One of the early popularizers of the Star Bible was E.W. Bullinger, whose classic book The Witness of the Stars appeared in 1893.
Bullinger acknowledged the foundational work of Miss Frances Rolleston, whose earlier work, Mazzaroth: or The Constellations, had collected the research underpinning the Star Bible. He then set about to organize and interpret the Star Bible research, while always deferring to Scripture. The result of his efforts is a masterpiece which even today enjoys wide popularity.
This is not to say that Bullinger’s interpretations were always correct. His belief that the church was a mystery not revealed until Pentecost caused him to miss the beautiful picture of Pentecost shown in Aquarius (the water pourer) and the description of the church contained in Pisces (the fish). Most of the modern writers agree that the Star Bible is a sequential prophetic story with Aquarius and Pisces representing Pentecost and the church age. Even so, Bullinger’s book contains a myriad of useful information, and we recommend it to Star Bible students.
One of the things Bullinger did very well was illustrate his book with constellation maps. Perhaps his most memorable picture is the struggle in the stars, which remains as the cover of the 1967 edition of his book. It is a picture of a man holding a snake to keep it from reaching a crown while standing on a large scorpion. The picture is composed of the constellations Ophiuchus (the serpent held), Serpens (the serpent), Corona Borealis (the northern crown), and Scorpio (the scorpion). It depicts the restraint of evil prior to the advent of Christ.
Tonight, Bullinger’s struggle in the stars is at its highest point in the southern sky at about 11:00 p.m. Ophiuchus will be directly south of the zenith, while Scorpio can also be found by locating its bright red star Antares (the wounding). The target of the struggle, Corona Borealis, is just to the southwest of the zenith point. On July 9 the triumph of Christ is echoed as Venus, the bright morning star (Rev. 22:16), representing Christ, the seed of woman, moves within one degree of the bright star Regulus (treading under foot), dominating the bright morning star laid low (Isa. 14:12) representing Satan, on the western horizon. As always, we recommend binoculars for best urban viewing.
And remember to thank the Lord for Rolleston, Bullinger and others who rediscovered His beautiful Star Bible. {eoa}
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries, spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God; the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage; and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.
