Astrology was Christian cosmology for the first 1600 years of the church. Our current split between religion and astrology is a relatively recent, post-Reformation development.
Astrology was practiced, taught, and published at the highest levels by priests, monks, abbots, bishops, cardinals, popes, and saints.
Many contemporary Christians would hotly dispute the idea that their religion has any connection with astrology, but that is a modern delusion.
Among the earliest Christian writings, there was considerable argument over astrology, but not about whether the heavenly bodies exercised any influence. That they did was common knowledge.
The argument was generally over how, and how much, and what was right and proper to do with that knowledge. "Natural astrology," and the wholesale influence of the sun, moon, and stars over everything from the weather to the ailments of the body, was rarely the cause of debate. St. Thomas Aquinas, the theologian, clearly supported this view in his 'Summa Theologica'.Is the bible really a symbolic description of astrology and the zodiac?
In Job 38:31 God used the ordinance of heaven and the zodiacs as examples to show Job his majesty and awesomeness:
"Can you bind the beautiful Plieades? Can you loose the chords of Orion? Can you bring forth the mazzarot in their proper time?"
According to the Sumerians, their God taught them the ordinance of heaven, celestial time and earthly time. That their God divided the entire universe into twelve houses which they called "mazzarot" which the Greeks later on called "Zodiakos Kyklos" meaning "animal circle". It is interesting to note that the pictorial representation or signs of the zodiac including their names have remained virtually intact since their introduction in Sumer 6000 years ago.
The Sumerians were taught that earth moves from one zodiacal house to another every 2,160 years, So it will take our planet 25,920 years (2,160 years x 12 houses) to complete a cycle. From the time this zodiacal system began, earth has already completed 500 cycles, equivalent to 12.960,000 years (25,920 years x 500). If you divide 12,960,000 years by 2,160 years(Number of earth years in one zodiscal house), you will get a round figure of 6,000 years. If you divide 6,000 years by the number of days God created the world (6 days), you will arrive at 1,000 years. That explains 2 Peter 3:8 . "A thousand years is like a day" Is this a plain mathematical coincidence?Is the bible really a symbolic description of astrology and the zodiac?
Nothing about the zodiac in Job:
Job 38
The LORD Reveals His Omnipotence to Job
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
2 鈥淲ho is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3 Now prepare yourself like a man;
I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
Allegorical writings are also very difficult to deal with. You can make them say just about anything - whether or not that was the intent of the original author.
What does God say about those who consult with astrologers and use astrology for guidance in their lives? It's in the Bible, Isaiah 47:13-15 NIV. "All the counsel you have received has only worn you out. Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers 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 flame鈥ach of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you."
Astrology is a divination art, which teaches that the relative positioning in the sky of the sun, moon and planets has an influence upon individuals and upon the course of human affairs. The actual word for astrology in the Hebrew language literally means, 鈥榙ivining the heavens'. Divination is the act of foretelling future events, or of revealing secret knowledge, by means of signs and omens or other supernatural agency. God prohibits the practice of divination. It's in the Bible, Leviticus 19:26 NIV. "Do not practice divination or sorcery."
When the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land of Canaan, God warned them not to practice it. It's in the Bible, Deuteronomy 18:9, 12, 14, NIV. "Do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there鈥he nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so鈥nyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord."
Divination is actually regarded to be a grave sin. It's in the Bible, 1 Samuel 15:23, NIV. "Rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry."
When King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, he summoned the magicians, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. How did they respond? It's in the Bible, Daniel 2:10 NIV. "The astrologers answered the king, 鈥楾here is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.'"
The astrologers of Babylon were unable to help the king with this troublesome dream. However, God had blessed his prayerful prophet Daniel with the true gifts of the Holy Spirit, and he was brought before the king to interpret the dream. It's in the Bible, Daniel 2:27-28 NKJ. "Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, 鈥楾he secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these鈥?#039;" With God鈥檚 anointing, Daniel was able to describe and explain the king's prophetic dream.
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