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diff --git a/old/49018.txt b/old/49018.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9371f0c..0000000 --- a/old/49018.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7707 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Witness of the Stars by Ethelbert -William Bullinger - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located -before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Witness of the Stars - -Author: Ethelbert William Bullinger - -Release Date: May 21, 2015 [Ebook #49018] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WITNESS OF THE STARS*** - - - - - - The Witness of the Stars - - By The - - Rev. Ethelbert William Bullinger, D.D. - - "_HE telleth the number of the stars;_ - _He giveth them all their names._" (Ps. cxlvii. 4. R.V.) - - Published by the Author - - London - - 1893 - - - - - -CONTENTS - - -Preface. -Introduction. -The First Book. The Redeemer. - Chapter I. The Sign VIRGO. - 1. COMA (The Woman and Child). - 2. CENTAURUS (The Centaur). - 3. BOOeTES (The Coming One). - Chapter II. The Sign LIBRA. - 1. CRUX (The Cross). - 2. LUPUS or VICTIMA (The Victim). - 3. CORONA (The Crown). - Chapter III. The Sign SCORPIO. - 1 and 2. SERPENS and OPHIUCHUS. - 3. HERCULES (The Mighty Man). - Chapter IV. The Sign SAGITTARIUS. - 1. LYRA (The Harp). - 2. ARA (The Altar). - 3. DRACO (The Dragon). -The Second Book. The Redeemed. - Chapter I. The Sign CAPRICORNUS (The Sea Goat). - 1. SAGITTA (The Arrow). - 2. AQUILA (The Eagle). - 3. DELPHINUS (The Dolphin). - Chapter II. The Sign AQUARIUS (The Water Bearer). - 1. PISCIS AUSTRALIS (The Southern Fish). - 2. PEGASUS (The Winged Horse). - 3. CYGNUS (The Swan). - Chapter III. The Sign PISCES (The Fishes). - 1. THE BAND. - 2. ANDROMEDA (The Chained Woman). - 3. CEPHEUS (The King). - Chapter IV. The Sign ARIES (The Ram or Lamb). - 1. CASSIOPEIA (The Enthroned Woman). - 2. CETUS (The Sea Monster). - 3. PERSEUS ("The Breaker.") -The Third Book. The Redeemer. - Chapter I. The Sign TAURUS (The Bull). - 1. ORION (The Coming Prince). - 2. ERIDANUS (The River of the Judge). - 3. AURIGA (The Shepherd). - Chapter II. The Sign GEMINI (The Twins). - 1. LEPUS (the Hare), THE ENEMY. - 2. CANIS MAJOR (The Dog), or SIRIUS (The Prince). - 3. CANIS MINOR (The Second Dog). - Chapter III. The Sign CANCER (The Crab). - 1. URSA MINOR (The Little Bear). - 2. URSA MAJOR (The Great Bear). - 3. ARGO (The Ship). - Chapter IV. The Sign LEO (The Lion). - 1. HYDRA (The Serpent). - 2. CRATER (The Cup). - 3. CORVUS (The Raven). -Summary. -"For Signs And For Seasons." -Appendix. Note on the Sign LIBRA. -Footnotes - - - - - - - [Cover Art] - - - - - -[Transcribers Note: This e-book contains countless special symbols, and -characters from uncommon character sets. If you see unrenderable -characters, you may need to change to a font that has the needed Unicode -blocks. It uses these uncommon character sets: Greek (Unicode U+0370 -through U+03FF), Greek Extended (U+1F00 through U+1FFF), Hebrew (U+0590 -through U+05FF), and Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600 through U+26FF). Hebrew -pointings and Greek markings are as provided in the original book, and -some differ from the usual pointings and markings for those words.] - - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Some years ago it was my privilege to enjoy the acquaintance of Miss -Frances Rolleston, of Keswick, and to carry on a correspondence with her -with respect to her work, _Mazzaroth: or, the Constellations_. She was the -first to create an interest in this important subject. Since then Dr. -Seiss, of Philadelphia, has endeavoured to popularize her work on the -other side of the Atlantic; and brief references have been made to the -subject in such books as _Moses and Geology_, by Dr. Kinns, and in -_Primeval Man_; but it was felt, for many reasons, that it was desirable -to make another effort to set forth, in a more complete form, the _witness -of the stars to prophetic truth_, so necessary in these last days. - -To the late Miss Rolleston, however, belongs the honour of collecting a -mass of information bearing on this subject; but, published as it was, -chiefly in the form of _notes_, unarranged and unindexed, it was suited -only for, but was most valuable to, the student. She it was who performed -the drudgery of collecting the facts presented by Albumazer, the Arab -astronomer to the Caliphs of Grenada, 850 A.D.; and the Tables drawn up by -Ulugh Beigh, the Tartar prince and astronomer, about 1450 A.D., who gives -the Arabian Astronomy as it had come down from the earliest times. - -Modern astronomers have preserved, and still have in common use, the -ancient names of over a hundred of the principal stars which have been -handed down; but now these names are used merely as a convenience, and -without any reference to their significance. - -This work is an attempt to popularize this ancient information, and to use -it in the interests of truth. - -For the ancient astronomical facts and the names, with their -signification, I am, from the very nature of the case, indebted, of -course, to all who have preserved, collected, and handed them down; but -for their interpretation I am alone responsible. - -It is for the readers to judge how far my conclusions are borne out by the -evidence; and how far the foundation of our hopes of coming glory are -strengthened by the prophecies which have been written in the stars of -heaven, as well as in the Scriptures of truth. - -For the illustrations I am greatly indebted to Jamieson's _Celestial -Atlas_, 1820; Flammarion's _L'Etoiles_; Sir John W. Lubbock's _Stars in -Six Maps_, 1883; and to the late Mr. Edward J. Cooper's _Egyptian -Scenery_, 1820. For the general presentation and arrangement of the -Constellations I am responsible, while for the drawings my thanks are due -to my friend Miss Amy Manson. - -It is the possession of "that blessed hope" of Christ's speedy return from -Heaven which will give true interest in the great subject of this book. - -No one can dispute the antiquity of the Signs of the Zodiac, or of the -Constellations. No one can question the accuracy of the ancient star-names -which have come down to us, for they are still preserved in every good -celestial atlas. And we hope that no one will be able to resist the -cumulative evidence that, apart from God's grace in Christ there is no -hope for sinners now: and apart from God's glory, as it will be manifested -in the return of Christ from Heaven, there is no hope for the Church, no -hope for Israel, no hope for the world, no hope for a groaning creation. -In spite of all the vaunted promises of a religious World, and of a -worldly Church, to remove the effects of the curse by a Social Gospel of -Sanitation, we are more and more shut up to the prophecy of Gen. iii. 15, -which we wait and long to see fulfilled in Christ as our only hope. This -is beautifully expressed by the late Dr. William Leask:-- - - - And is there none before? No perfect peace - Unbroken by the storms and cares of life, - Until the time of waiting for Him cease, - By His appearing to destroy the strife? - No, none before. - - Do we not hear that through the flag of grace - By faithful messengers of God unfurled, - All men will be converted, and the place - Of man's rebellion be a holy world? - Yes, so we hear. - - Is it not true that to the Church is given - The holy honour of dispelling night, - And bringing back the human race to heaven, - By kindling everywhere the Gospel light? - It is not true. - - Is this the hope--that Christ the Lord will come, - In all the glory of His royal right, - Redeemer and Avenger, taking home - His saints, and crushing the usurper's might? - This is the hope. - - -May the God of all grace accept and bless this effort to show forth His -glory, and use it to strengthen His people in waiting for His Son from -Heaven, even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come. - -Ethelbert W. Bullinger. - -_August 31st, 1893._ - - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -For more than two thousand five hundred years the world was without a -written revelation from God. The question is, Did God leave Himself -without a witness? The question is answered very positively by the written -Word that He did not. In Rom. i. 19 it is declared that, "that which may -be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. 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." But how was God known? How -were His "invisible things," _i.e._, His plans, His purposes, and His -counsels, known since the creation of the world? We are told by the Holy -Spirit in Rom. x. 18. Having stated in _v._ 17 that "Faith cometh by -hearing and hearing by the Word ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO WITH DASIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, _the thing spoken_, _sayings_) of -God," He asks, "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily." And we may -ask, How have they heard? The answer follows--"Their sound went into all -the earth ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH OXIA~}) and their words ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO WITH DASIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, _their teaching_, _message_, -_instruction_) unto the ends of the world ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~})." What words? What -instruction? Whose message? Whose teaching? There is only one answer, and -that is, THE HEAVENS! This is settled by the fact that the passage is -quoted from Ps. xix., the first part of which is occupied with the -Revelation of God written in _the Heavens_, and the latter part with the -Revelation of God written in the _Word_. - -This is the simple explanation of this beautiful Psalm. This is why its -two subjects are brought together. It has often perplexed many why there -should be that abrupt departure in verse 7--"The law of the Lord is -perfect, converting the soul." The fact is, there is nothing abrupt in it, -and it is no departure. It is simply the transition to the second of the -two great Revelations which are thus placed in juxtaposition. The first is -the Revelation of the Creator, _El_, {~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}, in His _works_, while the second -is the Revelation of the Covenant Jehovah, {~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}, in His _Word_. And it -is noteworthy that while in the first half of the Psalm, _El_ is named -only once, in the latter half _Jehovah_ is named _seven_ times, the last -being threefold (Jehovah, Rock, and Redeemer), concluding the Psalm. - -Let us then turn to Ps. xix., and note first-- - - - - -The Structure(1) of the Psalm as a whole. - - - A | 1-4-. The Heavens. - B | -4-6. "In them" ({~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL MEM~}) the Sun. - A | 7-10. The Scriptures. - B | 11-14. "In them" ({~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL MEM~}) Thy Servant. - - -In the _Key to the Psalms_, p. 17, it is pointed out that the terms -employed in _A_ and _B_ are _astronomical_,(2) while in A and B they are -_literary_. Thus the two parts are significantly connected and united. - -Ewald and others imagine that this Psalm is made up of two fragments of -separate Psalms composed at different periods and brought together by a -later editor! - -But this is disproved not only by what has been said concerning the -structure of the Psalm as a whole, and the interlacing of the astronomical -and the literary terms in the two parts, but it is also shown by more -minute details. - -Each half consists of two portions which correspond the one to the other, -A answering to _A_, and B to _B_. Moreover, each half, as well as each -corresponding member, consists of the same number of lines; those in the -first half being, by the _caesura_, short, while those in the last half are -long (or double). - - - A | 1-4-. Eight lines - B | -4-6. Six lines - _A_ | 7-10. Eight lines - _B_ | 11-14. Six lines - - -If we confine ourselves to the first half of the Psalm(3) (A and B, verses -1-6), with which we are now alone concerned, we see a still more minute -proof of Divine order and perfection. - - - - -The Structure of A and B. - - - A & B | C | 1. The heavens. - | D | 2. Their testimony: incessant. (Pos.) - | E | 3. Their words inaudible. (Neg.) - | _D_ | 4-. Their testimony: universal. (Pos.) - | _C_ | -4-6. The heavens. - - -Here we have an _introversion_, in which the extremes (C and _C_) are -occupied with the _heavens_; while the means (D, E and _D_) are occupied -with their testimony. - -The following is the full expansion of the above, with original -emendations which preserve the _order_ of the Hebrew words and thus -indicate the nature of the structure:-- - - - C | a | The heavens - b | are telling(4) - c | the glory(5) of God: - _c_ | and the work of his hands - _b_ | is setting forth(6) - _a_ | the firmament. - D | d | Day after day(7) - e | uttereth(8) speech, - _d_ | And night after night - _e_ | sheweth knowledge. - E | f | There is no speech (what is articulate) - g | and there are no words (what is audible); - _g_ | and without being audible, - _f_ | is their voice (what is articulate). - _D_ | h | Into all the earth (as created) - i | is their line(9) gone forth; - _h_ | And into the ends of the world (as inhabited) - _i_ | Their sayings. - C | j | For the sun He hath set a tent (an abode) in them; - _k_ | l | and he as a bridegroom (comparison) - m | is going forth from his canopy, (motion: its rising) - _l_ | he rejoiceth as a mighty one (comparison) - _m_ | to run his course. (Motion: its rapid course.) - _k_ | n | from the end of the heavens (egress) - o | is his going forth (egress) - _o_ | and his revolution (regress) - _n_ | unto their ends (regress): - _j_ | and there is nothing hid from his heat (_i.e._, from - him)(10) - - -Surely there is something more referred to here than a mere wonder excited -by the works of the Creator! When we read the whole passage and mark its -structure, and note the words employed, we are emphatically told that the -heavens contain a revelation from God; they prophesy, they show knowledge, -they tell of God's glory, and set forth His purposes and counsels. - -It is a remarkable fact that it is in the Book of Job, which is generally -allowed to be the oldest book in the Bible,(11) if not in the world, that -we have references to this Stellar Revelation. This would be at least -2,000 years before Christ. In that book the signs of the Zodiac and the -names of several stars and constellations are mentioned, as being ancient -and well-known. - -In Isa. xl. 26 (R.V.) we read:-- - - - "Lift up your eyes on high, - And see who hath created these, - That bringeth out their host by number: - He calleth them all by name; - By the greatness of His might, - And for that He is strong in power, - Not one is lacking." - - -We have the same evidence in Psalm cxlvii. 4. (R.V.) - - - "He telleth the number of the stars; - He giveth them all their names." - - -Here is a distinct and Divine declaration that the great Creator both -_numbered_ as well as _named_ the stars of Heaven. - -The question is, Has he revealed any of these names? Have any of them been -handed down to us? - -The answer is Yes; and that in the Bible itself we have the names (so -ancient that their meaning is a little obscure) of _Ash_ ({~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}, a name -still connected with the Great Bear), _Cesil_ ({~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT HIRIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}), and _Cimah_ -({~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT HIRIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}). - -They occur in Job ix. 9: "Which maketh Arcturus (R.V. _the Bear_), Orion, -and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south." (Marg., Heb., _Ash_, -_Cesil_, and _Cimah_.) - -Job xxxviii. 31, 32: "Canst thou bind the sweet influences (R.V. cluster) -of the Pleiades (marg., _the __ seven stars_, Heb. _Cimah_), or loose the -bands of Orion (marg. Heb. _Cesil_)? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth -(marg., _the twelve signs_. R.V., 'the twelve signs': and marg., _the -signs of the Zodiac_) in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his -sons (R.V., the Bear with her train; and marg., Heb., _sons_)."(12) - -Isa. xiii. 10: ... "The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof." -... - -Amos v. 8: "Seek him that maketh the seven stars (R.V., the Pleiades) and -Orion." - -Then we have the term "Mazzaroth," Job xxxviii. 32, and "Mazzaloth," 2 -Kings xxiii. 5. The former in both versions is referred to the Twelve -Signs of the Zodiac, while the latter is rendered "planets," and in -margin, _the twelve signs or constellations_. - -Others are referred to by name. The sign of "Gemini," or the Twins, is -given as the name of a ship: Acts xxviii. 11, {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER DELTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}, (_i.e._ Castor & -Pollux). - -Most commentators agree that the constellation of "Draco," or the Dragon -(between the Great and Little Bear), is referred to in Job xxvi. 13: "By -His Spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked -serpent (R.V. swift. Marg. _fleeing_ or _gliding_. See Is. xxvii. 1; -xliii. 14)." This word "garnished" is peculiar. The R.V. puts in the -margin, _beauty_. In Ps. xvi. 6, it is rendered _goodly_. "I have a goodly -heritage." In Dan. iv. 2, it is rendered, "I thought it good to show," -referring to "the signs and wonders" with which God had visited -Nebuchadnezzar. It appears from this that God "_thought it good to show_" -by these signs written in the heavens the wonders of His purposes and -counsels, and it was by His Spirit that He made it known; it was His hand -that _coiled_ ({~HEBREW LETTER HET~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}) the crooked serpent among the stars of heaven. - -Thus we see that the Scriptures are not silent as to the great antiquity -of the signs and constellations. - -If we turn to history and tradition, we are at once met with the fact that -the Twelve Signs are the same, both as to the meaning of their names and -as to their order _in all the ancient nations of the world_. The Chinese, -Chaldean, and Egyptian records go back to more than 2,000 years B.C. -Indeed, the Zodiacs in the Temples of Denderah and Esneh, in Egypt, are -doubtless copies of Zodiacs still more ancient, which, from internal -evidence, must be placed nearly 4,000 B.C., when the summer solstice was -in Leo. - -Josephus hands down to us what he gives as the traditions of his own -nation, corroborated by his reference to eight ancient Gentile -authorities, whose works are lost. He says that they all assert that "God -gave the antediluvians such long life that they might perfect those things -which they had invented in astronomy." Cassini commences his _History of -Astronomy_ by saying "It is impossible to doubt that astronomy was -invented from the beginning of the world; history, profane as well as -sacred, testifies to this truth." Nouet, a French astronomer, infers that -the Egyptian Astronomy must have arisen 5,400 B.C.! - -Ancient Persian and Arabian traditions ascribe its invention to Adam, -Seth, and Enoch. Josephus asserts that it originated in the family of -Seth; and he says that the children of Seth, and especially Adam, Seth, -and Enoch, that their revelation might not be lost as to the two coming -judgments of Water and Fire, made two pillars (one of brick, the other of -stone), describing the whole of the predictions of the stars upon them, -and in case the brick pillar should be destroyed by the flood, the stone -would preserve the revelation (Book i. chs. 1-3). - -This is what is doubtless meant by Gen. xi. 4, "And they said, Go to, let -us build us a city and a tower whose top _may reach_ unto heaven." The -words "_may reach_" are in italics. There is nothing in the verse which -relates to the height of this tower. It merely says {~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~} {~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW POINT HIRIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL MEM~}, -_and his top with the heavens_, _i.e._ with the pictures and the stars, -just as we find them in the ancient temples of Denderah and Esneh in -Egypt. This tower, with its planisphere and pictures of the signs and -constellations, was to be erected like those temples were afterwards, in -order to preserve the revelation, "lest we be scattered abroad upon the -face of the whole earth." - -This is corroborated by Lieut.-Gen. Chesney, well known for his learned -researches and excavations among the ruins of Babylon, who, after -describing his various discoveries, says,(13) "About five miles S.W. of -Hillah, the most remarkable of all the ruins, the _Birs Nimroud_ of the -Arabs, rises to a height of 153 feet above the plain from a base covering -a square of 400 feet, or almost four acres. It was constructed of kiln- -dried bricks in seven stages to correspond with the planets to which they -were dedicated: the lowermost black, the colour of Saturn; the next -orange, for Jupiter; the third red, for Mars; and so on.(14) These stages -were surmounted by a lofty tower on the summit of which, we are told, were -the signs of the Zodiac and other astronomical figures; thus having (as it -should have been translated) _a representation of the heavens_, instead of -'a top which reached unto heaven.' " - -This Biblical evidence carries us at once right back to the Flood, or -about 2,500 years B.C. - -This tower or temple, or both, was also called "_The Seven Spheres_," -according to some; and "The Seven Lights," according to others. It is thus -clear that the popular idea of its height and purpose must be abandoned, -and its astronomical reference to revelation must be admitted. The tower -was an attempt to preserve and hand down the antediluvian traditions; -their sin was in keeping together instead of scattering themselves over -the earth. - -Another important statement is made by Dr. Budge, of the British -Museum.(15) He says, "It must never be forgotten that the Babylonians were -a nation of star-gazers, and that they kept a body of men to do nothing -else but report eclipses, appearances of the moon, sun-spots, etc., etc." - -"Astronomy, mixed with astrology, occupied a large number of tablets in -the Babylonian libraries, and Isaiah, xlvii. 13, refers to this when he -says to Babylon, 'Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let -now thy astrologers (marg. _viewers of the heavens_), the star-gazers, the -monthly prognosticators stand up.' The largest astrological work of the -Babylonians contained seventy tablets, and was compiled by the command of -Sargon of Agade thirty-eight hundred years before Christ! It was called -the 'Illumination of Bel.' " - -"Their observations were made in towers called 'ziggurats' " (p. 106). - -"They built observatories in all the great cities, and reports like the -above [which Dr. Budge gives in full] were regularly sent to the King" (p. -110). - -"They were able to calculate eclipses, and had long lists of them." "They -found out that the sun was spotted, and they knew of comets." "They were -the inventors of the Zodiac" (?). There are fragments of two (ancient -Babylonian) planispheres in the British Museum with figures and -calculations inscribed upon them. "The months were called after the signs -of the Zodiac" (p. 109). - -We may form some idea of what this "representation of the heavens" was -from the fifth "Creation Tablet," now in the British Museum. It reads as -follows:-- - - - "Anu [_the Creator_] made excellent the mansions [_i.e._ _the - celestial houses_] of the great gods [twelve] in number [_i.e._ - _the twelve signs or mansions of the sun_]. - - The stars he placed in them. The lumasi [_i.e._ _groups of stars - or figures_] he fixed. - - He arranged the year according to the bounds [_i.e._ _the twelve - signs_] which he defined. - - For each of the twelve months three rows of stars [_i.e._ - _constellations_] he fixed. - - From the day when the year issues forth unto the close, he marked - the mansions [_i.e._ _the Zodiacal Signs_] of the wandering stars - [_i.e._ _planets_] to know their courses that they might not err - or deflect at all." - - -Coming down to less ancient records: EUDOXOS, an astronomer of Cnidus (403 -to 350 B.C.), wrote a work on Astronomy which he called _Phainomena_. -ANTIGONUS GONATAS, King of Macedonia (273-239 B.C.), requested the Poet -ARATUS to put the work of EUDOXUS into the form of a poem, which he did -about the year 270 B.C. ARATUS called his work _Diosemeia (the Divine -Signs)_. He was a native of Tarsus, and it is interesting for us to note -that his poem was known to, and, indeed, must have been read by, the -Apostle Paul, for he quotes it in his address at Athens on Mars' Hill. He -says (Acts xvii. 28), "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; -as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his -offspring."(16) Several translations of this poem have been made, both by -CICERO and others, into Latin, and in recent times into English by E. -Poste, J. Lamb, and others. The following is the opening from the -translation of Robert Brown, jun.:-- - - - "From Zeus we lead the strain; he whom mankind - Ne'er leave unhymned: of Zeus all public ways, - All haunts of men, are full; and full the sea, - And harbours; and of Zeus all stand in need. - _We are his offspring_:(17) and he, ever good and mild to man, - Gives favouring signs, and rouses us to toil. - Calling to mind life's wants: when clods are best - For plough and mattock: when the time is ripe - For planting vines and sowing seeds, he tells, - Since he himself hath fixed in heaven these Signs, - The stars dividing: and throughout the year - Stars he provides to indicate to man - The seasons' course, that all things duly grow," etc., etc. - - -Then ARATUS proceeds to describe and explain all the Signs and -Constellations as the Greeks in his day understood, or rather -misunderstood, them, after their true meaning and testimony had been -forgotten. - -Moreover, ARATUS describes them, not as they were seen in his day, but as -they were seen some 4,000 years before. The stars were not seen from -Tarsus as he describes them, and he must therefore have written from a -then ancient Zodiac. For notwithstanding that we speak of "fixed stars," -there is a constant, though slow, change taking place amongst them. There -is also another change taking place owing to the slow recession of the -pole of the heavens (about 50" in the year); so that while _Alpha_ in the -constellation of _Draco_ was the Polar Star when the Zodiac was first -formed, the Polar Star is now _Alpha_ in what is called _Ursa Minor_. This -change alone carries us back at least 5,000 years. The same movement which -has changed the relative position of these two stars has also caused the -constellation of the _Southern Cross_ to become invisible in northern -latitudes. When the constellations were formed the _Southern Cross_ was -visible in N. latitude 40 deg., and was included in their number. But, though -known by tradition, it had not been seen in that latitude for some twenty -centuries, until the Cape of Good Hope had been discovered. Then was seen -again _The Southern Cross_ depicted by the Patriarchs. Here is another -indisputable proof as to the antiquity of the formation of the Zodiac. - -PTOLEMY (150 A.D.) transmits them from HIPPARCHUS (130 B.C.) "as of -unquestioned authority, unknown origin, and unsearchable antiquity." - -Sir William Drummond says that "the traditions of the Chaldean Astronomy -seem the fragments of a mighty system fallen into ruins." - -The word _Zodiac_ itself is from the Greek {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ZETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, which is not from -{~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ZETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}, _to live_, but from a primitive root through the Hebrew _Sodi_, which -in Sanscrit means _a way_. Its etymology has no connection with _living -creatures_, but denotes _a way_, or _step_, and is used of the _way_ or -_path_ in which the sun appears to move amongst the stars in the course of -the year. - -To an observer on the earth the whole firmament, together with the sun, -appears to revolve in a circle once in twenty-four hours. But the time -occupied by the stars in going round, differs from the time occupied by -the sun. This difference amounts to about one-twelfth part of the whole -circle in each month, so that when the circle of the heavens is divided up -into twelve parts, the sun appears to move each month through one of them. -This path which the sun thus makes amongst the stars is called the -_Ecliptic_.(18) - -Each of these twelve parts (consisting each of about 30 degrees) is -distinguished, not by numbers or by letters, but by pictures and names, -and this, as we have seen, from the very earliest times. They are -preserved to the present day in our almanacs, and we are taught their -order in the familiar rhymes:-- - - - "The RAM, the BULL, the heavenly TWINS, - And next the CRAB, the LION shines, - The VIRGIN and the SCALES; - The SCORPION, ARCHER, and SEA-GOAT, - The MAN that carries the Water-pot, - And FISH with glittering scales." - - -These signs have always and everywhere been preserved in this order, and -have begun with ARIES. They have been known amongst all nations, and in -all ages, thus proving their common origin from one source. - -The figures themselves are perfectly arbitrary. There is nothing in the -groups of stars to even suggest the figures. This is the first thing which -is noticed by every one who looks at the constellations. Take for example -the sign of VIRGO, and look at the stars. There is nothing whatever to -suggest a human form; still less is there anything to show whether that -form is a man or a woman. And so with all the others. - -The _picture_, therefore, is the original, and must have been drawn around -or connected with certain stars, simply in order that it might be -identified and associated with them; and that it might thus be remembered -and handed down to posterity. - -There can be no doubt, as the learned Authoress of _Mazzaroth_ -conclusively proves, that these signs were afterwards identified with the -twelve sons of Jacob. Joseph sees the sun and moon and eleven stars bowing -down to him, he himself being the twelfth (Gen. xxxvii. 9). The blessing -of Jacob (Gen. xlix.) and the blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii.) both bear -witness to the existence of these signs in their day. And it is more than -probable that each of the Twelve Tribes bore one of them on its standard. -We read in Num. ii. 2, "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by -his own STANDARD, with the ENSIGN of their father's house" (R.V. "with the -ensigns of their fathers' houses"). This "Standard" was the _Degel_ -({~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER GIMEL~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}) on which the "Sign" ({~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}, _Oth_) was depicted. Hence it was -called the "_En-sign_." Ancient Jewish authorities declare that each tribe -had one of the signs as its own, and it is highly probable, even from -Scripture, that four of the tribes carried its "Sign"; and that these four -were placed at the four sides of the camp. - -If the Lion were appropriated to Judah, then the other three would be thus -fixed, and would be the same four that equally divide the Zodiac at its -four cardinal points. According to Num. ii. the camp was thus formed:-- - - - In the North, from North-West to North-East: - ASHER (_Sagittarius_). - DAN, The Scorpion (_Scorpio_). - NEPHTALI (_Capricornus_). - In the East, from North-East to South-East: - ISSACHAR (_Cancer_). - JUDAH, The Lion (_Leo_). - ZEBULON (_Virgo_). - In the South, from South-East to South-West: - SIMEON (_Pisces_). - REUBEN, The Man (_Aquarius_). - GAD (_Aries_). - In the West, from South-West to North-West: - EPHRAIM and MANASSEH, The Bull (the two horns of _Taurus_). - BENJAMIN (_Gemini_). - In the Center: - LEVI, The Scales (_Libra_). - - -If the reader compares the above with the blessings of Israel and Moses, -and compares the meanings and descriptions given below with those -blessings, the connection will be clearly seen. Levi, for example, had no -standard, and he needed none, for he kept "the balance of the Sanctuary," -and had the charge of that brazen altar on which the atoning blood -outweighed the nation's sins. - -The four great signs which thus marked the four sides of the camp, and the -four quarters of the Zodiac, are the same four which form the Cherubim -(the Eagle, the Scorpion's enemy, being substituted for the Scorpion). The -Cherubim thus form a compendious expression of the hope of Creation, -which, from the very first, has been bound up with the Coming One, who -alone should cause its groanings to cease. - -But this brings us to the Signs themselves and their interpretation. - -These pictures were designed to preserve, expound, and perpetuate the one -first great promise and prophecy of Gen. iii. 15, that all hope for Man, -all hope for Creation, was bound up in _a coming Redeemer_; One who should -be born of a woman; who should first suffer, and afterwards gloriously -triumph; One who should first be wounded by that great enemy who was the -cause of all sin and sorrow and death, but who should finally crush the -head of "that Old Serpent the Devil." - -These ancient star-pictures reveal this Coming One. They set forth "the -sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow." Altogether there -are forty-eight of them, made up of twelve SIGNS, each sign containing -three CONSTELLATIONS. - -These may be divided into _three_ great books, each book containing four -chapters (or Signs); and each chapter containing three sections (or -Constellations). - -Each book (like the four Gospels) sets forth its peculiar aspect of the -Coming One; beginning with the promise of His coming, and ending with the -destruction of the enemy. - -But where are we to _begin_ to read this wondrous Heavenly Scroll? A -circle has proverbially neither beginning nor end. In what order then are -we to consider these signs? In the heavens they form a never-ending -circle. Where is the beginning and where is the end of this circle through -which the sun is constantly moving? Where are we to break into this -circle? and say, _This is the commencement_. It is clear that unless we -can determine this original starting point we can never read this wondrous -book aright. - -As I have said, the popular beginning to-day is with ARIES, _the_ Ram. But -comparing this Revelation with that which was afterwards written "in the -Volume of the Book," VIRGO is the only point where we can intelligently -begin, and LEO is the only point where we can logically conclude. Is not -this what is spoken of as the unknown and insoluble mystery--"The riddle of -the SPHINX"? The word "Sphinx" is from {~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}, _to bind closely together_. -It was therefore designed to show where the two ends of the Zodiac were to -be joined together, and where the great circle of the heavens begins and -ends. - - [Ceiling of Portico of Temple of Esneh] - - Signs of Leo and Virgo, from the ceiling of the Portico of the Temple of - Esneh, showing the Sphinx between, uniting the beginning and end of the - Zodiac. - - -The SPHINX is a figure with the _head of a woman_ and the _body of a -lion_! What is this but a never-ceasing monitor, telling us to begin with -_Virgo_ and to end with _Leo_! In the Zodiac in the Temple of Esneh, in -Egypt, a Sphinx is actually placed between the Signs of Virgo and Leo, as -shown in the illustration on the preceding page. It is a tracing from the -drawing of Signor Bossi, executed on the spot, under the direction of the -late Mr. Edward J. Cooper, in 1820. - -Beginning, then, with VIRGO, let us now spread out the contents of this -Heavenly Volume, so that the eye can take them in at a glance. Of course -we are greatly hindered in this, in having to use the modern Latin names -which the Constellations bear to-day.(19) Some of these names are -mistakes, others are gross perversions of the truth, as proved by the -pictures themselves, which are far more ancient, and have come down to us -from primitive times. - -After the Revelation came to be written down in the Scriptures, there was -not the same need for the preservation of the Heavenly Volume. And after -the nations had lost the original meaning of the pictures, they invented a -meaning out of the vain imagination of the thoughts of their hearts. The -Greek Mythology is an interpretation of (only some of) the signs and -constellations after their true meaning had been forgotten. It is -popularly believed that Bible truth is an evolution from, or development -of, the ancient religions of the world. But the fact is that they -themselves are a _corruption_ and _perversion of primitive truth_! - -We will now give _the contents_ of this Heavenly Volume of Divine -Revelation, and afterwards proceed to develope it, explain it in detail, -and compare it with the same truth which was afterwards written down in -the Scriptures. - - - The First Book. - THE REDEEMER. - (HIS FIRST COMING.) - "The Sufferings of Christ." - - CHAPTER I. - THE PROPHECY OF THE PROMISED SEED OF THE WOMAN. - - VIRGO (_The Virgin. A woman bearing a branch in her right hand and - an ear of corn in her left_). The Promised Seed of the woman. - - § 1. COMA (_The Desired. The woman and child_). The Desired of all - nations. - - § 2. CENTAURUS (_The Centaur with two natures, holding a spear - piercing a victim_). The despised sin offering. - - § 3. BOOeTES (_a man walking bearing a branch called_ ARCTURUS, - _meaning the same_). He cometh. - - CHAPTER II. - THE REDEEMER'S ATONING WORK. - - LIBRA (_The Scales_). The price deficient balanced by the price - which covers. - - § 1. CRUX, The Cross endured. - - § 2. LUPUS, or VICTIMA, _The Victim_ slain. - - § 3. CORONA, _The Crown_ bestowed. - - CHAPTER III. - THE REDEEMER'S CONFLICT. - - SCORPIO (_The Scorpion_) seeking to wound, but itself trodden - under foot. - - § 1. SERPENS (_The Serpent_ struggling with the man). - - § 2. O-PHI-U-CHUS (_The man_ grasping the serpent). The struggle - with the enemy. - - § 3. HERCULES (_The mighty man. A man kneeling on one knee, - humbled in the conflict, but holding aloft the tokens of victory, - with his foot on the head of the Dragon_). The mighty Vanquisher - seeming to sink in the conflict. - - CHAPTER IV. - THE REDEEMER'S TRIUMPH. - - SAGITTARIUS (_The Archer_). The Two-natured Conqueror going forth - "Conquering and to conquer." - - § 1. LYRA (_The Harp_). Praise prepared for the Conqueror. - - § 2. ARA (_The Altar_). Consuming fire prepared for His enemies. - - § 3. DRACO (_The Dragon_). The Old Serpent--the Devil, cast down - from heaven. - - The Second Book. - THE REDEEMED. - THE RESULT OF THE REDEEMER'S SUFFERINGS. - - CHAPTER I. - THEIR BLESSINGS PROCURED. - - CAPRICORNUS (_The fish-goat_). The goat of Atonement slain for the - Redeemed. - - § 1. SAGITTA (_The Arrow_). The arrow of God sent forth. - - § 2. AQUILA (_The Eagle_). The smitten One falling. - - § 3. DELPHINUS (_The Dolphin_). The dead One rising again. - - CHAPTER II. - THEIR BLESSINGS ENSURED. - - AQUARIUS (_The Water-Bearer_): The living waters of blessing - poured forth for the Redeemed. - - § 1. PISCIS AUSTRALIS (_The Southern Fish_). The blessings - bestowed. - - § 2. PEGASUS (_The Winged Horse_). The blessings quickly coming. - - § 3. CYGNUS (_The Swan_). The Blesser surely returning. - - CHAPTER III. - THEIR BLESSINGS IN ABEYANCE. - - PISCES (_The Fishes_). The Redeemed blessed though bound. - - § 1. THE BAND--bound, but binding their great enemy Cetus, the sea - monster. - - § 2. ANDROMEDA (_The Chained Woman_). The Redeemed in their - bondage and affliction. - - § 3. CEPHEUS (_The King_). Their Redeemer coming to rule. - - CHAPTER IV. - THEIR BLESSINGS CONSUMMATED AND ENJOYED. - - ARIES (_The Ram or Lamb_). The Lamb that was slain, prepared for - the victory. - - § 1. CASSIOPEIA (_The Enthroned Woman_). The captive delivered, - and preparing for her husband, the Redeemer. - - § 2. CETUS (_The Sea Monster_). The great enemy bound. - - § 3. PERSEUS (_The Breaker_). Delivering His redeemed. - - The Third Book. - THE REDEEMER. - (HIS SECOND COMING.) - "The glory that should follow." - - CHAPTER I. - MESSIAH, THE COMING JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH. - - TAURUS (_The Bull_). Messiah coming to rule. - - § 1. ORION, _Light breaking forth_ in the person of the Redeemer. - - § 2. ERIDANUS (_The River of the Judge_). Wrath breaking forth for - His enemies. - - § 3. AURIGA (_The Shepherd_). Safety for the Redeemed in the day - of that wrath. - - CHAPTER II. - MESSIAH'S REIGN AS PRINCE OF PEACE. - - GEMINI (The Twins). The twofold nature of the King. - - § 1. LEPUS (_The Hare_), or THE ENEMY trodden under foot. - - § 2. CANIS MAJOR (_The Dog_), or SIRIUS, the coming glorious - Prince of Princes. - - § 3. CANIS MINOR (_The Second Dog_), or PROCYON, the exalted - Redeemer. - - CHAPTER III. - MESSIAH'S REDEEMED POSSESSIONS. - - CANCER (The Crab). The possessions held fast. - - § 1. URSA MINOR (_The Lesser Bear_). The lesser sheepfold. - - § 2. URSA MAJOR (_The Great Bear_). The fold and the flock. - - § 3. ARGO (_The Ship_). The redeemed pilgrims safe at home. - - CHAPTER IV. - MESSIAH'S CONSUMMATED TRIUMPH. - - LEO (_The Lion_). The Lion of the Tribe of Judah aroused for the - rending of the Enemy. - - § 1. HYDRA (_The Serpent_). That old Serpent--the Devil, destroyed. - - § 2. CRATER (_The Cup_). The cup of Divine wrath poured out upon - him. - - § 3. CORVUS (_The Crow, or Raven_). Birds of prey devouring him. - - -Such are the contents of this wondrous book that is written in the -heavens. Thus has God been speaking and emphasizing and developing His -first great prophetic promise of Gen. iii. 15. - -Though for more than 2,500 years His people had not this Revelation -written in a book as we now have it in the Bible, they were not left in -ignorance and darkness as to God's purposes and counsels; nor were they -without hope as to ultimate deliverance from all evil and from the Evil -One. - -Adam, who first heard that wondrous promise, repeated it, and gave it to -his posterity as a most precious heritage--the ground of all their faith, -the substance of all their hope, the object of all their desire. Seth and -Enoch took it up. Enoch, we know, prophesied of the Lord's coming, saying, -"Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints to execute -judgment upon all" (Jude 14). How could these "holy prophets, since the -world began," have recorded their prophecies better, or more effectually, -or more truthfully and powerfully, than in these star-pictures and their -interpretation? This becomes a certainty when we remember the words of the -Holy Spirit by Zacharias (Luke i. 67-70):-- - - - "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; - For He hath visited and redeemed His people, - And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us - In the house of His servant David; - As He spake by the mouth of HIS HOLY PROPHETS - WHICH HAVE BEEN SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN." - - -The same truth is revealed through Peter, in Acts iii. 20, 21:--"He shall -send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven -must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath -spoken by the mouth of all HIS HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN." - -These words have new meaning for us, if we see the things which were -spoken "since the world began," thus written in the heavens, which utter -speech (_i.e._ prophecy), and show forth this knowledge day after day and -night after night, the heritage of all the earth, and their words reaching -unto the ends of the world. - -This Revelation, coinciding as it does in all its facts and truths with -that afterwards recorded "in the Volume of the Book," must have had the -same Divine origin, must have been made known by the inspiration of the -same Holy Spirit. - -We now proceed to compare the two, and we shall see how they agree at -every point, proving that the source and origin of this Divine Revelation -is one and the same. - - - - - -THE FIRST BOOK. THE REDEEMER. - - - (_His First Coming_.) - - "The Sufferings of Christ." - -The First Book is occupied with the PERSON of the Coming One. It covers -the whole ground, and includes the conflict and the victory of the -Promised Seed, but with special emphasis on His Coming. The book opens -with the promise of His coming, and it closes with the Dragon cast down -from heaven. - - - - -Chapter I. The Sign VIRGO. - - - _The Promised Seed of the Woman_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 1: Virgo (the Virgin) - - -Here is the commencement of all prophecy in Gen. iii. 15, spoken to the -serpent:--"I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy -seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His -heel." This is the prophetic announcement which the Revelation in the -heavens and in the Book is designed to unfold and develope. It lies at the -root of all the ancient traditions and mythologies, which are simply the -perversion and corruption of primitive truth. - -VIRGO is represented as a woman with a _branch_ in her right hand, and -some ears of corn in her left hand. Thus giving a two-fold testimony of -the Coming One. - -The name of this sign in the Hebrew is _Bethulah_, which means _a virgin_, -and in the Arabic _a branch_. The two words are connected, as in -Latin--_Virgo_, which means _a virgin_; and _virga_, which means _a branch_ -(Vulg. Isa. xi. 1). Another name is _Sunbul_, Arabic, _an ear of corn_. - -In Gen. iii. 15 she is presented only as a woman; but in later prophecies -her nationality is defined as being of the stock of Israel, the seed of -Abraham, the line of David; and, further, she is to be a virgin. There are -two prominent prophecies of her and her seed: one is connected with the -first coming in incarnation, Isa. vii. 14 (quoted in Matt. i. 23.) - - - "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, - And shall call his name Immanuel." - - -The other is connected with His second coming, leaping over the sufferings -and this present interval of His rejection, and looking forward to His -coming in glory and judgment, Isa. ix. 6, 7 (quoted in Luke ii. 11 and i. -32, 33)-- - - - "For unto us a child is born, - Unto us a son is given;(20) - And the government shall be upon His shoulder; - And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, - The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. - Of the increase of His government there shall be no end. - Upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, - To order it, and to establish it - With judgment and with justice - From henceforth even for ever. - The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." - - -It is difficult to separate the Virgin and her Seed in the prophecy, and -so, here, we have first the sign VIRGO, where the name points to her as -the prominent subject; while in the first of the three constellations of -this sign, where the woman appears again, the name COMA points to the -child as the great subject. - -_Virgo_ contains 110 stars, _viz._, one of the 1st magnitude, six of the -3rd, ten of the 4th, etc. - -ARATUS thus sings of them:-- - - - "Beneath Booetes feet the Virgin seek, - Who carries in her hand a glittering spike.... - Over her shoulder there revolves a star - In the right wing, superlatively bright;(21) - It rolls beneath the tail, and may compare - With the bright stars that deck the Greater Bear. - Upon her shoulder one bright star is borne,(22) - One clasps the circling girdle of her loins,(23) - One at her bending knee;(24) and in her hand - Glitters that bright and golden Ear of Corn.(25) - - -Thus the brightest star in Virgo ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~})(26) has an ancient name, handed down -to us in all the star-maps, in which the Hebrew word ({~HEBREW LETTER TSADI~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER HET~}) _Tsemech_ is -preserved. It is called in Arabic _Al Zimach_, which means _the branch_. -This star is in the ear of corn which she holds in her left hand. Hence -the star has a modern Latin name, which has almost superseded the ancient -one, _Spica_, which means, _an ear of corn_. But this hides the great -truth revealed by its name _Al Zimach_. It foretold the coming of Him who -should bear this name. The same Divine inspiration has, in the written -Word, four times connected it with Him. There are twenty Hebrew words -translated "Branch," but only one of them (_Tsemech_) is used exclusively -of the Messiah, and this word only four times.(27)Each of these further -connects Him with one special account of Him, given in the Gospels. - -(1.) Jer. xxiii. 5, 6-- - - - "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, - That I will raise unto David a righteous BRANCH - (_i.e._, a Son), - And a KING shall reign and prosper." - - -The account of His coming as King is written in the Gospel according to -Matthew, where Jehovah says to Israel, "Behold thy KING." (Zech. ix. 9; -Matt. xxi. 9.) - -(2.) Zech. iii. 8.--"Behold I will bring forth my SERVANT the BRANCH." In -the Gospel according to Mark we find the record of Jehovah's servant and -His service, and we hear Jehovah's voice saying, "Behold my SERVANT." -(Isa. xlii. 1.) - -(3.) Zech. vi. 12.--"Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the -MAN whose name is the BRANCH." In the Gospel according to Luke we behold -Him, presented in "the MAN Christ Jesus." - -(4.) Isa. iv. 2.--"In that day shall the BRANCH of JEHOVAH be beautiful and -glorious." So that this Branch, this Son, is Jehovah Himself; and as we -read the record of John we hear the voice from heaven saying, "Behold your -GOD." (Isa. xl. 9.) - -This is the Branch foretold by the star _Al Zimach_ in the ear of corn. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} is called _Zavijaveh_, which means _the gloriously beautiful_, -as in Isa. iv. 2. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}, in the arm bearing the branch, is called _Al -Mureddin_, which means _who shall come down_ (as in Ps. lxxii. 8), or _who -shall have dominion_. It is also known as _Vindemiatrix_, a Chaldee word -which means _the son_, or _branch_, _who cometh_. - -Other names of stars in the sign, not identified, are-- - -_Subilah, who carries_. (Isa. xlvi. 4.) - -_Al Azal, the Branch_. (As in Isa. xviii. 5.) - -_Subilon, a spike of corn_. (As in Isa. xvii. 5.) - -The Greeks, ignorant of the Divine origin and teaching of the sign, -represented Virgo as _Ceres_, with ears of corn in her hand. - -In the Zodiac in the Temple of Denderah, in Egypt, about 2000 B.C. (now in -Paris), she is likewise represented with a branch in her hand, but -ignorantly explained by a false religion to represent _Isis_! Her name is -called _Aspolia_, which means _ears of corn_, or _the seed_, which shows -that though the woman is seen, it is her Seed who is the great subject of -the prophecy. - -Passing to the three constellations anciently assigned to the sign Virgo, -we come to what may be compared to _three sections_ of the chapter, each -giving some further detail as to the interpretation of its teaching. - - - -1. COMA (The Woman and Child). - - - _The Desired of all Nations._ - -The first constellation in Virgo explains that this coming "Branch" will -be a child, and that He should be the "Desire of all nations." - -The ancient name of this constellation is _Comah_,(28) _the desired_, or -_the longed for_. We have the word used by the Holy Spirit in this very -connection, in Hag. ii. 7: "The DESIRE of all nations shall come." - - [Illustration] - - Plate 2: Coma (the Desired) - - -The ancient Zodiacs pictured this constellation as a woman with a child in -her arms. ALBUMAZAR(29) (or ABU MASHER), an Arabian astronomer of the -eighth century, says, "There arises in the first Decan,(30) as the -Persians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians, and the two HERMES and ASCALIUS teach, -_a young woman_, whose Persian name denotes a pure virgin, sitting on a -throne, _nourishing an infant boy_ (the boy, I say), having a Hebrew name, -by some nations called IHESU, with the signification IEZA, which in Greek -is called CHRISTOS." - -But this picture is not found in any of the _modern_ maps of the stars. -There we find to-day a woman's wig! It appears that BERENICE, the wife of -EUERGETES (PTOLEMY III.), king of Egypt in the third century B.C., when -her husband once went on a dangerous expedition, vowed to consecrate her -fine head of hair to Venus if he returned in safety. Her hair, which was -hung up in the Temple of Venus, was subsequently stolen, and to comfort -BERENICE, CONON, an astronomer of Alexandria (B.C. 283-222), gave it out -that Jupiter had taken it and made it a constellation! - -This is a good example of how the meaning of other constellations have -been perverted (ignorantly or intentionally). In this case, as in others, -the transition from ancient to more modern languages helped to hide the -meaning. The Hebrew name was COMA (_desired_). But the Greeks had a word -for hair, _Co-me_. This again is transferred to the Latin _coma_, and thus -"_Coma Berenicae_" (_the hair of Berenice_) comes down to us to-day as the -name of this constellation, and gives us a woman's wig instead of that -Blessed One, "the Desire of all Nations." - -In this case, however, we are able to give absolute proof that this is a -perversion. - -The ancient Egyptian name for this constellation was _Shes-nu, the desired -son_! - -The Zodiac in the Temple of Denderah, in Egypt, going back at least 2,000 -years B.C., has no trace of any hair, but it has the figure of a woman and -child. In our illustration we have given a copy of this very ancient -picture, and not the wig of hair! - -We have been permitted to trace it from a work on _Egyptian Scenery_ by -the late eminent astronomer, Edward J. Cooper, of Markree Castle, co. -Sligo, who visited that Temple in the year 1820 with an Italian artist, -Signor Bossi. The original drawing from which our tracing is made (and -enlarged) was drawn by Signor Bossi on the spot, before it was taken to -Paris in 1821.(31) We thus have before us the exact representations of one -of these star-pictures at least 4,000 years old. - -Even Shakespeare understood the truth about this constellation picture, -which has been so long covered by modern inventions. In his _Titus -Andronicus_(32) he speaks of an arrow being shot up to heaven to the -"_Good boy in Virgo's lap._" - -The constellation itself is very remarkable. Others contain one or two -stars of the first or second magnitude, and then a greater or less variety -of lesser stars; but this is peculiar from having no one very bright star, -but contains so many stars of the 4th and 5th magnitudes. It contains 43 -stars altogether, ten being of the 4th magnitude, and the remainder of the -5th, 6th, etc. - -It was in all probability the constellation of _Coma_ in which "the Star -of Bethlehem" appeared. There was a traditional prophecy, well-known in -the East, carefully preserved and handed down, that a new star would -appear in this sign when He whom it foretold should be born. - -This was, doubtless, referred to in the prophecy of Balaam, which would -thus receive a double fulfilment, first of the literal "Star," and also of -the person to whom it referred. The Lord said by Balaam (Num. xxiv. 17), - - - "There shall come(33) a star out of Jacob, - And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel." - - -Thomas Hyde, an eminent Orientalist (1636-1703), writing on the ancient -religion of the Persians, quotes from ABULFARAGIUS (an Arab Christian -Historian, 1226-1286), who says that ZOROASTER, or ZERDUSHT, the Persian, -was a pupil of Daniel the Prophet, and that he predicted to the Magians -(who were the astronomers of Persia), that when they should see _a new -star_ appear it would notify the birth of a mysterious child, whom they -were to adore. It is further stated in the _Zend Avesta_ that this new -star was to appear in the sign of the Virgin. Some have supposed that this -passage is not genuine. But whether it was interpolated before or after -the event, it is equally good evidence for our purpose here. For if it was -written _before_ the event, it is evidence of the _prophetic -announcement_; and if it was interpolated _after_ the event it is evidence -of the _historic fact_. - -The Book of Job shows us how Astronomy flourished in Idumea; and the -Gospel according to Matthew shows that the Persian Magi, as well as -others, were looking for "the Desire of all nations." - -New stars have appeared again and again. It was in 125 B.C. that a star, -so bright as to be seen in the day-time, suddenly appeared. It was this -that caused HIPPARCHUS to draw up his catalogue of stars, which has been -handed down to us by PTOLEMY (150 A.D.). - -This new star would show the _latitude_, passing at that time immediately -overhead at midnight, every twenty-four hours; while the prophecy would -give the _longitude_ as the land of Jacob. Having these two factors, it -would be only a matter of observation, and easy for the Magi to find the -place where it would be vertical, and thus to locate the very spot of the -birth of Him of whom it was the sign, for they emphatically called it "His -Star." There is a beautiful tradition which relates how, in their -difficulty, on their way from Jerusalem to find the actual spot under the -_Zenith_ of this star, these Magi sat down beside David's "Well of -Bethlehem" to refresh themselves. There they saw the star reflected in the -clear water of the well. Hence it is written that "when they saw the star -they rejoiced with exceeding joy," for they knew they were at the very -spot and place of His appearing whence He was to "come forth." - -There can be little doubt that it was _a new star_. In the first place a -new star is no unusual phenomenon. In the second place the tradition is -well supported by ancient Christian writers. One speaks of its "surpassing -brightness." Another (IGNATIUS, Bp. of Antioch, A.D. 69) says, "At the -appearance of the Lord a star shone forth brighter than all the other -stars." IGNATIUS, doubtless, had this from those who had actually seen it! -PRUDENTIUS (4th cent. A.D.) says that not even the morning star was so -fair. Archbishop Trench, who quotes these authorities, says "This star, I -conceive, as so many ancients and moderns have done, to have been a new -star in the heavens." - -One step more places this new star in the constellation of COMA, and with -new force makes it indeed "His star"--the "Sign" of His "coming forth from -Bethlehem." Will it be "the sign of the Son of Man in heaven" (Matt. xxiv. -30) when He shall "come unto" this world again to complete the wondrous -prophecies written of Him in the heavenly and earthly Revelations?(34) - -Thus does the constellation of COMA reveal that the coming "Seed of the -woman" was to be a child born, a son given. - -But He was to be more: He was to be God and man--two natures in one person! -This is the lesson of the next picture. - - - -2. CENTAURUS (The Centaur). - - - _The Despised Sin-offering_. - -It is the figure of a being with two natures. Jamieson, in his _Celestial -Atlas_, 1822, says, "On the authority of the most accomplished Orientalist -of our own times, the Arabic and Chaldaic name of this constellation is -{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW LETTER ZAYIN~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}." Now this Hebrew word _Bezeh_ (and the Arabic _Al Beze_) means _the -despised_. It is the very word used of this Divine sufferer in Isa. liii. -3, "He is DESPISED ({~HEBREW LETTER NUN~}{~HEBREW POINT HIRIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER ZAYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}) and rejected of men." - - [Illustration] - - Plate 3: Centaurus (the Centaur) - - -The constellation contains thirty-five stars. Two of the 1st magnitude, -one of the 2nd, six of the 3rd, nine of the 4th, etc., which, together -with the four bright stars in the Cross make a brilliant show in southern -latitudes. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the horse's fore-foot), has come down to us with -the ancient name of _Toliman_, which means _the heretofore and hereafter_, -marking Him as the one "which is, and which was, and which is to come--the -Almighty" (Rev. i. 8). Sir John Herschell observed this star to be growing -rapidly brighter. It may be, therefore, one of the changeable stars, and -its name may be taken as an indication of the fact that it was known to -the ancients. - -Another name for the constellation was in Hebrew, _Asmeath_, which means a -_sin-offering_ (as in Isa. liii. 10). - -The Greek name was _Cheiron_, which means _the pierced_, or _who pierces_. -In the Greek fables _Cheiron_ was renowned for his skill in hunting, -medicine, music, athletics, and prophecy. All the most distinguished -heroes of Greece are described as his pupils. He was supposed to be -immortal, but he voluntarily agreed to die; and, wounded by a poisoned -arrow (not intended for him) while in conflict with a wild boar, he -transferred his immortality to Prometheus; whereupon he was placed amongst -the stars. - -We can easily see how this fable is the ignorant perversion of the -primitive Revelation. The true tradition can be seen dimly through it, and -we can discern Him of whom it spoke,--the all-wise, all-powerful Teacher -and Prophet, who "went about doing good," yet "despised and rejected of -men," laying down His life that others might live. - -It is one of the lowest of the constellations, _i.e._ the farthest south -from the northern centre. It is situated immediately over the Cross, which -bespeaks His own death; He is seen in the act of destroying the enemy. - -Thus these star-pictures tell us that it would be as a _child_ that the -_Promised Seed_ should come forth and grow and wax strong in spirit and be -filled with wisdom (Luke ii. 40); and that as a man having two natures He -should suffer and die. Then the third and last section in this first -chapter of this First Book goes on to tell of His second coming in glory. - - - -3. BOOeTES (The Coming One). - - - _He cometh_. - -This constellation still further develops this wondrous personage. - -He is pictured as a man walking rapidly, with a spear in his right hand -and a sickle in his left hand. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 4: Booetes (the Coming One) - - -The Greeks called him _Bo-oe-tes_, which is from the Hebrew root _Bo_ -({~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}, _to come_), meaning _the coming_. It is referred to in Ps. xcvi. -13:-- - - - "For He cometh, - For He cometh to judge the earth; - He shall judge the world in righteousness, - And the people with His truth." - - -It it probable that his ancient name was _Arcturus_(35) (as referred to in -Job ix. 9), for this is the name of the brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the left -knee). _Arcturus_ means _He cometh_.(36) - -The ancient Egyptians called him _Smat_, which means _one who rules_, -_subdues_, and _governs_. They also called him _Bau_ (a reminiscence of -the more ancient _Bo_), which means also _the coming one_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~} (in the spear-head) is named _Al Katurops_, which means _the -branch_, _treading under foot_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} (just below the waist on his right side) is called _Mirac_, or -_Mizar_, or _Izar_. _Mirac_ means _the coming forth as an arrow_; _Mizar_, -or _Izar_, means _the preserver_, _guarding_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~} is called _Muphride_, _i.e._ _who separates_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the head) is named _Nekkar_, _i.e._ _the pierced_ (Zech. -xii. 10), which tells us that this coming judge is the One who was -pierced. Another Hebrew name is _Merga_, _who bruises_.(37) - -This brings us back again to Gen. iii. 15, and closes up this first -chapter of the First Book (VIRGO). It shows us the _Person_ of the -Promised Seed from the beginning to the end, from the first promise of the -birth of the Child in Bethlehem, to the final coming of the great Judge -and Harvester to reap the harvest of the earth. This was the vision which -was afterwards shown to John (Rev. xiv. 15, 16), when he says, "I looked; -and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of -Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. -And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him -that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap; for the time is come -for Thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And He that sat on -the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." - -This is the conclusion of the _first chapter_ of this First Book. Here we -see the woman whose Seed is to bruise the serpent's head, the Virgin-Born, -the Branch of Jehovah, perfect man and perfect God, Immanuel, "God with -us," yet despised and rejected of men, and yielding up His life that -others may have life for evermore. But we see Him coming afterwards in -triumphant power to judge the earth. - -This is only one chapter of this First Book, but it contains the _outline_ -of the whole volume, complete in itself, so far as it regards the Person -of the Coming One. Like the Book of Genesis, it is the seed-plot which -contains the whole, all the rest being merely the development of the many -grand details which are included and shut up within it. It is only one -chapter out of twelve, but it distinctly foreshadows the end--even "the -sufferings of Christ and the glory which should follow." - - - - -Chapter II. The Sign LIBRA. - - -_The Redeemer's Atoning Work; or The Price deficient balanced by the Price - which covers_. - -In the first chapter of this book we saw that this Coming Seed of the -woman was, among other things, to give up His life for others. - -The _second_ chapter is going to define and develope the manner and object -of this death. - -The name of the Sign, together with its three constellations and the names -of the stars composing them, give the complete picture of this Redemption. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 5: Libra (the Scales) - - -The Sign contains 51 stars, two of which are of the 2nd magnitude, one of -the 3rd, eight of the 4th, etc. - -The Hebrew name is _Mozanaim_, _the Scales_, _weighing_. Its name in -Arabic is _Al Zubena_, _purchase_, or _redemption_. In Coptic, it is -_Lambadia_, _station of propitiation_ (from _Lam_, _graciousness_, and -_badia_, _branch_). The name by which it has come down to us is the Latin, -_Libra_, which means _weighing_, as used in the Vulgate (Isa. xl. 12). - -Libra contains three bright stars whose names supply us with the whole -matter. The brightest, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the lower scale), is named _Zuben al Genubi_, -which means _the purchase_, or _price which is deficient_. This points to -the fact that man has been utterly ruined. He is "weighed in the balances -and found wanting." - - - "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, - Nor give to God a ransom for him; - For the redemption of their soul is costly, - And must be let alone for ever." - - (Ps. xlix. 7, R.V.) - - "Surely men of low degree are vanity (Heb. _a breath_), - And men of high degree are a lie; - In the balances they go up; - They are altogether lighter than vanity" (Heb. _a breath_). - - (Ps. lxii. 9, R.V.) - - -This is the verdict pronounced and recorded by this star _Zuben al -Genubi_. - -Is there then no hope? Is there no one who can pay the price? - -Yes; there is "the Seed of the woman." He is not merely coming as a child, -but He is coming as an atoning sacrifice. - -He is coming for the purpose of Redemption! He can pay _the price which -covers_! Hence in the upper scale we have another bright star with this -very name _Zuben al Chemali_--THE PRICE WHICH COVERS! Praised be God! "They -sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy ... for Thou wast slain, and hast -redeemed us to God by thy blood." (Rev. v. 9.) This is the testimony of {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}, -the second brightest star! It has another name, _al Gubi_, _heaped up_, or -_high_, telling of the infinite value of this redemption price. But there -is a third star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}, below, towards _Centaurus_ and the _Victim_ slain, -telling, by that and by its name, of the _conflict_ by which that -redemption would be accomplished. It is called _Zuben Akrabi_ or _Zuben al -Akrab_, which means _the price of the conflict_! - -There is, however, some reason to suppose that Libra is a very ancient -Egyptian corruption, bringing in human merit instead of Divine -righteousness; "the way of Cain" instead of the way of God. In the more -ancient Akkadian the months were called after the names of the signs,(38) -and the sign of the seventh month is the sign that we now call Libra. The -Akkadian name for it was _Tulku_. _Tul_ means _mound_ (like _dhul_ and -_dul_), and _ku_ means _sacred;_ hence, _Tulku_ means _the sacred mound_, -or _the holy altar_.(39) - -Not only is the name and its meaning different, but the teaching is -infinitely greater and more important, if we may believe that the original -picture of this sign was not a pair of scales, but the representation of -_a holy altar_. This would agree still better with the three -constellations which follow. - -The names of the stars would also be more appropriate, for it is the -Sacrifice of Christ which they foreshadowed, and here it was that the -price which covered was paid, and outweighed the price which was -deficient. What that price was to be, and how it was to be paid, and what -was to be the result in the Person of the Redeemer, is set forth in detail -in the three sections of this chapter by the constellations of _The Cross_ -endured, _The Victim_ slain, and _The Crown_ bestowed. - - - -1. CRUX (The Cross). - - - _The Cross Endured_. - -The Hebrew name was _Adom_, which means _cutting off_, as in Dan. ix. -26:--"After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off." The last -letter of the Hebrew alphabet was called _Tau_, which was anciently made -in the form of a cross. The ancient _Phoenician_ was [Symbol: right-tilted -cross]; the ancient _Hebrew_, as found on coins, was [Symbol: right-tilted -cross] and [Symbol: vertical cross]; the _Aramaic_, as found on Egyptian -monuments, was a transition [Symbol: tilted cross] or [Symbol: stretched -cross], which passed into the present square Hebrew character {~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}. This -letter is called _Tau_, and means _a mark_; especially _a boundary-mark, a -limit or finish_. And it is the last letter, which finishes the Hebrew -alphabet to this day. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 6: Crux (the Cross) - - -The Southern Cross was just visible in the latitude of Jerusalem at the -time of the first coming of our Lord to die. Since then, through the -gradual recession of the Polar Star, it has not been seen in northern -latitudes. It gradually disappeared and became invisible at Jerusalem when -the Real Sacrifice was offered there; and tradition, which preserved its -memory, assured travellers that if they could go far enough south it would -be again seen. Dante sang of "the four stars never beheld but by the early -race of men." It was not until the sixteenth century had dawned that -missionaries and voyagers, doubling the Cape for the first time, and -visiting the tropics and southern seas, brought back the news of "a -wonderful cross more glorious than all the constellations of the heavens." - -It is a small asterism, containing only about five stars, _viz._, one of -the 1st magnitude, two of the 2nd, one of the 3rd, and one of the 4th. -Four of these are in the form of a cross. - -Long before the Christian Era this sign of the Cross had lost its true -meaning, and had been perverted in Babylon and Egypt as it has since been -desecrated by Rome. The Persians and Egyptians worshipped it. The cakes -made and eaten in honour of the Queen of Heaven were marked with it. This -heathen custom Rome has adopted and adapted in her Good Friday cakes, -which are thus stamped. But all are alike ignorant of what it means, -_viz._, "IT IS FINISHED." - -In Egypt, and in the earliest times, it was the sign and symbol of _life_. -To-day, Romanists use it as the symbol of _death_! But it means _life_! -Natural life given up, and eternal life procured. Atonement, finished, -perfect, and complete; never to be repeated, or added to. All who partake -of its benefits in Christ now, in grace, by faith "ARE made nigh by the -blood of Christ" (Eph. ii. 13), and of them Jesus says, "He that heareth -my voice, and believeth on Him that sent me HATH everlasting life, and -shall not come into judgment; but IS PASSED from death unto life" (John v. -24). So perfect and complete is the work which Jesus finished on the Cross -that we cannot seek to add even our repentance, faith, tears, or prayers, -without practically asserting that the work of Christ is not finished, and -is not sufficient! - -The Hebrew names of this constellation--_Adom_ and _Tau_--rebuke our -Pharisaic spirit, which is the relic and essence of all false religions, -and points to the blessed fact that the Sacrifice was offered "once for -all," and the atoning work of Redemption completely finished on Calvary. - - - "'Tis finished! the Messiah dies! - Cut off for sins, but not His own; - Accomplished is the sacrifice, - The great redeeming work is done." - - -In the ancient Egyptian Zodiac of Denderah this first Decan of LIBRA is -represented as a lion with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, as if in -thirst, and a female figure holding a cup out to him. Under his fore feet -is the hieroglyphic symbol of running water. What is all this but "the -Lion of the tribe of Judah" brought down "into the dust of death," and -saying "I am poured out like water ... my strength is dried up" (Ps. xxii. -13-18): "I thirst" (John xix. 28): "and in my thirst they gave me vinegar -to drink" (Ps. lxix. 21)? - -The Egyptian name of this Lion, however, points to his ultimate triumph, -for it is called _Sera_, that is, _victory_! - -This brings us to-- - - - -2. LUPUS or VICTIMA (The Victim). - - - _The Victim Slain._ - -Its modern name is _Lupus_ (a wolf), because it looks like one. It may be -any animal. The great point of this ancient constellation is that the -animal has been _slain_, and is in the act of falling down dead. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 7: Lupus or Victima the VICTIM Slain - - -Its Greek name is _Thera_, _a beast_, and _Lycos_, _a wolf_. Its Latin -name is _Victima_, or _Bestia_ (Vulg. Gen. viii. 17), which sufficiently -indicates the great lesson. This is confirmed by its ancient Hebrew name, -_Asedah_, and Arabic _Asedaton_, which both mean _to be slain_. - -More than 22 of its stars have been catalogued. None of them are higher -than the 4th magnitude; most of them are of the 5th or 6th. - -True, He was "by wicked hands crucified and slain," but He is slain here -by the Centaur, _i.e._ by Himself! To make it perfectly clear that it was -His own act (without which His death would lose all merit), He uttered -those solemn words: "I lay down my life for the sheep.... No man taketh it -from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I -have power to take it again" (John x. 15-18). He "offered Himself without -spot to God." "He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb. ix. 11, -26). - -In the ancient Zodiac of Denderah He is pictured as a little child with -its finger on its lips, and He is called _Sura_, _a lamb_! In other -pictures He has, besides, the horn of a goat on one side of His head. All -this pointed to one and the same great fact, _viz._, the development and -explanation of what was meant by _the bruising of His heel_! It meant that -this Promised Seed of the woman should come as a child, that He should -suffer, and die upon the Cross, for - - - "He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; - And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb; - SO HE opened not his mouth." - - (Isa. liii. 7.) - - -Hence, the constellation prefigures a silent, willing sacrifice--Christ -Jesus, who, "being found in fashion as a man, humbled Himself, and became -obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross" (Phil. ii. 5-8). - - - -3. CORONA (The Crown). - - - _The Crown Bestowed._ - -"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is -above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow." - -This is what is foreshown by this concluding section of the second -chapter. Each chapter ends with glory. As in the written Word of God, we -frequently have the glory of the Second Coming mentioned without any -allusions to the sufferings of the First Coming, but we never have the -First Coming in humiliation mentioned without an immediate reference to -the glory of the Second Coming. - -So here, the CROSS is closely followed by the CROWN! True, "we see not yet -all things put under Him, but we see Jesus ... for the suffering of death -crowned with glory and honour" (Heb. ii. 9). - -Yes, "the crowning day is coming," and all heaven shall soon resound with -the triumphant song, "Thou art worthy, ... for Thou wast slain and hast -redeemed us to God by Thy blood" (Rev. v. 9). - -The shameful Cross will be followed by a glorious crown, and "every tongue -shall confess that Jesus. Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." - - - "Mighty Victor, reign for ever, - Wear the crown so dearly won; - Never shall Thy people, never - Cease to sing what Thou hast done. - Thou hast fought Thy people's foes; - Thou wilt heal Thy people's woes!" - - -The Hebrew name for the constellation is _Atarah_, _a royal crown_, and -its stars are known to-day in the East by the plural, _Ataroth!_ - -Its Arabic name is _Al Iclil_, _an ornament_, or _jewel_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 8: CORONA (the Crown) - - -It has 21 stars: one of the 2nd magnitude and six of the 4th. It is easily -known by the stars {~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}, and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}, which form a crescent. - -Its brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, has the Arabic name of _Al Phecca_, _the shining_. - -Thus ends this solemn chapter of LIBRA, which describes the great work of -Redemption, beginning with the Cross and ending with the Crown. The -Redeemer's work of Atonement is most blessedly set forth, and He alone is -seen as the substitute for lost sinners. - - - "What wondrous love, what mysteries - In this appointment shine! - My breaches of the law are His, - And His obedience mine." - - - - -Chapter III. The Sign SCORPIO. - - - _The Redeemer's Conflict_. - -We come now right into the heart of the conflict. The star-picture brings -before us a gigantic scorpion endeavouring to sting in the heel a mighty -man who is struggling with a serpent, but is crushed by the man, who has -his foot placed right on the scorpion's heart. - -The Hebrew name is _Akrab_, which is the name of a scorpion, but also -means _the conflict_, or _war_. It is this that is referred to in Ps. xci. -13: - - - "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. - The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." - - -David uses the very word in Ps. cxliv. 1, where he blesses God for -teaching his hands _to war_. - -The Coptic name is _Isidis_, which means _the attack of the enemy_, or -_oppression_; referring to "the wicked that oppress me, my deadly enemies -who compass me about" (Ps. xvii. 9). - -The Arabic name is _Al Akrab_, which means _wounding him that cometh_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 9: SCORPIO (the Scorpion) - - -There are 44 stars altogether in this sign. One is of the 1st magnitude, -one of the 2nd, eleven of the 3rd, eight of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the heart), bears the ancient Arabic name of -_Antares_, which means _the wounding_. It is called by the Latins _Cor -Scorpii_, because it marks the scorpion's heart. It shines ominously with -a deep red light. The sting is called in Hebrew _Lesath_ (Chaldee, -_Lesha_), which means _the perverse_. The stars in the tail are also known -as _Leshaa_, or _Leshat_.(40) - -The scorpion is a deadly enemy (as we learn from Rev. ix), with poison in -its sting, and all the names associated with the sign combine to set forth -the malignant enmity which is "set" between the serpent and the woman's -Seed. - -That enmity is shown more fully in the written Word, where we see the -attempt of the enemy (in Exod. i.) to destroy every male of the seed of -Abraham, and how it was defeated. - -We see his effort repeated when he used Athaliah to destroy "all the seed -royal" (2 Kings xi.), and how "the king's son" was rescued "from among" -the slain. - -We see his hand again instigating Haman, "the Jews' enemy," to compass the -destruction of the whole nation, but defeated in his designs. - -When the woman's Seed, the virgin's Son, was born, we are shown the same -great enemy inciting Herod to slay all the babes in Bethlehem (Matt. ii.), -but again he is defeated. - -In the wilderness of Judaea, and in the Garden of Gethsemane the great -conflict is renewed. "This is your hour and the power of darkness,"(41) He -said to His enemies. - -The real wounding in the heel was received at the Cross. It was there the -scorpion struck the woman's seed. He died, but was raised again from the -dead "to destroy the works of the devil." - -To show us this; to prevent any mistake; to set forth the fact that this -conflict only _apparently_ ended in defeat, and that it did not really so -end, we have the first two constellations belonging to this sign presented -_in one picture_! Indeed, the picture is threefold, for it includes the -sign itself (as shown on the cover)! - -If these pictures had been separated, then the conflict would have been -separated from the victory; the deadly wound of the serpent's head from -the temporary wound in the Victor's heel. Hence, _three_ pictures are -required, in which the _scorpion_, the _serpent_, and the _man_, are all -involved, in order to present at the same time the triumphant issue of the -conflict. - -Hence, we must present, and consider together, the first two sections of -this mysterious chapter. - - - -1 and 2. SERPENS and OPHIUCHUS. - - - _The Struggle with the Enemy._ - -Here, _Serpens_, the serpent, is seen struggling vainly in the powerful -grasp of the man who is named _O-phi-u-chus_. In Latin he is called -Serpentarius. He is at one and the same moment shown to be seizing the -serpent with his two hands, and treading on the very heart of the -scorpion, marked by the deep red star _Antares_ (wounding). - -Just as we read the first constellation of the woman and child _Coma_, as -expounding the first sign VIRGO, so we have to read this first -constellation as expounding the second sign LIBRA. Hence, we have here a -further picture, showing the object of this conflict on the part of the -scorpion. - -In Scorpio we see merely the effort to wound _Ophiuchus_ in the heel; but -here we see the effort of the serpent to seize THE CROWN, which is -situated immediately over the serpent's head, and to which he is looking -up and reaching forth. - -The contest is for Dominion! It was the Devil, in the form of a serpent, -that robbed the first man of his crown; but in vain he struggled to wrest -it from the sure possession of the Second Man. Not only does he fail in -the attempt, but is himself utterly defeated and trodden under foot. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 10: SERPENS (the Serpent) and OPHIUCHUS (the Serpent Holder) - - -There are no less than 134 stars in these two constellations. Two are of -the 2nd magnitude, fourteen of the 3rd, thirteen of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star in the Serpent, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the neck), is named _Unuk_, which -means _encompassing_. Another Hebrew name is _Alyah_, _the accursed_. From -this is _Al Hay_ (Arabic), _the reptile_. The next brightest star is {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in -the jaw), named, in Arabic, _Cheleb_, or _Chelbalrai, the serpent -enfolding_. The Greek name, _Ophiuchus_, is itself from the Hebrew and -Arabic name _Afeichus_, which means _the serpent held_. The brightest star -in _Ophiuchus_, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the head), is called _Ras al Hagus_ (Arabic), _the -head of him who holds_. - -Other Hebrew names of stars, not identified, are _Triophas_, _treading -under foot_; _Saiph_ (in the foot(42) of Ophiuchus), _bruised_; -_Carnebus_, _the wounding_; _Megeros_, _contending_.(43) In the Zodiac of -Denderah we have a throned human figure, called _Api-bau_, _the chief who -cometh_. He has a hawk's head to show that he is the enemy of the serpent, -which is called _Khu_, and means _ruled_ or _enemy_. - -All these combine to set before us in detail the nature of the conflict -and its final issue. That final issue is, however, exhibited by the last -of the three constellations of this chapter. The Victor Himself requires a -whole picture to fully set forth the glorious victory. This brings us to-- - - - -3. HERCULES (The Mighty Man). - - - _The Mighty Vanquisher._ - -Here the mighty one, who occupies a large portion of the heavens, is seen -bending on one knee, with his right heel lifted up as if it had been -wounded, while his left foot is set directly over the head of the great -dragon. In his right hand he wields a great club, and in his left hand he -grasps a triple-headed monster (_Cerberus_). And he has the skin of a -lion, which he has slain, thrown around him.(44) - -In the Zodiac of Denderah we have a human figure, likewise with a club. -His name is _Bau_, which means _who cometh_, and is evidently intended for -Him who cometh to crush the serpent's head, and "destroy the works of the -devil." - -In Arabic he is called _Al Giscale, the strong one_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 11: HERCULES (the Mighty One) - - -There are 113 stars in this constellation. Seven are of the 3rd magnitude, -seventeen of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in his head), is named _Ras al Gethi_, and means -_the head of him who bruises_. - -The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the right arm-pit), is named _Kornephorus_, and means _the -branch, kneeling_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~} (in the right elbow) is called _Marsic_, _the wounding_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~} (in the upper part of the left arm) is named _Ma'asyn_, _the -sin-offering_. - -While {~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~} (in the lower part of the right arm) is _Caiam_, or _Guiam_, -_punishing_; and in Arabic, _treading under foot_. - -Thus does everything in the picture combine to set forth the mighty works -of this stronger than the strong man armed! - -We can easily see how the perversion of the truth by the Greeks came -about, and how, when the true foreshadowings of this Mighty One had been -lost, the many fables were invented to supply their place. The wiser sort -of Greeks knew this perfectly well. ARISTOTLE (in his _Metaphysics_, x. 8) -admits, with regard to Greek mythology, that religion and philosophy had -been lost, and that much had been "added after the mythical style," while -much had come down, and "may have been preserved to our times as the -remains of ancient wisdom." Religion, such as it was (POLYBIUS confesses), -was recognised as a "necessary means to political ends." NEANDER says that -it was "the fragments of a tradition, which transmitted the knowledge of -divine things possessed in the earliest times." - -ARATUS shews the same uncertainty as to the meaning of this Constellation -of _Hercules_. He says: - - - "Near this, and like a toiling man, revolves - A form. Of it can no one clearly speak, - Nor what he labours at. They call him simply - 'The man upon his knees': In desperate struggle - Like one who sinks, he seems. From both his shoulders - His arms are high-uplifted and out-stretched - As far as he can reach; and his right foot - Is planted on the coiled Dragon's head." - - -Ancient authorities differ as to the personality of Hercules, and they -disagree as to the number, nature, and order of what are sometimes called -"the twelve labours of Hercules." But there is no doubt as to the mighty -foretold works which the woman's Seed should perform. - -From first to last Hercules is seen engaged in destroying some malignant -foe: now it is the Nemean lion; then it is the slaying of the boar of -Erymanthus; again, it is the conquest of the bull of Crete; then the -killing of the three-headed hydra, by whose venom Hercules afterwards -died. In the belly of the sea monster he is said to have remained "three -days and three nights." This was, doubtless, a perversion of the type of -Jonah, introduced by LYCOPHRON, who (living at the court of PTOLEMY -PHILADELPHUS, under whose auspices the Hebrew Scriptures were translated -into Greek) would have known of that Divine miracle, and of its -application to the Coming One. Bishop Horsley believed that the fables of -the Greek mythology could be traced back to the prophecies of the Messiah, -of which they were a perversion from ignorance or design. This is -specially true of Hercules. In his apparently impossible tasks of -overthrowing gigantic enemies and delivering captives, we can see through -the shadow, and discern the pure light of the truth. We can understand how -the original star-picture must have been a prophetic representation of Him -who shall destroy the Old Serpent and open the way again, not to fabled -"apples of gold," but to the "tree of life" itself. He it is who though -suffering in the mighty conflict, and brought to His knee, going down even -to "the dust of death," shall yet, in resurrection and advent glory, wield -His victorious club, subdue all His enemies, and plant His foot on the -Dragon's head. For of Him it is written:-- - - - "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; - The young lion and the dragon shalt Thou trample under foot." - - (Ps. xci. 13.) - - "Come, Lord, and burst the captives' chains, - And set the prisoners free; - Come, cleanse this earth from all its stains, - And make it meet for Thee! - - Oh, come and end Creation's groans-- - Its sighs, its tears, its blood, - And make this blighted world again - The dwelling-place of God." - - - - -Chapter IV. The Sign SAGITTARIUS. - - - _The Redeemer's Triumph._ - -This is the concluding chapter of the first great book of this Heavenly -Revelation; and it is occupied wholly with the triumph of the Coming One, -who is represented as going forth "conquering and to conquer." - -The subject is beautifully set forth in the written Word (Ps. xlv. 3-5):-- - - - "Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most mighty, - [_Gird Thyself_] with Thy glory and Thy majesty, - And in Thy majesty ride prosperously, - Because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness; - And Thy right hand shall teach Thee terrible things. - Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies; - Whereby the people fall under Thee." - - -John, in his apocalyptic vision, sees the same mighty Conqueror going -forth. "I saw (he says) a white horse, and He that sat on him had a bow, -... and He went forth conquering and to conquer" (Rev. vi. 2). - -This is precisely what is foreshadowed in the star-pictured sign now -called by the modern Latin name _Sagittarius_, which means _the Archer_. - -The Hebrew and Syriac name of the sign is _Kesith_, which means _the -Archer_ (as in Gen. xxi. 20). The Arabic name is _Al Kaus_, _the arrow_. -In Coptic it is _Pimacre_, _the graciousness_, or _beauty of the coming -forth_. In Greek it is _Toxotes_, _the archer_, and in Latin -_Sagittarius_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 12: SAGITTARIUS (the Archer) - - -There are 69 stars in the sign, _viz._, five of the 3rd magnitude (all in -the bow), nine of the 4th, etc. - -The names of the brightest stars are significant:-- - -Hebrew, _Naim_, which means _the gracious one_. This is exactly what is -said of this Victor in the same Psalm (xlv.), in the words immediately -preceding the quotation above (verse 2): - - - "GRACE is poured into Thy lips; - Therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever." - - -Hebrew, _Nehushta_, _the going_ or _sending forth_. - -We see the same in the Arabic names which have come down to us: _Al Naim_, -_the gracious one_; _Al Shaula_, _the dart_; _Al Warida_, _who comes -forth_; _Ruchba er rami_, _the riding of the bowman_. - -An ancient Akkadian name in the sign is _Nun-ki_, which means _Prince of -the Earth_. - -Again we have the picture of _a Centaur_ as to his outward form, _i.e._ a -being with two natures. Not now far down in the south, or connected with -His sufferings and sacrifice as man; but high up, as a sign of the Zodiac -itself, on the ecliptic, _i.e._ in the very path in which the sun -"rejoiceth in his going forth as a strong man." - -According to Grecian fable, this Sagittarius is _Cheiron_, the chief -Centaur; noble in character, righteous in his dealings, divine in his -power. - -Such will be the coming Seed of the woman in His power and glory:-- - - - "The sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptre. - Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness; - Therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of - gladness above thy fellows." - - (Ps. xlv. 6, 7.) - - -In the ancient Zodiac of Denderah he is called (as in Coptic) _Pi-macre_, -_i.e._ _graciousness, beauty of the appearing_ or _coming forth_. The -characters under the hind foot read _Knem_, which means _He conquers_. - -This is He who shall come forth like as an arrow from the bow, "full of -grace," but "conquering and to conquer." - -In all the pictures he is similarly represented, and the arrow in his bow -is aimed directly at the heart of the Scorpion. - -Thus ARATUS sang of _Cheiron_:-- - - - "'Midst golden stars he stands refulgent now, - And thrusts the scorpion with his bended bow." - - -In this Archer we see a faint reflection of Him who shall presently come -forth, all gracious, all wise, all powerful; whose arrows shall be "sharp -in the heart of the King's enemies." - - - "God shall shoot at them with an arrow; - Suddenly shall they be wounded. - So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves; - All that see them shall flee away. - And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; - For they shall wisely consider of His doing. - The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in Him; - And all the upright in heart shall glory." - - (Ps. lxiv. 7-10.) - - "Christ is coming! let Creation - From her groans and travail cease; - Let the glorious proclamation - Hope restore, and faith increase. - Christ is coming, - Come, thou blessed Prince of peace." - - -This brings us to the first of the three constellations or sections of -this chapter, which takes up this subject of praise to the Conqueror. - - - -1. LYRA (The Harp). - - - _Praise prepared for the Conqueror._ - -"Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion" (Ps. lxv. 1). And when the -waiting time is over, and the Redeemer comes forth, then the praise shall -be given. "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, which art, and -which wast, because thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and didst -reign" (Rev. xi. 17, R.V.). "Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour -unto Him" (Rev. xix. 7). The Twenty-first Psalm should be read here, as it -tells of the bursting forth of praise on the going forth of this all- -gracious Conqueror. - - - "The King shall rejoice in Thy strength, O LORD; - And in Thy salvation how greatly shall He rejoice!... - Thine hand shall find out all Thine enemies; - Thy right hand shall find out all that hate thee.... - Their fruit shalt Thou destroy from the earth; - And their seed from among the children of men. - For they intended evil against Thee; - They imagined a mischievous device which they are not able to - perform, - Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back (Heb. _Margin, - __"__set them as a butt__"_), - When Thou shalt make ready Thine arrows upon Thy strings - [_And shoot them_] against the face of them. - Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength; - SO WILL WE SING AND PRAISE THY POWER." - - (Ps. xxi. 1, 8, 10-13.) - - -Beautifully, then, does _the harp_ come in here, following upon the going -forth of this victorious Horseman. This Song of the Lamb follows as -naturally as does the Song of Moses in Ex. xv. 1: "I will sing unto the -LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously." - - [Illustration] - - Plate 13: LYRA (the Harp) - - -Its brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, is one of the most glorious in the heavens, and by -it this constellation may be easily known. It shines with a splendid white -lustre. It is called _Vega_, which means _He shall be exalted_. Its root -occurs in the opening of the Song of Moses, quoted above. Is not this -wonderfully expressive? - -Its other stars, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}, are also conspicuous stars, of the 2nd and 4th -magnitude. {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} is called _Shelyuk_, which means _an eagle_ (as does the -Arabic, _Al Nesr_); {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} is called _Sulaphat_, _springing up_, or -_ascending_, as praise. - -In the Zodiac of Denderah, this constellation is figured as a hawk or an -eagle (the enemy of the serpent) in triumph. Its name is _Fent-kar_, which -means _the serpent ruled_. - -There may be some confusion between the Hebrew {~HEBREW LETTER NUN~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _Nesher_, _an -eagle_, and {~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SIN DOT~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _Gnasor_, _a harp_;(45) but there can be no doubt -about the grand central truth, that praise shall ascend up "as an eagle -toward heaven," when "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, -and such as are in the sea, and all that is in them," shall send up their -universal song of praise: "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be -unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. -Amen" (Rev. v. 13, 14). - -And for what is all this wondrous anthem of Praise? Listen once again. -"Alleluia:(46) Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord -our God; for TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE HIS JUDGMENTS.... And again they said -Alleluia" (Rev. xix. 1-3). - - - With "that blessed hope" before us, - Let no HARP remain unstrung, - Let the coming advent chorus - Onward roll from tongue to tongue, Hallelujah, - "Come, Lord Jesus," quickly come. - - -This brings us to-- - - - -2. ARA (The Altar). - - - _Consuming Fire Prepared for His Enemies._ - -Here we have an altar or burning pyre, placed significantly and ominously -upside down! with its fires burning and pointing downwards towards the -lower regions, called _Tartarus_, or _the abyss_, or "outer-darkness." - - [Illustration] - - Plate 14: ARA (the Altar) - - -It is an asterism with nine stars, of which three are of the 3rd -magnitude, four of the 4th, etc. It is south of the Scorpion's tail, and -when these constellations were first formed it was visible only on the -very lowest horizon of the south, pointing to the completion of all -judgment in the lake of fire. - -In the Zodiac of Denderah we have a different picture, giving us another -aspect of the same judgment. It is a man enthroned, with a flail in his -hand. His name is _Bau_, the same name as _Hercules_ has, and means _He -cometh_. It is from the Hebrew {~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~} (_Boh_), _to come_, as in Isa. lxiii. -1: - - - "Who is this that cometh from Edom, - With dyed garments from Bozrah." - - -This is a coming in judgment, as is clear from reason given in verse 4: - - - "For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, - And the year of My redeemed is come. - And I looked, and there was none to help; - And I wondered that there was none to uphold; - Therefore Mine own arm brought salvation, - And My fury, it upheld Me." - - (Isa. lxiii. 4, 5.) - - -The completion of judgment, therefore, is what is pictured both by the -burning pyre and the Coming One enthroned, with his threshing instrument. - -In Arabic it is called _Al Mugamra_, which means _the completing_, or -_finishing_. The Greeks used the word _Ara_ sometimes in the sense of -_praying_, but more frequently in the sense of _imprecation_ or _cursing_. - -This is the curse pronounced against the great enemy. This is the burning -fire, pointing to the _completion_ of that curse, when he shall be cast -into that everlasting fire "prepared for the devil and his angels." This -is the allusion to it written in the midst of the very Scripture from -which we have already quoted (p. 66), Ps. xxi., where we read in verse 9 -(which we then omitted):-- - - - "Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of Thine anger: - The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath; - And the fire shall devour them." - - -This brings us to the final scene, closing up this first great book of the -Heavens. - - - -3. DRACO (The Dragon). - - - _The Old Serpent, or the Devil, cast down from Heaven._ - -Each of the three great books concludes with this same foreshowing of -Apocalyptic truth. The same great enemy is referred to in all these -pictures. He is the Serpent; he is the Dragon; "the great dragon, that old -serpent, called the Devil and Satan" (Rev. xii. 9). The Serpent represents -him as the _Deceiver_; the Dragon, as the _Destroyer_. - -This _First_ Book concludes with the Dragon being cast down from heaven. - -The _Second_ Book concludes with _Cetus_, the Sea Monster, Leviathan, -bound. - -The _Third_ Book concludes with Hydra, the Old Serpent, destroyed. - -Here, at the close of the _First_ Book, we see not merely a dragon, but -the Dragon _cast down_! That is the point of this great star-picture. - -No one has ever seen a dragon; but among all nations (especially in China -and Japan), and in all ages, we find it described and depicted in legend -and in art. Both Old and New Testaments refer to it, and all unite in -connecting with it one and the same great enemy of God and man. - -It is against him that the God-Man--"the Son of God--goes forth to war." It -is for him that the eternal fires are prepared. It is he who shall shortly -be cast down from the heavens preparatory to his completed judgment. It is -of him we read, "The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called -the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out and -his angels with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is -come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of -His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down" (Rev. xii. 9, -10). - -It is of him that David sings:-- - - - "God is my king of old, - Working salvation in the midst of the earth ... - Thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. - Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces." - - (Ps. lxxiv. 12-14.) - - -Of him also the Spirit causes Isaiah to say, "In that day, shall this song -be sung in the land of Judah";-- - - - "In that day the Lord, with his sore, and great, and strong sword, - Shall punish leviathan the piercing (R.V. swift) serpent, - Even leviathan that crooked serpent; - And he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea." - - (Isa. xxvi. 1; xxvii. 1.) - - -This is exactly what is foreshadowed by this constellation of _Draco_. Its -name is from the Greek, and means _trodden on_, as in the Septuagint of -Ps. xci. 13: "The dragon shalt thou trample under feet," from the Hebrew -{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}, _Dahrach_, _to tread_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 15: DRACO (the Dragon Cast down) - - -In the Zodiac of Denderah it is shown as a serpent under the fore-feet of -Sagittarius, and is named _Her-fent_, which means _the serpent accursed_! - -There are 80 stars in the constellation; four of the 2nd magnitude, seven -of the 3rd magnitude, ten of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in one of the latter coils), is named _Thuban_ -(Heb.), _the subtle_. Some 4,620 years ago it was the Polar Star. It is -manifest, therefore, that the Greeks could not have invented this -constellation, as is confessed by all modern astronomers. It is still a -very important star in nautical reckonings, guiding the commerce of the -seas, and thus "the god of this world" is represented as winding in his -contortions round the pole of the world, as if to indicate his subtle -influence in all worldly affairs. - -The next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the head), is called by the Hebrew name _Rastaban_, -and means _the head of the subtle_ (_serpent_). In the Arabic it is still -called _Al Waid_, which means _who is to be destroyed_. - -The next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (also in the head), is called _Ethanin_, _i.e._, _the -long serpent_, or _dragon_. - -The Hebrew names of other stars, not identified, are _Grumian_, _the -subtle_; _Giansar_, _the punished enemy_. Other (Arabic) names are _Al -Dib_, _the reptile_; _El Athik_, _the fraudful_; _El Asieh_, _the bowed -down_. - -And thus the combined testimony of every star (without a single exception) -of each constellation, and the constellations of each sign, accords with -the testimony of the Word of God concerning the coming Seed of the woman, -the bruising of His heel, the crushing of the serpent's head, "the -sufferings of Christ, and the glory which should follow." - - - "From far I see the glorious day, - When He who bore our sins away, - Will all His majesty display. - - A Man of Sorrows once He was, - No friend was found to plead His cause, - As all preferred the world's applause. - - He groaned beneath sin's awful load, - For in the sinner's place He stood, - And died to bring him back to God. - - But now He waits, with glory crowned. - While angel hosts His throne surround, - And still His lofty praises sound. - - To few on earth His name is dear, - And they who in His cause appear, - The world's reproach and scorn must bear - - Jesus, Thy name is all my boast, - And though by waves of trouble tossed, - Thou wilt not let my soul be lost. - - Come then, come quickly from above, - My soul impatient longs to prove, - The depths of everlasting love." - - - - - -THE SECOND BOOK. THE REDEEMED. - - - _The Result of the Redeemer's Sufferings._ - -In the _First_ Book we have had before us the work of the Redeemer set -forth as it concerned His own glorious person. In this _Second_ Book it is -presented to us as it affects others. Here we see the _results_ of His -humiliation, and conflict, and victory--"The sufferings of Christ" and the -blessings they procured for His redeemed people. - -In Chapter I. we have the Blessings procured. - -In Chapter II. their Blessings ensured. - -In Chapter III. their Blessings in abeyance. - -In Chapter IV. their Blessings enjoyed. - - - - -Chapter I. The Sign CAPRICORNUS (The Sea Goat). - - - _The Goat of Atonement Slain for the Redeemed._ - -It is most noteworthy that this Second Book opens with the Goat, and -closes with the Ram: two animals of sacrifice; while the two middle -chapters are both connected with fishes.(47) The reason for this we shall -see as we proceed. - -Both are combined in the first chapter, or "Sign" of Capricornus. - -In all the ancient Zodiacs, or Planispheres, we find a goat with a fish's -tail. In the Zodiacs of Denderah and Esneh, in Egypt, it is half-goat and -half-fish, and it is there called _Hu-penius_, which means _the place of -the sacrifice_. - -In the Indian Zodiac it is a goat _passant_ traversed by a fish. - -There can be no doubt as to the significance of this sign. - -In the Goat we have the Atoning Sacrifice, in the Fish we have the people -for whom the atonement is made. When we come to the sign "PISCES" we shall -see more clearly that it points to the _multitudes_ of the redeemed host. - -The Goat is bowing its head as though falling down in death. The right leg -is folded underneath the body, and he seems unable to rise with the left. -The tail of the fish, on the other hand, seems to be full of vigour and -life. - -The Hebrew name of the sign is _Gedi_, _the kid_ or _cut off_, the same as -the Arabic _Al Gedi_. CAPRICORNUS is merely the modern (Latin) name of the -sign, and means _goat_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 16: CAPRICORNUS (the Goat) - - -There are 51 stars in the sign, three of which are of the 3rd magnitude, -three of the 4th, etc. Five are remarkable stars, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} in the horn and -head, and the remaining three, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}, and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}, in the fishy tail. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} -is named _Al Gedi_, _the kid_ or _goat_, while the star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~} is called _Deneb -Al Gedi_, _the sacrifice cometh_. - -Other star-names in the sign, not identified, are _Dabih_ (Syriac), _the -sacrifice slain_; _Al Dabik_ and _Al Dehabeh_ (Arabic) have the same -meaning; _Ma'asad_, _the slaying_; _Sa'ad al Naschira_, _the record of the -cutting off_. - -Is not this exactly in accord with the Scriptures of truth? There were two -goats! Of "the _goat_ of the sin-offering" it is written, "God hath given -it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for -them before the LORD" (Lev. x. 16, 17): of the other goat, which was not -slain, "he shall let it go into the wilderness" (Lev. xvi. 22). Here is -death and resurrection. Christ was "wounded for our transgressions, and -bruised for our iniquities." "For the transgression of MY PEOPLE was He -stricken" (Isa. liii.). He laid down His life for the sheep. - -In the first chapter of the _First_ Book we had the same Blessed One -presented as "a corn of wheat." Here we see Him come to "die," and hence -not abiding alone, but bringing forth "much fruit" (John xii. 24). The -living fish proceeds from the dying goat, and yet they form only one body. -That picture, which has no parallel in nature, has a perfectly true -counterpart in grace; and "a great multitude, which no man can number," -have been redeemed and shall obtain eternal life through the death of -their Redeemer. - -It is, however, not merely the actual death which is set before us here. -The _first_ chapter _in each book_ has for its great subject _the Person_ -of the Redeemer in _prophecy_ and promise. The _last_ chapter in each book -has for its subject the fulfilment of that prophecy in victory and -triumph, in the Person of the Redeemer: while the two _central_ chapters -_in each_ book are occupied with _the work_ which is the accomplishment of -the promise, presented in two aspects--the former connected with _grace_, -the latter with _conflict_. - -Thus the _structure_ of each of the three books is an _epanodos_, having -for its first and last members the Person of the Redeemer (in "A" in -_Prophecy_; in "_A_" in _Fulfilment_), while in the two central members we -have the work and its accomplishment (in "B" _in grace_; and in "_B_" _in -conflict_). - -It may be thus presented to the eye:-- - - _The First Book._ - -A | VIRGO. The Prophecy of the Bruised Seed. - B | LIBRA. The work accomplished (in _grace_). - _B_ | SCORPIO. The work accomplished (in _conflict_.) -_A_ | SAGITTARIUS. The fulfillment of the promised victory. - - _The Second Book._ - -C | CAPRICORNUS. The Prophecy of the Promised Deliverance. - D | AQUARIUS. Results of the work bestowed (in grace). - _D_ | PISCES. Results of the work enjoyed (in conflict). -_C_ | ARIES. The Fulfilment of the Promised Deliverance. - - _The Third Book._ - -E | TAURUS. The Prophecy of the coming Judge of all the earth. - F | GEMINI. The Redeemer's reign. (Grace and Glory). - _F_ | CANCER. The Redeemer's possession (safe from all conflict). -_E_ | LEO. The fulfilment of the promised Triumph. - -Hence in CAPRICORNUS we must look for the _prophecy_ of this Coming -Sacrifice. As a matter of fact it did actually point out the time when the -Sun of Righteousness should arise, and "the Light of the World" appear. -For when this Promised Seed was born the Sun _was actually in this sign of -Capricornus_! "The fulness of time was come," and "God sent forth His Son -TO REDEEM them that were under the Law" (Gal. iv. 4). The Sun was really -amongst those very stars--_Al Gedi_, _the kid_, and _Deneb Al Gedi_, _the -sacrifice cometh_--when this willing Sacrifice said, "Lo I come to do Thy -will, O God." The nights were at their darkest and their longest when -Jesus was born. The days began immediately to lengthen when He, "the true -light," had come into the world.(48) - -Astronomers confess that the perverted legends of the Greeks give but "a -lame account" of this sign, "and it offers no illustration of _its ancient -origin_." - -Its ancient origin reveals a prophetic knowledge, which only He possessed -who knew that in "the fulness of time" He would send forth His Son. - -We now come to the three constellations which give us three pictures -setting forth the death of this Sacrifice and of His living again. - - - -1. SAGITTA (The Arrow). - - - _The Arrow of God sent forth_. - -It is not the Arrow of Sagittarius, for that has not left his bow. That -arrow is for the enemies of God. This is for the Son of God. It was of -this that He spoke when He said, in Ps. xxxviii. 2: - - - "Thine arrows stick fast in me, - And Thy hand presseth me sore." - - -He was "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, He was wounded for our -transgressions" (Isa. liii. 4, 5). He was "pierced," when He could say -with Job, "The arrows of the Almighty are within me" (vi. 4). - - [Illustration] - -Plate 17: SAGITTA (the Arrow), AQUILA (the Eagle), DELPHINUS (the Dolphin) - - -Here the arrow is pictured to us in mid-heaven, alone, as having been shot -forth by an invisible hand. It is seen in its flight through the heavens. -It is the arrow of God, showing that Redemption is all of God. It was "the -will of God" which Jesus came to do. Not a mere work of mercy for -miserable sinners, but a work ordained in eternity past, for the glory of -God in eternity future. - -This is the record of the Word, and this is what is pictured for us here. -The work which the arrow accomplishes is seen in the dying Goat, and in -the falling Eagle. - -There are many other stars in the heavens in a straighter line, which -would better serve for an arrow. Why are these stars chosen? Why is the -arrow placed here? What explanation can be given, except that the -Revelation in the stars and in the Book are both from the inspiration of -the same Spirit? - -There are about 18 stars, of which four are of the 4th magnitude. Only {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} -and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~} are in the same line, while the shaft passes between {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}. - -The Hebrew name is _Sham_, _destroying_, or _desolate_. - - - -2. AQUILA (The Eagle). - - - _The Smitten One Falling._ - -Here we have an additional picture of the effect of this arrow, in the -pierced, wounded, and falling Eagle, gasping in its dying struggle. And -that pierced, wounded, and dying Saviour whom it represents, after saying, -in Ps. xxxviii. 2, "Thine arrows stick fast in Me," added, in verse 10: - - - "My heart panteth, My strength faileth Me, - As for the light of Mine eyes it is gone from Me." - - (See also Zech. xiii. 6.) - - -The names of the stars, all of them, bear out this representation. The -constellation contains 74 stars. The brightest of them, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the Eagle's -neck), is a notable star of the 1st magnitude, called _Al Tair_ (Arabic), -_the wounding_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the throat) is called _Al Shain_ (Arabic), -_the bright_, from a Hebrew root meaning _scarlet coloured_, as in Josh. -ii. 18. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in the back) is called _Tarared_, _wounded_, or -_torn_. {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~} (in the lower wing) is named _Alcair_, which means _the -piercing_, and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} (in the tail), _Al Okal_, has the significant meaning -_wounded in the heel_. - -How can the united testimony of these names be explained except by -acknowledging a Divine origin? even that of Him who afterwards foretold of -the bruising of the Virgin's Son in the written Word; yea, of Him "who -telleth the number of the stars and giveth them all their names." - - - -3. DELPHINUS (The Dolphin). - - - _The Dead One Rising again._ - -This is a bright cluster of 18 stars, five of which are of the 3rd -magnitude. It is easily distinguished by the four brightest, which are in -the head. - -It is always figured as a fish full of life, and always with the head -upwards, just as the eagle is always with the head downwards. The great -peculiar characteristic of the dolphin is its rising up, leaping, and -springing out of the sea. - -When we compare this with the dying goat and falling eagle, what -conclusion can we come to but that we have here the filling in of the -picture, and the completion of the whole truth set forth in Capricornus? - -Jesus "died and rose again." Apart from His resurrection His death is -without result. In His conflict with the enemy it is only His coming again -in glory which is shown forth. But here, in connection with His people, -with the multitudes of His redeemed, Resurrection is the great and -important truth. He is "the first-fruits of them that slept"; then He, -too, is here represented as a fish. He who went down into the waters of -death for His people; He who could say "All thy waves and thy billows are -gone over me" (Ps. xlii. 7), He it is who rises up again from the dead, -having died on account of the sins of His redeemed, and risen again on -account of their justification (Rom. iv. 25). - -This is the picture here. In the Persian planisphere there seems to be a -fish and a stream of water. The Egyptian has a vessel pouring out water. - -The ancient names connected with this constellation are _Dalaph_ (Hebrew), -_pouring out of water_; _Dalaph_ (Arabic), _coming quickly;_ _Scalooin_ -(Arabic), _swift (as the flow of water); Rotaneb_ or _Rotaneu_ (Syriac and -Chaldee), _swiftly running_. - -Thus, in this first chapter of the Second Book we see the great truth of -Revelation set forth; and we learn how the great Blessings of Redemption -were procured. This truth cannot be more eloquently or powerfully -presented than in the language of Dr. Seiss:-- - - - "This strange goat-fish, dying in its head, but living in its - afterpart--falling as an eagle pierced and wounded by the arrow of - death, but springing up from the dark waves with the matchless - vigour and beauty of the dolphin--sinking under sin's condemnation, - but rising again as sin's conqueror--developing new life out of - death, and heralding a new springtime out of December's long drear - nights--was framed by no blind chance of man. The story which it - tells is the old, old story on which hangs the only availing hope - that ever came, or ever can come, to Adam's race. To what it - signifies we are for ever shut up as the only saving faith. In - that dying Seed of the woman we must see our sin-bearer and the - atonement for our guilt, or die ourselves unpardoned and - unsanctified. Through His death and bloodshedding we must find our - life, or the true life, which alone is life, we never can have." - - "Complete atonement Thou hast made, - And to the utmost farthing paid - Whate'er Thy people owed: - Nor can His wrath on me take place, - If sheltered in His righteousness, - And sprinkled with the blood. - - If my discharge Thou hast procured, - And freely in my room endured - The whole of wrath divine, - Payment God cannot twice demand, - First at my bleeding Surety's hand, - And then again at mine. - - Turn, then, my soul, unto Thy rest; - The merits of Thy great High Priest - Have bought thy liberty; - Trust in His efficacious blood, - Nor fear thy banishment from God, - Since Jesus died for thee." - - - - -Chapter II. The Sign AQUARIUS (The Water Bearer). - - - _Their Blessings Ensured, or the Living Waters of Blessing Poured Forth - for the Redeemed._ - -The Atonement being made, the blessings have been procured, and now they -can be bestowed and poured forth upon the Redeemed. This is the truth, -whether we think of Abel's lamb, of patriarchal sacrifices, the offerings -under the Law, or of that great Sacrifice of which they all testified. -They all with one voice tell us that atonement made is the only foundation -of blessing. - -This was pictured and foreshown in the heavens from the beginning, by a -man pouring forth water from an urn which seems to have an inexhaustible -supply, and which flows forth downwards into the mouth of a fish, which -receives it and drinks it all up. - -In the ancient Zodiac of Denderah it is the same idea, though the man -holds two urns, and the fish below seems to have come out of the urn. The -man is called _Hupei Tirion_, which means _the place of him coming down_ -or _poured forth_. - -In some eastern Zodiacs the Urn alone appears. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 18: AQUARIUS (the Water Bearer) & PISCIS AUSTRALIS (the Southern - Fish) - - -This agrees with its other names--Hebrew, _Deli_, _the water-urn_, or -_bucket_ (as in Num. xxiv. 7); the Arabic _Delu_ is the same. - -There are 108 stars in this Sign, four of which are of the 3rd magnitude. -Their names, as far as they have come down to us, are significant. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the right shoulder) is called _Sa'ad al Melik_, which means -_the record of the pouring forth_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the other shoulder) is called _Saad al Sund_, _who goeth -and returneth_, or _the pourer out_. - -The bright star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~} (in the lower part of the right leg) is well-known to- -day by its Hebrew name _Scheat_, which means _who goeth and returneth_. - -The bright star in the urn has an Egyptian name--_Mon_ or _Meon_, which -means simply _an urn_. - -Aquarius is the modern Latin name by which the sign is known. It has the -same meaning, _the pourer forth of water_. - -Can we doubt what is the interpretation of this sign? The Greeks, not -knowing Him of whom it testified, were, like the woman of Samaria, -destitute of that living water which He alone can give. They therefore -invented some story about _Deucalion_, the son of Prometheus; and another, -saying he is _Ganymede_, Jove's cup-bearer! But, as an astronomer says, -"We must account otherwise for the origin of this name; for it is not -possible to reconcile the symbols of the eleventh(49) sign with Grecian -mythology." No! we must go further back than that, and not cramp our -vision, and distort the Scriptures, by confining our thoughts to "the -Church." The Church is nowhere seen in these Signs, as she is nowhere -revealed in the Old Testament. This we shall enlarge on when we come to -the sign Pisces. Meanwhile we must read the witness of the stars as if -there had been no Church! - -Christ is first. Yea, He is all in all. The Scriptures testify of Him; and -the very stars in this Sign tell of His going away and His coming again. -These prophetic signs have to do with Him, with the Atonement He wrought, -with the conflict He endured, with the blessings He secured, with the -victory He shall win, and the triumph He shall have. For it is written: - - - "He shall pour the water out of His buckets, - And His seed shall be in many waters, - And His king shall be higher than Agag, - And His kingdom shall be exalted." - - (Num. xxiv. 7.) - - -It tells of that glorious day when - - - "A King shall reign in righteousness; - And princes shall rule in judgment; - And a MAN shall be as an hiding place - from the wind, - And a covert from the tempest; - As RIVERS of WATER in a dry place." - - (Isa. xxxii. 1, 2). - - -It speaks of that glorious time when Israel shall be restored, and their -"eyes shall see the King in His beauty"; when the peace of Zion shall be -no more disturbed, "but there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of -broad rivers and streams" (Isa. xxxiii. 17, 20, 21). Then - - - "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; - And the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose, - For in the wilderness shall waters break out, - And streams in the desert." - - (Isa. xxxv. 1, 6.) - - "I will open rivers in high places, - And fountains in the midst of the valleys; - I will make the wilderness a pool of water, - And the dry land springs of water." - - (Isa. xli. 18.) - - "Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; - And thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen, - For I will POUR WATER upon him that is thirsty, - And floods upon the dry ground; - I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, - And My blessing upon thy offspring. - Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, - And his Redeemer the LORD of hosts." - - (Isa. xliv. 2, 3, 6.) - - -This is the meaning of the Sign. The MAN Christ Jesus, who was humbled in -death will yet be seen to be the pourer forth of every blessing. -_Physically_ pouring forth literal waters, removing the curse, and turning -this world into a paradise: - - - "Making her wilderness like Eden, - And her desert like the garden of the LORD." - - (Isa. li. 3.) - - -And _morally_ pouring forth His Spirit in such abundance as to fill the -whole earth with peace, and blessing, and glory, "as the waters cover the -sea." - -Upon Israel restored He will pour out His blessing. They will be sprinkled -with clean water, and possess a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. xxxvi. -24-28; Joel ii. 28-32). - -Such are some of the Scriptures which tell of this glorious Water-pourer. -We need not rob Christ of His glory, or Israel of her blessing, in order -to see in all this Pentecost or the Church. These are quite independent of -the great line of prophetic truth. They are parenthetical, and distinct, -and true, quite apart from the glorious prophecies of Israel's scattering -and gathering. The physical marvels referred to in the texts above can -never be satisfied or exhausted by any spiritual fulfilment. We may make -an _application_ of them as far as is consistent with the teaching of the -epistles; but the _interpretation_ of them belongs to the Person of -Christ, and the nation of Israel. That interpretation is pictured for us -in the Sign, and in its three constellations. - - - -1. PISCIS AUSTRALIS (The Southern Fish). - - - _The Blessings Bestowed._ - -This first constellation is one of high antiquity,(50) and its brilliant -star of the first magnitude was a subject of great study by the Egyptians -and Ethiopians. It is named in Arabic _Fom al Haut_, _the mouth of the -fish_. There are 22 other stars. - -The constellation is inseparable from Aquarius, in connection with which -we have shown it in Plate XVIII. In the Denderah Zodiac it is called -_Aar_, _a stream_. - -It sets forth the simple truth that the blessings procured by the MAN--the -coming Seed of the woman, will be surely bestowed and received by those -for whom they are intended. There will be no failure in their -communication, or in their reception. What has been purchased shall be -secured and possessed. - - - -2. PEGASUS (The Winged Horse). - - - _The Blessings Quickly Coming._ - -Not only shall they be received, but they shall be brought near. They will -not have to be fetched, but they will be caused to come to those for whom -they are procured, and will yet be _brought_ by Him who has procured them. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 19: PEGASUS (the Winged Horse) - - -In the Denderah Zodiac there are two characters immediately below the -horse, _Pe_ and _ka_. _Peka_ or _Pega_, is in Hebrew _the chief_, and -_Sus_ is _horse_. So that the very word (_Pegasus_) has come down to us -and has been preserved through all the languages. - -The names of the stars in this constellation declare to us its meaning. -There are 89 altogether; one of the 1st magnitude, two of the 2nd, three -of the 3rd, nine of the 4th, etc. And, as astronomers testify, "they -render Pegasus peculiarly remarkable." - -The brightest, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (on the neck of the horse at the junction of the wing), -comes down to us with the ancient Hebrew name of _Markab_, which means -_returning from afar_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the near shoulder) is called -_Scheat_, _i.e._, _who goeth and returneth_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (at the tip of the -wing) bears an Arabic name--_Al Genib_, _who carries_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} (in the -nostril) is called _Enif_ (Arabic), _the water_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~} (in the near -leg) is called _Matar_ (Arabic), _who causes to overflow_. - -These names show us that we have to do with no mere horse. A winged horse -is unknown to nature. It must therefore be used as a figure; and it can be -a figure only of a person, even of Him who is "_the Branch_," as the star -_Enif_ shows, who said, "If I go away I will come again," as the star -_Scheat_ testifies. - -He who procured these blessings for the redeemed by His Atonement, is -quickly coming to bring them; and is soon returning to pour them forth -upon a groaning creation. This is the lesson of Pegasus. - - - "Come, blessed Lord, bid every shore - And answering island sing - The praises of Thy royal Name, - And own Thee as their King. - - Lord, Lord! Thy fair creation groans-- - The earth, the air, the sea-- - In unison with all our hearts, - And calls aloud for Thee. - - Thine was the Cross with all its fruits - Of grace and peace divine: - Be Thine the Crown of glory now, - The palm of victory Thine." - - - -3. CYGNUS (The Swan). - - - _The Blesser surely Returning._ - -This constellation repeats, emphasises, and affirms this glorious truth. -It has to do with the Great Blesser and His speedy return, as is testified -by all the ancient names connected with it. - -In the Denderah Zodiac it is named _Tes-ark_, which means _this from -afar_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 20: CYGNUS (the Swan) - - -It is a most brilliant and gorgeous asterism of 81 stars; one of the 1st -or 2nd, six of the 3rd, twelve of the 4th magnitude, etc. It contains -variable stars, five double stars, and one quadruple. The star marked "61 -Cygni" is known as one of the most wonderful in the whole heavens. It -consists of two stars which revolve about each other, and yet have a -progressive motion common to each! - -This mighty bird is not falling dead, like Aquila, but it is flying -swiftly in mid-heaven. It is coming to the earth, for it is not so much a -bird of the air, but a bird peculiarly belonging to both the earth and the -waters. - -Its brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (between the body and the tail), is called _Deneb_ -(like another in Capricornus), and means _the judge_. It is also called -_Adige_, _flying swiftly_, and thus at once it is connected with Him who -cometh to judge the earth in righteousness. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the beak) is named _Al Bireo_ (Arabic), _flying quickly_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in the body) is called _Sadr_ (Hebrew), _who returns as in a -circle_. - -The two stars in the tail, now marked in the maps as {~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~} 1 and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~} 2, are -named _Azel_, _who goes and returns quickly_; and _Fafage_, _gloriously -shining forth_. - -The teaching, then, of the whole sign of AQUARIUS is clear and complete. -The names of the stars explain the constellations, and the names of the -constellations explain the sign, so that we are left in no doubt. - -By His atoning death (as set forth in CAPRICORNUS) He has purchased and -procured unspeakable blessings for His redeemed. This sign (AQUARIUS) -tells of those blessings being poured forth, and of the speedy return of -Him who is to bring "rivers of blessing," and to fill this earth with -blessing and glory "as the waters cover the sea." - - - "Then take, LORD, thy kingdom, and come in Thy glory; - Make the scene of Thy sorrows the place of Thy throne, - Complete all the blessing which ages in story - Have told of the triumphs so justly Thine own." - - - - -Chapter III. The Sign PISCES (The Fishes). - - - _The Blessings of the Redeemed in abeyance._ - -In this third chapter of the Second Book we come to the results of the -Redeemer's work enjoyed, but in connection with conflict, as is seen in -the last of the three sections (the constellation of _Andromeda_, _the -chained woman_), which leads up to the last chapter of the book, and ends -it in triumph over every enemy. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 21: PISCES (the Fish) and the Band - - -The Sign is pictured as two large fishes bound together by a _Band_, the -ends of which are fastened separately to their tails. One fish is -represented with its head pointing upwards towards the North Polar Star, -the other is shown at right angles, swimming along the line of the -ecliptic, or path of the sun. - -The ancient Egyptian name, as shown on the Denderah Zodiac, is _Pi-cot -Orion_, or _Pisces Hori_, which means _the fishes of Him that cometh_. - -The Hebrew name is _Dagim_, _the Fishes_, which is closely connected with -_multitudes_, as in Gen. xlviii. 26, where Jacob blesses Joseph's sons, -and says, "Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." The -margin says, "Let them grow _as fishes do increase_." It refers to the -fulfilment of Gen. i. 28, "Be fruitful and multiply." The _multitude_ of -Abraham's seed is prominent in the pronouncement of the blessings, where -God compared his future posterity to the stars of the sky, and the sand -upon the sea shore. "A very great multitude of fish," as in Ezek. xlvii. -9. - -The Syriac name is _Nuno_, _the fish_, _lengthened out (as in posterity)_. - -The sign, then, speaks of the multitudes who should enjoy the blessings of -the Redeemer's work. - -And here we must maintain that "the Church," which is "the Body of -Christ," was a subject that was never revealed to man until it was made -known to the Apostle Paul by a special revelation. The Holy Spirit -declares (Rom. xvi. 25) that it "was kept secret since the world began." -In Eph. iii. 9 he declares that it "from the beginning of the world hath -been hid in God"; and in Col. i. 26, that it "hath been hid from ages and -from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints." In each -scripture which speaks of it as "now made manifest," or "now made known," -it is distinctly stated that it was "a mystery," _i.e._, a _secret_, and -had, up to that moment, been hidden from mankind, hidden "in God." How, -then, we ask, can "the Church," which was _a subsequent_ revelation, be -read into the previous prophecies, whether written in the Old Testament -Scriptures, or made known in the Heavens? If the Church was revealed in -prophecy, then it could not have been said to be hidden or kept secret. If -the _first_ revelation of it was made known to Paul, as he distinctly -affirms it was, then it could not have been revealed before. Unless we see -this very clearly, we cannot "rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Tim. -ii. 15). And if we do not rightly divide the word of truth, in its -subjects, and times, and dispensations, we must inevitably be landed in -confusion and darkness, interpreting of the Church, scriptures which -belong only to Israel. - -The Church, or Body of Christ, is totally distinct from every class of -persons who are made the subject of prophecy. Not that the Church of God -was an after-thought. No, it was a Divine secret, kept as only God Himself -could keep it. The Bible therefore would have been complete (so far as the -Old Testament prophecies are concerned) if the Epistles (which belong only -to the Church) were taken out. The Old Testament would then give us the -kingdom prophesied; the Gospels and Acts, the King and the kingdom offered -and rejected; then the Apocalypse would follow, showing how that promised -kingdom will yet be set up with Divine judgment, power, and glory. - -If these Signs and these star-pictures be the results of inspired -patriarchs, then this Sign of PISCES can refer to "His seed," prophesied -of in Isa. liii.: "He shall see His seed." It must refer to - - - "The nation whose God is the LORD, - And the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance." - - (Ps. xxxiii. 12.) - - "Such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth." - - (Ps. xxxvii. 22.) - - "The LORD shall increase you more and more, - You and your children, - Ye are blessed of the LORD." - - (Ps. cxv. 14, 15.) - - "Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles. - And their offspring among the people; - All that see them shall acknowledge them, - That they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed." - - (Isa. lxi. 9.) - - "They are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, - And their offspring with them." - - (Isa. lxv. 23.) - - -The prophecy of this Sign was afterwards written in the words of Isa. -xxvi. 15--the song which shall yet be sung in the land of Judah: - - - "Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, - Thou hast increased the nation." - - -And in Isa. ix. 3 (R.V.), speaking of the glorious time when the -government shall be upon the shoulder of the coming King: - - - "Thou hast multiplied the nation, - Thou hast increased their joy." - - -Of that longed-for day Jeremiah sings (xxx. 19): - - - "I will multiply them - And they shall not be few; - I will also glorify them, - And they shall not be small." - - -Ezekiel also is inspired to say: - - - "I will multiply men upon you, - All the house of Israel, even all of it: - And the cities shall be inhabited, - And the wastes shall be builded; - And I will multiply upon you man and beast, - And they shall increase and bring fruit." - - (Ezek. xxxvi. 10, 11.) - - "Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; - It shall be an everlasting covenant with them! - And I will place them, and multiply them, - And will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore." - - (Ezek. xxxvii. 26.) - - -Indeed, this Sign of PISCES has always been interpreted of Israel. Both -Jews and Gentiles have agreed in this. ABARBANEL, a Jewish commentator, -writing on Daniel, affirms that the Sign PISCES always refers to the -people of Israel. He gives five reasons for this belief, and also affirms -that a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn always betokens a -crisis in the affairs of Israel. Because such a conjunction took place in -his day (about 1480 A.D.) he looked for the coming of Messiah.(51) - -Certain it is, that when the sun is in PISCES all the constellations which -are considered _noxious_, are seen above the horizon. What is true in -astronomical observation is true also in historical fact. When God's -favour is shown to Israel, "the Jew's enemy" puts forth his malignant -powers. When they increased and multiplied in Egypt, he endeavoured to -compass the destruction of the nation by destroying the male children; but -their great Deliverer remembered His covenant, defeated the designs of the -enemy, and brought the counsel of the heathen to nought. So it was in -Persia; and so it will yet be again when the hour of Israel's final -deliverance has come. - -There can be no doubt that we have in this Sign the foreshowing of the -multiplication and blessing of the children of promise, and a token of -their coming deliverance from all the power of the enemy. - -But why _two_ fishes? and why is one horizontal and the other -perpendicular? The answer is, that not only in Israel, but in the seed of -Seth and Shem there were always those who looked for a heavenly portion, -and were "partakers of a heavenly calling." In Heb. xi. we are distinctly -told that Abraham "looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder -and maker is God" (_v._ 10). They were "strangers and pilgrims on the -earth" (_v._ 13). _Strangers_ are those without a home, and _pilgrims_ are -those who are journeying home: "they seek a country" (_v._ 14). They -desired "a better country, that is, an HEAVENLY: wherefore God is not -ashamed(52) to be called their God; for He hath prepared for them a city" -(_v._ 16). It is clear, therefore, that what are called the "Old Testament -Saints" were "partakers of THE HEAVENLY CALLING" (Heb. iii. 1), which -included a heavenly portion and a heavenly home; and all through the ages -there have been "partakers of the heavenly calling." This is quite -distinct from the calling of the Church, which is from both Jews and -Gentiles to form "one body," a "new man" in Christ (Eph. ii. 15). It must -be distinct, for it is expressly stated at the end of that chapter (Heb. -xi. 40) that God has "PROVIDED (marg. _forseen_) SOME BETTER THING FOR -US." How can this be a "better thing," if it is the _same thing_? There -must be two separate things if one is "better" than the other! Our calling -in Christ is the "better thing." The Old Testament saints had, and will -have, _a good thing_. They will have a heavenly blessing, and a heavenly -portion, for God has "prepared for them a city," and we see that prepared -city, even "the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of -HEAVEN, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev. xxi. 2). This -is the "heavenly" portion of the Old Testament saints, the Bride of -Christ. The Church will have a still "better" portion, for "they without -us should not be made perfect" (Heb. xi. 40). - -The fish, shooting upwards to the Polar Star, exquisitely pictures this -"heavenly calling"; while the other fish, keeping on the horizontal line, -answers to those who were content with an earthly portion. - -But both alike were divinely called, and chosen, and upheld. The names of -two of the stars in the sign (not identified) are _Okda_ (Hebrew), _the -united_, and _Al Samaca_ (Arabic), _the upheld_.(53) These again speak of -the redeemed seed, of whom, and to whom, Jehovah speaks in that coming day -of glory in Isa. xli. 8-10 (R.V.):-- - - - "But thou, Israel, My servant, - Jacob, whom I have chosen, - The seed of Abraham My friend; - Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, - And called thee from the corners thereof, - And said unto thee, Thou art My servant; - I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away; - Fear thou not, for I am with thee; - Be not dismayed, for I am thy God! - I will strengthen thee; - Yea, I will help thee; - Yea, I will UPHOLD thee with the right hand of My righteousness." - - -This is the teaching of the Sign; and the first constellation takes up -this thought and emphasises it. - - - -1. THE BAND. - - - _The Redeemed Bound, but binding their Enemy._ - -The band that _unites_ these two fishes has always formed a separate -constellation. It is shown in Plate XXI. The Arabian poems of ANTARAH -frequently mention it as distinct from the Sign with which it is so -closely connected. ANTARAH was an Arabian poet of the sixth century. - -Its ancient Egyptian name was _U-or_, which means _He cometh_. Its Arabic -name is _Al Risha_, _the band_, or _bridle_. - -It speaks of the Coming One, not in His relation to Himself, or to His -enemies, but in His relation to _the Redeemed_. It speaks of Him who says: - - - "I drew them with cords of a man, - With bands of love; - And I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws." - - (Hosea xi. 4, R.V.) - - -But it speaks also of His unloosing the bands with which they have been so -long bound. - -In the picture these fishes are bound. One end of the _band_ is fastened -securely round the tail of one fish, and it is the same with the other. -Moreover, this _band_ is fastened to the neck of _Cetus_, the sea monster, -while immediately above is seen a woman chained as a captive. These both -tell the same story, and, indeed, all are required to set forth the whole -truth. The fishes are _bound_ to _Cetus_; the woman (_Andromeda_) is -chained; but the Deliverer of both is near. Cepheus, the Crowned King, the -Redeemer, "the Breaker," the Branch, is seen coming quickly for the -deliverance of His redeemed. These are the three constellations of this -sign, and all three are required to set forth the story. - -Israel now is bound. The great enemy still oppresses, but deliverance is -sure. ARIES, _the Ram_, is seen with his paws on this band, as though -about to loosen the bands and set the captives free, and to fast bind -their great oppressor. - - - -2. ANDROMEDA (The Chained Woman). - - - _The Redeemed in their Bondage and Affliction._ - -This is a peculiar picture to set in the heavens. A woman with chains -fastened to her feet and arms, in misery and trouble; and bound, helpless, -to the sky. Yet this is the ancient foreshowing of the truth. - -In the Denderah Zodiac her name is _Set_, which means _set_, _set up as a -queen_. In Hebrew it is _Sirra_, _the chained_, and _Persea_, _the -stretched out_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 22: ANDROMEDA (the Chained Woman) - - -There are 63 stars in this constellation, three of which are of the 2nd -magnitude, two of the 3rd, twelve of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the head), is called _Al Phiratz_ (Arabic), _the -broken down_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the body) is called _Mirach_ (Hebrew), _the -weak_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in the left foot) is called _Al Maach_, or _Al Amak_ -(Arabic), _struck down_. - -The names of other stars, not identified, are _Adhil_, _the afflicted_; -_Mizar_, _the weak_; _Al Mara_ (Arabic), _the afflicted_. ARATUS speaks of -_Desma_, which means _the bound_, and says-- - - - "Her feet point to her bridegroom - _Perseus_, on whose shoulder they rest." - - -Thus, with one voice, the stars of _Andromeda_ speak to us of the captive -daughter of Zion. And her coming Deliverer thus addresses her:-- - - - "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, - Behold, ... in righteousness shalt thou be established: - Thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: - And from terror; for it shall not come nigh thee." - - (Isa. liv. 11-14.) - - "Hear now this, thou afflicted.... - Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; - Put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem.... - Shake thyself from the dust; - Arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: - Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of - Zion. - For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; - And ye shall be redeemed without money." - - (Isa. li. 21-lii. 3.) - - -"The virgin daughter of My people is broken with a great breach, with a -very grievous blow" (Jer. xiv. 17). - -The picture which sets forth her deliverance is reserved for the next -chapter (or Sign), where it comes in its proper place and order. We are -first shown her glorious Deliverer; for we never, in the heavens or in the -Word, have a reference to the sufferings without an _immediate_ reference -to the glory. - - - -3. CEPHEUS (The King). - - - _Their Redeemer Coming to Rule._ - -Here we have the presentation of a glorious king, crowned, and enthroned -in the highest heaven, with a sceptre in his hand, and his foot planted on -the very Polar Star itself. - -His name in the Denderah Zodiac is _Pe-ku-hor_, which means _this one -cometh to rule_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 23: CEPHEUS (the Crowned King) - - -The Greek name by which he is now known, _Cepheus_, is from the Hebrew, -and means _the branch_, and is called by EURIPIDES _the king_. - -An old Ethiopian name was _Hyk_, _a king_. - -There are 35 stars, _viz._, three of the 3rd magnitude, seven of the 4th, -etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the left shoulder), is called _Al Deramin_, -which means _coming quickly_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the girdle), is named _Al -Phirk_ (Arabic), _the Redeemer_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in the left knee), is called -_Al Rai_, which means _who bruises_ or _breaks_. - -It is impossible to mistake the truth which these names teach. The Greeks, -though they had lost it, yet preserved a trace of it, even in their -perversion of it; for they held that _Cepheus_ was the father of -_Andromeda_, and that _Perseus_ was her husband. - -Yes; this is the glorious King of Israel, the "King of kings, and Lord of -lords." It is He who calls Israel His "son," and will yet manifest it to -all the world. - -In Jer. xxxi., after speaking of Israel's restoration, Jehovah says (_v._ -1):-- - - - "At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the - families of Israel, - And they shall be My people.... - For I am a father to Israel, - And Ephraim is My firstborn" - - (_v._ 9). - - -As He said to Moses: "Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my -firstborn" (Exod. iv. 22). - -Here is the foundation of Israel's blessing. True, it is now in abeyance, -but "the LORD reigneth," and will in due time make good His Word, for - - - "The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever. - The thoughts of His heart to all generations." - - (Ps. xxxiii. 11.) - - -This leads us up to the last chapter of the Second Book, which shows us -the fulfilment of all the prophecies concerning the Redeemed and the sure -foundation on which their great hope of glory is based. - - - - -Chapter IV. The Sign ARIES (The Ram or Lamb). - - - _The Blessings of the Redeemed Consummated and Enjoyed._ - -This Second Book began with _the Goat_ dying in sacrifice, and it ends -with the Lamb living again, "as it had been slain." The goat had the tail -of a fish, indicating that his death was for a _multitude_ of the -redeemed. In the two middle Signs we have had these fishes presented to us -in grace, and in their conflict. We come now to the last chapter of the -book: and, as we have seen, like each of the other books, it ends up with -victory and triumph. Here we are first shown the foundation on which that -victory rests, namely, Atonement. Hence we are taken back and reminded of -the "blood of the Lamb." - -This is pictured by a ram, or lamb, full of vigour and life; not falling -in death as _Capricornus_ is. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 24: ARIES (the Ram) - - -In the Denderah Zodiac its name is _Tametouris Ammon_, which means _the -reign_, _dominion_, or _government of Ammon_. The lamb's head is without -horns, and is crowned with a circle. - -The Hebrew name is _Taleh_, _the lamb_. The Arabic name is _Al Hamal_, -_the sheep_, _gentle_, _merciful_. This name has been mistakenly given by -some to the principal star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}. The Syriac name is _Amroo_, as in the -Syriac New Testament in John i. 29: "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh -away the sin of the world." The ancient Akkadian name was _Bara-ziggar_. -_Bar_ means _altar_, or _sacrifice_; and _ziggar_ means _right making_; so -that the full name would be _the sacrifice of righteousness_. - -There are 66 stars in this sign, one being of the 2nd magnitude, two of -the 4th, etc. - -Its chief star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the forehead), is named _El Nath_,(54) or _El -Natik_, which means _wounded_, _slain_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the left horn), is -called _Al Sheratan_, _the bruised_, _the wounded_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (near to -{~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}), is called _Mesartim_ (Hebrew), _the bound_. - -How is it there is no conflicting voice? How is it that all the stars -unite in one harmonious voice in testifying of the Lamb of God, slain, and -bruised, but yet living for evermore, singing together, "Worthy is the -Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength, -and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Rev. v. 12)? - -This rejoicing connected with the Lamb shines faintly through the heathen -perversions and myths: for HERODOTUS tells us how the ancient Egyptians, -once a year, when it opened by the entrance of the sun into ARIES,(55) -slew a Ram, at the festival of Jupiter Ammon; branches were placed over -the doors, the Ram was garlanded with wreaths of flowers and carried in -procession. Now the sun entered ARIES on the 14th of the Jewish month -Nisan, and _another lamb_ was then ordered to be slain, even "the LORD'S -passover"--the type of that Lamb that should in the fulness of time be -offered without blemish and without spot. Owing to the precession of the -equinoxes, the sun, at the time of the Exodus, had receded into this sign -of ARIES, which then marked the Spring Equinox. But by the time that the -antitype--the Lamb of God, was slain, the sun had still further receded, -and on the 14th of Nisan, in the year of the Crucifixion, stood at the -very spot marked by the stars {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, _El Nath_, _the pierced_, _the wounded_ -or _slain_, and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}, _Al Sheratan_, _the bruised_ _or wounded_! God so -ordained "the times and seasons" that during that noon-day darkness the -sun was seen near those stars which had spoken for so many centuries of -this bruising of the woman's Seed--the Lamb of God. - -Was this design? or was it chance? It is far easier to believe the former. -It makes a smaller demand upon our faith; yes, we are compelled to believe -that He who created the sun and the stars "for signs and for cycles," -ordained also the times and the seasons, and it is He who tells us that -"WHEN THE FULNESS OF TIME WAS COME, God sent forth His Son" (Gal. iv. 4), -and that "in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. v. 6). - - - -1. CASSIOPEIA (The Enthroned Woman). - - - _The Captive Delivered, and Preparing for her Husband, the Redeemer._ - -In the last chapter we saw the _woman bound_; here we see the same woman -freed, delivered, and enthroned. - -ULUGH BEY says its Arabic name is _El Seder_, which means _the freed_. - -In the Denderah Zodiac her name is _Set_, which means _set_, _set up as -Queen_. ALBUMAZER says this constellation was anciently called "_the -daughter of splendour_." This appears to be the meaning of the word -_Cassiopeia_, _the enthroned_, _the beautiful_. The Arabic name is -_Ruchba_, _the enthroned_. This is also the meaning of its Chaldee name, -_Dat al cursa_. - -There are 55 stars in this constellation, of which five are of the 3rd -magnitude, five of the 4th, etc. - -This beautiful constellation passes vertically over Great Britain every -day, and is easily distinguished by its five brightest stars, forming an -irregular W. - - [Illustration] - - Illustration showing the W of Cassiopeia - - -This brilliant constellation contains one binary star, a triple star, a -double star, a quadruple star, and a large number of nebulae. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 25: CASSIOPEIA (the Enthroned Woman) - - -In the year 1572 Tycho Brahe discovered in this constellation, and very -near the star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~} (under the arm of the chair), a new star, which shone more -brightly than Venus. It was observed for nearly two years, and disappeared -entirely in 1574. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the left breast), is named _Schedir_ (Hebrew), -which means _the freed_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the top of the chair), likewise -bears a Hebrew name--_Caph_, which means _the branch_; it is evidently -given on account of the branch of victory which she bears in her hand. - -She is indeed highly exalted, and making herself ready. Her hands, no -longer bound, are engaged in this happy work. With her right hand she is -arranging her robes, while with her left she is adorning her hair. She is -seated upon the Arctic circle, and close by the side of _Cepheus_, the -King. - -This is "the Bride, the Lamb's wife, the heavenly city, the new -Jerusalem," the "partakers of the heavenly calling." - -He who has redeemed her is "the Lamb that was slain," and He addresses her -thus: - - - "Thy Maker is thine husband; - The LORD of Hosts is His name; - And the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer; - The God of the whole earth shall He be called. - For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in - spirit, - Even a wife of youth when she is cast off, saith thy God. - For a small moment have I forsaken thee; - But with great mercies will I gather thee. - In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; - But with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the - LORD thy Redeemer." - - (Isa. liv. 5-8. R.V.) - - "Thou shalt be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, - And a royal diadem in the hand of thy God, - Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; - Neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; - But thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah (_i.e._, _my delight is in - her_), - And thy land Beulah (_i.e._, _married_); - For the LORD delighteth in thee, - And thy land shall be married. - For as a young man marrieth a virgin, - So shall thy sons (_Heb._ thy Restorer) marry thee: - And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, - "So shall thy God rejoice over thee. - - (Isa. lxii. 3-5, R.V.) - - "The LORD hath appeared of old (or from afar) unto me, _saying_, - Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; - Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee. - Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O Virgin of - Israel.... - He that scattered Israel will gather him, - And keep him as a shepherd doth his flock, - For the LORD hath ransomed Jacob, - And redeemed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he." - - (Jer. xxxi. 3-12, R.V.) - - -Can we close our eyes to the testimony of these scriptures--that Israel is -the Bride of the Lamb? When we have all these, and more, why should we -read "the Church" into these ancient prophecies, which was the subject of -a long-subsequent revelation, merely because (in Eph. v. 25) Christ's love -to His Church is _compared_ to a husband's love for his wife? "Husbands, -love your wives, even AS Christ also loved the Church." There is not a -word here about the Church being His wife. On the contrary, it reveals the -secret that the Church of Christ is to be the mystical "Body of Christ," -_part of the Husband_ in fact, "One new man" (Eph. ii. 15)! whereas -restored Israel is to be the Bride of this "New Man," the Bride of Christ, -the Lamb's wife! Blessed indeed it is to be united to Christ as a wife to -a husband, but glorious beyond all description to be "one" with Christ -Himself, part of His mystical Body. - -If men had only realised the wondrous glory of this mystery, they would -never have so _wrongly_ divided the Word of Truth by _interpreting_ Psalm -xlv. of this Mystical Christ. If we "rightly divide" it, we see at once -that this Psalm is in harmony with all the Old Testament scriptures, which -must be interpreted alike, and can be interpreted only of Israel however -they may be _applied_. - -Having spoken of the Godhead and glory of this King (faintly and in part -foreshown by _Cepheus_), the Holy Spirit goes on in the latter part of the -Psalm to speak of the Bride--the Queen: - - - "At Thy right hand doth stand the Queen in gold of Ophir, - Hearken, O daughter, and consider, incline thine ear; - Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; - So shall the King desire thy beauty;(56) - For He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.... - The King's daughter within _the palace_ is all glorious; - Her clothing is inwrought with gold, - She shall be led unto the King in broidered work; - The virgins her companions(57) that follow her shall be brought - unto thee," etc. - - (Ps. xlv. 9-17, R.V.) - - -Then shall she sing her Magnificat: - - - "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, - My soul shall be joyful in my God; - For He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, - He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, - As a bridegroom decketh _himself_ with ornaments, - And as a bride adorneth _herself_ with her jewels. - For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, - And as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring - forth; - So the Lord GOD [Adonai Jehovah] will cause righteousness and - praise to spring forth before all the nations." - - (Isa. lxi. 10, 11.) - - -This, then, is the truth set forth by this enthroned woman. The blessing -founded on Atonement, and the Redemption wrought by the Lamb that was -slain, result in a glorious answer to Israel's prayer, "Turn our -captivity, O LORD" (Ps. cxxvi. 4): when they that have "sown in tears -shall reap in joy," and the LORD shall loosen her bonds, and place her -enthroned by His side. - -This, however, involves the destruction of her enemy, and this is what we -see in the next section. - - - -2. CETUS (The Sea Monster). - - - _The Great Enemy Bound._ - -When John sees the New Jerusalem, the Bride, the Lamb's wife (Rev. xxi. -10, 2), Satan has been bound already: for we read, a few verses before -(xx. 1-3): "I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the -bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the -dragon, that Old Serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him -[_and kept him bound_] a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless -pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the -nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled." - -This is what we see in the second section of this chapter--the second -constellation in ARIES. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 26: CETUS (the Sea Monster) - - -The picture is that of a great Sea-monster, the largest of all the -constellations. It is the natural enemy of fishes, hence it is placed here -in connection with this last chapter, in which fishes are so prominent. - -It is situated very low down among the constellations--far away towards the -south or lower regions of the sky. - -Its name in the Denderah Zodiac is _Knem_, which means _subdued_. It is -pictured as a monstrous head, trodden under foot by the swine, the natural -enemy of the serpent. The hawk also (another enemy of the serpent) is over -this figure, crowned with a mortar, denoting _bruising_. - -It consists of 97 stars, of which two are of the 2nd magnitude, eight of -the 3rd, nine of the 4th, etc. - -The names of the stars interpret for us infallibly the meaning of the -picture. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the upper mandible), is named _Menkar_, and -means _the bound_ or _chained enemy_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the tail), is called -_Diphda_, or _Deneb Kaitos_, _overthrown_, or _thrust down_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~} -(in the neck) is named _Mira_, which means _THE REBEL_. Its name is -ominous, for the star is one of the most remarkable. It is very bright, -but it was not till 1596 that it was discovered to be _variable_. It -disappears periodically _seven_ times in _six_ years! It continues at its -brightest for fifteen days together. M. Bade says that during 334 days it -shines with its greatest light, then it diminishes, till it entirely -disappears for some time (to the naked eye). In fact, during that period -it passes through several degrees of magnitude, both increasing and -diminishing. Indeed its variableness is so great as to make it appear -_unsteady_! - -Here, then, is the picture of the Great Rebel as shown in the heavens. -What is it, as written in the Word? - -The Almighty asks man:-- - - - "Canst thou draw out Leviathan with a fish hook? - Or press down his tongue with a cord? - Canst thou put a rope into his nose? - Or pierce his jaw through with a hook?... - Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? - None is so fierce that he dare stir him up." - - (Job xli. 1-10, R.V.) - - -But he whom man cannot bind can be bound by the Lamb, and He is seen with -"the Band" that has bound the fishes, now in His hands, which he has -fastened with a bright star to his neck, saying,-- - - - "Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, - Even the dregs of the cup of My fury; - Thou shalt no more drink it again, - But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee." - - (Isa. li. 22, 23.) - - "Behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place - To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.... - In that day the LORD, with His sore, and great, and strong sword, - Shall punish Leviathan, the piercing serpent, - And Leviathan, the crooked serpent; - And He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea." - - (Isa. xxvi. 21-xxvii. 1.) - - "For God is my king of old, - Working salvation in the midst of the earth. - Thou didst divide (marg. _Heb._, _break_) the sea by Thy strength, - Thou brakest the heads of the dragons (R.V. marg., _sea monsters_) - in the waters. - Thou brakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces." - - (Ps. lxxiv. 12-14.) - - -And this Second Book closes by revealing to us this glorious "Breaker." - - - -3. PERSEUS ("The Breaker.") - - - _"__The Breaker__"__ delivering His Redeemed._ - -Here we have set before us a mighty man, called in the Hebrew _Peretz_, -from which we have the Greek form _Perses_, or _Perseus_ (Rom. xvi. 13). -It is the same word which is used of Christ in Micah ii. 13. When He shall -surely "gather the remnant of Israel" (_v._ 12), it is written-- - - - "THE BREAKER is gone up before them.... - Their King is passed on before them, - And the LORD at the head of them." - - -This is what is pictured to us here. We see a glorious "Breaker" taking -His place before His redeemed, breaking forth at their head, breaking down -all barriers, and breaking the heads of Leviathan and all his hosts. In -His right hand He has His "sore, and great, and strong sword" lifted up to -smite and break down the enemy. He has wings on His feet, which tell us -that He is coming very swiftly. In His left hand He carries the head of -the enemy, whom he has slain. - -In the Denderah Zodiac His name is _Kar Knem_, _he who fights and -subdues_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 27: PERSEUS (the Breaker) - - -It is a beautiful constellation of 59 stars, two of which are of the 2nd -magnitude, four of the 3rd, twelve of the 4th, etc. - -Their names supply us with the key to the interpretation of the picture. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the waist) is called _Mirfak_, _who helps_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in -the right shoulder), is named _Al Genib_, which means _who carries away_. -The bright star in the left foot is called _Athik_, _who breaks_! - -In his left hand he carries a head, which, by perversion, the Greeks -called the head of Medusa, being ignorant that its Hebrew root meant _the -trodden under foot_.(58) It is also called _Rosh Satan_ (Hebrew), _the -head of the adversary_, and _Al Oneh_ (Arabic), _the subdued_, or _Al -Ghoul_, _the evil spirit_. - -The bright star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in this head), has come down to us with the name _Al -Gol_, which means _rolling round_. - -It is a most remarkable phenomenon that so many of these enemies should be -characterised by variable stars! But this head of _Medusa_, like the neck -of _Cetus_, has one. _Al Gol_ is continually changing. In about 69 hours -it changes from the 4th magnitude to the 2nd. During four hours of this -period it gradually diminishes in brightness, which it recovers in the -succeeding four hours; and in the remaining part of the time invariably -preserves its greatest lustre. After the expiration of this time its -brightness begins to decrease again. Fit emblem of our great enemy, who, -"like a _roaring lion_, goeth about seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. v. -8.); then changing into a _subtle serpent_ (Gen. iii. 8.); then changing -again into "an angel of light" (2 Cor. xi. 14.). "Transforming himself" -continually, to devour, deceive, and destroy. - -This brings us to the conclusion of the Second Book, in which we have seen -the Redeemed blessed with all blessings, delivered out of all conflict, -saved from all enemies. We have seen their Redeemer, "the Lamb slain from -the foundation of the world," "the Conqueror," "the King of Kings and Lord -of Lords." - -This is the Revelation recorded in the heavens. This is the prophetic -testimony inspired in the Book. And this is the heart-cry prompted by -both:-- - - - "Come, Lord, and tarry not, - Bring the long-looked-for day; - Oh, why these years of waiting here, - These ages of delay? - - Come, for Thy saints still wait; - Daily ascends their cry: - 'The Spirit and the Bride say, Come'; - Dost Thou not hear their cry? - - Come, for creation groans, - Impatient of Thy stay; - Worn out with these long years of ill, - These ages of delay. - - Come, for Thine Israel pines, - An exile from Thy fold; - Oh, call to mind Thy faithful word, - And bless them as of old. - - Come, for Thy foes are strong; - With taunting lips they say, - 'Where is the promised advent now, - And where the dreaded day?' - - Come, for the good are few; - They lift the voice in vain; - Faith waxes fainter on the earth, - And love is on the wane. - - Come, in Thy glorious might; - Come, with Thine iron rod; - Disperse Thy foes before Thy face, - Most mighty Son of God. - - Come, and make all things new, - Build up this ruined earth; - Restore our faded paradise, - Creation's second birth. - - Come, and begin Thy reign - Of everlasting peace; - Come, take the kingdom to Thyself, - Great King of Righteousness." - - _Dr. Horatius Bonar._ - - - - - -THE THIRD BOOK. THE REDEEMER. - - - HIS SECOND COMING. - -In this Third and Last Book we come to the concluding portion of this -Heavenly Revelation. Its subject is Redemption completed, and consummated -in triumph. No more sorrow, suffering, or conflict; no more the bruising -of the heel of the Redeemer. We have now done with the prophecies of "the -sufferings of Christ," and have come to those that relate to "the glory -that should follow." - -No more reference now to His _first_ coming in humiliation. No more coming -"forth" to suffer and die, a sacrifice for sins; the reference now is only -to His second coming in glory; His coming "unto" this earth is not to -suffer for sin (Heb. ix. 28.), but it will be a coming in power to judge -the earth in righteousness, and to subdue all enemies under His feet. - -Like the other two books, it consists of four chapters. - -The _first_ chapter is the prophecy of the coming Judge of all the earth. - -The _second_ sets before us the two-fold nature of the coming Ruler. - -The _third_ shows us Messiah's redeemed possessions--the Redeemed brought -safely home, all conflict over. - -The _fourth_ describes Messiah's consummated triumph. - - - - -Chapter I. The Sign TAURUS (The Bull). - - - _Messiah, the coming Judge of all the Earth._ - -The picture is that of a Bull rushing forward with mighty energy and -fierce wrath, his horns set so as to push his enemies, and pierce them -through and destroy them. - -It is a prophecy of Christ, the coming Judge, and Ruler, and "Lord of all -the earth." - - [Illustration] - - Plate 28: TAURUS (the Bull) - - -The Egyptian Zodiac of Denderah already, 4,000 years ago, had forgotten -the truth to which the prophecy had referred, and called him _Isis_, -_i.e._, _who saves or delivers_, and _Apis_, _i.e._, _the head or chief_. -The Bull is clearly represented, and in all the zodiacs which have come -down to us is always in the _act of pushing_, or _rushing_. - -The name of the sign in Chaldee is {~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _Tor_. Hence, Arabic, _Al -Thaur_; Greek, _Tauros_; Latin, _Taurus_, etc. The more common Hebrew name -was {~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _Shur_, which is from a root which means both _coming_ and -_ruling_. There are several Hebrew words for bulls and oxen, etc. But the -common poetical term for all is {~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL MEM~}, _Reem_, conveying the idea of -loftiness, exaltation, power, and pre-eminence. We find the root in other -kindred languages (Etruscan, Sanscrit, etc.), and it can be traced in the -name of Abram, which means _pre-eminent_ or _high father_; _Ramah_, _high -place_, etc. - -The stars in Taurus present a brilliant sight. There are at least 141 -stars, besides two important groups of stars, which both form integral -parts of the sign. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the bull's eye), has a Chaldee name--_Al -Debaran_, and means _the leader_ or _governor_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (at the tip of -the left horn) has an Arabic name--_El Nath_, meaning _wounded_ or _slain_. -Another prophetic intimation that this coming Lord should be first slain -as a sacrifice. - -Then there is the cluster of stars known as the _Pleiades_. This word, -which means _the congregation of the judge_ or _ruler_, comes to us -through the Greek Septuagint as the translation of the Hebrew {~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT HIRIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}, -_Chima_, which means _the heap_ or _accumulation_, and occurs in Job ix. -9; xxxviii. 31, 32, and Amos v. 8. - -It consists of a number of stars (in the neck of Taurus) which appear to -be near together. The brightest of them, marked {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~} in all the maps,(59) has -come down to us with an Arabic name--_Al Cyone_, which means _the centre_, -and has given the idea to some astronomers that it is the centre of the -whole universe. The Syriac name for the Pleiades is _Succoth_, which means -_booths_. - -Another group of stars (on the face of the Bull) is known as _The -Hyades_,(60) which has the similar meaning of _the congregated_. - -Other stars, not identified, are named _Palilicium_ (Hebrew), _belonging -to the judge_; _Wasat_ (Arabic), _centre_ or _foundation_; _Al Thuraiya_ -(Arabic), _the abundance_; _Vergiliae_ (Latin), _the centre_ (Arabic, -_vertex_) _turned on_, _rolled round_. - -Every thing points to the important truth, and all _turns_ on the fact -that the Lord is COMING TO RULE! This is the central truth of all -prophecy. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." All hope for -Creation, all hope for the world, all hope for Israel, all hope for the -Church, turns on this, that "Jesus is coming again," and that when He -comes His saints, "the daughters of the King" (like the Pleiades and -Hyades), will be with Him. - -There is nothing of "the Church" revealed here. The Church will be caught -up to meet the Lord in the air, to be for ever with the Lord (1 Thess. iv. -17) _before_ He thus _comes unto_ the world in judgment. He will _come -forth_ to receive the members of His Body unto Himself, before He thus -comes with them to destroy all His enemies and "judge (or rule) the world -in righteousness." When we read this Sign of Taurus, therefore, we are to -understand that His Church will be _with_ Him, safe from all judgment. - -There is very much in the Scripture of the Book, (as there is in the -prophecies in the heavens) about the coming of the Lord in judgment; and -about this time of His indignation. For Enoch, who doubtless was used in -arranging these prophetic _signs_, uttered the prophetic _words_, "Behold -the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon -all and to convict all that are ungodly" (Jude 14, 15). - -We have said (pages 17, etc.) that at a very early period these signs were -appropriated to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and borne upon their -"standards." This may be traced in the Blessing of Jacob (Gen. xlix.), and -in the Blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii.). Taurus was assigned to Joseph, -or rather to his two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, like the two powerful -horns: - - - "The firstling of his bullock (marg. _his firstling - bullock_)--majesty is his, - And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox (_Reem_). - With them he shall PUSH (marg. _gore_) the peoples, all of them, - even the ends of the earth. - And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, - And they are the thousands of Manasseh." - - (Deut. xxxiii, 17, R.V.) - - -It is not, however, merely by men alone that this will be done, for David -sings: - - - "Thou art my King, O GOD.... - Through Thee will we PUSH down our enemies; - Through Thy Name will we tread them under that rise up against - us." - - (Ps. xliv. 5.) - - "I will punish the world for their evil, - And the wicked for their iniquity; - I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, - And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.... - Every one that is found shall be THRUST THROUGH." - - (Isa. xiii. 11-15.) - - -Speaking of that day, the Holy Spirit says by Isaiah: - - - For the LORD hath indignation against all the nations," - And fury against all their host: - He hath utterly destroyed them, - He hath delivered them to the slaughter.... - The LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, - And a great slaughter in the land of Edom, - And the wild oxen [_Reem_] shall come down with them, - And the bullocks with the bulls; - And their land shall be drunken with blood, - And their dust made fat with fatness. - For it is the day of the LORD'S vengeance, - The year of recompense in the controversy of Zion." - - (Isa. xxxiv. 2-8, R.V.) - - "Behold, the LORD cometh forth out of His place - To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: - The earth also shall disclose her blood, - And shall no more cover her slain." - - (Isa. xxvi. 21.) - - -This is the united testimony of the two Revelations. It is pictured in the -heavens, and it is written in the Book. It is the prophecy of a coming -Judge, and of a coming judgment. - -It is, however, no mere _Bull_ that is coming. It is a man, a glorious -man, even "the Son of Man." This is the first development, shown in the -first of the three constellations belonging to the sign. - - - -1. ORION (The Coming Prince). - - - _Light Breaking Forth in the Redeemer._ - - [Illustration] - - Plate 29: ORION (the Glorious One) - - -This picture is to show that the coming one is no mere animal, but a man: -a mighty, triumphant, glorious prince. - -He is so pictured in the ancient Denderah Zodiac, where we see a man -coming forth pointing to the three bright stars (_Rigel_, _Bellatrix_, and -_Betelguez_) as his. His name is given as _Ha-ga-t_, which means _this is -he who triumphs_. The hieroglyphic characters below read _Oar_. Orion was -anciently spelt _Oarion_, from the Hebrew root, which means _light_. So -that Orion means _coming forth as light_. The ancient Akkadian was _Ur- -ana_, _the light of heaven_. - -Orion is the most brilliant of all the constellations, and when he comes -to the meridian he is accompanied by several adjacent constellations of -great splendour. There is then above the horizon the most glorious view of -the celestial bodies that the starry firmament affords; and this -magnificent view is visible to all the habitable world, because the -equinoctial line (or solstitial colure) passes nearly through the middle -of Orion. - -ARATUS thus sings of him:-- - - - "Eastward, beyond the region of the Bull, - Stands great Orion. And who, when night is clear, - Beholds him gleaming bright, shall cast his eyes in vain - To find a Sign more glorious in all heaven." - - -The constellation is mentioned by name, as being perfectly well known both -by name and appearance, in the time of Job; and as being an object of -familiar knowledge at that early period of the world's history. See Job -ix. 9; xxxviii. 31, and Amos v. 8 (Heb. {~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT HIRIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}, _Chesil_, which means _a -strong one_, _a hero_, or _giant_). - -It contains 78 stars, two being of the 1st magnitude, four of the 2nd, -four of the 3rd, sixteen of the 4th, etc. - -A little way below {~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~} (in the sword) is a very remarkable nebulous star. A -common telescope will show that it is a beautiful nebula. A powerful -telescope reveals it as consisting of collections of nebulous stars, these -again being surrounded by faint luminous points, which still more powerful -telescopes would resolve into separate stars. - -Thus beautifully is set forth the brilliancy and glory of that _Light_ -which shall break forth when the moment comes for it to be said, "Arise, -shine, for thy light is come." - -The picture presents us with "the Light of the world." His left foot is -significantly placed upon the head of the enemy. He is girded with a -glorious girdle, studded with three brilliant stars; and upon this girdle -is hung a sharp sword. Its handle proves that this mighty Prince is come -forth in a new character. He is again proved to be "the Lamb that was -slain," for the hilt of this sword is in the form of the head and body of -a lamb. In his right hand he lifts on high his mighty club; while in his -left he holds forth the token of his victory--the head and skin of the -"roaring lion." We ask in wonder, "Who is this?"(61) and the names of the -stars give us the answer. - -The brightest, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the right shoulder), is named _Betelgeuz_, which -means _the coming_ (Mal. iii. 2) _of the branch_. - -The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the left foot), is named _Rigel_, or _Rigol_, which means -_the foot that crusheth_. The foot is lifted up, and placed immediately -over the head of the enemy, as though in the very act of crushing it. -Thus, the name of the star bespeaks the act. - -The next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in the left shoulder), is called _Bellatrix_, which -means _quickly coming_, or _swiftly destroying_. - -The name of the fourth star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~} (one of the three in the belt), carries us -back to the old, old story, that this glorious One was once humbled; that -His heel was once bruised. Its name is _Al Nitak_, _the wounded One_.(62) -Similarly the star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~} (in the right leg) is called _Saiph_, _bruised_, -which is the very word used in Gen. iii. 15, thus connecting Orion with -the primeval prophecy. Like Ophiuchus, he has one leg _bruised_; while, -with the other, he is _crushing_ the enemy under foot. - -This is betokened by other stars, not identified, named _Al Rai_, _who -bruises_, _who breaks_ (as in _Cepheus_); and _Thabit_ (Hebrew), _treading -on_. - -Other (Arabic) names relate to His Person: _Al Giauza_, _the branch_; _Al -Gebor_, _the mighty_; _Al Mirzam_, _the ruler_; _Al Nagjed_, _the prince_; -_Niphla_ (Chaldee), _the mighty_; _Nux_ (Hebrew), _the strong_. - -Some names relate to His coming, as _Betelgeuse_ and _Bellatrix_, as -above; _Heka_ (Chaldee), _coming_; and _Meissa_ (Hebrew), _coming forth_. - -Such is the cumulative testimony of Orion's stars, which, day after day, -and night after night, show forth this knowledge. That testimony was -afterwards written in the Book. The Prince of Glory, who was once wounded -for the sins of His redeemed, is about to rise up and shine forth for -their deliverance. Their redemption draweth nigh; for-- - - - "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. - I have [_He says_] long time holden my peace; - I have been still, and refrained myself: - Now will I cry like a travailing woman; - I will destroy and devour at once." - - (Isa. xlii. 13, 14.) - - -Then it will be said to His people (and the setting of the prophecy in its -beautiful introverted structure shows us the beauty and glory of the truth -it reveals):(63) - - - a | _Arise_, - b | Shine; for _thy light_ is come, - c | And _the glory of the _LORD is risen upon thee. - d | For, behold, the _darkness_ shall cover the earth, - _d_ | And gross _darkness_ the people; - _c_ | But _the _LORD shall arise upon thee, and _His - glory_ shall be seen upon thee. - _b_ | And the Gentiles shall come to _thy light_, - _a_ | And kings to the brightness of thy _rising_. - - (Isa. lx. 1-3.) - - -This is "the glory of God" which the heavens constantly declare (Ps. xix. -1). They tell of that blessed time when the whole earth shall be filled -with His glory (Num. xiv. 21; Isa. xi. 9); when "the glory of the LORD -shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isa. xl. 5), as -all see now the beauty of Orion's glory. - -But side by side with the glory which the coming Light of the world shall -bring for His people, there is "that wicked," whom the Lord "shall destroy -with the brightness of His coming." Hence, as in the concluding chapter -(IV.) of the _First_ Book (of which this _Third_ Book is the expansion) we -had in LYRA (_the harp_), as § 1, Praise prepared for the Conqueror; and -in ARA (_the burning pyre_), as § 2, Consuming fire prepared for His -enemies: so in the _first_ chapter of this book, we have in ORION, as § 1, -Glory prepared for the Conqueror; and in ERIDANUS, as § 2, the River of -wrath prepared for His enemies. This brings us to-- - - - -2. ERIDANUS (The River of the Judge). - - - _The River of Wrath Breaking Forth for His Enemies._ - -It issues forth, in all the pictures, from the down-coming foot of Orion. -While others see in it, from the ignorance of fabled story, only "the -River Po," or the "River Euphrates," we see in it, from the meaning of its -name, and from the significance of its position, _the river of the Judge_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 30: ERIDANUS (the River) - - -In the Denderah Zodiac it is a river under the feet of Orion. It is named -_Peh-ta-t_, which means _the mouth of the river_. - -It is an immense constellation, and our diagram is on a smaller scale than -the others (which are all in relative proportion, except where otherwise -noted). - -According to the Britannic catalogue, it consists of 84 stars; one of the -1st magnitude, one of the 2nd, eight of the 3rd, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (at the mouth of the river), bears the ancient name -of _Achernar_, which is in, as its name means, _the after part of the -river_. - -The next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (at the source of the river), is named _Cursa_, which -means _bent down_. The next, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (at the second bend in the river), is -called _Zourac_ (Arabic), _flowing_. Other stars, not identified, are -_Pheat_, _mouth_ (of the river); and _Ozha_, _the going forth_. - -Here, then, we have a river flowing forth from before the glorious -_Orion_. It runs in a serpentine course towards the lower regions, down, -down, out of sight. In vain the sea monster, _Cetus_, strives to stop its -flow. It is "the river of the Judge," and speaks of that final judgment in -which the wicked will be cast into the lake of fire. It was evidently -originally associated with _fire_; for the Greek myths, though gross -perversions, still so connect it. According to their fables, something -went wrong with the chariot of the sun, and a universal conflagration was -threatened. In the trouble, _Phaeton_ (probably a reference to the star -_Pheat_) was killed and hurled into this river, in which he was consumed -with its fire. The whole earth suffered from such a burning heat that -great disasters ensued. We see from this myth two great facts preserved in -the perverted tradition, _viz._, _judgment_ and _fire_. - -ARATUS also preserves the connection,-- - - - "For yonder, trod by heavenly feet, - Wind the scorched waters of Eridanus' tear-swollen flood, - Welling beneath Orion's uplifted foot." - - -Is not this the testimony afterwards written in _the Book_? Daniel sees -this very river in his vision of that coming day, when the true Orion -shall come forth in His glory. He says, "I beheld till the thrones were -placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit:... His throne was fiery -flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire. A FIERY STREAM ISSUED AND -CAME FORTH FROM BEFORE HIM." This is _the River of the Judge_; for he goes -on to say, "the judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. vii. -9-11, R.V.). - -We have the same in Ps. xcvii. 3-5 (R.V.), which describes the scene when -the Lord shall reign: - - - "A FIRE GOETH BEFORE HIM, - And burneth up His adversaries round about. - His lightnings lightened the world: - The earth saw and trembled, - The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, - At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth." - - -So again in Ps. l. 3, we read: - - - "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence, - A FIRE SHALL DEVOUR BEFORE HIM, - And it shall be very tempestuous round about Him." - - -By Habakkuk the coming of the Lord is described; and it is written: - - - "His brightness was as the light, ... - Before Him went the pestilence, - And burning coals went forth at His feet." - - (Hab. iii. 5.) - - -What is this but _Orion_ and _Eridanus_! - -Again, it is written in Isaiah xxx. 27-33 (R.V.): - - - "Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, - Burning with His anger, and in thick rising smoke: - His lips are full of indignation, - And His tongue is as a DEVOURING FIRE: - And His breath is as AN OVERFLOWING STREAM [_of fire_].... - For a Topheth is prepared of old; - Yea, for the king [_Moloch_] it is made ready; - He hath made it deep and large; - The pile thereof is FIRE and much wood; - The breath of the LORD, LIKE A STREAM OF BRIMSTONE, doth kindle - it." - - -So, again, we read in Nahum i. 5, 6: - - - "The mountains quake at Him, - And the hills melt; - And the earth is burned up at His presence, - Yea, the world and all that dwell therein. - Who can stand before His indignation? - And who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? - His fury is POURED OUT LIKE FIRE." - - -In Isa. lxvi. 15, 16, we read: - - - "For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, - And with His chariots like a whirlwind, - To render His anger with fury, - And His rebuke with FLAMES OF FIRE, - For BY FIRE, and by His sword, will the LORD plead with all - flesh." - - -With this agree the New Testament scriptures, which speak of "the Day of -the Lord," "when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His -mighty angels, IN FLAMING FIRE taking vengeance on them that know not God, -and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. i. 7, 8). - -This is the true Eridanus. It is no mere "picture." It is a dread reality! -It is written in stars of fire, and words of truth, that men may heed the -solemn warning and "flee from the wrath to come"! - -But we ask, "Who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when -He appeareth" (Mal. iii. 2)? "Who can stand before His indignation," when -"His fury is poured out like fire" (Nah. i. 6)? - -The answer is given in the next picture! - - - -3. AURIGA (The Shepherd). - - - _Safety for the Redeemed in the Day of Wrath._ - -Here is presented to us the answer to the question, "Who may abide the day -of His coming?" - - - "Behold, the Lord GOD (Adonai Jehovah) will come as a mighty one, - And His arm shall rule for Him: - Behold, His reward is with Him, - And His recompense before Him. - He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, - He shall gather the lambs in His arm, - And carry them in His bosom, - And shall gently lead those that give suck." - - (Isa. xl. 10, 11. R.V.) - - -This is exactly what is presented before us in this last section of the -chapter, which tells of the coming judgment. We have had the picture of a -mighty _Bull_ rushing forth; then the fiery river of _the Judge_; and now -we see _a Great Shepherd_. He is seated upon "the milky way," holding up -on his left shoulder a she goat. She clings to his neck, and is looking -down affrighted at the terrible on-rushing Bull. In his left hand he -supports two little kids, apparently just born, and bleating, and -trembling with fear. - -ARATUS says,-- - - - "She is both large and bright, but they--the kids-- - Shine somewhat feebly on _Auriga's_ wrist." - - -Is not this the Great Shepherd gathering the lambs in His arm? and -carrying them in His bosom? Is He not saying: - - - "I will save My flock, - And they shall no more be a prey." - - (Ezek. xxxiv. 22.) - - "And David my servant shall be king over them, - And they shall have one shepherd." - - (_ib._ xxxvii. 24.) - - "And they shall fear no more, - Nor be dismayed, - Neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD." - - (Jer. xxiii. 4.) - - - [Illustration] - - Plate 31: AURIGA (the Shepherd) - - -AURIGA is from a Hebrew root which means _a shepherd_. It is a beautiful -constellation of 66 stars; one of the 1st magnitude, two of the 2nd, nine -of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the body of the goat), points her out as the -prominent feature of the constellation, for its name _Alioth_ (Hebrew) -means _a she goat_. It is known by the modern Latin name _Capella_, which -has the same meaning. - -The next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the shepherd's right arm), is called _Menkilinon_, -and means the _band_, or _chain of the goats_, and points out the truth -that they are never more to be lost again, but to be bound, with the bands -of love, to the Shepherd for evermore. - -The name of another star is _Maaz_, which means _a flock of goats_. - -Can there be any mistake as to who this Shepherd is? for the bright star -in his right foot is called _El Nath_(64) (like another in ARIES), which -means _wounded_ or _slain_. This is He, then, who was once bruised or -wounded in the heel. He is "the GOOD Shepherd," who gave His life for the -sheep (John x. 11), but He was "the GREAT Shepherd" brought again from the -dead (Heb. xiii. 20); and is now the CHIEF Shepherd (1 Pet. v. 4) seen in -the day of His coming glory. Another star emphasises this truth, for it is -named _Aiyuk_, which also means _wounded_ in the foot.(65) - -The star marking the kids is called _Gedi_ (Hebrew), _kids_. - -In Latin, the word _Auriga_ means a _coachman_ or _charioteer_, the band -in his right hand being taken as his _reins_. But the incongruity of a -_charioteer_ carrying a she-goat, and nursing two little kids, never -struck them; nor did the fact that he has no chariot and no horses! When -man blunders in the things of God, he does it thoroughly! - -In the Zodiac of Denderah the same truth was revealed more than 4,000 -years ago; but the Man, instead of carrying the sheep, is carrying a -sceptre, and is called _Trun_, which means _sceptre_ or _power_. But this -is a strange sceptre, for at the top it has the head of a goat, and at the -bottom, below the hand that holds it, it ends in a cross! With the -Egyptians the cross was a sign of _life_. They knew nothing of "the death -of the cross." Here, then, we see _life_ and _salvation_ for the sheep of -His flock when He comes to reign and rule in judgment. The truth is -precisely the same, though the presentation of it is somewhat varied. - -The connected teaching of the two constellations, _Eridanus_ and _Auriga_, -is solemnly set forth in Mal. iv. 1-3 (R.V.): - - - "Behold, the day cometh, - It burneth as a furnace; - And all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble: - And the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of - hosts, - That it shall leave them neither root nor branch. - BUT UNTO YOU that fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness - arise with healing in His wings; - And ye shall go forth and gambol as calves of the stall. - And ye shall tread down the wicked; - For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet - In the day that I do make (marg. _do this_), saith the LORD of - hosts." - - -In Psalm xxxvii. this day is repeatedly referred to, the day when "the -wicked shall be cut off"; and it concludes by summarizing the same great -truth (_vv._ 38-40, R.V.): - - - "As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together; - The latter end of the wicked shall be cut off, - But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: - He is their stronghold in the time of trouble, - And the LORD helpeth them, and rescueth them; - He rescueth them from the wicked and saveth them, - Because they have taken refuge in Him." - - -Oh, that all who read these pages may heed the solemn warning, and flee -for refuge to Him who now, in this day of grace, is crying, "Look unto me, -and be ye saved, O all ye ends of the earth" (Isa. xlv. 22). - - - - -Chapter II. The Sign GEMINI (The Twins). - - - _Messiah's Reign as Prince of Peace._ - -All the pictures of this sign are confused. The Greeks claimed to have -invented them, and they called them Apollo and Hercules. They are given in -our illustration. The Latins called the Castor and Pollux; and the name of -a vessel in which Paul sailed is so called in Acts xxviii. 11, {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER DELTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}. - -The name in the ancient Denderah Zodiac is _Clusus_, or _Claustrum Hori_, -which means _the place of Him who cometh_. It is represented by two human -figures walking, or coming. The second appears to be a woman. The other -appears to be a man. It is a tailed figure, the tail signifying _He -cometh_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 32: GEMINI (the Twins) - - -The old Coptic name was _Pi-Mahi_, _the united_, as in brotherhood. Not -necessarily united by being born at the same time, but _united_ in one -fellowship or brotherhood. The Hebrew name is _Thaumim_, which means -_united_. The root is used in Exod. xxvi. 24: "They (the two boards) shall -be coupled together beneath." In the margin we read, "Heb. _twinned_" -(R.V. double). The Arabic _Al Tauman_ means the same. - -We need not trouble ourselves with the Grecian myths, even though we can -see through them the original and ancient truth. The two were both heroes -of peculiar and extraordinary birth--sons of Jupiter. They were supposed to -appear at the head of armies; and as they had cleared the seas of pirates, -they were looked upon as the patron saints of navigation. (Hence the name -of the ship in Acts xxviii. 11.) They were held in high esteem both by -Greeks and Romans; and the common practice of taking oaths and of swearing -by their names has descended even to our own day in the still surviving -vulgar habit of swearing "By Gemini!" - -The more ancient star-names help us to see through all these and many -other myths, and to discern Him of whom they testify; even Him in His -twofold nature--God and Man--and His twofold work of suffering and glory, -and His twofold coming in humiliation and in triumph. - -There are 85 stars in the sign: two of the 2nd magnitude, four of the 3rd, -six of the 4th, etc. - -The name of {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the head of the one at our right hand) is called -_Apollo_, which means _ruler_, or _judge_; while {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the head of the -other) is called _Hercules_, _who cometh to labour_, or _suffer_. Another -star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in his left foot), is called _Al Henah_, which means _hurt_, -_wounded_, or _afflicted_. Can we have a doubt as to what is the meaning -of this double presentation? In _Ophiuchus_ we have the two in one person: -the crushed enemy, and the wounded heel. But here the two great primeval -truths are presented in two persons; for He was "two persons in one God," -"God and man in one Christ." As man, suffering for our redemption; as God, -glorified for our complete salvation and final triumph. A star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} (in the -centre of his body), is called _Waset_, which means _set_, and tells of -Him who "set His face like a flint" to accomplish this mighty Herculean -work; and, when the time was come, "steadfastly set His face to go" to -complete it. - -He bears in his right hand (in some pictures) a palm branch. In the one -from which our illustration is taken, it is a club; but both the club of -this one and the bow of the other are _in repose_! These united ones are -neither in action nor are they preparing for action, but they are _at -rest_ and _in peace_ after victory won. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} (in the knee of the -other, "Apollo") is called _Mebsuta_, which means _treading under feet_. -The names of other stars, which are not identified, have come down to us -with the same testimony. One is called _Propus_ (Hebrew), _the branch_, -_spreading_; another is called _Al Giauza_ (Arabic), _the palm branch_; -another is named _Al Dira_ (Arabic), _the seed_, or _branch_. - -The day has here come to fulfil the prophecies concerning Him who is "the -Branch," "the Branch of Jehovah," "the man whose name is the Branch." - - - "In that day shall the Branch of Jehovah be beautiful and - glorious; - And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely - For them that are escaped of Israel." - - (Isa. iv. 2.) - - "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, - And princes shall rule in judgment; - And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind." - - (Isa. xxxii. 1, 2.) - - "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, - That I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, - And He shall reign as King and deal wisely, - And shall execute judgment and justice in the land. - In His days Judah shall be saved, - And Israel shall dwell safely: - And this is His name whereby He shall be called, - The LORD is our Righteousness." - - (Jer. xxiii. 5, 6, R.V.) - - "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, - That I will perform that good word which I have spoken - Concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah. - In those days, and at that time. - Will I cause a Branch of Righteousness to grow up unto David; - And He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land." - - (Jer. xxxiii. 14, 15, R.V.) - - -This is what we see in this sign--Messiah's peaceful reign. All is rest and -repose. We see "His days," in which "the righteous shall flourish; and -abundance of peace, so long as the moon endureth" (Ps. lxxii.). - -But, for this blessed time to come, there must be no enemy! All enemies -must be subdued. - -This brings us to the first section of this book. - - - -1. LEPUS (the Hare), THE ENEMY. - - - _The Enemy Trodden under Foot._ - -The names of the three constellations of this Sign, as well as the -pictures, are all more or less modern, as is manifest from the names being -in _Latin_, and having no relation to the ancient names of their stars. To -learn their real meaning, therefore, we must have recourse to the ancient -Zodiacs. In the Persian planisphere the first constellation was pictured -by a _serpent_. In the Denderah (Egyptian) Zodiac it is an unclean bird -standing on the serpent, which is under the feet of Orion. Its name there -is given as _Bashti-beki_. _Bashti_ means _confounded_, and _Beki_ means -_failing_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 33: LEPUS (the Hare) or ENEMY - - -ARATUS says,-- - - - "Below Orion's feet, the Hare - Is chased eternally." - - -It is a small constellation of 19 stars (all small), three of which are of -the 3rd magnitude, seven of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the body), has a Hebrew name, _Arnebo_, which means -_the enemy of Him that cometh_. The Arabic, _Arnebeth_, means the same. -Other stars, not identified, are _Nibal_, _the mad_; _Rakis_, _the bound_ -(Arabic, _with a chain_); _Sugia_, _the deceiver_. - -There can be no mistaking the voice of this united testimony. For this -enemy is under the down-coming foot of Orion, and it tells of the blessed -fact that when the true Orion, "the Sun of Righteousness, shall arise," -and "the true light" shall shine over all the earth, He "shall tread down -the wicked" (Mal. iv.), and every enemy will be subdued under His feet. -"It is He that shall tread down our enemies" (Ps. lx. 12), as He has said: - - - "I will tread them in Mine anger, - And trample them in My fury ... - For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, - And the year of My redeemed is come." - - (Isa. lxiii. 3, 4.) - - - -2. CANIS MAJOR (The Dog), or SIRIUS (The Prince). - - - _The coming Glorious Prince of Princes (Sirius)._ - -This second constellation carries on the teaching, and tells of the -glorious Prince who will thus subdue and reign. - -In the Denderah Zodiac he is called _Apes_, which means _the head_. He is -pictured as a hawk (_Naz_, {~HEBREW LETTER NUN~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL TSADI~}, _caused to come forth_, _coming swiftly -down_). The hawk is the natural enemy of the serpent, and here it has on -its head a pestle and mortar, indicating the fact that he shall crush the -head of the enemy. - -In the Persian planisphere it is pictured as _a wolf_, and is called -_Zeeb_, which in Hebrew ({~HEBREW LETTER ZAYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}) has the same meaning. Plutarch translates -it {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, _Leader_. In Arabic it means _coming quickly_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 34: CANIS MAJOR (the Dog) and CANIS MINOR (the Second Dog) - - -Its ancient name and meaning must be obtained from the names of its stars -which have come down to us. There are 64 altogether. Two are of the 1st -magnitude, two of the 2nd, four of the 3rd, four of the 4th, etc. Of these -{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the head) is the brightest in the whole heavens! It is called -_Sirius_, _the Prince_ ({~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SIN DOT~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _Sar_), as in Isa. ix. 6. - -_Sirius_(66) was, by the ancients, always associated with great heat. And -the hottest part of the year we still call "the dog days," though, through -the variation as observed in different latitudes, and the precession of -the equinoxes, its rising has long ceased to have any relation to those -days. Virgil says that Sirius - - - "With pestilential heat infects the sky." - - -Homer spoke of it as a star - - - "Whose burning breath - Taints the red air with fevers, plagues, and death." - - -It is not, however, of its heat that its name speaks, but of the fact that -it is the brightest of all the stars, as He of whom it witnesses is the -"Prince of princes," "the Prince of the Kings of the earth." - -Though this "Dog-Star" came to have an ill-omened association, it was not -so in more ancient times. In the ancient Akkadian it is called _Kasista_, -which means _the Leader_ and Prince of the heavenly host. While (as Mr. -Robert Brown, Junr., points out) "the Sacred Books of Persia contain many -praises of the star _Tistrya_ or _Tistar_ (_Sirius_), 'the chieftain of -the East.' "(67) - -The next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the left fore foot), speaks the same truth. It is -named _Mirzam_, and means _the prince_ or _ruler_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~} (in the -body) is called _Wesen_, _the bright_, _the shining_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} (in the -right hind leg) is called _Adhara_, _the glorious_. - -Other stars, not identified, bear their witness to the same fact. Their -names are--_Aschere_ (Hebrew), _who shall come_; _Al Shira Al Jemeniya_ -(Arabic), _the Prince or chief of the right hand_! _Seir_ (Egyptian), _the -Prince_; _Abur_ (Hebrew), _the mighty_; _Al Habor_ (Arabic), _the mighty_; -_Muliphen_ (Arabic), _the leader_, _the chief_. - -Here there is no conflicting voice; no discord in the harmonious testimony -to Him whose name is called "Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God ... the -Prince of Peace" (Isa. ix. 6). - -The names of the stars have no meaning whatever as applied to an Egyptian -Hawk, or a Greek Dog. But they are full of significance when we apply them -to Him of whom Jehovah says: - - - "Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, - A LEADER and commander to the people." - - (Isa. lv. 4.) - - -This is "the Prince of princes" (Dan. viii. 23, 25) against whom, "when -transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance ... shall -stand up," "but he shall be broken without hand," for he shall be -destroyed "with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. ii. 8). This is He -who shall come forth "King of kings and Lord of Lords" (Rev. xix. 16). - -But Sirius has a companion, and this brings us to-- - - - -3. CANIS MINOR (The Second Dog). - - - _The Exalted Redeemer (Procyon)._ - -The same facts are to be remembered concerning the Greek picture, and -Latin name of this constellation. - -The Egyptian name in the Denderah Zodiac is _Sebak_, which means -_conquering_, _victorious_. It is represented as a human figure with a -hawk's head and the appendage of a tail. - -This small constellation has only 14 stars according to the Britannic -catalogue. One of the 1st magnitude, one of the 2nd, one of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the body), is named _Procyon_, which means -REDEEMER, and it tells us that this glorious Prince is none other than the -one who was slain. Just as this chapter begins with _two_ persons in one -in the Sign (Gemini), one _victorious_, the other _wounded_; so it ends -with a representation of two princes, one of whom is seen triumphant and -the other as the Redeemer. This is confirmed by the next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (in the -neck), which is named _Al Gomeisa_ (Arabic), _the burthened_, _loaded_, -_bearing for others_. The names of the other stars, not identified, still -further confirm the great truth; _viz._, _Al Shira_, or _Al Shemeliya_ -(Arabic), _the prince_ or _chief of the left hand_, answering to the star -in _Sirius_. One _right_, the other _left_, as the two united youths are -placed. _Al_ _Mirzam_, _the prince_ or _ruler_; and _Al Gomeyra_, _who -completes_ or _perfects_. - -This does, indeed, complete and perfect the presentation of this chapter: -Messiah's reign as Prince of Peace; the enemy trodden under foot by the -glorious "Prince of princes," who is none other than the glorified -Redeemer. - -This is also what is written in the Book: - - - "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, - Or the lawful captives(68) be delivered? - But thus saith the LORD, - Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, - And the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: - For I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, - And I will save thy children. - And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; - And they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; - And all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour, - And thy REDEEMER--the Mighty One of Jacob." - - (Isa. xlix. 24-26, R.V.) - - "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, - The Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him, - And the REDEEMER shall come to Zion." - - (Isa. lix, 19, 20.) - - "And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, - Because He hath poured out His soul unto death." - - (Isa. liii. 12.) - - - - -Chapter III. The Sign CANCER (The Crab). - - - _Messiah's Redeemed Possessions held fast._ - -With regard to the sign of CANCER, one thing is certain, that we have not -got the original picture, or anything like it. - -It does not agree with the names either of its three constellations which -have come down to us, or of its stars. - -In the ancient Denderah Zodiac it is represented as a _Scarabaeus_, or -sacred beetle.(69) In the Zodiac of Esneh and in a Hindu Zodiac (400 B.C.) -it is the same. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 35: CANCER (the Crab) - - -According to the Greeks, Jupiter placed this Crab amongst the signs of the -Zodiac. - -In Sir William Jones's Oriental Zodiac we meet with a crab, and an -Egyptian Zodiac found at Rome bears also the crab in this sign. - -The more ancient Egyptians placed _Hermanubis_, or _Hermes_, with the head -of an ibis or hawk, as the symbol of the sign now allotted to Cancer. - -The Denderah name is _Klaria_, or _the cattle-folds_, and in this name we -have the key to the meaning of the sign, and to the subject of this -chapter. - -The Arabic name is _Al Sartan_, which means _who holds_ or _binds_, and -may be from the Hebrew {~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _to bind together_ (Gen. xlix. 11). There is -no ancient Hebrew word known for the crab. It was classed with many other -unclean creatures, and would be included in the general term "vermin." - -The Syriac, _Sartano_, means the same. The Greek name is _Karkinos_, which -means _holding_ or _encircling_, as does the Latin, _Cancer_, and hence is -applied to the crab. In the word _Khan_, we have the traveller's rest or -_inn_; while _Ker_ or _Cer_ is the Arabic for _encircling_. The ancient -Akkadian name of the month is _Su-kul-na_, _the seizer_ or _possessor of -seed_. - -The sign contains 83 stars, one of which is of the 3rd magnitude, and -seven are of the 4th magnitude, and the remainder of inferior magnitudes. - -In the centre of the Sign there is a remarkably bright cluster of stars, -so bright that they can be sometimes seen with the naked eye. It looks -like a comet, and is made up of a great multitude of stars. Modern -astronomers have called it the _Beehive_. But its ancient name has come -down to us as Praesepe, which means _a multitude_, _offspring_. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ZETA~} (in the head), is called _Tegmine_, _holding_. The -star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (or {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}1 and {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}2), in the lower large claw, is called _Acubene_, -which, in Hebrew and Arabic, means _the sheltering_ or _hiding-place_. -Another is named _Ma'alaph_ (Arabic), _assembled thousands_; _Al Himarein_ -(Arabic), _the kids_ or _lambs_. - -North and south of the nebula _Praesepe_ are two stars, which Orientalists -speak of by a name evidently of some antiquity. _Asellus_ means an _Ass_, -and one was called _Asellus Boreas_, _the northern Ass_; while the other, -_Asellus Australis_, is _the southern Ass_. - -The sign was afterwards known by the symbol {~CANCER~}, which stands for these two -asses.(70) - -This connects it with the Tribe of Issachar, who is said to have borne -upon the Tribal standard the sign of _two asses_. - -This is doubtless the reference in Jacob's blessing (Gen. xlix. 11, -R.V.):-- - - - "Issachar is a strong ass, - Couching down between the sheepfolds; - And he saw a resting-place that it was good; - And the land that it was pleasant; - And he bowed his shoulder to bear, - And became a servant under task work." - - -Have we not here the gathering up of the teaching of this sign-- - - _Messiah's redeemed possessions held fast._ - -Here we come to the completion of His work. In CANCER we see it with -reference to His _redeemed_, and in the next (the last) Sign, LEO, with -reference to His _enemies_. - -The three constellations develope the truth. What is now called _Ursa -Minor_ is _the Lesser Flock_; _Ursa Major_ gives us _The Sheepfold and the -Sheep_; while _Argo_, _The Ship_, shows the travellers and the pilgrims -brought safely home--all conflict over. - -To accomplish this, we see the true Issachar bowing his shoulder to bear. -He could say, "My soul is bowed down" (Ps. lvii. 6). HE became a servant, -and humbled Himself to death. HE undertook the mighty task of saving His -people from their sins. "Their Redeemer is strong" (Jer. l. 34); for help -was laid on "One that was mighty" (Ps. lxxxix. 19). And His redeemed shall -come to a resting-place that is good, and to a land that is pleasant. No -earthly Khan on earth affords them a home. They look for a heavenly home, -and in the many mansions of the Father's house they shall find eternal -rest. - -Here we see that sheltering home to which the names of these stars point; -where the assembled thousands (_Ma'alaph_) shall be received into the true -_Klaria_, even the "everlasting habitations." - -These are now to be shown to us. - - - -1. URSA MINOR (The Little Bear). - - - _The Lesser Sheepfold._ - -Here we come to another grievous mistake, or ignorant perversion of -primitive truth, as shown in the ancient names of these two -constellations. - -It is sufficient to point to the fact that no Bear is found in any -Chaldean, Egyptian, Persian, or Indian Zodiacs, and that no bear was ever -seen with such a tail! No one who had ever seen a bear would have called -attention to a tail, such as no bear ever had, by placing in its very tip -the most important, wondrous, and mysterious Polar Star, the central star -of the heavens, round which all others revolve. The patriarchal -astronomers, we may be sure, committed no such folly as this. - -The primitive truth that there were _two_, or a pair of constellations is -preserved; and that of these two, one is larger, and the other smaller. -But what were they? We have the clue to the answer in the name of the -brightest star of the larger constellation, which is called _Dubheh_. Now -_Dubheh_ means _a herd of animals_. In Arabic, _Dubah_ means _cattle_. In -Hebrew, {~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _Dohver_, is _a fold_; and hence in Chaldee it meant -_wealth_. The Hebrew {~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}, _Dohveh_, means _rest_ or _security_; and -certainly there is not much of either to be found or enjoyed with bears! -The word occurs in Deut. xxxiii. 25: "As thy days so shall thy strength -be." The Revised Version gives in the margin, "So shall _thy rest_ or -_security_ be." This accords with what we have already seen under -"CANCER": "Couching down between the sheepfolds,(71) he saw a resting- -place that it was good." - -Here are the two Sheepfolds, then; the Greater fold, and Lesser; and here -is the _rest_ and _security_ which the flocks will find therein. - -But in Hebrew there is a word very similar in sound, though not in -spelling--{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~} or {~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}, _dohv_, which means _a bear_! So we find in Arabic -_dub_; Persian, _deeb_ and _dob_. We can see, therefore, how the Hebrew -_Dohver_, _a fold_, and _Dohv_, _a bear_, were confused; and how the -Arabic _Dubah_, _cattle_, might easily have been mistaken by the Greeks, -and understood as a bear. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 36: URSA MINOR - - -The constellation, which we must therefore call THE LESSER SHEEPFOLD, -contains 24 stars, _viz._, one of the 2nd magnitude, two of the 3rd, four -of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (at the point of the tail), is the most important in -the whole heavens. It is named _Al Ruccaba_, which means _the turned_ or -_ridden on_, and is to-day the Polar or central star, which does not -revolve in a circle as does every other star, but remains, apparently, -fixed in its position. But though the star does not revolve like the -others, the central point in the heavens is very slowly but steadily -moving. When these constellations were formed the Dragon possessed this -important point, and the star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, in _Draco_, marked this central point. -But, by its gradual recession, that point is sufficiently near this star -_Ruccaba_, in the _Lesser Sheepfold_, for it to be what is called "the -Polar Star." But, how could this have been known five or six thousand -years ago? How could it have been known when it received its name, which -means _the turned_ or _ridden on_? That it was known is clear: so likewise -was it made known in the written Word that the original blessing included -not merely the multiplication of the seed of faithful Abraham, but it was -then added, "And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies" (Gen. -xxii. 17). - -This star was called by the Greeks {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, the "_Cynosure_." ARATUS -seems to apply this term to the whole of the seven stars of the _Lesser -Bear_. Mr. Robert Brown, Junr., shows(72) that {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, once supposed to -be Hellenic, is non-Hellenic, and possibly Euphratean in origin, from a -word which he transliterates _An-nas-sur-ra_, and renders it, "as it -literally means, _high in_ rising, _i.e._, in heavenly position." Is not -this the primitive truth of the Revelation? Will not this Lesser Fold be -high, yea, the highest in heavenly position? - -The Polar Star has been removed from the Dragon, and is now in _the Lesser -Fold_; and when the Dragon shall be cast down from the heavens, the -heavenly seed will be safely folded there. But this is _the Lesser -Sheepfold_. These are they who all through the ages have been "partakers -of the heavenly calling," who desired a better country, that is, a -_heavenly_; wherefore God "hath prepared for them a city," the city for -which Abraham himself "looked." This was no earthly city, but a city -"whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. xi. 10-16). These have always been -a smaller company, a "little flock," but the kingdom shall be theirs, even -the kingdom of God, for which they now look and wait. They have not yet -"received the promises; but, having seen them afar off" by faith, they -"were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were -strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. xi. 13). Their Messiah has -accomplished "the redemption of the purchased possession," and in due time -the redeemed will inherit it, "unto the praise of His glory" (Eph. i. 13). - -The bright star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} is named _Kochab_, which means _waiting Him who cometh_. -Other stars, not identified, are named _Al Pherkadain_ (Arabic), which -means _the calves_, or _the young_ (as in Deut. xxii. 6), _the redeemed -assembly_. Another, _Al Gedi_, means _the kid_. Another is _Al Kaid_, _the -assembled_; while _Arcas_, or _Arctos_ (from which we derive the term -_Arctic_ regions), means, according to one interpreter, _a travelling -company_; or, according to another, _the stronghold of the saved_. - -But there is not only the heavenly seed, which is compared "to the stars -of heaven," but there is the seed that is compared to "the sand of the -sea"--the larger flock or company, who will enjoy the earthly blessing. - -This brings us to-- - - - -2. URSA MAJOR (The Great Bear). - - - _The Fold and the Flock._ - -Of these it is written:-- - - - "But in Mount Zion there shall be those that escape, - And it shall be holy: - And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions." - - (Obad. 17-19, R.V.) - - -It is a large and important constellation, containing 87 stars, of which -one is of the 1st magnitude, four of the 2nd, three of the 3rd, ten of the -4th, etc. It always presents a splendid appearance, and is perhaps, -therefore, the best known of all the constellations. - -In the Book of Job (ix. 9, and xxxviii. 31, 32) it is mentioned under the -name of _Ash_. "Canst thou guide _Ash_ and her offspring?" which is -rendered in the A.V., "Arcturus and his sons," and in the R.V., "The Bear -with her train" (marg., "_sons_"). The Arabs still call it _Al Naish_, or -_Annaish_, _the assembled together_, as sheep in a fold. The ancient -Jewish commentators interpreted _Ash_ as the seven stars of this -constellation. They are called by others _Septentriones_, which thus -became the Latin word for _North_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 37: URSA MAJOR - - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the back), is named _Dubhe_, which, as we have -seen, means _a herd of animals_, or _a flock_, and gives its name to the -whole constellation. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} (below it) is named _Merach_ (Hebrew), _the flock_ (Arabic, -_purchased_). - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (on the left of [Greek: beta]) is called _Phaeda_, or _Phacda_, -meaning _visited_, _guarded_, or _numbered_, as a flock; for His sheep, -like the stars, are both _numbered_ and _named_. (See Psalm cxlvii. 4.) - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~} is called _Alioth_, a name we have had in _Auriga_, meaning _a -she goat_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ZETA~} (in the middle of the tail) is called _Mizar_, _separate_ or -_small_, and close to it _Al Cor_, _the Lamb_ (known as "g"). - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~} (at the end of the so-called tail) is named _Benet Naish_ -(Arabic), _the daughters of the assembly_. It is also called _Al Kaid_, -_the assembled_. - -The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~} (in its right foot) is called _Talitha_. - -The names of other stars, not identified, all give the same testimony: _El -Alcola_ (Arabic), _the sheep-fold_ (as in Ps. xcv. 7; and c. 3); _Cab'd al -Asad_, _multitude_, _many assembled_; _Annaish_, _the assembled_; -_Megrez_, _separated_, as the flock in the fold; _El Kaphrah_, -_protected_, _covered_ (Heb. _redeemed_ and _ransomed_); _Dubheh Lachar_ -(Arabic), _the latter herd_ or _flock_; _Helike_ (so called by HOMER in -the _Iliad_), _company of travellers_; _Amaza_ (Greek), _coming and -going_; _Calisto_, _the sheepfold set_ or _appointed_. - -There is not one discordant voice in the rich abundance of this testimony. -We have nothing to do here with the Grecian myths about bears or wild -boars. We see only the innumerable seed _gathered_ by Him who _scattered_ -(Jer. xxxi. 10). - -Many are the Scriptures we might quote which speak of this gathering and -assembling of the long-scattered flock. It is written as plainly in the -Book, as it is in the heavens. The prophecies of this gathering are as -conspicuous in the Word of God as the "_Seven Stars_" are in the sky. It -is difficult even to make a selection from the wealth of such promises; -but few are more beautiful than that in Ezek. xxxiv. 12-16: - - - "As a shepherd seeketh out his flock - In the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; - So will I seek out my sheep, - And will deliver them out of all places where they have been - scattered in the cloudy and dark day. - And I will bring them out from the people, - And gather them from the countries, - And will bring them to their own land, - And feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers - And in all the inhabited places of the country. - I will feed them in a good pasture, - And upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: - There shall they lie in a good fold, - And in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. - I will feed my flock, - And I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. (Adonai - Jehovah). - I will seek that which was lost, - And bring again that which was driven away, - And will bind up that which was broken, - And will strengthen that which was sick: - But I will destroy the fat and the strong; - I will feed them with judgment." - - -It is of this judgment with which this book, and indeed the whole -Revelation, ends, in the next and final chapter. - -But before we come to that we have one more picture in the third -constellation of this Sign, which combines the first two in one. - - - -3. ARGO (The Ship). - - - _The Pilgrims safe at Home._ - -This is the celebrated ship of the Argonauts, which HOMER sung nearly ten -centuries before Christ. Sir Isaac Newton puts the expedition of the -Argonauts shortly after the death of Solomon (about 975 B.C.). While Dr. -Blair's chronology puts it 1236 B.C. - -Whatever fables have gathered round the story there can be no doubt as to -its great antiquity. Some think that the story had its origin in name, as -well as in fact, from the _Ark_ of Noah and its mysterious journey. All -that is clear, when divested of mythic details, is that the sailors in -that ship, after all their dangers, and toils, and battles were over, came -back victorious to their own shores. The "golden fleece," for which the -Argonauts went in search, tells of a treasure that had been _lost_. -"Jason," the great captain, tells of Him who recovered it from the -_Serpent_, which guarded it with ever-watchful eye, when none else was -able to approach it. And thus, through the fables and myths of the Greeks, -we can see the light primeval shine; and this light, once seen, lights up -this Sign and its constellations, so that their teaching cannot be -misunderstood. - -ARATUS sings of _Argo_:-- - - - "Stern-foremost hauled; no mark of onward-speeding ship. - Sternward she comes, as vessels do - When sailors turn the helm - On entering harbour: all the oars back-water, - And gliding backward, to an anchor comes." - - -It tells of that blessed home-coming, when-- - - - "The ransomed of the LORD shall return - And come to Zion with songs, - And everlasting joy upon their heads; - They shall obtain joy and gladness, - And sorrow and sighing shall flee away." - - (Isa. xxxv. 10.) - - -It tells of the glorious Jason,(73) of whom it is asked: - - - "Art thou not it which hath cut Rahab, - And wounded the dragon? - Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great - deep; - That hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to - pass over? - Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, - And come with singing unto Zion," etc. - - (Isa. li. 9-11.) - - "For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, - And ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. - Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion - And shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD." - - (Jer. xxxi. 11, 12.) - - -This is the return of the great emigrant-ship (_Argo_) and all its -_company of travellers_ (for this is the meaning of the word _Argo_). - - [Illustration] - - Plate 38: ARGO (the Ship) - - -In Kircher's Egyptian Planisphere _Argo_ is represented by two galleys (as -we have two sheepfolds), whose prows are surmounted by rams' heads; and -the stern of one of them ends in a fish's tail. One of the two occupies -_four segments_ of the sphere (from Taurus to Virgo), while the other -occupies the four from Leo to Capricorn. _One half_ of the southern -meridians is occupied with these galleys and their construction and -decorations. Astronomers tell us that they carry us back, the one to the -period when the Bull opened the year (to which time VIRGIL refers); and -the other to the _same_ epoch, when the summer solstice was in Leo--"an era -greatly antecedent to the Argonautic expedition. How else, they ask, do we -account for the one ship having her prow in the first Decan of _Taurus_, -and her poop in the last Decan of _Leo_? or for one galley being freighted -with the installed _Bull_, and the other with the solstitial _Lion_?"(74) - -These are the words of an astronomer who knows nothing whatever of our -interpretation of the heavens which is set forth in this work. - -It will indeed be a large vessel, the true _Argo_, with its _company of -travellers_, "a great multitude which no man can number." All this is -indicated by the immense size of the Constellation, as well as by the -large number of its stars. There are 64 stars in _Argo_ (reckoning by the -Britannic catalogue); one of the 1st magnitude, six of the 2nd, nine of -the 3rd, nine of the 4th, etc. Only a small part of the ship's poop is -visible in Britain. - -Its brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (near the keel), is called _Canopus_ or _Canobus_, -which means _the possession of Him who cometh_. Other star-names, not -identified, are--_Sephina_, _the multitude_ or _abundance_; _Tureis_, _the -possession_; _Asmidiska_, _the released who travel_; _Soheil_ (Arabic), -_the desired_; and _Subilon_, _the Branch_. - -Is not all this exactly in harmony with the rest of this sign? And is not -this what is written in the Book? - - - "Therefore, fear thou not, O My servant Jacob, saith the LORD; - Neither be dismayed, O Israel: - For, lo, I will save thee from afar, - And thy seed from the land of their captivity; - And Jacob shall return and be in rest, - And be quiet, and none shall make him afraid, - For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee." - - (Jer. xxx. 10, 11.) - - "Lift up thine eyes round about, and see; - All they gather themselves together, they come to thee; - Thy sons shall come from far, - And thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side, - Then thou shalt see, and flow together, - And thine heart shall fear and be enlarged; - Because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee.... - Who are these that fly as a cloud? - And as doves to their windows? - Surely the isles shall wait for me, - And the SHIPS of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far." - - (Isa. lx. 4, 5, 8, 9.) - - -The whole chapter (Isa. lx.) should be read if we wish to understand the -great teaching of this Sign, which tells of Messiah's secured possessions, -the safe folding of His blood-bought flock, the blessed return of His -pilgrims, and their abundant entrance into everlasting rest. - - - "There is a blessed home - Beyond this land of woe, - Where trials never come, - Nor tears of sorrow flow; - Where faith is lost in sight, - And patient love is crowned, - And everlasting light - Its glory throws around. - - O joy, all joys beyond, - To see the Lamb who died, - And count each sacred wound - In hands, and feet, and side; - To give to Him the praise - Of every triumph won, - And sing through endless days - The great things He hath done. - - Look up, ye saints of God, - Nor fear to tread below - The path your Saviour trod - Of daily toil and woe; - Wait but a little while - In uncomplaining love, - His own most gracious smile - Shall welcome you above." - - - - -Chapter IV. The Sign LEO (The Lion). - - - _Messiah's Consummated Triumph._ - -Here we come to the end of the circle. We began with Virgo, and we end -with Leo. No one who has followed our interpretation can doubt that we -have here the solving of the Riddle of the Sphinx. For its _Head_ is Virgo -and its _Tail_ is Leo! - -In Leo we reach the end of the Revelation as inspired in the Word of God; -and it is the end as written in the heavens. - -BAILLY (_Astronomy_) says, "the Zodiac must have been first divided when -the sun at the summer solstice was in 1 deg. Virgo, where the woman's head -joins the Lion's tail." - -As to its antiquity there can be no doubt. JAMIESON says, "the Lion does -not seem to have been placed among the Zodiacal symbols, because Hercules -was fabled to have slain the Nemean Lion. It would seem, on the contrary, -that Hercules, who represented the Sun, was said to have slain the Nemean -Lion, because _Leo_ was already a Zodiacal sign. Hercules flourished 3,000 -years ago, and consequently posterior to the period when the summer -solstice accorded with _Leo_." (_Celestial Atlas_, p. 40). - -There is no confusion about _this_ sign. In the ancient Zodiacs of Egypt -(Denderah, Esneh) and India we find the Lion. The same occurs on the -Mithraic monuments, where Leo is _passant_, as he is in Moor's Hindu, and -Sir William Jones's Oriental Zodiacs. In Kircher's Zodiacs he is -_courrant_; in the Egyptian Zodiacs he is _couchant_. - -In the Denderah Zodiac he is treading upon a serpent, as shown in Mr. -Edward Cooper's _Egyptian Scenery_. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 39: LEO (the Lion) - - -Its Egyptian name is _Pi Mentekeon_, which means _the pouring out_. This -is no pouring out or inundation of the Nile, but it is the pouring out of -the cup of Divine wrath on that Old Serpent. - -This is the one great truth of the closing chapter of this last Book. It -is - - THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH AROUSED FOR THE RENDING OF THE PREY. - -His feet are over the head of _Hydra_, the great Serpent, and just about -to descend upon it and crush it. - -The three constellations of the Sign complete this final picture: - - - 1. _Hydra_, the old Serpent destroyed. - - 2. _Crater_, _the Cup_ of Divine wrath poured out upon him. - - 3. _Corvus_, the Bird of prey devouring him. - - -The Denderah picture exhibits all four in one. The Lion is presented -treading down the Serpent. The Bird of prey is also perched upon it, while -below is a plumed female figure holding out _two cups_, answering to -_Crater_, the cup of wrath. - -The hieroglyphics read _Knem_, and are placed underneath. _Knem_ means -_who conquers_, or _is conquered_, referring to the victory over the -serpent. The woman's name is _Her-ua_, _great enemy_, referring to the -great enemy for which her two cups are prepared and intended. - -The Hebrew name of the sign is _Arieh_, which means _the Lion_. There are -six Hebrew words for Lion,(75) and this one is used of the Lion _hunting -down his prey_. - -The Syriac name is _Aryo_, _the rending Lion_, and the Arabic is _Al -Asad_; both mean _a lion coming vehemently_, _leaping forth as a flame_! - -It is a beautiful constellation of 95 stars, two of which are of the 1st -magnitude, two of the 2nd, six of the 3rd, thirteen of the 4th. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (on the Ecliptic), marks the heart of the Lion -(hence sometimes called by the moderns, _Cor Leonis_, _the heart of the -Lion_). Its ancient name is _Regulus_, which means _treading under foot_. -The next star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}, also of the 1st magnitude (in the tip of the tail), is -named _Denebola_, _the Judge_ or _Lord who cometh_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~} (in the -mane) is called _Al Giebha_ (Arabic), _the exaltation_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~} (on the -hinder part of the back) is called _Zosma_, _shining forth_. - -Other stars, not identified, are named _Sarcam_ (Hebrew), _the joining_; -intimating that here is the point where the two ends of the Zodiacal -circle have their _joining_. Another star has the name of _Minchir al -Asad_ (Arabic), _the punishing_ or _tearing of the Lion_. Another is -_Deneb Aleced_, _the judge cometh who seizes_. And another is _Al Dafera_ -(Arabic), _the enemy put down_. - -What can be more expressive? What can be more eloquent? All is harmony, -and all the names unite in pointing us to what is written of "the Lion of -the Tribe of Judah." - -And why is Messiah thus called? Because it is applied to Him in Rev. v. 5 -in connection with His rising up for judgment: and because the Lion is -known to have been always borne upon the standard of Judah, whether in the -wilderness (Num. ii.) or in aftertimes. - -In Israel's dying blessing the prophetic words foretold of Judah: - - - "Thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; ... - Judah is a lion's whelp; - From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. - He stooped down, he couched as a lion, - And as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?" - - (Gen. xlix. 8, 9.) - - -In the prophecy of Balaam (Num. xxiv. 8, 9), we read: - - - "He shall eat up the nations his enemies, - And shall break their bones, - And pierce them through with his arrows, - He couched, he lay down as a lion, - And as a great lion; who shall stir him up?" - - -The same testimony is borne by the Prophet Amos: - - - "Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey? - Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he hath taken nothing?... - The lion hath roared, who will not fear?" - - (Amos iii. 4, 8.) - - -When "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" is roused up for the rending, the -Spirit describes the scene in Isa. xlii. 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." - - -And this is what is meant and included when the Elder says for John's -comfort, "the Lion of the Tribe of Judah _hath prevailed_," and hence, is -"worthy ... to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and -honour, and glory, and blessing" (Rev. v.). - -Whether we look, therefore, at the primeval Revelation in the heavens, or -at the later Revelation in the Word, the story is one and the same. - -And what we see of Leo and his work in both, we find developed and -described in the three constellations of the Sign. - - - -1. HYDRA (The Serpent). - - - _The Old Serpent Destroyed._ - -The time has at length come for the fulfilment of the many prophecies -pictured in the heavens: and in its three final constellations we see the -consummation of them all in the complete destruction of the Old Serpent, -and all his seed, and all his works. - - [Illustration] - - Plate 40: HYDRA (the Serpent), CRATER (the Cup), CORVUS (the Raven) - - -It is the special work of the Messiah, as "the Lion of the tribe of -Judah," to trample it under foot. - -It is pictured as _the female serpent (Hydra)_, the mother and author of -all evil. _Hydra_ has the significant meaning, _he is abhorred_! - -It is an immense constellation extending for above 100 degrees from east -to west, beneath the Virgin, the Lion, and the Crab. It is composed of 60 -stars; one of the 2nd magnitude, three of the 3rd, twelve of the 4th, etc. - -The brightest star, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the heart of the Serpent), is sometimes called -by the moderns _Cor Hydrae_ on that account. Its ancient name is _Al Phard_ -(Arabic), which means _the separated_, _put away_. Another is called _Al -Drian_, _the abhorred_. Another star is named _Minchar al Sugia_, _the -piercing of the deceiver_. - -There can be no doubt as to what is taught by the constellation of Hydra, -nor is it necessary to quote the Scriptures concerning the destruction of -the Serpent. We pass on to consider the second. - - - -2. CRATER (The Cup). - - - _The Cup of Divine wrath Poured out upon Him._ - - - "God is the Judge. - He putteth down one, and setteth up another, - FOR IN THE HAND OF THE LORD THERE IS A CUP, - And the wine is red; it is full of mixture, - And He poureth out of the same: - But the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring - them out and drink them." - - (Ps. lxxv. 8.) - - "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, - Fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: - THIS SHALL BE THE PORTION OF THEIR CUP." - - (Ps. xi. 6.) - - -This is no fabled wine-cup of Bacchus; but it is "The cup of His -indignation" (Rev. xiv. 10); "The cup of the wine of the fierceness of his -wrath" (Rev. xvi. 19). This is what we see set forth in this -constellation. The Cup is wide and deep, and fastened on by the stars to -the very body of the writhing serpent. The same stars which are in the -foot of the Cup form part of the body of Hydra, and are reckoned as -belonging to both constellations. - -This Cup has the significant number of _thirteen_ stars (the number of -Apostacy). The two--_Al Ches_ ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}), which means _the Cup_, and ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~})--determine -the bottom of the Cup. - - - -3. CORVUS (The Raven). - - - _The Birds of Prey devouring the Serpent._ - -Here is the final scene of judgment. We have had _Zeeb_; _the Wolf_; now -we have _Oreb_, _the Raven_. _Her-na_ is its name in the Denderah Zodiac. -_Her_, means _the enemy_; and _Na_, means _breaking up_ or _failing_. That -is to say, this scene represents _the breaking up_ of the enemy. - -There are nine stars (the number of _judgment_) in this constellation. The -bright star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~} (in the eye) is called _Al Chibar_ (Arabic), _joining -together_, from the Hebrew _Chiba_ (Num. xxiii. 8), which means -_accursed_. This star, then, tells of _the curse inflicted_. The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~} -(in the right wing) is called _Al Goreb_ (Arabic), from Hebrew _Oreb_, -_the Raven_. A third star is named _Minchar al Gorab_ (Arabic), and means -_the Raven tearing to pieces_. - -This brings us to the end. There is nothing beyond this. Nothing remains -to be told. We know from the Word of God that-- - - - "The eye that mocketh at his father, - And despiseth to obey his mother, - The ravens of the valley shall pick it out." - - (Prov. xxx. 17.) - - -We remember how David said to the Giant Goliah--a type of this enemy of -God's people--"I will smite thee, and take thy head from thee; and I will -give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls -of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth" (1 Sam. xvii. 46). - -When the great day of this judgment comes, an angel standing in the sun -will cry "to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come, and -gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may -eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty -men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh -of all men, both free and bond, both small and great" (Rev. xix. 17, 18). - -And after these awful words shall be fulfilled, in the closing words of -the prophecy of Isaiah, Jehovah foretells us how-- - - - "They shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that - have transgressed against Me; - For their worm shall not die, - Neither shall their fire be quenched; - And they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." - - -This is the teaching of the whole Sign of LEO! It is all summed up in Jer. -xxv. 30-33:-- - - - "Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say unto - them, - The LORD shall roar from on high, - And utter His voice from His holy habitation; - He shall mightily roar upon His habitation; - He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, - Against all the inhabitants of the earth. - A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; - For the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, - He will plead with all flesh; - He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. - Thus saith the LORD of hosts, - Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, - And a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the - earth. - And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the - earth - Even to the other end of the earth; - They shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; - They shall be dung upon the ground." - - -Here is the conclusion of the whole matter! Here is the final triumph of -the Son of Man in the consummated victory of the Seed of the woman: -"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and -wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Rev. v. 12). - - - "O what a bright and blessed world - This groaning earth of ours will be, - When from its throne the tempter hurled, - Shall leave it all, O Lord, to Thee! - - But brighter far that world above, - Where we, as we are known, shall know; - And, in the sweet embrace of love, - Reign o'er this ransomed earth below. - - O blessed Lord! with longing eyes - That blissful hour we wait to see; - While every worm or leaf that dies - Tells of the curse, and calls for Thee. - - Come, Saviour! Then o'er all below - Shine brightly from Thy throne above, - Bid heaven and earth Thy glory know, - And all creation feel Thy love." - - - - - -SUMMARY. - - -Man has ever sought to rob Christ of His glory. He has long since done his -best to obliterate His name and His work from the Revelation which had -been written in the stars of light. When He humbled Himself, and came as -the promised Seed of the woman, men "saw no beauty in Him that they should -desire Him." And these were _religious_ men. It was religious men, not the -common rabble, whom the Old Serpent made use of to wound Him in the heel. -The Devil could not touch Him himself; he must use them as his -instruments; and it was only _religious_ men that could be so used. - -It was the "chief priests and scribes," men learned in the Scriptures, -whose very knowledge of the Word was used to compass His death amongst the -babes at Bethlehem (Matt. ii. 4-6). - -It was the same priests and scribes who were used to put Him to death, and -give the long-prophesied wound in the heel. - -Religion without Christ is enmity against God! Knowledge of the Scriptures -where the heart is not subject to Christ, and where Christ is not seen in -them, is powerless and lifeless. It is true of the Scriptures, as it will -be of the heavenly Jerusalem--"THE LAMB IS THE LIGHT THEREOF" (Rev. xxi. -23). - -The Church of Rome has been used of the great enemy to rob the Lamb of God -of His promised glory. JEROME, in his Latin translation of the Bible (405 -A.D.), wrote "_ipse_," HE, in Gen. iii. 15, as the "bruiser of the -serpent's head." And, in spite of the fact that JEROME himself so quotes -it in his commentary, and that it is _masculine_ in all the other ancient -translations of the Bible, Rome has first corrupted JEROME'S Vulgate by -changing the "e" into "a," and putting "_ipsa_" (she) instead of "_ipse_" -(He); then she has so translated this corruption and perpetuated this -perversion in various languages! So that in all her versions, in her -pictures and statues, in the decree of Pope Pius IX., which promulgated -the dogma of the "_immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary_," this lie of -the Old Serpent has been foisted on unnumbered thousands of deluded souls, -who have thereby been deceived into putting Mary in the place of Jesus; -the "co-Redemptress" in the place of the Redeemer; the creature in the -place of the Creator; the woman in the place of the woman's Seed;--until -the outcome is reached by emblazoning, in huge gilt letters, on the -outside of a large church in Rathmines, Dublin, "MARIAE PECCATORUM -REFUGIUM," to Mary the Refuge of Sinners! - -So complete has been the success of the subtlety of the Serpent, that he -has beguiled thousands of Protestants to unite in circulating these -_corrupted versions as the Word of God_, thus giving currency to the -Devil's lie. This is done on the plea of expediency, in order that these -versions might come to many as Protestant truth instead of Popish error; -but thus misleading those who were seeking for light, while confirming -Papists in their darkness. - -But through all the "wisdom of the Serpent" we can detect his lie. It is -very thinly veiled, and the Old Serpent has not succeeded in blinding the -eyes which the Spirit of God has opened. True, we see in all Rome's -pictures and statues the foot of Mary, on the Serpent's head, but the foot -is not _coming down_, nor is the head _crushed_! Rather is the woman's -foot resting on its head; and the woman herself supported by the Serpent. - -The whole system of Mary-anity is thus seen to be the outcome of the -Serpent's wisdom in opposition to the true Christ-ianity. - -How different are the primeval star-pictures of the heavens. There, the -club is lifted up, the foot is coming down, yea, the foot is actually -planted upon the enemy, treading the Scorpion under foot. - -Rome may corrupt the words of the Book, but she cannot touch the stars of -heaven! The Devil himself cannot move them from their places. He may -choose and use his servants and agents for corrupting the Scriptures -written in the Book, but he cannot change the Revelation of the stars. - -There,--no woman's foot is seen upon the Serpent's head! There,--no woman -usurps the place of the all-glorious Redeemer! - -In _Ophiuchus_ we see HIM in dread conflict with the Serpent, and we see -HIS foot upon the Scorpion's heart (SCORPIO). We see HIM, the Risen Lamb -(ARIES), binding _Cetus_, the great Monster of the Deep; we see HIM in the -glorious _Orion_, whose foot is coming down on the enemy's head (_Lepus_); -we see HIM in the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (LEO), about to tread down -that Old Serpent (_Hydra_) the Devil; we see HIM in the mighty _Hercules_, -who has his foot on the head of the _Dragon_ (_Draco_), and his up-lifted -club about to inflict the long-threatened blow; we see HIM crowned in -_Cepheus_, with all His enemies subdued, and His right foot planted upon -the Polar Star! - -True, we do see a WOMAN in this heavenly and Divine revelation; for there -are four women. Two are connected with the REDEEMER, and two with the -REDEEMED. The Redeemer is seen in the one (VIRGO) as the "promised Seed"; -in the other (_Coma_), He is seen as the child born, the Son given. The -Redeemed are represented in one as a captive _chained_ (_Andromeda_), with -no power to wage conflict with an enemy, but a prey to every foe; in the -other (_Cassiopeia_), she is _enthroned_, with no necessity for conflict. -For with one hand she waves the palm of a victory which another -(_Perseus_) has wrought on her behalf, while with her right hand she is -preparing and making herself ready for "the marriage of the Lamb." - -Thus pure and undefiled is this primeval fountain of Divine truth. Thus -harmonious is it with the written Word of God. And He who gave them both -to enlighten a dark world which lieth in the power of this wicked one, has -filled both with one subject--"The sufferings of Christ and the glory that -should follow." - -These are set forth by the Holy Spirit in a double sevenfold expansion of -the prophetic promise of Gen. iii. 15, giving seven steps in His -humiliation and seven in His glorification (Phil. ii. 5-11(76)). - - - CHRIST JESUS, - - 1. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery (a thing - to be grasped at and held) to be equal with God; - - 2. But made Himself of no reputation (Gr. _emptied Himself_), - - 3. And took upon Him the form of a servant, - - 4. And was made in the likeness of men: - - 5. And being found in fashion as a man. He humbled Himself. - - 6. And became obedient unto death, - - 7. Even the death of the cross. - - WHEREFORE - - 1. God also hath highly exalted Him, - - 2. And given Him a name which is above every name: - - 3. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, - - 4. Of things in heaven, - - 5. And things on earth, - - 6. And things under the earth; - - 7. And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, - to the glory of God the Father. - - Amen. - - "Come, then, and, added to Thy many crowns, - Receive yet one, the crown of all the earth, - Thou who alone art worthy! It was thine - By ancient covenant, ere Nature's birth; - And Thou hast made it Thine by purchase since, - And overpaid its value with Thy blood. - Thy saints proclaim Thee king; and in their hearts - Thy title is engraven with a pen - Dipp'd in the fountain of eternal love. - Thy saints proclaim Thee king; and Thy delay - Gives courage to their foes, who, could they see - The dawn of Thy last advent, long desired, - Would creep into the bowels of the hills, - And flee for safety to the falling rocks." - - "Come, then, and, added to Thy many crowns, - Receive yet one, as radiant as the rest, - Due to Thy last and most effectual work, - Thy Word fulfilled, the conquest of a world." - - (_Cowper._) - - - - - -"FOR SIGNS AND FOR SEASONS." - - -We have seen the great truths which are taught from the position, and -forms, and names of the heavenly bodies. There are also truths to be -learnt from their _motions_. - -When God created them and set them in the firmament of heaven, He said, in -Gen. i. 14-- - - - "Let them be for signs and for seasons." - - -Here the word "signs" is _othoth_ ({~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}, plural of {~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}, _oth_, from the -root {~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW POINT HATAF QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HATAF QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}, _to come_). Hence, _a sign of something_ or _some One to -come_. In Jer. x. 2 Jehovah says, "And be not dismayed _at the signs_ -({~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}) of the heavens, for the heathen are dismayed at them." The -word "seasons" does not denote merely what we call the four seasons of the -year, but _cycles_ of time. It is {~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}, _appointed time_ (from the verb -{~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}, _to point out_, _appoint_). It occurs three more times in Genesis, -each time in connection with the promised Seed-- - -Gen. xvii. 21, "_At_ this _set time_ in the next year"; - -Gen. xviii. 14, "_At the time appointed_ I will return"; and - -Gen. xxi. 2, "_At the set time_ of which God had spoken." - -Gen. i. 14 is therefore, "They (the sun, moon, and stars) shall be for -signs (things to come) and for cycles (appointed times)." - -Here, then, we have a distinct declaration from God, that the heavens -contain not only a Revelation concerning _things to come_ in the "Signs," -but also concerning _appointed times_ in the wondrous movements of the -sun, and moon, and stars. - -The motions of the sun and moon are so arranged that at the end of a given -interval of time they return into almost precisely the same position, with -regard to each other and to the earth, as they held at the beginning of -that interval. "Almost precisely," but not quite precisely. There will be -a slight outstanding difference, which will gradually increase in -successive intervals, and finally destroy the possibility of the -combination recurring, or else lead to combinations of a different -character. - -Thus the daily difference between the movement of the sun and of the stars -leads the sun back very nearly to conjunction with the same star as it was -twelve months earlier, and gives us the cycle of the year. The slight -difference in the sun's position relative to the stars at the end of the -year, finally leads the sun back to the same star at the same time of the -year, _viz._, at the spring equinox, and gives us the great precessional -cycle of 25,800 years. - -So, too, with eclipses. Since the circumstances of any given eclipse are -reproduced almost exactly 18 years and 11 days later, this period is -called an _Eclipse Cycle_, to which the ancient astronomers gave the name -of _Saros_;(77) and eclipses separated from each other by an exact cycle, -and, therefore, corresponding closely in their conditions, are spoken of -as being one and the same eclipse. Each _Saros_ contains, on the average, -about 70 +- eclipses. Of these, on the average, 42 +- are solar and 28 +- are -lunar. Since the _Saros_ is 11 days (or, more correctly, 10.96 days) -longer than 18 years, the successive recurrences of each eclipse fall 11 -days later in the year each time, and in 33 _Sari_ will have travelled on -through the year and come round very nearly to the original date. - -But as the _Saros_ does not reproduce the conditions of an eclipse with -absolute exactness, and as the difference increases with every successive -return, a time comes when the return of the _Saros_ fails to bring about -an eclipse at all. If the eclipse be a solar one before this takes place, -a new eclipse begins to form a month later in the year than the old one, -and becomes the first eclipse of a new series. - -This is the history of one such eclipse: On May 15 (Julian), 850 A.D., -there was a (new) eclipse of the sun, and it occurred as a _partial_ -eclipse. On August 20 (Julian), 1012 A.D., this new eclipse became -_total_. From that time it has been an _annular_ eclipse, the latitude of -the central shadow gradually shifting southward from the north, until on -December 17 (Julian), 1210, it had reached N. Lat. 24 deg.. It turned -northward again after 1210, until March 14 (Julian), 1355, when it fell in -N. Lat. 43 deg.. Then it turned south, and has moved steadily in that -direction, until on March 18 (Greg.), 1950, its last appearance as an -annular eclipse will take place. On May 22 (Greg.), 2058, it will fall so -far from the node that a new eclipse will follow it on June 21. It will -make three more appearances as an ever-diminishing partial eclipse, and be -last seen on June 24 (Greg.), 2112. Its total life-history, therefore, -will have been 1,262 years and 36 days, and will have occupied 70 _Sari_. - -In the above life-history of an eclipse(78) there is not the slightest -difficulty as to its identification. The _Saros_ shows no break, and no -interruption; nor does the character of the eclipse suffer any abrupt -change. The district over which it is visible moves in a slow and orderly -fashion from occurrence to occurrence over the earth's surface. - -Now the important point is this, that if we take the prophetic reckoning -of 360 days to the year, we have the following significant Biblical -numbers:-- - -In the first place, we already have the 70 +- _Sari_ divided into two -portions of 33 + 37. - -A perfect cycle is accomplished in 33 _Sari_, or 595 years, when the -eclipse, by a series of unbroken _Sari_, has accomplished a passage -through the year of 360 days; or, if we reckon only the whole numbers, -_i.e._, the 18 completed years, we have for the 33 _Sari_ the period of -594 years, while the remaining portion of 37 _Sari_ makes 666 years (37 x -18) ; and the whole 70 +- _Sari_ makes 1,260 years (594 + 666).(79) - -We have then the following figures:-- - - - 18 x 33 = 594 years. - 18 x 37 = 666 years. - 18 x 70 = 1260 years. - - -Independently of this, we also know that 1,260 years is a soli-lunar -cycle, so exact that its epact, or difference, is only 6 hours! - -There must, therefore, be something significant in these numbers, _e.g._, -70; in the number 1,260, with its divisions, not into two equal parts, but -into 594 and 666; as also in its double, 2,520. - -There must be something to be learned in the occurrence and repetition of -these heavenly cycles, which for nearly 6,000 years have been constantly -repeated in the heavens, especially when we find these same numbers very -prominently presented in the Word of God in connection with the fulfilment -of prophecy. - -We have the great "seven times" (2,520) connected with the duration of -Israel's punishment, and of the Gentiles' power. We have in Daniel and the -Apocalypse the half of this great period presented as "days" (1,260), as -"months" (42), and as "times," or years (3-1/2). - -Futurists believe that these "days" and "months," etc., _interpret for us_ -the purposes and counsels of God as connected with "the time of the end," -and as meaning literal "days" and "months," etc. - -Historicists take these terms and themselves _interpret the numbers_, in -the sense of a "day" being put for a _year_, and they believe that these -"1,260 days" will be fulfilled as 1,260 _years_. - -One party boldly and ungraciously charges the other with teaching "_The -Fallacies of Futurism_"; while the other might well retort with a -reference to the _Heresies of Historicism_. - -But is there any necessity for the existence of two hostile camps? Is it -not possible that there may be what we may call a _long_ fulfilment in -years? And is it not more than probable that in the time of the end, the -crisis, there will also be a _short_ and literal fulfilment in days? - -We firmly believe that there will be this literal and _short_ fulfilment. -We believe that when God says "days," He means _days_; and that when He -says "42 months," He means _months_, and not 1,260 years. In all of the -passages referred to by historicists in support of what is called "the -year-day theory," the Holy Spirit uses these words "days" and "years" in -the sense of days and years. In the two particular instances of Israel's -wanderings (Num. xiv. 34), and Ezekiel's prophesying (Ezek. iv. 6), He -chooses to take the _number_ of days as denoting the _same number_ of -years; but He does not tell us that we are to do the same in other cases! -He only asserts His sovereignty by thus acting, while we only show our -presumption in taking His sovereign act as a general principle. - -But while fully believing in the _short_ fulfilment, we are quite prepared -to admit that there may be a _long_ fulfilment _as well_; and that, owing -to the wondrous harmony, and marvellous correspondence, and infinite -wisdom of all the works and ways of God, there may be a fulfilment, or -rather a "filment," if we may coin the word, in years, which will be only -a foreshadowing of the literal _ful_-filment afterwards to take place in -_days_. - -If historicists will allow us this liberty as to _interpretation_, and -permit us to believe that God means what He says, we will give them some -remarkable evidence in support of their views, by way of _application_. In -other words, if they will allow us to _interpret_ "days" as meaning days, -we will gladly allow them, and be at one with them, in _applying_ them to -years. So that while we believe the _interpretation_ to mean "days," and -to teach a _short_ fulfilment at the time of the end, we will thankfully -admit an _application_ which shall take these days as foreshowing a _long_ -fulfilment in years. - -In _applying_, then, these significant numbers (42, 70, 594, 666, 1,260, -and 2,520) to years, from what point or date shall we begin to reckon the -"_times of the Gentiles_" (Luke xxi. 24)? That there are such definite -"times" the words of the Lord Jesus show, when He says, "Jerusalem shall -be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be -fulfilled." (Luke xxi. 24). That there are "seven times" of Gentile -dominion is more than intimated by the symbolic episode in the life of -Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in Dan. iv.; and that there are "seven times" -of Israel's punishment is clearly stated in Lev. xxvi. 18. "Seven times," -according to the Historicist school of interpreters, are equal to 2,520 -years. - -Instead of asking where they begin, let us first note the fact that it is -_duration_ which is emphasised in the Scriptures rather than _chronology_; -and look at the duration of these years independently of, and before we -attempt to fix, their beginning and ending. - -In Daniel ii. and vii. it is shown first to Nebuchadnezzar in a "dream," -and afterwards to God's servant the prophet in a "vision," that Israel was -to be put on one side and become "Lo-Ammi" (_not My people_), while -government was to be put into the hands of the Gentiles. Jerusalem was the -central point of both these great and solemn facts. That is to say, during -2,520 years, while Jerusalem should remain in the power of the Gentiles, -Israel could be "no more a nation" in possession of their land and city. - -We know, as a matter of fact, that to-day Jerusalem is in the hands of the -Turks, and that it is still "trodden down of the Gentiles." - -If we ask how long it shall continue to be "trodden down"? how long it -will be before Israel shall again possess their city and their land?--the -answer brings us at once to the heart of our subject. - -In seeking to determine both duration and chronology, it is necessary to -plant our feet on sure ground. To do this, let us take a point on which -all are agreed. - -There is _one_ date which is universally accepted; and concerning which -the evidence is unquestioned. - -ABU OBEIDA, the Mahommedan General, laid siege to Jerusalem towards the -close of 636 A.D. The city was then occupied by the Romans, who held out -for four months. When they capitulated, the Patriarch SOPHRONIUS obtained -a clause in the treaty giving security to the inhabitants, and requiring -the ratification of OMAR himself. OMAR, who had therefore to be sent for, -arrived some six months afterwards, and the delay caused the actual -delivering up of the city to take place early in the autumn of A.D. -637.(80) - -The year A.D. 636-7 is therefore the accepted date of the passing over of -Jerusalem from the Romans to the Turks. - -OMAR seems to have stayed in the city only about ten days, during which he -must have given his instructions for the erection of the Mosque on the -site of the Temple. This Mosque, therefore, stands as the sign and the -symbol of the treading down of Jerusalem, and while it remains, those -times of treading down cannot be considered as fulfilled. - -How steady was Israel's decadence from Nebuchadnezzar to OMAR! Nothing -would exceed that darkest moment in Israel's history, when Israel was well -nigh obliterated in the mighty struggles of her enemies who fought over -her inheritance. Thus OMAR becomes the great central point of the 2,520 -years, whether reckoned as _Lunar_, _Zodiacal_, or _Solar_, dividing them -equally into two portions of 1,260 years.(81) - -Having thus fixed the central date, which already points forward to the -end, let us go back and find the starting point, that we may the better -understand the end. - -When Daniel was explaining to Nebuchadnezzar his mysterious dream, he -said, "Thou art this head of gold"! (Dan. ii. 38). This moment is -popularly, but erroneously, supposed to mark the commencement of the -Babylonian kingdom--the first of these four great Gentile powers. - -But Daniel spoke of what ALREADY existed, and was _explaining the then_ -condition of things. He said, "God _hath_ given thee a kingdom, power, and -strength, and glory" (Dan. ii. 37). The kingdom of Babylon had already -been in existence for more than thirty years, for its king had destroyed -Jerusalem and burnt the Temple with fire, and brought away many captives, -amongst whom was Daniel and his companions. The opening words of the book -make this very clear. - -The monumental history of Babylon, as now dug up, shows that before this -it had been sometimes tributary to, and sometimes almost independent of, -Assyria. In A.M. 3352, after a severe struggle with Assurbanipal, the -Assyrian king, Babylon was once more subdued, and its king setting fire to -his palace perished in the flames. After that there was peace for twenty- -two years, during which time Kandalanu governed Babylon in succession to -Sumas-sum-ukin, a son of Assurbanipal. - -In A.M. 3375 (_i.e._ B.C. 627),(82) another revolt broke out, and the -Assyrian king sent a general of great ability to quell it. His name was -Nabu-pal-user (which means _Nebo protects his son_). He put down the -rebellion with so much skill that Assurbanipal made him governor of -Babylon. He shortly afterwards, in A.M. 3376, himself rebelled, and made -himself King of Babylon. Associating with him his son Nebuchadnezzar, they -commenced a campaign against Assurbanipal, which ended in the fall of -Nineveh and the complete subjugation of Assyria. The kingdom of Babylon, -thus commencing in B.C. 625,(83) became the first great Gentile kingdom as -foretold in Daniel. - -There is practically no question, now, as to this date. - -The actual _duration_ of the three kingdoms that followed--Babylon, Medo- -Persia, and Greece, may not perhaps be so accurately determined. Their -total duration is known, because it is fixed by a known date at the other -end, but it might introduce controversial matter if we attempted to assign -to them their exact relative duration. Probably they were, -roughly:--Babylon about 90 years; Medo-Persia about 200 years; Greece about -304 years. - -We believe these to be fairly proportionate,(84) but whether they are or -not, their total amount must have been 594 years, because the undisputed -date of the battle of ACTIUM by which Augustus became the head of the -Roman Empire, was September B.C. 31. From this date Jerusalem passed -permanently under the power of Rome until the Mahommedan conquest in A.D. -636-7. - -We have, therefore, _three fixed dates_, and these decide for us the -_duration_ of the intervening periods; dividing them into the two great -Eclipse Cycles of 594 years and 666 years! - - - _Jerusalem under the Gentiles._ - - Babylon (the 1st Kingdom) commenced B.C. 625. - - Battle of Actium, ending the possession of the 3rd Kingdom, B.C. - 31. - - _Duration_ of the three Kingdoms, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and - Greece, together (1st Eclipse Cycle), 594 years. - - Rome (the 4th Kingdom) became the possessor of Jerusalem, B.C. 31. - - Mahommedan conquest of Jerusalem, ending the possession of Rome, - A.D. 636. - - _Duration_ of Rome's possession of Jerusalem (2nd Eclipse Cycle), - 666(85) years. - - FIRST HALF OF "THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES", 1260 years. - - Date of Mahommedan conquest of Jerusalem, A.D. 636-7. - - SECOND HALF OF "THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES" and _Duration_ of - Mahommedan possession of Jerusalem, A.D. 1260, and 1260 years. - - End and "fulness" of "the times of the Gentiles", A.D. 1896-7, and - 2520 years. - - -From this it appears that 1896-7 A.D. would mark the fulfilment, and -complete the duration, of "times of the Gentiles." - -The above reckoning has the following advantages over all previous -historicist interpretations:-- - -1. _Controverted_ dates are excluded. - -2. The _whole_ period of 2520 years is dealt with, instead of only the -latter half (1260), as is usually the case. - -3. It confines these "times" to the one place where the Lord Himself put -them, _viz._, "JERUSALEM." He said, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of -the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." - -These "times," therefore, are confined to Jerusalem. This "treading down" -is confined to Jerusalem. It is not the city of Rome that is to be trodden -down for 1260 years. Why, then, should these "times" be separated from -what is characteristic of their _duration_, and applied to Rome, papal or -imperial? Why should historicists search for some act of emperors or popes -in the early part of the seventh century in order to add it to 1260, so as -to find some terminal date in or near our own times!(86) - -We claim that the Lord Himself has joined these "times of the Gentiles" -with the city of "Jerusalem," and we say, "What, therefore, God hath -joined together, let not man put asunder" (Matt. xix. 6). - -When Jesus spoke of this _treading down_, it looks as though it were then -still future; for He said, "Jerusalem _shall be_ trodden down," etc., The -occupation of Jerusalem by Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, was for -purposes of _government_ rather than for a wanton treading down. -Government on the earth was committed unto them. But when Jerusalem passed -from the government of the Roman Empire into the hands of the Turks, it -could then be said, in a very special sense, to be "trodden down." For of -any government worthy of the name there has been none; and of desolation -and desecration the city has been full. Under the feeble rule of the -Turks, all the Gentiles seem to have combined in laying waste the holy -city. - -Though Jews are returning thither in ever-increasing numbers, they are -only strangers there. They have as yet no independent position, nor can -they make any treaties. But when these "times" shall end, it means that -they will have a position of sufficient independence to be able to make a -treaty or league with the coming Prince (Dan. ix. 27); and then the course -of events will bring on another treading down of 1260 literal "days" which -will thus have had a fore-shadowing fulfilment in years! This is written -in Rev. xi. 2. And to save us from any misunderstanding, the time is -given, not in days, but in "_months_." - -The angel, after directing John to measure the Temple of God and the -altar, adds, "but the court which is without the Temple leave out, and -measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall -they tread under foot forty and two months." - -This refers to a future treading down, which will be limited to the brief -period of "forty two" literal "months," during the time of the coming -Prince; and "in the midst" of the last week, when he shall break His -covenant with the Jews,(87) set up the "abomination of desolation" (Dan -ix. 27; which is still future in Matt. xxiv. 15), and "tread down the holy -city." - -We now desire to specially emphasize the fact that all these dates, and -their termination in a rapidly approaching fulfilment, refer ONLY TO -JERUSALEM, AND THE GENTILES, AND THE JEWS! They refer only to the end of -the Gentile possession of Jerusalem, and to the settlement of the Jews in -their own city and land. - -These "times and seasons" have nothing whatever to do with "the Church of -God" (1 Thess. v. 1). The mystical Body of Christ, whenever its members -are complete, "will be taken up to meet the Lord--the Head of the Body--in -the air, so to be ever with the Lord" (1 Thess. iv. 15-17). This glorious -event has nothing to do with any earthly sign or circumstance, so far as -the members of this mystical Body are concerned. - -Therefore we are not dealing here with the coming of the Lord; either for -His saints, or with them. We are not referring to what is commonly and -erroneously called "the end of the world." We are merely pointing out that -the end of Gentile dominion _over Jerusalem_ is drawing near! And we -cannot close our eyes to the marvellous manner in which the veil is being -removed from Jewish hearts: to the change which has come over the Jewish -nation in its attitude towards Christ and Christianity, chiefly, under -God, through the unparalleled circulation of more than a quarter of a -million copies of a new translation of the New Testament into Hebrew, by -the late Isaac Salkinson, published by the Trinitarian Bible Society, and -freely distributed by the Mildmay Mission to the Jews: to the Palestine -literature which has sprung up amongst the Jews in recent years: to the -persecutions in various countries which are stirring their nest, and -setting the nation in motion: to the organized emigration to Argentina, -which its promoters avowedly speak of as "a nursery ground for Palestine" -(_Daily Graphic_, March 10th, 1892): to the railways completed and in -course of construction in the Holy Land: to the numerous Societies and -their branches which have permeated the whole nation, which, while having -various names, have only one object--"the colonisation of Palestine." - -When we put these events side by side with the teaching of the heavens as -to the "cycles" or appointed times, we are merely showing how wonderfully -they agree with what is written in the Book, and witnessed to by great and -uncontested historic dates. - -Nor are we absolutely naming a definite year or day even for these -Palestine events. After all, they can be only approximate, for man has so -misused every gift that God has ever given him, that even with such -wondrous heavenly time-keepers he cannot really tell you what year it is! -And, besides this loss of reckoning, there is confusion as to the -commencement of the A.D. era, which makes absolute accuracy between the -A.M., B.C., and A.D. dates impossible. - -Added to this, there is another point to be borne in mind, _viz._, that -when the "times of the Gentiles" shall end, Jewish independence need _not -be either immediate or complete_! - -For when Nebuchadnezzar began his kingdom of Babylon in A.M. 3376 (B.C. -625), the Jews, though in their land and city, were not independent. -Nebuchadnezzar went to and fro to Jerusalem, and put down and set up whom -he would; and it was not till some thirty years afterwards that he -destroyed the City and Temple and made the people captives. - -So, likewise, in the time of the end, there may be an _epanodos_. There -may be a similar period of possession without independence, a quasi- -independence guaranteed by the Great Powers; and, for ought we know, it -may be that, in order to gain _complete_ independence, they may ultimately -make that fatal league with the coming Prince. - -So that while we name the dates 1896-7 as being significant, we are not -"fixing dates" in the ordinary sense of the term, but merely pointing out -some of "the signs of the times," concerning which we ought not to be -ignorant. - -The _true interpretation_ will in any case still remain, and will surely -be literally fulfilled in its own time. The Word of God will be -vindicated; its prophetic truth will be verified; God Himself will be -glorified; and His people saved with an everlasting salvation. - -Meanwhile the members of His Body will "wait for His Son from heaven, whom -He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to -come" (1 Thess. i. 10). They will live "looking for that blessed hope, and -the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who -gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify -unto Himself a peculiar people (R.V., a people for His own possession) -zealous of good works" (Titus ii. 13, 14). They will "look for the -Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ," from heaven, believing that there is no -hope either for "the Jew, the Gentile, or the Church of God," or for a -groaning creation, until "the times of refreshing shall come from the -presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, whom the heaven must -receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath -spoken by the mouth of ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN" (Acts -iii. 19-21). - - - "The world is sick, and yet not unto death; - There is for it a day of health in store; - From lips of love there comes the healing breath,-- - The breath of Him who all its sickness bore, - And bids it rise to strength and beauty evermore. - - Evil still reigns; and deep within we feel - The fever, and the palsy, and the pain - Of life's perpetual heartaches, that reveal - The rooted poison, which, from heart and brain, - We labour to extract, but labour all in vain. - - Our skill avails not; ages come and go, - Yet bring with them no respite and no cure; - The hidden wound, the sigh of pent-up woe, - The sting we smother, but must still endure, - The worthless remedies which no relief procure,-- - - All these cry out for something more divine, - Which the worst woes of earth may not withstand; - Medicine that cannot fail--the oil and wine, - The balm and myrrh, growth of no earthly land, - And the all-skilful touch of the great Healer's hand. - - Man needs a prophet: Heavenly Prophet, speak, - And teach him what he is too proud to hear. - Man needs a priest: True Priest, Thy silence break, - And speak the words of pardon in his ear. - Man needs a king: O King, at length in peace appear." - - - - - -APPENDIX. NOTE ON THE SIGN LIBRA. - - -On page 47 we called attention to the point that in all probability the -Sign LIBRA was a very ancient corruption. - -The ancient Akkadian name for the _seventh_ month, which was the month -when the sun was in the Sign now called LIBRA, was _Tul-ku_, which means -_the sacred mound_, or _altar_. The Akkadian name for this Sign was _Bir_, -which means _the Light_, hence, the Lamp with its light, or the Altar with -its fire. - - [Illustration] - - Fig. 1--The Circular Altar, in the Sign now called Libra. - - -Its most ancient form was a circular altar.(88) In Figure 1 we have -reproduced this,(89) and it will be at once seen that we have the original -of the disc now preserved in the _two circular scales_ which form the Sign -of LIBRA. - -The next stage of the corruption is shown in the Akkadian name of -_Scorpio_ (the Scorpion)--the Sign immediately to the left of the Altar. It -was called _Gir-tab_, which means _the Seizer and Stinger_, and the next -Figure (2), taken from an Euphratean boundary stone,(90) shows the two -Signs combined, for the Scorpion is stretching out its claws in order to -_seize_ the _Lamp_ or _Altar_. - - [Illustration] - - Fig. 2--The Scorpion and the Lamp. (From a Euphratean Boundary Stone.) - - -Thus the meaning of its name is exemplified. It is called the _Seizer and -Stinger_. And just as in the constellation above it, the Serpent is -struggling with the man, while at the same time it is stretching out its -neck to seize the crown,(91) so here the Scorpion, while trying to _sting_ -the same man in the heel, is stretching out its claws to _seize_ the -altar. - -A seal on a contract, nearly 700 B.C., shows this Circular Altar actually -in the grasp of the Scorpion. - - [Illustration] - - Fig. 3--Scorpion and Lamp. (From an Euphratean Seal.) - - -Figure 3 is a picture of this Euphratean Seal, preserved on a contract -made on the 8th day of the month _Tisri_, _i.e._, this same _seventh_ -month!(92) - -This then is the next stage. But Mr. Robert Brown, junr., observes, "The -_Circle_ or other representation of an _Altar_ not unnaturally disappeared -as the use of the Sign advanced westward; whether by sea, or across Asia -Minor, or both, and the _Chelai_ alone remained when the shores of the -AEgean were reached."(93) - -This is quite true, for the Greek name for the Sign was _Chelai_, which -means simply _the Claws_. And thus the Scorpion monopolised two Signs; its -body one, and its claws the other. This led to the mistake of SERVIUS, the -intelligent commentator on VIRGIL,(94) that "the Chaldean Zodiac consisted -of but eleven constellations." We now know that there were twelve Signs, -and the mistake is thus explained. - - [Illustration] - -Fig. 4--The Constellation of "the Claws." Formerly the Circular Altar, now - Libra. - - -Mr. Brown quotes ACHILLES TATIUS, about 475 A.D., in a Fragment on the -_Phainomena_, who says, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH VARIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH VARIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH VARIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH DASIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~} {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMEGA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~} {~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER ZETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH VARIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}.(95) - -ARATUS says that "some few stars of the _Claws_ are in the (Celestial) -Equator." And PTOLEMY describes the stars, now reckoned in LIBRA, as being -in what he calls "The Constellation of the Claws." We have reproduced them -so that his description of them may be readily traced. He speaks of-- - - - "The bright one of those at the end of the southern _Claw_." (It - is named _Zuben el Genubi_ and now marked {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}). - - "The one more northerly than it, and dimmer" (now marked {~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}). - - "The bright one of those at the end of the northern _Claw_" (named - _Zuben el Chemali_, and now marked {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}). - - "The one in front of it and dim" ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}). - - "The one in the middle of the southern _Claw_" (1 i). - - "The one in the middle of the northern _Claw_" (now marked {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}). - - "The one behind it in the same _Claw_" ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA~}). - - "The foremost of the three more northerly than the northern - _Claws_" (1 f). - - "The southern one of the two hindmost" ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}). - - "The hindmost of the three between the _Claws_" (one of the stars - now marked {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~} or {~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}). - - "The northern of the two remaining and preceding ones" ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER ZETA~}). - - "The southern one of them" (n). - - -This is how the stars formerly in the Sign of the (Circular) ALTAR, came -to be reckoned in _the Claws_ of the Scorpion; and this is how the -circular scales of LIBRA came to be substituted for the ancient _Circular_ -ALTAR. - -This corruption of the primitive teaching of the ALTAR, shows how the -enemy attempted to _seize_ on the Atonement, bring in "the way of Cain," -and substitute _human merit_ for the atoning sacrifice of Christ; thus -perverting the truth at its fountain head. Just as in Gen. iii. we have -the woman's promised Seed in conflict with the Enemy, so in Gen. iv. we -see the Scorpion's claws--"the way of Cain" in conflict with "the way of -God." - -There can be but little doubt, therefore, that the first Sign of the -Zodiac was VIRGO, the second was the ALTAR, and the third was the -SCORPION. The lesson which they teach is clear: The Seed of the woman -(VIRGO), who was to come as a child, should be a sacrifice (the ALTAR) for -the sins of His people; endure a great conflict with the enemy (SCORPIO), -in which He should be wounded in the heel; but should in the end crush and -tread the enemy under foot. - - - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - - 1 For what is meant by "Structure," see _A Key to the Psalms_, by the - late Rev. Thos. Boys, edited by the present author, 7, St. Paul's - Churchyard. Price Five shillings. - - 2 _Viz._, in _A_ (verses 7, 8),-- - - "Converting," from {~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}, _to return_, as the sun in the heavens. - - "Testimony," from {~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}, _to repeat_, hence, _a witness_, spoken of - the sun in Ps. lxxxix. 37. - - "Sure," {~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL NUN~}, _faithful_, as the sun. (Ps. lxxxix. 37.) - - "Enlightening," from {~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _to give light_, as the sun. (Gen. i. 15, - 17, 18; Isa. lx. 19; Ezek. xxxii. 7.) - - In _B_ (verses 11, 12, 13),-- - - "Warned," from {~HEBREW LETTER ZAYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _to make light_, hence, _to teach_, - _admonish_. - - "Keeping," from {~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _to keep_, _observe_, as the heavens. (Ps. - cxxx. 6; Isa. xxi. 11.) Or as the heavenly bodies _observe_ God's - ordinances. - - "Errors," from {~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER NUN~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~}, _to wander_, as the planets. - - "Keep back," {~HEBREW LETTER HET~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SIN DOT~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}, _to hold back_, _restrain_. - - "Have dominion over," from {~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SHIN DOT~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}, _to rule_. Spoken of the sun and - moon in Gen. i. 18. "The sun to rule the day," &c. (Ps. cxxxvi. 8, - 9.) - - 3 The other half of the Psalm is just as perfectly arranged. For - example, there are six words used (verses 7-9) to describe the - fulness of the Word of God, and they are thus placed, alternately:-- - - F | _Two_ feminine singulars. (Law and Testimony.) - G | _One_ masculine plural. (Statutes.) - _F_ | _Two_ feminine singulars. (Commandment and Fear.) - _G_ | _One_ masculine plural. (Judgments.) - - 4 From {~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER PE~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _to cut into_, or _grave_, hence, _to write_. It has the - two senses of our English verb _tell_, which means _to count_, and - also _to narrate_. The first occurrence is Gen. xv. 5, "_Tell_ - ({~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER PE~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}) the stars, if thou be able to _number_ ({~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}{~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER PE~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}) them." Gen. - xxiv. 66, "The servant _told_ Isaac all things that he had done." - Ps. lxxi. 15, "My mouth shall _show forth_ ({~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER PE~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}, _tell of_, - R.V.) thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know - not the _numbers_ ({~HEBREW LETTER SAMEKH~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER PE~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}, _i.e._, _the accounts_) of them," - _i.e._, all the particulars. - - 5 From {~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}, _to be heavy, weight_, the context determining whether - the weight spoken of is advantageous or not. The first occurrence is - Gen. xii. 10, "The famine was _grievous_ ({~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}) in the land." The - next, xiii. 2, "Abram was very _rich_ ({~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~})." It is often applied - to persons who are _of weight_ and _importance_, hence, glorious and - honourable. It is used of the _glory_ of the Lord, and of God - Himself, as we use Majesty of a person. See Isa. iii. 8; iv. 2; xi. - 10; xliii. 20; Hag. ii. 8; Ex. xvi. 7; xxiv. 17; 1 Sam. iv. 21; Pss. - xxvi. 8 (_honour_); lxiii. 3. - - 6 From {~HEBREW LETTER NUN~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER GIMEL~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}, _to set before_, _to set forth_, _to shew_. First - occurrence, Gen. iii. 11, "Who _told_ thee that thou wast naked." - Ps. xcvii. 6, "The heavens _declare_ His righteousness"; cxi. 6, - "_He hath shewed_ his people the power of his works." - - 7 This is the English idiom for the Hebrew "Day to day." The {~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~} is used - in its sense of _adding_ or superadding to, as in Isa. xxviii. 10, - {~HEBREW LETTER TSADI~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~} {~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER TSADI~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}, "precept to precept;" _i.e._, precept after precept, line - after line. Gen. xlvi. 26, "All the souls that came with Jacob" - ({~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}{~HEBREW POINT SHEVA~}{~HEBREW LETTER YOD~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW POINT HATAF PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER QOF~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}, to Jacob; _i.e._, in addition to Jacob. So here, "Day to - day;" _i.e._, Day in addition to day, or, as we say, Day after day). - - 8 From {~HEBREW LETTER NUN~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}, _to tell forth_, akin to {~HEBREW LETTER NUN~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}, _to prophesy_, from root - _to pour forth_. Lit., here, poureth forth discourse. Ps. cxlv. 9, - "abundantly utter." - - 9 Their line, {~HEBREW LETTER QOF~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}, _i.e._, their measuring line. By the figure of - metonymy the _line_ which measures is put for the portion or - heritage which is measured, as in many other places. See Ps. xvi. 6, - "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a - goodly heritage." (See also Ps. lxxviii. 55, &c.) Here, it means - that "Their measuring line has gone forth unto all the earth - ({~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{~HEBREW POINT SEGOL~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL TSADI~})"; _i.e._, All the earth inherits this their testimony - (_i.e._, has this testimony for its heritage), and to the ends of - the world ({~HEBREW LETTER TAV~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER BET~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER LAMED~}, _the inhabited world_) their instruction has gone - forth. With this agrees, in sense, the LXX. here, and Rom. x. 16, - which each has {~GREEK SMALL LETTER PHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, _a sound_, or _voice_; _i.e._, a sound in - relation to the hearer, rather than to that which causes it. The - meaning of the passage is, "All the earth has their _sound_ or - testimony as its heritage, and the ends of the world hear their - words." Symmachus has {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ETA WITH PSILI AND PERISPOMENI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~}, _a sound_, or _report_. - - 10 {~HEBREW LETTER HET~}{~HEBREW POINT TSERE~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~} means _that which is hot_, and is a poetical name of the sun - itself. - - 11 Job is thought by some to be the Jobab mentioned in Gen. x. 29, the - third in descent from Eber. - - 12 Note the structure of this verse:-- - - A | The seven stars, - B | Orion, - _A_ | The twelve signs, - _B_ | Arcturus. - - 13 General Chesney allowed the late Dean Goode to copy the passage, - among other matters, from his private MS. The Dean quotes it in his - _Warburtonian Lectures_ (2nd Ed., Note I. to Sermon IV., p. 170-1.) - - 14 Fragments of these coloured glazed bricks are to be seen in the - British Museum. - - 15 _Babylonian Life and History_, p. 36. - - 16 {~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PERISPOMENI~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH VARIA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}. - - 17 {~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PERISPOMENI~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER KAPPA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA WITH VARIA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER MU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER NU~}. - - 18 Besides this _monthly_ difference, there is an _annual_ difference; - for at the end of twelve months the sun does not come back to - exactly the same point in the sign which commenced the year, but is - a little behind it. But this difference, though it occurs every - year, is so small that it will take 25,579 years for the sun to - complete this vast cycle, which is called _The precession of the - Equinoxes_; _i.e._, about one degree in every 71 years. If the sun - came back to the precise point at which it began the year, each - _sign_ would correspond, always and regularly, exactly with a - particular _month_; but, owing to this constant regression, the sun - (while it goes through the whole twelve signs every year) commences - the year in one sign for only about 2,131 years. In point of fact, - since the Creation the commencement of the year has changed to the - extent of nearly three of the signs. When Virgil sings-- - - "_The White Bull with golden horns opens the year_," - - he does not record what took place in his own day. This is another - proof of the antiquity of these signs. - - The _Ecliptic_, or path of the sun, if it could be viewed from - immediately beneath the Polar Star, would form a complete and - perfect circle, would be concentric with the _Equator_, and all the - stars and the sun would appear to move in this circle, never rising - or setting. To a person north or south of the Equator the stars - therefore rise and set obliquely; while to a person on the Equator - they rise and set perpendicularly, each star being twelve hours - above and twelve below the horizon. - - The points where the two circles (the _Ecliptic_ and the _Equator_) - intersect each other are called the _Equinoctial points_. It is the - movement of these points (which are now moving from Aries to Pisces) - which gives rise to the term, "_the precession of the Equinoxes_." - - 19 It is exactly the same with the books of the Bible. Their order and - their names, _as we have them_ in the English Bible, are those which - _man_ has given them, copied from the Septuagint and Vulgate, and in - many cases are not the Divine names according to the Hebrew Canon. - - 20 Here, the fact of His humiliation, together with this long period of - His rejection, is leaped over, and the prophecy passes on at - once--over at least a period of 1893 years--to this "glory which - should follow." - - 21 {~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON~}, _Al Mureddin_. - - 22 {~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}, _Zavijavah_. - - 23 The star now marked {~GREEK SMALL LETTER DELTA~}. - - 24 The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ZETA~}. - - 25 The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}, _Al Zimach_. - - 26 The stars are known by Greek letters and sometimes by numbers, &c. - Alpha ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}) denotes a star of the _first_ magnitude; Beta ({~GREEK SMALL LETTER BETA~}), the - second, and so on. This plan was originated by Bayer in his - _Uranometria_, 1603. The star _Alpha_, as seen in the New Great - Equatorial Telescope recently set up at Greenwich, is now discovered - to be really a _double_ star, though it had hitherto always appeared - to be _one_. - - 27 Jer. xxxiii. 15 being only a repetition of Jer. xxiii. 5. - - 28 From {~HEBREW LETTER KAF~}{~HEBREW POINT DAGESH OR MAPIQ~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER HE~} which occurs only in Ps. lxiii. 1, "my flesh _longeth_ - for thee." It is akin to {~HEBREW LETTER HET~}{~HEBREW POINT QAMATS~}{~HEBREW LETTER MEM~}{~HEBREW POINT PATAH~}{~HEBREW LETTER DALET~}, _to desire_. Ps. xix. 10; Is. liii. - 2; Hag. ii. 7; etc. - - 29 A Latin translation of his work is in the British Museum Library. He - says the Persians understood these signs, but that the Indians - perverted them with inventions. - - 30 The constellations are called _Decans_. The word means _a part_, and - is used of the three parts into which each sign is divided, each of - which is occupied by a constellation. - - 31 It appears that MM. Saulnier, fils, and Lelorrain arrived while - Signor Bossi was engaged in copying it, but concealed their design - to remove it. The King of France paid L6,250 sterling for it. It has - since been copied, and lithographs have been published. - - 32 Act IV., Scene 3. - - 33 _I.e._, _come forth_ (as in the R.V.). _At_, as the preposition {~HEBREW LETTER MEM~} is - rendered in Gen. iii. 24. "There shall come forth a star at or over - the inheritance or possessions of Jacob," thus indicating the - locality which would be on the _meridian_ of this star. - - 34 It ought also to be noted that in the preceding year there were - three conjunctions of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, at the end of - May and October, and at the beginning of December. Kepler - (1571-1631) was the first to point this out, and his calculations - have been confirmed by the highest authorities. These conjunctions - occurred in the sign of PISCES: and this sign, according to all the - ancient Jewish authorities (Josephus, Abarbanel, Eliezer, and - others), has special reference to _Israel_. The conjunction of - Jupiter and Saturn, they hold, always marked the occurrence of some - event _favourable to Israel_; while Kepler, calculating backwards, - found that this astronomical phenomenon always coincided with some - great historical crisis, _viz._: the Revelation to Adam, the birth - of Enoch, the Revelation to Noah, the birth of Moses, the birth of - Cyrus, the birth of Christ, the birth of Charlemagne, and the birth - of Luther. - - 35 The ancient name could not have been _Booetes_! though it is derived - from, and may be a reminiscence of the Hebrew. - - 36 ARATUS calls him _Arctophylax_, _i.e._, the guardian of Arctos, the - flock of the greater fold, called to-day the Great Bear:-- - - "Behind, and seeming to urge on the Bear, - Arctophylax, on earth Booetes named, - Sheds o'er the Arctic car his silver light." - - By some moderns he is mistakenly called _The Waggoner_. Hence the - allusion of Thompson:-- - - "Wide o'er the spacious regions of the North, - Booetes urges on his tardy wain." - - This perversion scarcely does justice even to human common sense, as - waggoners do not use a sickle for a whip! - - 37 The constellation is a very brilliant one, having 54 stars, _viz._, - one of the 1st magnitude, six of the 3rd, eleven of the 4th, etc. - - The constellation of the _Canes Venatici_ (_the Greyhounds_), - _i.e._, the two dogs (Asterion and Chara), which Booetes holds by a - leash, is quite a modern invention, being added by Hevelius - (1611-1687). The bright star of the 3rd magnitude in the neck of - Chara, was named "_Cor Caroli_" (_the heart of Charles_) by Sir - Charles Scarborough, physician to Charles II., in honour of Charles - I., in 1649. This is a good example of the almost infinite distance - between the ancient and modern names. The former are full of - mysterious significance and grandeur, while the latter are puerile - in the extreme, almost approaching to the comic! _e.g._, the Air - Pump, the Painter's Easel, the Telescope, the Triangle, the Fly, the - Microscope, the Indian, the Fox and Goose, the Balloon, the Toucan - (or American Goose), the Compasses, Charles's Oak, the Cat, the - Clock, the Unicorn, &c. The vast difference can be at once seen - between those designed by the ancients and those added by - astronomers in more recent times. - - These new constellations were added, 22 by Hevelius (1611-1687); and - 15 by Halley (1656-1742). They were formed for the purpose of - embracing those stars which were not included in the ancient - constellations. This shows that the old constellations were not - designed, like the modern ones, merely for the sake of enabling - astronomers to identify the positions of particular stars. In this - case _all_ the stars would have been included. _The object was - exactly the opposite_! Instead of the pictures being designed to - serve to identify the stars, only certain stars were used for the - purpose of helping _to identify the pictures_! - - This is another important proof of the truth of our whole argument. - - 38 See quotation from Dr. Budge, on page 12. - - 39 And certainly the symbol by which it is still known {~LIBRA~} is more like - the top of an altar (See _Ara_, Plate XIV.) than a pair of balances, - to which we can trace no resemblance whatever. See Note in the - Appendix. - - 40 _Antares_ seems also to have been known as _Lesath_. - - 41 Luke xxii. 53: comp. Col. i. 13 and Eph. vi. 12. - - 42 In 1604 a new star appeared in the eastern foot of Ophiuchus, but - disappeared again in 1605. - - 43 There is an ancient Greek fable which calls Ophiuchus AEsculapius, - the son of Apollo. Having restored Hippolytus to life, he was - everywhere worshipped as the god of health, and hence the serpent - entwined around him is, to this day, the symbol of the medical art! - This, however, is, doubtless, another perversion of the primitive - truth that the Coming One in overcoming the serpent, should become - the great healer of all the sorrows of the world, and cause all its - groanings to cease. - - 44 _Cerberus_, or the serpent with three heads, was placed by Hevelius - (1611-1687) by the side of Hercules. Bayer had previously placed the - apple branch in his hand. This was symbolical of the golden apples - of _Hesperides_, which he obtained by killing the three-headed - _hydra_, by whom they were guarded. In our picture these are - combined, and a bow and quiver added from other ancient authorities. - - 45 In our picture we have combined the two great thoughts, taking the - _harp_ from a picture dug up at Herculaneum, and adding an eagle - soaring up with it. - - 46 This is the first time that the word "Alleluia" occurs in the New - Testament, and it is praise for judgment executed. - - Where is its first occurrence in the Old Testament? In Ps. civ. 35, - where we have the very same solemn and significant connection:-- - - "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, - And let the wicked be no more. - Bless thou the LORD, O my soul, - HALLELUJAH (Praise ye the LORD)." - - 47 There is a fish tail here. The third Decan of CAPRICORNUS is a fish - (_Delphinus_). There is again a fish (_Piscis Australis_) in the - next sign (AQUARIUS), and then the following sign is PISCES, or the - Fishes. So that the Redeemed Multitudes are presented throughout - this Second Book. - - 48 When we come to the last chapter of this book we shall see that the - Sun was in the sign of the other sacrificial animal, ARIES, at the - very hour of the Crucifixion. And ARIES sets before us the victory - of "the Lamb that was slain." - - 49 The eleventh, because everyone begins to reckon from ARIES, and not - as we have done from VIRGO, as shown by the riddle of the Sphinx. - See page 20. - - 50 And in great contrast with several modern ones near it, _e.g._, the - Balloon, the Sculptor's Apparatus, the Microscope, Euclid's Square, - the Telescope, etc., etc. - - 51 How inconsistent when there were three such conjunctions in one - year, all in the same sign of PISCES, immediately preceding the - birth of the woman's Seed; and in addition to this the new star - which had been foretold. See under _Coma_, Pages 36, 37, 38. - - 52 The figure of _Tapeinosis_, which calls our attention to that fact - that He was delighted thus to be called. - - 53 There are 113 stars in this sign, none of any great importance; only - one of the 3rd magnitude, five of the 4th, etc. - - 54 "El Nath" is used by Chaucer as the name of a spring star. - - 55 TAURUS then marked the Spring Equinox. - - 56 "Thy beauty; for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I put - upon thee (Jerusalem), saith the LORD" (Ezek. xvi. 14). - - 57 Those who interpret the Queen here of the Church as the Bride, - interpret the "Virgins" in Matt. xxv. of the Bride also. But how - inconsistent! If the "Virgins" be the Church in Matt. xxv., then - where is the Bride? If the Queen is the Bride (the Church) in Ps. - xlv., then who are the "virgins her companions"? Both cannot be the - correct interpretation. In fact, both are wrong, and hence the - _confusion_. The Bride must be interpreted by the Old Testament - scriptures, and the Prophecies which belong to Israel must not be - robbed and given to the Church. They cannot be thus diverted without - bringing confusion into the Scripture, and causing loss to our - souls. - - 58 See Job xxxix. 14, 15, where it is said, the ostrich "leaveth her - eggs in the dust, forgetting that the foot may crush them, or that - the wild beast may break them." - - 59 The others have names, but they were given by the Greeks from the - names of the seven daughters of _Atlas_ and _Pleione_. The Hyades - were their sisters. Together they tell us that the saints will be - secure with this mighty Lord when he comes to rule. - - 60 The Pleiades and Hyades are sometimes spoken of as constellations, - but this is a mistake; they are integral parts of Taurus. - - 61 See Jer. xxx. 21; and Matt. xxi. 10. - - 62 The star {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ZETA~} (in the belt) is called _Mintaka_, _dividing_, as a - sacrifice. (Lev. viii. 2.) - - 63 Note, that-- - - In a and _a_, we have the rising of Israel; - In b and _b_, the light that is come upon her; - In c and _c_, the glory of the LORD; and - In d and _d_, the darkness of the world. - - 64 It is also reckoned in the horn of Taurus. - - 65 The same as in 2 Sam. iv. 1. - - 66 Our English "Sir" is derived from this word. - - 67 _Euphratean Stellar Researches_. - - 68 Marg., "_the captives of the just_," or, as read by _the Vulg._ and - _Syr._, "_the captives of the terrible_." - - 69 The Scarabaeus, passing its early existence as a worm of the earth, - and thence issuing as a winged denizen of heaven, was held sacred by - the Egyptians as an emblem of the resurrection of the body. - - 70 The _Ass_ was the emblem of _Typhon_, the king _who smites_ or _is - smitten_. - - 71 The word is so rendered in Judges v. 16, in A.V. - - 72 _Euphratean Stellar Researches_, pp. 8, 9. - - 73 The Graeco-Judean equivalent of Joshua or Jesus. - - 74 Jamieson's _Scientific Display_, &c., p. 58. - - 75 (1) _Gor_, a lion's whelp. (2) _Ciphir_, a young lion when first - hunting for himself. (3) _Sachal_, a mature lion in full strength. - (4) _Laish_, a fierce lion. (5) _Labia_, a lioness; and (6) _Arieh_, - an adult lion, having paired, in search of his prey (Nah. ii. 12; 2 - Sam. xvii. 10; Num. xxiii. 24). - - 76 The passage consists really of two members, each of which is - arranged as an introversion, where the subject of 1 corresponds to - 7; 2 corresponds to 6; etc. - - 77 General Vallancey spells _Saros_ {~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~}{~HEBREW POINT SIN DOT~}{~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{~HEBREW LETTER VAV~}{~HEBREW POINT HOLAM~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL TSADI~}, which amounts to 666 by - Gematria! _Viz._, {~HEBREW LETTER SHIN~} = 300 + {~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~} = 70 + {~HEBREW LETTER RESH~} = 200 + {~HEBREW LETTER VAV~} = 6 + {~HEBREW LETTER FINAL TSADI~} = 90 = 666. - - 78 These facts are kindly supplied by Mr. E. W. Maunder, of the Royal - Observatory, Greenwich, who gives another example, as follows:-- - - In A.D. 586 there were two solar eclipses: on June 22 (Julian) the - old and dying eclipse, and on July 22 (Julian) another (the new - one). A _Saros_ (_viz._, 18 years and 11 days) earlier _there was - only one_, _viz._ on June 11 (Julian), A.D. 568, there being no - eclipse on July 11 of that year. - - The last appearance of this new eclipse, which first appeared on - July 22, 586, was on August 28 (Greg.), 1848, so that it had a life - history of 70 _Sari_, amounting to 1,262 years 36 days (after the - Julian dates have been corrected to correspond to the Gregorian). - Thus the eclipse that died, so to speak, on August 28 (Greg.), 1848, - first appeared on July 22 (Julian) in A.D. 586. See an important - article on Eclipses by Mr. E. W. Maunder in _Knowledge_, for October - 1893, where other _life-histories_ of eclipses are given, and the - whole subject of eclipses clearly explained. - - 79 The relations between 595 years and 1,262 years 36 days, are the - same as the relations between 594 years and 1,260 years. The - difference of the 2 years 36 days is due to the excess of 10.96 days - over the 18 completed years in each _Saros._ - - 80 This is the date which concerns only the _City of Jerusalem_. The - Romans were not completely driven out from _the land_ until Caesarea - had fallen in 638, when the conquest was finally completed. See - Gibbon's _Decline and Fall_. - - 81 This date 636-7 is a great and important central date, whether we - reckon backwards or forwards; whether we reckon them as _Lunar_, - _Zodiacal_ (360 days), or _Solar_ (365 days) years. - - (1.) If we take _Lunar years_ (= 1222-1/2 Solar)-- - - (a.) reckoning _backward_, we get to 587 B.C., the very date of the - destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar. - - (b.) reckoning _forward_, we get to 1860 A.D., the very date of the - European intervention in the Lebanon, which has brought the Eastern - Question into its present prominent position. - - (2.) If we take _Zodiacal years_ (= 1242 Solar)-- - - (a.) reckoning _backward_ we get to 608 B.C., the date of the battle - of Carchemish (2 Chron. xxxv. 20), when Babylon completed the - conquest of Assyria, and became supreme; utterly shattering all the - hope which Israel had in Egypt. - - (b.) reckoning _forward_ brings us to 1879 A.D., when, by the Treaty - of Berlin, Ottoman power received a blow from which it has never - recovered, and which has prepared the way for its extinction. - - (3.) If we take _Solar years_, then-- - - (a.) reckoning _backward_, we get to B.C. 624 (A.M. 3376), the - beginning of the Babylonian kingdom, the "head of gold." - - (b.) reckoning _forward_ we get to 1896-7 A.D., which is yet future. - - These reckonings in their _beginnings_ and _endings_ form an - _introversion_, or _Epanodos_, thus:-- - - 587 B.C. ... 606 B.C. ... 624 B.C. ... dates increasing. - - 1860 A.D. ... 1879 A.D. ... 1896-7 A.D. ... dates increasing. - - The _Solar_ reckonings are the more important dates; the _Lunar_ are - next in significance; while _Zodiacal_ reckonings furnish us with - dates which, to say the least, fit neatly into their places. - - 82 These dates are those furnished by the Monuments, as given by Dr. - Budge, of the British Museum, in his _Babylonian Life and History_, - R.T.S., 1885. They also agree with the dates dug up by Sir Henry - Rawlinson in 1862, consisting of fragments of seven copies of the - famous "Eponym Canon of Assyria," by which the Assyrian chronology - has been definitely settled. Before this, historians had to be - content with inferences and conjectures. - - 83 In adjusting the A.M. and B.C. dates, the latter are always - apparently one year in advance of the former, because B.C. 4000 was - A.M. 1, and B.C. 3999 was A.M. 2. Hence A.M. 3376 is not B.C. 624, - but it is B.C. 625. - - 84 Cyrus took Babylon, according to the Monuments, in the 17th year of - Nabonidus, B.C. 539. 1 Maccabees i. begins the first of Alexander - from the death of Darius Codomannus in A.M. 3672. This would - slightly vary the above distribution of the years of separate - duration. - - 85 In passing from B.C. dates to A.D. dates, _one year must always be - deducted_, _e.g._, from B.C. 2 to A.D. 2 is only _three_ years, not - four! Thus-- - - From Jan. 1 B.C. 2 to Jan. 1 B.C. 1 is one year. - - From Jan. 1 B.C. 1 to Jan. 1 A.D. 1 is one year. - - From Jan. 1 A.D. 1 to Jan. 1 A.D. 2 is one year. - - These make only _three_ years. - - Hence, B.C. 31 to A.D. 636 is 666 years, not 667. - - 86 While the _premisses_ of the Historicist school are thus - strengthened, their _conclusions_ are shown to be erroneous. - - 87 And cause sacrifice and oblation to cease (Dan. ix. 27). We know - that is referred, by historicists, to the Messiah. But they are not - entitled to so interpret this passage unless they take with it viii. - 11, xi. 31, and xii. 11, where the same event is distinctly referred - to, and is spoken, not of Christ, but of Antichrist. - - 88 See ARATOS, line 440. - - 89 As proved by Mr. Robt. Brown, junr., in his _Remarks on the - Euphratean Astronomical Names of the Signs of the Zodiac_ (p. 16). - - 90 By the kind permission of Mr. Robt. Brown, junr., _The Celestial - Equator of Aratos_, p. 466. - - 91 See this shown on the cover of this book. - - 92 Menant, _Empreintes de Cachets Assyro-Chaldeens_, 9. "Sur un contrat - date du 8 Tisri, de l'annee de Bin-takkil-ani, 690 ou 645 avant - J.C." - - 93 _Researches on the Euphratean Astronomical Names of the Signs of the - Zodiac_, p. 17. - - 94 In _Georgica_, i. 33. - - 95 AP PETAVIUS, _Uranologion_, 168, "_The claws, called by the - Egyptians Zugon_," _i.e._, _the yoke_ that joins any two things - together. - - - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WITNESS OF THE STARS*** - - - -CREDITS - - -May 21, 2015 - - Project Gutenberg TEI edition 1 - Produced by David Garcia, Jeff G., David King, and the Online - Distributed Proofreading Team at <http://www.pgdp.net/>. - - - -A WORD FROM PROJECT GUTENBERG - - -This file should be named 49018.txt or 49018.zip. - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - - - http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/9/0/1/49018/ - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one -- the old editions will be -renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law -means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the -Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States -without permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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