The Signs of the Zodiac, No. 3
RO138-01

The Signs of the Zodiac

So, the stories are illustrated in the signs of the zodiac – the various stories that are associated with God's plan of redemption. And these, while pure originally, were inevitably corrupted as they came down through pagan cultures. The ancient records, however, even of these perverted stories, reflect the original divine meanings.

As the earth comes around the sun, the sun seems to be moving. It's not really moving, but it actually seems to move from one house of the zodiac to the other. And that's what we are talking about here – the sun, acting as a pointer that God is put up in the sky, to move through the signs of the zodiac. Now we find that the story begins here very naturally with the sign of the virgin Virgo, and then it moves around until it comes around back to the royal sign of Leo the lion. And we're going through these as rapidly as we can, one-by-one, to give you some appreciation for what Paul meant, when he said, to every nation and to every people on the face of the earth: "The message of the gospel has gone out."

So, in Romans 10:18, he has pointed out that the Jews have no excuse. They have heard the story, and they have heard it, not only in the visual aid of the constellations of the zodiac, whose meanings they knew, but also in the written Scriptures which they received, reinforcing that communication.

The message of the 12 signs of the zodiac falls into a division of three segments, with four signs of the zodiac in each segment. These three groups may actually be viewed as books – each book with a main subject. And we have given you an outline to follow on that. The book is further subdivided, then, into four constellations which may be viewed as chapters, and each has a subject. These chapters, furthermore, are associated with three constellations, which are called decans, and that means sidepieces. These sidepieces further amplify the basic message of that particular constellation.

The Redeemer (Book 1)

1. Virgo – The Promised Seed of the Woman

   In that book, there are four constellations or four chapters. And under every chapter, there are three sidepieces that expand further the story as paragraphs. So, let's begin very quickly with the territory that we've covered, in a brief review. The first chapter is Virgo the virgin. The title of this chapters is "The Promised Seed of the Woman." This portrays a young woman who is lying down with a stock of wheat seeds in her left hand, and a branch in her right hand. The seed and the branch refer to Jesus Christ the Savior who was promised in Genesis 3:15 and in Isaiah 7:14 – that this Savior would be born through a virgin woman. Jesus Christ, the Savior, came from the seed of Abraham, and He came from the royal branch of David, born through a virgin woman. Along with Virgo is associated three decans or three sidepieces.

   1. Coma – The Desire of Nations

      The first one is called Coma. The subject of Coma is "The Desire of Nations." This pictures a mother holding a baby boy. The boy is Jesus Christ. He is referred to in Scriptures as "the desired of the nations;" that is, desired by mankind for the purpose of their salvation.

   2. Centaurus – The Two-Natured Man in Humiliation

      The second side peace that we looked at was called Centaurus. The title of this paragraph is "The Two-Natured Man in Humiliation." This consolation pictures a half-man and half-horse creature, despised by people because they considered that combination an ugly thing. It portrays, in fact, the two natures of Jesus Christ as the God-Man, despised by the very ones that He came to save.

   3. Boötes – The Exalted Shepherd and Harvester

      The third sidepiece is the consolation Boötes. The subject of this constellation is "The Exalted Shepherd and Harvester. It pictures a man walking rapidly with a spear in his right hand, and a sickle in the left hand. Jesus Christ is the One who will come in this form to cut down unbelievers, and to protect His flock of believing sheep.

2. Libra – The Redeemer's Atoning Work

   Chapter 2 of book one is Libra – the scales. The title of this chapter is "The Redeemer's Atoning Work." This portrays a balance scale with one pan higher than the other. This picture is the failure of sinful man to be able to balance himself with the absolute righteousness of God, against which he must be judged. Jesus Christ comes along. He balances the scale for sinners against God's standard of absolute righteousness by imputing His absolute righteousness to the believers. That brings the two sides of the scale (the two pans) into balance. Thus, the justice of God is satisfied, and the sinners who trust in Jesus Christ for salvation may enter heaven. Libra the scales also has some associated decans (sidepieces) which portray further messages.

   1. The Cross – The Cross Endured

      The first decan of the Libra constellation is the Cross. The subject of this paragraph is "The Cross Endured." This pictures a cross, and it is located under Centaur. You can see that the Cross comes under Centaur because it is associated with this two-natured person. It portrays the means by which Jesus Christ would pay for the sins of the world.

   2. The Victim – The Victim Slain

      The second side peace, amplifying the main message of the Libra constellation, is called "The Victim." Sometimes it is called "Lupus," because the victim is usually viewed as a wolf, and the word "lupus" means "wolf." The title of this picture is "The Victim Slain." So it pictures this animal which has been killed, which portrays the God-Man, Jesus Christ, suffering death for the sins of mankind. The wolf, however, you will see, is representing Jesus Christ. The Centaur, we have pointed out, represent Jesus Christ. And in the star constellation, it is the Centaur who is killing the wolf. So, this portrays the very fact that Jesus Christ died voluntarily. He Himself brought about His own death because of His choice to die for the sins of the world. And that is a significant image – that the combination of the two are in that proximity to convey that additional factor. The Lord has taken upon Himself this death.

   3. The Crown – The Crown Purchased

      The third sidepiece for Libra is The Crown. The title of this paragraph is "The Crown Purchased." It pictures a royal crown. It portrays the exaltation of the virgin's Son as King of Kings overall all creation after His humiliation on the cross.

3. Scorpio – The Redeemer's Conflict

   Then we went on to the next constellation, which was the Scorpion. The title of this chapter is "The Redeemers Conflict." This portrays a Scorpion with its stinger raised about to strike. This pictures Satan striking Jesus Christ in the heel, trying to stop the atonement of sin, as Genesis 3:15 said he would.

   1. The Serpent – The Struggle with the Enemy

      The first sidepiece (decan) is the Serpent, which you see coiling around the man, as he struggles holding onto him. This pictures a giant serpent, and the serpent is reaching up for the crown, which, of course, symbolizes the authority of Jesus Christ over creation. Satan, from the first, has wanted to be like God, and he has been seeking to take over the world from the Creator.

   2. The Serpent-Holder – The Struggle with the Enemy

      The serpent-holder was given the name Ophiuchus." The title of this paragraph is "The Struggle with the Enemy." It pictures a mighty man who is grasping the huge serpent to prevent him from grasping the crown. It portrays the serpent-holder being stung in the foot, however, by the scorpion. The scorpion is stinging him in the foot, but his right foot is on the scorpion's head, in the process of crushing him. This, of course, portrays Jesus Christ, exactly what Genesis 3:15 said – that Satan would bruise the heel of Jesus Christ with a non-mortal wound. But Jesus Christ would bruise the head of the serpent – a mortal wound.

   3. Hercules – The Toiling Conqueror of Evil

      The third sidepiece of the scorpion is Hercules. The title of this paragraph is "The Toiling Conqueror of Evil." It pictures a mighty man kneeling with one foot raised, as if he's somewhat in pain, having been stung. But the left foot is standing on the head of Draco the dragon, ready to crush him. It pictures a mighty man. And he also has, in his right hand, a club which is raised up. And in his other hand, he holds a triple-headed, snake-like creature, and he is about the bash the thing in. It portrays Jesus Christ bruising the old serpent in His victory on the cross in payment for the sins of mankind.

4. Sagittarius – The Redeemer's Triumph

   Today, we begin with the sign of Sagittarius the archer. We're still in book one. This is now chapter four. Book one is "The Redeemer," and this is the last chapter. The title of chapter four is "The Redeemer's Triumph." You can view the basic stars of Sagittarius, and impose upon them the image of an archer. This constellation portrays a horse which is joined up front to a human torso – a human head and arms. Again, we have a Centaur. The Centaur holds a bow which is drawn back, about to shoot an arrow. Sagittarius is aiming his arrow at Scorpio. The Centaur here, again, represents Jesus Christ, the virgin's double-natured Son, Who is hereby, in this way, attacking Satan. And it pictures the final triumph of Jesus Christ in the angelic warfare over Satan and his demons.

   The Hebrew name of this sign of the zodiac is "kesith," and that means "the archer." The Hebrew name for the brightest star in Sagittarius is called "naim," which means "the gracious one." The Greeks call this figure, Sagittarius, "Cheiron," which referred to a noble Greek hero, who had a quality of righteousness in all that he did, and was actually divine in his powers. So, you suddenly see that Sagittarius was converted by the Greeks into the original story that told about Jesus Christ.

   This Centaur now is not in a position where he is despised, as was the previous one, in Virgo. That was Jesus Christ and His humiliation. Here we have Jesus Christ in His exaltation. Here we have Jesus Christ on the march. Here we have the militant victorious image of Him. This is the heavenly picture, which is portrayed of Jesus Christ. And we do not have time to read all the Scriptures we'd like, but I'll mention that Psalm 45:1-19 give you the precise description here of Jesus Christ in this image.

   Well, He's going to return to the earth from heaven on a white horse, and He will deliver, then, the final blow to Satan and his followers. And that will bring to the end the angelic conflict. The dickens of Sagittarius are again three. They are the three paragraphs.

   1. Lyra – He Gladdens the Heavens

      They consist, first of all, of Lyra, the harp. The title of this first paragraph is "He Gladdens the Heavens." And what we have here is a picture of a harp which is held in the grasp of an eagle which is flying upward to the sky. The harp speaks of the song of joy upon the victory of this archer, Jesus Christ, against Satan. The brightest star in Lyra is called Vega. "Vega" means "He shall be exalted." Jesus Christ is the conquering eagle who plays a song of victory on this harp as He flies upward with it. And, of course, this is the very message that we have of the Savior in Scripture – Jesus Christ, the One Who has the victory, and sings the song of Victory.

      For example, in Revelation 5:13-14, we read, "And every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them heard I saying, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be end unto Him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. And the four living creatures said 'Amen.' And the 24 elders fell down and worshiped Him." Here is the message of joy which is surrounding the victory of Jesus Christ. In Revelation 11:17: "Saying, 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, Who are, and was, and are to come, because You have taken to You Your great power and has reigned. Revelation 19:1-3 amplify this picture further: "And after these things, I heard a great voice of many people in heaven, saying, 'Hallelujah; salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God; for truth and righteous are His judgments; for He has judged the great harlot who did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and that avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.' And again, they said, 'Hallelujah.' And her smoke rose up forever and ever.

      Revelation 19:6-7, furthermore, say, "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of many peels of thunder saying, 'Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready,'"

      In the Old Testament, you may pursue this in Psalm 21:1, Psalm 21:8, and Psalm 21:10-13. All of these passages are conveying to us this sidepiece information concerning Sagittarius the conqueror – that it is going to be a conquest which will be received with great joy.

      In the ancient world, the lyre of Orpheus, who was the father of songs among the pagan gods, was described as capable of the most majestic and joyful music imaginable on the lyre. The true performer of this majestic music of victory is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ.

   2. Aura – He Builds the Fires of Punishment

      Then the second side peace, expanding the message of Sagittarius is Aura the altar. And we do have it in the right position. As you look up in the sky, it is upside down. This is paragraph two of this chapter, and it's entitled "He Builds the Fires of Punishment." What we have portrayed here is the sky as a burning altar, positioned upside down, so that the flames properly point down to hell.

      The word "Aura" in the Greek language means "a curse." It refers to the divine judgment upon unbelievers who have joined Satan and his demons in the light of fire. In Psalm 21:9, we have a description of that judgment that God will bring upon them. Matthew 25:41 tells us that God has prepared a place called the lake of fire for Satan and his followers. Revelation 20:10 describes the entrance into that terrible place.

      So, what this side sidepiece refers to is something which is destructive. The Greeks associate it with total ruin. They viewed it as a funeral pyre. It is the justice of God that demands the punishment for unforgivable sin, and the sentence is going to be executed, which is what God says it's going to be – eternity spent in the lake of fire, and believe me, it's going to hurt. What this sidepiece conveys to us is the fact that Sagittarius, the archer who wins out over Satan, is the same one who is going to exercise the judgment of eternal punishment upon those who choose to follow Satan into his hell.

   3. Draco – He Cast down the Dragon

      The third decan of Sagittarius is Draco. This is a very large constellation up in the sky. This is paragraph three of this chapter, and it's entitled "He Cast down the Dragon." This portrays a serpent-like creature which is coiling itself around the Polar Star (the North Star). This is the end star in the handle of the little dipper. This is the mythological dragon that we have heard about from ancient times. The name "Draco" is a Greek name, and it means "trodden on." It is pictured by the foot of Hercules, which is standing on the head, crushing the dragon's head. Isaiah 27:1 refers to this.

      The brightest star in this constellation has the Hebrew name of "Thuban." The word "Thuban" means "the subtle one," obviously referring this to the character of Satan. This bright star, "Thuban" is right in the coil. This used to be the Polar Star, something like 4,630 years ago. And at that time, if you want to know where north was, you looked up and you found "Thuban" in the Draco's coils, and you said, "Ah, that's north." But since then, as the earth has gone through its movement, there have been readjustments in the location of North, and now we have a different North Star. The sky once revolved, however, around this star "Thuban" in Draco. It was the polar star, in the heavens seemed to revolve at night around that star. Now, if you were to put take a camera and zero in on the North Star, and leave the lens open, you would end up with streaks on your film all around the Polar Star. It doesn't go anywhere, but everything else seems to be circling around it. And this is what was once the role of Draco. It is almost symbolic: the polar star; the anchor point; the center of everything. Everything revolves around it. At one time that star was in this dragon, representing Satan, which symbolizes his role as the god of this world – the one around whom all of human society, without God, rotates. John 14:30, Ephesians 2:2, and 2 Corinthians 4:4 all describe that specific role of Satan. So, this was once a very important star. And as a matter of fact, this star "Thuban" is still a very important star in naval navigation.

      The second brightest star has the Hebrew name "Rastaban," and "Rastaban" means "the head of the subtle." It is right up in his head. So, the Bible, as you know, associates the idea of dragon with the devil. We have that told us in Revelation 12:9: "And the Great Dragon was cast out; that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Here is a description of that future time when Michael and the good angels finally come to war with Satan and his demon angels, and they are finally cast out of any access to heaven, once and for all, at that time.

      So, the association here is clear that Draco, the dragon up in the sky, in association with Sagittarius the conqueror, is giving further explanation of who the enemy is that Sagittarius is dealing with – namely the devil himself. The dragon, of course, was the universal symbol of evil – an evil which opposes God, and does harm to mankind.

      The dragon has been historically portrayed as a powerful foe who is covered with armor, who is capable of attacking with sharp teeth; claws; a spear-shaped tail; has wings for speed; and, spits fire and smoke from its mouth and nose. That's the traditional image of the mythological dragon.

      Satan here is portrayed, and called, in the Bible, "a red dragon," who is awaiting the birth of the virgin Son in order to devour Him, and thus to prevent the atonement. We have this told us in Revelation 12:4: "And his tale drew the third part of the stars of heaven." And this may be significant, too – that the tail, as it was envisioned, of Draco the dragon, goes far out into the sky as if it was in a sweeping motion. The Bible here is saying that a third of the stars were brought down and cast down to the earth by the tail of the dragon. And on the basis of this, we think we have good ground for suspecting that the word "stars" here refers, as it often does, to messengers, as you know, and that the messengers referred to here were the angelic messengers, and it was at this original fall of Satan that he took a third of the created angels with him into his rebellion against God. So that is, perhaps, what is symbolized here. In any case, we are told that the dragon stands before the woman, the virgin, who was ready to devour her son as soon as it was possible. And as you know, I don't have to tell you that Satan has always been out to kill the Lord Jesus Christ, to somehow frustrate the plan of salvation.

      The dragon, historically, of course, is associated with the serpent qualities of deceit and cunning. It's a malignant power. And that's the image you have here, historically, of Draco. All of the ancient nations and the cultures of the world past have known of the dragon and of its evil character. And as you know, when we have stories about dragons, it's always portrayed that anybody who could destroy a dragon had to be either a god, or a magnificent hero, or some kind of a saintly person. A dragon was not easily brought down.

      The idea of dragons, of course, may have originated from the original story of this constellation. The Greek mythology says that Draco guarded the golden apples of the famous garden of the Hesperides, to keep the people from enjoying those golden apples. That was what Draco was doing. And it reflects indeed the true story of the devil seeking to keep mortal men from the golden apples of the tree of life which have been provided by Jesus Christ.

      Draco was slain by Hercules, so access was made to those golden apples. Here you have, again, the pictures of mythology conveying the truth of Scripture – that Jesus Christ slew Draco the dragon, and thus opened the door to the golden apples of eternal life. And, of course, Hercules demonstrates this in the heavens by having his foot, as we pointed out, on the head of Draco, indicating conquest of him.

      The decan Draco declares the ultimate defeat of Satan by Jesus Christ.

The Redeemed (Book 2)

1. Capricorn

   The first of the four constellations that make up the four chapters of this book is the sign of Capricornus, the sea goat. On these stars was imposed an image of a sea goat. It was a sea goat because the front part looks like a regular goat, but the back part of him ends in the tail of a fish. The constellation portrays a goat with his head drooping, sinking into the sea, as in death. It's kind of a sad picture. One leg is doubled under his body, and the other is clearly too weak to lift him up. The back part of his body forms the tail of a fish, but it is coiled in such a way as to convey that it is full of vitality. It's vigorous and alive.

   What we have here in this sign is a picture of Jesus Christ on the cross in sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Isaiah 53:5-8, which we recently looked at in detail, portray the weakness and the destruction, physically, of Jesus Christ on the cross, which is here portrayed by the dying goat. The goat of the Old Testament, as you know, was an animal used in sacrifice for the atonement of sin. Leviticus 9:3, Leviticus 9:15, Leviticus 16:5, and Leviticus 16:7-10 tell us that. All of those verses clearly present the goat as a sacrificial animal for sins. The Hebrew name of this sign of the zodiac is "Gedi," which means "cut off," indicating the death of the sea goat.

   The fish tale of Capricorn is full of life as the result of the death of the goat. This fish tale represents, we find from the Bible, believers. Fish in the Bible refers to those who are born-again. The Lord Himself made this analogy when He called his disciples in Matthew 4:19, when He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Here the Lord is telling the disciples that they would be evangelist-fishermen, who would catch human beings as their fish, as they brought them with the net of the gospel into the salvation that He had provided for them.

   So, the sign of Capricorn portrays Jesus Christ as the great fisherman, through whose sacrificial death, many are gathered by his net of redemption into eternal life. And, as you know, the early Christians identified themselves by the picture of a fish. The Greek word for fish is "Ichthus." And if you take each of those letters, and treat it as an acrostic, and give each of those letters a word, the translation of those words would come out as: "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Savior." So, when the early Christians used the sign of the fish, they were saying to each other: "I'm an 'Ichthus;'" that is, "I'm a Christian." I'm one who can confess: "Jesus Christ, Son of God, my Savior.

   In the church age, Christians are joined in one body, as you know, to Jesus Christ. Here, this is symbolized by the goat above the water, with a fish tail beneath the water such that they are joined together. Several Scriptures point that out. I mentioned John 14:20, Colossians 1:24, Ephesians 1:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. All of those indicate that you and I, as Christians, have become one with Jesus Christ. We are His body. The pagan story of mythology, which is associated with Capricorn itself, reflects the original meaning of this sign about Jesus Christ.

   The sea goat, in the stories of mythology, was viewed as the god "Bacchus." And on one occasion, "Bacchus" and some of the other gods were having a picnic, feasting on the banks of a river when a powerful tyrant, "Typhon," appeared, and came charging upon them to destroy them. The gods, in order to escape the rage of Typhon, the myth says, changed themselves into various creatures. "Bacchus" himself took on the form of a goat, and he plunged into the river, beside which they were having their picnic, when the part that went underwater was transformed into the tale of a fish, so that he could have mobility in the water. However, the part of him which was above the water, the goat part, drew the attack of "Typhon" to himself. The goat part of "Bacchus" received, then, the full fury of Typhon unto death. And, thus, the mythological story conveys the very truth of the original story of Jesus Christ – One with believers, dying for them. Jupiter, the chief of the gods, commemorated this event by placing "Bacchus" in the sky as Capricorn the sea goat, as the story is told.

   So, what this sign tells us is the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ bearing the wrath of God's justice against human sin and plunging Himself into the waters of death. And, of course, the Bible is filled with that message. Luke 24:46-47, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 1:5-6, and Revelation 5:9 all convey to us the clear message that Christ died for us. Believers are joined to Jesus Christ, then, in His death, and they receive also, consequently, the vigor of His fishtail unto eternal life. The believers themselves, again under the symbol of the fish, are in this way joined to Christ.

   A similar picture is portrayed of Jesus Christ in John 12:24, where Jesus Christ is compared to a seed which is planted; which dies; and, which germinate thereby, and then sprouts forth in many other seeds. It's the same idea in a different way.

   Here are the three paragraphs of this chapter of Capricorn (the three sidepieces).

   1. The Arrow – The Arrow God

      Number one is Sagita the Arrow. This is paragraph one of this chapter. The title of this paragraph is "The Arrow God." We have these stars which are lined up in such a way as to portray an arrow in flight as an instrument of death. The Hebrew name of this decan is "Sham," and it means destroying. This is the arrow of God's justice, delivering to Jesus Christ the wages of human sin, which Romans 6:23 tells us is death. This decan reinforces the message of Jesus Christ as the fallen and dying goat.

      Here is the arrow of divine justice, which men who are sinners deserved, but God has directed for the Son. This same truth is declared in Scripture in Psalm 38:1-3, and certainly in Isaiah 53:4-5, and in Job 6:4.

   2. The Eagle – Pierced and Falling

      The second sidepiece is Aquila the eagle. Paragraph two is titled, "Pierced and Falling." This sidepiece portrays an eagle which is pierced and falling to the earth in a dying struggle.

      The brightest star in this constellation is a first magnitude star named "Altair," and it means "the wounded." The second brightest star is "Alshain." "Alshain" means scarlet-covered, connoting blood-covered.

      Now, these names, again, we suspect, must come from God's original nomenclature of His stars, clearly indicating that the dying eagle symbolizes the death of the Savior Jesus Christ. God, in the Bible, pictures Himself as an eagle who soars in the care of His people. We have that in Exodus 19:4 and Deuteronomy in 32:11. So, it is natural to see in the ego the person of Jesus Christ. The lost sinners own death, of course, could never pay for the sins that he has been guilty of. God had to do it for him through the virgin Son, the God-Man, Jesus Christ.

   3. The Dolphin – Springing up again in Abundant Life

      The third sidepiece is Delphinius. That is the dolphin. Paragraph three of this is titled "Springing up again in Abundant Life." This portrays a dolphin jumping out of the sea. And, of course, you can see how this was very easily understood, even by the ancients, even though they didn't have a marine world someplace to visit, and see the dolphins in their acts. One of the prime features of a dolphin act is always to have the dolphins come leaping out of the water. Dolphins do that, and this is the picture you have here in the sky – of a dolphin who is jumping up out of the sea, picturing Jesus Christ springing up to life from the grave as what 1 Corinthians 15:20 calls "the Firstfruits of the resurrection." So, the dolphin is the picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we are to share.

      We have God here in the very sober picture before us as the sea goat Who is suffering this death, symbolized by the arrows sent from God and by the eagle, Jesus Christ, dying. Now the story is not complete without the side issue of reminding us of the resurrection. So, the resurrection was a joyous event for the early disciples, because, as Romans 4:25 says that Jesus Christ was resurrected because our justification had been accomplished, and that, therefore, we knew, by His resurrection, that our sins had been paid for.

      The Dolphin decan expands the Message of the fish tail of Capricorn as portrayed in 2 Corinthians 5:17

      The believer's new creation Life in Jesus Christ then results in his great happiness, because the Christian is now under the authority of the Holy Spirit, instead of under the authority of the sin nature. So, the dolphin also conveys to us the joy of being free of the devil (Romans 6:4-10).

2. Aquarius – Their Blessings Insured

   Let's start one more. Here is a consolation whose name you have become recently well-acquainted with. This is a constellation of Aquarius the water bearer. And we all know the title: The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Indeed it is, but not like the world thinks it is. This is the sign of Aquarius. This is chapter two of the second book which deals with the Redeemed. The title of chapter two is "Their Blessings Insured." Here is a sign of a man with a large urn, filled with an inexhaustible supply of water. The man is pictured as pouring the water out in a large stream across the sky. And the water is flowing into the mouth of a fish which drinks it all up. This constellation, I think you can readily see, refers to the provision of God for human salvation through Jesus Christ which is being poured out to all mankind as the water of life. The fish again represents believers – those who have drunk of this water of life.

   The Hebrew name of this sign is "Deli," which is the water urn. And water, as you know, in the Bible, is a symbol of eternal life and of spiritual refreshment. We see that used in that way in John 4:14, John 7:37-39, and Ephesians 5:26. The pagan myth associated with Aquarius pictures a handsome young man who met an untimely death. So, he was favored by his father, the father of the gods, so that he was placed in the sky to live in glory. Now that pagan certainly reflects the truth about Jesus Christ – One beloved of His Father, Who met an untimely death, and Who was elevated to glory in the heavens. In His place in heaven, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is now pouring forth the water of eternal life to all mankind. Isaiah 44:3 and John 16:8 tell us about that.

   1. The Southern Fish – Drinking in the Heavenly Flood

      The decans of Aquarius, first of all, to expand the story, begin with what is called the Southern Fish. Paragraph one is "Drinking in the Heavenly Flood." This is a constellation that portrays a fish which is in the stream of water, which is coming from the urn of Aquarius. The brightest star in the fish is a first magnitude star, and it looks like it's the eye of the fish, and it is named "Foralhaut," and it means "the mouth of the fish," The fish represents again the believers in Jesus Christ, who have thus drunk the water of life. The water of life finds its way to those chosen by God for this eternal life. Those who have drunk of this water now enjoy the sustaining an unending stream of spiritual life through Jesus Christ, which is symbolized by the fact that the water keeps coming out of the urn, and the fish keeps drinking it up. It's an unending supply of spiritual sustenance. The Christian abides in Christ to survive as the fish must abide in the water to survive. John 15:4-5 describe that.

   2. Pegasus – Carrying Swiftly the Good News

      The second decan is another one that you're well acquainted with, and that's Pegasus, the winged horse. This is paragraph two of this chapter. The title is "Carrying Swiftly the Good News." This constellation portrays a horse with wings, and he is speeding in flight. The Hebrew name Pegasus means "chief horse." The brightest star, a first magnitude star, has the name "Markab," and it means "returning from afar." The second brightest star is "Scheat." That's a Hebrew name, and it means "he goes and he returns."

      The Greeks viewed Pegasus as a divine messenger, bringing joy to those it meets. It is the picture of Jesus Christ sending the good news of the gospel to those who have been chosen for eternal life. God's grace brings the lost sinner the necessary information. That's what we've been learning here in Romans 10:6-8 and verse 18.

      The wings indicate his capacity of speed. It indicates the urgency in delivering the message about the water of life as commanded to believers in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. The power of delivering this message is also portrayed in Acts 1:4-5 and Acts 2:1-8, which describe the power of the Holy Spirit. So, Pegasus is a combination of the power of God through God the Holy Spirit, and the message of eternal life that everybody needs, and which must swiftly be delivered. Jesus Christ Himself will soon return to this earth to apply the blessings of this salvation: preserving us from hell; our ultimate sanctification; removal of the curse from nature; and, the golden age of mankind on this earth.

   3. The Swan – Bearing aloft the Cross over all the Earth

      We close with the last decan of Aquarius, which is Cygnus the Swan. This is paragraph three. The subject is "Bearing aloft the Cross over all the Earth." This constellation portrays a swan in flight. The stars of this swan form the sign of a cross. The main stars, marking the swan's wings and the length of the body, form a large cross.

      I remember many years ago when we had taken our senior high school kids on one of our trip camps. I had taken them through the Grand Canyon on rubber rafts on the whitewater rapids of the Colorado River. And we finished our day, and came out on a beach site. We pulled the rafts out of the river, and made our camp with the boys upstream, and the girls downstream, and we split up the leaders. And everybody got out their sleeping gear, and we slept right there on the beach. And about midnight, I remember I woke up, and I was lying on my back, and I opened my eyes, and immediately there, dead overhead, was the Northern Cross. And it was so dark and so crystal clear. It was a very inspiring picture to suddenly wake up and see the cross with all of its significance overhead. It was Cygnus the Swan.

      The swan is envisioned, from ancient times, as circling above the water, which is being poured out by Aquarius, thus connecting the cross with the water of life. The main star in this constellation is called "Deneb," and it means "the judge." The second brightest star is called "Albireo," which means "flying quickly." So, the divine judge, Jesus Christ, is carrying the message of the cross quickly to all mankind. The message of the gospel will one day, we are told, cover the earth like the sea. Isaiah 11:9 looks forward to the time of the Millennial Kingdom, and there he says, "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountains, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." So, the full sign of Aquarius is the spiritual refreshment of the Word of God. It's going out, and everybody has access to it, which is exactly the point that the apostle Paul is making.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1988

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