Full Bible Timeline

PART IX:
SIGNS, WITNESS, AND THE HEAVENS

TEACHING TIME BEFORE SCRIPTURE WAS WRITTEN

Scripture does not present time as something humanity discovered independently. From the beginning, God instructed humanity in time, order, and meaning through creation itself. Long before written law, long before genealogies, long before recorded prophecy, the heavens functioned as a visible witness. They taught sequence. They taught anticipation. They taught promise.

This Part examines how Scripture itself frames the heavens—not as objects of divination, but as instruments of testimony. The night sky becomes a classroom before ink ever touched parchment. Time was taught visually before it was recorded textually.

27. GENESIS 1:14 AND THE PURPOSE OF SIGNS

TIME, SEASONS, AND MEANING

Genesis establishes the instructional role of the heavens at creation:

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.”¹

The text does not say the lights exist merely for illumination. They exist for signs (’ot), seasons, days, and years. Time is not only measured—it is communicated. Meaning is embedded into the structure of the cosmos itself.

This principle is reinforced elsewhere. God challenges Job:

“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? Can you bring forth the Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Bear with her sons?”²

The question presumes order, sequence, and governance. The stars move according to divine law, not human manipulation. They testify. They do not predict. Scripture never assigns them authority over human destiny. It assigns them witness.

The distinction is crucial. Astronomy observes God’s order. Astrology attempts to replace God’s authority. Scripture condemns the latter while affirming the former. The heavens are lawful. They are governed. They are meaningful—but they are not divine.

28. THE MAZZAROTH AND THE REDEMPTION NARRATIVE

THE STORY WRITTEN IN THE HEAVENS

One of E. W. Bullinger’s most enduring contributions was his insistence on order. The constellations are not random. They form a sequence. A beginning. A progression. An end.

That order mirrors Scripture itself.

The story opens with Virgo—the virgin. She appears holding a branch and a sheaf of wheat. The brightest star in that sheaf is Spica, meaning “the Seed.” Promise. Expectation. Life yet to come.

Libra follows—the scales. Justice. Weighing. Debt measured. Beneath the scales appears the image of sacrifice. Justice is not denied. It is satisfied.

Scorpio introduces the enemy—the serpent, the sting of death. Conflict enters the narrative. Opposition becomes visible.

Sagittarius, the archer, appears alongside Scorpio, aimed toward the adversary. Conflict is not unresolved. The struggle is advancing toward judgment.

Capricorn, the sacrificial goat-fish, carries imagery of descent and offering—life given from above for those below.

Aquarius, the water bearer, pours out living waters—provision following sacrifice.

Pisces, the two fishes, depicts humanity gathered—Jew and Gentile together, sustained by what has been poured out.

Aries, the ram, speaks again of sacrifice, now associated with rulership and power.

Taurus, the bull, represents advancing judgment—unstoppable force moving forward.

Gemini, the twins, reflects duality—heaven and earth joined, God and man united.

Cancer, the stronghold, conveys shelter and preservation during conflict.

The story concludes with Leo—the Lion. The brightest star, Regulus, means “the crushing foot.” The serpent lies beneath. Dominion is established.

The story begins with promise.
It ends with reign.

Scripture confirms the conclusion:

“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed.”³

29. ADAM, THE NIGHT SKY, AND THE PROMISE OF THE REDEEMER

TEACHING REDEMPTION BEFORE WRITTEN LAW

Scripture affirms that God revealed Himself before Scripture existed:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.”⁴

Long before stone temples or spoken sermons, Adam gathered his descendants beneath the vast auditorium of the night sky. There was no carved sanctuary, no written scroll—only the heavens, ordered and faithful. Month by month, the stars rehearsed the same story: promise, conflict, sacrifice, victory, and rest. Redemption was not hidden. It was displayed. God’s plan to reclaim His children was written overhead, requiring no speculation—only attention, obedience, and faith.

Paul echoes the same principle:

“What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.”⁵

This raises an unavoidable question: how was redemptive hope transmitted before written law?

Scripture never states that Adam taught the Mazzaroth explicitly. But it does state that God taught humanity through creation itself. Knowledge of God was not confined to text. It was embedded in the world.

Ancient Jewish synagogues later incorporated zodiac imagery into their floors—not as pagan symbols, but as ordered representations of time and divine governance. The imagery did not originate in paganism. Its origin predates recorded culture.

Joseph A. Seiss and E. W. Bullinger both argued that the constellations preserved a primordial testimony—not predictive, but declarative. The heavens did not foretell personal fate. They told a story.

A promise.

A Redeemer who would come.

Abraham believed that promise.

Scripture says:

“He believed the Lord, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”⁶

Today, the heavens no longer function as primary teachers. Scripture has taken their place. The written Word has fulfilled the visual witness.

We no longer look up to learn the gospel—we open the Book.

But the witness remains.

Time was taught before it was written.
Redemption was announced before it was recorded.
And the heavens still declare what history has now confirmed.

FOOTNOTES — PART IX

1. Genesis 1:14

2. Job 38:31–32

3. Revelation 5:5

4. Psalm 19:1–2

5. Romans 1:19–20

6. Genesis 15:6