What Does the Bible Say About Astrology?

What Does the Bible Say About Astrology? by John MacArthur John MacArthur is a pastor and author and Bible teacher. His radio program "Grace to You" is heard on hundreds of stations each day. The following is taken from an article that appeared in the "Grace to You" newsletter. Last night, my wife and I were here for a wedding. On the way home we stopped to get a sandwich.

As I walked into this little place, there was a sign on the cash register that said, "The June horoscopes are in." And I thought, "The June horoscopes, just like all the rest are definitely out." But, anyway, the sign said that the June horoscopes were in. So I thought, "Well, where do you get them?" I turned around and there was a dispenser on the wall. You put in a quarter and you get a horoscope.

That's about the most impersonal way I've ever seen it done. Drop a quarter in and they'll tell you your destiny! What about these astrological charts? What does the Bible have to say? Let me just mention a couple of Scriptures that help us. Deuteronomy 17:2-5 says, "If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of His covenant, and contrary to my command has worshipped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky, and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, take the man or woman who has done this evil to your city gate and stone that person to death." If Jean Dixon had been alive in the time of Israel, they would have stoned her to death! That's how strong the word of God speaks against anything connected with the worship of or seeking to know the revelation of some divine mind through the sun, the moon, or the stars of heaven! It was an offense that was detestable to God.

And I would hasten to add that anything that used to be detestable to God is still detestable to God. Whatever was detestable to His character is still detestable to His character because His character has not changed one bit! And that's a very clear word. I would add to that Isaiah 47:12-15. Here God was particularly judging the Babylonians who were strongly involved in this. "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood.

Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those star-gazers 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.

That is all they can do for you - these you have labored with and trafficked with since childhood. Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you." God is saying that they are going to be so consumed by the fire that they won't even be worth a coal to warm over. They are going to go up fast in smoke. That's God's attitude toward astrology, star gazing, monthly predictions.

That's fairly clear! No Christian has any business in any sense, under any circumstance fooling around with that. It simply opens your mind to demonic suggestions. And if you listen to that suggestion, it isn't that the horoscopes will tell you what you're like, they will simply make you into what they want you to be. People who listen to astrologists begin to pattern their life after what he/she says and, literally, they become transformed into their horoscope. There are others Scriptures, such as in Acts 7:41-43 where it mentions the tabernacle of Molech and the star of their god, Rephan.

This is the worship of Saturn and it is again mentioning the worship of the stars. So this is something that is completely and totally forbidden in the Word of God. And the reason is the stars can't tell your future, they can't tell your present, NO WAY! The revelation of God alone is involved in telling the truth. That's just a demonic way to capture the fancy of people so the demons can persuade them toward a certain behavior. In Daniel 1:20 it says, "In all matters of wisdom and understanding, the king of Babylon inquired of them and found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in his whole kingdom.

" When he consulted God's people he found them TEN times better, and that's an understatement. Chapter 2 talks more about the astrologers and the sorcerers and shows that they were inadequate, they were in error, they were helpless, and they were hopeless. So, no Christian is to have anything to do with them at any time at all! Don't even fool with that. Don't even play around with it. It just opens up an avenue for Satan to influence you.

What do you think? Is There a Difference Between Witchcraft and Magic?