A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”
and “A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”
Hercules is a minor star grouping, or Decan, belonging to the Major constellation, Scorpio. The first two decans of Scorpio are “Serepens, the serpent,” and “Orciuchus, the serpent holder.” We met Orciuchus in discussing Scorpio in part 6.
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Celestial Narrative.
Elohim (Creator God), both created and named all the stars. We have seen how He placed them in the heavens and orchestrates their movements. As you saw in the case of the Southern Cross, this is an on-going process. The stars were placed there, the Bible says, not only to divide night from day and to mark the seasons but, according to Genesis 1:14, “FOR SIGNS.” That means they tell of events that will happen in the future.
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When this story was written, the death that God’s Champion would die was in the distant future, as man counts time. Nevertheless, the stars told in amazing detail what Jesus would do on our behalf. Basically, as you’ve read before, it is the entire New Testament written there, from the Virgin birth to the coming of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah after the Great Tribulation. It forever stands as a testimony of the veracity of God’s word.
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In an effort to confuse the narrative, we also learned that the devil tried to distort the story so that man would not come to know the truth and get saved. But, just in case there’s any doubt about Who’s really in charge, consider this little narrative borrowed from Greek mythology.
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Diverse Cultures, Same Message.
It is absolutely stunning when you realize just how many peoples and cultures knew of this strong man in the stars.
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This minor constellation was known to the Greeks who called him “The strong man, Herakles.” It was the Romans who gave him the name, “Hercules.” The Egyptians named him, “Bau,” which means, “The One Who cometh.” To the Phonecians, who predate the Greeks, he was a savior and worshipped as such. Even the Chaldeans knew of his legendary feats. The Arabians called him, “Al Giscale: The Strong One,” and to the Jewish people he was known as, “Marsic,” which means, “The wounding.”
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The Story Line.
In any case, he was seen as a mighty man kneeling down on one knee, his right heel raised as though wounded. In his right hand, he is holding a huge club, hand lifted high over his head. His left foot is set squarely upon the head of “Draco, the great dragon” in the stars, a decan belonging to “Saggitarius: The Archer,” the next Major constellation.
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This kneeling figure is wearing the skin of a lion that he himself has slain. His left hand has a death grip on a snake-like, multi-headed monster called, “Hydra,” while he is gripping the branch of an apple tree with apples on it in his right hand. He was often called, “The Branch Kneeling.”
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Familiar Story.
Here’s how the Greeks described him. See if any of sounds just a “little” familiar: 🤔
1. He crushed the head of a “great dragon” under one foot.
2. He has a death grip on Hydra, the “multi-headed snake,” and is embroiled in a galactic struggle with it.
3. He is kneeling on one knee, the dragon’s head in pieces under one foot, a club in one hand and Hydra in the other.
4. They go on to say that this snake bit Hercules, he died, spent 3 days in the belly of a great monster, then came back to life. 😳
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See what I mean? They totally borrowed their stories!
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Secrets In The Greek Text.
In the opening passage taken from 1 Peter 2, I’m sure you noticed that that part of the verse that says, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” has a bold red, underlined word. Peter is a quoting Psalm 118:22. But remember, the New Testament is written in Greek. The Greek word for corner, “Gónia,” is derived from the root word, “Gonu,” which means, “Knee.”
How exquisite is God’s word and how cool it is that everything lines up in both His word and in the heavens to tell the matchless story of Jesus!
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Borrowed Storyline?
Hmmm…..Does their story sound “vaguely familiar?” It should! I think they borrowed their tales and legends from somewhere else. You and I know one just like it, only better! It’s the one about THE STRONG MAN, JESUS!
….and now HE HOLDS ALL THE KEYS! HALLELUJAH!!!
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No wonder God BLASTED His story all over the night sky, the TRUE story of The Perfect Lamb, the Son of the living of God, our Lord Jesus, the REAL STRONG MAN!
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The Garden Curse.
Way back in the garden, the devil heard the pronouncement against him and how God would send His Champion to crush his head: Genesis 3:15
15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
In response to the curse, he is endlessly trying to avoid his fate, but he keeps on FAILING…..endlessly…..MISERABLY! He will always fail and God will ALWAYS WIN!
It’s more likely that pagans didn’t actually borrow the story. Rather, it was inserted into their culture and literature by ol’ slimy, the #1 perverter of every good thing; satan. He ceaselessly attempts to distort everything God does to prevent the spread of the gospel in an attempt to destroy God’s beloved creation: Us.
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When David penned these words of Psalm 19: “The heavens declare the glory of God……” He wasn’t kidding. As you can see, THEY REALLY DO!
For those who have been following this series, you have seen that the Hebrew word for “Declare” in Psalm 19 is “Saphar.” It means “To count or recount,” as in “Tell the story.” The stars were put there to tell man the gospel story since it wasn’t written down for some 2500 years.
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Today we have the Bible to tell us the wonderful stories of Jesus and no longer need to tell the Gospel by looking at the stars. But they still remain there as a testimony of what Jesus did for all mankind so that “they are without excuse.” EVERYONE knows there is a God, whether they admit it or not.
It is important to understand the REAL story in the stars because there are many who put their faith in horoscopes and star signs. When you know the real story, you will be able to show these misguided people the REAL STRONG MAN, JESUS!
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For those who live in an area so remote that the gospel has not been preached but seek to know God personally, they will have that prayer answered. God will do whatever it takes to send a human messenger to preach the gospel to them. Abba is a good Dad! He parts the waters and makes a way where there seems to be none!
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After The Rapture.
After the Church is taken out of this world in the Rapture, this wonderful story will be further proof to natural Israel that the New Testament is holy writ, just as surely as the Old Testament. They will see written there the story of the Messiah, Who long ago came and accomplished salvation for everyone, not just Israel.
That’s our Jesus: The REAL Strong Man; our Hercules!
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You may follow the link below to part 8. We’ll be taking a little side trip to discuss the Star of Bethlehem:
Emmaus Road Ministries 