God's Weather Forecast
The Stars Shine Bright on My Old Kentucky (Heart) Home
or God Knocks and We See Stars
On a clear, warm summer night God puts them out. Beautiful they are like diamonds laid out on black velvet, and all with a name. Wow! The Word of God expresses our subject in these words written by David (Psalm 8:3-6)
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"
God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
And God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good."
– (Genesis 1:16-18)
Our star gazing will be seen in this light. (1) Stars; (2) Falling stars; (3) Morning star (4) Wandering stars; (5) Stars and their courses; (6) Stars of East, Star of Bethlehem, Star of Magi; (7) Star of Wormwood and last (8) Seven stars of the Revelation. After clustering them all together for an interesting study we will end with a comet conclusion!
1 Stars
I am told that regarding their number one can see around 2,000 to the naked eye at any time, perhaps 3000. However it has been proven to count 30 billion in a single photo. Some stars to our eyes make up countless number of single stars. That, in itself, blows my mind away.
One star, called Antares is estimated to be 390,000,000 miles in diameter. That would be a giant when compared to our earthly sun, which is estimated to be 865,000 miles across. The other star called Epsilon Aurigae is 2,400,000,000 miles in diameter and the grand daddy of all insofar as it is our everyday language is the Milky Way. It is called the grand stellar stream. I am told that the heaviest known stars are said to weigh 100 times more than our sun.
Now, remember, God (and who else but God) has numbered and NAMED them all.
Astronomy has confirmed the words of prophets. Yes, they are without number, but Psalm 147:4, "He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name."
Many have written concerning these gems. Take Job (22:12) for instance.
"Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars!"
Paul says (1 Cor. 15:41) their brightness is not all equal.
The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the STARS another; and STAR differs from STAR."
A quick reminder note. I used the word astronomy earlier. I did not use the word "astrology". Not only is there a world of difference between the two and their application, but the Bible says there is a curse - yes, a curse - attached to consulting an astrologer, and a strong word against "star gazers"
Astronomy is a science dealing with heavenly bodies, their motions, magnitudes, distances and physical constitution. Astrology has to do with one who practices divination by stars. That is condemned.
As a negative reference, I refer the reader to Isa. 47:13
"All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming."
KJV uses these words:
astrologers, the star gazers, the monthly prognosticators..."
One of the two reasons for the death of King Saul was that he made an appointment with an astrologer. He sought not to Jehovah, but to a witch who had a familiar spirit. He inquired of her. The story is in 1 Samuel 28:7-28. The reference is 1 Chronicles 10:13:
"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it." (KJV)
"Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse." (NIV)
The Bible is full of references to the stars, in fact in the KJV the word is found 66 times. It is from some of these that we continue to
2. Falling Stars
Meteorites are not stars as is the common popular belief. Another term is a "shooting star". Ask anyone and they will reply that they have seen more than once a "falling star". What they are, are not stars but quite small bodies drawn into our atmosphere and rendered luminous for a few minutes by the friction of their rushing through the atmosphere.
Their mark has been left, i.e. in the state of Arizona USA there is a meteor crater which is 4,000 feet wide and 600 feet deep. In Odessa, Texas one has been found which is 500 feet across, showing great signs of much erosion. In Brendan, Kansas the small print is only 50 feet across.
"and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind."
– Revelation 6:13
"All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree."
– Isa. 34:4
"Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the STARS will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken."
– Matthew 24:29
These scriptures give the picture of "fallen stars". People deemed them an omen of evil times. One interpretation of the "fallen stars" was that the gods and goddesses, demi-gods and defiled heroes of their mythological heaven were as useless as the figs or fruit of a tree shaken down before a strong wind.
3. Morning Star
There is little revelation or inspiration in this part of our booklet on Stars, but to be fair with the Lord'Ws Word we must mention those references found in Revelation 22:16 and Revelation 2:28 and 2 Peter 1:19:
"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright MORNING STAR."
"I will also give him the Morning Star."
"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts."
In the writings of Job (38:7,8) angels of God are referred to this aspect: God is speaking and asking Job where he was when various items in the solar system were "installed".
"On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone, while the Morning Stars sang together."
These "first stars" were noticed and admired countless of times by Jacob, by David, by Amos all of whom kept watch over their flocks at night. The Morning Star is the last to appear in the east before sunrise - hence the name, obviously, "morning star".
As a side light this might prove that the stars in the heaven were created before the earth itself or these stars couldn'Wt be singing when God laid the foundation of the earth.
Stars sing? Well, material creations do sing and material creations do speak their own language. This is plainly stated in Psalm 19 and other scriptures. You see, all creations have a means of communication with one another and with God and with man. This can blow one'Ws mind away!
4. Wandering Stars
This one reference is found in Jude 13. It reads like this:
"They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; Wandering Stars, foaming up their shame."
The theological reference is that there are those so steeped in sin that they are reserved and headed for eternal darkness. These seem to be dancing about in the darkness - leading souls astray.
Wandering stars- or meteors - a figure, speaking of those without direction and guidance. Like comets as a spiritual type, they flash out. Then there are those "wandering stars" for example referred to as Haley'Ws Comet. Now that is a heavenly phenomena. Why? Because it is only seen every 75 years. Yep, that'Ws right. Every 75 years Haley'Ws Comet is seen by we on planet earth. The last two appearances have been in the year 1910 and then in 1985 with the next appearance 2060, You, as I, might have been one to have seen it. "We" now have to wait. I put "we" in quotation marks, because it might not actually be you and me.
Even a comet is what I would consider a work of God. What is actually a comet? It is a icy body that normally travels around the sun in a LONG orbit. Comets have two tails. One called Ion tail and the other - dust tail. Some tails (believe it or not) extend 100 million miles in length. Just that blows my mind away !!
At the destruction of Jerusalem in the first century some believe that Haley'Ws comet was seen.)
Are comets referred to in the Bible? Some site 1 Chronicles 21:16 as an example. (As always, I type out the scripture so you won'Wt have to turn to your Bible. If you did this is what you would read:
"David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem..."
In the minds of many that is stretching the scripture, but to be fair to those who hold that belief I state it so.
Next, in our somewhat exhaustive study of stars I list quite a few under the caption:
5. Stars and Their Courses
They are labeled as
- crooked serpent - Job 26:l
- Leviathan - Isa. 27:1
- Seed of woman - Gen. 3
- Joseph'Ws dream - Gen. 37
- Lucifer shining as - Isa. 14:12
- Stars "fighting" - Judges 5:18-23
- Balaam'Ws prophecy - Numbers 24:7,8,9
- Pleiades - Most conspicuous star cluster seen to the naked eye. - Name given to the 7 stars in the neck of the constellation Taurus - Amos 5:8 Job 9:9 Job 38:31
- Orion - commonly known as the Giant - Isa. 13:10 Gen. 10:8,9,10
- Arcturus - a constellation - still connected with the Great Bear - Job 9:9 Job 38:32
6. Star of the East
Star of Bethlehem
Star of the Magi
To children this is the most famous of all, perhaps. The Bible gives the account:
Matthew 2:2
"and asked, 'Where is the one who was born king of the Jews? We saw HIS STAR in the east and have come to worship him."
Matthew 2:9,10
"After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and THE STAR they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw THE STAR they were overjoyed."
Several interesting facts. This star informed the wise men of the birth of Jesus. The world was looking for such a king. They came to Judea in consequence of the information. They may have lost sight of the star for awhile, because we read that "when they saw the star" (again) they were overjoyed.
Do we have a supernatural star? This writer believes that it was and even if it was a real star giving directions it would prove that stars could "mind" their creator and give some sort of direction from the heavens. Have we not all seen "streamers" from the light of a star when we squint?
7. Star of Wormwood
Wormwood meaning bitter, distressing. Such were the effects produced by its influence.
"The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great STAR, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the STAR is WORMWOOD. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter."
And finally,
8. The Seven Stars of the Revelation
Revelation 1:20:
"The mystery of the seven STARS that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lamp stands is this: The seven STARS are the
angels of the seven churches and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches."
Most would agree that these seven stars represent the pastors of the seven churches.
In conclusion what has been presented is one like the Gospel According to a Star. God has used them and from a Christian perspective we can look at them and say as did David, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers the moon and the STARS, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him the son of man that you care for him...."
Now to put a "P.S." to this writing and show how stars have played a crucial roll in the events of mankind we look to Judges 5:20
"From the heavens the STARS fought from their courses they fought against Sisera..."
The angels of heaven and the stars in their courses fought for Israel on that day for it was, indeed, a crisis in the history of the people of God who were the chosen people of God. They were chosen to bring the Messiah into the world.
If they had been defeated in this battle it could have meant the extermination of those who fought. The verse is among others which teach that many wars are lost or won on earth on the basis of wars lost or won in the heavenlies between the good forces and the bad forces of Satan.
How did the stars fight? It has been suggested that one way the stars in their courses fought for Israel was by the heavens sending great thunder, lightning, rain and perhaps even great hail on the armies of Canaan and by causing a great flood in the river bed of Kishon which swept away multitudes downstream to the Mediterranean. On other occasions God has sent such storms to defeat the enemy.
I conclude with the scripture we began with in this section:
"When I
consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful
of him, the son of man that you care
for him?"
So twinkle twinkle little star we have seen HOW GREAT thou art!
Amen