Editedby Bob Thiel who also added more scriptures, quotes, and explanations (each time the words "I" or "my" appear, they were always from Richard Close)
Richard Close died on January 3, 2022, but he wanted some of his messages to go out again. The following has by request.
The trials of Old Testament
The Apostle Paul wrote:
1Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6 Now these things became ourexamples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they alsolusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written,"The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, assome of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us temptChrist, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 norcomplain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written forour admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
12 Therefore let him who thinks hestands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)
Notice that part of why we learn about what happened is sowe do not think we are okay as we are and that we cannot believe and/or go thewrong way.
But it is not just the children of Israel that are ourexample, there are many aspects of life and God’s creation that teach us aswell.
Regarding purpose, a good example of the purpose, and someof our thinking upside down over the years. We need to be careful about why wethink God did something.
One topic has to do with clean and unclean foods. I rememberthat the Worldwide Church of God taught that the reason for eating clean foodswas for your health. It is a good thing. It does help your health. That is notthe only purpose for unclean food not to be eaten and only eating clean food.The scripture says that we should eat clean food "that you may become holyas I am holy,"
There were actually three reasons given in the Bible for avoiding uncleananimals in Leviticus:
You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 'Thisis the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves inthe waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, To distinguishbetween the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten andthe animal that may not be eaten' (Leviticus 11:45-47).
Notice that God wanted people to be holy, to know the difference betweenclean and unclean, and to know which animals may and may not be eaten. AreChristians supposed to be a holy people?
Certainly, Christians are called a “holy nation” and a "peculiar people" in 1 Peter 2:9.
God says avoiding unclean meats is a holiness issue—it alsotends to make us separate from many in the world. It is not necessarily aphysical health issue. Physical health is a part of it, but the main reason,the purpose that God seemed to have had in mind, when He wrote the laws onclean and unclean foods, is us becoming holy.
We always look first at the physical, and then later on, aswe get more understanding, we look at the spiritual.
God looks at the spiritual first. He is a spiritual being.He looks at the spiritual first, and then He forms patterns, afterword,that confirm what He is already thinking in the spiritual.
A good example is the Ark of the Covenant:
If you would turn with me to Exodus 25: It is pretty clearin Exodus 25. The entire chapter, basically, of Exodus 25 is about the Ark ofthe Covenant. We are going to start Exodus 25. Moses had been up on themountain for forty days and forty nights, and he received instruction from God.In verse 10 and 11, He is talking to Moses, telling him about the ark.
Exodus 25:10-11
10 And theyshall make an ark of sh*ttim wood: two cubits and a half shall bethe length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit anda half the height thereof. 11 And you shall overlay it withpure gold, within and without shall you overlay it, and shall make upon it acrown of gold round about.
This was a pretty impressive box, if you will, but if weturn to verse 40 of Exodus 25, and God says:
Exodus 25:40
40 Andlook that you make them [or all the tools that were associated with the ark of the covenant] after their pattern, which was shownyou in the mount.
That is what the ark of the covenantis. It is made after a pattern. It is made after what God showed Moses on themountain. It is not the heavenly Ark of the Covenant. It is a copy; it is a physicalthing. The other Ark of the Covenant is in heaven at God's throne,that is the real one. God said, this is what this is. This is a patternof it. I will show you the pattern, and you make it the way I tell you to makeit because it is going to be like the real one in heaven.
Hebrews chapter 9:24 and verse 24. To tie this in a littlebit with the New Testament:
Hebrews 9:24
24 For Christ is not entered into theholy places made with hands, which are the figures [or types] of thetrue; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
So, Paul confirms that the physical temple that was in thewilderness and when Solomon built the temple, these were copies of the true.They are figures, they are examples of the true.
What was first? Moses' Ark of the Covenant or the one inheaven? It is pretty obvious that the Ark of the Covenant was first in heaven.
The Bible is full of types and patterns of all sorts ofthings. I am fascinated by types and patterns.
There are also other things we can learn from the physical creation. For example, when it comes to working and preparing for food shortages, the Bible specifically tells us to consider the ant (Proverbs 6:6-11; see also Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians).
I have been reading a book, I just got out of the library ashort time ago, called Number in Scripture by Bullinger. Many, manyinteresting numbers of patterns.
One of them that struck me, I thought I would use as anexample this morning is maze, or Indian corn, the rows on the cob are alwayseven. They are 6, 8, 10, 12... up to 24, I think.
There was a story that Bullinger related.
A farmer had looked at the rows of corn for 27 years. Now,when I was a kid on the farm, we would cut the corn by hand, or somebody camewith a machine later on, we shucked it in the field, and we drug it into thebarn. My granddad, my dad, and I would go up after we'd milked and pull the shucksdown. They had a nail pounded out that fit across your two fingers, and youcould hook onto the corn cob outside and pull the husk off from it, twist off,and throw the cob into the bin to be made into cow feed. We never looked at therows. We didn't have any idea, but some farmer for 27 years pealed the corndown, looked at rows, and never found one with an odd number of rows. For 27years, the rows were always even. That was a Pattern.
One of the numbers that popped out at me in Bullinger’s bookwas the number 7.
It is a whole book on numbers.
But many gestation dates are multiples of seven of somekind. The gestation time of a baby mouse - 21 days, 3 times 7.
A rabbit or a rat is 28 days. A cat is 56 days. A dog is 63days. A lion is 98 days, that is 14 times 7 if you can't do the math in yourhead, or don't want to. Sheep is 147 days. A hen is 21 days. Duck's 42 days.Man 280 days. All multiples of the number 7.
Bees, like honey bees, number 3 is associated with bees.Three days after the egg is laid for the queen, it hatches. It is fed ninedays, which is 3 times 3. The queen reaches maturity in 15 days (5 timesthree.) The workers mature in 21 days, 3 times 7. Starts work in 3 days. Thedrone reaches maturity in 24 days. The bee itself is made up of three sections.The head and two stomachs. Sometimes I watch people eat and I think they musthave two stomachs or else a hollow leg my grandmother always used to talk aboutbecause they can really eat. I have been accused of that myself, but can't doit anymore.
Bees have two eyes. They are made up of 3,000 small eyes.Each eye has 3,000 little tiny eyes. Each one with 6 sides, two times 3.
Under the belly, they have six wax scales that they make acomb with. The cells in the comb are six sides, the same as the eyes.
On a bees foot, they have threetriangular sections that make up the foot. Each of the legs has three sections.The antenna of the bees has 9 sections, 3 times 3. The sting has 9 barbs oneach side. It goes in, you don't get it out very easily and it hurts. Is thisdesign you suppose, or is it just chance? It just happened? I think design. Whythe number 3? Why not some other number? It is just fantastic how God usescertain patterns and follows them through.
{While numbers can be interesting, we need to be careful wedo not overly emphasize their importance in terms of patterns.}
A quote from the book by Bullinger.
"We can only observe the wondrous working of supernatural laws and admire the perfection of design."
Let's look at Romans chapter 1.
Romans 1:19-20 Breaking into thechapter:
19 Becausethat which may be known of God is manifest in them [Now that was talking aboutpeople]; for God has shown it unto them. 20 For theinvisible things of him [of God] from the creation of the world are clearlyseen [clearly seen], being understood by the things that are made, evenhis [God's] eternal power and Godhead.
Invisible things - things you can't see. And yes, with them and the physical creation you can prove that there is a God. We have a free online booklet that will help you do so: Is God’s Existence Logical?
From the very creation-, you look at creation, you can see invisible things- are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made (by the creation - by the things Jesus Christ made before the world was). We can see that, and that is what I want to do with you today.
My specific purpose is to look more closely at somethingthat God made and get a glimpse, a little peak, at His eternal power.
Turn with me, if you would, to Job chapter 25. I am going toflip back and forth a little bit between the physical and the spiritual.
To set a basis on this, Job chapter 25 in verse 6:
6 How much less man, that isa worm?
Job was inspired by God to suggest man is a worm.
6 How muchless man, that is a worm? and the son of man, whichis a worm?
That was one of the first places that man is looked at as aworm in the scriptures (probably the first chronologically).
Turn with me to Isaiah 41:14.
14 “Fearnot, you worm Jacob, [Jacob fits in the category. “Fear not, you worm Jacob,]
You men of
I will help you,” says the Lord
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
So, Jacob also was a worm. Could there be a spiritual lesson to be learned from being called a worm?
Psalms chapter 22 verse 6.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; areproach of men, and despised of the people.
That was a Psalm of David, but it is marked in the scriptureas referring to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ apparently considered Himself a worm when Hewas a physical human being.
I want to examine with you a monarch butterfly.
We are going to start with an overview.
Monarch butterfly is very well known in the
The wing size and the shape of an adult monarch butterflydiffers between the migratory and the non-migratory. They fly from here {Pennsylvania}to Mexico. And the ones that come back are not called migratory because theyonly fly a little ways and reproduce and the next generation comes on up.
Especially from the
It is the only insect that migrates 2,500 miles. The onlyinsect. The food plants to feed the larva do not grow in
The life cycle of a monarch butterfly has 4 stages and theyhave four generations in each year. The stages are the egg, the larva (or thecaterpillar), the pupa (or chrysalis), and the adult butterfly. Four stages(with scientists sometimes further subdividing the stages).
We will take a look at each of the four stages in a littlemore detail later.
The fourth generation is equal to four different butterfliesgoing through the same four stages during the year. Then it starts all overagain the next year with stage one and generation one. In February/March thefinal generation of hibernating butterflies comes out, mates, and begins tomigrate north and east {in the East, however the Monarch butterflies in California flysouth in February}. They find a place to lay their eggs, which has to be onmilkweed. So they have to start at the time when the plants are starting togrown in the southwestern
Let's look at the species - breaking it down into differentaspects and some of the locations that they are found in the earth. There is aNorth American species, which I didn't know until yesterday - in doing some more research on this -a North American species that we see.
We will start with the first phase. That is of the eggs. Thenormal female butterfly after her eggs are fertilized, she lays up to 250 eggsa day, one at a time, on the underside of a milkweed leaf. There is a specialadhesive liquid that comes out with the egg and sticks on the bottom of themilkweed leaf, fastens right there.
I got a blow up, which I had never done before, of the eggand what it looks like is a short stubby ear of corn. If you look at it, it iskind of flat on the bottom, sticks up on the milkweed leaf, and it is shapedlike an ear of corn with rows on the side of it. It is about the size of a doton the end of a printed page. The egg is that small - just about a dot.
The highest number of eggs that were ever witnessed by onefemale butterfly in captivity - and they count them and do all that kind ofstuff - the highest number that they ever counted was 1,179 in her life span.
The spiritual connection that I want to draw our attentionto - the eggs of the monarch butterfly are fertile and a caterpillar begins todevelop within that egg. That's four days, and he is coming out.
I want you to, think, today of your mind. Our mind is likean egg in symbolism. Before conversion it was a human, carnal, and from God'spoint of view - an unfertile egg.
We were called, baptized, received the holy spirit of theliving God by the laying on of hands, and our mind becomes fertile in God'ssight for a place of growth, of change.
Our minds before - let's look at Romans chapter 8 verse6.
Romans 8:6
6 ... to be carnally minded isdeath; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind isenmity [or at war] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,neither indeed can [it] be.
Cannot, no matter how hard you try, the carnal mind is not subjectto God's law. But that was before the laying on of hands.
Look at Philippians chapter 2 in verse 5, please.
Philippians 2:5
5 Let this mind be in you, whichwas also in Christ Jesus: [So, we need to have the mind of Christ, not a carnalmind but a mind filled with the spirit of the living God.]
Once that is in there, we need to renew our lives.
Look at Ephesians 4:23. Paul is saying here:
23 And be renewed in the spirit ofyour mind;
So we have this mind. It has the spirit of God. We need to renewit. We need to, it says in other places in the scripture, 'stir up' the spiritwithin you.
Colossians 1:26 Paul has quite a lot to say about the mind becauseit is where God is working.
Colossians 1:26
26 Even the mystery which [has]been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to hissaints: 27 Towhom God would make known what is the riches of [his glory of] the gloryof this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
We need to have that mind. Now, we have fertile minds growing ingrace and knowledge into a God being, a new, new creation.
We jump to the next stage - the larva stage.That larva or caterpillar hatches out in about four days. I saw a video of somethings they have on YouTube, and I knew they did it but I hadn't ever seen itbefore, but it starts chewing from the inside. Now chickens, we had chickensbefore for a long time and the baby chicks would peck that egg shell 'til theycracked a hole through and then broke it on out. But the caterpillar startschewing, and he chews a little hole in the egg. Then he goes around and aroundand makes the whole bigger and bigger until he can finally crawl out. He ispretty small at that time. He can fit on the head of a pin. But, he turnsaround, and eats the egg shell because it has a lot of nutrients in it. They have avoracious appetite. They eat almost constantly, but they only eat milkweed.Something in the milkweed combined with their bodies makes them toxic to birds.
They are a worm, but they are on their way. Weare worms, as we read in Job and Isaiah, and when first called into the truthof God, or jolted awake if we happen to have been asleep for awhile, we eatvoraciously of God's word - of the truth.
This is just a side question, but one Ihappened to think of. Are we toxic to wicked spirits? Are we toxic to wickedspirits? Well, demons seem to have a certain fear of Christians (cf. Luke10:17-20; Acts 19:15), though they still want to torment and entice us.
Caterpillars, worms, are toxic to birdsbecause they eat milkweed. Are we toxic to evil spirits because we eat God'sword? Not quite, but wicked spirits are likened as birds in the scripture:
Revelation 18:2-3
2 And he criedmightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, isfallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foulspirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations havedrunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth havecommitted fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become richthrough the abundance of her luxury.
Well, we may not be toxic to wicked spirits,but we can fight them:
Ephesians 6:10-20:
10 Finally, mybrethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on thewhole armor of God, that you may be able to standagainst the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh andblood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of thedarkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlyplaces. 13 Therefore take up the wholearmor of God, that you may be able to withstand in theevil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore,having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate ofrighteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospelof peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be ableto quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet ofsalvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 prayingalways with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to thisend with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints --19 and for me, that utterance may be given tome, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as Iought to speak.
When you examine yourself each year prior toPassover, consider how well you are using the armor that God makes available toyou.
Getting back to Monarch butterflies, as thelarva grows it sheds its skin. Now, we don't do that, and if we did, I don'tknow if we would want to do what the caterpillar does. But, he sheds his skinfive different times in the growth process of about two weeks. Once he shedshis skin, he turns around and eats it. His next skin is loose and floppy, buthe is growing so fast that he stretches it right out tight and when he can'tgrow anymore he cuts it loose and sheds it similar to a snake. You ever see asnake skin laying out with no snake in it? If you are out and around every nowand then you find one where you don't want it because it is too close to thehouse, but they shed their skin the same way.
They eat so much as they get bigger, (now, amilkweed leaf is a pretty good sized leaf) he caneat an entire milkweed leaf in less than five minutes; so they go through a lotof milkweed as they get older. Remember when it came out it could fit on thehead of a pin. With all its eating and not much exercise, just moving over tothe next leaf, they gain 2,700 times the weight that they had when they cameout of the egg. In about two weeks, 14 days, they gain that much. They get fromabout the size of the head of a pin to about twoinches long, about as big around as your finger.
It is a very brightly colored caterpillar.Unique, as far as I can see, in the insect world. Very bright. Three colors:white, black, and yellow.
Why do you suppose God would make a worm withthree colors? Could it possibly be that God knew when He created this worm thathe was going to call all races of people into His kingdom, into His family? SoHe put a color band, successive, their are lots ofthem - little tiny bands - black, yellow, and white. God doesn't do anythingwithout a purpose. He planned these things. He planned them. They were createdby Jesus Christ before humans were created. There weren't any black, yellow,and brown. They made a worm because they are together. They agreed. We aregoing to make this worm black, yellow, and white. Can I prove that? I don'tknow, but it looks definitely feasible. Definitely feasible. Black, yellow, andwhite bands representing the three major racial distinctions in the world. Allare going to be called. All have been called, not all persons, but all membersof all the races to become part of the family of the living God.
As far as race goes, we have a short videoavailable titled Mystery of Race. We also discuss the mystery ofrace in our free online booklet: TheMYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why did God make you?
Anyway, getting back to Monarch butterflies, thenext stage is the pupa. In this stage it is isolated from the world. It spins alittle silk attachment pad on the bottom of a twig or leaf, attaches itself toit, hangs head down in the shape of a 'j.' As it curls its head around, itbegins to chew at the skin on its chest, gets the skin broken open, and it kindof wiggles a little bit and the skin breaks away and comes off. Then theonly skin is the fifth molting, that they don't eat.
But the pupa just twists and changes andwiggles and the skin just works up until it is gone. It goes up on the tail endof the caterpillar where it is attached to the leaf. The chrysalis is almost aclear membrane that covers the pupa. It dries very shortly and forms aprotective barrier.
We also have a protective barrier too,possibly, if you consider. In life, our barrier between us and the world is theholy spirit of God and the church. The church isolates us to a certain degree.We are in the world, but not of the world. But the church kind of protects us,helps us, keeps us from being harmed by the world.
Here are some scriptures on that:
John 17:12-18
12 While I was with them in the world, I keptthem in Your name. Those whom Yougave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, thatthe Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 Butnow I come to You, and these things I speak in theworld, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them Yourword; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world,just as I am not of the world. 15 I donot pray that You should take them out of the world,but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I amnot of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Meinto the world, I also have sent them into the world.
Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And He Himselfgave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors andteachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for theedifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faithand of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of thestature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children,tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by thetrickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but,speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head— Christ — 16 from whom the whole body,joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to theeffective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the bodyfor the edifying of itself in love.
So, yes the church provides protectionspiritually.
As far as physical protection is concerned,the Philadelphian portion of the Church of God is the only group promisedprotection from the coming ‘hour of trial’ that Jesus spoke of in the Book ofRevelation.
Now, back to the monarch. The chrysalis dries and forms this protectivebarrier for this caterpillar. The chrysalis of a monarch butterfly is verydistinctive. I don't know if there is anywhere near one like it anywhere. Mostof them that you see out in the woods and around are dark brown or black orkind of drab - no attention drawn to them.
Have you ever seen a monarch butterflychrysalis? If you ever get a chance to go to a place like butterfly world, youcan see them and see them develop. They have them days apart or a day or hoursapart. They hang them on rows and you can see them develop and change. They arepretty interesting to me.
The chrysalis of a monarch butterfly isemerald green. Beautiful color. Deep emerald green. There is a row near the topof 24 little gold dots that circle around. Looks like a crown. A crown for amonarch. Kind of interesting. Why did they name it the monarch? I am not sure,but it has these 24 gold dots. Twenty-four - why 24? Bring anything to mind? 24elders standing around the throne of God. 24 elders.
As far as why called Monarch butterflies, Wikipedia asserts:
The name"monarch" is believed to have been given in honor of King William IIIof England, as the butterfly's main color is that of the king's secondarytitle, Prince of Orange.
Getting back to the numbers and the monarchbutterfly. ithas 12 gold dots that look kind of random, I never could see a pattern, downthe body of the chrysalis. Why 12 more gold dots? Could it be the 12 tribes of
Revelation 21:9-21
9 Then one of theseven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came tome and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, theLamb's wife." 10 And he carried meaway in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city,the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory ofGod. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear ascrystal. 12 Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelveangels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of thetwelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, threegates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
14 Now the wall ofthe city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelveapostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measurethe city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; itslength is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed:twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then hemeasured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measureof a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper;and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall ofthe city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundationwas jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighthberyl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and thetwelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gatewas of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparentglass.
There were a lot of twelves associated withNew Jerusalem.
I thought, working on this, is maybe Godcalling attention to His plan, to His purpose, to His eternal power, into HisGodhead by this butterfly thing that stands out so green, so vibrant, in thenatural forest? I don't know. It looks like it is a good possibility.
There are ten days in this phase. Once it isin there it doesn't move it is just there.
Ten in the Number InScripture book, one of the things that it says it represents is theperfection of divine order. Perfection. You have tencommandments. Jesus Christ's model prayer that He gave us in Matthew hasten clauses. There are tens all over the place that line up with divineperfection.
In this chrysalis stage, it looks like nothingis happening, nothing is going on. It doesn't move. It just kind of hangsthere. In our spiritual lives, sometimes on the outside it looks like nothing has been happening, yet on the inside much is going on--hopefully all positive.
When my youngest daughter was in school, shegot a book that had a little bit of information on the monarch butterfly, so westarted looking for them. There are a lot of them around, and we got somechrysalises that were already formed, clipped them off, brought them up on theporch and watched them. Nothing was happening, but we knew a butterfly wascoming.
Although it looks like nothing is happening, areally rapid and dynamic change is going on. Remarkable transformation insidethis little chrysalis. The mouth parts - from a caterpillar they chew and gnawthrough egg shells, eat whole leaves in five minutes, are transformed from achewing, biting instrument to a straw like tongue for sipping nectar. It iscalled a proboscis. The caterpillar itself is changed from a creepy crawly wormto one of the most beautiful insects in the world.
Job said, "All the days of my appointedtime, I wait until my change comes." (Job 14:14)
How much of this kind of stuff he knew? Idon't know. But he knew he was going to be changed.
I looked up some stuff from
"Larva becomes apupa. No eyes. No antenna. It cannot move. All of the major changes in the bodythe shape, the size, the arrangement happen."
Happen! They got no excuse for it. They got noreason. They don't walk through it and say this does this, does this. It justhappened. It just happened. It think probably, and I do question how, but Iknow that God's power does that somehow.
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we seethrough a glass, darkly; but then [after our change come, THEN] face to face: nowI know in part [Paul says]; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Psalms 139:14 Adds a little bit to this.
Psalm 139:14
14 I will praise you;for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are your works; and thatmy soul knows right well.
Marvelous are the works of God, even with aworm.
The next stage, or the fourth stage, is anadult monarch butterfly. The chrysalis is just hanging there. Hanging out,seemingly doing nothing. Nothing happening. No advanced warning. youcan't tell when, but the chrysalis suddenly cracks. Cracks up a little ways,splits, opens up, and out comes an adult butterfly. Doesn't look anything likeit. A caterpillar became a pupa and became a butterfly.
One thing I did noticed in the video part ofit when they YouTube that the back end of the caterpillar was up and attached.When the butterfly folded down out, the back end was up in and it came down outand then it held on with its different feet than the caterpillar had, greatly,big long legs. I mean everything is different! It is a complete, completechange.
At that point, it is a very vulnerable insect.No defenses. Wet, soft wings way to soft to fly and not expanded. It is like alimp piece of wet tissue paper or something. It is just kind of there. But itdoesn't take long. It pumps a fluid. It is a bloodlike substance. It has got abig fancy name. I'm not going to try to pronounce right now, but it is abloodlike substance that is in insects. Pumps it out into the body. Stretchesthe body cavity out. Stretches the wings out. Fills them up. Straightens them.Stiffens them. And then they dry. In about an hour it is able to fly.
This being the forth generation, the wings arelarger, a different shape, but it is ready to migrate, born inSeptember/October. They can fly between 12 and 25 miles an hour. They don'tbeat their wings hard and go for a speed record. They don't go like a hummingbird, but they are flittering along and coasting a lot on their way to SouthernCalifornia,
Look at 1 Corinthians 15, if you would.
1 Corinthians 15:50-54
50 Now this I say,brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor doescorruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall notall sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of aneye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will beraised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must puton incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
The year this will happen, we don't know forsure. No man knows, it says in Matthew 24:36, no man knows the day and the hourand it is repeated in Luke 21 (I think) and Mark 16 or 13.
The casual observer does not know when thismonarch butterfly is coming out of the chrysalis. We don't know when our changeis coming. But it will probably be at the last trump.
It just all of a sudden starts to happen.
While we all look like people, we will change.
Eggs, become caterpillars, which become pupas,which become butterflies.
We start unborn, are born and grow, and if wehave repented, been baptized, and received God’s Holy Spirit, we are in a typeof pupa stage until the resurrection. Yet, unlike Monarch butterflies, we will emerge from this stageimmortal!
This is an example of the awesome transformingpower of God on a physical worm, a little bug. Yellow, white, black. We are allworms. We are all in this together.
If God planned for this caterpillar to be anexample for us, what can He do for us?
I think personally, that God created thisexample in nature to show His life changing power. The physical is always lessthan the spiritual. Anything God does on a physical level, or inspires man todo on a physical level, is going to be greater in the
While we have often used the term change or changes, Bible is clear that Christian change will be a renewal, a transformation--and that we now are in the process of being transformed:
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 2:2)
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, (Colossians 3:8-10)
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)
Like the Monarch Butterfly has little resemblance to its caterpillar worm state, plus it can fly which it could not do in earlier stages, so will Christians be transformed into incredible spiritual beings--beyond what we know according to 1 Corinthians 2:9.
The power for God to change us is absolutely incredible. But, but He won't change us, or He won't do it, He won't change us against our will.
We have to seek the change that God wants todo. We need to seek our God to beseech Him. Cry out to the living Being thatcreated this little bug that becomes a butterfly . Weneed to yield ourselves to the living God, to the Master potter.Yield ourselves into His loving hands as He molds us and shapes us into what Hewants. We need to pray for change in our lives. We need to pray for the visionto see the sin that so easily besets us. Look for the sin. Root it out. We needto see it in our lives, and we need to pray for the strength to overcome thesins that are left in our lives.
There is a cycle. There seems to be. I know itwas in my life a long time, still is some. Of sin, repent, sin, repent, sin,repent. We need to BREAK that cycle. We, if we sin, need to REPENT, and overcome.Gotta BREAK that cycle.
Prayer, fasting, Bible study, paying attentionto sermons, and reading church literature can help you do that.
Watching world events, like Jesus said to do (e.g. Mark 13),also should be motivating—it should be motivating enough for you and I to really change.
The seven letters to the seven churches inRevelation have several statements in each of them that are identical for eachchurch. The one - and there is a group out there that teaches against the Icelandicchurch.
They think they are fine as they are. Jesuscondemns them for that:
Revelation 3:14-22
14 "And to theangel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
'These things saysthe Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 "I know your works, that you areneither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, andneither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of Mymouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich,have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' — and do not know that you arewretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked —18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you maybe rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of yournakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that youmay see. 19 As many as I love, I rebukeand chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dinewith him, and he with Me. 21 To him whoovercomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, asI also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 "He who hasan ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'"
Not only do the Laodiceans have a lukewarmattitude towards the work of God, they will not change as they should. They arerisking never leaving the pupa/chrysalis stage.
Herbert Armstrong once did a radio broadcastwarning about the ‘Religion of Tradition.’ We have seen this in various COG groups, who on several prophetic matters, have chosen improper tradition over the word of God.
Herbert Armstrong also warned in other sermons:
I have said that the Laodicean condition willdominate at the tail end. … we have the Laodiceancondition. That's what I am talking about today. It's here. (Armstrong HW.Warning To The Church. Sermon, July 1, 1978)
You may have to give your present life in order tomake the Kingdom of God. Are you going to try to live on and save it? Or are youwilling...? There is one place in the 12th chapter of Revelation where, afterSatan has had the battle in heaven once again and has been sent back down toearth, where the "saints loved not their lives unto death." Andthat's speaking of our time, and our people, and those of the Laodicean Churchto follow us almost immediately. And the Laodicean Era of the Churchhas not yet come, but it will; and I think that we are doing a whole lot toraise it up. (Armstrong HW. Mark of the Beast. Sermon, December 11,1982)
Herbert Armstrong also wrote:
But, the BAD NEWS, as it appears today,my dear brethren, is that we, undoubtedly of the Philadelphian era ... are inserious danger of BECOMING also the Laodicean era. I am personally muchconcerned about that. If YOU are NOT concerned, then indeed we are in mortalDANGER. (Armstrong HW. Personal from Herbert W. Armstrong. Good News, August1979).
We are in a Laodicean era. The
{Let me add that I believe the Laodiceans whoare not quickly killed near the start of the Great Tribulation will change. Somewill have zeal and grow, whereas others will essentially abort themselves fromGod’s kingdom.}
Now regarding all Christians that will makeit, Richard Close then quoted 1 Corinthians 15:49 :
49 And as we haveborne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image if the heavenly.
We bear the image of Adam. We shall bear the imageof Jesus Christ. Adam also, I believe, is going to be changed. In the moment,in the twinkling of an eye. We will bear the image, the beautiful image thatGod is showing us a pattern of through a monarch butterfly.
1 Corinthians 2:9 Thisis a quote, actually, from Isaiah 64:4; but 1 Corinthians 2:9 we are going toread there.
1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written,Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, [We've never seen it. We've never heard about it.]neither have entered into the heart of man, the thingswhich God has prepared for them that love Him.
No body has ever seen it, heard it, even thought of the possibility of what God has prepared forus.
Final scripture:
1 John 3:2
Beloved, now [NOW]are we the sons of God, [Sons of God, already, in embryo stage. We are growingas a worm sheltered in a chrysalis, awaiting the change that is coming.] and it does not yet appear what we shall be: [Other thanpossibly this glimpse of a monarch butterfly. Gives us a sense, a possibilityof what might be out there. No, we are not going to be a butterfly, but thechange from a worm to that. What is our change from our worm, us worms, to whatGod wants in His family? Gonna be fantastic! But yet it does not appear what weshall be.] [continuing 1 John 3:2] but we know [weknow] that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him asHe is.
We will be able to see spiritually. We will beable to understand. Our change is coming. It is going to be a fantastic time.As we have sang in one of the songs in the Hymnal "It won't be long now." A fantasticsong. I love it. "It won't be long now." I thought it was gonna be in1975, and then '82, and then... but "It won't be long now." Every daywe live, we are getting a little closer to what God is doing.
From now on, every time that you see abutterfly, flitting in an air under a bright blue sky, remember it was once aworm, just like you and I. And especially remember, the AWESOME power of God tochange us into Him image and likeness. Really!
Like a monarch caterpillar, if we properly followGod, we will be so much more than we appear to be now.
So, for Christian growth, sometimes it may be wise to consider the Monarch.
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