Genesis 1 [14] And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: [15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. [16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. [17] And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, [18] And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. [19] And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years”. Here, we see that the Lord separated the day from the night, creating two different lights in the sky. The one was called a “greater light” while the other, “lesser light”. Today, we call them the sun and the moon. He also divided light from darkness. Why? God sees the end to the beginning. He cannot be caught by surprise. He is God and there is no one else like Him.
SOP – The Desire of Ages - The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of "the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal." Romans 16:25, R. V. It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God's throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency. So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only- begotten Son, "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. {The Desire of Ages, Page 23}
At the creation of this earth, satan was already cast down, darkness was already here, representing satan's refusal to continue in the light in which he was created. Man was created on the sixth day, after all things were created, after the sun, moon, stars, fowls of the air, water beasts, and land beasts. Man was the final crowning act and to him was given an assignment to name all the living creatures of land and air (Genesis 2:19), but Man was to recognize the signs, the seasons, the days, the years, but especially the signs in the sky.
Psalms 147 [4] He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
In this study, we will find that, century after century, epoch after epoch, the names and the meaning of the stars have evolved based upon the nation which ruled and the philosophies that governed their education system. The stars were arranged by the Lord. When Christ Jesus created the heavens, the stars were set forth in a certain order that would provide us of not only a glimpse of His glory, but the story of man’s redemption.
Job 38 [6] Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; [7] When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
That cornerstone was laid at the very dawn of this earth. The stars were called morning stars because they signaled the coming of daylight and were situated in such a way for a man to look higher, directing them to seek, to enquire, and to consider. The Antediluvians read the constellations which, during that time, was bright and vivid. Science describes the sky in the evening before the flood as of a golden magenta hue. It was composed of golden sheets called the “rikiah”. Each star in the universe is of a different color and every color of every star emits a different sound. Stars are prophetic melodies that accentuate the majesty of God. When we could hear them, they sounded like an heavenly orchestra. They were created on the fourth day of creation and witnessed God’s glory in their rejoicing. The Wise Men sought meaning for the stars and they diligently searched the sky, mapping them out to determine if there were any changes. This is how the Wise Men understood the Star as a sign.
Matthew 2 [9] When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
The brightest light in the deepest darkness is what led the Wise Men to Christ. As they followed the light, so are we to follow Christ in the time of deepest darkness. Daniel says that in the last days “the wise shall understand”. So, in these last days, we are to be wise as a serpent, harmless as doves. "Those who would not fall a prey to satan's devices, must guard well the avenues of the soul, they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts", Acts of the Apostles, Page 519. You see, God spoke satan into being. Satan was created with the fullest of wisdom, not for growth. Adam was formed, not created, by the Hand of God. As long as Adam lived, he would continually grow spiritually, morally, mentally, and physically. God named the stars, but the holy pair were to be educated by Christ Himself and the angels, to learn about the meaning and import of them.
SOP – Patriarchs and Prophets - The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. They were visited by angels, and were granted communion with their Maker, with no obscuring veil between. They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree of life, and their intellectual power was but little less than that of the angels. The mysteries of the visible universe-- "the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16)-- afforded them an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. The laws and operations of nature, which have engaged men's study for six thousand years, were opened to their minds by the infinite Framer and Upholder of all. They held converse with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life. With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth among the waters to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam was familiar. He had given to each its name, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits of all. God's glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, "the balancings of the clouds," the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night--all were open to the study of our first parents. On every leaf of the forest or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky, God's name was written. The order and harmony of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love and called forth fresh expressions of gratitude. {Patriarchs and Prophets, Page 50.3}
Yes, Man was perfect in physical form. Yes, he had the image of Christ. Yes, he was increasing in learning, in understanding, and wisdom, but all of this was elemental at its core. There was heart work to attain. His character must be developed. He had to encounter test and trial which would mature him. We must remember that, at creation, everything was beautiful and perfect in their eyes. At this time, they were called "the holy pair", Man and Woman. They had not known the experience of pain or distress, sadness or heartache. They had no concept of what evil was and its consequences. That was a foreign, strange thing that would never have entered into their minds had they not disobeyed. It is not in surface reading that secret things are revealed.
We must educate our minds; we must dig deeper within knowledge to discover hidden truths. But, above all, we must believe God. We must believe His truth. The Man and the Woman did not embrace as life what God had said. They did not believe the consequences of disobedience. So, when the serpent said, "yea shall not surely die", she believed the serpent's words over the Lord's words, and the Woman was deceived. Then, when Man, knowingly, willingly, acquiesced, that brought sin to both. They both lost faith in God at that moment. And now, with a lack of faith, sin enters, and their eyes were opened to know good and evil, and the light of the stars dimmed. Now, the meaning of the stars dissipated. The sun and the moon mark the passage of time, just as do days and months. The stars reside in their relative celestial family consisting of the sun and the moon. These three manifestations are for our appreciation and understanding, just as Adam and Eve were to learn. We must spiritually recognize their object and purpose. The moon, the sun, the stars offer a most wonderful message to God’s people. At night, we see the sky illuminated by the moon and the stars. But the moon and stars become invisible at the coming of the sun. The darkness of sin may overcome the world, even as God’s people are in the world, but when the Son comes, darkness will be blotted out. Did you notice how that we faded as the splendor of the Son shown? He must increase, we decrease. Yet, we remain gloriously reflective of His light.
Matthew 24
[29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
This verse tells us prophetically, the condition of the world and its inhabitants, when we will see the Word of God obliterated from the minds of all those who reject Christ. He tells us that, even those who faithfully serve him, will no longer be able to offer the invitation to come to Christ. The words of the Son are obscured. The moon, which reasoned with the tide of the waters, the flow of the people, will no longer provide encouragement. The stars, whose voices spoke from God’s mind, no longer receive His response to the faithless prayer of the wicked. The former sources of light: the sun, the moon, the stars, no longer represent the principal sources of guidance.
Job 38 [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 word “Mazzaroth” is a Hebrew word meaning “zodiac” and each month, on an elliptical traverse, the seasons, star pictures, repeat and echo; each month, they uphold and undergird prophecy, from the birth of the church to the final harvest. Pleiades, Orion, Arcturus, these are all constellations, stars in the heavens. Focus on that part where it asks “canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?”. The Lord here, is connecting the stars with seasons, the passage of changing times. Now, don't think of the word "zodiac" and imagine the horoscope in the daily newspaper; the one where people turn to find out if they are going to have a good day tomorrow, or check to see if they are going to have bad luck the next day. No, no! The constellations were made for our good, but what God made for our good, satan tries to use for evil purposes. The horoscopes are a device of satan, and man, being used of satan, has perverted the meaning of the constellations. The constellations tell the Story of Christ and His people. “I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven”, “the eleven stars made obeisance to me”, “turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever”. The stars are literal AND physical AND symbolic AND spiritual. Returning to Job 38:31, we see the constellations Pleiades and Orion. And the Lord asks us if we can bind them together as he has knit them together, for they cannot stray from there proscribed position. It is similar in human families; there is a binding together that “binds the sweet influences” and unites the family members. Note the familial terms of Arcturus and his seven sons? In the sight of God, this constellation is one, living family that is fixed, never to be separated until the voice of God shakes them.
SOP - The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The observance of the false sabbath will be urged upon us. The contest will be between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. Those who have yielded step by step to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will then yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. At that time the gold will be separated from the dross. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliance will then go out in darkness. Those who have assumed the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ's righteousness, will then appear in the shame of their own nakedness. {Patriarchs and Kings, Page 188.1}
Job 9 [6] Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
[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.
Stars are the pillars of heaven; they support the universe as God’s people are the pillars of truth that support the gospel. Here, we find the same three constellations mentioned together and there is a reference to the chambers of the south. When the Lord repeats, it is for emphasis, he wants us to pay attention. He wants us to study it out. Sanctuarially speaking, it points us to the south side where the candlestick of witness stands, pouring forth golden oil.
Exodus 27 20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always .
In the earthly sanctuary, the only light within the tent was from the candlestick, and the candlestick was without measure, fed by the oil olive beaten, indicative of persecutions, tribulations, or chastisement, and in close proximity: light upon the shewbread, the Word of God. Arcturus is the Harvester, Orion “coming forth as light” also called the “Coming Prince”, and Pleiades alternatively called Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, the Great Bear, and the Greater flock, all of which points to the grand finale, the true harvest of the world. How is the zodiac connected with seasons? Well, in rotation, the months pass through each season, from spring to summer to autumn to winter. And God asks us, can we change the seasons? Do we, in our finite mind, have the power to modify one iota of the Lord’s plans? No! the resounding response bellows throughout the earth, we cannot change one iota, we cannot retard one tuber from growing in the autumn, nor can we force one flower from blooming in the springtime. Praise the Lord! God designated the constellations to indicate the beginning of the seasons and the years. We know that if we see a certain constellation in a certain position, that this is the beginning of the year. God set the beginning of the year in April, Abib, the Hebrew meaning "to be green, tender", in the springtime, when the flowers are just beginning to sprout, peeking out after a cold winter. To signal the coming end, God permissioned satan to have a minor effect upon the climate, which prompts man to disregard God’s beckoning signs for salvation.
Exodus 13 [4] This day came ye out in the month Abib.
Abib is a month of beginnings. God’s church was born in the month of Abib, Jesus was born in the month of Abib. Remember it was a star that heralded the advent of Jesus. It is a time of birth. The antediluvians timed the months based on the cycle of the moon, from full moon to full moon, a thirty-day cycle, and they knew the particular order of the months by the position and appearing of particular stars until the flood ruptured earth and its axis tilted, thus disrupting the harmony of the relationship between earth and the stars, rendering the months shorter or longer than thirty days. That is why we plant according to the moon, when there is a gravitational push and pull, planting based on root vegetables or fruits, called waxing or waning. "For the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon," Deuteronomy 33:14. January, February, March etc., are man-made pagan names. Julius Caesar modified the calendar after a civil war victory in 46 BC, setting the beginning of the year in January, in the dead of winter when all things are lifeless and barren. After his assassination, he was given a month, named "July" for Julius. The number twelve: twelve tribes of Israel, twelve gemstones on the breastplate, twelve disciples, twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem city, twelve months in the year, and twelve zodiac signs, or Mazzaroth – the number twelve pertains to God’s perfect government, God’s ultimate authority, the cyclical path of the earth for twelve months positions the stars in certain locations. In the night sky are star pictures, the zodiac, the bible calls it Mazzaroth, and these star pictures reveal prophecy, the coming season, the coming month, the coming events. The opening up of the Constellation Orion signals the soon return of Jesus from the East. This earth has been enveloped in spiritual darkness for 6000 years, "But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings" "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever". That is the Three Angels Message. That is our proclamation to “Cry Aloud”. There is no reason, no excuse to despair, just look up to the night sky and read what it reveals.
Jude [14] And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, [15] To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Enoch looked back to Adam, then looked forward to the last days. It would be only four generations later when Noah and his sons entered the ark and in the three sons, there was blood memory, a knowledge of the gospel, a preservation of everything that their father had taught them and from what he was taught and learned.
SOP - If Adam had not transgressed the law of God, the ceremonial law would never have been instituted. The gospel of good news was first given to Adam in the declaration made to him that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head; and it was handed down through successive generations to Noah, Abraham, and Moses. The knowledge of God's law, and the plan of salvation were imparted to Adam and Eve by Christ Himself. They carefully treasured the important lesson, and transmitted it by word of mouth, to their children, and children's children. Thus the knowledge of God's law was preserved. {1 Selected Messages, Page 230}
The antediluvians had minds that were so brilliant, so intellectually astute, so gifted that they did not need to recall or record anything. They had before their eyes, an image of the constellations which, if rightly understood, would give them hope of a Redeemer to come and an Enemy to vanquish. For roughly two thousand years the world was without a written revelation from God. Their revelation was in the stars. Good and Evil were portrayed in the stars in the sky. It was through the sons that the knowledge of Genesis 3:15 was transmitted and their first attempt to preserve that knowledge was in pictorial form. When Noah’s sons evacuated the ark, they endeavored to remain in close connection, which became sin as the population increased. They built a city and a tower in the land of Egypt, which became one of the repositories of knowledge.
In the Temple of Esneh in Egypt, there is a
great sky painting in the portico on the ceiling which shows the whole picture of the zodiac beginning with the Virgo,
the virgin birth, and ending with Leo, or the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Note the circle on her head? That is the zodiac. The problem with hieroglyphics is that most geologists do not see through a spiritual lens and view things through their carnal eyes. The pictorial shows a woman's head and ends with a lion's behind. This does not mean that the antediluvians were cutting and pasting, splicing and unraveling DNA sequences (though they likely did, according to Genesis 6:5), but this image shows a passage of time, from a woman to a lion. These were not merged biologically, but indicates the beginning of Genesis 3:15 and ending with the triumph of Revelation 5:5, as in the zodiac. The woman begins with Virgo in Genesis, the virgin and ends with Leo, or the Lion of the Tribe of Judah in the book of Revelation. As God told Abraham “I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven”, he was directing Abraham to look up to when the world is completely dark and record that there will be individual lights in that darkness who will stand up and out, here and there. Those stars are children of the light, not of darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5
[5] Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Matthew 5
[14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
We are light bearers. We are to BE light and emanate light and share light with others, while walking on the earth, but living in a higher sphere, in an heavenly atmosphere, we are already there, in heaven, by faith. We are the stars that shine in the midnight darkness. And our Lord, in His infinite wisdom, and manifold mercy, left for us a message in the constellations, surprisingly, in the zodiac.
Romans 1 [17] For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. [18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; [19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: [21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
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