“Mimi ni Pisces! Na wewe?” That’s Swahili for, ” I’m a Pisces! What about you?”. I vaguely call to mind saying those words to my friends with excitement back then when newspapers were still a thing.
Major newspaper publications and magazines had a column devoted to horoscopes to shed light on a person’s personality or predict their future. And on this particular day, my friends and I were curious to see what the horoscope section had to say about our personalities based on our zodiac signs.
I can’t say that I made much of the horoscope growing up. However, once in a while, I would fool around with it out of curiosity. Fast forward to today, and astrology and horoscopes have seen a surge in popularity thanks to yours truly, social media.
It doesn’t take much effort to find zodiac signs on people’s bios or social media pages dedicated to horoscope content. In fact, I was surprised to find out that influencer astrologists are a thing nowadays.
Of course, while some people take astrology seriously, others use it as a fun tool. Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that young people are flocking to astrology in droves and Christians are not being left behind.
Therefore, I feel it’s important to ask ourselves what the Bible has to say about it so that we can respond accordingly.
What is Astrology?
Astrology is an ancient practice of divination that dates back to the 3rd millennium BCE. Astrologists hold that the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies such as the stars, the moon, and the sun can be interpreted as having an influence on human behavior.
Sun-sign astrology or what we call a person’s “horoscope,” is the most common and basic type of astrology. It’s a chart that purports to represent someone’s fate, hence providing them with insight into their destiny. There are 12 horoscopes in sun-sign astrology, otherwise known as zodiac signs.
The 12 zodiac signs are determined by a person’s birthday, and each sign is connected to a specific set of personality traits that help to forecast events in your life. The reason why they are called sun signs is because they correspond to the earth’s yearly orbit around the sun.
In a nutshell, Astrology is the belief that one’s personality and fate are influenced by astrological phenomena from the moment of birth and throughout their life. The idea is that these celestial bodies have the capacity to affect your persona and behavior on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
What the Bible Says about Astrology
Stars in the Bible
According to the Bible, all the stars were put into recognized patterns or groups, which we call constellations. The Bear (Ursa Major), Orion, and the Pleiades are mentioned in the book of Job, along with “the constellations in the south” (Job 38:31-32).
The Pleiades, commonly referred to as “the Seven Stars,” is mentioned again in Job 9:9; 38:3. It says that God “fastens the bands” that hold these constellations together. And that He possesses the ability to manifest various constellations, each in its own specific season.
Amos 5:8 also makes a reference to three stars in the constellations: Orion, the Bear (Ursa Major), and “the crooked snake” or Draco.
The Bible also says that the sun, moon, and stars were created by God for “signs” and “seasons.” They were meant to separate night and day (Genesis 1:14-16; Psalm 8:3). Traditionally, these stars were also used by illustrious men for navigation. Remember the three wise men? (Matthew 2:1–10)
The Bible also highlights the significance of the stars as a sign of the second coming of our Lord. It says that significant astronomical events will accompany the final judgment (Isaiah 13:9-10; Joel 3:15; Matthew 24:29).
While the Bible has plenty to say about stars, the main message it conveys is that they were created by God for His glory (Psalm 19:1). According to Psalm 148:3, all creation worships the Creator and fulfills his purposes. In other words, the existence of God is displayed in creation. Therefore, His creation cannot stand in for Him because He is exalted above the stars and all other celestial bodies (Jeremiah 31:35).
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Psalm 147:4 ESV
Astrology in the Bible
The Bible also mentions astrology but in a negative light.
In Babylon, astrology was an extensively practiced art. In fact, scholars believe that they were the first ancient civilization to invent an astrological system. And in Daniel 2:1-6, the Bible confirms this. It says that Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, called the wise men to explain a troubling dream he had and its meaning. The astrologers, magicians, and enchanters were unable to fulfill his request. Consequently, He gave an order that all wise men should be executed (Daniel 2:10-13).
But Daniel, who relied on wisdom from God, was able to give the King the answers he sought:
Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. Daniel 2:27-30 ESV
Similarly, in Daniel 1:17-20, the Bible says that when the King of Babylon spoke to the wise men of the land, he found Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to be ten times better than the magicians and astrologers. Why? because, unlike the astrologers and magicians, the wisdom Daniel and his friends had, had come from God.
By way of the prophet Isaiah, God also condemned the Babylonians’ reliance on “the astrologers, the stargazers, and the monthly prognosticators (fortune-tellers or diviners)”. He says:
Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror. You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you. Isaiah 47:12-15 ESV
Why Astrology is Sinful
As mentioned earlier, astrology is a practice of divination. Divination is defined as “the practice of attempting to foretell the future or discover hidden knowledge using speculation, esoteric or supernatural methods”.
In Deuteronomy 18:10–14, the Bible specifically prohibits using divination, sorcery, and witchcraft:
“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this. Deuteronomy 18:9-14 ESV
In Acts 16: 16-19, A slave girl with a demonic spirit followed Paul and Silas crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation”. Turns out it was the spirit of divination speaking through her! And when Paul became irritated, he ordered it to depart. Why? because the spirit of divination is a wicked ungodly spirit!
From this, it’s fairly obvious that no Christian should have any business playing around with astrology or any form of divination. Astrology takes the place of God in providing guidance, wisdom, and truth. Therefore, making the practice idolatrous.
This is what the book of Romans says about worshipping creation rather than the creator:
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:22-25 ESV
According to astrology, our personalities are determined by the zodiac sign that corresponds to our date of our birth. However, the Bible makes it plain that God is the One who created us and the One who bestows upon us our unique personalities (Psalm 139).
Moreover, horoscopes cannot reveal God’s plan for each of our lives. It’s a lie! Christians are expected to read the Bible and pray to God for guidance and direction. Therefore, any other advice, knowledge, or revelation must be categorically ignored. We are to put all of our trust in God and have confidence that He will guide us (Proverbs 3:5–6).
Although many people might assume that consulting astrology is harmless fun, living by or identifying with your zodiac sign is not only sinful but dangerous. It’s a demonic ploy to catch people’s attention so that demons can influence the way they think or behave.
Related: What is Manifesting and Why it’s Considered a Sin
Conclusion
While horoscopes may appear harmless they are actually a devilish ruse. The devil has packaged it in a way that gradually distances us from God and His teachings. It’s no different from other New Age pursuits like tarot cards, numerology, and spirit guides.
God wants us to look to Him as the Creator rather than the creation for guidance (Psalm 14:2; Prov 3:5-6).
If you have been fooling around or placing your faith in horoscopes, Acts 19:17-19 gives us a good example of what you should do.
And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. Acts 19:17-19 ESV
Burning the books demonstrated that the believers who had practiced magic arts had truly repented.
In the same way, you should repent, denounce and completely turn away from astrology in all its forms and practices. And place your faith fully in Christ.
