Chapter 1 |
Table of Contents |
Chapter
3
The Witness of the Stars
E. W. Bullinger
The First Book The
Redeemer (His First Coming) "The sufferings of Christ"
Chapter II The Sign Libra The Redeemer's atoning
work, or the price deficient balanced by the price which
covers
5. Libra (the Scales)
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 develop 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.
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, pruchase, 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
40:12).
Libra contains three bright stars whose
names supply us with the whole matter. The brightest a (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." Psalm 49:7, RV
"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). Psalm 42:9, RV
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...to God by thy blood" (Rev 5:9). This is the testimony of
b, 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, g, 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, 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.
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 an 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
6. Crux (the Cross)
The Hebrew name was Adom, which
means cutting off, as in Daniel 9:26 "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.
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.
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. Today, 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
2:13), 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 5:24). 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" (Psa 22:13-18) "I thirst" (John 19:28) "and in my thirst they
gave me vinegar to drink" (Psa 69:21)?
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
7. Lupus (Victima 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.
Its Greek name is Thera, a beast,
and Lycos, a wolf. Its Latin name is Victima, or
Bestia (Vulg. Gen 8:17), 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 10:15-18).
He "offered Himself without spot to God." "He put away sin by the
sacrifice of Himself" (Heb 9:11,26).
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." Isaiah 53:7
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 2:5-8).
3. CORONA (The
Crown) The crown
bestowed
8. Corona (the Crown)
"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 humiliaton 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
2:9).
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 5:9).
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 today in the East by
the plural, Ataroth!
Its Arabic name is Al Iclil, an
ornament, or jewel.
It has 21 stars: one of the 2nd magnitude
and six of the 4th. It is easily known by the stars J, b, a, g, d
and e, which form a crescent.
Its brightest star, a, 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."
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