The Monarch Butterfly—An Illustration of Transformation—Part 19

Monarch Butterfly

Introduction and Review

The previous part of this series examined the number four and its connection to categorizing themes of change, transition, and transformation as they apply to the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, Esther, and Job.

This installment will study the same connection in the books of the Prophets.

A Frieze of Prophets by John Singer Sargent

The Prophetic

God's prophetic plan includes four created things:

Angels,
Gentiles
The Church
And Israel

Four prophetic books are occupied with Gentile world history:

Daniel
Obadiah
Jonah
and Nahum

The number four categorizes the prophetic things in the Bible, as in God's message and Word communicated in the earth, established in Matthew four times with these introductions.

1. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying

— Matthew 1:22

2. For thus it is written by the prophet

— Mathew 2:6

3. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying

— Matthew 2:15

4. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying

—Matthew 2:17

Isaiah 21 and 22: Four Burdens

C.I. Scofield titles the section in Isaiah consisting of chapters 21 and 22.

"The four burdens, anticipating Sennacherib's invasion (II Kings 18:13)"

He titles the first burden the following.

"The burden of the desert"

The first verse opens with the following.

The burden of the desert of the sea.

— Isaiah 21:1

In Hebrew, the word "desert" in the first verse is "midbar," which can refer to any wilderness. This topic was studied earlier in the fourth book of the Bible, Numbers. This connection would make more sense in understanding the sea as a wilderness or uninhabited place. The sea is also used metaphorically to refer to a multitude of people.

Woe to the multitude of many people
Who make a noise like the roar of the seas,
And to the rushing of nations
That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!

— Isaiah 17:12

The second burden named in this section is the burden of Dumah. Dumah's name means "silence," and they are a people descended from Ishmael. This name is mentioned four times in the Scripture.

The burden against Dumah.

He calls to me out of Seir,
“Watchman, what of the night?
Watchman, what of the night?”
The watchman said,
“The morning comes, and also the night.
If you will inquire, inquire;
Return! Come back!”

— Isaiah 21:11-12

Night and morning are referenced four times in this section, as discussed at the beginning of this article. Also, note the theme of repentance.

The third burden is upon Arabia. The definition of this word describes a nomadic mixed group. It is rooted in the word "evening," which conveys the idea of mixing light and dark. They fled four things.

For they fled from the swords,
from the drawn sword,
From the bent bow,
and from the distress of war.

—Isaiah 21:15

The fourth burden, found in chapter 22, is titled:

"The burden of the valley of vision"

In verses 12 and 13, there are four expressions of repentance.

And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for

1. weeping and for
2. mourning, For
3. baldness
4. and for girding with sackcloth.

— Isaiah 22:12

Also, it shows four things that those who live only for this physical world resort to.

1. Slaying oxen
2. and killing sheep
3. Eating meat
4. and drinking wine

“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

— Isaiah 22:13

The four burdens wrap up with the promise of the coming Messiah-King. (Messiah is also themed by four)

Then it shall be in that day,
That I will call My servant Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah;

1. I will clothe him with your robe and strengthen him with your belt.
2. I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. The key of the house of David
3. I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
4. I will fasten him as a peg in a secure place, and he will become a glorious throne to his father’s house.

— Isaiah 22:21-23

Isaiah Chapter Twenty—Four Judgments of the Earth

Isaiah chapter twenty-four (4 x 6) is titled "The Judgment on the Earth" in some Bibles. It is also known as the "Isaiah Apocalypse." The Hebrew word "eretz," most commonly translated as "earth," appears 16 times (4 x 4) in this chapter. The first verse opens with the four things God will do in and to the earth.

Behold, the Lord

1. makes the earth empty and
2. makes it waste,
3. Distorts its surface And
4. scatters abroad its inhabitants

— Isaiah 24:1

Verse two lists six comparisons of people affected by this. Six is the number of humankind and suggests the universality of the judgment.

The following three mentions of "eretz" (earth) from our first set of four repeat these themes in verses three and four. The next set of four begins in verse five, with four reasons the earth becomes defiled.

The earth is also

1. defiled under its inhabitants, because they have

2. transgressed the laws,
3. Changed the ordinance,
4. Broken the everlasting covenant

— Isaiah 24:5

Again, the following three of the second set of four expand on the theme.

The third of the four uses of the word "eretz" (earth) occurs in Isaiah 24:13-18 and is less obvious, in the comparative form. Still, a set of four created things affected by the judgment nonetheless begins with its first use in the following verse.

When it shall be thus in the midst of

1. the land among
2. The people, it shall be like
3. The shaking of an olive tree, like
4. The gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done

— Isaiah 24:13

The final three mentions (vs. 14-18) of "eretz" (earth) in set three, along with the first, speak of four places and persons taken together.

1. "In the midst of the earth",
2. "The uttermost part of the earth",
3. "The inhabitant of the earth",
4. "The foundations of the earth."

The fourth and final set of the four uses of this word refers to the condition of the earth under judgment.

1. The earth is utterly broken;
2. The earth is torn asunder;
3. The earth is shaken violently.
4. The earth staggers to and fro like the drunkard, and it sways like a hut, and its transgression is heavy upon it, and it falls and does not rise again.

— Isaiah 24:19-20

Notice that the fourth mention of the earth caps off the statement with four things that "The Expositor's Bible Commentary" takes note of.

"The whole earthly order is proved unstable ... Instability in every realm."

When reading your English version, you may notice "earth" is used more than the stated 16 times. The reason is that they translated "adamah" (ground, soil) also as "earth." I have only accounted for the Hebrew word "eretz."

Book of Isaiah
Philip de Loutherbourg
Bowyer Bible

The Four Servant—Messiah Songs of Isaiah

Referring to the Lord Jesus Christ's Messiahship and servanthood, the book of Isaiah foretells His coming in the form of the "Four Servant Songs," which depict the plan of humanity's redemption. The fourth (Isaiah 53) is popularly known as "The Gospel of Isaiah."

William Pounds at "Abide in Christ", in his commentary on the Servant Songs, fittingly observes the connection with the number four as it pertains to God's purposes in transforming us through redemption and in bringing His Kingdom to the earth.

It is a message of God's saving grace. God's eternal purpose is redemption, and He works out that eternal purpose in history ... The task of the Servant is to establish "justice in the earth."

The first one follows the themes of creation.
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax, He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:

“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

— Isaiah 42:1-7

The second song is spoken in the voice of the Messiah. It follows the theme of the Messiah/Servant of the Lord's formation in the womb and His salvation reaching the ends of the earth. The song ends much like Genesis begins, with the heavens and the earth God created rejoicing over His works.

“Listen, O coastlands, to Me,
And take heed, you peoples from afar!
The Lord has called Me from the womb;
From the matrix of my mother, he has made mention of my name.

And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;
In the shadow of His hand, He has hidden Me,
And made Me a polished shaft;
In His quiver He has hidden Me.”

“And He said to me,
‘You are My servant, O Israel,
In whom I will be glorified.’

Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain.
Yet surely my just reward is with the Lord,
And my work with my God.’”

“And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, (Jesus identifies Himself as the Light of the world most frequently in the fourth Gospel)
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’

” Thus says the Lord,
The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,
To Him whom man despises,
To Him whom the nation abhors,
To the Servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise,
Princes also shall worship,
Because of the Lord who is faithful,
The Holy One of Israel;
And He has chosen You.”

Thus says the Lord:

“In an acceptable time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation, I have helped You;
I will preserve You and give You
As a covenant to the people,
To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

That you may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’
To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

“They shall feed along the roads,
And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.

They shall neither hunger nor thirst,
Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;
For He who has mercy on them will lead them,
Even by the springs of water, He will guide them.

I will make each of My mountains a road,
And My highways shall be elevated.

Surely these shall come from afar;
Look! Those from the north and the west,
And these from the land of Sinim.”

Sing, O heavens!
Be joyful, O earth!
And break out in singing, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
And will have mercy on His afflicted.

— Isaiah 49:1-13

The third song begins with verse 4 of Isaiah 50 and speaks of the suffering the Messiah/Servant of the Lord will endure and his vindication.

“The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned.

The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.

I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

“For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.

He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is My adversary?
Let him come near Me.

Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;
The moth will eat them up.

— Isaiah 50:4-9

The fourth and final song expresses the final victory of the Messiah or "Servant of the Lord" through His fourfold suffering on our behalf, as seen in verse five.

Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

Just as many were astonished at you,
So His visage was marred more than any man,
And His form more than the sons of men;

So shall He sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths at Him;

For what had not been told them, they shall see,
And what they had not heard, they shall consider.

Who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him

(4) Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted. (verse 5)

1. But He was wounded for our transgressions,
2. He was bruised for our iniquities;
3. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
4. And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, everyone, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people, He was stricken.

And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge, My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

— Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

The first and last of the Servant Songs begin with "behold my servant." Also, in verse four, the description "changes" from the negative estimation of the Messiah in the eyes of man to the purpose for which the Messiah — Servant of the Lord had to suffer on our behalf.

Gotquestions.org makes this keen fourfold observation, confirming that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.

In Acts 3:13, Peter calls Jesus the “servant” of God. That verse says, in part, “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Peter’s description of Jesus as a “servant” is accurate for at least four reasons:

1. Jesus always did the will of the Father (John 4:34; 6:38).
2. Jesus never sought to please Himself but always to please the Father (John 5:30).
3. Jesus finished the work that God had sent Him to do (John 17:4).
4. Jesus came to glorify the Father (John 13:31; 17:4).

All four confirmations are found in the fourth Gospel.

Jeremiah was known as the "Weeping Prophet."

Jeremiah

There are four formative actions of God toward the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter one, in which He called him to deliver a transforming message to His people.

Before

1. I formed you in the womb
2. I knew you; Before you were born
3. I sanctified you;
4. I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

— Jeremiah 1:5

In verse 18 of this chapter, God gives Jeremiah three (spiritual) forms of support: an image of a fortified city, a pillar of iron, and a bronze wall against four (natural and earthly) groups of people.

1. Against the kings of Judah,
2. Against its princes,
3. Against its priests,
4. And against the people of the land

Jeremiah, chapter 15, contains a very similar theme and an unsavory message, recording four forms of destruction for the unrepentant.

And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:

1. “Such as are for death, to death;
2. And such as are for the sword, to the sword;
3. And such as are for the famine, to the famine;
4. And such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.”’

“And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction,” says the Lord:

1. “The sword to slay,
2. the dogs to drag,
3. the birds of the heavens and
4. the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

— Jeremiah 15:2-3

Jeremiah 29:17 lists another four forms of destruction.

... thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them

1. the sword,
2. the famine, and
3. the pestilence, and
4. will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

— Jeremiah 20:17

There are four major themes in Jeremiah 2-6, according to The Expositor's Bible Commentary.

1. God's indignation against moral and social sin

2. His love for His people and land

3. The certainty of doom on the unrepentant nation

4. Salvation for the Believing

In Jeremiah chapter 13, God tells Jeremiah to give His people an object lesson by hiding a "girdle" in the hole of a rock at the Euphrates River. This river is used four times in this chapter and is also the fourth river listed in Genesis' garden description—the Euphrates drainage basin is presently 444,000 square kilometers. Along this river, the first ancient urban civilizations were developed about 4000 years ago, including Ur of the Chaldees, from which Abraham came. When God tells Abraham to leave this place, He promises to give him all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates (Genesis 15). Revelation 9 announces, from the four horns of the golden altar, a message about four angels that are bound in the Euphrates, along with four-time references.

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.

Saying to the sixth angel, which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an

1. hour, and
2. a day, and
3. a month, and
4. a year, to slay the third part of men

— Revelation 9:14-15

This chapter in Revelation ends with four things that men refuse to repent from despite the judgment.

Neither repented they of their

1. murders, nor of their
2. sorceries, nor of their
3. fornication, nor of their
4. thefts.

— Revelation 9:21

Revelation also says that the Euphrates will dry up in the end times.

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared

— Revelation 16:12

Interestingly, this is the fourth and final river listed at the beginning.

And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is, it which goes toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

— Genesis 2:14

A New York Times article titled "Iraq Suffers as the Euphrates River Dwindles," published July 13, 2009, confirms this possibility. Another source says that it could be completely dried up by 2040.

In chapters 25 and 36 of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim's reign, a particular phrase is used four times that announces the impending captivity of Judah. Judgment marked a transition, as Jehoiakim became the first of Israel's Kings to be a vassal and a subject of another kingdom. First, it began with Necho of Egypt and, subsequently, with Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In terms of relatable cultural deviancies, Wikipedia shares this.

"Rabbinical literature describes Jehoiakim as a godless tyrant who committed atrocious sins and crimes. He is portrayed as living in incestuous relations with his mother, daughter-in-law, and stepmother, and was in the habit of murdering men, whose wives he then violated and whose property he seized. He also had tattooed his body."

King Jehoiakim was so resistant to the message of impending judgment that he burned the scrolls on which it was written and refused to repent. Chapter 25 opens with a similar theme with another transition in the fourth year of King Zedekiah's reign, the very last King of Judah before the Kingdom was destroyed and the people carried away captive.

The Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

Ezekiel's Twenty-Four (4 x 6) Elders, Four Wheels, and Four Living Creatures

Much like the Book of Revelation, Ezekiel can be cryptic regarding all its imagery and symbols. It amazes me that, even within this, we can find such spectacular numeric-symmetrical consistency.

Ezekiel presents the four living creatures that announce the judgments in the earth. Each creature has four faces,

lion,
ox,
eagle,
and man.

— E.W. Bullinger

John Gill, a famous theologian, explains the role of four in this section as it relates to the 24 elders and the spread of the Gospel, creation, and its ties to the book of Revelation. In his commentary, he pulls together several themes already discussed in this article.

Now, as I beheld the living creatures

— Ezekiel 1:15 While he had the vision of them, and when he was considering their form and likeness, and what should be the meaning of them: behold, one wheel upon the earth; the Jews understand this of an angel, who stood upon the earth ... but the more common interpretation of them is, that they design the visible world, and all things in it ... the true interpretation of them, as of the living creatures, is to be fetched from the vision in the fourth chapter of Revelation and as the four living creatures here are the same with the four beasts there; so the wheels are the same with the four and twenty elders, the representatives of Gospel churches, as appears by both being in the same situation; as there is a throne, and next to that the four beasts, and next to them the four and twenty elders; here also is a throne, and next to the throne the four living creatures or cherubim, and next the living creatures, and by the side of them the wheels; and this is further manifest by their being both under the same influence and motion; as the four beasts were the first agents and movers, and the four and twenty elders were directed by them, who went before them in their devotion; so the wheels moved as the living creatures did; when the living creatures went, they went; when they stood, the wheels stood; and when the creatures were lifted up, the wheels were also; and the wheels are a very proper emblem of churches under the Gospel dispensation; partly for their round form, a symbol of perfection; the churches of Christ being more perfect under the gospel dispensation than the church was under the legal one: and partly for their movableness from place to place; churches are not always in the same place; they have been removed from Judea into the Gentile world; and they have wheeled about there, sometimes in one place, and sometimes in another: as also for their changeable state and situation; being sometimes in prosperity, and sometimes in adversity: likewise for the work done by them; many things are done by the help and with the use of wheels; much work is done in and by the churches of Christ; here the Gospel is preached, ordinances administered, divine worship in all its parts performed, sinners are converted, and saints are edified and comforted; and as, when wheels are in motion, they make a great noise and rattling; so when there is any great work going on in the churches of Christ, it makes a great noise in the world; as at the first preaching and spread of the Gospel, both in Judea, and among the Gentiles; and at the time of the Reformation; and as there will be when antichrist shall be destroyed, and the Gospel shall be spread all the world over ; to which may be added, that these wheels, together with the cherubim or living creatures, make a chariot; and as the cherubim in the temple are called the chariot of the cherubim ... a chariot is a fit emblem of the churches of Christ, in which he rides about the world, and does his work; see; and though but one wheel is here mentioned, yet it appears that there were "four", as in; a wheel by every living creature; so though there is but one general assembly and church of the firstborn written in heaven, of which Christ is the head, and for which he gave himself; yet there are many particular congregated churches, which may be signified by the number "four"; partly with respect to the four parts of the world, where Christ has an interest, and which will more manifestly appear in the latter day; and partly with respect to the four living creatures, a wheel to every cherub, a church to every minister and pastor; for though sometimes there have been more pastors than one to a church, when large, yet never more than one church under the care of one pastor: moreover, this wheel or wheels were seen "upon the earth"; which is observed, to distinguish the church militant from the church triumphant in heaven; and to point out the place where the churches are; which though they consist of men that are not of the world, yet they are in the world: as also to denote the firmness of them; they are on the earth, not in the air or sea, where wheels cannot move and rolls; but upon "terra firma", and that to the churches, is Christ Jesus; and may also signify, that the mutability and movableness of churches are only while they are on earth, in, the present state of things: it follows, by the living creatures: ... that is, the wheel or wheels were seen by the side of the living creatures; which is more fully expressed in; churches are placed by the ministers of the Gospel, to direct them in matters of faith and worship; to put them in motion; to stir them up to the exercise of grace, and the discharge of duty; to watch over them in the Lord; and to feed them with spiritual knowledge and understanding: with his four faces; either the living creatures; and so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "having four faces": and the meaning is that the wheel or wheels were on, the four sides of the living creatures: or rather, as Jarchi, the wheels, four faces; for upon every wheel there were the same four faces as were in the living creatures, as, is clear from; there being a great likeness between Gospel churches and Gospel ministers: the "first" was the face of a "cherub" or "ox"; which may denote the patience of Gospel churches, and the members thereof, in bearing afflictions, reproaches, and persecutions, for the sake of Christ; their meditation on the word of God continually, the ox being a creature that chews the cud; and their constancy and laboriousness in the work of the Lord: the "second" was the face of a "man"; which may be expressive of their knowledge and understanding of divine and spiritual things; and of their tenderheartedness, sympathy, and compassion, one towards another, in distressed circumstances: the "third" was the face of a "lion"; signifying their boldness and intrepidity in, the cause of Christ, and the profession of his name: and the "fourth" was the face of an "eagle"; showing that they mount up on the wings of faith and love, as on eagles' wings; that they soar aloft, and dwell on high, and have their affections set on things in heaven, and not on earth. Cocceius interprets the wheel or wheels of the word of God, and the course of the ministry of it, under the influence of the Spirit.

Ezekiel 27:12 four kinds of earthly wealth:

1. silver,

2. iron,

3. tin,

4. and lead

C.I. Scofield notes another of Ezekiel's visions in chapter eight, which concerns the infiltration of idolatry into the Holy Temple.

"The combined purport of the four visions of profanation in chapter 8 is idolatry set up in the entire temple, even in the holy of holies, Ezekiel 8:10, Ezekiel 8:11, women given over to phallic cults, Ezekiel 8:14, and nature-worship, Exodus 8:16 ."

In chapter nine, Scofield continues his observation of four movements of the glory of God.

"It is noteworthy that to Ezekiel, the priest, was given the vision of the glory of the Lord,

1 departing from the Cherubim to the threshold of the temple, Ezekiel 9:3; 10:4.
2. from the threshold, Ezekiel 10:18.
3. from the temple and city to the mountain on the East of Jerusalem (Olivet, Ezekiel 11:23 ) and
4. returning to the millennial temple to abide. Ezekiel 43:2-5 ."

Chapter 28 of Ezekiel records God's judgment against the King of Tyre. He is accused four times of relying on his own wisdom (Ezekiel 28:4, 5, 7, 11) rather than on God's.

The Prophet Joel by Michael Angelo

Transforming Aspects Expressed by the Number Four in the Book of Joel

Joel 2 describes a coming destruction in four ways.

1. The earth shall quake before them;
2. The heavens shall tremble:
3. The sun and the moon shall be dark, and
4. The stars shall withdraw their shining:

— Joel 2:10

The second chapter also discusses the restoration of the devastation caused by worms.

So I will restore to you the years that the

1. The swarming locust has eaten,
2. The crawling locust,
3. The consuming locust,
4. And the chewing locust,

— Joel 2:25

Joel Chapter 3 discusses a prophetic restoration with four descriptions.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that

1. The mountains shall drop down new wine, and
2. The hills shall flow with milk, and all
3. The rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and
4. A fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

— Joel 3:18 KJV

The Prophet Amos: A Shepherd and Fig Farmer by James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

Transforming Aspects Expressed by the Number Four in the Book of Amos

An example of the cycle of judgment identified by four occurs in the book of Amos, where God reveals to a sheepherder and a fig farmer 8 (4 x 2) judgments about to happen in 8 nations.

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 1:3

Thus says the Lord:

For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 1:6

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 1:9

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Edom, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 1:9

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of the people of Ammon, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 1:13

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Moab, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 2:1

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Judah, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 2:4

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Israel, and for four,
I will not turn away its punishment ...

— Amos 2:6

The book of Amos is divided into four sections of judgments according to C.I. Scofield.

1. Judgments on the cities surrounding Palestine, Amos 1:1 to Amos 2:3.
2. Judgments on Judah and Israel, Amos 2:4-16.
3. Jehovah's controversy with "the whole family" of Jacob, Amos 3:1 to Amos 9:10.
4. The future glory of the Davidic kingdom, Amos 9:11-15.

Zachariah by James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

Transforming Aspects Expressed by the Number Four in the Book of Zachariah

Prophetic themes identified by the number four are prominent throughout the book of Zechariah, which "contains the most-quoted section of the Prophets in the passion narratives of the four Gospels.

The prophecy of Zechariah has special reference to the earth:—

In Chapter 1, we have the four horns or Gentile powers, and the four carpenters to fray them.

In chapter 6, we have the four chariots with horses of four colors, signifying the spirits of the heavens acting for God in the midst of the four Gentile powers.

— E.W. Bullinger

"And the angel answered and said to me, 'These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth ... Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth. And He said, “Go, walk to and fro throughout the earth."

— Zechariah 6:5

According to the Spirit-Filled Life Bible's introduction to Zechariah, the book contains a series of eight visions (4 x 2).

The final vision of the four chariots depicts God's sovereign control over the Earth.

The phrase "to and fro throughout the earth" is discovered in four verses of the book of Zechariah, once again linking us with the number four's association with the things of the physical earth. (1;10,11, 4:10, and 6:7)

In chapter six, just after the four chariots and four spirits walk to and fro through the earth discourse, the phrase "temple of the Lord" is mentioned four times in reference to its being built.

Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying:

“Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the Lord;
Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ’

“Now the elaborate crown shall be for a memorial in the temple of the Lord for

1. Helem,
2. Tobijah,
3. Jedaiah,
4. And Hen, the son of Zephaniah.

Even those from afar shall come and build the temple of the Lord. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. And this shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

— Zechariah 6:12-15

Another significant vision concerns the study of number four and its connection with the events of judgment.

The vision of the four horns and four craftsmen recalls God's judgment, first on Judah and then on her enemies ... The vision of the four chariots depicts God's sovereign control over the earth. The visions are followed by a coronation scene in which Joshua is crowned both king and priest. This is powerfully symbolic of the coming Messiah.

The messianic event of this crowning is the fourth vision topic and describes a change of clothes.

Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before the Angel.

Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.”

And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”
So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him.
And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

— Zechariah 3:3-5

It is here that four messianic titles are given.

The Lord's Servant, the Branch. (Zechariah 3:8)
The man the Branch (6:12)
King and Priest (6:13)
The True Shepherd (11:4-11)

It is also noted that the fourth vision is unique because the Lord Himself speaks, not an angel.

Zechariah also prophesies four eventful signs of the coming Messiah, confirming the Messianic theme of four.

Christ's betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (11:12-13)
His crucifixion (12:10)
His sufferings (13:7)
His second advent (14:4)

Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem was described in this book four hundred years before it took place.

The phrase "to and fro" always refers to the earth and is used four times in the book of Zechariah.

... it is the sovereign Lord of all the earth Himself who deploys the angelic troops of heaven in the prosecution of His purposes for His glory and our good in the world.

— David Strain from First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi.

Zechariah also mentions four fasts in chapter 8 that transform into feasts.

Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts:

1. ‘The fast of the fourth month,
2. The fast of the fifth,
3. The fast of the seventh,
4. And the fast of the tenth,

Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts
For the house of Judah.
Therefore, love truth and peace.’

— Zechariah 8:19

The discourse on this begins in chapter seven. "Fourth" is mentioned four times in the book of Ezekiel, most of which is about transitional time.

Now in the fourth year of King Darius it came to pass that the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, Chislev, when the people sent Sherezer with Regem-Melech and his men, to the house of God, to pray before the Lord, and to ask the priests who were in the house of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month and fast as I have done for so many years?”

— Zechariah 7:1-3

The Expository Bible Commentary quotes Perowne from The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Commentary on the development and progression of four speeches of God beginning with "Say to all the people of the land."

Zechariah is again called to prophesy, the occasion of his doing so being the arrival at Jerusalem of a deputation, sent from Bethel to enquire whether they ought still to observe a national fast, which had been instituted in the time of the captivity, The answer of Almighty God by the prophet falls into four sections (marked by separate paragraphs in R. V.), each of which is introduced by the same formula,

1. Zechariah 7:4;
2. Zechariah 7:8;
3. Zechariah 8:1;
4. Zechariah 8:18. (contains the four fasts)

The return in the last of these sections (Zechariah 8:19) to the question out of which the whole arose, shows that the prophecy is really one. In the first section, the people are reminded that their fasting and feasting alike had been observances terminating upon themselves and devoid of religious motive and spiritual aim, and consequently unacceptable to God; in accordance with the teaching of the earlier prophets, in the times of Jerusalem’s prosperity (Zechariah 7:4-7). In the next section, the substance of this teaching, as insisting on moral reformation and not on outward observances, is given; and to the neglect of it are traced the rejection by God of His people, and the calamities that had come upon them in their captivity and dispersion, Zechariah 7:8-14. Passing now to a happier strain of hope and promise, the prophetic word tells of the bright days of holiness and prosperity in store for Jerusalem, in contrast with her earlier condition of distress and discord, and urges the people, on the strength of these promises, to holy obedience, Zechariah 8:1-17. The concluding section predicts that the question from Bethel shall be solved by the transformation of the fasts of their captivity into joyful feasts, to which willing multitudes shall throng from all parts of the land; heathen nations joining also in their celebration, and counting it an honor and protection to be associated with a Jew, Zechariah 8:18-23.

Some further information on the fast of the fourth month:

The second of these four fasts is known as "the fast of the fourth month" or the fast of Tammuz. This fast occurred in the 17th month of Tammuz. It occurs 40 days after Shavuot, which would have been when Moses came down from the mount to see the children of Israel breaking their covenant with God by worshiping the golden calf, at which point he broke the tablets, symbolizing what had been done. It also commemorates the destruction of the Jewish Temple and their exile into Babylonian captivity. Both the first and second temples were destroyed during this period. It interestingly coincides with our Fourth of July every 10 or 20 years
—Wikipedia "Seventeenth of Tammuz."

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