What an amazing place! This is Angkor Wat! It’s the largest religious complex on the planet. Its name means ‘City of Temples’ and it covers some 160 hectares or 400 acres.  There are more than a thousand buildings and temples here that stretch for as far as the eye can see.  

And it was all built by hand. It’s thought to have taken 35 years to build all these temples, with 300,000 labourers and 6,000 elephants. The estimated 10 million tons of sandstone used in these buildings were moved into place without the aid of any machinery. 

The architects of this place were highly skilled and had an intimate knowledge of astronomy.  They designed Angkor Wat to be aligned with the stars, and it was built to connect the local worshippers with the celestial bodies. As many as 18 astronomical alignments have been identified within its walls.

The most famous occurs on the morning of the spring equinox, when Angkor Wat temple features a very distinctive and spectacular sunrise event.  The sun rises exactly behind the pinnacle of the central tower, the most sacred point of the temple rising 65 metres, or 200ft above the ground.   

But making accurate measurements of the stars and planets, and keeping organised records of astronomical events and incorporating them in the design of their temples and sacred monuments, wasn’t unique to the builders of Angkor Wat.  

Virtually all ancient civilisations considered the celestial bodies and their movements of great importance, and incorporated astronomical events into the design of their sacred temples and monuments.  

The Egyptians, Babylonians, Mesopotamians, Chinese, Incas, Mayans and Aztecs all built splendid sacred monuments that reflected astronomical events associated with the movement of the planets and stars.  

They believed the heavenly bodies were associated with the divine.  They were revered as gods to be worshipped and were considered of vital importance to people’s day-to-day lives.  The ancient people believed the stars carried an important message for people – and they do.  The stars have a message for us today.

So, join me on a journey to some of the most magnificent sacred sites in the ancient world to discover the message of the stars – a message that will hold you spellbound! 

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AWESOME WONDERS

Space is awesome!   Just think of the immensity of space.  For example, our earth could fit into the sun 1.3 million times.  And one of the closest large galaxies to us is the Andromeda galaxy that is 2.5 million light years away.  Now, just imagine for a moment what that means?  

Traveling at the speed of light – 18 million kms or just over 11 million miles or per minute – it would take you two and a half million years to reach our nearest neighbour galaxy, Andromeda.  And then we’re only on the edge of the Universe.  

Yes, the magnitude of space is awe-inspiring.  For instance, there are more stars in space than grains of sand in the world.  In fact, there are 10 times more stars in the night sky than grains of sand on all the beaches on planet earth.

It’s difficult for the human mind to comprehend innumerable worlds, immeasurable space, and the intricate design evident everywhere in the universe.  Yet, this incredibly complex universe is as smooth-running as a delicate, finely tuned watch.  

Just think!  Billions of galaxies travelling at phenomenal speed in their appointed course through the skies, with timing so precise that astronomers can predict the location of these heavenly bodies thousands of years in the future.

 It’s no wonder that humans have been fascinated and amazed by the beauty and precision of the stars.  Since ancient times, for thousands of years, the beauty of the night sky has enchanted and mystified people all over the world.

In fact, astronomy was the first science of the ancient civilisations.  They created calendars and time measurements based on the movements of the heavenly bodies.  

And in a sense their lives were governed by the seasons and time measurements associated with the stars and planets. They were overwhelmed by the precision of the stars and the awesome expanse of space.  

They associated it all with the sacred and divine.  They recognised that there is something greater than themselves; that they’re part of something that’s cosmic or divine in nature.  They began to express this spirituality in worship, faith and religion.

The heavenly bodies became so important to the lives of these people that they began to worship them.  Virtually all of the early great civilisations kept organised records of astronomical events and often incorporated them into the building of their sacred temples and monuments.

THE GREAT PYRAMID

Take the ancient Egyptians, for example.  They were great builders and constructed some of the largest temples and sacred monuments ever designed.  Over 4 thousand years ago, on the eastern boundary of the Sahara Desert at Giza they built 3 massive pyramids that are the most famous of all the wonders of ancient Egypt.  

The biggest of the three is the pyramid of Cheops, often called the Great Pyramid. It is the most colossal single building ever erected on the planet, and was the tallest building in the world for over 3,800 years.

 It contains around two and a half million limestone blocks weighing an average two and half tonnes.  If all the stones in this one pyramid were cut into cubes 30cm or 1ft square, there would be enough of them to go right around Australia twice.

But even more astonishing than the size of the Great Pyramid, is the accuracy of its construction.  It’s a marvel of precise engineering.  These massive stones are cut and fitted so accurately that a sheet of paper can’t be inserted in the joints between them.

These ancient pyramids were built to conceal the tombs and treasures of Pharaoh Cheops, his son Chephren, and his grandson Mycerinus.  The ancient Egyptians worshiped many gods, and regarded their pharaoh as a living god.  The pharaoh was god on earth and was linked with the greatest of the Egyptian gods – Re (Ra) the sun-god.  

The pyramid was designed to represent the descending rays of the sun, and it served as a giant stairway for the pharaoh to ascend to the heavens and merge with Re (Rah) the sun. Furthermore, the entire structure is aligned almost perfectly along the cardinal points, north-south-east-west.   

The ancient engineers used the motion of the sun to align the pyramid so precisely and to design the layout of other monuments on the Giza Plateau.  For example, sunset on the winter solstice falls directly above the pyramid of Mycerinus as seen from the Great Sphinx.   

In addition, the early Egyptian architects designed and constructed the three Giza pyramids to align with the three bright stars in Orion’s Belt.  The ancient Egyptians associated the constellation of Orion with Osiris, who was the god of rebirth and the afterlife.

The pharaohs believed that the pyramids alignment with Orion’s Belt would guide them in the afterlife to the heavens and to the god Osiris.                 

The pyramids held celestial significance for ancient Egyptians, who watched the night sky closely and even named constellations after their gods.  And they built the pyramids with the stars in mind, because for them, the pyramids were the gateway to the stars.

PETRA

Now, we continue our journey to the sacred sites of the ancient world as we cross the Red Sea to Jordan and travel along the Kings Highway to a jumbled sandstone mountain range just south of the Dead Sea.  Hidden in this range lies one of the world’s most rare and beautiful ancient sacred sites – the rock-carved city of Petra.

The only entrance to the city is through the Siq – a narrow gorge or crack in the rock about 2kms, or 1.2miles long, which is flanked on either side by 25m, or 80ft high cliffs.   

At the end of the Siq stands one of the most spectacular views in all the world – Petra’s Al- Khazneh – the Treasury.   This magnificent building is almost 40m, or 130ft high and was hand carved deep into the cliff face.

The name Al Khazneh or Treasury originates with the local Bedouin, who believed that an Egyptian pharaoh had hidden treasure in the urn on the top.

 Now, from the Treasury the way broadens into the outer Siq where the Nabataeans, a community of master-builders, carved temples, palaces, tombs, storerooms and stables from the soft sandstone cliffs.   

There was a purpose and a plan behind these rock-carved buildings.  You see, the Nabataeans were sun worshippers.  They worshipped the sun, moon and stars.  And ancient Petra was built for the sun-god in particular.  The city was built to align with the sun. The Nabataean culture designed and erected the city to highlight solstices and equinoxes.

 This ancient civilisation built the famous stone-hewn city of Petra so that the sun would illuminate their sacred places like celestial spotlights.  The city was designed to be a celestial calendar.  This is clearly seen at the great stone temple called Al-Dayr, the Monastery, that is hidden away in the hills behind the city.

Ancient architects tracked the motion of the sun and constructed this building with the winter solstice in mind.  When the earth reaches its farthest point from the sun, light from the sun shines through the great door into the Monastery and falls on an altar of the sun god.  

These great temples were designed and literally carved out of the mountain to incorporate the movement of the sun, moon and stars that the people worshipped. 

STONEHENGE

But we must leave beautiful Petra and continue our journey.  And we make our way to England and the Salisbury Plain, to examine the mysterious massive stone circle known as Stonehenge.

Now, there are nearly a thousand circles of these prehistoric ‘standing stones’ in Europe.  Stonehenge is the most famous of them all.  The massive sandstone blocks that form the main structure of Stonehenge stand more than 9 metres high and weigh 50 tonnes – making this Britain and Europe’s most impressive megalithic monument.

Some of these great stones, averaging 26 tonnes each, were transported all the way from south-west Wales – a distance of 257kms, or 160 miles.

The labour that must have gone into Stonehenge is astonishing.   It’s estimated that it would have taken 1,500 men two months to haul each stone to the site!  

Now, Stonehenge was constructed as a centre for sun worship and was built to align with the sun on the solstices.  The great sarsen stones, put up at the centre of this great site around 4,500 years ago, were carefully aligned to line up with the movements of the sun.

On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north-east part of the horizon and its first rays shine into the very heart of Stonehenge.  On the winter solstice, the sun sets to the south-west of the stone circle.  In fact, Stonehenge – along with other ancient stone circles scattered around Great Britain and Europe, was not only a sacred place of sun worship, but also an ancient observatory.

The ancient inhabitants of England, like their counterparts in Egypt and Petra, studied the movements of the sun, moon and the stars and incorporated them into their worship and sacred sites.

MACHU PICHU

We continue our journey now, as we make our way westward across the Atlantic Ocean to South America, to visit some of the sacred cities of the ancient civilisations that inhabited this great continent.   Located high in the Andes is Cuzco, the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city.

The city was founded in the 12th century AD and was the capital of the great Inca Empire.  Pachacútec was one of the greatest Inca kings who expanded the empire and rebuilt Cuzco.  He made it the political, military, cultural and religious centre of the empire.

 It was the epicentre of the legendary Inca network of roads connecting all points of the empire.  They built over 25,000 kms or 15,000 miles of roads.  And in the Inca Empire, all roads led to Cuzco.

Cuzco was the empire’s holy city.  And at its heart was the magnificent Coricancha temple.  It held the honour of being the Inca Empire’s richest temple and was covered with precious stones and metals. 

In Inca times Coricancha, which means ‘golden courtyard’ was literally covered with gold.  The temple walls were lined with some 700 solid-gold sheets each weighing about 2 kilograms, or 4 and a half pounds.

 Then Coricancha itself was filled with temple treasure that included solid gold altars and statues, as well as a replica of the sun – their leading god.  The temple also served as an observatory from which the astronomer priests monitored the movements of the celestial bodies – the sun, stars and planets – the gods they worshipped.

Inside the temple precincts was a golden courtyard.  The octagonal font in the middle was originally covered with sheets of solid gold weighing 55 kilo’s or 121 pounds. With all this abundant and extravagant use of precious metals Cuzco became known as ‘The City of Gold.’  

 But the Inca architects and engineers were engaged in more than just beautifying the sacred temples and palaces with gold and silver. They also had to devise a fortification system to protect the empire’s wealth.  

The heart of Cuzco’s defences was a stunning fortress-temple called Sacsayhuamán, built on a hill overlooking the city.  From its strategic position high above Cuzco, it was perfectly placed to defend the city and its wealth.

The immense fortress was built of huge stone blocks. The largest stone here weighs 300 tonnes and stands 8 metres or 26ft high.  Nobody knows how these massive stones were cut, moved, and put into place.  The construction methods of the builders of these megalithic walls are still a mystery.

Great grey granite blocks, each as smooth as a pearl, fit together with absolute perfection.  In fact, they fit together so tightly without cement that a knife blade cannot be inserted between the stones.  Three zigzag walls run parallel for 360 metres or 400 yards in length and are up to 8metres or 26ft high. 

There are no other walls like these Inca constructions anywhere in the world.  They’re different to Stonehenge, different to the Pyramids of Egypt, different to any other ancient monolithic stone works in the ancient world.

 However, despite its magnificent design, its massive size, its precise construction and remarkable zig-zag walls, this great stone fortress couldn’t defend Cuzco and protect the empire’s treasure of gold and silver. 

 In 1532 the Spanish conquistadors captured the Inca king.  They demanded a ransom of a roomful of gold and two rooms of silver in return for the king’s freedom.  The Inca dutifully delivered a king’s ransom of 11 tons of gold and 13 tons of silver.

But after the Inca delivered the treasure, the Spaniards killed the Inca king anyway, and the Inca kingdom was doomed. Before long, the last member of the Inca royal family was killed, the temples were sacked and the gold stolen.  

Only one city remained intact, so sacred and secret, that no conquistador was allowed to see it or hear of it.  Finally, the last of its people died.  The green jungle crept in, and the city lay covered in a tangle of vines until 1911, when the American explorer Hiram Bingham came across it.  Today it is simply called Machu Picchu, meaning ‘old mountain.’  This is the most spectacular sanctuary of the Inca empire.

 It is one of the few undefiled by conquerors.   And four centuries after the death of the Inca Empire, this ancient holy city still has the power to enchant and mystify.  Over 40 hectares, or 100 acres of stone buildings of fine Inca masonry exhibit the great skill of those who built the city.

 Looking across the central plaza we see some of the temples that made Machu Picchu a sacred city to the sun god, and at the far end of the plaza is the most important sun temple.  Here the sacred rites were performed.  Nearby stood the most sacred place of all: [Intihuatana] the Hitching Post to the Sun. 

Each year in June, when the sun reached its lowest point, an important rite in the Inca calendar was performed.  With a gold chain fastened around the pillar of solid rock, the high priest would ceremonially tie the sun to the Inca land to ensure that it did not fail to return after its journey through the sky.

The sun-god was the chief deity of the Inca people and their lives and worship were dominated by rituals and ceremonies that honoured the sun, moon and stars.  

CHICHEN ITZA

Now, we journey north to Mexico, where we find extensive Mayan ruins scattered through the jungle over an area of about 10 square kms.

Chichén Itzá is the most famous and best restored of the Mayan sites.  Chichen Itza was one of the most holy cities in the Mayan civilisation.  Most of the buildings here are associated with religious rites and ceremonies.  You see, the Mayans also worshiped the sun, and so like the ancient civilisations of Egypt and Mesopotamia they built pyramids to the sun god.

Ancient pilgrims and worshippers would stand in awe before this remarkable pyramid, Kukulkan [El Castello], particularly at the time of the two equinoxes, when a shadow resembling a giant undulating serpent is thrown across the steps.

 Because they worshipped the heavenly bodies, the movement of the stars was of great importance to them.  This is the observatory where the Mayan priests studied and recorded the movement of the celestial bodies. In the chamber at the top there are sight-lines for sunrise on Midsummer’s Day and at the equinoxes. 

 TEOTIHUACAN

Most people are surprised to discover that there are far more pyramids in the Americas than there are in Egypt.  And some of the most spectacular monuments of the ancient world stand in Mexico at Teotihuacan. Now this is an ancient religious capital and pilgrimage site for the Aztecs.  

The site is dominated by two huge pyramids – the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.  The Pyramid of the Sun covers almost the same area as the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.  The ancient Aztecs, like other ancient civilisations, went to enormous effort to construct these great edifices to worship their gods – the sun, moon, stars and planets.

ANGKOR WAT

But perhaps the most spectacular structure of astronomical significance that has ever been built is the temple of Angkor Wat.  Here astronomy and Hindu cosmology are inseparably entwined, and the temple served as a sacred observatory.  As many as 18 astronomical alignments have been identified here.   

These include the morning sun being aligned with the temple’s tallest tower on the day of the spring equinox and with the temple’s western entrance on the solstice days.   Also, the movements of the moon can be observed from a variety of positions within the temple.

The temple was designed to connect the worshippers with the sun, moon, and stars as well as with the thousands of gods that were carved into the temple walls, columns and ceilings.   Here the celestial and earthly gods of their religion joined to form a unique and sacred experience for the ancient worshipper.        

 Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century during the reign of king Suryavarman ll as his state temple and capital city.   It was originally dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu before it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple.  But we must keep moving…

JERUSALEM

…as we make our way to our final destination, Jerusalem – the most sacred city in all the world.  It’s a holy city to 3 of the world’s major religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the ancestral and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people since the 10th century BC.  

And for the Jewish people, the holiest site in Jerusalem is Temple Mount.  This is where the two biblical temples were located.  It’s located above the Western Wall, the foundation wall of the old temple, and the holiest site where Jews can pray today.  It’s all that remains of the Jewish Temple.

The First Temple was built by King Solomon in 957 BC and was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.  The second temple was constructed under Zerubbabel and renovated by King Herod the Great, and was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.  

Although these temples were destroyed, we know a lot about them – particularly Solomon’s Temple – because the Bible gives a detailed account of how it was built and what it looked like.  Inside, everything was gold.  

All the fittings and furnishings were made of pure gold.  Even the interior roof and wall were overlaid with gold.  So, like many of the other ancient sacred sites we’ve visited, there was a lot of gold and precious metals.  But that’s where the similarities ended.  In the Jewish temples there was no reference to the sun, moon, or stars.  

 The Jews responded differently to the other ancient civilisations, regarding the grandeur of the night sky. They saw and marvelled at the order and precision in the night sky, but instead of worshipping the stars and planets, they saw the heavenly bodies and their rhythmic perfection as evidence of a higher power, a Master Designer. 

The Higher Power, the Master Designer, they called Jehovah or God, and they saw the stars and the universe as a creation of their God.  Their all-powerful Creator God made the stars.  And so rather than worshipping the stars as gods, as other civilisations did, the Hebrews worshipped the God who made the stars.

ANCIENT WISDOM

They saw the stars as evidence that their God was the all-mighty Creator God.  They believed the stars carried a message – a message concerning the origin and destiny of the human race.  Listen to the words of the ancient Bible prophet,

 “The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvellous display of His craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God. Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world.”  (Ps 19:1)

This concept of a Creator-God coloured Hebrew thinking and life, and formed the foundation of Judeo-Christian thought which has underpinned our own civilisation.  

This ancient wisdom is relevant to us today.   Evidently, the heavens are providing the answers to questions many people are asking.  Answers about our origins and our destiny.  People are asking. And the skies are talking back. They carry a message.

Many of us today are uncertain about where we are going, or why.  Uncertain morally and spiritually.  We wonder if the universe we live in is friendly or unfriendly.  But we can find answers to our questions by looking to the stars, to the planned precision of their unfailing orbits – and discover who is behind it all.  That’s what the Bible prophets advised.  Notice these words,

“Look up into the heavens!  Who created all these stars?”  (Isaiah 40:26) 

Ancient wisdom.  But extremely relevant to modern people. You see, when we study the stars, we find rhythmic perfection.  We see that order and design – not chance and chaos – control the movements of the stars and heavenly bodies.

 Order and rhythmic perfection show design – and design means that there must be a designer – a Master Designer. And the very first sentence of the Bible clearly pinpoints this Master Designer, this Creator.  

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) 

And here’s what’s really amazing.  This great Creator God, cares about you.  Listen to this:

 “When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers – the moon and the stars you have made – I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, and pay any attention to him!” (Psalm 8:3,4)

Isn’t that astounding? This big and powerful God who made the stars, actually cares about you and the details in your life. The big things, the little things, everything.   He really does!  The Creator of heaven and earth is not a distant celestial being, He’s an intimate Father who loves you dearly.  God cares more about the inner space of your heart than the outer space of the universe.  You are most important to Him, and He really does care about you.

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It’s the booklet, Message from the Stars. This wonderful little booklet is our gift to you and is absolutely free. I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever, so why not take the opportunity to receive the free gift we have for you today.

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If you’ve enjoyed our journey to Angkor Wat and other ancient sacred sites, and our reflections on the precision, beauty and wonders of space, and the message of the stars, then be sure to join us again next week, when we will share another of life’s journeys together.

Until then, let’s join the ancient Hebrews in recognising the Great God who created the stars, and ask for His guidance in our lives.  Let’s pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, today we’ve been reminded of the precision and magnitude of space.  We’ve seen the work of Your hands and are left in awe by the beauty and wonder of it all.  But even more amazing is your unconditional love for us. Please guide and direct our lives.  We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.