Sep 9, 2011

The Gospel in the Stars II

Review

1. Prophets have been from the foundation of the world. Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Job, and Abraham, were all prophets of God before the time of Moses.

2. The Proto-Evangelium is the basic gospel message, pregnant with significance, and was preserved by various means, some of which we have noticed, such as

a) Gospel in the names of Adam and his first descendents
b) The names of the days of the week
c) The names of the twelve sons of Jacob

we have also mentioned other means which we will notice in today's lesson, and in future lessons, such as

a) The ancient Hebrew alphabet
b) lineage of Cain
c) the names of the stars, both individually and collectively.

3. What the Bible says about stars and the constellations

4. The names, character, and work of "the serpent"

5. Misc. scripture dealing with the stars and constellations, the ancient prophets, etc.

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds..." (Hebrews 1: 1, 2)

"I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets." (Hosea 12: 10)

"used similitudes" or "gave parables" or "used similes"

Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary

"I have also spoken" - I have used every means, and employed every method, to instruct and save you. I have sent prophets, who spake plainly, exhorting, warning, and beseeching you to return to me. They have had Divine visions, which they have declared and interpreted. They have used similitudes, symbols, metaphors, allegories, &c., in order to fix your attention, and bring you back to your duty and interest.

Dr. Dodd supposes that there are three distinct kinds of prophecy mentioned here: 1. Immediate inspiration, when God declares the very words. 2. Vision; a representation of external objects to the mind, in as lively a manner as if there were conveyed by the senses. 3. Parables and apt resemblances."


"Similitudes" ("damah"), a singular usage, in this text only, according to Strong, means "likenesses" or "resemblences" or "comparisons"

Certainly God spoke to Adam and Eve. In this passage God identifies "prophets" with those to whom he verbally "spoke," with those who received "oracles."

God spoke to the fathers, which would include Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Job, and Abraham, in "various ways" and at "sundry (various) times," by direct speaking, by visions and dreams, and by "similitudes."

In showing how the gospel message was encoded in the names of Adam's first descendents, and in the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and in the names of the days of the ancient week, and in the alphabet, and in the temple, etc., we are showing these "similitudes" and various ways in which God memorialized the gospel of Christ.

The Hebrew Alphabet and the Gospel

The names of the first two Hebrew Letters, Aleph and Beth, are the origin of the English word Alphabet.

The Hebrew Alphabet is an incomparably rich and self-coherent symbolic system. Each Letter has a broad set of associated meanings based on its name, its position in the Alphabet, its role in Hebrew grammar, and its use in the Alphabetic Verses.

The Hebrew Alphabet ends with the sign of the cross in precise analogy with the Gospel Message that declares Christ completed His Work of redemption on His Cross with the words "It is finished" (John 19:30).

Rolleston wrote:

"Somewhat of a symbolical and even a sacred character seems given to the alphabet by the use made of the allusion to Alpha and Omega in the Apocalypse. Alpha is plainly the Aleph of the original alphabet, as in the ancient Oriental alphabets, the leader, chief, first, the beginning. The Omega of the Greeks supplied the place of Thau, the last letter of the ancient series, originally figures as a cross, like our modern T, t. The word Thau means in those dialects a mark, as in Ezekiel 9:4; a boundary, as in Genesis 49:26. By dropping the prefix Th, it gives the sound of Omega. The Arabic sense of the word Thau is a mark in the form of a cross, with which the Arabs marked their animals.

The first and last letters being thus used symbolically in Scripture, it seems probable that every intermediate letter had some similar purport, agreeing with that of the constellation to which they belong."


THE HEBREW ALPHABET, AS CONNECTED WITH THE CONSTELLATIONS
MAZZAROTH; or, the CONSTELLATIONS.

Recent Books on the Subject

1) "In His Own Words" - Messianic Insights Into The Hebrew Alphabet by L. Grant Luton, 265pp, 5.25" x 8.25, paper, $15.95

"In His Own Words will take you on a fascinating journey through territory that has, until now, remained unexplored by Christian theologians. The book reveals amazing details about God's Word that have never been translated into our English editions.

You will learn why some letters in the original Hebrew Bible are printed over- or under-size, as well as why other letters are printed upside down, broken in half, or suspended in mid-air. You will discover why nearly every column of a Torah scroll begins with a letter that symbolizes a hook, and why some passages of scripture are printed in such a way as to depict a brick wall. This book will also demonstrate how the message of the gospel is graphically illustrated by the names, shapes, and order of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. You are sure to be inspired and encouraged by the amazing truths that God has hidden in these ancient symbols. Written in layman's terms, In His Own Words will introduce you to a dimension of God's Word that will powerfully impact your life and ministry."

The book that shows how the ancient Hebrew letters declare the Gospel! Discover the ancient script that reveals penetrating truth about the Word of God!

2) The Gospel in Ancient Hebrew by Dr. Frank T. Seekins. Hebrew Word Pictures: How Does the Hebrew Alphabet Reveal Prophetic Truths? (Amazon $9. 99)

3) “The Language of God in History” by Helena Lehman

This exploration of history thoroughly explores the Pre-Flood world of Enoch and the Sethite Astronomy and Gospel in the Stars that Enoch developed into a profound spiritual discipline that led the sages of past ages to create the pyramids at Dahshur, Giza, and Teotihuacan, the statues on Easter Island, the monument at Stonehenge, the Angkor Temple complex and the so-called Aztec Calendar Stone found in Mexico as spiritually significant allegorical messages in stone that are tied to the End Time Signs in the Heavens that Yahshua spoke of. The book also explores the spiritual and scientific disciplines that were behind the journey of the Magi or Wise Men to Bethlehem to worship Yahshua as the Messiah that was prophesied about in the stars before the world was even created.

Finally, the rise and fall of ancient Israel, the facts behind their migrations in the Diaspora, the re-immergence of Israel in modern times and its ties to the United States in light of End Time prophecies, the secret meanings and dire implications behind the ideologies expressed in the 2008 US Presidential Race, the history and ultimate destiny of the Kingdom of Israel, and the amazing Signs in the Heavens connected to Orion, Draco, Taurus and Scorpio that are tied to the Tribulation and Second Coming of Christ are explored in preparation for the exhaustive study of biblical prophecy and the Signs in the Heavens in the final book of this series.

“The Language of God in History” gives a brilliant and clear defense of biblical history, and reveals how our ancestors may have creatively designed their religious monuments to reflect the spiritual allegories God wrote into our Universe. It also explores the history of the Kingdom of Israel, and delves into the true nature of dinosaurs and their possible links to the Behemoth, Leviathan, Nephilim and Giants spoken of in the Bible.

http://pillar-of-enoch.com/Language_of_God_in_History/

The Alphabet And The Stars - The Hebrew Alphabet

In ancient Hebrew, like Chinese and ancient Egyptian, every word was formed by adding pictures together to paint or illustrate the meaning of a word.

Aleph -
A way, or a beginning - An Ox or Bullock, a sacrifice or at-one-ment. Its numerical value is ONE. The literal meaning of aleph is ox or bull. The symbolic meaning of this letter is: God, strength, strong leader. It shows God's mastery and oneness.

In the ancient Hebrew, it was drawn like the head of an ox which is part of the original meaning of the letter. The literal meaning is "strong leader, strength, master."

Beth -
A house - A House or Tent, a dwelling or tabernacle, in, among, within, etc.

Gimel -
Retribution - A Camel, like a camel's hump, heap, collect, high.

Daleth -
A door - A Door or Gate, lid, valve.

He - Demonstration - Lo, see, behold, (therefore) a lattice or window for that purpose

Vau - A nail bent back - A Peg, Nail or Hook, therefore, wherefore, then, that, in order that, so that, etc.

Zain - Armour - A Weapon, a shining sword, brightness, light.

Heth or Cheth - Terror - An Enclosure, fenced in, ark, refuge.

Teth - Declination - A Serpent, like a serpent, rolled, twisted, entwined.

Yod - Confession of praise - The Hand, the right hand, to strike or pierce, a stroke, a blow.

Caph - Hollow hand - The Hollow or Palm of the Hand, curved, concave, a valley or basin.

Lamed - Doctrine - A Goad, towards, into, unto, until, upon, even to, besides, etc.

Mem -
Water, waves, a flood.

Nun - Filiation - A Fish, to sprout, to put forth (as one from whom all are propagated).

Samech - Opposition - A Fulcrum, prop, lever, to help, to sustain, to uphold, the hinge of a mason's apron, a ladder or line connecting the lower with the higher, the Holy Ghost.

Ayin -
An eye - The Eye, to flow, to flow out, a fountain.

Pe - A mouth - The Mouth, to breathe, to blow, a side or quarter of the heavens, region, part, quarter.

Tzaddi -
Sides - A Scythe or Reaping-hook, just, pertains to the harvest or retribution. Tsadok is Jupiter or justice (in Sanscrit, karma).

Koph - A circuit - Occiput, back of the head, to move in a circle.

Resh -
Poverty - Head, first, foremost, beginning, front.

Rosh means a foremost or most northern nation.

Shin - A tooth - Tooth, a sharp rock, cliff, crag.

Thau - A sign - A Sign or Mark, cross, a symbol, a token.


If one puts these names and their meanings together, they tell the story of Christ and the gospel.

Aleph

Denotes, as Christ said, "the first," and identified himself with this first letter of the ancient alphabet. "Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he." (Isa. 41: 4; See also 44: 6 & 48: 12) "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." (Rev. 1: 11; See also 1: 17, 2: 8, 2: 19, 22: 13)

"The First" is a title of God and Christ is God.

Aleph is the unpronounceable first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a silent letter that makes sound when vowel marks are associated with it. It is interesting that the first letter of the names of the first man (Adam), the first Jew (Abraham), and the herald of the last man (Elijah), as well as the first letter of the first commandment, is Aleph.

The First and the Last

A writer wrote:

"In the Old Testament, we frequently encounter the letters aleph, and the tau, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. When used with a connector-bar, a maqqeph, the two-letter prefix, at-,is used as a grammatical element to indicate a direct object. There are also instances, however, where aleph tau is used as a pronoun to indicate the second person masculine singular; a hypocatastasis ("putting down underneath"), a kind of grammatical pun: "a hidden declarative implied metaphor expressing a superlative degree of resemblance."18 For example, in Zechariah 12 we find the prophecy of the Messiah's climactic appearance to Israel:

...and they shall look upon me [aleph tau] whom they have pierced... Zechariah 12:10
The untranslated aleph tau could be translated as follows:

"... and they shall look upon me, the aleph and the tau, whom they have pierced."

We also find the same untranslated letters in Genesis 1:

In the beginning God [aleph tau] created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
This Aleph and Tau, that created the heavens and the earth, is the same Aleph and Tau whom they pierced on the wooden cross erected in Judea almost 2,000 years ago."


http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/196/

The ancient Hebrew pictograph for the letter Aleph is an ox head, meaning strength or God, as in "the Lord is my strength." The pictograph for the letter Tav is two crossed sticks, meaning a mark or covenant. Therefore, when Jesus says, "I am the Aleph and the Tav," what He is saying is that He is the mark of God, or God's signature.

Aleph, is the first letter of the Hebrew aleph-bet and is therefore linked with the mysteries of the one true God of the Universe. Aleph is called the 'father' of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet (alphabet) and stems from aluph which means Lord or Master. Most of the divine names of God begin with Aleph. Yeshua our Kinsman Redeemer is God in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6).

Aleph then, in totality, designates God in Christ, God incarnate, the One who would become both the ox of sacrifice (bullock) and the ox of strength, the One who would push through his enemies, by his horns of power, and is the same that is signified in the sign of Taurus. Thus we read of the "strength of the ox" (Pro. 14: 4). Aleph signifies power, one who is master and leader. It also signifies a way or beginning. Of Christ it is said - "who is the beginning" (Col. 1: 18). Christ also says of himself - "I am the Way." (John 14: 6)

"Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass." (Psalm 106: 20)

This was the error of the Hebrews and of the Pagan idolaters. They worshipped the symbol, making the similitude the object of their worship.

Bet or Beth originally was the figure of a tent or house. It signified "to dwell within." In scripture, the body is called a tent or tabernacle to house the soul. Wrote Paul:

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (II cor. 5: 1)

Also, in speaking of Christ becoming flesh, or of his incarnation, John wrote:

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tented, tabernacled) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1: 14)

Gimel was associated with the Camel and came to denote "retribution." Camels, like oxen, are pack animals, or burden bearers. They carry loads. The Camel's hump helped to signify a load piled high. Our sins are numerous, like a heap upon the scales of divine justice. These were heaped or piled upon Christ, he becoming the burden bearer of his people. Sinners, before they come to Christ, are bearing their own sins, a load they cannot endure.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11: 28-30)

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (I Peter 2: 24)

The Camel is also a conquerer of the desert or wilderness area. This world, because of sin, has become a desert wilderness. Christ came into it, survived it. Also, according to the gospels, Christ literally, as did John the Baptist, preach in the wilderness.

Daleth denoted a door, gate, or a covering. Thus Christ is pictured as the "door," and Christ said of himself - "I am the door of the sheep." (John 10: 7) "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (vs. 9)

"...he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." (Acts 14: 27)

Christ's blood is that which atones or covers sin. The Hebrew word translated as "atonement" literally means "to cover" or "covering" and first appears in Genesis 6:14 as the word "pitch" which was used to cover the ark of Noah to protect it from the waters of the flood. Also, remember how Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness and shame by "fig leaves" and how God rather clothed them with the skin of a sacrificial animal.

He denotes to see or behold, as through a lattice or window for that purpose.

The one who has thus been described is to be "beheld."

"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (Isa. 7: 14)

"Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment." (Isa. 32: 1)

"O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him." (Isa. 40: 9, 10)

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." (Isa. 42: 1)

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live." (Num. 21: 8)

"Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." (Isa. 45: 22)

Vau denotes a Peg, Nail or Hook.

"And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it." (Isa. 22: 23-25)

Besides this, Christ was nailed to the cross, pierced in his hands and in his feet. At the same time, something else was nailed to the cross.

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Col. 2: 14, 15)

Zain signifies a weapon, a shining sword, brightness, light.

"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones." (Zech. 13: 7)

Heth or Cheth denotes terror - An Enclosure, fenced in, ark, refuge.

"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences." (II Cor. 5: 11)

It was "by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors," that the Lord delivered his ancient people from bondage in Egypt. (Deut. 4: 34; See also 34: 12)

"For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me." (Job 6: 4)

"His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors." (Job 18: 14)

Death is viewed as a "king" in Romans 5. Paul says "death" and "sin" "reign" as monarchs over fallen man. John Gill said - "His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors." He also said - "Death is a king: it reigns, it has a large empire, even the whole world; its subjects are numerous, all, high and low, rich and poor, great and small; and the duration of its reign is long, it reigned from Adam to Moses, from Moses to the coming of Christ, and from thence to this day, and will to the end of the world, and it reigns with an irresistible power: and this king is a king of terrors to wicked men."

The Psalmist mentioned the "terrors of death" in Psalm 55: 4. Sinners "are utterly consumed with terrors." (Ps. 73: 19) But, they who trust in the Lord and in his salvation, he said - "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day." (91: 5)

"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 near thee." (Isa. 54: 14)

Fenced

"our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities." (Num. 32: 17) "these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars." (Deut. 32: 5) "fenced up to heaven." (9: 1)

"And he fenced it (the vineyard of God, or Israel), and gathered out the stones thereof..." (Isa. 5: 2)

"And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD." (Jer. 15: 20)

"Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?" (Job 1: 10)

The Hebrew letter also means an ark or refuge. The whole idea concerns safety and security. As a result of Christ suffering for us, experiencing our terrors, the terrible sword of divine justice, a people are "fenced in," and made to dwell in a refuge.

Teth means "declination - A Serpent, like a serpent, rolled, twisted, entwined."

By the victorious death of Christ over death and over the serpent, he has ensured the doom of the "old serpent." He has made his "decline" certain. Christ, as the divine "serpent holder," Ophiuchus, as in the constellation, who subdues the coiled serpent, the one who has entwined himself into every nook and cranny of our world. The Lord will yet finish his work on the "old serpent" by casting him into the lake of fire, the place originaly prepared for him and for his angels.

Yod means "confession of praise - The Hand, the right hand, to strike or pierce, a stroke, a blow."

Such a victory over the serpent and such a restoration to Edenic blessing brings eternal praise to God and his Son Jesus. This is pictured in the constellation (decan) of Lyra, the harp of praise. Christ, the hand of God, his own right arm, crushes the head of the serpent, as is pictured in many places in scripture and in several of the constellations. Christ, the right hand of God, will crush the head of the serpent, just as was promised in the proto-evangelium.

"And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power." (Hab. 3: 4)

"receive good at the hand of God." (Job 2: 10) "his hands make whole." (5: 18)

"Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both." (9: 33)

"Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up..." (Ps. 18: 35)

"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." (37: 24)

"...thy right hand is full of righteousness." (48: 10)

"For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them." (44: 3)

"O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory." (98: 1)

"The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly." (118: 15, 16)

"Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him." (Isa. 40: 10)

"I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (41: 10)

"Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?" (50: 2)

"Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee." (Ps. 21: 8)

"stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them." (Isa 5: 25)

"In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it." (Isa. 19: 16)

Are we in God's hands for him to protect or for him to crush? Will we fall on the stone or will the stone fall on us? This Hebrew letter denotes hand and to strike a blow with the hand also. God, in Christ, gave a blow to Satan when he died upon the cross and rose again. He will yet strike with his hand against him and against wicked men.

"striketh hands" (Prov. 17: 18) "Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts." (22: 26)

Our salvation comes because Christ has put his hand on us and on his Father, and reconciled, as a Daysman or Mediator. Christ is our "surety" (Heb. 7: 22), the one who struck and sealed the deal for his elect.

Caph means "hollow hand - The hollow or palm of the hand, curved, concave, a valley or basin."

What do these written scriptures say of this "hollow hand"?

"Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?" (Isa. 40: 12)

"And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me." (49: 2)

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." (49: 16)

"And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people." (51: 16)

Lamed means "doctrine or a goad."

God is a teacher. Christ is the teacher of teachers.

"It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me." (John 6: 45)

The Father gives us "good doctrine" in Christ. Christ said - "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." (John 7: 16)

"My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." (Deut. 32: 2)

"Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts." (Isa. 28: 9)

"And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine." (Mark 4: 2)

"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (John 7: 17)

"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6: 17, 18)

"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (I Tim. 4: 16)

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." (II John 1: 9)

God's word "goads" us. "The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd." (Eccl. 12: 11)

Mem means "Water, waves, a flood." We find that the Bible and the inspired constellations both testify to the significance of this Hebrew letter. Water pours forth from the bucket of Aquarius. In scripture, a river of water is spoken of that proceeds from God and his throne. It speaks of "showers of blessings," of God "pouring" forth of his Spirit. We read of raining blessings upon the redeemed but raining wrath upon the unredeemed.

"Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup." (Psa. 11: 6)

"For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him." (Psa. 32: 6)

"I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me." (69: 2)

"Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand." (Isa. 28: 2)

"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 thine offspring." (Isa. 44: 3)

Nun means "filiation - a fish, to sprout, to put forth."

What this letter designates is also what we will see in some of the star constellations. We will see filiation in the relationship between Virgo and her illustrious seed (son). We will see "fish" in the constellations, and find it connected with the prosperity and health of the redeemed, or of the church. Christ used the metaphor or similitude of "fishing for men" in his teaching about men being saved. Jesus spoke of nets which catch both good and bad fish. The good are kept while the bad are thrown away. Christians are fish whom God has caught with his hook and net.

Samech means "a fulcrum, prop, lever, to help, to sustain, to uphold, the hinge of a mason's apron, a ladder or line connecting the lower with the higher."

Symbollically, Christ is God's "fulrum," his means for "propping up," or "upholding" (supporting) his people. Christ is the "hinge" upon which all turns, certainly the hinge on the door to heaven. Christ also is a ladder, typified in Jacob's ladder, the medium by which any reach God and heaven. He is the line, the band, that connects us to himself, and to one another. This too is signified in the star constellations. We will behold later a band or ribbon that is viewed holding the fish to him who caught them and to each other.

Ayin means "the eye, to flow, to flow out, a fountain."

This is typified in the sign of Aquarius, as I have already somewhat shown. It is more descriptive here of "tears." What can we say about "tears" as they relate to 1) our present fallen condition? 2) the death of Christ? 3) the coming end of time and the day of judgment?

"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" for all the lost.

"But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children." (Luke 23: 38)

"Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." (Heb. 5: 7)

"God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Rev. 17: 17 & 21: 4)

Pe means "the mouth, to breathe, to blow."

This Hebrew word may be viewed in its dual aspect, as it concerns the righteous and the wicked respectively.

As a result of Christ and his work the redeemed are "breathed upon" by God. Recall that God originally "breathed into" the nostrils of Adam, "the breath of life," and "he became a living soul." ( ) This breath gives life. God has also breathed into the scriptures, which is the meaning of the word "inspired." ( ) Before Christ died it is said that he "breathed" upon the first disciples and said "receive ye the Holy Spirit." (John 20: 22)

"The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." (Psa. 33: 4)

"Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD...Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." (Eze. 37: 5, 6, 9)

"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." (Psa. 33: 6)

"By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed." (Job 4: 9)

"But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." (Isa. 11: 4)

"And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err." (30: 28)

"For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; 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." (30: 33)

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit (breath) of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." (II Thess. 2: 8)

Tzaddi means "a scythe or reaping-hook, just, what pertains to harvest and retribution."

We will see this aspect of Christ when we study the sign of Virgo. One of the Decans of Virgo is a constellation called "Bootes," which is none other than a figure of Christ as a shepherd and harvester, having in his uplifted left hand a sharp cicle.

We know that there is to be a "harvest" at the end of the world, as Christ taught in the parable of the wheat and the tares. We also know that Christ will be the chief reaper. Wrote John in the Apocalypse:

"And 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." (Rev. 14: 14-16)

Many other scriptures speak of the Lord "cutting down" men in the judgment and "retribution."

Koph means "a circuit - Occiput, back of the head, to move in a circle."

Jesus was in heaven, left heaven and came down to earth, and ascended back. This grand circuitous journey is the reason for our redemption.

Resh means "poverty, head, first, foremost, beginning, front."

Wrote Paul:

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." (II Cor. 8: 9)

The "head" of "every man," the "head" of the "church," became poor that we might be made rich! Blessed gospel story! He who is "first" (Aleph) became "last" that we might go from last to first!

Shin means "a tooth (or teeth), sharp rock, cliff, crag."

The ancient written symbol for "shin" looks like teeth. Teeth are symbolic in scripture. Not only people have "teeth," but so do other things, like hooks, combs, and gears.

"And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand." (I Sam. 2: 13)

"Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD." (Psa. 58: 6)

"There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men." (30: 14)

"My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." (Psa. 57: 4)

"Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff." (Isa. 41: 15)

And what happens in the day of judgment when the Lord is ripping and tearing, like teeth, the wicked?

"And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." (Rev. 6: 16)

They will seek to find refuge in the rocks and cliffs but to no avail.

Thau means "a sign or mark, cross, a symbol, a token."

In ancient times, it was a symbol for life and resurrection.

Newer versions of the Bible have replaced the ancient term “Taw” with "mark" (Ezekiel 9:4) or "signature" (Job 31:35).

It relates to what is finished, to end purpose, to final design. When Christ was upon the "cross," he said "it is finished." (John 19: 30) When Christ returns we will also hear the words "it is done (finished)." (Rev. 10: 7)

Everything begins and ends with the cross of Christ.

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