A Biblical Zodiac
Biblical Zodiac (Psalm 19)
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1
Some biblical scholars believe that if you begin “reading” the constellations at the Virgin, the traditional astrological signs tell the story of Redemption, ending at the Lion of Judah. The key to beginning with the woman and ending with the lion is the riddle of the sphinx—a creature with the face of a woman and the body of a lion. The word sphinx actually means to squeeze tight or close a circle.
NASA defines the “Great Year” or “Platonic Year” as one complete cycle of the equinoxes. This takes about 25,000 years. The cross in the center of the painting represents the equinoxes and solstices as they slowly moving through space and point to the various constellations of the zodiac. The “age” we are in is determined by which constellation is in the sky at the time when the days and nights are of equal length.
Each constellation represents an age which last about 2,000 years. We have recently entered the Age of Aquarius, the Man who is the water bearer. The other three constellations associated with this age are symbolized by the Lion, the Bull (or Ox), the Scorpion (whose lower form is a Dragon and higher form is an Eagle). These four symbols bare striking resemblance to the Four Living Creatures of Revelation and Ezekiel and perhaps the seraphim (“burning ones”) of Isaiah 6.
This is not New Age meandering, but an acknowledgement that God created all things, and all things point to him. Read Psalm 19. The first six verses describe what God revealed to all the earth through the skies. Verse seven goes immediately to God’s revelation through the Bible.
Ponder the meaning of the different ages. The four symbols at the time of the Old Testament were the the scales (justice/law), the goat and the lamb (sacrificial animals), and the crab (tightly held chosen ones). The four symbols from the time of Christ until now were the virgin, the twins (dual nature of Christ), the fish (ixthus, symbol of the church), and the redeemer (wounded warrior whose arrow points to the heart of the scorpion).
What does this mean for us today? Perhaps we are entering a time of worship, as the Four Living Creatures worship in front of the throne in Revelation. Perhaps this is a time to choose who we worship—the Dragon, the Scorpion, or the Eagle?
Two excellent books from the 19th century that go into great detail on this topic are The Witness of the Stars by E.W. Bullinger and The Gospel in the Stars by Joseph A. Seiss. Look at the whole of Psalm 19. Verses 1-6 are about the testimony of the skies, verses 7-11 leap immediately into God’s written word. Perhaps the skies tell the story of redemption for people around the world before they have the written Word.