Witness of the Stars: The Third Book – The Redeemer: Chapter I. The Sign TAURUS (The Bull)

The Third Book. The Redeemer

His Second Coming.

In this Third and Last Book we come to the concluding portion of this Heavenly Revelation. Its subject is Redemption completed, and consummated in triumph. No more sorrow, suffering, or conflict; no more the bruising of the heel of the Redeemer. We have now done with the prophecies of “the sufferings of Christ,” and have come to those that relate to “the glory that should follow.”

No more reference now to His first coming in humiliation. No more coming “forth” to suffer and die, a sacrifice for sins; the reference now is only to His second coming in glory; His coming “unto” this earth is not to suffer for sin (Heb. ix. 28.), but it will be a coming in power to judge the earth in righteousness, and to subdue all enemies under His feet.

Chapter I. The Sign TAURUS (The Bull).

Messiah, the coming Judge of all the Earth.

The picture is that of a Bull rushing forward with mighty energy and fierce wrath, his horns set so as to push his enemies, and pierce them through and destroy them.

It is a prophecy of Christ, the coming Judge, and Ruler, and “Lord of all the earth.”

The Egyptian Zodiac of Denderah already, 4,000 years ago, had forgotten the truth to which the prophecy had referred, and called him Isis, i.e., who saves or delivers, and Apis, i.e., the head or chief. The Bull is clearly represented, and in all the zodiacs which have come down to us is always in the act of pushing, or rushing.

The name of the sign in Chaldee is תּוֹר, Tor. Hence, Arabic, Al Thaur; Greek, Tauros; Latin, Taurus, etc. The more common Hebrew name was שׁוּר, Shur, which is from a root which means both coming and ruling. There are several Hebrew words for bulls and oxen, etc. But the common poetical term for all is ראם, Reem, conveying the idea of loftiness, exaltation, power, and pre-eminence. We find the root in other kindred languages (Etruscan, Sanscrit, etc.), and it can be traced in the name of Abram, which means pre-eminent or high father; Ramah, high place, etc.

The stars in Taurus present a brilliant sight. There are at least 141 stars, besides two important groups of stars, which both form integral parts of the sign.

The brightest star, α (in the bull’s eye), has a Chaldee name—Al Debaran, and means the leader or governor. The star β (at the tip of the left horn) has an Arabic name—El Nath, meaning wounded or slain. Another prophetic intimation that this coming Lord should be first slain as a sacrifice.

Then there is the cluster of stars known as the Pleiades. This word, which means the congregation of the judge or ruler, comes to us through the Greek Septuagint as the translation of the Hebrew כִּימָה, Chima, which means the heap or accumulation, and occurs in Job ix. 9; xxxviii. 31, 32, and Amos v. 8.

It consists of a number of stars (in the neck of Taurus) which appear to be near together. The brightest of them, marked η in all the maps, has come down to us with an Arabic name—Al Cyone, which means the centre, and has given the idea to some astronomers that it is the centre of the whole universe. The Syriac name for the Pleiades is Succoth, which means booths.

Another group of stars (on the face of the Bull) is known as The Hyades, which has the similar meaning of the congregated.

Other stars, not identified, are named Palilicium (Hebrew), belonging to the judge; Wasat (Arabic), centre or foundation; Al Thuraiya (Arabic), the abundance; Vergiliæ (Latin), the centre (Arabic, vertex) turned on, rolled round.

Every thing points to the important truth, and all turns on the fact that the Lord is coming to rule! This is the central truth of all prophecy. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” All hope for Creation, all hope for the world, all hope for Israel, all hope for the Church, turns on this, that “Jesus is coming again,” and that when He comes His saints, “the daughters of the King” (like the Pleiades and Hyades), will be with Him.

There is nothing of “the Church” revealed here. The Church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, to be for ever with the Lord (1 Thess. iv. 17) before He thus comes unto the world in judgment. He will come forth to receive the members of His Body unto Himself, before He thus comes with them to destroy all His enemies and “judge (or rule) the world in righteousness.” When we read this Sign of Taurus, therefore, we are to understand that His Church will be with Him, safe from all judgment.

There is very much in the Scripture of the Book, (as there is in the prophecies in the heavens) about the coming of the Lord in judgment; and about this time of His indignation. For Enoch, who doubtless was used in arranging these prophetic signs, uttered the prophetic words, “Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all and to convict all that are ungodly” (Jude 14, 15).

We have said that at a very early period these signs were appropriated to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and borne upon their “standards.” This may be traced in the Blessing of Jacob (Gen. xlix.), and in the Blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii.). Taurus was assigned to Joseph, or rather to his two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, like the two powerful horns:

This is the united testimony of the two Revelations. It is pictured in the heavens, and it is written in the Book. It is the prophecy of a coming Judge, and of a coming judgment.

It is, however, no mere Bull that is coming. It is a man, a glorious man, even “the Son of Man.” This is the first development, shown in the first of the three constellations belonging to the sign.