Then there is the cluster of stars known as the Pleiades. This word, which means the congregation of the judge or ruler, comes to us through the Greek Septuagint as the translation of the Hebrew כִּימָה, Chima, which means the heap or accumulation, and occurs in Job ix. 9; xxxviii. 31, 32, and Amos v. 8.
It consists of a number of stars (in the neck of Taurus) which appear to be near together. The brightest of them, marked η in all the maps,[59] has come down to us with an Arabic name—Al Cyone, which means the centre, and has given the idea to some astronomers that it is the centre of the whole universe. The Syriac name for the Pleiades is Succoth, which means booths.
Another group of stars (on the face of the Bull) is known as The Hyades,[60] which has the similar meaning of the congregated.
Other stars, not identified, are named Palilicium (Hebrew), belonging to the judge; Wasat (Arabic), centre or foundation; Al Thuraiya (Arabic), the abundance; Vergiliæ (Latin), the centre (Arabic, vertex) turned on, rolled round.
Every thing points to the important truth, and all turns on the fact that the Lord is coming to rule! This is the central truth of all prophecy. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” All hope for Creation, all hope for the world, all hope for Israel, all hope for the Church, turns on this, that “Jesus is coming again,” and that when He comes His saints, “the daughters of the King” (like the Pleiades and Hyades), will be with Him.
There is nothing of “the Church” revealed here. The Church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, to be for ever with the Lord (1 Thess. iv. 17) before He thus comes unto the world in judgment. He will come forth to receive the members of His Body unto Himself, before He thus comes with them to destroy all His enemies and “judge (or rule) the world in righteousness.” When we read this Sign of Taurus, therefore, we are to understand that His Church will be with Him, safe from all judgment.
There is very much in the Scripture of the Book, (as there is in the prophecies in the heavens) about the coming of the Lord in judgment; and about this time of His indignation. For Enoch, who doubtless was used in arranging these prophetic signs, uttered [pg 123] the prophetic words, “Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all and to convict all that are ungodly” (Jude 14, 15).
We have said (pages [17], etc.) that at a very early period these signs were appropriated to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and borne upon their “standards.” This may be traced in the Blessing of Jacob (Gen. xlix.), and in the Blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii.). Taurus was assigned to Joseph, or rather to his two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, like the two powerful horns:
“The firstling of his bullock (marg. his firstling bullock)—majesty is his,
And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox (Reem).