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And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs and to mark seasons and days and years." (Genesis 1:14)

 Have you fitted a curb to the Pleiades or loosened the bonds of Orion?  Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or guide the Bear with its train?  Do you know the ordinances of the heavens; can you put into effect their plan on the earth? (Job 38:31-32)

For at least 2500 years after creation, there was no Bible, no written revelation from God.  Have you ever thought about that?  Besides story telling and teaching passed down through generations, how did God reveal Himself to mankind? 

We know He spoke to individuals on specific occasions (Adam and Eve, Abraham, Noah, Moses).  But did He also speak through His creation?

Psalm 19 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

This is certainly a general expression of how God is revealed through nature, but it can also be taken literally.  Speech, knowledge, and all of God’s glory have been communicated to the world through the heavens for centuries! 

Zodiac
The word “Mazzaroth” in the verse from Job above is simply the Hebrew word for the twelve signs in the sky of the zodiac. (See Strong’s Concordance, ref. Hebrew 4216, or online HERE.)

Zodiac!  That immediately sends up alarms for most Christians, but before you think I’ve gone over to the dark side, let me explain. 

Unfortunately, the study of God’s stars and the constellations in the sky were perverted by idol worship and pagan religions who desired the knowledge of God and His mysteries without the relationship with Him that He so clearly desires.  No wonder Scripture is full of such strong warnings against astrology and divination: “Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month. Let them save you from what is coming upon you.  Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up.  They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame” (Isaiah 47:13-14).

But God created the Mazzaroth for us.  The constellations and signs of the Zodiac, stolen by pagan religions, were originally placed in the heavens by God and spoken of in the Bible!

In his book Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger, a pastor, lifelong scholar and writer, explains how the constellations bear witness to the accuracy of biblical prophecy.  Combining his Bible knowledge with historical sources such as Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, Bullinger says that ancient Persian and Arabic traditions credit the study of astronomy back to Adam, Seth, and Enoch. All traditions, including ancient Hebrew Scriptures, recognize the twelve signs of the zodiac. “If we turn to history and tradition,” Bullinger writes, “we are at once met with the fact that the Twelve Signs are the same, both as to the meaning of their names and as to their order in all the ancient nations of the world.”  The Mazzaroth is believed to have been given from God to Adam to show His plan of redemption for man.

After Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden they were thrust out of the garden, down the mountain into the howling wilderness below. With the crushing weight of their guilt and sorrow the curse would now bring death into the world. Perhaps at this time God our Father, began to tell the story of redemption to His children, to give them hope.  Is it possible that He began to speak through twelve pictures (constellations) in the stars to tell how He would be our Redeemer?  How He would be born of a woman, wounded by our enemy, bear our sins, die for our sins, crush the head of that serpent the Devil, and then be resurrected from the grave to give us a hope and a future and eternal life?  

When the Psalmist wrote that the heavens declare God’s glory, the words don’t just mean that the stars are beautiful, which they are, but that they are actually declaring the glory of God, which is the story of God’s Son Jesus!  A study of these star pictures reveal a great deal about God’s plan of redemption. The constellation Orion, for example, is not only named by the Lord twice in the book of Job, but is also mentioned by the prophet Amos, and is believed to symbolize the “coming Prince of light.” ("He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning …" —Amos 5:8)

The prophecy in Numbers 14:17 told us to look for a star:

I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of tumult.

 
The Stars Point to Him
The Star of Bethlehem pointed to Jesus Christ! The enemy has come in to twist and pervert the revelation of God, so that rather than the stars pointing to Him, as God intended, they are all about us, with our daily horoscopes, as if our lives revolved around them.  But no!  The truth is, they bear witness to God and His glory and the glory of His Son!

The Star of Bethlehem always leads those who are wise to the Savior, just like the wise men who traveled from afar to bring gifts and to worship the Savior.

Why do I even approach this subject?  Because once again, the Christian faith is being challenged and accused of “borrowing” our stories and traditions from pagan religions.  I contend that if anyone borrowed anything, it was those who chose to ignore the voice of God and instead sought knowledge and power without a relationship. 

The book of Job, where the zodiac signs are discussed, is one of the most ancient pieces of literature in the world.  The accounts of creation, the flood, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and other stories that are said to appear in the literature of other beliefs were not stolen from those traditions—they originated with God and were recorded by His people.

Since the publication and movie of The Da Vinci Code, ancient Gnostic philosophies have resurfaced once again in our pop culture.  Their purpose is to cast doubt on the accuracy of the Bible and life of Jesus with unsubstantiated claims that the resurrection, the miracles, crucifixion, and events of the Gospel are stolen from pagan sources, and even that Jesus never existed.

Zeitgeist
The current incarnation of this ages old movement is ZEITGEIST, a German phrase that means “the spirit of the age.”  Zeitgeist is a movement and a movie first released in 2007, written and directed by Peter Joseph, and is impacting the culture, especially in college circles.  The movie, which can be seen on You Tube in various forms, takes on the federal reserve, 9-11 conspiracies, and finally, Christianity.  His argument to make Christianity a “borrowed” religion is full of historical and Scriptural inaccuracies – but it is a compelling video.  Much like The Da Vinci Code told a compelling story —but it simply is not true.

One of the best discussions I’ve seen on the Zeitgeist movement comes from Charlie Campbell director of the Always Be Ready Apologetic Ministry.  You can read his analysis and the experts he consulted HERE.

I encourage you to do so, to be ready to deal effectively with the spirit of the age!

I am actually working on a book that will include an even more detailed study of this whole subject, including the stories of the stars and other historic, biblical traditions that were  hijacked and turned against Christianity. Please pray for me as I study and research, and use God's Word as my constant reference point.

Meanwhile, look up and realize that “the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’” (1 Chronicles 16:31).  Let us rejoice that God loves us and longs to reveal Himself to us through His creation.

Pastor Ray

Your comments are welcome.  Please write to: media@maranathachapel.org

Recommended reading:

E.W. Bullinger, The Witness of the Stars, Kregel Publications, reprint of the 1893 edition.