Pisces: Fishers of Men and the Persecuted Church

The seventh sign of a Series: “God’s Zodiac: The Gospel in the Stars” (February 19-March 20), Pisces points to the church’s liberator and original Fisher of Men. Pisces is the sign of the universal and persecuted church and the continuous outworking of the gospel that multiplies in every generation.

Jesus’s first followers– the fish that transformed from the sacrificial goat– Capricorn— are again represented in the sign of The Two Fishes. They are the fruit of the seed of the woman, Virgo, held together by a long unbroken continuous ribbon, placed next to the ram of Aries, bound together, upheld, and governed to glorify God. They are also the outworking of the Holy Spirit that continuously flows in Aquarius.

That they are two fish is no coincidence. Jesus said he would make “fishers of men” and, that “the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.” (Matt. 13:47)

In Syriac, Pisces means, “the fish prolonged;” in Coptic, (Pi-cot Orion), “congregation,” or “company of the coming Prince.” The Two Fishes multiply into generation of believers as the gospel spreads.

But also the Two Fishes point to the universal nature of the church. They live in heaven and on earth; they lived before and after Jesus; they are eternally connected. (Hebrews 11 points to this concept among believers and their spiritual ancestors.)

In Primeval Astronomy, “The Gospel in the Stars,” theologian and Lutheran minister Joseph Agustus Seiss explains:

“The Christian does not stand just where the ancient believer stood, but the old was the bridge by which the new was reached. Christ came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them, and to complete what they looked to and anticipated. There could be no Christian Church without the patriarchal going before it, just as there could be no patriarchal Church without the Christian coming after it to complete and fulfill what the old was meant to prepare for.”

More importantly, once caught, the fish aren’t thrown back into the sea, nor can they get out of the net. They belong to Christ.

They and their three Decans (part of the group of 36 stars represented in each of the signs) also represent the suffering of the church and their protector and liberator, Jesus Christ.

The first Decan, The Band, is depicted as a ribbon that connects the fish and Cetus. Cetus means “he comes” in old Egyptian. It also connects Pisces to Aquarius and Aries.

The second Decan, Cepheus, is found in the extreme North Pole sky with Ursa Minor. Cepheus means “the royal branch,” the king unites (okda) and upholds (samaca) the church. He is near his wife, Cassiopea, one of the Decans of Aries. Cepheus represents the coming king who will release his people from their chains. His stars form a crown on his head, a belt, and a scepter, with corresponding names that mean ruler, branch, king, and redeemer.

The third Decan, Andromeda, sits diagonally from the upper left-hand star of Pegasus. This constellation contains the great spiral nebula, Messier 31, which on a clear night can be seen by the naked eye, especially in November and December where it lies directly over the latitude of London and New York.

Andromeda, a beautiful woman and bride of Christ, is appointed to guard her people and have dominion over the earth. Her head is positioned next to Pegasus and her feet next to Perseus.  Seiss points to Jesus’s answer to Peter (Matt. 19:28), to Paul’s explanation to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 6:2), and to John’s revelation (Rev. 1: 5,6), that God “hath made us kings and priests unto God.”  The fish depict bearers of the heavenly kingdom who submit to the authority of God’s word.

Greek mythology points to Andromeda being eternally bound in chains, her hands and feet tied in captivity. Some suggest that Andromeda represents Israel in captivity because of the meanings of the stars on her head, body, and left foot that could relate to Old Testament prophecy. Andromeda, in Hebrew means, “the chained.” The stars on her head, body, and left foot, mean “the broken down,” the “weak,” and “struck down.” (See also Isa. 41:8-10; 51:21-53:3; Jer. 13:17; Romans 11: 1,2; Rev. 7:4-8)

But closer to the truth and more probable is that Andromeda’s chains represent the persecuted church that has suffered in every generation since Christ. Why? Because the world hates the church and continues to shackle those preaching the gospel. These preachers, Seiss points out, are the true guardians of men. They are the pastors and teachers who God raises up in the church, who are today’s Andromeda.

The church, Jesus’s glorious bride, must for the time-being suffer affliction. Seiss writes,

“She cannot move as she would, or enjoy what pertains to her royal character, her innocence, and her beauty. She is bound to the hard, cold, and ponderous rock of this earthly life. Born to reign with her redeeming Lord, the apostles can only wish that she did reign, that they might reign with her. She is within the sacred territory, but it is as yet a place of captivity and bonds.”

Pisces represents the persecuted church in all conditions and in all generations– and its liberator who will come and set them free.