The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech,and night to night reveals knowledge.
? Psalm 1:1?3
Every time I go back home and visit my parents and family, I always get an earful from them:
?So son? what are the stars saying??
My dad asks me in a mocking tone as he sips coffee from the kitchen table, wearing a smug look on his face.
My family knows that I?ve been diving deep into astrology, an ancient system of divination.
My dad thinks I?ve gone over to the dark side.
My grandma says I have a demon.
My brother and sister aren?t even sure what to say to me.
So is astrology even compatible with a Christian worldview?
Growing up in a religious household, I read my fair share of bible stories.
So here are a few examples of astrological references in the bible.
A little over two thousand years ago, a few travelers from a far away land made a surprise visit to an unknown couple in a run-down barn.
They arrived worn out from the journey, wearing strange garbs and smelling of foreign spices. They spoke a different language and held themselves in a regal manner.
How did they know where to find the mother and father of Jesus?
And what were they doing there?
Their story was simple: they followed the wandering star in the sky.
?Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.?
? Matthew 2:2
The narrative of the ?three wise men?? who visited baby Jesus in a manger is part of the pivotal Nativity scene which is celebrated worldwide by every Christian and many non-Christians.
And yet, most religious folk don?t even realize that those three weirdos who randomly showed up were following a star in the sky.
They were full-fledged astrologers.
They found their way to Bethlehem by following a bright light in the sky.
How come no one questions that?
Astrology, the Devil?s Science!
And here we have a alchemist mixing the stars, planets and a little bit of voodoo together.
You see, we?ve been led to believe that astrology is something that witches do in the middle of the night, right before they chant rituals and sacrifice chickens at the stroke of midnight. Astrology tends to conjure up images of magicians and wizards wearing pointy hats and cloaks. It?s all quite hilarious really.
Especially when the Bible clearly states that the sun, moon and stars were set in the heavens as signs and to determine seasons.
?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.?
? Genesis 1:14
There you go, the first book of the bible and God is laying his card all out on the table without shame.
God is Literally Using Flaming Balls of Fire in the Sky to Speak to Us
Let?s calm down about getting deceived by the Evil One when studying astrology:
?Thus says the LORD: ?Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens? ? Jeremiah 10:2
First of all, God claims to have named each and every single star out there floating in the deep abyss we call outer space:
?He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names? ? Psalm 147:4
Science doesn?t even have a clear consensus on how many stars populate the universe. But God ask us to ponder these bright lights, as it is written:
?Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.? ? Isaiah 40:26
God seems pretty lax about using the moon to mark certain time intervals. After all, the twenty-eight day cycle governs the tides of the oceans, women?s menstrual cycles, and a host of other biological mechanisms that we observe in nature:
?He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.? ? Psalm 104:19
He even OK?d the ancient Hebrews to use it to celebrate feasts and whatnot:
?Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. ? ? Psalm 81:3
OK great, now that we?ve established the fact that God uses the luminaries to send messages to his creation, we can move on.
Daniel ? Mega Prophet, Tamer of Lions and Astrologer Par Excellence
Daniel?s Answer to the King ? Painting by Briton Rivire (1890)
Meet Daniel, the legendary guy who managed to escape from a den full of starving lions without a single scratch. He also had multiple angels visit him with prophetic messages about the future. He?s a pretty big deal in the Old Testament.
What most people miss is the fact that he was taught astrology and all sorts of occult knowledge by the Babylonians.
He was so smart and knowledgeable that he beat out every other Babylonian wannabe, as stated in the following verse:
?And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them [Daniel and his friends] ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.?
? Daniel 1:20
I don?t know about you, but this Daniel guy was probably steeped to his neck in mathematical and spiritual techniques of astrological interpretation. And he was really good at it. In fact, he was the absolute best.
The Book of Revelation ? The Four Living Creatures Flying around in the Throne Room actually Represent Astrological Symbols
As confusing as the Book of Revelation may be, it gives us a unique glimpse into the iconography of the throne room of God, supposedly where God hangs out and does his thing all day.
?And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind:
The first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight.?
? Revelation 4:7
A simple depiction of the zodiacal wheel showing the connection between the four living creatures and their astrological counterparts. Source: http://www.siriustwins.com/watcher/cherubim.jpg
OK, to decrypt this, you gotta have a little bit of astrology knowledge.
Basically, the four creatures represent four zodiac signs:
- Lion = Leo
- Ox = Taurus
- Man = Aquarius
- Eagle = Scorpio
I can?t make this stuff up, folks. It?s all there in your bible.
Is there any other correlation between biblical scripture and the Zodiac?
There is still much more to say about the twelve tribes and how they relate to the twelve zodiac signs (Genesis 49).
I could go on about the camp formation of the Ancient Hebrews and how it lines up with zodiacal patterns (Numbers 2).
I could even introduce E. W. Bullinger and his book ?The Witness of the Stars,? a detailed exposition about the constellations and how they speak to the Gospel narrative written in allegorical form through the Zodiacal signs.
But I think this is enough information to get your wheels turning.
So if astrology is not of the Devil, then what is it?
Astrology is an ancient, unified science of interpreting the divine through the use of archetypes, cycles and symbolism. It connects the outer universe with the inner universe. It can show you your strengths and weaknesses. It can pinpoint seasons of grace and seasons of trials.
I?m not an expert, but I know enough to know that the Bible isn?t silent when it comes to astrology. It?s loud and clear.
The next time my dad asks me what the stars are saying, I just tell him to go figure it out for himself.
He?s a Christian.
He?s allowed to do that.
?And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars??
? Luke 21:25
Got questions? Got comments? Great! Leave a comment and let?s chat 🙂
