44 Degrees

We see on the fourth day of creation the four purposes of the sun, moon, and stars, plus the placement of seasons, of which there are also four. Depending upon your location, whether you are close to the equator or at the distant poles, there are distinguishing points of reference that establish the time and season that is about to come.

Considering the Law of First Mention, Genesis is the first place in the Scriptures where the number four is mentioned. What we see and believe by faith is that God’s creation dictates the type of Creator He is. This is not just westernized Christianity; the eastern religions and the Native Americans (the first nation tribes) recognize that nature speaks of and is connected to our Designer-Creator. In the same way we evaluate an artist or professional designer, the object made has the impulses of its designer. Recognized painters and artists have their mind-sets embellished in their works. That’s what sets them apart. We can say that about leaders, speakers, and authors of any kind. See, the truth remains; we were made in the image and likeness of our Creator (Gen. 1:26–27).

Let’s revisit this as we consider sequence and pattern. On the fourth day, we see four distinct purposes for the sun, moon, and stars. This is not by accident. We are called to believe, by faith, that there is a purpose for everything; however, many times we are limited in our thinking concerning what we perceive as the purpose for a thing (Eccl. 3:1).
The fourth day is a double 4, in that it is the fourth day with four distinct purposes. Like the dreams Joseph had prior to meeting the pharaoh, which consequently prepared him for his primary purpose, so it is with this law of first mention concerning the number 4. Joseph had two dreams back to back, and it was not long after that his life changed forever; his brothers betrayed him. Joseph interpreted the two dreams of the butler and the baker, and in three days, their fate was determined. When the pharaoh had two dreams back to back, Joseph became aware of the urgency of what was about to take place. Joseph was now not just a gifted man—he could detect the urgency of situations.
Joseph was born a double 4. The sun and moon also have a double 4 relationship regarding their purpose with the earth. Joseph and his brothers are the fourth generation of Abraham. One of the Ten Commandments states:
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Ex. 20:5–6 NIV)
There are several points to be made here. I am referencing the spirit of the text, not the whole meaning of the text, which is so exceedingly important. I want you to see the depth and importance of how God sees the third, even the fourth, dimension of something. There is the blessing of obedience and the curse of disobedience. Joseph chose the blessing of obedience, and we can see where it took him. Even a number to its third or fourth power versus the singular number represents a profound difference. The number 3 by itself remains at that value, but 3 to the fourth power (34) becomes 81 (3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 81)!
God is not jealous, as in envious, like the immature thinking of the world. The word jealous is connected to His immeasurable love for us, not the things we possess, which, by the way, He also provides.
Joseph was not only the by-product of Abraham’s lineage; he was also born of his father’s first love choice—Rachel! Jacob fell in love and wanted to marry only Rachel, but she ended up as the fourth of four women to have a child with Jacob. Unfortunately, Rachel eventually lost her life giving birth to their second child, Benjamin. This unexpected, seemingly backward birth circumstance caused Joseph to be a double 4. Joseph was a double 4 from his father Abraham, to his mother Rachel.
Is this starting to add up for you? Hopefully so, because Joseph’s name actually means “to add up or add upon.” This is so much more than mere coincidence; this is destiny. Joseph was highly endowed to make a difference in the most excellent way. Everything he touched increased in one way or another. The first dream about him and his brothers was connected to harvesting—bundles of sheaves of a perceived wheat or barley harvest. That’s right! He had the Midas touch, in that everything he touched turned to gold.

So what are we seeing? Joseph, who is a mystical double 4, has a second dream about the two mainstays, the sun and the moon, which were made or formed and completed on the fourth day of our present creative order. I have been shown that this is much bigger than previously considered. The number 4 denotes universal effects, creative works, and material completion. The second dream Joseph had about the sun and moon giving in or submitting to him was about