Isaiah 51:11
“So the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness;
Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
Argo is the final of the three decans belonging to Cancer, The Crab. It is the picture of a huge ship sailing across the night sky, sails furled, oars rowing forward as if backing the ship into its dock.
The Ship.
The figurehead of a Lion sits atop the stern of this great ship. He is looking toward the bow in the direction of the 12th and final Major sign, Leo, as if in anticipation of meeting him. The figure of a man is also pictured at the water level looking the opposite direction. He appears to be bearing the ship on his back. With the figurehead looking forward and the man looking back, we have a picture of this someOne looking before and behind, guiding and guarding.
The Lion, of course, is Jesus. He has watched over and protected His people during our wilderness journey here on earth. He literally carried on His back all who are heavy laden, and gave them His rest. He goes before and behind, and never leaves nor forsakes His own!
The Lion figurehead above and the man’s face below is also a picture of Jesus’ dual nature. He is fully God and fully man. When you are IN Him, you sail safely on top of the water, whether the sea is calm or stormy.
Both the Lesser Sheepfold, a picture of Jewish people who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah, and the Non-Jewish Believers of the Greater Sheepfold from every nation, tribe, and tongue have been gathered together at last! No longer either Jew or Gentile, the two have become one people, just as Ezekiel prophesied in the verses below:
Ezekiel 37:15-17
“Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.”
The people of God have run the race and finished the course. They are now taken out of this world, have arrived at heaven’s shores, and come home to sit down with Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb. And so we will EVER be with our Lord. HALLELUJAH!!!
Mythological Story.
It is said that behind every myth or legend is an element of truth. Such is the case in the fantastical stories of Greek and Roman mythology.
The ancients all saw in the stars the outline of a great ship on a holy quest of some sort. Because the story had been perverted by our great enemy, the devil, they made up a plausible (to them) tale of what it meant, loosely based on the true story which, no doubt, circulated among them from other cultures.
Remember the fanciful tale of Jason and the Argonauts? These heros of old supposedly went in search of the Golden Fleece, which had been lost to mankind. It was said to have been stolen by a clever and devious enemy. Hmmm…..sounds like the devil, doesn’t it? Where did they get the idea for this far-fetched story?
The Golden Fleece is a symbol of the glory with which Adam and Eve were surrounded before the fall. The fleece is also a depiction of the power and authority God gave to them which caused all the animals to obey them. Because they had not yet sinned and were covered in His glory, God was free to walk and talk with them face to face in the garden. When they fell, it was the glory surrounding them that they lost and which made them feel naked.
Jason and the Argonauts are a symbol of man’s search to regain the glory that was lost which would allow them to re-enter paradise and restore the right relationship with God.
Home!
Our “Argo,” with Jesus at the helm, is now safely at home port. All the dangers and hardships of the journey are behind us, the victory is won, and we are home with Him at last as echoed in the opening scripture! That which was spoken by Isaiah in chapter 60 shall now be our reality:
Isaiah 60:19-21
“The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.
Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
Also your people shall all be righteous;
They shall inherit the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.”
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.
Your sun shall no longer go down,
Nor shall your moon withdraw itself;
For the Lord will be your everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
Also your people shall all be righteous;
They shall inherit the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.”
HALLELUJAH what a day that will be!
Ancient Names For The Sign.
The Hebrews have the most ancient name for this constellation, calling it, “Argo: The Company of Travellers.” The Greeks and Romans also adopted this name.
This ship is reminiscent of Noah’s Ark that carried its eight passengers through the great flood which destroyed all other life. Just as Jesus sees the Argo safely to home port, so Jesus was with Noah and his family IN THE ARK during the great flood. You can clearly see it in the article below which talks about the topic in greater detail. No wonder they were not afraid!
Follow the link below to read all about it:
Let’s see what the names of the stars tell us.
Ancient Names Of The Stars.
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that the ancient names of the stars echo the theme we have been studying. The brightest star, found on the oar farthest right, is “Canopus or Canobus,” meaning “The Possession of Him Who Cometh.” Underneath the Lion’s head is the second brightest star, “Markab: Returning from afar.”
There are five other star names that have come down to us which, though their positions are not known, make it clear what story this star sign is conveying. The first three have Hebrew names: Sephina means “The Multitude;” Tureis, “The Possession; Asmikada: The Released who travel.”
The last two bear Arabic names: Soheil, “The Desired,” and Subilon: The Branch.
This is the story of a multitude of travelers possessed by “Him Who comes.” The released multitude who travels is the possession of “The Branch, The Desired,” Whom we first met long ago when we studied “Virgo.” This multitude of the redeemed are from every nation, every tribe, and every tongue under heaven and are come home to be with their Redeemer forever!
The Denderah.
Unlike all other cultured, the Egyptian take on our great ship in the night sky is a “bit” different. They named it, “Shes-En-Fent,” meaning “The son or offspring of The One Who comes, rejoicing over the serpent.”
This star sign is pictured as a huge steer or bull named “Ba: Who comes,” with a peculiar cross called, “Crux Anastasia.” This cross with a loop, the emblem of life, is around his neck. Kinda reminds us of Taurus whose sacrifice bought our redemption and defeated the devil.
There is another version of the Egyptian planisphere by a man named, “Athanasius Kircher,” a German Jesuit priest, pictured above (1602-1680 A.D). He not only claimed to command 12 languages, a fantastic accomplishment in any age, but also claimed to have the ability to read ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a very rare skill indeed.
In his version of the Egyptian Zodiac, Argo was not one but two large galleons adorned with Ram’s heads. These would easily correspond to the two Sheepfolds in our story as well as the dual role and nature of our Redeemer as pictured in Aries.
The more we study this wonderful story, the more amazing it becomes. You can see that ancients, who were privy to even more detail than that to which we have access, were most definitely not short changed as to the truth of the Gospel story. Their biggest challenge was the devil perverting it.
As you know, being a circular story, if you don’t know where to start and end, the narrative is very confusing. That confusion has lead to all the fantastical tales of mythology.
But fear not! God arranged to have the monument we know as “The Sphinx,” built. It has the head of a woman and body of a lion, which we discussed in Part 3. The story of Jesus begins with the Virgin birth (first mentioned in Matthew) and ends with the Lion of the Tribe of Judah coming to judge the world (First mentioned in Revelation).
Now you know why He chose Egypt to built this very special monument. In case you missed part three or would like a refresher, the link is provided below:
Next we will explore the 12 and final Major Constellation and its decans: Leo, Hydra, Crater, and Corvus. Click on the link to part 41. We’ll be studying Leo, the Lion:
(Link is mis-numbered, please disregard.)
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