Ezekiel's Wheels

What is it? Opinions vary. The strangest is the claim that they are flying saucers. The writer tries to impress with his knowledge, but he made it unnecessarily complex and ridiculous.

Ezekiel's wheel is easy to see as the stars rotating around the Polar Star, as shown in the two images below. Chrysolite translates literally to "gold stone," with gold being seen as a color of the stars. The wheels rise from the earth with the living creatures because the stars rise from the horizon.

¹⁵Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel upon the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.
¹⁶As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of a chrysolite; and the four had the same likeness, their construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel.
¹⁷When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went.
¹⁸The four wheels had rims and they had spokes; and their rims were full of eyes round about.
¹⁹And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose.
²⁰Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
²¹When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. (Ezek. 1:15-21)

Some believers claim Isaiah knew of a "round" earth long before science discovered it. Well not exactly. The circle of the earth describes the band of stars of the twelve Zodiac constellations. To Ezekiel, the totality of stars formed wheels as we see in the time lapse photograph below left. The singular wheel is formed from the twelve Zodiac constellations on the sun's ecliptic.

²²It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; (Isa. 40:22)

GARDEN TOUR

This page comes with a map

Welcome to the Garden of Eden. The people who make a living off the Bible, insist that the Garden is somewhere in Mesopotamia. They're full of it.

The Garden is the area of sky within a circle of stars called the Zodiac. To prove that point, we are going to visit many of the stars (pun intended) of the Bible. Thanks to Star Myths, we have available to us, an artist's depiction of the classical constellations in lifelike form. So there is no need to decipher star patterns.

Before we start, the picture below helps to explain what you will be looking at. For charting convenience, astronomers treat the sky as if earth was enveloped inside a hollow ball they call the celestial sphere. For mapping purposes, the ball is cut into half along the Celestial equator, a plane concentric to earth's equator. There are two maps of the Garden, north and south.

The apparent movement of the stars depends on where you are and where the stars are on the celestial sphere. For example, if you are in the northern hemisphere, the stars around the North Pole are visible every night. Stars at the equator can be seen in the north and south hemispheres.

Figure 1.

The picture above (Figure 1) shows another circle called the ecliptic. It represents the path of the sun as seen from earth. The picture below (Figures 2 and 3) shows how the constellations of the zodiac lie on the ecliptic, the sun's path. Notice how the ecliptic rises and descends below the equatorial plane. Viewed from earth, the sun travels in the path of two arcs each day.

Where the equator and the ecliptic cross, marks the time when the sun enters the spring and fall equinox; the spring equinox sets the zero hour. As earth moves in its yearly orbit, the constellations appear to shift one position each month.

Figure 2. The sun in the Age of Taurus.

Figure 3. The sun in the Age of Aries.

The North Garden

1N. The Flaming sword

When God sent Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, he placed a flaming sword to guard the entrance. Astronomically, when Adam (Bootes) and Eve (Virgo) fall below the horizon, Perseus rises from the east with his sword as if to be chasing them away. The description of his flaming sword can be explained by the fact that when Perseus rises from the horizon, there is a meteor shower, known as the Perseids, which appears to stream from his constellation. Notice the similarity in names between Perseus and Perseids. For a description of cherubim, see [11N].

²⁴He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. (Gen. 3:24)

1N. The Passover Lamb

The entrance to the Garden is located at Aries the lamb. Moses was in Aries at the time of the ten Passover plagues. It was here when he told the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood on their front doors so the angel of death would pass them by.

²¹Then Moses called all the elders of Israel, and said to them, "Select lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the passover lamb. (Exodus 12:21)

1N. The Lamb of God

John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God. Jesus is the Christian equivalent to the Passover Lamb.

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

1N. David and Goliath

To the left of Aries is the hideous sight of a man with a raised sword in one hand and an ugly head in the other. That is David with Goliath's head. Astronomers call it Perseus. The head he is holding is the head of the snake haired monster Medussa.

⁵¹Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Sam. 17:51)

1N. David and Bathsheba

Just above Perseus is the constellation Andromeda. In myth she was known for her beauty. When David was on the roof of the king's house he saw a beautiful woman bathing. When he inquired who she was, she was identified as Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David sent for her and lay with her. Within a short time she found herself pregnant.

²It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
³And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
⁴So David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
⁵And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, "I am with child." (2 Sam. 11:2-5)

David solved his problem by having Uriah sent to the front lines of battle where he would meet certain death.

¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
¹⁵In the letter he wrote, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die." (2 Sam. 11:14-15)

2N. Golden Calf

Taurus the bull was the place where the Israelites made the Golden Calf. When Moses came down the mountain with the two tablets he saw the Israelites dancing around the calf.

He was so angry he broke the tablets God made and made the people drink a concoction of powdered golden calf and water.

¹⁹And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tables out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
²⁰And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the water, and made the people of Israel drink it. (Exodus 32:19-20)

Moses wasn't satisfied. So he sent his priests with swords to avenge what they did.

²⁸And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. (Exodus 32:28)

Then God had to get his licks, so he sent a plague upon the people.

³⁵And the LORD sent a plague upon the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made. (Exodus 32:35)

3N. Elijah

On the outer circle, the upper half of a man with a club in his hand is called Orion. In the Old Testament, Orion is known as Elijah. Elijah is best known for going to heaven by a whirlwind-he didn't die. You have to look closely for the whirlwind. It's the Milky Way which starts just behind Orion, bends across Perseus [1] and flows up to [11] Aquila the eagle.

¹¹And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (2 Kings 6:11)

3N. Son of Man

Another famous person connected with the Milky Way is Jesus' Son of man. Prophecies about the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory describe Orion and the Milky Way. They can be seen on a clear dark night with a new moon at around the third week in December. Orion is easily visible on almost any winter night. For details, see Son of Man

²⁴"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
²⁵and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
²⁶<And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:24)

3N. David and Jonathan

We turn our attention now to the Gemini twins where David and Jonathan had a homosexual love affair. The Bible is not explicit with the details, but there if enough to tell the tale.

When they first met, Jonathan stripped himself naked in front of David.

³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
⁴And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his girdle. (1 Sam. 18:3-4)

Jonathan's father, Saul was angry at his son for shaming his mother's nakedness.

³⁰Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? (1 Sam. 20:30)

Next to a stone heap, they were laying on the ground kissing. In biblespeak, stone heaps are usually phallic symbols.

⁴¹And as soon as the lad had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed [prostrate] three times; and they kissed one another, and wept with one another, until David recovered himself. (1 Sam. 20:41-42)

David was distressed at Jonathan's death. His love was wonderful, better than the love of a woman.

²⁶I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. (2 Sam. 1:26)

4N. Backsliders

Moses had a crabby streak at Cancer the crab; there was a lot of bloodshed. From Numbers 11 to 20, this is where the Israelites tried to rebel against Moses; thousands died. See Moses' Sun Signs Particularly, this is where God sentenced the Israelites to wander forty years in the desert.

5N. Samson's Lion

The lion you are looking at is the one Samson killed. For those not familiar with Samson, he had the strength of Hercules, which is where this tale came from. In the Greek myth, Hercules killed the Nemean lion as one of his twelve labors.

⁵Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and he came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion roared against him;
⁶and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion asunder as one tears a kid; and he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. (Judges 14:5-6)

5N. Deep

Hydra is the largest constellation in the sky. It is split in two halves with its head in the north hemisphere and the rest of its long snaking body in the south. Genesis 1:2 calls it deep which translates to tehom. Tehom is related to Tiamet, the primeval dragon goddess in the Babylonian epic Enuma Elish. In the epic, the supreme god Marduk defeated Tiamet, whose body personified the primeval ocean. When she was split in half, the second half became the sky.

¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1:1-2)

In the same way, God split the waters in two, and called the second half, "heaven".

⁶And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
⁷And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.
⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Gen. 1:6-8)

5N. Leviathan

The description of Leviathan as a twisting serpent and as the dragon of the sea points to Hydra. Presumably, God's sword cut him in half.

¹In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Isaiah 27:1)

6N. Eve

Eve was the first woman to be created and the original virgin. At Virgo she appears with an outstretched hand as if to be offering the forbidden fruit.

⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. (Gen. 3:6)

6N. Virgin Mary

Because Virgo lies on the sun's ecliptic, she is the most important. Notice how she is lying prostrate, as if she is in the missionary position, waiting for God to lay upon her. See When Was Jesus Born

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; (Matt. 1:18)

7N. Elisha and the Bears

In starlore, Bootes is known as the Bear Driver. To the right at [9], there are two bears, Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. They are the two bears which Elisha sicked on some boys who called him baldhead. The bears killed forty-two boys.

²³He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"
²⁴And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. (2 Kings 2:23-24)

7N. Eve's Birth

Bootes is also Adam in the Garden. His raised arm exposes his ribcage. God took one of those ribs and used it to create Eve. His outstretched arm also represents his accepting the forbidden fruit from Eve.

²¹So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh;
²²and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman (Gen. 2:21)

7N. Joseph

As Mary's husband, Bootes stands alongside Mary.

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; (Matt. 1:18)

8N. The serpent

There is a famous event when the Serpent convinces Eve that the forbidden fruit will not kill her. Serpens the serpent is at her feet as if to be talking to her.

¹Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?"
²And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
³but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
⁴But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die.
⁵For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Gen. 3:1-5)

8N. Evil Herod

Serpents are evil creatures, and who could be more evil that snake Herod, the man who tried to kill Jesus.

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. (Matt. 2:16)

9N. The Tree of Life

In the middle of the Garden is the tree of life which we know as the star Polaris. In earlier times, the star Thuban was located at the North Pole but due to earth's precession, it declined. Thuban is located on Draco the Dragon's tail, so it was called the tree of good and evil. Genesis depicts it decline as the fruit which Adam and Eve picked.

⁹And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen. 2:9)

10N. Serpents Seed

When God punished the serpent, he put him above all the other animals. The highest spot in the garden is at the North Pole where Draco the serpent is located. Notice his head is under Hercules' foot. As they revolve around the pole, when Hercules is on top, he is bruising the serpent's head. When the serpent is on top, it is bruising Hercules' heel. What makes the serpent so sinister in the minds of ancients is that in the north sky, it is visible every night as if to be lurking everywhere.

¹⁴The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Gen. 3:14-15)

11N. Cherubim

The Cherubim is a very large creature that covers the entire Garden. So we have to look in four directions. Ezekiel says it has four faces, the face of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. At [2] is the ox. At [5] is the lion. At [11] is the eagle. And in the south garden at [2] is the man. Combined, they protect the four cardinal points.

¹⁰As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man in front; the four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle at the back. (Ezekiel 1:10)

The South Garden

1S. Jonah's Whale

Cetus is the great fish who swallowed Jonah. In that quadrant called the sea, Jonah is likely represented by Aquarius the waterman.

¹⁷And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17)

2S. Jesus

The original birth of Jesus was marked when the sun entered the stars of Pisces the fishes. Thus Jesus is the sun in the age of Pisces. So when Jesus says he will be with us until the close of the age, he meant the age of Pisces. The sun will enter the Age of Aquarius sometime in the second decade of the second millennium. See When Was Jesus Born

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Matt. 28:20)

3S. John the Baptist

Above the fish is Aquarius the waterman. That pitcher of water he is pouring symbolizes John the Baptist, pouring water on Jesus (Pisces [2]) as if to be baptizing him. See John the Baptist

¹In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
²"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 3:1-2)

4S. Nativity

A well known scene around Christmas time is the Nativity-baby Jesus in a basket, surrounded by his parents and a few goats, donkeys and lambs. In Capricorn the sea goat is where it happened. Capricorn is the time of December 25 when the sun emerges from its three darkest days. As a place where livestock are kept, the goat symbolizes the manger.

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
¹⁶And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (Luke 2:15-16)

5S. Crucifixion

That hoofed man with the bow and arrow is known as Sagittarius the archer. Sagittarius is the time of the year when the sun allegorically dies at the winter solstice, the darkest days of winter. This is the place of the Skull, where the archer's arrows nailed Jesus to the cross.

³³And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. (Luke 23:33)

Figuratively the cross it is the imaginary lines of the equinoxes crossing the solstices. Thus allegorically, the sun is crucified on the cross at the time of the winter solstice. The Christian cross represents the length of the four seasons. See Gospel Zodiac

6S. Last Supper

The house of Scorpio is where Jesus had his last supper. It is the last stop before the sun enters Sagittarius where it is going to die. So when Jesus said his time was at hand and he will keep the Passover at "your" house, he meant the time when the sun is in the house of Scorpio.

¹⁸He said, "Go into the city to a certain one, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples.'" (Matt. 26: 18)

7S. Noah's Ark

It takes a big boat to hold two of every animal on earth, and the constellation Argo Navis has the capacity. It is so big, that it was divided into three constellations: Carina the Keel, Puppis the Stern and Vela the Sail.

¹³And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
¹⁴Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. (Gen. 6:13-14)

Argo Navis and the Sea is the source of a multitude of ancient flood myths. The one that relates to the name Argo Navis is called "Jason and the Argonauts". It's an adventure story about the crew's quest to find the Golden Fleece.

The south Garden has many constellations relating to water. On the second day of creation, God separated the waters and called the upper half the firmament. These constellations symbolize birth or evil, depending on where they are in the sun cycle.

⁶And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
⁷And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.
⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Gen. 1:6-8)

8S. The Dove

After the rain stopped, Noah sent a dove out three times to find land. The first time the dove came back; the second time it returned with an olive leaf; and the third time it did not return. So Noah knew it found land. That dove is otherwise known as Columba. In the Jason and the Argonauts legend, Jason sent a dove to see if it could fly through some dangerous rocks.

⁶At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made,
⁷and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.
⁸Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground;
⁹but the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put forth his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.
¹⁰He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
¹¹and the dove came back to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.
¹²Then he waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him any more. (Gen. 8:6-12)

9S. Star of Bethlehem

At the bottom half of Orion, there are three stars at its waist. To the right there is a dog with a big eye. Those are your three wise men and the star of Bethlehem. What is unique about the star in the dog's eye is that it is the brightest star in the sky next to the sun. A line through the three wise men points to the dog's eye, Sirius. On December 25 in the afternoon, the three wise men rise above the horizon. An hour later, Sirius ascends above the horizon. A straight line through all four stars, points to the house of baby Jesus. See Star of Bethlehem

⁹When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. (Matt. 2:9)

10S. Red Sea

Among the outstanding events in the Bible is the time when pharaoh's army pursued the Israelites across the Red Sea. There is a general consensus among scholars that the crossing could not have been across the actual Red Sea. Among many other impossible obstacles, like trekking through a waterless desert, it is 150-200 miles long, a mile and a half deep, and too salty to be potable. They speculate on alternate routes, but the real answer is the writer didn't know his geography and had a tendency to exaggerate.

There is no speculation here. Moses was another sun hero like Jesus. At that time the sun was in the house of Taurus. Located in Taurus is the constellation Eridanus the river. See Moses' Sun Signs

¹⁸But God led the people round by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. (Exodus 13:18)

⁴"Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea; and his picked officers are sunk in the Red Sea. (Exodus 15:4)

10S. THe Jordan River

Eridanus represents the Jordan River when Joshua crossed it into the Promised Land

¹Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shittim, with all the people of Israel; and they came to the Jordan, and lodged there before they passed over. (Joshua 3:1)

Exit

That completes our tour ladies and gentlemen. I hope your visit was entertaining as well as enlightening. For more details, please visit the web pages on your topic of interest.

The North Garden

This map comes with a description

Our northern tour starts at the three o'clock position when the sun enters the spring equinox. Follow the numbers in bold print. The outer circle represents the celestial equator which parallels earth's equator and divides the north and south hemisphere. The downward facing arc represents the sun's path through the zodiac.

Click the red target for areas of interest.

The South Garden

The south tour begins at the nine o'clock position when the sun enters the autumn solstice. The outer circle represents the celestial equator which parallels earth's equator and divides the north and south hemisphere. The upward facing arc represents the sun's path through the zodiac.

Click the red target for areas of interest.

Judas' Kiss

As explained in Gospel Zodiac, Jesus personifies the sun passing throught the twelve constellations of the Zodiac. The story takes place when the sun is in Scorpio. We are told Judas plotted with the chief priests and elders to arrest the man Judas identified as Jesus by kissing him.

⁴⁷While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
⁴⁸Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him."
⁴⁹And he came up to Jesus at once and said, "Hail, Master!" And he kissed him. (Matt. 26:47-49)

In the image below, as the sun exits Libra, it enters into the waiting arms of Scorpio to be kissed by Scorpio's bite.

Where is Mary Magdalene?

The legend takes place in the first century, when the sun as personified by Jesus was drifting from Aries to Pisces during the vernal equinox. In the picture below, notice the juxtaposition of our three actors to the sun's path from Aries to Pisces. The story describes the picture.

Matthew tells us there were three people involved in Jesus' funeral: Joseph from Arimathea, Mary Madgalene and the other Mary. Joseph was wealthy while Cepheus was a king, presumably wealthy too.

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus.
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud,
and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre. (Matt. 27:57-61)

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the sepulchre.

Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre. (Matt. 28:1)

Mark tells us Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus after he appeared from the sepulchre. In the image she is right next to the sun in Pisces. We are also told Jesus cast out seven demons from Mary Madgalene. In the myth of Andromeda, she was chained to a rock and left to the mercy of the sea monster, only to be rescured by Perseus. There is no monster in this picture, but it shows a parallel rescue with Perseus' foot on the seven stars of the Pleiades as if to be stomping on them like they were demons.

Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. (Mark 16:9)

Noah's Flood

The legend of Noah’s Flood begins in Aquarius during the astrological age of Taurus, and follows the sun path across the ecliptic from Aquarius to Pisces to Aries to Taurus to Gemini. For further reference, see Eden to Babel and a map of the Zodiac.

First Image

Noah personifies Aquarius the Waterman.

⁹These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. (Gen. 6:9)

The animals went into the ark in twos.

⁹two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. (Gen. 7:9)

When the sun passed into Aries, the land was dry. The lamb symbolizes land.

¹⁴In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. (Gen. 8:13-14)

Second Image

The Argo Navis is such a large constellation that it was broken up into three constellations: Carina, Puppis and Vela, representing keel, stern and sail respectively. It lies far to the south on the celestial Tropic of Capricorn. The three sectors of Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces contain a lot of watery constellations and were known to ancients as the Sea.

Noah sent a raven to seek dry land. The raven went to and fro until the waters dried up.

⁷and sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. (Gen. 8:7)

Then he sent a dove.

⁸Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; (Gen. 8:8)

There is a classic Greek myth built around the Argo Navis, called Jason and the Quest for the Golden Fleece. The story follows the sun around the Zodiac.

Third Image

Noah got drunk and lay naked in his tent. Ham saw his nakedness and told his two brothers.

²⁰Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard;
²¹and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent.
²¹And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. (Gen. 9:20-22)

In Taurus, we see Orion as Noah, Auriga as Ham and the Gemini twins as Shem and Jepheth. The three sons are looking down at their father.

Shem and Japheth covered their father but did not see his nakedness.

²³Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. (Gen. 9:23)

Sun Miracles

The question before the human race is whether the God of nature
shall govern the world by His own laws or whether
priests and kings shall rule it by fictitious miracles.
- Thomas Jefferson

No two fields of study could be more diametrically opposite then religion and science. One is dependant on human testimony and downplays tangible evidence. The other downplays testimony in favor of tangible evidence. One maintains that its truths are unchangeable because they derive from a perfect being. The other derives its truths from human observation and experience, and keeps refining its truths according to the data. Religion is primarily concerned with human behavior. Science is exclusively concerned with truth. Ethics is covered in the field of philosophy.

I mention these distinctions because the topic of this page is gospel miracles. The charge by scientists that miracles are impossible is at a stalemate - Christians agree they are impossible; the miracles Jesus performed were one-time events when God violated the laws of nature. Scientists argue that the laws of nature cannot be violated; the Bible is dependant on testimony which is not a reliable source of truth.

This report goes one step further by explaining in positive terms how Jesus' miracles did not take place as believed; the gospels were written in allegory.

My premise is based on four other articles.

• Light Verses Dark explains that the state of knowledge about nature in biblical days was so low that ancients believed that light personified good and dark personified evil.
• The term, Son of God, was a pun for sun of God. This pun does not apply to "son of man," which applies in the literal sense to the constellation Orion.
• Gospel Zodiac explains that the character of Jesus was the sun personified through the zodiac.
• Attempts to replicate Jesus' miracles through faith have failed. What religionists attribute to modern miracles has more to do with bad logic in explaining fortuitous outcomes from natural catastrophes.

For simplicity, we will focus on the Book of Matthew.

Miracles

No one doubts the power of the sun. It provides light, life and food; it brings good weather and it heals. The logical error Christian's make is to attribute these events to an actual person. With Jesus as the personified sun, these miracles are in line with what primitive peoples would think.

Eleven miracles occur when the sun is in Aries. This is when the sun crosses the vernal equinox, when daylight hours start to exceed nighttime hours. The sun has conquered darkness.

1. The sun heals many (Matt. 4:23).
2. The sun heals a leper (Matt. 8:1).
3. The sun heals a Roman Centurion's Servant (Matt. 8:5).
4. The sun heals Peter's Mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14).
5. The sun calms the Storm at Sea (Matt. 8:23) - stormy days are cloudy.
6. The sun heals the Wild Men at Gadars (Matt. 8:28).
7. The sun heals a Lame Man (Matt. 9:1).
8. The sun heals a Woman with a Hemorrhage (Matt. 9:20).
9. The sun raises Jairus's Daughter (Matt. 9:23) - A tribute to the life giving power of the sun.
10. The sun heals Two Blind Men (Matt. 9:27) - A tribute to the sun's light.
11. The sun heals a Demon-possessed Man (Matt. 9:32) - Light conquers demonic darkness.

One miracle occurs when the sun is in Gemini. This occurs just before the summer solstice.

1. The sun heals a Man with a Withered Hand (Matt. 12:10).

So far we have twelve miracles occurring at the time of the year when daylight hours are increasing and when they exceed nighttime hours. From now on daylight starts to decrease. This was seen as a battle between the sun and the dark forces.

Four miracles occur in Virgo. This is the last stage before the sun crosses the autumn equinox and the last time daylight hours exceed nighttime hours. There is only one healing miracle which symbolizes the sun's waning strength. It is also harvest time.

1. The sun feeds 5,000 people (Matt. 14:15).
2. The sun walks on the Sea (Matt. 14:22) - the sun's light reflects on water.
3. The sun heals the Syrophoenician's Daughter (Matt. 15:21).
4. The sun feeds 4,000 People (Matt 15:32).

There is only one miracle in Libra and it is a healing miracle. Clearly the sun is getting weaker.

1. The sun heals a Man with an Epileptic Boy (Matt. 17:14).

There is only one miracle in Scorpio, a healing miracle.

1. The sun heals Two Blind Men at Jericho (Matt. 20:30).

There are no miracles in Sagittarius. The sun is too weak.

In fact Jesus accepted the hospitality of Simon the leper and didn't heal him.

⁶Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, (Matt. 26:6)

When we tally the miracles, there are twelve when the sun is stronger and gaining on the dark forces and six when the sun is descending and losing to the dark forces. Could it be a coincidence that the numbers come out to the magical numbers twelve and six? Or does twelve represent the power of good and six the power of evil as in the mark of the beast 666? I doubt it was unintentional.

Parallel Myths

What follows is not meant to suggest that Christian-Jews copied Egyptian beliefs in the healing power of a single God, but to show their similarities. This is just one facet of the ancient religions. If we compared the ancient Mediterranean religions we would find many similarities. This is too much of a coincidence. Some no doubt borrowed ideas from others, but in cases where there is no direct connection, perhaps they spawned from a common very ancient source or perhaps they came from a common human itch to deal with the mysteries of nature in a favorable way.

Amen is one of the oldest gods of Egypt. The name means "to hide," or "to be hidden." He has been described as "the being who is endowed with a soul," He represented the breath of life. He was the Soul-god of Creation, who, through the source of all life, was himself invisible. By the XXIIth dynasty (1000 BCE) his fame and power grew along with the victories of various kings. His priests called him "King of Gods," and suggested that he existed before Egypt came into being. They next added Ra to his name, and as Amen-Ra, pictures shown him wearing all the symbols of the power and sovereignty of the Sun-god.

Amen of Thebes reached the height of popularity under the New Kingdom (1400 BCE). This seven point description was deciphered from a papyrus. It's got the self-created god, monotheism, trinity and healing powers.

1. Amen's origin: He was self-created and as he fashioned himself none know his forms. He became in primeval time, no other being existed, there was no god before him, there was no god with him to declare his form, all the gods came into being after him.
2. The hiddenness of Amen: His body is hidden in the Chiefs. He is hidden as Amen at the head of the gods. Amen is one; he hides himself from the gods and conceals himself from them.
3. His Oneness. His Unity is absolute.
4. He was a Trinity, i.e. he had three persons, or characters.
5. His name: His name is more helpful to a man than hundreds of thousands of helpers. The gods cannot pray to him because his name is unknown to them. The man who utters the secret name of Amen falls down and dies a violent death [like the unmentionable name of Yahweh]. His name is Victory.
6. Amen as lord of time: He makes the years, rules the months, ordains nights and days. The night is as the day to him. He is the One Watcher neither slumbers nor sleeps.
7. The beneficence of Amen: He breaks evil spells, expels sicknesses from the bodies of men. He, the Physician, heals the Eye, he destroys the Evil Eye, he releases men from hell, he abrogates the Destinies (or Fates) of men at his good pleasure, he hears all petitions and is present immediately he is invoked, he prolongs or shortens the lives of men at will, to the man he loves he adds to what Fate has decreed to him, and to the man who sets him in his heart he is more than millions.

To drive home the point further, this hymn to Amen bespeaks of miraculous powers of the kind attributed to Jesus.

HYMN TO AMEN

He [Amen] drives away evils and scatters diseases.
He is the physician who heals the eye without medicaments.
He opens the eyes, he drives away inflammation.
He delivers whom he pleases, even from Tuat [Hell].
He saves a man from what is his lot at the dictates of his heart.
To him belong both eyes and ears, on every path of him whom he loves.
To hears the petitions of him that appeals to him.
To him that calls [him] he comes straightway [or instantly].
He lengthens life, he cuts it short.
To him whom he loves he gives more than has been decreed for him.
[When] Amen castes a spell on the water, and his name is on the waters, if this name of his be uttered, the crocodile [?] loses power. The winds are driven back, the hurricane is repulsed.
At the remembrance of him the wrath of the angry man dies down,
He speaks the gentle word at the moment of strife.
He is a pleasant breeze to him that appeals to him.
He delivers the helpless one.
He is the wise [?] god whose plans are beneficent.
He is more helpful than millions to the man who has set him in his heart.
One warrior [who fights] under his name is better than hundreds of thousands.
Indeed he is the beneficent strong one.
He is perfect [and] seizes the moment; he is irresistible.
All the gods are three, Amen, Ra and Ptah, and there are none like unto them. He who's name is Amen. Ra belongs to him as his face and his body is Ptah.

The Stars of David

When man believed that happiness was dependent upon God, he killed for religious reasons.
When man believed that happiness was dependant upon the form of government, he killed for political reasons.-Adolfo Bioy Casares

Introduction

It is commonly understood by historians that history is written by the victors. The history books are dominated with names like Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Augustus, Napoleon, Peter the Great, Churchill, George Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt. These were people with giant size egos.

Nation building is something like a business. Business leaders count success by market share, profits and growth. National leaders count success by popular support, revenue and dominance. This same model applies to religion and sports as well. It reflects on the celebrity level because we support it on a personal level. We want to be liked and we want to be rich and influential, if not personally then vicariously.

There is mostly a positive side to our competitive nature, but that is another topic. The subject at hand is the negative side.

I have come to see human nature as something like piranha fish. Individually, piranhas are harmless. But in schools, their collective needs are dangerous to other species. Individually, we are moral creatures. But applied to aliens, personal morals turn indifferent and sometimes hostile to those different from us, even when they are not opposing us.

In sum, there is something in the human psyche that has a need to dominate, if not to dominate personally, at least to be associated with the winning side. We are at our worst, when we unite behind the most powerful god and the strongest nation. Even if it means living a lie, this need for gratification is stronger than the desire for truth and respect for moral principles.

For these reasons, to Jews, David is second to Moses as the greatest among Jewish leaders. He was renowned as the man who conquered the rest of the Promised Land and established a glorious empire that had been promised to Abraham.

I'm not writing to condemn Jews per se. This is a case example that applies to the United States, German, France, Spain, Japan and other empires whose rise can be traced to their military conquests. And whose fall was inevitable because their leaders were corrupt and the masses didn't care as long as they were winning.

Historicity

As much as Israel is one of the most archeologically researched nations in the world, very little of what is in the Bible can be confirmed. The only evidence of the existence of David comes by way of two separate inscriptions of a Davidic dynasty; nothing can be found about David personally. There is much to doubt.

I'm quoting the findings of "The Bible Unearthed" by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman.

"For all their reported wealth and power, neither David nor Solomon is mentioned in a single known Egyptian or Mesopotamian text. And the archaeological evidence in Jerusalem for the famous building projects of Solomon is nonexistent.

"The most optimistic assessment of this negative evidence is that tenth century Jerusalem was rather limited in extent, perhaps not more than a typical hill country village.

"In fact, it is highly unlikely that this sparsely inhabited region of Judah and the small village of Jerusalem could have become the center of a great empire stretching from the Red Sea in the south to Syria in the north.

"There is absolutely no archaeological indication of the wealth, manpower, and level of organization that is required to support large armies-even for brief periods-in the field.

"There is hardly a reason to doubt the historicity of David and Solomon. Yet there are plenty of reasons to question the extent and splendor of their realm.

"Archeologically we can say no more about David and Solomon except that they existed-and that their legend endured.

"There is no compelling archaeological evidence for the historical evidence of a vast united monarchy, centered in the land of Jerusalem that encompassed the entire land of Israel.

The Legend

So what are we left with? There is nothing outside the Bible that tells us about David. There is no evidence of a united Jewish kingdom. No evidence that Jews dominated anybody outside their borders. Even so, the Jewish people continue to believe that theirs was a great kingdom, because of David. The proof can be found in the turmoil in Israel today, where Zionist supporters are at war to restore the glory days that never existed.

The legend of David starts when this shepherd boy was chosen by the prophet Samuel to become the next king of Israel to succeed Saul. David's notoriety began when he killed the giant Goliath with a slingshot. When Saul gave him command of an army, David's overwhelming victories made Saul jealous. Saul's jealousy grew to such a rage, that David had to flee for his life.

When Saul died in battle he was replaced by two kings, David over Judah and Ishbosheth over Israel. David started a civil war and eventually became king over both kingdoms until his death forty years later.

His people glorified him because of his military conquests. Some of his victims were castrated, sawed in half, chopped with axes and burned in ovens. He was a traitor against his own people, a bandit, a homosexual, an adulterer, liar, extortionist, betrayer, exhibitionist and murderer. When he broke God's law, even God didn't care.

Astrology

Typical of other biblical legendary heroes, the life of David was written according to the motifs of the Zodiac. As said before, there is only indirect evidence of an historical David. His exploits reflect more on the character of those who wrote about him and of those who believe in him, than of his personal character.

For some reason, he doesn't get the full twelve zodiac house treatment of a sun god like Moses and Jesus. It could be because there was such a human.

Aries the Ram/Lamb

Aries starts with the spring or vernal equinox, when days and nights are equal. It is the time of year when lambs are born. As the days get longer, the sun is seen as conquering darkness.

Our tale picks up when God and the prophet Samuel decide that Saul is not fit to be king of the Hebrews. God tells Samuel to go to Jesse to find a successor. Of Jesse's seven sons, Samuel decides on David and anoints him to succeed Saul as king. All that is left is for Saul to die. (1 Sam. 15:35-16:13)

David the shepherder

What could be more fitting to start in the house of Aries than for our hero to be a sheepherder?

¹¹And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he comes here." (1 Sam. 16:11)

David and Goliath

In the house of Aries is the constellation Perseus which shows the image of a man with a sword in one hand and a decapitated head in the other. The popular telling of David's triumph leaves out a gory detail. (1 Sam. 17:1-54)

The Philistine Goliath was said to be about ten feet tall. He had a bronze helmet, a coat of mail that weighed almost a hundred pounds. He had armor on his legs and a shield. His spear weighed eleven pounds.

When the Philistines and the Israelites were first assembled at their lines ready for battle, Goliath went to the front and challenged the Israelites to choose one to fight him in battle. The winning side will be the master, and the losing side the servant.

For forty days the giant came forth and issued his challenge, but none of the Israelites had the nerve to take him on.

Because of his youth, David was not a soldier. On the fortieth day, when David was bringing some food to his brothers and the soldiers, he heard Goliath's challenge. When David went to Saul to volunteer, Saul was understandably skeptical. But David convinced him that his experience at killing lions when they invade his flock, qualified him; Goliath is no different. Saul was persuaded.

On the day of battle, Saul wanted to put his armor on David, but he refused; he wasn't used to it. All he needed was his pouch with five smooth stones and his slingshot. As he and Goliath drew closer, David took out a stone and slung it, striking the Philistine in the head. The giant fell flat face on the ground and died.

Afterward, David took out Goliath's sword and cut his head off. Afterwards, the Hebrews chased the Philistines, killing many and plundered their camp. David took Goliath's head back to Jerusalem and put his armor on his tent.

⁵¹Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Sam. 17:51)

Taurus the Bull

Bulls are needed for plowing and tilling the fields. Bulls pull, so in the same sense, it is a time of pulling away.

Spears

David's victory over Goliath won favor with Saul, and an army to command. As David kept winning battle after battle, he soon became more popular than Saul. When it got to the point where David was credited with killing tens of thousands of Philistines, while Saul got credit for killing thousands, an evil spirit came over him. One day, David had to elude two spears that Saul threw at him.

¹¹and Saul cast the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David evaded him twice. (1 Sam. 18:11)

In the house of Taurus, David is symbolized by Auriga, the Charioteer which lies above the horns of the bull. Auriga has a whip in one arm and a goat in the other. The two bull horns symbolize the two spears Saul threw at David.

Michal

Saul tried to get David killed in battle by demoting him to march out in front of a command of a thousand men, but David continued to rack up successes. Saul tried to get David to take more risks by offering his daughter, Merab in marriage. When David continued to be successful, Saul married off his daughter to someone else. Saul teased David again with his second daughter, Michal. This time he wanted a hundred Philistine foreskins as a marriage present. David complied by bringing back two hundred foreskins. David got his wife and Saul was more afraid of David than ever before. (1 Sam. 18:12-30)

Gemini the Twins

Gemini begins a time of increasing or doubling as the sun reaches its zenith. It ends on the Summer solstice when days are the longest and nights the shortest. The sun is at the peak of its strength. Allegorically, the sun is at the top of the mountain.

We turn our attention now to the Gemini twins that represents David and Jonathan and their homosexual love affair. The Bible is not explicit with the details, but there if enough to tell the tale.

For Jonathan, it was love at first sight.

¹When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. (1 Sam. 18:1)

When they first met in private, Jonathan stripped himself naked in front of David.

³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
⁴And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his girdle. (1 Sam. 18:3-4)

Jonathan's father, Saul, was angry at his son for shaming his mother's nakedness.

³⁰Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? (1 Sam. 20:30)

Next to a stone heap, they were lying on the ground kissing. In biblespeak, stone heaps are usually phallic symbols.

⁴¹And as soon as the lad had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed [prostrate] three times; and they kissed one another, and wept with one another, until David recovered himself. (1 Sam. 20:41-42)

At a later time, David was distressed at Jonathan's death. His love was wonderful, better than the love of a woman.

²⁶I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. (2 Sam. 1:26)

Cancer the Crab

The sun has crossed a major divide; darkness starts to increase. Crabs walk in a zigzag path, sideways and backwards in a kind of a backsliding movement. This is a time for assessment and division.

Saul's threats on David's life grew so intense that David had to flee. As the sun descends from the height of its solstice, so does David's character.

Jeopardy

1. When David came upon Ahimelech the priest at Nob, he told the priest that he was on a mission from Saul to meet some holy men. His lie convinced the priest to give David some holy bread and Goliath's sword. (1 Sam. 21:1-10)

When Saul heard about the favor Ahimelech did for David, he saw it as conspiracy. Ahimelech said he didn't know David was an outlaw and that he was still a loyal servant. Saul was unmoved; so he had Ahimelech and eighty-four killed. Among them were men, women, infants, children and livestock. (1 Sam. 22:9-19)

One of Ahimelech's sons escaped. To which David admitted he knew he was putting everybody at risk, because he saw one of Saul's confederates, Doeg the Edomite, watching him.

²²And David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. (1 Sam. 22:22)

Extortion

There was a rich man named Nabal who had a wife, Abigail. She was as beautiful as he was mean. When David heard of him, he sent ten men to plead for food; Nabal refused. David wanted to kill Nabal, but his wife intervened by offering the needed provisions without her husband's knowledge. David promised to spare Nabal, but God killed him ten days later.

³⁷And in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
³⁸And about ten days later the LORD smote Nabal; and he died. (1 Sam. 25:37)

David was grateful for Nabal's death because he was insulted. He took the beautiful Abigail for his wife.

³⁹When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil; the LORD has returned the evil-doing of Nabal upon his own head." Then David sent and wooed Abigail, to make her his wife. (2 Sam. 25:37)

It is likely this was the Bible's way of saying David killed Nabal for his wife?

Betrayal

David tried to hide in the Philistine kingdom of Gath. When King Achish learned David was his enemy, David acted crazy, like he had lost his mind. The king let him go. (1 Sam. 21:10-15)

At a later time, David returned to the Philistines in Gath, with 600 men and two wives. This time King Achish took a liking to David and gave him the town of Ziklag to live in. David returned the favor by killing and plundering the kings friends and relatives. When Achish asked him who he was raiding, David would give the names of towns in southern Palestine. Achish got to trust David to the point where he appointed David as his personal bodyguard. (1 Sam. 27)

⁹And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the asses, the camels, and the garments, and came back to Achish. (1 Sam. 27:9)

Traitor

David was ready to join Achish with the Philistines in battle against the Israelites until the other commanders rejected him, despite Ashish's voucher. (1 Sam. 29)

Payback

When David returned to Ziklag, his home in the Philistines, he found it burned down and all his people taken captive by the Amalekites; no one was killed. David retaliated by killing all the Amalekites, except for four hundred escapees. (1 Sam. 30)

¹⁷And David smote them from twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.
¹⁸David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
¹⁹Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought back all.
²⁰David also captured all the flocks and herds; and the people drove those cattle before him, and said, "This is David's spoil." (1 Sam. 30:17-20)

Saul dies

The house of Cancer ends with Saul's death. In a battle with the Philistines, Saul was mortality wounded by an arrow. To avoid the disgrace of being finished off by the Philistines, Saul fell on his sword. (1 Sam. 31)

⁴Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it. (2 Sam. 31:4)

Leo the Lion

The sun is still hot; this is a time of strength when the sun goes to the end of the growing season. At the end of the growing season, food is plentiful, and seeds have to be stored for the next season. The lion is king of beasts.

Kill the messenger

Expecting favorable treatment, an Amalekite came to David to report on Saul and Jonathan's death. Instead, David accused him of killing Saul and had him killed.

¹⁵Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go, fall upon him." And he smote him so that he died.
¹⁶And David said to him, "Your blood be upon your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have slain the LORD'S anointed.'" (2 Sam. 1:15-16)

Civil War

David was anointed king over the tribe of Judah, and Saul's son, Ishbosheth was made king of Israel. Out of self defense, Ishbosheth's commander, Abner, killed Asahel, one of David's men. David used the incident to start a war against the people of Israel. (2 Sam. 2:1-3:1)

²³But he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner smote him in the belly with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back; and he fell there, and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still. (2 Sam. 2:23)

Over an argument with king Ishbosheth, Abner defected to David's side where Asahel's avenged his brother's death by killing Abner. (2 Sam. 3:2-4:2)

²⁷And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he smote him in the belly, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. (2 Sam. 3:27)

Two of Israel's captains killed their king Ishbosheth in his bed and cut his head off.

⁷When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him. They took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night, (2 Sam. 4:7)

They expected David to be grateful, but instead David had them killed and had their hands and feet put on display.

¹²And David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron. (2. Sam. 4:12)

With the death of Ishbosheth, the kingdom of Israel decided to accept David as their king.

¹Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, "Behold, we are your bone and flesh. (2 Sam. 5:1)

Losing badly and without a king, Israel had no choice but to accept defeat and unite behind David.

¹There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. (2 Sam. 3:1)

Dancing in the Street

David had the ark of God, the one that Moses had constructed to contain the Ten Commandments, to be brought to Jerusalem. When the ark began to slide off of its cart and Uzzah reached out to prevent its fall, God struck him dead. (2 Sam. 6:1-7)

⁶And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
⁷And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there because he put forth his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God. (2 Sam. 6:6)

From that incident, David was afraid to take the Ark home with him, so he left it at the home of Obededom for three months. When David noticed that Obededom was blessed and prospered for having the Ark at his home, he decided to bring it back home with much celebration. (2 Sam. 6:8-19)

When David returned home, his wife, Michal, scolded him for dancing shamelessly nude in front of other women.

²⁰And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' maids, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!" (2 Sam. 6:20)

From this single incident, David cut her off sexually for the rest of her life.

²²I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes; but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor."
²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death. (2 Sam. 6:22-23)

War

God gave his lion king victory wherever he went. David's forces subdued the Philistines in the west and the Moabites in the east. In the north, he took Zobah and Damascus. The death toll was over 60,000 enemies. (2 Sam. 8)

Mosaic Law was clearly against taking slaves.

²and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them; then you must utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, and show no mercy to them. (Deut. 7:2)

Despite this, David made slaves out of his enemies.

²And he defeated Moab, and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground; two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute. (2 Sam. 8:2)

Revisionism

Often times I find differences in Bible versions that are too corrupt to ignore. The older versions are more honest than the contemporary versions. Case in point: The old versions report that David had these people sawed up, driven over by chariots, cut up with knives and made to pass through brick ovens. The newer versions say he put them in slavery.

The 1899 Douay-Rheims is the most explicit. Its lineage comes directly from the Catholic Latin Vulgate Bible.

³¹And bringing forth the people thereof he sawed them, and drove over them chariots armed with iron: and divided them with knives, and made them pass through brick kilns; so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon: and David returned, with all the army to Jerusalem. (2 Kings/Samuel 12:31) Douay-Rheims Version)

The 1611 King James and the 1897 American Standard is less explicit, but they make the point.

³¹And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick kiln: and thus did he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. (2 Sam. 12:31 KJV)

Every modern version says David put them at labor with saws, axes and made them work in brick kilns. This is not scholarship, this is whitewashing.

³¹And he brought forth the people who were in it, and set them [to labor] with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them toil [pass] at the brick kilns; and thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. (2 Sam. 12:31)

As a check, Strong's dictionary and concordance is useful. What the revisionists did was to add "labor" and change "pass" to "toil". David's crimes were so horrendous that the revisionists felt compelled to cover it up.

Virgo the Virgin

Virgo is depicted as a woman with grain stalks in her hand. This is when the harvest is milled into flour. As the sun descends to the equator, troubles start to emerge. The subject changes to female problems.

Adultery and murder

One afternoon from his rooftop in Jerusalem, David saw a beautiful woman bathing. He learned that her name was Batsheba, the wife of Uriah, a Hittite soldier in his army. Unable to contain his lust, David had her brought to him. (2 Sam. 11:1-5

⁴So David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. (2 Sam. 11:4)

To mask his lechery and her pregnancy, David had Uriah assigned to the forefront of the battle lines where he was be sure to be killed. After her mourning, David married her. The son she bore was to be named Solomon. (2 Sam. 11:6-27)

Mosaic Law forbade taking aliens as wives.

³You shall not make marriages with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons. (Deut. 7:3)

What this means for Christians who believe Jesus was a descendant of David through Solomon (Matt. 1:6), is that Jesus was not a full blooded Jew. More so, Jesus' ancestry was born out of an illegal and adulterous affair.

Rape

This story did not involve David directly, but it shows his callous attitude. It is stories like this that would upset Christian censors if it was told in a different setting.

David's son Amnon fell in love with his sister Tamar. To get his sister alone in private, Amnon pretended to be sick. When she came to nurse him, he raped her. When she told David and her brother Absalom, David was angry but did nothing; Absalom vowed revenge. Two years later, Absalom invited Amnon to a festivity. When he got drunk, Absalom had him killed. Either out of anger or fearing retaliation, Absalom exiled himself for three years. David was more upset by Absalom's self enforced exile than he was by the loss of Amnon. (2 Sam. 13)

³⁸So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
³⁹And the spirit of the king longed to go forth to Absalom; for he was comforted about Amnon, seeing he was dead. (2 Sam. 13:38-39)

Libra the Balance

The balance symbolizes the fall equinox when days and nights are equal. It is a time for settling debts, getting organized and weighing the good against the bad.

Absalom's Coup

After two years, Absalom arranged a meeting with David and offered himself for punishment. Instead, David kissed him affectionately. They settled their differences, or so David had thought. (2 Sam.14:24-33)

For four years hence, Absalom turned politician, shaking hands and making promises to get popular. At Hebron where David was crowned, he had himself declared king of Hebron. The plan worked. His following grew to such strength that David fled Jerusalem to avoid disaster, leaving ten concubines behind. To embarrass his father, Absalom had his way with the concubine. (2 Sam. 15:1-16:22)

²²So they pitched a tent for Absalom upon the roof; and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. (2 Sam. 16:22)

Finally, their forces met in battle. Absalom lost 20,000 men in the field and many more in the countryside. Absalom was found hanging from a tree by his hair. David's commander, Joab, impaled him with three spears. (2 Sam. 17:24-18:33)

David put his ten concubines under house guard for the rest of their lives, and had nothing to do with them.

³And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house, and put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood. (2 Sam. 20:3)

Sheba's Schism

A Benjaminite named Sheba lead the people of Israel away from David; the people of Judah stayed loyal to David. To break the rebellion, David sent his soldiers, led by Joab, to capture the city where Sheba and his followers were hiding. To get at them, Joab's forces were about to break down the city wall.

Then a woman came to Joab with a plan. If he would not break down the wall, she would have his head delivered. When she went back to the people to tell them her plan, they cut off Sheba's head and threw it over the wall. The rebellion came to an end. (2 Sam. 20)

²²Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king. (2 Sam. 20:22)

Human Sacrifice

There was a famine in the land that lasted three years. When David inquired, God told him there was bloodguilt on Saul and his house for killing Gibeonites. (They were supposed to be under protection since the days of Joshua, but Saul tried to wipe them out.) So David went to the king of the Gibeonites to ask how to make amends. The king suggested that David give them seven of Saul's sons for retribution. David turned them over and they were impaled on the mountain of God, at the beginning of barley harvest. This sacrifice was supposed to end the famine. (2 Sam. 21:1-14)

Scorpio the Scorpion

The sun is getting weaker and the air is cold, remindful of a scorpion's sting. Scorpions are seen as crawling creatures who frequent cracks, holes and other secluded spots, so they are associated with acts of secrecy and evil. This is a time of argument and conflict.

David's plague

God was angry at the people of Israel for some unspecified reason. So he told David to take a census. After nine months, Joab reported 800,000 soldiers from Israel and 500,000 soldiers fro Judah. To put this outrageous number in perspective, estimates of the size of the Roman Empire's army at the height of power, exceed 600,000 solders.

⁹And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand. (2 Sam. 24:9)

For reasons we will never know, after the census, David realized he sinned by ordering the census. The word of God came to the prophet Gad. David had three choices: three months of famine; three months of being pursued by foes; or three days of pestilence throughout the land.

Now David had a strong sense of self preservation. It was better for the people to die for his mistake, than for him to be chased by foes. So God sent a pestilence that killed 70,000 people. When the angel of pestilence was about to enter Jerusalem, God stopped him. (2 Sam. 24)

Sagittarius the Archer

At the Winter solstice on December 21, the sun enters the lowest point on the horizon. The next three days are the darkest days of the year. The scorpion's stings turn into the archer's arrows. The weakened sun is going to die on the solstice.

Bitter to the end

David had gotten so old that not even blankets could keep him warm. So his servants sent him a young maid to lie next to him; there was no sex. He named Solomon as his successor and died after ruling for forty years. (1 Kings 1:1-4, 10)

Even in his death bed, he had strong animosity in him to advice Solomon to assassinate his enemies within the kingdom. (2 Kings 2:5-9)

End

A Tale of Two heavens

You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence,
it's based on a deep seated need to believe. - Carl Sagan

The power of suggestion is strong. Modern Christians believe there are two heavens: the one seen by naked eyes, and the unseen supernatural heaven of the Bible. As a matter of record, heaven is mentioned 470 times in the Bible, including 123 times in the New Testament. As a matter of fact, the Bible refers to one heaven, the same heaven seen by naked eyes. The first part of this article will bring to focus for glazed eyes the natural heaven seen by the Bible's writers.

So then where and when did the idea of a supernatural heaven come from? Prior to the 17th century, the world view held that man was surrounded by invisible spiritual powers which influenced his life and work. As explained in Elements of Creation, those spirits were believed to be embodied in the wind. It was the source of life.

⁷then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7)

The great shift in meaning was motivated by Galileo's publication of his evidence for a heliocentric planetary system. It had the effect if displacing God from the natural universe and forcing Christian thinkers to reinvent their conceptions of God as a being operating outside of nature.

Just so we are clear on our definitions, "supernatural" means not natural. It does not mean better than natural. That idea may have come from the Superman comic series. Belief in the supernatural shares a family relationship with magic, myth, fiction and even psychosis.

The biblical case for a visible heaven

The idea of an unseen supernatural heaven was far too abstract for ancients. There was the great sky above them peering down with it's multitude of lights day and night. How could they ignore it? It makes no sense that they could overlook something so vast and mysterious! To make sense out of it, they looked to the sky for omens. Astrology permeated the kingdoms of Sumeria, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Chaldea, Persia, Arabia, Greece, Rome and even China. Hebrews and early Christians could not have ignored it. To make that point, here are some examples from Genesis and Revelation.

Belief in a firmament implied a sky surrounded by a shell. That shell was believed to be formed by the arc by which heavenly bodies traveled from east to west.

⁶And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
⁷And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.
⁸And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Gen. 1:6-8)

The greater light-the sun- ruled the day and the lesser light-the moon-ruled the night.

¹⁶And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also.
¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth,
¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. (Gen. 1:16-17)

Abraham believed that the number of stars foretold the number of his descendents.

³And Abram said, "Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir."
⁴And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir."
⁵And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
⁶And he believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:3-6)

¹⁷I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, (Gen. 22:17)

Joseph in a dream, believed that the sun, the moon and the eleven (later twelve) stars were bowing down to him.

⁹Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." (Gen. 37:9)

"Clouds" defines the Milky Way.

⁷Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (Rev. 1:5)

A star falls from heaven? In modern parlance, we say stars descend.

¹⁰The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the fountains of water. (Rev. 8:10)

These verses describe the twelve constellations of the zodiac, and Virgo with the small constellation Coma Berenices next to it. Translation: the portent appears when the full moon is in Virgo.

¹And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
²she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. (Rev. 12:1)

New Testament astrology

The most significant evidence of New Testament astrology is the story of the wise men and the star of Bethlehem. The implication is that the birth of Jesus was foretold by the stars. The wise men of the east were astrologers. Chaldean oracles were highly regarded in the first century.

¹Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
²"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." (Matt. 2:1-2)

Luke tells it different, but the implication is the same as Matthew. Angels implies angels, explained in further detail below.

¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
¹⁶And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (Luke 2:16-16)

High in heaven

The Christian Bible infers belief in astrology in allegorical form. This is what is meant by Christianity being a revealed religion; the stars visually reveal their messages. As we shall see, Jesus believed in astrology.

A voice from heaven

¹⁶And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him;
¹⁷and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:16-17)

Jesus warns that heaven and earth will pass away. He could not have been more wrong.

¹⁸For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. (Matt. 5:18)

Heaven was up in the sky and Hades was below earth.

²³And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. (Matt. 11:23)

"Wise" referred to pagan astrologers. The signs were revealed to Christian "babes."

²⁵At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; (Matt. 11:25)

The loaves refer to Virgo, the house of bread, and the two fish refer to Pisces.

¹⁹Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. (Matt. 14:19)

Jesus is asked to show them signs from heaven. No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah. The sign refers to coming Age of Aquarius. (See Armageddon)

¹And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
²He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.'
³And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
⁴An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah." (Matt. 16:1-4)

Jesus expects events in heaven to parallel events on earth.

¹⁸Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
¹⁹Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (Matt. 18:18-19)

Son of man in heaven

More heavenly signs according to Jesus (See Son of Man, Orion and clouds of heaven)

²⁹"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;
³⁰then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory;
³¹and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:29-31)

The angles (stars) come with stars of Orion.

³¹"When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. (Matt. 25:31)

Angels in heaven

Angels were God's messengers. The word is both a pun and a personification for angles, as in the angles of the stars. We see here the roots for modern horoscope astrology.

Angels are in heaven

³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matt. 22:30)

The Son of man will send his angels, meaning when the stars have certain angles.

³⁹and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
⁴⁰Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.
⁴¹The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, (Matt. 13:39-41)

Again, the position of Orion foretells of an omen.

²⁷For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. (Matt. 16:27)

The angels behold the face of my Father in heaven, which is an indirect way of referring to signs.

¹⁰"See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 18:10)

Angels in heaven

³⁰For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. (Matt. 22:30)

There will be no signs from heaven.

³⁶"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. (Matt. 24:36)

My Father will send twelve legions of angels. Twelve refers to the twelve zodiac constellations.

⁵³Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matt. 26:53)

Jesus believed heaven had ends. That perception came from the trajectory of the stars above the horizon.

²⁷And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. (Mark 13:27)

You will see heaven open and angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. The verse refers to the motion of Orion and the stars.

⁵¹And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." (John 1:51)

Kingdom of heaven

This collection refers to God's kingdom of heaven See Jesus' Second Coming.

The sun is at its highest above the horizon during the summer solstice.

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 4:17)

¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. (Matt. 6:10)

Heaven moves from east to west.

¹¹I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, (Matt. 8:11)

The kingdom of heaven has suffered violence. How could that happen if it was a supernatural heaven?

¹¹Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. (Matt. 11:11-12)

¹¹And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. (Matt. 13:11)

What is revealed is from heaven.

¹⁷And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon BarJona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:17-19)

Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The belief is that one's spirit rises like the wind to heaven.

¹At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
²And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them,
³and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:1-4)

Father in heaven

"Father in heaven" was the unseen wind force that controlled the movement of the stars.

¹"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 6:1)

¹¹If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matt. 7:11)

²¹"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 7:21)

³²So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven;
³³but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 10:32-33)

⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matt. 12:50)

Paul

Paul too was a believer in omens from heaven. In this passage, he was waiting for his spirit to be swept up into the highway of heaven, the Milky Way. He imagines that the spirits of the dead are still floating around in the air somewhere.

¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
¹⁵For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.
¹⁶For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first;
¹⁷then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:14-17)

Supernatural

According to the Revised Standard Version, the only time "supernatural" is used is by Paul in 1 Corinthians. Yet according to Strong's Dictionary, the word translates to pneumatikos in Greek, meaning "spiritual." "Pneumatics" comes from the same Greek root.

¹I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,
²and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
³and all ate the same supernatural food
⁴and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them, and the Rock was Christ. (1 Cor. 10:1-4)

The NIV as well as the King James use "spiritual."

¹For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.
²They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.
³They all ate the same spiritual food
⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. (1 Cor. 10:1-4 NIV)

As explained in more detail in The Elements of Creation, air was the spiritual force. Ancients believed everything was composed of water, fire, air and earth.

The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution forced God and his angels out of the natural universe.

Up to the time of Galileo (1564-1642), the worldview of the heavens was based on the Bible, Ptolemy and Aristotle. Inherent in all three was the view that:

• Earth was the unmoved center of the universe.
• The moon, sun, planets and stars orbited in perfect circles, because the sphere was the most perfect shape.
• The outermost sphere was inhabited by God himself.
• The closer one got to God's realm, the more perfect the sphere.

These verses represent a sampling of biblical cosmology.

¹.Yea, the world is established; it shall never be moved; (Psalms 93:1)

¹³And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. (Josh 10:13)

²²It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; (Isa. 40:22)

It was Copernicus (1473-1543) who is credited for first making the suggestion in 1543 that the sun was at the center of the solar system. Galileo was the first major astronomer to use the newly invented telescope to view the heavens. From his observations, he questioned the old Aristotelian assumptions about the motion of heavenly and earthly bodies. The Protestant Kepler refined the Copernican system of planetary circular obit to elliptical orbit. By the time Newton published (1687) the mathematical laws of motion, the Scientific Revolution had been born. None of these men were atheists. Rather, instead of starting out by assuming God as a first principle, they followed the path of their studies by applying inductive methods without preconceived assumptions.

The story of Galileo's conflict with the Church is well documented. In 1632, Galileo published his findings in Dialogues on the Two Chief Systems of the World. Within a year, Church authorities threatened Galileo. But as with Luther a century earlier, the printing press spread his ideas among university scholars, especially in the Protestant Countries. From here, I'll touch on some points in A History of God by Karen Armstrong.

The Catholic Church did not condemn the heliocentric theory because it endangered belief in God the Creator, but because it contradicted scripture. The problem that lay before them is how to reconcile with the Bible. If earth was just another planet revolving around the sun, where does that put Heaven and Hell? Hell, for example, was widely believed to be located at the center of earth where Dante put it.

What Armstrong describes of the changes in 17th century theological thinking with regards to Galileo, I've noticed the same process taking place with regards to Darwin. The first stage is fierce resistance. Once it sinks in that resistance is futile, the next stage is to fold the new paradigm into the God spectrum. No matter what becomes scientifically tenable, they can always say it was designed by God. Even the science of reason was seen as an improved way of understanding God.

To continue, she says that instead of seeing God as a symbol of reality, it was increasingly assumed that God was simply a fact of life like any other. Christian apologists gravitated to the rationalistic approach of Leonard Lessius (1551-1623). He argued that the existence of God can be demonstrated scientifically like any of the other facts of life-the design of the universe could not have happened by chance. Even some of the great scientific minds like Pascal, Descartes and Newton went to great lengths to reconcile God with science.

Christianity was never at risk. Despite the profound contradictions and non-conformities with current knowledge, when the will to believe is strong, people will find a way to reconcile and compartmentalize those incompatibilities. Astrology and the belief in a visible heaven are deeply embedded in biblical scripture for those with the will to see what is so apparently evident.

Appendix

Papal Condemnation of Galileo June 22, 1633

Whereas you, Galileo, son of the late Vaincenzo Galilei, Florentine, aged seventy years, were in the year 1615 denounced to this Holy Office for holding as true the false doctrine taught by some that the Sun is the center of the world and immovable and that the Earth moves, and also with a diurnal motion; for having disciples to whom you taught the same doctrine; for holding correspondence with certain mathematicians of Germany concerning the same; for having printed certain letters, entitled "On the Sunspots," wherein you developed the same doctrine as true; and for replying to the objections from the Holy Scriptures, which from time to time were urged against it, by glossing the said Scriptures according to your own meaning: and whereas there was thereupon produced the copy of a document in the form of a letter, purporting to be written by you to one formerly your disciple, and in this divers propositions are set forth, following the position of Copernicus, which are contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture:

This Holy Tribunal being therefore of intention to proceed against the disorder and mischief thence resulting, which went on increasing to the prejudice of the Holy Faith, by command of His Holiness and of the Most Eminent Lords Cardinals of this supreme and universal Inquisition, the two propositions of the stability of the Sun and the motion of the Earth were by the theological Qualifiers qualified as follows:

The proposition that the Sun is the center of the world and does not move from its place is absurd and false philosophically and formally heretical, because it is expressly contrary to Holy Scripture.

The proposition that the Earth is not the center of the world and immovable but that it moves, and also with a diurnal motion, is equally absurd and false philosophically and theologically considered at least erroneous in faith.

Aristotle defines heaven

First, however, we must explain what we mean by 'heaven' and in how many senses we use the word, in order to make clearer the object of our inquiry. (a) In one sense, then, we call 'heaven' the substance of the extreme circumference of the whole, or that natural body whose place is at the extreme circumference. We recognize habitually a special right to the name 'heaven' in the extremity or upper region, which we take to be the seat of all that is divine. (b) In another sense, we use this name for the body continuous with the extreme circumference which contains the moon, the sun, and some of the stars; these we say are 'in the heaven'. (c) In yet another sense we give the name to all body included within extreme circumference, since we habitually call the whole or totality 'the heaven'. The word, then, is used in three senses...

It is therefore evident that there is also no place or void or time outside the heaven.

End

   This section of the web-site is designed to encapsulate a relation between the names of the 12 main zodiacal signs and some of their key stars, along with selected names of each decan, as they occur in God’s Word. As the separate scenes of this great celestial showcase unfold, we begin to get a sense for the individual threads of the master theme that together, form the sweeping tapestry of the truth of the ages. Frances Rolleston summarizes (see link above) the ancient narrative of the 12 Zodiacal Signs, starting with Virgo and ending with Leo, as follows:

1. The Seed of the woman shall come. [Virgo]

2. There is a price paid by him for a purchased possession. [Libra]

3. The price shall be a conflict with the serpent-foe, and a wound in the conqueror’s heel. {Scorpius]

4. He shall be sent forth swiftly, surely, as an arrow from a bow. [Sagittarius]

5. He shall be slain as a sacrifice. [Capricorn]

6. He shall rise again and pour out blessings on his people. [Aquarius]

7. His people shall be multitudes, held in unison with each other and with himself. [Pisces]

8. He who was slain, whose heel was bruised, shall rule, and shall tread his enemy under foot. [Aries]

9. He shall come in power, triumphant, and have dominion. [Taurus]

10. He shall be the son of man and the son of God, victim & ruler. [Gemini]

11. He shall keep his purchased possession, & reward ofhis work. [Cancer]

12. He shall finally put all enemies underfoot, coming with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, separating the good from the evil. [Leo]


   This is the timeless theme of the celestial gospel that has been unfolding in the heavens since antiquity. The cycles of the heavenly bodies have continued to relate their truths for all men to see, but alas, few have understood because this system of truth has remained a mystery for so long.These truths are revealed when we follow the Research Principles we have outlined in the Reference Section of this web-site. As we work the stellar elements of the records in God's Word that reveal and verify the celestial details of these prophecies, we will find great truths in the related Hebrew, or Greek words associated first, with the Sign of the zodiac, secondly with the Biblical and ancient Name of the Sign, and thirdly with the word or root associated with the ancient Star Names of each Sign. This pattern of study holds true for each decan of these 12 Signs as well. Many of these Bible references are found in Rolleston’s "Mazzaroth," a truly monumental piece of research that has not received its due over the years. Much of this information including a full handling of each decan of these signs, can also be verified in Bullinger’s: Witness of the Stars, (see link above) along with Joseph Seiss’ Gospel in the Stars. We have also included some verses that are not in any of these references. We will focus on an overview of the twelve primary Signs and handle some of their key decans in this study. A more detailed handling of this subject matter will be found in a forthcoming Biblical Astronomy Star Atlas. What Rolleston has provided in condensed tables, is expanded upon here by providing important Scripture references, that emphasize some celestial elements not covered in the same sense by Bullinger or Seiss. Our web-site has paid particular attention to the message of the signs surrounding the birth of Christ. These lessons have guided us on a clear path that has uncovered unique and insightful truths along the way. This study is another step in that exciting journey. We will begin our narrative with Aries the Ram whose significance is noted early on in connection with Abel’s sacrifice in Genesis 4.

Gen. 4:3-4

 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

   God's system of a sacrificial substitute to redeem man, has been around since man needed redeeming. The Ram is also important when we come to Abraham’s sacrifice.

Gen. 22:11-18

11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

  Even as Abraham, the progenitor of the genetics of the Christ-line, did not withold his only Son from God in this record, so the Heavenly Father did not withold his only begotten Son to redeem us. "Jehovah-jireh" in verse 14 above, the redemptive name of God meaning; "the Lord provides," occurs here to emphasize the sacrifical substitute of the Ram provided by God, foreshadowing the Old Testament Passover lamb, which was fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the lamb of God. Abraham's believing actions here were neccessary for God to begin to bring the celestial narrative to pass, so that the promised seed could be born. Thus, Abraham's promised seed is compared to the "stars of heaven and the sand upon the seashore," referring to the heavenly and earthly seeds which are detailed later in the celestial prophecies. In Abraham's seed, all the nations of the Earth are blessed, according to their believing concerning the promised seed Jesus Christ. The symbolism of the sacrificial ram continues in the Mosaic Law as quoted from Leviticus. The Hebrew word associated with the star El Nath of Aries, emphasizing the Lord’s sacrifice, occurs in verse 20.

Leviticus 8:18-29

18 And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 19 And he killed it; and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses burnt the head, and the pieces, and the fat. 21 And he washed the inwards and the legs in water; and Moses burnt the whole ram upon the altar: it was a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, and an offering made by fire unto the LORD; as the LORD commanded Moses. 22 And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. 23 And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron’s right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24 And he brought Aaron’s sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. 25 And he took the fat, and the rump, and all the fat that was upon the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and their fat, and the right shoulder: 26 And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder: 27 And he put all upon Aaron’s hands, and upon his sons’hands, and waved them for a wave offering before the LORD. 28 And Moses took them from off their hands, and burnt them on the altar upon the burnt offering: they were consecrations for a sweet savour: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 29 And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses’part, as the LORD commanded Moses.

   These verses show the Ram of Aries as a central concept related to the idea of a sacrificial substitute, starting with Adam’s first son’s, through Abraham, to Moses and finally to Jesus Christ the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God. As the embodiment of the Passover Lamb, Jesus fulfilled every aspect of the Old Testament Law covered in Leviticus 8, referenced above. We can see this idea carried over into the New Testament book of John.

John 1:26-34

26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

   John the Baptist certainly had a strong witness as to the identity of the Son of God as he witnessed the spirit descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove, accompanied by the affirmation of God, Who said: "this is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased."
   Next we will consider Taurus the Bull. In the prophecy of Balaam below, we find he the four-corners, or pillars of heaven laid out in the Water-carrier Aquarius in verse 7, Taurus the Bull (reem) in verse 8, and Leo the lion in verse 9. The sign of the North in the Tribe of Dan, is omitted for a number of reasons expounded on in other sections of this web-site. Taurus’ role as one of these celestial pillars and precessional markers, is central in understanding its Biblical and stellar significance.

Leo the Lion of the Tribe of Judah with Regulus the brightest Star on the ecliptic



Numbers 24:8-9

5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

   Taurus the Bull is also evident in the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy.

Deut. 33:13-17

13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, 14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, 15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, 16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. 17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

  Here in Moses’ Song, he uses the same language found in Numbers in the horns of the "reem" or "Unicorn," as the KJV renders it. It is certainly plain that the popularly imagined unicorn, the mythical beast, is not pictured with more than one horn, but the Bull is. These Bull horns are identified as the sons of Joseph in verse 17. The reference in verse 15 to the "chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills," refer directly to the most famous star cluster in the history of astronomy, called the Pleiades. This star group located in the upper shoulder of Taurus, is one of the signs specifically named in the Book of Job, the Bible’s oldest book.

The Pleiades, the most famous Star cluster in History

Job 9:7-9

7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars. 8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. 9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.

   This is one of a number of specific references made to the Pleiades in God’s Word. The name Pleiades means the "congregation of the judge." We should also notice in verses 7-8 above that it was God alone Who spread out the heavens, and sealed up the names of the stars, [Ps. 147:4].   Verse 7 above plainly states that the Creator is the One in control of the Sun, which is proved in the miracle of the Sun going backwards on the Sundial of Ahaz in Isaiah 38:7-8. The celestial symbolism of the Bull also appears in the context of the four-corners or heavenly pillars, in the furniture of Israel’s Temple, in what is known as the Brasen Sea. We find details of this in I Kings 7.

I Kings 7:23-30

23 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 24 And under the brim of it round about there were knops compassing it, ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about: the knops were cast in two rows, when it was cast. 25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above upon them, and all their hinder parts were inward. 26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths. 27 And he made ten bases of brass; four cubits was the length of one base, and four cubits the breadth thereof, and three cubits the height of it. 28 And the work of the bases was on this manner: they had borders, and the borders were between the ledges: 29 And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubims: and upon the ledges there was a base above: and beneath the lions and oxen were certain additions made of thin work. 30 And every base had four brazen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition.

   The "line of thirty cubits" in verse 23 refers to the Hebrew’s ancient knowledge of the pi ratio as it is applied in the Hebrew Temple, also found in reference to the great brass pillars Jachin and Boaz [I Kings 7:15], at the Temple’s entrance. This famous ratio governing the relation of the diameter to the circumference rules over these great cylindrical pillars, as well as the great round brass basin called the brazen Sea. This is covered in more detail in our "Pi in the Sky" article under the "Natural Law" section of this site. The appearance of the oxen both on the base and borders of "the Sea," mirorring to the four Cardinal Directions is a symbol for the precessional Age of Taurus, that we have repeatedly encountered throughout our study. The fact that the Cherubim are mentioned in the same breath as the lions and oxen in the symbolic design of the Brazen Sea and its base, reminds us of Ezekiel’s vision of the four living creatures at the river Chebar. In his vision each of the Cherubims four faces matched the signs of the four celestial pillars [Ezek. 1:4-28, 10:1-22]. I Kings 7:30 above also tells us of the relation of the four wheels at the base of the Brasen Sea as they relate to the Cherubim, [Ezek. 10:9-17]. The details of Ezekiel’s cryptic vision can only be understood in light of the celestial symbolism of the millennial Temple. We will look into this in greater detail in the section of this web-site dedicated to the Celestial Symbolism of the Temple and Tabernacle. One of the main stars of Taurus the Bull is called Aldebaran, the Bull’s Eye, which refers to the "subduing power of the king." This star was known as one of the four Royal Stars in Persian astronomy, at the four-corners of heaven. We find elements of this in Psalm 89, where the Hebrew root for Aldebaran occurs in verse 18.

Psalm 89:16-29

16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. 17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted. 18 For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king. 19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. 20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: 21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. 22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. 23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. 24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. 26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. 27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. 28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 29 His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

   We will see more of the significance of these four-corners of the heavens as our study progresses. As we have just witnessed in Job 9 above, the Pleiades are mentioned along with Orion. We find this pattern holding true later in the Book of Job as well. Next we will look at Orion, which is one of the Constellations specifically named in only the book of the Patriarchal Age, the Book of Job.

Job 38:31-33

31 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?

The decan of Orion 

   The original meaning of Orion is "coming forth as light." The same word is used in Genesis. 1:17 and Isa. 60:1, referring to the light of the celestial luminaries. In this sense it is almost a generic term for the light of all the stars, an interesting point as we consider the symbolism of Orion in connection with the power of both the fallen and risen Morning Stars. This original meaning of Orion will really hit home when we consider the alignments of the Star Shafts of the Great Pyramid, on the stars of Orion and Draco in particular, in our section of the website devoted to the Biblical of Great PyramidAstronomy. We have also discussed in detail the relation between Orion & Sirius the brightest star in the heavens, refering to the stars of the "Navigators line," or Orion’s three belt stars, in the section of our site entitled the Calendar of the Biblical Patriarchs. The root word for Sirius [sar] is used in Isaiah 9, in this famed prophecy concerning the prince of peace.

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

   The glory of the Prince of Peace is everlasting, and it begins with the Lord’s destruction of the enemy and all his works. We can see evidence of this along with his sufferings, in Gemini. The sign of Gemini the twins, carries a sense in Biblical symbolism of the dual nature of Jesus as both King and High Priest. These two elements of the Lord’s ministry are seen as he is the perfect sacrifice wherein, the High Priest himself became the one-time offering for mankind, while the King refers to his absolute glorious rule over all aspects of God’s creation. We find this in the star Mebsuta of Gemini, which means, "treading underfoot," referring to Christ Jesus’ destruction of the spiritual powers of darkness. We find evidence of this in Isaiah 14.

Isaiah 14:12-20

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? 18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

   The imagery of the promised seed treading the serpent underfoot of course is consistent with the first prophecy of the conflict with the serpent in Genesis 3:15. We noticed earlier in reference to the celestial pillars or four cardinal points of the horizon, that the North was omitted. Isaiah 14:13 above may give us a clue as to why. The North symbolized God’s holy habitations in His High Mountain that Lucifer had designs on in his failed coup. We have already seen some of the celestial symbolism in the pole precession, relating the truths of Lucifer’s former brilliance as a resident of "the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." Thuban the archaic pole-star in Draco, has been stripped of his former glory and the star Polaris of Ursa Minor, under the feet of Cepheus the crowned king and promised seed, now holds this pole position, the former "gate of his enemies, " as Genesis 22:17 stated earlier. This may explain why the North was omitted in Numbers 24, referring to the celestial pillars, until the rise of the new Morning Star and the realization of the authority and dominion of Jesus as the promised seed. This is a truth that the serpent has always attempted to hide, as we can see in our look at the next zodiacal Sign of Cancer. The sign "Cancer" as a Crab is a late revision of the earlier symbol of this sign. The original meaning linked to this Sign is found in two of its stars called Asselus Borealis and Asselus Australis, or the Northern and Southern Asses. This gives us a much clearer picture of the first meaning of the Sign, as the Sheep or cattlefolds as the purchased possessions of the lord, or his assembled thousands. Since there is no equivalent Hebrew word for "crab" we can see it did not originate from the Hebrew or Aramaic. We find evidence of its original meaning in Genesis 49.

Genesis 49:11-12

11 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, and his teeth white with milk.

   The details of the celestial symbolism of the asses colt & its relation to Jesus’ two entries into Jerusalem are found in my book on The Season of the Morning Star. We can recall the symbolic act of the Lord washing his garments in wine and the blood of grapes, as a reference to the King of kings returning in judgment to execute the fierce wrath of the Heavenly Father. This speaks directly to the message of the Sign Cancer as the Lord coming quickly in judgment of the earth. The next sign we will look at is Leo the Lion. Jesus is of course called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" in Revelation 5:5. A central prophecy in reference to this lion occurs in Genesis 49.

8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 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 Great Sphinx on the Giza Plateau in Northern Egypt



   These verses are handled in great detail in reference to the triple of Jupiter and Regulus in 3-2 BC, in The Astronomy of the Birth of Christ section of this web-site. This imagery is supported also in Psalm 91:13. We have already seen that Leo is also one of the pillars, or four-corners of the heavens and its brightest star Regulus was also one of the Royal stars mentioned earlier in [Num. 24:9], in the of the ancient Persians. The star Sarcam, meaning "the joining," is another indicator that as the initial sign of the Hebrew Zodiac, the lion was joined with the woman Virgo, preserved in the monument of the Great Sphinx. As the woman who brought forth the promised seed of the ages, the message of this sign was foretold in the Scriptures since Genesis 3:14ff. AstronomyConjunction

Genesis 3:14-16

14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

   Her seed would be called "the branch" in places like Jer. 23:4-6, 33:14-18, Zech. 3:8. Isaiah 4:2 contains some wonderful details that tie directly into the stars of the Constellation Virgo.

Virgo at Sunset as seen from Palestine on September 11th 3 BC.

Isaiah 4:2-3

2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent |and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. 3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:

   The word "beautiful" in verse 2 above corresponds to the meaning of the star "Zavijava" in Virgo, a true characteristic of the promised seed of the woman. It is truly wonderful to witness the inborn Symmetry of God’s Word, flowing from the divine inspiration of the Creator, as the pattern of the narrative of the Stars and the Scriptures unfolds in unison before our eyes. The "glory" of the promised seed referred to above in Isa. 4:2 is also foretold in the decans of Virgo known anciently as Coma, the desire of the nations. This was prophesied in God’s Word in Haggai 2.

Haggai 2:6-7

 6 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; 7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Constellation Libra "the Scales"

   We have covered these topics in detail, in the Celestial Prelude of the of the Birth of Christ section of this web-site. This describes the general sign of the celestial prelude that marked the specific signs of the birth of Christ for the Magi’s recognition. Their realization of the promised seed Jesus Christ, who came as the perfect sacrifice for all mankind can be seen in the original "ensign" associated with the sign Libra, which was an altar. This signified the Lamb of God who laid down his life to pay the price of redemption for humanity [Ps. 130:8]. This price of redemption is preserved in the brightest star of Libra called "Zuben El-Genubi," meaning: the price which is deficient, that could only be paid with the innocent blood of the lamb. The 74th Psalm contains a reference to this ultimate price paid by the Messiah.Astronomy

Psalm 74:2-14

2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. [Ezek. 8] 4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

5 A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.

6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. 8 They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. 9 We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.

12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. 14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

   The second verse of this Psalm speaks specifically to the congregtion which Christ purchased with his blood, and redeemed. The fourth verse refers to the idolatrous ensigns that the people set up in place of the true God in the Sanctuary of His Temple. This word for "ensigns" in the Hebrew is the same word found in Numbers 2:2, where each of the twelve tribes of Israel in their camp around the Tabernacle in the wilderness: "pitched his own standard with the ensign of his fathers house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation…" We have already made reference to the order of this encampment, as it matched the 12 ensigns of the on the ecliptic [Psalm 19:1-4]. In this case the people had replaced their own idols for the true signs of the 12 tribes. This is no different than what we find in the Astrology of our own day. The original celestial message has been long covered over with the various star religions of the heathen cultures of the world, yet we can still see the glimmer of original truth shining through many corrupt and worldly veneers. The answer to the questions posed in verse 10 is, No! God will not allow the enemy to blaspheme His name forever! Their time grows very short. We do not have to wait long before we will see the heads of the dragons broken in the waters, as verse 13 says. The time of our Lord’s return is immanent, so be prepared for our coming glory! He endured the sufferings of his sacrifice for us, the wound in his heel that he braved for our sakes in Genesis 3:14-16, is close to being consummated in his glorious return when he inflicts the fatal wound in the head of the serpent. zodiac

   This brings us to our next sign of Scorpius the scorpion, who is seen stinging the heel of Ophiuchus the serpent bearer, while he crushes the star Antares, the scorpion’s heart. This sign is a powerful indicator of the war that rages in Heaven and on Earth, because the Hebrew name of the scorpion is Akrab, meaning; "conflict or war." We find this theme of conflict with the perverse evil of the enemy, carried on in the star named Lesath the star in the scorpion’s stinger, meaning "the perverse." The piercing pain of this sting of death which Christ conquered for all Mankind, is seen in powerful detail in Psalm 22, a great example of the idol ensigns in conflict with the promised seed.

The Scorpion Scorpius Stinging the heel of the Man Ophiuchus wrestling the Serpent



Psalm 22:11-23

11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

This brings us to our next sign of Scorpius the scorpion, who is seen stinging the heel of Ophiuchus the serpent bearer, while he crushes the star Antares, the scorpion’s heart. This sign is a powerful indicator of the war that rages in Heaven and on Earth, because the Hebrew name of the scorpion is Akrab, meaning; "conflict or war." We find this theme of conflict with the perverse evil of the enemy, carried on in the star named Lesath the star in the scorpion’s stinger, meaning "the perverse." The piercing pain of this sting of death which Christ conquered for all Mankind, is seen in powerful detail in Psalm 22, a great example of the idol ensigns in conflict with the promised seed.

The Scorpion Scorpius Stinging the heel of the Man Ophiuchus wrestling the Serpent



Psalm 22:11-23

11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

   This is a forceful witness of the lord’s crucifixion as Psalm 22:1 and 22:18 directly attest, being quoted in all the gospels, [Matt. 27:3, 46, Mk. 15:24,34 Lk. 23:34, John 19:24]. We have found references to the four cardinal points of the horizon in Numbers 23:21-24, 24:1-9. They are listed with specific mention of the "strength of a unicorn" the [reem], in reference to Taurus the Bull, Leo the great Lion and Aquarius the water bearer, whose seed was poured out of many buckets. In the 22nd Psalm we find the same references with some important differences. The context of Numbers 23-24 refers to Balaam’s prophecy of the coming promised seed, whose glory is referenced in Numbers 23:21, 24:8. The "shout of a king" was certainly among the seed of Jacob, who would "eat up the nations of his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows." This refers to his triumphant return as the King of kings, the mighty conquering judge that no element of darkness will ever withstand. We find this image of the Lord clearly expressed in the sign Sagittarius seen in the arrows of Numbers 24:8. We will cover this in greater detail in our look at Sagittarius next. The context of the 22nd Psalm however is the suffering of the Lord at his crucifixion and death. This was the height of the enemy’s hour, who holds the power of the sting of death. It was the agents of the evil one who crucified the Lord, both the spiritual agents embodied in the "four winds" of the host of heaven and the human agents, or the circling dogs, ravening lions and gaping bulls who surrounded him bringing about his tortured death. These human agents of the evil one are pictured with the enlivened astrological faces of their false ensigns, bringing the desires of their evil father to pass in the world. In the midst of this assembly of the wicked was Jesus Christ who was poured out like water, a reference to his holy sacrificial offering, as he selflessly endured the excruciating pain of his death, laying down his life as the essence of Israel’s High Priest. The end result of his ultimate sacrifice brought the "all truth" of "the Comforter" of John 16:7, the gift of holy spirit that became available as a result of the New Birth, seen for the first time on the day of Pentecost. This is the liquid seed that was poured out of the bucket known in the stars as Aquarius’ Urn, the living waters that truly quench men’s souls, seen in Numbers 24:7. Even as these agents of the enemy encircled the Lord, bringing about his sufferings, these shadows of the Cherubim are bold in defiance of the Son of the Living God, infused with the four dark winds of the cardinal points, activating the power of the dog [Ps. 22:20], as the fullness of the evil desires of the lord of darkness. The double meaning of these related passages of Scripture becomes clear as we take a closer look at the word for "wicked" in the 16th verse of Psalm 22. Lets take a detailed look at this word and its Hebrew root employed in Job 38.

   The following is a reference note in Revised English Version of the Bible on the "Dog-star" in Job 38:13 & 15.¹ This is translated as "the wicked" in the majority of other versions, thus on the surface "Dog-star" does not seem to fit in Job 38, but as we allow God’s Word to speak for itself we will uncover some long obscured and priceless gems of truth. To clarify this lets look at a marginal note in the Companion Bible,² where it says "the wicked" is the same as "lawless" [*H7561, rasha]. In both Job 38:13 & 15, the Hebrew letter "ayin" is suspended, without it the word means "head, top, cheif" [*H7222, rosh]. With "Ayin" supplied it is "the wicked." All the ancient versions and early printed editions read "the Lawless."
   In Bullinger’s related note on Judges 18:30, in reference to "Mannasseh" the letter "nun" is suspended, written partly in the line and partly above the line, to show that originally it formed no part of the word, but was put in to make it spell "Mannasseh" instead of "Moses." This was done for two reasons, first to spare the honor of Moses memory and name and secondly, to put sin upon one [Mannasseh] who committed so gross a sin. The Authorized Version follows the Septuagint & Chaldee by putting "Mannasseh" in the text; while the Revised Version follows the Latin Vulgate and those codices and early editions, which have "nun" suspended, by putting "Moses" in the text and "Mannasseh" in the margin.³ [emphasis mine]
   If the usage of this suspended letter "ayin" in Job 38 follows suit with "nun" Judges 18, then "originally it formed no part of the word," and should properly read "rosh" instead of "rasha". This would change the text from the wicked or lawless to "head, chief, prince, leader, point, top, first rank, the highest, supreme." From the astronomical viewpoint evident in the Revised English Version of Job 38, this etymology is enlightening because the in Egypt’s Denderah zodiac, the star Sirius or Canis Major, the Dog-star is called "Apes" which means "the head". Since the Dog-star is the brightest star in all the heavens from earth’s perspective, the meaning of the "head or prince" is a precise fit. This "prince of the Heavenly host" was also referred to in the sacred books of Persia as "Tistar," the "Chieftain of the East." This is not only a symbol of the sunrise embodied in the new light of the world, but it also refers to the Pyramid’s capstone or "Chief cornerstone," [Ps. 118:22, Eph. 2:20, 5:23] as it catches the first rays of the dawn and sunrise of a new day. In Zech. 4:7 "headstone"- *H7222 [roshah] from rosh *H7218 means the "topmost stone at the corner." We will see this concept fully developed Biblical Astronomy of the Great Pyramid. We have seen this as a recurring theme of our study of the celestial signs surrounding the birth of Christ. The fact that Lucifer was the original light of the world, the "faithful witness in Heaven," [Ps. 89:36-37, Mal. 4:2] and Sirius, the brightest star in the Heavens, shows us a correlation to the first bright and morning star, as the original sun of the First Heaven and Earth. This reflects an early time when the celestial calendars of 360-day sacred solar year and 365.25-day Sirius-Sothic Calendar were running in synch, before Lucifer attempted his coup in heaven. As the angel of light, all temporal matters and the timekeeping of all Creation ran under his watch. After he was cast down however, there was a needed a separation between what had become profaned, in the fallen Lucifer and what would remain sacred and holy in the coming promised seed, the rising light of the world, embodied in the sun. It is this powerful truth that is reflected in the suspended letter "ayin" in the Hebrew, revealing a double truth related to the star Sirius as a symbol of Lucifer, the original embodiment of the bright and morning star. Before his revolt and fall from his position as the head (rosh) of Creation, he was the "head, chief, prince, leader, point, top, first rank, the highest, supreme." However once iniquity was found in him [Ezek. 28:15], he became "the lawless," [Heb.-rasha] the wicked one. He is the embodiment of the activation of the principle of evil [ra’a], also understood in the spiritual of his original sin, the incept point of all darkness. This would also explain the extremely negative mythological connotations of Sirius. Burnham’s states: "In the ancient Greek and Roman world, the influence of Sirius was regarded as extremely unfortunate, as the allusion to the wrathful Achilles in the Iliad would seem to suggest. In Virgil’s Aeneid we read of the Dog Star, that burning constellation, when he brings drought & disease on sickly mortals, rises and saddens the sky with inauspicious light." Entropy⁴

Orion with Sirius the Dog Star, the brightest Star in the Heavens to the left.



This carries a greater significance when we realize that Sirius did not always bear these negative connotations. Bullinger states:

"Though this Dog-Star came to have an ill-omened association, it was not so in more ancient times. In the ancient Akkadian it is called Kasista, which means the leader and the prince of the heavenly host." ⁵ 

   This is significant also in light of Sirius’ physical characteristics. The fact that the Sirius system consists of a double or Binary Star seems to mirror the dual symbolic nature of the star, which emerges from the context of Job 38:13-15. In its original position and first estate as the central fire of the heavens, Sirius as the leader of the heavenly host exemplifies the effulgent brightness of the manifested light of the world, while Sirius "B," its companion star exhibits characteristics just the opposite. Known in modern terminology as a White Dwarf, according to some of the most recent determinations, Sirius "B" would have a density about 90,000 times that of our Sun. The cycle of Sirius "B" is a fifty-year cycle, a fact which has been verified by modern astronomers. Thus it is interesting to see how half this fifty-year cycle of Sirius "B" reflects the luni-solar relationship inherent in the 50-year cycle of Hebrew Jubilees, according to the golden section, or phi ratio. As we have found, the Hebrew Jubilee figures into the timing of Christ’s birth, and is distinct in the celestial events making up the great wonder of Revelation 12. As the archaic angel of light we would expect to find celestial associations in the Sirius cycle that agree with the cadence of the Biblical Patriarch’s calendar, if our thesis holds true. The following calculations from John A. West show the coordination of the luni-solar cycles according to the golden section, or phi ratio, with a split of the fifty-year cycle into 2 x 25 years. According to West: The twenty-five year solar cycle corresponded to 309 lunations.

days per lunation 309 This in itself reveals extremely accurate observations. Modern reckons the lunation as 29.53059 days, a difference of about a second. But Schwaller de Lubicz notes the intriguing equivalence of twenty-five years to 309 lunar months. 309 = (f - 1) x 1000 and its choice as the number determining the cycle cannot have been accidental.                       2Astronomy

(A double cycle, which would express the Golden Section, comprises fifty years:
618 lunations = (f - 1) x 1000.
                                     2

   We may also recall that Rosh ha-Shanah as Tishri 1, is the "head" of the Judean calendar as New Year’s day and Jesus’birth-date, the first day of the fifty-year Hebrew cycle of Jubilees. Thus, we can see that the fifty-year cycle of Hebrew Jubilees that corresponds with the orbit of Sirius "B," seems based on an ancient tradition holding truths beyond the limits of where the modern science of Archaeo-Astronomy has deigned to go thus far. As we return to the celestial context of the 22nd Psalm, we find in Psalm 22:16, the word "dogs" is used with the figure of speech Hypocatastasis. This is the strongest type of a figure of representation, by implication. Even though "dogs" are stated, it is the spirit behind the dog-face that is being implied and thus emphasized. As part of this assembly of the wicked, which is the same root word for the "wicked" in what is showed above from Job 38:13-15, this figurative emphasis referencing "the power of the dog" gains greater depth when its considered in light of the dual meaning of the "dog-star" above. As the spiritual influence and motivating force behind the scenes of the torture and crucifixion of Christ, the wicked essence of the Dog-star Sirius, the archaic and fallen Morning Star is clearly identified. This is further established by the astronomical context that highlights the 22nd Psalm. We will discuss the ramifications of the star Sirius and its Sothic calendar in more detail in Calendar of the Biblical Patriarchs article of our web-site.

   Now lets take a look at Sagittarius. This mighty mounted archer ever has the arrows of his great bow trained on the heart of the Scorpion- the red star Antares. We find this imagery in the  45th Psalm.

Psalm 45:2-7

2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee forever.

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. [Rev. 19:11-16]
7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Sagittarius the Mounted Conquering Hero returning in Victory

   Bullinger informs us that "the Arabic name for the sign Sagittarius is Al Kaus, the arrow."⁶ This is the king riding in the judgment of Numbers 24:8 who "eats up the nations of his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows." We can see more details of this imagery in Habakkuk 3.

Habakkuk 3:3-13

3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. 5 Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. 6 He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. 8 Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers? Was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? 9 Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. 12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. 13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck.

   Here in verses 8-9 we see the Lord fulfilling the oaths of the deliverance of the tribes of Israel, as he bends his mighty Bow in judgment. As he brightly brandishes the weapons of his warfare, his arrows and spear, the heathen fall before him. He wounds the head or leaders of the wicked unto their foundations. None can stand before the wrath of the lord but the righteous, in his coming judgment. This is the mighty Sagittarius riding into Christ’s ultimate victory with his ascended Saints, over the wicked powers of darkness. [Hab. 3:13] As the celestial narrative alternates between the sufferings and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, we now consider the sign Capricorn. The most evident embodiment of this is found in the Passover Lamb, fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus. This is found in Exodus 12.

Exodus 12:3-8

3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 

   Jesus fulfilled every jot and tittle of the O.T. Law, meeting each required element of the Passover Lamb, not only for Israel, but the whole world. Yet some still look for him as though he never came the first time. He has come and brought the New Birth for everyone, we must only believe to receive the fullness of his blessings. As we have already seen, the true blessings of the New Birth are glimpsed, in Aquarius, in the blessings of the holy spirit, which have been with us since the first Century. We find evidence of this in Isaiah 44.

Isaiah 44:3-4

3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: 4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the watercourses. 

   Here again we find the liquid seed that was poured out of the bucket known as Aquarius’ Urn, the only living waters that satisfy men’s souls, seen earlier in Numbers 24:7. As one of the "four-corner" celestial signs of the heavens, this figure speaks powerfully of God’s purposes in his covenants with man. Interestingly, the heavens themselves are said to pour forth their knowledge in the Earth, even as the former and latter rain, [Job 1:19, Ps. 19:2-4]. We see this witness confirmed in the star that is the brightest in Aquarius, named Saad Al Melik meaning: "the record of pouring forth." These are the words whose sound went into all the earth… as Romans 10:18 testifies. This also shows us the sound of God’s Spoken Word written in the celestial light of the heavenly orbs. The last of the 12 major zodiacal signs we will consider is Pisces the fishes. The 47th Chapter of Ezekiel speaks of a great multitude of fish, providing the immediate context leading up to Israel’s future inheritance for the 12 tribes, [Ezek. 47:13ff].

Pisces the Fishes symbolic of Judah and Israel

Ezekiel 47:6-12

6 And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. 7 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. 9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. 10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. 11 But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. 12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

   Ezekiel tells of a time when Israel realizes their inheritance spoken of in the 22nd chapter of the book of Revelation. The river spoken of in Ezekiel finds its source in "the throne of God and the Lamb," [Gen. 22:1-2]. Here we find the true healing waters of the Nations feeding the tree of life, "yielding her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Bullinger affirms in the Sign Pisces, that: "there can be no doubt that we have in this Sign the foreshadowing of the multiplication and blessing of the children of promise, and a token of their coming deliverance from all the power of the enemy."⁷ Psalm 104 gives us more enlightening details on the deep blue sea, the habitation of these multitudes of fishes in God’s Creation.

Psalm 104:19-35

19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.

20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.

21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. [Job 38:39-40]

22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.

23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.

24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. 32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

33 I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

   The tails of these fish are fastened to the neck of the sea monster Cetus, with the Band depicted as Leviathan above in verse 26. This is the prey that the lion of verse 21 is roaring after. This also shows the bondage of Israel’s oppression by Cetus the evil sea-serpent. However, the conquering deliverer is pictured in the paws of Aries the Ram, set to unloosen the bindings of this Band that holds the fishes captive. This brings us full circle from where we began this narrative, unveiling great facets of the truth and beauty of the stellar witness. Psalm 104: 35 closes with "let the wicked be no more," and "Praise ye the LORD." In the Hebrew this is "Hallelujah." Bullinger says this is the "first Hallelujah in the Old Testament. The Talmud and the Midrash call attention to the fact it is connected with the overthrow of the wicked, which is also the case with the first Hallelujah in the New Testament in Revelation 19:1-2."⁸

   This is the long awaited fate of the wicked that the Saints of God will participate in, the great and notable day of the Lord that has been foretold since antiquity in the heavens, and since ancient times in the Scriptures. As we embark on our glorious destiny, let us keep the Hope & promise of our Lord’s victorious return fresh in the fore-front of our minds, in anticipation of the realization of the Hope of the Ages, the Advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

FOOTNOTES:

1. The Revised English Bible rendering of Job 38:13 & 15.
2. The Companion Bible, E.W. Bullinger a marginal note on Judges 18:30.
3. IBID marginal note on Job 38:12-15.
4. Burnham's Celestial Atlas on the star Sirius.
5. Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger, p. 143
6. IBID p. 63.
7. IBID p. 97.
8. The Companion Bible, E.W. Bullinger a marginal note on Psalm 104:35.
 

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