Here I go Thinking Again! – The Christian Underground Journal

The Origin of Things

This essay will explore the biblical perspective on eschatology in Genesis and the implications of astrology for our faith. We will examine Genesis and then consider the foundational commandment from Exodus 20:3: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” This commandment leads us to explore astrology, which can stretch our imagination and lead to unintended consequences.

The Eschatology in Genesis

Genesis 1:27-28 (ESV), So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

Genesis 2:8-9 (ESV), And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground, the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.

Revelation 21:1-4 (ESV) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Later in Revelation 21, we read about a new Jerusalem and a new Temple that only needs the light of God, for the sun and moon are no longer required.

In the above, we see the ALPHA and the OMEGA, where humanity is placed in a separate garden, so to speak, from outsiders. In Revelation, believers (the bride of Christ) are now on a new earth and perhaps in a new garden where eternity is now with the Lord God.

Indeed, Genesis serves as the commencement of the revelation of the Almighty, the author of history from the commencement to the culmination, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13).

Astrology’s Impact

Many people today read horoscopes, believing that they are informative and harmless. Sometimes, they feel that horoscopes reveal insights about their character, what they need to know, and what to be concerned about. Additionally, they think that horoscopes promote happiness and a sense of being in the right place and time.

By following horoscopes, individuals are directly violating the First Commandment. They are embracing false ideals from false gods, as evidenced by the twelve zodiac signs and their associated deities. Unknowingly indulging in the zodiac’s astrology is a serious matter with significant spiritual consequences, according to Exodus 20:3.

Aries: Ares, God of War
Taurus: Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty
Gemini: Athena, goddess of wisdom and military victory
Cancer: Artemis, goddess of the moon and wilderness
Leo: Apollo, God of the sun and the light
Virgo: Demeter, goddess of grain and agriculture
Libra: Hera, goddess of women and marriage
Scorpio: Kali, goddess of death and sexuality
Sagittarius: Zeus, God of the sky and thunder
Capricorn: Persephone, goddess of harvest and queen of the underworld
Aquarius: Prometheus, God of forethought and humankind
Pisces: Ishtar, goddess of fertility and universal love

Astrology is the interpretation of the assumed influence that stars and planets exert on human destiny. According to astrology, the sign under which you were born—whether Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, or Capricorn—affects your destiny. However, this belief is false. The royal astrologers of the Babylonian court were put to shame by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 1:20). They were unable to interpret the king’s dream (Daniel 2:27). God specifies that astrologers will face judgment and be destroyed (Isaiah 47:13-14). Moreover, astrology is forbidden in Scripture as a form of divination (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). God instructed the children of Israel not to worship or serve the “host of heaven” (Deuteronomy 4:19). Although Israel fell into this sin several times throughout their history, such as mentioned in 2 Kings 17:16, their worship of the stars led to God’s judgment each time.

Perspective and Reflecting

As part of God’s creation, the stars should inspire awe at His power, wisdom, and infinity. They remind us of God’s faithfulness to His promises and can help us keep track of time and location. However, our knowledge and guidance come from God, not from the stars (James 1:5). The Bible, God’s Word, is our faithful guide through life (Psalm 119:105).

In the study of the origin of things, there is a deliberate attempt to uncover how Satan distorts the stories in the Scriptures to confuse those who seek to understand more about God, why He has chosen to create humankind, and what the role of humanity is in God’s plan of redemption. The story of creation is not only about primordial humanity but also the story of all human history, from beginning to end. All the in-between history reveals how inept humanity is in fulfilling God’s desire to have a family with which He can share eternity.

From Alpha to Omega, humankind consistently fails to demonstrate their willingness to be with God. Satan gives humankind all sorts of distractions, and coupled with humankind’s reckless desire to be on their own; God had to step in and do what humanity could not–fulfill the law given to Moses by sacrificing Himself in human form on the cross. By doing so, God has offered humanity an open invitation to share eternity with Him without the need to work for it. All humanity needs to do is accept God’s redemption plan through Jesus and believe in His offer by acknowledging Jesus. As Paul wrote in Romans 10:9-11, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.“

Fiction and Stretching the Story

Because of curious minds, some interpret the watchers mentioned in Daniel 4:17 and the Nephilim and giants referenced in Genesis 6:4, Numbers 13:33, and Deuteronomy 2:20 with vivid imagination. They expand these verses into fictional stories that draw on various scriptures throughout the Bible to validate their vision. While this makes for engaging Christian fiction, it should not be considered deuterocanonical or pseudepigrapha. Imaginative people will take the zodiac and build a story around its associated gods with events in Genesis and even Revelations; it is no wonder why many believers today tend to mix and match myth with Scripture, which births doubt and confusion.

Unintended Consequences

Throughout the origin of things, we see God leading humanity through crisis after crisis, correcting us as a loving parent. However, when God leaves us to our desires and sense of importance, His correction can be harsh. From the time Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of God up to this present age, we still push against God’s will for us to be with Him. Even within today’s assemblies, we can still find the same pattern of disobedience evident throughout the Scriptures. Suppose humankind continues to push against God’s will. In that case, it then should serve as a stark reminder that if God does not have Jesus return soon, spiritual Israel (the church) may find itself suffering the same discipline that the physical Israel of old experienced.

So, the eschatology we should be concerned with is not the end of the world, the rapture, or escaping God’s wrath but changing course to Him before Jesus returns or departing this life. The origin of things is not about finding out about God and His goal; it is all about our purpose in God’s design and His unwavering Love for us.

**Unconventional Thought**
By Mike Kovach
December 2024