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The Great Sphinx
As the earliest colossal statue in the world, the Great Sphinx is truly a monumental marvel of ancient Egypt. Due to prevailing uncertainty about the architectural symbolism of the Great Sphinx, a number of "alternative theories" have been circulating of late, regarding its age and the traditions associated with it. Because of the large number of minor sphinxes that remain intact from ancient Egypt, the Great Sphinx has regrettably been lumped in with many of its inferior later copies, like the ram-headed sphinxes based on gods like Amun-Ra, or the Pharaohs; (sphinxes with a man's head). Because of evidence uncovered and detailed in this study, I believe it is a mistake to include the exemplar of the Great Sphinx, the model of all its lesser reproductions, in the same group with inferior specimens like the ram-headed criosphinxes. The Great Sphinx was not viewed as a symbol of the sun god in ancient Egypt until the New Kingdom dynasties, which David Rohl dates from about 1200 to 990 BC. These numerous degraded forms of the great original are merely deified idols from the pantheon of the Egyptian star religion, or the solar cult of worship. One purpose of this study is to explore other symbolic functions and associations of the Great Sphinx prior to this corruption.
The Great Sphinx
In all liklihood, one later derivation of the word "sphinx" is found in the Egyptian "shesep ankh," meaning a living image. However, instead of the living idol images of gods or pharaohs, one proposal of this study is that the Great Sphinx was originally intended as an oracle of the promised seed and the Messiah. Both Lockyer and Rolleston state, that the Great Sphinx symbolizes the summer Solstice 4000 years before Christ, sealed by the union of Virgo and Leo. Rolleston notes that this junction of Virgo and Leo is marked by the star Denebola, which is a name meaning "the Lord or Judge who comes quickly," thus representing the living image, of the Lord Jesus Christ coming in judgment. As the star marking the connection between Virgo and Leo, the alpha and omega signs of the Biblical zodiac, this prophetic message of the coming Messiah has endured as the largest, and most famous sculpture on the planet.
The Constellation Leo
The image of the Lord returning in judgment is marked in the Egyptian Planisphere by a youth bearing a branch. As the great colossal statue to the light of the world and monumental epitome of the Sun of Righteousness [Mal. 4:2], this great prophecy in stone of man's coming redeemer, harmonizes with the witness of the Patriarchal astronomers and later, the Written Scriptures. This theme goes back to the likely prehistoric origins of the Great Sphinx, prior to the unification of ancient Egypt under Menes/Narmer. According to this and later research, the Great Sphinx was built as a representation of Virgo's head on the body of Leo the Lion. This union of zodiacal signs symbolized the start and finish of the ancient zodiac of the Biblical Patriarchs, as the celestial scroll relates the promise of a coming redeemer for Mankind. The original purpose of this great monument to man's redeemer, as the embodiment of the Sun of Righteousness, became defiled in the heathen star religions of ancient cultures, that ultimately formed a myriad mythologies spreading across the face of the earth. The roots of the solar cult in Egypt, Babylon and many other cultures in the ancient world can be traced back to the misapplication of this idea, as we will see. The following overview of some of the oracular and celestial aspects of the Great Sphinx will be new to many readers, but when taken in the context of the following evidence from Archaeo-Astronomy and the Bible, we can begin to see the Great Sphinx from a newly enlightened perspective. This memorial to the promised seed carved out of the Giza plateau, has stood for ages facing east, envisioning both the first and second advents of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the imperious sentinels of Giza, the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid are the foremost ancient monuments, having stood the test of time, foreshadowing the Son of God as no other landmarks in human history. These great surviving wonders of the ancient world have remained singularly poised, high above the barren shifting sands of human ignorance, safely founded on prehistoric bedrock of truth, prophesying of the coming promised seed, in harmony with the stars and Scriptures. Their combined witness sounds out from the geographic center of the Earth's landmass, ever ringing upward in concert with the testimony of the celestial luminaries. These monolithic monuments of the Giza plateau, the Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, serve as prime examples of our thesis, showing the roots of what Joseph Campbell called the world monomyth , the idea that all the world's myths are rooted in one master overarching epic narrative. I believe as others have before me, that this master myth has celestial roots, and that these roots ultimately lead us to the revelatory Astronomy of the Biblical Patriarchs, Adam, Seth and Enoch. It is my hope that the following overview of the Great Sphinx, from the Bible's view, will serve as important step along this path of understanding. In our condensed survey of the Biblical Astronomy of the Birth of Christ, a number of aspects of the Great Sphinx surface, that have either gone unnoticed or been misinterpreted in the past centuries. Our review of the celestial signs surrounding the birth of Christ gave us an introduction to some unique aspects of the Great Sphinx, which we will expand on in this study.
Virgo at Sunset on september 11th 3 BC
A consistent note of interest regarding these signs bearing the celestial seal and signet of the Great Sphinx, is that most of these signs occur during the three-week annual period when the Sun is clothing Virgo, [Rev. 12:1]. This is relevant due to its symbolism of the genuine exaltation of Mary, the woman who was most highly blessed among women, because she believed the words of the angel Gabriel when he told her she would bear the promised seed. In addition, the Sun in Virgo marks the annual start of the Hebrew Civil Year, in the month of Tishri. In this light, we should notice that in the relief from the ceiling of the Temple of Esneh [Fig. A], the basic stellar figures of Virgo and Leo are unified in the Great Sphinx, pictured with the solar disk crowning the head of the woman-"sun clothing Virgo," who is joined with the body of the Lion's extended claws, above the serpent Hydra. This clear stellar image found at the same temple site housing the Dendera zodiac, provides strong archaeological support, not for the union of Virgo and Leo only, affirmed in the two stellar aspects of the Sphinx monument, but also the exaltation of the woman-Virgo. She is pictured at the far right below, prominently holding her grain stalk, or branch as she is shown in the Dendera zodiac, symbolizing her bearing the promised seed and the light of the world.
| The union of the ends of the ecliptic in the Great Sphinx, with the Sun in Virgo, as seen in the Temple of Esneh. |
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This sets the basic context of the original function of the Great Sphinx, including:
- The unity of the Biblical zodiac which starts at Virgo and ends in Leo.
- The original role of the Sun in this context of "clothing Virgo," along with embodying the solar aspects of the Sphinx as the Sun of Righteousness.
- A Stone monument bearing parallel witness to the coming redeemer found in the stars and in Scripture.
With this in mind, lets look at some specific stellar aspects of the Great Sphinx.
Stellar Elements of the Great Sphinx
The original teaching of the celestial witness of the signs of the zodiac is encapsulated in the signs Virgo and Leo and preserved in this ancient monument of the Giza plateau, the Great Sphinx. An interesting astronomical truth in support of this lies the fact that the crowned head of Virgo actually bridges about 10 degrees into the sign Leo on the ecliptic. We have already made reference to this in connection with the star Denebola. The star Sarcam in Leo, is a Hebrew word meaning "the joining", saying that here is the point where the two ends of the Zodiacal circle have their joining. This is borne out in the sign Corvus, the bird of prey devouring Cetus the sea-monster, a decan of Virgo. The bright star in the eye of Corvus the Raven, called Al Chibar in Arabic means "joining together," referring also to the union of as these two ends of the true zodiac! This also fits with the start of the Hebrew calendar in Tishri, the equivalent of our September-October, the beginning of their civil year when the Sun was clothing Virgo.
The heavens announced Jesus' arrival with the setting of the star Spica, Virgo's branch on our September 11th, of 3 BC. This is firmly secured by the fifth axis evident in the Dendera zodiac, in the Egyptian temple of Esneh, subdividing the zodiac in the same way depicted on the ceiling of the Portico of that temple site; between Leo the Lion, and Virgo the woman. This idea is fully developed in my book The Season of the Morning Star. In addition to naming the start and close of the celestial canon, the Great Sphinx mirrors the binding of Scripture together from Genesis to Revelation, as seen in the Red Thread references to Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah in both Gen. 49:8-10 and Rev. 5:5, the first and last books of the Bible. Another indicator of the central importance of these stellar aspects of the Great Sphinx, is that our recognition of the Celestial Sphinx, pictured below, Virgo and Leo the lion provide the basis for the signs of the triple union of Jupiter-Regulus in Leo, in 3 BC related to Gen. 49:8-10. This is the foundational key linking the Sphinx both to the celestial witness and God's Word, in their unified testimony to the coming promised seed.
As we view the celestial context of this first union of Jupiter and Regulus, [Fig. B] we can see the head of Virgo rising above the eastern horizon just below the full body of Leo the Lion on the ecliptic. This is the view of what an observer standing near Palestine facing east would have seen on this date, providing a clear aspect of the astronomical symbolism of the Sphinx as an important marker and monumental prediction of Jesus' birthday on September 11th, a prophecy of the birth of Christ preserved in stone from antiquity!
This serves as a monolithic marker to the prophecy provided in Rev. 12:1-5, in the sign of Virgo, further establishing this truth.
The Celestial Sphinx. The Head of the Woman and the Body of the Lion as seen on Sept. 14th, 3 BC, on the eastern horizon from Palestine, forming the Great Sphinx, and marking the first Jupiter-Regulus Conjunction in Leo.
We find these landmarks at the head and tail of the zodiac, which adds light to Dr. Martin's observation that: "the woman Virgo is the Constellation of Headship for all twelve signs. The head position of Virgo is located within the last 10 degrees of Leo." Virgo's head is seen in Fig. B, just below & adjacent to the star Denebola in the tail of the Lion, unifying the circle of the zodiac. The Sphinx also unifies the Biblical canon, establishing the chronological order of God's written revelation, in the Bible's earliest book of Job.
Job 19:23-25
Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! [24] That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! [25] For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
These verses are indicative not only of Job's knowledge of his coming redeemer, but also of his faith that this redeemer would stand at a future latter day upon the earth. This knowledge directly corresponds both, with a witness that was engraved in the rock forever, remaining unto our day, and the witnesses of the celestial and written gospels. The word "For," beginning verse 25, grammatically depicts the purpose of his words along with a monumental witness in stone, whose longevity has lasted into our day, as a witness to the redeemer that Job foresaw so long ago. Thus Job's reference, in this majestic declaration of his redeemer, graven in rock forever, is readily associated with this enduring memorial on the Giza plateau, analogous with the prophecy written in the stars between Leo and Virgo. In the only Patriarchal book of the Bible, Job's words certainly stand out as a reference to the witness of the stars and in stone, the witness God provided to the Biblical Patriarchs in the Bible's first book written by Job. To further cement the link between the Great Sphinx and the Scriptures, lets take a look at Psalm 19:
Psalm 19:1-5
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
The word "line" in verse four refers to the ecliptic as the path in the Sun's Tabernacle, at the end of the verse. These 12 houses or "Tabernacles of the Sun" refer to the 12 signs of the zodiac and the 12 tribes of Israel, the Bride of the Bridegroom. Here, the Bible compares the Sun to a Bridegroom in verse 5, running a race-course through the circuit of heaven, the twelve signs of the ecliptic and their decans. The Great Sphinx elucidates the details of the 19th Psalm because it unifies these Tabernacles of the Sun, first with Virgo, the woman, the Bride-Israel and last with Leo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Thus, all the tribes are presented to the Lord in preparation for the marriage supper of the Lamb, preserved in a great monument of stone for the ages. As this magnificent monolithic witnesses to the Astronomy of the Biblical Patriarchs, the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid have preserved the principles of Biblical Astronomy timelessly. The witness of Scripture continues in the Book of Job, which contains more overt astronomical references, with ancient Biblical star names than any other book in the Bible.
Job 38:31-33
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? [32] Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? [33] Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? Canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?
This is logical from a Biblical perspective because other than the Book of Job, all God gave the Patriarchs was the stellar witness and celestial narrative of the promised redeemer of man. Job's divine writings are the only Scripture recorded, that is addressed to the Patriarchal Age. When we consider the Hebrew word "mazzaroth," we find a very early reference to the 12 signs of the zodiac, occurring only in Job. There are other later references to the 12 signs of the ecliptic in Scripture, but this gives us more evidence of the antiquity of this knowledge of the entire zodiac, in the context of the Biblical Patriarchs. When Job spoke these words however, the Bible, or even the Pentateuch had not been written yet by Moses the lawgiver. Thus, we see in verse 23, Job's desire that his book would be part of the sacred written oracles that would correspond to this bedrock truth in the Great Sphinx, engraved in stone as a testimony to his coming redeemer.
The word "graven" *H2710 [chaqaq] in Job 19:24 means: to cut, carve, hew, square, quarry, mason or engrave. This is the same word translated as "lawgiver" in Gen. 49:10, and is the same root for the word "ordinances" in Job 38:33, in the sense that the ordinances or laws of God and nature, were many times engraved in stone. As we say God's Word is set in stone. An important point to realize regarding this word [chaqaq] is that it is translated as "Lawgiver" in Deut. 33:21 and "governors" in Judges 5:14. This relates to another ancient Egyptian name of the Sphinx;
Bel-hit, which also means the "Lord who cometh" as seen in Deut. 33:21. The 33rd Chapter of Deuteronomy records the Song of Moses, and the fifth chapter of Judges contains the Song of Deborah, both of which list the Tribes of Israel. Another occurrence of "Lawgiver" is seen below in Genesis 49, also a listing of the Tribes of Israel, all of which refer to the Biblical zodiac, containing celestial and Scriptural links to each of the tribes. These Biblical lists of the 12 tribes of Israel are refined in the discussion of the breastplate of Israel's High Priest, which models its zodiacal symbolism. Is there a more revealing context for this important element of the Great Sphinx to appear in?
Gen 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah"- "sceptre" is shebet in the Hebrew, the same word used in Numbers 24:17; referring to the "star out of Jacob and sceptre out of Israel." This star out of Jacob is a clear reference to the planet Jupiter-the King planet which is covered in detail in the Astronomy of the Birth of Christ section of this web-site.
"lawgiver from between his feet"- Regulus the king star and the brightest star in Leo. Weirwille states; "The Arabic word "regel" means "foot" and is identical in meaning to the Aramaic word "regla" and the Hebrew word "regel" tying in with "from between his feet" above. In this one verse the Lion of Judah, Leo, intertwined with the lawgiver coming from between his feet, symbolizing the king star Regulus [see Psalm 60:9]. This gives a clear Biblical picture of the stellar elements of the Jupiter-Regulus triple union in Leo the lion of the tribe of Judah revealed in the 3 aspects of Genesis 49:9!
"Lawgiver"- *H2710 [chaqaq] meaning; to cut or engrave, inscribe, establish, ordain, to decree, to be a leader, a ruler, a lawgiver; a scepter. It occurs 19 times in the Hebrew O.T. The primary meaning is "writing or drawing in the sense of etching" [Isa. 30:8; in a book] The root can mean to enact a decree [In Prov. 8:15 its used of a governor decreeing justice with wisdom.] This word [chaqaq] attests to the power of the coordinated decrees of God's Word first written in the stars, then later in stone and in the Scriptures, providing a great precedent for th idea of all language being rooted in the celestial alphabet. [Ex. 32:13-16].
Finally the Word (logos) was made flesh in Jesus Christ, and God's Word incarnate dwelt with us. These manifold witnesses to God's omnipotent glory and Grace, all incorporate the awesome beauty and mathematical Symmetry that unveil the accuracy of all His means of divine revelation, embodied in the spoken and written word, in the stars in stone and finally in the flesh. As the Red Thread and master key to the interpretation of God's Word, Jesus is the lawgiver, after the form of Moses, the one decreeing righteous judgment as the embodiment of the Word made flesh.
Jer. 31:35-36
35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: 36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.
In Jer. 31:35 the root of this word [chaqaq] is used of the light of the celestial ordinances of the Sun by day, and the Moon and stars by night, [Gen.1:16-18]. The ordinances of God's covenant with the seed of Abraham were first written with the finger of God in the rock of His holy mountain and given to Moses the lawgiver, [Ex. 24:12, 31:18, 32:16]. This verifies the relation between God's celestial witness and His word written in the Scriptures [Ps. 19], memorialized in stone. It is a known historical and archaeological fact that the Great Sphinx was carved out of a rock formation on the Giza plateau, which is consistent with the testimony of God's Word in Job 19:23, where the word "rock" [*H6697] means "a cliff, sharp rock compressed, or boulder." We can see the intimate link between God's stellar witness of His ordinances fulfilled in His covenant with the seed of Israel in verse 36 above. This promised seed was consummated in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah's point is that the celestial witness of God's Covenant with Day and Night [Jer. 33:20-26], has not ceased and no one is able to halt these celestial cycles and seasons set in motion by the Creator, thus the surety of the return of His promised seed for his people is set in the firmament, in stone and embodied in the Man Christ Jesus!
Another element is added to this panoramic picture in light of the Sphinx's use in ancient Egypt as an astronomical "sighting device" [Fig. C.], for the sun and the stars. The prominent stellar aspects of the Sphinx, are seen in the first of the three unions of Jupiter and Regulus, on 9-14-3 BC. This exhibits not only an important link between the ordinances of the sun and stars in Jer. 31:35, 33:25, specifically in Genesis 49:8-10, in united testimony with the stellar wonders spoken of in Revelation 12, but also the monolithic witness of the Great Sphinx to the Lawgiver of the Ages.
Thus, the Great Sphinx stands as Giza's defiant sentinel, having weathered hundreds of centuries as a witness and messenger of both the canon of the celestial scroll of God's Word engraved in the heavens and a prophesy of the birth of the Son of God. Always facing east, the Great Sphinx anticipates the truth of the Son-rise of the ages, whose light is the long awaited dawning of a new day for all Mankind. This is a theme that arises again in relation to The Celestial Symbolism of the Tabernacle and Temple of Israel. When viewed in context with the witness of the Great Sphinx, this sign on 9-14-3 BC takes on added meaning, indicated in the Sphinx' two basic elements. These two elements are detailed in the movement of the King planet Jupiter entering Leo, the lion-body of the Great Sphinx, while the Sun was in Virgo, the female head of the Sphinx. As the stars are allowed to speak in harmony with this witness in stone, the solitary guardian of the Giza plateau anticipates the dawning of a new day for mankind, as it predicts the birth of Spica, Virgo's promised seed. Thus, the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid stand, as oracles, monumental prophets of both the Alpha and Omega, the first and second advents of Jesus Christ, revealing both his sufferings and glory. These stellar aspects of the Sphinx, are reinforced by the picture of the eastern horizon during the early morning hours of September 14th, at the time of the first Jupiter-Regulus union. This distinct star picture of the Head of the woman Virgo rising above the horizon, with the body of the lion above, beginning the first of 3 Jupiter-Regulus unions, is definitive evidence for our thesis. It is a key to realize that the signs of the Lord's birth occurred in Virgo, the alpha sign of the Biblical zodiac, while the signs of his return will occur in the omega sign-Leo, both including signs of the Celestial Sphinx. This is a clear example of the importance of the Sphinx as a monumental marker of the advent of God's only begotten Son.
Not only was the Great Sphinx intended to mark the arrival of the Messiah, but it was also used as a standard against which the stars were marked and observed. This practice in ancient Egypt could very well have come from the original intent of allowing the stellar witness to speak, by plotting these celestial ordinances in harmony with the elements of the Sphinx seen in Jer. 31:35. We can see evidence for this in the hieroglyphs below, as a sketch of the monument. The graphic below, illustrates an ancient custom of star-dating that was found on the lids of certain coffins from Egypt. The Egyptians used the Sphinx as a standard against which a diagram or "diagonal star clock" of star positions was represented in hieroglyphic form. This is very similar to the practice noted in our study of Noah's Calendar, where the ancient's used the prominent features of the mountainous horizon to sight their stars as was done with ancient Stonehenge.
The stars are shown in each decan as part of the furnishings for the dead, so they would have a temporal reference for their supposed journey in death across the sky. These practices in the ancient Egyptian Star religion noted the dates of the deaths of their corpses, by the stellar positions in association with the "sighting figure" of the Great Sphinx. This shows their particular form of the corruption of the genuine star names in their Astrology, relating to the Sphinx as early as the 12th Egyptian Dynasty.
As we can see in the graphic below, the stars are located graphically in association with the Sphinx and then listed individually in hieroglyphic form on the right. This is another indicator, in the context of the Great Sphinx, of the ancient's awareness of the difference between the solar year and the sidereal (star) year. The time it takes a star to return to the same point in the sky, from earth's vantage point, is about 20 minutes longer than the time between the spring & fall equinox of the (solar year). This 20-minute difference between the solar year (365.2242 days) and the sidereal year (365.2563 days), explains the precession of the equinoxes, where the vernal point arrives twenty minutes earlier each year, against the shifting backdrop of the signs of the zodiac.
The Great Sphinx as a Stellar Sighting Figure
As we have seen, the precession of the equinoxes was not only affirmed, but provided the source of the mythologies of many ancient cultures, because it goes back to the very roots of their celestial knowledge. Egypt was only one of many ancient cultures that aligned their temples to certain stars, because they marked a given precessional age. This has been thoroughly recorded for example by authorities in Archaeo-Astronomy like Anthony Aveni who states that: "At the time of the old Egyptian Empire, the sun stood between the horns of Taurus the Bull on the vernal equinox , a fact which is symbolized in Egyptian iconography."
In support of this Rene' Schwaller de Lubicz stated: "The mere fact that the cult of the Bull preceded the cult of the Ram in Egypt, (criosphinxes) and that the dates of these cults correspond with the equinoctial positions of their constellations at the appropriate time, is conclusive."
This, along with what we have already presented, makes it obvious that these Egyptians knew of the precession phenomena. In this context, it also points out previously ignored references to the solar year, lunar year and sidereal year in Jeremiah's statement in verse 35:
Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night.
What better way to teach man of the order of His Creation, than by breaking down the three most used calendars in the ancient world? This is the same Biblical pattern God laid down on the 4th Day of Creation, referring to the cycles of the Sun, Moon and Stars. The coordination of these celestial timekeepers gave the ancients an understanding of these temporal cycles, both individually and in context with each other, revealing the precession and the Soli-lunar Rhythm inherent in the calendar of Israel, [Gen.1:14-16]. We will also see these three celestial cycles covered in detail in our study on The Calendar of the Biblical Patriarchs.
Regrettably for the Egyptians, their knowledge of Astronomy was defiled by their idolatrous star religion, even as their use of the Great Sphinx, degenerated in association with their conception of Pharaoh as Son of the Sun. As we look at the solar aspects of the Great Sphinx, we will see other details of its celestial symbolism including the precession phenomena.
The Solar Sphinx
Pharaoh deriving his power from the rays of RA the idol Sun-god.
In the perversion of Egyptian Astrology, Pharaoh was perceived as the Son of the Sun, the source of life from which he derived the wisdom of his kingship and power. The Great Sphinx later became associated with the Pharaoh, which is the origin of the notion of the head of the Great Sphinx being connected with Pharaoh's male head, (the subject of many lesser sphinxes in Egypt). We can notice a distinction here between the male-headed sphinxes seen not only in Egypt, but also Babylon and Israel, as opposed to the female-headed Great Sphinx as evidenced on the ceiling relief taken from the Portico of the temple of Esneh. These two types of sphinxes have consistently been confused as to their separate symbolism, an important point worth clarifying here. As we have seen, the female-headed Great Sphinx is a specific reference and symbol of the union of the Hebrew zodiac, between Virgo and Leo. Its solar aspects include marking the Son-rise points on the horizon and foretelling of the coming light of the world.
We should also realize that the winged sphinxes guarding the throne of King Solomon (Fig. D.), embody the composite signs of the four Cardinal Directions of the compass, the Cherubim, but the Great Sphinx being wingless, fulfills a different purpose in unifying the alpha & omega points of the Hebrew zodiac. The sphinxes of the King's throne-room were never intended to prophesy of the coming promised seed in the same manner as the Great Sphinx. By making this distinction between these two types of sphinxes, we can avoid the confusion that has marked this important area of archaeology for so long. We will see more of this in greater detail presently.
Based on the celestial evidence for the symbolic origins and significance of the Great Sphinx already presented here, the case for the head of the Sphinx being female is supported by the celebrated archaeologist from Egypt, Selim Hassan. He points out that:
"human-headed sphinxes were not really known in pre-Dynastic times, and the only known predecessor to the Great Sphinx is a small female sphinx statue found in the ruins of Djedefre's pyramid complex at Abu Roash."
Regrettably, the great majority of modern research in this area has viewed both the Great Sphinx and the Great Pyramid within the context of the idolatrous star religion of ancient Egypt, which masks the true light in which these monuments of Giza might be viewed. This tainted viewpoint will never reveal the great truths that we have caught glimpses of here, by allowing the light of the Stars and Scriptures to speak, and viewing the historical evidence in this light. Any attempt to revive the views of an ancient dead Astrology will continue to hide these truths from view, as they have remained unseen for the last four thousand years!
We are afforded a new and enlightened view of this great sentinel of Giza when we allow the stars to speak in concert with the witness of the Great Sphinx engraved in stone. We will see similar effects when we allow the Sun to speak in the same way. As the sun sheds its three-fold light of the world, shining upon the earth, the Great Sphinx will embody this three-fold light in the following manner:
- Physical light of the Sun as seen in the sunrise points of the horizon and its relation to the tropical borders and the obliquity of the ecliptic.
- Astronomical Laws set up by the Creator, Who is absolute Light revealing His Intelligent Design of Creation.
- Spiritual Light of the Son of God shed upon the Earth.
Within our overview of this topic, we will find associations of Astronomy and arithmetic at a very early stage in history. What is also evident is that the concepts of zero, seed, sun, moon, ecliptic, and circle all conceptually and linguistically linked to each other, with the promised seed [zera] as their least common denominator. Originally the true Godly Astronomy of the Biblical Patriarchs, contained a figurative association of the Sun of Righteousness between the seed and the sun. This was literalized by the star religions and Astrology of the Chaldeans, Babylonians and the Egyptians, who exported their idolatry as Sun worship throughout the ancient world, which still persists into our day.
Below is an example of the application of this idolatry as seen in male-headed sphinx as applied to the Babylonian/Egyptian king's throne. God's Word can once again enlighten us on this subject:
The Sphinx-Guardian as part of the Royal Throne Symbolism
Genesis 15:5
And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, "So shall thy seed be."
The word for "seed" here in God's promise to Abraham is (zera), which has an interesting history of usage in both sacred and profane writings. In the Chaldean star religion, which had such a strong corrupting influence throughout the ancient world, he who was this "great seed" was also the sun incarnate. Hislop tells us that:
"Symbolically the emblem for the sun was a circle, in reference to the sun's ecliptical path." The true great seed prophetically was Jesus Christ, the promised redeemer of mankind referred to in Jeremiah 33.
Jer. 33:20-22
20 Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break My covenant of the day, and My covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; 21Then may also My covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. 22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.
God inspires Jeremiah to make an inseparable connection between His "covenant of the day, and My covenant of the night," and His "covenant with the seed of David my servant." Why? Because the heavens tell of God's covenant with the seed of David with scientific precision, corresponding with the regular observance of their Sabbatical and Jubilee years, in harmony with the Soli-lunar calendar of Israel. Jesus Christ the embodiment of the seed of David, came to fulfill the Scripture, and began his ministry in the Sabbatical Year of 27-28 AD, which is part of the overall Hebrew Jubilee cycle of the O.T. All of the 12 zodiacal signs with each decan, relate a chapter of the struggle between the seed of the woman versus the serpent & his seed, as prophesied by God in Genesis 3:15. As the Promised Seed Jesus Christ is the master key to unlocking the secrets of both the Scriptures and Biblical Astronomy, not to mention Archaeo-Astronomy. Hislop's comments are relevant along these lines; "the hieroglyphical relation between zero, the circle, and zero, the seed, was easily established." Hislop recognized to a degree the correlation between The Promised Seed, in light of the mathematical implications of zero, and the geometric significance of the circle, and that these relations go beyond their mere hieroglyphical associations.
We can also trace the Babylonian name for their temporal cycle involving the Moon's eclipse cycle, or period of lunation, which is called a saros rooted in the Hebrew word [zera]. This period of lunation lasts 18 years and 11, (10.96) days. For mathematicians in modern times, zero is the absence of quantity, the point where a constant function changes its sign from positive to negative, (or from the spiritual to the physical). Practically, this transition between the physical and spiritual realms is embodied in Jesus Christ, who is the apex and crown of Creation. He is the point of access to the Heavenly Father and as the Word made flesh, he is seated on his throne at the right hand of God, at the utmost pinnacle of the cosmos. The 89th Psalm uses celestial imagery to depict the glory of this throne of the promised seed.
Psa 89:36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.
Psa 89:37 It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
These verses in the 89th Psalm witness to the everlasting endurance of the true offspring of God, whose authority is symbolized in the soli-lunar cycles, commemorated in Israel's calendar and embodied in the regal reign of the King of Kings. Christ ultimately fulfills and supercedes the rule of these celestial bodies, as the object of their prophecy and witness. The authority and everlasting rule of his royal throne was first seen early in the Davidic dynasty. The throne of King Solomon had no equal in any kingdom, according to I Kings 10. This royal throne also contained a close relative of the Great Sphinx that has a viable bearing on the implications of precession carried by the symbolism of the Sphinx. Pictorial renditions of angels closely resembling the Biblical Cherubim, are found not only in Egyptian stele [see graphic below], but also outside of Egypt. Solomon's throne is depicted on an ivory plaque, which was part of the royal treasure found at Megiddo, described as: "the largest and richest collection of Canaanite carved ivory yet discovered in Palestine;"
An Egyptian rendition of a Winged Human Cherub unifying the four signs of the Cardinal Directions [Bull, Eagle and Lion].
The plaque depicts a scene from Solomon's court; [Figure D]. Pictured is Solomon's throne, the sides of which are guarded by winged sphinxes [male-headed lions]. The Biblical description of this throne in I Kings, goes into further detail, picking up on its celestial symbolism seen in Psalm 89:
1 Kings 10:18-20
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. [19] The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays. [20] And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.
II Chron. 9 gives an even clearer picture of this:
2 Chron. 9:17-19
Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. [18] And there were six steps [*H4609] to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays: [19] And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.
Figure D. A Scene from King Solomon's Throneroom
These Scriptures together give us an explicit portrait of the lavish design of Solomon's regal throne. The first thing to notice is that the Lion-king's seat of power ruled not only over the Tribe of Judah, but included supremacy over all 12 tribes of Israel, and ultimately, all the majesty of the earthly political and spiritual power of the King of kings. This throne thus symbolized the authority of the coming ruler in the Davidic Dynasty, the King-High Preist and Messiah [Luke 1:32], regent over all creation. It is instructive to compare the symbolic structure of this throne with the throne of God seen by Ezekiel at the river Chebar, (Ezek. 1:26, 10:1). The Cherubim, as composite living creatures, are a unified body with four faces including a man, a lion, a bull and an eagle. Even so, these winged sphinxes are also a composite creature with a man's head, the wings of an eagle, a lion's body and the legs of an ox. The Cherubim guard God's throne, [Ezek. 1] even as they guard the throne of God's only begotten Son, from the royal seed of King David. They symbolize the enthroned king's sovereign rule over all creation, because their faces coincide with the four signs at the Cardinal Directions of the heavens in Numbers 24:5-9. The throne was set on a pedestal of six steps, six lions on each side as they ascended to the seventh level of the throne. On this top-most seventh platform, at each side of the throne's armrests were two winged Sphinxes, guarding this singular seat of power.
Christ in the Center of his zodiac Surrounded at the four corners by the Cherubim
Psalm 89:36 compares the glory of "his throne as the sun before me." The Sun's path in the heavens, on the ecliptic, is symbolized in the solar year, passing through the 12 signs/tribes of the nation of Israel, in unity with the seven levels of this unique throne. [Psalm 19:1-7]
The structure of this throne and dais incorporates a celestial plan indicating of the Messiah's authority as the embodiment of the Sun of the Hebrew cosmos, also seen in the Menorah Solar System. This celestial plan becomes apparent when we check the Hebrew word for "steps," which is "maalah" [*H4609]. This is the same word translated "degrees" in II Kings 20:9-11.
2 Kings 20:9-11
And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? [10] And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. [11] And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.
These ten degrees refer to increments of measure on the Sun-dial of Ahaz, symbolizing the fifteen years that were added to King Hezekiah's life, who had no son at this time, signifying God's promise to continue the royal genealogical line from King David, leading ultimately to Jesus Christ [II Sam. 7:12-16]. Thus it refers to the miraculous retrograde motion of the Sun on the ecliptic, signifying the Heavenly Father working in the royal genealogy of the Christ line to bring forth His promised seed. This word is also used in reference to the Psalms of the Degrees [Ps. 120-134], which are a climatic progression of Psalms sung, while the priestly procession walked the temple steps unto the pinnacle of Mount Zion, during the annual ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles. We find a reflection of this as the Israelites lead by Joshua, walked around Jericho for seven days before their unified shout sent the walls tumbling down.
This symbolic throne of Judah's Lion-King, flanked by winged sphinxes, guarding the twelve lions on the six steps, (list of 12 zodiacal signs/tribes sung in the Song of Moses) depicts Judah's regal authority over all twelve tribes of Israel, on each step of the 360-degree measuring line (Ps. 19:4), of the Biblical zodiac. This also fits with the Hebrew meaning of the word zodiac "as a way composed of distinct steps, referring to both the sun's yearly path on the ecliptic, paralleled by the path walked by the Son of God during his earthly ministry.
| Figure E. Below is an example of an ancient sundial similar to what is described in II Kgs. 20:9-11, in reference to the Sun-dial of Ahaz. |
As a symbol and earthly facsimile of Christ's throne at the right hand of God's throne in Heaven, [Heb. 8:1] David and Solomon initiated the kingly line that Christ fulfilled as the Sun enthroned at the center of the Hebrew zodiac, the light of the world. Thus the King of Kings enlightens and renews all of creation, on Tishri 1, his birthday and anniversary of Creation and his coronation-the day of trumpets.
We can see how the pagan cultures of the "fertile crescent" took elements of the original "mighty system" of Patriarchal Astronomy into the various idolatrous applications of their heathen star religions. Yet if we know how and where to look, we still find elements of the original pattern of truth hidden under these idolatrous veneers of ancient Astrology.
Figuratively, the Sun as a symbol of the promised seed--Jesus Christ, weaves his way through the circular path of the ecliptic and the 12 houses of the Hebrew zodiac, giving us the basic relationship between God's earthly seed and His heavenly seed.
Gen. 22:17-18
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice. [Num. 24:7]
The union of the celestial signs of Leo the lion, with the woman Virgo in the female-headed Great Sphinx also depicts the life of Jesus, from birth, starting with the setting of Spica on September 11th, 3 BC. This is depicted in Gen. 49:9 as his human maturation from lion's whelp, where his prey is provided for him, to stalking his own prey, unto his ultimate victory casting down and rending the dragon. This is the three-fold theme that ties directly to the celestial wonders of Revelation 12, linking God's Word together with His stellar revelation. We have seen this set for us at the canonical start and finish of both the Biblical and stellar gospels, forming a parallel testimony of the Scriptures with the stars. We have seen powerful specific examples of this in the celestial triple coronation ceremony of the three unions of Jupiter and Regulus in Leo, marking the birth of Christ. We can even see the influence of this theme surviving in the famous "Riddle of the Sphinx."
In the Greek mythology surrounding this female-headed Sphinx, she asks Oedipus the riddle; What is the animal which goes on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs at night?
His reply is Man, crawling as an infant, walking erect in manhood and in old age with a staff. This mirrors the celestial symbolism of the Jupiter-Regulus triple unions seen in Genesis 49:9 depicting the growth cycle of the lion from whelp, to adult lion, to the aged lion at rest. This is another example of the corrupting influence of myth that still retains elements of the truth it hides. This triple Conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus in Leo marking the birth of Christ, also exemplifies the narrative in the entire zodiac, the great stellar witness of the ages which embodies God's first revelation to the Patriarchs, beginning with Adam. As the star names of the 12 Constellations of the zodiac along with each of their decans relate varying aspects of the nature, sufferings and glory of the Promised Seed, so this witness is summarized in the first and last zodiacal signs that compromise the Great Sphinx. All of this is unequivocably established by the witness of Scripture, as we've seen in Gen. 49:8-10, for example among many others, setting the truth in stone. This witness was designed to be a rock in the idolatrous seas of astrological speculation, where this knowledge was covered for centuries. In the process of substitution of solar symbols, by the Chaldeans, Egyptians and Babylonians, they directly influenced the Israelites, so they did not heed God's warnings forbidding their inter-marriage with the idolatrous peoples in the region of the promised land. Solomon himself was guilty of this with all his foreign concubines which ultimately was his downfall. This corrupting influence will persist until its roots are fully exposed, dug up and rooted out, restoring the purposes of the true God, in Christ. It is through him that the rightful worship to the true God is restored.
The stellar function of the Great Sphinx is augmented by the role of the Sphinx as a sighting device tying directly to another of its astronomical uses, to observe and record the horizon points of the sunrise, originally documented by Moses Cotsworth. This aspect of the Sphinx takes on a new light when considered with the multiple celestial signs that occurred in Leo, the body of the Sphinx, while the Sun was in Virgo, the Sphinx's head, from 3 to 1 BC. This uniquely crowned the female head of the Sphinx with the effulgent glory of being clothed with the sun, as seen above in the ceiling relief of the portico of the Temple of Esneh.
The points of the sunrise along the local horizon gave the ancients a logical method to establish an annual calendar. One relationship we can readily identify is the crown of the Great Sphinx marking the tropical borders within which this three-fold light of the world is revealed upon the earth. Moses Cotsworth specifies solar applications of the Great Sphinx, serving as a sighting device directed to the physical sunlight at the sunrise points of the horizon. We find reference to this in Peter Thompkin's words below:
"The eastward orientation of the Sphinx also indicated to Cotsworth that it was used as a sighting device by priests who could stand on the platform of its rump and sight the rising sun in a direct line to the horizon marked by the point of the asp on the crown of the Sphinx. Cotsworth also found a series of lines fanning out from the neck of the Sphinx that could have served to indicate the point of sunrise at different dates from Solstice to equinox."
This aspect of the Sphinx pointed out by Cotsworth, relating to it's marking of solar alignments "at different dates from Solstice to equinox ," shows an astronomical function of the Sphinx that regrettably has gotten little, if any attention lately, outside of idolatrous applications, but is important because the of Sphinx's solar alignments in relation to the borders of the tropics. This also explains the union of Leo and Virgo at the summer Solstice 4,000 years ago, in relation to this important function of the Great Sphinx that has been obscured for too long. It is especially interesting in light of the ancient's recognition of the tropical borders marked by the Great Sphinx, within which the heavenly bodies named by the Creator [Psalm 147:4], shed their three fold light upon the Earth. God set the tropics as boundaries within which the Sun, Moon and Planets all move, above and below the celestial Equator. The light shed by these celestial bodies on the Earth is bound within these tropical borders. Cotsworth continues:
"The view from behind the Sphinx most remarkably confirms this conclusion, because the peculiar curved ridge-lines which are cut so suggestively over the back of the Sphinx's head seem purposely radiated to the Sun-rise points from the back of the neck to the forehead and ears."
Cotsworth personally recorded the "radiating lines" distinctly upon the back of the wig of the Sphinx "along with a crown which formerly rested upon the head that was formed from a separate block of stone, which probably marked by pointers in extension of the radiating lines."
By marking the tropical borders, we see another way where the Great Sphinx manifests the enlightening of the world via the heavenly bodies of the celestial gospel within the zodiacal band. The Biblical Patriarchs would have recognized that the tropical borders set the general parameters within which the light of God's message in the stars was revealed upon the Earth. This celestial pathway of fourteen degrees (called the zodiacal band) separates the planets and stars outside this band, unnamed by God in the firmament, from those within the band whose names have been with us since antiquity. Of the countless lights in the firmament, God set those inside the path of the zodiacal band apart, to carry His sacred message in the celestial gospel. This is where we will find the majority of the ancient 48 star pictures, with the exception of the circumpolar stars. In this way the borders of the zodiacal band are seen as celestial reflections of the terrestrial tropical boundaries, outlining the Latitudes in which heaven's threefold light is shed upon the Earth.
The Sun at the summer Solstice is vertical; 90 degrees overhead to one in the Southern Hemisphere, on the Tropic of Capricorn. At the same time, for one in the Northern Hemisphere on the Tropic of Cancer, one would witness the Sun's high point at only 43 degrees above the horizon. The tropics exist because the Earth does not revolve vertically on its axis relating to its orbit around the sun. The axis is removed from vertical by an angle presently measuring 23 degrees and 27 minutes, which is formally known as the obliquity of the ecliptic, or the angle between the ecliptic and the Equator relating to this varying degree of the Earth's axis tilt.
This angle of the ecliptic governs the northern and southern limits of the sunrise on the earth's horizon, witnessed on the winter and summer solstices. It also determines the boundaries of the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, presently 23 degrees and 27 minutes north and south of the Equator. The obliquity cycle actually refers to the range of slightly less than 2.5 degrees, in which the Earth's axis tilt varies, over an approximate 43,000-year period. Figure F depicts the relation between the obliquity of the ecliptic and the precession of the poles of the ecliptic.
This helps us understand how the obliquity cycle is related to the celestial poles, of the ecliptic and the Equator, and how the tropical boundaries in the central bands of the circle of the Earth are also determined by the varying degrees of the earth's axis tilt. Norman Lockyer, who studied the ancient Egyptian's use of their temples as instruments to determine the exact length of the year, realized that temples oriented to the sun provided a more useful calendar than temples oriented to certain stars. This is due to the fact that: "the tilt of the earth's axis shifts no more than a degree in 6,000-7,000 years."
The ancients recognized that these tropical borders were not static, but showed a range of variation, which was incorporated into the borders of ancient Egypt, from the towns, Behdet to Syene.
Livio Stecchini found a "glyph carved on the thrones of virtually all pharaohs since the fourth Dynasty, which contained geodetic and astronomical data of extraordinary subtlety, enabling him to determine that the Egyptians used three figures for the tropic of Cancer: a simplified one of 24 degrees, a precise one of 23 degrees 51 minutes, and one of 24 degrees 6 minutes required for observing the sun's shadow at the summer Solstice."
In the obliquity cycle, a range of slightly less than 2.5 degrees was calculated, as the variation in this cycle over a very long period of about 43,000 years. Its rate of change may not be constant, but for the last 4000 years the angle of the ecliptic has been steadily decreasing at a rate of 40 arc-seconds per century. As a result the angle of obliquity has decreased about .5 degrees along with the variation in the Latitude of the tropics. The total range of variation in the obliquity cycle lies between a maximum of 24 degrees 30 minutes, to a minimum of 22 degrees 6 minutes, for
| Fig.F. The angle of the obliquity of the ecliptic; [x] as determined by the precessional "wobble" of the Earth's axis. |
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a maximum variance of 2 degrees 24 minutes. Since one degree equals 60 arc minutes, 2 degrees and 24 minutes is equal to 144 arc-minutes. Each arc-minute of 60 arc-seconds gives a total of 8,640 arc-seconds (144 x 60). At the current rate of 40 arc-seconds per century, it would take 21,600 years (2,160 x 10-precessional ages) for the Earth's axis to shift from minimum to maximum.
To return to its minimum again requires another 21,600 years, giving a total of 43,200 years for the entire cycle, given a constant rate of 40 arc-seconds per century. All of this only provides more evidence of the Creator's Intelligent Design, because these are all numbers governed by the base 60 standard from the precession of the equinoxes. This master celestial cycle set up by the Hand of God, serves as the celestial backdrop into which the cycles of the planets, our solar, lunar and star cycles all derive their symbolic significance according to the base 60 standard. It also happens to provide our terrestrial standard for temporal measurement according to the Sexegesimal standard of measure, which modern science has never been able to improve upon.
The Darwinists and others of an evolutionary mindset, have a problem with the ancient's insight into the 26,000-year precession of the equinoxes, because it is contrary to their highly dubious version of the evolution of what they label as "primitive man" in history. Yet the evidence shows an advanced awareness of the precession rather obviously in many ancient cultures. Now they must also explain the ancient's insight into the obliquity cycle, which is over 43,000 years long, going back at least as far as the fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. You can bet that they will have many ready reasons to keep their evolutionary blinders firmly bound to the limits of their perception, because the world-view can leave no room for the Almighty, or his only begotten Son.
In spite of the fact that the obliquity cycle is longer than the precession of the equinoxes, we can see from the standard of base 60 numbers that obliquity also derives its significance from a dominant precessional context. Because of the extreme length of the obliquity cycle, which can hardly be observed physically, it only lends more support to our thesis of a Revelatory Astronomy, where the entire system of Patriarchal Astronomy was first given to men of God like Adam, by revelation from God. These truths were preserved and practiced in the oral traditions of the Patriarchal Age from Adam to Moses. Later some elements of these truths remained, but most were corrupted in the star religions and astrological myths of various cultures in the ancient world. This helps to explain why knowledge of the precession, along with other examples of advanced geodesic, geographical, navigational, and architectural achievements of the ancient world came so early in history. As with the example of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, this zenith of architectural principles was reached early on in the history of Egypt, never to be matched away from the Giza plateau.
By highlighting the sun's position in specific zodiacal signs and each star decan of a certain precessional age, the ancients would notice the four signs at the Cardinal Directions of the Age in question. These are referred to as precessional markers. For instance, in the Age of Taurus, the precessional markers were Aquarius, Scorpius, Leo and Taurus. These are the same signs that constitute the cardinal points of the angelic Cherubim, discussed earlier. Thus it is interesting to notice the reference to the Sphinx, by Norman Lockyer below.
Norman Lockyer stated regarding the Great Sphinx that, "its being half lion, half virgin symbolizes the junction of the constellations Leo and Virgo which occurred at a summer Solstice in the fourth millennium BC." (emphasis mine)
As we discussed in the Biblical Astronomy of the Birth of Christ, this relates directly to Numbers 24:5-9, where these precessional markers are also depicted. These markers however, do not point to the time of Israel's wilderness wanderings under Moses, but to an earlier time during the Age of Taurus, analogous with the Great Pyramid's alignment to these same four cardinal points, when the summer Solstice was in Leo! This gives us a unified testimony of the stars, with the Scriptures and the wondrous sentinels of the Giza Plateau, providing evidence dating the construction of the Great Sphinx, and the Great Pyramid's alignment to these Cardinal Directions with utmost accuracy. This archaeo-astronomical and Biblical evidence places the construction of these monuments squarely in the Age of Taurus [4300-2100 BC]. The latter stages of this period is generally where the conventional dating places the building of the Great Pyramid, but is opposed by certain new age advocates of "exotic archaeology" attempting to pre-date the origins of the Great Sphinx back to 10,500 BC. Their main motivation for an earlier dating of the Sphinx is that the high degree of expertise exhibited in ancient Egyptian architecture and science doesn't fit in an evolutionary framework. They don't believe that a civilization as advanced as ancient Egypt, could have appeared so suddenly, followed by a rapid decline in expertise in all the related fields of science. This scenario however fits in nicely with the Revelatory Astronomy of the Bible, where a high point was reached early on because it was closer to the source of wisdom. Over time however, the purity of this early expertise declined as practices drifted away, farther from the truth, due to the corrupting forces of mythology and Astrology.
As we allow the integrity and accuracy of God's Word to speak for itself, centuries of darkness can be stripped away and exposed to the effulgent light of the All Truth. Much of the emphasis in current Archaeo-Astronomy has served to revive and popularize the ancient idolatrous star religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia, Meso-America and the Orient. It has not succeeded in removing the genuine roots of Astronomy corrupted these pagan systems. It is the Astronomy of the Biblical Patriarchs; Adam, Seth and Enoch that predates all of the ancient systems of idolatry. This is the system preserved in the ancient star names recorded in God's Word, that stands solidly affirmed as the original pattern which was corrupted in the false adoration inherent in a myriad astrologies of the ancient world. The more these monuments to the Patriarchal astronomers of the Bible are affirmed for their central role in the foundations of archaeo-astronomical research, the more eye-opening the realizations of truth will be in the new millennium.
The Celestial Sphinx in Current Events
At the time of this writing in the fall of 2004, the skies came alive with the signs of the Celestial Sphinx. There are at least three categories of what can be called Celestial Sphinx signs. The first is in a class by itself, that we can seen in Figure B. Here, the head of the woman Virgo, clothed with the sun is rising above the horizon as seen from Jerusalem, with the full body of Leo the Lion, already risen. As a marker for the birth of Christ highlighting these two major components of the Great Sphinx, this sign certainly is worthy of our special attention. A second category of signs along these lines is seen also when the Sun is clothing Virgo. During this time of year, a period of about 20 days length, if planetary unions occur in both Leo and Virgo, the two stellar aspects of the Celestial Sphinx are thus highlighted. An example of this was seen in the signs surrounding the birth of Christ, from September 9th to the 14th in 3 BC. Figure B shows the first of three conjunctions of Jupiter and Regulus in Leo first visible, as the signs marking the birth of Christ were happening on September 11th, in Virgo.
As these celestial signs allowed the Magi to recognize the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Alpha sign of the Biblical zodiac, they carry similar ramifications for his Second Coming seen in the Omega sign Leo. Following below, is a chart detailing nine signs of the Celestial Sphinx over a three week period in September and October of 2004.
The Celestial Sphinx Signs of 2004
| Date | Virgo | Leo | Secondary Signs |
| i. 9-10-2004 |
Jupiter-Zavijava
Beta star in Virgo |
Mercury-Regulus
Sun-Mars |
Moon & Venus
in Cancer |
| ii. 9-14-2004 |
Jupiter-Zavijava
Beta star in Virgo |
Sun-Mars
Mercury & Moon |
Venus in Cancer
Moon occults Mars |
| iii. 9-15-2004 |
Moon occults
Jupiter-Zavijava |
Sun-Mars and
Mercury |
Venus in Cancer &
Asselus Australus |
| iv. 9-27-2004 |
Jupiter-Mars
Sun & Mercury |
Venus |
Moon & Venus
Moon in Aquarius |
| v. 9-28-2004 |
Jupiter-Mars-
Mercury (Sun) |
Venus |
Moon & Venus
Moon in Pisces |
| vi. 9-29-2004 |
Jupiter-Mercury
Sun-Mars |
Venus |
Moon & Venus
Moon in Pisces |
| vii. 9-30-2004 |
Mercury-Mars
Sun & Jupiter |
Venus |
Moon & Venus
Moon in Aries |
| viii. 10-1-2004 |
Massing of Mars
Jupiter & Mercury |
Venus |
Moon & Venus
Moon in Aries |
| ix. 10-3-2004 |
Sun, Mercury,
Mars & Jupiter |
Venus-Regulus |
Moon & Venus
Moon in Taurus |
These signs of the Celestial Sphinx should heighten the urgency of our awareness of the times wherein we live. The Gospel of John goes into detail as to the relevance of these signs in our times.
John 2:18-19
Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? [19] Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
In Appendix 8 of "Jesus Christ our Passover," V.P. Weirwille expounds on Jesus' use of "destroy this temple" in John 2:19. Jesus "spoke the words of John 2:19 while standing in the courts of the literal temple. The awesome beauty and size of this temple right before the people's eyes added tremendous emphasis to Jesus Christ's words. Jesus was not speaking of the literal temple, but it was significant that he utilized it figuratively in his response."
Weirwille goes on to say: "The word 'temple,' by the figure of speech hypocatastasis, is used to represent the body of Israel. Biblically the term 'tabernacle' is often used of an individual's (Jesus Christ's) physical body (II Cor. 5:1 & 4, II Pet. 1:13 & 14). The word 'temple' is also used to signify a group of people (I Cor. 3:16 & 17, 6:19, II Cor. 6:16, Eph. 2:21). Jesus, in John 2:19 by using 'temple' to signify his body, showed that he individually represented a group or body of people. In context, this group could only be the called-out of Israel, the Church of the Bride."
An interesting aspect of John 2:19 is Jesus' figurative contrast of the physical Temple, in which he was standing, with his own physical body "who was the true temple of whom the Temple of stone was only a temporary prophetic illustration." Jesus Christ, the second Adam, is the consummate archetype, the finished model, the "chief cornerstone" after which the Church of his Body is patterned. The highest standard of this perfect man is evident in the prophetic illustrations of his life and ministry. Certainly, God did not record the details of the design of the Tabernacle and the Temple of stone wherein Jesus stood when he spoke the words of John 2:19, without purpose. From this figurative reference we can see the major elements of a four dimensional view of the body of Christ: "the temple of stone, the bride of Israel, his physical body, and the body of the Church of the great mystery."
This perspective of John 2:19, shows us a view of Jesus Christ prophesying while standing in this stone temple, representing the temple of stone and the bride of Israel in his physical body. Intriguingly, by the very nature of its structure, the Great Sphinx also prophesies according to these four aspects of the ministry of Jesus Christ. First, Jesus' figurative contrast to the Stone Temple, in which he was standing compares to the stone monument of the Great Sphinx, which foretold his birth. Secondly, the marriage of Jesus the lion of the tribe of Judah, with his Bride the woman Virgo-Israel, is also embodied in this stone monument. Also, the celestial gap between the head of the woman, Virgo and the body of Leo the Lion, marked by the star Denebola, symbolizes the time period of the Age of the Great Mystery of the Church, in the hidden Age of Grace. This is not overtly evident in the monument of the Sphinx itself, but is only seen in "spiritual hindsight" when we look to the Celestial Sphinx for these truths. This reference to the time wherein the all truth of John 16:12-16, was revealed in the seven Church Epistles, eventually filled the gap at the star DENEBOLA, "the Lord or Judge who comes quickly." It also symbolizes the gap in God's timeline between the sufferings and glory of Jesus Christ, the acceptable year of the Lord [Luke 4:18-19, Isa. 61:1-2]. Thus, the Great Sphinx, like the rest of the prophets who inquired and search diligently, prior to the age of Grace, as I Peter 1:10-12 tells us "prophesied of the grace that should come unto you." Jesus himself was not aware of the full details of his statement to "destroy this temple," as a prophecy of the future destruction not only, of the temple he was standing in, but also of his physical body that would be tortured unto death in his passionate sacrifice to redeem all mankind. Even so the religious leaders of Israel were not aware of the full implications behind their rejection of the Son of God and how that rejection opened the door of the New Birth for the Gentile nations. We will recall from the quote above that Jesus' declaration in John 2:19, was by revelation from God. As V.P. Wierwille stated:
"To Jesus' immediate knowledge, his reference was specifically to the body of Israel. However, in God's foreknowledge, the statement was also applicable to the Church of the body, the great mystery which was not revealed until after Pentecost."
The fullness of The Great Mystery was not even revealed to Jesus during his earthly ministry, until God gave it to the Apostle Paul by divine revelation, where this pinnacle of truth resides in the apex of all Scripture, in the Church Epistles. Thus, it is important to realize that the Alpha and Omega signs of the zodiac the head and tail of the Great Sphinx, mirror the sufferings and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gap between these two aspects of the life and ministry of the Lord is filled in the Age of Grace. This period, concealed by the Hand of God [Eph. 3:9], contains no direct celestial reference to the Church Age. It was also hidden in the united monument of the Sphinx, with no reference to the gap between the sufferings seen in the promised seed of the woman and Leo the Lion's final and glorious defeat of the Serpentine enemy. That is why Genesis 49:10 says that "the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes" or until the owner of the scepter returns! This explains why the events depicted in the Bible's last book, Rev. 12:1-5 figuratively detail his First and Second Coming. As we may recall, verse 5 uses the summarizing figure of speech noted as a symperasma, depicting his birth and his ascension, the first and last events of his life, thereby summarizing all his life without making specific reference to each event contained therein. This tells us that similar signs marking the first appearance of the promised seed will be seen again before he returns, with the main signs seen in Leo, as the lion rends the serpent Hydra beneath his feet. Thus, from the viewpoint of the Sphinx and the Old Testament in general, there is no gap between the sufferings and glory of the Lord, because God hid it from them. So to the believers prior to the Age of Grace, the signs of the Sceptre-Jupiter between the feet of Leo the Lion at Regulus, appear without a break, because similar but not identical signs appear in both the Alpha and Omega signs of his birth and return.
This hidden Age of Grace, the Great Mystery of God kept secret from ages and generations [Col. 1:26], until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul, is the greatest revelation of spiritual light since the Original Paradise! Some may think that this essay on the Great Sphinx is a bit of a stretch, or that I'm coming out of left field with this stuff. Thus, it always nice when God backs up aspects of His Word with special signs aimed at those with eyes to see and ears to hear His truth. January 23rd of 1999 was a day that brought us one of these signs, again in a class by itself of the Celestial Sphinx. On this day, the NASA scientists recorded one of the most breath-taking bursts of Gamma Rays ever witnessed. The NASA people described the force of light emitted during this awesome event as the "power of nearly ten million billion suns." Doctor Kouveliotou of the Universities Space Research Association at Marshall Space Flight Center, stated that: "If the burst had occurred somewhere in our galactic neighborhood, it would have been so bright that night would have turned into day." During this 110 second Gamma Ray Burst [GRB], scientists for the first time witnessed the visible light emitted during these explosions. The scientists are great with the technical stuff, but they miss the most important message attached to this amazing light show.
Ophiuchus wrestling the Serpent for the Corona [Crown of dominion]
The location of this super high magnitude burst of light is what tells the story, and they won't understand that without a Biblical view of the Astronomy. This GRB exploded in Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown. This is the prized Crown of dominion that the serpent Serpens is seen wrestling the Man Ophiuchus for, in their ages old contest. The crown remains out of the serpent's reach due to his defeat at the hands of the King of Kings. We have already discussed the very significant celestial point of division between the female Head of the Great Sphinx and Leo, its leonine body, marked by the star Denebola. There is a line of Right Ascension on the Celestial Sphere that intersects this dividing point in the Great Sphinx. It just so happens that this massive Gamma Ray Burst that lit up the heavens occurred directly on this key line dividing these two elements of the Great Sphinx! Since the actual explosion happened in the Northern Crown we have a unique celestial association of this Crown with the Great Sphinx! The implications of this spectacular burst of light energy relate specifically to each of the levels of John 2:19 embodied in the Sphinx. First, as the Great Sphinx prophesied of the Lord's birth, so it will also uniquely mark his return in judgment as the Lord who comes quickly. With such an obvious mark of the division between the Alpha signs of his birth seen in Virgo and the Omega signs in Leo, this key point marking both the head and tail of the zodiacal and Biblical canons cannot be overstated! Secondly, as the Sphinx embodies the marriage of the Bride-Israel with her Lord and Christ, this tells of the great hope of the redemption of Israel as a Nation and people. Thirdly, in our discussion above concerning the celestial gap at this prominent point of division, we mentioned that its not shown in the monument of the Sphinx itself, but is only seen from the viewpoint of the New Testament Church of Grace looking backwards at the Celestial Sphinx for these truths. This amazing burst of light from the Hand of the Creator, draws our attention to this celestial gap in support of the witness of the Stars and the Scriptures on these points. The Age of Grace that falls into this gap represents the greatest explosion of spiritual light since the fall of Man. In truth, the secrets of this Great Mystery were kept under wraps since the world began, [Rom. 16:25-26]! The revelation of the seven Church Epistles in the first Century, stand as the apex of revelation in the entire Canon of Scripture. We in the Church of the Spiritual Body of Christ, the called out who believed and share fully in the power of the New Birth, also have a Great Hope in the return of the Lord For his saints. This long awaited Gathering Together of the Church will mark the close of the Church Age, when we will meet him in the air, and so we will be with him forever! What a remarkable celestial witness for the enlightened ones of the earth! This unique perspective of John 2:19, shows us ways in which the Great Sphinx, not only marked the first arrival of the promised seed, but provides a parallel witness of his much anticipated return. This great explosion of light in Corona Borealis, whose brightest star, called Al Phecca, means "the shining" has no doubt shone as brightly as it ever has in our day. It affords a regal reflection of the general sign of the Celestial Prelude the supernova in the head of the infant found in the woman's lap of the sign Coma! The Glorious return of the Lord will witness his Crowning as the King of kings, the coronation ceremony that was foretold in the heavens, with the triple union of Jupiter and Regulus in Leo, during the signs of his first appearance. The signs marking his birthday on September 11th in 3 BC, happened while the Sun was clothing Virgo, with the Moon at her feet. When we recall the ceiling relief graphic above, where the Sphinx was crowned with the Sun disk, we can see that this key annual 20-day period not only marks the signs of the Lord's birth, but also his triumphant return as the Conquering King. "Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Christ Jesus is Lord," no matter what happens, so you may as well do it now of your own free will, while you can still benefit from it! He is the first and last one who ever came to offer up the perfect sacrifice of his own unblemished life as a one time payment for the sins of the world! He is the first and last way of access provided by the Heavenly Father, His dearly beloved and only begotten Son. Nobody else, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, ever died for your sins. He is the One True Way of Salvation.
We will see other aspects of how these signs marking the Lord's Return are being revealed in the skies of our day. Thus we must remain vigilant, even as the Gentile Magi did in their day, because as the Scriptures are not silent concerning the return of the Lord, so the heavens will not be mute either.
FOOTNOTES:
Ancient Egypt, Lorna Oakes & Lucia Gahlin, p.428.
Mazzaroth or, the Constellations: The Sphinx, Frances Rolleston
The Star that Astonished the World, Earnest Martin, p.187.
8 The King James Version of the Bible, (
Cambridge :
Cambridge ) 1769.
Mazzaroth or, the Constellations: The Sphinx, Frances Rolleston
The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, Zodhiates p.1592.
12 The King James Version of the Bible, (
Cambridge :
Cambridge ) 1769.
Strong’s Concordance, James Strong, note on H2710.
Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico, Anthony Aveni. p. 103
Mysteries of the Great Pyramid, Peter Thompkins. p. 169-172.
Giza, the Truth, Ian Lawton & Chris Ogilvie Herald p.318.
The King James Version of the Bible, (
Cambridge :
Cambridge ) 1769.
18 The Two Babylons, Hislop p.18 footnote.
Pharaohs and Kings, David Rohl, p. 176.
IBID, p. 178.
Secrets of the Great Pyramid, Peter Thompkins, p. 142
IBID.
A Rational Almanac, Moses Cotsworth, p. 277
Skywatchers of Ancient , Anthony Aveni. p. 103
Heaven’s Mirror,Graham Hancock and Santha Faiia, p. 220.
IBID. p. 33. {marginal note}
Jesus Christ our Passover, V.P. Wierwille, p. 490
IBID. fn p.470.
science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast27jan_1.htm
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