Laying a Good Foundation for Revelation Chapter 12

Most everyone on this discussion board has been focused on the great Revelation 12 sign for months.  My wife and I  became aware of it in June and have done our  best to read  and listen to every new idea that comes along. And as dates came and went we battled watcher fatigue like many others have.  My wife kept telling me to look at the stars even when I felt there was not likely anything left to see. Boy was she right!  I am very re-energized this evening because I noticed two things that seemed to pop out at me and demand attention. 

Rev. 12:9 says:  "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world....."  It suddenly occurred to me that rather than trying to figure out which element in the heavens  represented the dragon, maybe each name was represented by one of the many possible candidates.  Perhaps each name symbolized  a facet of the evil one's plans to overcome Jesus. So I checked out the meanings of the names:

dragon (1404) "seeing one"  exercising his subtle (indirect) impact on heathen governments; accomplishing his agenda from behind the scenes
serpent (3789)  emblem of cunning and wisdom, crafty
devil (1228)  Slanderer, false accuser; unjustly criticizing to hurt and condemn; to sever a relationship; backbiter
satan (4567) adversary

There is a lot of room for developing this idea. So both Mars and Saturn and the serpent, and the scorpion all could be part of the picture.  But wait -there’s more!

I also did some looking on Stellarium to see what else might be happening in the sky.  tygreen had mentioned his interest in how Mars seemed to be stalking Jupiter. But what else is going on?  There is some interesting activity happening over on the other side of Libra. Venus is moving in on Saturn.  On the 19th of Dec. the sun is right between these two adversaries.  What does it mean?  Well, I wondered what constellation this face-off happened in.  From the best I can figure it happens within the territory controlled by Sagittarius.  But what could that mean?  And then I remembered a resource that Paul Dawson had mentioned in one of his videos.  Ever read a book entitled "the Witness of the Stars" by Ethelbert W. Bullinger? It was published in 1893 and I downloaded it to my tablet for free. If you have not read it, I would HIGHLY recommend it! I believe that this man was ahead of his time and has so much to offer us today.

Bullinger built on the studies of others and also did an exhaustive amount of research of his own.  The first part of his book lays a foundation for the rest.  His premise is that the message of God in the heavens  to humans was recognized by early people - maybe even by Adam and his sons, And this witness of the stars laid out the gospel long before the Bible ever came to be. He explains how the pictures in the sky should be seen as three "books", each with four chapters and each chapter, along with its main figure,  containing three related  constellations.  Each chapter is a "sign". Each of the three books (like the four gospels in the Bible) sets forth its peculiar aspect of the Coming One, beginning with the promise of His coming, and ending with the destruction of the enemy.

First book:  The Redeemer"

   Chapter 1  The Prophesy of the Promised Seed of the woman
         Virgo
             Coma
             Centaurus
             Bootes

   Chapter 2: Redeemer's atoning work
         Libra
           Crux
           Lupis
           Corona

  Chapter 3: Redeemer's conflict
         Scorpio
            Serpens
            Ophiuchus
            Hercules

   Chapter 4: The Redeemer's Triumph
          Sagittarius
             Lyra
             Ara
             Draco
 
  So there is a brief outline of the first "book".  I think that we have perhaps missed a very important foundation to our sky watching if we focus on one event or picture,   We need to read the "book"   to see what is going on.  The drama I noticed  involving  Venus, Saturn, and the sun  happening soon is a focus on the fourth chapter of the "book."
            

Bullinger wrote over a hundred years ago and did not witness the events that we have witnessed. And he never had the software programs that we use. He didn't mention the relationship of the planets to the constellations as we have been doing.  But for me this man has drawn the curtains open on a drama grander and more beautiful than any I could imagine. He lays the groundwork for perhaps the next big step in our understanding of these  fascinating times. I have only recently "met" this saint and need to go back and read in more detail.  Today I just wanted to share my find with all you fellow watchers. 

P.S.  At the end of his book Bullinger does a bit of number speculating. Sounds like one of us!