God has so many lessons in creation. The Butterfly
has so many wonderful prophetic insights.
- It starts out as a caterpillar.
Low to the ground. Rather ugly. But eats everything green in
sight.
- At the right time it forms a
cocoon. This is a time of protection for the metamorphosis that will
take place.
- It leaves the cocoon a
beautiful flying being, completely changed and with heavenly vision.
One note is that you cannot help a butterfly to break its cocoon. If
you do you will retard it for life. It needs to break off the cocoon
itself to properly form its wings.
Where I live is called Papillion, which means
butterfly. The town is represented by a Monarch Butterfly. I
thought by studying the Monarch Butterfly I would learn some things about YHWH
and the Rapture!
Monarchs are especially noted for their lengthy annual
migration. They make massive southward migrations starting in August until the
first frost.
The length of these journeys exceeds the normal
lifespan of most Monarchs, which is less than two months for butterflies born
in early summer.
The last generation of the summer enters into a
non-reproductive phase known as diapause and may live up to 7 months. (reference to raptured saints and the 7 year tribulation???)
During diapause, butterflies fly to one of many
overwintering sites. The generation that overwinters generally does not
reproduce until it leaves the overwintering site sometime in February and
March.
How the species manages to return to the same
overwintering spots over a gap of several generations is still a subject of
research; the flight patterns appear to be inherited, based on a combination of circadian
rhythm and the position of the sun in the sky. (a reference to the Son – Jesus)
Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects capable
of making transatlantic crossings. (spiritual
crossings – rapture)
The mating period for the overwinter population occurs
in the spring, just prior to migration from the overwintering sites. (wedding & Chuppah reference)
- The eggs
hatch, revealing worm-like larva, the caterpillars.
The caterpillars consume their egg cases, then feed on milkweed,
and sequester substances called cardenolides,
a type of cardiac glycosides. During the caterpillar
stage, Monarchs store energy in the form of fat and nutrients to carry them through the non-feeding pupa stage.
(Jesus!) and
then molts, leaving itself encased in an articulated green exoskeleton.
At this point, hormonal changes occur, leading to the development of a
butterfly.
-
Tony