As we saw in the blog from March 2, 2019, two of the decans of Aqrab (the scorpion) appear joined, being Gibbor (the Strong Man - representing Christ) and Nachash (the serpent - representing the devil). Today, let's go a little deeper with the powerful spiritual warfare message of this constellation.
In the sky-picture, we see a message of the serpent in defeat. When a serpent is fighting back, it will be coiling around its opponent. But in this constellation, Nachash (the devil) appears to have no power to fight, for his tail is flopping uselessly, powerless to resist the far-greater strength of the mighty Gibbor. The serpent's head is reaching upwards, as I mentioned before, straining to reach Atarah (the Crown of our Salvation). But, while the he is within the grip of the Strong Man, Nachash is foiled from his goal. Even in this - his primary goal - the snake cannot succeed against Gibbor's superlative power.
What is the message here? The message is one of the most powerful and life-changing aspects of the Gospel Message. Yet, even though it is a message which shines forth each night in the light of the twinkling stars - and it is a teaching found in multiple places in Scripture - it is one of the most unknown and unsung aspects of the Gospel. But without it, the Gospel is rendered powerless... Bearing this in mind, let's add back the sky-message of Gibbor and Nachash, finding it in the pages of Scripture so that we may put it into practice in our lives.
The most often repeated teaching throughout the Christian world is the “Good News” of the Gospel. Ask most any Christian to rattle off a definition of the Gospel message, and he or she will likely be able to comply without very much difficulty. The Gospel, by the commonly understood definition, is the powerful “Good News” of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that provides full and free deliverance from the penalty of sin according to the grace of God through faith in Him.
Yet, in spite of the “power” advertised in this message, the number of shipwrecked lives among Christians today is staggeringly high. Church-attending Christians struggle with many ungodly situations like: adultery, substance abuse, addictions of all kinds, pregnancy out-of-wedlock, physical and emotional abuse, and destructive demonic compulsions of all kinds.
The leaders of Christian churches today are also succumbing to the devil's enticements. In his book, Men's Secret Wars (Baker/2006), Patrick Means revealed a confidential survey of pastors and church lay leaders. 64% of these Christian leaders admitted that they were struggling with sexual addiction or sexual compulsion including the use of pornography, or another shameful and secret sexual activity.
In our own experience, we have learned of church elders with gambling addictions. There are church members and even pastors who struggle to hide the immoral behavior of their teenagers. Numerous "Christian" spouses abuse their family members, and the list goes on and on...
It is no wonder that from the outside, the worldly person can see no real difference between the professed Christians and himself. The church-goers have the same weaknesses and failings as those lost in the world. Where is the life-change? Where is the evidence in the "born-again" life revealing that Redeemer is powerful?
Most excuse these failings in Christianity as being proof that there need not be a life-change. For "sinners are saved by Grace" and "churches are hospitals for the spiritually sick." But, in fact, churches today are not like spiritual "hospitals" at all, for the spiritually sick find no "cure" there. Rather, churches have become more like thinly veiled support groups for the spiritually dead. And all the singing, Bible study groups, clubs, and church classes do no more to bring real life-changing vitality to these poor souls than does performing C.P.R. on a mummified corpse.
So what's wrong with Christianity today that it has left believers with so little help for the here and now? The problem has largely been a lack of knowledge of the full Gospel message. As it says in Hosea 4:6:
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..."
The knowledge that is missing in this victory-less version of "Christianity" is the understanding of the other half of the Gospel. The Gospel is not the Good News that Yahshua died to save us in our sins. Rather, the Gospel is the Good News that Yahshua died to save us from our sins.
Thus, in Mozanaim (the scales and its decans), we see that Yahshua died and rose again. But the rest of the Gospel is found in Aqrab (the scorpion and its decans). Here we find how the precious Name and Blood of our dear Lamb is powerful today. It is about how through the power of Yahshua, we can walk free from the sins and demonic bondage through which the serpent formerly enslaved us.
As it says in John 8:34-36:
“Yahshua answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin… If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
And that really IS Good News! Presenting only part of the Gospel, as much of Christianity does, is really far more serious than it may sound at first. For telling only a partial truth is really leaving one to believe a lie. Thus, in sharing only part of the Gospel, Christianity has largely failed to share the true Good News at all, rather what is being taught is a perverted teaching—it is, in fact, the false gospel the Apostle Paul warned us against in Galatians 1:3-8:
“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Master Yahshua Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father… I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed…”
Here, in Paul’s warning against this false gospel, that had begun to be shared even in his day, is a key point: the false gospel is really a “perversion” of the true Gospel message. To “pervert” in this Scripture is from the Greek word metastrepho (from which we get metastasis) meaning: “to turn… transmute or corrupt…” In other words, to “pervert” the Gospel truth is to mix it with error, causing what was once good to become corrupted.
Not only does Paul warn against the false gospel, he also gives us keys to identifying the perversion in the
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away... Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Let us take a moment to look carefully at this important description of false Christianity as detailed by Paul in the above text. There are several characteristics which deserve our attention, as they are fruits of the false gospel.
1. The above text refers to professed Christians, because it states that these people “have a form of godliness,” or claim to be and look like Christians; “but deny the power thereof,” meaning they do not have a transformed life to accompany the claim.
2. This Scripture is discussing a condition of professed followers of God at the end of time, because it states that this will take place in the “last days”.
3. The characteristics of these nominal “converts” are the same character traits one would find in anyone enslaved to sin and under bondage to the destroyer of souls.
The identifying mark in the false gospel is its lack of life-changing power. As it points out in 2 Timothy, those caught up in its teachings will find they are still just as selfishly motivated as they were before being “saved.” They are still disobedient, unthankful, and unholy. And while they do have some affection for God, the truth is that they love pleasure more. It is this sick sort of pseudo-Christianity that is giving Yahshua a weak image, rendering the life-changing power and Person of Christ virtually impotent.
But the real Good News is that this is a FALSE teaching! Yahshua is our mighty Deliverer! He has come to set the captives free. He not only forgives us our past sins, but He also provides the power now to deliver us from every demonic tendency and every satanic enslavement. This is the message of Scripture and it is the sky-message of the constellations of Gibbor and Nachash.
As it says so beautifully in Isaiah:
“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith Yahweh, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children” (Isaiah 49:24-25).
The victorious Christian life isn’t about human weakness. It’s about our Heavenly Father’s strength. The Good News is that Christians aren’t supposed to be conquered by satanic suggestion and sinful inherited tendencies.
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us,” Romans 8:37
Our Heavenly Father expects us to overcome against every demonic downfall! As Paul put it, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
This Heavenly expectation of weak and sinful beings should not serve to discourage us. Rather, it should be taken as a great comfort, because our Heavenly Father never expects anything of us that His power isn’t present to accomplish. The very presence of the command to overcome is evidence of His promise to enable us to do so.
This is the other half of the Gospel message. Not only does the Gospel truth encompass justification (being made just as if we had not sinned), it also includes sanctification (being set free from sin and devoted to a Heavenly purpose). All of Heaven is committed to working out this wonderful plan in you. As it says in Jude 1:24:
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”
What does this mean to the worried Christian parent of a rebellious teen? What does this mean to the secretly addicted churchgoer? What does this mean to the church leader eaten up inside with bitterness and resentment? It means that the Saviour has the power to restore your life and home in righteousness. He can produce the beautiful Fruit of the Spirit in you while shattering these sinful chains that bind your soul.
Ultimately, the incredible Good News about the Gospel is that we can overcome through the power of Christ. Once we grasp the personal reality of Christ’s ministry on our behalf, we never need fall prey to another temptation again! We are forever changed through what He accomplished here as our Example of victorious living, through what He did for us on the Cross as our substitutionary Sacrifice, and through what He is now doing for us as our great Heavenly High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). This is the vital missing other half to the Good News of the Gospel.
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Powerful important message: "... through the power of Yahshua, we can walk free from the sins and demonic bondage through which the serpent formerly enslaved us."
ReplyDeleteThe sky picture of Yahushua's strength in dealing with Satan is a supportive image to rememberr.