“Let Them Be For Signs”
I normally don't follow astrology or astronomy, but I do think God can choose to communicate with humanity through the skies. Genesis 1:14 states that God put the Sun, Moon, and stars in the sky to be "for signs and seasons..." Jesus confirmed this when he prophesied, “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars" (Lk. 21:25a).
When Joseph dreamed about the Sun, Moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him, his family members immediately understood that he was referring to them (Gen. 37:9). The stars fought from their courses against Sisera (Jdg. 5:20). The Bible implicitly commends the "wise men" for having understood the meaning of the Star of Bethlehem and having followed it to find the baby Jesus. Similarly, God's children today can benefit from understanding certain astronomical events.
God wants us to understand the times (1 Chron. 12:32). One way in which we can do this is by observing the heavens. As Psalm 19:1-3 states:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
Most Christians today have been paying attention to nearly everything but the signs in the heavens. After all, we’ve dismissed astrology as being "demonic," just like (depending on the time period) rock music, alcohol, drugs (war on some drugs and profits for others), dancing, mental illness, sex (excluding intramarital, procreational, missionary position), playing cards, magic (while ignoring Bible magic), mental illnesses, and Halloween. My purpose for making that list was to say what is or isn’t sinful, but only to point out how easily our perspective on these things can be affected by prevailing cultural norms.
When God created the Universe, his first purpose for creating the lights in the heavens was to divide day and night, and the second was for them to be signs. And yet, despite this clear statement from God, most Christian authorities still dismiss astrology as being sinful. Does this mean that they think the heavens belong to Satan, and that he's the one who controls all the movements and all the alignments of the Sun, Moon, planets, stars, and constellations?
I don't see any place where the Bible condemns astrology as such. This was, after all, the earliest form of astronomy. Back then, everyone assigned meanings to the Sun, Moon, planets, major stars, and comets. One practice that was common in those times, and which was condemned by Scripture, was worshiping the hosts of heaven (2 Kgs. 17:16). Practically nobody doing astrology today worships any celestial object or constellation. Fortune telling through astrology was a gray area because, again, the magi used it in a commendable manner by having accurately decoded the message that God was sending.
I wonder how much longer astrology will be broadly categorized as sinful. I believe that in the future, many Christians will regret the fact that the Church has consigned the study of the solar system and the Universe entirely to secular astrologers and astronomers. Many will no doubt make a serious effort to understand how God communicates through the heavens. I'm not talking about the false prophets who think Jesus' primary job is to be the usher who leads them to the exit. By the way, I wrote about the secret rapture doctrine in chapter 7 of my book Return to Genesis, which you can download for free at this link.
One common criticism of astrology is that it's not a science. That's true, but then again, many areas of knowledge extend beyond material phenomena. The same can be said of psychology, but that doesn't mean people should stop studying human thought and behavior.
Ideally, science is supposed to be an open-minded and open-ended process. In reality, however, scientists tend to serve only the people who write their paychecks. The establishment compels them to present and defend a materialistic view of reality.
The only scientists who have been able to escape from this matrix are quantum physicists because, at that level, it's impossible to deny the non-material nature of the Universe. No truly objective scientist can rule out the possible existence of immaterial influences. How much more then, should Christians be willing to acknowledge that celestial bodies may exert spiritual influences as they move through the heavens? Again, Psalm 19 says they're revealing knowledge, which tells me there's something more to them than mere matter.
Bible interpretation is also as much art as it is science. We should acknowledge that art has legitimacy in itself. If more people would recognize that fact, we would know that future progress is mainly dependent on human beings, not on AI. That, however, is a different topic.
Christian Fundamentalists (i.e., biblical literalists) falsely depict Bible interpretation as a science. This is a power play because, by having insisted on that being true, literalists have essentially confined God in a box of their own making. By having effectively (in their own eyes) removed all mystery from the Bible, they've taken on the role of know-it-alls with regard to Scripture. This warped view of the Bible is linked to materialism, which sought to exclude God and the spirit realm by viewing everything solely in terms of matter and physical phenomena.
You probably resonate with what I just wrote since you're reading this blog, which is centered around Biblical symbolism. However, if you think that I might not know what I'm talking about, I suggest that you read Part 1 of my book, Return to Genesis. Again, it's free to download here.
Astrological symbolism dates back to ancient times. I believe God played a role in how various meanings came to be assigned to celestial bodies and constellations since he was the one who created them. I don't mean to send you down a rabbit hole at this time, but this article makes a lot of interesting connections between the Bible and the constellations.
My Perspective on Astrology
Frankly, I take most of that information with a grain of salt. The following statement pretty accurately sums up how I view astrology as a Christian:
...the inclusion of astrological references in the Bible challenges the notion that astrology is entirely incompatible with biblical teachings. While caution must be exercised in interpreting and engaging with astrology, the presence of these references suggests that astrology can be understood within a theological framework when approached with discernment and a focus on God’s divine plan.
Each of us is responsible for using our own discernment in these matters. I can't tell other Christians exactly what to think about astrology, but I do want to make my own position clear...
First, I don't think a Christian should consult their horoscope reading every day. Jesus commanded us to take no thought for tomorrow (Mt. 6:34). In my opinion, not only is a daily horoscope likely to be highly inaccurate, consulting them can easily lead to confusion, worry, and emotional turmoil (cf. Eph. 4:14). I believe God wants us to lead simple lives, and to trust him in all circumstances regardless of what the future might hold (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13).
In addition, I don't think any Christian is defined by his or her birth chart or astrological sign. I would much rather be defined by God's precious promises. As God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (1:5).
As for major celestial events such as a solar eclipse or a comet, I think they can be worthy of serious attention. Not only can they exert a long-term influence, God often gives us the clues that we need to understand their significance.
I think one thing that reputable Christians and astrologers on both sides can agree on is that celestial events by themselves don't determine the course of human history. The most they can do is point to influences and possible futures. It's up to each of us as individuals, and up to humanity as a collective to determine our own fates.
My Upcoming Post
The reason why I've presented these views on astrology from a biblical perspective is because I'm planning to write about the recent solar eclipse that occurred on October 2nd. I seldom pay any attention to either astronomy or astrology, but this eclipse caught my attention, and God revealed its meaning to me as I researched it. More importantly, I think he wants to communicate to the entire world (or at least to my readers) through it.
If you're anything like me, you might regard stories about "Bible prophecy" or "omens in the sky" as mere clickbait. My purpose is not to sensationalize this event, whether that be for purposes of evangelism or to draw attention to myself. I only hope to present the facts as I know them and to let you, the readers, decide on their relevance.
By the way, despite the fact that I wrote extensively about astrology above, my analysis of this recent eclipse will not rely heavily on astrology. Instead, I will be focusing almost exclusively on the major conjunctions (as an example, the conjunction of the Sun and Moon creates the eclipse), and on historical and recent world events.
Interestingly, the October 2nd solar eclipse was an annular or "ring of fire" eclipse similar to the one pictured below.
A PERSONAL NOTE
I apologize for not having posted anything in months. I would have been posting at least once a month if I'd had even one paid subscriber, but alas, I had none. This is not meant to shame whoever might be reading this. I greatly appreciate each of you.
I no longer want to think about how many subscribers want to pay and how many don't, nor even about how many subscribers there are. Toward that end, I have completely disabled all payment options. Now, everything is free. As I mentioned above, this includes my book in PDF format. I encourage everyone to download it here and read it. Feel free to go directly to Part 5 (Symbolism and Poetry in Genesis) or to whatever part interests you. The book is essentially made up of six books combined into one.
By the way, this isn't my first "rodeo." When I published my book, I sent out thousands of tweets and published many articles on two websites in my attempts to get the word out. Still, there was no interest. I only sold a few copies of my book. Due to that experience, I’m neither surprised by the struggle that I’m facing, nor am I letting it get me down.
I'm genuinely happy to make the PDF of my book available for free, if only because I know many people can't afford to pay for it. I hope many people will read it because the main purpose was never simply to make money.
It gives me great peace of mind to know that I am only looking to God as my provider. God told me not to take offense at the overall lack of appreciation for my work because, well, he's even more offended. (No worries if you're reading this because I assume that means you appreciate my work!) God absolutely desires for Christians to have a much greater appreciation of the poetry and symbolism in the Bible because that’s the authors’ “language,” and because it results in greater wisdom and understanding. As far as I know, I'm the only person who's engaged in this particular kind of ministry. Also, frankly, I don’t know of anyone who’s better at it. Yes, it’s okay for each of us to acknowledge the precious gifts and talents which we have received by God’s grace. Anyway, I know it's all in his hands.
If you're wondering how you can help me, I ask first of all that you pray as the Holy Spirit leads. The next best way is by sharing through social media any blog posts that you've enjoyed reading. That can help to grow my subscriber base. I hope you will feel inspired to do this for the Lord Jesus Christ and for our Heavenly Father if you believe that what I write is inspired by the Holy Spirit and can help to build God's kingdom on the Earth as it is in Heaven. Thank you very much for having patiently read all the way to… the end.