“The Heavens are telling the Glory of God”                                                   – Psalm 19:1.

 

The SIGNS of the Zodiac

Foretell the Plan of God

 

                                    What is the Zodiac?  Is it Biblical?  Or of pagan origin?

                                    What does the Bible say about the “signs of the Zodiac

                                    and do they have any significance for us, today?  Why

                                    did David write, “The heavens DECLARE the glory of

                                    God . . . and night after night they display knowledge”?

                                    Do the constellations in the heavens give us an awesome

                                    PREVIEW of the Plan God is working out on earth below?

 

                                                            William F. Dankenbring           

 

            Contrary to the sneers and rantings of skeptics and the hooting of cynics, there are vital messages we can learn from the stars!  Amazing as it may sound, we are talking about hidden “messages” in the stars – a message put there in ancient times!  This is not speaking of the false claims of pagan astrologers and the artful mysticism of astrology, which God condemns -- but rather a unique testimony and witness of the true plan of God as revealed in the stars and constellations of the sky! 

 

            Over 2,000 years before the time of Christ, God inspired the book of Job to be written, which mentions the signs of the Zodiac, and gives the names of several stars and star groups, as being both ancient and well known.  This is not speaking of astrology but in terms of divine revelation revealed through the stars!

 

            Job writes, under divine inspiration, “He [God] is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south” (Job 9:9)

 

            Job also quotes God as declaring, “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades?  Can you loose the cords of Orion?  Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons?  Or lead out the Bear with its cubs?  Do you know the laws of heaven?” (Job 38:31-33, NIV).  The King James version has, instead of “constellations, “ the term “Mazzaroth.”  The marginal reading says, “Or, the twelve signs.”  This refers to the signs of the Zodiac!  God does not condemn the signs or dividions of the night sky into twelve “signs,” but mentions them as an accepted fact of reality.

 

            Adam Clarke in his commentary, says of “Mazzaroth,” “This is generally understood to mean the signs of the zodiac.”  Says the Critical-Experimental Commentary, “32. Canst thou bring forth (into the sky) the signs of the Zodiac at their respective seasons – the twelve lodgings [Mazzaloth in the Hebrew, II Kings 23:5, being equivalent to Mazzaroth here – viz., stopping places] in which the sun successively stays, or appears in the sky?”

 

            Other signs of the Zodiac are referred to by name in the Scriptures.  The sign of “Gemini,” or ‘The Twins,” is mentioned as the name of a ship in Acts 18:11 (Castor and Pollux).  Job 26:13 appears to refer to the constellation of “Draco,” “the Dragon.”  We read:  “By His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand formed the crooked serpent.”  The word for “crooked” here also means “beauty,” and in Psalm 16:6 is translated “goodly.”  God says, therefore, that His hand “coiled” the crooked serpent among the stars of the heavens.

 

            The Scriptures clearly are not silent as to the existence of the Zodiac. 

 

The Mystery of the Zodiac

           

            E.W. Bullinger, famed Biblical commentator, knew this fundamental truth.  He wrote a fascinating book entitled Witness of the Stars.  In this amazing book, Bullinger tells us that the original Zodiac, mentioned in the book of Job, perhaps the oldest book of the Bible, was the great sign given by God to preach the gospel in the heavens. 

 

            Psalm 19 tells us more about this mystery:  “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech nor language where their voice is not hear(vs.1-3).  The first part of this Psalm clearly speaks of the witness of the stars in the heavens and their testimony of the plan of God (verses 1-6).  This was the sole witness to countless generations of God’s great Plan, before God prepared His written Word to also bear testimony!   The second part of this Psalm speaks of the written Word of God -- His law (verses 7-14). 

 

            Says E. W. Bullinger,

 

                        “If we turn to history and tradition, we are at once met with the fact that the

                        Twelve Signs are the same, both as to the meaning of their names and as to

                        their order in all the ancient nations of the world.  The Chinese, Chaldean

                        and Egyptian records go back to more than 2,000 years B.C.  Indeed, the

                        Zodiacs in the temples of Denderah and Esneh, in Egypt, are doubtless copies

                        of Zodiacs still more ancient, which, from internal evidence, must be placed

                        nearly 4,000 years B.C., when the summer solstice was in Leo.

 

                        “Josephus hands down to us what he gives as the traditions of his own nation,

                        corroborated by his reference to eight ancient Gentile authorities, whose works

                        are lost.  He says that they all assert that ‘God gave the antediluvians such long

                        life that they might perfect those things which they had invented in astronomy”

                        (Witness of the Stars, Bullinger, p.9).

 

            Bullinger goes on:

 

                        “Ancient Persian and Arabian traditions ascribe its invention to Adam, Seth,

                        and Enoch.  Josephus asserts that it originated in the family of Seth; and he

                        says that the children of Seth, and especially Adam, Seth, and Enoch, that

                        their revelation might not be lost as to the coming judgments of Water and

                        Fire, made two pillars (one of brick, the other of stone), describing the whole

                        of the predictions of the stars upon them, and in case the brick pillar should

                        be destroyed by the flood, the stone would preserve the revelation” (p.10).

 

            There is a wide difference between understanding the “signs of the Zodiacc,” as they  refer to prophecy and God’s Plan, and the wicked practice of “astrology.”

 

            God condemns the practice of astrology, no less than divining, sorcery, or looking into crystal balls or tea leaves.  God warns the daughter of Babylon, “Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.  Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.  They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame” (Isaiah 47:13-14, NIV).

 

            However, God’s Word plainly says the stars in the sky were put there for a purpose.

 

“Signs” in the Heavens

 

            Why did God create the stars in the heavens in the first place?  We read one significant answer in Genesis, the first chapter.  Moses wrote:  “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as SIGNS to mark seasons and days and years” (Genesis 1:14, NIV).

 

            The word for “sign” here, in the Hebrew, is owth, and means “a signal, as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence,” etc. 

 

            Does God often send mysterious “signs” in the heavens before He performs mighty works in the earth?  What do the Scriptures say about this?

 

            Jesus Christ Himself said, referring to the days before His second coming:  “And there will be fearful sights and GREAT SIGNS from heaven  (Luke 21:11, KJV).

 

            Christ went on, “And there will be SIGNS in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars . . .” (Luke 25).

 

            Also speaking of His second coming, to rule this world, and to deliver mankind from its greatest crisis in all human history, Jesus foretold:  Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars [meteors] will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken [an incredible cosmic quaking and shaking -- see Hebrews 12:25-28; Hag.2:21-23].  Then the SIGN of the Son of Man will APPEAR in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will SEE the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and glory” (Matt.24:29-30).

 

            What will this great SIGN be? 

 

                                                     "A Star Out of Jacob"    

 

            In the book of Numbers we read a mysterious prophecy about the coming Messiah of Israel, the Redeemer and Saviour of the world: 

 

                                    “I shall see him, but not now:  I shall behold him, but not

                                                nigh:  there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre

                                                shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab,

                                                and destroy all the children of Sheth” (Num.24:17).

 

            All commentators see this as a prophecy of the coming Messiah figure of Israel.  But few have noted that it seems to be speaking of a Messiah who comes twice -- the first time, as a “star” out of Jacob, and a second time as a “scepter” -- that is, as a ruling king, who will subdue His enemies, smiting the Moabites, and destroying all who oppose Him. 

 

            This prophecy is clearly Messianic.  Isaiah speaks of this Messiah who comes as a conquering king:  “And he shall set up an ensign [SIGN] for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. . . But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together:  they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them” (Isa.11:12-14).

 

            But why is the Messiah associated with a “star”?  Why does the prophecy say a star shall come “out of Jacob”?  This certainly means that the Messiah would be descended from Jacob.  But why is He connected with a “star”?  Why is He referred to in the prophecy as a “star”?

 

            How was this famous prophecy fulfilled?  According to the writers of the New Testament, there was a “star” that was distinctly associated with the birth of Jesus Christ -- that acted as a herald, and a beacon, of His impending birth.  Matthew tells us the story:

 

                        “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the

                        king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where

                        is he that is born King of the Jews?  for we have seen his star in the east, and

                        have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2).

 

                The expression “in the east” in the King James Version is not precisely correct.  The literal term in the Greek language is anatole and means “a rising of light,” “dawn,” “dayspring,” “rising,” or by implication, “east.”  Literally, they saw his “star rising.”  The root word means to “cause to arise,” “rise up.”  They had seen this unique star at its “rising,” a sidereal appearance, which they regarded as betokening the birth of the Messianic King of the Jews.

 

The Fulfillment of Prophecy

 

            The word “star” in Scripture has been abundantly proved to mean not only a literal “star,” but is also used of “constellations,” “comets,” “meteors,” -- in short, it has the widest possible application to the heavenly bodies. 

 

            The “wise men” were clearly distinguished men, “magi,” who were learned and scholarly, especially in astronomy, mathematics, the sciences and history.  They were familiar with the Hebrew prophets.  They may have been descendants of the “wise men” of Babylon, during the time of Daniel.  On the other hand, they may have been wise men from the dispersed northern ten tribes of Israel, who had been taken into captivity toward the east and northeast, and whose descendants comprised many of the inhabitants of the Parthian empire.   The common belief that there were “three” wise men is mere supposition.  The Scriptures nowhere tell us how many there were.

 

            Notice the fact that the sudden appearance in Jerusalem of these impressive visitors from the east -- possibly Babylon, or Persia, or the Parthian empire -- had a powerful effect on the residents of Jerusalem, and especially on king Herod.  The king himself was greatly disturbed to learn that there was another “king” whose birth had been predicted, who was to rule over the Jews. 

 

                        “When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem

                        with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people

                        together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

 

                        “And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea:  for thus it is written by the prophet,

                        And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah:

                        for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 

 

                        “Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently

                        what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search

                        diligently for the young child:  and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that

                        I may come and worship him.

 

                        “When  they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in

                        the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 

                        When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matt.2:3-10).

 

                The wise men found the boy Yeshua, in a house, and presented gifts to Him, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and then departed into their own country, being warned in a dream not to return to Herod (v.11-12).  Joseph, the supposed father of the child, was also warned in a dream to flee into Egypt, for Herod would attempt to kill the infant (v.13).  He did so, and remained there until after the death of Herod, which occurred in the spring of 4 B.C., just before Passover.  Herod, when he saw that the wise men had not returned, was exceedingly angry:

 

                        “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth,

                        and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts

                        thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently

                        inquired of the wise men” (Matt.2:16).

 

                Notice that originally Herod inquired as to the time when the wise men first saw the “new star” in the heavens -- when it first appeared in the night sky (Matt.2:7).  Apparently, they first saw it “two years” previously (verse 16).  Was this celestial phenomenon the fulfillment of the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24:17, the “star of Jacob”? 

 

                                                       A Tri-Planetary Conjunction

 

            Throughout the ages, rabbinical sages and scholars have written about a certain type of “star” -- a tri-planetary conjunction -- that they said would appear in the constellation of Pisces near the time of the birth of the Messiah -- just before the time of His coming.

 

            Dr. Alfred Edersheim, a famous Bible scholar of the nineteenth century, points out that there is one illustrative Jewish statement which, “though not astrological, is of the greatest importance, although it seems to have been overlooked.”  In his book The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Edersheim mentions the well known Jewish commentator Abarbanel, who writes of the importance of the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces, in  his Commentary on the book of Daniel.  Says Edersheim:

 

                        “In his Commentary on Daniel, that Rabbi laid it down, that the conjunction of

                        Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces betokened not only the most

                        important events, but referred especially to Israel (for which he gives five mystic

                        reasons).  He further argues that, as that conjunction had taken place three years

                        before the birth of Moses, which heralded the first deliverance of Israel, so it would

                        also precede the birth of the Messiah, and the final deliverance of Israel” (p.211).

 

                Edersheim points out that one of the smaller Midrashim, called the “Messiah Haggadah” (Aggadoth Mashiach) begins as follows:

 

                        A star shall come out of Jacob.  There is a Boraita in the name of the Rabbis:

                        The heptad in which the Son of David cometh -- in the first year there shall

                        not be sufficient nourishment; in the second year the arrows of famine are

                        launched; in the third, a great famine; in the fourth, neither famine nor plenty;

                        in the fifth, great abundance, and the Star shall rise forth from the East, and this

                        is the Star of the Messiah.  And it will shine from the East for fifteen days, and

                        if it be prolonged, it will be for the good of Israel; in the sixth, sayings (voices),

                        and announcements (hearings); in the seventh wars, and at the close of the seventh

                        Messiah is to be expected” (quoted by Edersheim, p.211-212).

 

                This “heptad,” or period of “seven,” could refer to the seven years preceding the birth of Christ, and also to the time of the final “WEEK” of years mentioned in Daniel 9:24-27 -- the final seven years leading up to the second coming of the Messiah -- the final seven years of this present age of misrule and misconduct.  Notice that at the end of this “week” of seven years, the Messiah was to be “expected.”  Many Jews and Rabbis living during the time of Christ  expected the Messiah to come in the first part of the first century of the present era! 

 

            Notice that the “star” of the Messiah was predicted to rise in the East, in the fifth year -- that is, two or three years before His coming.  This happened prior to the birth of Yeshua.

 

            Edersheim goes on to discuss three other ancient Jewish Midrashim, which are entitled “The Book of Elijah,” “Chapters about the Messiah,” and “The Mysteries of R. Simon, the son of Jochai” --

 

                        “where we read that a Star in the East was to appear two years before the

                        birth of the Messiah.  The statement is almost equally remarkable, whether it

                        represents a tradition previous to the birth of Jesus, or originated after that

                        event.  But two years before the birth of Christ, which, as we have calculated,

                        took place in . . . [year] 5 before the Christian era, brings us to the year 747 A.U.C.,

                        or 7 [years] before Christ [B.C.], in which such a Star should appear in the East.

 

                        “Did such a Star, then, really appear in the East seven years before the Christian era?

                        Astronomically speaking, and without any reference to controversy, THERE CAN

                        BE NO DOUBT THAT THE MOST REMARKABLE CONJUNCTION OF PLANETS

                        -- THAT OF JUPITER AND SATURN in the constellation of Pisces, which occurs

                        ONCE IN 800 YEARS -- DID TAKE PLACE NO LESS THAN THREE TIMES in

                        the year 747 A.U.C., or TWO YEARS BEFORE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST (in

                        May, October, and December).  This conjunction is admitted by all astronomers.

                        It was not only extraordinary, but presented the most brilliant spectacle in the

                        night sky, such as could not but attract the attention of all who watched the sidereal

                        heavens. . . . In the year following, that is, in 748 A.U.C., another planet, Mars,

                        joined this conjunction.  The merit of first discovering these facts -- of which it is

                        unnecessary here to present the literary history --  belongs to the great Kepler . . .”

                        (p.212-213).

 

            E. W. Bullinger also writes about this amazing mysterious conjunction:

 

                        “It ought also to be noted that in the preceding year there were three conjunctions

                        of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, at the end of May and October, and at the beginning

                        of December.  Kepler (1571-1631) was the first to point this out, and his calculations

                        have been confirmed by the highest authorities.  These conjunctions occurred in the

                        sign of PISCES:  and this sign, according to all the ancient Jewish authorities (Josephus,

                        Abarbanel, Eliezer, and others), has special reference to Israel.  The conjunction of

                        Jupiter and Saturn, they hold, always marked the occurrence of some event favorable

to Israel; while Kepler, calculating backwards, found that this astronomical pheno-           menon always coincided with SOME GREAT HISTORICAL CRISIS, viz.: the     Revelation to Adam, the birth of Enoch, the Revelation to Noah, the birth of Moses,       the birth of Cyrus,the birth of Christ, the birth of Charlemagne, and the birth of          Luther” (The Witness of             the Stars, p.39). 

 

Heavenly Portent of the Messiah

 

            Edersheim continues discussing the discovery of this conjunction by the great astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630 A.D.).  Kepler discovered the three laws of planetary motion, which later formed an indispensable part of Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of the law of universal gravitation.  Edersheim writes of Kepler, saying:

 

                        “Kepler, who was led to the discovery by observing a similar conjunction in 1603-4,

                                also noticed, that when the three planets came into conjunction, A NEW, EXTRA-

                                ORDINARY, BRILLIANT, and peculiarly coloured EVANESCENT STAR was visible

                                between Jupiter and Saturn, and he suggested that a similar star had appeared under

                                the same circumstances in the conjunction preceding the Nativity” (Life and Times of

                                Jesus the Messiah, p.213).

 

                The fact that there was such a conjunction,which created a fleeting, temporary, "evanescent star" at that time, is certainly amazing! 

 

            Incredibly, such a “star” really burst into temporary existence in the very year Christ was born, 4 B.C., and in the VERY MONTH!   Yeshua Moshiach was born in 4 B.C., in the month of February.  (For the proof of this statement, write for our free article, “When Was Jesus Christ Really Born?”).

 

            This very “star” was seen and born witness to by the astronomical tables of the ancient Chinese.  Says Alfred Edersheim:

 

                        “In the astronomical tables of the Chinese -- to whose general trustworthiness

                                so high an authority as Humboldt bears testimony -- the appearance of an

                                evanescent star was noted.  Pingre and others have designated it as a comet,

                                and calculated its first appearance IN FEBRUARY 750 A.U.C.[which is the

                                year 4 B.C.!!!], which is just the time when the Magi would, in all probability,

                                LEAVE JERUSALEM FOR BETHLEHEM, since this would have preceeded

                                the death of Herod, which took place in March 750.”

 

                Edersheim adds this very important observation.  Notice!

 

                        “Moreover, it has been astronomically ascertained, that such a sidereal apparition,

                                WOULD BE VISIBLE TO THOSE WHO LEFT JERUSALEM, and that it would

                                POINT -- almost seem to GO BEFORE -- in the direction of, and STAND OVER,

                                BETHLEHEM.  Such, impartially stated, are the facts of the case -- and here the

                                subject must, in the present state of our information, be left” (Edersheim, The Life

                                and Times of Jesus the Messiah, book II, page 213).

 

                The wise men saw an evanescent star at its rising, or appearance, in the east, two or three years before the birth of Christ, in 7 B.C.  They then arranged to go to Jerusalem, to find out from the Jewish authorities more information about the birth of the “king of the Jews,” which they believed the heavenly sign predicted.  Then, after being informed that an ancient Biblical prophecy foretold His birth in Bethlehem, they left the presence of Herod and the Jewish authorities, to go to Bethlehem, in search of the newborn king.  At this time they saw another sidereal apparition in the heavens!  Matthew tells us:

 

                        “When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the STAR which they had

                                seen in the east, WENT BEFORE THEM, till it came and stood over where the

                                young child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy”

                                (Matt.2:9-10).

 

                How incredible! This very “evanescent star” -- which the Magi saw over Bethlehem, about four miles south of Jerusalem -- was also witnessed and verified by Chinese astronomers in China -- thousands of miles to the east -- in the very month of February, 4 B.C. -- the very month in which Jesus Christ was most likely born!

 

            Also, about a year and eight months after Yeshua’s birth -- on the night of Rosh Hashanah, September 11, 3 B.C. – the planet Jupiter went into conjunction with the star Regulus, the brightest star lying at the heart of and between the front and back feet of Leo the lion.  Jupiter crossed in front of Regulus, till about December 1, and then went into retrograde motion, and returned passing over the star again, going in the opposite direction, on February 17, 2 B.C.  It continued for about 40 days. Then it reversed itself once again, and passed over the star Regulus for the third time, going into conjunction with Regulus on May 8, 2 B.C.  

 

            The number “three” is an interesting number, in Scripture – it signifies “finality,” “decision,” the “signature of God,” as if to show that indeed the divine royal king had been born, with the royal heart of the lion, and as the prophesy said, “from between his feet” (Gen.49:10) -- from between the feet of Leo -- the very one who would later, at the conclusion of His ministry, “bind His donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine” (Gen.49:11; compare Matt.21:1-9; Luke 19:29-38).

 

            Occurring soon after the birth of Jesus Christ, this amazing conjunction was indeed a clear “sign” that Jesus Christ -- Yeshua the Nazarene -- was the Messiah, the royal king prophesied to come out of the tribe of Judah, the “lion” tribe of Israel!

 

            On his deathbed, Jacob gave an amazing prophecy about the coming Messiah.  He declared:

 

                        “Judah is a lion’s whelp [Leo, the lion!];  from the prey, my son, you are gone

                        up.  He bows down, he lies down as a LION;  and as a LION who shall arouse

                        him?  The SCEPTER [royal symbol of kingship -- margin] shall not depart from

                        JUDAH, nor a lawgiver from BETWEEN HIS FEET, until Shiloh [Christ] comes;

                        and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. . . .” (Gen.49:9-10, NKJV).

 

                Notice this remarkable passage!  It refers to the tribe of JUDAH, from which Christ sprang (Hebrews 7:14).  The sceptre, kingship, belongs to Judah.  The kingship is fulfilled in Yeshua Ha Moshiach -- Jesus the Christ, the Anointed One of God (Luke 1:32). 

 

            Now notice, further:  Christ is also the great Lawgiver, “between his feet,” that is, the feet of Leo -- Judah.  The star Regulus (which means regal, royal, or kingship) lies between the feet of Leo, the lion, of the constellation Leo!  The Hebrew expression “between his feet” is literally reglaiv -- very similar to the Latin word, “Regulus.” 

 

            Regulus is known as the “king star.”  Writes J. R. Church in Prophecy in the News:

 

                        “Oddly enough, the sceptre represented by Regulus is a sickle! Regulus is located

                        at the beginning of the handle in a sickle that resides in the head of Leo!  Is this

                        sickle the royal sceptre in Jacob’s prophecy?

 

                        “Jupiter was also connected with royalty.  It was known as the royal planet or the

                        king planet.  Its movement may have held some special significance to the Maji as

                        Jupiter, the king planet moved into the first of its three conjunctions with Regulus,

                                the king star, between the feet of Leo.  Circling above Regulus, Jupiter seemed to draw

                        a crown -- as if to signify the arrival of the divine King” (“A Rare Conjunction of

                        Planets Is Set for May 2000,” Prophecy in the News, J. R. Church, Dec.1999).

 

                This third conjunction took place on May 8.  Soon after, on July 17, another remarkable conjunction took place -- between Venus and Jupiter -- also between the front and hind feet of Leo the lion.  Venus represents the “mother,” and Jupiter the “king.”  Was this also an allusion to the fact that Mary had given birth to Christ the king? 

 

            Soon after the birth of Christ, Simeon, a wise and devout man of Israel, prophesied to Mary, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a SIGN which shall be spoken against” (Luke 2:34).

 

            Clearly, when God speaks of “signs” in the heavens, and connects them with prophecies in His Word, often involving the coming of the Messiah, then we ought to take heed!  This is not astrological nonsense – this is God’s divine plan written in the stars!  

 

                                     The Message in the Stars to Our Generation

 

            E. W. Bullinger relates that the 12 signs or constellations of the Zodiac are divided up into three parts, with four signs in each.  The first part deals with the first coming of the Messiah -- Virgo (the Virgin), Libra (Judgment), Scorpio (the Serpent), and Sagittarius (the Archer). Christ was born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, and gave His life on the stake, thus judging Satan the serpent, and replacing Him as future ruler of this world.  Satan (Scorpio) opposed Him at every turn, but Christ emerged victorious (Sagittarius).

 

            The second grouping of constellations deals with the age of the Church, from Christ to the present -- these Zodiacal signs are Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries.  It begins with Capricorn, the atoning sacrifice (a sacrificial goat -- chosen by the Lord -- see Lev.16:8-9 -- representing Christ), beginning the Church age. 

 

            Aquarius, the Water-bearer, pictures a Man -- the Church -- with a bountiful supply of water (God’s Holy Spirit), being poured out. 

 

            The sign of Pisces, again, is the sign of God’s people -- Israel.  It pictures a teeming multitude of fish -- a bountiful number -- again, picturing the descendants of Abraham.  But it also pictures the Church, which is “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16).  The Hebrew name is dagim, “the fishes,” which is closely connected to "multitudes" (Gen.48:26), in the sense that fishes grow into a multitude. 

 

Aries – the Lamb of God

 

            This section of the Zodiac finishes with Aries, the Ram, or Lamb). 

 

            Eliyahu Kitov, in The Book of Our Heritage: The Jewish Year and Its Days of Significance, states:  “God likewise chose not to give the Torah in Nisan or in Iyar, for the mazal – astrological sign – of Nisan is a lamb and the sign of Iyar is an ox” (vol.3, page 794).

 

            Bullinger in Witness of the Stars points out, “Owing to the precession of the equinoxes, the sun, at the time of the Exodus, had receded into the sign of Aries, which then marked the Spring Equinox” (page 106).  The sign of Aries is “a ram, or lamb, full of vigour and life” (p.105).  The Hebrew name is Taleh, the lamb.  The Arabic name is Al Hamal, the sheep, gentle, merciful.  The Syriac name is Amroo, as in  the Syriac New Testament in John 1:29 – “Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” 

 

            As Bullinger shows, the sign of Aries and its star constellations all picture the Lamb of God being crucified.  The ancient Akkadian name for the sign was Bara-ziggar, where Bar meant “altar” or “sacrifice” and ziggar meant “righteousness,” so the full name meant “sacrifice of righteousness.”  The chief star in the sign of Aries, in the forehead of the lamb, is named El Nath, or El Natik, which means “wounded, slain.”  The second chief star, in the left horn, is called Al Sheratan, meaning “the bruised, the wounded.” The star next to it is called Mesartim, “the bound.” 

 

            As Bullinger says, “How is it there is no conflicting voice?  How is it that all the stars unite in one harmonious voice in testifying of the Lamb of God, slain, and bruised, but yet living for evermore, singing together, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing’ (Rev.5:12)?” (Witness of the Stars, p.106).

 

            In the very year of the crucifixion, the sun stood in the heavens at the very spot marked by the star El Nath, the wounded, pierced, or slain, and the star Al Sheratan, the bruised or wounded!  Says Bullinger:  “God so ordained ‘the times and seasons’ that during the noon-day darkness the sun was seen near those stars which had spoken for so many centuries of this bruising of the Woman’s Seed – the Lamb of God.”

 

            Bullinger continues:  “Was this design?  Or was it chance?  It is far easier to believe the former.  It makes a smaller demand upon our faith; yes, we are compelled to believe that He who created the sun and the stars ‘for signs and for cycles,’ ordained also the times and the seasons, and it is He who tells us that ‘when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son’ (Gal.4:4), and that ‘in due time Christ died for the ungodly’ (Rom.5:6)” (page 107).

 

            The Hebrew year begins with Nisan, the first month of Spring, at the new moon nearest to the spring equinox.  The sign of Aries is the lamb or ram, which begins with the spring equinox.  The signs of the Zodiac, from most ancient times, begin with the sign of Aries, the lamb, in the Spring, and continue, twelve signs for the twelve months (in general).  Says Bullinger, “They have been known amongst all nations, and in all ages, thus proving their common origin from one source” (p.16).  In later times, the twelve signs were identified with the twelve sons of Jacob.  Joseph sees the sun, moon and eleven stars bowing down to himself (Jacob, Leah, and his eleven brothers, Gen.37:9).  It is more than probable that each of the twelve tribes bore one of these signs in its emblem or standard, as ancient Jewish sources relate.  Joseph was the ox or bull (Taurus), Judah was the lion (Leo), Dan was the Scorpion, Levi was the Scales of Justice (Libra), Reuben was the Man (Aquarius), and Gad was the Ram (Aries). 

 

            The four chief signs, which marked the four sides of the camp of Israel in the wilderness also mark the four quarters of the Zodiac.  They are the same four forms which describe the cherubim around God’s Throne – the faces of the lion, the ox, the eagle, and a man (see Ezekiel 1:10, 10:14-21).  In this case, the Eagle was substituted for the Scorpion. 

 

            These ancient star-pictures of the Zodiac proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God – from the birth of the Messiah, in the sign of Aries, the Lamb, to the second coming of the Messiah as King of kings and Lord of lords at the end of this age, in the sign of Leo, the Lion.    The entire Zodiac reveals the Plan of God through the Ages.  The sign of Aries the “Lamb” pictures Yeshua’s first coming as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev.13:8).

 

Sign of Aries and the Church

 

            The constellation Andromeda, also found in Aries, shows a chained woman -- a picture of the Church itself in prison, in bondage at the end of this age.  In Hebrew, her name is Sirra, “the chained,” and Persea, “the stretched out”  (Bullinger, p.101).   In this sign we also see Cassiopeia, the woman, only this time she is enthroned -- delivered -- and preparing for her Husband, the Redeemer.  This constellation, which also pictures the Church, was called by the ancients, “the daughter of splendor.” 

 

            Psalm 45 speaks of this Heavenly Groom and His Bride, or Queen.  We read:

 

                        “You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore

                        God has blessed You forever.  Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,

                        with Your glory and Your majesty . . . .

 

                        “At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.  Listen, O daughter,

                        consider and incline your ear; forget your own people also, and your father’s

                        house; so the King will greatly desire your beauty; because He is your Lord,

                        worship Him. . . . The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; her

                        clothing is woven with gold.  She shall be brought to the King in robes of many

                        colors; the virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You. . .”

                        (Psa.45:2-14).

 

            The Messiah is coming soon, and it behooves the Church to “make herself ready” (Rev.19:7-9).  Perseus, the “Breaker,” our Redeemer, in this sign of the Zodiac, defeats Cetus, the sea monster (Satan).

 

Taurus, Gemini, and Leo

 

            Now we come to the third and last division of the Zodiac.  Bullinger tells us:

 

                        “In this Third and Last Book we come to the concluding portion of the Heavenly

                        Revelation.  Its subject is Redemption completed, and consummated in triumph.

                        No more sorrow, suffering, or conflict; no more bruising the head of the Redeemer.

                        We have now done with the prophecies of ‘the sufferings of Christ,’ and have

                        come to those that relate to ‘the glory that should follow’” (Bullinger, p.119).

 

                The Third Book consists of the signs of Taurus, the Bull, Gemini (the Twins), Cancer (the Crab) -- but actually the Hebrew meaning of this sign is “to hold or bind together” -- see Gen.49:11, the word “binding” -- and the final and most powerful sign, Leo, the Lion.

 

Taurus the Bull

 

            In the month of May, 2000, all five of the visible planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were lined up in the sky.  Venus and Jupiter had a conjunction May 17, and Venus and Saturn eight hours later, on May 18, and 10 days later Jupiter and Saturn.  This occurred in the “sign of Taurus,” the Bull.

 

            “So what?”, one may ask.  What does this prove?  Maybe nothing, in the eyes of a skeptic.  But to one who believes in the prophecies of the Bible, this was very interesting in view of what occurred that year!  

 

             Was this unique planetary alignment a SIGN in the heavens?

 

            First, let’s notice the meaning of Taurus.  In May of 2000, this “sign” figured prominently in the heavens.   Taurus is the sign of the “Bull.”  It is the sign of the tribe of Joseph!  In the year 2000, George Bush was elected president of the United States, the descendants of the birthright tribe of “Ephraim,” the youngest son of Joseph (see Gen.48).  Ephraim was given a “double-blessing” and was to become mighty militarily and in population and natural resources (Gen.49:22-26). 

 

            After the terrorist attacks on September 11 (9-11) 2001, George Bush led the free nations of the world to root out the terrorist conspirators in Afghanistan, and then, in 2003, followed up by rooting out the tyranny of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.  The heavenly signs which occurred in May of 2000 introduced this “time” – the time of the “Bull” – the tribe of Joseph – that is, the two brother tribes descended from Joseph – Ephraim and Manasseh!   It was the Americans (Ephraim) together with the British (Manasseh) who led the fight against terrorism and terrorist states, following the heavenly signs in May, 2000! 

 

            E. W. Bullinger says that the sign of Taurus pictures a bull, rushing forth with mighty energy and fury, his horns set so as to push his enemies and pierce them through, and destroy them.  This symbolizes the tribes of Joseph!  Moses wrote of Joseph’s seed, or descendants: 

 

                        “In majesty, he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. 

                        With them he will GORE THE NATIONS, even those at the END of the

                        Earth.  Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of

                        Manasseh” (Deuteronomy 33:13-16, esp. v.17).

 

            Shortly after the “sign” of the amazing conjunction of planets in May, 2000, George Bush became president of the United States and as a ‘king’ led the “coalition of the willing” to conquest in Afghanistan and Iraq, thus defining his presidency as one of power and mighty strength, who is not afraid to use it in the service of freedom and liberty.

 

            Joseph was a “TYPE” of the Messiah – Jesus Christ who is coming as a mighty warrior, to crush His enemies and to judge the earth (Rev.19:11-15).  God spoke of Joseph, a type of Christ:  “His glory is like a firstborn bull, and his horns like the horns of a wild ox; together with them he shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth” (Deu.33:16-17). 

 

            Jeremiah describes the scene in these similar terms:

 

                        “A noise will come to the ends of the earth -- for the LORD has a controversy

                        with all nations; He will plead His case with all flesh.  He will give those who

                        are wicked to the sword, says the LORD.  Thus says the LORD of hosts:  ‘Behold,

                        disaster will go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised

                        up from the farthest parts of the earth.  And at that day the slain of the LORD

                        shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth.  They shall

                        not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground’”

                        (Jeremiah 25:31-33, NKJV).

 

            In the neck of the Bull (Taurus) are the “seven sisters,” the stars known as Pleiades.  This word means “the congregation of the judge” or “ruler.”  The brightest of them is in Arabic, Al Cyone, and means “the center.” 

 

            Could this picture the Bull tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh riding to victory and dominating the world politically?  At the present time, no one could deny that the United States is the “center” of the world stage, and everything revolves around the United States. 

 

            In a spiritual sense, however, this could picture the end-time branch of the true Church of God, which is the outstanding church of love and obedience (Rev.3:8-10), which will rule with Christ from the Temple, as “pillars” at the center of God’s government (see Rev.3:11-12).  They will indeed be “at the center” of all things, as judges and kings under Christ (Rev.5:10). 

 

            Says Bullinger, “The Syriac name for the Pleiades is Succoth, which means booths” (p.121).  “Booths” remind us of the “temporary dwelling huts” used by the Israelites as they came out of Egypt under God’s sovereign protection.  They also remind us of the “festival of booths” or “tabernacles,” celebrated every fall – the harvest festival which all nations will observe after the coming of the Messiah (Zech.14:14-16).

 

            In the constellation Taurus lies the constellation of Orion, “The Coming Prince.”  Orion is the most brilliant of all the constellations.  His name, in the Denderah Zodiac, is Ha-ga-t, meaning “this is he who triumphs.”  Says Bullinger, “Orion was anciently spelt Oarion, from the Hebrew root, which means light.  So that Orion means coming forth as light” (p.125).  The constellation of Orion is mentioned in Job 9:9, 38:31, and Amos 5:8.  The Hebrew word for this constellation is Chesil, which means “a strong one, a hero, or giant.”

 

            This, of course, refers to Jesus Christ – the Messianic king who will conquer His enemies and establish the Kingdom of God (Rev.17:14-16; 19:11-17).  But in typology, since this sign occurs in the Zodiacal sign of Taurus, the Bull, it could also be a reference pointing to the conquests of George W. Bush and the nations led by the United States and Great Britain!  At this very moment “light” and freedom are being brought to Afghanistan and Iraq, despite vicious opposition by terrorists and fanatics!  In the eyes of the world, the United States and its president have behaved as “a strong one, a hero,” or as a “giant” in world power – striving to do good!

 

            Issuing forth from the feet of Orion -- picturing Christ the Messiah returning in power -- is “Eridanus” -- meaning “the river of the Judge.”  This sign is an immense constellation, consisting of 84 stars, running in a serpentine (river-like) course, bending, and twisting down, down, down, till it is out of sight.  It speaks of judgment and of fire.  It is a fiery river.  It is interesting that when Christ returns, and fights against the armies that oppose Him outside the city of Jerusalem, He will trample them like grapes in a winepress, “outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs” (Rev.14:20).  That is, a distance of 184 miles -- a river of blood flowing from the Kidron valley, or Valley of Jehoshaphat (“Valley of Judgment” -- see Joel 3:12-14), down to the Dead Sea, and thence to the Gulf of Aqaba. 

 

                                                        Gemini -- the “Twins”

                                   

            Gemini, the next sign in the Zodiac, pictures “the Twins.”  But who are these twins, so depicted in the night sky?  The old Coptic name was Pi-Mahi, meaning the united, as in brotherhood.  Not necessarily being born at the same time, but united as brothers in brotherhood.  The Hebrew name is Thaumim, which literally means “united.”  The root is used in Exodus 26:24, “They shall be coupled [literally, “doubled”] together at the bottom and they shall be coupled [“doubled”] together at the top by one ring.” 

 

            Who, then, does Gemini picture?  Again, since prophecy is often dual in nature, this could picture the brothers – Ephraim and Manasseh – being united in this end-time generation.  This is the most important “brotherhood” in world history.  Said Sir Winston Churchill of this strong Anglo-Saxon alliance, as he stood before a joint session of both houses of the U.S. Congress, December 26, 1941, shortly after Pearl Harbor:

 

                        Twice in a single generation the catastrophe of world war has fallen upon us;

twice in our lifetime has the long arm of fate reached across the ocean to bring the

United States into the forefront of the battle. . . . Prodigious hammer-strokes have                  been needed to bring us together again, or if you will allow me to use other language,

I will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great

purpose and design is being worked out here below, of which we have the honour

to be the faithful servants. It is not given to us to peer into the mysteries of the future. Still I avow my hope and faith, sure and inviolate, that in the days to come the British

and American peoples will for their own safety and for the good of all, walk together

side by side in majesty, in justice and in peace.

 

            God has indeed used our peoples during this “end-time” generation to preserve Peace in the world, to defeat the forces of tyranny, despotism, and wickedness.  And, under President George Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair, He has continued to do so during the 21st century!

 

The hand of God ought to be obvious for students of history in the amazing victories of the American-British led democracies against fascist powers during the 20th century, and the early years of the 21st century.  As Winston Churchill stated, during World War II, “I will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that some great purpose and design is being worked out here below, of which we have the honor to be the faithful servants.”

 

            In anti-type, of course, this “prophecy” of the sign of “Gemini” speaks of the union of the “Bridegroom” and the “Bride” of Christ – the Church of God!  These two shall become ONE in perfect unity and harmony (Gen.2:24), at the coming of the Messiah.  As Paul wrote, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (I Cor.6:17).  “For we, though many, are ONE BREAD and ONE BODY; for we all partake of that one bread [Christ -- John 6:48]” (I Cor.10:17).

 

            Gemini, the Twins, then pictures Christ and the Church!  As God’s true people, we are come to “the general assembly of the church of the firstborn [first-fruits!] who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb.12:22-23). 

 

            John tells us in the book of Revelation, about this strong spiritual Union:  “Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his BRIDE has made herself ready” (Rev.19:6-7).

 

            Interestingly, it appears that at one time, eons ago, a cherub by the name of Lucifer (“light bringer”) was created, perhaps about the same time as the Logos, or the Word of God (see Ezek.28:12-14).  Both the one known as Lucifer, who became Satan, and the One known as the Logos, who became Christ, were at one time “created” by the Omnipotent Father.  Christ Himself acknowledged that He was “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev.3:18), and was the “firstborn of all creation” (Col.l:18) – indicating that in the beginning He, too, was created by the Father!  So, at one time, both Lucifer and the Word were “bright morning stars” – that is similar in rank and glory! (compare Isaiah 14:12 and Rev.22:16). 

 

            In other words, Lucifer, the “anointed cherub that covered” the throne of God (Ezek.28:14), was also “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek.28:12).  He was like a Gemini “twin” of the Logos, (not an “identical” twin but more of a “fraternal” twin), and had the potential, at least, to become a member of the God family – a literal “son of God,” even as the Logos was.  Potentially, it is possible that he could have qualified – if he had remained faithful and loyal and obedient – to become a “third” member of the Godhead!  But he rebelled!  He sinned!  He grew violent, and disqualfied himself from any such consideration by the Father! Instead, he became filled with pride, anger, rebellion, lust and violence (Ezek.28:15-18).  He sought to steal the throne of God, and seize it forcibly (Isaiah 14:12-14). His fate is to be destroyed forever (Ezek.28:18-19; Isa.14:12-15; Heb.2:14; Rev.20:10).   For a greater, more penetrating discussion of this subject, write for our articles, “Did God Create a Devil?”, “The Origin of Lucifer and the Logos,” “Was Christ Created?”,  and “The Gemini Factor -- Who Created Lucifer and the Logos?” – and “Satan’s Fate – Will He Be Tormented Forever?”

 

            It will instead be the CHURCH of God, those called of God during this present age of mankind, before the return of the Messiah, who are called the “Firstfruits” (Rev.14:1-6z0, who will have this wonderful opportunity, and who will become the Bride of Christ – and as such, the “third member” of the divine “Trinity” of God! 

 

            The Church will join God the Father, and Christ, the Son of God, and collectively, together, will be His Bride -- spiritual Israel -- the Bride of Christ and “Israel of God” (Gal.6:16).

 

                                                     

“The Encircling Arms”

 

            The next constellation in the sign of Leo is Cancer, the “Crab,” but this sign is not really a crab at all.  The Arabic name is Al Sartan, or “who binds” or “holds,” and may derive from the Hebrew “to bind together" (Gen.49:11).  The Hebrew word for “binding” in this verse is awsar, a primitive root meaning “to yoke, or hitch; by analogy, to fasten in any sense; bind, fast, harness, gird, hold, keep, make ready, prepare, prison, put in bonds, set in array, tie.”  It signifies “binding” or “holding together.”  The Syriac Sartano means the same thing.  The Greek name Karkinos, meaning holding or encircling.  The Latin “Cancer” has the same meaning.  (The crab, with its claws, seems to “encircle” its prey.)

 

             In the ancient Denderah Zodiac, this constellation is represented as a “scarab” or “sacred beetle,” used by the ancients as an identifying sign or seal of its owner.  It was also a symbol of the resurrection, to the ancient Egyptians.  The Denderah name is Klaria, or “the cattle-folds.”

 

            This sign is connected to the tribe of Issachar.  Two stars in this constellation are Asellus Boreas, meaning  “the northern Ass,” and Asellus Australis, meaning “the southern Ass.”  The tribal standard of Issachar was two asses.  Jacob said of his son Issachar, “Issachar is a strong ass, couching down among the sheep-folds” (Gen.49:11).  Thus this sign pictures Christ as encircling and protecting His Flock, and holding them safe and secure from the predatory actions of Satan and his coterie of agents. 

 

            Moses wrote of God’s love for His people, His flock:  “He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.  As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the LORD alone led him” (Deut.32:10-12). 

 

            Moses continued the same theme in Psalm 91:  “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. . . . He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge” (Psa.91:1-4).  During the soon-coming time of Great Tribulation and the  “Day of the Lord,” when the world overflows with violence and destruction, Jesus Christ will protect and securely safeguard His beloved servants, His beloved flock (see Rev.12:14-17; 3:10; Luke 21:36)  -- those who sincerely love Him, follow Him, obey Him and trust in Him!

 

                                                            The Sign of Leo

 

            The sign of Leo is the final sign of the Zodiac.  Leo, of course, pictures the “Lion.”  Who is the “lion” of Scripture?   We read in Revelation, chapter 5, speaking of Christ:  “Do not weep!  See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed” (Rev.5:5).

 

            Christ the Redeemer as a great lion, will destroy all His enemies and put them under His feet.  Christ is, in Scripture, the “Lion of the tribe of Judah.”  The Hebrew name for “Leo” is Arieh, which means “the Lion.”  There are six Hebrew words for “lion,” and Arieh is used of the Lion hunting down its prey.  The name of the Jewish Prime Minister of Israel, Ari-el Sharon, means “Lion of God.”  The Syriac name is Aryo, ‘the rending lion,” and the Arabic is Al Asad, and both mean a lion coming vehemently, leaping forth as a flame!

 

            The brightest star, on the ecliptic, marks the heart of the Lion.  It is the star Regulus, which means “treading under foot.”  It is the word from which we get “regal,” “royal,” “regulate,” or “rule.”  Another star in the lion’s mane is Denebola, “the Judge” or “Lord who cometh.”  On the back of the lion is Al Giebha, “the exaltation,” and another is Minchir al Asad, “the punishing or tearing of the lion.”  Another is Deneb Aleced, “the judge cometh who seizes.”  Still another is Al Dafera,”"the enemy put down.”

 

            Clearly, the Zodiac in the night sky reveals the awesome Plan of God!  The sign of Leo pictures in vivid reality Christ the rampant Lion, the returning Conqueror, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev.17:14; 19:16). 

 

            In a prophecy of Christ, Jacob declared, “Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the tender plant, my son, thou art gone up, having couched thou liest as a lion, and as a whelp; who shall stir him up?” (Gen.49:9, Septuagint). 

 

            Balaam also prophesied of this rampant lion:  “There shall come a man out of his [Jacob’s] seed, and he shall rule over many nations. . . God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy.  He lay down, he rested as a LION, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up?  they that bless thee are blessed and they that curse thee are cursed” (Numbers 24:7-9, LXX).  Solomon wrote of the “lion’s whelp, stronger than all other beasts, which turns not away, nor fears any beast” (Proverbs 30:31, LXX). 

 

            In the sign of Leo, are other constellations.  Hydra, the Serpent, represents the old serpent -- Satan the devil -- destroyed.  Hydra is pictured as the female serpent, the mother and author of all evil (mother “Babylon,” “Queen of heaven,” Lucifer -- compare Ezek.28:17).  Hydra has the significance also of “he that is abhorred.”  It is a long, serpentine constellation, extending over 100 degrees from east to west, under the Virgin, the Lion, and the Crab.  The brightest star in the heart of the serpent is called Al Phard, “the separated,” or “put away.”  Another is called Al Dreian, “the abhorred.”  Still another is Minchar al Sugia, “the piercing of the deceiver.”

 

            Another constellation in Leo is “Crater,” or “The Cup.”  What does it refer to? 

 

            “For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed, and He pours it out; surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down” (Psa.75:8, NKJV). 

 

            John tells us in the book of Revelation about this cup of the Lord which the nations shall drink.  It is the cup of “the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation” (Rev.14:9-10).  “And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath”  Rev.16:19).  “Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her” (Rev.18:6). 

 

            Finally, there is the constellation of Corvus, “The Raven,” a type of all the birds of prey which will feast on the bodies and corpses of the wicked, sprawled over the face of the earth, after the furious battles of the “Day of the Lord.”   Most of them will lie around Jerusalem, becoming a river of blood (Rev.14:20) as high as a horse’s bridle.  

 

            This constellation is Her-na, in the Denderah Zodiac, meaning Her, “the enemy,” and na, “breaking up” or “failing.”  The scene pictures the breaking up of the enemy, the final defeat and judgment of Satan and all those who resist and fight against the returning Christ.  A star in the right wing is Al Goreb, “The Raven,” in Arabic, from the Hebrew Oreb, “The Raven.”  Another star is Minchar al Gorab, meaning “the Raven tearing to pieces.”

 

            We read of this amazing scene in Revelation 19:  “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, 'Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great” (Rev.19:17-18).  “And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (verse 21).

 

            Notice!  All these ancient stars and constellations in the Zodiac portray the awesome PLAN OF GOD as it is being revealed and foretold!  The “signs” of the Zodiac, and their constellations, all depict significant events in Biblical prophecy -- especially prophecy important for these “latter days”!

 

                                                      The Signs and the Seasons

 

            In May, 2000, we saw Saturn entering the sign of Taurus, the Bull.  Seven years later, we will see in 2007 A.D. the planet Saturn entering the sign of Leo, the Lion.  Saturn will  enter the sign of Leo, the Lion, and move through to a conjunction with Regulus, the king star, between the feet of Leo, as the Hebrew calendar approaches Rosh Hashanah (about September 12, 2007).

 

            Doe this have future significance?

 

            Writes J. R. Church:

 

                        Over the next SEVEN YEARS, from 2000 to 2007, Saturn will travel through the

                        constellations that tell the story of the WRATH OF GOD being poured out upon

                        an unbelieving world.  That would be Taurus, the coming Judge; Gemini, which

                        in ancient zodiacs tells the story of the Bridegroom and his bride; Cancer, the

                        symbol of resurrection; and Leo, the lion pouncing on Hydra, a many-headed

                        serpent.  These constellations along with their sidereal sidepieces tell the story

                        of the second advent of Jesus Christ” (Prophecy in the News, Dec.1999).

 

                Saturn, in ancient mythology, was known as the Reaper.  He carried a sickle with him, and harvested the earth.  He was also known as the “Grim Reaper.” 

 

            When Christ returns, He will carry a sickle, with which He will harvest the grapes of the earth -- the blood of the wicked.  He will be the “Reaper”!

 

            John writes:  “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, Thrust in Your sickle, and reap: for the time has come for You to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.  So he who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped” (Rev.14:14-16).

 

            John goes on:  “Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.  And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the cluster of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.’  So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God” (Rev.14:17-19).

 

            The One with the sickle, who will harvest the earth, is Jesus Christ -- Leo the Lion, the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”! 

 

            Saturn is always shown with a sickle.  Regulus, the king star, also is located at the beginning of the handle of a sickle which starts at the mouth of Leo, the point of the sickle protruding from the Lion’s mouth.  This heavenly scene therefore pictures Christ, who will reap the harvest of the earth!    The sickle is His very own sickle, or sword, which He uses to cut down the wicked!  “And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.  And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.  He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Rev.19:15).  

 

            He will be “revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (II Thess.1:7-10, NIV). 

 

            The Jewish people call the planet “Saturn” by the name of Shabbatai, relating to the seventh day Sabbath, or Day of Rest.   Saturn, therefore, portrays the “Rest.”  It is the Messianic planet, as the Messiah will bring “rest” to the world from all its weary toil and backbreaking labor.  Saturn pictures Christ the Messiah.  Christ is our true “Sabbath Rest.”  He came to give us “rest” (Matt.11:28-29).  It is through Him that we can “enter into rest” (Heb.4:1-8).  “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” (verse 9).

 

            Saturn therefore pictures Christ, and it also pictures the Sabbath Day, or the Great Sabbath -- the Millennial Sabbath of Rest of 1,000 years (Heb.4:4-9; Rev.20:4-6).

 

            Around August 29, 2007, the planet Saturn will be proceeding toward a conjunction with Regulus, the king star, between the feet and at the heart of Leo, the Lion.  It will be near its conjunction as the Jewish new year begins with Rosh Hashanah on September 12, 2007.

 

            Will that sequence POINT TO the “end of the story”—the wrath of God and of Christ the Messiah being poured out on a wicked world, leading up to His Second Coming?  Will God’s Plan then be fulfilled?  Will that pinpoint the final “HEPTAD” or seven years of this pulsating, throbbing, pain-ridden, sin-filled, wicked age? 

 

            The apostle John writes in a mysterious prophecy:

                                    “The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the

                                    land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him

                                    who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the

                                    things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in

                                    it,  that there should be delay no longer.

 

                                    “But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel,

                                    when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be

                                    finished, as he declared to His servants the prophets”

                                    (Revelation 10:5-7, NKJV).

 

            In other words, when the seventh angel sounds, and blows his trumpet, there will be no more time before the Messiah returns.  That will be it!  The Finale!  D-Day! 

 

            Exactly when the Messiah will come, we are not given to know.  Yeshua declared, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt.24:36-37, NRSV).

 

            We do not know the exact date.  But surely, now is the time to WATCH! 

 

                        “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.  When they sprout leaves, you

                        can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.  Even so, when

                        you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God

                        is near.  I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away

                        until all these things have happened.  Heaven and earth will pass away,                                       but my words will never pass away.

 

                        “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation,

                        drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you

                        unexpectedly like a trap.  For it will come upon all those who live on

                        the face of the whole earth.

 

                        Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape

                        all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before

                        the Son of Man” (Luke 21:29-36, NIV).

                                   

                        “Now when these things BEGIN to happen, LOOK UP and LIFT UP

                        your heads, because your REDEMPTION  draws near” (Luke 21:28).