The Stars & Astrology
Pastor Leslie Chua
“And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years…””
“All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. Here are no coals to warm anyone; here is no fire to sit by. ”
Have you ever stood in the open and gazed at the stars on a clear night? It is a breathtaking sight looking at the myriads upon myriads of shining stars. Since the beginning of time, mankind has been fascinated with the stars in the vast universe.
David, the psalmist, pondered, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
The Bible has much to say about the sun, moon, and stars. These starry hosts are God’s handiworks. They proclaim His glory, power, and majesty.
Do you have any idea how many stars are there in the universe?
The number is estimated to be about 200 billion trillion. That is 2 multiplied by 10 to the power of 23. That is a staggering number. According to the Scripture, God knows each of these stars that He has created – He determines the number of stars; he gives them all their names (Psalm 147:4).
The Bible also teaches that God has arranged the stars into groups with recognisable patterns, which we call constellations. It mentions three constellations – the Bear, Orion, and Crooked Serpent. It also mentions the Pleiades, a small group of seven stars. (Job 9:9, 26:13; 38:31-32; Amos 5:8).
The Gospel of the Stars
Job 38:31-32 (ESV)- “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children?
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God uses the Mazzaroth to paint the stories of the gospel. It is often referred to as the ‘gospel in the stars.’
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There is an interesting word in this passage. It is the word, Mazzaroth. It is a Hebrew word referring to the twelve constellations that are commonly known to us as the twelve signs of the zodiac.
God uses the Mazzaroth to paint the stories of the gospel. It is often referred to as the ‘gospel in the stars.’
That was how the magi or wise men from the East tracked the so-called Star of Bethlehem and knew that the King of the Jews was born in Bethlehem on a certain day.
Another great example would be the first 6 verses of Revelation chapter 12. The vision that John saw is a graphic display of the constellations of Virgo, Libra, Leo, Hydra together with the sun and moon painting the story of Christ’s birth and Satan’s attempt to kill Christ.
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In the Creation account in Genesis, we learn that God created the starry hosts in the heavens for several purposes, one of which is for signs (Genesis 1:14). We further learn in Psalm 19 that God communicates to humanity through the stars (Psalms 19:1-6).
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Interestingly, by feeding the information given in this passage to an astronomy programme, the date of the Messiah’s birth can be calculated. That day is 11 September, 3 B.C., which happens to be 1 Tishri in the Jewish calendar. This is also the day of the Feast of Trumpets. This is no coincidence. It is God’s grand and creative astronomical design.
According to biblical prophecies, God will also use the stars and the eclipses of the sun and moon to warn of the final judgements during the Tribulation (Isaiah 13:9-10; Joel 3:15; Matthew 24:29).
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God’s revelation in the skies has to do with science and astronomy, not astrology. The sun, moon, stars, and entire constellations move in precise timing in their fixed orbits. God, in His infinite wisdom and creativity, uses the starry hosts to craft His divine messages.
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We should not be surprised that God would choose to use the sun, moon, stars, and constellations to reveal His plan of redemption to humanity. In the Creation account in Genesis, we learn that God created the starry hosts in the heavens for several purposes, one of which is for signs (Genesis 1:14). We further learn in Psalm 19 that God communicates to humanity through the stars (Psalms 19:1-6).
God’s revelation in the skies has to do with science and astronomy, not astrology. The sun, moon, stars, and entire constellations move in precise timing in their fixed orbits. God, in His infinite wisdom and creativity, uses the starry hosts to craft His divine messages.
Satan’s Perversion Through Astrology
As is often the case, Satan hijacked the beauty of the Mazzaroth and perverted it, making it into a tool of divination. Astrology traces its roots to the ancient Babylonian and Egyptian times.
The idea behind astrology is a person’s fate is linked to his birth signs in the zodiac. Whatever happened in the stars at the time of his birth would influence his destiny, personality, and outcomes in life. So, people consult horoscopes and astrology experts to know their future.
Astrology is always popular. Some people take it very seriously while most dabble in it for fun. In recent years, the Chinese zodiac animal signs (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig) are presented as cute and harmless figures. They look good on displays and images. Even children like them.
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As is often the case, Satan hijacked the beauty of the Mazzaroth and perverted it, making it into a tool of divination…
The idea behind astrology is a person’s fate is linked to his birth signs in the zodiac. Whatever happened in the stars at the time of his birth would influence his destiny, personality, and outcomes of life.
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How should we view astrology? Can Christians believe in astrology? Is astrology a sin? Can Christians dabble in it?
The answer is no for several reasons.
God Condemns Astrology
God speaks to humanity about Himself and His plan of redemption through the Mazzaroth in the skies. However, God has never intended for these 12 constellations (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pisces) and their movements and relative positions to hold the secrets of the future of individual humans and nations. They cannot predict the future.
God condemned the Babylonian astrologers and stargazing who sought to divine the future using the stars. Speaking through the prophet, Isaiah, God said, “All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame… (Isaiah 47:13-14 - NIV).
God Forbids Astrology
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 (NIV) - When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
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Divination is out of bounds for the Israelites. The same applies to Christians. The Scripture is clear – “Do not practice divination or sorcery” (Leviticus 19:26b).
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God forbade the Israelites from practising the occult. The occult has three branches – witchcraft, divination, and sorcery. Astrology comes under divination, the attempt to predict the future.
Divination is out of bounds for the Israelites. The same applies to Christians. The Scripture is clear – “Do not practice divination or sorcery” (Leviticus 19:26b).
God prohibits divination for three reasons.
First, it is an abomination to the LORD. God finds divination detestable. He dislikes it intensely.
Second, divination is a sin.
Moses rounded up his warning not to practise the occult by commanding the Israelites - “You must be blameless before the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 18:13). Otherwise, they would stand guilty of an extremely detestable sin before God.
The prophet, Samuel, equated rebellion to the ‘sin of divination’ (1 Samuel 15:23). Divination is a sin. Astrology is a sin. Any involvement with the horoscope, even if you do not believe in it, is a sin. Like rebellion, it is a grave sin.
Third, divination brings curses. According to Moses, it is because of the detestable practices of the occult that God drove out the previous inhabitants of the land (Deuteronomy 18:12).
Involvement in astrology, or any other form of divination and the occult, will bring curses into your life. It opens doors to demons to wreak havoc in certain areas of your life. So, Christians should not dabble with astrology in any form. It is not innocuous as many Christians think.
Every Chinese New Year, I never fail to be shocked by the number of Christians, including pastors, who knowingly or unknowingly dabble with the Chinese horoscope. They would get sucked into saying ‘this is the year of the rabbit’ and they would send greetings with images of the horoscope signs.
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Involvement in astrology, or any other form of divination and the occult, will bring curses into your life. It opens doors to demons to wreak havoc in certain areas of your life. So, Christians should not dabble with astrology in any form. It is not innocuous as many Christians think.
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Do not be deceived. Astrology is harmful. It is a sin and it is detestable to God. So, please refrain from any involvement with it. Why do you want to displease God and bring curses upon yourself?