Light pollution has obscured the stars and the constellations of the zodiac from view of most Americans. The constellations of the zodiac are known for their astrological significance, but few know the origins of many of their names. Particularly important is that many stars have Biblical names or significance, and tell the gospel story.

Truly, the gospel is told in the stars – but it does now take some special training to hear the story. Unfortunately, many of the star’s original Hebrew names have been replaced by Arabic names which do not carry the same meaning.

Jeff was to have instruction concerning the significance of many of these names with his next angelic visitation.

The Trip

It would sometimes be Jeff’s habit to try to escape his life. While on the outside, Jeff might appear successful, he was intensely lonely. This is the problem experienced by most who chase after affection and love by using people; used people seldom stay around.

Jeff had been through hundreds of women through the years, and all had left him when his true intentions became known.  He never wanted any kind of long-term relationship.  He was only interested in what he could get out of a relationship and then move on.   Jeff either had them evicted from his house by the police on some pretext, but most ran away on their own will. Either way; Jeff was alone.

Sometimes, his loneliness would lead to drugs, other times to alcohol. These diversions provided only a momentary escape for his lonely soul, for as soon as their effects wore off, he was one again – alone.

On this one night, Jeff could no longer be in his huge, empty house; he had to leave and seek solitude somewhere else – anywhere else. His mansion held too many memories;  the television room where he watched endless pornography, the back bedroom that was soundproofed; screaming from his sexual conquests could not escape.

But it was all too much; everywhere was a memory of lost love, of achieving conquest but never long-lasting love and affection. No, Jeff had not felt those emotions since – well, childhood. While he could pay for women to accompany him as needed or cater to his every perverted whim or desire, they would always leave when the money ran out.

Jeff was driving his Mercedes into the country – far into the country as if to escape his nagging loneliness and yes, sadness as well.  He was coming to the realization that his life was empty, having no long term meaning, and that “all was vanity.”

It was getting darker as the sun had long set, and the six land superhighway of the city became a single country dirt path. He was lost – he had just followed his instincts to get away from it all – and get away he did. While he had a GPS navigator system installed on his custom-made car, he did not use it that night; he didn’t care where he finally ended up, so as long as it was different from where he started out. Far away from the city, no one would know him – or his sordid life.

Finally recognizing he was getting low on gas, he started to look around for a place to spend the night. Driving for a few miles, he soon recognized there was no such place to be found. Rather, he drove off the road a bit, parked his car off the road near a patch of grass, and turned off the engine. He would be spending the night – well, somewhere; alone with his thoughts and the beautiful display of stars above.

It was a moonless night. The air was cleared from smog and pollution by drenching rain a few hours before. The air was crisp, cool, and only the smallest breeze to ease his boredom. He put the top down on his Mercedes and planned to sleep in his car that night, bothered by man nor beast. There would be no one to intrude, no one to whine for more money, or pester him with useless demands. The night was his, and he was going to use it for his ends. He had neglected to bring any sleeping pills or alcohol with him, but he did not need any. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he was off into dream land.

As Jeff slowly sank into sleep, he felt his whole body relaxing. Gradually, the stresses and memories of the day resolved into blackness.

But he soon realized he was not alone.

The Angel Returns

As with so many times in the recent past, Jeff began to experience the gradual onset of light from all directions; he felt suspended in a sea of light. His surroundings disappeared, and he became cognizant of his angel friend a few feet away. He started to study this angel suspended slightly above him. He seemed larger, more substantial than he had remembered. It was difficult to make out any personal features of the angel as to stare at him was to stare into light. He could make out his form and recognized the angel to look like any man, and he even chuckled to himself as there were no visible wings behind him nor a halo over his head.

“Son of Earth, I have wondrous news for you tonight for I will reveal things neither you nor most people have ever heard.”

“Tell me, angel; why do you torture me, why can’t you leave me alone?”

“I am not here to torture you but to reveal to you those things which you should have learned during life but didn’t because you were too preoccupied with money, the things of this world. In being so occupied with this world, you have neglected to prepare for the next.”

“OK angel, I have learned there is no escape from your presence. You have come again to destroy my sleep and cause me troubling dreams and I am helpless in your presence.”

“Son of Earth, know this; I will never hurt you or cause you any physical pain. My calling is as a messenger from God to reveal to you those things which money cannot buy. One of them is knowledge; knowledge of God is what separates the worldly from the righteous. You are here far away from your worldly possessions because you recognize they do not bring you any lasting happiness.”

“The memories of your past testify against you, Son of Earth. You have used people for your own profit and to serve yourself, and have never in your long, dreary life helped anyone less fortunate than yourself out of compassion. That is what you are running away from.”

“All right angel, I have learned I can’t fight or compete with you – just tell me what you have to say and leave me alone.”

“Son of Earth – look up; what do you see?”

At that point, the brightness above dimmed and after a few moments for his eyes to accommodate, Jeffrey saw the stars – thousands of them – coming into view. While he had never bothered to learn the names of any stars nor recognize the constellations, Jeffrey was amazed at their brightness.”

“Angel, I can see the stars of course, and even the Milky Way; usually you can’t see that in the city – just too many lights.”

“You are correct. Most Americans living in cities never understand what they are missing. What else do you see?”

Jeff waited a bit longer and more stars appeared as his eyes became more sensitive as they adjusted.

“Angel, look – some of the stars are of different color! Look at that one over there – it has a distinct orange hue, and that bright one over there is actually red! I had no idea you could tell the color of some of the stars!”

“Yes, Son of Earth. Every star in the sky – and there are billions of them – is of some color. They differ from one another just like people in some sense; they are different sizes, different ages, colors, backgrounds, and all of them at some point were born, and they will all in the future die.”

“Stars die?”

“Yes, Son of Earth. Eventually every star will cease to burn and stop shining in the sky. Some will end their lives violently in a huge explosion spewing their content through space, while others will just grow dimmer until the nuclear fusion process that lights them then fizzles out.”

“Why have I not heard about this, angel?”

“Because you have not tried, Son of Earth. There are wonders everywhere around you, and all you see in your pitiful life is money.”

Jeffrey realized deep in his being what the angel told him was true. He remembered as a child when he would tear things apart to see how they worked. His parents would get angry with him when he disassembled their bedside clock to see how it worked, but then could not put it back together again! He had wondered back then; life had drilled it out of him.

“I guess you’re right, angel; all I have cared about in my whole life has been how to make more money. But what’s wrong with money, angel?”

“There is nothing wrong with money unless you let your blind ambition to get more and more of it steals other things out of your life – like the wonder of the starry night, or what makes grass grow, how does the heart work, a bee fly, and just how does chlorophyll work anyway? There is enough to keep even the most curious man occupied for many lives. And yet, many people never seem to care. Tonight, Son of Earth, I will reveal to you something you have never even considered and few men recognize.”

“OK, angel. Now you have got my curiosity going – tell me what you know.”

Stars in the Zodiac

“Son of Earth, look into the star filled sky – what do you see?”

“Well, I see stars, thousands of them. They are of all different brightness; some of very faint while others are much brighter. I can even distinguish that several of them have a faint color to them – like that one over there appears faintly red.”

“Very good, Son of Earth. On a very dark moonless night like tonight, you can see about 4,500 stars in the sky.[1] God knows each of those stars and calls them each by name.[2] But what is important for our discussion tonight is that that God knows each star’s name, but that he has given those names to us. Did you know that?”

“No, I did not – but why is that at all important to me?”

“First, Son of Earth, you need to get a brief astronomy lesson.”

“Oh great – just what I wanted!”

“The apparent path of the Sun through the sky is called the ‘zodiac’ from a Hebrew word root ‘sodi’ which also means ‘the way’ in Sanskrit.[3]

“Have you ever heard of the ‘zodiac’ Son of Earth?”

“No, what the heck is that?”

“There are twelve signs of the zodiac, each of these signs named after a constellation The zodiac is divided into twelve constellations or “signs of the zodiac” and each “sign” has in addition to its principal constellation, three associated constellations called “decans” for a total of 48 constellations.”

“Son of Earth, the familiar names of the constellations go back to the dawn of history; however, it is significant that these names remain the same in all the ancient nations of the world – Chinese, Chaldean, Egyptian, and Babylon – all use the same names and group these stars the same way.”

“Astronomers and navigators still use these familiar constellations for classification purposes, and these classic constellation labels are in all astronomy software and textbooks for depiction of various regions of the sky. This is not to be confused with astrology or occult use of these symbols.”

“Why were the names kept constant, angel? I mean, you might suppose that each civilization might use their own groupings of stars named perhaps after their heroes?”

“The reason is part of the story I am to tell you tonight, Son of Earth. You see, it is important because of the hidden message within these constellations and their meanings, along with the meanings of the original names of the stars within these constellations.”

“What do you mean, ‘hidden meanings’ angel? I have looked at these stars for years and can’t imagine any ‘hidden meanings. Just what are you trying to pull over one me anyway?”

“”Son of Earth, the Hebrew name for the zodiac is the Mazzeroth.[4] The ancient Hebrew names of the zodiacal constellations and their associated decans hold the key to understanding this hidden meaning. First, let me show you the grouping of stars known as the Big Dipper.”

No sooner had the angel said those words that a line was drawn in the sky grouping these stars together. I could immediately see how this grouping could be imagined as a dipper – or ladle.

“Son of Earth, this is the constellation we today call the Big Dipper. However, the ancient designation for this constellation is the Big Bear or Ursa Major; do you see anything that looks like a bear?”

“No – not in the wildest imagination could I ever see anything that remotely looks like a bear in that grouping of stars!”

“Precisely correct, Son of Earth. The key to the original concepts lying behind each stars grouping in the zodiac were the original names of the stars associated with each sign in their order of brightness or magnitude. The names of the stars told a story summarized in the name and associated picture of each zodiac sign. We will now go on to look at one of the most important of these zodiacal signs, Virgo.”

With that pronouncement by the angel, the constellation Virgo was outlined in the sky for me to see. At one time while in high school when in the Boy Scouts, I knew some of the constellations to help with navigation. If you could find the North Star – Polaris, then you might be able to find you way home if you got lost. I was familiar with Virgo – but I certainly needed the angel’s help in localizing it.

“OK, angel, I can now see Virgo up there – certainly doesn’t look like any woman I’ve ever seen – and I’ve seen quite a few, up close and personal if you know what I mean!”

“Son of Man,” the angel started totally ignoring my irreverent depiction of women, “Virgo is traditionally pictured as a woman with a branch in her right hand and an ear of corn in her left. Virgo is derived from the Latin for virgin, and in Hebrew it is called Bethulah, a virgin.”

“The brightest star in Virgo is called Spica, an ear of corn. In Hebrew, the star is called Zerah or the Seed (the Seed of the Woman), [5] and in Egyptian, it is Aspolia, which also translates to seed.”

“The second brightest star is, in Hebrew, Tsemech or the Branch, a title of the Messiah.[6] Other stars include Zavijava meaning ‘gloriously beautiful[7] and Al Mureddin, meaning “he who shall have dominion.[8]”

“The three constellations (decans) which are associated with Virgo are Coma (“the Desired One”), Centaurus (“the Despised One”), and Bootes (“the Coming One”). All of these descriptions are those of Christ.”

After the angel said each of these three decan constellations, they were in turn outlined in the sky for me to see. It was almost like a planetarium back home except now I was in the company of an angelic being!

1.  “Coma in Egyptian is Sheznu, the “Desired Son.”[9]
2. “Centaurus in Hebrew is Bezeh, The Despised One,[10] Another name in Hebrew is Asmeath, the sin offering.[11] In the Greek tradition there is the name Cheiron, which means the Pierced One.[12] One of the stars in the constellation Centaurus is Toliman which means here, before, and hereafter – rather like eternal.”
3. “Bootes, The Coming One – the third decan constellation of Virgo, includes the brightest star in the constellation Arcturus meaning ‘He comes’; and Nekkar, the Pierced One.” Bootes is typically considered an Oriental shepherd, a keeper, guardian, and ruler of the flocks. He is drawn holding high a sickle showing him to be the great harvester (of men), and a crook with which to gather his sheep.[13]

“In summary, Son of Earth, Virgo the virgin, is associated with Seed, a Branch, Gloriously beautiful, and Dominion – all regal terms describing Christ. In order to stress that relationship, the three decan constellations associated with Virgo include the Desired Son, the Despised One, and the Coming One who is a shepherd and harvester. What could be more plain?”

“It is also significant that the constellation Virgo is associated with the Tribe of Zebulun, where Nazareth is located. So just with this one zodiacal constellation – Virgo – we find so many references to the future Christ. Remember, Son of Earth, these names were placed in the heavens thousands of years before Christ’s birth, and by multiple civilizations throughout the world. Truly, the gospel is in the stars.”

“All right, angel – that is but one of the twelve zodiacal constellations; what about the others?”

Other Constellations of the Zodiac

“Son of Earth, my time here is brief. However, let me assure you the other eleven constellations and their respective decans are similar; they all present a portion of the gospel in multiple languages from many different civilizations. It is all there above; all you have to do is to look up and see.”

And with that, the angel left.

Jeff looked again at the stars in the sky. Some of them he could still place into familiar constellations but most were merely point of light in the black sky. He would have to look up what the other eleven constellations were and whether they really had any gospel message. It all seemed to strange; that ancient civilizations were given knowledge about God’s redemptive plan and could place this plan among the stars.

Still, it was just all too much for him to believe; that ancient civilizations named the stars and constellations with a Christian perspective – long before Christianity even came into being. Once again, Jeff’s doubts and reluctance to even consider changing his lifestyle drowned out any angelic message.

Jeff promised himself he would think about what the angel had said, and ponder the message of the stars later.

And later never came.

References

[1] http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/how-many-stars-night-sky-09172014/

[2] Psalm 147:4

[3] http://starlightaids.com/signs-of-the-zodiac/

[4] Job 38:32

[5] Genesis 3:15 (“And I will put enmity between the serpent) you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” The identity of the serpent in the Genesis narrative is given in Revelations, “The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” (Rev. 12:9). The ‘Seed of the woman’ is an allusion to Christ; notice that usually the “seed” is generally depicted as coming from the man; however, in Christ’s case there was no human father and so the “seed” is derived from his mother.

[6] Isaiah 4:2: “The Branch of the Lord,” a title for Jesus Christ; Jeremiah 23:5 and 33:15: a royal King from the line of David; Zechariah 3:8: servant of Jehovah; Zechariah 6:12; will build the Temple.

[7] Isaiah 4;2; “In that day the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious.”

[8] Psalm 72:8; “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.”

[9] Haggai 2:7 “and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts.”

[10] Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected by men. A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”

[11] Romans 8:3; “God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin.”

[12] Zechariah 12:10; And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on me whom they pierced.”

[13] Seiss, Joseph A., The Gospel in the Stars, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 32-33, 1972