The Winged Horse

Those who thrill at the sight of running horses must find the Biblical description of the Lord’s return awesome:

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. . . . The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean,” Revelation 19:11–14.

Pegasus reminds us of this great event. The horse figure with wings has been found in Etruscan and other ancient cultures. The wings represent speed—seen also on Hermes’ (Mercury’s) boots. As Jesus said, “Yes, I am coming quickly,” Revelation 22:20.

Pegasus’ name yields Hebrew and Chaldean roots meaning chief horse. Its alpha star, Markab, means chariot or saddle. Other names in the constellation give the sense of joy, and it will be joyful when evil is finally removed from the earth. This was anticipated early in earth’s history, back when the constellations were named:

“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him," Jude 14-15.

Pegasus is one of the easier constellations to find. It’s a big, empty square formed by bright stars at its corners. I see it these nights about 11 PM.