Leo: The Lion
Chapter Four: The Fulfillment of the Ultimate Triumph
Here we come to the end of the circle. We began with Virgo and we end with Leo. It is not only the end of the inspired Word of God, it is also the end as it is written in the heavens. And the one great truth of the last chapter of the last book of The Witness of the Stars is that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed (Revelation 5:5). Amen! The Hebrew name of the sign is Arieh, which means the Lion. There are six Hebrew words for lion, and this one is used of the lion hunting down his prey. The Syriac name is Aryo, the lion that dismembers, and the Arabic is Al Asad; both mean a lion coming violently, leaping forth as a flame! The Bible identifies the Messiah as the Lion (Genesis 49:8-9; Numbers 24:8-9; Isaiah 42:13; Amos 3:4-8).
It is a beautiful constellation of 95 stars, two of which are of the first magnitude, two of the second, six of the third, and thirteen of the fourth. The brightest star, alpha(on the Ecliptic), marks the heart of the lion. Its ancient name is Regulus, which means treading under foot, and that is exactly what we see in the heavens as the Lion is shown treading down the Serpent. The next star, beta(in the tip of the tail), is of the first magnitude and is named Denebola, the Judge or Lord who comes. The Word of God confirms this: The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). The star, delta (on the back) is called Zosma, shining forth. Other stars that are not identified are Minchir al Asad (Arabic), the punishing or tearing of the lion, Deneb Aleced, the coming judge who seizes, and Al Dafera (Arabic), the enemy put down. In Genesis 3:15 God said that the Seed of the woman would crush Satan’s head, or deal him a deathblow. This pictures the fulfillment of that prophecy.
What we find in the three constellations of Leo is the return of Satan, the last great rebellion and the last day in the court of the LORD.
1. Hydra (The Serpent): At the end of the millennial Kingdom, when the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison (Revelation 20:7) to lead a final rebellion of sinners (those unbelievers who survived the Great Tribulation, entered the messianic Kingdom and multiplied). It is remarkable that despite the personal rule of Jesus Christ from the earth, despite the most moral society the world will ever know, many will love their sin so much that they will reject Him (Romans 8:7-8). Even the utopian conditions of the Millennium will not change the sad fact that humans have a sin nature. Just as when Christwas on the earth, sinners will reject the King of all the earth. This should not be surprising because the perfect conditions of the garden of Eden were not enough to keep sinless Adam and Eve from rebelling against the LORD. The issue regarding salvation is never lack of information (Romans 1:18-20); it is love of sin (John 3:19).843
Satan is pictured as the female serpent Hydra, the mother and author of all evil. Hydra means detestable. It is an immense constellation extending far above one hundred degrees from east to west, beneath the Virgin, the Lion and the Crab. It is composed of 60 stars, one of the second magnitude, three of the third, and twelve of the fourth. The brightest star is alpha (in the heart of the serpent); its ancient name is Al Phard (Arabic), which means the separated, put away. Another star is named Minchar al Sugia, the piercing of the deceiver. Amazingly enough, by the end of the Millennium, Satan will have deceived so many people that in number they are like the sand on the seashore (Revelation 20:8b).
2. Crater (The Cup): The cup of God’s wrath will be poured out on the last great rebellion. Satan will find fertile ground in which to sow his seeds of rebellion. Many of those unsaved descendants of those who entered the Messianic Kingdom will love their sin so much that they will reject the Meshiach. The actual strategy and method of Satan’s deception is not revealed, but it will succeed in deceiving an uncountable number from the four corners of the earth into revolting against the Lord Jesus Christ.
This cup has 13 stars. The star alpha means the Cup and the star beta marks the bottom of the Cup. This Cup is deep and wide and fastened on by the stars to the very body of the Serpent. The same stars that are at the bottom of the Cup are thought of as belonging to both constellations.
The earth’s topography will have been drastically reshaped by the catastrophic events of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 16:20; Zechariah 14:4 and 9-11) which will allow the rebel forces to march across the breadth of the earth and surround the camp of God’s people. The saints will be encamped around Jerusalem, the city He loves, which is the place of Messiah’s throne and the center of the millennial world. They will be enjoying the glorious presence of the Lord when the attack comes. But like Armageddon a thousand years earlier (Revelation 19:11-21), the “battle” will really be an execution. As the rebel forces move in for the attack, fire will comedown from heaven and devour them (Revelation 20:9b). The Adversary’s forces will be killed physically, but they still await their final sentencing to eternal hell.844
3. Corvus (The Raven): Each chapter ends in glory and here we see the fulfillment of the ultimate triumph of ADONAI over evil. It represents the last day in God’s court and is called the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-12). The accused, all the unsaved who have ever lived, will be resurrected to experience a trial like no other that has ever been. There will be no debate over their guilt or innocence. There will be a prosecutor, but no defender, an accuser, but no advocate. There will be an indictment, but no defense mounted by the accused; the convicting evidence will be presented with no rebuttal or cross-examination. There will be an extremely unsympathetic Judge and no jury. There will be no appeal of the sentence He pronounces. The guilty will be punished eternally with no possibility of parole in a prison from which there is no escape and no hope.
No one will have the slightest grounds for complaint about his or her sentence. Those who reject God’s grace and mercy in this life will have to face justice in the life to come. A long time ago Ha’Shem said to Isra’el, “My people would not listen to Me; Isra’el would not submit to Me” (Psalm 81:11). To their equally stubborn descendants Yeshua said: I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins (John 8:24). Unrepentant sinners will experience the Lord’s justice at the Great White Throne Judgment.845
Her-na is the name of this constellation in the Egyptian zodiac. Hermeans the enemy, and na means breaking up or falling. So this scene represents the breaking up of the enemy. There are 9 stars in this constellation. The bright star alpha (in the eye) is called Al Chibar (Arabic), joining together, from the Hebrew Chiba, which means cursed. This star, tells of the curse. The star beta (in the right wing) is called Al Goreb (Arabic), from the Hebrew Oreb, the Raven. A third star is named Minchar al Gorab (Arabic), and means the Raven tearing to pieces.
The Raven is to this very day is a detestable, unclean bird to Orthodox Jews (Leviticus 11:15; Deuteronomy 14:14). All unclean animals, fish, or birds bear the image of sin, death and corruption. Most modern commentators agree that it is the symbolism of preying on other animals that makes birds of prey unclean. They are killers and thus they break the law.846 In Isra’el, even the animals were expected to obey the Torah (Exodus 20:10). During the Millennium, Edom and Babylon will be nothing but a burning wasteland because of their rebellion against God and His people. The raven is there, and although pictured as a bird, only demons could survive a burning wasteland for a thousand years (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned into Pitch). Therefore, the Raven is a symbol of sin, death and corruption.
Sin is judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. The Apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, said that he saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done with Yeshua (Revelation 20:12-13; Dani’el 7:9-10). And just as the devil, the beast and the false prophet were thrown into hell, so will the Raven and those who are judged at the great white throne. Hell is both physical and emotional. The Bible teaches that whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love (First John 4:8), and part of Hell is the absence of love forever, but it is certainly a physical place, because those judged will be sentenced to Hell, and then Hell will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15).
There is only one way to avoid the terrifying reality of Hell. Those who confess their sins and ask God to forgive them on the basis of Christ’s death on their behalf will be delivered from the Lord’s eternal wrath (Roman 5:9; First Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9). For those who refuse to repent, ADONAI says: It is mine to avenge; I will repay. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:30-31).847 But for those who do repent, God says that He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4). They will live in the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, in the presence and loving care of God forever and ever. This is the witness of the stars. What is your choice?
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