The Mazzaroth Reveals the Book of Revelation

As we saw reading through the book of revelation, John gave us a timeline of events.  The Mazzaroth and its stories have been known as far back as the time of Adam. The Mazzaroth held the revealing of the book of Revelation. The constellations’ stories are not in chronological order so we should keep that in mind. The aspects of the twelve constellations, and their decans explain what John wrote.  We have looked at some of the main constellations already as well as a few decans, but many of the decans round out the picture of Christ’s coming and ruling as the prince of peace. When Jesus comes to reign on earth for one thousand years, the stars will be changed to tell us of a new story.  We have previously noted that the early church looked to the 8,000 year time line.  We are in the 6,000^th year now.  Christ then will reign on earth as King of kings and Lord of lords during the 7,000^th year.  On the 8,000^th year we will have a new heaven and a new earth.

Barnabas 13:4 Consider, my children, what that signifies, he finished them in six days. The meaning of it is this; that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring all things to an end.5 For with him one day is a thousand years; as himself testifieth, saying, Behold this day shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, shall all things be accomplished.6 And what is that he saith, And he rested the seventh day: he meaneth this; that when his Son shall come, and abolish the season of the Wicked One, and judge the ungodly; and shall change the sun and the moon, and the stars; then he shall gloriously rest in that seventh day.7 He adds lastly; Thou shalt sanctify it with clean hands and a pure heart. Wherefore we are greatly deceived if we imagine that any one can now sanctify that day which God has made holy, without having a heart pure in all things.8 Behold therefore he will then truly sanctify it with blessed rest, when we (having received the righteous promise, when iniquity shall be no more, all things being renewed by the Lord) shall be able to sanctify it, being ourselves first made holy. 9 Lastly, he saith unto them: Your new moons and you: sabbaths I cannot bear them. Consider what he means by it; the sabbaths, says he, which ye now keep are not acceptable unto me, but those which I have made; when resting from all things I shall begin the eighth day, that is, the beginning of the other world.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/lbob/lbob17.htm

Take special note of verse six.  Barnabas says Jesus shall change the sun, moon, and the stars at the start of the 7,000^th year, and then he will rest. The constellations are for our time now, and there is a lot we can learn from them.  When Jesus re-orders the heavens we will have a new story in the sky to look at. Let’s look at the Mazzaroth in order around the ecliptic as to the constellations that give us elements from the book of Revelation.

Bootes is a decan of Virgo; it is the sign that tells us of the coming Messiah, born of a virgin.  Bootes is known in the bible as Arcturus. Bootes is a guardian, ruler and protector of the people, his sheep. The star names give us the understanding that when Jesus comes back the second time, he will be coming as a judge and he will separate the sheep from the goats. He will be the one that was pierced; he will tread the enemy under foot, and subdue the enemy and govern the world.  This is a one world government and Jesus is the head of it. Jesus also comes to bruise the enemy as well as guard His people. This is the meaning of the stars that make up the constellation of Bootes/Arctrurus.

Zech 12:10 …and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.KJV

Job 9:9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.KJV

Job 38:32 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? KJV

Ps 96:13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.KJV

Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?KJV

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.KJV

Another interesting constellation we notice, is the crown that Jesus will be crowned with. The stars in this constellation form a crescent.  Corona Borealis is the name of the crown and is a decan of Libra.  Its star names speak of jewels, shining, a royal crown.  When Jesus came the first time he was crowned with a crown of thorns that pierced his head. The next time he shows up on earth he will be wearing a royal crown fit for a King. This is also the crown that Serpens is trying to steal while Ophiuchus holds the serpent back, from the constellation group of Scorpio.

Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.KJV

Rev 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.KJV

Along with the Constellation of Sagittarius we see the decan Ara, the altar.  It is a pyre that burns downward pointing to tartarus.  The star names tell us of completing or finishing. Ara also speaks of praying or cursing. This is complete and final judgment for those who are cast into the fire. It is clear that there are rules for living whether we like them or not.

Ps 21:9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.KJV

Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.KJV

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.KJV

Rev 20:14-15 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.KJV

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.KJV

The dragon is another constellation that shows up in Revelation.  Draco is another decan of Sagittarius, and is known as a dragon or a serpent.  It is one of the constellations in the circle of heavens that tell us another story of ourselves.  The pole star, the northpole, used to be in draco but now resides in Ursa minor, the sheepfold.  It will soon be moving out of the sheepfold into the king Cephus.  Many ancient peoples and cultures have stories of dragons, and Draco is such a large constellation, that people were probably fearful of this dragon in the night sky.  When the seven thunders sounded, John was instructed not to write what they said, but from the sequence of events we can see that this is the time of Michael and his angels casting out the devil from heaven.  Right after this, in Revelation 11, it is announced that the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus. This is the seventh trumpet.  Before this, Jesus had not been announced as the new leader, although we have known this would eventually happen, this is the time when it is made official.  In order for Jesus to be announced as the new leader, the old one has to be dethroned.  This is the end of the dragon’s access to the heavens.  It will then be time for Jesus to wage war to gain control of the earth, taking it from the dragon and then binding him for one thousand years. Then, Jesus will bring peace on earth. 

Ps 74:12-14 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.KJV

Ps 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.KJV

Isa 27:1 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.KJV

Isa 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? KJV

Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.KJV

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? KJV

Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, KJV

Pegasus is a winged horse in our star pictures, a decan in the constellation of Aquarius.  Pegasus’ star names tell the story that this horse returns from afar, one who goes and returns.  This horse carries someone who will bring an overflow of water, not unlike the water being poured out by the water bearer Aquarius. Pegasus is the horse that the Lord rides when he comes to earth from heaven.  At the opening of the first seal, a ruling warrior is sent out to conquer. Since the Lamb is opening the seals it is probably not Jesus, but an angel of the Lord, just like the other riders on the red, black, and green horses.  Whoever it is that comes to conquer on this white horse, the horse itself actually has to come from heaven to earth, and the depiction of wings is what communicates that. Later, Jesus and his army ride horses from heaven to earth.

Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.KJV

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.KJV

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.KJV

Rev 19:20-21 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.KJV

Jesus comes back to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords for one thousand years. Cepheus is the constellation that tells us our redeemer is coming to rule.  It is a decan of Pisces.  It speaks of a King, who comes quickly and bruises or breaks the enemy. As mentioned, the pole star circles in a precessional cycle and is slowly moving into Cephus from Ursa Minor.  These star pictures tell us of the rule of the dragon, Draco; the time period of the sheepfold, and the King who comes to reign. Jesus will be crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.  This is what Jesus does in the millennial kingdom, he rules.

1 Tim 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.KJV

1 Tim 6:15-16 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.KJV

Rev 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.KJV

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.KJV

Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LordS.KJV

Cassiopeia is the enthroned woman; she is the story of us, the redeemed.  While Andromeda is the redeemed in bondage and affliction for a time, Cassiopeia is the freed, the enthroned, and beautiful, as the star names reveal. Cassiopeia is the bride of Cepheus, the bride of the Lamb. Cepheus the redeemer is her husband. The bride comes out of the body of Christ, as we see in Revelation. Some are the bride and some are the friends of the bridegroom.  The friends in attendance wear white robes to the wedding but the bride wears white linen. The bride comes out of all the redeemed, either Jew or Gentile.  Those who believed on him, like Andromeda, suffered with him. With new bodies, we then reign alongside of Jesus, in His millennial kingdom.

Isa 54:5-8 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.KJV

Isa 62:3-5 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.KJV

John 3:29He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.KJV

Rev 19:7-97 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.KJV

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.KJV

In the heavens, Cetus, the sea monster is held back with a band around his neck.  Pisces, the redeemed, is holding the sea monster back today while we are on earth, but there will be a day when he is chained for one thousand years. The star names all tell us Cetus is subdued, bruised, bound and chained, overthrown or thrust down.  Cetus is the rebel, but Jesus over comes him.  The more actively engaged Christians there are on the earth, the less room the sea monster has to move around. And of course the opposite is true, the more unbelieving people and Jesus rejecters there are on earth, the more room to move the devil has.  People wonder why there seems to be an increase in evil on the earth, it directly corresponds to how many people give their minds and actions to the devil.  Their actions of hate and intentional harm to others are the distortion of the devil’s reign on earth.  The more people reject Jesus, the worse the world gets. To turn things on earth around, people have to accept Jesus and live for Him.  Evangelizing and shepherding people to live for Jesus is what can change the terms and conditions on earth, not manmade laws.   

Isa 26:21-27:121 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.27 In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.KJV

Rev 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.KJV

Within the constellation group of Taurus, the decan of Eridanus tells us of the river of wrath.  It sits under the feet of Orion who represents the redeemer.  Interestingly this river of wrath winds like a serpent towards Cetus.  This is the river of the judge that eventually leads to the lake of fire. Judgment starts with the wrath of the Lamb, where seven seals are opened and seven trumpets are sounded.  The wrath of the Lamb takes place during the first half of the tribulation.  The second half of the tribulation the seven vials are poured out; this is the wrath of God.  After the wrath of God is poured out, at the end of the tribulation, the Lamb comes on a white horse with the armies of heaven, which is known as the day of the Lord.  The devil gathers and inspires the earth inhabitants to make war with the Lamb, and that is when the river of judgment will be at its worst. Finally, the millennial kingdom of Jesus on earth brings a time of peace, then the final judgments.

Ps 97:3-6 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.KJV

Ps 50:3-4 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.KJV

Isa 30:27-33 Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:28 And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.29 Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel.30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.31 For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.32 And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it.33 For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.KJV

Dan 7:9-11 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.KJV

Rev 19:20 And the beast was seized and overpowered, and with him the false prophet who in his presence had worked wonders and performed miracles by which he led astray those who had accepted or permitted to be placed upon them the stamp (mark) of the beast and those who paid homage and gave divine honors to his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns and blazes with brimstone. AMP

The constellation of Leo, the lion of the tribe of Judah, comes to destroy the enemy.  The three decans all attest to the book of revelation.  Hydra, the serpent; Crater, the cup of wrath; and Corvus, the birds of prey.  Leo is standing over hydra, and the star regulus in Leo’s leg means treading under foot. Hydra is pictured as a female serpent and its star names mean the abhorred, the separated the piercing of the deceiver.  It is the story of Jesus finally putting an end to the enemy on earth.  The cup, Crater, is poured out when Jesus the Lion of Judah puts an end to Babylon. 

Ps 75:8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.KJV

Rev 14:10-11 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.KJV

Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.KJV

An angel then calls the Birds of prey, Corvus, to come and eat the flesh of those killed on the day of the Lord. The star names tell us of the breaking up of the enemy, and the curse inflicted.  Also, the Raven tearing into pieces.

Rev 19:17-21 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.KJV

As we saw from the book of Barnabas, when Jesus comes to abolish the wicked, he will change the stars.  There will be a new story written in the heavens.  Here are a few examples of the day of the Lord when the stars will change or be erased.  

Rev 6:12-17 I watched while he ripped off the sixth seal: a bone-jarring earthquake, sun turned black as ink, moon all bloody, 13 stars falling out of the sky like figs shaken from a tree in a high wind, 14 sky snapped shut like a book, islands and mountains sliding this way and that. 15 And then pandemonium, everyone and his dog running for cover — kings, princes, generals, rich and strong, along with every commoner, slave or free. They hid in mountain caves and rocky dens, 16 calling out to mountains and rocks, "Refuge! Hide us from the One Seated on the Throne and the wrath of the Lamb! 17 The great Day of their wrath has come — who can stand it?" (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

The stars fall out of the sky during the opening of the sixth seal, when everyone on earth can see God on His throne and the wrath of the Lamb.  We are not sure what happens to the stars after this time, but the sun and moon must go back to normal, as we still have just over three and one half years of the tribulation left to go.  So it is possible that the stars change, or are hidden, for a while, but by Revelation 8, when the fourth trumpet sounds, one third of the stars are blacked out.  We can assume then that there are stars in the sky again from the sixth seal to the fourth trumpet.  What they might look like we don’t know because later when the day of the Lord comes, when Jesus comes with the army of the redeemed and dressed in white, the stars will change again. 

Isa 13:9-10 "Watch now. God's Judgment Day comes.Cruel it is, a day of wrath and anger,A day to waste the earth and clean out all the sinners. 10 The stars in the sky, the great parade of constellations,will be nothing but black holes.The sun will come up as a black disk,and the moon a blank nothing. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Isaiah says the stars will be like black holes when Jesus comes.

Matt 24:29-31 "Following those hard times,Sun will fade out,moon cloud over,Stars fall out of the sky,cosmic powers tremble. 30 "Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies — no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. 31 At that same moment, he'll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God's chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole. (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

The stars will fall out of the sky when Jesus comes with his army of redeemed.

2 Peter 3:10-13 But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment. 11 Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? 12 Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day —   13 but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Peter gives us another perspective, encouraging us to live a holy life since we don’t know when he is coming. The best we can do on earth is to live a holy life dedicated to Jesus.  Because after the church is gathered and returns with Jesus, the redeemed will have new bodies and will reign in peace with Jesus for one thousand years.  A new story will be written in the stars for that generation.  It will tell of the events of that age.  And as we have previously looked at, on the 8,000th year we will have a new heaven and a new earth to inhabit.   

The Stars In Joseph’s Dream & The Mazzaroth and Jacob’s Sons

From Ancient times we can see that people understood what was written in the stars, and understood the star and planet names, and their positions, had significance for their time.  Somewhere through time we lost that knowledge. If we stepped outside one evening and saw what Nimrod’s wise men saw on the night of Abraham’s birth we would probably not think anything of it.  Yet in their time it was very important. Today we can look back at what they understood, but the full understanding of what the stars and planets mean is still difficult for us to ascertain.  Joseph had a dream and saw the eleven constellations bowing to him. Each of those constellations’ were represented on earth by his brother’s names. Yet the revealing of this dream did not go over very well with his family.  To do a short review, let’s re-read what the sky looked like on the night of Abraham’s birth. 

Jasher 8:1 And it was in the night that Abram was born, that all the servants of Terah, and all the wise men of Nimrod, and his conjurors came and ate and drank in the house of Terah, and they rejoiced with him on that night.2And when all the wise men and conjurors went out from the house of Terah, they lifted up their eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw, and behold one very large star came from the east and ran in the heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the four sides of the heavens.3And all the wise men of the king and his conjurors were astonished at the sight, and the sages understood this matter, and they knew its import.4And they said to each other, This only betokens the child that has been born to Terah this night, who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and possess all the earth, he and his children for ever, and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands.

We know that Noah and Shem lived in Chaldea and taught this knowledge after the flood.  Further we know that Abraham also understood the stars and brought that knowledge to Egypt.  Therefore when we look at the knowledge that existed in Egypt we understand the centrality of the message that the Greeks eventually expounded on. As Josephus points out, Abraham brought the science of Astronomy to Egypt.

Josephus 8:2. For whereas the Egyptians were formerly addicted to different customs, and despised one another's sacred and accustomed rites, and were very angry one with another on that account, Abram conferred with each of them, and, confuting the reasonings they made use of, every one for their own practices, demonstrated that such reasonings were vain and void of truth: whereupon he was admired by them in those conferences as a very wise man, and one of great sagacity, when he discoursed on any subject he undertook; and this not only in understanding it, but in persuading other men also to assent to him. He communicated to them arithmetic, and delivered to them the science of astronomy; for before Abram came into Egypt they were unacquainted with those parts of learning; for that science came from the Chaldeans into Egypt, and from thence to the Greeks also.

It then is not hard to understand that Abraham’s descendents would have possessed the knowledge of the stars and planets, and would have been looking ahead to a coming messiah.  Yet the daily role they each lived would depend on their very obedience to God himself.  As from the time of Noah up to the time of the Israelites leaving Egypt, people lived much like we do today, they had the freedom to choose how to live and whether to live for God or not. The time of freedom befuddles people who love legalism because they do not believe we should all be free to choose to serve Jesus or not to serve him.  Yet this is the age Jacob lived in, just as we do.  Joseph was young enough to not have developed his personal leadership skills at the time he was sold as a slave and his brothers did not like him much for his prophetic dreams. 

Gen 37:9-11 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars [3556] made obeisance to me.10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.KJV

Star OT:3556 kowkab (ko-kawb'); probably from the same as OT:3522 (in the sense of rolling) or OT:3554 (in the sense of blazing); a star (as round or as shining); figuratively, a prince:KJV - star ([-gazer]).(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

The reaction his brothers had to his dream did not deter Joseph from keeping the knowledge of the stars which Jacob taught all his sons.  It may very well be that Joseph then taught the knowledge of the stars to the Egyptians as we can see from the book of Jasher, Not only did he know how to read the stars, his family must have kept that knowledge alive. Benjamin knew what the stars said about his long lost brother when shown the star maps.

From Jasher we see that Joseph’s brothers first entered the city to buy grain and to find Joseph, and spent three days looking for him. They went looking for him among the prostitutes, because they realized he we good looking, they figured he was sold into prostitution. Human trafficking has existed for a long time. When Joseph saw that his brothers entered the city through ten different gates he thought to bring them in for questioning if they were to buy grain. So he limited the peoples’ access to purchasing grain from only one storehouse and instructed the guards if they were to see any of their names, to bring them to Joseph. After questioning them about their family Joseph sent his brothers back home with some instructions.

Jasher 51:13 And they went to the walls of the harlots, and they sought Joseph in the walls of the harlots for three days, for they thought that Joseph would come in the walls of the harlots, for Joseph was very comely and well favored, and the sons of Jacob sought Joseph for three days, and they could not find him.

Jasher 51:26And they said unto Joseph, Far be it from our lord to speak thus, for we are twelve brothers, the sons of our father Jacob, in the land of Canaan, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the Hebrew, and behold the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan, and one is not, for he was lost from us, and we thought perhaps he might be in this land, so we are seeking him throughout the land, and have come even to the houses of harlots to seek him there.27And Joseph said unto them, And have you then sought him throughout the earth, that there only remained Egypt for you to seek him in? And what also should your brother do in the houses of harlots, although he were in Egypt? have you not said, That you are from the sons of Isaac, the son of Abraham, and what shall the sons of Jacob do then in the houses of harlots?28And they said unto him, Because we heard that Ishmaelites stole him from us, and it was told unto us that they sold him in Egypt, and thy servant, our brother, is very comely and well favored, so we thought he would surely be in the houses of harlots, therefore thy servants went there to seek him and give ransom for him.

When his brothers came back to buy grain they had to bring Benjamin with them.  Joseph wanted to test his brothers, and after showing Benjamin the star maps he told Benjamin to keep what he saw secret and that Joseph would force them to come back. Let’s see what Benjamin saw.

Jasher 53:9 And he lifted up his eyes and beheld his brother Benjamin, and he said, Is this your brother of whom you spoke unto me? And Benjamin approached Joseph, and Joseph placed his hand upon his head and he said unto him, May God be gracious unto thee my son.10And when Joseph saw his brother, the son of his mother, he again wished to weep, and he entered the chamber, and he wept there, and he washed his face, and went out and refrained from weeping, and he said, Prepare food.11And Joseph had a cup from which he drank, and it was of silver beautifully inlaid with onyx stones and bdellium, and Joseph struck the cup in the sight of his brethren whilst they were sitting to eat with him.12And Joseph said unto the men, I know by this cup that Reuben the first born, Simeon and Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun are children from one mother, seat yourselves to eat according to your births.13And he also placed the others according to their births, and he said, I know that this your youngest brother has no brother, and I, like him, have no brother, he shall therefore sit down to eat with me.14And Benjamin went up before Joseph and sat upon the throne, and the men beheld the acts of Joseph, and they were astonished at them; and the men ate and drank at that time with Joseph, and he then gave presents unto them, and Joseph gave one gift unto Benjamin, and Manasseh and Ephraim saw the acts of their father, and they also gave presents unto him, and Osnath gave him one present, and they were five presents in the hand of Benjamin.15And Joseph brought them out wine to drink, and they would not drink, and they said, From the day on which Joseph was lost we have not drunk wine, nor eaten any delicacies.16And Joseph swore unto them, and he pressed them hard, and they drank plentifully with him on that day, and Joseph afterward turned to his brother Benjamin to speak with him, and Benjamin was still sitting upon the throne before Joseph. 17And Joseph said unto him, Hast thou begotten any children? and he said, Thy servant has ten sons, and these are their names, Bela, Becher, Ashbal, Gera, Naaman, Achi, Rosh, Mupim, Chupim, and Ord, and I called their names after my brother whom I have not seen.

Joseph gets his brothers to drink so that they would not pay attention to what happens next. 

Jasher 53:18And he ordered them to bring before him his map of the stars, whereby Joseph knew all the times, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, I have heard that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, dost thou know anything of this?19And Benjamin said, Thy servant is knowing also in all the wisdom which my father taught me, and Joseph said unto Benjamin, Look now at this instrument and understand where thy brother Joseph is in Egypt, who you said went down to Egypt.20And Benjamin beheld that instrument with the map of the stars of heaven, and he was wise and looked therein to know where his brother was, and Benjamin divided the whole land of Egypt into four divisions, and he found that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother Joseph, and Benjamin wondered greatly, and when Joseph saw that his brother Benjamin was so much astonished, he said unto Benjamin, What hast thou seen, and why art thou astonished?21And Benjamin said unto Joseph, I can see by this that Joseph my brother sitteth here with me upon the throne, and Joseph said unto him, I am Joseph thy brother, reveal not this thing unto thy brethren; behold I will send thee with them when they go away, and I will command them to be brought back again into the city, and I will take thee away from them.22And if they dare their lives and fight for thee, then shall I know that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I will make myself known to them, and if they forsake thee when I take thee, then shalt thou remain with me, and I will wrangle with them, and they shall go away, and I will not become known to them.

Joseph knew all the times by the star maps.  As I said, we hardly understand anything we see in the stars but Joseph knew all the times.  Joseph tells Benjamin that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom therefore Joseph regarded the knowledge of the stars as wisdom. Benjamin says Jacob taught him these things.  We may then assume that Jacob also taught Joseph as well and all his brothers.  If we read the prior verses in Jasher as I have summarized, Joseph’s brothers knew he was in Egypt, but thought he was a slave to a master.  They spent three days looking for Joseph among the prostitutes. They may have missed something as Benjamin picked up on Joseph’s whereabouts from a star map.

What was this instrument Joseph had? Obviously Jacob taught his sons how to use this instrument as Benjamin didn’t need lessons in using it.  Benjamin took it, and a star map and he “looked therein”, so it is not as simple as a compass or a square, it was something one could look into.  Could it possibly have had gears to set the positions of the stars, or a magnifying glass to look into?  Maybe a slide rule of some sort with Babylonian mathematics?  He used this instrument, and map, and divided Egypt into four sections, this alludes to mathematics again.  So whatever this instrument was it was used here to pinpoint a person.  That means there must be something exclusive to Joseph in the stars that Benjamin knew about. Somehow a star map of Joseph’s birth might have been something Benjamin knew, identifying where each planet was at the time of Joseph’s birth.  Maybe this knowledge was important to the ancients as we saw with Abraham.  So the question to ask ourselves is what is exclusive to an individual that could be combined with something to look into, and a star map, that would show a person’s location?  If we could understand this today, we could duplicate it with computers.  This instrument was probably not a nautical device as the sons of Abraham did not sail on the seas but lived inland. Yet it must have been something that some people had, such as Jacob.  Joseph may have duplicated this instrument once in Egypt, which combined with the star maps told Joseph “all the times”. Therefore there may have been other people that had this instrument. To sum up, dividing Egypt up into fours, Benjamin was able to look into something along with a star map and find where Joseph was. Joseph says to Benjamin “Look now at this instrument and understand where thy brother Joseph is in Egypt”. I’m not sure how one can identify the whereabouts of an individual in a country using a star map alone, therefore the need for the instrument combined with the star map seems to bring Benjamin an answer. That would be some great wisdom to have.

To further understand what one’s birth could have to do with the stars, Joseph Seiss expounds on the constellations attributed to each of Jacob’s son’s in his book The Gospel in the Stars.

The Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Likewise in the names of Jacob's sons in his prophetic blessings on them (Gen. 49), in the corresponding song of Moses on the several tribes of Israel (Deut. n), on the banners borne by these tribes in their march through the wilderness from Egypt to Canaan, and in the jewels of the breastplate of their officiating high priest, do we again find distinct correspondence to the celestial signs, just as I have been identifying and describing them. I may not enter now upon the full showing in these instances. I state only a few elements of the presentation.

Zebulon means dwelling, the choosing and entering upon a home. Jacob blessed Zebulon as to dwell at the seas as a haven for the ships. Moses sung of his joyful going forth. His jewel representative was Bareketh, glittering, bright. So Christ is the brightness of the Father's glory, who, when He entered upon His ministry of light and salvation, selected Zebulon as its home-centre, and on those shores opened out His brightness, so that the land of Zebulon beheld a great light come to dwell there as Lord and Saviour. But all this is in thorough correspondence with what hung prophetic in the sky in the sign of Virgo.

The next succeeding sign did not appear on any of the standards of Israel, for Levi had no separate banner. The sanctuary itself was Levi's ensign. His business was to take care of that, and there to offer sacrifices for the people's sins. But all the more expressively did he thus bear aloft the showing of redemption's price, just as we found it signalized in Libra. He kept the balances of the sanctuary.

Dan means judge, administering as a judge. Jacob describes him as judging and punishing, and as a serpent and adder by the way that biteth the horses' heels. Moses refers to him as a lion's whelp, leaping from Bashan. His emblem was the serpent, and the whole description concerning him answers to Scorpio, which was the place assigned him in the Jewish Zodiac.

In the same way Asher answers to Sagittarius. His jewel representative is called Shoham, the lively, the strong, and his name means the blessed, the happy, the triumphant going forth. Moses speaks of him as approved and prospered, dipping his foot in oil, wearing shoes of iron and brass, and riding forth in the strength of the God of Jeshurun, precisely as the picture is in Sagittarius.

Naphtali is " a hind," a wrestler with death, let go to drop and die, but filled with favor and blessing nevertheless ; falling, yet joy- fully bringing forth abundant new life and gladness by his " goodly words ;" which is the showing in Capricornus.

Reuben in like manner corresponds to Aquarius. His name means Behold a son, new being. Jacob speaks of him as the beginning of strength and excellence, going on to excel as water flows. His jewel was Nophek, the pouring forth, as water and light.

Simeon means hearing and obeying. Jacob associates Levi with him, signifying the united, joined together, bound ; and Moses assigns them the blessing of the prophetic lights and perfections ; all of which answers to the Church as pictured in the sign of Pisces.

So Gad is Aries. The name means the seer, as the Lamb has "seven eyes." He is pierced, but overcomes at the last. He is blessed, seated as a lawgiver, dwelling as a lion. His jewel was the diamond, cutting and breaking, as well as shining. With the heads of the people he executes the justice and judgments of the Lord with Israel — that is, with the Church. All of which is precisely the showing in the sign of Aries.

Joseph is Taurus, the reem. Ephraim and Manasseh are his two great horns, pushing the people to the ends of the earth. The arms of his hands are made strong by the mighty God of Jacob. His glory is like the firstlings of the herd. His jewel-sign signifies tongues of fire. The two pictures are exactly identical.

Benjamin is Gemini. He had two names, as Gemini has two figures — Benjamin, son of the right hand, and Benoni, son of my sorrow, which together describe Christ and the Church He has " begotten by His sorrows." Both are the beloved of the Lord, the latter dwelling between the shoulders of the other, sheltered and blessed by Jehovah all the daylong, in the morning devouring the prey like a ravening wolf, and in the evening dividing the spoils.

Issachar means recompense. His jewel representative is Pitdah, reward. Jacob speaks of him as a strong ass resting between the burdens of treasure. He sees his resting- place that it is good. Moses describes him as rejoicing in his tents, to whose mountains the people come with sacrifices of righteousness, and to suck the abundance of the seas and the yet hidden treasures on the shore. All these presentations answer throughout to Cancer.

And in all the given particulars, Judah is Leo. His name means the praise and glory and majesty of God. His banner bore the sign of the rampant lion. His jewel representative was the ruby, the symbol of blood- shedding unto victory. And Jacob describes him as the lion, the tearer in pieces, the glorious victor, the same as exhibited in the sign of Leo.

http://archive.org/stream/gospelinstarsorp00seis/gospelinstarsorp00seis_djvu.txt

Here are the meanings of the names of the sons of Jacob from Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary.  

Zebulun dwelling; habitation

Levi associated with him

Dan judgment; he that judges

Ashur who is happy; or walks; or looks

Naphtali that struggles or fights

Reuben who sees the son; the vision of the son

Simeon that hears or obeys; that is heard

Gad a band; a troop

Joseph increase; addition

Benjamin son of the right hand

Issachar reward; recompense

Judah the praise of the Lord; confession

(from Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary, PC Study Bible formatted electronic database Copyright © 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Jacob prophesy’s over his sons before his death.   What we know and can see about Jacob’s sons is that living in the time of freedom they didn’t always live according to the ways God would have preferred.  Understanding our freedom we see that the stars may give us clues about ourselves as they did about Jacob’s sons, but we have the express freedom to not walk according to the Lord.  God, the maker of the mazzaroth uses the mazzaroth to tell those who believe on Him about Himself as well as themselves.  This is where the world gets mixed up with astrology; it is not about man’s P.T. Barnum charade of daily advice to live by, but rather the revealing of the Creator and his sons.  The constellations, stars, planets, and the mazzaroth, are made by the Creator for those who believe on Him.  Freedom dictates that we can choose to live for Him or not, but His creation really speaks to His people.  Let’s look at Jacob’s last words to his sons.

Gen 49:1-28 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.

14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.

19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.KJV

We should look at some of Frances Rolleston’s ideas regarding the mazzaroth.  The antediluvians established this knowledge and now we see it in the time of Jacob used prophetically. 

Frances Rolleston, Mazzaroth:

Allusions to the Signs of the Zodiac have often been pointed out in the blessing of Jacob (Gen 49); those in the blessing of Moses (Deut 33) have been less remarked. Unless these emblems had some signification familiar and important to the hearers, it is not to be supposed that the dying patriarch or the departing lawgiver would have adopted their imagery. If, however, they had been framed by the forefathers of mankind to transmit the primaeval revelation, it is consistent that they should again be so employed.

If, as has been shown (Table 15), their import is to be traced in the names of the antediluvian patriarchs, it is the more probable that they should afterwards be used in prophecy. It does not clearly appear whether Jacob and his wives had at first any intention of connecting the names of their children with the signs; but when Jacob changed the name Ben-oni, son of sorrow, to Ben-jamin, son of the right hand, it is probable he had in view the sign of the heavenly twins, which the tribe of Benjamin is known to have borne on its banners, under the accompanying figure of the wolf, whose name means, He cometh.

These names are subsequently consecrated to the purpose of prophecy by the command to engrave them on the stones of the oracular breastplate, and by their place on the gates of the city of Ezekiel and the New Jerusalem of the Apocalypse. While in the names of the earlier patriarchs is found the Redeemer alone, in those of the sons of Jacob there is more of the peculiar people, the Church, then beginning to be set apart, but still, as in the emblems of the signs, in union with the Redeemer. The order in which their father addressed them begins with Reuben. "Behold the Son!" calling on us to look to Him, of whom Isaiah afterwards said, "Unto us a Son is given," and "Look unto Him, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." In Simeon and Levi, those that have heard and are joined together, is shown the need they have of union between themselves, and support from Him who sustains them. In Judah, the theme of our praise and the delight in offering it. In Zebulon is set forth that He shall dwell with them, and they with Him. In Issachar, the purchased possession, the reward of Messiah's sufferings. In Dan the salvation of his people is secured by his judging or ruling for them. In Gad, conformed to Him in affliction, they are with Him pierced with many sorrows. In Asher is their blessedness, in feeding on the bread from heaven. In Naphtali they are set free by his wrestling. In Joseph is shown the continual addition to the Church of such as shall be saved. In Benjamin, He who is the man of sorrows, and of God's right hand, closes, as He began, the enumeration. Ephraim, fruitfulness, and Manasseh, forgetfulness of all worldly troubles, equally suit with the place they afterwards occupied in subordination to their father Joseph.

It is not said that the gift of prophecy had been imparted to Jacob before his last illness. Perhaps from the widely diffused tradition of this prophetic effusion an idea as widely received, that dying persons speak prophetically, may have originated.

The prediction first accomplished, that the sovereignty should be vested in the tribe of Judah, is the preliminary mark giving authority to the yet unfulfilled prophecies, both of the Messiah and the tribes. As certainly as the families of the twelve patriarchs divided between them the promised land under Joshua, so certainly shall they again possess it, under Him of whom Joshua was a type. As surely as David the son of Jesse reigned upon Mount Zion, so surely unto that Shiloh, that King Messiah who is also of the line of Judah, shall be the gathering of the nations.

The blessing of Jacob contains prophecies of the Messiah, some of which are equally appreciated by Christians and by Jews. Such is that of Shiloh: but the ancient Hebrews understood far more of these predictions as relating to Him who was to come, than is in general pointed out by commentators. According to the early and most learned Jewish authorities, references to the Messiah are throughout interwoven with those to the patriarchs and the tribes. Some of these annunciations are yet unfulfilled, both as to the final triumph of the Messiah and the destiny of the tribes in their restoration to their own land. Translations, ancient and modern, vary, as in Genesis 49:26, in which the great majority give Nazir, the Nazarite, where the English has "separate." Commentators also differ; some, however, have perceived the allusions to the twelve signs, as borne on the standards of Israel, but have not consistently explained or adapted them: not even the Jewish writers who inform us that they were so borne. However, these ancient authorities unanimously assert that Reuben bore Aquarius; Joseph, Taurus; Benjamin, Gemini under the emblem of the wolf; and Dan, Scorpio under that of an eagle, or of a crowned serpent or basilisk.

If these emblems were thus early employed by the family chosen to preserve the worship of the One true God, the idea of their origin in Egypt, then fast sinking into idolatry, becomes most improbable. On the descendants of Abraham was ever impressed abhorrence of that idolatry from which he had been called. What idolaters had invented they might not adopt: but what idolaters had corrupted they were not always commanded to abandon. The cherubic forms, afterwards perverted to the purposes of idolatry in Egypt and Assyria, are found in the four principal signs where the equinoxes and solstices of antediluvian astronomy had always occurred. These forms could not be of Egyptian invention, for they were set at the east of Eden. Jewish authorities say that "they were from the beginning in the holy tabernacle called the face of God." Had the eight intermediate signs been added by the Egyptians, the chosen family must not have intermingled the devices of man with ordinances of Divine authority. If they knew that all had been arranged to declare the glory of God and proclaim the coming Redeemer, the use of them by Jacob, and the recurrence to them by Moses, would be of obvious utility. Happily would the children of the departed prophet behold them in the peaceful plains of Goshen. How hopefully in the toilsome valley of the Nile would they gaze on their own hieroglyphics, of far higher import than those of their oppressors! With what thankfulness in the weary sands of the wilderness would they repose, encamping every man under the shadow of his own standard! With what joy would they unfurl those prophetic ensigns to the welcome breezes of the promised land! As the written word of God in our own day, to some they would still be an unsolved enigma, while to others they would declare the great salvation. The rebellious seer read in them the ruin of his race: the triumphant Lawgiver traced the future glories of Him who should be "King in Jeshurun."

It does not appear that the signs were first appropriated to the sons of Jacob by their father's dying blessing; it rather seems that the children had been names with a reference to the signs, as is still done in the East: therefore, when Joseph related his dream of eleven stars bowing down before him, his brethren applied it to themselves, and were offended. This dream was fulfilled, his second dream was not: his own mother was dead, and his step-mother also died before his brethren bowed down to him. Jacob appears to have seen, that if the first was from above, the second was merely natural, and reproved him in consequence.

Beneath the midnight sky of the land of Goshen, the dying patriarch, animated by prophetic impulse and surrounded by reverential listeners, from within the lifted curtain of his tent might gaze enrapt on the starry heaven, whither by Divine command his father Abraham had been taught to look for a type of the promised seed. With Leo rising, Aquarius would be seen about to set, thus figuring the transfer of the birthright from Reuben to Judah. Taurus, the well-known bearing of Joseph, would be on the meridian; and the place of Scorpio, the ensign of Dan, though below the horizon, would be pointed out by the head of the Serpent immediately beneath the Northern Crown. Every intermediate sign would either be visible or its place indicated by some remarkable star belonging to or above it; as Sagittarius by Vega, in Lyra, and Capricornus by Cygnus. Reverting from the brilliant orbs on high, beyond which lay the haven of that salvation for which he had waited, his failing eyes would rest on the familiar faces around him, the inheritors of that earthly Canaan typifying the heavenly country which his spirit sought. Full of the glories of Him at once his Saviour and his son, he addresses them under the influence of that Divine Spirit which alone enables man to predict futurity.

NOTE. The annexed translations, varying but little from the English Version, yet accommodated in some degree to the idiom of the Hebrew in its inversions and omissions of connecting particles, if harsh to the ear, aim at conveying some idea of the antique dignity of the original in the blessing of Jacob, and at shadowing forth the sublimity of that of Moses.

The dying patriarch appears to have addressed each son by name, and then alluding to his appointed emblem, to have pointed out its signification as to the promised Redeemer. To Reuben was allotted Aquarius, the pourer out of blessings, arising as in triumph. He was his might and the "excellency" of dignity and of power; but the "excellency" of primogeniture, of being the head of the family, he takes from Reuben, "Thou shalt not excel," and afterwards transfers it to Judah. The reason is given in the delinquency of Reuben.

Verse 5. To Simeon and Levi he allotted Pisces, the united fishes, as brethren. They had slain Shechem, a man, a prince of the land. It has often been pointed out that these two tribes were the enemies of the Man, the second Adam, and were instrumental by their "assembly" to the crucifixion, slaying the Prince. The word here rendered prince, is by the Septuagint rendered bull, and by the Vulgate wall. The alteration of a single vowel, in the Hebrew expressed by a single point, allows these variations; and certainly in the time of Jacob the points were not in use. Whether before or after the event, a prediction of the slaying of the Messiah by his own people would not find favour with the Jewish mind. A point would be easily dropt if involving it.

http://philologos.org/__eb-mazzaroth/204.htm#jacob

Signs borne on the banners of the tribes of Israel	NAMES OF THE SONS OF JACOB ACCORDING TO THEIR BIRTH	Texts where the word or its root occurs	Hebrew Roots
AQUARIUS	Reuben, behold a son, the son, arising, pouring out blessings	Gen 29:32
PISCES	Simeon, heard, characteristic of the Church Levi, bound, united, characteristic of the Church	Ib. 33
LEO	Judah, praise to the Lord, for the coming Messiah	Ib. 35
SCORPIO	Dan, judging, ruling, his people	Gen 30:6
CAPRICORNUS	Naphtali, wrestling, sufferings at the first coming	Ib. 8
ARIES	Gad, good fortune, blessings at the second coming, (Arab. use.)	Ib. 11
SAGITTARIUS	Asher, happy, the going forth of the Gospel	Ib. 13
CANCER	Issachar, recompense, or reward, of the Messiah's sufferings	Ib. 18
VIRGO	Zebulon, dwelling, as the promised seed at his first coming	Ib. 20
TAURUS	Joseph, adding. Ephraim; fruitful, Gen 41:52; gathering in the Gentiles	Ib. 24
GEMINI	Benjamin, son of the right hand, called by his mother, Ben-oni, son of sorrow, the suffering and triumphant Messiah	Gen 35:18

http://philologos.org/__eb-mazzaroth/204.htm#jacob

Let’s look at Moses’ prophecy of the twelve tribes.

Deut 33:6-27 Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be few.7 And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies.8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;9 Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.10 They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.11 Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again.12 And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,14 And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,16 And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.17 His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.18 And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out; and, Issachar, in thy tents.19 They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Israel.22 And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan.23 And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.26 There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.KJV

In Helena Lehman’s Book The Language of God in the Universe, (Pillar of Enoch Ministry Books, Copyright 2004-2009, p 67-68 Helena Lehman) Helena points out the four cardinal points of the camp of the Israelites and their connections with the Mazzaroth.  These cardinal points also relate to Ezekiel’s vision of the wheel.  North is Scorpio, as we have also seen signified by an eagle, is the tribe of Dan, the face of the eagle. South is Aquarius, the tribe of Reuben, the face of a man.  East is Leo, the tribe of Judah, the face of the lion.  West is Taurus, the tribe of Joseph/Manasseh & Ephraim, the bull.  Is it possible that the simplicity of the four cardinal points is what Benjamin used to split Egypt up into four divisions?

If we recognize that in later times, coming out of Egypt the twelve tribes were set up in the formation of a cross, with four quadrants.  Could that be significant to the “instrument” and the star map used to identify Joseph?  If we look at a diagram of the camp of Israel in the wilderness which Moses arranged, we see first the tabernacle in the center.  Picture the holy of holies on the west and the outer courts on the east in a rectangular shape.  At the west cardinal point is Joseph (Manasseh & Ephraim) and the tribe of Benjamin camped at the western point of the tabernacle.  On the east cardinal point is camped the tribes of Judah, along with Issacher and Zebulun.  At the north cardinal point the tribes of Dan, Asher and Naphtali’s camp.  On the south cardinal point are the tribes of Rueben, Simeon and Gad.  The tribe of Levi camped in front of the tabernacle entrance. 

				Eagle
				Scorpio
				Dan
			Sagittarius		Aries
			Asher		Naphtali
	Gemini	Benjamin		North		Zebulun	Virgo
Bull	Taurus	Ephraim	West	Levi----Libra	East	Judah	Leo	Lion
	Taurus	Manasseh		South		Issachar	Cancer
			Gad		Simeon
			Capricorn		Pisces
				Reuben
				Aquarius
				Man

While we still have much to learn of the constellations and their significance in the Word of God, we can see that the ancients regarded the constellations and saw their hope for the Messiah.  Looking backward instead of forward, we see that Jesus met the qualifications of Messiah.  We have also looked at what the position of the constellations and planets say about Jesus at his birth.  We now see that Joseph and his brothers were also knowledgeable in the heavenly movements of the constellations.  From our vantage point we can see an age of freedom, where people once were given freedom as we are today, as to whether to worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Creator gave us freedom to worship Him because if we were forced to do so, it would not mean as much to Him.  Because we want to worship Him, He in turn blesses us, and we then have fellowship with Him, which is an internal knowing that cannot be seen on the outside. The reality of God to a believer is an inside knowledge, not one we can look at from the outside and judge, but a reality that lives on the inside.