God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). On the fourth day of creation, God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons, and days, and years” (Gen 1:14). God created the sun, moon and stars. The sun was to rule the day, and the moon was to rule the night.
The stars were created “to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness” (Gen 1:17-18, Ps. 136:7-9). God’s intended purposes for the stars were to give light and to be signs for seasons, days and years. Mankind learned to find directions at night using stars and to formulate calendars.
When we look at the stars, we are to be drawn to worship the Creator and not His creation. The prophet Isaiah revealed in Is. 40:26, that we are to lift-up our eyes to see the One who created them. He gave each star a name and knows their number just like He knows us better than we know ourselves (Ps. 147:4-5, Luke 12:7). In the book of Job, we are drawn into awe for God who commands the sun and seals the stars. He is the One who made Orion and all constellations (Job 9:7-9, 38:31-33).
God gave clear guidelines that those who follow Him are not to worship the stars or any other forms of idolatry (Deut. 4:19). He clearly stated that any source of spiritual guidance outside of Scripture is forbidden, and those who prophesy by the stars cannot save anyone but will be consumed by fire (Is. 47:13-14).
I have seen people prophesy that when a specific star or comet or constellation is in a certain location, then the Holy Spirit will be poured out more on a geographic location or ministry. But these proclamations are not scriptural. The Holy Spirit is poured out without measure upon us already, just as He was poured out on Christ (John 3:34, Acts 2). If a star or constellation is in a certain location in the sky, it has no bearing on the Spirit of God or the manifest presence of God. It is only to be a light and a designation for days, seasons and years, and make us admire the Creator for its beauty.
But someone may ask, “What about the star of Bethlehem?” Num. 24:17 says, “a star will come out of Jacob.” It is a prophecy that many people consider as referencing the star that lit the way for the magi to travel form the east to Israel. The magi were closely acquainted with Jewish scriptures as they were in the discipleship lineage of Daniel. However, this star was not a supernova, comet or a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus. Instead, the wise men were familiar with the prophecies of the coming Messiah, and upon seeing the star, they knew it was the supernatural sign of the newborn King. It didn’t act like a normal star as it would appear and disappear for them (Matt. 2:2, Matt. 2:10). It also did not stay in the cosmos, as it later appeared directly over the house Jesus was living when the Magi arrived into Bethlehem. This sign lit the way to the Savior for these magi to honor Him.
The theory of a gospel in the stars was first published in the 1860s with no ancient sources verifying its claims. Among the proponents of this theory, there is no agreement for which “Biblical” zodiac chart is the true one to allegedly date back to Adam or Seth. And when the scriptures used to justify this theory are studied, the “gospel in the stars” disappears, similarly to how the stars will eventually fall from the sky, being burned up and dissolved (Matt. 24:29, 2 Pet. 3:10). These theories are recycled and rebranded from time to time, even though they have been refuted many times.
A principle of Biblical interpretation is that Scripture interprets Scripture. The stars are not interpreters, and no zodiacal chart can be used to interpret the Bible. Even though the stars do not preach the gospel message, we can look at them and be drawn to worship the Lord. But we also cannot interpret star constellations by Scripture because the Bible makes no room for this. There is no verse encouraging us to do this, and God has only spoken through His prophets and recorded word. As Heb. 1:1-2 says, “God, who at various times and in diverse ways spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world.” And we only respond to the original gospel preached which is “how Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Any other gospel message that does not align to this is contrary to the Bible.
David, the psalmist, said, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). This only refers to general revelation, that everything around us and above us points to a Creator, like a work of art was painted by an artist and is not a reference for the stars having a secret or hidden gospel message.
As we look upon all God has created, seeing its wonder and beauty, considering all it contains which is a great masterpiece, we worship the great Artist, the designer of all creation. And each one of us are to preach the Gospel to the whole world, as faith comes by hearing the Gospel and not by the stars (Mark 16:15, Rom. 10:17).
Jared Laskey is starting Destiny Open Bible Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is a contributing writer to Charisma magazine online. He lives to see Jesus awaken this generation to the power of His Holy Spirit. You can follow him on Twitter @jaredalaskey. For more information check out firebornministries.org.
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