“Signs in the Heavens”
The Gospel of Jesus in the Constellations
It’s hard to have played a sport and not have heard the phrase, “Heads up.”
The first time that I remember hearing it was on my little league baseball team, the “Gnats”.
What a name for the confidence of a young boy.
Ha! Ha!
“Heads-Up” means pay attention.
The phrase “Heads-Up” didn’t make sense to me because of the fact that I was always paying attention.
This was not T-Ball which was not around when I was a boy.
For sure, T-Ballers need to be endlessly reminded to be “Heads-Up” and “Pay attention” as they are routinely found pulling grass, eating grass, throwing grass, playing in the dirt, throwing dirt, eating dirt, throwing their glove up and trying to catch it, along with hundreds of “other things” that kids may find to do in order to kill time until it is finally “their turn” to come up to bat.
I think that I might have been in second grade or something like that when I heard “Heads-Up” during that baseball practice.
What helped me “pay attention” and have my “Head in the game” was the fact that I had interest and wanted to play.
In addition, I often pitched (which meant that I had to pay attention because the game could not go on if I didn’t pitch the ball.)
So, when I first heard the phrase “Heads-Up”,
I thought that it didn’t make sense.
Why wouldn’t everyone pay attention.
I remember hearing something like;
“Heads-Up or you’re gonna get a baseball in your face. Do any of you want to get hit in the head with a ball? This is not kickball at recess, this is hardball. This is not a kickball (said our coach, while holding up a baseball in his hand). Do you know why they call Little League, ‘hardball’? Because the ball is ‘hard’ and it will hurt if you are not paying attention and get hit in the head.”
As a little kid, this didn’t make sense to me for another reason.
When someone would yell “Heads-Up” is usually meant that you should put your head “Down”.
It made more sense to duck and to cover your head, rather than put your head “up” where you could get hit in the head, the very thing that the coach said that you didn’t want to happen.
Remember that he said in his opening speech to us players that; we were playing “Hardball, not kickball” and the ball is hard and will hurt us if it hit us in the head.
When I remember back to this experience,
I can’t help but want to apply it to my life today.
I wish that I could pay as much attention to the game of life as I did during those short periods of baseball practice and games.
Here is what I mean…
LIFE IS HARD
It’s not as fun as Kickball.
The ball is not as soft as a Kickball.
And unlike Kickball,
there are times in life that we can strike out.
LIFE IS “HARDBALL” AND IF WE DON’T LIVE “HEADS-UP”, WE WILL GET HURT
If we don’t live a “Heads-Up” life we will miss God’s interaction in our life.
Many people are playing hard-ball with us and we had better pay more attention.
SATAN PLAYS HARDBALL
Using the baseball analogy,
“Heads-Up” in life includes knowing who is planning to hit you with a pitch and hurt you.
It’s knowing who is trying to slide into your base with spikes up to try to injure you, and who is trying to trash talk you to demean you and break your confidence.
God says, “Heads-Up” to us in 1 Peter 5:8
“Be alert and of sober mind. [“Heads-Up”, Pay attention, Warning, Warning, Warning]
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
-1 Peter 5:8
This is God’s way of saying, Listen-Up, Good eyes, Good hands, Look out, Watch out, Be on guard, Be on your toes, Be on the ball, On the look out, Be ready, Be sharp, Get with it, Be awake, Look alive.
These are all synonyms for “Heads-Up”.
They are all phrases about being aware of things around us.
“HEADS-UP”… LITERALLY “LOOK UP”
With the recent appearance in December 2020 of what some called the “Bethlehem Star”,
I promised that I would teach about the signs in the heavens as talked about in the Bible.
So here is the first in a series on the befits of literally “LOOKING UP” in the sky to God’s creation.
ASTRONOMY – YES
ASTROLOGY - NO
“OLOGY” = “the study of a particular subject”.
From the Greek word “Logos” meaning word.
Example: Since “Theos” means God, then THEOS OLOGY = The study of God.
“ONOMY” = “the body of knowledge around the
study of a particular subject.”
From the Greek word “Nomos” meaning law.
Example: Astronomy is studying the Star’s Laws.
Specifically How do the stars act?
How do they behave?
How do they appear?
What are the laws that govern them?
What are their patterns and paths that
they take in the sky?
And what are their names?
It’s about how the STARS/PLANETS behave
NOT how do WE act, behave or appear.
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the LAWS of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
-Job 38:31-33
While we do NOT believe in Astrology,
[Looking to the starts to get advice about how to make decisions in life. We look to God for that.]
We DO believe in the value of Astronomy.
[Looking AT the heavens to see what God has revealed to us about himself, because the Bible says that God did put messages in the sky.
They were not about who YOU should marry or what investments that YOU should make, but rather what GOD has done FOR you.
It’s not about what you are to do,
it is about what God has already done for you.]
THE BIBLE AND ASTRONOMY
Psalm 19
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
[Declare = Communicate]
The heavens declare his REDEMPTIOPN as well as the magnitude of his CREATION (Both declaring “the glory of God”
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
[Proclaim = Communicate]
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; [They communicate]
night after night they reveal knowledge. [Communicate knowledge that God wants us to have about Him]
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice [Communication] goes out into ALL the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
[It is interesting to note that ALL over the world, civilizations have graphed the stars, planets and constellations in the exact same way, giving the same names and definitions to the constellations.]
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;
[East to West]
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law [God’s Word, The Bible] of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes [God’s Word] of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts [God’s Word] of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands [God’s Word] of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees [God’s Word] of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them [God’s Word] your servant is warned;
[Warned = Given a “Heads-up”]
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
[When David said, Keep me from, he was asking God to help him to be “Heads-Up” in life]
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
[Rock = Anchor.]
[Redeemer = Savior who bought us.]
“And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years…”
-Genesis 1:14
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
-Job 38:31-33
DAVID LOOKED-UP BECAUSE HE KNEW THAT HIS HELP
CAME FROM GOD
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
“l will LIFT UP MY EYES [David LOOKS UP because he needs help] to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you… 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
[He is over you, so LOOK UP]
The stars tell the story of God, our Superhero.
Have you even noticed that Super-hero stories always borrow stories from the Bible?
Earth is in danger
Civilization is in danger of being destroyed or taken over by an evil person or empire.
A Hero emerges and saves the day.
"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"
"Look! UP IN THE SKY! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!"
Ironically, I used to watch Superman each day, right before Little League baseball practice, where my coach taught us about the importance of
“Heads-Up”.
Superman episodes were all the same. Episode after episode, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen would be off getting the story when they got into trouble needing to be saved by Superman.
“JESUS” IS THAT SUPER-HERO
If our Super-hero LOOKED-UP when he was on the earth, then we should too.
Do you know that in the longest prayer recorded by Jesus in the Bible, he “Looked Up”.
John 17 Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
“After Jesus said this, he LOOKED TOWARD HEAVEN [Looked Up] and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do… [Dying on the cross to forgive us of our sins]
Remember that Psalm 19 says;
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
What do you think the “Glory of God” refers to?
Do you think that it was his;
Creation or Redemption?
Determining which is more important based on:
1. How much space in the Bible is given to it?
2. What did it cost God?
Creation is mentioned in several books, but we see Redemption throughout the entire Bible.
Creation cost God nothing, but Redemption costs Jesus his life.
With that thought in mind, let’s read Psalm 19 this way;
“The heavens [Stars and Constellations]
declare [Tell the story of]
the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
[The “glory of God” and the “work of his hands” is the Gospel story itself- The redemption of people.]
So when David said,
“l will LIFT UP MY EYES …
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”
[He LOOKED UP because he needed help and he knew that God was the only legitimate source.]
“He heals the brokenhearted and
binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.”
-Psalm 147:3-5
“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
[Look Up]
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
-Isaiah 40:26
If God knew the names of the billions of stars in the sky that he created, then he certainly knew David’s name and all of the problems that he faced.
For each of the twelve constellations, there are three closely associated with them called Decans.
They all tell the Gospel Story.
I Hope that the following article is helpful in explaining God’s story of redemption in the stars.
“Virgo: First Zodiac Sign of the Virgin Whose Seed Saves”
2.12.16 by Bethany Blankley
“Unlike the secular zodiac, which starts with Aries, the first sign in the Christian Zodiac “begins with Virgo and ends with Leo. Virgo (August 23-September 22) depicts “the virgin whose seed saves.”
Before understanding Virgo, it’s important to understand the context in which we find her. According to a lecture given by American Lutheran minister Joseph Agustus Seiss, entitled, “The Starry Worlds,” first published in 1882, God connected star groupings with:
“symbols and ideas he wished to convey, and transmitting and explaining to his posterity those names and figures thus conjoined with the stars, he would link with his astronomy a whole system of thoughts and hopes as clear as the stars themselves, and utterly imperishable as long as astronomy should remain in the knowledge of men.”
The star groups are “founded on indisputable astronomic truth, and hence form the groundwork of all maps and designations of the celestial presentations. They are in all the planispheres, celestial globes, and star-charts among all people, from one end of the earth to the other.”
Seiss attests that the stars and their groupings are not arbitrary; they are part of the “common and universal language of astronomical science.” Stars and their constellations are found in almanacs, books, and records worldwide– regardless of tradition or belief they are recognized by everyone. “Even those who have the most fault to find with them still employ them, and cannot get on without them,” he says.
God speaks through imagery of the stars– providing revelation of truth and hope. The stars tell a story in pictures of men, women, animals, monsters, and other cluster groups of stars, known as constellations, initially totaling 48. Beginning with the path the Earth takes around the Sun, the Moon and planets follow a similar pattern. The Sun moves roughly 30 degrees every month from west to east. The Moon revolves around the Earth 12 times every year.
Twelve divisions of 30 degrees each creates the Zodiac. The root word of Zodiac is “zoad,” which means to walk. Each movement around the Earth is a walk through God’s story, marked by 12 signs. Partnering with the Zodiac is the Lunar Zodiac– which coincides with the 28 days it takes for the Moon to revolve around the Earth.
Again, with mathematical precision, additional groups of stars are connected to each Zodiac sign. Arab and Hebrew scholars referred to these groups as “Decans,” meaning, a “part” or “piece.” Decans are 36 groups of stars with 3 in each of the 12 signs. Abu Masher, an Arab physician and astronomer, referred to them as “faces.” The Hebrew origin from Sehmitic Decah, means “to break.” Decans are pieces or parts contributing to the whole. Daniel referred to them as “dek.” (Dan. 2:45)
The first sign in the Zodiac and of prophetic revelation in the stars is Virgo. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, through the grace of God, tells of a virgin-born savior. Virgo is “the Virgin,” whose constellation depicts a woman holding an ear of wheat in one hand and a branch in the other. She prophesies of her coming Son.
Virgo as depicted in Urania’s Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. wikimedia.
Virgo’s three decans also help tell her story.
The first decan, Coma, means, “the infant” or “the branch.” (Isa. 11:1, 4:2, 9:6; Matt. 1:23; Jer. 23: 5,6; Zech 3:8, 6:12; John 12:24; Hag. 2:7) Coma in Hebrew means “the desired” or “longed-for,” referring to the coming Messiah. Coma represents Virgo’s desired, longed-for Son.
The second decan, Centaurus (a centaur, half man and half beast), in Hebrew (Bezeh) means “the despised.” (Isa. 53:3, 10) The centaur is holding a spear, piercing his enemy over a cross, depicting salvation from life to death. More importantly, however, is the dual nature of Jesus Christ he represents. Christ, like the Centaur, is:
“two natures in one person,” which Seiss describes as: “to men repulsive and hateful, yet really great, powerful, and beneficent, pushing with his lance at the heart of some victim, and moving the while right over the constellation of the cross.”
This the brightest star in the group, which the Greeks called Cheiron. In Hebrew it means, “the mediation.” Centaurus represents her Son who will be an offering.
The third decan, Bootes, is the “great shepherd” holding a rod and sickle (most recognized in English as “the Big Dipper.” Job 9:9 mentions this star, as does Zechariah 12:10, which refers to the Hebrew root meaning of Bo, “the coming.” Greek poets referenced this star as well, which Paul referred to in Acts 17:28. The staff and sickle are comprised by Arcturus, which means, “he comes.” Virgo’s shepherd Son will come and guard his sheep.
The Zodiac begins with Virgo, the virgin whose seed is at the center of the story of the Universe. But the rest of the star signs and their meanings are interwoven in hers and all ultimately point to the One who is yet to come: Jesus.
“HEADS-UP”
“LOOK-UP” TO THE LORD
“l will LIFT UP MY EYES …
My help [Anchor] comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”
-Psalm 121:1,2
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…”
[A Prophecy about JESUS]
-Psalm 118:22
He is our Anchor,
The anchor that we can always "Look-Up" to for everything.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for all that you provide for me.
I don’t always “LOOK UP”
and
I don’t always live a “HEADS-UP” life,
yet you are always there for me.
You never give up on me.
Thank you for bringing your message of forgiveness to me each new day.
Thank you for the beautiful stars.
Every time that I “LOOK UP” in the sky,
I will remember your promises to me.
I will remember that Jesus died for me
And reigns as King forever.
I will remember that just as you know how many stars you created, and just as sure as you know every star by name, so you know everything about me and my circumstances as well and you will be with me.
Thank you!
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen!
Pastor Dave
Word of Life Church
17525 W. Bell Rd.
Surprise, AZ 85374
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