History of Man: Reality part 3

If what we have seen so far is really true, then why did those civilizations advance to such impressive accomplishments so rapidly?

• Some say they used their brains to a greater degree than we do today.  We only use 10% of our potential "brain power" in our whole life.
• They have the advantage of shared knowledge between many generations, and facts are not so easily distorted.
• Today we rely on technology instead of using our brains.  We need written records as reminders.

Then what about the spiritual insight of early man?  Shouldn't we discuss that as well?

Job 19:  ²⁵ “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

²⁶ “Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

This is widely recognized as a Messianic passage.  Job understood God's plan.

Jude  ¹⁴ It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, ¹⁵ to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Even Enoch prophesyed concerning the Messiah.

I mentioned very early on that Josephus records that Seth and Enoch were credited with being the first to tell the prophetic story of the Messiah from the stars.

Psalms 8:  ³ When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

 

 Psalms 19:  ¹The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

² Day to day pours forth speech,

And night to night reveals knowledge.

³ There is no speech, nor are there words;

Their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their utterances to the end of the world.

Genesis 1:  ¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.

Psalms 147:  ⁴ He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.

Job 38:  ³¹ “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,

Or loose the cords of Orion?

³² “Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,

And guide the Bear with her satellites?

³³ “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,

Or fix their rule over the earth?

 

It seems clear to me that God created the stars...and that they were used for signs.  They were arranged in constellations by God, and the stars were named by Him.  They speak to us...not just of the fact of their creation by God...but of the message of Messiah. 
It appears that the ancient Hebrew records contain this story...the heavenly story of Messiah...called the Mazzeroth.  The 12 main constellations are like this:

• Virgo…a deliverer supernaturally conceived of a virgin, born as a man, yet the Son of God
• Libra…to balance the scales of divine justice, an adequate price must redeem man from his curse as a sinner
• Scorpio…redemption’s price requires the death of the deliverer, who must also destroy the serpent-tempter
• Sagittarius…the two-natured Deliverer conquers the Dragon and receives praise
• Capricornus…the living fish results from the death if the sacrificial goat and resurrection life is shared with all true believers
• Aquarius…the Water of life poured out on the redeemed who await the sure return of the Redeemer
• Pisces…delayed salvation sets free those in bondage who await their coming King
• Aries…the lamb was slain to deliver the freed woman to marry her Deliverer, overcoming the great dragon
• Taurus…the judge comes to rule as Prince of Glory as fiery wrath pours out on His enemies and His people are protected in the day of wrath
• Gemini…the coming Prince of Glory crushes the enemy underfoot
• Cancer…the gathered flock is secure in the safe harbor and the rest of their Coming Redeemer
• Leo…the triumphant Redeemer destroys the Serpent upon which the wrath of God is poured out and then is devoured by the raven

When you begin with the constellation Virgo, the Virgin, and end the stellar circle with Leo the lion, the panorama really comes into focus.  The bright star in Virgo's left hand is Spica.  Its ancient Hebrew meaning is the branch, but unlike 19 other Hebrew words for branch, this word alone is reserved in scripture for the Messiah.  Jeremiah 23:5-6 calls the Branch the King.  Zechariah reveals him as the Servant in 3:8 and as Man in 6:12, while Isaiah identifies the Branch only with the Lord in 4:2.  Likewise the gospels reveal the Messiah as King (in Matthew) as Servant (in Mark), as Man (in Luke), and as God (in John). 

Associated with Virgo are her three decans: Coma, Centaurus, and Bootes.  These famous constellations depict the desired son, the despised sin-offering, and the coming shepherd.  Following these are ten meaningful groups of constellations before we come to the last one named Leo the Lion.  The tail of the lion touches the head of Virgo.  And what is that kingly Lion doing?  He is victoriously pouncing on the head of the serpent Hydra, whose body stretches across a third of the heavens!  As Revelation 5:5 depicts Christ as the Lion of the tribe of Judah coming in glory to defeat "that old serpent, the Devil," so we see the precision of the Creator's intent that these stars would be for "signs".  The Hebrew word for Leo refers to a lion hunting down its prey.  In the powerful front legs of Leo is the first-magnitude star Regulus meaning treading underfoot.  The next brightest star is Denebola in the tail and means the Judge who comes.

The previous two paragraphs are from the book Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation by Dennis Petersen. 

If you would like to explore the Mazzeroth further, here are a couple of books I would recommend.
The Gospel in the Stars by Joseph Seiss
The Heavens Declare by William Banks

Just one last topic.  What about the "races" of man?

At the risk of repeating the obvious, there is only ONE race: the human race.

Man has divided himself into races, thinking that some have features in heredity that others lack.  But that is incorrect.  The differences are in degree...
more or less melanin
more or less fat under the skin
more or less transparent skin
wider or narrower nose structure
larger or smaller sinuses
more or less curly hair
etc

In the Bible, man is divided into what we could call people groups, language groups, or tribes.


Only one class left.  Evidences.  I plan to challenge you more than you have ever been challenged.  So get ready!