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the story in the By Heidi Barry “So, what’s your sign?” asks the Christian’s new acquaintance. “Um…sign?” the Christian fumbles. “Yeah; you know, astrological sign? For your horoscope?” the acquaintance
prods.
There is no question that our culture is saturated with astrology. Though some Christians fall prey to the notion that the stars affect their lives, most Christians reject the pseudo-science of astrology. However, in their rejection, Christians have overlooked a powerful witnessing tool. Before astrology was developed, God had a grander design for the stars, and while astrology has greatly obscured this purpose, it can still be discovered by the diligent. Long before daily horoscopes appeared in newspapers, King David wrote, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” (Psalm 19:1-3) What speech was David referring to? What knowledge did he find in the stars? David went on to say, “In [the stars] He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; it rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, and its circuit to the other end of them...” David is referring to the zodiac. It is a word which Christians now associate with astrology and the occult, but the zodiac is simply the path the sun appears to travel through the stars in the course of a year. Since ancient times it has been divided into 12 sections or “signs.” Each sign is a constellation on the path of the zodiac, and has three constellations related to it, called “decans,” which lie above and below the path of the zodiac. In all, there are 48 constellations in the zodiac. What was the original purpose of the zodiac? It couldn’t have been devised to divide the stars, since all stars are not included in the 48 constellations. And the wide-spread notion that ancient people saw shapes in the stars and named them accordingly doesn’t make sense either. Most of the configurations of stars that make up the constellations bear no resemblance whatsoever to the figures they were named after. The answer to the mystery of the zodiac is found in Genesis 1:14: “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.’” Besides being used to measure time, the stars were to be used for signs and seasons—or, going back to the original Hebrew meanings of the words—for messages and appointed times. One of God’s purposes in creating the stars was to put within them a message to man relating to future events. This message is contained in the names of the signs, constellations, and stars. It is in these names that the “speech” and “knowledge” David referred to is found. All ancient peoples; the Persians, Hebrews, Egyptians, Chinese, Aztecs, etc., had the same meanings for the names of the signs, constellations, and stars. This confirms that the names all came from one source: God (Psalm 147:4 and Isaiah 40:26). He named the stars instead of entrusting the job to Adam, as He did with the task of naming all the animals, so that, in the names of the constellations and stars in the 12 signs of the zodiac, He could foretell the story of our world. Time has done much to obscure the story. The names of some of the stars have been lost, and Greek mythology distorted the meaning of many of the signs and constellations. But by digging into the meanings of the original names in the original languages, the story in the stars comes to light. THE STORY The main character in the story is Jesus Christ. Each sign contains a figure representing Him. He is first shown as the long-awaited Son of a virgin woman in Coma. In Centaurus and Saggitarius He is a centaur, a figurative dual-natured being; both man and horse, as Jesus was both man and God. Ophiuchus, Hercules, Perseus, and Orion depict Him as a strong man or hero. In Bootes and Auriga He is a shepherd; in Castor and Cepheus He is King. Satan is the antagonist in this story. He is depicted as six vicious monsters: Scorpio, the perverse, wounding scorpion, Serpens, the usurping serpent, Draco, the subtle, fraudulent dragon, Cetus, the rebel sea monster, Lepus, the deceiving snake, and Hydra, the abhorrent female snake. As with all good stories, there is a conflict. Jesus and Satan are locked in a battle for power, as shown in the sign of Scorpio, where Ophiuchus the strong man (Jesus) grapples with Serpens (Satan), who is trying to steal Corona Borealis, the crown of glory and power rightfully belonging to Jesus. This conflict is referred to in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed (Jesus); He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Again and again, Jesus is shown as a strong hero bruising the head of Satan while Satan bruises Jesus on the heel. This happens between Ophiuchus and Scorpio, Hercules and Draco, Orion and Lepus, and Leo and Hydra. Satan (as Cetus the sea monster), enslaves humanity (Pisces the two fishes), and Jesus’ bride-to-be (Andromeda the chained woman). Libra, a scale, weighs the price of their freedom. In one pan on the balance hangs “The Price Which is Deficient,” speaking of man’s inability to free himself from Satan’s chains. In the pan on the other side of the balance lies “The Price Which Covers,” speaking of Jesus’ paying the price to free His people. That price, revealed in Lupus, Aquila, Aries, and Capricorn, was Jesus’ sacrificial death. Centaurus and Lupus show that He allowed Himself to be killed, as a sacrifice, just as Jesus said in John 10:18, “No one has taken it (life) away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.” In Capricorn He is a dying goat (sacrifice), and out of his death comes life to a fish, representing mankind. This symbolism is repeated in Aquarius, where Jesus is a water-bearer pouring a never-ending stream of life-giving water into the mouth of the fish Piscis Austrinus, again representing mankind. Jesus’ bride, in the form of Cassiopeia, is freed, and shown preparing for her wedding to Cepheus. But Jesus didn’t stop with freeing His people. The story says that Jesus will return. Stars with names such as “The One Who Comes,” “He Goes and Returns,” “Who Returns Quickly,” “Returning From Afar,” and “The Judge Who Comes” are found in the constellations Bootes, Aquarius, Pegasus, Cygnus, Orion, and Leo. The fish in Pisces are called “The Fish of Him Who Comes.” In the sign of Aquarius Jesus appears as two flying figures; Pegasus the winged horse and Cygnus the swan, who are returning quickly and coming in victory. Jesus will return to destroy Satan in a fiery judgment. Ara, a constellation in the sign of Saggitarius, shows this judgment as a fiery altar. Eridanus is a river of fire flowing from the upraised foot of Orion. Jesus, as Auriga the shepherd, holds and protects His lambs from this judgment. THE ZODIAC TODAY In ancient times God provided the zodiac as a vivid way for people to know the truth. Though God has now given the world His complete revelation through His Word, the truth of the zodiac still important as a witnessing tool. As the stars’ importance in God’s plan faded, the truth behind the zodiac became obscured by the distortion of astrology that arose out of Babylon and Greece. This lie has entangled people all over the world. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free,” and Christians can use the truth of the zodiac to set people free from the snares of astrology. Christians should find out more about this subject, and be prepared to use this information to witness to friends and acquaintances. “What’s your sign?” asks the Christian’s new acquaintance. “You mean astrological sign?” the Christian responds. “According
to modern astrology, I’m a Saggitarius. But do you know what the original
purpose of the zodiac was? Let me tell you about it. It all started in
Virgo, when a virgin had a son...”
For more information read: God’s Voice in the Stars: Zodiac Signs and Bible
Truth
Mazzaroth
The Gospel in the Stars
The Witness of the Stars
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