Chapter 3 | Table of Contents |
For Signs and
Seasons
The Witness of the Stars
E. W. Bullinger
The Third Book
The
Redeemer
(His Second Coming)
"The glory that should follow"
Chapter IV
The Sign Leo (The Lion)
Messiah's consummated triumph
39. Leo (the Lion)
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 1o 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 with 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 (running); in the
Egyptian Zodiacs he is couchant (lying down).
In the Denderah Zodiac he is treading upon
a serpent, as shown in Mr Edward Cooper's Egyptian Scenery.
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, * and this one is used of the Lion hunting down his prey.
*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.
6. Arieh, an adult lion, having paired, in
search of his prey (Nahum 2:12; 2 Sam 17:10; Num
23:24).
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, a (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,
b, also of the 1st magnitude (in the tip of the tail), is named
Denebola, the Judge or Lord who cometh. The star g
(in the mane) is called Al Giebha (Arabic), the exaltation.
The star d (on the hinder part of the back) is called Zosma,
shining forth.
Other stars 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 Revelation 5:5 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 2) 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?"
Genesis 49:8, 9
In the prophecy of Balaam (Num 24:8,9), 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 3:4, 8
When "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" is
roused up for the reading, the Spirit describes the scene in Isaiah 42:13:
"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 5).
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
40. Hydra (the
Serpent)
Crater (the Cup)
Corvus (the Raven)
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.
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, a (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
40. Hydra (the
Serpent)
Crater (the Cup)
Corvus (the Raven)
"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."
Psalm 75:8
"Upon the wicked he shall
rain snares,
Fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest:
THIS
SHALL BE THE PORTION OF THEIR CUP."
Psalm 11:6
This is no fabled wine-cup of Bacchus; but
it is "The cup of His indignation" (Rev 14:10); "The cup of the wine of
the fierceness of his wrath" (Rev 16:19). 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
(a), which means the Cup, and (b)--determine the
bottom of the Cup.
3. CORVUS (The Raven)
The birds of prey devouring
the serpent
40. Hydra (the
Serpent)
Crater (the Cup)
Corvus (the Raven)
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 a (in the
eye) is called Al Chibar (Arabic), joining together, from
the Hebrew Chiba (Num 23:8), which means accursed. This
star, then, tells of the curse inflicted. The star b (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."
Proverbs 30:17
We remember how David said to the Giant
Goliath--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 17:46).
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 19:17,18).
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 Jeremiah 25:30-33
"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 5:12).
"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."
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 2:4-6).
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 21:23).
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 AD), wrote "ipse," HE, in
Genesis 3:15, 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 Genesis 3:15,
giving seven steps in His humiliation and seven in His glorification (Phil
2:5-11 *).
* 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.
CHRIST JESUS
- Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery (a thing to be grasped at and held) to be equal with God;
- But made Himself of no reputation (Gr.
emptied Himself).
- And took upon Him the form of a
servant.
- And was made in the likeness of men:
- And being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself.
- And became obedient unto death,
- Even the death of the cross.
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,
- Of things in heaven,
- And things on earth,
- And things under the earth;
- 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 procalim 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.)
Chapter 3 | Table of Contents |
For Signs and
Seasons