What does the Bible say about astrology?
The Foundations of Biblical Authority
“You shall have no other gods before me.” — Exodus 20:3
Astrology is in direct opposition to some of the most essential principles laid down by the Bible.
In no uncertain terms, the Scripture is clear that to turn your heart away from God and seek guidance in stars or celestial influence is a breach of divine authority.
The Bible is clear cut; its view on practices such as astrology rests at the opposite end of where our mind, trust and dependency should lay— God.
The first of the Ten Commandments is a cornerstone provision in explaining why astrology misfits Chstian teachings. And by proclaiming, “You shall have no other gods before me,” God declares Himself as the one whose divine authority is singular.
As such, whenever anyone turns to astrology, they are turning away from God and choosing another path — something which the Bible consistently condemns.
The appeal of astrology is that people really want to know what will happen in their future or just as a way to seek comfort information during stressful times.
In the Bible, we are taught that such knowledge is meant to be learned directly from the Creator.
In Isaiah 47:13-14, we see a clear picture of the impotence of astrologers “who gaze at the stars” and go on to prove that they cannot save themselves from judgment or deliver anyone else.
One more thing: Deuteronomy 4:19 advises against being “led astray” by the sun, moon, and stars — all of which were made by God for “all nations under heaven.”
It seems to be referring to the urge to worship stars as gods or ask them for advice.
The Bible tells believers not to do.
The stars exist as a sign of the Creator, not as a divine oracle.
The Role of the Heavenly Bodies
The Bible goes to great lengths in its recognition of the heavenly bodies, i.e., the sun, moon and stars.
And yet, these are so important to understand when we see in Scripture what they were for.
God designates these celestial bodies for specific purposes — to serve as illuminants, time markers and signals that tell the man the season, day or year (Genesis 1: 14).
At no point in this God-given directive does it intimate that they are to be consulted to tell the future of individual personages or influence human outcomes.
This difference between the signs and their meaning is very important in revealing what astrology really represents according to biblical teaching.
Certainly, the sun, moon and stars are signs (they mark time but were not given as guides to help a person make personal decisions or predict the future). So, scripture long affixed God as the ultimate authority.
God commands the sky and, in fact, often uses skies as imagery to show his power and indescribable ability.
Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
This is worded to create an image of the sky as nothing more than evidence of God, not a medium for divination.
God creates the stars and planets to reveal his glory, but not as part of the natural order in which astrology places them.
In addition, the Bible mentions astronomical phenomena that signal divine action in history (e.g., the Star of Bethlehem mentioned in Matthew 2:2 and led the Magi to their birthplace).
But even there, the star did not foretell or give them a lesson into what would happen in the future for these wise men but where the prophecy was going to come true by their guidance—the birth of Messiah.
So, the Bible respects the heavenly bodies as being of value but never on par with God.
They are signs, not guides.
Astrology as a Form of Divination
All prophecies, including astrology, are decried as forbidden in the Bible.
Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or unknown through supernatural means.
The prohibition on consulting mediums and necromancers is clear. Leviticus 19:31 states, “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out…”
The prohibition is based on the idea that these practices are an insult to God as they imply overcoming His dominion.
By searching for hidden information through the stars, people are basically playing god-satisfying their desires and making themselves lords as to what will occur to them in disregard to depending on God.
In so doing our act of defiance is also one of mistrust, that God’s wisdom and provision are not adequate.
Astrology is connected to divination. Involving oneself with astrology exposes one to influences and powers that oppose the will of God.
This is warned against in the Bible, particularly in Ephesians 6:12 and Paul’s words concerning “the cosmic powers over this present darkness.”
The New Testament perpetuates this ban.
In Acts 16:16-18 we read about a slave girl with a fortune-telling spirit.
Paul, aware of the spiritual deception in play, casts out the spirit in the name of Jesus Christ, and she is delivered from her influence.
To sum up, astrology as a method of divination is clearly forbidden in the bible.
The Bible teaches us to have faith in the sovereign wisdom of God and guidance from Him, rejecting any form of divination as a dangerous path—astrology not even an exception (Proverbs 30:4–5).
The Tower of Babel
Consider the story of Genesis 11, which tells about the dangers of seeking power and knowledge apart from God as it explains why humans are scattered all over Earth.
This narrative, while not about astrology per se, highlights the root goals of why people go down those paths: self-reliance and sovereignty from God.
The heart of the matter is not so much a dream as an aspiration on the part of those building Babel: to make for themselves “a name” (Gen 11) by constructing this tower more enduring, vaster and reaching higher than any which came before it — up into celestial levels; henceforth like gods now endowed with knowledge.
This ambition parallels the impetus behind astrology, which was to learn about and predict future events for oneself, a way of de-mystifying the universe without bothering God.
The tower then comes to represent mankind’s hubris and their futile acts of counterinsurgency as well as self-determination.
The Tower of Babel is dealt with God’s immediate reaction.
He scatters the people by confusing their languages, and they abandon their project.
The Babel story also deals with the consequences of pride rising collectively to go against God and try to build a secure place in ourselves, down instead of looking security at our Creator.
Wanting to “make a name for ourselves,” the pride that sends people looking into the heavens still manifests in builders.
Astrology, for example, like the Tower of Babel, is a futile attempt to be in control of life and try predictability: we are “building” our future according to what we want rather than standing on faith in God.
Astrology and Idolatry
In reality, Astrology is idolatry — the worship and service of creation instead of the Creator.
Idolatry is one of the most strictly and consistently condemned sins in Biblical scripture, viewing it as a foundational assault on the relationship with God.
This is condemned in Romans 1:25, among other things. “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.”
In whatever form it takes, idolatry is about giving to someone or something else (other than God) that belongs only to the Divine.
This is an essay on astrology since it — a belief that the stars in space have or can influence human fate.
It puts an element of the creation into a place that only belongs to the Creator, which obscures both God and how He relates with His world.
In the second commandment (Exodus 20:4-5), we are told not to create idols or bow down and worship them.
As such, astrology is used as a means by which to build identity and sources of help outside God.
It magnifies idolatry, pulling people away from looking for answers in the right places.
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Bulgarea Anca is a devout Christian and the founder of Bible Wings, a comprehensive resource for Christians seeking to deepen their faith and understanding of the Bible. Raised within the Christian faith, Bulgarea Anca’s spirituality was nourished by her grandparents, who were cantors in their local church. Her Christian upbringing was further solidified by her education at a Christian school. Today, she uses her in-depth knowledge of the scripture to provide insightful and meaningful content through Bible Wings.