Psalm 19:1-6 provides more information on the stars:
The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day, they pour forth speech.
Night after night, they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language,
Where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the Earth,
Their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming forth from His pavilion, Like a champion rejoicing to run His course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other.
Nothing is hidden from its heat.
Psalm 19: 1-6
A careful study of this passage shows that the stars in their courses do four things: they prophesy, they give knowledge, they illustrate the glory of Yaweh and they show forth His purposes.
It is the positioning and naming of the stars which gives us this knowledge and prophecy concerning the “one” to come and special events which are to occur. These groupings of stars are known as the Zodiac. The word Zodiac means degrees or steps which mark the stages of the sun’s path through the heavens, corresponding with the 12 months of the year. We can only give a brief explanation here of Biblical astronomy and its meaning. (For further study, I would refer the reader to the sources listed at the end of this volume).40
So what is the special event or the special one that these signs were to point to in the stellar revelation? We have already spoken of this in a previous chapter, but now we need to look at it once more. Confronting the serpent and Adam and Eve, Yaweh said:
“And I will put enmity between thee (serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed:
It shall crush your head and you shalt bruise his heel.”
Genesis 3:15
This is the first prophecy and promise of the Messiah, the seed of the woman. The heel of the Messiah would be bruised by the serpent. But the Messiah would ultimately crush the head of that same serpent. As has already been stated, this verse embraces all of the history of man’s fall and ultimate redemption. In this one verse we are told that the coming seed of the woman would receive a temporary and non-fatal wound in his heel from the seed of the serpent, but that the Messiah would claim the final victory by crushing the head of the serpent under his heel, inflicting a fatal wound.
We are also given three of the main players in the saga, whose signs are to be found in all of the ancient Zodiacs. The woman is Virgo, the virgin from whose womb would come the Messiah. His star is Leo (the lion), which can be seen in the planisphere of the heavens waiting to pounce and deal a fatal crushing blow to the serpent (Scorpio).
In Genesis chapter 49, we are given a prophecy which relates clearly to one of the constellations, Leo. In this passage, Jacob is on his death-bed and is speaking to his son Judah concerning his 12 sons and their offspring.
Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he crouched as a lion, and as an old lion.
Who shall rouse him up?
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet (Hebrew: regal) until Shiloh come.
Unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Genesis 49: 9,10
Here Jacob identifies Judah with a lion. This is a clear indication that Shiloh (another name for the Messiah) would come out of the lineage of Judah. But in astronomical terms he would come out of the sign of Leo. We are also told that “the sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet.” In the Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic this word is regal, meaning “foot.” In the constellation of Leo the brightest star is Regulus. So in this one passage of Scripture we have the brightest star, Regulus, associated with the Messiah, the lawgiver, in the constellation of Leo, the lion. Furthermore, Regulus is associated with the future king (Messiah) and is strategically placed between the feet of Leo, the lion, ready to pounce and crush the head of the serpent, Scorpio.41
Further proof that the Messiah would come from the line of Judah is found in the Book of Revelation, whose prophecies are yet to be fulfilled.
And one of the elders said to me: “Weep not, behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
Book of Revelation 5:5
It is evident here that the Messiah was to come through the line of Judah, which is linked to the constellation of Leo. There are many references in the Scriptures to show that the groupings of the stars and their names were given to communicate to mankind the plan and blueprint of Yaweh. These star names and their groupings were well-known and rehearsed by the patriarchs and were handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. When Moses finally wrote down the first five books, and these were followed by other Psalmists and prophets, there was no more need for the celestial writing. So, as time went on, their meanings were forgotten and lost. What we have today is astrology, which is a bastardisation of the original truths and a counterfeit of the true astronomy as originally given.42 Furthermore, astrology and other so-called prognostications are to be strictly avoided, according to Isaiah and other prophets.43
Not all of this astronomical knowledge was lost all at once. The prophet Daniel was well versed in true astronomy and was charged with imparting this knowledge to the Magoi, who were in his care. It is most probable that this cult of Magoi were the predecessors of the Magi, who saw the star of the promised Messiah in the heavens and who came to Bethlehem seeking the “King of the Jews.”
These wise men were Zoroastrians from Persia, which is present-day Iran. Down through the years from the time of Daniel (circa 500 BC), these Magi were initiated into the true meaning of the constellations and their stars. When they observed the various movements portending the birth of the promised “seed of the woman,” they knew this to be the coming Messiah.
What exactly they saw and when it occurred is still a matter of much conjecture. In August of 3 BC Jupiter, known as the king planet, came into conjunction with Venus in the constellation of Leo. On September 11th 3 BC, the sun was directly in the midst of Virgo while at the same time the new moon was directly under the feet of Virgo. This is exactly as described in Revelation 12:12:
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
And she, being with child, cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Then, on September 14th 3 BC, there was a conjunction between the king planet Jupiter and Regulus in the constellation of Leo (which is the sign for Judah). This conjunction occurred a few times more over the coming months. So the most likely date for the birth of the Messiah, as prophesied in Genesis 3:15, was September 11th 3 BC. It is an established fact that he was not born on December 25th in the year zero.44
The Magi observed all of these unusual stellar displays and, because they were well aware of the prophecies concerning the coming seed of the virgin, they knew this to be the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. On June 17th 2 BC, Jupiter was in conjunction with Venus, which formed a brilliant light in the western night sky in the constellation of Leo. This was the “star” which stood over Bethlehem and which guided these Persian astronomers there to pay homage.
It was over one year and three months (December 2nd 2 BC), by the time the Magi reached Bethlehem and found the child Messiah, who was a year old by then. This would have given the Magi enough time to observe the first movements of the relevant stars in their constellations, which convinced them that their calculations were accurate. Also, they had time to prepare for their journey to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah and the location of the throne of the promised king. This also explains why Herod, on learning from the Magi that a king was to be born, had all the children of two years old and under slaughter
ed. If the newly-born king was but hours old, why kill all children up to the age of two? Herod was taking no chances. He knew from the Magi that the child was over one year old; so, to be sure, he ordered his men to murder all children up to two years of age.
So the child was about one year and three months old when the Magi from the East finally found him and presented him with gifts. By the way, we are not told that there were three Wise Men. There may have been five or eight or ten. But these Zoroastrian astronomers, who were expert in the study of true Biblical astronomy, were watching out for the signs in the sky which would herald the birth of the seed of the woman, the promised Messiah. It was only a small few who knew of these prophecies. So, too, it will only be those who are aware of the prophecies concerning the second advent of the Messiah who will read the signs and discern what they portend.
There are other passages throughout the Scriptures which provide us with the names of various stars and refer to the Zodiac and the planets. But too much technical information can overburden the reader and lead to confusion. The above study is enough to show that the original story of the fall and redemption of man, from Genesis to Revelation, is recorded in the twelve signs of the Zodiac. These truths are written in the stars, where no man can touch or corrupt them. The twelve signs of the Zodiac are divided into three books of four chapters each. These twelve signs form a circle in the sky corresponding with the twelve months of the year. But where do we begin to read this book and where do we finish? Perhaps we may get a clue from the riddle of the sphinx. The Biblical scholar and author E.W. Bullinger suggests that the sphinx bears the head of a woman (Virgo) and the body and tail of a lion (Leo). So our story begins with the virgin and the promised seed and goes on through the whole Zodiacal story to end in the future with the king (Leo) in triumph over the arch-enemy (Scorpio: the serpent), just as Yaweh had predicted way back in Genesis 3:15.
Now here is the rub. Besides all those spiritual beings we have spoken of in this chapter who knew of these astronomical prophecies, there was another group of entities who also were extremely well-informed in this area. Lucifer, the original bright morning star, was keenly aware of these prognostications. Remember, he was the “anointed cherub who covereth.” He was fully instructed and full of wisdom and splendour and knowledge. Furthermore, he and his host were all present when the Earth was founded.
The point is that Satan and all his supernatural allies are very familiar with the stars and their groupings. But they have managed to change the true meaning of Biblical astronomy into the false art of astrology and of the occult and other so-called related “sciences.”
This explains to some degree why many of the ancient temples and monuments are decorated with Zodiacal configurations. For the persons who built them are intrinsically interwoven with the stars and their movements. And they are called “stars.” Their original habitation was a place called “Heaven,” which is somewhere among the stars, and more than likely they are named after individual stars. (“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” Psalm 147:4) So matters celestial are part of their heritage. Moreover, their leader, Lucifer, the Morning Star, was in Eden, the garden of God. He was upon the mountain of God and walked up and down in the midst of the fiery stones. Then he said in his heart: “I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will ascend above the heights of the Most High” . . . (Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14).
But his rebellion was in vain and his plans came to nought. He and his host were cast out of “Heaven” to the Earth. But they remain obsessed with trying to return to their celestial habitation. Thus, the many monuments they constructed are often Earthly reflections of stellar configurations.
Here is a brief summary of the twelve signs of the Zodiac and their Biblical meanings. (I would refer the reader to E.W. Bullinger’s Witness of the Stars for a more detailed and complete study.) The twelve signs are divided into three books of four chapters (or signs). Each book, therefore, consists of four signs.
I Virgo
The Prophecy of the Promised Seed
1. Coma: Woman and child
2. Centaurus: The despised sin offering
3. Bootes: The coming one with branch
II Libra
The Redeemed Atoning Work
1. Crux: The Cross endured
2. Lupus: The Victim slain
3. Corona: The Crown bestowed
III Scorpio
The Redeemer’s Conflict
1. Serpens: Assaulting the man’s heel
2. Ophiuchus: The man grasping the serpent
3. Hercules: The mighty man victorious
IV Sagittarius
The Redeemed Triumph
1. Lyra: Praise prepared for the conqueror
2. Ara: Fire prepared for his enemies
3. Draco: The dragon cast down
V Capricornus
The Result of the Redeemer’s Suffering
1. Sagitta: The arrow of God sent forth
2. Aquila: The smitten One falling
3. Delphinus: The dead One rising again
VI Aquarius
The Blessing Assured
1. Picis Australis: The Blessings bestowed
2. Pegasus: The Blessing quickly coming
3. Cygnus: The Blesser surely returning
VII Pisces
The Blessings in Abeyance
1. The Band: The great enemy
2. Andromeda: The redeemed in bondage
3. Cepheus: The Deliverer coming to loosen
VIII Aries
The Blessing Consummated
1. Cassiopeia: The captive delivered
2. Cetus: The great enemy bound
3. Perseus: The Breaker delivering
IX Taurus
Messiah Coming to Rule
1. Orion: The Redeemer breaking forth as Light
2. Eridanus: Wrath breaking forth as a flood
3. Auriga: Safety for His redeemed in the day of wrath
X Gemini
Messiah as Prince of Princes
1. Lepus: The enemy trodden underfoot
2. Canis Major: The coming glorious Prince
3. Canis Minor: The exalted Redeemer
XI Cancer
The Messiah’s Redeemed Possessions
1. Ursa Minor: The lesser sheepfold
2. Ursa Major: The fold and the flock
3. Argo: The pilgrim’s arrival home
XII Leo
The Prophecy of Triumph Fulfilled
1. Hydra: The old serpent destroyed
2. Crater: The cup of wrath poured out
3. Corvus: The birds of prey devouring
Thus end the Scriptures of the Heavens.
At the beginning of this chapter, we quoted Psalm 19:1-6. Listen again to the first four verses:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
And night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the Earth
and their words to the end of the world.
The 36 constellations contain the Scriptures of the Heavens. This is the story they tell. This is the “speech” they “utter.” This is the “knowledge” they “show forth.” There is no articulate speech or voice and no words are heard; but their sayings have gone out into all the world.45
Conclusion
From the very first mention of the stars in the first chapter of Genesis we are told that not only are they for light, but also as signs which would mark out something or someone to come. We have learned that this knowledge of the stars would have been passed down through the generations in the oral tradition. For the most part, this knowledge had been lost, as it was no longer needed due to the advent of the written word. We also learned that other spiritual beings are aware of this astronomica
l knowledge, as matters stellar are their heritage. Thus many of the pyramids and other monuments bear astronomical information and details which would be outside the realm of all but the initiates. We conclude this section with a quote from I Corinthians 15:39-41.
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
There are also celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial; but the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differs from another star in glory.
Today, we refer to famous actors, sports personalities and other celebrities as “stars.” But other famous men, the stars and heroes of old, walked this earth in the dim distant past five and a half thousand years ago. It is to these we now turn our attention.
THE ANTEDELUVIAN AVATARS
We are now ready to consider the presence of the Nephilim on the Earth, prior to the Flood of Noah, and their effect on it. Very little information is provided in the texts, but I believe we can piece together the details provided through arcane sources and, along with the evidence left for us in hieroglyphs and other written records, we can reach an acceptable conclusion. Consider the following mathematical problem:
The Nephilim and Pyramid of Apocalypse Page 6