Signs in the Skies? (part 3 Conclusion of this particular study)

What is the Correct Interpretation of Astronomy in Revelation?

Christians’ interpretations of Revelation’s astronomy reference will vary depending on what denomination or tradition they follow. Christians who see Revelation as an essentially literal description of the End Times will see these astronomical references as descriptions of coming signs in the heavens. Christians who see Revelation as a description of the early church’s experiences may see these references as allegorical or coded references to Nero, Rome, etc.

Different views of the millennium (1,000 years of suffering before Christ returns) also affect how Christians interpret these details. For a good summary of Christian positions on the millennium, read the following Christianity.com articles:

• What Is Amillennialism?
• What Is Premillennialism?
• What Is Postmillennialism?

Regardless of what view Christians take on Revelation and the End Times, the fact remains that the Bible affirms humans cannot know when the End Times will come. Jesus stated, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36 NIV), a statement also recorded in Mark 13:32. Instead of worrying and vainly predicting when the end would become, Jesus told his followers always to be ready because “the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:44 NIV).

Unusual celestial events often stir the debate: Are they divine signs or just natural wonders we overinterpret? While Scripture speaks of heavenly signs, Jesus also warned against being misled. Have you ever felt spiritually stirred by something in the sky? How do you discern between genuine signs and hype? Join the conversation on Crosswalk Forums!

Photo Credit: Pexels/Pixabay

G. Connor Salter has contributed over 1,400 articles to various publications, including interviews for Christian Communicator and book reviews for The Evangelical Church Library Association. In 2020, he won First Prize for Best Feature Story in a regional contest by the Colorado Press Association Network. In 2024, he was cited as the editor for Leigh Ann Thomas' article "Is Prayer Really That Important?" which won Third Place (Articles Online) at the Selah Awards hosted by the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference.

---

This article is part of our larger resource library of Christian questions important to the Christian faith. From core beliefs to what the Bible says about angels, we want to provide easy to read and understand articles that answer your questions about Christian living.

Revelation 3:14-22 warns the Laodicean church about lukewarm faith, urging repentance, spiritual renewal, and intimate fellowship with Christ.

Context and Overview

This passage is a letter from Jesus to the church in Laodicea, a wealthy city in ancient Asia Minor. The Laodiceans had become complacent and self-sufficient, believing their material wealth reflected spiritual health, yet they were spiritually “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17) godsbless.ing+1. Jesus addresses them as “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation”, emphasizing His authority, truthfulness, and sovereignty over all creation Study and Obey+1.

💓💓💓

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

💘💘💘

Verse 20 reminds me of the

painting that I have seen at different times

in my life.

Jesus, standing at the door, knocking. 

Wanting for someone would open and 

Invite Him in.

Maybe you have seen it too.

He's waiting at the heart's door of all.

Not wanting any to perish.

But one day it will be too late.

Too late for those who refuse to

let Him in.

That will be a sad day for many.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

I will probably take a break through Tues, May 26

and back on the 27th.

Please be safe and have a Happy Memorial Day

God bless!

Signs in the Skies? (part two)

 

Where Does Revelation Mention Astronomy?

Revelation has several references to stars, planets, or other heavenly objects. Among others, Revelation mentions:

- A man appears to John, holding seven stars in his hand (Revelation 1)

- A “wormwood star” falls from the heavens (Revelation 8:11).

- Giving someone a morning star (Revelation 2:26)

- The sun turning black and the moon red (Revelation 6:12)

- “Something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea” (Revelation 8:8)

- “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.” (Revelation 8:10-11)

- The new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1)

- Jesus, the bright morning star (Revelation 22:16)

Some Christians see these references as predictions of astronomical phenomena in the End Times. For example, the wormwood star and the great mountain landing in the sea could be meteors hitting the earth’s surface. The sun turning black and the moon red could be a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse (in many lunar eclipses, like the one that occurred in 2020, the moon looks red).

However, others argue that Revelation’s language makes it hard to say when these references refer to something that will literally happen. For example, Revelation 9:1-2 says, “I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.” The star is described in an anthropomorphic way (given human qualities: having human hands and arms to take a key and turn it to unlock the Abyss). Does this mean God will direct the star to hit the earth in a way that opens the shaft of the Abyss? Is the star a person who will get permission to unleash something from the Abyss? Given that Jesus calls himself “the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16), either option is possible.

Others have noted that John’s visions in Revelation don’t seem to all be about the future. This came up in September 2017, when multiple Christians observed Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter appearing together in the constellation Virgo, with Jupiter moving out of Virgo. They interpreted Jupiter exiting Virgo as the mother giving birth to a son mentioned in this passage:

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. (Revelation 12:3-5 NIV)

In other words, Jupiter was the son, Virgo the mother, as the great sign appeared in the heavens. However, there are flaws in this argument. First, as Christopher M. Graney observed in The Catholic Astronomer, the interpretation assumed this arrangement had never happened before. Research showed the same arrangement had occurred four times between 1017 and 2017 alone.

Furthermore, this Revelation 12 passage leads into a “war in heaven,” where the angel Michael fights the dragon and “the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation 12:9 NIV). As a result, this passage is often interpreted as describing something that predates Genesis 1:1 before moving forward to the New Testament’s key event. The war in heaven is taken to be a literal war that Satan fought against God, a third of the angels joining him. After the war ended with God victorious, Satan “fell like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18 NIV), his rebels following him. John Milton’s Paradise Lost picks up after this event, with Satan rallying his followers in their new home.

Following this interpretation, the son is not a planet but Jesus, who defeats the great dragon. The mother represents Israel, which experiences many trials (exiles, invasion by Rome, the 400 years of silence) before birthing the Messiah.

G. Connor Salter Updated Mar 19, 2026

 

💞💞💞

7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Those who are here at the time that these things in Revelation are really going to hold fast to God and His Word.  It is not going to be easy. But if they overcome and stay close to Him, they will receive eternal life that no man or enemy can take from them. 

💗💗💗

Thanks for coming by today, Friends.

May your blessings today be

rich and full in Jesus! 

💖💖💖

 

Signs in the Skies: (part one)

 

Does the Sky Hold Signs of the End Times?

Planets are aligning in the sky in curious ways, and people wonder if it's a sign from Revelation of the pending end. What does the Bible actually say about the stars?

G. Connor Salter 

Updated Mar 19, 2026

This month, astronomers can see something unusual in the sky: the planets Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are aligning. They first became visibly aligned on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, where you could see them in a diagonal line. If you live in the northern hemisphere, you will be able to see them before dawn in the southeastern region of the sky. The planets’ alignment will be especially close on Friday, April 22, 2022. The following week, the moon will look like it’s traveling in between the planets, and by the end of April, Venus and Jupiter will seem so close together they’ll look like they’re in danger of colliding.

Many Christians are wondering whether this alignment has supernatural importance. Are these planets’ movements connected to the signs and wonders of the End Times?

Here is what you should know about the Bible’s stance on astronomy.

Does Astronomy Appear in the Bible?

Astronomy—studying the night sky, noting patterns in it—has been around for millennia, going back to the Biblical period. Consequently, the Bible mentions stars on many occasions, sometimes attaching importance to them. Most famously, the Magi (possibly astrologers, possibly kings) follow a star to bring Jesus’ gifts.

As the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains, the Bible uses astronomy details in many ways. Sometimes astronomy imagery is used to describe God. “The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays” (Malachi 4:2 NIV). He holds the Pleiades constellation in his hands and binds the cords of Orion (Job 38:31). Planetary movements help the Hebrews plan their calendar, particularly the year of Jubilee. Sometimes, the Bible mentions stars falling from the sky like figs (Isaiah 34:4, Revelation 6:13), which could refer to meteor showers.

While the Bible mentions stars, constellations, and other “heavenly bodies,” it doesn’t claim that we can predict the future by looking at the stars. It sharply warns against using Zodiac signs or stars to divine the future or someone’s fate. The prophet Isaiah mocks leaders who rely on astrologers for counsel (Isaiah 47:13-14). Multiple Old Testament books warn not to dabble in divination or other forms of fortune-telling (Leviticus 19:26, Leviticus 20:6, Deuteronomy 18:10-11, 1 Samuel 15:23).  

💓💓💓

And so, of course, we know there were signs in the Bible that led the magi to the Baby Jesus. Within the Christmas story, we usually hear about them every year.

Not only that, but as mentioned above, they were used in other ways, according to scripture. 

Plus, as also stated, they are not to be used in any other form of the occult. We are to stay away from anyone consulting the stars for fortune-telling to predict things we were supposedly born under, and so on. 

12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Deuteronomy 18

However, all of this was given in the Old Testament. What we seek after in this blog is the question of the End times. 

So please stick with me for a few days to find answers to that and other questions.

💗💗💗

3 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3

Revelation 3:1-6 is a message from Jesus to the church in Sardis, warning them of spiritual deadness and calling them to awaken, repent, and remain faithful to receive eternal reward.

Context and Setting

The passage addresses the church in Sardis, a city once renowned for wealth, military strength, and luxury, but by the time of John’s writing, it had declined and become morally lax bible.org+2. The church mirrored the city’s outward reputation of vitality but was spiritually dead, appearing alive to others while lacking genuine faithfulness godsbless.ing+1. Sardis was also known for its wool and textile industry and for pagan worship practices, which created a morally challenging environment for Christians bible.org+1.

💕💕💕

Thanks for coming today, Friends.

Have a blessed day!