Is believing in zodiac signs a sin - Scriptures Explained

Believing in zodiac signs is a sin because it is a form of divination in which man employs earthly knowledge and wisdom about the positioning of heavenly bodies to foretell the future instead of seeking counsel from God. The Bible teaches that we should only seek God’s direction in all that we want to do if we are to succeed. This is recorded in Proverbs 16:3, which says

“Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.”

Proverbs 3:5 also reinforces this point by stating:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Only God knows our future, and it’s only to Him that we should go.

Why did God create the stars?

Genesis 1:14–15 clearly teaches that God created the lights, that is, the sun, the moon, and the stars, to illuminate the earth and for signs and seasons. This is what the scripture says

“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the light; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so.””

This point is emphasized in Psalm 136:7-9, which says

“To Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever—the sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever.”

When the Bible says that stars are meant for ‘signs, what it means is that they can be used as navigational indicators or compasses to guide sea or ocean vessels from one point to another.

Therefore, we can conclude that stars were created with the sole purpose of providing illumination to the earth and acting as compasses or navigational indicators for seafarers.

So, when man decides to use his wisdom to divine the positioning of stars in order to gain insight into the future, he is terribly mistaken.

What are zodiac signs?

According to the zodiac belief system, a person’s character, behavior, and destiny are all tied to the pattern of planets and stars at the time of his birth.

There are about 12 zodiac signs, including Aries (March 21–April 19), Taurus (April 20–May 20), Gemini (May 21–June 20), Cancer (June 21–July 22), Leo (July 23–August 22), Virgo (August 23–September 22), Libra (September 23–October 22), Scorpio (October 23–November 21), Sagittarius (November–December 21), Capricorn (December 22–January 19), Aquarius (January 20–February 18), and Pisces (February 19–March 20).

There are people who read their stars every day in order to find out what the day has in store for them. There are those who read the stars to determine whom to marry. Others still use stars to determine whether they should travel or remain at home. There are those who use stars to determine when to launch a business or a career, and so on and so forth.

What does the Bible teach about astrology and the zodiac?

The Scriptures strongly teach against seeking counsel from astrologers, as it amounts to divination. In the following section, we quote scriptures that teach against astrology and zodiac signs in order to convince you to stay away from them as they pose more harm than good.

In Deuteronomy 4:19, God warns the children of Israel against aping the custom of the Canaanites of worshiping heavenly bodies. This scripture says:

“And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.”

Leviticus 19:31 teaches against seeking the counsel of mediums and spiritists, which leads to defilement. This is what the scripture says

“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; and do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”

In Leviticus 20:6, we find the same warning; it says

“And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”

According to this passage, the punishment for consulting mediums and spiritists was getting ‘cut off’, meaning killed.

Leviticus 20:27 spells out the punishment that was to be meted out on mediums or spiritists when found:

“A man or a woman who is a medium or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.”

The book of 1 Chronicles 10:13–14 gives us an account of how King Saul of Israel got killed by God and lost the kingdom to the house of David as a result of seeking guidance from a medium. This is what the scripture says:

“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness, which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”

In Isaiah 8:19, we see the prophet warning the children of Israel against seeking the advice of mediums and wizards by saying:

“And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?”

In Jeremiah 10:2, the prophet exhorts the children of Israel not to be awed by heavenly signs, as is the case with gentiles. This is what the scripture says

“Thus says the LORD: “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them.””

Again in Jeremiah 27:9–10, we find the prophet warning the children of Israel against listening to the lies of false prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, and sorcerers. This is what the scripture says

“Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the King of Babylon. For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and will drive you out, and you will perish.””

In Micah 5:12, the prophet teaches the children of Israel not to seek after fortune tellers. This is what the scripture says

“I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no soothsayers.”

In Isaiah 47:12–14, we again see the prophet mocking the children of Israel to ask the wizards and mediums to deliver them from the impeding judgment of God. This is what the scripture says:

“Stand now with your enchantments and the multitude of your sorceries, in which you have labored from your youth—perhaps you will be able to profit, perhaps you will prevail. You are worn out by the multitude of your counsels. Let now the astrologers, stargazers, and monthly prognosticators stand up and save you from what 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; it shall not be a coal to be warmed by nor a fire to sit before! Thus they shall be to you, with whom you have labored, your merchants from your youth; they shall wander each one to his quarter. No one shall save you.”

In Daniel 2:26–28, we learn that the wisdom of God is far superior compared to that of astrologers, magicians, soothsayers, and wizards. This is because they were unable to tell the king his dream and its interpretation. This is what we read from this scripture:

“Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The 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.”

The lesson we can learn from this passage is that, astrologers, magicians, soothsayers, and their ilk are not in a position to accurately foretell hidden secrets concerning the future. Only the God of heaven can do that. There is nothing hidden from His eyes. There is nothing He doesn’t know – He is God omniscient. We should therefore strive to seek His face alone.

We encounter a similar development in Daniel 4:7-8, where again, king Nebuchadnezzar gets another dream for which he seeks an interpretation. Again, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, the magicians, the astrologers, the soothsayers, and the wise men of Babylon fail to deliver. Only Daniel, through the Spirit of God, is able to interpret the dream for the king. The scripture says:

“Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him.”

Conclusion

In this article, we have established from the scriptures that God is against any form of divination, be it zodiacs, astrology, or such like. Instead, God wants us to seek answers pertaining to our lives from only one source: the Bible. Divination is a practice of pagans who do not believe in God, and as Christians, we should not engage in it. The Bible urges us to walk according to the counsel of God if we want to succeed. We find this exhortation in Psalm 1:1–2, which says

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

If you are constantly seeking answers to your life’s issues, then the Bible is your best bet; not astrologers, nor mediums, nor spiritists, nor zodiac signs.

Hope the information was helpful. Thank you.