Zodiac

In Romans 1:18-29 we learned that they knew God, but they gave Him up.

How did they have the opportunity to know God?

Let's look briefly to base our understanding of origins (Where did that come from?) and why things are as they have been, and what we can learn from these things, and what errors we can learn to avoid.

Genesis 1:14, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven... and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years."

On the 4th day of creation God created the heavenly lights, or heavenly bodies that give off light. The 'days and years' is obvious and the movements of the 'lights' give us the seasons. We know the four seasons of the year, but how do we explain or understand 'for signs and for seasons'. Usage of the word 'seasons' would also indicate something fixed or appointed. A time in which something predetermined is to happen. For instance: "The rain comes in due season." (Deuteronomy 11:14) "A shock of corn comes in his season." (Job 5:26.) "A tree brings forth its fruit in his season." (Psalm 1:3) Things happen in their proper time or season. i.e. "At the time appointed I will return unto thee... and Sarah shall have a son." (Genesis 17:21) at the "set time of which God had spoken." (Genesis 21:2) We speak of seasons to explain a general season, such as; football or baseball season. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1, "To every time there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."

"For signs," Gideon asked for a sign in Judges 6:17, "Show me a sign that thou talkest with me." Hezekiah asked for a sign in 2 Kings 20:8 and the shadow turned back 10 degrees.

"Let them be for signs." What were the heavenly bodies to be signs for? Signs?

Most people have heard of the signs of the Zodiac. Their names and order are preserved in an old rhyme. The Ram, the Bull, the heavenly twins, and next the Crab, the Lion shines, the Virgin and the Scales, the Scorpion. Archer, and the Sea Goat, the man that carries the water pot, the Fish with glittering tails.

Looking into history and tradition the 12 signs are always the same, in the meaning of their names and in their order. The Chinese, Chaldean, and Egyptian records back 2000 years are the same. The Zodiacs in Drederah and Esneh in Egypt are about 4000 years old. (About the time of Abraham.)

Josephus, a Jewish historian on the 1st century A.D. referred to 8 Gentile authorities (whose works are now lost) that all assert that "God gave the ante-diluvians such a long life that they might perfect those things which they had invented in Astronomy." Ancient Persian and Arabian traditions ascribe its invention to Adam, Seth, and Enoch to preserve their revelation as to two coming judgments of WATER AND FIRE; made 2 pillars (one of brick and one of stone) describing the whole of the predictions of the stars. (Josephus book 1 chapters 1-3)

In Psalm 19, the first 6 verses deal with the instruction contained in the heavens which is inaudibly conveyed by them to humanity. Remember Romans 1:19-20. The next 8 verses speak of the scripture which were available in David's time. The point being that what is in them reveals God

and that God's works prove Him and that His statutes and judgments are right.

"There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard," Psalm 19:3. The message conveyed by the heavens was received in every part of the world. "Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

The signs gave the history of the coming One; His birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and His coming again in glory. =============

"Let them be for signs and for seasons."

The Gospel in the Stars! An oral tradition handed down though the generations.

Note, In addition to the 12 major signs, there are also 36 pieces, (decans) or minor signs. Each sign has 3 minor signs connected to it.

The Virgin

VIRGO-THE SEED OF THE WOMAN.

100% divine and 100% human. Genesis 3:15

The Fishes PISCES - DELIVERANCE OUT OF BONDAGE.

People of all nations delivered by the Gospel. Matthew 4:18-19

The Band, The Bands Christ holding the reins, the saints follow Revelation 14:4 Andromeda, The Chained women The church, the bride, chained and in affliction

Cepheus, The Crowed King Christ enthroned

Lamb ARIES - GLORY OUT OF HUMILIATION.

Raised from the dead and made ruler of all. Revelation 5:12

flood. This story has been corrupted into something counterfeit, and gave birth to what is now known as Astrology, which the Bible repeatedly condemns and warns us against.==============

Satan has always been and still is the great counterfeiter, the great deceiver who has deceived people into trusting in the sign rather than the thing God has signified. This is why we are reviewing this ancient material before proceeding to what is happening in the world today with religion. We must understand the basic spiritual struggle in which we find ourselves, As we go through the ages we will repeatedly see the pattern that in every age the influence of the wicked one is there to try to take us away from the straight and narrow path that is the truth.

Jumping ahead just for some examples:

Time period: The wilderness and the Israelites. Nadab and Abihu Leviticus 10:1-3

"And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, This

is it that the Lord spoke, saying , I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified, And Aaron held his peace."

Time period: The Kings The Brazen Serpent - Hezekiah. 2 Kings 18:4

"He (Hoshea) removed the high places and broke down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it:..."

Time period: Apostle Paul, the Galatian church Galatians 1:6-7

"I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ." (Gospel meaning 'good news')

The Gospel in the stars is an example of God's original message which was then perverted by Satan and sinful men. Instead of trusting God and His Christ (Messiah. Savior) to which the star story pointed, we will continually see these same symbols used to form and base complete religions on, and even to create many gods. All over the world and in many different religious systems we see the traces of them over and over.

ASTROLOGY HAS BEEN CONDEMNED.

When the time of written communication occurred and the Gospel in the Stars was no longer needed, and people began to use stars as their gods instead of the story of God, the Bible condemned astrology very strongly. In Isaiah 47:13 it states; "Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon you . behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; there shall not be a coal to warm them at, nor fire to sit before it." (This fire may be like that in a microwave oven - unseen but very hot.)

The earliest form of religion and God's dealings with man is called the Patriarchal Period when God spoke directly to heads of families and animal sacrifice was an act rolling forward their sins until the time when the 'seed of the woman', Jesus, would be the perfect sacrifice to make atonement for the sin of man.

This Patriarchal Period was in place through the period of time of Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, and after the flood when God made His covenant with Abraham until the giving of the law to Moses and the covenant with the people of Israel.

Genesis 12:2,3 "And I (God) will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you: and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

Genesis 17:19-21 "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear you a son indeed; and you shall call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you: Behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly, twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto you at this set time next year."

Genesis 18:18 "Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him."

Hebrews 11:9 "By faith he (Abraham) sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles (tents) with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the promise."

On our time line then, we would have a straight line from the creation of man until the years around 1500

• Along side of this line we have the origins of Chaldean and Egyptian religions which began the worship of other gods and things of nature. The line will represent God's dealings with man as the Patriarchal religion, and the lines along side the religions of man.

Dispersion of Races and Religions

Genesis is a book of origins. Many of the questions of life are given answers when this book is studied. Where did the world come from? How was the world populated? Are there other living things in the universe not of this planet? How did we get here and why are we here? When was music invented? Has the planet always been like it is now? What is the order of creation? What did God require of His creation? Why animal sacrifice to God? What is our responsibility to the animals? Were some people created as animals? Why are there thorns and thistles growing in our gardens? What is sin? How were people dispersed across the face of the earth? What about the origins of languages? When did people originate their religions? Why is there any religion at all?

Genesis ten and First Chronicles one provide a genealogy of the origins of the sons of Noah who survived the deluge that wiped out the other inhabitants of the earth who were the descendants of Adam and Eve. In Genesis eleven the story is told how and why the dispersion of people occurred. God's commandment was that people multiply and inhabit the earth. The people choose to remain together and build cities and high towers "who's top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." This was a form of rebellion against the commandment of God, and an action that God decided to move against by changing in each family its language. From that day as people moved about the face of the earth, they took with them some knowledge of the one true God. They began to add ideas of polytheism, rituals of sacrifice to these gods, and even priesthoods of their own making. It is interesting as we look at the various religions that were created by man to see some of the similarities and some of the great differences, remembering that all originated from the same source and from the same original religion.

The Race Charts of Shem, Ham, and Japheth indicate general areas where these families moved to on the face of the earth. There would be, of course, some intermarriage, some blending of the races over time, and some being totally annihilated by wars and disease. Spellings and usages of names also vary some from time and translations of languages. It is also interesting to note that the further away from the origins of people the more different the style and manner of the religions becomes.