Christ Gospel Press
P. O. Box 786
Jeffersonville, Indiana 47131-0786

http://www.christgospel.org/

Copyright
© Christ Gospel Churches Int’l., Inc.
P. O. Box 786
Jeffersonville, Indiana 47131-0786
1975

Reedited 1997

ISBN 978-1-58363-107-2

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One: The Powerful Ministries of the Lights of the Sky

I. The Ministry of Division

II. The Ministry of Signs

III. The Ministry of Light

Chapter Two: Panoramic View of Zodiac Signs

I. Virgo

II. Libra

III. Scorpio

IV. Sagittarius

V. Capricorn

VI. Aquarius

VII. Pisces

VIII. Aries

IX. Taurus

X. Gemini

XI. Cancer

XII. Leo

Chapter Three: Virgo and the Tribe of Asher

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Virgo

V. Description of Virgo People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Four: Libra and the Tribe of Dan

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Libra

V. Description of Libra People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Five: Scorpio and the Tribe of Gad

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Scorpio

V. Description of Scorpio People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Six: Sagittarius and the Tribe of Joseph-Ephraim

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Sagittarius

V. Description of Sagittarius People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Seven: Capricorn and the Tribe of Naphtali

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Naphtali

V. Description of Capricorn People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Eight: Aquarius and the Tribe of Reuben

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Aquarius

V. Description of Aquarius People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Nine: Pisces and the Tribe of Zebulun

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Pisces

V. Description of Pisces People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Ten: Aries and the Tribe of Issachar

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Aries

V. Description of Aries People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Eleven: Taurus and the Tribe of Benjamin

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Taurus

V. Description of Taurus People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Twelve: Gemini and the Tribes of Simeon and Levi

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Gemini

V. Description of Gemini People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Thirteen: Cancer and the Tribe of Joseph-Manasseh

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Cancer

V. Description of Cancer People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Chapter Fourteen: Leo and the Tribe of Judah

I. Description of the Sign

II. The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

III. The Archetypal Man

IV. The Tribe and Stone of Leo

V. Description of Leo People

VI. Control of Light

VII. Sharing of Light

VIII. Conclusion

Introduction

The stars speak. Some people will reject, totally, the possibility that the stars in the Heavens have power to communicate with earthlings. Even those who are more open in their thinking may find it difficult to believe that we use the Bible as the Authority for saying the stars of the zodiac speak and that they have a definite relationship to the Bible and to us as individuals. Nevertheless, it is true. The Heavens are the creation of God, Who does all things according to His own Design and Purpose. As we gaze into the starry sky at night, we see His Designs; as we study His Word, we discover His Purposes.

The zodiac is God’s Creative Handiwork, placed in the sky by Him to render sweet influences to Earth and to its inhabitants. These lights are all God’s servants. The word zodiac literally means a circle of animals. The zodiac is an imaginary belt in the Heavens, extending for eight degrees on either side of the apparent path of the sun and including the paths of the moon and the principal planets. It is divided into twelve equal parts, or signs, each named for a different constellation. The twelve signs of the zodiac were imagined as twelve lodging houses or strongholds in which, one after another, the sun lodges as it travels the circle of the year. The zodiac signs or Mazzaroth, as they are called in the thirty-eighth chapter of the Book of Job, are regarded by God as domestic animals being led or sent forth by Him. It is manifest that the remarkable order apparent in the entire celestial sphere is due to commands which have been laid down by a Sovereign Will. For example, one has only to observe the rhythmical rise and fall of the tides or the systematic unfolding of the seasons to realize that the heavens exercise an office of powerful control over the Earth.

From the dawn of human history, man has sought to understand the power and the influence of the heavenly bodies upon the Earth and its inhabitants. This quest for knowledge gave birth to the science of astrology. The word astrology means conjurer, necromancer, enchanter, soothsayer, diviner, determiner of fate, stargazer. The astrologers divide the Heavens and distinguish the signs of the zodiac in order to practice various sorts of magical arts.

Astrology is the study of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in an attempt to foretell future events. This class of study is based on the belief that the movement and positions of the heavenly bodies control the affairs of men or that the natural creation is controlled by the heavenly creation, rather than both of them being controlled by the Divine Creator. According to the basic belief of astrologists, then, masses of matter, millions of miles away, determine the destinies of human beings. Astrology teaches the Omnipotence of the stars, whereas God’s Word teaches the Omnipotence of the Creator. Astrology proves how easy it is to combine portions of genuine elements of knowledge with illusory notions to form grandiose systems of thought in which the human mind is held captive until liberated by God’s Word.

Seeking information from the stars was widely practiced from early times. In our present historic world, astrology has its origin in the East among the Chaldeans. The knowledge of astrology was transplanted from Chaldea to Egypt, where it flourished for untold ages under a protected and colossal priesthood. The knowledge of astrology, with its devoted priests, was carried across the Caucasus to the arid steppes of Asia, to Afghanistan and Tibet, to Hindustan, and was spread by the sons of India to the Mongol and Tartar races of the far remote East. From these magical schools, the corrupt stream of astrology engulfed the whole world. Through the influence of Plato, it became popular in the Grecian world. In the middle of the fourth century B.C., Plato proposed a composite god, Apollo-Helias, as the supreme object of worship for the State, which he outlined in his laws. By this means, he united the god of mythology, the patron of Delphi and Delos, with the sun. The Romans, Jews, and Arabs adopted astrology from the Greeks.

Astrology had made such an impact by the latter part of the Middle Ages that few men undertook any important decisions without first consulting an astrologer. It was common procedure for kings and rulers to have their own personal astrologer. In more recent years, there has been a resurge of interest in astrology and horoscopes, so that, today, it is a flourishing multimillion-dollar business. Many are so bound by their horoscopes that they dare not make one independent move without observance and respect of their reading for the day. Thus, they follow the headship (authority) of fallen man who, in turn, is under the wicked headship (authority) of fallen Lucifer, whose purpose and aim is to lead man away from the Headship (Authority) of God, the Creator.

At one time Lucifer was a highly exalted Angel. From his description in the Bible, we see that he knew many wondrous things about God and His Works. Because of this knowledge, fallen Lucifer has used astrology as a powerful tool to control men’s lives. Therefore, as we view with awesome wonder God’s Creative Light stretched across the Heaven, let us remember, as Christians, that we are forbidden to participate in the practice of astrology or to delve into the horoscopes of men. Indeed, this, along with all other superstition, is strictly forbidden by God in His Word. Man has been commanded to seek the LORD, the Creator, and not to seek after the creation for rulership and guidance of his life.

In times past, God spoke to His people through His anointed Prophets. When Israel moved into the land of the Canaanites, she was specifically warned against adopting their heathenish practices. Under no circumstances was she to defile herself with the superstitious, enquiring practices of her neighbours.

When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (Deuteronomy 18:9-15).

The Book of Isaiah records God’s verdict of Judgment on Babylon and Chaldea because of their great wickedness. His Words were tinged with a touch of sarcasm as He reminded them of their willful ways.

Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee (Isaiah 47:12,13).

The New Jerusalem Translation expresses the thirteenth verse this way: “Let them come forward now and save you, these who analyze the heavens, who study the stars and announce month by month what will happen to you next.” Clearly, then, the child of God is not to walk according to the system of astrology and the horoscopes produced by man, for such practices are an abomination to our God.

The corrupted science of astrology served one good purpose, however. It provoked those who were hungry for true knowledge to continue searching and studying the Truth of the heavenly bodies. Thus, the true science of astronomy was born. Astronomy is a study of the true Laws, the system of Laws, of the stars and other heavenly bodies, which deals with their composition, motion, relative position, and size, for example. Astronomy and astrology are both concerned with the heavenly bodies, but their purposes and methods are quite different. Astronomy is a true science, whereas astrology is a pseudoscience which is greatly used by God’s archenemy, fallen Lucifer, to lead people away from God, the Living Creator. Everything fathered by fallen Lucifer is in direct opposition to the Truth. In the timelessness of Eternity, Lucifer rebelled against God and destroyed all the Truth in his being, turning it into lies. That is why in John, chapter eight, verse forty-four, Jesus called him the “father of lies.” (This fallen Angel is known to us, today, as Satan, the Devil, the Serpent, and the Dragon [Revelation 12:9].) Because fallen Lucifer has used the Truth of God’s creation to form a pseudoscience called astrology, few Bible scholars have bothered to search for the real Truth which God has for us in the natural Heaven. But, because my own heart has yearned desperately to know all of God’s Truth, I have fasted, prayed, and earnestly sought God for understanding of the zodiac. How I magnify His Name for the day that He started unfolding this glorious Truth to my longing heart!

The zodiac, as given to us by God, introduces us to two of God’s scientific Laws: the Law of Astronomy and the Law of Relativity. While the word astronomy is not found in the Bible, there are many Scriptures confirming the science of astronomy. For example, hundreds of references to the sun, moon, stars, and planets reveal that the early Bible writers were much better acquainted, in many ways, with the subject of astronomy than are many modern people. The Biblical writers were aware that the stars differ greatly from each other (I Corinthians 15:41). This has been verified by the astronomers of today. Not only do stars have different colours, but they also differ widely in size, in density, in temperature, and in total amount of light emitted.

Just as the word astronomy is not found in the Bible, neither is the word relativity found in the Bible. Yet, God’s Word confirms the operation of the science of the Law of Relativity. Many passages of Scripture establish the close dependence which the Earth and its inhabitants have with the sun, moon, and stars. By relativity, I simply mean there is a relationship between the Truth which exists in the invisible realm and the Truth which exists in the visible realm. Since God is the Creator of all things, it is obvious that all things have had to proceed out of Him; therefore, everything is related. Romans, chapter one, verse twenty, says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made [visible things], even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”. To understand means to be aware; to be aware means perceiving, or seeing, tasting, touching, hearing, smelling. We understand — feel, hear, see — the invisible through our perception of the visible. Plainly stated, we are saying that things in the literal, natural state are types of what exists in the invisible. The visible does not exist separately from the invisible; the one accompanies the other. Thus, we see the Law of Relativity or relationship between the visible and the invisible.

God is a Spirit (invisible). How could we, as created beings, relate to Him or understand anything about His Infinite, Invisible Being, except that we study His creation through which He manifests Himself? Failure to understand God’s Law of Relativity is the cause of consternation to many. For instance, when Jesus said, “…Ye must be born again” (John 3:7), Nicodemus wrestled with this seemingly impossible statement. Why? Because he saw only the natural side of the Truth which Jesus spoke. Jesus, of course, was referring to a spiritual rebirth, of which a natural birth is the type. Do you want to understand your spiritual birth into God’s family? Then, notice a natural birth. By observing Christ’s natural creation, we human beings can conceive many Truths about God and His Works, although we may not understand Him completely.

Astrologers have seized some of the facts from these two sciences, astronomy and relativity, and joined them to their illusory notions to increase their power and control of mankind. But, students of true science have discovered many of God’s natural Laws by developing theories and, then, proving them through the method of logic. We could say, simply, that the formation of scientific laws starts with observation of facts from which conclusions are drawn. Once the facts have been proven experimentally, they may be stated in the form of a law. This method of study applies to God’s Word, the Holy Bible, as well. Using the Scriptures as the Authoritative Source for facts, we may draw many conclusions which are true when we have discovered the Laws by which God Works. We may be sure that we have discovered a Principle or Law when we find it in operation from the Book of Genesis through the Book of Revelation.

The Bible is the sole Authority on which I have based everything that is written in this book. It is not intended that this book be a scientific treatise on astronomy or astrology; it is strictly an assimilation of facts from the Bible as they relate to the twelve signs of the zodiac, particularly in its purpose and influence in our life. Let us, then, examine the beautiful Truths about the zodiac that are found in God’s Eternal Word.

— The Author

Chapter One

The Powerful Ministries Of The Lights In The Sky

The heavenly luminaries are all God’s servants. As we study the twelve signs of the zodiac in particular, we will see the many unconscious benefits which are rendered to us by the stars. Many blessings of Wisdom, Power, and Goodness are served to mortal man by the Power and Glory of God’s Creative Word through the stars. In order to understand how the stars influence our life, we must understand a few Principles about the Source of the influence; the Source, of course, is the Creator.

We must understand, first, that God, the Word, is the Creator; then, we must understand that the Word has Glory. The Word does not exist apart from Glory. Where there is God’s Creative Word, there is Glory. And, where there is Glory, there is God’s Creative Word. John the Apostle established that the Word has Glory. He said: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt 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). John also established that the Word created all things. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

How does Genesis relate the story of creation? The Scriptures say, “And God said, Let there be…. and there was….” God’s Word created all things. Deuteronomy, chapter thirty-two, verse four, tells us that God is a Rock of Truth or Word. This was the Rock which followed Israel in her wilderness journey. In the New Testament, we are told that this Rock was Christ (I Corinthians 10:1-4). From all these Scriptures, we know that our Creator was Christ, the Word, and that He has Glory and that He was made Flesh and dwelt among us.

The Apostle Peter established the Truth of the Principle of Glory resting upon the Word or the Christ.

If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified (I Peter 4:14).

Peter said, in so many words, that if we suffer for Christ and refuse to allow the Word to be taken from us, the Spirit of Glory will come to rest upon the Living, Revealed Word which is in us. Now, we can understand the significance of the Scripture which tells us that the Heavens declare the Glory of the Crucified Christ.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, (Psalm 19:1-4).

We know that the Creative Word of God is in the Heavens along with the visible stars, for the Scripture in First Peter has established that where there is Glory, there is also Word. The Word, the Creator, then, is the Cause of the influence from the stars which beam blessings down to Earth.

As we stated in the introduction, God’s Law of Relativity says that the visible and the invisible relate. God is invisible; His creation is visible. There is nothing outside of God. Therefore, all visible substance had to come from the invisible. The Glory Light from the stars is visible, but it is not separated from the invisible Creative Word and Glory which accompany all visible creation. It is this Creative Word-Glory from the stars that affects the Earth. While trying to prove astrologers wrong, science has rejected their theory that radiation or some such phenomenon could influence people on Earth. But, modern astrologers consider the stars as merely signs, not causes. According to God’s Word, neither is correct. The Creative Word which accompanies the visible light is what has an effect on us. If God’s Spoken Invisible Word could and did create visible substance, then the Word which accompanies the visible light from the stars can and does affect our life.

Let us turn to the Book of Beginnings, Genesis, for it is here we find the beginning of the zodiac or the twelve groups of heavenly luminaries, along with the other lights of the firmament. God’s Creative Works are always meaningful. The purpose for the luminary bodies which God placed in the Heavens is clearly seen in Genesis, chapter one.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so (Genesis 1:14,15).

Here was the establishment of our solar system which rules over the Earth. The lights in the firmament were made from the Word of God; therefore, they have the Glory of the Creative Word resting upon them. Thus, their sweet influence and power upon the Earth and its inhabitants have their origin in the Word of God and the Glory of God’s Word.

The word for lights, used in the first chapter of Genesis, means happiness in the Hebrew language. God’s Purpose for the light shining down on us from the heavenly luminous bodies is to provide a sweet influence in our life, an influence which will make us a happier people. What person is there who has not felt the happy surging influence, in his soul and spirit, of the light from the sun, moon, and stars as he has stepped out into a bright sunshiny day or has stood under the star-studded heavenly canopy on a beautifully clear night?

God stated, in the beginning, that the ministry of the heavenly luminous bodies was to give light upon the Earth. So God’s intended Purpose for the light from the stars was to influence us to greater joy. They are neither to guide our actions nor to control our decisions, as fallen Lucifer would have us believe. We are to look to God, the Creator, for guidance of our life and not to His creation. Wherever we find Glory (and the Bible says that the Heavens declare His Glory), we find the Word; wherever we find Word and Glory, we find Light streaming out from the Creative Word to bless people and make them happy.

Let us investigate more fully God’s three primary Purposes for giving the lights in the sky. These Purposes, given in Genesis, chapter one, verses fourteen and fifteen, are as follows: (1) to divide day and night, seasons, and years; (2) for signs; and (3) to give light.

I.  The Ministry of Division

The first ministry of the heavenly luminaries is that of division. The lights of the firmament break up the monotony of life. Because of the variety brought about by each new day’s beginning and its ending and because of the changing of the seasons and years, life does not become one continuous drudgery. All these changes are controlled by the luminary bodies in the Heavens. Each day brings its own particular works; each night brings it own refreshing rest. Spring appears with its new life and renewed feelings of hope. Summer brings us satisfying, unfolding growth. Autumn bursts forth in its exciting, mature growth and fruitfulness. Then, in blows winter with its icy cold breath, softly blanketing the Earth with its purifying and cleansing frost and snow, sanctifying and preparing the ground for new growth. How stimulating is the lights’ ministry of division which arranges days and nights, seasons and years into perpetually new opportunities.

II.  The Ministry of Signs

God’s second stated purpose of the lights in the sky is the ministry of signs. The Hebrew word for sign is oth which means an omen, a prodigy, a beacon, a mark, a monument, a token, a witness, a pledge. When God created the lights, He said, “Let them be for signs.” A sign, according to one Hebrew meaning of the word, is an omen. The heavenly lights, then, are foretelling future events. They are proof or evidence of what God planned to do during the Dispensation of Time and on into future Eternity. Man came out of Eternity-Past (since everything had its beginning in God), and he lives now, visibly, in a period marked as Time. At his life’s end, he returns into Eternity once more. The stars picture all the Dispensations of Time through which man passes on his journey from Eternity to Eternity. These dispensations are graphically portrayed in the signs of the zodiac.

God drew pictures in the sky of all He planned for man from the first man through all of Time. The relationship of the signs of the zodiac to Bible prophecy and its fulfillment is utterly fantastic. Yet, the relation is true because the signs fit together with God’s Word which is Truth. This is fully explained in a later chapter. At this point we want to establish that one of the ministries of the lights in the sky is to shine down as an omen, a prodigy or a prophetic Light or Word to man. The lights in the sky are for signs or omens.

III.  The Ministry of Light

God’s third Purpose of the luminaries in the sky is that they minister light, both spiritually and naturally, to the Earth and to its inhabitants. Returning to the words of the Psalmist as he spoke of the Heavens, we find him continuing his discourse by saying, “Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge” (Psalm 19:2).

We do not see the stars when we look into the sky during the daytime, but their speech, their promise (the word for speech in Hebrew means promise), their prophecy, still is beaming down to Earth.

At night the exalted Glory of the sun is shut off, and the prophetic Glory of the stars is revealed. Next, the Scripture says: “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.…” (Psalm 19:3,4). The stars speak to every man on Earth, regardless of where he lives. As the Earth spins about, every place on it is influenced by the light of the stars. Their ministering rule, or their line, goes throughout the whole Earth, prophesying the Will of God to man.

The Devil twists this Truth of the Light of Prophecy from the stars into a daily prophesying of how a person should conduct himself according to his sign. This is the Devil’s method of trying to guide people’s lives and keep them under his influence. Just as he caused the heathen of Biblical times to be prostrated with fear of the stars because of the evil predictions and superstitions perpetrated by the astrologers, so does Satan continue to delight in blinding us to the things which God intends for our good. But, Scripture commands us to not be dismayed at the signs of Heaven. God wants us to understand the omens which He has placed in the sky.

Along with prophetic Light from the stars comes an assenting or consenting influence. We find this meaning in the Hebrew primary root word for the word sign. The root word is ooth which means assent or consent. First, God stretches out a star-studded picture of what His Will or order of events is for man. Then, accompanying the visible light from these prophetic pictures comes a sweet assenting and consenting influence which lights each man at the bottom of his heart with the desire to know God and to walk in God’s Will which He has planned before him. Many times in man’s journey through life, however, he hardens his heart against these sweet influences from God so as to deny that he has felt a desire to know God.

Whether we admit it or not, spiritual Light is ministered to us from the Lights in the sky. We have learned already that Christ was the Word, the Creator. And, when referring to the Christ Incarnate, the Apostle John called Him the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world (John 1:9). Everyone is born with the prophetic Light of some constellation of stars shining down on him. This Light carries the sweet consenting influence of the Word to the Will of God. We see this attitude toward God plainly manifested in small children who have not developed wills strong enough to oppose their Creator’s influence. For instance, it is a rare child who will not worship God by praising and singing when he is in a place of worship. Children’s spirits consent to the influence of the Light which has shone into the darkness of men’s hearts, lighting them as they come into the world.

Of course, there is also the ministry of the literal light from the luminaries in the sky. Earth people cannot survive without the sun’s light. Earth would indeed be a dungeon and a desert. The last part of the Scripture reference reads: “…In them [the lights in the Heavens] hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,” (Psalm 19:4). The writer was referring directly to the zodiac, for God created the zodiac to be tents for the sun as he runs his circuit.

It is evident from God’s Word that the luminaries in the sky have power to affect or influence us. Influence means the power of persons or things to affect other persons or things, whether consciously or unconsciously. The Gospel of John, chapter one, verses one through nine, confirms the Truth that the heavenly lights influence or lighten every man who comes into this world.

In this chapter we have seen, then, the threefold Purpose of the lights in the sky. They have a ministry of division. They minister as signs, foretelling future events. And, they minister light, spiritually and naturally, to the Earth and to those who live on it.

Chapter Two

Panoramic View Of The Zodiac Signs

Let us briefly consider an overall picture of the zodiac so that we may obtain a vision of God’s awe-inspiring prophetic Calendar which He placed in the skies when He created the great luminaries of the Heavens. These signs foretell man’s spiritual journey in this present period called Time, from the beginning of time to the consummation of time or the Perfect Age of Future Eternity. The twelve signs of the zodiac are like a clock, for they foretell the Truth of the twelve great dispensations of the events of mankind as they also are described in God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation.

If this were a natural clock, we would begin reading it at the top and move clockwise around the circle. However, God’s spiritual time clock does not always coincide with the natural time clock. This fact was established when God gave the Passover to Israel. God said: “This month [Abib, or Nisan, the seventh month] shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you” (Exodus 12:2). The Passover month was not the beginning of months for Israel’s natural or civil year, which starts with the month of Ethanim, or Tisri, but it was the beginning of months for her spiritual year or experience with God. It is evident, then, that God begins the spiritual time clock in a different way than He does the natural one. Because sin has entered and separated God’s natural and spiritual time clocks, their beginnings are different. However, sin cannot interfere with or thwart the moving of God’s spiritual time clock. And, in due season, God will restore the unity and harmony of His natural time clock with the spiritual one.

The prophetic spiritual Wheel of the Truth of the zodiac begins with the sign of Virgo.

I.  Virgo

The word Virgo means virgin. Virgo is an equatorial constellation between Leo and Libra, supposedly outlining a woman, and it is represented by the sign of a virgin.

God starts His spiritual time clock in the summer season of blessing. The virgin is seen as the gleaning maid with a sheaf of corn or wheat in her hands. The sign of the virgin in the sky foretold how God would promise a supernatural Seed to Adam-female after man’s fall into sin. This was the woman’s Seed Who was to bruise the Serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).

The fact that the woman bearing the Seed was to be a virgin was later confirmed by the Prophet Isaiah who declared, “Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]” (Isaiah 7:14). Here was the promise of a Redeemer and Saviour — Jesus Christ. Thus, God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky began with the introduction of His Son as the Redeemer of mankind.

The nature of the sign of Virgo is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Asher. The power of the sign is reflected in the onyx stone which represented the tribe of Asher in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

II.  Libra

The word Libra means a scales or balance. Libra is a southern constellation between Virgo and Scorpio, and it supposedly resembles a pair of scales.Therefore, this sign is represented by a pair of scales.

After man’s sinful downfall, he was weighed in the Scales of God’s Justice and was found lacking or wanting in God’s Holiness and Righteousness.

The nature of the sign of Libra is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Dan. The power of the sign is reflected in the beryl stone which represented the tribe of Dan in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

III.  Scorpio

The word Scorpio means scorpion. Scorpio is a southern constellation between Libra and Sagittarius. This constellation of stars resembles a scorpion or serpent entwined in the sky.

Scorpio prophesied of man’s continual experience in the dispensation of sin after being bitten by the Serpent or Scorpion who is fallen Lucifer (Revelation 12:9).

Fallen Lucifer, the Serpent-Scorpion, seeks continually to infuse his poisonous venom of sin into the heel of mankind so that he, in turn, might bring about man’s downfall and thereby render him unfit to walk in God’s Righteous, Holy Way.

The nature of the sign of Scorpio is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Gad. The power of the sign is reflected in the diamond stone which represented the tribe of Gad in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

IV.  Sagittarius

The word Sagittarius means archer. Sagittarius is a southern constellation which resembles a centaur shooting an arrow.

God prophesied that He would send the Word of His Law and that His Word would be like arrows in the hearts of His enemies. Time has proven that the arrows of God’s Law strike at the enemy of sin in the human heart.

The nature of the sign of Sagittarius is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Ephraim. The power of the sign is reflected in the ligure stone which represented the tribe of Ephraim in the Breastplate of the High Priest. (Notice that the name of Joseph appears on the zodiac chart with the name of Ephraim. This is because Joseph was the son who received the birthright, which entitled him to a double portion of inheritance from his father Jacob. Joseph’s inheritance was divided between his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.)

V.  Capricorn

The word capri means goat, and cornu means horn. Capricorn is a southern constellation between Sagittarius and Aquarius; it resembles a goat.

After the Law had come along, shooting its sharp arrows into the heart of man and revealing the enemy called Sin, God prophetically declared, in so many words, “I am going to send my Beloved Son Who will be born in a manger in the stable of the goat. He will be man’s Scapegoat for sin.” Jesus Christ was this Scapegoat, pictured in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus as the Scapegoat on the Day of Atonement. The scapegoat was sent away into the wilderness to return no more, demonstrating that a portion of the Blood of Jesus Christ was to be Scapegoat-Blood to go back behind the Back of God to form the Sea of God’s Forgetfulness (Isaiah 38:17; 43:25). Thus, the Scapegoat-Blood of Jesus Christ became a River of Remission to carry man’s sin behind the Back of God.

Capricorn the Scapegoat belongs to the winter season, spiritually speaking, because it was in the wintertime of sin, the season of death, in which Jesus Christ came to be the sinner’s Scapegoat.

The nature of the sign of Capricorn is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Naphtali. The power of the sign is reflected in the jasper stone which represented the tribe of Naphtali in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

VI.  Aquarius

The word Aquarius means water carrier. Aquarius is a large central constellation resembling a man pouring out water from a container in his right hand.

Through this sign in the sky, God foretold the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. After the appearance of Jesus Christ, the Scapegoat, the Water of the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the believers on the Day of Pentecost. After the Crucifixion, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, He ascended to the Right Hand of God and became the Water Boy, as it were, Who poured out the Water of the Holy Ghost, just as He had promised to do. Thus, He fulfilled the prophecy of the sign of Aquarius, the water boy.

The nature of the sign of Aquarius is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Reuben. The power of the sign is reflected in the emerald stone which represented the tribe of Reuben in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

VII.  Pisces

The word Pisces means fish. Pisces is a constellation south of Andromeda, and it resembles fish in shape; therefore, it is represented by the sign of Fish.

Following the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, the Disciples became fishers of men, and there was a great ingathering of souls. On the Day of Pentecost alone, 3,000 souls were added to the church.

Was this not the fulfillment of the Call and Promise which Jesus gave to His Disciples? When He first called them, Jesus said, “…Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). But, before they could become fishers of men, they were instructed to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with Power from on High.

They needed more than natural ability to fish for men. Although some of them were fishermen by trade, they still had fruitless nights of labour. Yet, Jesus demonstrated His Power over the natural elements. At His Command, they drew in nets bursting with fish. Much more, then, did they need the Heaven-sent Power to make them effectual fishers of men. For this they tarried in the Upper Room. When they were baptized with the Holy Ghost, speaking in other tongues and magnifying God, they went forth energized and empowered by the Holy Ghost to catch the souls of men for the Kingdom of God.

The nature of the sign of Pisces is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Zebulun. The power of the sign is reflected in the carbuncle stone which represented the tribe of Zebulun in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

VIII.  Aries

The word Aries means ram. A northern constellation between Pisces and Taurus, Aries resembles a ram.

Through Aries, the Ram, God prophetically revealed that after the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s Son would return to Heaven to be seated at the Right Hand of God the Father, where He would rest as a Ram or Sheep in a pasture until God would make His enemies His footstool.

God foretold how His Son would rest from the time of Calvary’s Cross, through the Tribulation Period. During this time, the Father will pour out His Wrath and Judgment upon the Earth and its inhabitants until they are brought into subjection to His Son.

The nature of the sign of Aries is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Issachar. The power of the sign is reflected in the topaz stone which represented the tribe of Issachar in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

IX.  Taurus

The word Taurus means bull. This northern constellation contains the Pleiades and resembles the forequarters of a bull.

Taurus the Bull, with his aggressive and defensive horns, prophetically pictures the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. At His Second Coming, He will charge forth as an angry Bull, with His aggressive and defensive Horns of Power, to gore down His enemies. He will not be a meek and lowly Lamb at His Second Coming; He will return as the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. At this Second Advent, Jesus Christ will ride forth to conquer with great Power and Glory. At this time, the age-old battle between evil and good will be settled once and for all.

The nature of the sign of Taurus is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Benjamin. The power of the sign is reflected in the amethyst stone which represented the tribe of Benjamin in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

X.  Gemini

The word Gemini means the twins. This northern constellation between Cancer and Taurus contains the stars Costar and Pollux, and it is represented as twins sitting together. Gemini, the twins, are seen in a posture of rest, for they have folded their arms holding their war clubs.

The sign of Gemini prophesies the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. It is then that men will beat their weapons into plowshares and pruning hooks and will study war no more. With folded war clubs, they will know a thousand years of the peaceful, restful Reign of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, which has been stretched out through the different dispensations of time. He will roar His praise to God for this flood called Time which came out of the Loins of God in order to reveal God’s great Plan of Redemption. In fact, all creatures will join in with the roar of praise of the Lion-Lamb.

Leo represents, prophetically, the Perfect Age in which God’s immense prophetic program will be completed, and the LORD God and the Lion-Lamb will rule and reign for all Eternity.

Thus, we have seen a preview of God’s great prophetic Calendar which He has stretched forth in the skies so that man, through the course of time, might be influenced continually with the prophetic Power of the Light of Truth from the zodiac. This is the one aspect to which the Book of John, chapter one, verse nine, refers. Surely these prophetic Lights in the sky, with their Omnipresent and Omnipotent Truth, “lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

We are ready, now, to study each of these signs in greater detail.

Why twins? Did you not realize that Jesus was twins? Yes, He was, for He was both human and Divine. He was Jesus the Man, the Son of Man, and He was Christ, the Divine Word, the Logos of God. He literally was two separate entities combined in one Body. He alone has Power to make men fold up their arms that hold war clubs and be at peace.

The nature of the sign of Gemini is seen in the Old Testament tribes of Simeon and Levi. As ministers, separated unto the LORD, the Levites were not identified in the Breastplate of the High Priest by an individual stone; instead, they share the sapphire stone with Simeon. The power of the sign of Gemini, then, is reflected in the sapphire stone.

XI.  Cancer

The word Cancer means crab. A northern constellation between Gemini and Leo, Cancer resembles a crab.

Cancer, the Crab, with her powerful, tenacious claws, prophesies of the group of people who will cling tenaciously to Jesus Christ at the close of His Millennial Rule and Reign on Earth when Satan and the Devil will be loosed for a season from the Bottomless Pit.

We already have seen, prophetically, under the sign of Gemini, the Millennial Reign of the Prince of Peace. During this time, Lucifer, the archenemy of Jesus Christ, will be bound. At the end of the thousand-year period, however, fallen Lucifer (known, then, as only Satan and the Devil) will be loosed for a short season so that he might make one last effort to persuade men to follow him.

Man, in spite of having lived under the righteous and peaceful Reign of Jesus Christ, will turn to follow fallen Lucifer. On the other hand, there will be many who, like the crab, will hold tenaciously to Jesus Christ.

The sign of Cancer, the crab, then, prophesies of the tenacity of the spiritual nucleus of people who will cling to Jesus Christ at the end of the Millennial Reign.

The nature of the sign of Cancer is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Manasseh. The power of the sign is reflected in the agate stone which represented the tribe of Manasseh in the breastplate of the High Priest.

As we have mentioned already, the name of Joseph appears with Manasseh’s name because Joseph’s double portion of inheritance was divided between his sons Ephraim and Manasseh.

XII.  Leo

The word Leo means lion. This northern constellation between Cancer and Virgo resembles a lion in shape. The prophetic ministry of the zodiac circle is completed with the sign of Leo, the Lion.

The constellation of Leo, the Lion, prophetically speaks of Jesus Christ as the Lion-Lamb Who inhabits the Eternal Abode in the New City, the New Jerusalem, which marks the beginning of the Dispensation of the Perfect Age.

In Revelation, chapter five, verses five and six, the Glorified, Resurrected Christ is revealed as the Lion-Lamb out of the tribe of Judah.

The nature of the sign of Leo is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Judah. The power of the sign is reflected in the sardius stone which represented the tribe of Judah in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

Since the name Judah means praise, we know that Jesus Christ, the Lion-Lamb in the Perfect Age, will lead all creation in magnificent anthems of praise to God. The New Heavens, the New Earth, and the New City will be filled with stirring choruses of praise. Even the Lake of Fire, the Eternal Abode of God’s enemies, will be filled with praise to God, for every knee will have to bow, and every tongue will have to confess that Blessing Honour, Glory, and Power belong to Jesus Christ Who is LORD, to the Glory of God the Father (Revelation 5:13).

No wonder that the closing sign of the zodiac is Leo, the lion. The Lion-Lamb will come forth to roar His praise for God’s Will

Chapter Three

Virgo And The Tribe Of Asher

August 23 — September 22

In the sky are the natural lights which bear the shape or outline of the signs of the zodiac. We see these with our natural eyes. However, we could understand little about the intrinsic nature of these signs if the LORD had not raised up people who, having grown up under the influence of a particular sign, reflected the characteristics of the Light which shined down on them from the Heaven.

The nature of the signs of the zodiac is revealed through the names of the tribes which came out of the loins of the patriarch Jacob or Israel, as he was called in his later years. The blessing of power of the sign is seen in the stones used to identify each of the tribes.

Let us now study what God’s Word teaches about the sign of Virgo and the tribe of Asher.

I.  Description of the Sign

God begins His prophetic wheel of light in the sky with Virgo, the Virgin in whose hand and arm are seen sheaves of wheat or corn. This sign corresponds with the summer season. The nature of this sign is revealed through the tribe of Asher. The blessings of the power of Virgo is reflected in the onyx stone.

The stars of the constellation of Virgo are seen in the similitude of a woman. Virgo is said to be an equatorial constellation of thirty-nine visible stars, with Spica as the brightest star. When the sun passes through this sign, the harvest is ready for the reaper; therefore, Virgo is symbolized as the gleaning Virgin holding sheaves of wheat or corn. From His natural light in the sky, God prophesied that man could expect God to bring forth a Living Seed through a Virgin.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

When man sinned in the beginning, God promised a Seed, even the Seed of the Messiah-Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Who was to be the Living Seed or Bread from Heaven.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).

Having disobeyed God’s Command, Adam-male and female stood guilty before God. They stood clothed with the heat of summertime, as it were, clothed with the heat of possessions of fear, shame, and the torment of sin. But, before meting out judgment to the sinful pair, God first dealt with the Serpent who beguiled Adam-female into eating of the forbidden tree. From the time God spoke the Words of Judgment to the Serpent, there has been enmity and strife between the Serpent’s seed (his children) and the woman’s Seed (Jesus Christ). It was prophesied that the woman’s Seed (Jesus Christ) would bruise and crush the Serpent’s head of authority, even as the Serpent would bruise the Heel of Jesus Christ as He was crucified on the Cross.

The prophetic sign in the sky revealed that the woman’s Seed would be a Supernatural Seed and that it would be given supernaturally to a virgin. This Truth is confirmed in God’s Word. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). A virgin shall bring forth a Seed — a Branch, a Sheaf. Thus, we see the natural prophetic wheel of light in the sky fitting together with God’s spiritual Prophetic Wheel of Light in His Word.

III.  The Archetypal Man

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word archetypal relates to an archetype which, in turn, means the original pattern or model from which all things of the same type are representations or copies. Although the archetypal man, seen in connection with the zodiac wheel, is invisible to our natural eyesight, his stature is the perfect pattern or model for our own stature, both naturally and spiritually.

God’s Word does not leave us ignorant concerning the identity of this archetypal man. In Psalm nineteen, verses four through six, we learn that the lights of the zodiac were created to be tabernacles, houses, strongholds, or resting places for the sun whose nearness to the Earth makes its light rays more glorious than all other lights. The Hebrew word sheh-mesh which is translated sun comes from an unused root word meaning to be brilliant; it means the sun, the east, a ray, a notched battlement, east side, eastward, sun rising, westward. The same Hebrew word is used again in the Book of Malachi in reference to the Sun of Righteousness — Jesus Christ. “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun [Sheh-mesh] of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall” (Malachi 4:2). We understand, then, that in the invisible archetypal man in the sky we see the Stature of Jesus Christ, the Sun of Righteousness.

The sign of Virgo signifies the assimilating and distributing functions of the human organism. This constellation represents the bowels of humanity. Virgo’s influence is very important in the natural realm since the intestines comprise a vital section of the digestive organism. It is equally important in the spiritual realm. When we look at the woman’s Seed, the LORD Jesus Christ, our spiritual bowels will be influenced to digest His wonderful Bread of Truth.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Virgo

A name signifies the inner nature of a person or thing; therefore, by studying the name of the tribe most strongly influenced by each sign, we will learn much about the nature which the light imparts when it penetrates into the human heart.

The prophetic sign of Virgo belongs to the Old Testament tribe of Asher, which was identified with the onyx stone. Let us consider the prophecy spoken by Jacob concerning the tribe of Asher.

Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties (Genesis 49:20).

The name Asher means happy or blessed. This verse literally could be translated to read in this way — “dainties of or for the king.” Thus, the bread prophesied of Asher fits together with the corn or wheat of Virgo, the Virgin. Asher’s bread or seed was first described as fat. The Prophecy about the tribe of Asher said they were to become a very rich and prosperous tribe. They were to be furnished not just with the bread of necessity, but they were to be blessed with fatness and with dainties.

How great God is to provide us with more than our necessities. He gives dainties so that man might be constrained to praise Him as a bountiful Benefactor.

Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life to His people, and His Bread is fat. Therefore, He satisfies abundantly. What a rich and blessed Bread is hid in Christ for the soul who hungers and thirsts for Him. The pleasures, delights, and satisfactions of the Bread of Christ are indeed Royal Dainties. It is precious Food with the Royal Stamp of the King upon it. There is Royal Bread of Pardon, Royal Bread of Love, and the Royal Bread of Peace in the spiritual Pantry of the LORD Jesus Christ. His Bread is sweet to the taste.

Let us consider another prophecy for Asher that was spoken by Moses.

And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be (Deuteronomy 33:24,25).

Moses prophesied that because of Asher’s blessing from God upon his bread there would be a numerical increase of the tribe.

When there is scarcity of food, disease and plagues prevail; children perish for lack of wholesome food. The same Principle applies in the spiritual realm. When we feed on the Royal Bread of Jesus Christ, we produce healthy strong converts for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Moses prophetically prayed for the tribe of Asher to be acceptable to his brethren; that is, that they would be free from tribal jealousies and animosities, being filled instead with peace, joy, and contentment. This also is true in Christ. When we feed on His Royal Bread out of His Word, we are freed from jealousy and strife and are able to enjoy the peace, joy, and satisfaction of His Presence.

Moses also prophesied that Asher might dip his foot in oil or, in other words, that his olives trees might grow and flourish. There is no fruit tree so abundant in producing fruit and, therefore, remunerative as the olive. Olive trees can flourish and attain a very great age, growing in such rocky soil that it seems impossible for the soil to produce anything.

God’s Promise to Asher that his bread would be blessed also with oil was an assurance that God would supply him strength day by day.

When the Seed of the Son of Man was overshadowed in the womb of the Virgin Mary, by the Power (the Oil) of the Holy Ghost, she conceived and brought forth a Son, Jesus — Immanuel — God with us. When we, in turn, feed on the Spiritfilled Bread of God’s Word, we will have strength for the trials, tribulations, joys, and sorrows of each day.

God also promised that Asher would be strong and bright, as iron and brass is strong and bright. Thus, we see that all that was spoken of Asher was fulfilled in reality in the Seed promised to the Virgin and represented by the constellation of Virgo.

Gem stones have power to reflect light; therefore, all the stones of the various tribes of Israel reflect different rays of light concerning the Creative Power of Jesus Christ Who is the True Stone.

The blessing of power of the sign of Virgo is seen in the onyx stone which belonged to the tribe of Asher.

The Hebrew word for onyx means to blanch, to take the colour out, to make lustrous. In the onyx stone, we see the blessing of the Power of God’s Creative Word as it shines through the light of Virgo. When the onyx light of Truth reaches into the human heart, it begins changing that heart by bleaching the colour out of the self-life and making the heart lustrous with the Life of God’s Word and Spirit. The self-life is not eradicated from our heart instantly. But, as we yield to the consenting influence of Virgo, God will cause the beauties and glories of our flesh to fade day by day until our heart is made to burn with love for Jesus Christ alone and until He can look deeply into our heart and see His own Image and Likeness reflected in every glowing love light.

It is no wonder, then, that Asher was called blessed or happy, for there is no happiness to compare with the blessing of being freed from the self-life and being filled with the Light and Life of Jesus Christ, the Seed promised to the Virgin.

V.  Description of Virgo People

The nature of the tribe of Asher, the nature of the onyx stone, and the sign itself work together to reveal some basic characteristics of the people born between August 23rd and September 22nd, under the sign of Virgo.

Because they are influenced by blanching, clear, shining light, Virgoans love to make things clean. They easily can become fanatical housekeepers. They love to better their circumstances and situations. Because they are born under the light of the Virgin holding the sheaves of wheat or corn, they are seed people. Consequently, they love to eat. Since the intestines comprise a vital section of the digestive organism, we find that those who are born under the Seed Light, the Bread Light, possess fine, discriminating powers in the choice of food. These people are indeed breathed upon by the sweet influence of God’s Word and Glory that make up this prophetic constellation.

People born under the Seed Light from the sky have been blessed with the ability to start at the beginning, the foundation, the seed of anything they attempt to do; therefore, they are very logical people. Because of this Light of Truth, they bear responsibility well. They are thinkers with strong motivation for study and research; they seek after knowledge and wisdom. Their insatiable capacity for knowledge makes them sensitive and perceptive to details. Although they are people who move in logical, methodical, and orderly mental patterns, they also have the ability to yield readily to inspiration.

Virgoans are characteristically happy people. Because they belong to the tribe of Asher by birth, under its sign, these people adjust to life’s circumstances and situations better than do most people.

VI.  Control of Light

The natural characteristics which we receive through the influence of our birth sign can work for good or for evil, depending on whether the Headship of God or the headship of fallen Lucifer is governing our life. By the term headship, we refer to the controlling mind, will, and authority of either God or fallen Lucifer. God has ordained these sweet influences to work for good in us, but when the mind of carnal man and the mind of Satan rule these influences, the light becomes evil and distorted. These influences, then, become the opposite to what God originally intended for them to be.

When the Virgoans’ ability to think and analyze is under Satanic control, these people become hypercritical, faultfinding, and most difficult to please. When the influences of “seed light” are controlled by Satan, he leads to misunderstanding in personal and social contacts with others. When Satan, as prince of the power of the air, controls the influences from the light of Virgo that God meant for good, these seed people turn their excellent powers of perception into destructive criticism. For example, they will use their fine reasoning powers to jump to conclusions which have been influenced by personal prejudices. Their natural tendencies toward happiness can become frivolity and foolishness, expressing only the selfishness of the fleshly man bent on seeking his own carnal pleasures. This happy-go-lucky tendency can lead to a lack of serious thought and a neglect of Eternal Values.

These sweet influences from the constellation of Virgo represent a Heaven-sent Power which can be utilized for Eternal Good or twisted into something distasteful and unlovely. God’s Gifts of Light can work gratitude and love in us, or they can gender selfishness and pride, depending on who controls the light.

VII.  Sharing of Light

There is a sense in which we all share in the light and influence from all the signs. For instance, when Jacob prophesied to Asher, all his other sons were present to hear the words spoken. And Asher was present to hear the prophecies given to his brothers who were born under other signs of the zodiac.

The people born under this particular constellation carry the full effect of its influence; however, the rest of the people can share in the seed light of Virgo. The seed light of the zodiac shines into all the world. Impartial in its shining, Virgo sends forth its rays of light upon the rich and poor alike, upon all races, and it shines in the low place as well as the high place. It simply shines and sends forth its sweet influence upon everyone.

Because the seed light is shining down on us, we have the privilege of becoming seed people in the Word of God. As this light penetrates into our heart, we learn to appreciate every little Seed of Truth which comes our way because, resident within the Seed, is the potential for the mature Stature of the Living Truth. Each tiny Seed from God’s Word represents great, even infinite, possibilities of growth. God’s great Prophetic Spiritual Wheel, as seen in the natural zodiac circle, begins with the seed of Virgo, the virgin.

May we allow God to control the sweet influences of Virgo which will cause us to seek the humble Seed, the humility Bread of Jesus Christ so that we might grow up into Him in all things.

God established His Eternal Law of Humility before Exaltation when He began the Prophetic Wheel in the sky with the Seed, the humiliation of the Son of God. When God finishes the Prophetic Wheel, we will see the Son of God established in exaltation in Eternity to come.

May we allow His humility Seed to be fruitful in our life. May we let the Royal Seed of His Word come forth and bear many spiritual children through His Light and Testimony in our life.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen, in this chapter, that God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky begins with the constellation of Virgo, the Virgin who holds sheaves of wheat or corn. This sign prophesied of the time that God would give to Adam-female the Promised Seed of the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Who was to be born later of the Virgin Mary.

We saw also how the bowel or digestive section of the archetypal man in the sky is typified by Virgo. When Virgo’s light reaches to the spiritual bowels, man is influenced to digest God’s Holy Bread of Truth and Righteousness.

The nature imparted by the lights of Virgo was revealed in the tribe of Asher, whose name means happy or blessed.

The sign of Virgo was reflected in the onyx stone, which represents the power of God’s Word to bleach out the self-life and make the heart lustrous with the Life of God’s Word and Spirit.

We all can benefit from Virgo’s light, which will nurture the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ, until it grows to full maturity within us.

Chapter Four

Libra And The Tribe Of Dan

September 23 — October 22

God continues His Prophetic Wheel of Light in the sky with Libra, the Scales. The nature of Libra is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Dan. The blessing of the power of this sign is reflected in the beryl stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

Libra, a southern constellation pertaining to the autumnal equinox, is found between Virgo and Scorpio. The constellation of Libra bears the similitude of a pair of balances or scales which symbolize justice and judgment, for scales speak of weighing and balancing.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

After man sinned in the Garden of Eden, sin passed upon all the human race. But, with sin came the Promised Seed, as we saw represented by Virgo in God’s prophetic sky. This Prophetic Light continues in the constellation of Libra, indicating that the next phase of the prophetic picture was that of justice and judgment being meted out to sinful man. Man is continually weighed in the Scales of God’s Judgment and Justice and found wanting. The Judgment Light from the Word of God continually weighs man’s sin against the Righteousness of God.

Often we create our own scales and fill them with our proud judgment concerning ourself for the purpose of making ourself appear well balanced. We should remember, however, that our false weights and measures never can make us truly balanced. But, if we will accept God’s Judgment which tells us that we have lost our interior spiritual equilibrium through the fall, and if we will accept His Righteousness through Jesus Christ, we will find the at-one-ment (atonement) with God which brings a restoration of interior equilibrium. Then, we will know the true balancing of God’s spiritual Scales.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Libra has been said to signify the reins and loins or central storehouse of the reproductive fluids of the grand celestial man of the skies. Therefore, this constellation represents the descending and ascending cycle of life.

Wisdom and Strength are the scales or the house, as it were, from which are weighed out all the reproductive fluids that give birth to ideas, plans, and the like. Libra represents the interior equilibrium of man’s reins and loins. When sin entered their hearts, the scales of man’s reins and loins, his interior equilibrium, became unbalanced. However, when our reins (emotions and desires) and our loins (procreating natural and mental powers) are turned by God into His Scales of Justice with Jesus Christ standing in the Scales with us, there will be a tremendous, harmonious balance in our relationship with God.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Libra

The nature of the light of the sign of Libra was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Dan, which was identified with the beryl stone. Let us see the prophecy spoken by Jacob concerning the tribe of Dan.

Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward (Genesis 49:16,17).

The name Dan means judge. In this blessing, Jacob compared Dan to a serpent for wisdom and subtlety. Moses compared him to a lion for courage and strength (Deuteronomy 33:22). Who can stand before a judge who has a head with wisdom like that of a serpent and a heart with the courage and resolution of a fierce lion? True Scales, true Judgment, then, must consist of Wisdom and Strength: Wisdom to discern and know the Truth and Strength to uphold the Truth which has been discerned.

Prophecy said that Dan was to be a scale and a serpent for the purpose of judging and destroying the Philistines. This analogy was fulfilled in Samson who was of the tribe of Dan. Samson judged Israel and delivered them out of the hands of the Philistines — not as the other judges had done by fighting them in the field, but by weighing out poisonous vexations and annoyances which he gave underhandedly. He pulled the house down under the Philistines who were on the rooftop because God had weighed the Philistines in His Scales of Justice and had found them wanting because of their idolatry. They had lost their inner spiritual equilibrium by leaving the True and Living God and going after false gods. On this occasion, God anointed Dan’s descendant, Samson, with the wisdom of the serpent and the courage of the lion.

And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan (Deuteronomy 33:22).

Dan is pictured as a lion’s whelp that shall leap from Bashan. This portrays the youthful strength with which God promised to bless Dan. Dan’s strength was God’s Judging Word coming forth as a scourge for the chastisement of gross idolaters. Dan, who had the light of the Judging Word from the sign of Libra, leaped out of Bashan like a roaring lion to seize his enemies and drive them out of the land. Likewise, if we permit the Light of the Judging Word to come into our soul, if we feed and grow upon it, then a great spiritual balance and equilibrium will spring forth, empowering us with destructive strength to drive out the enemies of anger, hate, and pride, for example, in our carnal heart.

Wisdom like that of the serpent from the tribe of Dan controlled the youthful, vigourous strength of the lion in Samson and reserved it for use against the Philistines on the proper occasions. How necessary it is to have Wisdom which is like that of the serpent! This class of Wisdom causes us to know when and where to strike.

The blessings of power of the sign of Libra are seen in the beryl stone which belonged to the tribe of Dan. The word beryl means to test, to try, or to investigate. When God’s Creative Word shines out through the light of the sign of Libra, the inner reins and loins of our heart are influenced to investigate the Word of God, causing us to test, try, and prove its exceedingly heavy weight of Glory in comparison to the carnal pleasures which can be investigated by the carnal mind. Every time God’s Word is put in the Scales, true Judgment shows that the joys and delights of the Living Word of God far outweigh all other pleasures.

V.  Description of Libra People

The nature of the tribe of Dan, the nature of the beryl stone, and the sign itself work together to reveal some basic characteristics of the people born between September 23rd and October 22nd. Some people are so bigoted and strong-willed in their opinions that they refuse even to listen to the other side of an issue. However, this is not so with the Libra people because they are scales people. Scales speak of equilibrium and balance. It is no surprise, then, to find that these people are investigators who try and test the things they hear. People born under this sign are characterized by this judging, weighing, scrutinizing quality. They are zealous for balance in social structure and in religious structure. These people campaign for the cause of right and wrong, fighting strongly for the right because they love equity and balance. They are well-balanced people. They strike the happy medium. Theoretically, these people are strong supporters of such conceptions as universal brotherhood and universal equality. They have great concern for the equality and right of men. They are the middle-of-the-road people who work on a logical and reasonable basis. Because they are well-developed in their sense of equilibrium, they find it easy to sit down and logically reason things out, balancing, weighing, and judging matters.

VI.  Control of Light

When the scales people return to the Headship of Authority of God in their lives, they love the balance of the Word and the Spirit. In spiritual things, these people love and appreciate the beautiful balance of the Word of God. They love for Truth to be weighed out to them from God’s Word. They also love to search out the Word of God because they are concerned with investigating and discovering the Truth of God for themselves. When the scales people return to God’s Headship, they are like the early Berean Christians.

These [of Berea] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:11).

The Berean Christians had their scales of judgment to weigh the Truth of the Scriptures to see if Jesus Christ was the true Redeemer of the world.

This is a very noble and admirable trait and ministry as long as God is in control. We need level-headed, logical, and reasonable people who are capable of fair judgment in matters. But, when these Scales people are controlled by Satan instead of God, they can become very destructive and dangerous people, for the Scales characteristic can be utilized in a dangerous and poisonous fashion. It can turn into the poison of a serpent. When under their own carnal headship or under the control of Satan’s headship (authority), the Scales people, who have the greatest capacity for brotherhood and equality of men, are capable also of the greatest injustices. Under the headship of Satan, these people easily can become unbalanced in their inner emotional equilibrium.

VII.  Sharing of Light

Since the voice of the heavenly luminaries reaches to all the Earth, each person has the privilege of sharing in this light from the prophetic word of Libra. Therefore, no one needs to fear to open God’s Word for thorough investigation. The Truth bears investigation. If we are afraid to bring our doctrines, beliefs, and practices into the Light of God’s Word, then something is amiss. But, an honest and seeking soul always is open for more Truth and is agreeable to any Scriptural investigation.

We must let God’s Word weigh us out. Then, we are to accept His Judgment and acknowledge it as true. Let us put away our own fleshly scales which seek to justify our wrong morals, our ugly attitudes, and our carnal deeds. Let us acknowledge our lack of spiritual equilibrium and admit where we are out of balance in the Moral Principles of God. We need to pray frequently, “God, put me in Your Scales. Let the Light of Your Word shine down upon me and show where I am not measuring up.” The LORD knows how to reduce us to size, and He knows how to balance us in His Scales. All this weighing and measuring is for our growth and benefit.

Once the Light of the Word from Libra has shined sufficiently upon us, once we have let God’s spiritual Scales of Wisdom and Strength, Justice and Judgment, be formed within us, we then have sufficient equilibrium to walk on with God, regardless of what others may do or say about us. Our theoretical choices need to be tested until they are experimentally proven to be the true and settled choices of our heart.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen in this chapter that the second sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar is Libra, the Scales. This sign spoke of the time that sinful man, after being weighed in God’s Scales of Judgment and Justice, would be found wanting or lacking in righteousness. The interior spiritual equilibrium which was lost through man’s fall into sin is restored to us as we accept God’s Righteousness through Jesus Christ and are brought back into a Oneness of spiritual Relationship with our Creator.

The sign of Libra influences the reins (emotions and desires) and the loins (procreating natural and mental powers) of the archetypal man in the skies.

The nature imparted by the light of Libra is revealed in the tribe of Dan, whose name means judge. The people born under the sign of Libra are influenced by wisdom like that of a serpent and the courage and resolution of a lion. The beryl stone which accompanied this tribe indicated the power of the sign to influence man to investigate, search out, and prove God’s Word.

Although especially directed to those born between September 23rd and October 22, Libra’s light will influence us all to search God’s Word and prove it to be the Living Word of Truth. Let us magnify God’s Creative Word for hanging the sign of Libra in His prophetic sky to reveal the Righteous, Judging Light of His Son, Jesus Christ, Who came all the way from Glory to bring man back into perfect balance with his Creator.

Chapter Five

Scorpio And The Tribe Of Gad

October 23 — November 21

The sign of Scorpio is the third prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Gad. God’s blessings of power granted to Scorpio is reflected in the diamond stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

The constellation of Scorpio can be seen in God’s Prophetic Calendar between Libra and Sagittarius. Bearing the similitude of a scorpion or serpent, this southern constellation symbolizes death and deceit. When man fell from God’s Scales of Justice (the point of equilibrium) to degradation and death by the Serpent, he entered into the painful experience of being bitten continually by the Serpent.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

The sign of Scorpio speaks prophetically not only of man’s continual harassment from the Serpent’s bite but also of the time that the Serpent, fallen Lucifer, would bite the Heel of the Man Jesus, Who was our Substitute at Calvary’s Cross. If man had perceived the significance of this sign, he would not have been surprised that the Holy, Powerful Heel of Jesus refused the Serpent’s sinful poison and that Jesus, in turn, placed His nail-torn Heel upon the Serpent’s head of deceitful wisdom, bringing a death to it.

In the eyes of unbelieving men, the Death of Jesus signified the disgraceful end of the Galilean pretender of divinity. But, Resurrection Morning declared His triumph as Life overcame Death, manifesting the victory He had won over the Serpent through His Death on the Cross. When speaking about the Overcoming Power of His Death on the Cross, Jesus said the following:

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die (John 12:31-33).

Scorpio, the sign of the scorpion or serpent, prophetically sets forth the triumph of the Death of Jesus on the Cross, for in His Crucifixion there was provided a Crucified Heel which would crush the Serpent’s head of deceitful wisdom. The sign of Scorpio prophesied that, through the power of the Crucified Christ, the prince of this world (the seed of the Serpent) would be cast down in utter defeat. This is a word of encouragement to those born under Scorpio, for they are subjected in a special way to the Serpent’s biting at their heels, as he tries to infuse into them his deceitful, rebellious wisdom for them to use against God.

However, through experiences of personal crucifixion, we can spiritually know the power of Jesus’ crucified Heel. As we surrender our carnal walk, represented by our foot and heel, to fellowship the Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, we can obtain the crushing power of a crucified heel such as Jesus had. We cannot crush the Serpent’s head with carnal or fleshly feet; his head is crushed only with spiritual feet which have been endued with the Authority and Power of Jesus Christ.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Scorpio signifies the generative organs of the grand man in the skies. It represents the sexual or procreative power and system of humanity.

Since it is an emblem of reproductive life, the people born under the sign of Scorpio are very fruitful in seminal fluids because this sign causes a creative increase of desire.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Scorpio

The nature of the light of the sign of Scorpio was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Gad, which was identified with the diamond stone. Let us direct our attention to the prophecies spoken to Gad by his father Jacob.

Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last (Genesis 49:19).

The name Gad means a troop. Thus, God revealed that the tribe of Gad would be a warlike tribe. The enemy would overcome them in many skirmishes. Yet, so that they might not be discouraged by their defeats, the prophecy assured them of final victory.

Through the nature of the tribe of Gad, God revealed that it will take a group of people, organized as one unit and working together in close cooperation, to overcome the procreative power of the Serpent. In one Hebrew translation, the verse pertaining to Gad reads: “A troop shall troop upon him, but he shall troop upon their heel.” Our English translation says, “Gad, a troop shall overcome him:…” Who is Gad going to overcome? The Serpent who bites the heel. Gad shall overcome at last.

A need of patience is implied here, for although the Serpent may be biting our heel today, there is a promise that the victory will be ours in the end. If we have Christ Jesus in our heart, the victory will be ours because there is within us a troop, meaning a group or whole unity of soldiers — armed forces. All we need is to get this whole troop working for us. Then, the Serpent’s poison of deceit and death soon will be defeated and broken under the authority and power of the troop.

What could these troops possibly be within the child of God? We must remember that by creation every person is a threefold being.* We are created a body, soul, and spirit — a troop, as it were. Yet, this fleshly troop is powerless against the forces of fallen Lucifer. It takes supernatural troops to war against the spiritual enemy.

The first measure of supernatural Power comes when we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour. He moves into our being. Now, the troops are growing, and there is added to us the Overcoming Power of the Crucified and Resurrected Blood of Jesus Christ. Another addition is made to the inward troops when we, as believers, receive the experience of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, which is subsequent to our Salvation experience. We now have the Holy Ghost with His Power and Anointing. In addition to all of this, there is the Glory of the Father that we can obtain as we grow up into the Spiritual Stature of Jesus Christ. The Father-realm of God can be added to the inward troops. With these troops of the Living Word, Spirit, and Glory of God, we can troop upon the Serpent’s head of deceitful wisdom and overcome his bite and the poisonous attack he makes against our heels.

We should understand that the Serpent does not bite the Heel of the Father or the Heel of the Holy Ghost or the Heel of Jesus Christ in us. Instead, he begins to infuse his venom into the heel of our personal spirit. (We are not speaking, now, of the New Spiritual Man who is created in the Holy, Righteous Image of Jesus Christ but of the spirit of our natural man, for every man is created body, soul, and spirit [I Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12]).

We all have five senses in the spirit part of our being. The sense of sight, known as the eye, extends through our spirit, our soul, and our body. The sense of sight in our spirit is the eye of faith, and it is the first to feel the Serpent’s bite. When his deceitful poison infuses our faith, things looks dreadfully dark and impossible. We are tempted to say, “It is no use; I may as well quit.” Or, the Serpent may bite the channel of our hope, which is the nose of our spirit. With the nose of the spirit stopped up, it is impossible to smell the fragrance of hope. Even when we know that our God is a God of ALL hope, everything becomes utterly hopeless because of the Serpent’s bite in the heel of our spirit. When he bites our channel of reverence, which is the ear of man’s spirit, we lose all respect for God, for the servants of God, and for God’s people. Suddenly, they seem to be hypocrites and mere imitators. Prayer is the mouth of the spirit; therefore, when the Serpent’s venom penetrates here, the prayer life ceases and prayer becomes a meaningless exercise. The sense of touch of man’s spirit is his worship. When desire for worship leaves us, we can be sure that the Serpent has been there with his deceitful bite of death.

The overcoming power of the Serpent’s poisonous bite causes many people to backslide and lose out with God. They may not realize what has happened, but they are suffering from the effects of the Serpent’s bite. People born under Scorpio’s sign are particularly susceptible to the Serpent’s bite; however, if our birth date comes under another sign, we are not excluded from his attack.

The Scorpio light shines down on all of us, warning us to beware of the Serpent’s poison being infused into our natural channels of faith, hope, reverence, prayer, and worship. When a person senses the effect of the Serpent’s bite, he must move quickly into action. To delay gives opportunity for this poison to spread throughout all the senses of the spirit, into the senses of the soul, and finally into the body realm. At this late date, the battle usually goes in favour of the enemy. But, by springing into speedy action, we can call forth the energies of the supernatural Troops within us. Reach out for the Blood of Jesus. Reach out for the Christ (the Living Word) that is there. Reach out for the Power of the Holy Ghost. When these forces marshal their defensive and aggressive Troops against the Serpent, we begin trooping on the Serpent’s head. We have the promise, “…but he shall overcome at the last.” When the battle is hot, bear in mind that the Scripture says, “… greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4).

Moses continued the prophecy concerning the warlike nature of the tribe of Gad.

And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head (Deuteronomy 33:20).

Moses foretold that this tribe would be enlarged as a result of this warfare against the enemy. This valiant and victorious tribe would dwell secure and fearless as a lion. If provoked, he would tear and pull in pieces both the arm (the strength) and the crown of the head (the power and authority) of the enemy. The blessing for enlarging the tribe of Gad goes to God because this tribe’s overcoming power comes from the supernatural Troop of God within him. God enlarges; therefore, it is just and right that He receive all the Glory for the enlargement.

These Principles apply also to the spiritual realm. We must be warlike against our enemy, the Serpent. Then, when the victory comes, we must realize and acknowledge that the overcoming power was not in our flesh but in the Spiritual Stature of the LORD Jesus Christ within us. Let us remember that the Glory belongs to God.

God placed the Scorpio sign in the sky to prophesy to us and to warn us of the coming of the Serpent with his deceitful bite of death. Through this sign, God also informed us what we can do about it. We all can have the tribe of Gad formed within us. Gad is a troop, and, as Christians, we can be adding to the Troop which can march forth and war in our behalf against the Serpent’s bite.

The blessings of power granted to Scorpio people are related in the diamond stone which belonged to the tribe of Gad. Since the Hebrew words for diamond tell of the stone’s hardness and keenness when used for engraving, we know that the diamond represents the engraving power of the Living Stone of Truth.

By using the diamond stone, God prophesied to the Scorpio people, who dwell under the light of procreating power, that through the Diamond Nature of Jesus Christ, He can engrave His Word upon their hearts and souls.

V.  Description of Scorpio People

People born under this sign are meditative, which is a valuable asset. No wonder God desires to give them the mysteries of His Word. They excel in procreative power not only physically but also mentally. They have uncanny wisdom and insight into people and situations. Because of their deep-seated procreative inheritance, they are deeply emotional, affectionate, sympathetic, and understanding. Intellectually, Scorpio people are full of procreative ideas. They have an inexhaustible resource for suggestions, plans, inventions, concepts, and the like.

VI.  Control of Light

When under the control of the Serpent, Scorpio people can be very secretive, even to the point of alienating themselves from friends and relatives. When the Serpent controls them, they become excessive in their sexual desires. They also can become very angry, obstinate, and headstrong. There is no fury like that of a Scorpio person under the control of the Serpent. They become cynical and selfish. However, if Scorpio people allow the light of procreation to shine down upon them and influence them to come under the Headship of God, they become potential vessels for the depths and heights of God.

Scorpio people possess special, mental procreating powers. When they are spiritually minded, they have fantastic minds for God’s Word. They are idea people, blessed with a creative capacity for originality. This creative force keeps their minds churning with new thoughts and ideas. Whether this is good or bad is determined by what force controls their thoughts. When their inspiration comes from the Serpent, their thoughts can be used for evil or for self-advancement; naturally, this is a hindering factor in thwarting any meditative thoughts toward the things of God. On the other hand, if a Scorpio person is being controlled by God and is being directed by His Will, that person has great potential for the opening up of the mysteries of God’s Word to his soul.

VII.  Sharing of Light

Since the heavenly Prophetic Calendar was placed in the sky for all and since this light and speech reaches to the ends of the Earth, we all can share in the God-given Light and Glory of God’s Procreating Wisdom. God said in His Word for us to be wise as a serpent. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

The pure, uncorrupted Wisdom of God’s Procreating Light does not create thrones of exaltation and glory for the flesh because this Glory Light is like the sweet Holy Dove of God’s Spirit. Just as the Holy Ghost is in subjection to the Word of God, so also is His Procreating Light of Wisdom in subjection to God’s Supreme Headship (Authority) and Divine Will.

Although we may not have been born under the sign of Scorpio and, therefore, may not possess this Glory Light by gift, we still have a promise in God’s Word that this Wisdom can be ours. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen that the third sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar is Scorpio, the Scorpion or Serpent. This sign prophesied of the time that the Serpent (fallen Lucifer) would bite the heels of fallen man and, thus, would infuse the channels of man’s being with his own poisonous, deceitful wisdom, which brought death to man, both naturally and spiritually.

However, it also prophesied of Jesus’ triumphant Death on Calvary’s Cross on which His crucified Heel crushed the Serpent’s head of power and authority.

We have seen that Scorpio typifies the generative organs of the archetypal man in the skies. The light from Scorpio influences man to be procreatively fruitful in the natural realm and in the spiritual realm.

The nature imparted by the light of Scorpio was revealed in the tribe of Gad, whose name means a troop and which also symbolizes the supernatural Troops of God’s Living Word, Spirit, and Glory being joined to our own threefold being (spirit, soul, and body), which can tread upon the Serpent’s head. The power of this sign was reflected in the diamond, signifying the engraving power of the Living Stone of Truth.

Although the light of the sign of Scorpio is directed particularly to the people born between October 23rd and November 21st, we all can share in the Procreative Light of God’s Word and Glory which gives us Jesus Christ’s Crucified Heel of Humility Wisdom to create new ways to troop upon the Serpent’s head of corrupted, deceitful wisdom.

_______________

* B. R. Hicks, The Threefold Nature of Man (Jeffersonville, Indiana: Christ Gospel Churches Int’l., Inc., 1969).

Chapter Six

Sagittarius And The Tribe Of Joseph-Ephraim

November 22 — December 21

The sign of Sagittarius is the fourth prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Ephraim, who was the son of Joseph. Although Reuben was Jacob’s legal firstborn, born to his despised wife Leah, the birthright with its double portion of inheritance did not pass to him because of his act of adultery with his father’s concubine.

The double portion fell to Joseph, the firstborn son of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel. This double portion of inheritance in Canaan’s Land was divided between Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. The blessings of power granted to Sagittarius are reflected in the ligure stone which represented the tribe of Joseph-Ephraim in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

I.  Description of the Sign

The constellation of Sagittarius appears in God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky between Scorpio and Capricorn. This southern constellation is depicted as a centaur (half man and half horse) with the bow and arrow drawn to its head ready for shooting. Thus, we see in the sign of Sagittarius the appearance of a warrior.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

Sagittarius prophesies of the dispensation of God’s Moral Law, given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Moses descended from the smoking mountain as the archer with the arrows of God’s Word. In this sign God foretold the time that He would send forth His Word to penetrate the hearts of mankind and reveal the enemies of sin which are hidden in every human heart.

Scriptures use the metaphor of an arrow to depict the sharp, piercing words of man as well as God. Note, for example, the following Scriptures:

A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow (Proverbs 25:18).

Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit:… (Jeremiah 9:8).

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 (Psalm 57:4).

Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:… But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded (Psalm 64:3,7).

The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them (Psalm 18:13,14).

God sent out His Word like arrows of lightning to confound and scatter His enemies. As God’s arrows of Truth went forth, they pierced all the way through man’s threefold being, penetrated his heart and will, and exposed his sinful nature.

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity: Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words: (Psalm 64:1-3).

The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad (Psalm 77:17).

Arrows have power to make men fall (Psalm 45:5). God shoots His bitter arrows of Humility Truth into our human heart in order to expose the depths of our sinful nature so that we, in turn, might fall in repentance at the Feet of Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness for our sins. Man also shoots bitter arrows which penetrate and expose our heart. However, because these arrows possess no healing qualities, the wounded one is left to suffer the painful shame of their nakedness. In his Epistle, the Apostle James alluded to the destructive nature of the arrows of man’s words.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course [wheel] of nature [human nature]; and it is set on fire of hell (James 3:5,6).

Just as the helm is a very small part of the ship, so also is the tongue a small part of the body. As the helm is used to guide the ship according to the will of the governor, so the tongue has power to govern the whole body. The fiery arrows from the human tongue can turn the entire wheel of human nature from tranquility into a blazing inferno. Even more than we dread natural arrows, flames, and fires, we should dread contentions, revilings, slanders, lies, and everything which would kindle the fiery arrows of wrath in our own tongue and in the tongues of others.

What a great contrast there is between fleshly arrows of man and the arrows of God’s Divine Word. God’s Moral Law, sent forth on Mount Sinai, is the locomotive power and strength which leads and guides us to Jesus Christ and His Righteousness. God’s Word teaches us that “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23). It is evident, then, that all the human race suffers the Serpent’s bite of sin. Nevertheless, God always has arrows of His Redemptive Word to send forth into the hearts of men.

This Redemptive Word relates to God’s Moral Law which was sent forth in the Old Testament Dispensation through the ministry of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. God’s Arrow-Word preceded the Word sent forth under the sign of Capricorn which foretold the coming of God’s Scapegoat, Jesus Christ, God’s provided Sin-Bearer. Although man was weighed in God’s Scales (Libra) and was found to be a sinner, and although the poison of sin was infused into man’s heel through the bite of Scorpio (the Scorpion or Serpent), God did not leave man without His Word. God did not forsake man. The bitter, painful arrows of God’s Word of Truth were sent forth into the hearts of God’s enemies, not to destroy them, but to make them conscious of their sin in God’s Sight so that they might repent and be redeemed from their sin. Beloved, we serve a Merciful God. Let us add that God’s arrows are bitter, not because they are dipped in rebellion or resentment as are man’s bitter arrows, but because they carry the anointing of His own Humility Nature. Humility is bitter to man’s proud flesh, but it is exceedingly sweet to the Spiritual Man.

First, God sends forth the arrows of His Word into the human heart to wound, subdue, and reconcile it to God. Convictions are like arrows of the bow; they have power to penetrate to the depths of the heart and to bring that heart to fall at the Feet of Jesus Christ in subjection to His Laws and Government.

Second, God sends forth the arrows of His Word to those who persist in their enmity so that through the wounding they might be revived. Because the arrows of God’s terrors are sharp in their hearts, they shall fall under Him and, thus, shall be made His Footstool (Psalm 110:1). Those who would not have Christ reign over them shall be brought forth and slain before Him (Luke 19:27). Those who refuse to submit willingly to His Golden Sceptre shall be broken to pieces by His Iron Rod (Revelation 19:15). We see, then, that the arrows of God’s Word can scatter His enemies for the protection of His people.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Sagittarius signifies the thighs of the grand universal man in the sky. It represents the muscular foundation or seat of locomotion of humanity. It is the emblem of stability; it also represents authority, power, and wisdom.

Since it is a foundational sign, the fiery light of Sagittarius influences people to go forth with the beginning principles of a matter. When Christians born under this sign go forth to preach the full Gospel of Christ, from His Feet up to His Head, they make good Evangelists because they are zealous to lay the proper foundation of Truth in the hearts of the people.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Sagittarius

The nature of the light of the sign of Sagittarius was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Ephraim, son of Joseph, whose bow abode in strength and whose arms of his hands were made strong by the mighty God of Jacob. We see in Joseph, Egyptian ruler and lawgiver, the powerful arrows of authority which were passed on to Ephraim. During Israel’s wilderness journey to Canaan’s Land, Ephraim encamped on the west side of the Tabernacle in the Head-realm position by the Ark of God which contained the arrows of God’s Law or Word. The tribe of Ephraim was identified with the ligure stone. Let us consider Jacob’s blessings to Joseph, for they naturally would include Joseph’s son Ephraim.

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; ( from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: (Genesis 49:22-25).

God compared Joseph to a fruitful bough or vine tree whose branches ran over the wall. Here, God pictured the fruitfulness and prosperity which later would accompany the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, as the twofold representatives of Joseph. No doubt, God blessed them as a reward to Joseph for preserving the fruitful produce of the land in the years of famine. During the days of humiliation, Joseph had many enemies who were like archers, shooting forth their poisonous darts or arrows. Yet, Joseph’s bow abode in strength.

God always works by Laws or Principles. One of His Laws is Humility before Honour (Proverbs 18:12). Therefore, we know that God does not pour out His blessings of prosperity and exaltation upon those who have not been fruitful, already, in the way of humility. Joseph learned well his lessons of humility. And, because Joseph retained his integrity throughout his trials, God brought him to great exaltation and blessing. He was promised blessing from above, rain in season, fair weather in season with all the benevolent influences of the heavenly bodies. Likewise, the spiritual blessings which come from above (Ephesians 1:3) were promised to his heart and soul. Also the blessings of the deep were promised to him. This included hidden fountains, springs, and rivers, as well as mines of silver, gold, diamonds, and other treasures of the Earth. The prophecy also assured him the blessings of the womb and breast; that is, children would be safely born and comfortably nursed. Many of these blessings were fulfilled through Ephraim, whose name means fruitful.

First, Ephraim was blessed in being preferred above Manasseh, the elder of the two brothers. Second, Ephraim was blessed in being made a patriarchal head of a tribe, just as were Jacob’s immediate sons. Thus, Joseph’s son was doubly blessed.

Ephraim was like an archer with arrows in that it was his privilege to have the Ark of the Covenant with the arrows of God’s Law in it in Shiloh (Ephraim’s territory) until the Ark was captured by the Philistines.

Let us look at the prophetic blessing which Moses gave to the tribe of Joseph.

And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

Inspired by the Spirit of God, Moses used his finest imagery to prophesy the prosperity and power that should be the royal grant to Joseph. Joseph’s prosperity consisted of a double portion. First, he was to have the abiding blessing of the LORD on his land. Second, his district was to be a favoured portion, dripping with beauty and fruitfulness. Third, God’s Glory and Fire which met Moses in the bush was asked to come on Joseph, in God’s Will.

The fruitful district mentioned in the Scriptures just quoted was where Joseph had been imprisoned in the pit. God, in His gracious Wisdom and Providence, designed that Joseph should be exalted in the place of the beginning of his humiliation. God gave Joseph his permanent portion in this very territory. This already abundantly fruitful territory fell into the lot of Ephraim and Manasseh; yet, Moses prayed God’s richest blessing upon it. In other words, he prayed not for just God’s good or God’s better blessing but for His very best.

The prayer of blessing in the natural realm is a picture of the class of blessing and fruitfulness which God desires for us in the spiritual realm. Though our spiritual earth (our self) seems a useless, worthless lump of matter, with the blessing of God upon it, precious arrows of Truth from God’s Word can be instilled in it. When these arrows have matured sufficiently, they can be sent forth and shared with lonely, empty hearts who are yearning for support and comfort from God’s Word.

God’s blessing of power from Sagittarius is reflected in the ligure stone which belonged to the tribe of Joseph-Ephraim. The name of this stone means golden yellow, signifying the fruitfulness of the golden kernel of corn. These rich prophecies of fruitfulness were given to the tribe of Joseph. Since Joseph’s tribe is represented by his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, these prophecies relate to them both. The lengthiness of Joseph’s prophecy, then, is attributed to the fact that the prophecies are divided between Ephraim and Manasseh.

When the arrows of Light from God’s Living, Creative Word of Truth shine forth from Sagittarius to a human heart, cutting it open and laying it bear before God, that heart is influenced to humble itself in such a measure that God can entrust it with a double portion of fruitfulness and prosperity.

V.  Description of Sagittarius People

Because the merciful influence through God’s Head-realm Prophetic Word and Glory Light is visited upon the Sagittarians, they are born a very compassionate people. This characteristic is manifested in their tender concern for the needs of the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the sick, for instance. These people are born with a capacity to send forth pleasant words, like arrows, to those who are suffering in heart and mind.

Persons born under this sign receive a special influence from the Prophetic Word and Light of God; this arrowlike influence gives them great power with people, for their words are like penetrating arrows. Having come under the light of the warrior constellation, they are combative and energetic with their piercing and magnetic personalities. They are people with good perception because, like an arrow, they are directed toward their target.

VI.  Control of Light

A natural arrow is most happy when it can leave the quiver and go to its target. In like manner, Sagittarians are like arrows, for they delight in finding release from the bow, as it were, and are allowed to go their own independent way. Independence is a good quality when it is under the control of the Will of God, but it can be a destructive force when it is under human or Satanic control.

The power to send forth words like arrows is not to be esteemed lightly. Man’s natural words are like arrows which can be devastating in their power and influence. Sagittarians can be mighty warriors for God, through the arrows of His Word, or for Satan, according to which source of power they yield themselves.

VII.  Sharing of Light

The light and sweet influences of Sagittarius vibrate throughout the whole world and warm each heart and soul in the natural realm; likewise, this is true in the spiritual realm. When we receive Jesus Christ, the true Warrior, and are quickened by His arrows of Truth, our tongue will become a flaming arrow to show forth the Light and Love of Jesus Christ to a dying world.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen, in this chapter, that the fourth sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar is the sign of Sagittarius, the Archer. This sign prophesied of the time that God would send forth the arrows of His Word to penetrate the hearts of mankind and reveal the enemies of sin which are hidden therein.

We have seen that Sagittarius signifies the thighs of the archetypal man in the sky. Representing the muscular foundation or seat of locomotion of humanity, Sagittarius is the emblem of stability. It also represents authority, power, and wisdom. The fiery light of Sagittarius influences people to go forth with the beginning principles of a matter.

The nature imparted by the light of Sagittarius was revealed in the tribe of Joseph-Ephraim. The name Ephraim means double fruit or double fruitfulness. Ephraim’s double blessing is seen in his being preferred above his older brother Manasseh and in his being given a position as a patriarchal head of a tribe along with Jacob’s immediate sons.

The fruitful power of humility of the light of Sagittarius is reflected in the ligure stone’s golden yellow colour. Just as the golden kernel of corn goes down into the low place of separation and death so that it might come up with resurrection life and fruitfulness, so did Joseph go down in humility, pain, and suffering so that he might be counted worthy to receive double honour and exaltation granted to the firstborn.

Directed particularly to the people born between November 22nd and December 21st, the sign of Sagittarius can shine in all our hearts until we become fruitful warriors for Jesus Christ and are willing to go forth in the low place and in the high place, carrying His Light and Love to a dying world.

Chapter Seven

Capricorn And The Tribe Of Naphtali

December 22 — January 19

The sign of Capricorn is the fifth prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Naphtali. The blessing of power granted to Capricorn is reflected in the jasper stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

The cluster of stars of Capricorn appear in God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky between Sagittarius and Aquarius. This southern constellation suggests the form of a goat. Capricorn, the goat, belongs to the winter season, for it is entered by the sun at the winter solstice, about December 22nd.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

When the sun enters this sign at the winter solstice, it is a prophetic picture of Jesus being born in the stable and laid in the manger of the goat in order to conquer the cold winter of sin and save mankind. Jesus Christ came in mankind’s spiritual winter season of death. While the cold grip of death kept men bound in their trespasses and sin, Jesus Christ came for the express purpose of becoming a Scapegoat to carry away the sins of all repentant sinners.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Capricorn signifies the knees of the stature of the great man of the skies. It represents the pliable and movable parts of the body, the joints.

As the emblem of servitude, Capricorn possesses the power and capacity to bend in service to others — to God and to man. Thus, people born under this sign are pliable, bending people.

In order to carry a heavy load one must be pliable and willing to bend under its weight. Particularly in the LORD’s Work, one’s life is not his own. Living through every day requires a bending, pliable process. If we refuse to bend, we will break. The trees which snap off in a storm are those that refuse to bend. It is most unusual to see a pliable tree broken or uprooted, for it bends and gives in to the storm. This quality is characteristic of the scapegoat nature. He has knees to bend in servitude to God and to man.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Naphtali

The nature of the light of the sign of Capricorn was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Naphtali, which was associated with the jasper stone. Let us go, then, to the prophecy of Jacob concerning the tribe of Naphtali.

Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words (Genesis 49:21).

It is interesting to note, as we study the zodiac and the tribes, that one finds a great variety of dispositions, contrary to each other, and yet, collectively, they all contribute to the beauty, strength, and necessity of the Nation of Israel. For example: Judah is like a lion; Issachar is like an ass; Dan is like a serpent; Naphtali is like a hind. Likewise, in the church today, there are different statures, talents, gifts, abilities, and dispositions. As we come together to serve the LORD, God receives the worship, Honour, and Glory that is due to His matchless Name; the church is edified; and we are built up in the faith. Therefore, let us not censure or envy one another, but rather let us give thanks for the beauty and strength which comes from each of God’s children.

Naphtali is the tribe which carries struggles in its name, for the name Naphtali means wrestling or the fighting of the enthroned one against the enemies. In the jasper stone we see the blessing of power which God’s Creative Word from Capricorn pronounced upon this tribe. The word jasper signifies polished, prevailing strength or power.

The tribe of Naphtali was indeed like a loving hind with goodly words for the individual members of Naphtali and goodly words to share with other tribes. Naphtali had the knees of the goat to bend in amiable kindness to others. He was affable and courteous, and God esteemed these qualities in Naphtali as prevailing qualities.

For greater understanding of the prophecy given to Naphtali, let us relate the “hind let loose” and the “goodly words let loose” with what is said by the Espoused Bride in the Song of Solomon. She said: “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please” (Song of Solomon 3:5). She referred here to the hind’s (deer) mating season in the natural realm. For this special time, God has provided the female deer with a special scent which attracts the male from afar. When this scent reaches his nostrils, he knows it is mating time and comes quickly in search of the female deer.

The Bride used a natural picture to illustrate what she was saying spiritually. She commanded the other Christians (the daughters of Jerusalem) not to try to stir up nor awaken the Bridegroom’s Love toward her. Just as it is impossible for others to put the mating fragrance on the female hind out of season, in an effort to stir the desire of the bridegroom-hind, in like manner there can be no spiritual marriage relationship between a human heart and the heart of Jesus Christ until the human heart has reached spiritual maturity in Jesus Christ. When the heart is filled with the mating fragrance of the humility of the Crucified Christ, the Bridegroom-Hind (the Resurrected Christ) will smell the fragrance and, coming with goodly words of Living Revelation from God’s Word, will join that heart in a Oneness of Relationship with Himself.

The Espoused Bride in the Song of Solomon learned to know her Bridegroom as King of Humility, as Shepherd, as Roe, and then as Husbandman.*

We all must come the same spiritual journey. Beginning with Salvation through the Blood of Jesus, we must leave the Egypt of this world behind by means of the Blood, Fire, and Water portrayed in the Old Testament Tabernacle by the two pieces of furniture in the Courtyard — the Brazen Altar and the Brazen Laver. We must continue on through our wilderness journey and learn to come under the Governmental Reign of Jesus Christ, as this experience is depicted in the three pieces of furniture in the Holy Place: the Golden Altar of Incense, the Golden Candlestick, and the Golden Table of Shewbread. Then, we must experience spiritual subjection to the Headship (Authority and Mind) of Christ, represented by the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies. Only this journey will put the sweet fragrance of the Cross upon us. Humility is the anointing of the powerful mating scent of the Bridegroom-Hind, the Resurrected Christ. Oneness of Spiritual Relationship (Marriage Union) with Jesus Christ is possible when a heart has grown to mature stature in Him. “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:… But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Ephesians 4:13,15).

With this background of understanding, we can better realize what was prophesied concerning the tribe of Naphtali. Naphtali is a hind let loose — let loose for the mating season. Bear in mind that we are under the sign of the scapegoat. How beautifully the tribe and stone fit together with the zodiac sign.

Naphtali is likened to a hind which has been held in captivity and is at long last let loose. When Jesus Christ was born in a manger, He was not only a Scapegoat for sin, but He was a Hind let loose. He was loosed from the Bosom of the Father, bringing the good Word of God in Flesh and giving forth goodly Words. At His Coming, Angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). Many other works God has done to bring Glory to His Name. But, when He sent the Scapegoat for Redemption, then the Hind with goodly Words was loosed, bringing Glory to the highest realm of God and good will to the Earth. God’s Good Will in sending the Scapegoat introduced peace in the lower world, slew the enmity which sin had created between God and man, and established a harmonious reconciliation between God and man.

Jesus Christ was a beautiful Hind let loose. He went forth looking for those hearts that carried the fragrant desire to be united with His Heart in a Oneness of Relationship. Jesus Christ is man’s prime example. Born in a humble manger to be the Scapegoat of sinful mankind, He presented to the world the goodly Word of the Godhead, for Jesus the man was indwelt by the Word of God — the Christ. Goodly Word, indeed!

The signs of the zodiac begin with Virgo, the Virgin, the one bearing the Promise of the Messianic Seed. Then, Libra, the Scales, prophesied that man would be weighed in the balances of God and found guilty of sin. Next came Scorpio, the Scorpion, who followed man’s footsteps seeking opportunities to bite his heels with deceitful poison. Then Sagittarius, the Archer, sent the sharp arrows of the Law out through Moses and the Old Testament Prophets, directing the arrows of Truth into the hearts of God’s enemies. Then came Capricorn, the Scapegoat. From the Book of Leviticus, we know that this scapegoat was not a dead goat. It was the living goat which was sent out into the wilderness, bearing the confessed sins and transgressions of Israel, never to return again with the sins.

In type and shadow, the scapegoat used on the Day of Atonement represented Jesus Christ’s Resurrected, Pleasant Blood which carried away the sins of mankind, transplanting them behind the Back of God into His Sea of Forgetfulness. The dead sacrificial goat represented the Crucified Blood of Christ, but the blood of the scapegoat pictures the Blood of Christ which, after being offered on Calvary’s Cross, after being dead and buried, was resurrected again the third day and became Living, Resurrected Blood in the Living Scapegoat.

Although man is guilty and condemned because of sin, God has not forsaken him in his dilemma. Stretched across the Heavens is His prophetic picture, bringing to mankind the glorious hope of Salvation. This Salvation shines forth through the sign of Capricorn, for here we see Jesus Christ, our blessed Scapegoat.

Let us also note Moses’ prophecy concerning Naphtali.

And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD: possess thou the west and the south (Deuteronomy 33:23).

Jacob had prophesied of this tribe as a living hind with goodly words. And, now, Moses foretold of the threefold reward that would be given for receiving the living hind and goodly words. Because they had received the bended knees of servitude of the spiritual Scapegoat and had received the desire for the loving Hind, as an Espoused Bridegroom and His goodly Words of Truth, Naphtali was promised, first, to be satisfied with the favour of God and man which would equip them with prevailing power over their enemies. Second, God promised to fill them with the blessings of pleasant, joyous revelations from the LORD. Third, He promised to give them prevailing power to possess spiritual treasures — the Ark of Mercy and Peace on the west and the Candlestick of Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge on the south.

Although Naphtali was positioned northward in the land, Jewish tradition says that this tribe was so fruitful that its members were generally the first to bring their firstfruits to the Temple. Therefore, Naphtali was favoured with the first blessing from the Priest. How greatly was Moses guided by the Spirit of Prophecy in these blessings; before the lot was cast from the lap of the Priest in Joshua’s day, Moses foresaw and foretold the portion of each tribe.

The blessings of power of God’s creative Word shone down on Naphtali through the jasper stone, which means polished and prevailing. Beloved, the Living Jasper Stone, Jesus Christ, has the strength of humility to keep going over a Truth until it is polished to perfection and shining brightly in our heart. God places us all in situations so that we may learn the Scapegoat Nature of Jesus Christ. Often we are prone to behave indignantly and proudly, saying, “No one is going to push me around. I’ll show them that they can’t treat me that way.” We think the way to overcome and prevail in such circumstances is to elbow our way through, pushing the other fellow down. This is not prevailing over our circumstance. We overcome by taking the low “scapegoat road” of humility, with bended knees, saying, “LORD, let them lay it on me. You were my Scapegoat with the humility bended knees. Now, I will be a scapegoat with humility bended knees for You.” This is how we are joined to the Living Jasper Stone of Prevailing Power and Authority. Through humility, we prevail over our own proud flesh as well as the proud flesh of others.

V.  Description of Capricorn People

People born under the sign of Capricorn with its sweet influences of God’s Prophetic, Creative Word and Light are strong leaders because they carry the strength of the goat. When a shepherd needs help in leading his sheep, he often puts a goat out in front as a leader of the flock. Sheep have no sense without a leader. They require strong leadership, or they will wander off in every direction.

Strong leaders in the spiritual realm must have the knees of the goat to know when to bend to the good ideas of others and to know when to allow their followers to rest. Capricorn people are blessed with these qualities. These people carry responsibility well. They know how to carry the load faithfully, even without the pat on the back which is so necessary to keep others doing their jobs. They are blessed also with a special disposition of good will toward men, for they belong to the sign of the Scapegoat Who came down in the manger when the song was sung, “On earth peace, good will toward men.”

Those born under the sign of Capricorn are prevailing, conquering people. They have strong determination to press through. They are persistent, ferreting out facts and knowledge. They have the ability to be diligent, to concentrate, to meditate, and to work. They will carry the load. They are blessed especially with the wrestling, fighting nature of the tribe of Naphtali and the prevailing light of the jasper stone.

VI.  Control of Light

The capacity of leadership is a great asset when it is under the Headship of Jesus Christ, but this power is frightening when it is subject to the forces of evil. People who have been under the sign of Capricorn and who have been blessed with the light-giving influences from God’s Prophetic Word in the sky can be very destructive when they yield to the headship (authority) of Satan and to their own carnal headship. For their own gain, they will use their ferreting-out quality to take advantage of the weakness of others. When under their own headship, they use their concentrative, meditative powers for selfish gains and interests. Therefore, it is difficult for them to obtain true spirituality. They also are very critical when under the wrong headship. However, when they yield to God’s control of their lives and rely on His Power, rather than their own, they become dynamic, expressive, and aggressive up the spiritual scales. They become alert to seize and take advantage of every circumstance to know Jesus Christ better. Under God’s Headship and Authority, they are prevailers and overcomers.

The goat nature is a beautiful quality, indeed, as long as it is under the Headship of God, but this same pliable nature of the goat knees, which is so easily bent and swayed, is just as susceptible to the influences of Satan. The source of controlling influence, then, determines whether or not this is a good or a bad quality. When these people get under God’s Headship and Authority so that He can bless and control that sweet influence from the sky that is upon them, they are great people indeed.

VII.  Sharing of Light

Although we may not have been born when the sign of Capricorn was in preeminence in the sky, we all can share in its light. The impartial light from Capricorn, the Scapegoat, shines throughout all the world. There is no corner of the globe which is not illuminated by its rays of Truth. If we accept the Creative Word that comes through Capricorn, we will be influenced to bend and bow in humble servitude and worship to Jesus Christ, now, while there is time for us to learn to know His Scapegoat Nature by personal growth in Spiritual Stature. When the Resurrected Bridegroom-Hind senses the matrimonial fragrance of humility upon our mature Spiritual Stature, He will come to consummate the union between our heart and His Heart.

None of us enjoy being made the scapegoat, but sooner or later we all are going to have to learn how to bend under God’s influence. Every man is going to have to bend his stubborn will and acknowledge the Living God. We each have the choice in this life whether we will worship God in the New City (Revelation 19:8,14; 21:9), the New Heaven (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-15), the New Earth (Revelation 3:5; 4:4; 5:8-10), or the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:12-15). Ultimately, we all will bend before His Divine Presence in worship and praise. By learning the scapegoat nature by Spiritual Stature in this life, the Bride of Christ will become the firstfruits of humility, surrender, obedience, and praise unto Jesus Christ. How foolish it is, then, for us to refuse to learn this scapegoat nature, now, so that we might reap such blessed rewards throughout time and Eternity.

Sooner or later, regardless of where we will spend Eternity, we all will bend — we all will come under the scapegoat nature. The Bride receives this nature by stature or growth; whereas, all the other resurrected beings in the New Heaven, New Earth, and Lake of Fire will receive it by gift. Hence, they will not receive the kind of Eternal Reward as does the Bride.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen in this chapter that the fifth sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar is Capricorn, the Scapegoat. This sign foretold the time that Jesus would be born in the stable and laid in the manger of the goat in order to conquer sin and save mankind, by carrying man’s scarlet and crimson sins behind the Back of God and depositing them in God’s Sea of Forgetfulness where they would be changed into snow and into wool.

The sign of Capricorn signifies the knees of the stature of the archetypal man in the skies. It represents the pliable, moveable parts of the body, the joints. The emblem of servitude, Capricorn influences us to bend in service to others — to God and to man.

The nature imparted by the light of Capricorn was revealed in the tribe of Naphtali, whose name means wrestling or fighting of the enthroned one against his enemies. By struggling against the enemies in their own proud flesh, Naphtali bowed their knees and humbled themselves under God’s Headship. Accompanying this tribe was the jasper stone which signifies the prevailing power of humility.

Although the light of the sign of Capricorn is directed especially to people born between December 22nd and January 19th, we all can share in the sweet influences of the scapegoat light. When we accept the Creative Word coming through Capricorn, we will be influenced to bend in humble servitude and worship to Jesus Christ, now, while there is time to learn to know His Scapegoat Nature by growth in Spiritual Stature. Then, when the Resurrected Bridegroom-Hind senses the matrimonial fragrance of mature humility, He will come to consummate the union between our heart and His Heart. Those who enter into this Oneness of Relationship with Jesus Christ in this life will be His Bride and will be blessed to dwell with Him personally in the New Jerusalem in Eternity.

_______________

* B. R. Hicks, The Song of Love… From the Song of Solomon (Jeffersonville, Indiana: Christ Gospel Churches Int’l., Inc., 1966).

Chapter Eight

Aquarius And The Tribe Of Reuben

January 20 — February 18

The sixth prophetic light in the sky is Aquarius, the Water Carrier. The nature of Aquarius is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Reuben. The blessings of power of this sign are reflected in the emerald stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

The constellation of Aquarius is seen in God’s Prophetic Calendar between Capricorn and Pisces. Since the sun enters this constellation about the 20th of January, we know that this sign belongs to the winter season. The stars of Aquarius are said to resemble a man holding a water pot, pouring water with his right hand.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

After Jesus Christ had become a Scapegoat for mankind and had suffered the Death of Crucifixion at Calvary’s Cross and had been buried in a borrowed tomb, He was resurrected from the dead. Before He returned to the Right Hand of God, Jesus said, in so many words, “When I go away, I will send the Comforter. I will pour out the Water of the Holy Ghost upon you.” The sign of Aquarius, the man pouring water from his water pot, was a prophetic sign in the sky, foretelling the day that the Promise of God’s Spirit would be poured out on all mankind.

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: (Acts 2:16-18).

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (Joel 2:28).

During His Ministry, Jesus reminded people of the Promise of Overflowing Life which would be theirs after He had been glorified and was seated again at His Father’s Right Hand.

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39).

This Water of Promise of the Holy Ghost initially was poured forth on the Day of Pentecost. The two small wavy lines which accompany the Water Boy in the symbols representing the sign of Aquarius further depict the ripples or waves of God’s Spirit and Holy Ghost-Life which has flowed down from Heaven since that day. When Jesus Christ, the Firstborn of God and the Firstborn from among the dead, had the Sceptre of All Power in Heaven and Earth placed into His Hands, following His Resurrection, He returned to Heaven to pour out the Water of Promise of the Holy Ghost, the blessed Comforter.

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (John 15:26)

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you (John 16:7).

Let us focus our attention on a Principle here. When someone desires the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, he should close his eyes to earthly surroundings and put his thoughts on the Son, Jesus Christ, whose Body was broken on Calvary’s Cross for him. Because the Son is the One Who pours out the Water of the Holy Ghost, we need to center our attention on Him and direct our prayers to Him. We simply begin by worshipping the Son and remembering His Suffering and Death on the Cross. He has the Water Pot of the Spirit of God, and He will send an outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon us so that we might love and worship God all the more.

This same Principle works in our prayer closet. Sometimes we have trouble getting through to the Spirit in our prayers. However, we must bear in mind that Jesus Christ has the Water Pot. In our prayers, we begin at Calvary and pour out our love, worship, and praise, as we express our gratitude for the Cross and Jesus’ sacrificial Death for us. Then, before long, the Water of Life of the Holy Ghost will be poured out afresh and anew upon us, enabling us to pray in the Power of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost is the Force that gives functioning power to move on in God’s Perfect Will in our life.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Aquarius signifies the legs of the archetypal man; therefore, it represents the locomotive functions of the human organism.

When the sweet influences of Aquarius illuminate our being, we find our heart being filled with desire to live and walk in the humble Footprints of Jesus Christ.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Aquarius

The nature of the light of the sign of Aquarius was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Reuben, which was identified by the emerald stone. The name Reuben means “behold ye a son.” It also means “bubbling over like water.” In Genesis, chapter forty-nine, we see Jacob, old and about to die, calling together his sons for his last ministry to them.

And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days (Genesis 49:1).

Notice two interesting Principles here. Jacob was a dying man; yet, as a true parent, he showed concern for his sons. During his lifetime, Jacob already had blessed them with the Living Word. Now, at the time of his death, he also had the Living Word to give them.

We need to learn, personally, the same Principle which motivated Jacob. There is Word for life and Word for death. We have no problem accepting or expecting the Word of God when it comes to us in the midst of life, but we usually are amazed when the Word of God comes in the midst of death. When we, personally, are in a state of mental or spiritual death and when death is all we can feel around us, it is easy to misunderstand. It is so easy, then, to think that the Word of God is shut up also. However, this is not true. God has a Word to give us in the midst of death, as well as in the midst of life.

Death was in the camp of Jacob, and everyone felt it. Yet, there was the Prophetic Word of God to be given.

Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father (Genesis 49:2).

He gathered them together. Jacob had a personal word of prophecy for his sons, but he did not call each of them secretly apart to whisper his words in confidence. Jacob gathered them together so that they all would hear the message given to each of them; then, all would profit thereby. He dealt with them separately; yet, he also dealt with them as a collective unit.

This Principle also applies to us. The same Word that God speaks to us, individually, He speaks to us all, and we all can profit thereby. This same Principle is true in relation to the signs of the zodiac. Although each sign bears special influence and meaning to those born under the sign, there is a sense in which we all partake of the sweet influences of the Prophetic Word and Light of the entire circle of the zodiac. We all are involved with the entire prophetic circle as it is set forth in the Heavens, for this is God’s Blueprint of His dealings with man on the planet Earth.

Notice also that it was Jacob who gathered the sons together, but it was Israel who started speaking. We remember well the wrestling of the man Jacob with the Son of God in Angelic Form. This struggle went on all night long, but Jacob refused to let go until the Angel first blessed him. He was blessed — his thigh was bent, curved like a rib, and Jacob halted on that curved thighbone the rest of his days (Genesis 32:24-32). The word curved means to surrender or to be bent. Because of Jacob’s surrender and the bending of his will that night, Jacob was never the same again; God changed his name or nature from Jacob (heel-catcher, supplanter) to Israel (a prince of God).

The man Jacob called his sons together. But, when he spoke, he said, “Hearken unto Israel your father.” Hearken unto this curved thigh, this bent rib. Hearken unto this new name. Hearken unto the one who has prevailed with God.

So should we hearken to those who have prevailed with God. We should hearken or give attention to those who have grown to spiritual maturity in the Stature of the Son of God, to those who have a curved thigh. Often we make the mistake of speaking out of our Jacob-nature rather than speaking out of our Israel-nature or our curved-thigh nature. True spiritual authority comes out of the prevailing power of one who has had a curved-thigh experience with God. The bride of Adam the First was taken out of a rib and made into a bride for her husband. Even so, the Bride of Christ will be taken out of His Body (the Church [Ephesians 1:22,23]), as a rib, as one who has prevailed with God and manifested this curved thigh, as did Jacob.

Now let us consider Reuben in particular.

Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch (Genesis 49:3,4).

Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn, the first visible manifestation of his procreative life and strength. We know that Reuben was welcomed by his parents because his name declares “behold ye a son.” Jewish families particularly concentrated their pride and joy in their sons, for sons perpetuated the family name.

To Reuben belonged the excellency of dignity or honour above his brethren, in that he could have had power over them as the firstborn, who was the heir to kingly power, priestly power, and a double portion of blessing power. Israel lifted Reuben up so that he might cast him down by one phrase, “Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel.” Reuben would be a tribe, but not an excellent one. Thus, Israel stripped Reuben of his “firstborn” ornaments of glory. No Prince, Prophet, or Judge ever came from the tribe of Reuben. Scripture mentions no persons of renown in connection with this tribe except Dathan and Abiram who failed to excel because of their proud rebellion against Moses. Perhaps this lack of excellence and anointing guided their choice of a settlement on the wilderness side of Jordan.

Reuben’s virtue was unstable as water. He was unable to govern himself and his passions. His instability forced him to incest. Just as water takes on the shape of the vessel into which it is poured, so was Reuben’s unstable virtue poured into an adulterous vessel whose stains had not been wiped off, though the crime had been committed some forty years earlier. He had gone up to his father’s bed.

Reuben’s sin had left upon the family an indelible mark of disgrace, whose deadly scar could not be removed. Reuben had repented of the sin, and he had been pardoned. But, the scar of disgrace against his name remained. It was necessary for his father to put this mark of disgrace upon him by removing his firstborn privileges as a warning to others so that they might learn to detest this class of heinous crime.

It is a beautiful thing to be soft and pliable as water if one is under the Headship of the LORD. Water has another desirable virtue. When it is poured forth, it always runs to the low place. It knows how to take the humble place. This is a great asset in going on for God. If a person is under the headship of Satan, this same quality will cause him to run down quickly into degradation and shame as did Reuben. His unstable virtue ran down to the shameful vessel of adultery.

This message to Reuben was directed to him in particular, but the words were heard by all so that all might benefit from them. This was a warning to us all. Just because we are born under this particular sign does not cancel the influence of the rest of the constellations in the sky. One of the greatest things that we all have to learn is to control the outflow of our lives. Control comes with spiritual maturity. When we have matured, we do not have to be subject to all passing moods and fancies, but we can function out of a fixed and stable determination to do the Will of God.

Let us take note of Moses’ prophecy to Reuben.

Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few (Deuteronomy 33:6).

Out of respect for the position of the firstborn, Moses gave honour to Reuben, even though he had missed out on what rightfully would have been his had he refrained from his sin. Reuben missed out on his position, but he did not miss out on life. He still possessed procreating life. Moses was saying, in so many words, “Let Reuben live and let his men be blessed.” This fits together with the Water of Life of the Spirit. Reuben had sinned, repented, and been pardoned; still he lost his ministries and honours. Yet, God’s Word blessed him with the promise of increased life, which is the greatest of all. God promised the frontier tribe of Reuben life among his brethren, life among his enemies, life in the midst of battles, and life in the increase of his tribe. He could not excel in some ways, but he could flourish in multiplying life. Reuben learned to direct the water of life into clean vessels.

Jesus demonstrated the Life-giving properties of the Water of the Spirit to the woman at the well of Samaria. The woman was shocked that He, being a Jew, would ask a drink of water from her, a Samaritan. Jesus took the opportunity to open her eyes as to Who He really was, for He offered her a well of Supernatural Water that would spring up into Everlasting Life.

Here water is likened to life. We can take this Water of Life and pour it into any number of vessels. Many people pour their natural life into the vessel of a career, for instance, or the vessel of temporal entertainment and satisfaction. They pour it here and pour it there; then after awhile, they say, “There is nothing to life.” The problem is not with life, but with the vessel they have chosen to pour that life into. They are looking at the ugly vessel and blaming the life. This type of experience need not be ours, for we can choose to pour our water of life into a spiritual vessel. We can give ourself to the service of the King, Jesus Christ. Then, life will be more than worthwhile.

When we come to God’s House, we can choose whether or not we want to pour the Water of the Spirit into a vessel of worship, into a vessel of singing, into a vessel of prayer, or into a vessel of praise; then, if we make the right choice, we can go out of the service with singing, happy hearts, saying, “Oh, His Life is good.”

We must learn how to pour life’s water into the right vessel. If we pour water into a dirty, unclean vessel, we will find life marred and muddied, with no satisfaction or lasting joy. On the other hand, if we pour our water into a vessel for the LORD, we will be satisfied both now and in Eternity.

Knowing that life is like water, and knowing that life must be poured into a vessel, God created us a body, a soul, and a spirit. He created three vessels in one. Then, when He found His way into our heart, we gained another vessel — that of Jesus Christ. When we received the Holy Ghost, He was another vessel. Then, the Father came along and provided yet another vessel. Besides all this, we have many vessels of surrender, vessels of humility, vessels of crucifixion, vessels of worship, vessels of prayer — we could go on and on. All these are vessels into which we can pour our life.

You will recall the story of the widow woman and Elisha. When the Prophet told her to gather all the vessels she could, she obeyed promptly. She lined up all the vessels, and they were all filled, as had been promised, with precious oil. This Principle works today. We can bring all our vessels to the LORD, and He will be faithful to fill each one with His Spirit and His Life and His Blessing. This is what makes walking with Jesus so exciting. We get a new touch of life by presenting a new vessel to Him for His filling. We are not to put new wine into old bottles. Since wine symbolizes the Resurrected Life of Jesus Christ, we must have new bottles, new vessels, which are prepared to receive and preserve this Resurrected Life.

Sometimes we sit in a church service feeling quite left out. Others seem to be enjoying a blessing, but nothing seems to be coming our way. If they are receiving a blessing, there is a reason for it. They have brought new vessels to the LORD. Any time we bring a new vessel to the LORD, we will receive new life, for the Water of the Spirit will flow into our waiting, empty vessel. The measure of life we receive is determined by the size and shape of our vessel. Remember, water conforms to the shape of the vessel. Therefore, if we bring a vessel of surrender, we will be rewarded with new life — surrendered life. If we bring a new humility vessel, new life will flow into that vessel; this life, then, will be humility life. If it is a vessel of worship and praise, the new Water of Life will flow in and conform to the particular vessel we have brought.

If our hearts are hungry for a new blessing or some new Life in the Spirit, if we are eager for some new Water of the Word or new Water of the Spirit, then we must do something new when we come to church. We cannot sit passively waiting for God to flood us with new life; we must learn to give. When we present a new vessel to the LORD, He is faithful to fill it. Water must have a vessel. God’s Life and Spirit will not stop flowing into us as long as we create a vessel to contain it. Yesterday’s vessel will not do for today. Come before Jesus Christ each day with a new vessel for Him to fill. Remember, He is the Son of God. He has the Water Pot. When He sees a new vessel being presented to Him, He starts pouring out His Life and Spirit. After we have brought our vessel, we must hold on to it and wait for His time. God controls the seasons; we must wait on the LORD and continue loving Him. In due season, His Water Pot will be emptied upon us, and we will be satisfied.

The blessing of power of the sign of Aquarius is seen in the emerald stone which belonged to the tribe of Reuben. Together, the sign, the tribe, and the stone portray a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ, Who was the Firstborn and only Begotten Son of God. As we have mentioned already, Aquarius is represented as the Water Carrier. The name Reuben means “behold ye a son.” The emerald stone is noted for its many breaks or fractures. In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John saw these same elements when he spoke of a rainbow (light shining through water), like unto an emerald encircling God’s Throne (Revelation 4:3). Thus, we see that through the virtue and power of the broken Life and fractured Body of Jesus Christ, the Promise of the Holy Ghost Comforter (pictured by the water of Aquarius) was sent by the Resurrected Son, Who is seated at the Right Hand of God the Father.

V.  Description of Aquarius People

People born under the sweet influence of the sign of Aquarius are overflowing people. The Glory and Word which shines down upon all people born under this sign causes Aquarians to be like waves of water. They overflow readily and easily with soothing comfort and compassion toward people. And, because their nature is like unstable water, Aquarians can flow quickly from one vessel to another. Their moods change quickly. We must learn to understand this changeableness of the Aquarians, for to do otherwise causes us to take personal affront, many times unnecessarily, when it is just the Aquarian’s shifting of moods from one vessel to another. Because they have not yet learned how to control the water supply in their lives, the Aquarians can be poured quickly from a vessel of happiness into a vessel of depression or moodiness.

This same waterlike influence flowed in Reuben’s life. It was this unstable quality that caused his feelings to flow into the fleshly train of thought which caused him to desecrate his father’s bed.

Aquarians do not hold grudges very long. They may have a grudge, and the water may flow over into an angry vessel; however, they soon shift into a new train of thought, and the water is poured out into another vessel.

The ability to change vessels quickly is an admirable quality in some cases. By comparison, some people are so adamant that they would rather die and go to Hell than to change. While Aquarians are blessed with the ability to change easily, they, and all of us for that matter, need to strive toward keeping the water of life securely frozen, as it were, in spiritual vessels rather than pouring it back and forth, in and out, from the carnal to the spiritual.

VI.  Control of Light

Aquarians are changeable people. They are like water poured out. These people can adjust easily and can be poured forth to fit into any situation. This readiness to adjust is a blessing when it is under the Headship (Authority) of God, for these people can yield easily to the Spirit of God to be poured out in demonstrations, poured out in worship, poured out in prayer, poured out in whatever way the Spirit leads. On the other hand, this changeable and unstable quality can be poured out just as easily, under Satan’s headship, into vessels of passions, lusts, or changeable whims and fancies for selfish ends. When under their carnal headship or when under Satanic rule, Aquarians flow into vessels of their senses, and it becomes very difficult for them to accept the Truth of God by faith. Yet, when God is controlling the light energy in the lives of Aquarians, they overflow with living, expressive personalities. The soft, humility pliableness of water is beautiful when God controls it. Change is great if it is used for good.

VII.  Sharing of Light

The Glory Light and Prophetic Word from Aquarius shines down on all men. As we present new vessels of humility, surrender, obedience, worship, praise, love, and desire, Holy Ghost Life will flow in, filling us to overflowing with His own overwhelming Presence. No carnal pleasure compares with the inexpressible delight and ecstasy we feel when the Water of the Holy Ghost Life is running up and down in the channels of our being. Praise God for the sweet influences of Aquarius which shine down on us all.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen, in this chapter, that Aquarius, the Water Carrier, is the sixth prophetic light in the sky. This sign foretold the time that the Resurrected Jesus Christ would return to the Right Hand of God the Father and would pour out the Promise of God’s Spirit on all mankind. Although this Water of Promise of the Holy Ghost was poured forth initially on the 120 in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, the two small wavy lines which accompany this Water Boy, in the symbols representing the sign of Aquarius, depict the ripples or waves of God’s Spirit and Holy Ghost Life which has flowed into other hearts since that day.

The sign of Aquarius signifies the legs of the grand man in the skies; therefore, it represents the locomotive functions of the human organism.

The nature of the light of the sign of Aquarius was imparted to the tribe of Reuben, whose name means “behold ye a son.” It also means “bubbling over like water.”

The tribe of Reuben was identified with the emerald stone which means broken or fractured. We understand, then, that the Glory Light and Creative Prophetic Word coming from Aquarius causes us to see and know the invisible, overflowing, bubbling life of God’s Holy Ghost as it flows out through the broken vessel, the fractured Emerald Stone of Truth, Jesus Christ.

In addition to those born between January 20th and February 18th, the Omnipresent Water of Life, symbolized by the water streaming out from Aquarius, benefits us all. Exceedingly great is God’s Mercy to set a sign in the sky that would be a prophetic witness to man of His Eternal Plan to send His only Begotten Son to be broken and fractured for us so that we might have the Life of God’s Spirit and have it more abundantly.

Chapter Nine

Pisces And The Tribe Of Zebulun

February 19 — March 20

The sign of Pisces is the seventh prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Zebulun. God’s blessings of power granted to Pisces are reflected in the carbuncle stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

The constellation of Pisces is seen in God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky between Aquarius and Aries. The Latin word Pisces is a plural word, meaning fish. Because this constellation, which is south of Andromeda, resembles fish, it was named Pisces. This sign of the zodiac is entered by the sun about February 19th.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

The sign of Pisces symbolizes the great sea or flood called Time in which God has placed the fish of mankind. Prophetically, this sign represents the great evangelistic thrust which was the immediate results of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon the 120 in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. At the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus promised His Disciples that He would make them fishers of men.

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethre n, Simon called Pe ter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him (Matthew 4:18-20).

Jesus knew that He could and would qualify these men to be fishers of human souls. He called them, taught them His Word, and later empowered them with the Holy Ghost, which He sent from on High after His resurrection; then, they went forth to be successful fishers of men by the Power and Authority of His Word and Spirit. The spiritual order is still the same today. First, we must hear and accept the call of Salvation through the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, our Scapegoat (Capricorn). Next, we must experience the empowering of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost (Aquarius). Then, we, too, can become fishers of men by casting in the great net of Salvation into the sea of mankind (Pisces) and bringing in some precious souls to Jesus Christ.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Pisces signifies the feet of the grand cosmic man. Therefore, it represents the foundation of humanity. It is the emblem of obedience. Thus, it is plain to see that foundational obedience in the Church of Jesus Christ was to consist in being fishers of men and soul winners for His Kingdom.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Pisces

The nature of the light of the sign of Pisces was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Zebulun, which was identified with the carbuncle stone in the Breastplate of the High Priest. Let us study the prophecies which Jacob spoke by Divine Revelation from God to his son Zebulun.

Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon (Genesis 49:13).

God prophetically promised, through Jacob, that Zebulun’s posterity would have their inheritance upon the seacoast and that they would be merchants and mariners or traders at sea.

In His All-circling Wisdom, God appoints the habitations of men — some in the country as husbandmen, some in the cities as professors in books and workers in mechanics, and some at the seashore as traders at sea. God divides for the common good of all. Certainly it was for the common good of Israel that the men of Zebulun were merchants. In order to attend to their business, the men of Zebulun had the pleasure of traveling and trading at sea. Many times we look only at the other person’s pleasure and decide that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. But, we should remember that every business has both conveniences and inconveniences or pleasure and pain. Whatever God appoints to us, we should accept the pleasure and pain of it, together, and not envy another for his business.

At the time of this prophecy, the children of Israel still were just a small band, living down in Egypt. They were not yet in the Promised Land of Canaan; therefore, the land had not yet been conquered nor divided. But, two or three hundred years later, the land was divided by lot, and the border of Zebulun went up toward the sea (Joshua 19:11). If they personally had chosen their portion of inheritance or if Joshua had appointed it to them, we could say that they were obeying Jacob’s word. But, since the inheritance in the land was determined by lot (a matter which shall be discussed later), we see that Jacob’s prophecy was truly divinely inspired and that the promise was divinely performed when God caused the lot to be cast forth. God’s Divine Performance always agrees with His Divine Promise, just as true copy always agrees with the details of the original. Promise said, “Zebulun… shall be for an haven for ships.” Performance planted him in that place. Because Zebulun belonged to the sign of Pisces, the fish, God designated that his portion of the land be by the sea, extending as far as Zidon. Zebulun was to have ports which would serve as havens for ships.

With the revelation of God’s Mind and Will comes responsibility. When God lets us know in advance His Will for our life, it is so that we can begin making preparations toward that end. We prepare ourself by prayer, by making the necessary surrenders, and by acquiring whatever natural assets are needed to help us fulfill God’s Will when the time is ripe. Because Zebulun knew in advance that he and his descendants were to ply the fishing and shipping trade, they had ample opportunity to train themselves as shipbuilders so that they might be ready to do God’s Will when they finally arrived in Canaan’s Land.

It is interesting to note the commandment which Moses gave to the tribe of Zebulun.

And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out;… (Deuteronomy 33:18).

The men of Zebulun were to rejoice in their going out — their going out to sea. The word rejoice means to joy all over again. Zebulun experienced his first joy when Jacob prophesied the promise of his inheritance in Canaan’s Land. Now, he was to rejoy at Moses’ prophesies which were in keeping with the first prophecy.

Since Moses’ prophecy was a confirmation of what Jacob had said earlier, it is obvious that Moses was not speaking out of spiritual pride, for such pride always makes one seek to attain a higher position than others. Instead, Moses kept an equal position with his predecessor, Jacob, when he acknowledged that his prophecy was not original. Jacob spoke it first, and Moses reiterated it.

In the Book of Joshua, we see, in the days of Joshua, the fulfillment of the prophecy given by Jacob and Moses.

And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid: And their border went up toward the sea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbasheth, and reached to the river that is before Jokneam; (Joshua 19:10,11).

The Promise and the Performance covered quite a span of time and involved three different men. Jacob and Moses spoke the prophetic Promise, while Joshua was instrumental in its ultimate Performance. Yet, in spite of the time element and the individual personality differences, all words spoken in connection with the tribe of Zebulun were cohesive and in perfect agreement.

So it is whenever God speaks. There never is a contradiction between His Word and His Spirit. There is no confusion or discrepancy; neither does God confute in one place what He has spoken in another. It all fits together as perfectly as it did in this case.

After Israel had entered the land of Canaan, under the Headship of the Ark of the Covenant (picturing the Mind and Will of God) and the leadership of Joshua, the land had to be divided and the boundaries established for the twelve tribes. This was accomplished by casting lots as directed by the LORD. It is no surprise, then, that Zebulun’s portion went up by the sea. Had God not said through Jacob that Zebulun would dwell at the sea and be a haven of ships? Nobody but God could have made such a Promise and then performed it a few hundred years later.

The casting of lots is an interesting subject with great spiritual significance. Perhaps we should pause to consider this matter. Moses already had indicated how the land was to be divided upon Israel’s arrival in Canaan’s Land.

Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between many and few (Numbers 26:55,56).

We recall from Joshua, chapter nineteen, verse ten, that Zebulun’s portion of the land was designated by the third lot. The disposition of these lots was controlled by the LORD Himself, as we will see later.

The Hebrew word for lot means rough stones. These stones were cast into the lap of the High Priest and, through the Power of God, they were shaken around, and then, miraculously, one would be cast out to indicate God’s Choice.

When God is in control of the casting of lots, there is no gamble involved because He guides the choosing. The vice of gambling came when fallen Lucifer stole the Principle of Casting Lots, corrupted and perverted it, and made an immoral practice out of it. All Lucifer can do is borrow some beautiful and beneficial Truth from God, twist it, and corrupt it to work his destructive purposes. The original casting of lots was one of God’s ways of declaring His Will to man; therefore, He controlled it perfectly.

The first time the casting of lots is recorded in Scripture is in connection with the choice between the two goats on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:1-34). The two goats represented the Blood of Jesus Christ in type and shadow. The blood of the dead goat was carried first to the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies, which was the dwelling place of God’s Personal Shekinah Glory; then, the blood was carried throughout the entire Tabernacle. Thus, in type and shadow, God demonstrated that He was reconciling Himself first. God healed His marred, disobeyed, disfigured Word; He repaired the damage which man had done to the Stature of His Word. Then, He provided blood to carry away man’s sins from before His Face. The blood of the living goat, the scapegoat, represented the part of Jesus’ Blood which went behind the Back of God to carry man’s sins into the Sea of God’s Forgetfulness (Isaiah 38:17; 43:25). The scapegoat was turned loose into the uninhabited land, never to return. Even so, the scapegoat portion of the Blood of Jesus provided a River of Remission of sins by going behind the Back of God and remaining there for Eternity, never to return again with the sins of mankind.

God chose the scapegoat through the agency of casting lots. The choice of lots was not left to a human hand to perform, for no human could discern which goat had the particular blood that God had chosen to use to bear the suffering and pain of ascending before God’s Face, where it looked upon His broken, marred Word and still was able to minister comfort and consolation, to heal the broken Word, and to appease God’s Holy Wrath against sinful mankind. No human powers could detect which goat had the blood of tender, loving, sacrificing Mercy which could endure Eternal Darkness and Separation from God’s Personal Presence and Glory that mankind’s sins might be carried away. Any man-made choice would have been mere chance or gambling. The choosing of the lot was guided by God’s Invisible Hand.

The fact that the lot was cast into the lap of Aaron, the High Priest, is far more meaningful than many have discerned, for it concerns God’s Threefold Governmental Witness. God always works by a Threefold Witness. The Presence of God abode in the Shekinah Glory from the Mercy Seat, which covered the Ark of the Covenant. From there, God sent forth His Governing Word and His Spirit which was confirmed by the flashing forth of the Urim and Thummim in the Breastplate of the High Priest. In other words, the Israelites were directed and governed by the Witness of the Word and the Witness of the Spirit. Within the High Priest’s Breastplate were carried two mysterious Stones called the Urim and Thummim. These are plural words in the Hebrew, and they mean lights and perfections. When the High Priest wanted to know the Mind of God, he came, wearing the Breastplate, and stood by the Golden Altar, facing the Holy of Holies. Then, he inquired for God’s Counsel and Will. For instance, he might ask, “Shall Judah go up and fight?” Then, the two stones of the Urim and Thummim within the Breastplate would leap and shine forth, indicating that what was in the Heart agreed with what was coming from the Ark, the Head. Here was the Spirit Witness working in perfect agreement with the Witness of God’s Word.

The third class of Witness (Government) was the Thigh or Visible Works Witness. The casting of lots was connected with the Thigh Witness, for the lot was cast in the lap (the thigh area) of the High Priest. This is how the land was divided between the twelve tribes when they came into Canaan’s Land.

Let us go to Proverbs for additional understanding about casting the lot.

The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD (Proverbs 16:33).

God did not permit them to cast the lot into the lap or thigh area of the High Priest and, then, depend on man’s chance-choosing to determine which way the lot was to go. This verse tells us that “the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.” The entire matter of the Thigh Witness was regulated and directed by God Himself. Again, we read, “The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty” (Proverbs 18:18). In other words, when people are big enough in God to receive His Directive Will, the Thigh Witness is sufficient for them to settle any contention which might arise. Even when two mighty people are in conflict, the matter is settled peaceably by the Thigh Witness; the casting of lots causes strife to cease. The Thigh Witness is God’s Visible Works Witness; it is a Begetting Witness, a Birth Witness. When by His Invisible Word and Spirit, God bears Witness, by Promise, to His Will, His Word of Promise will be confirmed by the Thigh or Birth Witness. Once God gives His Thigh Witness, the Performance of that thing is assured. Without doubt, it will be brought to birth and made a visible Work of God. It shall come to pass; it shall be.

In casting lots of the possession of the Promised Land, the twelve names of the tribes of Israel were written on twelve stones, and the twelve districts of Canaan’s Land were written on twelve other stones. These stones were then placed in the lap of the High Priest. As the High Priest prayed over the stones bearing the names of the tribes, the stone with the name of the district which belonged to that particular tribe would leap up and cry out, saying, “I, the lot, have come up with this district for this tribe.” Then, the Urim and Thummim in the Breastplate would bear witness, by flashing forth with light, to the voice of the last stone as to the inheritance of each of the twelve tribes. How unerring and precise is the Word of God. It was in this way that the portion of land by the sea fell to Zebulun, the tribe which was blessed especially by the light from Pisces, the Fish.

The blessing of power from Pisces is reflected in the carbuncle stone which belonged to the tribe of Zebulun. The Hebrew word for carbuncle means burning, flashing, like lightning. Lightning was a symbol of the glorious and awful (awe-inspiring) Majesty of the Power of Jehovah. Thus, when God’s Creative Word and carbuncle light shines forth from Pisces into a human heart, that heart is set afire with burning zeal to shine and attract men, just as the lights of a continuing city draw weary travelers into its gates.

V.  Description of Pisces People

People born under the sign of Pisces have two sides to them. First, they have a great sense of self-confidence, the kind exemplified by true fishermen. Natural fishermen live abnormal lives in some respects. While other men are sheltered safely at home, fishermen frequently have to risk their lives, facing wind, storm, tempest, and creatures of the sea. They demonstrate great strength and courage in their daily occupations. These same qualities are present in Pisces people. Because they have been influenced by the light of the Fish, these people have a keen sense of appreciation and are blessed with a capacity to enjoy many things, both naturally and spiritually. Even as natural fish eat almost anything you give them, so people born under this sign are appreciative of whatever is given to them. It is a delight to be with these people, for appreciation is a very fine quality. In the natural, they also love swimming in the depths of originality and intellectuality; therefore, they assume responsibility well.

On the other hand, Pisces people have a shy, timid, reserved side. Just as the natural fish is easily frightened when someone or something interferes with his domain, there is a timid, fearful, withdrawing side to those born under the sign of the Fish. Because they are Fish people and, therefore, cold blooded, as it were, they have to work to yield to God’s Spirit. Yet, when they do learn to yield themselves, they burn and flash with the anointing and light of the carbuncle stone.

VI.  Control of Light

The natural characteristics of those born under the sign of Pisces can be used for either good or evil, depending on whether they are controlled by the Headship (Authority) of God or the headship of Satan. Mankind in the beginning, for example, was Pure and Holy while they (Adam-male and female) remained under God’s Headship. But, when they came under the headship of the Serpent, they became depraved, marred, marked, perverted from the beautiful creatures God had created them to be.

So it is in our life. When we are walking obediently to God’s Word, filled with His Spirit, and under the Authority of the LORD’s Headship, we are entirely different persons than when we are walking under our own carnal headship or the headship of Satan.

Pisces people have a great capacity for spiritual things when they turn to Jesus Christ and their light is being controlled by God. Because they are feet people, they have special power to walk out into the things of God. This ability comes from the fact that their feet are clothed with light which enables them to see further than some others can see. Because they are Fish people, they love swimming in the Seas of God’s Word and Spirit. When their burning, flashing carbuncle light is ruled by God, these people possess strong drawing powers, which they use to fish or catch men for Jesus Christ. However, when Satan controls the light, these same people use these powers to fish to get their own way and to lure men unto themselves rather than to the LORD. They use their feet to walk after their own independent will. Although they are very reserved people by nature, they can burn and flash like lightning with the jealous anger of the carbuncle stone.

VII.  Sharing of Light

Although Pisces gives those born under its sign specific characteristic marks, there is a sense in which we all share the light and influence of the whole wheel of the zodiac. This is true naturally speaking, and it is certainly true spiritually speaking. We all can be fishers of men. Bear in mind that the twelve constellations of stars were placed in the sky for signs. They were created by the Word and the Glory of God and are powerful in their influence. As we continue to grow in God, we all can lay hold of this prophetic Word of God which is written in the skies. The lights of the zodiac shine forth with His Prophetic Promises of what each of us can experience and know in God.

May we all emulate the sign of the Fish by becoming fishers of men, by casting out our nets into the sea teeming with the lost souls of humanity. This is the spiritual influence of the sign of Pisces.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen in this chapter that the seventh sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar is Pisces, the Fish. This sign foretold the great evangelistic thrust which followed the outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost, according to Jesus’ Promise to make His Disciples fishers of men.

The sign of Pisces lights up the feet of the archetypal man. Therefore, it represents the foundation of the human organism. In the Church of Jesus Christ, foundational obedience consists in being fishers of men and soul winners for His Kingdom.

The nature imparted by the light of Pisces was revealed in the Old Testament tribe of Zebulun, whose name means an inclosed habitation or dwelling place. Before the lot was cast which gave Zebulun the promised seacoast territory in Canaan’s Land, this tribe learned to live or dwell within the Will of God. The carbuncle stone representing this tribe indicates the burning Power of Jesus Christ to attract the hearts of men.

Although the light of the sign of Pisces is concentrated especially on the people born between February 19th and March 20th, we all can share in this light energy from the zodiac as we experience the saving Blood of Jesus Christ and the fiery Baptism of the Promised Holy Ghost which enables us to become fishers of men.

Chapter Ten

Aries And The Tribe Of Issachar

March 21 — April 20

The sign of Aries is God’s eighth prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Issachar. God’s blessings of power granted to Aries are reflected in the topaz stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

The north constellation of Aries can be seen in God’s Prophetic Calendar between Pisces and Taurus. This sign has the appearance of a ram which symbolizes spring, the season that light and love are bestowed upon the Earth and its inhabitants through the sun. The sun enters this constellation about March 21st.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

Aries, the ram of the sheep family, prophetically spoke of the time that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, would be raised again from the dead to be seated at the Right Hand of God the Father until His Father makes His enemies His Footstool. Although Jesus Christ is working in His Kingdom, His position at the Father’s Right Hand reveals His rest from His enemies. The Father said to the Son: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Matthew 22:44).

A sitting position signifies an established, settled position of authority. Jesus Christ did not take this position of Honour and Authority to Himself but was entitled to it by covenant from His Father. The Father promised to subdue Jesus’ enemies by either converting them to friends or by making them a footstool. Footstools are placed under the feet; likewise, the enemies of God’s Son will be brought under His Feet. Since the Father has promised to deal with all His Son’s enemies, lost mankind could save themselves many inextricable difficulties by allowing God to convert them, now, from the realm of enemies into the realm of friends.

Under Aries, the Ram, we have an unusual paradoxical combination — a marriage of rest and work. Following His Death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ ascended to the Father and took His position at the Right Hand of the Father. He rests there, particularly in relation to His enemies. In so many words, Jesus said, “All Power is given unto Me both in Heaven and in Earth that I might sit down and rest from My enemies.” God the Father has assumed the responsibility of dealing, now, with the enemies of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Likewise, we, too, must seek the “All Power” of Jesus Christ so that we, too, might rest from our enemies and allow God the Father time to avenge us. We also must allow the Father freedom to work this out in His own Will and Way. While the Son is seated in Heaven, resting from His enemies, He is working actively in behalf of His Church and His people.

It is indeed spiritual springtime, and the Sun of Righteousness is bestowing His Light and Love upon the children of His Kingdom. He is the Head over all things to the Church. He works, directs, and functions as the central Governing Shaft of the Church.

Just as Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, learned the Lesson of Rest and Work, so also must we learn when to rest from war and when to work. The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches this Principle.

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace (Ecclesiastes 3:8).

There is a time for war and a time for peace. God is the Author of both. In the prophetic dispensation of Aries, the Ram, God refrains His Son from warring with His enemies. But, in the prophetic dispensation of Taurus, we shall see that the Father will commission the Son to go forth as a mighty warrior. God will command His Son to draw the sword for Judgment and will give it a commission to devour much flesh.

God also gives man a time to draw the sword for justice and for the maintaining of the rights of mankind. Yet there will be Peace, Everlasting Peace, in which the Sword of the LORD shall be sheathed, and He shall make wars to cease.

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire (Psalm 46:9).

We all need to learn how to rest from our enemies. When our enemies choose to attack, fighting and speaking evil of us, it is time for us to flee to the Right Hand of the Father. If we stay seated in the place of rest, the Father will permit our enemies to dig pits for themselves. This will not happen, however, if we seek to avenge ourself. If we take up a similar warring spirit and battle back with angry attitudes when we should be resting, we will fall into the same pit with our enemies. It is not God’s Will for us to fight against our enemies. That is His business. It is not for us to retaliate and try to redeem ourself out of warlike situations. Then is the time and season to rest and learn of the peaceful Nature of Jesus Christ Who is at the Right Hand of God. In this position, we obtain a closer and more fruitful union with Him in the painful experiences of life. Psalm 16:11 says that at His Right Hand are pleasures forevermore. If we rest at His Right Hand, we can drink of God’s Rivers of Pleasurable Humility in the midst of life’s painful experiences.

It especially is tragic when ministers use their sacred desk to publicly lash out against their enemies. They fail to realize the spirit of rebellion which they put on their entire congregation. The minister’s rebellion works against the exposed victim in the beginning, but sooner or later it turns and works against the minister himself as the whole church becomes anointed with rebellion. When a church has split, it often has been the result of the bitter lashings of one of God’s servants who has used his pulpit privileges to attack his personal enemies. It is much better for us to sit peacefully at our Father’s Right Hand and let Him take care of our enemies. In the meantime, we should work in expending every effort to go on into greater depths and heights in God for ourself. We should rest where our enemies are concerned and work in the God-related areas of our life. The Resurrected and Exalted Christ exemplifies this very Principle, for this is what He Himself is doing right now.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Aries represents the head and brains of the stature of the archetypal man in the skies.

As we allow the thoughts of the brain to be filled with the warm light and love of springtime from the Sun of Righteousness, we can overcome the cold winter death of war and hate. This spiritual Principle is symbolized for us when the natural sun moves into Aries in springtime, signifying that once again he has gained victory over the realms of the cold death of winter. The sun achieves this mastery by putting the cold icy warfare of winter to rest and beginning his work of warming the Earth, rejuvenating it with new life and bringing it into new fruitfulness.

The minds of those born under the sign of Aries are strongly influenced by the twofold characteristics of rest and work.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Aries

The nature of the light of the sign of Aries was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Issachar, which was identified in the Breastplate of the High Priest by a topaz stone. Jacob’s prophecy concerning his son Issachar enlightens us further as to the reward or blessing which came to this tribe from the Creative Word and Light shining forth from Aries.

Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute (Genesis 49:14,15).

“Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:…” This is a strange Scripture and difficult to understand unless we associate it with the Principles found in the zodiac. From the context of these two verses, we see that Issachar saw that rest was good; therefore, he went to work to secure the land for his habitation. His tribe were people who were attached to the land. Jacob prophesied that Issachar and his tribe would be strong and industrious, with a love to labour particularly in the toil of husbandry.

Issachar was like an ass in that he patiently carried his two burdens — tillage and tribute. Because of his blessing in tilling the ground, he was called upon for taxes or tribute. The tiller of the soil must labour hard to till the ground and sow his seed; but, then, he has the refreshing blessing of resting and watching his precious seed grow to fruition. He enjoys the peculiar paradoxical combination to work and rest. There is no greater natural beauty than well cultivated furrows with living plants growing in them, bearing their pleasant fruits. This sight indeed charms the eye. There are many pleasures of country life, and they are abundantly sufficient to outweigh the inconveniences of this way of life.

While the tribe of Zebulun was going to sea, Issachar saw that rest at home was good. He saw that the land was pleasant. When Issachar beheld the beautiful prospect of his inheritance, he bowed his shoulder to bear the burden involved.

Likewise, it is easy for us to bow our shoulders to the Will of Jesus Christ when we receive a vision of His Union of Rest and Work. His Heavenly Land is good and pleasant. His Yoke is easy, and His Burden is Light.

Some people have misconstrued the meaning of these verses, teaching that Issachar was lazy and so dedicated to comfort that he sold himself to become a servant unto tribute. They miss the point entirely. We must bear in mind that the division of the land was not left to their choice but was divided by the casting of lots, which pertains to God’s Visible Thigh Witness. By this means, God divided the land according to His Will. God set Issachar between two borders. The tribes living directly on the borders were the ones which had to fight to protect the land. God placed them there, even as He selects Christians today with special ministries as prayer warriors in His Kingdom. Issachar never thought, “I see a nice piece of farmland in between the borders, and I am going to choose that for myself because I don’t want to fight. I just want to rest and take things easy.” NEVER! God Himself appointed the tribe of Issachar his portion of the Promised Land as the lots were cast.

Issachar had a place of rest from the enemy which attacked the borders frequently. We must remember, however, that this tribe did its share of the fighting in the beginning, for none of the tribes were exempt from the battle when Israel first entered into the land. Issachar was destined by God not to do the fighting. God’s purpose for letting Issachar have rest from war was so that he might have time to work and farm the land. Issachar bowed his shoulder to the burden of tilling the land, producing the food which was shared with the other tribes. It is impossible to farm the land and fight battles at the same time. Issachar also paid tribute or taxes from his labours to help maintain the nation.

Issachar received his appointed share of the land by the Divine Will of God. We know that Issachar accepted the responsibility which went along with God’s Will for his life, for the Bible tells us that he bowed his shoulder.

The shoulder is the place of responsibility. The High Priest carried on his shoulders the two Stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel to demonstrate that he carried the governmental responsibility of those twelve tribes. Jesus Christ is the anti-type of the Old Testament High Priest. He bears the governmental responsibility of spiritual Israel (Christians) upon His shoulders. The twelve names written on the two Stones signify different degrees of the Governmental Nature of Jesus Christ.

If we want to know the great mystery of the Union of Rest and Work, we must bow our shoulders to His Will and let Him put His Governmental Nature upon our shoulders. For example, the name or nature of the tribe of Judah was engraved in one of the Stones on the shoulder of the High Priest. Since the name Judah means praise, we must bow our shoulder and let Him work the nature of praise in us until we can praise Him in ALL things. So, then, we must come under the Governmental Nature of Jesus Christ as represented for us in the meanings of the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.*

Only as we bow our shoulder to take on His Governmental Nature do we learn to rest on one hand and work on the other. It is absolutely essential that we learn to rest from our enemies. Our failure to do this sometimes causes God to put a curse on our works. Our work for God will prosper as we learn to cease from warring against our enemies and go forth to labour among God’s people with the Governmental Nature of Jesus Christ upon our shoulders. Only in this way can we do God’s Work among His people.

In addition to the twelve names engraved on the onyx stones, Jesus Christ, our High Priest, also bears the Royal Key of David upon His shoulders.

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; (Revelation 3:7).

In King David’s day, the royal key guarded all the foodstuff. The Principle is the same in the spiritual realm today, for God has storehouses full of precious treasures which can be unlocked only with the Royal Key of the Name (Nature) of Jesus Christ. If we are to work in God’s vineyard, we need the Royal Key. Jesus Christ guards the Spiritual Food of the Father, but if we hunger and thirst and ask in His Name (use the Key of His Humility Nature), we shall receive. We shall be filled; we shall be satisfied.

While Jesus Christ is seated at the Right Hand of God the Father, resting from His enemies, He also works. He seeks to work His Governmental Nature in the hearts of His people because He knows how important it is that they be partakers of His Humility Nature. He knows that His Nature is the Royal Key used to open the abundantly satisfying portion of the Royal Food of Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge from God’s precious Word.

Having rested from our enemies, having bowed our shoulders to receive His Governmental Nature, and having experienced the Power of the Royal Key of David, we then are ready to bear some of God’s sheep on our shoulders.

At His Resurrection, Jesus Christ carried out, on His Shoulders, the sheep who had died as overcomers but who were still held captive by death because the Living Atonement Blood of God’s Son had not yet been applied to the Mercy Seat in Heaven (Ephesians 4:8-10; Matthew 27:52). However, He did not carry these sheep out on His Shoulder until He had gone to the Cross, descended into Death and Hell, and had taken away the keys of Death and Hell from the Devil.

Likewise, before we are qualified to enter into the ministry of carrying the lambs and sheep upon our shoulders, we must allow Jesus Christ to share with us His Royal Keys so that we, too, can unlock and lock the powers of Death and Hell according to His Divine Design and Purpose. Jesus promised that whatever we would loose on Earth would be loosed in Heaven and whatever we would bind on Earth would be bound in Heaven (Matthew 18:18). The spiritual lambs and sheep which are unable to walk for themselves must be picked up and carried on the shoulders of a good shepherd so that they, in turn, might become acquainted with the Governmental Nature and the Royal Key which rests upon that shoulder.

It is impossible for the LORD’s under-shepherds to carry God’s sheep on their shoulders unless their shoulders have been prepared for this ministry. Just as Issachar bowed his shoulder to work in the land as a labourer, so did Jesus Christ bow His Shoulder to assume the responsibility of redeeming mankind from Death and Hell. And, so it is with us, His servants. We must bow our shoulders to work. Yet, we must remember that the prerequisite requirement for this class of work is our learning to rest from our enemies and our permitting our Heavenly Father to deal with them. It is necessary to learn this paradoxical Marriage Union of Rest and Work which is prophetically seen in the sign of Aries.

The blessings of power in the sign of Aries are reflected in the topaz stone, which was a rich yellow with a green tint. Thus, the stone conveys the idea of a pleasant pasture, a place of satisfaction, a dwelling place.

The green light of the topaz stone illuminated Issachar’s head with the message of that inner dwelling place of rest. While he was sitting there letting the Heavenly Father avenge him of his enemies, Issachar’s mind began to be lightened by the yellow rays shining down from the topaz stone. These rays of light caused him to see the rewarding, satisfying, pleasant pasture called work. Through the ministry of God’s true Topaz Stone, Issachar received the power to rest on one side and at the same time to bow his shoulder to work. He fulfilled God’s Divine Calling on his life and personally inherited the portion of land which had been prophetically promised to him.

V.  Description of Aries People

People born under the sign of Aries have two sides to their natures; they have a rest side and a work side. On the rest side, their temperament is happy-go-lucky. They are not given to worry and agitating concern. They are impetuous and daring, moving along at a carefree pace. They have special talents of rest through meditation, and through this process, they lay hold of thoughts of originality. They receive inspired thoughts and ideas which assist greatly in their progress. Their restful meditation helps them to gain the most through study.

Aries is a beautiful, prophetic, light-giving influence under which to be born. All is not rest for the Aries people, however, for they also are great workers who just will not quit. They are like Issachar in that they are able to bow their shoulders to work and enjoy it. They will work right on through the problems and obstacles of life.

Those born under the sign of Aries are a combination of both rest and work. Both qualities are evident in their natures. Because the prophetic sign of Aries relates to the Head-realm and to the light and love of springtime, the people born under this sign have great capacity in their minds for the light and inspiration of Knowledge. Aries people also have a great capacity for warm love and affection. Because they are influenced by the warm, fruitful rays of springtime, they love the fruitfulness of home or children.

VI.  Control of Light

As has been stated before, the characteristics imparted through the light of the signs of the zodiac can be used either for good or for bad, depending upon whose headship (authority) is in control. If the headship is Satan’s or self’s, then these people use their great mental powers and light from Aries for resting when they should be working and for working when they should be resting. They use their reflective imaginations, which are given so that they might rest in God, for daydreaming and building castles in the sky instead of improving their minds with worthwhile knowledge. Their unharnessed minds tend to make them very impractical, for through daydreaming they lay many foundations for disillusionment when the Reality Principle of life proves contrary to their daydreams. Likewise, their productive, working powers become negative and detrimental when the wrong headship is in control. With a great mental capacity also goes a great driving force for work. Yet, when Satan controls this driving force, Aries people are driven into daring and reckless enterprises or hazardous ventures.

The picture is different, however, when God controls and directs the light energy of Aries. These people possess great mental powers for resting and working, which are great assets for both time and Eternity. Under God’s Headship, Aries people grasp and understand the Light of God’s hidden mysteries, even in minute details. Because these people have quick, perceptive minds, they have the ability to grasp quickly the Divine Love in God’s Word. When that Love Light shines out of an Aries person, he becomes like a radiant sun in springtime, dispersing comfort and cheer as he witnesses for Jesus Christ.

VII.  Sharing of Light

Every person born into this world shares in the impartial light of all twelve constellations in the sky. Therefore, we all can partake of the sweet influence of Aries. As this Creative Word and Glory Light illuminates our spiritual head, we learn two aspects of rest and work. We learn to flee to the Father’s Right Hand when our enemies are warring against us, and we learn to bow our shoulders and occupy ourself with productive work in the vineyard of the LORD. While we are resting in perfect confidence in the Father’s Faithfulness to avenge us of our adversaries, we are busy at the same time possessing our promised portion in spiritual Canaan’s Land.

VIII.  Conclusion

In this chapter we have seen that Aries, the Ram, is the eighth sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky. This northern constellation symbolizes spring, the season in which the sun bestows special light and love upon the Earth and its inhabitants. Since the sign of Aries has the appearance of a ram of the sheep family, it prophetically declared the time that God’s Holy Lamb, Jesus Christ, would be raised again from the dead and would be seated at the Right Hand of God the Father until His Father makes His enemies His Footstool.

We saw that Aries represents the head and brains of the archetypal man in the skies. The rays of this sign minister in a twofold manner. When they penetrate the head of winter, the icy warrior is influenced to rest. Then begins the work of warming and rejuvenating the Earth so that it might bring forth new fruitfulness. Likewise, when the Creative Word and Light from this sign lightens the thoughts of our brains with Jesus Christ’s warm Love Light and Resurrection Glory, we can overcome the cold winter of the death of war and hate. Then, we can become fruitful with His New Life and Love.

The nature imparted by the light of Aries was revealed in the Old Testament tribe of Issachar, whose name means “brings a reward.” Issachar learned the reward or blessing of rest joined to work. The power of the light of Aries was symbolized by the topaz stone whose green rays exhibited the pleasure of rest and whose yellow rays radiated the satisfaction of work.

Although the light of the sign of Aries shines most brightly upon those who are born between March 21st and April 20th, we all can share in the Creative Word and Glory Light of this prophetic sign. As it shines upon our head, it will influence us to flee to the Father’s Right Hand when our enemies start warring against us, and it will influence us to bow our shoulders (after they have been engraved with the twelve degrees of Jesus Christ’s Governmental Power and Authority) and occupy ourself with productive work in the LORD’s Vineyard. Let us magnify God’s Creative Word which designed and fashioned this prophetic sign and which also clothed it with Glory Light to proclaim the Truth of the mysterious Union of Rest and Work.

_______________

* B. R. Hicks, Precious Gem in the Tabernacle (Jeffersonville, Indiana: Mexican Inland Missionary Society, 1961).

Chapter Eleven

Taurus And The Tribe Of Benjamin

April 21 — May 20

The ninth prophetic light in the sky is Taurus, the bull. The nature of Taurus is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Benjamin. The blessings of power of this sign are reflected in the amethyst stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

The northern constellation of Taurus has the appearance of a bull. It is seen in God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky between Aries and Gemini. When the sun moves into the sign of Taurus about the 21st of April, the ground has been warmed by the light of Pisces and is ready to be plowed in preparation for the planting of new seed. This work is done with tractors now, but in olden days, men yoked oxen or bulls to pull the plows.

The constellation of Taurus contains the Pleiades. It was God, in His ministry to Job, Who spoke of the “sweet influences of Pleiades,” confirming the power and effect that the celestial bodies have upon the Earth and its inhabitants. Each of us, born under one of the twelve zodiacal signs, has been breathed upon and influenced by the Prophetic Word of our particular constellation.

Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south (Job 9:9).

God established, here, that He is Creator and, therefore, Governor of the great constellations of the sky. God made the stars and put them in order; He preserves them in being and guides their motions and functions. He makes them to minister to man and persuades the hearts of man to observe them. How wise and mighty is our God.

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? (Job 38:31).

In the beginning, God committed power to rule over the night to the moon and stars. The stars have dominion and influence over the Earth in spite of their vast distances from the Earth. How weak is man. He cannot bind the sweet influences of Pleiades or spring, the season which robes the Earth with beauty and brings pleasure to the senses, the season which exhilarates and delights the spirit of man, the season which reveals new, vital energy by bringing new life to the mountains and the valleys.

Neither can man loose the bands of Orion, the magnificent constellation of winter which can dispense his rough and unpleasant influences. We cannot control or hold back the seasons. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter will have their course. Yet, God can change spring and make it cold, or He can cause the winter to be warm. God created all the mighty lights in the sky, and He called all His stars by their names.

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names (Psalm 147:4).

We cannot bring forth Mazzaroth (Job 38:32), the constellations of the zodiac. God has not given man the power to control light in either the natural or spiritual realms. Man cannot send forth nor bind the light by day nor the light by night. Man can bind opinions and ecclesiasticism, but he cannot bind the Divine Light of Christ in a renewed human soul. Thus, we see in the Book of Job that God confirms the ministry that the zodiac has to the Earth and its inhabitants.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

In God’s prophetic sequence of events, Taurus, the Bull, prophesies of the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ. His First Coming was prophesied in the sign of Capricorn, the Goat. This spoke of the time that Jesus Christ would humble Himself to be born in a lowly manger so that He, in turn, might be the Scapegoat which carried the sins of mankind behind the Back of God. His Second Advent will involve two aspects. He will come as the Son of God, representing His Divine side. He will come roaring out of Heaven like an angry, charging Warrior-Bull, returning to battle to gore His enemies down with His Horns of Power. The Glory and Splendour of His Exaltation will be evident, for He will come as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The Scriptures which refer to Jesus as the Son of Man relate to His humanity and the humility aspect of His earthly journey in which He became identified completely with the human race. The Son of Man speaks of the suffering side of our LORD Jesus Christ. And, this same Son of Man will come again in a threefold Glory: the Glory of His Father, the Glory of the Angels, and His own Glory. To substantiate this thought, let us consider a sample of the many Scriptures which established the Second Coming of the Son of Man.

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels;… till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom (Matthew 16:27,28).

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30).

But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matthew 24:37).

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh (Matthew 24:44).

…Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:64).

Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:30).

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:27).

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: … (Revelation 1:7).

The LORD Jesus Christ will return as the Son of Man and as the Son of God, the Divine Word of God. These two aspects relate to His humility and exaltation, and they are both present in His climactic Appearance in the sky.

Notice that the humility aspect of our LORD Jesus is presented first. The Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, and Luke introduce the Son of Man; John introduces the Word of God, the Exalted Christ in His Coming. This always is God’s order, for He always operates according to His Principles. This is one of God’s Principles — first humility and then exaltation — first the Cross and then the Crown. The LORD Jesus Christ will come charging out of Heaven like an angry Bull, ready for warfare against the Antichrist and his army. He will come, then, as the Son of Man and as the Word of God.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:11-16).

The LORD Jesus Christ (the Son of Man and the Son of God) overcomes the person of Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon, slaying him with the sharp sword of the Word out of His Mouth. It takes both sides — the Son of Man and the Word of God — to be a mighty Warrior against the literal Antichrist and his army in that day.

Likewise, it will take the two natures of the LORD Jesus Christ for us to combat the Antichrist spirits in the world today. The Rapture (the Catching Away of the overcoming saints) is near at hand; consequently, we contend with an ever increasing onslaught from Antichrist spirits which are being loosed upon the Earth in these end times. We need both the Suffering Humility side and the Exalted Glory side of the Word in order to overcome.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Taurus represents the ears, neck, and throat of the archetypal man in the skies; therefore, it represents the listening, patient, silent, and speaking principles of mankind. It rules the lymphatic system of the organism of man.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Taurus

The nature of the light of the sign of Taurus was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Benjamin which was associated with the amethyst stone. As the light of Taurus, the Bull, shone down on Benjamin, it gave him a twofold nature — the nature of the Warrior-Bull and the nature of the Husbandman-Bull. This is seen in the two names given to Benjamin at his birth. Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, travailed in hard labour to bring this, her last son, to birth. As she was dying, she named the child Ben-oni which means the son of my sorrow. But, Jacob called his son Benjamin which means the son of the right hand.

And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-18).

These two names reveal the twofold nature of this tribe. The Suffering Humility side is represented by the name of Ben-oni, whereas the Exalted Glory side is represented by the name of Benjamin. Ben-oni, the son of suffering, meant travail and death because Rachel had to lay down her own life to give birth to this son.

This beautifully illustrates a Spiritual Principle. In order for Jesus, the Son of Man, to be born or visibly manifested in our life, we must travail, suffer, and lay down our self-life. We, too, must pass through death in order to have Christ, the Son of God, the Husbandman, stand up in Power and Authority within us. This kind of dying pertains to the dying out of our own will so that the Will of the Son of Man may rule and reign in our lives as Christians.

Then comes the unveiling of Benjamin, the warrior, the son of the right hand. Jacob had a revelation of this son’s exaltation which came through suffering.

This was true also with Jesus Christ. First was the suffering and humiliation of Jesus, the Man; then, this same Man, Jesus, was made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). Jesus the Man now enjoys an Eternal Union with Christ the Word. God’s Divine Order is first humiliation and, then, exaltation. The pattern is the same for Christians, today. We must be willing to be made One with the suffering aspect of Jesus; then, we can be made One with His exaltation, as our heart enters into spiritual Marriage Union with Christ the Word.

When Jesus Christ comes the second time, He will be a Mighty Man of Valor, a mighty Warrior-Bull. He will overcome the Antichrist, his army, and all His enemies in the world. Then, He will set up a reign of peace and righteousness. As the Husbandman-Bull, He will plow up the fallow ground of the earth of men’s hearts and will plant new Seeds of Truth therein. This will be the fulfillment of the prophecy that “He would write His Law in their hearts and minds” (Jeremiah 31:33).

Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil (Genesis 49:27).

It is obvious that Jacob spoke under the anointing of the Spirit of Prophecy and not out of natural affection. Had he spoken out of his flesh, he would have prophesied something more tender and affectionate for his greatly beloved Benjamin. Instead, Jacob foretold that Benjamin would be a warlike tribe, strong and daring. This tribe would enrich itself with the spoils of its enemies.

In his prophecy Jacob said that Benjamin would ravin as a wolf. The word for ravin in the Hebrew means to be warlike, to rend, to tear. Benjamin was to be a warrior, like a wolf. In the morning he would go out to seek his prey; when night came, he would divide the spoil (the reward taken in battle). The word for prey in the Hebrew means enemy. Thus, Benjamin was a fit example of the Warrior-Bull of Taurus. Through the history of this tribe, we see it devouring its prey in the morning and dividing its spoil at night. Ehud, the second Judge of Israel, and Saul, the first King, were from the tribe of Benjamin. Also Esther and Mordecai, by whom the enemies of the Jews were destroyed, were from this tribe.

The Apostle Paul, a great warrior in the New Testament, descended from the lineage of Benjamin. Paul devoured the enemies of the Gospel in the morning of his life. In his evening years, Paul divided or shared the spoil of God’s precious Word which he had gained through his battles. The Apostle Paul had the anointing of the Warrior-Bull.

Now let us see the prophecy of Moses, given on the eve of his death and just prior to Israel’s entrance into Canaan. He spoke a blessing to each of the twelve tribes. To Benjamin, he said the following.

And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders (Deuteronomy 33:12).

Benjamin was blessed by being placed next to the tribe which ministered as Priests and Levites in the Temple. The Temple lay upon the edge of Benjamin’s lot in Canaan’s Land. When the ten tribes of Israel deserted the house of David, Benjamin adhered to David’s house and to the Temple. Therefore, he is called “The beloved of the LORD.” He is beloved of the LORD because he has both sides — the Suffering-Husbandman side and the Exalted-Warrior side. Because he prefigures Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son, Benjamin bears (in his naming) the side of the Son of Suffering, the Son of Man, as well as the Son of Exaltation, the Divine Christ.

Moses also prophesied that Benjamin would “dwell in safety by him” — by the LORD, by Jehovah, the Self-existent One Who revealed Himself. In other words, God promised that He Himself would be a canopy of protection over Benjamin. As Benjamin would fight for the LORD, he would know the LORD’s protection and, therefore, would know a singular union with Him. In essence, the LORD was saying, “You can be by Me (meaning a spiritual Marriage Union). You can enjoy My fellowship, My canopy of protection, My Headship. I will lead, guide, and protect you in battle.”

In order to understand the expression “he shall dwell between his shoulders,” we must understand the division of the land and how it relates to the Stature of Jesus Christ as patterned in the Old Testament Tabernacle. When the land of Canaan was proportioned according to lot, Benjamin’s lot gave him territory between the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Joseph.

And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph (Joshua 18:11).

Jerusalem was divided between Judah (Joshua 15:8) and Benjamin (Joshua 18:28). When the Temple was built in Jerusalem, it was laid out in the form of the Cross, with a Courtyard, a Holy Place, and a Holy of Holies, as was the Mosaic Tabernacle. The Courtyard or foundational realm of the Cross rested in the portion of land belonging to the tribe of Judah, the tribe of praise. The rest of the Temple, which included the Holy Place (the Shoulder-realm of Spiritual Stature) and the Holy of Holies (the Head-realm), extended up into Benjamin’s portion. Mount Moriah, on which the Temple was built, was in Benjamin’s lot. Benjamin had the privilege of living between the LORD’s Shoulders, for he lived with the Ark of God’s Headship (Authority) sitting right down on top of his possessions. Therefore, Benjamin was covered with the protection which covered the Sanctuary — the Shekinah Glory of God. In this position, Benjamin dwelt safely in the Presence of God.

As Benjamin took his place between the shoulders of the LORD, he found himself like a fruitful husbandman, with the Table of Shewbread in the Holy Place and the Pot of Manna in the Holy of Holies, and he found himself like a victorious warrior. If we are fighting a spiritual battle, according to the Will of God, and warring under the Headship of the Son of Man and the Word of God, then God fights the battle for us. God will make a way where there seems to be no way. Spiritually speaking, we can grow up to the position designated for Benjamin — to dwell between the LORD’s Shoulders and abide there under His Divine Headship. In this place, there always will be victory. When we fail to live up to our God-given potential and possession, as did the tribe of Benjamin, we fall in utter defeat. We are successful warriors only as long as we stay under God’s Headship.

The blessings of power of God’s Creative Word and Glory Light from Taurus shined down on Benjamin through the amethyst stone which signifies possessor. This stone was thought to be purple, the colour of royalty. Surely as we gain the Warrior Nature and the Husbandman Nature of the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, He will garnish our crowns of victory with the beautiful amethyst stone of His Royal Purpose, which we will have gained by submitting to His Ruling and Reigning Power. Through the light of the amethyst stone, our inner eyes are opened to behold His Royal Purpose for allowing painful, humiliating situations to come into our life, which properly prepare us for exaltation. Without the increased stature which we gain through humbling ourself to the Will of God in these painful experiences, we never could bear the exceedingly heavy weight of Glory which accompanies exaltation.

V.  Description of Taurus People

The bull is strong, swift, and savage when his wrath has been stirred; therefore, he becomes an unconquerable warrior. People born under the sign of Taurus have great capacities as warriors, whether this warfare is in the natural realm or in the spiritual realm. Because they are fighters, they are able to war through their circumstances to progress in life. Their strong, obstinate, self-willed determination helps them to endure and war against opposition. The bull also was used greatly in husbandry, in helping to till the soil. The husbandman nature of Taurus people helps them to plow deep in planting the seeds of love and affection in their hearts and in the hearts of others. They are deeply sympathetic and understanding. The great courage and strong determination of a warrior and the patience of a good husbandman preparing his soil, with a vision of the harvest, are characteristic of those born under the sign of the Bull.

VI.  Control of Light

Regardless of their great ability to war and fight, Taurus people cannot hope to win life’s battle in the long run unless God is with them, unless His Headship is the Ruling Authority in their lives.

The tribe of Benjamin, with its warlike nature and great ability to fight, soon found this to be true. The men of Benjamin experienced defeat when they warred outside the Will of God. This defeat is recorded in the Book of Judges, chapter twenty.

Although the Benjamites fought valiantly, they did not prosper because “…the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword” (Judges 20:35). In spite of their courage and determination in warfare, the Benjamites went down in miserable defeat because they warred against the Will of God.

In like manner, if Taurus people take their warlike natures and put them under the headship of Satan and the flesh, they soon will find that God is a greater Warrior — a Warrior Who will defeat them in the end. They go out fighting to get their own way and know that defeat or death awaits them because they are warring against the Will of God. If these people allow Satan to control the Bull-nature influence they receive from Taurus, they will find their ears and throats an open battlefield, with the soldiers of self-will, obstinacy, and self-importance fighting to the bitter finish for the exaltation of their own opinions. In addition to causing their conversation to become boring and dull, this behaviour drives away those who would like to be friends with them. There is a great contrast in Taurus people’s behavior when God is allowed to control the light energy and sweet prophetic influences from the sign of the Bull, for their ears are open to hear the good and their throats are open to speak the good.

Under God’s Headship, these people are fortified with patience and courage to fight for the Truth, and they are blessed with a strong determination to be like well-watered gardens. As husbandmen, they are motivated to share Living Seeds of God’s Word which will help transform other hearts into fruitful gardens.

VII.  Sharing of Light

Everyone born into this world has the privilege of sharing in the glorious Omnipresent Creative Word streaming down along with the light rays from the sign of Taurus, the Bull. First, this light will penetrate to the ears, neck, and throat of our fleshly man to expose the corruption and death hidden there. If we accept the light, repent of our sins, and let the Scapegoat Blood of Jesus carry these sins behind God’s Back, there will be a time that the Resurrected, Exalted Christ, the Living Word of God, will return like a Warrior-Bull to anoint us with warring power to overcome the sinful desires which once defeated us.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen in this chapter that the ninth sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar is the Bull. This sign prophesies of the Second Coming of the LORD Jesus Christ, for it is at this time that He will charge out of Heaven like an angry Warrior-Bull to gore His enemies down with His Horns of Humility and Exaltation Power. The world will see the Son of Man and the Son of God at His Second Coming. They will see His Humility and His Divinity; they will see His Humility and His Exaltation. It will take this degree of Unified Power to conquer the Antichrist and his army.

We saw that Taurus typifies the ears, neck, and throat of the grand celestial man. It represents the listening, patient, silent, and speaking principles of mankind. It rules the lymphatic system of the organism of man.

The nature imparted by the light of Taurus was revealed in the Old Testament tribe of Benjamin. This son was given two names at his birth to show the two sides of his nature. His mother called him Ben-oni which means the son of my sorrow. This name lets us see the suffering humility life which came to him through the travail and death of Rachel. From his father came the name Benjamin which means the son of the right hand. In this name we see the exaltation life and glory which was brought forth out of humility and death. Represented by the amethyst stone, Benjamin was bestowed with ruling and reigning power.

Although concentrated on people born between April 21st and May 20th, the sweet influences of Taurus can benefit all. If we accept the light which exposes the corruption and death hidden in the ears, neck, and throat of our carnal, fleshly man, repent of our sins, and let the Scapegoat Blood of Jesus carry these sins behind God’s Back, there will be a time that the Resurrected, Exalted Christ, the Living Word of God, will return like a Warrior-Bull to anoint us with warring power to conquer the sinful desires which once defeated us. Let us extol the Name of God for the Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge of His Creative Word which hung this light in the sky to let man know, before he ever sinned, that Jesus Christ possessed the double portion of Humility and Exaltation Power needed to overcome sin.

Chapter Twelve

Gemini And The Tribes Of Simeon And Levi

May 21 — June 21

The sign of Gemini is the tenth prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribes of Simeon and Levi. The blessings of power granted to Gemini are reflected in the sapphire stone.

I.  Description of the Sign

Gemini appears in God’s Prophetic Calendar between Taurus and Cancer. This northern constellation contains the stars of Castor and Pollux which are represented as twins sitting together with folded arms holding war clubs. The sun enters this constellation about the 21st of May.

The word zodiac means a circle of animals. These constellations of stars in the sky are like houses or tents through which the sun moves in its journey through the year. God created the Heavens and the Earth; therefore, there is a relationship between the stars and the Earth. The sun, moon, and stars exercise an influence over the Earth. This is not astrology, for through astrology Satan tries to utilize God’s astral creation for his own wicked devices. This is a spiritual and scientific fact. The Earth and mankind are blessed in receiving the sweet influences of these constellations.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

The sign of Gemini, with its cluster of stars in the similitude of Twins with folded arms holding war clubs, prophesies of a time in which wars shall cease among men; therefore, it foretells the ushering in of a time of peace among men. The fact that the Twins in the sign of Gemini have their war clubs in folded arms makes it obvious that they once used these war clubs but that they are in a dispensation in which war has ceased.

In God’s great prophetic program Gemini represents the dispensation of time known as the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ and His Bride upon the Earth. During Christ’s Millennial Reign of Peace and Righteousness, man will lay his war clubs down and study war no more.

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4).

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Micah 4:3).

Men shall beat their spears and swords into pruninghooks and plowshares. They shall convert their destructive tools into constructive tools. The blessing of peace in the Millennium will be increased by the fact that fallen Lucifer’s full stature (Satan, Devil, Serpent, Dragon [Revelation 20:1-3]), will be bound in the Bottomless Pit. This enemy will not be free to tempt man during this time.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Gemini represents the hands and arms of the grand man of the skies; therefore, it represents the projecting and executive forces of humanity.

Light from this sign enables man to devise ways in which he can reach out to others; it also enables him to see how he can govern or rule over situations and circumstances of life.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Gemini

The nature of the sign of Gemini was imparted to the Old Testament tribes of Simeon and Levi. These tribes were identified with the sapphire stone in the Breastplate of the High Priest. Let us examine the prophetic Truth given by Jacob to the tribes of Simeon and Levi.

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Genesis 49:5-7).

The Hebrew language states that Simeon and Levi were brethren. They were brethren or twins in their character and disposition. They were revengeful, fierce, and uncontrollable. Their swords, which should have been used as weapons of defense, were used, instead, as weapons of aggressive violence to bring harm, evil, and death to others. The nature of Simeon and Levi was totally unlike that of their father, who publicly protested their unified and barbarious acts against Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite, and against Joseph, their brother.

Their deed of deceitful treachery against Shechem is recorded in the thirty-fourth chapter of Genesis. When returning from Mesopotamia, Jacob and his family encamped near Shalem, a city of Shechem. Dinah, the full-blooded sister of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, decided to go unchaperoned to see the daughters of the land. We have no record of her meeting any of the daughters, but she did attract the eyes of Shechem, the Prince, who took her and lay with her. According to the custom of the day and because the young man loved Dinah, Shechem’s father sought to make marriage arrangements with Jacob and her brethren. “And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully.…” They insisted that their sister could not be given in marriage to an uncircumcised man. The giving of consent for marriage was conditional upon whether or not all the men of the city would be circumcised.

But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people (Genesis 34:15,16).

In an effort to comply with this agreement, all the men of the city were circumcised. That is when the brothers’ evil plot began to unfold. Waiting until the men were physically incapacitated from the soreness of circumcision, Simeon and Levi slew all the males.

Clearly, Jacob was not party to these arrangements. Had Simeon and Levi waited for the wisdom of their father, this dastardly deed never would have occurred. The two simply took matters into their own hands. Theirs was not an effort to gain proselytes for the God of Israel. They were interested in neither the covenant of circumcision nor the spiritual welfare of these heathen people. Instead, their actions were the workings of a deceitful and vindictive scheme designed to punish Shechem for defiling their sister. They actually intruded into their father’s position and authority. They preferred being governed by the passions of their own wills rather than the aged prudence of their Father. God’s estimation of their deed was spoken prophetically through Jacob when he declared their anger and wrath to be “fierce” and “cruel.” Jacob had this to say to his two sons: “…Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land,… and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.” On his deathbed, he wanted to make it known that he had nothing to do with his sons’ acts of treachery. The responsibility rested with Simeon and Levi.

When Jacob said “mine honour [glory], be not thou united:…” he referred to his Glory Garment which he would wear in Eternity. Jacob knew that his earthly house was dissolving and that he soon would be wearing his Eternal Glory Garment of immortality; he did not want this Garment defiled by the anger and wrath of his two sons. Their deeds were a transgression against the Truth of God’s Word which said that every man should die for his own sin. When Simeon and Levi killed the innocent men of Shechem, they were guilty not only of a horrible deed of treachery and injustice, but they also defiled themselves and God’s impeccable Word. Although Simeon and Levi were his own sons, the fruit of his own loins, Jacob was determined to stand for the Truth. He declared their sin for what it was — fierce anger, cruel wrath, and a murderous spirit. In no way did Jacob want his Glory Habitation to be defiled by this spirit.

Remember that parents cannot govern the nature and disposition of their children after the children are of age. Many parents will endorse their children, even when they know them to be wrong, but this was not so with Jacob. He was a righteous man who refused to be joined to unrighteousness. He was a true father; he stood for the Truth, even when it reflected against his own sons. He wanted it established that he did not condone what his sons had done. This is why he said, in so many words, “My Soul, do not counsel with two fellows like that. My Glory, don’t be united with their cruel wrath.”

Simeon and Levi made weapons of violence their kinsman. The history of these tribes discloses that their violent natures were passed to their descendants. For example, Zimri, a prince of the chief house of the Simeonites, brought a Midianitish woman into his tent in total defiance of God and of Moses (Numbers 25:1-8). Korah, a son of Levi, assembled the entire congregation against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:1-3).

Jacob’s prophecy also referred to the guilt that Simeon and Levi carried because of their treatment of their younger brother, Joseph. The phrase “and in their selfwill they digged down a wall” had reference to this, for in the Hebrew, the word for wall also means bullock or ox. In their self-willed way, they mistreated Joseph, who was a picture of God’s Bullock, God’s Wall, God’s Ox or Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ. Because of his sons’ treatment of Shechem and Joseph, Jacob cursed their anger and wrath which was fierce and cruel. “Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7). Notice that the prophetic curse was not pronounced against Simeon and Levi, but against their corrupt natures of anger and wrath. Jacob’s prophetic punishment of these two tribes was that they would be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel. When they entered into Canaan’s Land, the Levites were scattered among the tribes, and Simeon’s lot lay not together. Their shameful dispersion was a just punishment for their sinful unions and confederacies.

Simeon and Levi used their war clubs of violence to gratify their own passions of the flesh, and they were judged for it. Nevertheless, God in His Mercy allowed Moses to give a prophetic blessing to the tribe of Levi.

And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again (Deuteronomy 33:8-11).

Although the total fulfillment or performance of this Scripture will not be seen until the Millennial Reign of Christ and His Bride, Moses’ blessing on the tribe of Levi lets us know that this tribe received, by Gift, a foretaste of the experience of folding their arms which held their fleshly war clubs. The tribe of Levi allowed the LORD to convert their aggressive, violent, destructive energy into a powerful force used for construction. When Israel made the golden calf in the wilderness, Moses said, “…Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me.…” (Exodus 32:26). All the sons of Levi gathered to Moses, who ordered them to kill all who had broken God’s Word which commanded them to have no other gods. Levi kept the Word by destroying all who had other gods. God blessed them by giving them the Priesthood which had the responsibility of guarding and keeping God’s Word in the Ark of the Covenant. They also had the responsibility of teaching it to others. The tribe of Levi became God’s tribe. Aaron, the High Priest, was of the tribe of Levi. He had in his Breastplate the wonderful Lights of the Urim and Thummim, the Spirit and Word of God, which he used to govern Israel by showing forth to them the Will and Mind of God. The tribe of Levi was blessed with the privilege of handling God’s Word through teaching. In this way, they edified and preserved the nation spiritually. They also represented the people of God. In offering sacrifices to make atonement for sin, they obtained Divine Forgiveness and Favour. In burning Incense so that the prayers and praise of the people might ascend and be acceptable to God, they brought Glory to His Name.

Moses prayed that God might bless and prosper Levi’s portion and provision. Thus, through the blessing of Levi, we see that God is able to change violent and corrupt aggressive energy into Holy, blessed, constructive energy which is poured out to God and for man.

Moses made no mention of a blessing for the tribe of Simeon. This shows that even though Simeon seemed to leave off the outward display of fierceness and violence, he did not truly repent to the bottom of his heart. The tribe of Simeon decreased after this, and it is a noticeable fact that Simeon played an insignificant part in the drama of Israelitish history. However, we also know, by Principle, that God’s Creative Word and Light from Gemini will continue dealing with this tribe until they are influenced to fold their war clubs, for during the Millennial Reign Simeon and Levi both will have folded their arms with their clubs of warfare.

The blessing of power granted to Gemini is reflected in the sapphire stone which belonged to the tribe of Simeon. The tribe of Levi was not represented among the twelve visible stones in the Breastplate of the High Priest because this tribe was set apart as the LORD’s special portion. Yet, because of its fleshly unity and joining with Simeon, the tribe of Levi was strongly influenced by the sapphire light streaming down from Gemini. The sapphire stone was blue, with its hues ranging all the way from bright blue to deep blue. It conveys the idea of a stairway — a means of descent and ascent.

When God’s Creative Word and Light shines through His true Sapphire Stone and illuminates the human heart, that person is able to see the stairway of humility which Jesus Christ walked during the days of His flesh. He can see exactly how to descend into the depths of the pool of Jesus Christ’s Death where he can leave his cruel weapons of anger and wrath.

Then, as the sapphire light continues to shine, he will see that the stairway of humility which took him down is also a stairway which will lead him out with Resurrection Life and Glory. The difference is that he will step out with his war clubs in his folded arms. His violent energies, which were once used to tear down the Will of God, will be converted (as were those of Levi) into powerful forces which will be used for constructive purposes for God and man. He still will possess anger, but, then, it will be Holy Anger which will war against fallen Lucifer’s kingdom of darkness and deceit, and he will war for God’s Kingdom of Light and Truth. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

V.  Description of Gemini People

Persons born under the sign of the twins carry a twofold personality which makes them strong, powerful, prevailing people. They manifest the two distinct characteristics of Simeon and Levi. That is, they have the warrior nature of Simeon and the Priestly nature of Levi. One minute they may display the warm, tender affection and concern of the Priesthood from Levi, while the next minute, they may show the coolness and indifference of Simeon. This struggle with the extremes in their natures causes many difficulties and complications in their relationship with other people. Many times they assert their independence in order to cover feelings of inferiority. Because of their inheritance from the tribe of Levi, they have keen perception and highly intellectual minds; they also have sharp discernment and insight into the character of others.

Gemini people can become great teachers and leaders if their energies are properly channeled. Because of their twin inheritance, these people possess a special degree of a spirit of brotherhood, which, in turn, frequently causes them to be leaders in brotherhood movements; they are quick to take up the cause of the underdog. Because they are born under the sign of a oneness spirit, a unity spirit, they possess a brethren spirit which gives them much empathy with their fellowmen. Yet, because they are twins, they can become double-minded and changeable. Geminis can switch quickly. This quality of changeableness, as we have said before, can be an asset, depending on whether or not God’s Headship (Authority) is ruling it.

VI.  Control of Light

When God controls the lives of people blessed with the Creative Word and Glory Light from the sign of Gemini, they can be magnetic leaders. People will be attracted to them and will follow them. When God has the Authority over Gemini people, He converts them into extra special vessels of peace with their inward war clubs in their folded arms. But, when Satan and human reason control the light energies from Gemini, these people worry, fret, and war within. Their inner agitation causes them to vacillate and makes it difficult for the people who must work with them continually. Their changeableness under the authority of human reason of Satanic influence makes them impulsive in their emotions and business dealings.

VII.  Sharing of Light

God’s prophetic lights in the sky are impartial, and they are Omnipresent. Regardless of our birth dates, we can receive and be blessed by the Creative Word and sapphire Light rays shining from Gemini. When this light penetrates into the darkened recesses of our human heart, it will influence us to humble our heart before God. It will influence us to descend into the pool of Jesus Christ’s Death where the sharp Sword of Truth will separate us, in our will, from our fleshly union with anger and wrath.

Each time we ascend out of the place of Jesus’ Death, we come forth with a new portion of His Surrender and Obedience. When Jesus Christ controls our transformed aggressive energies, He uses these destructive forces for the purpose of constructing greater degrees of God’s Will.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen in this chapter that the tenth sign in God’s Prophetic calendar is the sign of Gemini, the twins. This sign prophesies of the Millennial Reign in which Jesus Christ and His Bride will rule upon the Earth. During this time man’s fleshly war clubs of anger and wrath, which presently are directed against the Divine Will of God, will be folded within their arms. There will be a thousand years of peace, for fallen Lucifer’s full stature will be bound in the Bottomless Pit. He will not be present to stir up these emotions in human hearts.

We saw that Gemini typifies the hands and arms of the archetypal man in the skies; therefore, Gemini represents the projecting and executive forces of humanity. Light from this sign illuminates man’s mind to devise ways of reaching out to others. It also enables him to see how to govern over the circumstances of his life.

The nature imparted by the light of Gemini was revealed in the Old Testament tribes of Simeon and Levi. These tribes were brethren or twins in their character and disposition. They were revengeful, fierce, and uncontrollable. Instead of using their swords as weapons of defense, they used them as aggressive weapons of violence to bring harm, evil, and death to others.

The blue sapphire light from Gemini gives us the power to see and follow the stairway of humility which the Crucified Christ walked during His earthly journey. As this stone continues to shine, it illuminates the Resurrected Christ’s stairway of exaltation.

When God rules the Creative Word and Light Energy from the sign of Gemini, these people can be magnetic leaders. When God has the Authority over these people, He converts them into special vessels of peace, with their inner war clubs folded within their spiritual arms. But, when Satan and human reason control the light from Gemini, these people worry, fret, and war within. Inner agitation causes them to vacillate; it makes them impulsive in their emotions and business dealings.

Although the light from the sign of Gemini is received especially by people born between May 21st and June 21st, we all can be blessed by the Creative Word and sapphire rays of Glory shining from the sign of the Twins. As this light shines down, it transforms us so that our violent destructive energies can be used for the constructive purpose of the upbuilding of the Kingdom of Righteousness and Holiness.

Only God could design a plan which, in addition to redeeming sinful mankind from the penalty of Hell, could transform his corrupted, destructive energy into something Holy and constructive, into something which brings Honour and Glory to God and blessings to other men.

Chapter Thirteen

Cancer And The Tribe Of Joseph-Manasseh

June 22 — July 22

The sign of Cancer is the eleventh prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Manasseh, the son of Jacob’s son Joseph. According to Law, Reuben should have received the birthright and, with it, the double portion of inheritance. But, the birthright passed to Joseph because Reuben sinned by lying with his father’s concubine.

Joseph’s double portion was divided between his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Although Jacob, under a prophetic anointing, blessed his younger grandson Ephraim, with the blessing of the right hand, Manasseh, as the firstborn son, received a double portion of territory in Canaan’s Land.

The blessings of power granted to Cancer are reflected in the agate stone which represented the tribe of Joseph-Manasseh in the Breastplate of the High Priest.

I.  Description of the Sign

The northern constellation of Cancer appears in God’s prophetic calendar in the sky between Gemini and Leo. It resembles a crab in shape. This sign is entered by the sun at the summer solstice about June 22nd.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

In the preceding sign of Gemini, the Twins, we saw the Millennial Reign of peace under Jesus Christ. The twins, Simeon and Levi, are seen with their war clubs folded within their arms, demonstrating the peaceful time in which men will study war no more.

At the end of the thousand years, the sign of Cancer, the Crab, comes into focus, prophetically, to describe the nucleus of people who cling to Jesus Christ, after Satan and the Devil are loosed for a season to try man one more time.

In the beginning of the Millennial Reign, the full stature of fallen Lucifer (Satan, Devil, Serpent, Dragon) will be bound and cast into the Bottomless Pit for that thousand-year period. At the end of that time, the Satan and Devil portions of his stature will be loosed for a season to make one more grand effort to lure people away from Jesus Christ to himself. Although his serpent wisdom and dragon power of glory must be left in the Bottomless Pit, his realms of power as Satan and the Devil are strong and deceptive enough to sway a multitude to rebel against Jesus Christ. There will be many people, as numerous as the sands of the sea, who will leave Jesus Christ to go after the Devil. Nevertheless, there will be a nucleus of people who will withstand the opposing forces of the Devil. They will have the great tenacity of the Crab. They will cling in faithfulness to Jesus Christ. They will prefer the LORD Jesus Christ Who has manifested Himself to them as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS and as the Heavenly Bridegroom; therefore, they will choose Him rather than the Devil.

In the natural realm, the crab is noted for its ability to hang on. God created the crab with two pincers or claws. The pincers are pivoted together to form two jaws which the crab uses to grasp and grip objects. With these pincers the crab can grasp an object so firmly that nothing but death (almost) can pry it loose.

Once the crab gets hold of something with his big pincers, there is no way for an outsider to loosen that hold. We see this demonstrated when we go crab fishing. When one drops down the bait, and a crab takes a good hold of it, he then will refuse to let go. Crabs will hang on all the way to being lowered into a pot of boiling water. The tenacity of the natural crab furnishes a good picture of the nucleus of people who, at the end of the Millennial Reign, will tenaciously hold on to Jesus Christ in spite of all the opposing forces of Satan and the Devil.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Cancer signifies the vital organs of the grand man’s stature in the skies; therefore, it represents the breathing and digestive functions of the human body.

The prophetic light from Cancer, the Crab, demonstrates the spiritual force of humility. The crab goes forward by humbling itself to walk backwards. This is a paradoxical Truth. So it is in the spiritual realm. When we humble ourself, we seem to be moving backwards, but in reality, it is the very force which pushes us forward. When our spiritual breathing in the Spirit and our digestion of the Word of God are blessed and increased, our natural breathing and digestion also will be blessed.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Cancer

The nature of the light of the sign of Cancer was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Manasseh, the son of Joseph. Joseph’s double portion of inheritance was divided between Ephraim, who was influenced by the light of Sagittarius, and Manasseh. We already have noted the characteristics of Ephraim. Now let us consider the characteristics of Manasseh.

This tribe, along with the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin, was positioned on the west side of the Old Testament Tabernacle where the Headship or Ruling Authority of God was found at the Ark of the Covenant, which was overshadowed with the LORD’s Shekinah Glory Cloud. This piece of furniture represented the full stature of spiritual growth in Jesus Christ. The twofold characteristic set forth by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh (as well as those of the tribe of Benjamin) are needful in order for us to attain full mature Spiritual Stature in Jesus Christ.

Let us read Jacob’s prophecy to Joseph so that we might understand which portion of the message pertained to Manasseh, whose name means forgetfulness.

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren (Genesis 49:22-26).

Jacob described Joseph as a fruitful bough or branch. This fruitfulness was evident in the lives of his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Joseph was fruitful because he abode by a well of the Water of God’s Spirit and Word. This continuous dwelling gave him continuous fruitfulness in God’s Word and Spirit. His double fruitfulness was manifested through his two sons. Ephraim, under the sign of Sagittarius, the Archer, warred with arrows of the Word of God; Manasseh, under the sign of Cancer, the Crab, tenaciously held on to God’s Spirit and Word. He persevered through trials and tribulations, forgetting the sufferings and injuries received in the way and enjoying the fruitfulness of God’s Spirit and Word which He obtained thereby.

As Christians seeking to grow up into the Head-realm of spiritual maturity in Jesus Christ, we need both of these two great qualities — fruitfulness from Ephraim and forgetfulness from Manasseh.

The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) (Genesis 49:23,24).

Joseph was a sorely tried man. Throughout his life, he had been attacked by the archers of envy, the archers of hatred, the archers of murderous intent, the archers of temptation, the archers of persecution, the archers of neglect, and the archers of ingratitude. They all shot at him, but his bow abode in strength.

A curved bow beautifully represents a bent will. When our human will is bent in humility and obedience to the Will of God, it is a fit bow. God will reach out to strengthen, with His Divine Power, the arms and the hands of the archer. When God sees the arrows of the enemy flying against us, and when He sees our bent bow abiding in strength, He joins His invisible Hand and Arm with our visible hand and arm. We war, then, in the Strength of “the mighty God of Jacob” — not in the weakness of our fleshly arms.

Throughout the life of Joseph, we see the two beautiful characteristics of humility and forgetfulness. For example, throughout all of Joseph’s sufferings, he remained fruitful in humility before God. When his brethren, who had persecuted him, came to him in Egypt after his exaltation, Joseph’s tenacious forgetfulness of their wrongs against him is something to admire. Joseph was planted by a hidden well of the invisible Spirit and Word of God, but the visible, beautiful, fragrant fruitfulness of the bough was a living witness that the well was there. Joseph passed the qualities of fruitfulness and forgetfulness on to his sons. To Ephraim went the fruitfulness of humility, which prepared him to receive the warring power of the arrows of God’s Word. To Manasseh went the quality of tenacious forgetfulness.

When God shoots arrows, He actually is shooting forth His Word. As God strengthens the arm which is drawn back to let the arrow fly, it is God’s Word being sent forth in love, for this is how God sends it forth. Then comes a most interesting phrase: “(from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:).” He is saying, in so many words, that in the twofold fruitfulness of Joseph’s loins is a twofold picture of the Word of God. In Ephraim, we see the Word presented as an arrow of Truth sent forth by the archer; in Manasseh we see the Rock of the Word — the Stone of Israel. It is this Stone of Humility Truth, with its cleansing and satisfying Power, which enables us to forget all injuries and offenses and count it all joy to suffer any hardship in order to obtain the revelation of the Rock Word. To drink the sweetness of Rock Waters is pleasure indeed.

Let us further relate the connection of Manasseh with the sign of the Crab. In the natural realm, there is a class of crabs which eat upon the coral rock until they become so encrusted with the rock that the coral rock finally becomes their dwelling place. The coral eventually engulfs the entire crab.

This natural fact becomes a beautiful illustration of what the tribe of Manasseh represents in the spiritual realm. As they camped on the west side of the Tabernacle, where God’s Headship-Word streamed out from the Holy of Holies, this tribe became covered with God’s Mercy-Word which covered the Word inside the Ark of the Covenant, and they became covered with His Glory-Word which rested on top of the Mercy Seat.

As Christians, if we continue to nibble and eat upon the humility portion of the Rock (Christ), then in time, we become engulfed with the whole Rock of God’s Word. We indwell the Rock. In this place, we are able to forgive and forget all offenses and injuries because we are engulfed with the precious Word of God. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (I Corinthians 10:4).

With the rocklike hiding place, there also is that determined “hanging on” spirit that is so typical of the natural crab. We need that determination to hang on to Jesus Christ in the face of all temptation. We need the Creative Word and Light from Cancer, the Crab. Only, then, can we personally know the continuation of that Millennial Reign of righteousness and peace in our individual life.

Let us consider the blessing which Moses prophesied would come upon Joseph because he was willing to humble himself, hang on to God’s Word of Truth, and forgive and forget.

And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

Since Joseph’s part was divided between his sons, these same promises were bestowed on Ephraim (fruitfulness of the Word) and on Manasseh (forgetfulness and forgiveness).

Let us consider, briefly, what was included in this blessing, which was as follows: (1) precious things of Heaven — rain, sun, moon, and stars; (2) dew — the cooling moisture of the moon; (3) the deep — the springs, wells, and fountains which water the Earth and make it beautiful and fruitful; (4) precious things of the moon — the particular growth which is put forth by the moon at night; (5) chief things of the mountains — the fruits on the mountains that ripen first because of being nearer to the sun; (Because firstfruits are superior in worth and excellency, they are enjoyed and appreciated most.) (6) precious things of the lasting hills — the precious fruits which continue during the heat of summer to quench the thirst and hunger of man; (7) precious things of the Earth — the bread and fruits which are produced in the low grounds of the plains and valleys. This fruit continues to bear after that which grows on the mountains and hills has ceased. These precious fruits are pictures of the spiritual blessings which Christ pours upon a forgiving, forgetful heart which, through His Revelations, His Gifts, His Graces, His Comfort and Consolations, clings to Him as the Living Rock. (8) Through Joseph, Manasseh also was promised the glorious favour of the LORD Who appeared to Moses in the burning bush.

Since he encamped on the west side of the Tabernacle, Manasseh enjoyed the performance of this Promise, in that God’s Shekinah Glory dwelled on this side of the Tabernacle.

Thus, we see the Principle that when we forgive, forget, and cling tenaciously (as the Crab) to the Rock, Christ, that the Glory of His Dwelling Presence will overshadow us and reveal a way out of any bondage and affliction which might cross our pathway, just as He led Moses and the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage.

God likened Ephraim and Manasseh to two horns of Joseph. With these two horns, all the people of the Earth would be pushed together in unity and harmony. At the end of the Millennium, this will be fulfilled. The Devil will be overcome once and for all. Then, the nucleus of people who tenaciously have clung to Jesus Christ will be pushed together in fruitfulness and forgetfulness; thus, they will be prepared to inhabit the New Earth forever. This will be known as the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” (Ephesians 1:10).

God’s blessings of Power from Cancer are reflected in the agate stone which belonged to the tribe of Joseph-Manasseh. The Hebrew word for agate means divided into flashes or streamers, to flame, striking fire, crimson fire.

We understand, then, that Manasseh’s Head-realm forgiveness and forgetfulness did not come to him as a one-time instantaneous experience, for the fiery nature of this stone is revealed in flashes and in streams. Forgiveness and forgetfulness came little for little as Manasseh lived, like a crab, in the Creative Word and Glory-Light streaming down from Cancer and as he abode under the rays of the dwelling Presence of God’s Headship.

In like manner, if in the midst of great suffering and persecution we cling to each new fiery stream of Truth from the Headship of Christ, and let it work forgiveness and forgetfulness in our heart, there will be a day when we will be conscious of nothing but the Glory of the Rock’s Personal Presence. The pain and suffering which brought us to that place will be forgotten in the Fiery Excellency of Jesus Christ, the Living Agate Stone of Truth.

V.  Description of Cancer People

People born under the sign of Cancer have a definite natural tenacity. They have tremendous powers of cohesion, and because of these powers, they have very good memories. Thoughts cling like crabs to their memory channel. For the most part, they can be trusted with secrets. Great powers of meditation also characterize these people. These crablike people enjoy holding on to pleasant memories of the past. This is why they seldom hold grudges, and they find it easier to forgive than do most people. Because they naturally are fruitful in love and joy, they love home and children. They also have a great appreciation for nature and its fruitfulness.

VI.  Control of Light

When God controls Cancer’s light energy as it flows out through these people, they become very fruitful in God’s Spirit and Word. They have the capacity and desire to grow to full spiritual maturity. Their merciful and compassionate natures make them wonderful teachers, ministers, and counselors. But, when Satan and flesh are in control, their powers, which were meant for blessings, become tremendous hindrances. Their tenacious love and affections make them cling to things and to people rather than to God’s Word. This behaviour proves destructive to them and to God’s Will in their lives. Their cohesive powers can make them retain thoughts and information so well that, unless they are being ruled by God’s merciful Headship, they can treat others as though they were unlearned children in comparison to themselves.

VII.  Sharing of Light

All Creative Word and Glory Light from Cancer streams out of all directions. Therefore, we all can share in its sweet influences. When this agate Crab-light penetrates our heart, it influences us to cling tenaciously to the Truth of God’s Word, even when the powers of Hell are arrayed against us. It will influence us to forget and forgive all the sufferings in exchange for the pleasure of being joined to the Rock and to the Glory of His Personal Presence.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen in this chapter that Cancer, the Crab, is the eleventh sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar in the sky. This sign foretold the events which will transpire at the end of the peaceful Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ and His Bride. This is when Satan and the Devil will be loosed for a season to try those living on the Earth. Even after they have known a thousand years of peace under the righteous Reign of Christ, great multitudes will forsake Him to follow this rebellious tempter. But, there will be a nucleus of people who will so love the Rock of Truth, Who revealed Himself to them as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS and as their Bridegroom, that they will cling tenaciously to Him, regardless of how furiously Satan and the Devil fight against them and the Rock.

The sign of Cancer signifies the vital organs of the archetypal man in the skies, and it represents the breathing and digestive functions of the human body. The light from this sign demonstrates the spiritual force of humility.

The nature imparted by the light of Cancer was revealed in the Old Testament tribe of Manasseh, whose name means forgetfulness. Joseph passed to his son Ephraim the aggressive side of humility. This class of humility transformed Ephraim into a mighty archer who went forth shooting the penetrating arrows of God’s Word.

The defensive side of humility, which passed to Manasseh, differs outwardly, but its nature is no less strong than the aggressive side. The defensive, crablike humility light from Cancer permitted Manasseh to humble his heart, cling tenaciously to the Truth of God’s Word, forgive his persecutors, and forget the suffering they had brought to him. In that low place, his heart experienced a gradual increase of the joining with the fiery agate stone of Truth. Through humility, Manasseh reached the place in which he could dwell in the Presence of the Rock of God’s Word, which was hidden in the Head-realm of the Ark of the Covenant.

Directed especially to the people born between June 22nd and July 22nd, this agate Crab-light can penetrate all our hearts and influence us to cling tenaciously to the Truth of the Christ and His Headship, which permits us to be tested and proved. As we grow in our joining with this Truth and learn to dwell in the Rock and under its Mercy and Glory, we will be able to forgive and forget everything but the pleasure of His Holy Will and His Presence. Great is the Wisdom of God’s Creative Word which set this Prophetic Light in the sky, for it is a visible witness to mankind that He possesses a degree of defensive humility that is powerful enough to resist all efforts (including those of Satan and the Devil) to separate him from the Truth of the Living Rock, called Christ.

Chapter Fourteen

Leo And The Tribe Of Judah

July 23 — August 22

The sign of Leo, the Lion, is the twelfth prophetic light in the sky. The nature of this sign is seen in the Old Testament tribe of Judah. God’s blessings of power granted to Leo are reflected in the sardius stone. The sign of Leo completes the circle of twelve constellations known as the zodiac, and it completes the prophetic message of God’s dealings with mankind during the dispensation known as Time.

I.  Description of the Sign

Leo, the northern constellation seen in God’s Prophetic Calendar between Cancer and Virgo, bears the similitude of a lion. The sun enters this constellation of stars around the 23rd of July.

II.  The Sign’s Relationship to God’s Prophetic Calendar

The sign of Leo prophesies of the Perfect Age, the Kingdom-of-God Time, in which the Lamb will be unveiled as the Lion out of the tribe of Judah. In the Perfect Age the Lion-Lamb will rule and reign with God and with His Bride from the New City, the Holy City, known as the New Jerusalem. We find the Lion-Lamb revealed in the Book of Revelation.

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof (Revelation 5:4,5).

The Lion is the Lamb, and the Lamb is the Lion. John the Apostle had seen a mysterious sealed book in God’s Hand, and in spite of all the Wisdom, Honour, and Glory possessed by the creatures in Heaven and Earth, not one of them was sufficiently capable or worthy to open the book. This situation caused sorrow to fill John’s heart and brought tears to his eyes. Through one of the elders, God comforted and encouraged John by revealing that the Lion from Judah and David had prevailed to open the book and to execute all the Divine Counsels of God to man. The Lion from Judah revealed His Humanity, Humility Nature; the Root of David revealed His Divine, Exalted Nature. Thus, He was qualified for the Mediatorial Office between God and man. With His Divine Nature, He could lay hold of God, and with His Humanity Nature, He could lay hold of man.

The Lion-Lamb, according to His Humanity, descended from the tribe of Judah whose name means the praise of Jehovah proclaimed. Therefore, the Lion-Lamb reveals the twofold pleasure of praise which God desires from man — praise in the humility place and praise in the exalted place.

The Lamb speaks of the humility praise of the suffering, humiliated Crucified Christ. Because God desires to form this humility praise in us, He makes us acquainted with the Lamb by letting us fellowship the sufferings of Christ through the Spirit and Word of God and through the painful experiences of life.

The Lion speaks of the pleasure of praise of the Glorified, Exalted Resurrected Christ. God desires to form exalted praise to God in us when He blesses us and exalts us so that we might give Him all the Glory, Honour, and Praise in the high place.

The sign of Leo prophesies of the time that the entire Universal Kingdom of God will, by stature and by gift, give humility praise to the Lion-Lamb and exalted praise of the Lion-Lamb to God and the Lamb. The ultimate degrees of praise will be known, then, for every creature will be roaring like the mighty lion of the forest as they give praise to God and the Lamb. In Eternity, all creation shall blend together in a great and spectacular anthem of praise, worship, and adoration to God and the Lion-Lamb Who will reign forever and ever.

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth (Revelation 5:6).

Although God the Father had introduced Jesus Christ as the mighty, prevailing Lion, He appeared as the slain Lamb in this verse. As the Lion, He conquered fallen Lucifer (Satan, Devil, Serpent, Dragon); as the Lamb, He satisfied the Justice of God and met the need of sinful man. He stands revealed as the Lamb as it had been slain. The word for slain in the Greek means freshly slain. In this scene, the marks of His Suffering still are fresh and virtuous and powerful to satisfy God and man. He has seven Horns (complete Power) and seven Eyes (all sight, all Omniscience) which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the Earth. Jesus Christ has perfect Power to execute the Will of God and the Counsel of God. He also has perfect Wisdom to understand and to appreciate God’s Will and God’s Counsel. Therefore, He is well able to teach and rule all the Earth and its inhabitants. That is why God willingly placed the Book of His Eternal Counsel and Will into the Hands of His Son, Who had prevailed by merit and worthiness.

III.  The Archetypal Man

The sign of Leo signifies the heart of the grand man in the skies. Therefore, it represents the life fluid of the circulatory system of the human organism. On the spiritual side, this sign symbolizes the humility Strength and Courage of the Lion-Lamb.

IV.  The Tribe and Stone of Leo

The nature of the light of the sign of Leo was imparted to the Old Testament tribe of Judah, whose name means praise. Naturally speaking, Jesus was a descendant of the tribe of Judah through King David. Let us note the prophecy spoken by Jacob concerning Judah.

Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. 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).

God was praised for Judah’s birth; He was praised by him and praised in him; therefore, it is fitting that his brethren should praise him and that he should be victorious and successful in war. Judah represents the roar of praise which shall burst forth out of the Holy City in the ever unfolding ages of Eternity. The praise of the Lion is divided in this prophecy in order to give us greater understanding of the realms of praise.

A.  Lion’s Whelp

First, Judah was likened to a lion’s whelp — a young lion. Our first step of praise, as a lion’s whelp, is the praise for the privilege to grow. When Judah’s mother gave birth to him and saw, through spiritual eyes of prophecy, that he was to carry the supernatural Seed of Promise of the Coming Messiah, she praised God for him, for his birth, and for his privilege to grow.

As Christians, we should rejoice over the Truth that we have been conceived, born, and have the privilege to grow and develop in Christ Jesus into spiritual maturity. It is exciting to grow, and praise for that growth is a most pleasurable experience, both on the humility side of the Lion-Lamb and on the exalted side. Although we may be just a whelp, we can roar forth our praise to our Creator and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, in all circumstances and situations because they all contribute to our growth, whether through the Pain Principle or the Pleasure Principle.

B.  Mature, Couched Lion

The second degree of praise is pictured by the mature lion. The distinction is clear in the Hebrew, which uses the word for prey or meat taken by the mature lion. The natural lion is the king of the forest; when he roars, he terrorizes the forest. When he seizes his prey and couches down in peace and quiet to enjoy his prey, who or what can resist him?

The LORD looked on Judah as a grown, mature lion, for verse nine says, “…from the prey [meat], my son, thou art gone up:…” In other words, “When you were a young lion and when you laid hold of the meat of God’s Word, you grew to maturity.” The prophecy continued by saying, “…he stooped down, he couched as a lion,…”; that is, He rested and enjoyed the meat of his prey.

The Lion out of the tribe of Judah, Jesus, came as a mature Lion, and surely He stooped down when He came to the Earth to take on the form of man. To stoop down means to bend the knee. He stooped down greatly and bent His Knee to the Father’s Will in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Lamb of God couched in Gethsemane, not as a baby, but as a mature Lion out of the tribe of Judah. He praised His Father for His Headship and enjoyed the Meat of His Father’s Will. Then, Jesus went on to seize the prey of Death and Hell. He is now couched at the Right Hand of God, resting and enjoying His prey.

Through the Lion-Lamb praise, we, too, can prevail over death-like situations and hellish circumstances; then, we can couch down in prayer and in the Word to enjoy the spoils (reward) of the battle.

C.  An Old Lion

The third, and highest, degree of praise is that of an old lion. Jacob said, “…who shall rouse him up?” The Hebrew word for old lion is the one most frequently used to identify a nursing mother lion with cubs. The mother lion is the most vicious, courageous, strong, and protective of the cubs. Who would dare to raise her up by touching one of her cubs to see if she is really that strong and protective.

Likewise, Jesus Christ is strong and protective of His spiritual child. He says in His Word: “…greater is he [the Mother Lion] that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4). As His children, we must learn this class of praise. When the enemy of circumstances and situations, the enemy of fleshly fears and anxieties, and the archenemy, Satan, comes against us, we can praise God for Jesus Christ Who will come forth like a Mother Lion to protect and defend us. Sometimes God allows natural parental love to fail so that we might learn to love and praise the true Mother Lion, Jesus Christ, more and to lean on His protection and defense.

Jacob’s prophetic promise went on to say the following: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). Judah or praise was assured of the Sceptre of Power and the Lawgiver or the Revealed Word of God for a lamp unto his feet until the appearance of Shiloh, the Messiah, would come. If we, like Judah, will praise God for growth, for meat, for the enjoyment of the spoils of the battles, and for His mother-like protective care, then we will receive a personal vision and revelation of Shiloh. In other words, He will come and make Himself known to us in a new way.

Let us note Moses’ prophecy to Judah.

And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies (Deuteronomy 33:7).

Moses blessed Judah before he blessed Levi for two reasons. First, the LORD Jesus sprang from this tribe, and, second, the LORD in this secret way showed that praise should precede prayer, which is the ministry of the Priesthood. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).

Moses prayed that God would hear Judah’s voice or his prayer. A praising heart will have a voice in prayer which will be heard by God. “Bring him unto his people.” Judah (Lion-Lamb praise) will possess his special place in Canaan’s Land. “Let his hands be sufficient.” Judah (Lion-Lamb praise) also will strengthen the hands to work diligently in the natural realm and in the spiritual realm. “Be thou an help to him from his enemies.” Judah (Lion-Lamb) praise, always will draw God to our side in the battle and will give us victory over our enemies. Thus, we see how marvelously the tribe of Judah fits with Leo, the Lion.

The blessings of power granted to Leo are reflected in the sardius stone which identified the tribe of Judah. The word sardius means to be red or rosy, to show blood in the face, to be ruddy. How beautifully this stone fits with Judah’s nature of praise. When the sardius light from Leo kindles praise in our heart for the Life and Blood of Jesus Christ for the privilege He has given us to grow, for the Meat of His Headship, and for the strength and protection which He gives us as the Mother Lion, our countenances will be rosy, ruddy, and vibrant before our God and also before the world.

Since the Lion-Lamb’s humility-exaltation Praise is going to resound through the corridors of Eternity, it behooves us to start becoming joined to this class of praise now, while it can become ours by spiritual growth and personal maturity in Jesus Christ.

V.  Description of Leo People

People born under the sign of Leo are heart people. They have large capacities to love and to give. Their temperament is fiery. These people possess leadership qualities. They are bold and courageous, unafraid to press through for their own gain, goals, and exaltation. Leos are big-hearted, generous, and warm in nature. They also are blessed with uncanny discernment and perception. They are very unusual people, especially when they are under the Headship (Authority) of Jesus Christ and all their attributes can be channeled into constructive ways rather than destructive ways.

Leo people can be jovial and playful as little cubs. Leo people have compassionate hearts. They are vibrant in praise for the people and things that please them. They also have the intuition of the lion to discern, with keen insight, other people and their motives. These people have the lion’s wandering nature which looks for new pleasure and excitement.

VI.  Control of Light

When Leo people are controlled by God, they make powerful leaders in the spiritual realm. Their boldness and courage under God’s Authority gives them strength to accomplish impossible feats. Their desire for change and excitement makes them tremendous students of God’s Word when they yield their will to God. But, when under the control of Satan and self, they become fiery, roaring lions when their wills and desires for pleasure and excitement are contraried. Their desire for change and excitement makes them flee responsibility when they govern their own lives. Their uncanny discernment and perception often is turned into violent, destructive criticism when they are at the helm of the ship. When Satan and self control the light energy from Leo, these people open their soft, warm hearts wide to anything and everything they meet.

VII.  Sharing of Light

The light rays from Leo are beamed most directly to people born between July 23rd and August 22nd. Yet, just as we could share in the sweet influences of all the other constellations, so can we share the benefits of the Creative Word and Glory Light shining out from Leo. If we let it, Leo’s sardius-light will kindle in our heart the Lion-Lamb humility, exaltation praise for God’s Gift of Life and the privilege to grow, for the Meat of His Headship, and for His protective Power.

God and the Lamb will have praise in Eternity. We are blessed beyond measure in that He has given us the opportunity to let praise grow to maturity in our heart, now. This delightful experience by growth will prepare the Bride of Christ for her Eternal responsibility, part of which is to teach and to lead all the rest of creation in songs of praise to God and the Lamb.

VIII.  Conclusion

We have seen in this chapter that the twelfth sign in God’s Prophetic Calendar is the sign of Leo, the Lion. With this sign of the zodiac, God completed His Message of His Dealings with mankind during the dispensation known as Time.

Leo prophesies of the coming Perfect Age of Eternity. This is when Jesus Christ will be unveiled as the Lion-Lamb out of the tribe of Judah. In the Lion-Lamb, we see the twofold pleasure of praise which God desires from man in the humility place and in the exalted place. In order to perfect humility praise in our heart, God lets us fellowship the Sufferings of Christ through the Spirit and Word of God and through the painful experiences of life. Then, He blesses us and exalts us so that we might learn to give Him all the Glory, Honour, and Praise in the high place.

The sign of Leo signifies the heart of the archetypal man in the sky. Therefore, it represents the life fluid of the circulatory system of the human organism. On the spiritual side, it symbolizes the humility Strength and Courage of the Lion-Lamb.

The nature imparted by the light of Leo was revealed in the Old Testament tribe of Judah, whose name means praise. In Jacob’s prophecy to Judah, he described the maturity of Lion-Lamb praise which had grown in Judah’s heart. The blessings of power granted to Leo are reflected in the sardius stone, which means to be red or rosy, to show blood in the face, to be ruddy. When the sardius-light from Leo kindles praise in our heart for the Life and Blood of Jesus Christ, for the privilege to grow, for the privilege to bend our knees to the Father’s Headship and to eat the Meat of His Will, and for the privilege to abide under the shadow of His protecting Presence, our countenance will be rosy before our God and before the world.

Although the light of the sign of Leo is directed primarily to the people born between July 23rd and August 22nd, God has caused His Creative Word and Glory Light to shine throughout the whole Earth. We all can share and be blessed by the sardius-light which kindles the Lion-Lamb’s humility-exaltation praise in our heart, If we permit this praise to grow to spiritual maturity in our heart, now, we will be prepared and will have the substance to share a gift of praise with others so that they will be able to join in the songs of praise which will be sung to God and the Lamb in the ceaseless ages of Eternity. One of these songs, no doubt, will be praise for God’s Creative Word which planned, purposed, executed, and performed His Redemptive Plan for mankind and for His Infinite Mercy which gave man the lights of the zodiac as a constant reminder of God’s Prophetic Promise.

We believe that every person who sincerely and prayerfully considers the Scriptural Authority presented in this book will be persuaded of the Truth concerning the twelve signs of the zodiac and their prophetic ministry of revealing God’s Will to man in the dispensation called Time.

The sign of Virgo, the Virgin, foretold that God would give Adam-female a Promise of the supernatural Seed Who would later be born of the Virgin and whose Crucified Heel would bruise the head of the Serpent.

The sign of Libra, the Scales, spoke of when sinful man would be weighed in the Scales of God’s Justice and would be found lacking in Holiness and Righteousness.

The sign of Scorpio, the Serpent, prophesied of man’s continual experience in sin after being bitten by the Serpent or the Scorpion.

The sign of Sagittarius, the Archer, forecast the time that God would shoot forth the arrows of His Law into the enemy of sin in human hearts.

The sign of Capricorn, the Goat, prophesied of the Coming of Jesus Christ, Who was born in the stable of a goat to be man’s Scapegoat for sin.

The sign of Aquarius, the Water Carrier, predicted the time that Jesus Christ would be resurrected again and would ascend to the Right Hand of God the Father to pour out the promised Water of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost.

The sign of Pisces, the Fish, spoke of the great ingathering of souls which came as a result of the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

The sign of Aries, the Ram, prophetically revealed that, after His Death, Burial, and Resurrection, Jesus Christ would return to Heaven to be seated at His Father’s Right Hand where He would rest as a ram or sheep in a pasture until God would make His enemies His Footstool.

The sign of Taurus, the Bull, foretold the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This is when He will return as an angry Bull with aggressive and defensive horns of Power to gore down His enemies.

The sign of Gemini, the Twins, prophesied of Jesus Christ’s peaceful Millennial Reign on the Earth. During this time, man will fold his war clubs within his arms and will beat his weapons of warfare into plowshares and pruning hooks.

The sign of Cancer, the Crab, predicts the events which will occur when Satan and the Devil will be loosed from the Bottomless Pit at the end of the Millennium. As they go about the Earth, tempting men to forsake Jesus Christ and to follow after them, there will be a nucleus of people who will have the tenacity of the crab to hold on to their spiritual Bridegroom, regardless of the suffering.

Last, but not least, the sign of Leo, the Lion, prophesied the maturity of the Lion-Lamb praise which, in Eternity, the Bride will lead all creation in giving to God and the Lamb.

— The End —