08 Nov Constellations and Christianity

Last Sunday, we started a new series entitled “No Other Name” in which God launched us into the mysteries of the cosmic world and showed us the hidden messages of His love found in the constellation above. It was absolutely fascinating to discover the multiple messages of Jesus beautifully intertwined in God’s creation of the stars.

In Psalm 19, the psalmist affirmed that night after night, the stars revealed divine knowledge. Jesus is the reflection of God’s wonderful glory and He is the Star among the stars.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
Psalm 19:1 – 3 NIV

Astronomy is one of the oldest forms of science. Ancient civilisations like Babylon, Egypt and China had studied about stars from as early as 2000 B.C. Today, centuries later, many people are still very interested in this subject matter.

If you missed our new 3:16 Church series last week, let me invite you now to read on as we take a quick recap on the 12 major constellations, commonly known as the 12 Zodiac signs.

We kick start with the 4 Zodiac signs commonly associated with the prophecies concerning the coming of Jesus Christ. Virgo, or “The Virgin” reminds us of the promise God made in Genesis 3 that the seed of the woman will deal Satan a fatal blow and bring salvation to mankind. Libra, or “The Weighing Scales” reinforces that all man fall short of God’s holy standard and that a price had to be paid for man’s redemption. Scorpio, signifies the conflict with Satan; where in the constellation formation, the tail of scorpion appears to strike a strong man’s foot and the strong man’s foot aims at the head of the scorpion. This reminds us of Jesus defeating Satan on the cross and is a reflection of Genesis 3:15 which says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Lastly, Sagittarius or “The Archer” points his arrow at the heart of Scorpio the scorpion, indicating that Satan’s doom is certain.

The 2nd set of 4 Zodiac signs is associated with the death of Jesus Christ. Capricorn and Aries are represented by the goat and ram, which were indispensable subjects at the sacrificial rites of the Jewish people. It reminds us that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Similarly today, Jesus can take your sins away; all you need to do is invite Him into your heart! Aquarius means “The Water Bearer”, and Jesus said anyone who comes to Him would never thirst again. Lastly, Pisces has two fishes, reminding us of our calling as Christians to be fishers of men. For 3:16 Church, this means reaching out to more people in Singapore (and beyond)!

The last set of the zodiac signs deals with the return of Jesus Christ as King! Taurus signifies the strong return of Jesus. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for “ox” is also the same word as “return”. Gemini is a picture of the dual-nature of Jesus that He is 100% God and 100% Man. Cancer or “The Crab” speaks of Christ holding fast what belongs to Him. Lastly, Leo represents Jesus, the Lion of Judah! Jesus is the Suffering Lamb but we ought to never forget that He is the Sovereign Lion as well. May Jesus always bless our little lion city of Singapore too!

Having read this short summary, isn’t it amazing to realise the massive constellation of stars were always about the Creator Himself. The world today tells you that you belong to a certain zodiac and depicts your future from there. Instead, the truth is you don’t belong to one of the zodiac signs, you belong to Jesus!

Don’t miss the 2nd instalment of “No Other Name”, happening tomorrow. And the 3rd instalment next Sunday, 16th November, as we reveal how the God we serve is the God of Asia. We hope to see you at 3:16 Church!

Ian Toh
Lead Pastor
3:16 Church, Singapore