Book 2 | Table of Contents |
Chapter
2
The Witness of the Stars
E. W. Bullinger
The Third Book
The
Redeemer
(His Second Coming)
"The glory that should
follow"
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 9:28),
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.
The Sign
Taurus (The Bull)
Messiah, the coming Judge of all the
earth
28. Taurus (the
Bull)
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."
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
Tor. Hence, Arabic, Al Thaur; Greek, Tauros; Latin,
Taurus, etc. The more common Hebrew name was 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 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, a (in the
bull's eye), has a Chaldee name--Al Debaran, and means the
leader or governor. The star b (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 kimah, which means the heap or
accumulation, and occurs in Job 9:9; 38:31, 32, and Amos 5:8.
It consists of a number of stars (in the
neck of Taurus) which appear to be near together. The brightest of them,
marked h in all the maps, * 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.
* 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.
Another group of stars (on the face of the
Bull) is known as The Hyades, * which has the similar meaning of
the congregated.
* The Pleiades and Hyades are
sometimes spoken of as constellations, but this is a mistake; they are
integral parts of Taurus.
Other stars 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 4:17) 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).
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 49), and in
the Blessing of Moses (Deut 33). Taurus was assigned to Joseph, or rather
to his two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, like the two powerful horns:
"The firstling of his
bulllock (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."
Deuteronomy 33:17, RV
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."
Psalm 44:5
"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."
Isaiah 13:11-15
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."
Isaiah 34:2-8, RV
"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."
Isaiah 26:21
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
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 9:9; 38:31, and Amos 5:8 (Heb. 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 i (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?" and the
names of the stars give us the answer.
The brightest, a (in the right
shoulder), is named Betelgeuz, which means the coming (Mal
3:2) of the branch.
The next, b (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, g (in the left
shoulder), is called Bellatrix, which means quickly coming,
or swiftly destroying.
The name of the fourth star, d (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. * Similarly the star k
(in the right leg) is called Saiph, bruised, which is the very word
used in Genesis 3:15, 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.
* The star z (in the belt) is called Mintaka,
dividing, as a sacrifice (Lev 8:2).
This is betokened by other stars 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."
Isaiah 42:13, 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): *
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.
(Isaiah 60:1-3)
* 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.
This is "the glory of the God" which the
heavens constantly declare (Psalm 19:1). They tell of that blessed time
when the whole earth shall be filled with His glory (Num 14:21; Isa 11:9);
when "the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together" (Isa 40:5), 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 (4) 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
30. Eridanus (the
River)
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
positon, the river of the Judge.
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.
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, a (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, b (at the source of
the river), is named Cursa, which means bent down. The next,
g (at the second bend in the river), is called Zourac
(Arabic) flowing. Other stars 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, stil 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 7:9-11, RV).
We have the same in Psalm 97:3-5 (RV),
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 Psalm 50:3, 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."
Habakkuk 3:5
What is this but Orion and
Eridanus!
Again, it is written in Isaiah 30:27-33
(RV):
"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 1:5, 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 Isaiah 66:15, 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 1:7,8).
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 3:2)? "Who can stand
before His indignation," when "His fury is poured out like fire" (Nahum
1:6)?
The answer is given in the next picture!
3. AURIGA (The Shepherd)
Safety for the redeemed
in the day of wrath
31. Auriga (the
Shepherd)
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."
Isaiah 40:10, 11, RV
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."
Ezekiel 34:22
"And David my servant shal be
king over them,
And they shall have one shepherd."
Ezekiel 37:24
"And they shall fear no more,
Nor be dismayed,
Neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD."
Jeremiah 23:4
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, a (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, b (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 (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
10:11), but He was "the GREAT Shepherd" brought again from the dead (Heb
13:20); and is now the CHIEF Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) 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.
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 Malachi 4:1-3 (RV):
"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 37 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, RV):
"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 45:22).
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