Leo, the great lion. "The conquering lion of Judah", Jesus Christ, who will come again. The king that the apostle John traced back to that tribe of Israel. In his heart is the star called Regulus.

This is the whole story of God's atonement work on earth, its beginning and ending are symbolized by the sphinx - combining Virgo and Leo.

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At this point it will be helpful to understand some basic principles of the meaning of numbers in scripture. With insight into the symbolic meaning that numbers possesas they occur in the Bible one will understand the full meaning of the "riddle of the sphinx" The study of the meaning of numbers in scripture is called Biblical Numerics or Biblical Numerology. This study is intrinsicto theology and history of the Bible because of the language it was written in, Hebrew and Greek. These two languages share the aspect of using letters for words and also a system for counting. The spiritual meaning for numbers that continuously show up in scripture, intentionally put there by God,can be discerned. The following list is a brief description of the symbolic meaning of primary numbers.

 
The Greek myth Oedipus Rex contains revealing symbology -- too much to address in this article. But for our purposes, let's examine the riddle of the sphinx.  The monsterous Sphinx asked Oedipus: "What speaks with one voice, yet in the morning walks on four legs, walks at noon on two legs and in the evening walks on three legs?" Upon hearing the correct answer,  the Sphinx left her lofty perch and fell to the rocks below. The symbolism alludes to the true identity of the sphinx as a rebellious cherub -- perched in the mountainous high places -- literally amongst the stones -- outsideThebes, the City of Light.  The man who defeats this rebellious cherub will have a messianic name, Oedipus, literally wounded in the foot. The man who was named Wounded Foot, upon defeating the rebel cherub, redeems his promised bride at the end of Oedipus Rex, taking his place as king.

The sphinx or wrathful cherub, asked the question, "What speaks with one voice, yet walks on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon and three feet in the evening?" The question  decoded using Bible numerics, would read: "What creature, spoken into creation by God, (one) walked before God in perfection at the beginning, (four) fell from grace and was divided from God, (two) and will be redeemed and made perfect by God, (three)?
The answer: man.The real question couched ingeniously in the riddle was this, who will redeem man?

The earliest prophecy in the Bible concerning the messiah who will defeat the serpent, or the rebel cherub is in Genesis 3:15. Oedipus the Wounded Foot is symbolicof the coming Messiah,  who would be born of the lineage of Adam and Eve. The defeater of the Greek Sphinx -- the defeater of death -- would speak the answer and the cherub would be destroyed. That is, The Word is Wounded Foot's weapon, and the means by which the bride, and all of the land, would be redeemed.

According to Menzel, author of A Field Guide to the Stars ,   "Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, may well be an alternative form of Hercules,  for the giant frequently had to deal with snakes, beginning in infancy when he strangled the serpentin his crib. Ophiuchus bears Serpens, the Serpent, in his hands, and his right foot is almost touching the stinger of the Scorpion".  The offspring of Adam & Eve, the prophesied Messiah, "Bears the Serpent" as a representation of sin, and redeems all man through his crucifixion and resurrection. Ophiuchusis the resurrected Asclepius [also, Esculapius ], the healer whose symbolis the serpent staff. The learned Greek hero Asclepius was killed because he was able to raise the dead. Here is a brief but illuminating account:

Orion (the blinded demigod who had regained his eyesight) journeyed to the island of Crete. There he met the beautiful Artemis, goddess of the Moon, also called Kynthiabecause she and her twin brother, Apollo, were born on Mount Kynthos. Apollo disapproved of the union between his sister the Moon Goddess and Orion.  His sister was so involved with Orion that she forgot to carry the Moon across the sky.  Apollo was disgusted with his sister and thought the only way to solve this problem was to kill Orion.

One day Apollo sent Orion to the sea to catch some fish. When Orion waded through the sea,his head just above water, Apollo called his sister and pointed out the unrecognizable black dot far away. He tauntingly told her that although she was good with her bow, even she had her limits, and it was highly unlikely that she could hit the tiny target. Artemis felt insulted, immediately fit an arrow to her bow, and shot the target. Her aim was perfect, as always.The arrow pierced Orion's head, killing him instantly.  Artemis was horrified to discover her mistake.  She took Orion's body to her nephew Esculapius (son of Apollo & Coronis), begging him to resurrect Orion. Before Esculapius could act, a thunderbolt from Zeus destroyed Orion's body, but killed Esculapius as well. Artemis the Moon Goddess set Orion in the heavens, and Zues, realizing that Apollo's son Esculapius didn't deserve his fate, set him in the stars as the constellation Ophiuchus.

 
Another reference to the man who is victorious over one the many manifestations of the rebel cherub is found in the typology of Orion. According to Bullinger's The Witness of the Stars: His name is given as Ha-ga-t, which means thisis he who triumphs. The hieroglyphic characters below read Oar. Orion was anciently spelt Oarion, from the Hebrew root, which means light. So that Orion means coming forth as light. The ancient Akkadian was Ur-ana,the light of heaven.

The constellationis mentioned by name, as being perfectly well known both by name and appearance, in the time of Job; and as being an object of familiar knowledge at that early period of the world's history. See Job 9:9; 38:31, and Amos 5:8 (Heb.Chesil, which means a strong one, a hero, or giant).

The picture presents us with "the Light of the world." His left foot is significantly placed upon the head of the enemy. He is girded with a glorious girdle,studded with three brilliant stars; and upon this girdle is hung a sharp sword. Its handle proves that this mighty Prince is come forth in a new character. He is again proved to be "the Lamb that was slain," for the hilt of this sword is in the form of the head and body of a lamb. In hisright hand he lifts on high his mighty club; while in his left he holds forth the token of his victory -- the head and skin of the "roaring lion" [ww - he has been victorious over the rebel cherub/sphinx] We ask in wonder,"Who is this?" and the names of the stars give us the answer.

The brightest, a(in the right shoulder), is named Betelgeuz, which means the coming (Mal 3:2) of the branch.

The next, b (in theleft foot), is named Rigel, or Rigol, which means the foot that crusheth.The foot is lifted up, and placed immediately over the head of the enemy,as though in the very act of crushing it. Thus, the name of the star bespeaks the act.

The next star, g (in the left shoulder), is called Bellatrix, which means quickly coming,or swiftly destroying.

The name of the fourth star, d (one of the three in the belt), carries us back to the old, old story, that this glorious One was once humbled; that His heel was once bruised. Its name is Al Nitak, the wounded One. * Similarly the star k (in the right leg) is called Saiph, bruised, which is the very word usedin Genesis 3:15, thus connecting Orion with the primeval prophecy. LikeOphiuchus, he has one leg bruised; while, with the other, he is crushing the enemy under foot.
 

It is no mere coincidence that the constellations and star names echo the messianic prophecy of the "man" with the wounded foot, who crushes the enemy.

And it is also no surprise that the narrative in the heavens would be twisted by those cherubs who, pre-rebellion,  were present at the creation of the heavens.

Job 38:1-7
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said ... "Where were you when
I laid the foundation of the earth ? ... When the morning stars sang together And
all the sons of God shouted for joy ?

The Bible describes a history of our solar system, and the ancient non-human occupants of the solar system. Popular culture seems to be obsessed with the ancient mysteries of the Pyramid and Sphinx of Giza, and at the same time, futuristic science fiction scenarios like those in Star Trek, Close Encounters etc.  Recently, CNN featured photos of what seems to be a sphinx-face on Mars. NASA scientists have confirmed that Mars was once a more habitable planet, and legions of fans of the X-Files are convinced that the Truth is Out There -- the truth that there is life on other planets. Or perhaps the truth that is being discovered by researchers like Hancock and Hoagland -- that some other civilization of scientists and builders came before us, and as Hoagland suggests, "we are the Martians".

If there proves to be a giant Sphinx Face on Mars, the identity of these monument builders should not be a mystery: Genesis 6:4   These non-human builders populate the Bible, and are the progenitors of those beings of myth and legend, demi-gods, heroes and men of name.

The typology of the Martian Sphinx confirms that its construction is of angelic origin.

The Sphinx face on Mars unites Virgo and Leo, the human face and that of a lion.