The REAL Story In The Stars Part 29: Orion, The Mighty Hunter.

Jeremiah 16:16-17

“Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the Lord, “and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.  For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.”

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Orion is probably the most easily recognizable constellation in the night sky, not to mention, the most famous.  He is the first decan associated with Taurus, the Bull, the third act of this three-act play in the heavens.

The scriptures mention this constellation three times:  Twice in the book of Job (9:9 & 38:31), and once in Amos (5:8).  Of course, he frequently appears in secular literature and mythology.

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Mighty Hunter.

This is the picture of a mighty hunter. He has formidable club in his upraised right hand which is pointed in the general direction of Cetus which, we learned earlier, is one of the largest constellations in the heavens. It is a depiction of the devil who is about to have his head crushed by our great Hunter. In Orion’s left hand he is holding the severed head of a lion he has just defeated, also a picture of defeating the devil. (Are you sensing a pattern here?)

As with all of the mighty Champions in this celestial story, one foot is held up as though injured. With that raised foot, he is about to crush a deadly enemy. The great river in the stars, “Eridanus,” flows out of this same foot.

We first met Eridanus when we studied Cetus, who’s front paws are poised over it as he tries to catch the Fish people that live in the river. We will learn more about Eridanus in the next article.

The hunters described in the opening scripture will be those involved in the pouring out of God’s judgment on the workers of iniquity.

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From his famous belt, comprised of the three very recognizable stars, hangs his sword. On its hilt is…..wait for it…..the head of a lamb! 🙌🏻💖

As any serious student of the scriptures can see, in this star sign are many biblical typologies that show us more about our wonderful Jesus Who came and saved the world. The sword depicts His dual nature. The Lamb hilt shows Him to be the Lamb of God Who was slain for us and the sword depicts the One Who is coming to judge the world. Whereas he came as a lamb in His first coming, He comes a judge in His second coming.

The hunters described in the opening scripture will be involved in the pouring out of God’s judgment on the workers of iniquity.

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Why The Gospel In The Stars?

As you know, if you’ve been following this series, there was no word of God for some 2500 years. That is why God wrote the story in the night sky. Ancient men and women not only knew how to read it, they knew what it meant. That’s how the Gospel was spread in ancient times.

The devil, who hates God, cannot strike at Him directly. So, he does the next best thing: Strikes at us, God’s beloved. That’s why he invented astrology: To distort the story so that man would not be able to learn the truth, get saved, and spend eternity in heaven. There is nothing that hurts God more than to see any of his beloved ones suffer in hell for all eternity.

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All the stories of mythology came from the stars. Why? It’s a circular story you see so, if you don’t know where it begins and where it ends, you just end up confused.

In an effort to help man know where it begins and where it ends, God placed a monument at the border of Egypt in form of the Great Sphinx. It has the head of a woman and the body of a lion indicating that this greatest of all stories begins with Virgo, the virgin, and ends with Leo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In case you missed that part, all the details are in part 3. You may follow the link below to read all about it:

The REAL Story In The Stars Part 3: The Sign At The Border.

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Revealing Mythological Story.

In Greek Mythology the story goes like this:

Orion was a great hero with supernatural powers. Being the son of Poseidon, “god” of the sea, he possessed the ability to walk on water without sinking. (Sounds like someOne we know! 😁)

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Remember the constellation Scorpio? That star sign is also a picture of the devil. Orion supposedly received a mortal wound in his foot from a scorpion. (I think they borrowed their story line…..😉.) One of his great works was making an underworld home of the “gods” of the fires. (Satan and his demons?) Hmmm…..this also sounds “vaguely” familiar. 🤔 Later on, he was made into a constellation in the heavens and placed opposite of Scorpio. He, like Taurus, rises as Scorpio sets demonstrating for all to see that he has triumphed over all his enemies! AWESOME!

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Ancient Names For The Sign.

We have a few different names passed down to us from various ancient cultures.  In Hebrew this figure was called, “Orion,” meaning “One coming forth as light.”  In Arabic, we have no less than four names handed down to us.  They are “Al Giauza: The Branch;  “Al Gebor,” which means “The Mighty.”  A third name is “Al Mizam: “The Prince, The Ruler.”  Last of all, they also called him “Al Nagjed: “The Prince, The Wounded.”  

Here is that ancient people from whom we don’t hear much: The Akkadians. Their name for him was “Ur-Ana: The Light of Heaven.”  

So…..this One was seen as “One coming down as Light of heaven, The Mighty, The Branch,  and The Princely Ruler Who was wounded.”

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Ancient Names Of The Stars.

Beginning with the brightest star located in his right shoulder, we find “Betelguez,” an Arabic name that means “The coming of the Branch.”  Second on the list, also from Arabic, is “Rigol,” located in the left foot.  It means “The Foot,” or “One treading underfoot.”

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Third in order of magnitude is “Belatrix,” which means “Hastily Coming,” found in his left shoulder.  The next brightest stars have Arabic names and are found in his belt.  They are “Mintaka: Dividing the Belt, “Al Nitak: The Wounded,” and “Al Rai: The Bruising.”

They paint quite a picture, don’t they?  When we see the risen Savior face to face, we will see His beautiful face full of love for us, His body with the marks of the cross:  Riven side, nail marks in His hands and feet, and a bruised heel.

In Orion’s left leg is a star with a Hebrew name, “Saiph,” which means “The Bruising.”  Over and over in the entire story is the overwhelming theme of the great Champion Who tread on the head of the devil and crushed his head.  But in so, doing, His heel was bruised.  This can be none other than our Lord Jesus!  He is THE ONE to whom God was referring in Genesis 3:15.

“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.”

Here are the names of some other stars, though their positions are not certain. Two that come to us from the ancient Chaldeans are “Hecke: Coming,” and “Niphla: The Mighty, or The Mighty Coming.”  Two more stars with Hebrew names are “Melissa,” which means “Coming forth,” and “Nux,” meaning “The Strong or the Strong coming forth.”

Another star bearing an Arabic name is “Thabit: Treading upon.”  “Kesil, or Chesil” from the Hebrew, is mentioned in both Job and Amos.  It was translated “Orion,” which means “Bound together, Constellations, or the Burly, Strong one.”  These may refer to the nebulae in the sword.

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The Denderah.

The Egyptians at the temple at Denderah saw Orion as a man coming forth, pointing to three bright stars, indicating his ownership of them:  Bellatrix, Betelguez, and Rigol.  They called him, “Ha-ga-T.”  Ha means “The Chief;” “Ga” means “Triumphs,” and “T” which stands for the definite article “The or This.”  Put it all together and you read, “This Chief Triumphs!”

Their spelling of Orion was a more ancient spelling”  “Oarion.”  Written in hieroglyphics below the picture of this star sign in their temple is the word “Oar.”  It comes from the Hebrew foot word for “LIGHT!”

Thus, to the Egyptians, this One meant “Coming forth as LIGHT!”  Even so, COME, Lord Jesus!

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So church, the next time you look up into the night sky and see the awesome figure, understand that He is Orion, the Mighty Hunter, the Strong, the One Who is coming forth in light!

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In our next decan, we will finally meet the great river in the stars, “Eridanus.” You may follow the link below to continue this series:

The REAL Story In The Stars Part 30: Eridanus, The River.