Since the dawn of time, man has had a longing to know the future and have guidance concerning the same. These insatiable longing could have been satisfied by depending on God. But rather than depend on God, man has turned to evil spirits for guidance. This has come in different forms, soothsaying, palm readings, card readings, crystal ball readings, astrology, horoscopes etc. When man seeks guidance from the devil, he will ALWAYS be misled. Genesis 3 has made this very clear.
“But horoscopes were present in the Bible,” some might opine. Yes, they were. In Job 38, for example, God asks Job a series of rhetorical questions;
Job 38:31-33 (NKJV)
31 “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? 32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth (constellations of stars) in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs (stars shaped by bears)? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?
Pleiades and Orion were constellations of stars, just like the horoscopes use star constellations today. The constellations were created by God and are part of His good creation. They were sometimes used for direction. In fact, Jesus’ birth was announced by a star in the sky;
Matthew 2:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR in the East and have come to worship Him.”
These wise men (observe they were not three) were actually magicians (“Magi”) of the East and God reached out to them through the stars (nature). God CAN reach out to the unsaved through creation (see Rom 1:18-20). However, note that they were not born again and also, this form of guidance from God was VERY LIMITED. More often than not, the use of stargazing for guidance was FORBIDDEN in Scripture. The reason being that it was twisted by the devil into an occult practice.
In Isaiah 14:12, the king of Babylon is called “Lucifer” which means “shining star.” The Babylonians were known for using zodiac signs and horoscopes for foretelling, probably why he was given that title. Of course, in that title was also a revelation of the devil. Israel in disobedience towards God worshipped the stars;
Amos 5:25-26 (NKJV)
25 “Did you offer Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? 26 You also carried Sikkuth your king and Chiun, your idols, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves.
Since we have the indwelling of God today (1 Corin 6:19), we don’t need to gaze at stars for guidance — the believer has NO BUSINESS following horoscopes, he is led by God’s Spirit (Rom 8:14).
In Deuteronomy 18:9-14 and Exodus 22:18, the Israelites are warned against all occult practises. Part of these practises include soothsaying and divining. These soothsayers tried to forsee the future using a python spirit, which is actually a demon.
Saul consulted a medium in 1 Samuel 28 and the results were deadly. He encountered a demon pretending to be Samuel. So demons will trick you when you go to them for guidance. The Apostle Paul had to cast out a spirit of divination from a young girl in Acts 16:16-18. She was operating by a demon. So the believer must NEVER slip into the occult because he is seeking guidance.
Witchcraft is deceptive. Revelation 18 says concerning Babylon, “The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your SORCERY all the nations were DECEIVED.”
Sorcery turns away from the Gospel.
Acts 13:8 (NKJV)
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
There is no benefit whatsoever in following after evil spirits to receive guidance. Evil spirits do not have your best interest at heart — they seek to destroy you. So no information they will give you will be beneficial. Trust in God instead.
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2021.
