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Monday, November 18, 2019

Four-Fold Principle

Four-Fold Principle

            The Four-Fold Principle is a reflection of God’s four-fold nature in His Word.  By understanding God’s four-fold nature we will understand our own nature, which is also a four-fold nature since we are all made in God’s own image.  Here are some examples.
            The Exodus:  When it became obvious that Moses could not lead so many people alone, God gave Moses a four-fold leadership plan that reflected God’s own nature.
            1.  Moses.  Moses was the ultimate leader and the final decision maker. Every organization needs to have someone where the buck stops.  That was the roll of Moses! Every family needs to have a Patriarch to make a final decision.
            2.  Aaron.  Aaron was the leader of all the Levites and the Tabernacle.  He was the religious leader of the Israelites. The father is the family priest and he is the one to make the religious decisions of his family.
             3.  Levites.  The Levites did all of the work of priests in the service of the Tabernacle.  They did all of the work of Tabernacle service. All of us need to pray and attend church service and support the church.
            4.  Elders.  The Elders made all of the small decisions for the people. They handled all of the secular, tribal, and personal issues with the people. The Patriarch of our families need to make any decision that cannot be resolved among the family members.
            When Israel camped and rested for the night, they were guarded by the four primary tribes; Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, Dan.  Four tribes of Israel.
            The four trees of Israel- Judges 9:7-15:  The four trees referred to- the Fig-tree, the Olive, the vine, and the Bramble- are the four which are used to combine the whole of Israel’s history.
             1.  Fig- tree.  The Fig-tree represents the National position of Israel, from which we learn (in the Synoptic Gospels) that it withered away and has been cut down.
       2.  Olive tree.  The Olive tree represents the Covenant privileges of Israel (Romans 11):  which are now in abeyance.
            3.  Vine.  The vine represents Israel’s Spiritual blessings, which henceforth are to be found only in Christ, the True Vine (John 15).
            4.  Bramble.  The Bramble represents the Antichrist, in whose shadow they will yet trust, but who will be to Israel a consuming fire in the day of “Jacob’s trouble”- “the great Tribulation.”[1]
            Ezekiel’s vision:  The prophet Ezekiel was active during the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people.  He had seen a vision.  He had seen a whirlwind, and out of this whirlwind he saw the likeness of four living creatures.  This was a picture of the nature of God and the nature of the coming Christ, who is God in the flesh.  Well, that living creature had the likeness of a man (Ezekiel 1:5).  Everyone had four faces and four wings (Ezekiel 1:6).  They had four faces in four different directions.  They each had a set of wings for each direction.
             The four living creatures had four faces.   The face of a man, lion, ox, and eagle.
            These faces represent the four natures of God.  Let’s take a look at the four faces that Ezekiel had seen.
             1.  Man.  This is the face of humanity.  When Jesus Christ arrived, He was God, but He was also at the same time a man.  He loved, He cried, He hurt, He felt hardship.  He felt and experienced all of the emotions we feel every day.  God set the ultimate example for us in His humanity.  God understands our human nature.
             2.  Lion.  This is the face of authority.  God welds authority over Satan, demons, angels and mankind.  God is our ultimate judge.  Through Jesus Christ He is our ultimate Redeemer as well, but He will judge mankind the next time He arrives.  The lion is the “king of the jungle.”  A lion has authority.  God rules and judges like a lion.  So, should we as well.
        3.  Ox.  This is the face of labor.  God works to guide us, He worked to redeem us from our sins, and He will work with us to the end of the age.  We as Christians are also to work in the Kingdom.  The ox is a beast of burden.  The ox is an animal that works a plow or carries a load.  The ministry in the Kingdom is also work and a heavy load.
            4.  Eagle.  This is the face of spirituality.  Eagles are birds that soar high in the sky.  They are admired that they live higher than any other creature.  They are also birds of prey.  Eagles have always represented Spirituality and a higher spiritual order.  God dwells in a higher spiritual realm and as Christians, so should we.  Eagles have been known to soar to great heights, high into the heavens.  We Christians are to soar high in our spirituality in revelations, visions, prophecy, dreams, gifts of the spirit and miracles.  We are to soar high in the spiritual heavens in the presence of God.
             The Coming Christ:  The prophecies concerning Jesus Christ which are recorded in the Old Testament may be classed under four categories.
            1.  King-----------Lion----PS 2:6; Is 32:1; Dan 9:25. “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”
            2.  Servant--------Ox-------Is 42:1; 52:13. “Behold my servant...”
            3.  Son of Man---Man----Is 7:14; 9:6-7; Dan 7:13-14.  “...Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son...”
            4.  Son of God---Eagle---Is 9:6-7; 40:3-9.  “...The mighty God...”
            The Branch:  Jesus Christ is set forth in the Old Testament as the Branch four different times and for four different reasons.
            1.  The Branch--King-----Lion---Jeremiah 23:5. “...I will raise unto David a righteous Branch...”
            2.  The Branch--Servant--Ox-----Zech 3:8. “...I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
            3.  The Branch--Man------Man---Zech 6:12. “...Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH...”
            4.  The Branch--LORD---Eagle--Is 4:2. “In that day shall the branch of the Lord...”
            Behold:  Jesus Christ is introduced four times in the Old Testament by the word “behold.”
            1.  Behold, the King-----Lion---Zech 6:12. “...Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH...”
            2.  Behold, the Servant--Ox-----Is 42:1. “Behold my servant...”
            3.  Behold, the Man------Man---Zech 3:8. “...behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.”
            4.  Behold, your God-----Eagle--Is 40:9. “...Behold your God!”
             The Gospels:  The four Gospels reveal the four natures of God.  There is but one Gospel with four presentations.  Four pictures of one Christ are given.  The combined Gospel records set forth a personality rather than present a connected story of a life.
             1.  Matthew--Christ as King-----Lion---presented to the Jews to reveal Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
            2.  Mark------Christ as Servant--Ox-----presented to the Romans to show them the practical nature of Jesus Christ.
            3.  Luke------Christ as Man------Man---presented to the Greeks to reveal the Godly nature of the man, Jesus Christ.
            4.  John------Christ as God-------Eagle--presented to the Church to reveal the Divine nature of Jesus Christ.
            Four-Fold ministry:  In Ephesians 4:11-12 we see that the Christian Church is made up of four separate ministries that work together for the growth and health of the Church.
             1.  Apostles.  These are ministers that start new churches in non-Christian lands and strengthen existing churches.  After starting new churches, they see to it that it grows.  This can also include a church denomination superintendent or other Church leadership positions, since these positions deal with authority and growth into unchurched areas.
             2.  Prophets.  These are church members who have prophetic gift in order to strengthen an existing church.  Prophets deal with the spiritual side of ministry.
             3.  Evangelists.  These are ministers that travel the world and increase the faith and gain new converts for existing churches.  These men and women are the hardest working members of the Church.
             4.  Pastors/Teachers.  These are ministers or members who oversee a church.  Pastors and Teachers do the same ministry.  These members deal with people and their problems.  They minister to the human side of the Church.  They teach and preach the Gospel.
            1.  Apostles------------Lion---Authority
            2.  Prophets------------Eagle--Spirituality
            3.  Evangelists---------Ox-----Ministry
            4.  Pastors/Teachers---Man---Humanity
             Four-Fold Church leadership: Under the leadership of the Spirit, the apostles organized the early Church in a four-fold manner.
             1.  Bishops.  These are male ministers who had been pastors for many years and are now a leader over several to many churches in a grouping.
            2.  Pastors.  These are male ministers that lead a church.  They are the final authority of the local church.
            3.  Elders.  These are elder saints, men and women, who help the pastor lead a church.
             4.  Deacons.  These are men and women in a church who deal with ministry matters within a church.  These saints make the local church operate.




1.      [1] E. W. Bullinger.  Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI., Pgs 749-50.


William J. Roop, M.A.B.S.


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