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"If
you look it up in a dictionary" said a well-meaning, but rather misguided
woman, "You'll find that astronomy and astrology are the same thing!"
Before
I began flicking through the pages of my Pocket Oxford Dictionary, it occurred
to me that if the two words meant the same thing, why were there two words?
Surely one word would be sufficient to cover both topics? The English language
is like that. We differentiate between holes in walls - window, door, vent. We
differentiate between vehicles - car, truck, bus, van. Despite the many
similarities, each word define a different kind of hole, or vehicle. Otherwise
we might as well call all doors and windows 'holes'.
"astronomy,
noun. Science of the heavenly bodies."
"astrology,
noun. Study of occult influence of stars on human affairs."
Both
pursuits use the word 'astron' which is Greek for 'star'. but both pursuits draw
completely different conclusions from their studies.
The
first, astronomy, is a science, that is, the systematic study of
heavenly bodies, using telescopes and other equipment. This study is objective,
and wherever possible, open to experiment. The evidence is open to all other
scientists to examine, and the same conclusions are usually reached when the
same studies are made.
Of
course the same facts discovered about the heavenly bodies may still be open to
a biased interpretation, for example, many astronomers are evolutionists.
They would therefore assume that : the universe came about as a result of a huge
explosion, that space is therefore expanding, that all the order and structure
of the universe is the result of blind random chance, that stars and other
bodies are presently being 'born' continuously, etc.
The
creationist would look at the same heavenly bodies and assume : that the
universe was created perfect but is presently 'running down', that while the
total energy in the universe is always the same, the degree of structure and
order is gradually increasing, that stars die as they use up their fuel but none
have ever been seen being 'born', that comets eventually vaporise and are not
replaced by new ones, that galaxies unwind but never wind up, that moons either
fall into planets or spiral away from them, etc.
Despite
the two opposite ways of interpreting the data, both the evolutionist and the
creationist can be good scientists, recording what they find, and discovering
laws within the universe they study.
The
other word, astrology, is not the same as science. It is labelled
"occult" by the dictionary because astrology is, and always has been,
largely subjective. It is esoteric, (private, confidential - meant only for
those 'in the know'), recondite (abstruse, little known, hidden). It involves
the supernatural, the mystical and the magical. It is a belief in secret and
invisible things, which only the 'initiated' may understand - or claim to
understand. And as such, all astrology is impossible to be examined objectively
by science, since whatever findings science may come up with which finds fault
with astrology, the astrologer will have a supernatural, mystical or magical
explanation to explain the discrepancy.
In
this way astrology distances itself from science. For example, if fifty
different scientists, in fifty different locations, all independently examined
the same heavenly body, they would all come to exactly the same conclusions
about it. They would use known laws to calculate speed, distance, gravity,
spectrums and so on. But of fifty astrologers examined the same heavenly body,
they would all produce different conclusions.
A
parable.
Once,
in a well-watered and bounteous world, there were two little kingdoms. They
lived on the same wide plain, but between them lay a huge and impenetrable range
of mountains. So enormous was this range that neither of the two little kingdoms
knew of the other's existence. Both kingdoms were content with animals for
transport, and subsistence farming for survival, and neither of the kingdoms had
anything but the most primitive understanding of the universe.
As
a result of this ignorance, both kingdoms had constructed their own
interpretation of the forces which lay behind the real world. One kingdom
imagined spirits in every rock and stream, cloud and plant. These spirits. they
decided, caused such things as sickness, death, accident and blessing. The other
kingdom imagined Great Personalities in the sky, who flew about causing day and
night, rain and shine, and who interfered in people's lives by sending,
accidents blessings, health, sickness and death.
Now
into the first little kingdom, some time-travellers secretly inserted some
wonderful knowledge. They instructed the people (who thought the natural world
was inhabited by spirits), and they taught these people how to do science. Good
science. In only a matter of years, these people realised that the natural
forces - rain, wind, growth, death, decay, ageing - were not caused by
personalities, but by chemical processes.
Having
progressed this far, they then used the science they had received and
constructed telescopes, then they turned their gaze outwards, to the heavenly
bodies. To their amazement they discovered that the moon was a sphere, just like
the earth, and that other planets had moons, and then further out they saw the
galaxies and they realised that all of Nature is homogenous - that is, the same
elements exist everywhere in the universe, and the same chemicals, and the same
natural processes . . . in fact, they discovered that the whole universe is one
single entity. They saw that it is full of variety, but it is unvarying. That it
is unlimited in its size, but absolutely limited in other ways. Everywhere the
same three dimensions exists - past, present and future; height, length, depth;
solid, liquid and gas. They found the same visible light - the same seven
colours of the rainbow in the spectrum, and the same range of wavelengths. They
realised that the heavenly bodies were, in many ways, exactly the same as any
rock, or tree, stream or cloud.
Now,
thanks to their advanced knowledge, these people raised their living standards.
They built machines, and soon they were flying. Up they went, and over the
mountains, then down to the other little kingdom.
When
they landed, they introduced themselves as 'scientists', but the more primitive
people said they were 'astronomers'.
Of
course the above story is lacking in some ways, but that is to be expected. It
would be impossible to construct a perfect parable - it would be like designing
a hammer which could also be a saw and a tripod. But the parable shows how the
correct understanding of things alters our perceptions.
Astronomy
is the study of heavenly bodies. All heavenly bodies originated in God's mind,
and were spoken into existence by God - Genesis 1. Every atom in the universe is
therefore the property of the Creator.
What
does this tell us then about the heavenly bodies?
It
tells us the following :
If
God created the stars, planets, interstellar dust, comets, meteoroids and so
forth, if He created all the dimensions of the universe, and all the 'natural'
forces which regulate every atom within the whole universe, we may logically
conclude that the universe is totally the property of God. Therefore the study
of heavenly bodies - the science of astronomy - is the study of creation.
Astrology
therefore is a rival and antagonist to science. It is based on the assumption
that God's universe has been filled by 'squatters', or unwelcome foreigners,
like illegal aliens from some other place. Despite the complete lack of proof,
astrology maintains that God's universe has been coerced in some way to
influence the people of earth.
If
this were true, we would expect God to be rather annoyed - to think that what He
has made, the stars and planets - should now be filled, like so many abandoned
tenements - with spirits and demons, all intent on pulling invisible strings
from so far away. Would the human race accept this without a protest if it was
really true? Would people accept their place as mere puppets and mannequins in
lives they have no control over?
But
God has expressed His feelings about this astrological assumption. The
Bible says quite a lot about astrology, and in ever case God makes it clear that
the universe is not inhabited by spirits who manipulate people's lives.
"And
God said, Let there be lights in the firmament (sky) of the heaven to divide the
day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days,
and years:
And
let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon
the earth: and it was so.
And
God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the
lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
And
God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
And
to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the
darkness: and God saw that it was good". Genesis 1:14-16
In
this summary of the creation of the sun (the greater light) and the moon (the
lesser light), and the stars, we see that God made them for certain functions :
1.
To give light on the earth,
2.
To be for signs. This second one will be dealt with in more detail.
3.
To mark seasons
4.
To mark days
5.
To mark years.
1.
Light.
I
assume here that before Adam and Eve sinned that there was a huge canopy of
water (Gen.1:6) in some form or other, like a shell, or an orbiting ocean, all
round the earth. If this were so, then it is possible that the water carried and
reflected the sun and moon light right round the planet (as water seems to be
confine the beams of light in an illuminated fountain), making the days and
night much more evenly lit than today, now that the canopy has largely
collapsed. But whatever the case, the sun and moon gave light to the earth.
2.
Signs.
See below.
3.
Seasons.
We know that, at present, the timing of the seasons can be understood by the
position of the stars in relation to the horizon, but the actual cause of the
seasons is the tilt of the earth, which creates huge variations in temperatures
as the sun is exposed or withdrawn from certain areas of the earth's surface.
The seasons can be roughly divided into four types, though this average seasonal
change is more pronounced the further we go from the equator. Originally, when
the water canopy surrounded the earth, heat was probably more evenly
distributed, enabling life to thrive in all parts- the entire planet was
probably of a tropical or sub-tropical nature. It is only since the great Flood,
and the collapse of this vast body of water, and the upheaval of our present
land masses, that the earth has had icebound poles and mountain ranges, plus all
the violent weather and extremes in temperature which we consider normal today.
"He
appointed the moon for seasons" Psalm 104:19
"Nevertheless
he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from
heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and
gladness". Acts 14:17
4.
To
mark days.
One solar day, followed by one solar night. It is a useful thing to be able to
count days. What we take for granted is really of tremendous benefit sometimes.
Imagine a world with no variations, and no machines to measure the passing of
time.
5.
To
mark years.
The solar year is, at present 365.25 (approx.) days, but it may have been
different when the world was new because the earth has been slowing down since
it was created, due to tidal friction. It seems that, before Adam and Eve
sinned, God had already prepared everything for the post-Flood generations.
2.
Signs.
The Hebrew word for 'signs' is 'oth' meaning 'things to come'. In what way could
stars tell humans things to come? One way might be by their names. We know that
God has already counted and named all the stars - Psalm 147:4 "He
tells (counts) the number of the stars; he calls them all by their names"
God gave certain bright stars special names to indicate His Plans for Mankind.
There was even a 'zodiac' which contained the whole plan of redemption, but this
was later corrupted by heathen beliefs into what astrologers have now.
The
evidence for this original zodiac has been gathered, and published by the
Bullinger Publications Trust (1970) SBN 85150 501 5, through The University
press, Oxford, and also by Howard B. Rand, Destiny Publishers, Merrimac, Mass.
01860
Josephus
also relates a Jewish tradition which attributes the original zodiac to Adam,
Seth and Enoch.
But
before we look briefly at the original zodiac, we ought to see what God says
about astrology :
God
warns Israel not to listen to false interpretations of heavenly phenomena
- Jeremiah 10:2 "Thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and
be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at
them".
"Take
. . . heed . . . for you saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD
spoke to you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
Lest
you corrupt yourselves, and make . . . a graven image, the similitude of any
figure, the likeness of male or female . . . and lest you lift up your eyes to
heaven, and when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host
of heaven, should be driven to worship them, and serve them . . ."
Deuteronomy 4:15
It
is clear from these verses that Nature is not to be worshipped. One of
the attributes of worship is a belief that an inanimate object is able to think
and hear and communicate. God here assures us that the heavenly bodies are
inanimate.
God
controls the heavens,
as Job says : (God) commands the sun, and it rises not; and seals up (covers)
the stars. Which Who) alone spreads out the heavens, and treads upon the waves
of the sea.
Which
(Who) makes Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south"
Job 9:7-9.
The
original zodiac and what happened to it.
Astrology
is the mythologised and distorted remains of what was once a clear and accurate
portrayal of God's Plan for mankind spanning many thousands of years. Originally
Adam and his children knew the names of the special stars, but gradually, over
the generations, this knowledge was lost or altered. Remnants, however, have
remained - enough to gather a general idea of what the original looked like.
The
word 'zodiac' means 'degrees' or 'steps' because the "signs" of the
zodiac mark the passage of the sun through the heavens, which corresponds with
the twelve months of the year. Twelve turns - twelve signs.
The
first evidence of astrology - the corrupted version - is in the tower of Babel,
whose top was said to reach to heaven. The actual Hebrew says "its top with
the heavens", in other words, it had the ancient zodiac pictured around its
top. Apparently, even at that early stage in human history, the people had left
off worshipping God to reverencing God's handiwork instead, and twisting its
meaning to suit their ignorance.
The
Babylonian "Creation Tablets" refer to the signs of the zodiac, though
the original meanings have been corrupted or lost.
The
Greek version is just as bad. Useful though Greek mythology may be for teaching
lessons, it is not a very accurate record of star names.
It
is worth remembering that our written Scriptures started mainly with Moses, in
about 1490 BC, although it is more than likely that Moses drew on other earlier
records when he gathered some of his information. But this means that, for some
2,500 years, the revelation of God's Plan for mankind was kept in the names of
the stars, in some sort of state anyway - until the written Scriptures were
compiled.
The
original groupings of stars were quite arbitrary. It was the names which
were important. But people soon drew lines around the groupings, and produced
useful pictures. Later, when Israel received more of the Scriptures, the story
in the heavens became less and less useful as the written Word of God became
available.
To
illustrate this transition, see Psalm 19. The first six verses are all
astronomical, then suddenly the subject changes to literary.
The
astronomical aspect of Psalm 19 is the revelation which God wrote in the
names of the stars, but then God superseded this heavenly revelation and
switches our attention to the written Word - this explains the strangely
blunt division in the Psalm.
The
Biblical zodiac begins with Virgo, (the Virgin) and moves through the other
eleven star groups, ending with Leo (the Lion). The Egyptians knew this sequence
too, which is why they built the sphinx, though most of the original meanings to
the zodiac were lost to them. The word 'sphinx' comes from the Greek 'spingo'
meaning 'to join' - the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The zodiac
therefore begins with the Virgin and ends with the Lion.
The
detailed analysis of the names of stars in each constellation and words derived
from the names are all in the work by Bullinger and Rand.
A
brief summary of the Biblical zodiac, using Bullinger's references, is as
follows :
VIRGO
COMA.
The desired.
CENTAURUS.
The despised sin-offering
BOOTES.
The coming one
LIBRA
CRUX.
The cross endured
LUPUS.
The victim slain
CORONA.
The crown bestowed
SCORPIO
SERPENS.
Assaulting the man's heel
OPHIUCHUS.
The man grasping the serpent
HERCULES.
The mighty man victorious
SAGITTARIUS
LYRA.
Praise prepared for the conqueror
ARA.
Fire prepared for his enemies
DRACO.
The dragon cast down
CAPRICORNUS
SAGITTA.
The arrow of God sent forth
AQUILA.
The smitten one falling
DELPHINUS.
The dead one rising again
AQUARIUS
PISCIS
AUSTRALIS. The blessings bestowed
PEGASUS.
The blessings quickly coming
CYGNUS.
The blesser surely returning
PISCES
THE
BAND. The great enemy
ANDROMEDA.
The redeemed in bondage
CEPHEUS.
The deliverer coming to loosen
ARIES
CASSIOPEIA.
The captive delivered
CETUS.
The great enemy bound
PERSEUS.
The breaker delivering
TAURUS
ORION.
The redeemer breaking forth as light
ERIDANUS.
Wrath breaking forth as a flood
AURIGA.
Safety for the redeemed in the day of wrath
GEMINI
LEPUS.
The enemy trodden under foot
CANIS
MAJOR. The coming glorious prince
CANIS
MINOR. The exalted redeemer
CANCER
HYDRA.
The old serpent destroyed
CRATER.
The cup of wrath poured out
CORVUS.
The birds of prey devouring
The
meanings of the stars have been drawn from Greek, Hebrew, Coptic, Arab,
Egyptian, Latin and other languages, but the overall picture is that of the
coming of Jesus, his death on a cross, and his subsequent triumph over Satan,
and restoration of perfection to the fallen world.
As
you can see, the original meanings in the names of the stars added up to tell
the story of God's great battle against Satan, and His work of redemption.
The
above, of course, is a far cry from modern astrology, which says nothing at all
about the Redeemer or the cross. Having obliterated the gospel from the zodiac,
modern astrologers make predictive statements, based on the positions of
planets, and many people actually believe that orbiting bodies (dead, cold rock,
or swirling poisonous gas, or fiery balls of toxic fumes) can have some sort of
personal influence on their lives. Once this is accepted, it may also be
possible to believe that any inanimate object has an influence - the
house, the lawnmower, or perhaps the letterbox?
What
does the Bible say to astrologers, and others like them, who prefer to follow
their own ideas rather than the Word of God?
"Stand
now with your enchantments, and with the multitude of your sorceries, wherein
you have laboured from your youth; if so be you shall be able to profit, if so
be you may prevail.
You
are wearied in the multitude of your counsels. Let now the astrologers, the
stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save you from these
things that shall come upon you.
Behold,
they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not
deliver themselves from the power of the flame " Isaiah 47:12 - 14
"And
in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them (the
men who waited on the Lord), he found them ten times better than all the
magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. Daniel 1:20
ASTROLOGY
According
to the Hutchinson Encyclopedia, "astrology" comes from two Greek words
- 'astron' = star, and 'legein' = speak. "Astrology is the study of the
relative position of the planets and stars in the belief that they
influence events on earth. The astrologer casts a horoscope based on the time
and place of the subject's birth. Astrology has no proven scientific basis,
but has been widespread since ancient times. Western astrology is based on the
12 signs of the zodiac.
"Astrology
comes from a strongly held belief in ancient Babylon. It spread from
there to the Mediterranean world, and was widely used by the Greeks and Romans.
In Europe during the Middle Ages it had a powerful influence since kings and
public figures had their own astrologers . . . in the UK the first edition of
Old Moore's Almanac appeared in 1700. This book gives a forecast of the year
ahead annually . . . astrological forecasts in newspapers and magazines are
usually very simplistic."
Let
us, for a moment, read the 'Your Stars' for the week 6-12 of May 2000. For ARIES
it says "Mar.21-Apr.20. A poor time for putting existing plans into
operation but an excellent one for devising plans for the future. In short,
creative thought is temporarily better than physical action."
The
advice is general and wide. It could be interpreted in many ways. Most people
make some sort of plan each day, even if it involves cleaning the toilet, going
to the shop, ringing a friend, etc. A person could take the advice subjectively
and say that it applied to them, and another person could take the same advice
and say it applied to them too. But let us, just a moment, suppose that this
prediction and advice (guidance) is true, we are now faced with a host of
problems.
For
instance :
1.
How can the position of a cold, rocky or gaseous lump of material (a planet)
orbiting the sun millions of miles away have any bearing on the behaviour of
only a percentage of people living on earth? Why not all of them? And how does a
planet differentiate between people - to guide one but not the other? And what
if people don't know their 'star sign' - do the planets get annoyed with them?
2.
If planets and stars can have this much effect, can they also make decisions of
their own, change their 'minds', reverse their decisions, make mistakes? How, if
the planets are just rock or gas, do they know about individual people who were
born when they, the planets, were in certain orbital planes?
3.
If the stars and planets for-ordain the behaviour so many of earth's population,
is there any real unguided freewill left on earth?
I'm
sure astrologers would have many answers to these questions, but I suspect, when
all's said and done, that the whole matter would boil down to two or three
simple statements : Astrology is an unscientific belief system, inherited from
the Babylonians. Astrology is a corrupted version of the original zodiac.
Astrology is a door into Satan's world of deception and lies.
Now
let us compare the 'Your Stars' prediction with the ancient Biblical zodiac :
ARIES
CASSIOPEIA.
The captive delivered
CETUS.
The great enemy bound
PERSEUS.
The breaker delivering
ARIES
is the constellation depicting a ram, or lamb. In Hebrew the name of this
constellation is 'Taleh' meaning 'the lamb'. The Arabic name is 'Al Hamal'
meaning 'the sheep, gentle, merciful'.
The
principal star in ARIES, in Syriac is 'Amroo', meaning lamb. This constellation
teaches us about Jesus, who is called "The lamb of God, which takes away
the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
The
ancient Akkadian name was 'Baraziggai' - 'Bar' = altar, or sacrifice, and 'ziggar'
= right making. So the full name of the constellation would be "Sacrifice
of righteousness".
Other
stars in the ARIES constellation are 'El Nath' or 'El Natik' which means
'wounded', or 'slain'. In the year of the crucifixion this star shone overhead
at the noonday darkening of the sun on the day the Lamb of God was slain.
Another
star 'Al Sheratan' means 'the wounded' or 'the bruised'.
Another
star 'Mesartim' means 'the bound'.
The
other three constellations - CASSIOPEIA, CETUS and PERSEUS - all carry equally
wonderful meanings. Briefly :
CASSIOPEIA
is an enthroned woman, CETUS is a sea monster bound and brought down, and
PERSEUS is a mighty man holding a great sword.
In
the meanings of the stars in these three constellations we learn of the Lord
Jesus redeeming Israel (the woman - Isaiah 54:5-8), and the devil being bound
and brought down (the sea monster subdued - Isaiah 51:22,23), and the mighty
Lord and defender of His people (the man with the sword - Isaiah 27:1).
Satan
has tried to twist and destroy whatever God had made - which is why we have
astrology today instead of the clear teaching of the Bible. Since the true
zodiac has been subverted so well by Satan into the man-centred mythology of
today, God now uses the Bible, and faithful teachers of the Word, to proclaim
the same message to all : He loves us, and wishes for all people to enter His
Kingdom.
"And
when they shall say to you, Seek them that have familiar spirits, and unto
wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek their God? (should
they not seek) the living (rather than) the dead?
"To
the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is
because [there is] no light in them" Isaiah 8:19,20