The Message of the Stars Chapter 8 - Aries
by Ian Michaels
ARIES, THE LAMB
We come now to Aries, The Ram (or Lamb). This chapter, although the 8th in the glorious Gospel which YHWH has painted in the heavens, is the 4th chapter of the Second Book which is primarily concerning the Redeemer’s People. This Second Book began with a sacrificial animal at Capricornus and now ends with a sacrificial animal. There is a parallel here that can not be overlooked. The prophetic calendar given to us in the annual Feasts begins with the season of Pesach (a sacrifice) and ends with the season of Yom Kippur (a sacrifice). Yet there is a difference with Aries. Unlike, the Goat who is dying, this Lamb is sitting victoriously at ease. These make a set of book ends to the Age of the Redeemer’s People. Both are a picture of our Messiah who is the beginning and the ending, the author and the finisher of our faith. Capricornus is facing back toward the conflict with Satan. Aries is looking toward the consummation and the final victory, as found in the Third Book of the last four chapters. At the season of Pesach, there is a Lamb in the heavens. The theme of the Lamb runs throughout the Scriptures:
Behold, the Lamb of Elohim, which takes away the sin of the world. [John 1:29]
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. [Revelation 5:12]
There is “the Lamb’s Book of Life”, “the Wrath of the Lamb”, “the Bride of the Lamb”, and “the Lamb” whose blood overcomes Satan and the saints’ testimony of Him. The Hebrew name for this constellation is Taleh, “The Lamb Sent Forth.” The Greek name Krios also means “The Lamb.” In Latin, it is called Aries (the name by which we know it) which means “The Lamb,” “The Chief,” “The Head.” The ancient Akkadians called this figure Baraziggar, a name which means “The Altar” or “The Sacrifice of Making Right.” That of course is precisely what Y’shua has done. He is the great and final evening sacrifice which makes all those who believe in Him right before Elohim.
The principal stars in this figure are called El Nath or El Natik and Al Sharetan which mean “The Wounded,” “The Bruised,” and “The Slain.” Over the head of the figure is a triangle, which the Greeks said exhibited the name of the Deity, and its principal star bears the name signifying “The Head,” “The Uplifted,” hence the Lamb exalted. It is highly unreasonable to suppose that all this could have happened by mere accident. There was manifestly some intelligent design to cause such an arrangement for the names of these stars to be what they are.
It is interesting to note the position of the Lamb on the planisphere. He is facing backward toward the consummation of this entire story. But one paw is placed on The Band, which hold the two fishes of Pisces to the neck of Cetus, the Sea-Monster. What a powerful picture this is! If you had bands holding two large fishes on the end, and the middle of the band was tied to a large sea-monster, it would take both hands to control it and would require every bit of your attention. But Messiah has simply one hand controlling this whole situation and He doesn’t even bother to look! With one hand, He upholds His People and controls Satan while He is looking ahead to the glorious end of the story, the consummation of all things!
The mythologies that developed over time among the nations bear the record of the original prophecies. Although distorted with pagan ideas, the beautiful picture of our Messiah remains. There is a story from Greek mythology about a woman named Nephele. Her name means “The Cloud.” Nephele has two children, Phrixus and Helle. These children, after her death, are threatened with death by their new stepmother. The spirit of Nephele comes and warns them that they are going to be killed and that they should flee. She provides them with a large lamb with Golden Fleece. They seat themselves on the back of the lamb and take off into the air across the water and flee to Asia Minor . Unfortunately, Helle, the girl-child, loses her hold upon the lamb’s back and falls off into the sea and drowns. The water came to be known as Helle’s Sea, or Hellespont .
And so it was, that many in Israel , though faithful for a time, let go of their faith and drowned. None of those who were delivered from Egypt except Yahoshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land with the next generation. Helle serves as a reminder to us all that we must hold onto the Lamb and remain faithful to the end. But, Phrixus represents those of the faithful remnant who hold on and continue to be borne across the sea to their final destination – the city of Colchis , “The Citadel of Reconciliation,” “The City of Refuge,” and are saved by the Lamb with the Golden Fleece.
Interestingly, this Lamb who saved Phrixus is sacrificed to Jupiter by Phrixus himself. It was our sins that made Messiah’s sacrifice necessary. Even as Phrixus offered up the lamb, we have offered Him up; the Lamb dies and we are spared. There are, of course, the well-known stories of the Golden Fleece and Jason’s great adventure seeking for it. He built a ship called Argo, and gathered together a group of Greek heroes who became known as Argonauts who set out to find the Golden Fleece. Jason, a prince, was not able to assume his throne unless he discovered and brought back this Fleece. He found that it had been hung on an oak in a great grove guarded by a horrible monster. After discovering its location, he slew the monster with his sword and took the Golden Fleece which, when presented, gave him his claim to the throne. Even as Jason had the Golden Fleece for his cover, so the fleece of the Lamb makes a covering for us. Hidden here in this mythological story we can see the original truth from YHWH of how His remnant will be clothed in the righteousness of Messiah.
That is the story of Aries, The Lamb – the lamb which yielded the Golden Fleece and provides the marvelous garment of righteousness for the believer. It is the Lamb which takes us across the dangerous seas and delivers us safely to the city of refuge in Heaven; it is the Lamb which holds up the fishes of Elohim and restrains Cetus, The Sea-Monster.
CASSIOPEIA, THE ENTHRONED WOMAN
The first decan is a woman enthroned in a chair, high and lifted up. With one hand, she is arranging her robe; in the other she holds the branch of victory and is arranging her hair. This is a contrast to what is seen in Andromeda, who represents the Bride of the Lamb in affliction. She is despised by the world, in bonds under affliction and is in danger of being devoured by Cetus. But here we see Cassiopeia, The Bride lifted up, enthroned and glorified. In Hebrew, one of the stars marking her figure is called Shedar, “The Freed.” Once bound to the rock, waiting to be devoured, Cassiopeia is now freed and is seated upon a throne high and lifted up. In the ancient Denderah zodiac in Egypt , her name is Set, from a Hebrew word with a meaning of “Enthroned.” She is set up as a Queen and Enthroned in the Heavens, the bride of the King of Heaven itself. Albumazer, an ancient authority, says this woman was anciently called “the Daughter of Splendor.” Cassiopeia is preparing herself like a typical bride preparing for a wedding. She is seen with one hand preparing her robes and with the other her hair. She is a picture of the Bride now without spot or wrinkle making herself ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb.
CETUS, THE SEA-MONSTER
The second decan in this house is Cetus, The Sea-Monster which takes up more space in the sky than any other constellation. Satan and the world system are so very visible and ever present. He is the dragon who has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9), and so we see Cetus taking up a great portion of the sky. This is the one who desires to devour Andromeda and holds the fishes of Pisces in bonds. One of its brightest stars bears the Hebrew name Mira which means “The Rebel.” Interestingly, in most of the various constellations depicting Satan, the stars are variable – they appear, diminish and sometimes disappear. Mira has disappeared for a period of four years, at which time it was invisible in the sky. So Satan does his best work oftentimes when he is invisible - when people do not even believe he is there. The brightest star located in the nose of the monster has the Hebrew name Menkar, “The Bound,” or “Chained Enemy.” The second brightest star, found in the tail, bears the Hebrew name Diphda, meaning “The Overthrown.”
PERSEUS, THE BREAKER
The final decan to close this chapter and this Second Book about the Redeemer’s People is Perseus in Greek and Perets in Hebrew, both meaning “The Breaker.”
The breaker is come up before them. [Micah 2:13]
It is Messiah who is the breaker that goes up before us. This is made very clear from the various stars found in him and the story of Messiah as it is given to us in Greek mythology. Perseus was the son of the divine father. He was born in a most miraculous way – by a shower of gold descending upon the young woman Danae, bringing about his amazing conception. No sooner was he born than he was put under persecution. He finally overcame that and then, as a splendid gift to his father, the king, he engaged to bring to him the head of the Medusa, one of the three horrible gorgons – creatures with three different heads bound together. They had defiled the Temple . Their long hair had been turned into serpents. They were frightful creatures covered with impenetrable scales. They had tusks like boars, yellow wings, brazen hands, and were very dangerous. Their very looks had the power to turn a person into stone. The work of Satan does turn the heart of man into stone, yet Elohim promises that He will take away our heart of stone and place within us a heart of flesh.
Perseus succeeds in this great undertaking. He beheaded the Medusa and brought back the head, holding it by the serpents. The figure of Perseus on a planisphere shows him with an uplifted sword in one hand and the head of the Medusa in the other. Medusa means “The Trodden Underfoot.” Here again, we see a very definite bruising of the head of Satan (the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15). While Perseus was on his way back from this brave deed, he saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to the rock and in the distance, coming up out of the sea towards her is this great sea-monster. He sets her free and carries her away to his father’s home and makes her his bride. In his waist, there is a star with an Arabic name called Mirfak meaning “Who Helps.” In the right shoulder is a star called Al Genib, “The One Who Carries Away.” Other star names of interest are two in Medusa. The brightest one in her head is called Al Ghoul, meaning “The Evil Spirit.” Another is known by the name of Rosh Satan, which in Hebrew means “Satan’s Head.”
How anyone could think that all of the ancient star names of all the constellations and all the mythologies associated with the zodiac are somehow beautifully synchronized with the Biblical account of Redemption by mere coincidence is beyond me. That is simply not a logical conclusion. The ancient names of the stars do in fact declare the glory of Elohim (Psalm 19:1) and the ancient mythologies obviously portray the story of Redemption born in the heart YHWH.
SUMMARY
This closes the Second Book about the Redeemer’s People. The Lamb who was slain is now the exalted One who upholds us with His right hand and restrains our enemy. Although we are now bound by mortality and vulnerable to destruction, like Andromeda, we await our soon coming Perseus. He is the one born by a miraculous shower of gold causing his conception in the young maiden. He lived his whole life in persecution, but for the sake of the King, his Father, he went out to destroy the deadly Medusa, who turned men into stone. Upon succeeding, he rescued Andromeda from her slavery, broke her bonds, and set her free. A Bride without spot or wrinkle will reign with the King. Prepare for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, you who are depicted in Cassiopeia, for He who is coming is soon to arrive.
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.
