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THE CHARIOT OF ORION CONSTELLATION

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O LORD my God, Thou art very great;

Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment:

Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters:

Who maketh the clouds His chariot:

Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:”

Psalm 104:1-3 

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In the winter-night skies, this most amazing constellation can be seen. It is called “The Chariot of Orion Constellation”.

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Yes, this most remarkable constellation is spoken of in Psalm 104…“O LORD my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment: Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters: Who maketh the clouds His chariot: Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:” Psalm 104:1-3 

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As this star-chart reveals, Orion, along with the Beta-star from the Eridanus Constellation, depicts Orion riding on a chariot made of clouds, being pulled by sheep.

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WHY SHEEP?

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Now, the reason why sheep are illustrated in those clouds, is because, when viewing Eridanus in the night-sky, one can see that it appears like sheep (however, not so much when looking at a star-chart).

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And, one reason for clouds is because the chariot wheel is only partially represented by stars. In other words, this constellation is incomplete, as far as the wheel has been depicted by our Creator Who fashioned it in the day when He created this constellation.

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And so, because Eridanus has these sheep-like, cloud-like curves, and the partial wheel, the natural inclination was that God fashioned this constellation to depict Psalm 104’s description…“Who maketh the clouds His chariot”.

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Eridanus – IAU – Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license

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A CULMINATION OF VARIOUS RELATED SCRIPTURES

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Now, Psalm 104 is not the only passage which speaks to this constellation. No, but like the other Heavenly constellations which God created in the stars, this particular constellation depicts various other Bible passages.

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One such related passage is found in Psalm 45…“Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Most Mighty, with Thy glory and Thy majesty. And in Thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under Thee.” Psalm 45:3-5 

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Yes, looking at Orion, his incredible sword sheath, comprised of two stars plus the famous “Horse-head Nebula”, is spoken of in Psalm 45:3… “Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Most Mighty…”.

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But this psalm also speaks of Orion riding “prosperously”. And verse 5 mentions sharp arrows “in the heart of the King’s enemies”, also depicted as Orion is shooting his arrow in the heart area of the Revelation 12 Dragon Constellation.

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Orion – Wikimedia – share-alike license

Horse-head Nebula – Wikipedia – by Ken Crawford – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF CLOUDS

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Now, there is another reason why sheep are depicted in Eridanus, found in Hebrews…“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1  

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So here is revealed the spiritual meaning of clouds…“a great cloud of witnesses”.

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Christ Returns – Triumph of Christianity – by G. Dore – cropped image – www.christimages.org – Limited-use-license – see their website for restrictions (2)

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“THE CHARIOTS OF GOD….EVEN THOUSANDS OF ANGELS”

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But this Chariot of Orion speaks of another Bible truth, found in Psalm 68:17…“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.”    

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And so, this chariot of “clouds of witnesses”, combines very nicely with this above verse from Psalm 68…“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels”.

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Yes, the Bible speaks of angels as stars, but also speaks of Believers as stars (see Revelation 12:4 & Daniel 12:3). And so, this Chariot made up of stars speaks most eloquently of the great truth concerning God’s vast host of Heaven and Earth…“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

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Elijah and Elisha by G. Dore – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

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THE END

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A HEAVENLY HOBBY

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“Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who hath created these things; that brings out their host by number: He calls them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.” Isaiah 40:26

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ABOVE PICTURE – Starry Night at La Silla – cropped  and altered image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike license

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The above verse is a plea from God to look up at the Heavens and behold Who has created these things.

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In this busy work-a-day world, there are many very interesting things which can occupy one’s time and energy: hobbies, and careers, and entertainments and worries, and habits, to name just a few.

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But as the child of God devotes his or her life to God, there should be a jealous guarding of one’s own heart… “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23.

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The Christian wants nothing to get in the way of running that Christian Race.

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New York Times Square – terabass – cropped image – Wikipedia – Share-alike License

Shoppers in Toronto – cropped image – Wikimedia – share-alike license

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“AND WHEN YE SEE THESE THINGS…

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LOOK UP, LIFT UP YOUR HEAD”

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But having said this, there is one hobby which every ‘Noble Berean’ may take up, which only compliments the pursuit of the heavenly Prize.

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Yes, Signs Of Heaven becomes a wonderfully rewarding hobby which, unlike many less meaningful hobbies, pays off with rich, heavenly rewards. Everlasting rewards!

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And unlike the person in this photo with equipment, all you need is fairly good vision, and a dark, starry night.

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And once a person really gets to know these heavenly messengers, it will become very apparent that the message connected with these signs is truly a message to be heeded.

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Thus will the Christian be able to share this message with others. And there are perhaps many nuances and hidden biblical truths to these signs which have yet to be discovered.

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Astronomy Amateur – cropped image – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;” Luke 21:25

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ABOVE CHART: Summer Constellations with Doves (Sagittarius) & Woman (Ursa Major)

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FIRST FIND ORION & 7 STARS

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The very first step in finding these many constellations, should be to find the two main constellations: Orion, and the 7 Stars (aka, The Big Dipper).

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These two constellations represent Christ (Orion), and His Church (7 Stars).

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And just as these are the easiest constellations to find, so too, the first place to begin studying the Bible is the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John).

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These four books present Christ and His Church, when He walked the earth, just as Orion and the 7 Stars represent Christ and His Church, as seen up in the heavens.

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Then, once you are comfortable finding these two constellations, you can begin to locate the next closest constellations, and so on.

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ABOVE PICTURE: Orion the Soldier and the Revelation 12 Dragon (Hyades & Pleiades, etc.) – winter constellations – www.signsofheaven.org – not for commercial use

ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

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ANOTHER HEAVENLY HOBBY: PRAYER-WALKS

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Now if you’re fortunate enough to be able to go on nightly walks, and you live in an area where you can safely view the stars, here is another Heavenly Hobby which Signs Of Heaven endorses…

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Why not combine star-watching with prayer, as you walk? What a great way to draw closer to God!

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It cannot be over-stressed, just how wonderful it is to walk under the dark canopy of Heaven, while lifting up one’s heart to our Heavenly Father! There is a closeness to God that cannot be described with words!

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(And even if you cannot safely do this, you can always do such prayer-walks in the daytime, in a safe place, such as a mall, which is every bit as effective, prayer-wise.

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And for those who are in confinement, one can view these starry signs on the Internet, or simply listen to Scripture on audio.

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Either way, all such may enjoy God’s richest blessings at this very time in which God is pouring out all Heaven’s treasures upon anyone willing to forsake all, and follow Jesus!)

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Starry Night at La Silla – cropped and altered image – Wikipedia – share-alike license

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THRICE-DAILY PRAYERS

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Now of course, the Bible commands us to, “pray without ceasing“. The Christian is to constantly talk with our Heavenly Father throughout the day.

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But the Bible also holds up the godly life of Daniel, who, when captive in Babylon, still set aside three times daily, in which he knelt for special prayer.

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And furthermore the Bible also says… “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” Psalm 55:17.

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Even those who are bed-fast or in a prison cell can begin to imitate Daniel in this way. And if one is fortunate to be able to walk, then this thrice-daily prayer regimen can be combined with three walks daily and even nightly.

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Marines at Prayer by Alex Raymond – Wikimedia – public domain

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