Preface to the Constellation Taurus
The Powerful Authority of Love
(Matthew
12:22-30, Mark 3:22-27 and Luke 11:14-23)
The
kingdom parable about the “Strong Man” (Matthew 12:29) in the gospel of Matthew
will lay a foundation for the study of the constellation Taurus.
The
constellations of Cancer and Gemini revealed that the shepherd
kingdom of God on earth is no “earthly” kingdom; the authority of the kingdom
is the royal law of Love. Love is the
foundation of this kingdom and love manages this kingdom.
The
natural man rarely considers love a force that requires reckoning. Love is not thought of as a force or power. In the imagination of the heart, love is a
sentimental and emotional feeling and sometimes is considered a weakness. In the imagination of the heart, it is
thought that one cannot rule a kingdom without power − without force.
1Corinthians
13:13 (ESV) “So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest
of these is love.” The eternal covenant
written in the luminaries is a covenant of love. Each of the twelve stellar signs with their three
decans declares the glory of God. Each
speaks of the Kingdom of the Son of God’s love.
In Libra
God reveals His love in the transaction that takes place at “the meeting
place,” the propitiation. Libra reveals
the covenant He made with Himself for a universal kingdom of sons of God as
accomplished.
In Virgo
God reveals His love by willingly becoming the Seed of the woman to die
in the stead of His creation and be resurrected that He might become life
everlasting to those who will believe.
In Leo
God reveals His love in the rending lion “treading underfoot,” which is the
just recompense for those who refuse His love.
In Cancer
God reveals His love in the manger and the sheepfold; He is the great Shepherd,
the “One
Who Holds or Shelters.”
In Gemini
God reveals His love in the uniting of the two realms into a universal
kingdom of sons of God in the Jerusalem below and the New Jerusalem above.
Taurus is the sixth sign
from Libra. In the numerology of scripture, six is the
number associated with man because it is the day of his creation. In Taurus God takes captivity captive –
God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven − the coming ruler rejoicing
the heart. Thus in the sign Taurus
God reveals the powerful authority of His love revealed in the Son of Man, the covenant
Son.
Within
the four signs of Taurus, the constellation and the three decans, four facets of
the power of love are presented. Each is
a glorious testimony to the power of love. In the stellar sign Taurus, who is the bull
in the star chart drawing, is the “Judge” of love, the authority, “The
One Who Saves Mightily.” The
first decan “Orion” is the “Strong One” of Love, the
muscle, “The Branch.” The
second decan shows the influence of love, the life giver of love, the Word of
God as “The River of the Judge or Ruler.” Finally, the third decan is “The
Conductor of The Reins” of love, the Shepherd, the
Sovereignty of love.
The
parable is recorded in three of the four gospels; therefore, a broad overview
of the four gospels will be considered first.
The
four gospels, like the four facets of Taurus, have much in common. The four gospels deal with the same period of
history; each sets forth the teaching and miracles of Jesus and each describes
His death and resurrection. Each gospel
has a peculiar theme and subject. However, individually none of them gives a
complete biography of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
The
four gospels set Christ before us in four distinct offices, from four different
angles, in four different relationships; and each displays Him discharging the
responsibilities of each office perfectly.
What is truly amazing is the wisdom of God displayed in the selection of
the four men whom He chose to write the gospels. As an instrument of God, each one had a
peculiar and parallel suitability for his message.
Matthew’s
gospel presents Jesus as the Son of David, the King of the Jews, and his
narrative centers around Christ’s royal genealogy. Matthew is the only one of the four writers
that presents Christ in an official relationship, namely as King of Israel. Matthew is the only one of the four who
filled an official position. He was a
publican – a tax collector (Matthew 10:3) hired by the Romans to collect the
Jewish taxes. How fitting that Matthew,
who was an officer of and accustomed to looking over a vast empire, should be
the one selected for the task of the kingdom gospel. Jews hated the tax collectors, who were hired
by the Romans.
Thus,
Matthew, as the instrument chosen of God, could write of the one who was “hated
without cause” (John 15:25) and set forth Jesus as “despised and rejected” (Isaiah
53:3) by His own nation.
Mark’s
gospel depicts Jesus as the Servant of Jehovah; the One who though equal with
God made Himself of no reputation and “took upon Him the form of a servant”
(Philippians 2:7). This explains why
there is no genealogy recorded in Mark; servants have no need of genealogy. Mark, as the servant of the apostles (2
Timothy 4:11), was well-fitted to serve others in his task as the author of the
servant’s gospel.
Luke’s
gospel displays Jesus in His humanity and presents Him as the Son of man,
related to but contrasted from sons of men. Luke’s gospel also reveals the depravity of
humanity more fully than the other gospels.
Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14) and as such a student of the
human frame. Moreover, there is good
reason to believe that Luke was not a Jew but a Gentile; therefore, it is
curiously appropriate that he should present Jesus not as “the Son of David”
but as “the Son of Man.”
John’s
gospel presents Jesus as heavenly – higher than humanity, setting Him forth as divine,
showing that He was the Son of God. John
was “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7, 20). Not to say that Jesus did not love all the
disciples, but rather John was willing to be loved. How relevant that the one that leaned on the
bosom of Jesus should be the instrument chosen to portray Him as “… the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father…” (John 1:18)!
The overview
of the four gospels figuratively speaks of the four corners of the earth. There are four points to the earth’s compass. There are four seasons to the earth’s year. The scripture describes earth’s inhabitants as
“kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9). Therefore, the number four is the world number. How appropriate that the Holy Spirit should
give us four gospels in which to set forth the earthly ministry of the heavenly
one, the covenant Son.
In Matthew
12:22-30, Jesus, after healing the blind and dumb man, speaks in parables to all
gathered but primarily to the Pharisees and scribes. Mark’s gospel reveals that Jesus healed the
blind and dumb man, and He used the healing to teach them in parables. A parable is a figure of a literal reality.
God
gives figurative pictures portraying literal truths and He gives literal
pictures in a figurative manner. Both
ways convey truth. God links the message
of the figure of the true to the recipient of the message. Three revelations of Jesus are within the
parable, each one a personal and individual “announcement” to the audience of
the parable. Jesus first reveals himself
to the blind and dumb man.
Having
healed the blind and dumb man, Jesus uses the literal picture of the man’s condition
as a figure of the true, the spiritual reality that the leaders to whom He is
speaking are like the blind and dumb man. The ways of God’s works are unchangeable; the
order is always the same. First God
reveals Himself and His plans; the test of obedience to believe the revelation
follows.
Matthew
12:22, 23: “Then was brought unto Him
one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and
dumb both spake and saw. And all the
people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?”
Because
of the demon possession, the man is totally in the dark. He cannot see and he cannot hear. The reality of life is shut out to him. When Jesus healed the man, all the people were
amazed, not the Pharisees, but the people.
Why is their question “is not this the son of David?” Who is David, but the king of Israel? Why would the healing bring this question to mind? The people are acknowledging that Jesus is the
king and heir to the kingdom. They have
eyes to see and ears to hear.
Secondly,
God reveals Himself to the crowd of people.
He shows Himself personally and individually to the heart of each person
in the audience. God is intimate and
personal to the living souls that witness the interaction. God reveals Himself and His plans. He is
the king and heir. His is a kingdom of righteousness and love.
The test of obedience for the people is
will they obey and believe the truth before them or continue to be led by the
blind and dumb leaders.
Matthew
12:24: “But when the Pharisees heard it,
they said, this fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Be-el-ze-bub the prince
of the devils.”
What is
the Pharisees’ response? They are not amazed;
they are accusatory with a nonsensical accusation. Who are the Pharisees and why do they bring up Be-el-ze-bub, or the
more proper name Be-el-ze-bul, the prince of devils? The Pharisees were the so-called self-appointed
leaders of the nation. They were the
separatists of their day. The Pharisees
considered themselves much holier than the common people and wore special
garments to distinguish themselves from others. The Pharisees taught the traditions of the elders
were derived from the same fountain as the written Word, claiming both to have
been delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai.
In the
imagination of their heart, these so-called leaders desired the kingdom for
themselves. They were false shepherds,
wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Be-el-ze-bub,
the prince of devils, has the Old Testament meaning “lord of flies”; however, the
name properly should be Be-el-ze-bul.
Be-el-ze-bul is a title meaning “Lord of the House.”
Matthew
12:25: “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, every
kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or
house divided against itself shall not stand.”
Verse
25 shows the third audience to whom He reveals Himself. The phrase “Jesus knew their thoughts” is
important in understanding the discussion between the Pharisees and Jesus. Jesus and the Pharisees are having a
conversation within a conversation, spoken and unspoken.
Jesus,
knowing the issue of the heart, knew the source of their thinking. The Pharisees thinking is sourced in the evil
one, “the Lord of the House,” the prince of devils; they are totally in the dark
to reality. They are blind to the truth
because they refuse to see and dumb because they refuse to hear. They refuse to lay down the pride of self-will
and think. Thinking they know and
thinking they have a right to think independently – to think the way they want
to – shows their lawlessness.
In
their nonsensical accusation of the healing of the demon-possessed man is their
answer to the test of their obedience to believe the truth. What is at issue for the Pharisees is not who
is Lord of the House but to whom does the kingdom belong? Which kingdom, city and house are spoken of
between the two in their unspoken conversation?
It is the kingdom of Israel, the city of Jerusalem and the house of
David.
Who has
the authority? At that time in the
nation’s history, the Pharisees are the ruling authority; they have a system of
politics, economics and religion; they are not willing to give up the power of
their kingdom. That is why the Pharisees
attempt to discredit Jesus and that is why the phrase “Jesus knew their
thoughts” is important. The Pharisees
want the kingdom for themselves and that is why the accusation of who is the authority
in the kingdom is the crux of the question.
In His response
to the accusation of the blind and dumb Pharisees, Jesus reveals their thinking
to have the kingdom and the result of such thinking; ultimately, they are going
to scatter the kingdom. (He goes
straight to the heart of the matter − the pride of self-will.)
Matthew
12:25-28: “…Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided
against itself shall not stand: And if
Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom
stand? And if I by Be-el-ze-bul cast out
devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God,
then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”
Whatever
is divided is brought to desolation, whether it is a kingdom, city or house. If Satan cast out Satan, he is dividing
himself and his kingdom shall not stand. Satan does not have a kingdom, because he does
not have dominion. God gave dominion to
man. The Pharisees’ nonsensical
accusation of Jesus is proven to be just that – nonsense. There is no sense – no rationale to their way
of thinking.
In the
pride of self-will, there is no sense. The thinking is sensual and sourced in the
lusts of deceits; it is foolishness and lunacy. The enmity
of the pride of self-will, God’s greatest enemy − man’s own thinking cannot be
subdued, tamed or conquered; it must be put to death.
Jesus
warns the Pharisees to not be unwilling to be “domesticated” by the love of the
Sovereign but receive the life everlasting offered in the covenant Son. If you refuse, you will be brought to desolation.
Change your mind and turn to God. The battle is for the mind − man’s own pride
of self-will, thinking he has a right to think independently − the way he wants
to – lawlessness.
The
question is if by the power of Be-el-ze-bul Jesus cast out devils, by whom do
the Pharisees’ children cast them out? Who
are the children or sons of the Pharisees and who is the source of their power
to cast out devils and why shall the children be the judges of the Pharisees? The children of the Pharisees were not
literally children born to them but those willing to be mentored by them −
those willing to be taught and trained in the Pharisees’ ways of thinking.
During
Jesus earthly ministry, many were
casting out demons (Luke 9 and 10). There
is a difference between casting out in the power
of Jesus name and claiming the
power of Jesus name. Jesus calls the
bluff of the Pharisees to discredit His authority; both know the source of the
children’s power to cast out devils.
The
Pharisees’ children are not followers of Jesus. The strategy is the subtle scheme of Be-el-ze-bul
to divide Jesus’ kingdom by having the children of the Pharisees cast out
demons in Jesus name. It appears that
all is the same, but the reality is the Pharisees and their followers are the
counterfeit of the “true.”
If by
the Spirit of God, Jesus cast out devils is that not proof that the kingdom of
God is come upon them. What more could “Love”
say? I Am, that I Am (He); the works
that I do are done according to the Spirit of God. I Am, that I Am (He), Heir of the Kingdom. I Am the King of the Kingdom. I have the authority, I Am that I Am, I Am the
authority.
In His
warning to the Pharisees in verse twenty-nine, Jesus gives a prophetic
revelation of that which is soon to happen not only to Him but for the
Pharisees as well.
Matthew
12:29: “Or else how can one enter into a
strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house.”
Who is
the Strong Man? He is not the evil one. The Strong Man is revealed in the star names “The
Branch,” God come in the flesh,
“The
One Who Saves Mightily,” “The Judge” or “Ruler,” “The
Conductor of The Reins” of Love. In
the presence of the counterfeit is the Presence − a force greater than any to
be reckoned with − Love!
What
does it mean to spoil the goods and then spoil his house? Can Love be bound? Absolutely not! What Jesus is saying to the Pharisees is that which
is about to take place. That is the
“taking” of His goods and the spoiling of His house is impossible without the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.
Jesus
would soon say “As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My Life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them also I must bring, and they
shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I
lay down My Life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of
myself. I have power to lay it down, and
I have power to take it again. This
commandment have I received of My Father” (John 10:15-18).
The
sheep are at stake in terms of the kingdom, the lost sheep of the house of
Israel and other sheep not of that fold, the sheep that will be separated from
the goats at the establishment of the kingdom (the nations who will be invited
into the kingdom). The way to “find” the
sheep and to gather them into the fold is not by the force of a religious,
economic and political system but by Love. Love is not a sentimental and emotional
feeling but the person of God in Christ.
Wicked hands
would crucify and slay the “Strong Man,” the covenant Son; but it would not occur
without divine consent. Can Love be
bound? Absolutely not! Death cannot hold onto Love. Love is a force greater than death. Love is the greatest! Who could foretell a future event except a
true Prophet of God?
Finally
what does Jesus mean in Matthew 12:30: “He that is not with me is against me; and he
that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”
The
blind and dumb Pharisees were not with Jesus but against him; they were not
gathering sons for the kingdom of God but scattering the seed abroad. Thinking to obtain the kingdom for themselves
through putting to death the covenant Son, the kingdom was scattered.
The
pride of self-will must be put to death. It cannot be subdued or tamed; it must be
conquered. To be with Jesus, one must
come God’s way. His way is life
everlasting, His way is Love; Love is what conquers the pride of self-will. The
pride of self-will is put to death through the life provided in the covenant
Son; Love rules over the pride of self-will. Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter
the kingdom of God.
Love is
mightily seen in the stellar sign of Taurus.
Love is the force that requires reckoning. “The One Who Saves Mightily,” the covenant
Son,
“The Branch,” the Seed of the woman, “The
River of the Judge or Ruler,” the word of God, “The
Conductor of The Reins” of Love, the Shepherd King
Priest will rule the kingdom with a rod of iron, the Sovereignty of His love.
“So now
faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is
love.” (1Corinthians 13:13 ESV). Love is greatest because God who is Spirit in
being took a body of flesh in order to die and be raised a Son of God that He
might have a kingdom of sons – sons of His Love.
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No Glossary for the Powerful Authority of Love
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