articlesforchristians

1. CASSIOPEIA (The Enthroned Woman)

The Captive Delivered, and Preparing for her Husband, the Redeemer.

In the last chapter we saw the woman bound; here we see the same woman freed, delivered, and enthroned.

Ulugh Bey says its Arabic name is El Seder, which means the freed.

In the Denderah Zodiac her name is Set, which means set, set up as Queen. Albumazer says this constellation was anciently called “the daughter of splendour.” This appears to be the meaning of the word Cassiopeia, the enthroned, the beautiful. The Arabic name is Ruchba, the enthroned. This is also the meaning of its Chaldee name, Dat al cursa.

There are 55 stars in this constellation, of which five are of the 3rd magnitude, five of the 4th, etc.

This beautiful constellation passes vertically over Great Britain every day, and is easily distinguished by its five brightest stars, forming an irregular W.

This brilliant constellation contains one binary star, a triple star, a double star, a quadruple star, and a large number of nebulæ.

In the year 1572 Tycho Brahe discovered in this constellation, and very near the star κ (under the arm of the chair), a new star, which shone more brightly than Venus. It was observed for nearly two years, and disappeared entirely in 1574.

The brightest star, α (in the left breast), is named Schedir (Hebrew), which means the freed. The next, β (in the top of the chair), likewise bears a Hebrew name—Caph, which means the branch; it is evidently given on account of the branch of victory which she bears in her hand.

Can we close our eyes to the testimony of these scriptures—that Israel is the Bride of the Lamb? When we have all these, and more, why should we read “the Church” into these ancient prophecies, which was the subject of a long-subsequent revelation, merely because (in Eph. v. 25) Christ’s love to His Church is compared to a husband’s love for his wife? “Husbands, love your wives, even AS Christ also loved the Church.” There is not a word here about the Church being His wife. On the contrary, it reveals the secret that the Church of Christ is to be the mystical “Body of Christ,” part of the Husband in fact, “One new man” (Eph. ii. 15)! whereas restored Israel is to be the Bride of this “New Man,” the Bride of Christ, the Lamb’s wife! Blessed indeed it is to be united to Christ as a wife to a husband, but glorious beyond all description to be “one” with Christ Himself, part of His mystical Body.

If men had only realised the wondrous glory of this mystery, they would never have so wrongly divided the Word of Truth by interpreting Psalm xlv. of this Mystical Christ. If we “rightly divide” it, we see at once that this Psalm is in harmony with all the Old Testament scriptures, which must be interpreted alike, and can be interpreted only of Israel however they may be applied.

Having spoken of the Godhead and glory of this King (faintly and in part foreshown by Cepheus), the Holy Spirit goes on in the latter part of the Psalm to speak of the Bride—the Queen:

This, then, is the truth set forth by this enthroned woman. The blessing founded on Atonement, and the Redemption wrought by the Lamb that was slain, result in a glorious answer to Israel’s prayer, “Turn our captivity, O Lord” (Ps. cxxvi. 4): when they that have “sown in tears shall reap in joy,” and the Lord shall loosen her bonds, and place her enthroned by His side.

This, however, involves the destruction of her enemy, and this is what we see in the next section.