Biblical Astronomy vs. Astrology

  What is Biblical Astronomy but The Redeemer's Record recounted in the Orbs of Night, the sleepless Scroll of Stellar-Glyphs, inscribed in Heaven's Dome, ever circulating the treatise of Truth and Legend, a Miracle-play on the Grand Cosmic Stage, whose radiant Glory far outshines the ravages of time...            Rene' Fretz ©
   
                    The Intelligent Design of God, the Grand Architect of Creation, figuratively depicts man’s proper vertical relationship of alignment and harmony with the Heavenly Father. The Creator Who dwells in and beyond the heavens as the Supreme Being, is high above the Earth [Job 22:12-21]. This basic orientation is illustrated in the architecture of man’s earliest temple towers. Conventional history holds that the cradle of civilization began in the "fertile crescent" of the green lands between the Tigris & Euphrates rivers, in modern Iraq. A Biblical and historical case has been made that the original "Tower of Babel" was in fact a ziggurat or temple-tower, like the remains found at Barsipki & Birs Nimrod. Many historians are of the opinion that it was these cultures of ancient Mesopotamia that were first responsible for the engineering principles that form the foundation of the temple-towers that symbolized the axis mundi, or world axis as seen in the Chaldean Ziggurats starting around 4000 BC. 

  Based on chronology and geography alone, ostensibly a case can be made for this hypothesis. But, when we consider the common ideational, and geometric base 60 numeric foundations, the mythology, and measuring standards that consistently appear in the ancient cultures across the face of the earth, including those of Sumer, Egypt, Mesoamerica and Babylon, we find added support for a different thesis. The Creator’s perfect architectural principles, the original sacred geometry, can be readily identified in His application of the Symmetry of the Pi and phi ratios in, and across the kingdoms of Nature, is witnessed on multiple levels in the numerical and geometric patterns that form the basis of the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple, whose dimensions were given by revelation from God to Moses and David respectively. The same principles are also evident in the construction of the Great Pyramid, as illustrated below. 



  These principles of "sacred geometry" that emerged first from God in His design of Creation, followed by the Bible Patriarchs, after the flood were then carried by the sons of Noah, as they migrated and settled into the lands of the middle east. They brought the first principles of their sacred Astronomy with them, but as time passed these principles were applied in corrupt & imperfect forms by these and other later cultures, first by men like Nimrod. Later, those who followed his corrupt way spread the perverted ways of Astrology that were introduced. The Genesis record enlightens us on these truths as we see at the end of Chap. 10, where Noah’s sons spread out over the earth after the flood, according to God’s Will. Chapter 11 begins with one of these areas around Babylon.

Gen. 11:1-4
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As men moved eastward they found a plain in Shinar [Sumer] and settled there. 3 They said to each other, Come let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly. They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 They said, Come let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.

  Verse 1 refers to one language and a common speech. This was a great advantage to these people who wanted to make a name for themselves, not worshipping the true God, Who had saved their ancestors from the great flood. They wanted to centralize their location in a city and apply their astronomical and architectural expertise to design this city with man-made bricks instead of the stones of the land. The emphasis of their great tower was not that it reached to the heavens as is commonly misunderstood, being added by the translators, indicating that it was not in the original Biblical text. But this tower would be a representation of the heavens in geometric and architectural design. Here we can see one setting where this sacred geometry is applied. As Livio Stecchini stated in reference to the ziggurats of Babylon;

"they transfer curved data to a flat surface in order to make a projection of the Earth’s hemisphere, with a minimum of distortion." Each of the primary steps of the pyramid thus represents a 90 degree quadrant, and the levels can represent the zone between two parallels of Latitude in a series of Mercator projections, several thousand years before the advent of the Flemish cartographer."¹

  Thus one function of this ziggurat was to map the northern hemisphere of the Earth from the Equator to the pole, into seven zones each diminishing in width corresponding to the decreasing degrees of Latitude. This figure was a mirror image of ancient celestial maps. [Thompkins p.184-5] This shows that an advanced geography based on this cosmic architecture did not evolve, but actually devolved after perverted by heathen Astrology, from what was first given by revelation from God. This sacred architecture based on celestial structure, not only embodies man’s relationship with his Creator, as seen in the sacred architecture of Noah’s Ark, and later the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple, but also includes specific prophecies of the coming promised seed and included the details of his redemptive work, which set man’s alliance with the Creator back on course. These elements of sacred geometry are further seen in the 3rd 4th and 5th steps of the ziggurats of Babylon, which make triangles with sides measuring according to the 3-4-5 Pythagorean triangle. We have noted in other studies on this website how the 3-4-5 triangle was utilized in elements of the Hebrew Tabernacle and Temple, along with the Great Pyramid. The King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is pictured below, depicting the principles of the 3-4-5 triangle in this application. 



  The Babylonians were also famous for counting on the Sexegesimal standard, which is still use in our modern time calculations. These descendants of Noah were no longer interested in promoting the message of the celestial gospel and their God, over the face of the earth, but wanted to make a name for themselves, in a centralized city, a product of their own works instead. As Genesis 11:5 tells us: The Lord said, If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. The advantage of a common language was some thing they took for granted as they began to unify the people around their great tower and city, all works of their own hands. God was displeased with these efforts contrary to His Will, and took their inherent advantage of unity in a common language away from them, so that they would not understand each other. The power of the celestial gospel is evident in this record because even in a corrupted form, as applied in the construction of this city and tower, it was still able to unify these people when they spoke a common language. Let’s take a closer look at the leaders of this effort contrary to God’s Will. We will find important details identifying Nimrod as the major player in carrying out the blueprints of evil for the enemy, as we inspect the biblical terminology describing him in Genesis 10.

Gen 10:1,6-8 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. 10:6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim; {Egypt} and Phut, and Canaan. 10:7 And the sons of Cush; Seba,and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

"Cush begat Nimrod"- Hislop’s book "The Two Babylon’s" documents Cush meaning Chaos, or the "confounder"; or he that causes confusion and error regarding truth.² In the Patriarchal age this would involve the corruption of the celestial gospel because there was no written divine oracle until the time of Moses. Cush was a Patriarch of evil, as indicated in alternative translations of this name like "Bel." To trace the ancient usage of this word we find that it was contracted from the Aramaic form of "Baal," the name of the main Babylonian triune god linked with Anu and Enki, found in the Epic of Gilgamesh. This idol system corresponds to the Greek god Zeus, or Jupiter in the Roman pantheon. [Isa. 46:1, Jer. 50:2, 51:34-58]

 Here in verse 16, Ezekiel is brought to the inner court of the holy place, of the temple between the porch and the altar of incense, a place specifically reserved for the ministering priests, who were engaged in the idolatry of sun worship. Obviously, sun worship was a somewhat common form of idolatry going back to RA of ancient Egypt. We have already seen some details of these verses in other sections of our web-site, but here we will focus on Nimrod who comes up in relation to the "women weeping for Tammuz." Ezek. 8:10-12, 16

v.11 "seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel"- The Sanhedrin, or spiritual leadership of Israel are indicated by the seventy. This sets the context of the religious leaders who were responsible for spreading their spiritual darkness throughout the land.

"in the midst of them stood Jazaniah"- the leader promoting the serpent’s influence in spiritual darkness. He utilized the Astrology of the culture, hiding behind a cloak of legitimacy of cultural and religious leadership.

"with every man a censer in his hand"-each had their own oblation to their personal idol.
"women weeping for Tammuz"- Tammuz means to purify by fire; and was another name for Nimrod, related to human sacrifice associated with Molech; [Amos 5:25], bearing the name of the fire god; where their children would "pass through the fire" (II Chron. 33:6-7) to ostensibly purify themselves. In reality this is a reference to human sacrifice, which shows where the ritual of this kind of idolatry will lead, as witnessed most graphically in the star religion of ancient Mexico. Maimonades also makes reference to the scene of women weeping for the death of Tammuz’ in the temple of Babylon. This is not the origin of fire worship. Nimrod is recognized as the originator of fire worship, which had grown rampant at such an early stage, even influencing Abraham on the occasion of his forfeited sacrifice of Isaac.⁴ Ezekiel 8 also corresponds to the great Hallel, a spiritual hymn or song, sung on very rare occasions, consisting of the 120-136 Psalms. Edersheim distinguishes this from the "the common Hallel," which can be seen in Psalm 113-118. This idolatry had permeated the culture and society of ancient Israel, and as seen here in Ezekiel, beginning in the upper echelons of the Temple leadership including the spiritual heads of the 24 courses of the priests.

v.16 "Inner court of the temple"-Holy of holies where the Shekinah glory via the presence of God dwelling in the skies of the North, emphasized the vertical relation between the Creator and His Creation. "backs turned toward the temple of the lord"-showing not only the contempt these elders had for God’s Word and His will, but by facing east they had shifted the original emphasis of honoring the Creator, whose presence among His people was signified by the High Priest’ annual sacrifice, to honoring the sun-god; (forbidden in Deut. 4:15-19).

"worshipped the sun towards the east"-Astrology, as the insidious corrupting influence of the celestial epistles, showing the predominance of the idolatry in the religious leadership, through the exchange of sun worship in place of the Creator. As we have seen, the sun was a figurative representation of the promised seed of Israel, which in effect provided the foundation for later Trinitarian doctrines patterned after the "god-man" concept seen in ancient Babylon and Egypt. Since the sun incarnate was in male human form, this broke the law of Deut. 4:16 which forbade their corruption "by making for yourselves [to worship] a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female.." The aforementioned relation of this section of Scripture to the great Hallel can be witnessed most lucidly in Edersheim’s following reference:

The verbs in this section are literary, then in vs. 7 they transition to the astronomical.

A Literal translation according to usage of Psalm 19:1-4 reads as follows:

notes on v.4 "line"= [qav] prophecies, also a survey line denoting the ecliptic or direction of the sun through the heavens, and the lines marking the "decans" within the zodiacal houses of the sun. This is the universal standard of timekeeping and the basis of numerous cultural calendars throughout history. Also the lines of Latitude and longitude on the face of the earth are found here corresponding to these measuring lines, ordering the Heavens and reflected upon the Earth. [Rom. 10:17-18]

"In them"=the heavens
"tabernacle"=houses of the sun. [mansions of the 12 zodiac signs]

v.5 And he as a bridegroom embarking from his bridal canopy (pavilion), like a champion rejoices to run his course.

notes on v. 5...The oriental wedding would conclude with the groom leading the bride out of the canopy (indicative of God's protection) after the marriage ceremony. This also is a figure for Christ-The Bridegroom, courting his Bride-Israel [Not the New Testament Church of his Spiritual BODY].

v.6 Its rising is at one end of the heavens, its circuit reaches from one end to the other, and nothing [yes, no one] is hidden from its heat.

v.7 "The law of the Lord is perfect"=JEHOVAH'S Word in relation to His creation. [Here is the transition from literary to astronomical verbs]

"converting the soul"=returning as the sun returns in its circuit, so God restores and heals every aspect of the soul life of a man in the process of complete salvation wholeness.

v.8 The testimony of the Lord is faithful [as the sun is a faithful witness in the heavens Ps. 89:36-37] making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes.

notes on v.8 "enlightening"=as the sun. {Isa. 60:18-19, II Pet. 1:19 "daystar"} The celestial bodies shed a 3-fold light upon the earth!
"testimony"-a repeating witness also as the Sun on the ecliptic.

v.9-10 The reverent fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired than gold, than much pure gold, they are sweeter than honey dripping from the honeycomb.

"clean"=active continual cleansing.
"true"=faithful in perpetuity

v.11 By them your servant is warned [reminded, illuminated and instructed] and in keeping them there is great reward.

"By them"=in them [moving & dwelling in the ordinances of the Lord, for in them we live & move & have our being] even as the sun lives and moves in and through the houses of the zodiac.
"warned"=instructed as in II Tim. 3:16 by Doctrine, Reproof and Correction.
"keeping"=observing or watching as the stargazers and Biblical astronomers observe the heavens to learn its lessons and secrets. Even so the planets and celestial orbs observe the Creator’s ordinances as they remain in their ordained orbits.

v.12-13 Who can discern their lapses and errors? Clear and restrain me from unconscious faults, let them not have dominion over me.

"errors"=wandering within ordained limits as the planets in their orbits.
"dominion"= to rule over as the sun rules over the day and the moon over the night [Gen. 1:18].

v.14 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in thy sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

  The Stars in their courses and the planets in their orbits, cycle through seasons of change in their orientation to the Sun. As the planets seem to "wander" in their appointed courses, ordered by God according to the phi ratio, they move both closer to, and farther from the Sun’s light. Even so, man in his growth and maturation process "wanders" on the path towards God’s light, and his physical and even spiritual growth too, is ordered by the same phi ratio. As we discern these orbits and their planetary lapses, we are enlightened, warned and instructed in our walk with the Lord. There is abundant grace and mercy in God’s forgiveness, even as a child stumbles and falls before he walks, and walks before he runs. As we learn to walk closer with our Maker, and run to serve His perfect counsels and purposes, we lend our voice to the growing chorus of the Body of Christ, walking the paths of the holy, while avoiding the snares of the evil one, until that long-awaited day when the Lord returns for us in the ultimate victory of the ages. This is some of the important teaching that we can glean from the celestial gospels, as they exhibit some of the strongest evidence for the reality of our Almighty Heavenly Father and Creator. God's Revelation in the celestial gospels features 48 constellations, which include the 12 Signs of the zodiac, along with their 36 decans. These star-pictures were drawn around and associated with their specific star groups, starting with the earliest Bible Patriarchs, so that they would be handed down and remembered throughout the ages. These signs were afterward, [Genesis 49] identified with the 12 sons of Jacob, representing the tribes of Israel. They corresponded with these tribes and Cardinal Directions as follows:

^{1. VIRGO-ZEBULON}                                                    

^{2. LIBRA-LEVI}

^{3. SCORPIO-DAN [NORTH]}

^{4. SAGITTARIUS-ASHER}

^{5. CAPRICORN-NEPHTALI}

^{6. AQUARIUS-REUBEN [SOUTH]}

^{7. PICSES-SIMEON}

^{8. ARIES-GAD}

^{9. TAURAS-EPHRAIM & MANASSEH [TWO HORNS OF THE BULL] (WEST)}

^{10. GEMINI-BENJAMIN}

^{11. CANCER-ISSACHAR}

^{12. LEO THE LION-JUDAH [EAST]}

  These signs of the zodiac were also engraved on the 12 precious gems of the Breast plate of the High Priest of Israel, serving as an oracle of the Will of God interpreted by the priests, designed not only to preserve, expound and perpetuate the great promise and prophecy of Genesis 3:15, the hope of the coming Redeemer, but also specific revelation in certain situations. Thus, the heavens reveal Christ the Coming one, as they set forth his sufferings and glory, and the story of him who would be wounded by the great enemy who caused all sin, sorrow and death. It also depicts the old serpent being crushed under the heel of the redeemer. Our purpose in this study is to show how the corrupting influence of astrological myth perverted & covered the original truths that God first set in His celestial revelation, by altering the star pictures and star names that communicate these truths [Ps. 147:4]. As we recognize those more modern names which these signs and Constellations bear today, that do not agree with their original message, we can separate truth from the various myths and idolatrous traditions of ancient heathen star religions. 



  Additionally, there are many other star-pictures that have been added by men such as Hevelius {1611-1687} and Halley {1656-1742}, of Halley's comet fame. "Hevelius added 22 star pictures among which the asterisms of the Hunting Dogs, the Lynx, the Lizard, the Sextant, the Giraffe, the Fox and Goose, the Unicorn and Sobieski's Sheild are included. Also, Halley added 15, star pictures like Hevelius, for the purpose of including the stars that were not included in the original 48."⁷ The major difference between the purpose of the ancient and modern Constellations is that in the case of the moderns, these were designed to enable astronomers to identify the positions of particular stars. If God had this as His primary motivation for naming and numbering the stars, then all the stars in heaven [without exception] would have been included. This however, was not God's objective. Instead God designed the star-pictures to identify and preserve the original names of the stars, thus, only certain signs constellations were used to identify the star-names for the purpose of preserving and communicating their Biblical meaning [Psalm 19], and their associations with Jesus Christ the Promised Seed! Thus the individual stars within each Constellation are consistent in the meaning of their names, flowing with the message and context of the star-picture in which they appear. In this way, God was able to record in the celestial gospels many wonderful details and declarations of truth in the patterns of the constellations, associated with their star-names, just as the God's Word beautifully declares the depth of its eternal truth, with the individual words fitting perfectly within their given context. Thus, as we have just seen in the 19th Psalm, pattern of Scripture itself serves as a check and balance to the celestial oracles on a number of levels, because the message of the stars will not contradict the truths of the written word. Along these lines we will find certain star names, signs and Constellations preserved in the Scriptures, which we will observe and document in this study. Modern Astronomy as such, has been primarily concerned with the identifying the positions, distance, motion, characteristics and nature of heavenly bodies as can be seen in the conceptual framework of Hevelius and Halley. This was not the purpose of God when He put the patterns of the celestial witness in the stars. The Stars relate the story of the promised Coming Redeemer on one level, but also contain many truths of a scientific nature on other levels, revealed in its three-fold light.

  One object of this study is to look at the ancient star names and constellations, researching some of the ancient signs, names and origins of the constellations, which may be erroneous. In order to recover some of the lost truths written in the heavens, we must first be sure that we are dealing with the accurate star-picture as it aligns itself with the testimony of the Scripture. When we find errors and changes associated with the star-pictures, we can research the history and context to make the necessary corrections so that we can be in a position to compare the revelation in the heavens with what is written in God's Word. Our goal is to allow the celestial revelation to speak for itself just as the written Word does, utilizing the research principles we have documented in the reference section of our web-site, as they relate to individual star names, specific constellations or the decan wherein they arise, the Constellation group in which it appears, and it's relation to the "Red Thread," Jesus Christ, who is the master key to interpreting the Word written both in the heavens and in the Bible. We have seen thus far, how the perversions of Astrology have hidden the true meaning of the celestial witness, in a general sense. Let’s take a more detailed look at some of the specific examples of this type of perversion associated with some of the zodiacal signs.


THE CORRUPTED CONSTELLATIONS

We begin with LIBRA, which according to modern terminology is known as "THE SCALES". Astronomers have realized there was a high historical probability that LIBRA had been an ancient Egyptian corruption. In the Akkadian language, which predates the Egyptian, the months of the year were named after the signs of the zodiac, and the sign of the 7th month {TULKU} is what we now call LIBRA. "Tul" means "mound" and "ku" means sacred, thus "tulku" means "sacred mound" or "the holy altar."⁸



 This agrees with God's Word much better than "the scales" do because the tribe of Levi was associated with Libra, and the Levites were the priesthood which had charge over the holy altar, along with the "balance of the sanctuary". Some ancient sources have associated the sign of a dove with LIBRA. These could have been associated with the altar as an Old Testament sacrificial offering, because doves were commonly used in this way by the Levites, during the Mosaic Law period. The sacrificial offering linked with the Passover Lamb under Mosaic Law, (ARIES), foreshadowed the once & final sacrifice Christ paid, the perfect price of redemption for all mankind. The Akkadian name for LIBRA was BIR, meaning: "the light," thus the lamp with its light, or the altar with its fire was referred to here. The symbol by which LIBRA is still known today appears much more like the top of an altar, than a pair of balances, to which no resemblance has been traced. The most ancient shape of this altar image in the heavens was circular. The circular disc of this altar is actually preserved in the two circular scales, which form the sign of LIBRA today. At one point the circle or other representation of the altar of LIBRA disappeared as the use of this sign penetrated the Occident. When it reached Greece only the "Chelai" remained; which is the Greek word for the sign, and it means only "the claws." As a result the scorpion of SCORPIO, which is depicted in the heavens as reaching towards the pair of scales in LIBRA, came to symbolize both signs, its body-SCORPIO and the claws supplanting LIBRA. Another aspect of this combination of signs is the association of the Levites with LIBRA. Since the Levites had charge of the services related to the Tabernacle, which was physically located in the center of Israel’s wilderness camp, surrounded by the 12 tribes camping their zodiacal order. This original sign of the altar was removed from the circular path of the ecliptic, to the center of the circle symbolizing God’s presence among His people. It was the sign of Taurus that took the place of the missing sign LIBRA on the ecliptic, which was astronomically marked in the reckoning of the Israelites by the two horns of the Bull, symbolized by the two sons of Joseph: Ephraim and Manasseh.



  It is significant that the Constellation of Taurus the Bull was marked in this way since it was recognized as the first sign at the spring equinox, of the sun’s dwelling, marking the precession of the equinoxes, known as the Age of the Bull. This documents the historical process of how the pair of circular scales associated with LIBRA came to be substituted for the ancient circular altar. By hiding the meaning of the altar, the message of the star’s witness is clouded and eventually lost for a time, especially when combined with some of the other celestial corruptions that we will look at next. With this in mind, we will next study the related sign of SCORPIO. In the heavens SCORPIO appears immediately to the left of LIBRA. In the Akkadian it is GIR-TAB, which means "the seizer and the stinger". Some ancient sources relate SCORPIO as the only triple sign of the Zodiac, reflecting the triune ministry of the thief to steal, kill and destroy [John 10:10a]. Other ancient star atlases have associated an eagle and a serpent with the scorpion of SCORPIO. This is interesting, because both the eagle and the serpent are animals known for renewal-the serpent by shedding his skin, and the eagle, re-growing his beak and feathers. The association of the eagle with this sign may have occurred because SCORPIO, as one of the four great patriarchal signs which marked the four Cardinal Directions of the Israelite’s camp (North, South, East & West), were the same four signs which form the four living faces of the Cherubim [Ezek. 1:1O; Man as Aquarius, Lion as Leo, Ox as Taurus and the Eagle as Aquila in place of the Scorpion]. The Cherubim thus formed a united symbolic expression of the twelve signs of the zodiac, which embodies the eternal hope of Creation, the Redeemer’s promised return to crush the head of the serpent. The serpent is associated with this sign because in the heavens right above SCORPIO, SERPENS the serpent is struggling with the man-Ophiuchus, as it stretches itself out to seize CORONA-the crown.




  At the same time the "destroyer" aspect of the scorpion [Rev. 9:11], while trying to sting the man in the heel, is stretching out its claws to seize the altar. Thus there are 3 constellations belonging to this sign in one star-picture. The triune nature of man: body, soul and spirit [IThess.5:23] is embodied in the Constellation of the man "Ophiuchus" who personifies the perfect man. He is engaged in a death struggle with the serpent, which is for the dominion of the world, symbolized by the crown. We can see this because it was the devil in serpent form, who stole the crown from the first Adam; and again the serpent struggling with the perfect second Adam-Jesus Christ; who now has dominion over the world. Not only does the serpent fail in the attempt, but is itself utterly defeated and trodden under foot [Ps. 91]. The scorpion's struggle represents an aspect of the serpent, as to how the enemy attempted to seize on God’s true atonement, and substitute "the way of Cain" as his own counterfeit religious altar of human merit, replacing the atoning sacrifice of Christ. We caught a glimpse of this earlier as Nimrod promoted the construction of the Tower of Babel, emphasizing the bricks of human labor instead of the true witness of the celestial gospel, prophesying of man’s coming Redeemer, Jesus Christ. In SCORPIO we see the effort of the scorpion to wound the man in the heel, indicative of the serpent in Genesis 3:15, while the other foot of the man is placed over the heart of the scorpion, reflecting it's destruction in the conflict. The Hebrew name for Scorpion is (akrab), which also means to war or conflict. This is referred to in Psalm 91.

Psalm 91:11-13 
"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." 

    This record depicts the destruction of the serpent. However, in Luke 4:9-13 the tempter omits this reference to his own destruction during the temptation of the Lord Jesus Christ, but utilizes aspects of the preceding section of Psalm 91:11-12 in his attempt to induce the Lord to leap from the temple's pinnacle. If these star pictures had been separated, then the conflict would have been separated from the victory; the sufferings from the glory, the deadly wound to the serpent's head would have been separate from the temporary wound to the Victor's heel. Therefore, three unified pictures are required, in which the scorpion, the serpent, and the man, are all involved, in order to present the complete triumphant picture of this conflict of the ages. The corrupting forces of Astrology and cultural mythology have proven effective throughout history in hiding the original truths of the celestial gospel from casual observers and the uninitiated. Let’s take a brief look at an example of this from Greek Myth.

Greek Mythology

  A classic example of the perversion of the story of the coming redeemer, written in the stars is seen in the Greek myths associated with Hercules. His "12 labors," whether in subduing the Nemean Lion, identified with Leo, or conquering the 3-headed Hydra, the sufferings & glory of Christ are easily seen as we strip away the idolatrous veneers of the ages that have concealed the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can see this clearest perhaps in his most difficult task to obtain the golden apples of the Hesperides. These apples of gold were entrusted to the care of the daughters of Hesperus, by the goddess of the earth. These prized apples were protected under the watchful gaze of the dragon, which like the Hydra had to be conquered to restore the way of access to the "tree of life."



   In fighting the sea monster, Hercules was believed to have remained in its belly for 3 days and nights, even as Jonah spent the same period in the great fish’s belly, and as the Son of man was three days & three nights in the heart of the earth, [Matt. 12:40]. This shows the ancient precedent held by Aristotle and Neander who stated that: "Greek myth was based on fragments of a tradition, which transmitted knowledge of divine things held in the earliest of times."⁹ 
  Olcott observes that "the 12 labors of Hercules refer to the Sun's passage through the zodiacal signs."¹⁰ Beginning with the summer Solstice a direct correlation to the order of the 12 signs of the zodiac is evident as they relate to Hercule's 12 labors. As we have noted regarding the significance of the Great Sphinx, with the head of a woman and the body of a lion, one function is to preserve the ancient zodiac of the Biblical Patriarchs, which starts in Leo and ends in Virgo. As we have already noted Hercule's first labor was subduing the Neamean Lion [Leo the Lion], whose skin is draped over Hercule's left arm in the graphic above. The difference here reveals another area where mythology diverges from Biblical Astronomy, because the order of Hercules 12 labors, as they correlate to the signs of the zodiac, moves in a clockwise direction around the ecliptic, but the order preserved in the Great Sphinx moves in the opposite direction, counter-clockwise through these 12 signs. Both orders are noteworthy because the clockwise order denotes the Sun's annual course through the ecliptic spending a month in each sign, while the counter-clockwise course denotes the precessional path of the Sun, spending 2160 years in each zodiacal sign, during the complete 25,920 year cycle of the precession of the equinoxes. Olcott also observantly points out that Hercules "is placed head to head with the giant Ophiuchus, who is represented as holding a writhing serpent in his grasp. Hercules has been thought to represent the first Adam, beguiled by the serpent, and condemned to a life of toil, while Ophiuchus is supposed to be the second Adam, trumphant over the serpent."¹¹ This depiction of the dual nature of fallen and risen man is shown above witht he upside down head of Ophiuchus turned away from Hercules, seems to be mirrored in the physical characteristics of some of the key stars of this notable sign. The Star Alpha Hercules, also known by its Arabic name Ras Algethi [the head of returning one, or the kneeler] is a double star, indicating this dual nature of this hero.
  As above, Hercules is usually seen in a kneeling position, with one foot over the dragon's head and the other being pierced in the heel, by the spear. This again depicts the truth of Genesis 3:15, where the first prophecy of the Promised Seed states: "...he shall bruise your head [serpent], and thou shall bruise his heel."    
  Olcott goes on to conclude that: "The relations of mankind and serpentkind dwelt on in the Bible, and figuring so prominently in the sky figures, seems to indicate the antiquity of these constellations, and shows clearly that there was a deliberate plan carried out in designing them."¹² This is further supported by the fact the Hercules is among the oldest of the stellar signs, having been identified by the Phoenicians, and others 700 years befor Christ.          

  Next we will look at the sign CANCER, symbolized today by "the crab". This is without a doubt a corruption of the true symbol. According to the Greeks; Jupiter placed this Crab amongst the signs of the zodiac. The Egyptians referred to CANCER as the scarab or the "sacred beetle" which symbolized eternal life. Other ancient sources have associated CANCER as the sign of the Ox. This association could have been made through the name found for it in Denderah’s zodiac, which is "Klaria", meaning the "cattle-folds". The Arabic name for CANCER is "Al Sartan" which means "who holds or binds." In the Bible, CANCER is associated with the tribe of Issachar, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, who bore the sign of two asses upon his tribal standard. We find the record in Gen. 49.

Gen. 49:14; 
"Issachar is a strong ass, couching down between the sheepfolds; and he saw a resting-place that it was good; and the land that it was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became servant under task work."

   Two of the stars in this sign were known in antiquity as "Asellus Boreas", the Northern Ass; and "Asellus Australis", the Southern Ass. The sheepfolds in this verse are represented to us today as URSA MAJOR and URSA MINOR. CANCER is located between them on the ecliptic, just as Gen. 49:14 indicates. The old Akkadian name for this month was "Su-kul-na" which means "possessor of seed".¹³ Thus the Asses as beasts of burden represent the work of the redeemer to save his flocks, and the message of this sign is the "Messiah's redeemed possessions held fast." The Lord became a servant, and humbled himself in obedience to God to the point of his death. His redeemed shall come to a resting-place that is good, and to a land that is pleasant. They look for a heavenly home, and in the many mansions of the Father's house they will find eternal rest.

  The sign Cancer provided the backdrop for the planetery union of Jupiter and Mercury in June of 3 BC, leading up to the birth of Christ. This particular Conjunction provides important details which would remain covered if we were unaware of the true meaning and Biblical nuance behind the sign CANCER. We find important details of the sign Cancer in its association with Issachar in the context of Genesis 49:14.

Genesis 49:11-12,14-15:
Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: [12] His eyes shall be red with wine,[Aldebaran the Eye of Taurus the Bull] and his teeth white with milk. [14] Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: [15] And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. [parenthesis mine]

  According to Bullinger, the Crab is definitely not the original star picture for the sign Cancer. There are two prominent stars in the sign of Cancer that give us a clue to its original name in antiquity. These are Asellus Boreas, the northern Ass; and the other, Asellus Australis, is the southern Ass. The "69 " symbol for the sign of Cancer; resembles a yoke which binds these beasts of burden to each other for labor, having nothing to do with a crab, for which there is no Hebrew word. Bullinger states: the Arabic name for the sign is Al Sartan, which means who holds or binds, and may be from the Hebrew word [H631] acar to bind together, harness, hold, keep, fasten, yoke or hitch. It also means to set in array, join battle, prepare, order and make ready. Bullinger also points out that this sign was connected with the Tribe of Issachar, who is said to have borne upon the Tribal standard the sign of two asses. We can see this referenced in the 14th verse above, which bears an alternative reading that states:

"Issachar is a strong ass couching down between the sheepfolds…" the sheepfolds…" These "sheepfolds" as the two decans of Cancer, refer to the great and small flocks, not bears, of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, encompassing the gap in the northern sky between themthe gap in the northern sky between them. The association of Asses with Cancer is also evident in mythology as pointed out by Condos; "The Crab has two bright stars on its shell; these are called the Asses. The nebula visible within the Crab is the so-called Manger, beside which the Asses are standing. Condos goes on to say that; Some eastern zodiacs depict the Constellation now known as Cancer, as two asses."

The Beehive nebula referenced by Condos above as the "Manger," is situated between the asses, also has the ancient name Praesepe, meaning a multitude or offspring.¹⁴ According to R.H. Allen: "before the invention of the telescope, this was the only universally recognized nebula, its components not being separately discernible by ordinary vision."¹⁵

Thus the work of the Good, Great, and Chief Shepherd, seen celestially in the Constellation Böötes the Shepherd, is indicated, laboring to enter into in the promised land resting place (H4496 menuchah, Ps. 23:2, Isa. 28:10,12; Num. 11:33) between the sheepfolds, opening the way as he leads his flocks.

  Aratus’ name for Bootes is Arctophylax, ie. the guardian of Arctos, the flock of the greater fold, called today the great bear. This aligns with the name of the brightest star in Böötes, Arcturus, which was probably the name of this sign in antiquity [Job 9:9], providing a conclusive link with the celestial shepherd and his flocks. It is intriguing to see Draco the dragon depicted below, as winding his way down between these two flocks in the northern skies, with the lower coils of his tail beneath the star Thuban, the archaic pole star [Fig. III.a]. R.H. Allen notes that for the ancient Chaldeans "Draco was a much longer Constellation than with us, winding downwards and in front of Ursa Major, and even into later times, clasped both of the bears in its folds… with the combined title Arctoe et Draco,"¹⁶ pictured below.

  These stars of the Dragon’s tail, and those of the great and smaller flocks, form essential parts of the boundary of the naked-eye gap in the northern sky, which concealed the Age of Grace in God’s celestial timetable, also known today as Böötes’ Void. This idea is mirrored by the offspring that is a multitude symbolized in Praesepe, between the northern and southern asses of the sign Cancer. Just as Praesepe was the only universally recognized nebula before the telescope, so the gap in the northern sky was also a pre-telescopic phenomena. Today we can see many stars that do not appear to the naked-eye, because we live in the time period that the northern gap was hiding-the Great Mystery of the Age of Grace, hidden by God’s Hand. This is the period between the sufferings and glory of the Lord revealed in the celestial gospel. It was not revealed until the Apostle Paul wrote the seven Church Epistles of the New Testament.

  The sign of two asses becomes even more interesting when considered with the remaining context of Genesis 49:11. First, the vine to which the asses were bound is a prophecy and figurative reference of Jesus Christ the branch, a truth that becomes clear in John 15:1-5. The vine is also one of the Biblical trees that symbolize Israel as a nation. In effect, Jesus Christ is the rejuvenation of the tree of life for all mankind. In Psalm 80, Israel was symbolized as the vine that God first brought out of Egypt [Psalm 80:8, Isa. 5:7], when the precedent for the Feasts of Passover, & Tabernacles was instituted. Psalm 80 is one of three Psalms addressed to the Chief Musician upon Gittith, meaning winepress, a direct reference to the autumn Feast of Tabernacles in recognition of the harvesting of the fruit of the vine.¹⁷ Secondly, he washed his garments in wine, from Genesis 49:11, refers to the Messiah returning in righteous judgment against evildoers, treading the fury of the winepress of God’s wrath, as seen in Isaiah 63.

Isaiah 63:1-4
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. [2] Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? [3] I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. [4] For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.  

  These prophecies are fulfilled in the seventh administration, when the day of vengeance is at hand [see Rev. 19:13, 15-21], when God’s final judgment is executed by the King of Kings in his glory. In this light, the significance of this sign of the two asses becomes clear, since it relates to Jesus’ two entries into Jerusalem, during his earthly ministry to Israel. Isaiah 63:4 above refers to this: and the year of my redeemed is come, as Isaiah states earlier [Isa. 61:1-2], in reference to the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God. Here we find more evidence of the length of Jesus’ earthly ministry since he was the lamb of the first year [Exod.12:5] as the fulfillment of the Passover lamb for Israel. Jesus’ ministry was not three years as the popular belief holds, but seventy weeks [Dan. 9:24]. It was during the gap between the acceptable year of Jesus’ ministry to Israel and the day of vengeance, when the events of the Book of Revelation will take place that the hidden age of the Great Mystery (our current Age of Grace) occurs.

According to Wierwille: Jesus entered Jerusalem a first time on Friday, the ninth of Nisan, in judgment, and a second time on Saturday, the tenth of Nisan, in blessing.¹⁸ Traditional theology has many times attempted to make these two similar entries into Jerusalem identical, causing endless confusion that, to this day, still surrounds the erroneous teaching of "Palm Sunday."

One of the details that clears the air about Jesus’ entries into Jerusalem is the number of asses involved with each entry. During Jesus’ first entry only one ass was involved, but the second entry included both a mother ass and her foal, which fulfilled Zech. 9:9. Wierwille cites Judges 5:10, 10:3-4 and 12:13-14, to show that during the time of the Judges’ authority and rule over Israel, they rode on white asses’ colts. He goes on to say that:

Jesus’ first entry into Jerusalem in judgment relates to Genesis 49:11-12. His second entry in blessing ties to verse 15, and the "rest which was good, and the land that it was pleasant," that becomes a reality for Israel, when Jesus Christ inaugurates the rule of his millennial kingdom on the earth. During Jesus’ first entry into Jerusalem, when he prophesied its destruction, in Luke 19:29-44, Mark 11:1-11, and John 12:12-19, the people honored Jesus by "spreading their garments in the way." This foretells his future recognition and glorified status as King of Kings. Freeman states: It was usual to strew flowers and branches, and spread carpets and garments in the way of conquerors and great princes and of others to whom it was intended to show particular honor and respect. In a similar way Jehu was recognized as King [II Kings 9:13].¹⁹

URSA MAJOR and MINOR are interesting in this light because the star-picture we have is a large and small bear. It is significant that no bear appears in any of the most ancient Zodiacs, and no bear ever had a tail like the current star picture, especially since this tail marks the pole star in the little bear. It is true that Ursa Major & Minor are a pair of signs or constellations, one larger and the other smaller. But as we have just seen, they are more anciently seen as sheepfolds. However, by concealing the idea of the Great Shepherd’s sheepfolds, the idea of the redeemed of the Lord, is hidden and the work of the Redeemer is nullified in this aspect of the celestial witness.

Our last example of a corrupted Constellation is Argo Navis, perhaps a celestial image of Noah’s Ark, the great ship that navigated the waters of the deluge. This celestial ship seen here as it is depicted in Bayer’s 1603 Atlas, has been cut up in to four separate modern constellations, none of which bear any of their original significance. The first of these is Vela the sails, which was initially separated from Argo Navis in 1763 by French cartographer Abbe’ Nicolas de LaCaille, while he mapped the stars of the southern polar region. In his 1752 & 1763 publications, he added 14 star groups, amongst which these of the former Argo are included. Puppis is the stern of the ship, which is partially located on the Milky Way. Pyxis is the ship’s compass, also partly on the Milky Way. The last part is Carina, the keel of the ship, noted for its brilliant star Canopus which dominates the southern hemisphere as the second brightest star in the sky, only behind Sirius. The graphic below shows Eta Carina, a very unique variable star located in a remarkable segment of the southern Milky Way, known as the "Keyhole Nebula."

Footnotes

1. Secrets of the Great Pyramid, Peter Thompkins
2. The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop 
3. Strong's Concordance on "Beliyaal"
4. The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop 
5. The Temple, Alfred Edersheim
6. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger
7. IBID
8. IBID
9. IBID
10. Star Lore, Myths, Legends & Facts, W.T. Olcott
11. IBID
12. IBID
13. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger
14. Star Myths, Theony Condos
15. Star Names, Their lore and Meaning, R. H. Allen
16. IBID
17. Companion Bible, marginal note, E.W. Bullinger
18. Jesus Christ Our Passover, V.P. Weirwille
19. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger
20. The Mazzaroth, Frances Rolleston