THE DRAGON AND THE SHEEPFOLD

 

THE DRAGON AND THE SHEEPFOLD

My backyard was fresh from the watering I just gave it; the sun had set, and it was that wonderful time of the evening, just before it gets too dark. I looked up, and even in the city lights of a Las Vegas sky, I could pick out some of the constellations and stars. I found the North Star at the tip of the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper, Biblically, represents God’s sheepfold. The North Star at the end of the Little Dipper’s handle is the most important in the sky. It is now the Polar star, meaning it is at the center; its position is fixed, and all other stars revolve around it. But that was not always the case.

 

Over 4000 years ago, the star called Thuban, in the constellation Draco (the dragon), was the Polar Star. Draco represents the devil. His constellation is a large twisting constellation that circles overhead around the sheepfold in the northern sky. The Bible tells us Lucifer, the devil, wanted to be like God. He wanted to be the ultimate Polar star, the center around which everything and everyone orbited.

 

Isaiah 14 tells us the story, in written form, of what God created for humanity in the story of the stars above us:

 

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!

 

“For thou hast said in thine heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. [note: Draco sits in the sides of the most northern sky].

 

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High’” (Is. 14:12-14).

 

But Satan did not get his way.

 

“There was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not.

 

“And the great dragon was cast out — that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world” (Rev. 12:7-9).

 

I don’t know if the Polar star’s moving happened when Lucifer was cast out of heaven, but it’s an interesting thought. But isn’t it so great that the star in Draco is NOT the center of the sky anymore, but rather the star in the sheepfold is the center?! Jesus will forever be the center of everything.

 

I just love how God has put His truth in everything He created.

 

Psalm 19:1 says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”

 

If you’d like to know more about the true meanings of the stars and constellations, I highly recommend THE WITNESS OF THE STARS by E.W. Bullinger. It’s the best I know of.

 

Love, Carolyn

This is one of the chapters in the “Natural Phenomena” section of Vol.2 of BIBLE LESSONS FROM NATURE, coming out soon. Here’s the link to Volume 1:  https://www.amazon.com/BIBLE-LESSONS-NATURE-Carolyn-Molica/dp/B0BV4GC859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QACB0S8NH0BF&keywords=bible+lessons+from+nature&qid=1676485121&sprefix=%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1

 

 

THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS SPEAK THE MESSAGES OF THE BIBLE

 

THE STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS SPEAK THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE

The human soul yearns to know the truth.

 

I could hear the hippos snorting in the river below as I looked to the great expanse of dark sky at the horizon and could see the large constellations Scorpio and the Southern Cross—brilliant, stunning like I’d never seen before! Pilanesberg, South Africa.

 

I’ve always been drawn to the sky ever since our family camping trips where we’d huddle around the last embers of the campfire and look up to see the stars. Sometimes we’d sleep out on the ground in our sleeping bags just to watch the sky until we fell asleep.

 

When I became a Christian I used to wonder how people before there was writing or people living in isolated cultures would be able to hear about Jesus if there wasn’t anyone around to teach them. Then one day someone taught me that the whole history of the universe is written in the stars. All anyone needed to do was look up!

 

The phenomenal thing is that the same message of the stars was across all ancient cultures. As far away as China is from Egypt, both cultures interpreted the constellations in the same way. The names for the constellations, the numbering of the stars within them and the names of the individual stars had the same meaning across all the ancient cultures. The Chinese, Chaldean, and Egyptian recordings go back more than 2000 years B.C.

 

Over time, the stories got corrupted, but the original meanings remained. God’s plans, purposes, and promises were written in the sky before they were ever spoken or written down. And remember that before all the big cities and indoor living, people were either nomadic, or if they lived in cities, much activity took place outside or on the roofs, so watching the heavens was a normal part of their lives.

 

Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylonia taught people how to read and interpret the stars the way God put them there. Psalm 147:4 says: “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.” There are references to the constellations and their messages throughout the Bible. They tell the story of Jesus, from before his birth to His life on earth, to His coming back in glory. That’s how the Magi knew to go to Bethlehem to find Jesus. They were taught how to read the heavens from their ancestors. The stars also tell about the devil and his ways, and his end.

 

The Constellation Draco (the Dragon) circles around the Polar Star which is at the tip of the tail of the little dipper, Ursa Minor. One of the stars in the dragon’s head is named “Ethanin”, which means “the long serpent, or dragon.” Another star in the head is called “Al Waid” in Arabic, which means “who is to be destroyed.” The Hebrew names of the other stars in the dragon’s head mean “the subtle, the punished enemy, the reptile, the fraudulent.” Isaiah 21:1 says: “The Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”

 

I learned the most about the true meaning of the constellations from a wonderful book by E.W. Bullinger called WITNESS OF THE STARS.

 

There are twelve zodiac signs. Between each zodiac sign, there may be several smaller constellations. Each constellation tells a part of the story of God's plan. For example, Virgo (the virgin) is a woman holding a branch. The brightest star in Virgo is Al Zimach, meaning “the branch.” The branch in the Bible is Jesus the

Messiah. Zechariah prophesied: “Behold I will bring forth my servant the branch” (Zech. 3:8). And, “Behold the man whose name is the branch” (Zech. 6:12).

 

Another star in Virgo is Zavijaveh, (I pronounce it java java). It means “the gloriously beautiful.” It’s in Isaiah 4:2: “The Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious.” In Virgo’s arm is a star whose name means “he shall come down and shall have dominion.” When the ancient people looked up at the constellation Virgo, they understood that there was going to be a promised branch of God who would be born of a virgin and come down on earth to have dominion.

 

The Egyptians recorded the zodiac in a circle on the ceiling of the Temple Esneh. You wouldn’t necessarily know where to begin and where to end except that the figure of a sphinx connects the two signs of Virgo and Leo. The word “sphinx” means to bind closely together. The sphinx has the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The story of Jesus’ birth on earth begins with a virgin and ends with the King of Kings, the Lion of God. 

 

The constellations are rich with meaning. And no man can change their placement or their true meanings.

 

Psalm 19:1-6 says: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.”

 

In all the turmoil of the world today, it’s great to have the assurance of heaven. When all else is dark, the glorious stars show brightest and their message is everlasting: Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the message of the ages.

 

Love, Carolyn

 

 

THE DRAGON AND THE CHURCH

  

THE DRAGON AND THE CHURCH

My backyard was fresh from the watering I just gave it; the sun had set and it was that wonderful time of the evening, just before it gets too dark. I looked up, and even in the city lights of a Las Vegas sky, I was able to pick out some of the constellations and stars. I found the North Star, at the tip of the Little Dipper. The Little Dipper, Biblically, represents God’s sheepfold. The North Star at the tip of the Little Dipper’s handle is the most important star of the sky. It is now the Polar star, meaning it is at the center; it’s position is fixed and all other stars revolve around it. But that was not always the case.

Over 4000 years ago, the star called Thuban, in the constellation Draco (the dragon), was the Polar Star. Draco represents Satan. His constellation is a large twisting constellation that circles overhead around the sheepfold in the northern sky. The Bible tells us Lucifer, the devil, wanted to be like God. He wanted to be the ultimate Polar star, the center around which everything and everyone, orbited.

Isaiah 14 tells us the story in written form, of what God created for mankind in the story of the stars above us:

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!

“For thou hast said in thine heart, ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. [note: Draco sits in the sides of the most northern sky].

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High’” (Is. 14:12-14).

But Satan did not get his way.

“There was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not.

“And the great dragon was cast out — that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world” (Rev. 12:7-9).

I don’t really know if the moving of the Polar star happened when Lucifer was cast out of heaven, but it’s an interesting thought. But isn’t it so great that the star in Draco is NOT the center of the sky any more, but rather the star in the sheepfold is the center?! Jesus will forever be the center of everything.

I just love how God has put His truth in everything He created.

Psalm 19:1 says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”

If you’d like to know more about the true meanings of the stars and constellations, I highly recommend THE WITNESS OF THE STARS by E.W. Bullinger. It’s the best I know of.

Love, Carolyn

HOW TO APPLY GOD’S TRUTH   In everyday living—get your copy of WINGS: A Journey in Faith 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=WINGS%20Carolyn%20molica&linkCode=ur2&tag=jmbcsds-20&linkId=XQMVLVZYNBLYAGEM