Page 212 - Foundations

The Ancient Zodiac and its Motions

Map of the Constellations by Johanne Gabriele Doppelmayr, 1730
(Click on image to view larger)

In God’s very first contact with humanity after our forebears sinned in the Garden of Eden, Yahweh
began to disclose to them His plan for their deliverance. He spoke of a Seed coming forth from the
woman who would crush the serpent’s head. In doing so, this deliverer would be wounded by the
serpent. These words provide an example of symbolic speech. The Seed crushing the serpent’s head
is an allusion to Christ destroying Satan’s authority and tyrannical rule over mankind.

Yahweh recognized an immediate need to set hope in the heart of fallen man lest he be overwhelmed
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with despair and fall further into depravity and the snare of the enemy. We learn in the 4 chapter of
Genesis that Yahweh gave man further instruction regarding the role of a sacrificial and
substitutionary offering. We read of Abel bringing of the firstlings of the flock to present as a burnt
offering before Yahweh. This occurred 2,500 years before the covenant of the Law was delivered to
Moses upon Mount Sinai, yet there is no Biblical record of Yahweh speaking to these earliest of our
ancestors about sacrifices and offerings. Through the historical narrative alone, we understand that
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this divine knowledge was communicated to man. Similarly, in the 8 chapter of Genesis we read of
Noah presenting offerings to God upon an altar.

Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and
offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Noah also understood the principle of offering, and presented sacrifices 1,000 years before the Law
was given to Moses. Noah apprehended another truth of which no Biblical record exists of God
having communicated it to man. He understood that only clean animals were suitable as offerings
unto Yahweh. We don’t have a Biblical record of Yahweh identifying clean and unclean animals to