God Prophetically Named the Stars--Part 5

Aries, the Ram

The Hebrew name for Aries is Taleh, "the Lamb." Its Arabic name is Al Hamal, "the sheep, the merciful, the gentle." Its Accadian name is Baraziggar, "altar, or sacrifice of righteousness." Putting these together, this constellation deals with the character of the lamb and its use as a sacrifice, showing its Messianic connection.

Aries pictures "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). It pictures the Messiah coming with a gentle spirit, as Isaiah 53:7 says,

"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth."

Verses 10 and 11 continue,

¹⁰ But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, . . ¹¹ By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify many, as He will bear their iniquities."

This is the message that God wrote in the heavens when He named Aries, the Ram. The main stars in Aries are El Nath, "the wounded," or "the slain," and Al Sheratan, "the bruised," or "the wounded." When Jesus was crucified on April 3, 33 A.D., El Nath stood directly over Jerusalem and may have been visible during the dark hours of His crucifixion.

The decans of Aries are:

1. Cassiopeia (the Enthroned Woman)
2. Cetus (the Sea Monster)
3. Perseus (the Breaker)

In the previous constellation, Pisces, we took note of Cetus, the sea monster, to whom Andromeda was chained by the Band. While the Band was a decan of Pisces, Cetus is a decan of Aries. The close connection between these two decans is also shown by the Ram putting its paw upon the Band.

But whereas Pisces shows the chained woman, Aries shows the Enthroned Woman, Cassiopeia, who has been set free by the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. She has been set free by Perseus, the Breaker, as it is written in Micah 2:13,

"The Breaker goes up before them; they break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it. So their King goes on before them, and the Lord at their head."

Cassiopeia is positioned near the Arctic circle by the side of Cepheus, the King, for she portrays the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem that is "free" (Gal. 4:26). By contrast, Cetus, the sea monster, is positioned in the southern sky. In the Zodiac of Denderah, Cetus is called Knem, "subdued," and its brightest star is Menkar, "the bound/chained enemy." Hence, whereas Cetus has chained Andromeda, he in turn is chained as the result of the sacrifice of the Ram.

Perseus pictures the Messiah coming as the Deliverer, the one who overcomes Cetus. He is carrying the head of the enemy (Medusa), called in Hebrew Rosh Satan, "the head of the adversary." It is also significant that King Cyrus, the Persian king who conquered Babylon, was called God's "Messiah" (i.e., "anointed one") in Isaiah 45:1. The name of Persia is derived from Perseus. And so God raised up Persia to overthrow Babylon, and Cyrus was a type of Christ.

Taurus, the Bull

The Hebrew name for Taurus is Shor, "an ox" or "coming and ruling." The Egyptian name is Apis, "head, chief." Its Arabic name is Al Thaur, "the bull." Taurus is actually the Greek name for "the bull."

Taurus is a bull rushing forward with great energy. The Pleiades in the shoulder of Taurus are The Seven Sisters, who are the Seven Churches in the book of Revelation. According to mythology, these were changed into doves, and after their death, they were morphed into stars.

In the Bible, bulls were used as sacrifices for the sins of the nation or its leaders (high priests or kings). Inasmuch as the bull or ox was a symbol of a strong and obedient servant, it was a word picture of Christ, "My Servant" in the book of Isaiah. The Pleiades (Hebrew name: Kimah, "heap or accumulation") represent the Church, showing that the woman (Cassiopeia) has been freed by the Ram at Passover and is now transformed into the image of Christ--first by Pentecost and later by Tabernacles.

In the neck of Taurus is a bright star Al Cyone, which means "The Center." It was considered to be the center of the Universe. The Hebrew name for this star is Succoth, "booths," a reference to the feast of booths, or Tabernacles. This teaches us that the feast of Tabernacles is to be the "center" of focus for the Seven Churches. Another cluster of stars in Taurus is called The Hyades, "the congregated." It is another reference to the Church, or "congregation."

Taurus is also the sign of Joseph, brother of Judah, whose sons are the two horns of the bull. Deut. 33:17 says,

"As the first-born of his [Joseph's] ox, majesty is his, and his horns are the horns of the wild ox; with them he shall push the peoples, all at once, to the ends of the earth; and those are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and those are the thousands of Manasseh."

The decans of Taurus are:

1. Orion (the Coming Prince)
2. Eridanus (the River of the Judge)
3. Auriga (the Shepherd)

Job 9:9, 38:31, and Amos 5:8 call Orion by the name Chesil, translated "Orion." This Hebrew name means "a strong one, hero, giant." His right foot has been placed on the head of the enemy, and in it is the bright star, Rigel, "the foot that crushes." In his right hand is a huge club, and his right shoulder has the star, Betelgeux, "swift destroyer." In his left he holds the token of victory, the head and skin of a roaring lion.

The Eridanus is the River of the Judge, flowing into the lower regions of the sky. In vain Cetus tries to stop its flow. This is referenced in Daniel 7:10, "A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him." It is the river of judgment, the fiery law coming out from the flaming throne (vs. 9) upon all mankind at the resurrection of all mankind when they stand before the Great White Throne (Rev. 20:11).

Auriga pictures Jesus as the good shepherd (John 10:11), the chief shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4), and the great shepherd (Heb. 13:20). In his right foot is the star, El Nath, which stood over Jerusalem at the time of Jesus' crucifixion, because John 10:11 says,

"I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep."

Auriga is seated on the Milky Way holding on his shoulder a she-goat looking back at the bull that seems to be pushing her to the ends of the earth. The she-goat is the second goat of Lev. 16:10, being sent into the wilderness. This prophecy overlays with the "lost sheep" theme of Scripture, for the good Shepherd is the one who finds that which was lost (Ez. 34:16; Luke 15:4).

This has to do with the second work of Christ and the Day of Atonement leading to the feast of Tabernacles. Both sheep and goats were among the "lost sheep of the house of Israel," as we see in Ezekiel 34:17. Joseph was the original "lost sheep" when he was sold into Egypt. His descendants, too, the house of Israel, were "lost." But Christ came to find His lost sheep, and so He is pictured as Auriga, the Shepherd, who has found them.

In his left hand he holds two little kids (small goats). The two small goats are similar to the two fish and represent the Church and the Overcomers.