"and ten horns"; keras [*G2768] from the root meaning the hair of the head, literally or figuratively a horn. Thayer’s says: "since animals (especially bulls) defend themselves with their horns, the horn with the Hebrews (and other nations) is a symbol of strength and courage…" The significance of ten horns probably relates to the fact that there are ten stars of the fourth magnitude in Draco, perhaps an indicator of the Dragon’s worldly power and strength.

"and seven crowns upon his head- diadem filament of silk, linen, or something of the like. Used here Rev. 13:1, 19:12." This indicates the crowning spiritual dominion of Lucifer, pictured as Draco the dragon and the original bright and morning star, discussed in the first triple union of Jupiter-Saturn from 7 to 5 BC. This emphasizes the exercised dominion of the Dragon in the kingdoms of the darkness of this world: [Eph. 1:21-22, 2:2, 6:12]. These stellar traits of the celestial wonder spoken of here in Revelation, not only identifies Draco as the Constellation referred to, but it also depicts elements of a Star Atlas of Biblical Astronomy. Star atlas' have normally been confined to identifying and classifying stars, but by utilizing Biblical number symbolism with the star magnitudes in every sign, a deeper spiritual message of the major zodiacal signs and their decans can be ascertained as we have just seen in the foregoing example. This will be the subject of a future study in Biblical Astronomy.

"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven;" One aspect of this statement refers to the angels under Lucifer’s direct dominion from the First Heavens and Earth, which comprise the evil spirit realm. Another aspect is the actual size of this sign. As Seiss states regarding Draco, "the Dragon wound about at least one half of the northern sky, his tail alone extending over the territory of the third part of the stars." ³ One consistent feature of Draco throughout these signs is the comparison of his celestial dominion of his first estate, with the terrestrial dominion of the dragon cast down, especially how this latter dominion is exercised upon the earth against the powers of light. This appears to be at least part of the distinction seen here between the dragon’s seven crowns and seven heads. The Book of Job depicts the celestial position of the Dragon. 

Job 26:12-13 He divideth the sea with his power, and by His understanding he smiteth through the proud. [13] By his spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

   This record in Job is a unique reference to Draco, due to Thuban’s position as the pole star sighted down the descending passage of the Great Pyramid, garnishing the heavens. It was the omnipotent Hand of the Creator that formed the crooked serpent, garnishing the Heavens, with Draco the dragon originally at its pinnacle. We should also realize that even though the north-pole of the Equator has been wrested from the dragon, via the precession of the poles, he still holds sway over the pole of the ecliptic, the celestial center point around which the circle of the equatorial pole revolves. This is an unmoving still point in the heavens located in the core of the dragon, between the stars Grumium and Chi Draconis. A note of interest regarding the star Grumium, also spelled Grumian, meaning the subtle or deciever, is that Denning: "considers it the radiant point of the Meteor stream seen about the 29th of May, also called The Draconids."⁴  This probably identifies one of 3 separate Meteor showers emanating from Draco, with this one being the only one whose radiant is not Eta-Draconis. In Figure i. below, the three 2nd magnitude stars in the head of the dragon are readliy apparent. Let’s take a closer look at this record in Job 26.

Figure i. The Constellation Draco

"divideth the sea with his power"- The sea here, as in other places in God’s Word, [Ps. 32:6] is figurative of the spirit realm which, along with the serpent were traitors in heaven, and are referred to as the proud in the next phrase. Their division from the rest of the heavenly host by the Hand of God, is witnessed here as a third of the angels are cast down to the earth.

"proud"- (*H7294 Rahab) is a reference to the adversary and his spirit realm. The spiritual significance of this symbolism is fully elaborated in Job 40 & 41 [Job 40:19], see also, [Isa. 27:1, 51:9; Ezek. 29:3, 32:2]. Job 40:19 holds a description of the traits of Behemoth, who is likened to a Crocodile of the Nile, shown in the circular Dendera zodiac of Egypt as a circumpolar Crocodile. The Amplified Bible renders the King James; "chief of the ways of God" as; "A masterpiece of all God's ways is he..." referring to Lucifer in his first estate.

Job 40:15, 19

Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. 19 He is the chief of the ways of God: He that made him can make His sword to approach unto him.

"Behemoth"- is the first in class and power of the works of God...only He who made him can bring near His sword to master him. The sword of God is His Word. This is the only power source that the enemy will respect and obey. The dragon decans including Hydra, reflect similar truths that are shown in Draco, because it spans four of the twelve major signs of the ecliptic; Cancer, Leo, Virgo & Libra (the Woman, her seed, his sacrifice and the altar), depicting the "enmity" between the "seeds" in Genesis 3:15, the rotten thread opposing the Red Thread throughout the Word of God. This also illustrates the truth that the dragon took a third of the stars of heaven down with him when he was cast out of heaven, [Rev. 12:4], because these four signs represent a third of the circle of the ecliptic. Thus we have a dual representation of this truth reflected both on the ecliptic and at the north pole, giving us an indication of the relationship of the vertical to the horizontal described in connection with the cycle of obliquity. 

Revelation 12:4 [con’t.]

"and did cast them to the earth;" these angels, once godly, were deceived by Lucifer as part of his attempted coup in heaven, and were cast out as a result, some of whom were imprisoned in the abyss, [Rev. 9] symbolized in the pit at the base of the Pyramid’s descending passage.

"and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born". These efforts of the Dragon to devour the promised seed, and the nation that would bear him are clearly seen in the actions of Herod the King of Judea, which are handled in detail later in this study.

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne". This verse, illustrating the figure of speech symperasma, effectively encapsulates the entire life of the promised seed, from the sufferings beginning at his birth, and the gap of the Grace Administration, to the glory of his enthronement at the right hand of his heavenly Father. This is the story that occupies the centerpiece of history, and is the central theme of the celestial gospel, God’s purpose of the Ages, regarding the coming of His only begotten son Jesus Christ to destroy the works of the devil. Proctor observes the Dragon’s change of position with respect to the pole, resulting from the effect of precession by saying:

"One might almost… recognize the gradual displacement of the Dragon from his old place of honor, in certain traditions of the downfall of the great Dragon whose ‘tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven’ alluded to in Revelation 12:4." ⁵

   R.H. Allen adds that; "the conclusion of the verse [Rev. 12:4] "did cast them to the earth," would show a possible reference to meteors."⁶ This is the earliest reference in print I have found that ties a potential Meteor shower to this section of Revelation 12. This Meteor shower that originates from the tail of Draco, the cast down dragon, is linked to its parent comet, known today as the Giacobini-Zinner Comet. Traditionally comets have been viewed as omens of disaster, perhaps another ironic twist from the Heavenly Father to mark the fall of the archaic morning star with a celestial sign pointing out his own disastrous end. According to Robert Wadsworth, who is an astronomer and author of among other works, the Biblical Astronomy Newsletter:

"Meteor showers are named after the constellations they are seen radiating from as veiwed from earth. The radiant of this particular shower was in the Constellation Draco the Dragon." Wadsworth states; "Giacobini-Zinner is a well known short-period comet of 6.5 years, and has been observed to circle the Sun on many other occasions."⁷ Wadsworth also states in another Newsletter that, "The shower erupts only around the years of the comet’s closest passages."⁸

   This is interesting when we consider that this makes the Draconid Meteor showers unpredictable, a trait that is consistently found in many serpentine Constellations containing variable stars. Bullinger remarks in connection with Mira,, the variable star in the neck of Cetus, the great sea monster that, it disappears 7 times in six years! He also states in reference to Perseus the breaker, who holds Rosh Satan, or the head of the adversary containing the variable star Algol that: "It is a most remarkable phenomenon that so many of these enemies should be characterized by variable stars!"⁹ This is unlike God, who changes not, and whose light shines unaltered continually, [James 1:17]. Wadsworth also notes regarding modern day appearances of this Meteor shower that:

   "Predictions of this Meteor shower date back to as early as 1915 when astronomer Reverend M. Davidson observed that periodic comets might be capable of producing Meteor showers. Davidson later calculated the distance of the meteors from Earth and actually predicted the meteors could pass near the Earth on October 9th during specific years including 1926, 1952, 1972 & 1997. Today’s Meteor shower may also explain last years Meteor shower caught on video for the nation by NewsChannel Nine photographer Bob Thomas. That Meteor shower hit October 6th , 2000."¹⁰

  Even though the Earth’s passage through the comet’s trail can be predicted, the resulting intensity of the Meteor shower activity cannot be, with such certainty. On the October 7th-8th the Giacobinid Meteor shower of 2000, Draco was observed high above the horizon during the early evening. Wadsworth relates that "Earth reached the same point in its orbit as in 1998 Meteor shower, at about 9 PM on October 7th, portraying the casting down of the dragon. He also adds that this scenario along with the meteors--falling stars-brings to mind Rev. 12:3-4."¹¹ Thus Wadsworth also, sees a correlation between a Meteor shower and the fallen angels being cast to the earth, as Allen 100 years before did.
   However, I was not aware of the idea of this specific Meteor shower being linked to the second celestial wonder of Rev. 12, until I heard a teaching of Reverend John Nessle  regarding the Eta-Draconid meteors correlated with the birth of Christ. According to Rev. Nessle, there are actually three sets of Draconid meteors, two of which show a radiant from Eta-Draconis. One of these is viewed as the greater & the other the lesser of the Eta-Draconids. It is the lesser of these two that occurred during the period of September 9th-12th in 3BC. What is unique about this Meteor shower is that the lesser Eta Draconids are best viewed at sunset, or in the early evening, while most Meteor showers are best seen later at night, as stated in the excerpt below from the October 2nd, 98’ Weekly News Bulletin of Sky & Telescope;

   "On the evening of October 8th, debris from the Periodic Comet 21P/ Giacobini-Zinner may provide a stunning sky show. The Giacobinid Meteor shower produced two of the greatest Meteor displays seen in this century in 1933 and 1946. Lesser showers arrived in 1926, 1952, and 1985… Unlike most Meteor showers, the Giacobinids are at their best in the evening rather than after midnight. Their radiant is in the tail of the Constellation Draco. This point is highest right after dark at mid-northern latitudes; it moves lower throughout the night and is near the horizon by dawn."¹²

   This is a key because of the signs in Virgo at sunset on 9-11-3BC, marking the birth of the promised seed occurred at the same time that these meteors were falling from the sky, signifying the casting down of the dragon from his former place of honor. This also fulfills the details in the celestial prelude of signs from 7–5 BC.

   The Astronomy of the ancient Mayan civilization also holds some fascinating keys regarding the star Eta Draconis. Dr. Marian Hatch, an expert on the Maya Serpent Calendar, made some tantalizing connections between the orientation of the serpents on this amazingly detailed calendar, and the positions of the Constellation Draco, in the northern skies. She discovered that:

Figure ii. Madrid Codex: a

"the various snake positions correlated exactly with the path of the Constellation Draco as it would have appeared in the evening sky 2000 years ago. Dr. Hatch noted that the star Eta was unique in that it alone among all the other stars remained virtually unchanged in right ascension for the 2300 years between 1800 BC and 500 AD, regularly transiting across the Meridian at midnight of May 23rd,and November 22nd, with a variation of less than one degree. Thus the star Eta Draconis provided the Maya with an accurate measure of the sidereal year, and a yardstick for comparison between the tropical & sidereal years, as well as an indication of the precessional lag in the other stars. Hatch found that the path of Eta-Draconis as it moved through the celestial orb in the course of the year, corresponded perfectly with the pictures of the serpents on the pages of the Madrid Codex, each of which astronomically represents a rotation in the sky of 45° per page." ¹³ (emphasis mine) 

 Figure iii. Madrid Codex: b

   More so than even the Chinese culture, the Mayan civilization exhibits the central influence of the time-serpent on astronomical timekeeping and all Creation. An interesting observation regarding the serpents on the Madrid Codex relates to how the band of circles that separate the serpent's head from it's tail, are depicted as the snake's skin. This bears an uncanny resemblance to the Biblical imagery of the serpent Leviathan in the Book of Job, [Job 41:15-17, 23]. The Mayan Calendar associated spirits with each calendar day, which are pictured inside each circle. In this way the temporal serpent exerted his influence on each day of the year, along with anyone who followed the Astrology of this system. This symbol would also carry over to the tropical and sidereal years, along with the precessional cycle itself. In this way the dragon was seen as the Time Lord, as is the case in many cultures that utilize the dragon symbol in their mythology. As a result of the former dominion of his first estate, Lucifer as the angel of light, provided a standard upon which these temporal cycles could be differentiated in their various celestial aspects. Lucifer was enthroned at the anniversary of Creation on Tishri 1, going back to the First Heavens and Earth and as we have seen in the Celestial Prelude, his demise was prophesied in the stars on the same day! As the serpent calendar of the Maya shows, Eta Draconis gave the benchmark by which both the tropical and sidereal years, were contrasted, along with the effect of precession on the other stars of heaven. This not only symbolizes Lucifer’s original domain as the angel of light, but it also exhibits the Mayan awareness of the cycle of the precession of the equinoxes going back to at least 1800 BC. Thus, as the Eta-Draconid Meteor shower ran concurrent with the birth of the promised seed, as shown in the sign of Virgo on September 11th, 3 BC. They provide a powerful witness to the fall of the dragon. It was this Meteor shower that depicted the celestial casting down of the dragon and his minions dramatically for all time.