What is the Meaning of Wandering Stars?
http://www.faithinreligion.net/articles/3293/1/What-is-the-Meaning-of-Wandering-Stars/Page1.html
William Bell
William Bell is the author of The Re-Examination, A Study of the Lord's Second Coming. He also speaks regularly in Bible prophecy seminars, workshops and teleconferences. Visit his blog at allthingsfulfilled By William Bell
Published on 06/8/2009
On the fourth day of creation, God made the lights in the heavens, two great lights, the sun and moon, and the stars. Since that time, these luminaries have played a very important role in bible eschatology.
It is my understanding that the creation of the world on the 4th day is literal, consisting of the evening and the morning. Further, on the 4th day when God made the lights of the heavens, these were not the only source of light for God made light on the first day.
When God made the sun, moon and stars he said they were to divide the day from the night and provide light for the earth. In addition they were to be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.
So, God's intended purpose was that these would allow for the calculation of time for days, months and years but also for the change of seasons.
Further, they were assigned the role of rulers. The sun ruled over the day, the moon ruled over the night. In a sense the stars were subject to these greater lights.
Now, as signs, these luminary bodies became very adaptable in the apocalyptic or figurative messages of the Bible. In other words, unless we understand God's use of these lights as "signs" or "symbols" in addition to their literal use, many people can become very confused when reading the Bible.
Joseph's Dreams - Genesis 37
Joseph's dreams are examples of God's use of sun moon and stars as a symbol. Note how closely it follows what he said of these luminary bodies in Genesis.
Joseph came to his brothers and courteously asked them to hear his dream. In the first dream, he spoke of all his brothers as sheaves in the field who came to bow down at his sheaf. They were offended and hated him for the suggestion that their little brother would one day rule over them.
Joseph had a second dream. He dreamed that the sun, moon and the eleven stars bowed down to him. He then shared this dream with his father who rebuked him, saying, "Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"
Again, his brothers envied him, while his father a bit wiser, kept the dream in mind.
Later, Joseph rose to be prime minister in Egypt, second in command to Pharaoh. He ruled the entire land of Egypt under Pharaoh. When the famine in Canaan drove his brethren out of the land to seek food in Egypt, they all came and bowed down before their younger brother.
Thus, the dream was fulfilled, the sun, moon and stars bowed down to Joseph. In the life of Joseph and his brothers, we see how God used the sun, moon and stars as signs. They represented people in authority. Joseph's father and mother are the sun and moon respectively. His brothers were the eleven stars.
From this we learn that the luminaries can be used to speak of men as in things totally unrelated to the lights in the sky.
In Isaiah 14:12, Lucifer which means "day star" refers not to the literal sun, but to the king of Babylon who ruled the world at the time. But, he became a fallen star. Failure to understand how God uses these terms makes it difficult to understand the text.
The prophets often spoke of the sun, moon and stars falling from the sky. They do not intend for us to understand their language as a literal destruction of the heavenly bodiesm, (Isaiah 13:10; Matthew 24:29). God promised this would never happen, (Geneses 8:22, Jeremiah 31:35-36; Ecclesiastes 1:4)
The references in scripture to falling stars refer to men who have fallen from power as civil rulers or to godly men who fall from grace. Jude spoke of apostates as "clouds without water," "raging waves of the sea who foam up their own shame" and "wandering stars" for whom the blackness of darkness was reserved forever. (Jude 12-13)
So, when we see references to the "sun, moon and stars" especially in Bible prophecy texts, extreme caution must be followed else we ascribe to these figurative references meanings God never intended.
When God made the sun, moon and stars he said they were to divide the day from the night and provide light for the earth. In addition they were to be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.
So, God's intended purpose was that these would allow for the calculation of time for days, months and years but also for the change of seasons.
Further, they were assigned the role of rulers. The sun ruled over the day, the moon ruled over the night. In a sense the stars were subject to these greater lights.
Now, as signs, these luminary bodies became very adaptable in the apocalyptic or figurative messages of the Bible. In other words, unless we understand God's use of these lights as "signs" or "symbols" in addition to their literal use, many people can become very confused when reading the Bible.
Joseph's Dreams - Genesis 37
Joseph's dreams are examples of God's use of sun moon and stars as a symbol. Note how closely it follows what he said of these luminary bodies in Genesis.
Joseph came to his brothers and courteously asked them to hear his dream. In the first dream, he spoke of all his brothers as sheaves in the field who came to bow down at his sheaf. They were offended and hated him for the suggestion that their little brother would one day rule over them.
Joseph had a second dream. He dreamed that the sun, moon and the eleven stars bowed down to him. He then shared this dream with his father who rebuked him, saying, "Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?"
Again, his brothers envied him, while his father a bit wiser, kept the dream in mind.
Later, Joseph rose to be prime minister in Egypt, second in command to Pharaoh. He ruled the entire land of Egypt under Pharaoh. When the famine in Canaan drove his brethren out of the land to seek food in Egypt, they all came and bowed down before their younger brother.
Thus, the dream was fulfilled, the sun, moon and stars bowed down to Joseph. In the life of Joseph and his brothers, we see how God used the sun, moon and stars as signs. They represented people in authority. Joseph's father and mother are the sun and moon respectively. His brothers were the eleven stars.
From this we learn that the luminaries can be used to speak of men as in things totally unrelated to the lights in the sky.
In Isaiah 14:12, Lucifer which means "day star" refers not to the literal sun, but to the king of Babylon who ruled the world at the time. But, he became a fallen star. Failure to understand how God uses these terms makes it difficult to understand the text.
The prophets often spoke of the sun, moon and stars falling from the sky. They do not intend for us to understand their language as a literal destruction of the heavenly bodiesm, (Isaiah 13:10; Matthew 24:29). God promised this would never happen, (Geneses 8:22, Jeremiah 31:35-36; Ecclesiastes 1:4)
The references in scripture to falling stars refer to men who have fallen from power as civil rulers or to godly men who fall from grace. Jude spoke of apostates as "clouds without water," "raging waves of the sea who foam up their own shame" and "wandering stars" for whom the blackness of darkness was reserved forever. (Jude 12-13)
So, when we see references to the "sun, moon and stars" especially in Bible prophecy texts, extreme caution must be followed else we ascribe to these figurative references meanings God never intended.