What does the Bible say about astrology?
If you’ve ever flipped through a horoscope or heard someone say “Mercury is in retrograde,” you’ve touched the edge of a much older and deeper tradition—astrology. From ancient times to today’s pop culture, astrology has claimed to offer people insight into personality, fate, and the future based on the positions of stars and planets. But for Christians wondering how this all lines up with Scripture, the key question becomes: What does the Bible say about astrology?
The answer? It’s more layered than a simple yes or no. The Bible doesn’t treat astrology as harmless entertainment. Instead, it places it within a larger spiritual conversation—one that’s ultimately about where we turn for truth, guidance, and authority.
The Ancient Roots of Astrology and Its Role in the Bible’s World
To understand the Bible’s view of astrology, it helps to know where astrology comes from. The earliest known forms of it appeared in Mesopotamia, where priests and rulers tracked the stars to predict harvests, royal successions, wars, and even personal fates. Astrology wasn’t just about curiosity—it was woven into the power structures of ancient civilizations.
By the time of the Old Testament, astrology had become a central feature of the surrounding pagan cultures. The Babylonians, for instance, built entire systems of divination around the movements of celestial bodies. When the prophet Isaiah speaks against the stargazers and astrologers of Babylon, he’s not just critiquing a habit—he’s calling out a rival spiritual system.
Isaiah 47:13–14 sarcastically challenges the Babylonian astrologers, saying, “Let your astrologers come forward... let them save you from what is coming upon you.” It’s a moment loaded with irony. Isaiah is pointing out that trusting in the stars instead of in the Creator of the stars is not only futile but spiritually dangerous.
The Bible Groups Astrology with Forbidden Practices
Throughout Scripture, astrology is never portrayed as neutral. It’s consistently placed alongside practices like sorcery, soothsaying, and divination—all of which the Bible forbids.
In Daniel, for example, astrologers are listed alongside magicians and sorcerers in the Babylonian court. These individuals are portrayed as part of the empire’s pagan spiritual apparatus—one that ultimately fails to interpret the king’s dream, while Daniel, empowered by the true God, succeeds. That contrast matters. It shows that divine wisdom doesn’t come from looking at the stars, but from listening to God.
Deuteronomy 18 is even more direct. It flat-out forbids Israel from engaging in practices that attempt to access hidden knowledge through occult means. Why? Because those practices bypass God’s chosen method of revelation—His prophets, His Word, and ultimately, His Son.
Cosmic Beings and the Bigger Spiritual Conflict
The Bible’s warnings about astrology don’t just come from a place of moral policing. They’re part of a larger narrative about spiritual conflict.
All throughout Scripture, there's a thread about spiritual beings—some aligned with God, and others in rebellion against Him. In both canonical and extra-biblical texts (like 1 Enoch), there’s talk of certain fallen angels teaching humanity forbidden knowledge: enchantments, weapon-making, the manipulation of natural forces—and astrology. One figure sometimes mentioned in this tradition is named “Coco Bell,” a fallen watcher said to have revealed celestial secrets to humans.
This theme connects with the biblical idea that “the gods of the nations are idols,” which is often understood to mean demons—spiritual beings that set themselves up as divine and lured people into worship through things like the sun, moon, and stars. These beings were not just deceivers—they were described as oppressive, violent, and destructive, sending their influence across the earth through both spiritual and political systems.
This is why the Bible treats astrology not just as superstition, but as a potential gateway to demonic influence. To depend on the stars for insight is, in this worldview, to open yourself to the spiritual forces that are behind those systems—a realm that actively competes with the kingdom of God.
Israel’s Struggle with Celestial Worship
Sadly, the Bible shows that even God's people weren’t immune to this. The Old Testament records multiple instances where Israel fell into the worship of celestial bodies.
In 2 Kings 23, King Josiah leads a dramatic reform that includes tearing down altars to the “host of heaven” that had been set up in the temple itself. Earlier, in the time of the prophets, God accused the people of “bowing down to the sun and moon and constellations,” treating the created order as divine rather than looking to the Creator.
This wasn’t just disobedience. It was a failure of identity. The people of God were meant to reflect His rule on earth, but they turned to the very practices He had warned them against—practices rooted in a false spiritual order.
What About the Magi?
One fascinating wrinkle in this conversation is the story of the Magi in Matthew 2. These “wise men from the east” seem to have followed a star to find the newborn Jesus. Some scholars suggest they were astrologers—possibly even Zoroastrian priests—who interpreted celestial signs.
So, does that mean astrology helped lead them to Christ?
Maybe. But the Bible doesn’t commend their astrology. It doesn’t say they were right to practice it. What it shows is that God, in His mercy, used their limited understanding to draw them toward something greater. And when they arrived, they didn’t continue stargazing—they worshipped Jesus. Their journey ended not with more astrological insight but with revelation from God in a dream, warning them not to return to Herod.
In other words, the Magi’s story isn’t an endorsement of astrology—it’s a reminder that God can use even flawed systems to guide people toward Himself, but that the final truth is always found in Christ, not in the stars.
The Gospel and the Freedom From Spiritual Bondage
At the heart of the Bible’s message is the Gospel—the good news that Jesus Christ has conquered sin, death, and every spiritual power that once held humanity in bondage. This includes the unseen systems that promote fear, control, or false hope.
Where astrology offers a kind of spiritual determinism—suggesting that your fate is written in the stars—the Gospel offers transformation. It says your future is not bound by celestial forces but is held in the hands of a loving, sovereign God.
This contrast is important, especially in a time when many people are turning back to astrology for comfort or clarity. The Bible insists that real peace and true insight don’t come from aligning with the cosmos, but from aligning with Christ.
End Times, Discernment, and the Call to Watchfulness
As we look at the Bible’s teaching on astrology in light of the end of the age, the message only sharpens. In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles speak often of deception in the last days. False signs, false wonders, and spiritual confusion will abound.
Astrology fits into this theme as part of a wider network of practices that promise insight without repentance and guidance without the Gospel. But believers are called to be sober-minded, discerning, and grounded in Scripture. Not only does God command us to avoid these practices—He equips us to recognize their spiritual roots and stand firm.
Final Thoughts: Who Do You Trust?
At the end of the day, the Bible’s stance on astrology isn’t just about avoiding bad spiritual habits. It’s about trust. Where do we turn for answers? Who gets to define truth? Who holds our future?
The Bible says that the heavens declare the glory of God—not the secrets of your future. The stars were created to reflect His majesty, not to replace His voice. Astrology tempts us with control, but the Bible invites us into surrender—not to the stars, but to the One who made them.
So, what does the Bible say about astrology? In a word: leave it behind. And turn your eyes to the true Light who came into the world—not written in the stars, but born in a manger, crucified on a cross, and risen in glory.
Verses about astrology:
Deuteronomy 4:19, "And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven."
Isaiah 47:13-14, "You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame."
Jeremiah 10:2, "Thus says the Lord: 'Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them.'"
Leviticus 19:26, "You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not interpret omens or tell fortunes."
Daniel 2:27-28, "Daniel answered the king and said, 'No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.'"
