THE GOSPEL BEFORE THE BIBLE

 THE GOSPEL BEFORE THE BIBLE

In the beginning history of this planet there was no written word about God, God's plan for mankind, or instructions on the right way to live. Then, as most theologians believe, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. He reached back in time and recorded history , from the creation of the planet, the creation of mankind, and on to events of and beyond his time.

An additional point: since Job lived before Moses, and many think Job penned the book that bears his own name, the book of Job may actually be the only written record that predates Moses' writings.

When using the traditional religious understanding of Earth's history, that still leaves a couple thousands of years without any written witness to mankind concerning the things of God. 

[Ed. - For an eye opening review of what the bible really says about the beginning of life on planet Earth watch the videos In The Beginning (part 1) and In The Beginning (part 2); and especially part 2.]

So, what was the apostle Paul talking about in Romans 1:20:

"For the invisible things of him from the 

creation of the world are clearly seen, 

being understood by the things that 

are made, even his eternal 

power and Godhead; so that they 

are without excuse:"

The subject of what Paul is talking about is shown in the verses leading up to this statement. It's the "good news", the gospel of Christ. Here's what it says in verses 16 - 17:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: 

for it is the power of God unto salvation to 

every one that believeth; to the Jew first, 

and also to the Greek.

For therein is the righteousness of God 
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 
The just shall live by faith."

The righteousness of God is revealed in the faith of the Jews and of the Gentiles. 2,500 years before Moses provided any written record .... man already knew. They knew what was, and what was not, righteousness. It was "shown" to mankind from creation. The operative word is "shown." And yet, mankind insisted on making "things" (idols) to worship instead of God, who is invisible. They worshiped the things of creation instead of the One who did the creating.

"Who changed the truth of God into a lie, 

and worshipped and served the creature 

more than the Creator, 

who is blessed for ever." (verse 25)

How could mankind possibly be without excuse? How could he plead ignorance because of never being taught about the instructions of God? Especially since the apostle Paul says we have been able to understand it from the creation of the world.

But wait a minute! Where? Where's the witness he's referring to?

"For the wrath of God is revealed from 

heaven against all ungodliness and 

unrighteousness of men, who hold the 

truth in unrighteousness;" (verse 18)

Verse 18 says this message originates from heaven.

As we try to get a grip on what is going on in these statements of the apostle Paul, our search leads to a person Paul often quoted: King David. Here's what David said as recorded in Psalm 19. The quoted scripture is in bold print, whereas my comments are in italicized print.

"The heavens declare 

 ["speak, tell, or show forth" -Heb. "caphar" - Strongs #5608] 

the glory of God; and the firmament 

sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, 
and night unto night sheweth 
 [pictorial in form] knowledge [a teaching].

There is no speech nor language, 
where their voice is not heard 
[graphics transcends language barriers].
 

Their line is gone out through all the earth, 
and their words to the end of the world. 
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom [symbol of Christ] 

coming out of his chamber, and 

rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

 

His going forth is from the end 
of the heaven, and his circuit [circular path] 
unto the ends of it: and there is nothing 
hid from the heat thereof.

The law of the LORD is perfect, 
converting the soul: the testimony 
of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the LORD are right, 
rejoicing the heart: the commandment 
of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, 

enduring for ever: the judgments of the 

LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, 
yea, than much fine gold: sweeter 
also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned : 
and in keeping of them there is great reward."

The revealing of righteousness, law, conversion, judgment, warnings .... all these things, says David, were shown forth EVERY NIGHT from the foundation of the world. They are written in the sky!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a dynamic group of pictures can be worth millions of words. There is such a thing in the sky above you. In the Hebrew language it's called the Mazzaroth. It is found in Job 38:31 - 33:

" Canst thou bind the sweet influences 

of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? 
or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? 
canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?"

Look at those verses. Pleiades, Orion, and Arcturus are all constellations. Mazzaroth is the zodiac.

Here's what Strong's Concordance says about the Hebrew word, Mazzaroth -

"4216 mazzarah maz-zaw-raw' apparently from 5144 
in the sense of distinction; some noted constellation 
(only in the plural), perhaps collectively, the zodiac:
--Mazzoroth. Compare 4208. see HEBREW for 05144 
see HEBREW for 04208"

So, what we've come to know as the Zodiac actually is a message from God. It's component parts, the constellations, are "signs" of things in God's plan. We should have known! Because, the Bible begins by giving the reader a heads-up about this information. (Genesis 1:14)

"And God said, Let there be lights 

in the firmament of the heaven to 

divide the day from the night; 

and let them be for signs, and for seasons, 

and for days, and years:"

The problem is, however, mankind has perverted the use of this information. They've worshiped the creation (Sun, Moon, Stars and the Zodiac) in place of the One who created them. 

A parallel would be those who so venerate the Bible, that they worship it as a holy thing instead of using it as the tool God intended. A well used Bible will be full of notes, will have dog-eared pages, and will need to be replaced from time to time when it wears out. 

Many homes will have a family Bible lying on their coffee table throughout the two decades of the children growing up, without ever getting a stain or blemish on it. It isn't used. It just lies there for others to see. It has turned into nothing more than a "good luck charm." A Christian Talisman. This is approaching perversion also.

The signs of the Zodiac are mentioned elsewhere in scripture also. Here are a couple if you wish to investigate. The "crooked serpent" most likely is the sign Draco: (Job 9:9, Job 26: 13, Job 38: 31-32, Amos 5:8) In all these places, their movements are assigned to the glory of God; as something He controls.

God even used the movements of the Zodiac to inspire the patriarch Joseph in a prophetic dream. It is found in Genesis 37:9-10.

Joseph was the eleventh born out of thirteen children. There were twelve sons (fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel) and one daughter, Dinah.

Joseph seemed to be Jacob's favorite since he was born in Jacob's old age. The older brothers resented it. But that resentment turned to hate when Joseph told them about a dream he had. He had dreamed that he and his brothers were all out in the field harvesting wheat. They would bind the stalks into sheaves and lay them on the ground as they went expecting to gather all the sheaves once the harvesting was done. But his sheave stood upright on the ground and all of the other sheaves gathered around and bowed down to it.

His brothers said, "Are you kidding? You would rule over us? You would have dominion over us? And, they hated him more.

But then, Joseph dreamed another dream and told them about it. Here is it: (Genesis 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 made obeisance to me. 

 [Joseph himself was the twelfth star]  

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?  

And his brethren envied him; 

but his father observed the saying."

God even instructed the twelve tribes of Israel to camp in the formation of the twelve signs of the Zodiac.












In Exodus 28:15 - 21 God gave the Israelites instructions for making a breast plate that the high priest was to wear as part of his ritual ceremony. On this breast plate were twelve stones (gems). As the Mazzaroth (Zodiac) was perverted by pagan religions into the pseudoscience of astrology, these precious stones symbolizing the tribes of Israel, came to be known as birthstones. However, these stones were assigned by God to the respective tribes of Israel.

"And thou shalt make the breastplate of 

judgment with cunning work; 

after the work of the ephod thou 

shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, 

and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, 

shalt thou make it.

Foursquare it shall be being doubled; 

a span shall be the length thereof, 

and a span shall be the breadth thereof.

And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, 

even four rows of stones: the first row 

shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: 

this shall be the first row.

And the second row shall be an emerald, 

a sapphire, and a diamond.

And the third row a ligure, an agate, 

and an amethyst.

And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, 

and a jasper: they shall be set in 

gold in their inclosings.

And the stones shall be with the 
names of the children of Israel, twelve, 
according to their names, like the
 engravings of a signet; every one 
with his name shall they be according

                                      to the twelve tribes."

Most of this information is completely new to the average fundamentalist Christian. Yet, these are some of the doings of the God they worship. The reason for this is fear, and misunderstanding by those that teach them. They are afraid of the subject of the Zodiac because they've only heard of it in a pagan context. However, the pagans stole it!

What is really dumbfounding however, is that Christmas and Easter has taken the exact opposite route. The pagans owned them first, conceived them first, and observed them first a thousand years before Christ was even born ...... and the apostate, self-appointed leaders of early false Christanity stole them from paganism! These things they fear not to teach without researching.

Compare the information given in these links:

MAZZAROTH (given originally by God, then Paganized)

CHRISTMAS (given originally by Pagans, then mixed with Christianity)

EASTER (given originally by Pagans, then mixed with Christianity)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, 

and night unto night sheweth knowledge."

(Psalm 19:1-2)

Here are some excerpts from articles by others on the subject:

"It has long been suggested that the constellations are God-given illustrations of gospel truths. Indeed, constellation names go far back into mankind's history. The Jewish historian Josephus says they were named by Seth, the third son of Adam, but perhaps even Adam had a part, since he named the animal world (Genesis 2:19). The Bible says that God assigns His own names to the stars (Psalms 147:4). If so, He may have revealed them to early people.

Of special interest are the twelve zodiac constellations. This band of stars lies in the plane of the solar system. They appear high in the night sky, roughly along the same path traveled by the sun during the day. During the course of each year the zodiac constellations take turns in appearing: for example, Scorpius in summer, Gemini in winter. Job 38:32 makes reference to the bringing forth of these constellations (or "Mazzaroth" in the King James Version) in their season.

The idea of seeing the gospel message in the stars was popularized by the writings of E.W. Bullinger and J.A. Seiss during the 1800s. Here is a brief outline of the usual zodiac interpretations:" (from - ChristianAnswers.net)

"The Gospel in the Stars

by John Ensworth

We know that Job is the oldest book in the Bible and makes many mentions of the stars and constellations including Orion, the Pleiades and the star Arcturas plus ‘Mazzzaroth’ = the Zodiac constellations as a whole.

Job 38:31-33 Can you bind the chains of [the clusters of stars called] Pleiades, or loose the cords of [the constellation] Orion? Can you lead froth the signs of the zodiac in their season? Or can you guide [the stars of ] the Bear with her young? Do you know the ordinances [laws] of the heavens? Can you establish their rule upon the earth?

He somehow knew of the coming savior: Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives, and at last He [the Last One] will stand upon the earth. (Isa 44:6, 48:12)

God/Jesus set the sky in place: Gen 1:14-16 And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens and separate the day from the night, and let them be signs and tokens [of God’s provident care], and [to mark] seasons, days, and years. (Gen 8:22)

God assigned His own names to the stars : Psm 147:4 He determines and counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names.

Arabic tradition states that Seth (Adam’s grandson) and Enoch named the constellations.

Gen 1:14-16 (stars) … let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years

Psm 19:1-2 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

Rom 1:20-23 For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is , His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification], because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [ with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves]. And by them the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images, resembling mortal man and birds and beasts and reptiles.

The skies might, in fact, proclaim the glory of God- the plan of salvation. Remember, that before street lights, TV, and indoor lighting, the night sky was deep, complex and a dominant form of night time entertainment. What a great way to communicate with the world. "
(CrossbowMinistries)

OTHER RESOURCES

Check out this video by Chuck Missler titled "Signs In The Heavens".