Unleashing the Beast

M ORE S IGNS IN THE H EAVENS / 267

from Persia and Babylon called Magi. These men were trained to scrutinize the alignment and position of the planets in the constellations. When certain planets were positioned within certain constellations, it was understood as a sign of a coming war, or possibly the birth of a king. Such was the case when the Magi came to King Herod and announced the birth of a Jewish king. These astronomers had seen His star in the east (Matthew 2:2). The star they saw was likely a conjunction of certain planets that created a very bright star in the heavens. Astronomers note that on August 12, 3 B.C., Jupiter (the king star) and Venus (the morning star) were in conjunction. Any conjunction with Jupiter was considered a sign of the birth of a leader or royalty. Due to the corruption of astronomy that was birthed by astrology, the true understanding of the signs in the heavens was lost and the myth-seekers and stargazers took the symbols of the twelve constellations and began applying them to the personal, daily lives of people. After hundreds of years, Christian researchers are now reexamining and revisiting the original meaning of the stars and their signs. Such a book is W. E. Bullinger's Witness in the Stars . The stars in the sky are a visible word picture of the progression of God's revelation of Jesus Christ. Many of the symbols used in the Book of Revelation— the lamb with two horns, the dragon, the virgin woman in travail, and the lion—are all part of the ancient symbols connected to major constellations. (This is discussed in more detail on my video series, Unlocking Revelation .)