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Join me in Arden Hills, MN August 7-10, 2013!

Wanna come see me in person? I'll be hanging out at The Holy Spirit Conference in Arden Hills, MN August 7-10 at North Heights Church. I've got a table, will be signing books and greeting people. If you show up at the right time you might get to meet my dad or maybe even my kids!

Information about the conference is at this Link:
http://www.lutheranrenewal.org/

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“Tov Rose fills in the gaps of God the Father. The church has emphasized God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. But in the last days, the emphasis will be on understanding and knowing God the Father. Only someone with a Jewish understanding can bring us this end-time revelation [and Tov has done so].”

Sid Roth
Television Host
It's Supernatural! Television
www.SidRoth.org

Is there something missing from your Bible? Yes.

The New Messianic Version of the Bible is becoming increasingly popular among believers in Jesus because it answers many unexplained questions!

The New Messianic Version, challenges both Jews and Christians to see that the whole Bible is Jewish. It restores the names of people and places to their "Jewish" pronunciation, translates every name of people and places so that it reads much like an "Amplified Bible."

Author Tov Rose, "Today, Jewish people and Christians alike suffer a similar kind of blindness concerning the nature and person of God: They do not know their God. I know, that looks like an inflammatory statement, but please give me to the end of the book to present my case before passing judgment. There is a secret hidden in your Bible, and this is the only Bible that reveals it." This groundbreaking book answers the one question most Christians and Jewish people alike get wrong, "Who is the God of the Hebrew Bible?" Again, Tov, "If you said, 'God the Father' then you got it wrong, and I'm going to prove it to you."

"In the New Testament book of John 6:46 Jesus says, 'No man has seen The Father...' then who have people seen?"

This Version clearly shows you who the "author" really is, and it isn't God the Father. Tov, "Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.'"

The New Messianic Version clearly tells you which Old Testament Names of God represent the Father God, and which others represent The Son of God.

Jews are challenged by the implication that the Tanakh is an incomplete Bible without the New Testament understanding the Yeshua (Jesus) is the God of the Hebrew Bible. Christians are challenged with the fact that they are joined to the Jewish people through faith in the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). Christianity can only be truly understood only from a Jewish perspective, hatred of Jewish people (aka: Anti-Semitism), can have no place with followers of Jesus.

In short, The New Messianic Version restores the Jewish flavour and understanding of those first generation followers of Jesus.

Link: https://www.createspace.com/4380296

Even I make mistakes

Sometimes even Bible teachers who pride themselves on Biblical accuracy make mistakes. That is one of the reasons I tell people at the start of nearly every sermon I give, "Don't believe this man talking to you. Go and search the Word of God for yourself to prove whether or not the words are true. You're supposed to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling and to "test the spirits"". Well, sometimes even this fella talking at you makes mistakes!

After a lot of follow-up research I've discovered that something I've taught on for many years was actually not true. I was taught by one of my professors in Seminary and again by some missionaries from South Africa to the USA that the names of the curtains/doors of the Tabernacle were "The Way, The Truth and The Life."

As far as I can tell (as I said after a many months of follow-up research), I can find nothing proving what they taught me. So, until I hear otherwise, I am going to make the educated decision to say that I've been teaching this wrong. Perhaps my teachers can educate me on the their facts, but a this point they have not.

So until further notice I am calling myself wrong on this subject. Please accept my apologies.

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• Corinne Burmester, Kim Dockter and 2 others like this.
• 

  Pat Hoffman I thought those words only apply to Jesus.

  3 hours ago · Like
• 

  Tov Rose A couple of commentaries I found mention it indirectly:
  
  
  
  The way. The truth. The life. The offer corresponds with the three entrances of the tabernacle. The sinner came first to the gate, the wide open gate with its invitation to the people to come in. That way led directly to the altar and to the laver, to cleansing from sin and to peace with God. Then came the door, half as wide and twice as high as the gate. Not so many ever passed this portal, but those who could and did entered into the holy place and stood in the presence of truth—the lampstand promising illumination, the shewbread on the table offering communion, the golden altar indicating intercession—all higher truths than are grasped by those who never progress beyond a bare salvation. Beyond all this was the veil, leading into the holy of holies, where few could penetrate. There was the mystery of life: the cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat, ever occupied with the blood sprinkled there; the ark with pot of manna, the unbroken law, the rod of Aaron with its buds, blossoms, and almonds, all speaking of the deep things of Christ; and over all the shekinah glory cloud in which God himself dwelled.
  
  
  
  
  John Phillips, The John Phillips Commentary Series – Exploring the Gospel of John: An Expository Commentary,
  
  
  
  
  The Old Testament temple which succeeded the Mosaic tabernacle was marked by partitions. There were three entrances into the three departments: the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. Then there were sections partitioned off for priests, Israel, women, and Gentiles. Christ, by His death, took out the veil, and He became the Way (the outer court), the Truth (the Holy Place), and the Life (the Holy of Holies). Now we come through Christ directly into the presence of God the Father. Those who come to Him are removed from their little departments and are placed in Christ, the new Temple where there are no departments. The Cross dissolves the fences, and the gospel is preached to the Gentiles, those who were afar off, and to the Jews, those who were near. What a picture we have here!
  
  
  
  
  J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee

  3 hours ago · Like

The Fall Feasts Of Israel? Did Jesus fulfill them as well?

Tov Rose here! How are you doing? :-)
I wanted to let you know that I'm in the midst of scheduling speaking events for myself from now through next year at about this time. God's been opening some amazing doors to minister and share His heart for people through little old me. I'm blessed to be along for the ride! :-)

I had a conversation with someone recently who didn't realize that there was a lot more I could offer a congregation than just Jesus in the Passover presentations. So, I thought I'd share a little teaching on the Fall Feasts of Israel! Think of it as preparation for what is to come prophetically. If there's any way I can be of service to you or your congregation (or you want to pass this email along to share with someone that's okay!), just let me know!

Blessings in Yeshua (Jesus),

The Fall Feasts Of Israel

(At sunset on Sept. 4, 2013 Israel begins year 5774 on the Hebrew Calendar.)
The fall is arguably the most important time of the year in Judaism. Three of Israel’s holiest days are celebrated then, and all in the space of 15 days. They are Yom Teruah, or Feast of Trumpets, followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and 5 days after that by Sukkot, the week long Feast of Tabernacles. On our calendar they usually occur some time between mid September and early October due to the differences between the Jewish (lunar) calendar and the western (solar) one. Each of these holy days has both historical and prophetic significance, the prophetic fulfillment to occur on the day itself. Therefore Christians study them for glimpses into the future as well as to gain a better understanding of Jewish culture.

Happy New Year

Gentiles (non-Jewish people) are sometimes confused in their studies of these holy days by the fact that the God changed the Jewish calendar at the time of the first Passover (Exodus 12:2). What had been the 7th month was thereafter to be the first, moving the beginning of the year to the spring, 14 days before Passover.
But because of the harvest, the Jewish people retained their original calendar as well, so now they have a religious year which begins in the spring and a civil year beginning in the fall. This is why the Feast of Trumpets is also known as Rosh Hashanah, which means “head of the year”.
Rosh Hashanah is a time of new beginnings. According to tradition, the creation of heaven and earth was completed on Rosh Hashanah, and therefore Adam was born on that day. For Jewish people these events combine to give the day it’s historical and future fulfillment. Also, based on the view that John the Baptist was born in the spring, around Passover, and his birth preceded the birth of Jesus by 6 months, it is likely that the birth of the Messiah was on Rosh Hashanah (although some Jewish believers would argue for the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles).
Unlike other Jewish feasts the Feast of Trumpets takes place on a New Moon, when just a sliver of the Moon appears in the night sky. Since this has to be confirmed by eye witness sightings the weather has to be very clear to observe the rising of the New Moon, and it’s not always that way. For this reason the Feast of Trumpets is known as the feast where no one knows the day or the hour, something Jesus may have alluded to in Mark 13:32.
According to Matt. 24:29, the Sun, Moon and stars will all go dark at the end of the Great Tribulation period to signify that the most terrifying judgments ever to be visited on Planet Earth have ended. Sometime afterward the Lord will return on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Four times within the span of 28 verses the Lord said the people on Earth at the time will not know the exact time of His return in advance, using a form of the phrase “you will not know the day or the hour” (Matt. 24:46, Matt. 24:42-44, Matt. 24:50, Matt. 25:13). This leads some scholars to speculate His return will coincide with the Feast of Trumpets. If so the 2nd Coming will be the prophetic fulfillment for the Feast of Trumpets.
Of the Lord’s coming with power and great Glory, Zechariah 9:14 tells us,
"Then the LORD will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Lord GOD will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south, and the LORD Almighty will shield them."
And Matt. 24:30-31 adds,
“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Others think that the "Rapture" of the believers will happen on Rosh Hashanah.
Religious Jewish people believe that on this day in Heaven, books recording the good and evil deeds of mankind are opened on Rosh Hashanah for an annual review of man’s behavior. To this end, they spend the previous month in a sincere effort to right all the wrongs they may have committed during the year just ending.
When the books are opened, the names of those whose life has been exemplary in every respect are immediately entered into the book for another year of life, while those who have demonstrated no redeeming qualities at all are scheduled for death. Since normal bell curve distribution would indicate that very few fit at either extreme, the majority will have 10 more days until Yom Kippur to “get right with God.” These 10 days are called the Days of Awe where each man’s destiny hangs in the balance as he goes about asking forgiveness from friends and neighbors for the sins he’s committed in the year just past. Thus also the tradition of sending greeting cards during this time. A common greeting among Jews during the 10 Days of Awe is, “May your name be written in the Book.”
On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah (it’s a two day celebration) Orthodox Jewish people go to a running brook or stream where fish swim and throw pebbles or crumbs of bread into the water, symbolizing God’s casting away of their sins. While doing so, they recite Micah 7:18-20. They also celebrate God's graciousness with specially made sweet bread called Challah, along with honey, salt and apples.
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be true to Jacob, and show mercy to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our fathers in days long ago.”
This is one of the most eloquent descriptions of God’s grace to be found anywhere in Scripture. It reminds God of His promise to be merciful to them in the coming judgment of Yom Kippur.
The fish’s dependence on water symbolizes their dependence on God. The fact that fish can’t close their eyes reminds them to be thorough because God sees everything. This ceremony is called Tashlich, Hebrew for “You will cast”, a reference to hurling their iniquities into the sea in Micah 7:19.

Judgment Time

Ten days later, on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), judgment is rendered, the books are closed and everyone’s fate is sealed for another year.
Yom Kippur was the only day of the year when it was permissible to speak the Name of God according to Rabbinic tradition. These names were created out of the four letters that Hebrew scribes used to represent God’s name in the Old Testament. Wherever the words LORD and GOD appears all in caps (at least in the King James Version), you’ll find the Hebrew letters YHWH in the Hebrew text. Theologians call these four letters the tetragrammaton, which is Greek meaning “four letters”. So, in effect these four letters are God’s initials, standing for His real name. Yes God does have a name, if you want to know more about this subject, and what I believe is the proper pronunciation of His name and an alternative history of how Jewish people used to speak the Divine Name in everyday conversations, check out my book, Genesis Unbound.
According to the Rabbis. it was forbidden for Jewish people to speak God’s actual name except for once a year on Yom Kippur when it was spoken 10 times. After the Temple was destroyed, the Yom Kippur ceremony changed and the name of God ceased to be used and was eventually lost, again, according to Rabbinic tradition. Regardless, in Philippians 2:9-11 it says that Jesus, or in Hebrew, Yeshua -- is now the name above all names.
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
During the great and awe inspiring ceremony at the Temple on Yom Kippur, two goats were brought before the High Priest. One was a goat “for the Lord” to be presented as a peace offering as commanded in Lev. 16:7-10. The other was called “the scapegoat” because all the sins of the nation were symbolically placed upon its head, and then it was led outside the city to be killed. The goats had done nothing to deserve this but were chosen to demonstrate the fact that only the shedding of innocent blood could atone for the sins of the people. The death of the two goats symbolically set aside the sins of the nation, made their peace offering acceptable and gave them peace with their Creator. The people spoke the Name of God in heartfelt thanks.
When the goats were brought before the High Priest, their respective roles in the ceremony were determined by lot. Two golden lots were placed in a golden bowl and as he placed his hand upon the head of each goat, the High Priest reached into the bowl and pulled out one of the lots. Before the Yeshua's death, the goat that was to be presented to the Lord as a peace offering always turned out to be on the right hand of the High Priest. After the Yeshua's death the lot for the peace offerening never came out for the right handed goat again.
While the scapegoat was symbolically receiving the sins of the people upon its head a scarlet ribbon was tied from one of its horns to the door of the temple. When the time came for the goat to be taken into the wilderness the ribbon was cut, leaving some on its horn and some on the door. At a predetermined location outside the city, the goat was pushed off a cliff and fell to its death. Before the Yeshua's secrifice, at the moment of the scapegoat’s death, the remnant of ribbon on the temple door turned from red to white symbolizing the passage from Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” After the Yeshua's sacrifice this also  never happened again. The One Who now sits at the right hand of the Father and Who had fulfilled the dual role that the two goats only symbolized had come and forever taken away the sins of all who would choose to accept Him. (Source: The Fall Feasts Of Israel. Authors Mitch and Zhava Glaser, Publisher Moody Press.)

Yom Kippur Is Only A Shadow …

Believers in Yeshua have traditionally believed that the Lord Jesus began His ministry on Yom Kippur announcing in effect that the judgment that was due mankind would be borne by Him (Luke 4:16-21), and that man no longer needed to live in fear of judgment, nor have to endure the 10 Days of Awe every year.
It’s easy to see the Messiah in the role as our scapegoat, His shed blood purchased our pardon forever (Hebrews 10:11-14), but He was also our peace offering. “He is our peace, Who has broken down every wall.” (Ephe 2:14) "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:19-20)
Some believe there will be a prophetic fulfillment of this Feast in the Book of Revelation's tribulation survivors. That they will receive their fulfillment of the Yom Kippur judgment in the days immediately following the Messiah’s return. This is described to us in the Sheep and Goat judgment (Matt 25:31-46) where Gentiles who’ve cast their sins at the foot of the cross during the Great Tribulation will be granted life in the Kingdom, and those who haven’t will be sent away for death. Their willingness to risk their lives by ministering to believing Jewish people during the Great Tribulation will be evidence of their faith. (Old Testament mention of this event can be found in Joel 3:1-3.) In Matt. 19:28 the Messiah told His disciples that the judgment of Jewish people who survive the Great Tribulation will take place then, too.
For those of all ages who reject the Messiah's atonement, the prophetic fulfillment of Yom Kippur will come at the end of the Book of Revelation's Millennium period in the so-called Great White Throne judgment. For the last time, the books will be opened and the unsaved dead will stand before God to be judged according to their works. Everyone whose name is not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

Happy Thanksgiving

Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, comes five days after Yom Kippur. It’s a harvest celebration and was the inspiration for the American Thanksgiving Day. It began as a seven-day feast (later expanded to eight) when all the tithes the Israelites had set aside during the year were brought to Jerusalem for a joyous time of national celebration and thanksgiving for the Lord’s bountiful provision. The aroma of delicious foods cooking over open fires permeated the whole city. For seven days where ever you went there was an air of joy and festivity as the people remembered their Provider and gave thanks. (Deut. 14:22-26).
Historically the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the time of God’s dwelling with the Israelites in the wilderness. Its prophetic fulfillment comes in the Millennium when the Lord will once again dwell among His people; with the Church in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21) and Israel in the Promised Land. From that time forward the Holy City will be called Jehovah Shammah, which means “The Lord Is There” (Isaiah 62:2 & Ezekiel 48:35).
Somewhere along the way a water libation ceremony was added to the Feast of Tabernacles. Each morning a procession of priests would descend the steps from the Temple to the Pool of Siloam and dip a silver pitcher into the water. Carrying the water back to the altar, they would pour it into the ground that had been exposed by the removal of a paving block near the altar, while offering prayers for rain. The purpose of this daily ceremony was to remind God to bring the fall rains needed to prepare the ground for planting. In Israel it doesn’t rain during the summer and the ground gets very hard. Gentle rains are needed to soften the ground so it can be prepared for the fall planting.
On the last day of the feast the High Priest himself would officiate and on this day instead of a silver pitcher one of pure gold would be used. The High Priest would be dressed in all his finest and attended by a huge contingent of similarly attired priests, blowing trumpets, singing psalms, and waving palm branches. When it was first described to me, I was struck by its beauty and pageantry. I’ve since read that extra balconies were set up around the Court of the Priests so more people could observe it.
One year just as the High Priest was about to pour the water into the ground, a loud voice interrupted the ceremony shouting, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37-38) It was Jesus and He was referring to the Holy Spirit, who believers would soon receive. This caused many to believe that He was indeed Israel’s Messiah. (We’re not told what the High Priest’s reaction was, but it couldn’t have been pleasant.)

Let’s Get Spiritual

Following the thought that events that were external and physical in the Old Testament are often internal and spiritual in the New, there is a sense in which these holy days also reflect the life of the believer.
As Jesus came to live in the world at His birth (Rosh Hashanah), so He comes to live in our hearts at our new birth. As He required the shedding of innocent blood to reconcile Himself with Israel (Yom Kippur) so He shed His own Blood to reconcile Himself with us. As He dwelt with the Israelites in the wilderness of Midian (Tabernacles), so He dwells with us in the wilderness of Earth. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” He promised. (Matt 28:20) Even so, Come Lord Jesus. (Rev. 22:20) You can almost hear the Footsteps of the Messiah.
(adapted from A Bible Study by Jack Kelley)

Looking for Tov's books? Right Here

What is God doing in the USA today? with John Paul Jackson

Voice of the Prophets 2013 John Paul Jackson 

Tov Rose is Idaho this week! Come see me! :-)

Come see me in Idaho this weekend at Gateway Fellowship! Details below:

1165 West Ironwood Drive

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814

Calendar: Events Calendar   >> 

LOVE ISRAEL GATHERING

The Scriptures say in Ephesians 2:14, v.14 "FOR CHRIST HIMSELF HAS BROUGHT PEACE TO US. HE UNITED JEWS AND GENTILES INTO ONE PEOPLE WHEN, IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE CROSS, HE BROKE DOWN THE WALL OF HOSTILITY THAT SEPARATED US." NLT Our desire in this gathering is to unite the hearts of God’s people in an expression of intimate worship to Him. Drawing together Jews and Gentiles from the Inland N.W. and beyond would be one of the greatest strategies and weapons against the enemy of the Kingdom! Not only will we come together as one, but our speakers will bring current revelation on events in Israel and their alignment to the fulfilling of the Scriptures in our day. They will bring fresh perspective on how we can see the coming of the Lord, hastened. This promises to be a rewarding experience for each of us. Our prayer is that shalom and the established blessing of Adonai, according to Psalm 133, would rest upon our union on these days. Please consider joining us - we need you! REGISTER HERE!

  James Goll

Dr. James W. Goll is the President of Encounters Network, the Director of Prayer Storm, and the Director of God Encounters Training – an eSchool of the Heart. He is a member of the Harvest International Ministries apostolic team and an instructor in the Wagner Leadership Institute. With great joy James has shared Jesus in more than 50 nations teaching and imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit. James is the prolific author of numerous books including The Seer, The Lost Art of Intercession, The Coming Israel Awakening, Deliverance from Darkness and many others. He has also produced multiple Study Guides and hundreds of audio and video messages. In the spirit of revival and reformation, James desires to facilitate unity in body of Christ by bridge-building and networking among leaders of various streams and back grounds. His passion is to "win for the Lamb the rewards of His suffering." Praying for Israel is a burden of his heart, as Israel fulfills her role in the consummation of the ages. James And Michal Ann were married for 32 years before her graduation to heaven in the fall of 2008. James has four adult children who all love Jesus: Justin, GraceAnn, Tyler, and Rachel; and continues make his home in the rolling hills of Franklin, TN.

  Tov Rose

Tov is a Jewish believer in Jesus, the son of two Jewish believers in Jesus. He is a Conference Speaker, Author, Bible Teacher, Chaplain, Performer and Pastor. For more than two decades he has been active working with people to help them better understand the nature and person God from a Jewish perspective. When not writing books and all those other things, he enjoys quiet times at home with his wife, children and praying together with a group of grandmothers who have the uncanny knack of being able to bend God’s ear. Specializing in teaching the deeper things of God, TOV has a reputation for teaching solid Bible foundations and difficult to understand Biblical concepts in a compassionate simple manner that anyone can understand. He is not one to shy away difficult and taboo subjects. TOV guests on radio programs, television shows and speaks at conferences, seminars, in local congregations and other venues.

Lev Shelo

Corry Bell

When lead singer, Corry Bell, was a little girl, her parents would have her sing for relatives and friends which lead to her involvement in school musicals and choir events. After high school she met Yeshua (Jesus) and quickly began a lifetime of ministry in the arts, using her lifetime of experience in music as a backdrop. In 1987 she hosted a cable TV music video program in Southern California called "Rock Of Ages" where she conducted artist interviews and introduced videos for the show. She has made numerous appearances on stage and in local television programs and even worked for a Christian radio station for a season. To her great surprise, Corry found out she had an extensive Jewish family history, not known to her before 2002. After 22 years in the church it became apparent she had to find a way to reconcile her belief in Yeshua with her Jewishness. In the spring of 2003 she began to attend Beth Emunah Messianic Synagogue, connected with her Jewish identity, joined the worship team there and accepted the position of Music Director in the fall of 2004. Corry’s first experiences with the band she helped create, Lev Shelo, included leading worship at the MJAA Southwest Regional conference for 5 years and Messiah Conference in Pennsylvania in 2007, 2008 and 2012, opening for such artists as Paul Wilbur, Marty Goetz, Ted Pearce and Joel Chernoff.  The band’s debut CD, "Or HaOlam", released in August of 2010, is the result of these experiences and the many requests from congregations all over the world to make their music available.  She also co-produced the 1st and 2nd CDs and is a journalist for the international newspaper, The Messianic Times.  Mark and Corry have played at the 3 major conferences in the Messianic world; the MJAA, UMJC and UMJA. Corry resides in Southern California with her husband, Michael, and their daughter, Michaela. They have four other grown children; Beau, Nick, Chris and Jenny. Mark Keller Mark Keller, guitarist and producer of Or HaOlam, graduated from Musician’s Institute in 1987.  He attended UCLA in 1990 where he studied film scoring and has played and recorded with numerous Los Angeles-based bands from 1988 to 1993.  Mark is certainly not new to the recording field and composing fields, having performed on two Destination 7 CD’s as well.  In 1989 he was featured in Guitar Player Magazine. He wrote several pieces for the USA Network Mini Series Promo’s and is currently working on original material for Lev Shelo’s second project.  An outstanding and prolific musician, Mark’s talents and gifts extend to serving on various worship teams throughout Southern California, including First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills/Eleventh Hour from 1994 to 2002, High Desert Church from 2003 to present and his home congregation, Beth Emunah Messianic Synagogue from 2001 to present.  Add teacher to Mark’s long list of experience as he taught music at High Desert Academy for 2 years as well.  With the release of Or HaOlam, Mark now adds to his credentials, producer and arranger.

Session 1  Thursday, April 4th ~ 7 P.M.
~ with James Goll

Session 2  Friday, April 5th ~ 11 A.M.
~ with James Goll

Session 3  Shabbat Service with meal served ~ 7 P.M.
~ with Rabbi Reuel Dillon

Session 4 Saturday, April 6th ~ 11 A.M.
~ with Tov Rose

Session 5  Messianic Worship Concert, Lev Shelo ~ 7 P.M. Session 6  Sunday, April 7th ~ 10 A.M.
~ with Tov Rose

It is our delight in hosting this gathering to have a meal together alongside the Shabbat Service on Friday evening. If all of those attendees from the local region would provide the meal, it would be helpful to our out of town guests. Thank you. We would kindly ask that all hot dishes be prepared as a meatless entree’ for kosher purposes. LAST NAMES A - L, please bring Hot Dish and Salad, service for 10 LAST NAMES M - Z, please bring Hot Dish and Dessert, service for 10

$55/per person
$85/couples-Bring a friend
EARLY BIRD REGESTRATION: BEFORE MARCH 27TH
REGISTER HERE NOW!
$44/per person
$75/couples-Bring a friend
OR ~
$15/per session, per person at the door

 

The Gateway International Ministry Resource Center 1165 W. Ironwood Drive Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814

 

East on I-90: Take Exit 11 and at the light make a right turn. Immediately make your way over into the left lane of the next light (Ironwood Drive). Turn left and enter at The Gateway sign on your left. (Next to Center Partners) West on I-90: Take Exit 11 and at the light make a left turn. Cross over the interstate and at the second light (Ironwood Drive), make a left turn. On Ironwood Drive, enter at The Gateway sign on your left. (Next to Center Partners)

 

 

 

Holiday Inn Express: $85 (208) 667-3100
Shilo Inn & Suites: $65 (208) 664-2300 or 1-800-222-2244
Guest House Inn: $50 (208) 765-3011
Hampton Inn: $119 (208) 769-7900
Days Inn: $55 (208) 667-8668

 

 

 

~ No childcare available

~ Freewill offerings will be received periodically throughout the conference.

Event line: 208.665.5784

Email: office@thegatewayintl.org

Website: www.thegatewayintl.org

Apr 4th, 2013 7:00 pm to Apr 7th, 2013 12:00 pm

Location: The Gateway Fellowship

Join me! :-) My Schedule for the Next Couple Weeks

MARCH
This month I have several dates scheduled for Messiah & The Passover and other Presentations (and several dates still open if you want to schedule). This is a demonstration explaining how Jesus is the fulfillment of all they symbols of the Passover meal with scriptural support. If you've never had a Passover presentation at your church (or perhaps it's been a while), feel free to contact me! 651-686-5600, or at tov@tovrose.com. What an amazing way to celebrate Easter Sunday!

The following dates are scheduled:
Saturday, March 19, 2013, Something Fun and Messiah in the Passover, Cornerstone Congregation, Manahgah MN 11:00AM
Saturday, March 23, 2013 Messiah in the Passover, The Heights Church, 4054 Van Buren NE, Columbia Heights at 6PM
Sunday, March 24, 2013, A FUN Subject, Love Power Music & Miracles, 1407 Washington Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55454, 10:00AM
Thursday, March 28, 2013, Messiah in the Passover, Restoration Covenant Church, 7707 147th Street West, Apple Valley, MN 55124  6:00PM
Friday, March 29, 2013, Messiah in the Passover, Faith Covenant Church, 12921 Nicollet Ave Burnsville, MN 55337 at 5PM

Radio Interview I did on January 29th - Give it a Listen!

Tov Rose

Radio Interview with Tov Rose and Paul Ridgeway.

On the Way with Ridgeway - Jan 29thWednesday, January 30, 2013 11:03 AM


http://salem-kkmsam.media.streamtheworld.com/audio/on_the_way_102154661.mp3

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Believing God, by RT Kendall

Not all Christians believe as I do – in “once saved, always saved”. I have written a book on it – not to convince people but to assure those who want to believe it but are afraid it’s not true. I can tell you: it’s true.
I have not always believed in once saved, always saved. I was brought up in a church that not only believed the opposite. They even taught that the doctrine of eternal security was “born in hell”. (Never mind that they sang “Amazing Grace” all the time, overlooking the fact that John Newton the Calvinist believed in once saved, always saved!). What changed me: a supernatural encounter with Jesus Christ driving in my car on October 31, 1955. I was a student at Trevecca Nazarene College (now University) and pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Palmer, Tennessee. The person of Jesus appeared before me as if before my very eyes although I know now it was a vision. But he was more real to me than anything around me. An hour or so later I entered into a rest of soul that I did not know was possible in this present life. Such peace. Joy. Assurance. Assurance? YES. I was given what I would absolutely call an infallible assurance of my salvation. I knew then (57 years ago) I could never be lost. People around me said, “You will change your mind about that”. I knew then I wouldn’t and I never did.
Why am I telling this to you? Two reasons: (1) Hebrews 11 – which I have been focusing on for a while – describes people who were not only saved but came into their inheritance. (2) All the Scriptures people use to refute eternal security refer not to losing one’s salvation but losing one’s inheritance. Every single one of them. Do not be discouraged when you read 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:4 or Hebrews 6:4-6 and think you can be lost and go to Hell after being truly saved. Not one of these refer to salvation but inheritance.
You will not be totally free to pursue God’s best for you as long as you think you could lose your salvation. “Christ has set us free” (Gal.5:1).
RT
You can read much more about this in my book: Believing God available at a discount for this month.

Radio Interview Tomorrow 1/29/2013

Mark your calendars for tomorrow, Tuesday, January 29, 2013!
Listen to me like in Minneapolis on KKMS-AM 980, from 4:15 - 5:00PM.
You can listen Live: http://www.kkms.com/ Drive Time!

Paul and I will be talking about a whole lot of stuff covering subjects from Bible to Bible Prophesy and why I'm doing a new translation of the Bible, and whatever else Paul wants to talk about!

-TOV

From TOV ROSE: Upcoming Engagements for you to attend!

I pray you're having a wonderful new year!

I wanted to let you know about some upcoming events for you to attend or otherwise be in prayer about. I hope you don't mind! 

JANUARY
During the month of January 2013 I've been asked to teach on the Tabernacle of Moses and the Rules of Bible Interpretation for the Minnesota-based Institute of Leadership and Mentorship. This is an international Bible training institute. I am thanking God for this wonderful opportunity to share with students the Jewish roots of faith in Jesus in a classroom setting and I'm really looking forward to the classes. 

FEBRUARY
February 6th, I will be sharing a teaching about The New Messianic Version of the Bible, at Jesus Assembly of God in St. Peter, MN
722 Sunrise Drive  St. Peter, MN 56082
(507) 934-1468

MARCH
In March I have several dates scheduled for Messiah & The Passover Presentations, a demonstration explaining how Jesus is the fulfillment of all they symbols of the Passover meal with scriptural support. If you've never had a Passover presentation at your church (or perhaps it's been a while), feel free to contact me! 651-686-5600, or at tov@tovrose.com. What an amazing way to celebrate Easter Sunday!
The following dates are scheduled:
Saturday, March 23, 2013 The Heights Church, 4054 Van Buren NE, Columbia Heights at 6PM
Wednesday, March 27, 2013, Christ Church, Apple Valley MN at 7PM
Friday, March 29, 2013, Faith Covenant Church, Burnsville at 5PM

Have a wonderful day, and as always, if I can be of service, feel free to contact me and let me know! :-)
Blessings in Yeshua (Jesus),
-TOV

Merry Messiah-Mas (Christmas) from Tov Roe

Shalom Dear Friend!

I want to thank you for taking the time to open this letter and read along. Michelle and I understand how important your time is and we’re very thankful for your using some of yours to bless us and share in our lives. Don't forget to look at the article I am including at the end of this email!

There have been a lot of activity and change in our lives over the last six months. After nearly three years of looking for work, I finally found a job that I love. I get to help people with physical and mental disabilities find work and/or start their own micro-businesses. Several of the people I work with have been living normally for most of the lives, but because of life, accident, or illness have ended up relying on the state, or the federal government for their existence. For many, there are levels of shame, victimization, and other negatives and stereotypes to overcome in their own minds and the minds of others. Considering what Michelle and I have been through over the last twelve years, I can perfectly understand where these people are in their spiritual walks and physical realities. God has prepared me to be in their lives.

In other news, God still has an open door for me to host a local radio program here in Minneapolis. The program manager is still considering our proposal. Minneapolis is the 16^th largest media market in the country, which is significant. We've have been dedicating a lot of prayer to this opportunity and would be grateful if you would join us for God to open doors as only He can.

Finally,  on 12/19 Wednesday, my wife, Michelle, will have surgery. We’d appreciate your continued prayer for her recovery.

Blessings in Yeshua (Jesus)!

-TOV

Excerpt from The New Messianic Version of the Bible

ET

The First and the Last[1]

By TOV Rose

Although this edition will not incorporate notations for the ET in the Bible, I do feel is critical to comment on it.

The Hebrew language is read from right to left. The most common word in the Hebrew Bible is the t' (et). The first letter אis called an Aleph, which also begins the Hebrew Alpha-Bet. The second letter in the word t' (et) is ת (Tav),which is the last letter of the Hebrew Alpha-Bet. These two letters are the “first and the last,” the “beginning and the end” and the “Alephand the Tav” which is translated into Greek as the Alpha and the Omega — the first and last letters of the Greek AlphaBet. Jesus uses this as a term for himself several times in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:8 ~ ”I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

t' is used over 7,000 times in the Hebrew scriptures and beginning with the very first verse of the Bible. This brings us back to why the ancient Rabbis translated the Aramaic Targumim in such a manner as they did.

`#r,a'(h' taeîw> ~yIm:ßV'h; taeî ~yhi_l{a/ ar'äB' tyviÞareB. Genesis 1:1

B’rasheet bara Elōhim et HaShamayim v’et HaEretz

“In the beginning God created taeî the heaven and taeî the earth.”

An ancient reading of this text, blended with the knowledge that Jesus revealed himself as the two letters of this very word, which previously had no definition; would render the translation as:

“Everything that exists was created in the beginnings by though and for (Elōhim) [The Living Word], the tae[First & the Last] created the Heaven and the tae [First & the Last] created the Earth.”

Does this sound familiar? John 1:

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 anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness compre-hended it not.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

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 bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:1-14)

Our Messiah Jesus is the tae Aleph and Tav in Hebrew[2], the Alpha and Omega in Greek and A to Z in English. Although much more could be said on this subject, I will point only to one more observation concerning the t' (et). It appears quite often that t' (et) seems to act as a sort of bookend around important words or phrases in Scripture, acting as more than just a notation pointing to the direct object of a sentence. It is as if the word has an implied meaning such as, “Author and Finisher accomplished what was described.”

Exodus 14:30 Thus the LORD saved ta,-Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw theta,-Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

dY:åmi laeÞr'f.yI-ta, aWh±h; ~AYðB; hw”÷hy> [v;AY”w:

`~Y”)h; tp;îf.-l[; tmeÞ ~yIr;êc.mi-ta, ‘laer'f.yI ar.Y:Üw: ~yIr”+c.mi

In other words, the Book of Revelation is aptly named for both New Testament believers and his Old Testament covenant Jewish people. The Bible from start to finish is the Revelation to the world of the One whose name means, Behold My Hands Are Pierced, The God of Israel[3].

The Rabbis have a very interesting saying that seems to apply here: Shiv’im Panim la’Torah: “The Torah has 70 faces[4].”

Want to read more? Follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/Tov-Rose/e/B004WLJN1K

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[1] Isaiah 44:6; 48:12

[2] Talmud: Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 17, 4: Adam transgressed the entirety of God from aleph to tav; i.e., from the beginning to the end. Abraham observed the entirety of God, from aleph to tav; i.e., he kept it entirely, from beginning to end. When the holy blessed God pronounced a blessing on the Israelites, he did it from aleph to tav; i.e., he did it perfectly.

[3] See 1 Peter 1:19-20 and Rev. 13:8

[4] Talmud: Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15

The Gospel in the Stars/Hebrew Zodiac - NOT an Astrology Thing

Signs in the Stars?

By Lambert Dolphin Malcolm Bowden, Barry Setterfield and Helen Fryman

During the design and construction of the universe God determined that clocks and calendars would be based on the motion of the moon, the earth, the planets and other objects in the heavens.

And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs ('oth, markers, indicators) and for seasons (moadhim, "solemn assembly") and for days and years, and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19)

"Dynamical" time is to this day measured in terms of the rotational period of the earth on its axis, the month is basically a lunar cycle and the year an orbital period of the earth's motion around the sun. In Newtonian physics these clock rates depend on the mass of the objects involved, the gravitational constant, G, the size and separation distance of various bodies and any initial momentum imparted to them during creation week. Atomic time (the rate of radioactive decay processes, or the internal periods of motions within the nucleus), is the standard clock of modern science. Atomic time and dynamical time are probably not running in lock step, the proportionality constant being c, the velocity of light, which experimental data suggests is not a fixed constant as G is. God's clocks and calendars (as far as history is concerned) run on dynamical time not atomic time.

The sun (a type of Christ) rules the day on earth, and the moon (type of the church) rules the night (of Christ's visible absence from among us). Special stars (the Star of Bethlehem being one example), comets, meteors, super novas, eclipses, and the alignments of the planets may in some cases have been intended by our Creator to mark special seasons of history on our planet. The feasts of the Jewish lunar calendar year most certainly were intended to be teaching tools pointing to the redemptive history of Israel. (2)

Were the positions of the constellations and the alignments of the planets throughout the year intended by God to be teaching tools for His people? Is Babylonian (and the later Egyptian and then Greek) astrology a corruption of what was once a pure proto-Hebrew star-chart system intended for spiritual enlightenment? Astronomer Danny Faulkner thinks not. (1) Writing for an Australian creation journal, Faulkner argues that modern gospel-in-the-stars arguments originate from only two principal sources Joseph Seiss and E. W. Bullinger (3, 4) who both seem to have been influenced by Frances Rolleston (5) who wrote on this topic in 1862. Faulkner suggests we abandon what he feels is a lot of extra-biblical baggage concerning the stars and constellations.

British creation writer Malcolm Bowden is one of a number of reputable scholars who assert that claims of "no message in the stars" can not be so easily dismissed. There are a great many references of astronomical significance scattered through the Bible. Paul argues in Romans 10:18 that all men have clear evidence of God from creation itself: "But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for 'Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.'" Bowden comments, "In this passage we see the glory of God set forth for all to see. Now this may be in the awesomeness of space and of the uncountable numbers of stars. These are there for all to see and wonder. But it is also possible that it was in the names of the constellations and stars that the real message lay that Paul could have been referring to. Indeed, this is far more likely when we are told that it was God himself who named the stars in Psalm 147:4: "He tells the number of the stars; he calls them all by their names." if God gave them their names, surely this is added evidence that they were named not just for identification but so that He may set out His plan of salvation for fallen mankind." (6)

From Daniel it is clear that magic arts, divination and astrology were indeed an important part of the religion and culture of Babylon. Earlier, Moses presented a clear warning to Israel, "beware lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." (Deuteronomy 4:19) That divination, astrology and channeling pose grave, occultic dangers to God's people is clear:

"When you come into the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD; and because of these abominable practices the LORD your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, give heed to soothsayers and to diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you so to do. (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)

Idolatry consists in revering the created thing rather than the creator. Behind the worship of sun, moon and stars are the demonic powers of the heavenly realm (1Cor. 10:20). Angels, fallen and unfallen, are God's instruments in the government of the physical world and nature (Hebrews 2:5). Seeking answers about the future in the stars-then or now-brings us under the control of demonic agencies-to our own harm and destruction.

But the existence of powerful counterfeits in the world strongly suggests that there exists a real body of truth that was lost, or corrupted by the god of this world. All ancient civilizations for some reason have ended up with twelve only constellations (signs) of the Zodiac, and many legends connected with these signs contain similar themes and stories. In studying such matters science can not be the final arbitrator, for much truth about man and his history is passed down through the stories, traditions, through the art, music, poetry, and literature of earlier civilizations. Our generation lives under an illusion that we know more and are more advanced than were the men of old. The reverse is true. Mankind has been moving inexorably downhill all the way-especially in the matter of quality of life, richness of culture and social life. We live near the end of history, far removed from the profound realities men knew before the Flood.

The case for the Gospel in the Stars can not be settled definitively with the present evidence. I agree with Malcolm Bowden in preferring not to dismiss myths, legends, and even folk-tales as part of a genuine legacy of truth concerning actual, historical realities transmitted by tradition and literature-to be studied with discernment yet with respect. If I discard Bullinger and Seiss from my library (because these authors did not write inspired books that are recognized in the Biblical canon), I may as well throw out my sermon collections, favorite hymns, my C.S. Lewis collection, J.R.R Tolkien, and George MacDonald. Into the trash would go "The Legends of the Jews," my copy of Josephus, and my William Corliss collection on the anomalies of science. After such a purge, my library would be a tidy place indeed--reduced to a few books on modern science (needed for my work), a Bible or two, and a half-dozen lexicons and dictionaries. I love my books, without them my spiritual and emotional life would be sterile indeed. The full truth about God and the mysteries of the universe we live in is not that easily reduced as Faulkner would have us believe. God questioned wise old Job in his mature years and found him quite ignorant of many things,

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements --surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home. Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth. (Job 38)

The Bible indicates that God not only named the stars Himself, but that He established them for signs as well as seasons. The ancients must have known this, or the magi would never have recognized the sign in the stars indicating the birth of Christ. It is just as easy for us to fall into the error denying God's uses of the stars on the basis of currently known science as it is to swing the other direction and become involved in the errors of astrology and fortune-telling. As God reminded Job, there is much we do not know and cannot explain. Let us keep an open mind and constantly evaluate information from other sources alongside the solid, unchanging truth of Scripture.

Notes:

1. Danny Faulkner, Is There a Gospel in the Stars? Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1998 PO Box 6302, Acacia Ridge, D.C., Queensland, 4110, Australia.

2. Chuck Missler, The Feasts of Israel, audio briefing package, Koinonia House, 1994.

3. E. W. Maunder, Astronomy and the Bible Epworth Press, London, 1922. Available from http://kessinger.net

4. Joseph Seiss, The Gospel in the Stars, Kregel Press 1972. (First published in 1882)

5. E. W. Bullinger, The Witness of the Stars, Kregel Press 1991 (First published 1893)

6. Frances Rolleston, Mazzaroth, or The Constellations, 1863 (op). Other recent books based on Rolleston, Fleming, Kenneth C., God's Voice in the Stars: Zodiac Signs and Bible Truth, Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey, 1981 and Capt, Raymond, E., The Glory of the Stars: A Study of the Zodiac, Artisan Sales, Thousand Oaks, California, 1976.

7. Malcolm Bowden, True Science Agrees with the Bible, Sovereign Publications 1998, Box 88, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9PF.

8. Chuck Missler, Signs in the Heavens, audio briefing package, Koinonia House, 1994.

9. In his book Signs in the Heavens Avi Ben Mordechai presents evidence from middle-eastern archaeology and from ancient Jewish writings confirming the antiquity of a genuine Hebrew astrological system of teaching linked to the Bible. ISBN 978-09643355-7-3. Available from Millennium 7000 Communications Int'l., Millennium 7000, P.O. Box 700, Kila, MT 59920. Telephone inquires: 1-800-880-2656.

10. The Star of Bethlehem, by Dr. David Bohlin

11. Biblical Injunction: Present day astrology is Babylonian in origin, and hence demonically inspired. As part of the Law of Moses, God commanded the Jews to stay clear of the pagan occultic practices that were (even then) common in the peoples they lived among. Astrology was one of these: "Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no form when the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you act corruptly and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure: the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day." (Deuteronomy 4:15-20)

12. Internet web sites dealing with this subject abound. The following are just a few:

a. STAR LIGHT - STAR BRIGHT, The Gospel in the Stars, by Frederick C. Kubicek http://www.unlimited glory.org/starlight.htm

b. E. W. Bullinger: http://philologos.org/;

c. The Correct Way to Read the Constellations http://www.lampholderpub.com/page11.html;

d. Astrology Myths and legends, http://www.lampholderpub.com/;

e. "Let Them Be for Signs" (a defense of Seiss and Bullinger), http://www.netcom.com/~horse/head.html

f. Astronomy and the Bible, by Dr. Donald D. Young suggests a corruption by Satan of an original message in the stars, (link closed).

g. Ezequiel Gonzalez discusses references in the Bible to astronomical events and "God's Law written in the Heavens, (link closed).

h. D. W. Belote discusses Biblical signs in the heavens and the probable corruption of ancient knowledge, http://www.ipa.net/~rkbelote/orion.htm;

i. The Gospel in the Stars, or Astrology and Occultism, by Dave Hunt http://rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/astrol.htm

j. The Twelve Mystical Signs of the Zodiac (non-Biblical)http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/2093/zodiac.html

k. Is the Gospel Spelled Out Gospel in the Stars? (Christian Answers Net)http://christiananswers.net/q-sum/edn-c019.html

and finally, the web site

l. http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/RomanSites*/Topics/Religion.html lists 47 web sites on astrology and religion and mythology.

October 29, 1998

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Addenda

On Culture: Legend and Tradition

by Helen Fryman

Despite technological advances from the printing press to the web, people still remember information best if it is put into the form of stories or songs. Men have not changed in this regard. We do not have cultural memories of past technological achievements, but we do have memories passed down to us of events and truths put in the form of what we today regard as legends and mythologies. We know the mythological elements can build fast ­ even within a person's lifetime. We already need to strip away mythological elements from the lives of people such as John F. Kennedy, Albert Einstein, and Princess Diana if we want to know about them. This is even more true of George Washington and Johnny Appleseed and others who really lived and had an impact on their times. If we want to know about these people, we need to be able to take out the mythological elements and hone in on the truths that are there underneath. How much more so do we need to be conscious of the realities that might easily lie behind the ancient stories?

The introduction to Larousse World Mythology, (1965, Auge, Gillon, Hollier-Larousse, Moreau et Cie; and the Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited. English translation by Patricia Beardsworth, published in the USA in 1989 by Gallery Books, New York City), p. 9, the following brings light to the current understanding of mythology in history:

[T]oday the myth is no longer considered a mode of thought reserved for primitive societies. If each one of us considers the matter carefully and honestly, he will be forced to recognise that myth is far from foreign to our daily thought, and, what is more, that it is far from opposed in essence to scientific thought.
It is the object of the myth, as of science, to explain the world, to make its phenomena intelligible.

I would also submit that it is the object of the myth and the legend to transmit known events and truths from one generation to another. There is a myth that comes out of the Solomon Islands regarding a change in appearance of the moon. People threw rocks at it and scarred its face. ["Why the Moon Has a Dirty Face" from Fairy Tales from the Pacific Islands, as retold by A.W. Reed, A.H. and A.W. Reed, New Zealand, 1969]. Take away the mythological elements and there is a question that remains: is there, within the memory of men, a time when the moon was hit so severely by meteor or asteroid impacts that its appearance, even from earth, was changed? There are some other interesting elements in this story, including a possible reference to a time long before that when the moon seemed larger, and that there may have been objects that struck the earth at the same time that the moon's face was getting dirty.

People like Velikovsky and Hancock have tried to follow some of these trails left by the myths and legends and have been ridiculed. Language and memories deteriorate with time, but that does not mean that still, at the heart of them both, there is not much to be learned that is true and real. As medicine looks more closely at ancient remedies and is finding some modern answers, as archaeology is looking at the Bible and finding references that explain what it is finding in the ruins, as history itself is also taking a closer look at some ancient writings, so we also need to be very cautious about throwing out the old stories because they contain mythological elements. We need to know if there are truths underneath the mythological wrappings. We need to pay more attention to what our ancestors have passed down to us.

10/30/98

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HOW GOD PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO ABRAHAM

by Barry Setterfield

INTRODUCTION

In the Biblical book of Galatians, the Jewish Rabbi Paul, who had studied under the well-known and widely respected Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), made a significant comment. In Galatians 3:8 Paul stated that "the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith, preached in advance the Gospel unto Abraham ..." The end result is stated in Genesis 15:6 namely "that Abraham believed God (by faith) and it was counted to him for righteousness." Paul's comment in Galatians implies that just as Abraham believed the Gospel by faith when it was preached to him by God, so, in a similar way, the Gentiles will be justified by faith in the same Gospel. The question is, "How did God preach the Gospel to Abraham, and what was that Gospel?" A brief glance at Genesis 15:5 shows that the stars were intimately involved in this process, while Galatians 3:16 implies it was not the number of stars but the story they told that was important. So star names seem to be involved in this process. Let us look more deeply into this.

WHO NAMED THE STARS?

In Genesis 1:14 we are told that the stars are to be for SIGNS, seasons, days and years.

The seasons, days and years are familiar to us, but what about the SIGNS? Signs are designed to give us information; they carry a message. If we are traveling down the freeway and see a sign that reads "Los Angeles 200 miles", this gives us information. In a similar way the star signs also carry a message. But how is this message given? It is certainly not through demonic astrology which is condemned by the Scriptures of Truth. No, rather it appears that the message of the stars may be given by their NAMES and the constellation patterns. This conclusion is reached as a result of further Scriptural comment on the matter.

In Isaiah 40:26 and Psalm 147:4 we find two statements that God personally gave the stars their names. This is significant. Adam was given the prerogative of naming the animals, but God felt it important enough to name the stars Himself. It might be asked when did this naming take place? The answer is given in Isaiah 40:26. when He "Brought out the (starry) host by number, He called them all by their names", that is at the Creation event. So these star names have been known since Creation. In Psalm 147:4 the second statement reads "He TELLS the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names." The word translated "TELL" (Hebrew'saphar') is a census-taking word. It literally means "to recount, to list in sequence (as with a name and a number - like the military), to enumerate, to take a census of, to tabulate, to tell-out, or number."

STAR NAMES AND LANGUAGES

One important fact emerges here. Many star and constellation names in a variety of languages around the world have a similar meaning. For example, one constellation was known as Virgo to the Romans, Bethulah to the Hebrews, Parthenos to the Greeks, and Kanya to the Indians, but all mean "VIRGIN". Linguistically, this strongly implies there was a common origin for the names. It is accepted theory that the three main linguistic branches from which most languages diverged had a common origin in Anatolia (see Gamkrelidze and Ivanov in Scientific American March 1990, or Colin Renfrew in Scientific American October 1989). Scripturally, this division of languages occurred at Babel, which was near Anatolia. This would imply an origin of star and constellation names prior to the Babel event which suggests that they may have been known as far back as Noah and the Flood. Linguistically, that is as far back as we can go. However, the Isaiah 40:26 statement takes us right back to the Creation and Adam.

In the mid to late 19th century, star names became fixed by astronomical convention. The name chosen for a given star was sometimes the Latin, or Hebrew, or Chaldean, or Arabic version of the original name. As a result of this process, some names have been lost. However, those who studied this topic in detail, namely Frances Rolleston, Joseph A. Seiss, and E. W. Bullinger wrote at a time when the star names in other languages were still extant. Some important information on these matters can also be found in Jamieson's Celestial Atlas of 1822 which appeared well before astronomical convention fixed the names.

Rolleston's work of 1862 comprised 221 pages of small typeface in four parts. The author died just prior to the completion of Part 4. In Part 2 there is an extensive study of star names in a variety of languages, and their primitive roots. Most give a concordant testimony. However, as noted by a number of recent commentators on the topic, modern Arabic interpretations are often discordant with the overall picture that emerges. However, Rolleston did point out the source of this problem on page 5 of Part 1. The difficulty arises because modern Arabic use of the basic roots of words gives meanings that are divergent from ancient Arabic. By reference to the ancient Arabic use of roots, corroboration of the story given by the other star names is usually obtained.

SEASONS AND CONSTELLATIONS

The time or season of the year used to be known by the constellations passing overhead or the one that the Sun was in. In Job 38:32 God said to His upright servant "Can you bring forth Mazzaroth (the 12 signs) in their season?" These 12 signs form the path that the Sun appears to take in the heavens, namely the Zodiac. The word ZODIAC comes from the Greek word ZOAD meaning "a way, a step, a circuit, a circle". In Chaldean the word has similar associated meanings. Psalm 19:6 actually uses the Hebrew equivalent of this word where it states that "(the Sun) goes from one end of heaven, and his CIRCUIT is unto the other end of it:"

There is evidence that the constellation patterns making up the Zodiac, and indeed the rest of the night sky, were formed and named by God. In Job 26:13 we find the statement "By His Spirit He has garnished and decorated the heavens; His hand has formed the FLEEING SERPENT." Note that in Hebrew poetic style the heavens and the fleeing serpent are connected. So we ask "Is there a fleeing serpent in the heavens?" The answer is YES! The constellation of HYDRA. It is a particularly apt constellation to remark upon as it is the longest constellation in the sky. It takes 7 hours to pass overhead. This comment in Job implies that the Spirit of God Himself formed and decorated the heavens with the constellation patterns, and, as shown above, He gave them their names as well. Obviously, Abraham was familiar with the constellation patterns and star names because God used the message there to instruct him. What is this message?

THE STARS CARRY A GOSPEL MESSAGE

In Romans 10, Rabbi Paul gives us some key verses to help with this. Verse 15 states "and how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the GOSPEL OF PEACE, and bring GLAD TIDINGS of good things'." So the bringing of the GOOD NEWS, the GOSPEL OF PEACE is what Paul is talking about here in this context. In verse 18, Paul then goes on to say: "But have they (the heathen) not heard? YES! Truly they have heard! For 'their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world'." What a fascinating statement! Paul says here that the heathen have heard the Gospel of Peace, because "THEIR sound went into all the earth and THEIR words unto the ends of the world." The question is who are the "THEY" that are doing the preaching? Well, if you have a marginal reference, you find that Paul is quoting directly from Psalm 19:4 where the stars are being spoken of. Indeed, Psalm 19:3 gives the additional information that "there is no speech or language where (the stars) voice is not heard." Therefore, the "THEY" in Psalm 19 and Romans 10:18 are the stars in the heavens. As a consequence, it can only be concluded that it is the stars that are preaching the Gospel - in a particular way by their names and the arrangement of the constellation patterns.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUN

The next point to note comes from Psalm 19:4-6. Dr. D. E. Spencer paraphrases verse 4 as "In amongst these starry witnesses, God has established a dwelling place for the Sun." The next verse goes on to describe the SUN as the Heavenly Bridegroom, who comes forth to run his race and returns to his place of origin. But in the Bible, John the baptiser speaks of Christ (Messiah) as coming down from heaven, and calls Him the "Bridegroom" (John 3:25-31). The beloved disciple John also refers to the relationship of Christ to His Church as that of a heavenly bridegroom with an earthly bride, while Rabbi Paul echoes the idea in Ephesians 5.

It is therefore apparent from Psalm 19 and the other passages that the Sun represents Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom.

This idea is accentuated by the prophet Malachi. He calls Israel's Messiah the SUN of Righteousness who will blaze forth for the sake of His people in the Last Day (Malachi 4:2). So the Sun represents Christ, the light of the world (John 8:12), who came from heaven, ran His race on earth, and returned to Heaven. The race that the Sun runs is given by the Zodiac constellations or star patterns, so all the strong-man figures along the Zodiac represent Christ the SUN of Righteousness and the work He was to do. Note further that Psalm 19 is in two parts: In Part 1 we have the message of the stars - In Part 2 we have the message of God's word, the Bible being discussed. One is set against the other in such a way that David, who wrote this Psalm about 1000 BC, is implying that the message in the stars and the message in the Scriptures are one and the same.

THE STRONG MAN CONSTELLATION FIGURES

The story told by the strong man figures of the sky has been corrupted by Greek and Roman mythology. This was recognised by Jamieson in his Celestial Atlas published in 1822. On page 40 he states that "The Lion does not seem to have been placed among the zodiacal symbols because Hercules was fabled to have slain the Nemean Lion. It would seem, to the contrary, that Hercules, who represented the Sun, was said to have slain the Nemean Lion, because Leo was ALREADY a zodiacal sign." Notice here that this nineteenth century astronomer actually states that the Sun (the light of the world) is symbolised by the strong man Hercules. This is in agreement with the Biblical interpretation which identifies the strong man who runs his race along the path of the Sun as Jesus Christ the victor.

Another point is also pertinent. The Greeks thought of each of these "strong man" figures as being a different deity. In the Biblical interpretation they represent different works of the same person, namely Jesus Christ the Messiah. Even though it will pre-empt the discussion later, an example may be appropriate. To the Greeks, the Zodiac sign of Gemini the Twins represented Apollo and Hercules, the twin sons of Zeus, the chief deity. The Roman equivalent was Castor and Pollux which star names are retained today. It is shown later that these two pictures are of the same Lord Jesus Christ in His twin role as the Son of God and also the Son of Man.

THE ORIGIN OF MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION:

Interestingly enough, the skeptic Volney is recorded by Rolleston as saying that "Everywhere in antiquity is the existence of the tradition of the expected conqueror of the serpent, a divine person, born of a woman, who was to come." Rolleston noted that Volney "sees this tradition reflected in the constellations, but why it should be there he does not say."(Part 1 page 19). A very similar statement is made by Depuis in L'Origine des Cultes who admits that this tradition was prevalent in all nations. Greek, Roman and other pagan mythologies have been built around this message from the stars and as a result must be considered as a perversion of the original. Nevertheless as Dr. D. E. Spencer concluded "Pagan mythology still retains sufficient of the truth for you to recognise it." (Word Key "Mazzaroth," broadcast over radio HCJB 1972).

Rolleston (Part 1 p.23) elaborates on this: "Should the tradition of the Divine yet woman-born Conqueror of the serpent, crushing His foe, but suffering from its venom, be met with among all nations, it is only what might have been anticipated among the descendants of one common father. From the Grecian Hercules, half human and half divine, subduing the hydra and dying from its poison; from the Indian incarnation of the Divinity, the virgin-born Krishna, slaying a serpent and wounded by it in the heel; to the serpent-worship of Mexico, and that of the woman-born and unfathered deity Mexitli; this image is everywhere present, pointing to one origin of the tradition and the race."

Dr. Spencer gave a further example of interest. In mythology "Zeus, the supreme deity of the Greeks reigned on Mount Olympus 'in the midst' of the twelve lesser gods of the Greeks." He then points to the pre-existent truth that has been corrupted by this mythology and makes an important observation. "Is it not more than chance that just as the blazing fire of the Sun dwells in the midst of the twelve constellations of Mazzaroth, so the blazing pillar of fire was the dwelling place of Jehovah in the midst of the twelve tribes of Israel? Furthermore, can it be mere chance that Jesus Christ, 'the Light of the world', is the One who dwelt in a tabernacle of flesh in the midst of the twelve disciples?" (The Gospel in the Stars, pp. 20, 53).

GOD'S PROMISE TO ABRAHAM

As noted at the beginning, Galatians 3:8 says that God preached the Gospel unto Abraham. It is important that we know when He did this as the stars were mentioned by God to Abraham on two distinct occasions, once in Genesis 15, then again in Genesis 22. We must not confuse these two separate incidents. Galatians 3:6 gives us the answer to this question. Rabbi Paul states that it was on the occasion when "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness." Importantly as we search both Genesis passages, it becomes apparent that this quote comes directly from Genesis 15:6. The context was given by Genesis 15:5. Abraham was childless and had no heir. Then God "brought him forth abroad, and said, 'Look now towards heaven, and TELL the stars if you be able to list them'; and He said unto him, 'So shall your seed be'."

Several important points emerge from this interview that Abraham had with the Almighty. In the first place, the word "TELL" is the same census-taking word as used in Psalm 147:4 so the star names are in view here. The second point is vital. The Almighty made a key comment when Abraham had finished listing off the star names. He said: "So shall your seed be." Does this mean that Abraham was to have many children? We have Rabbi Paul's exegesis of the original Hebrew on this. In Galatians 3:16, Paul says: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not, And to seeds (plural) as of many; but as of one, 'And to your seed (singular) WHICH IS CHRIST!"

Here is an amazing statement! Abraham lists the star names in sequence from constellation to constellation telling the story of the stars from their names, and God says to him "So will your seed, the Messiah, be." Here was the promise to Abraham that the Messiah would come from his lineage. Furthermore, the Gospel was obviously associated with these star names as Galatians 3:8 states that God preached the Gospel to Abraham on that occasion - a Gospel associated with the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

It is important not to confuse this incident in Abraham's life with a later one. On the second occasion in Genesis 22:17, Abraham was promised seed like "the stars of heaven and the sand of the sea shore for multitude." This is a different interview with the Lord when the Patriarch received a different promise. According to Paul in Galatians 3, it was specifically on the first occasion in Genesis 15 that Messiah was promised from Abraham's lineage and Abraham believed God. Finally note that God preached the Gospel of Christ to Abraham by this method, and by faith Abraham accepted the message. The stars must therefore be preaching the same message in every language around the world, because Psalm 19 states that there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SPHINX

Well, if there is a message in the stars, where does the story begin since the Zodiac is a circle. An important clue is obtained from the Sphinx in Egypt. The word SPHINX comes from the Greek word SPHIGGO which means to "bind closely together". The significance of this meaning becomes apparent when ancient Egyptian Zodiacs are inspected. In those zodiacs such as one in the tombs of the kings at Karnak, the sphinx curiously linked the 12 signs together. Its woman-like face gazed upon the sign of Virgo, while its lion-like body and tail pointed to Leo. Dr Spencer notes that several other places in the Near East have similar inscriptions. Dr Spencer writes: "The sphinx is the key symbol which shows where the story in the stars begins and ends. It begins with Virgo the Virgin, and the first coming of Jesus Christ as Saviour; and closes with Leo the Lion, marking the Return of Messiah as the Lord of Glory. It begins with the story of His coming in humility and seeming defeat, and climaxes with the story of His coming again in power and overwhelming victory."

A PERSONAL TESTIMONY

Dr Spencer had a reason to be sure of that. On his radio study "Mazzaroth", he stated that on one occasion in the late 1960's he preached in Los Angeles at the Church of the Open Door on Romans 10:18 and concluded that all men had heard the Gospel in one way or another. After the service was over a very old woman introduced herself to him. She had been a missionary in Japan in her youth. She said to Dr Spencer: "I was sent far up into the hills to teach a class of women who had never seen a Christian of any kind. They had never heard the Gospel. They had never heard the name of Jesus from the lips of anyone. It was before the days of radio and television, and few of them could even read. They were totally without the knowledge of the Gospel of Christ as far as I knew. Yet when I had finished telling them the beautiful story of the Redeemer, whose shed blood had paid the price for their sins, an old crone stood to her feet and said 'Missy! That is the same story that I have been telling my village for years, but this is the first time we have ever heard the Redeemer's name.' Upon careful inquiry, I discovered that she had been repeating the names of the stars along the path of the Sun from the ancient Japanese charts of the Zodiac. These, she said, told exactly the same story that I had shared with them concerning the Lord Jesus Christ." This missionary then went on to tell Dr. Spencer that the Gospel message is even hidden cryptically in the characters of the Oriental alphabets. For example, the Chinese word for "COME" consists of a figure on a large central cross with a smaller cross on either side, while the word for "RIGHTEOUSNESS" consists of a slain lamb over the pronoun "I."

With that introduction, we are now prepared to examine briefly the 12 signs of the Zodiac to see what the Story says in its essence. Let us take note of the clue given by the Sphinx and begin with the constellation Virgo.

11/18/98

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Image Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA);
Acknowledgment: Ray A. Lucas (STScI/AURA)

A wheel within a wheel
SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE PHOTO RELEASE
Posted: September 5, 2002

A nearly perfect ring of hot, blue stars pinwheels about the yellow nucleus of an unusual galaxy known as Hoag's Object. This image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captures a face-on view of the galaxy's ring of stars, revealing more detail than any existing photo of this object. The image may help astronomers unravel clues on how such strange objects form. The entire galaxy is about 120,000 light-years wide, which is slightly larger than our Milky Way Galaxy. The blue ring, which is dominated by clusters of young, massive stars, contrasts sharply with the yellow nucleus of mostly older stars. What appears to be a "gap" separating the two stellar populations may actually contain some star clusters that are almost too faint to see. Curiously, an object that bears an uncanny resemblance to Hoag's Object can be seen in the gap at the one o'clock position. The object is probably a background ring galaxy.

Ring-shaped galaxies can form in several different ways. One possible scenario is through a collision with another galaxy. Sometimes the second galaxy speeds through the first, leaving a "splash" of star formation. But in Hoag's Object there is no sign of the second galaxy, which leads to the suspicion that the blue ring of stars may be the shredded remains of a galaxy that passed nearby. Some astronomers estimate that the encounter occurred about 2 to 3 billion years ago.

This unusual galaxy was discovered in 1950 by astronomer Art Hoag. Hoag thought the smoke-ring-like object resembled a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a Sun-like star. But he quickly discounted that possibility, suggesting that the mysterious object was most likely a galaxy. Observations in the 1970s confirmed this prediction, though many of the details of Hoag's galaxy remain a mystery.

The galaxy is 600 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens. The Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 took this image on July 9, 2001...

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THE GOSPEL IN THE STARS

By Malcolm Bowden

The immediate reaction of some people when raising this topic is to wonder whether they are being invited to dabble in a Christianised form of astrology. Let me reassure the reader that no such aim is intended, in fact it is quite the opposite. Far from foretelling the future for personal knowledge or gain, the names of the zodiac tell the sorry story of man's fall and the glorious way of redemption prepared for believers.

Much of what follows has been obtained from Bullinger (Bull) and Seiss (Sei), and both of these acknowledge their debt to Frances Rolleston's foundational work Mazzaroth, or the Constellations (Roll). Their reliance on this early work can be seen in the number of times both authors have almost the same wording. They were writing in 1893 (Bullinger) and 1882 (Seiss) but modern reprints are still available. There are other smaller books but they are synopses of these earlier works. What follows is also a synopsis and the interested reader can obtain either of these books for further information.

Before examining each of the constellations on the ecliptic, (those through which the sun passes during the year) we will discuss the evidence that indicates that they were named for a spiritual purpose.

1. Astrology a deceptive replacement
If the meaning behind the names of the constellations and stars were to be a reminder of God's plan of salvation for fallen mankind, we would expect this to be attacked by Satan. He would adopt his usual tactic of transforming it into a deceptive practice so that its original meaning became totally obscured. This is probably the reason for the rise of astrology and its use of the constellations to delude those who are ignorant of the Christian message they contain.

2. A Biblical basis for this approach?
Bullinger refers to Romans 10:18 where Paul is saying that the gospel was clear to all men:

But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, "their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world".

Paul is quoting from Psalm 19 which reads as follows:

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 he hath set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race (Psalm 19:1-5).

In this passage we see the glory of God set forth for all to see. Now this may be in the awesomeness of space and of the uncountable numbers of stars. These are there for all to see and wonder. But it is also possible that it was in the names of the constellations and stars that the real message lay that Paul could have been referring to. Indeed, this is far more likely when we are told that it was God himself who named the stars in Psalm 147:4:

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

We will see the spiritual significance in very many of the names given to the stars in what follows, but if God gave them their names, surely this is added evidence that they were named not just for identification but so that He may set out His plan of salvation for fallen mankind.

3. The Universality of the names of stars and constellations
Bullinger says 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 (emphasis his)" (Bull:9). He then refers to the antiquity of the Chinese, Chaldean and Egyptian records but gives no evidence. Rolleston however supplies more on this.

She notes that all constellations began with Aries - in Latium, Egypt Arabia, India and China (p 11). Astronomers also measure their star positions from the "First Point of Aries". In the Chinese names, nine of them were obviously connected to the present system. The Sanskrit was also said to have a complete correlation. The Buddhist system, which started with Aries, had. eleven with similar names (p27). Traces of the zodiac were also found in China, India, Egypt, South Seas, Etruria (Etruscans) and Mexico (p15).

Several ancient authorities state that they had a spiritual intention. The Arab astronomer Albumazar said that "many attributed to them a divine and prophetic virtue." Cicero said that "The signs are measured out, so that in so many descriptions divine wisdom might appear.

Depuis, in L 'Origin des Cults had collected a vast number of traditions prevalent in all nations of "a divine person, born of a woman, suffering in conflict with a serpent, but triumphing over him at last, and finds the same reflected in the figures of the ancient constellations."

4. The ancient origin of the names
Rolleston says that the zodiac is attributed to Seth (the son of Adam) and to Enoch. She suggests that the Jews kept the word and the prophecy, the Arabs preserved the names of the stars while the Greeks and the Egyptians transmitted the figures to which they belong (p11).

Persian and Arab traditions and Josephus ascribe its invention to Seth and Enoch (Bull: 10). The Jews called Enoch the Great Scribe who wrote books on sacred wisdom, particularly astronomy, and he is quoted in Jude vv14-15.

The Chaldean Epic of Creation says that the great god Anu created the "mansions in the sky". Again we see the naming of the constellations by the supreme God himself and not by a human being. With the names being so widespread, then, as with the folk stories of the Flood, we can assume that their origin was before the dispersal from Babel. If the traditions are accepted, then we are dealing with God's revelation to Adam of the way of redemption after his Fall.

We have set out the ancient origin of the names in order to support the claim that that they have been given by God, particularly in view of Psalm 147:4 quoted above. We can, therefore, expect them to have particular significance for fallen mankind. The languages most frequently mentioned are Hebrew, Latin, Arabic and Persian and it will be obvious that these are all fairly near each other geographically. We will give the various names of some of the stars which have the same meaning in different languages when they are provided.

5. Critics of the Gospel interpretation
Seiss notes that secular anthropologists acknowledge that many ancient cultures had mythologies that were remarkably similar to the basic events of Christian history. They often have a god who is born to a virgin mother, slays a dragon to save mankind, was entombed and rose again, eventually ascending to heaven. So similar were these accounts that Volney tried to claim that Christ never existed and was only a mythical character who embodied these concepts.
One critic is Allen (Alle) who is dismissive of those who read the gospel into the names. He charges them with attempting to "alter the sky figures" for their own purpose and calls them "iconoclasts" of the accepted scheme. However, having listed twelve notable authorities, he specifically comments; "The recent efforts of Miss Frances Rollestonand Dr. Seiss are especially remarkable" (Alle:28). This is almost his only comment on her work and he seems to be according it grudging approval for its scholarly research. Bullinger is not mentioned.

His only other reference to what he admits is her "singular" work is to critise her explanation of how the name of one star was derived (p20 1). Her work may contain other errors he chose not to mention but as this was the only fault he points to, it could indicate the thoroughness and reliability of her work.

6. The pictures and constellation shapes
One of the most surprising aspects of any constellation is the almost complete absence of any correlation between the shape of the star pattern and the picture painted around them. About the only constellation to which this would not apply is the Southern Cross which is obvious, but for all others there seems to be no relevance.

For example, who would have made the shape of a flying horse, Pegasus, from one bright star and few others in the constellation? Indeed, take any of the constellations and see if there is much connection between the positions of the few stars in it and the picture around it in Fig. 1.

How could these ancient pictures have become attached to these specific groups of stars? One can only conjecture that this was yet another gift from God to mankind for all generations. It is possible that He has presented these pictures to Adam of His redemptive plan and they have been transferred in these forms down through succeeding generations.
Obviously, it is also possible that they are the figments of man's imagination for godless purposes, but as we examine the names of the stars the evidence gradually supports the proposal that they have a deeply spiritual Christian meaning.

7. Modern names
There were efforts in the 17th century to give names to groups of stars not within the known constellations. The banality of such names as the Air Pump, the Telescope, the Indian, the Balloon etc. only served to highlight the more significant and meaningful names that the ancient constellations possessed. Of all the many aspects of life that could have been portrayed in the names of the constellations and stars, it is significant how many. refer to "judgement", "strong saviour", "weighed in the balance" etc.

As the true meaning of the names was lost, nations such as the Greeks gave some of them spurious names which they acknowledged. However, the original names can be obtained from older cultures. Bullinger points out that if the names were given to enable astronomers to identify the stars, then all the stars would have been included. In fact, the reverse is the case for certain stars are used to identify the pictures - the more important consideration.

8. Did Abram "tell out" the gospel story?
In Genesis 15:5, in the Authorised Version, we read that God told Abram to "tell" (Hebrew "sephar") the stars, if thou be able to number (sephar) them: and he said unto him 'so shall thy seed be'". This is usually translated in more modern versions as "count the stars" and the NKJV adds "so shall your descendants (zera, seed) be." (NIV - "offspring").

It is noticeable that the word "sephar" is used for both "tell" and "number" and to translate it as referring to "counting the number of the stars" is perfectly acceptable, but should it be used in this passage?

The Hebrew word "sephar" can also mean "recount, commune, account, declare, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer." All these imply more than just counting a number of objects but can allude to recounting a story.

Furthermore, Paul examines this passage in detail in Galatians 3:16 where he says "He saith not, 'And to Seeds', as of many; but as of one, 'And to thy seed, which is Christ'". He is at pains to point out that the word "seed" was singular in the Hebrew and referred to Christ (as the Coming One). Now if the word "seed" is singular, it does not fit with the translation of this passage as referring to counting innumerable stars and saying "this is how many descendants you will have".

There is therefore an alternative, or additional, view of this passage as Paul considered it. It could refer to the future advent of one person - the Saviour. God may have told Abraham to "read out" the story in the stars of the gospel record of future events that was apparently also known by ancient peoples.

Accordingly, this passage could therefore be loosely paraphrased:

Go outside your tent and recount to yourself [and to future
generations?] the story that is in names given to the stars and
constellations. They will tell you of one person, descended from
you, who will come - Christ - who will save His people.

9. Job's witness.
The oldest book in the Bible was written by Job who lived about 2150 BC, not long after the Flood. Already the names of the stars and constellations are fixed for he refers to Orion (38:31), Mazzaroth (the zodiac) and Arcturus (3 8:32). His reference to "binding the Pleiades" (38:31) is interesting as this group of stars are unaccountably stationary in their relative positions and not moving away from each other as expected. How did Job know this? This particular question struck Barry Setterfield forcibly before he became a Christian and made him rethink his life.

In Job 26:13 we read:

By His spirit He hath garnished the heavens; His hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

The first reference is the to the heavens but it is not clear whether the second reference is to living serpents or the "fleeing serpent" in the sky (Hydra). If the latter is intended, as suggested by the first statement, then it is God Himself who shaped the constellations, and then gave them the spiritual message that they contain.

10. The Tower of Babel?
Before continuing, we will examine one doubtful reference by Bullinger. In the Authorised Version, the incident of the Tower of Babel refers to men "building a tower whose top may reach unto heaven". In the original the "may reach" is not there and has been added to make sense. It literally reads "a top unto heaven" and could indicate that the top of the tower would be dedicated to heaven, i.e. the worship of heavenly bodies. It is this that would have angered God more than just the building a high tower.

Bullinger quotes a Lt. Gen. Chesney who excavated the ruins of Babylon and who described the mound known to the Arabs as Birs Nimroud. This is 153 ft. high and the square base has 400 ft. long sides. He claimed that there were seven stages made of bricks in different colours each representative of one of the planets. On the top was a tower on the summit of which were the signs of the Zodiac.

This sounds very interesting but Bullinger obtained the information in a very roundabout way; from the sermon of a preacher who said he had copied it from Chesney's private notes. One would have thought that this very specific archaeological evidence, that considerably alters our understanding of this important event in the Bible, would have been corroborated by other excavators and become more widely known. As this seems to be the only reference it should be treated with considerable reservation.

11. The days of the week.
For the reader's interest, this might be the best point to give the origin of the names for the days of the week. They are all based upon the names of the planets that were those of Saxon gods and Seiss gives the following:

Sun-day, Mun (moon) - day, Tue (Tuisco - Anglo-Saxon name for Mars) -day, Wed (Woden - A. Sax. for Mercury) - day, Thurs (Thor - AS. for Jupiter) - day, Fri (Friga or Freiya = AS. for Venus) - day, Satur (Saturn) -day.
That a seven day week has been known from the earliest days of antiquity and have been followed in most civilisations is evidence that they were based upon the six days of creation and the seventh day of rest as we read in Genesis

THE ZODIAC
With that introduction, we will only briefly refer to the various Christian aspects of the names etc. We would mention that for each main constellation in the Zodiac on the path through which the sun passes, there are generally three other constellations, associated with it, called "decans". These are listed A, B, and C under each constellation. In what follows we will be brief and use only a "note" form.

In both books, each author gave the name of many stars and then would say how this was relevant to some aspect of the Christian faith. At times, these connections were somewhat forced and one had the impression that virtually every star name had to be fitted into the system somewhere. There is sufficient evidence of the spiritual nature of the Zodiac names without forcing every name to comply.

Those given below are only a selection of the best of those where the relevance is clear. The Christian allusion will be obvious to most, but we give some of the biblical references. There are a number of "strong men", such as Hercules, Ophiuchus, Centaur etc. who are symbolic of the coming Christ and the various names and roles relative to the Gospel hardly need explanation. Surprisingly, I could find no star chart that gave both the lines joining selected stars used in astronomical charts and the figures of the zodiac. The zodiac chart illustrated on pages 420-1 was compiled with some difficulty by carefully combining these two sources.

The start of the Zodiac
Although Rolleston said that the constellations start with Aries, Bullinger and Seiss start with Virgo, the woman, and the last one is Leo, the lion. Bullinger contends that this is indicated as the starting point in the Egyptian pantheon of gods by the Sphinx, which has the head of a woman and the body of a lion. Thus the two ends are joined to complete the circle.

1. VIRGO
This is the first constellation of the circuit which the Greeks wrongly renamed Ceres. A virgin (Is. 7:14) holding a branch (Jer. 23:5-6) and an ear of corn. Corn = seed (Latin Spica, the modern name of this bright star. Old name was Arabic Al Zimach seed). Star Zavijaveh means "gloriously beautiful" (Is. 4:2).

(A) Coma. Woman with a child on her lap - Name means Desire of all nations"
Albumazer, an Arabic astronomer of the 8th century, said that the Persians, Chaldeans and Egyptians said this was a young woman (Persian = virgin) on a throne nourishing an infant boy, having a Hebrew name Ihesu which in Greek is called Christos. Shakespeare referred to this as "the good boy in Virgo's lap" (Titus Andronicus Act 4 Sc. 5).
Original Egyptian name Shes-nu = the desired son. Renamed by the Egyptians as Coma Berenice = The hair or wig of Berenice.
The possible connection of this decan with the Star of Bethlehem will be discussed at the end of this section.

(B) Centaur. Half man - half horse. Said to indicate the two natures of Christ (?). Hebrew name is Beza or Al Beze (Arabic) = the despised (Is. 53:3)

(C) Bootes. A man with a spear and sickle (Rev. 14:15-16). Name The Coming One (Ps. 96:13). Arcturus, the name of the bright star in the left knee= the keeper (of those) going up on the heights. Star Nekkar the pierced (Zec. 12:10).
2. LIBRA
Latin = Libra (scales). A pair of scales (Heb. Mozanaim). Arabic - Al Zubena (= purchase or redemption).
Star names; - lower scale - Zuben al Genubi - Arabic (the price which is deficient) (Ps. 62:9) - upper scale - Zuben al Chemali - Arabic (the price that covers). Alternative name - al Gubi heaped up (the value of the redemption). Zuben al Akrab - The price of the conflict.

(A) Crux = the cross

(B) Lupus or Victima (Beast slain or victim)

(C) Corona = A crown
3. SCORPIO A Scorpion.
Cqptic = Isidis (the attack of the enemy)

(A) and (B) Ophiuchus and Serpens. The "strong man" Ophiuchus (serpent-holder) wrestles with the serpent who is reaching for the crown.
The scorpion is stinging the heel of Ophiuchus, who is treading on the
scorpion (Gen. 3:15). In his heel is the star Antares (= wounding).

(C) Hercules - the mighty vanquisher. Foot is placed on the coiled dragons neck. Star Ras al Gethi = the head of him who bruises (Gen. 3:15).
4. SAGITTARIUS - The Archer
Same meaning in several languages (Rev. 6:2). Star Naim = The gracious one.

(A) Lyra - The harp. The name indicates the praise of God. Brightest star is Vega = He shall be exalted. (Ps. 2 1:13)

(B) Ara - the Altar. The burning fire prepared for His enemies.

(C) Draco - The Dragon. The name comes from the Greek = Trodden on (Ps. 91:13). Brightest star Thuban = The subtle. Names of other stars all refer to similar aspects of the dragon.
5. CAPRICORNUS - The Sea Goat
Ancient pictures are half goat, half fish; i.e. the sacrifice and those who it is sacrificed for (Christians use of the fish as a symbol). Second brightest star Deneb al Gedi = the sacrifice cometh. Others have similar meanings.

(A) Sagitta = The Arrow that pierces (Ps. 38:2).

(B) Aquila = Eagle. This has been wounded by the arrow. Names of stars are "wounding piercing" etc.

(C) Delphinus - The Dolphin. The one who rises.
6. AQUARIUS= The Water Bearer (Is. 44:3)
(A) Piscis Australis = The Southern Fish. Star Fom al Haut = the mouth of the fish

(B) Pegasus = The Winged Horse

(C) Cygnus = The Swan. Brightest star Deneb = The Judge or Adige = flying swiftly.
7. PISCES = The Fish.
Star names indicate "the fish (multitudes) of those who will follow"- i.e. The Church (Ps. 115:14).

(A)The Band - (that unites the two fish) (Hos. 11:4)

(B) Andromeda - The Chained Woman (who will be delivered).

(C) Cepheus - The Crowned King.
8. Aries - The Ram or Lamb (John 1:29)
Brightest star El Nath = wounded, slain; (others similar).

(A) Cassiopeia - The Beautiful Enthroned Woman. The captive woman now delivered. Brightest star Schedir (Hebrew) = freed. 2nd star Caph = The Branch (of victory). (Is. 54:1-8, 62:3-5).

(B) Cetus - the sea monster. The enemy bound.

(C) Perseus - The Breaker. Hebrew = Peretz. Greek = Perses (Micah 2:13). Winged feet = coming swiftly. Head he carries wrongly called Medusa by Greeks; Hebrew Rosh Satan = Head of the Adversary.
9. Taurus - The Bull
The Pleiades = The congregation of the judge.

(A) Orion - The coming Prince. Hebrew Oarion = light. He holds a club and the head of "the roaring lion" (1 Pet. 5:8). Betelgeuz = The coming of the branch. Rigol = the foot that crushes. Al Nitak = the wounded one.

(B) Eridanus - The River of the Judge. Star names refer to "flowing" etc.
(Dan. 7:10; Nahum 1:8).

(C) Auriga - The Shepherd (Is. 40:10-11). Hebrew root = shepherd. Star
p Capella (Latin) = she goat.
10. Gemini - The Twins
There is some confusion of the pictures for this constellation in the different languages, but they generally refer to two people. Probably referring to the two natures of Christ and his eventual victory.

(A) Lepus - The Hare (the enemy); trodden under Orion's foot. Star names refer to "the deceiver" etc.

(B) Canis Major (The Dog) or Sirius (The Prince). Sirius is the brightest of all stars. (Is. 9:6).

(C) Canis Minor - The Second Dog. Star Procyon Redeemer.
11. Cancer - The Crab
There are a variety of pictures for this constellation. The meaning is uncertain.

(A) Ursa Minor - The Little Bear. No bears found in any ancient Zodiacs. Confusion may be from Hebrew Dohver Sheepfold, Dovh Bear.

(B) Ursa Major - The Great Bear. Possibly "Sheepfold" as Ursa Minor as Al Naish "assembled together"; Dubhe = "Herd of animals or a flock" etc. Many stars similarly named.

(C) Argo - The Ship. Became part of Greek Argonaut story. Meaning is the "Return of the travellers".
12. Leo - The Lion
The Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5). Hebrew name means "Lion hunting down its prey". Name in other languages similar. Denebola Judge who cometh.

(A) Hydra - The Serpent. Hydra means "He is abhorred". Star names similar.

(B) Crater - The Cup. The pouring out of wrath on the wicked (Ps. 75:8).

(C) Corvus - The Raven. Birds of prey devouring the Serpent.

Truly, "Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world'." Mankind is left with no excuses.
(from Reference 6 above, with permission of the author)

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Ancient Israel, the Zodiac, and the Sun God - By Thomas Horn RNU News Sr. Reporter

A recent edition of Biblical Archaeology Review asks an interesting question: Did some ancient Jews observe the Zodiac and worship Helios, the Greek sun god? Raiders News Update believes 2 Kings 23: 11 and similar verses prove this to be true--but what does this mean?

RNU.com ­ (Raiders News Update) - Archaeologist Zeev Weiss describes a mosaic recently uncovered in an ancient Jewish synagogue in Sepphoris in which a zodiac surrounds a striking portrayal of the Greek sun god Helios. Evidently similar artwork has been discovered in synagogues at Tiberias, Khirbet Susiya, Na'aran, Husifa, Yafia, Beit Alpha and Sephoris.

Lucille Roussin, writing for the March-April edition of BAR believes she knows why the mosaics were made, and her explanation might bother some people.

"The Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat 156b) records a debate about the validity of astrology for Jews," she says. "Rabbi Hanina, a Babylonian who came to Palestine to study with the great Judah ha Nasi, compiler of the Mishna, said, 'The planetary influence gives wisdom, the planetary influence gives wealth and Israel stands under planetary influence.' In contrast, Rabbi Yohanan, who lived in about 250 C.E., declared, 'There are no constellations for Israel.'"

According to Roussin the rest of Shabbat 156b "is devoted to arguments in support of Rabbi Yohanan's position against planetary influence." Roussin points out that this very argument proves that some Jews did indeed believe "that Israel stood under planetary influence" and that Helios was probably a related minor deity to whom they offered prayer.

Either way, Roussin cannot help but ask, "What in the world is a Greek god doing in a synagogue?" The same questions provided fodder in the RNU book, The Gods Who Walk Among Us.

While Roussin's assumptions are correct in that "Synagogue mosaics from the late Roman and early Byzantine periods in Palestine offer evidence that Jews did indeed believe that Israel stood under planetary influence," she fails to address the bigger issues of 1) where did the ancient Hebrews derive such a notion; 2) did similar religious concepts exist in divergent cultures simultaneously around the world; and 3) does this weaken or support the fundamentalist biblical view of a single Creator.

"What in the world is a Greek god doing in a synagogue?"

Can zodiacs and dedications to a Greek god in an ancient Jewish synagogue actually provide support for the notion that Yahweh is the one true God and Creator? Probably, and the somewhat unorthodox conclusion begins with a simple idea called Original Revelation.

The basic premise is that a perfect revelation existed between God and man "in the beginning." The first man Adam was one with God and perceived divine knowledge from the mind of God. The human was "in tune" with the mental processes of God, and understood, therefore, what God knew about science, astronomy, cosmology, eschatology, and so on.

After the fall, Adam was "detached" from the mind of God, but retained an imperfect memory of the Original Revelation including a knowledge of God's plan of redemption. This point of view seems reasonable when one considers that the earliest historical and archeological records from civilizations around the world consistently point back to and repeat portions of a similar Creation story.

Two things began to occur in the decades after the Fall: 1) information from the original revelation became distant and distorted as it was dispersed among the nations and as it was passed from generation to generation; and 2) (for those who believe in a real Devil) the realm of Satan seized upon this opportunity to receive worship, and to turn people away from Yahweh, by distorting and counterfeiting the original revelation with pagan ideas and "gods". Instead of viewing the galaxy and stars as a heavenly map laid out by God, men began celebrating the stars and worshiping the 'deities' believed represented by them. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God..." (Rom. 1:22-23).

In his book, The Real Meaning Of The Zodiac, Dr. James Kennedy echoes such ideas, pointing out that the ancient signs of the Zodiac record a singular and original revelation--a kind of Gospel in the stars--and that the message of the stars, although converted into astrology after the fall of man, originally recorded the Gospel of God. He writes:

There exists in the writings of virtually all civilized nations a description of the major stars in the heavens-- something which might be called their "Constellations of the Zodiac" or the "Signs of the Zodiac," of which there are twelve. If you go back in time to Rome, or beyond that to Greece, or before that to Egypt, Persia, Assyria, or Babylonia--regardless of how far back you go, there is a remarkable phenomenon: Nearly all nations had the same twelve signs, representing the same twelve things, placed in the same order....The book of Job, which is thought by many to be the oldest book of the Bible, goes back to approximately 2150 B.C., which is 650 years before Moses came upon the scene to write the Pentateuch; over 1,100 years before Homer wrote the Odyssey and the Illiad; and 1,500 years before Thales, the first of the philosophers, was born. In chapter 38, God finally breaks in and speaks to Job and to his false comforters. As He is questioning Job, showing him and his companions their ignorance, God says to them: "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?" (Job 38:31,32).

We see here reference to the constellations of Orion and Pleiades, and the star Arcturus. Also in the book of Job there is reference to Cetus, the Sea Monster, and to Draco, the Great Dragon. I would call your attention to Job 38:32a: "Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?" Mazzaroth is a Hebrew word which means "The Constellations of the Zodiac." In what may be the oldest book in all of human history, we find that the constellations of the zodiac were already clearly known and understood... Having made it clear that the Bible expressly, explicitly, and repeatedly condemns what is now known as astrology, the fact remains that there was a God-given Gospel [universally acknowledged original revelation] in the stars which lays beyond and behind that which has now been corrupted.

In his book Dr. Kennedy strongly condemns the practice of astrology, while asserting his view that the constellations of the zodiac were likely given by God to the first man as "record-keepers" of the original revelation of God.

The original prophetic significance of the zodiac is summarized by Kennedy thus:

VIRGO: Seed of the Woman, Desire of nations, Man of humiliation, becomes exalted Shepherd and Harvester.

LIBRA: The scales demand a price to be paid, Cross to endure, the Victim slain, a Crown purchased.

SCORPIO: A Conflict, Serpent's coils, Struggle with the Enemy, the Evil Vanquisher.

SAGITTARIUS: The double-natured One triumphs as a Warrior, Pleases the Heavens, Builds fires of punishment, Casts down the Dragon.

CAPRICORNUS: Life comes from death, He's the Arrow of God, Pierced, Springs up again in abundant life.

AQUARIUS: Life-waters from on High, Drinking the heavenly river, Delivering the Good News, Carrying the Cross over the earth.

PISCES: The Redeemer's People multiplied, Supported and led by the Lamb, The Bride is exposed on earth, the Bridegroom is exalted.

ARIES: The Lamb is found worthy, the Bride is made ready, Satan is bound, the Breaker triumphs.

TAURUS: The conquering Ruler comes, the sublime Vanquisher, the great Judgment, the ruling Shepherd.

GEMINI: The Marriage of the Lamb, the Enemy is trodden down, the Prince comes in great Glory.

CANCER: The great Bride, the Church and Israel, are brought safely into the kingdom.

LEO: The Lion King is aroused for rending, the Serpent flees, the Bowl of Wrath is upon him, his Carcass is devoured.

Whatever one makes of Kennedy and other people's zodiac conclusions, one cannot help but be amazed by the Gospel similarities.

If similar assumptions made in The Gods Who Walk Among Us can be accepted--that an original revelation was corrupted after the fall of man and subsequently degenerated into the mythologies of the pagan gods--one would expect to find numerous examples of such corruption from as far back as the beginning of history and within various civilizations around the world. Since the myths behind the gods would thus be "borrowed" ideas, the corrupted texts would be similar to the original truth, and, in that sense, evidence of a particular and original revelation.

In this case a representation of the Greek sun god Helios in an ancient Jewish synagogue might be perceived as pointing back in time to an Original Revelation that was distorted as a result of the Fall of man.

Furthermore, If the distortions of the original revelation were in fact energized by an evil supernaturalism, the goal of the alterations would have been to draw people away from the worship of Yahweh through a close but distorted association with an original truth. According to researchers like Kennedy and Horn we thus find a zodiac in an ancient Jewish synagogue. In Spiritual Warfare--The Invisible Invasion a similar example of original revelation plagiarized by Satan in order to draw men away from the worship of Yahweh is given. Concerning Asclepius, the Greek god of healing, we read:

At the base of Pergamum's hill stood the shrine of Asclepius, equipped with its own library, theater, sleeping chambers used in healing rituals, and long underground tunnels joining various other shrines to which pagans journeyed to receive the healing powers of Apollo's favorite son. The Christian Church considered these mystical powers as demonic, for the worship of Asclepius focused on the image of a serpent, sometimes called Glycon, a figure some historians see as the origin for the modern symbol of healing-a serpent winding about a pole. Asclepius carried the lofty title, the hero god of healing.

In Numbers 21, Moses designed the brazen serpent on a pole that was used of God as an oracle of healing. 743 years later, in 2 Kings 18:4, we find that Israel had began to worship the brazen serpent with offerings and incense. From here the image was adopted into Greek mythology where it became the symbol of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing.

Asclepius was reported to have cured untold numbers from every conceivable disease--even raising a man from the dead. This caused Apollo through his Oracle at Delphi to declare, "Oh Asclepius!, thou who art born a great joy to all mortals, whom lovely Coronis bare to me, the child of love, at rocky Epidaurus." Such a healer was he reported to be, that Pluto, god of Hades, complained to Zeus that hardly anyone was dying anymore, and so Zeus destroyed Asclepius with a thunderbolt. Afterward, Apollo pleaded with Zeus to restore his son and this intercession so moved Zeus that he not only brought Asclepius back to life, but immortalized him as the god of medicine. First at Thessaly, and finally throughout the Greek and Roman world, Asclepius was worshiped as the saviour god of healing.

Greek mythology stated that Asclepius had the power to heal the sick and to bring the dead back to life by drawing blood out from the side of the goddess of justice. Asclepius was symbolized by a serpent winding about a pole, and he was called the great "Physician." The obvious intention of the serpent on a pole in Numbers 21 was to focus mankind on the coming Messiah, the true Great Physician, who would hang upon a pole and would deliver His followers from sickness and from death by the blood that ran out from His side.

Thus we find glaring examples of God's "revelations" plagiarized for demonic purposes. RNU's research eventually uncovered dozens of such examples and summarized them in The Gods Who Walk Among Us.

The worship of the Greek god Helios by ancient Jews refers back to a time when Original Revelation was splintered and truth was fractured and men "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen" (Romans 1:25). (July 9, 2004)

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Psalm 147 Praise the LORD!  For it is good to sing praises to our God;  for he is gracious,  and a song of praise is seemly.  The LORD builds up Jerusalem;  he gathers the outcasts of Israel.  He heals the brokenhearted,  and binds up their wounds.  He determines the number of the stars,  he gives to all of them their names.  Great is our LORD,  and abundant in power;  his understanding is beyond measure.  The LORD lifts up the downtrodden,  he casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;  make melody to our God upon the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds,  he prepares rain for the earth,  he makes grass grow upon the hills.  He gives to the beasts their food,  and to the young ravens which cry.  His delight is not in the strength of the horse,  nor his pleasure in the legs of a man;  but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him,  in those who hope in his steadfast love. Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!  Praise your God, O Zion!  For he strengthens the bars of your gates;  he blesses your sons within you.  He makes peace in your borders;  he fills you with the finest of the wheat.  He sends forth his command to the earth;  his word runs swiftly.  He gives snow like wool;  he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.  He casts forth his ice like morsels;  who can stand before his cold?  He sends forth his word, and melts them;  he makes his wind blow,  and the waters flow.  He declares his word to Jacob,  his statutes and ordinances to Israel.  He has not dealt thus with any other nation;  they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!

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Lambert Dolphin
lambert@ldolphin.org
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