformation—Part 11—The Old Testament Beginning With Noah











Sources for this entire series can be found in Part 23, the concluding article.   


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