Tag Archives: zodiac

YHVH’s Glory in the Eclipse

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Just about everyone in the United States (and probably many other countries) was aware of the total eclipse on August 21st of this year.  Nancy and I had the privilege of seeing the total eclipse in the foothills of the NC mountains. We are so thankful that Abba blessed us with that once-in-a-lifetime experience!

I have always been fascinated with YHVH’s created heavenly bodies, so I could not resist this opportunity to see one of the many heavenly testimonies to His awesome glory and power.  Since I had never seen anything but a partial eclipse (and that was as a young child), I did not really understand the unique qualities of a total solar eclipse.  I thought of all the amazing factors that have to come together for the moon to track right along with the sun across 3,000 miles of our country, blocking the entire sun within a 30-mile-wide swath at the surface of the Earth.

 One of the things that YHVH planned and designed perfectly were the relative sizes of the Sun and Moon, and the distances between the Sun, Moon and Earth.  This would be straightforward if the three heavenly bodies were all close together, but it is complicated by the fact that the moon is only 250,000 miles from the Earth and is ¼ the size of the Earth, while the Sun is 93 million miles from the Earth and over one million times the size of the Earth.

Another aspect is the perfect alignment of these three bodies by the synchronization of their orbits around each other: the moon around the Earth and the Earth around the Sun.  To make this even more miraculous, this blocking of the Sun must be able to persist for a very long time, such as the tracking of the total eclipse across the entire US on August 21st.

During the total eclipse, we marveled at Abba’s amazing creation, demonstrating His glory and perfection through this incredible event.  When the eclipse became total and darkness fell all around us, it was almost beyond description – even the birds were confused by this sudden darkness and flew anxiously back and forth out of the surrounding trees.  The photo at the front of this article, taken with a regular digital camera by one of my cousins, gives you some idea of the incredible view we had of the sun, looking at it with our naked eyes.

Once darkness fell, we immediately started seeing other lights in the sky.  The brightest and most obvious light was Jupiter, located to the East of the darkened Sun.  A few of the younger folk in our group spotted another light to the West of the Sun, and we later discovered that it was Venus, often called the “morning star”.  I did not learn until later that the only time you can see both Jupiter and Venus in the sky is during a total eclipse.  At all other times, Venus can be seen in the morning and Jupiter can often be seen in the evening sky.

It is hard to describe if you have never experienced anything as visually amazing as a total eclipse, but at this stage our whole group was staring in awe at the darkened sun, and we were rendered speechless – it was a truly inspiring sight, and showed us YHVH’s glory from a very different perspective.  At the time, I was thinking about the significance of seeing Jupiter in the eclipse-darkened sky in the middle of the day.  I remembered that the original Hebrew name of Jupiter was Melech, which means king.  Then I recalled that this planet symbolized the Messiah as the King of Kings according to ancient Rabbinic interpretations of Messianic prophecies.  Later, we remembered that the Sun also represents Yeshua our Messiah (Psalms 19:4-6).  Although the Sun was darkened for a time, it could not be blotted out completely, because the corona was still visible around the perimeter of the moon.  Also, as the Sun darkened, Jupiter brightened.  Our Messiah and King, the Light of the world, cannot be defeated.

This was all wonderful and we glorified YHVH for these revelations.  But there was more – when I was researching this later, I realized that the Sun had moved into the star-sign of Leo the lion before the time of the eclipse (it then moved into Virgo in the Fall when Jupiter was also said to be in “Virgo’s womb”).  The original Hebrew name of Leo is Aryeh, which also means lion, and this sign and its related constellations tell the story of Yeshua coming as Judge and King in His final victory over the enemy.  If you want to read more about the Gospel story told by this heavenly sign, see our blog from early 2016: https://missingpieces.co/2016/02/20/the-lion-of-the-tribe-of-judah/ 

While I do not predict timelines of the Second Coming, I feel that Yeshua was giving us some very powerful visions of His final victory on that darkened afternoon.  I believe He was telling us that He is coming quickly (as He said in Revelation 22:12), understanding that “quickly” in His time-frame means something very different than it does from our Earthly perspective.  It was another sign to me that we need to prepare ourselves spiritually for His second coming.  We can best prepare ourselves through worship, fasting and prayer, as He meets us at those times and gives us revelation about Himself and His plan.  I praise Yehovah’s holy Name that He gives us these glimpses into His glory.  Let us turn our hearts and minds to Him and listen for His voice so that we do not miss what He wants to place in our hearts.

Even though darkness (evil) on the Earth will increase for a while, it will not totally blot out the Light of the world, who has already overcome the world (John 16:33).  Yeshua, our Light and King, will very soon return to the Earth, triumphant over the evil one.

Gedi Star Teachings

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gedi-the-goatToday we are going to explore another of the amazing signs that YHVH placed in our heavens from the beginning of Creation.  The sign is commonly known as Capricorn, which translated from Latin literally means a horned goat.  However, as I have mentioned in the past, we cannot trust modern Greek and Latin names of stars or constellations, as their names and meanings have been corrupted over the years from the original Hebrew meanings.  In Hebrew, this sign is called Gedi, which means kid goat, but is sometimes translated as sea goat, due to the strange half-goat/half-fish image portrayed in ancient drawings of the sign.

The image we see in Egyptian, Indian, and Phoenician drawings is of a fish that is weak and dying at the head, but alive as a healthy fish at its tail end.  The stars in this sign confirm the meaning associated with this image: ma’asad: the slaying; dabih: the sacrifice slain; and sa’ad al nashira: the cutting off.  As with many Hebrew words, gedi (kid goat) has a second meaning: to be cut off.  This sign, then, represents the sacrificial Goat of atonement, Yeshua, who was slain to redeem us from our sins, was “cut off” (crucified) to bring us salvation, healing and deliverance from evil.

The fish portion of the goat’s body represents us: the people for whom the sacrifice was made.  Other star names in this sign also point to Gedi as being the goat who was sent into the wilderness for remission of our sins (so that they would be sent away as far as the east is from the west).  We know that Yeshua fulfilled both of these goat sacrifices!

To complete this awesome picture story, the three constellations associated with this sign give more of the details. The 1st constellation is Sagitta, means “the arrow of Elohim sent forth” – this connects with Psalm 38:2 where it says “Your arrows have struck deep, and Your blows are crushing Me”; and also Isaiah 53:4-5: “He was stricken, smitten of God & afflicted; He was wounded for our transgressions”.  Aquila (the eagle) is the 2nd constellation in Gedi – the stars in this constellation convey the meaning of “the smitten One falling”, “the One who comes in the Shekinah glory of God to shed His blood as a sacrifice”; and “the One who was wounded in the heel” (Gen 3:15).

The third and final constellation in Gedi is Delphinus, the original name meaning “the dead One rising”.  It is shown in ancient Zodiacs as a fish full of life, always with his head pointing upwards.  This represents Yeshua’s resurrection as “the first-fruits of them that sleep” (I Cor 15:20).  The Hebrew name is Dalaphin, which means Dolphin and also “pouring out of water”.  We see from this word picture that Yeshua fulfilled the prophecy to pour out the Holy Spirit on all flesh, symbolized in Scripture as the “fountains of living waters”.

The brightest star in Gedi is actually a double star named Deneb Al Giedi – “the Judge who is the sacrifice.”  When we think about Yeshua’s dual role as our Messiah, we know that He came to save us from our sins in His first coming to Earth, but that He will be our ultimate Judge in His second coming. As Yeshua says in John 3:36: “Whoever trusts in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but will remain under God’s judgment”.  Draw close to Yeshua and He will draw close to you; get to know Him intimately and your greatest desire will be to trust Him with your life, walk in His way and lovingly obey all of His commandments.

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

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Lion of JudahJudah is a lion’s whelp…and as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Gen 49:9-10

As I mentioned in a previous blog on YHVH’s Gospel message written in the stars (Messiah’s First Coming Foretold in the Stars), we can identify the beginning and ending of the story written in the star pictures, as it is confirmed in all the ancient Zodiac drawings. For instance, the great sky painting found in the Temple of Esneh in Egypt shows the whole image of the Zodiac with all of its constellations. Virgo (the virgin) is shown as the first sign of the Zodiac. Between Virgo and Leo (the Lion), there is a carved figure of the sphinx with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The woman’s face is looking at Virgo and the lion’s tail is pointing at Leo, telling us where the Zodiac Gospel story begins and ends.

The sign of Leo the Lion (or Aryeh in Hebrew – אַרְיֵה) is not only the last of the 12 signs of the Zodiac, but it tells the end of the Gospel story if you are following it in the Scriptures. Taking the ancient star names from this sign and compiling them together, the meaning that emerges can be paraphrased as “Messiah’s final triumph”. Leo (Aryeh) represents Messiah Yeshua, returning to Earth as King of kings and LORD of lords at the end of the age as revealed in the Word of YHVH.  Aryeh is always shown and named as a lion in the drawings and languages of all the ancient Zodiac depictions.

He is sometimes shown to be treading on a serpent (Hydra), as confirmed by the ancient star name Regulus, which literally means “treading under foot”. Based on some of the other star names in this sign, Aryeh also means “a lion hunting down His prey”, or (from the Arabic star-names) “coming forth as a flame”.

The Egyptian name (Pi Mentekeon) means “the pouring out”, which symbolizes the pouring out of Divine wrath on the Old Serpent. The name of the Serpent constellation associated with this sign, Hydra, literally means “he is the abhorred” – Yeshua is the only One who is able to destroy the evil one (HaSatan). The star names in Aryeh tell the rest of the story without further explanation: “the Judge or Lord who comes”; “the exaltation”; and “the shining forth” (see Revelation 5:5-14).

The second constellation in Aryeh is Crater (the Cup, which represents the cup of Divine wrath poured out upon the Serpent. This syncs up with Scripture as “the cup of His indignation” (Rev 14:10) and “the cup of the fierceness of His wrath” (Rev 16:19). The final constellation in Aryeh is Corvus (the Raven), whose star-names in the ancient languages refer to the birds of prey devouring the Serpent. Its Arabic name is Minchir al Gorab, meaning “the Raven’s tearing to pieces”. The brightest star is Al Chiba, which means “the curse inflicted” – which refers to the birds of prey who took part in the final avenging of God’s curse on the evil forces of the world (Rev 19:17,18,21).

We can see confirmation of the Lion being used as a symbol for YHVH coming in judgment to defeat His enemies in Isaiah 42:13: “The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war; He shall cry, yea, roar; He shall prevail against His enemies”. Just as with the other “strongman” signs in the stars, Aryeh is a Lion in this case which symbolizes Yeshua as El Gibbor, “a mighty man” who is also YHVH God.

Out of all the universe, the Lion of Judah alone is worthy to judge and to reign over the Earth. In Revelation 5:5-6, after John starts weeping because no one is found worthy to open the scroll and read the final words proclaiming the end of the world, John says:

“…one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’  And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain…”

This is our Messiah Yeshua, a Mighty Man, God incarnate, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.  Even quoting His names and titles from the Scriptures sends supernatural joy and power surging through my veins. Speak His names out loud, bask in His glory, tell Him how worthy He is and how much you love and worship Him. For we know that someday, all people will bow down and worship Him, the Lion of Judah, “…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). I am going to start now instead of waiting until the end of the world – how about you?

Is that a Bear, a Dipper, or a Sheepfold in the Sky?

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one flock one shepherd

We spoke in a previous blog about the Gospel message written in the heavens. When Abba took Abraham outside and showed him the stars, He said “look towards heaven, and tell the stars, if you will be able to list them; and He said to him, ‘So shall your seed be’” (Gen 15:5). As a refresher, the word that is translated tell is actually the same word used for taking a census, and means that Abba not only counted the stars for Abraham, but He told him their names! Similarly in Psalm 147:4, David says of YHVH: “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name”.

As we look out across the night sky, one of the most recognizable constellations is the Big Dipper (and its cousin the Little Dipper). These two constellations are in the Zodiac sign commonly referred to us as Cancer. However, it is very misleading to portray this sign as a crab, as the ancient Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Latin, and Greek names for this sign have similar meanings: “to bind together”, “holding” and “encircling”. There was no ancient Hebrew word for crab, as it would have just been included in the general category of unclean creatures not fit for eating. In the center of this sign is a very bright cluster of stars, whose ancient name was Praesepe, which means a multitude or offspring. The names of some of the brightest stars in Cancer have the meanings of: “sheltering”, “hiding place”, “assembled thousands”, and “lambs”. When we put all of these names together, we get a picture of this sign as the fold or sheltering place for a large multitude of lambs.

The first of the three constellations within this sign is the so-called “Little Dipper” or “Little Bear” (Ursa Minor). Once again we see many wide-ranging names, images and descriptions of this constellation. Most of the mistakes in interpreting Ursa Minor stem from the source of these names – all the modern-day names are based on the mythological foundation of the star-picture interpretations. All of these are based on pagan gods and were later inventions which began during the time of Nimrod following the great Flood. As we did with the sign of Cancer, we return to the ancient names for the constellations and the stars within them. In the companion constellation, the “Big Dipper”, the brightest star is named dohver in Hebrew, which means “fold” as in sheepfold. It is also translated as rest or security in the Scriptures, and in Judges 5:16 as sheepfolds. This tells us that both the Big Bear/Dipper and Little Bear/Dipper are actually representing sheepfolds! Part of the confusion may be between dohv and dohver in Hebrew (and also in Arabic): dohv means bear whereas dohver means fold.

The major stars in these two constellations, where ancient names have been preserved, help to confirm their meaning as the lesser and greater sheepfolds of the Messiah: “awaiting Him who comes”, “the redeemed assembly”, “the traveling company”, the “stronghold of the saved” and the “flock”. What is the distinction then between the lesser and greater sheepfold? The greater sheepfold (Ayish in Hebrew) is referred to in Job 9:9 and 38:31-32. It is generally translated as “the Bear with her cubs”. However, in other places in the Scriptures, Ayish is sometimes translated as “moth” or “butterfly”, which is in line with our sacrificed Redeemer, Yeshua the Messiah, whose body was transformed into a glorified body in His resurrection and ascension. We know from YHVH’s promises in His word that Yeshua will return to gather together His children. The remnant that He will gather will be his flock from both the lesser and greater sheepfolds.

Based on many ancient star-names, we believe that the lesser sheepfold will consist of the physical children of the tribes of Israel; not only the Jews but the remnant of all 12 tribes of Israel gathered from throughout the Earth. The greater sheepfold, then, will be the remainder of the multitude of people from the nations who believe and trust in Yeshua as their Messiah, Lord, Savior and Deliverer. Only YHVH knows which fold we are associated with, or whether we are part of His flock at all. I want to be part of this remnant flock. Whether I am from the lesser or greater sheepfold does not matter; Yeshua Himself said: “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd”. (John 10:16) I pray that we as believers in Yeshua will all be part of His flock, and not worry about which fold we are gathered from.

Will the True Messiah Please Stand Up?

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Gemini

Many passages in scripture talk about the dual nature of Messiah Yeshua, that He is both God and man. So how do we know that Yeshua the Messiah is both divine (YHVH Elohim) and human? Scripture makes very clear this dual nature of Yeshua, and we know that we can believe the testimony of Scripture because all Scripture is inspired by God and is true and good for doctrine, teaching, etc. (2 Tim 3:16).

Galatians 4:4 shows the humanity of Yeshua: “…God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Torah..”. Luke 1:35 provides clear evidence of the divine nature of Yeshua – the angel said to Miriam: “…The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

God did not just manifest Himself in flesh as a human being, but rather “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father..” (John 1:14) God the Father took Yeshua who was already His Son from the beginning, and made Him to be born through a human woman by the power of the Holy Spirit. So why did Messiah need to be fully human as well as fully divine? Because we had to have a High Priest [our Messiah Yeshua] who could understand our weaknesses – One who had been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. (from Heb 4:15) Even more specifically, Hebrews 2:17 says: “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of all people. Scripture confirms this in Philippians 2:7-8, where it says that Yeshua took on the “form of a bondservant, and [came] in the likeness of a human being. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

We can see clearly from these scriptures that Yeshua could not have taken away our sins unless He was both fully human (so He could identify with us in our human weakness) and fully divine (so that He had the power of the Holy Spirit to defeat the enemy, HaSatan). It is true that we now have the power of the Holy Spirit within us, when we have been baptized into that power. However, Yeshua has a special relationship with the Holy Spirit and Abba Father, in that He is One (Echad) with them as persons of the triune God, Yehovah Elohim.

To put this into a context that might be easier for us mortal beings to understand, YHVH has painted the entire Gospel message into His star-pictures in the sky. We have looked at some of these in depth in previous blogs, but here I just want to give you a brief snapshot of one of them to help clarify Yeshua’s duality as God and man. Most people have heard of Gemini as one of the 12 signs of the Zodiac. However, as with the others, its meaning has been corrupted over the ages through pagan mythology and astrology. The original Hebrew name for this sign was Thaumim, which means united, or twinned, as in Exodus 26:24.

In most of the myths about Gemini, twin brothers are represented; they are sometimes seen as heads of armies or great pirates on the seas (sons of Jupiter), which is why they were looked on as “patron saints” of marine navigation. The ancient star-names paint a very different picture, though, of a single person with a twofold nature–God and Man. They tell the story of His twofold work of suffering and glory, and His twofold coming in humiliation and in triumph. Two of the 85 stars in this sign point this out very clearly; the star Apollo in the head of one means ruler or judge, while the star Hercules in the other’s head means “the One who comes to suffer”. The best translation of the Hebrew name of the sign (Thaumim) is “united into one”, in the same sense that Yeshua is one person of the Godhead, but has two distinct natures united together in His one essence.

There are not two separate persons, but rather two natures joined together in one Person, “God and man in one Messiah.” We can’t have one without the other – if we accept Yeshua as a man, suffering for our redemption, then we must also accept Him as our God (Yehovah), coming to judge all people and reign as King of kings for eternity. When we remember what Yeshua said to His disciples before He left the earth, it helps us understand what it means to be a part of His Kingdom: “If you love me, you will keep My commandments”. (John 14:15) In verse 21, He goes on to say: “If anyone loves Me, they will keep My word; and My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them.”

This sounds like the greatest thing that could ever happen to us, that Abba Father and Yeshua His Son would come make their home with us! Do you want this? It means sacrifice and commitment for someone to keep His commandments (His word) day-by-day. As Yeshua promised, Abba sent the Ruach HaKodesh to help us every moment of our lives – do you think the Holy Spirit can also help you to stay faithful to Yehovah’s Word? Is it worth trying?

Fountains of Living Waters

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Out of their heart

“for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to fountains of living waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Rev 7:17

In last week’s blog about YHVH’s Feast of Shavuot, I talked about YHVH giving us His written Torah, and then pouring into our hearts the living Torah when He gave us His Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) at Pentecost (Shavuot). In Scripture, water sometimes represents the Holy Spirit. In several passages, YHVH uses the images of living or flowing water, or pouring out of water (see John 54:10-11;7:38, Joel 2:28, Zech 14:8, Rev 7:17). There is even a related scripture where YHVH speaks judgment over His people who have abandoned Him “…,Because they have forsaken the LORD [YHVH], the fountain of living waters.” (Jer 17:13)

Abba is saying that His Holy Spirit is not only active but constantly in motion, inspiring us and empowering us to flow in the gifts that He blesses us with. The clearest scriptural confirmation of this is in John 7:39, right after Yeshua said “If anyone thirsts, let them come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of their heart will continuously flow rivers of living water.” In verse 39, John [Yochanan] commented on Yeshua’s offer to pour out His Holy Spirit on His people when he said: “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Yeshua was not yet glorified.” This passage also reminds us of the most beautiful prophecy about the giving of the Holy Spirit in Joel 2:28: “…I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.”

Yehovah did not want us to miss His prophecies on the giving of the Holy Spirit, so He even wrote this message in the stars. If you grew up in the 60’s, you probably know the worldly (or New Age) significance of the Zodiac sign called Aquarius. Regrettably, the original meaning of this sign has been corrupted by pagan mythology and worldly Greek philosophy. From the original Hebrew name of this sign, “poured forth” or the pourer forth of water”, we can see that YHVH was telling us that He (The Pourer Forth of Water) would in the future be pouring out the Holy Spirit on his children. We now know that this is what happened at Pentecost [Shavuot], which was the fulfillment of Joel 2:28.

As we meditate on the beautiful message in Joel of the One who pours out His Spirit on all flesh, we remember to look to the One who is doing the pouring, and receive from Him what he desires to give us. But receiving this outpouring (or infilling) of Yehovah’s Ruach HaKodesh into our hearts through the baptism of the Holy Spirit is only the first step. How can we be active vessels of His Holy Spirit, allowing the Ruach to flow through us continuously like rivers of living water (John 7:38)? Jeremiah speaks about YHVH’s judgment on His people: “My people have forsaken me, the spring of living water. And they have dug wells, broken wells that can’t hold water.” (Jer 2:13)

Even though we are leaky vessels as imperfect humans, YHVH can use us in powerful ways when we are flowing in the power and gifts of His Ruach [Holy Spirit] within us. An active, functioning well is one that responds when someone primes the pump: the water flows out to those who need it. In the same way, we need to be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and ready to pour out His living water into the lives of others. The Ruach pours wisdom, gifts, and power into us – we have opportunities every day to use His gifts and power to help and disciple others.  How will you use the living waters of the Holy Spirit to bear fruit in this needy world?

Ultimate Struggle in God’s Star Pictures

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Scorpio2

Many scriptures describe Yeshua’s conflict with and victory over the great adversary (HaSatan). These “good vs. evil” conflict scriptures lead us into the third major sign in the Zodiac: Scorpio, or Akrab in Hebrew which means “the Redeemer’s conflict”. The word pictures in this sign and its three related constellations clearly depict the Messiah as our Redeemer, who comes to save us from the power of the enemy.

The first and most familiar allusion to Messiah’s great battle with the enemy is in Genesis 3:14-15, where God curses the serpent (the devil) and says to him that He will “…put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He [Messiah] shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel”. This prophecy from YHVH set in motion the spiritual battle between HaSatan and the children of Eve that continues through the ages. Hebrews 2:14 describes how Yeshua, through His death, destroyed the one who has the power to bring death (the devil). Because of Yeshua’s victory over the enemy, we as YHVH’s children now have His authority to defeat the power of HaSatan in our lives (Luke 10:19, Romans 16:20, Psalm 91:13 and Revelation 12:11).

The Scorpio star-pictures graphically illustrate each of these scripture prophecies. In a couple of previous “Gospel in the Stars” postings, I discussed how Yeshua (Jesus) represents the strong man in Psalm 19:5. In this star sign, there are two images representing the Messiah as the Strong Man: El Gibbor (which means “Mighty God” as in Isaiah 9:6) and Ophiuchus, derived from a Hebrew word meaning “Mighty One”. In Scorpio, these Strong Men characters are actively engaged in warfare with the enemy, and are winning the battle! We see the serpent (Serpens) struggling vainly with Ophiuchus. Although the serpent [HaSatan] stole the crown from Adam in the Garden, he is not able to steal the crown from Messiah Yeshua in the ultimate battle between YHVH and the enemy. At the same time Ophiuchus is treading on the heart of the Scorpion, which is the bright star Antares, meaning “the wounding” (from Arabic) or “the heart of the scorpion” (from its Latin name).

In this star-picture, the Mighty God, El Gibbor (paganized to Hercules by the Greeks) has His foot positioned over the head of Draco the dragon (which also represents the devil in Revelation 20:2-3) ready to crush him with His foot. The finality of Messiah Yeshua’s victory over the evil one is shown in Revelation 20:1-3, 10 (“And He [Yeshua] seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, which is the devil and Satan,…and threw him into the pit…and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur…where [he] will be tormented day and night forever and ever”). In the end, HaSatan is thrown into the lake of fire and will never again return to deceive and torment YHVH’s children.

Many people in our modern society seek to know the future by studying the stars from a pagan perspective (astrology) or other means of worldly prophecy. However, we can know the truth of the future from the beautifully accurate stories YHVH painted into the stars from the beginning of His creation. The message in the Scorpio star-pictures has helped confirm for us the scriptures which prophesied Messiah’s victory over the enemy, as well as our authority to tread on the enemy (serpents and scorpions, from Luke 10:19) and to trample the serpent [HaSatan] under our feet (Psalm 91:13).

We pray Abba’s blessings over you to seek and know the truth of Abba’s word (both in writing and painted in the sky). We pray that this new revelation will help you grasp ahold of the authority that YHVH has blessed us with, that in the name of our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach we can defeat the fiery darts of the enemy that come against us in our daily lives.

Messiah’s First Coming Foretold in the Stars

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Messiah's 1st coming foretold (Isa 11 1)“A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son called the Branch, the gloriously beautiful, who shall come down and have dominion. He shall be desired and longed for, but also He shall be despised and be a sin offering. He shall be pierced, but will also pierce. He is the heretofore and the hereafter. He will come suddenly to rule, subdue, govern and tread under foot” (paraphrased from a combination of passages in Isa 4:2, 7:14, 9:6-7, 11:1, 53:3,5; Hag 2:7; Zech 3:8, 6:12; Rev 1:8)

Although this quote is not taken directly from the scriptures, it can be pieced together from the above list of scriptures, and agrees in every detail with the ancient constellation and star names. The word “Zodiac” comes from the Hebrew word zodi, meaning “the way” or “path”.  The Greeks use the term ‘Zodiakos’, meaning ‘circle’ to designate the twelve signs and ecliptic circle of the path they follow through the twelve months of the year. We understand Yeshua’s statement that He is “the Way, the truth and the life”, and remember that Yeshua represents the “Strong Man” moving through the circle of the Mazzerot throughout the year (Ps 19:5-6). So based on these two concepts, we recognize that we are meant to follow Yeshua as the Way, and that He is figuratively leading us around the circle of the Zodiac, the signs that tell the Gospel story of Yeshua’s birth, ministry, death, resurrection and final judgment as King of kings.

The first sign of the Mazzerot (Zodiac) is named Virgo (Latin) or Betulah (Hebrew). The reason we know Virgo (Betulah) is the first sign of the Zodiac is because of the great sky painting found in the Temple of Esneh in Egypt, which shows the whole image of the zodiac with all of its constellations. Between Virgo and Leo, there is carved the figure of the sphinx with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The woman’s face is looking at the Virgin and the lion’s tail is pointing at the Lion, telling us where the Zodiac Gospel story begins and ends. Although I don’t recommend the Latin Vulgate as the most accurate Bible translation source, in this case it helps us understand the meaning of this sign relating to the prophetic passages about the Messiah. Two of the names for this sign are connected – Virgo (Latin) which means a virgin (Isa 7:14); and Virga (Arabic), which means a branch (Isa 11:1).

To confirm the reference to the Branch, the brightest star in Virgo is Tzemach (Hebrew). Although there are 20 different Hebrew words that are translated as “branch”, Tzemach is the only word for branch used to represent the Messiah (example Isa 4:2 – “In that day shall the Branch of Yehovah be beautiful and glorious.”) Virgo’s left hand is shown holding ears of corn – in her left hand is a bright star named Spica, which in Latin means “an ear or seed of corn”.  The Hebrews called this star Zerah, which means “the seed” and is the same exact word used in Genesis 3:14-15. Remember how Yeshua used the figure “grain of wheat” or “seed of corn” (depending on the translation): unless the seed [of corn] falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” He was indicating here how He had to die in order to bring salvation and eternal life to His people.

The other constellations within the sign of Betulah [Virgo] confirm the prophesied roles and attributes of the Messiah. The first constellation is name Coma in Hebrew, which means the “desired” or “longed for” One, as in Haggai 2:7 – “The Desire of all nations shall come”. Ancient Zodiac depictions show a woman with a child in her arms, with the star representing the child designated by an ancient Persian name meaning the “anointed one”. In some ancient teachings thought to have originated from Daniel the prophet, a new star appeared within Coma which represented the newborn Messiah they were seeking.

The second constellation within Virgo is Centaurus (Latin), which is a well-known mythological character purported to be half-man and half-horse. The ancient Hebrew name of this constellation, though, was Bezeh, meaning “despised” as in Isa 53:3 – “He was despised and rejected of men”. Incredibly, the other name for this constellation is Asmeat, which means “a sin offering”, as in Isa 53:10 – “When You make His soul an offering for sin,..”. So, we have a creature here who is the Son of God, both man and sacrificial animal (probably a goat and not an unclean animal such as a horse), who is despised by people but still willing to sacrifice Himself for us. This is a clear picture of Yeshua our Messiah!

The final Virgo constellation is called Bootes (Hebrew), which means “The Coming One”. He is generally shown as a shepherd, with a shepherd’s crook in one hand and a sickle in his other hand. This could represent many things, but most clearly it shows a picture of the Messiah, coming the first time as our shepherd, and at the end of the age as the judge who comes to reap His harvest of souls and cut off those who will still not turn to Him and His Father after their final call to repent. Even in the stars we see Abba Father and Yeshua beckoning to us to repent – how will we respond?

Their Voice has Gone out to All the Earth

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Their voice has gone out (Rom 10 18)In my first posting on the “Gospel in the Stars”, I explained that God (YHVH) created everything in His kingdom for His own purposes (Prov 16:4), including the stars of the sky. The most tangible use of the stars in the natural world is for keeping track of God’s “appointed times” (Moedim). As I had mentioned before, the sun moves through all 12 of the Zodiac (Mazzerot in Hebrew) signs throughout the course of the year – one sign each month. So, if you were stranded on a tropical desert island for a year, where you had no noticeable change of meteorological seasons, you would still be able to keep track of the seasons of the year. Remember from my previous blog that when God speaks of His seasons in the scriptures, he does not mean the well-known seasons of Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, but rather He is referring to His appointed times (the seven annual Feasts of YHVH) outlined in Lev 23 and many other scriptures.

The real focus of this blog series, though, is to illustrate a more significant purpose that God had for creating and arranging the stars in the sky. Paul’s (Sha’ul’s) letter to the Romans quotes Ps 19:4 when it says “But I ask you, have they [the heathens] not heard? Indeed they have, for ‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world’.” (Rom 10:18) The word their in his quotation refers to the stars from Ps 19. He quoted this verse as an irrefutable testimony that even the heathen of the nations outside Israel had seen and heard the witness of the stars, because their voice had gone out to all the earth!

So, let’s talk about some specific examples. Recall from my last posting that Yeshua (Jesus) represents the “strong man” in Ps 19:5 (“which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run its race”). The association of the strong man with the bridegroom confirms that this verse is talking about the Messiah. I had introduced the strong man examples of El Gibbor (paganized to Hercules in later centuries) and Shur (Taurus in pagan astrological terminology) in my Sept 12 blog “Witness in the Stars”. I want to focus now on the Zodiac sign of Taurus or Shur (“the coming and ruling one” as translated from Hebrew), and specifically on the constellation of Orion.

Since Shur represents the coming and ruling one, there is an indisputable association to the Messiah (Yeshua), the judge and ruler of the whole earth. The three constellations in Shur (by their astrological names) are Orion, Eradinus, and Auriga. Orion (or Chesil in Hebrew) means the strong one or hero. Together with the ancient names of stars in Eradinus, this constellation literally means “the river of the Judge’s wrath breaking forth on His enemies”. This ties in with the verses in Dan 7:9-11 which talk about the final judgment at the throne of the “Ancient of Days” – verse 10 says “A river of fire was flowing, and coming out from before Him…the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.” Auriga means shepherd (as in Isa 40:10-11), which represents Messiah Yeshua, the Good Shepherd who leads His redeemed to safety in the final “Day of Wrath”.

Now, focusing on Orion (Chesil), there are two separate but related meanings that come from these two names for the constellation. As I said above, Chesil means the Strong One; but Orion also comes from a Hebrew root meaning “coming forth as light”. So combining these concepts, we have an obvious and powerful reference to the Messiah as the Strong One and the Branch (from the star Betelgeuse, or Tzemach in Hebrew); the coming Prince (from another star in Orion); and the One who comes forth like light, swiftly crushing the enemy under His foot (from the star Rigel). These awesome testimonies of God’s “Gospel in the Stars” only increase our trust in YHVH as the One and only Creator, Redeemer and Master of the universe, who tells the end of the story from the beginning.

Witness in the Stars?

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Have you ever wondered why God says in Scripture that He counts the stars and calls them all by name (Ps 147:4)? What does He mean by that? Why would He want to name them, and are the names significant to us? When Abba Father took Abraham out and showed him the stars, He said “look towards heaven, and TELL the stars, if you will be able to list them; and He said unto him, ‘So shall your seed be’” (Gen 15:5). The word that is translated TELL is actually the same word used for taking a census, and means to not only count the stars but to call each of them by their names! Could it be that God told His people the names of the stars and was actually telling a story to them through those names? Read Ps 19:1-4 and see how this passage tells about the witness given by the stars, which Paul quoted as an irrefutable testimony in Rom 10:18 (also see Ps 89:37: “…Even like the faithful witness in the sky.”).

God created everything for a purpose. He created the heavenly bodies to give light, to separate the day from the night and to be for signs and seasons, and for days and years (Gen 1:14). We know that the sun and moon separate the day from the night, and the sun’s daily cycle allows us to keep a count of the passing days. The moon was God’s original light to help us keep track of the months of the year. However, it is much more difficult to keep track of the seasons and years strictly based on observing the daily movements of the sun and the monthly cycles of the moon. Ancient astronomers knew how to use the movements of the sun and moon through the various constellations of the zodiac (called mazzerot in scripture) to keep track of the seasons and years.

The sun travels through all twelve of the constellations throughout the course of the year. At any one point in time, this would make it possible for our ancestors (without the benefit of modern scientific calendars) to track the progress of the year and to know the current “season”. The passage in Ps 19:5-6 describes the movement of the sun through the constellations of the mazzerot during the course of the year. However, when you meditate on this passage at a deeper spiritual level, you can see the allusion to Messiah (Ps 19:4 “In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices like a strong man to run His race.”). “Them” refers to the stars in this passage. Remember that Yeshua (Jesus) is the “Sun of righteousness” from Mal 4:2. Also, from the original Hebrew names of the stars, we know that Messiah is represented by the “strongman” in a number of the constellations (e.g. Orion, Hercules, Leo, etc.). One clear example of this strongman type pointing to Yeshua comes from the original Hebrew name of Hercules – El Gibbor, which means “The Mighty One”, a designation for both Abba and Messiah (Father and Son) in Isa 9:6.

Going back to the original Hebrew meaning behind Gen 1:14, we see that the “seasons” Elohim (God) wanted His people to keep track of were actually not the four seasons of the year we recognize, but rather His moedim (Hebrew for “God’s appointed times”) which correspond to His Feast days that occur at specific times of the year. These moedim (feasts) are associated with significant acts of Yeshua in both His first and second coming. Job 38:32 confirms the importance of the stars in keeping track of God’s seasons: “Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?” (Hebrew meaning of the “Bear and her cubs” refers to Yeshua’s sheepfold as His flock).

One of the strongest confirmations that Elohim has given us the Gospel message in the stars can be seen within the constellation Taurus. The Hebrew name for Taurus (bull) is shur, which means “the One who comes to rule”. This “Bull” is definitely a picture of Messiah, who is coming to rule on the earth. The Pleiades, a cluster of stars, is close to the head of the Bull, and is seen “Riding on the neck of Taurus”. Pleiades is sometimes called the 7 Sisters, but its Hebrew name is kimah, which means “congregation of the judge or ruler”. This agrees with Jude 14-15, which says: “Behold the LORD comes with 10,000’s of His saints (righteous ones) to execute judgment on all and to convict all who are ungodly.” Thus, through these and the other constellations, we have a very strong testimony that Elohim put them there to teach all of His children His Gospel story (see Rom 10:18, Ps 19:4).