Tonight at about 8:00 PM the constellation Auriga (“The Shepherd”) will be directly overhead.

Auriga is one of the constellations associated with Taurus (“The Bull”) which tell of the Second Coming of Christ. In the ancient world the bull symbolized great power, reminding us that Christ will return in power to conquer His enemies. The bright constellation Orion (Coming Forth as Light), a picture of Christ preparing to crush the serpent Satan, encapsulates the theme of the Star Bible that the Seed of Woman will be bruised in the heel and will crush the head of the serpent (See Genesis 3:15). Flowing out of Orion, the constellation Eridanus (“River of Fire”) shows the fate of Christ’s enemies (Revelation 21:8).

In the midst of this picture of judgment Auriga tells a different story. The constellation pictures a shepherd (Christ: See John 10:14, 15) holding a goat and two kids. The goat represents the Jews, who will be kept through the time of troubles before Christ returns, and who will live during Christ’s 1,000 year reign. The two kids represent the Church, uniting Gentiles and Jews to rule with Christ when He returns. The Shepherd reminds us that “The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgement, while continuing their punishment” (2 Peter 2:9).

Next week on March 9 we celebrate Purim, the feast of Jews under Queen Esther. The story of how God rescued the Jews while destroying their enemies is a powerful illustration of the promise of Auriga to hold the Jews safe and rescue God’s people.

Auriga has a distinctive shape and contains the sixth brightest star Capella (“The Goat”), which is almost directly overhead. The two stars representing the kids, known as the Haedi, are almost directly on the Zenith point near Capella. Just below Auriga to the West are the two brightest star clusters in the sky, the Hyades (The Congregated) representing those who return with Christ at His Second Coming (Jude 14-15) and Pleiades (The Congregation of the Ruler) representing those believers alive when Christ comes who will be taken up to meet Him in the air. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) Auriga is also located in the Milky Way, known in ancient times as the Highway to Heaven, and presents a fine sight through binoculars.

So enjoy the constellation Auriga tonight, and rejoice that the Good Shepherd will protect His flock in the midst of judgment, as we travel along the Highway to Heaven.