ASTROLOGY VS PNEUMATOLOGY by Faith Grace Cross
Horoscope or HOPE Devotions? That is the No. 1 question... el numero uno pregunta that we pose to you now! Perhaps you have an opinion about reading the horoscope and feel it is all harmless fun because it's not a salvation issue. If that is the case with you, all we ask is that you read the article below with an opened mind and heart to see and understand God's heart and viewpoint on the matter. We want to teach, educate, inform and share what God has to say in his Word the bible about the horoscope and divination which are related to the occult.
Because all 3 words... horoscope, divination and occult are related in their core, it is essential to understand how they correlate with the sin of idolatry. Astrology versus pneumatology is the leading challenge we pose here for discussion and consideration...simply because Astrology is the study of the positions and influences of the stars and Pneumatology is the study of the One who created the stars. Also please understand that some may mistakenly equate the subject of astrology and astronomy as being the same, however they are entirely different subjects.
Astronomy is a study of the physical and chemical properties of the stars and planets outside of the earth's atmosphere. This would include all the star galaxies and planets, the sun and moon, etc. Also we are not diminishing nor negating the bible's teaching regarding the sun, moon, planets and stars. In Genesis 1:14 it says, " And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years." KJV So we can see how God put certain laws in place to effect the stars and planets which in turn affect the earth's time cycles and seasons and as signs for his spiritual time clock regarding bible prophecies.
Astrology VS Pneumatology
Astrology - Worldly View
Astrology* is defined as divination... the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects. Divination* is the art or practice of fortelling future events and the search for hidden knowledge with the aid of supernatural powers other than the true God, the Most High God Jehovah. Psalm 83:18 The Occult* is defined as something that is hidden from view, mysterious, concealed and relating to the influence of the supernatural. One well respected internet encyclopedia, **Wikipedia explains Astrology, which is a form of divination this way.. "Although most cultural systems of astrology share common roots in ancient philosophies that influenced each other, many have unique methodologies which differ from those developed in the west. Outside of western astrology, the two most significant of these are Hindu astrology (also known as "Indian astrology" and in modern times referred to as "Vedic astrology") and Chinese astrology. Both of these systems have yielded great influence upon the world's cultural history".
The article goes on to say in so many words...that Western astrology(being the most popular) is largely horoscopic, that is, it is a form of divination based on the construction of a horoscope for an exact moment, such as a person's birth, in which various cosmic bodies are said to have an influence. Astrology in western popular culture is often reduced to sun sign astrology, which considers only the individual's date of birth (i.e. the "position of the Sun" at that date)". Astrology assigns astrological or zodiac signs to each person according to their date of birth. The purpose of the daily horoscope readings are to reveal supposedly hidden knowledge and insight of the persons future. So to recap, astrology which is a form of divination is the fortelling of future events and search for hidden knowledge and the occult are things related to things hidden and concealed influenced by the supernatural. Bottom line is the world embraces astrology as a whole as something harmless not realizing there are dark supernatural powers behind it.
Divination simply put is looking for hidden knowledge and revelation of mysteries from supernatural sources outside of the true God. As a matter of fact, God has promised to reveal his secrets to his servants today as he did reveal mysteries to his ancient servants and prophets. In the book of Daniel we can see this clearly. King Nebuchadnezzar, king of ancient Babylon had a dream that no one in the land could interpret. He asked all the astrologers, diviners, magicians, etc for the interpretation. They all told the king they needed him to tell them what he dreamed in order to give him the interpretation. The king didn't fall for that because he knew they could tell him anything and could maneuver the outcome to their interpretation.
However, the true God of heaven gave Daniel not only the meaning of the dream but gave him details of the kings actual dream. "He reveals deep and hidden things, he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you. You have made known to us the dream of the king" Dan 2:22-23 NIV You can read the whole account in the second and third chapter of Daniel. "47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret." - Dan 2:47 KJV
Astrology - God's View
Astronomy is not astrology. They are completely opposites. With astronomy it is simply the study of the physical properties of the stars and planets and as mentioned before they serve as signs for God's prophetic timeline. Astrology on the other hand uses the stars and planets to dictate the affairs in our personal lives with the influence of the occult. God does have his say about astrology in the bible. God's view of astrology, a form of divination is clarified in the bible where it states precisely at Leviticus 19:26, "Do not practice divination." Historical and biblical records inform us that the people of ancient Babylon practiced astrology regularly. We must recognize the importance of what the Spirit is saying to the church today regarding this matter and take heed accordingly because it has been established that astrology is a form of divination which is linked to the occult. "Hear the word of the LORD, O Israel! This is what the LORD says: "Do not act like other nations who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. ......There stands their god like a helpless scarecrow in a garden! It cannot speak, and it needs to be carried because it cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good. LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power". Jeremiah 10: 1-6
The nations back then attempted to read the stars through the practice of Astrology and make their predictions through horroscope readings. It's no different today except the methods are modernized with the internet and social networks for astrology, along with pychic hotlines and fortune telling to mention a few other forms of divination. Not to get off subject, the enemy also predicts the future through its false prophets today but that is another topic on a different website. Clearly the cited scripture here states that these worldly and paganistic practices are not only displeasing to God but they are futile and worthless idols not worthy of our attention. 1Pet 4:17 says, "For it is the appointed time for the judgement to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God". Our main objective is to educate Christians, starting with the house of God. Many Christians have been blinded by the enemy to believe that dabbling into the occult, whether it is astrology,numerology, psychic mediums, etc is as harmless as eating outdoors. Sure, it's harmless to eat outdoors but, not when there's a big hungry lion, lurking nearby in the shadows soon to be standing over your shoulder. 1Peter 5:8 says, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
That's exactly what happens when we associate in any way with the occult, we put ourselves in harms way endangering not only ourselves but those unguarded, unawares in close proximity as well. It is not a light matter to open the doors to demonic activity in your life. Watch who you associate with! Yes we are all as Christians targets of the enemy and the bible says it is worthy to suffer for righteousness sake. If we suffer for righteousness or lose our life for the sake of righteousness we know our reward will be in heaven. However when we literally open the door to the enemy due to our disobedience, we've played right into the enemy's hand. Their aim is to take you out from under God's covering and protection where they can bring on havoc and mayhem to your utter destruction. He's not playing with you, he was a manslayer from the beginning. What can be worse than being destroyed by the enemy while we are outside of God's will.
Pneumatology and the Relevance of Numbers
Pneumatology* is defined as the study of spiritual beings or phenomena. It is stated in the book, Systematic Theology Volume III, "Pneumatology, could include the study of all spirits; God as Spirit, angels, both the fallen and the unfallen, and the spirit of man. Our study, however, is limited to the person and work of the HOLY SPIRIT."*** For the sake of argument here ...our use of the term pneumatology also is referencing only the HOLY SPIRIT, the spirit of the Most High God Jehovah and his son Jesus Christ. The doctrine of pneumatology** as the study of the Holy Spirit is taught in most bible colleges and seminaries today. For the purpose of all practicality and God's leading, Hope Devotion's calendar guide each month is represented by a fruit of the Holy Spirit and other distinctive godly characteristics.
Almighty God has always attached major relevance and meaning to numbers to help us understand Him, his purpose for all creation and His prophetic timeline. God's enemy always copy what God does which is a counterfeit. He uses numbers and assigns his own meanings, also he uses mathematical formulas to understand hidden codes. This is called gematria. When we try to apply the enemy's meanings of numbers to our personal life again like astrology we get into numerology and gematria which is also another form of divination.
A study of the Holy Spirit reveals that God's nature is extremely sensitive with regard to our allegiance towards him. By that I mean the bible tells us that we must fear God and that our God is a jealous God. "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you' for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." Deuteronomy 6:14-15 This is a godly fear which encompasses AWE and RESPECT because our God is an AWESOME wonder and power. He is worthy of all praise, glory and honor. Some may say that we are no longer under the law and not required any longer to obey the commandments and laws outlined in the Old Testament.
It is true, helpful and liberating to know that we are no longer under the old law because the law of LOVE should now reign in our heart. We now have the Holy Spirit which is God's spirit dwelling on the inside of us. As born-again Christians our hearts have become circumcised. Spiritual circumcision is an ongoing process by which the Holy Spirit removes the hardened tough layers of the works of the flesh such as selfishness, hatred, bitterness, lust, greed, selfish ambition, and whatever other crud that envelopes our heart. Gal 5:19-21, Compare Rom 2:29
As a result of spiritual circumcision of the heart, our love for God becomes evident by the fruits of Holy Spirit manifesting now in our life. We are now empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit which is a visible reflection of the measure of God's grace being poured in our life. Jesus said we have (2) two commandments and the first one is to LOVE God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and the second is to LOVE our neighbor as oneself. These commandments can be summed up in the ten commandments which are not burdensome when we have the power of love, which is God living on the inside of us. It is no longer you and I but the Holy Spirit working in us. 1John 5:3 It is all about the Holy Spirit...Christ within us!
Truth or Lies
God wants to be a part of our life in every way. However, as the above cited scripture at Deut 6:4 stated ...He is a jealous God and will not tolerate any other gods before him. Some Christians have chosen to worship the god of divination without realizing it through their daily horrorscope readings. They have removed God in a way from their daily life routine. Instead of seeking Him, they seek knowledge falsely called truth. The astrologists are not going to tell you that what they are saying to you are lies, they promote it as truth. Those who read it either believe it as truth or are hoping it will come true. So even if you say I know its not true, why even bother. It's because you are hoping some truth comes out of it. Same thing. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2Tim 4:3-4 NIV. Men have turned away from hearing the truth of God's Word.
I have always related the term "teacher" in the above scripture to be referring to the pastor, minister, evangelist or teacher of the church. It became quite apparent during my study and preparation of this article that the term has a much broader application. God many times hide layers of meanings in His Word. Many ministers in the churches today are not teaching the Word of God fully and the reason is because they have dulled the edge of the sword with their smooth words which are unable to cut to the dividing of soul. Teaching these soft messages week after week only weakens the listeners, never reaching their heart.
The heart is the seat of motivation which needs to be penetrated for any real or substantive change to take place. These so called soft messages lead to unmoved hearts which never lead to genuine repentance. Compare Heb 4:12 It's for this very reason that many Christians likewise have gathered other teachers such as (astrologers, fortune tellers, psychics, talk show hosts, self-help tools (books, videos, podcasts, etc to fill the void left .. These other teachers tickle the ears of the weak spiritually depleted Christian, due to the huge vacuum left in their soul for the lack of hearty, healthy spiritual food. I've been in this very position myself looking outside of God for answers to my problems.
As a result God's spirit has left these churches and the ministers that lead them because of the prevalent spirit of rebellion and unrepentance. We must listen to the spiritual declaration going forth, as the trumpet is blown in the earth proclaiming there is spiritual famine in the land. A famine for the hearing of the Word of the Lord. Compare Amos 8:11 The Spirit says it is time for the church to repent. Amos 4:6 Are we seeking God's will and repenting of our evil ways or are we as Christians looking to all kinds of idols instead? Among the idols are the stars to guide and direct us, trusting in the horoscope to reveal what is going to happen in our future, in our love life, or whether we will have luck in business or a career. Are you one who looks to the god of divination to tell you how you will feel or relate to others or how others will feel and relate to you for the day.
Effects of the Occult
God's warning against divination and dabbling in the occult are for our own good...He wants to help you and I avoid the traps and pitfalls laid out by the Devil. Furthermore, God admonishes us to get out of Babylon the Great, if we do not want to share in her sins and receive part of the plagues due to come upon her which is God's wrath. We are called to warn the wicked because Babylon is the epitome of everything evil; she being steeped in the occultic world of divination, magic, pyschic powers, fortunetelling, astrology and idol worship. "With a mighty voice he shouted,.....Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries." Rev 18:2-3 This scripture speaks for itself that Babylon is influencing the world around her so much that everyone a part of the world is intoxicated by the wine of her adulteries.
Babylon the Great is the spirit of evil that is spread all over the world today. It is spread through the darkness wherein lies everything defiled, unholy and unrighteous things by way of sexual immorality and the occult. This maddening wine of Baybylon is produced by no one other than God' s enemy Satan. It contains an elixir that on one hand sweetens the flavor masking the taste to make it more pleasing to all palates. There is even a watered down version for our youth. The elixir is a deadly poisonous chemical compound that is fatal upon ingestion . An elixir is defined as a medicinal concoction, a sweetened liquid usually containing alcohol that is used for medicinal purposes. This elixir is used to medicate a world that's on the brink of self-destruction.
Our world is sitting on a motherload of dynamite set to go off at any second. Rather than face this cold hard reality the world prefers to live in fantasy land. The world today is sick. People who medicate themselves upon this elixir become addicted to its sweet taste. This maddening wine mixed with an elixir can also be watered down to taste comparably to a refreshing winecooler. It is appalling that even the children are drinking the elixir (sweetened) maddening wine. In this fashion the wine is being consumed on a large scale daily by people of all ages all around the world. They have all acquired a taste for the fashionable occult. It doesn't matter whether you drink the pure maddening wine elixir or the watered down winecooler version because the effect is the same, spiritual intoxication which leads to spiritual adultery which is a form of (idolatry). Can you say spiritual suicide?
The wine is available through various means by way of entertainment through movies, tv programs, the internet, social media, literature, electronic games, etc ...The elixir (alcoholic content) is dependent upon the producers (the dark spirits) behind it. The wines are all laced with varying degrees of the occult and sexual immorality, a variety of flavored elixirs of fairy tales, fantasy, romance, horror, comedy and suspense. The world has developed an unsatiable desire and thirst for this maddening wine (spirits of darkness) with its various flavored elixirs and (wine cooler) mixtures by way of the world of ENTERTAINMENT. Sadly, many Christians have joined the world in acquiring a taste for this maddening wine even though the bible admonishes us to remain SOBER, ALERT and AWAKE in this time of the end. Compare 1Peter 5:8 which says to "be self-controlled and ALERT" (some versions say "be SOBER, be vigilant).
Please...take heed of the warning ....God is forgiving and gracious in his patience with us. This is a special time of grace that is meant to lead us to genuine repentance. But time is running out....friendship with the world is enmity with God. Any measure of association with Babylon the Great whether through means of the occult or sexual immorality often leads to depression and can possibly lead to suicide. This may sound somewhat overstated, yet the fact of the matter is that people often unknowingly open the door to demonic activity in their lives. Many people simply don't believe in the existence of wicked spirits or demons yet demonic oppression is prevalent not only in the world but in the church as well.
More astounding are the number of Christians that don't believe they exist, or even more so are afraid of them. The bible tells us more than enough information about the enemies of God to know that they exist. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, " For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." I found some pretty convincing evidence of the correlation between the occult and depression leading to suicide through a social media network group that I joined back in 2011 when the Lord first gave me the idea about this ministry website. I joined this particular network group site for persons contemplating suicide as an experiment. This group is geared specifically towards suicidal teenagers but anyone of any age can join.
After joining I began immediately to read many of the profiles and comments of teenagers and young adults, male and female, talking about their feelings of suicide, how they wanted to kill themselves because life was so unbearable for them and on and on. Some admitted that they hated themselves and just life in general. Many of these young people were cutters, cutting themselves just to feel alive or relevant in someway. One outstanding common denominator I found unsurprisingly on their profile pages were their fondness of the OCCULT through various means. The occult has penetrated every genre and medium there is related to music, books, internet games, video games, tv or movies. Some listed as their favorite past-times anything associated with Harry Potter, Twilight, vampires, witches, warlocks, other horror movies or other things associated with the occult which included on some pornography.
This simple experiment helps to substantiate the fact that dabbling in the occult does indeed lead to depression and even thoughts of suicide. This phenomenon is not just a YOUTH craze. Today people of all ages are fascinated with anything that is FANTASY (based on fairy tales) related being mystical, dark, light (only on the surface) and demonic. You can see this even now Christian book publishers are posting what they call christian mystical writers, publishing books that are dealing with the occult . They publish Christian trilogies dealing with vampires. I find this so amazing that a Christian publisher would compromise christian principles all for the love of money. What else could be the motivation? But, it's not surprising since it appeals to our fallen flesh which lusts and craves anything base and unholy.
Another reason it appeals to our flesh is because we were created in God's image and the true God, our creator is a Spirit, a supernatural being. Compare John 4:24 So its natural to seek out the supernatural. It only creates problems when we are associating and seeking out the dark side of the supernatural, God's enemy. You can read more about this subject in the article Visions of Hope .
Shunning Evil Brings Health
I read somewhere that the millions (that would include Christians and non-Christians) who frequent the horrorscope readings in newspapers around the world are empowering the astrologists who write the daily horrorscopes by their daily devotion and loyal following. Never underestimate the power of numbers which tell that in the least there are hundreds of thousands of Christians reading and believing in the horrorscope whether its with regularity or not. It is startling to know that so many Christians have been blinded by the glamorization of it all...of the occult that is. The church is not the complete blame here, everyone has to take full responsibility for their spiritual health and condition.
A typical horrorscope reading makes generalizations about a persons personality, making suggestions of the person's mood for the day and many times it's negative. Accordingly each zodiac sign has its own special personality traits that supposedly belong to you only if you are born on a certain day of a particular month. There is power in suggestion and as a result many people believe and take on the personality traits of their zodiac sign and they look for the traits in others accordingly for each sign. Truth is all humans have varying degrees to some extent of all personality traits. For example it is said those born under the sign of Taurus the bull are prone to being stubborn. This is what you call a generalization being applied to a certain group of people.
Actually all humans are born under sin and have varying degrees of being stubborn, some more or less than others. On the contrary, HOPE Devotions is made up of the fruits of God's Holy Spirit and other distinctive godly characteristics he posesses. The HOPE devotional will never suggest that you will be in a negative mood nor tell you what it thinks you want to hear just for the sake of it all. It will always bring you the truth , that is a healthy word based on the Word of God. Proverbs 3:7-8 says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Hope Devotions for sure has your best interest at heart and will highlight the scriptures, God's unadulterated Word to guide our daily walk with Him as it relates to our worship of the Most High God, our everyday living and relationships, etc. The above cited scripture admonishes us to "shun evil". To shun means to avoid deliberately and habitually. In other words God is saying we must daily deliberately avoid evil...that's any form of evil. Astrology and fortune telling are forms of divination, point being established at the beginning of this article. The source behind divination is evil. In the book of Acts the Apostle Paul was followed by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and Paul commanded the spirit of darkness to come out of the girl which it did.
We must deliberately command our day to be free of any spirits of darkness by avoiding anything related to such spirits as astrology and anything related to the occult. This may require drastic changes in our lifestyle, avoiding certain websites we are accustomed to visiting, being selective in our choice of anything we watch on tv, or listen to or read. We must guard the gates of our eyes and ears shunning anything evil. God promises us when we do so we will bring health to our body and nourishment to our bones. In other words we will be strengthened not only physically but mentally , emotionally and spiritually. Everything that looks or sounds good is not good for you. Sometimes the enemy comes under the disguise of an angel. There are many movies and games that promote angelic activity supposedly under the guise of fairytales and supernatural adventures. The real spirit behind these are spirits of darkness. It is subtle but real. People that feast on these kind of phenomena have problems with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Love Is The Key
When I first began this project... I arranged the fruits of the spirit in the HOPE Devotions guide according to man's calendar. I initially listed LOVE in the month of February, thinking of Valentines day and JOY in December for Christmas, etc. The Holy Spirit directed me to change that and list the fruits of the spirit in the exact order as they are listed in the book of Galatians. Also at first I referred to the fruits of the spirit as spiritual signs as comparison to zodiac signs. God said no, change that too.
There is to be no correlation or ties between HOPE Devotions and the occult. It's because God assigns importance to names and numbers and puts emphasis on arrangement and order... I immediately understood his direction. It then became apparent to me as well why LOVE is listed first among the fruits of the spirit at Gal 5:22, it being the primary... principal fruit of the Holy Spirit. It could be said that the remaining 8 fruits listed in Gal 5:22-23 and other godly characteristics are various manifestations of the primary principle of LOVE. Love is the parent and the other fruits of the spirit are the offspring thereof.
As God were revealing these nuggets of truth and treasure to me about the numbers and everything regarding the arrangement of information, I was typing it as fast as he was dictating it to my spirit. Of course the enemy didn't like it and in one swipe , one full swoop....everything you see here was wiped off of the page. I clicked on the undo button but to no avail it didn't come back. Fortunately I had copied and pasted to a word document most everything and what I hadn't copied the Holy Spirit brought back to my mind, and I mean every detail and more. In conclusion, it’s not about our natural birthday as with Astrology but it's about our spiritual birthday.
When we are born-again, we receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. As Christians, our goal should be to cultivate the fruits and characteristics of God's Holy Spirit on a daily basis. Therefore allow HOPE Devotions to be an inspiration and help you to focus each month on a specific fruit of the Holy Spirit or godly characteristic . Take it only as a suggestion, you are free to follow your own way as you choose. I know, it's not a salvation issue and so why go there. By now, I think you know the answers.
References used in the above article:
* All definitions are taken from the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary 10th ed.
** Wikipedia, Astrology-Main page discussion; World Traditions of Astrology
*** Systematic Theology Volume lll by Ernest Swing Williams , Former General Superintendent of General Council of the Assemblies of God.
Chapter One Pneumatology ; Page 5-par 1
Astrology* is defined as divination... the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects. Divination* is the art or practice of fortelling future events and the search for hidden knowledge with the aid of supernatural powers other than the true God, the Most High God Jehovah. Psalm 83:18 The Occult* is defined as something that is hidden from view, mysterious, concealed and relating to the influence of the supernatural. One well respected internet encyclopedia, **Wikipedia explains Astrology, which is a form of divination this way.. "Although most cultural systems of astrology share common roots in ancient philosophies that influenced each other, many have unique methodologies which differ from those developed in the west. Outside of western astrology, the two most significant of these are Hindu astrology (also known as "Indian astrology" and in modern times referred to as "Vedic astrology") and Chinese astrology. Both of these systems have yielded great influence upon the world's cultural history".
The article goes on to say in so many words...that Western astrology(being the most popular) is largely horoscopic, that is, it is a form of divination based on the construction of a horoscope for an exact moment, such as a person's birth, in which various cosmic bodies are said to have an influence. Astrology in western popular culture is often reduced to sun sign astrology, which considers only the individual's date of birth (i.e. the "position of the Sun" at that date)". Astrology assigns astrological or zodiac signs to each person according to their date of birth. The purpose of the daily horoscope readings are to reveal supposedly hidden knowledge and insight of the persons future. So to recap, astrology which is a form of divination is the fortelling of future events and search for hidden knowledge and the occult are things related to things hidden and concealed influenced by the supernatural. Bottom line is the world embraces astrology as a whole as something harmless not realizing there are dark supernatural powers behind it.
Divination simply put is looking for hidden knowledge and revelation of mysteries from supernatural sources outside of the true God. As a matter of fact, God has promised to reveal his secrets to his servants today as he did reveal mysteries to his ancient servants and prophets. In the book of Daniel we can see this clearly. King Nebuchadnezzar, king of ancient Babylon had a dream that no one in the land could interpret. He asked all the astrologers, diviners, magicians, etc for the interpretation. They all told the king they needed him to tell them what he dreamed in order to give him the interpretation. The king didn't fall for that because he knew they could tell him anything and could maneuver the outcome to their interpretation.
However, the true God of heaven gave Daniel not only the meaning of the dream but gave him details of the kings actual dream. "He reveals deep and hidden things, he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you. You have made known to us the dream of the king" Dan 2:22-23 NIV You can read the whole account in the second and third chapter of Daniel. "47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret." - Dan 2:47 KJV
Astrology - God's View
Astronomy is not astrology. They are completely opposites. With astronomy it is simply the study of the physical properties of the stars and planets and as mentioned before they serve as signs for God's prophetic timeline. Astrology on the other hand uses the stars and planets to dictate the affairs in our personal lives with the influence of the occult. God does have his say about astrology in the bible. God's view of astrology, a form of divination is clarified in the bible where it states precisely at Leviticus 19:26, "Do not practice divination." Historical and biblical records inform us that the people of ancient Babylon practiced astrology regularly. We must recognize the importance of what the Spirit is saying to the church today regarding this matter and take heed accordingly because it has been established that astrology is a form of divination which is linked to the occult. "Hear the word of the LORD, O Israel! This is what the LORD says: "Do not act like other nations who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish. ......There stands their god like a helpless scarecrow in a garden! It cannot speak, and it needs to be carried because it cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good. LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power". Jeremiah 10: 1-6
The nations back then attempted to read the stars through the practice of Astrology and make their predictions through horroscope readings. It's no different today except the methods are modernized with the internet and social networks for astrology, along with pychic hotlines and fortune telling to mention a few other forms of divination. Not to get off subject, the enemy also predicts the future through its false prophets today but that is another topic on a different website. Clearly the cited scripture here states that these worldly and paganistic practices are not only displeasing to God but they are futile and worthless idols not worthy of our attention. 1Pet 4:17 says, "For it is the appointed time for the judgement to start with the house of God. Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God". Our main objective is to educate Christians, starting with the house of God. Many Christians have been blinded by the enemy to believe that dabbling into the occult, whether it is astrology,numerology, psychic mediums, etc is as harmless as eating outdoors. Sure, it's harmless to eat outdoors but, not when there's a big hungry lion, lurking nearby in the shadows soon to be standing over your shoulder. 1Peter 5:8 says, "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."
That's exactly what happens when we associate in any way with the occult, we put ourselves in harms way endangering not only ourselves but those unguarded, unawares in close proximity as well. It is not a light matter to open the doors to demonic activity in your life. Watch who you associate with! Yes we are all as Christians targets of the enemy and the bible says it is worthy to suffer for righteousness sake. If we suffer for righteousness or lose our life for the sake of righteousness we know our reward will be in heaven. However when we literally open the door to the enemy due to our disobedience, we've played right into the enemy's hand. Their aim is to take you out from under God's covering and protection where they can bring on havoc and mayhem to your utter destruction. He's not playing with you, he was a manslayer from the beginning. What can be worse than being destroyed by the enemy while we are outside of God's will.
Pneumatology and the Relevance of Numbers
Pneumatology* is defined as the study of spiritual beings or phenomena. It is stated in the book, Systematic Theology Volume III, "Pneumatology, could include the study of all spirits; God as Spirit, angels, both the fallen and the unfallen, and the spirit of man. Our study, however, is limited to the person and work of the HOLY SPIRIT."*** For the sake of argument here ...our use of the term pneumatology also is referencing only the HOLY SPIRIT, the spirit of the Most High God Jehovah and his son Jesus Christ. The doctrine of pneumatology** as the study of the Holy Spirit is taught in most bible colleges and seminaries today. For the purpose of all practicality and God's leading, Hope Devotion's calendar guide each month is represented by a fruit of the Holy Spirit and other distinctive godly characteristics.
Almighty God has always attached major relevance and meaning to numbers to help us understand Him, his purpose for all creation and His prophetic timeline. God's enemy always copy what God does which is a counterfeit. He uses numbers and assigns his own meanings, also he uses mathematical formulas to understand hidden codes. This is called gematria. When we try to apply the enemy's meanings of numbers to our personal life again like astrology we get into numerology and gematria which is also another form of divination.
A study of the Holy Spirit reveals that God's nature is extremely sensitive with regard to our allegiance towards him. By that I mean the bible tells us that we must fear God and that our God is a jealous God. "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you' for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." Deuteronomy 6:14-15 This is a godly fear which encompasses AWE and RESPECT because our God is an AWESOME wonder and power. He is worthy of all praise, glory and honor. Some may say that we are no longer under the law and not required any longer to obey the commandments and laws outlined in the Old Testament.
It is true, helpful and liberating to know that we are no longer under the old law because the law of LOVE should now reign in our heart. We now have the Holy Spirit which is God's spirit dwelling on the inside of us. As born-again Christians our hearts have become circumcised. Spiritual circumcision is an ongoing process by which the Holy Spirit removes the hardened tough layers of the works of the flesh such as selfishness, hatred, bitterness, lust, greed, selfish ambition, and whatever other crud that envelopes our heart. Gal 5:19-21, Compare Rom 2:29
As a result of spiritual circumcision of the heart, our love for God becomes evident by the fruits of Holy Spirit manifesting now in our life. We are now empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit which is a visible reflection of the measure of God's grace being poured in our life. Jesus said we have (2) two commandments and the first one is to LOVE God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength and the second is to LOVE our neighbor as oneself. These commandments can be summed up in the ten commandments which are not burdensome when we have the power of love, which is God living on the inside of us. It is no longer you and I but the Holy Spirit working in us. 1John 5:3 It is all about the Holy Spirit...Christ within us!
Truth or Lies
God wants to be a part of our life in every way. However, as the above cited scripture at Deut 6:4 stated ...He is a jealous God and will not tolerate any other gods before him. Some Christians have chosen to worship the god of divination without realizing it through their daily horrorscope readings. They have removed God in a way from their daily life routine. Instead of seeking Him, they seek knowledge falsely called truth. The astrologists are not going to tell you that what they are saying to you are lies, they promote it as truth. Those who read it either believe it as truth or are hoping it will come true. So even if you say I know its not true, why even bother. It's because you are hoping some truth comes out of it. Same thing. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2Tim 4:3-4 NIV. Men have turned away from hearing the truth of God's Word.
I have always related the term "teacher" in the above scripture to be referring to the pastor, minister, evangelist or teacher of the church. It became quite apparent during my study and preparation of this article that the term has a much broader application. God many times hide layers of meanings in His Word. Many ministers in the churches today are not teaching the Word of God fully and the reason is because they have dulled the edge of the sword with their smooth words which are unable to cut to the dividing of soul. Teaching these soft messages week after week only weakens the listeners, never reaching their heart.
The heart is the seat of motivation which needs to be penetrated for any real or substantive change to take place. These so called soft messages lead to unmoved hearts which never lead to genuine repentance. Compare Heb 4:12 It's for this very reason that many Christians likewise have gathered other teachers such as (astrologers, fortune tellers, psychics, talk show hosts, self-help tools (books, videos, podcasts, etc to fill the void left .. These other teachers tickle the ears of the weak spiritually depleted Christian, due to the huge vacuum left in their soul for the lack of hearty, healthy spiritual food. I've been in this very position myself looking outside of God for answers to my problems.
As a result God's spirit has left these churches and the ministers that lead them because of the prevalent spirit of rebellion and unrepentance. We must listen to the spiritual declaration going forth, as the trumpet is blown in the earth proclaiming there is spiritual famine in the land. A famine for the hearing of the Word of the Lord. Compare Amos 8:11 The Spirit says it is time for the church to repent. Amos 4:6 Are we seeking God's will and repenting of our evil ways or are we as Christians looking to all kinds of idols instead? Among the idols are the stars to guide and direct us, trusting in the horoscope to reveal what is going to happen in our future, in our love life, or whether we will have luck in business or a career. Are you one who looks to the god of divination to tell you how you will feel or relate to others or how others will feel and relate to you for the day.
Effects of the Occult
God's warning against divination and dabbling in the occult are for our own good...He wants to help you and I avoid the traps and pitfalls laid out by the Devil. Furthermore, God admonishes us to get out of Babylon the Great, if we do not want to share in her sins and receive part of the plagues due to come upon her which is God's wrath. We are called to warn the wicked because Babylon is the epitome of everything evil; she being steeped in the occultic world of divination, magic, pyschic powers, fortunetelling, astrology and idol worship. "With a mighty voice he shouted,.....Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries." Rev 18:2-3 This scripture speaks for itself that Babylon is influencing the world around her so much that everyone a part of the world is intoxicated by the wine of her adulteries.
Babylon the Great is the spirit of evil that is spread all over the world today. It is spread through the darkness wherein lies everything defiled, unholy and unrighteous things by way of sexual immorality and the occult. This maddening wine of Baybylon is produced by no one other than God' s enemy Satan. It contains an elixir that on one hand sweetens the flavor masking the taste to make it more pleasing to all palates. There is even a watered down version for our youth. The elixir is a deadly poisonous chemical compound that is fatal upon ingestion . An elixir is defined as a medicinal concoction, a sweetened liquid usually containing alcohol that is used for medicinal purposes. This elixir is used to medicate a world that's on the brink of self-destruction.
Our world is sitting on a motherload of dynamite set to go off at any second. Rather than face this cold hard reality the world prefers to live in fantasy land. The world today is sick. People who medicate themselves upon this elixir become addicted to its sweet taste. This maddening wine mixed with an elixir can also be watered down to taste comparably to a refreshing winecooler. It is appalling that even the children are drinking the elixir (sweetened) maddening wine. In this fashion the wine is being consumed on a large scale daily by people of all ages all around the world. They have all acquired a taste for the fashionable occult. It doesn't matter whether you drink the pure maddening wine elixir or the watered down winecooler version because the effect is the same, spiritual intoxication which leads to spiritual adultery which is a form of (idolatry). Can you say spiritual suicide?
The wine is available through various means by way of entertainment through movies, tv programs, the internet, social media, literature, electronic games, etc ...The elixir (alcoholic content) is dependent upon the producers (the dark spirits) behind it. The wines are all laced with varying degrees of the occult and sexual immorality, a variety of flavored elixirs of fairy tales, fantasy, romance, horror, comedy and suspense. The world has developed an unsatiable desire and thirst for this maddening wine (spirits of darkness) with its various flavored elixirs and (wine cooler) mixtures by way of the world of ENTERTAINMENT. Sadly, many Christians have joined the world in acquiring a taste for this maddening wine even though the bible admonishes us to remain SOBER, ALERT and AWAKE in this time of the end. Compare 1Peter 5:8 which says to "be self-controlled and ALERT" (some versions say "be SOBER, be vigilant).
Please...take heed of the warning ....God is forgiving and gracious in his patience with us. This is a special time of grace that is meant to lead us to genuine repentance. But time is running out....friendship with the world is enmity with God. Any measure of association with Babylon the Great whether through means of the occult or sexual immorality often leads to depression and can possibly lead to suicide. This may sound somewhat overstated, yet the fact of the matter is that people often unknowingly open the door to demonic activity in their lives. Many people simply don't believe in the existence of wicked spirits or demons yet demonic oppression is prevalent not only in the world but in the church as well.
More astounding are the number of Christians that don't believe they exist, or even more so are afraid of them. The bible tells us more than enough information about the enemies of God to know that they exist. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, " For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." I found some pretty convincing evidence of the correlation between the occult and depression leading to suicide through a social media network group that I joined back in 2011 when the Lord first gave me the idea about this ministry website. I joined this particular network group site for persons contemplating suicide as an experiment. This group is geared specifically towards suicidal teenagers but anyone of any age can join.
After joining I began immediately to read many of the profiles and comments of teenagers and young adults, male and female, talking about their feelings of suicide, how they wanted to kill themselves because life was so unbearable for them and on and on. Some admitted that they hated themselves and just life in general. Many of these young people were cutters, cutting themselves just to feel alive or relevant in someway. One outstanding common denominator I found unsurprisingly on their profile pages were their fondness of the OCCULT through various means. The occult has penetrated every genre and medium there is related to music, books, internet games, video games, tv or movies. Some listed as their favorite past-times anything associated with Harry Potter, Twilight, vampires, witches, warlocks, other horror movies or other things associated with the occult which included on some pornography.
This simple experiment helps to substantiate the fact that dabbling in the occult does indeed lead to depression and even thoughts of suicide. This phenomenon is not just a YOUTH craze. Today people of all ages are fascinated with anything that is FANTASY (based on fairy tales) related being mystical, dark, light (only on the surface) and demonic. You can see this even now Christian book publishers are posting what they call christian mystical writers, publishing books that are dealing with the occult . They publish Christian trilogies dealing with vampires. I find this so amazing that a Christian publisher would compromise christian principles all for the love of money. What else could be the motivation? But, it's not surprising since it appeals to our fallen flesh which lusts and craves anything base and unholy.
Another reason it appeals to our flesh is because we were created in God's image and the true God, our creator is a Spirit, a supernatural being. Compare John 4:24 So its natural to seek out the supernatural. It only creates problems when we are associating and seeking out the dark side of the supernatural, God's enemy. You can read more about this subject in the article Visions of Hope .
Shunning Evil Brings Health
I read somewhere that the millions (that would include Christians and non-Christians) who frequent the horrorscope readings in newspapers around the world are empowering the astrologists who write the daily horrorscopes by their daily devotion and loyal following. Never underestimate the power of numbers which tell that in the least there are hundreds of thousands of Christians reading and believing in the horrorscope whether its with regularity or not. It is startling to know that so many Christians have been blinded by the glamorization of it all...of the occult that is. The church is not the complete blame here, everyone has to take full responsibility for their spiritual health and condition.
A typical horrorscope reading makes generalizations about a persons personality, making suggestions of the person's mood for the day and many times it's negative. Accordingly each zodiac sign has its own special personality traits that supposedly belong to you only if you are born on a certain day of a particular month. There is power in suggestion and as a result many people believe and take on the personality traits of their zodiac sign and they look for the traits in others accordingly for each sign. Truth is all humans have varying degrees to some extent of all personality traits. For example it is said those born under the sign of Taurus the bull are prone to being stubborn. This is what you call a generalization being applied to a certain group of people.
Actually all humans are born under sin and have varying degrees of being stubborn, some more or less than others. On the contrary, HOPE Devotions is made up of the fruits of God's Holy Spirit and other distinctive godly characteristics he posesses. The HOPE devotional will never suggest that you will be in a negative mood nor tell you what it thinks you want to hear just for the sake of it all. It will always bring you the truth , that is a healthy word based on the Word of God. Proverbs 3:7-8 says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Hope Devotions for sure has your best interest at heart and will highlight the scriptures, God's unadulterated Word to guide our daily walk with Him as it relates to our worship of the Most High God, our everyday living and relationships, etc. The above cited scripture admonishes us to "shun evil". To shun means to avoid deliberately and habitually. In other words God is saying we must daily deliberately avoid evil...that's any form of evil. Astrology and fortune telling are forms of divination, point being established at the beginning of this article. The source behind divination is evil. In the book of Acts the Apostle Paul was followed by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and Paul commanded the spirit of darkness to come out of the girl which it did.
We must deliberately command our day to be free of any spirits of darkness by avoiding anything related to such spirits as astrology and anything related to the occult. This may require drastic changes in our lifestyle, avoiding certain websites we are accustomed to visiting, being selective in our choice of anything we watch on tv, or listen to or read. We must guard the gates of our eyes and ears shunning anything evil. God promises us when we do so we will bring health to our body and nourishment to our bones. In other words we will be strengthened not only physically but mentally , emotionally and spiritually. Everything that looks or sounds good is not good for you. Sometimes the enemy comes under the disguise of an angel. There are many movies and games that promote angelic activity supposedly under the guise of fairytales and supernatural adventures. The real spirit behind these are spirits of darkness. It is subtle but real. People that feast on these kind of phenomena have problems with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Love Is The Key
When I first began this project... I arranged the fruits of the spirit in the HOPE Devotions guide according to man's calendar. I initially listed LOVE in the month of February, thinking of Valentines day and JOY in December for Christmas, etc. The Holy Spirit directed me to change that and list the fruits of the spirit in the exact order as they are listed in the book of Galatians. Also at first I referred to the fruits of the spirit as spiritual signs as comparison to zodiac signs. God said no, change that too.
There is to be no correlation or ties between HOPE Devotions and the occult. It's because God assigns importance to names and numbers and puts emphasis on arrangement and order... I immediately understood his direction. It then became apparent to me as well why LOVE is listed first among the fruits of the spirit at Gal 5:22, it being the primary... principal fruit of the Holy Spirit. It could be said that the remaining 8 fruits listed in Gal 5:22-23 and other godly characteristics are various manifestations of the primary principle of LOVE. Love is the parent and the other fruits of the spirit are the offspring thereof.
As God were revealing these nuggets of truth and treasure to me about the numbers and everything regarding the arrangement of information, I was typing it as fast as he was dictating it to my spirit. Of course the enemy didn't like it and in one swipe , one full swoop....everything you see here was wiped off of the page. I clicked on the undo button but to no avail it didn't come back. Fortunately I had copied and pasted to a word document most everything and what I hadn't copied the Holy Spirit brought back to my mind, and I mean every detail and more. In conclusion, it’s not about our natural birthday as with Astrology but it's about our spiritual birthday.
When we are born-again, we receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. As Christians, our goal should be to cultivate the fruits and characteristics of God's Holy Spirit on a daily basis. Therefore allow HOPE Devotions to be an inspiration and help you to focus each month on a specific fruit of the Holy Spirit or godly characteristic . Take it only as a suggestion, you are free to follow your own way as you choose. I know, it's not a salvation issue and so why go there. By now, I think you know the answers.
References used in the above article:
* All definitions are taken from the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary 10th ed.
** Wikipedia, Astrology-Main page discussion; World Traditions of Astrology
*** Systematic Theology Volume lll by Ernest Swing Williams , Former General Superintendent of General Council of the Assemblies of God.
Chapter One Pneumatology ; Page 5-par 1
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©“Astrology VS Pneumatology” by Faith Grace Cross Copyright 2011-2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author and/or owner of Hope Devotions Ministry (HDM) is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author of HDM with appropriate links and specific direction to the original content.
©“Astrology VS Pneumatology” by Faith Grace Cross Copyright 2011-2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author and/or owner of Hope Devotions Ministry (HDM) is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author of HDM with appropriate links and specific direction to the original content.
