Download Written In The Sky

Written In The Sky
John A Sarkett
He counts the stars and calls them all by name. Psalm 147:4
There is a deeper, more fascinating meaning in the signs of the zodiac
than you will ever find in the daily horoscope column.
Each of these astrological signs, in one way or another, talks about a
mighty Person who is going to come, triumph over a great enemy, take
away sin and its terrible consequences, and establish an era of great
health, wealth and well-being right here on this earth. This person is
Jesus Christ. Each of these signs tell a part of the story of his return in
triumphant glory -- returning to establish his kingdom on this earth. Before there was a written Word, the astrological signs were God's own
testimony, his own sign language, the revelation of his plan for man to
man. Moses, who wrote the first five books of the Bible, was not born
until 1571 B.C., some 2,433 years after the creation of Adam, yet he
knew and understood God's plan. "And the sound of this testimony has gone into all the earth, and their
words to the ends of the world," the apostle Paul wrote, quoting Psalm
19, where David writes about the stars, and how they declare the glory
of God, a very specific, prophetic glory, not just the glory of shining
orbs lighting up an otherwise pitch-dark night.1
The word zodiac itself is taken from the Greek word zodiakos. It means
'a circle.' Since so many astrological signs depict animals, like that of a
lion, fish, scorpion, ram, and so on, many have assumed that the word
'zodiac' comes from the Greek zoe, to live, the same place we get our
word zoo, or zoology. But the root of zodiakos, is actually zoad. Zoad
means a way, or a path, or a going by steps. In this connection, the
word zoad describes how the sun appears to move through the stars -step by step -- every twelve months. As the sun returns to almost the
exact spot that it occupied on the same date a year earlier, this course is
repeated every year. So the path, or way, or the going by steps through
the sky is called the zodiac.
Starting with Job
Most assume that Genesis is probably the oldest book in the Bible,
since it starts at the beginning of the story. Surprisingly, this is not the
case. Possibly dating from as early as 2000 B.C., the book of Job is
regarded by most scholars as the oldest book in the Bible. Interestingly,
this is the book which most often mentions the stars. Job refers to two
zodiac signs: Taurus, distinguished by the Pleiades, and Scorpio, called
the "Chambers of the South" in the King James Version. Three other
constellations are mentioned as well: Orion, the Bear and Hydra.
After Job endured his immense suffering, God asks him a number of
questions, including: "Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?"
Now this strange word Mazzaroth occurs twice in Scripture, first in Job
38:32 and again in a slightly different form, Mazzaloth, in 2 Kings 23:5.
It means The Separated, The Divided, or The Apportioned. It refers to
the allotted spaces given to the twelve signs in the circle of the zodiac.
So the great God Jehovah is asking Job if he can bring forth the twelve
signs in their successive order. Of course he could not. Only Jehovah
could bring these signs into view, at the appointed time, and for his
own purpose.
Take that thought one step further and you quickly realize that these
zodiac signs belong to Jehovah -- not the astrologers. He invented them.
He used them as his own "neon signs" during the early years of the
history of man. (That's how Enoch, seventh from Adam, was able to
"see" the Lord coming with ten thousands of his saints.2
Jehovah, indeed, did regard the stars with a proprietary perspective. He
created them. He created them for a purpose: to be for signs, and for
seasons, and for days, and years.3
"A sign" is from the Hebrew avah. It means a prophetic mark.
"Seasons" is from the Hebrew moed. It means an appointed time, here a
prophetic appointed time.
Days and years have a natural meaning here. The sun is a star. We get
day and night from the turning of the earth in reference to our sun star.
But days and years, as Biblical terms, also have prophetic significance.
For example, to the Lord, a thousand years is as a day, and a day as a
thousand years.4 Or the day of Jacob's trouble.5 Or the three-and-onehalf years of great tribulation.6
God also put the stars in specific places.7 They are his work, his design.
And most important of all, God named the stars.8 As a shepherd leads
his sheep, calling each by its pet name, and counts them to see that
none are lost or strayed, so God does with stars and planets!9 God left
the naming of the animals to man, but He named the stars himself -because of their prophetic significance.
It's by those names that God's plan is revealed in the stars. Spica means
The Branch. Arcturus means He Comes. Pollux means Who Comes to
Suffer. Antares means The Wounded. Elnath means Slain. Procyon
means The Redeemer. Orion means Coming as Light. Sirius means The
Prince. Vega means He Shall Be Exalted.
In fact, many of our words have come down to us from God's naming
of the stars. For example, the brightest star in the sky is Sirius. Coming
from this very same root are is the Egyptian osiris, the Hebrew sirai, the
Etruscan aesar, and the Indian aswara. These mean prince, sire or sir.
Those of us in the English-speaking world use the word sir everyday as
a term of dignity and respect.
If the ancients took words from these stars, did they in fact know the
prophetic messages that God was presenting to them? They did, but
unfortunately it wasn't long before the ancient Babylonian astrologers
had twisted many of these stories, and then later the Greeks expanded
them into their fantastic myths. And so the truth of the stars, the truth in
the zodiac was lost.
However, it's interesting to note that all cultures -- the Hebrews, the
Aztecs, the Babylonians, the Norsemen, the Egyptians, and the Chinese
-- all recognized the same names for the stars and the same patterns
they make up. This has led some scholars to conclude that Judaism and
Christianity descended from the "original religions." Actually, just the
opposite is true. Just as Satan has taken everything else that God has
made, and fashioned his own imitation, so too, did he take the original,
true religion that God wrote in the stars and transmogrify it into the
heathen religions.
If this information was lost for so long, how did we get it back?
In the middle of the 19th century a scholar of the ancient classics and
the history of language was struck by Psalm 147:4 which says that God
calls the stars by their names. This scholar, Frances Rolleston, spent
most of the rest of her life studying the root meanings of the names of
the stars in many ancient languages. Though most of the names of the
stars were lost, some 100 or so were preserved in either Hebrew or
Arabic. These continue to be used by astronomers today, though the
meanings are unknown to them.
Frances Rolleston published her findings in 1863 in a book entitled,
appropriately enough, Mazzaroth. Several other writers also took up
the theme and popularized her work.
What she learned can help us be more sure of the reality of the 'rest of
the story,' the kingdom of heaven -- where it is and what it will be like.
Walking the circle written in the sky
Twelve signs forming a circle.
How can we know where to begin?
Through the "procession of the Equinoxes" the sun gradually shifts its
position a little each year, till in about every 2,000 years it begins the
year in a different sign. This was foreseen by the ancient Egyptians;
and it was also foreseen that succeeding generations would not know
when and where the sun had begun its course, and where the teaching
of this heavenly book commenced, and where we were to open its first
page. And so the Sphinx was invented as a memorial guide to the
heavens. It had the head of a woman and the body and tail of a lion, to
tell us where to start and stop. The word "Sphinx" is from the Greek
"sphingo," to join -- because it binds together the story's two ends,
making this circle of the heavens.
Confirmation of this is found in one of the oldest zodiacs, dating back
to approximately the year 2000 B.C. This is the zodiac of Dendereh. It
was discovered by scholars in the ceiling of the portico of the temple of
Esneh in Egypt. In this zodiac there is placed between the signs of
Virgo and Leo a picture of the Sphinx.
That, then, solves the "riddle" of the Sphinx.
Compare the prophecies in the Bible with the prophecies in the heavens
and you may quickly further confirm that the place to begin is Virgo . . .
the place to end is Leo.
Why?
In Genesis 3:15 (the first book of the Bible) we have a promise
concerning the Seed of the woman who would be wounded in the heel,
but in turn crush the head of his enemy. Virgo signifies a woman.
And then, in Revelation 5:5, (the last book of the Bible) we have a
promise concerning triumph of the lion of the tribe of Judah. Leo
signifies that lion.
The 12 signs of the zodiac are divided into three books of four signs
each. As Bullinger brings out in an appendix of his Companion Bible,
God is indeed a highly organized, precise personage. Here is how his
heavenly book is organized:10
First Book. The Redeemer. (His first coming.)
A. Virgo. The prophecy of the promised seed of the woman. Christ the
Incarnate Son.
B. Libra. The Redeemer's work (grace). Christ the Redeemer.
B. Scorpio. The Redeemer's conflict. Christ the Sufferer.
A. Sagittarius. The prophecy fulfilled. Christ the Conqueror.
Second Book. The Redeemed. (His work and its results.)
C. Capricornus. The prophecy of deliverance. Christ the Sacrifice.
D. Aquarius. Results of work bestowed. Christ the Living Water.
D. Pisces. Results of work enjoyed. Christ the Liberator.
C. Aries. The prophesied deliverance fulfilled. Christ the Crowned
Lamb.
Third Book. The Redeemer. (His second coming.)
E. Taurus. The prophecy of coming judgment. Christ the Judge.
F. Gemini. The Redeemer's reign in glory. Christ the King.
F. Cancer. The Redeemer's possession safe. Christ the Protector.
E. Leo. The prophecy of triumph fulfilled. Christ the Victor.
Simplifying that magnificent organization just a bit, the meanings of
the signs would be as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Virgo. The Seed of the woman.
Libra. The required price paid.
Scorpio. The mortal conflict.
Sagittarius. The final triumph.
Capricorn. Life out of death.
Aquarius. Blessing out of victory.
Pisces. Deliverance out of bondage.
Aries. Glory out of humiliation.
Taurus. His glorious coming.
Gemini. His rule on earth.
Cancer. His possessions held secure.
Leo. His enemies destroyed.
Again, it's important to emphasize that we don't know the meanings of
these star groups because of the physical patterns they make up. They
don't make up patterns that look like fish or rams. We know the
meanings from the names of the stars themselves, the names that God
himself gave them.
To really get a good grasp of the magnificence of the meanings of the
12 signs and 36 related constellations, (three to each sign) let's take a
closer look at each one. Let's begin at the beginning.
Virgo. The sign Virgo depicts a virgin that would have a Son (her
Seed) who would be called the Branch of Jehovah. Here is the star
Spica, or Branch.
Coma. The first constellation of the first sign, Virgo, is Coma. Most
modern charts call it Coma Berenices, or Berenice's Hair. (This is a
good example of how ancient truths of God are corrupted.) Berenice
was the wife of Ptolemy III of Egypt. She vowed to dedicate her fine
hair to the temple of Venus if her husband returned safely from an
expedition. He did return and she did place her hair in the temple, but it
was stolen. To comfort her, the astronomer Conon declared that the god
Jupiter had taken it and made it a constellation. And so the ancient
meaning of the constellation was corrupted.
In antiquity, however, the constellation Coma was considered to be a
picture of a woman, a virgin furthermore, with her child. The name
Coma in Hebrew means The Desired, or The Longed For. In ancient
Egypt, the name was Shes-nu, The Desired Son.
Centaurus. The next constellation in Virgo is Centaurus, the one with
two natures, meaning both God and man. In the Hebrew, Bezeh, this
constellation means The Despised, which we know represents the
despised sin offering. The Greek name for Centaurus was Cherion, or
The Pierced. In mythology, he was famous for his skills in hunting,
medicine, music, athletics and prophecy. Even more interesting,
Cherion was immortal but voluntarily agreed to die when wounded by a
poison arrow, and he transferred his immortality to Prometheus. We
can readily discern in this legend a corrupted version of the story of the
heroic Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully man, who voluntarily laid
down his life that others might have eternal life.
Bootes. Finally, in Virgo, we come to what we in the U.S. call the
Herdsman, or Bootes. The Hebrew bo means to come. Most ancient
zodiacs picture Bootes as a herdsman, an Oriental shepherd. The
Egyptians called Bootes Smat, which means Who Rules. In this
constellation, the star Mizar means Guarding; Muphride means Who
Separates. Putting it together, we have a shepherd who will be returning
to rule.
And so, the sign Virgo portrays to us a desired virgin-born Son,
with two natures, God and man, who was to also be a despised sin
offering, but return to earth for his fold.
Libra. The sign of the scales indicates the Price Which Is Deficient,
and the Price Which Covers, describing the fact that Christ has paid in
full our penalty for sin and also the meaning of the two bright stars of
this sign, Zuben al Genubu and Zuben al Chemali. The three
constellations:
Crux. Here we have the crucifixion foretold in the sky. This is the
constellation of the revered Southern Cross. Its ancient name in Hebrew,
Adom, means Cutting Off. This is the same phrase as that used in
Daniel 9:26, referring to the great prophecy of the 70 weeks.
Lupus. This means To Be Slain. The Latins called it Victima, or The
Victim.
Corona. Here, in the Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, we have a
Corona, or Crown, for the worthy redeemer. The Hebrew for Corona is
Atarah, Royal Crown. In Arabic, it means Ornament or Jewel. The
bright star in this constellation is Alpacca and means The Shining.
Summarizing Libra: a crucified victim who receives a crown.
Scorpio. The sign of the scorpion illustrates just what scorpions do that
make them so feared among creatures great and small -- attack. This
sign portrays the battle that Christ waged against his adversary, Satan.
At the heart of the Scorpio sign is the bright red star, Antares, which
means Wounding.
Serpens, Ophiuchus. These constellations are intertwined to show
wrestling, struggle, conflict. Ophiuchus, the Mighty Man, is in combat
with a Snake, Serpens, who is trying to seize the Crown -- the Corona
constellation of neighboring Libra.
Hercules. The Greeks were not sure of the proper meaning and origin
of the names of the stars, these having been clouded over by the
Babylonians many centuries earlier. And so they didn't know what it
was that Hercules, or properly, Jesus Christ, our Mighty Man, was
laboring for. But we know he was laboring on the cross, in his war with
Satan, to overcome Satan, and re-establish heaven on the earth.
And so in Scorpio, we see a mighty man locked in struggle with a
snake who is trying to steal a crown that rightfully belongs to the
man. Hercules, the Greeks called him. We know him as Jesus
Christ.
Sagittarius. This is the sign of the centaurean archer, again a being
with two natures, but this time, as the curtain falls on act one of the
three acts of the heavenly prophecies, a victorious centaur, instead of
despised as before in the sign Virgo. Here we have stars such as Naim,
meaning the Gracious One, and Al Warida, Who Comes Forth.
Lyra. Here is a picture of a lyre or harp. The bright star Vega is in this
constellation. Vega means He Shall Be Exalted. And so music becomes
the vehicle of praise to this conquering archer.
Ara. Here is an altar placed in the upside-down position. On it the fire
is blazing toward the lower regions of "outer darkness." The ancient
Arabs called it the Completing or Finishing. So here are the fires of
judgment on Satan and his angels.
Draco. The last scenes of each of the acts in this drama correspond to
one another. Here is Draco, The Dragon, being cast out. Act two ends
with Cetus, Sea Monster, bound. Act three concludes with Hydra, the
old, multi-headed serpent, destroyed. The stars in the head of Draco are
Rastaban, The Head of the Subtle, and Ethanin, The Long Serpent.
Thuban means The Subtle. Giansar is The Punished Enemy. El Atik is
The Fraudulent.
In Sagittarius then, we have the portrayal of a returning, victorious
archer, receiving musical praise, and sentencing his enemy to the
eternal fires of hell.
Capricorn. Here opens act two . . . the results of act one. This is the
sign of the goat with the fish's tail...a most unusual figure. What does it
mean? It means life coming from death. The goat was a sacrificial
animal and was used extensively as a sin offering. The fish, as a
symbol of the kingdom in Matthew 13:47-50, was a symbol of life.
Here we have a fish emerging from the dying goat as a new kind of life,
depicting the fact that the believer in Christ is, in fact, a new
creation.11 The brightest star here is Al-gedi, The Kid.
Sagitta. This means arrow. In Hebrew, Sham, or Destroying. This is
the arrow as the instrument of divine justice in Christ.
Aquila. This means the falling eagle, or Christ. The star, Altair, here
means The Wounding. Al Cair means The Piercing. And Tarared,
Wounded or Torn. Al Shain, in the throat of the eagle, means Bright
and is from a root meaning red-colored. The same word is used of the
scarlet thread that Rahab let down the wall of Jericho to mark her house.
Red is also the color of the blood covenant we have with Christ. The
star in the tail, Al Okal, means Wounded in the Heel.
Delphinus. Here we see the resurrection in the picture of a fish full of
life, head uplifted, springing out of the water.
Capricorn teaches us about the resurrection life that comes from
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the pierced eagle who fell but who was
reborn as a fish full of life.
Aquarius. If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. That is
what Christ invited people to do. When he made that great statement,
he might have thought of the time he placed the star Sa'ad al Melik, or
the Record of the Pouring Forth, in its place. Christ is the great
Aquarius, the water bearer and pourer, who bestows the water of life.
Piscis Australis. The fish -- or the believer -- receives the water from
the water pourer. The bright star in this constellation is Fomalhaut, The
Mouth of the Fish.
Pegasus. Pega means chief. Sus means horse. Here we have the figure
of the chief on a horse, Christ returning to earth. The star names in this
famous constellation include: Markab, Returning From Afar; Scheat,
Who Carries; Enif, The Branch; and Matar, Who Causes to Overflow
(with Joy).
Cygnus. Sometimes called the Northern Cross, this is the perfect
counterpoint to the anguish of the Southern Cross. For here is a picture
of a swan circling, and then returning to, earth. The brightest star,
Deneb, means The Lord Comes, also called Arided, He Shall Come
Down.
Aquarius speaks to us of a Waterman pouring out the water of life
on his fish, and returning soon to claim his own . . . Jesus Christ
watering his Church, and then returning to earth to live in the
midst of his Church and mankind.
Pisces. In Aquarius we have a fish drinking in the water poured forth
from the Waterman. Here in Pisces, we have two fish bound together
with a cord. The cord is fastened to the neck of Cetus, the monster of
the sea. This is Satan, and the two fish are Israel and Judah. In Scripture,
the heathen nations are sometimes symbolized by the sea.12 And so
God's people Israel are seen as fish in the sea of nations, taken away
from their place of promise and blessing . . . scattered among the
nations without national identity themselves. In the Dendereh zodiac,
Pisces was called Pisces Hori (Orion), The Fishes of Him Who Comes.
Even though these fishes are bound, the hope of Messiah's coming is
before them.
The Band. The one-day-to-be-redeemed Israel bound is depicted here.
It is interesting to note that the front foot of Aries, the victorious Lamb,
rests on this band, indicating that when Jesus Christ returns He will
break the band that ties Israel and Judah to Cetus, or Satan, the
adversary.
Andromeda. This is a woman with chains on her feet and hands. She is
suffering in her captivity. This further amplifies Israel's bondage during
the period after the rejection of Messiah and before his Second Coming.
The stars in the constellation illustrate the condition: Alpheratz, The
Broken Down; Mirach, The Weak; Almaak, Struck Down; Almara, The
Afflicted.
Cepheus. This is the crowned King, Jesus Christ, who is coming to
rule.
Pisces tells us about the blessings of salvation held in abeyance for
Israel, her suffering, and the King that will come to free her.
Aries. This sign means ram to most of us today, but the oldest zodiacs
indicate a lamb, rather than a full-grown ram. The connotation here,
then, is gentle, merciful -- attributes of Jesus Christ. This is the
vigorous Lamb of God, not falling in death like the Capricorn goat, but
alive, well, whole, victorious.
Cassiopeia. This is Andromeda, Israel, after the return of Messiah -free, happy, blessed. The name means The Beautiful, The Enthroned,
the Daughter of Splendor.
Cetus. The sea monster. The great enemy is shown here bound. The
star Menkar here means The Enemy Chained. Diphda means
Overthrown. Mira means The Rebel.
Perseus. The Breaker delivering the redeemed. Here is Jesus Christ
breaking the head of his enemy. The star Mirfak means Who Helps. Al
Genib means Who Carries Away. Athik, Who Breaks.
And so we close the second act with Aries, a sign that shows us
Israel blessed at last, the Champion subduing and destroying his
enemy from the earth.
This all still lies ahead
Taurus. We open the last act of the heavenly drama. Much of what
we've seen in the skies is behind us. The crucifixion. The resurrection.
The Church receiving her blessings from the Waterman right now,
today. Israel still bound up by Satan, waiting for Messiah to come and
break the band.
This last act is exciting because it hasn't happened yet . . . but it isn't too
far off, either.
To most casual students of astrology, Taurus is a placid sign. The big,
old, earthbound bull. Not too quick. Not too creative. Massive.
Substantial. Those born under this sign make good bankers, the
astrology books tell us.
But Taurus, in the plan of God written in the skies, is not a docile,
domestic bull at all! In the ancient Hebrew scriptures, this animal was
called a rimu. Now extinct, this was a ferocious relative of domestic
cattle -- a rough equivalent of what the wild boar is to the modern pig.
Famous for its size and ferocity, it was a prize of ancient hunters, as
chronicled in the records of Egyptian kings like Tutmose III.
The bright-reddish star in the Bull's eye is Aldeberan, The Governor,
Captain, Leader. The bright star at the tip of the left horn of the bull is
Elnath, The Wounded. This is talking about Jesus Christ, the wounded
one, who will return to earth with fury and vengeance, and destroy the
armies assembled against him in the Valley of Armageddon.
Orion. This is the coming Prince. In the Hebrew, Oarion, or Coming
Forth as Light. The brightest star is Betelgeuse, The Coming of The
Branch. Bellatrix, Swiftly Destroying. Rigel, The Foot That Crushes.
Eridanus. This is a river of fiery judgment. Achernar means The
Afterpart of The River; Cursa, Bent Down; Zourac, Flowing. This
constellation depicts the fire of God's judgment poured out on the
world that still rejects him at his return.
Auriga. The Shepherd, protecting his own in the day of wrath. He sits
in calm command of the situation above the rushing wild bull. In his
left hand he holds a mother goat which has just given birth to the pair
of kids he holds in his lap. The goat rests with its front feet on the
shoulders of The Shepherd. In the heart of this goat is the brillant star,
Capella, which means She Goat. This illustrates that even in the midst
of such fury and retribution, Jesus Christ cares for his own.
So Taurus opens the last -- and yet future -- book of God by
illustrating the triumph and brightness of the Judge who is coming
to rule, the fiery wrath poured out on his enemies, and the
protection of his people at this time.
Gemini. This is the sign of the twins. In the Latin, these are Castor and
Pollux. The former meant Ruler; the latter, The Laboring Sufferer. So
here we have the dual assignments of Jesus Christ, the Mighty One
who is coming as Ruling Prince and Saviour who suffered.
Lepus. The star here is Arneb, The Enemy of Him Who Comes.
Another, Nihal, means The Mad. This is Satan.
Canis Major. Canis Major means Great Dog. That came down to us
from the Greeks who supposed Orion had a pair of hunting dogs. The
real meaning here, as indicated by the star Sirius, is Prince. Other stars:
Wesen, The Shining. Adhara, The Glorious.
Canis Minor. This is supposed to be the lesser dog, again a Greek
misappropriation of the real meaning here. To get to the real meaning
of these constellations, the rule is to go with star names, rather than
picture patterns. Procyon is the major star here, Redeemer, Saviour.
So the meaning of Gemini becomes clear. The key is twinship,
duality. Both in Gemini itself, and in its attending constellations.
Canis Major has Sirius, The Glorious Prince. Canis Minor has
Procyon, The Exalted Redeemer and Saviour. Canis Major has a
star called The Prince of the Right Hand; Canis Minor has a star
named The Prince of the Left Hand. Everything here bespeaks the
twofold nature of Jesus Christ: Prince and Saviour, King and
Redeemer.
Cancer. This is the sign of the crab. The meaning here is that of
holding on tight. The brightest star in Cancer in Tegmine, Holding.
Another is Acubene, Sheltering, Hiding Place. Ma'alaph, Assembled
Thousands. And Alhimarean, The Kids or The Lambs. The crab almost
certainly was not the original symbol for this section of the zodiac.
Much more likely is the idea of an inn or sheltering place. One star
cluster is named Praesepe, The Manger. Another, Aselli, Asses or
Donkeys. The zodiac of Dendereh named it Klaria, Cattlefolds. The
idea here then is shelter, safety, security for the people of God during
the last days of tribulation.
Ursa Minor. This is widely known as the Little Bear. The real meaning
may be had from the root of the constellation name Arcas, The
Stronghold of the Saved. Other stars lend further insight. Kochab,
Waiting for the Coming. Alkaid, The Assembled. Alpherkadain, The
Redeemed Assembly. Annassurra, High In Rising.
Ursa Major. Ursa Major means great bear, again a name that the
Greeks applied themselves, and not related to the names of the stars
themselves. Scholars believe that the Greeks may have mistaken the
Persian word Dob (Hebrew Dowb), which means Bear, for Dubeh, (the
name of the brightest star), which means A Herd, A Flock. The Herd,
or Flock is the meaning of this constellation. Other stars bear this out:
Merak, Flock in Hebrew, or Purchased in Arabic; Phad, Guarded or
Numbered; and Megrez means Separated (as a flock in a fold). All
these go toward the idea of assembling the once-scattered flock.
Argo. In mythology, this is the ship that carried Jason and his
companions in their search for the Golden Fleece. It is A Company of
Travelers, a prophetic illustration of the secure arrival of God's people
back to the land of blessing. The lead star is Canopus, The Possession
of Him Who Comes. Tureis, Possession (in hand). Soheil, The Desired.
So in Cancer we see the secure resting place for the people of God,
both the Church and the people Israel, when Jesus Christ returns
to the earth to establish his reign.
Leo. The sign of the lion, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and the last
heavenly sign of revelation. Here is the Messiah in consummated
triumph. The star Regulus means Treading Underfoot. Denebola is The
Judge Who Comes. Algiebha, The Exaltation, meaning the Great Lion.
Alasad, The Tearing of the Lion. Aldafera, Enemy Put Down.
Hydra. That old serpent, the name meaning He Is Abhorred. The
ancient name of the brightest star is Alphard, The Put Away.
Crater. This is The Cup of God's wrath. In the skies, it is behind the
lion's hind feet, and resting on Hydra, the serpent, who shall at the
beginning of the kingdom reign of Jesus Christ, take in God's wrath in
reward for his rebellion.
Corvus. The Raven. The star Algoreb means, simply, Raven. Minchar
Algoreb means The Raven Tearing to Pieces, and Minchar Alsugia
means The Deceiver Torn to Pieces. This constellation pictures for us
the last episode in the conflict of the ages.
The enemy of God and man is finally defeated, torn to pieces and
devoured -- consigned forever and ever to the lake of fire.
Leo provides us with the heavenly image of a Triumphant
Redeemer, the cup of wrath poured out on the enemy, and the
enemy destroyed.
The story ends. And the 'rest of the story' begins.
As we know from God's written revelation in the Bible, the ages of
eternity are at this point just beginning in the new Jerusalem, the eternal
hometown-to-be of all the saints. No rush, no hurry, no sickness, no
disease -- just prosperity, wealth, health, friendship, and pleasure to
enjoy, ministering to each other forevermore.
Jehovah's adversary, however, is absolutely dedicated to keeping you in
the dark about that, hence his perversion of the real meaning of the
stars, the constellations and their names. Because if you really knew
what was in store for you now as one of Christ's own -- all the healing,
prosperity, and well-being that can only come through him -- and what
is in store for you as a prince or princess in the great reign of Christ on
this earth, you would run to Jehovah for salvation if unconverted.
And if already a son or daughter, you would run to the Lord -- El
Shaddai, All-Bountiful, Nurturing, Providing God, Friend and
Companion -- for a powerful moving of his Spirit in you and on you
and through you. You'd make it your business to get close to him.He
has already made it his business to get close to you.
FOOTNOTES: THE REST OF THE STORY: WRITTEN IN THE SKY
1 Rom. 10:18
2 Jude v.14
3 Gen. 1:14-19
4 Peter 3:8
5 Jer. 30:7
6 Matt. 24:21
7 Psalms 8:3
8 Psalms 147:4 "He counts the
stars and calls them all by
name." LB
9 Is. 40:26
10 The Companion Bible.
(Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Zondervan Bible Publishers)
Appendix 12.
11 2 Cor. 5:17
12 Dan. 7:2; Rev. 13:1