In the Bible, stars appear frequently in different contexts starting from the creation story through the intervening books and chapters to Revelation. In the Old Testament, the word star meant all celestial bodies except for the moon and the sun. Stars symbolize many things. In some mentions, stars relate to angels, leadership, or the light that Christ brings into people’s lives.
To start you off, here are some of the significant passages about stars and what they exactly mean in their respective context.
What You'll Learn Today
Symbol of Christ Bringing the Gospel
In the Book of Revelation 22:16, the Bible says
“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.”
The Bible refers to Jesus as the bright and Morning Star because of how he lights our hearts when he comes to us through salvation.
In the Book of 2 Peter 1:19, the Word says,
“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, 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.”
This passage of scripture is interesting in two ways. On one hand, it talks of the prophetic message that came from heaven acknowledging Jesus as the Son of God with whom he was pleased.
This prophetic message is meant to sustain believers in their walk of salvation until the day when the Morning Star rises in their hearts.
On the other hand, the Bible talks of the Morning Star as a reference to the second coming of Christ who will be the permanent light in the hearts of believers.
Symbol of Authority
Believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ live with hope that one day they will inherit the Kingdom of God. In the Book of Revelation 2:26-28, the Bible says:
“And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like potterya —just as I have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star.”
The Morning Star here refers to the divine authority that those who do the will of God to the very end and emerge victorious, will be given. This authority is divine and will enable them to rule over the nations.
The Bible talks of the source of this authority as God, the Father who entrusts it to his son Jesus Christ and then handed over to the believers.
A Symbol of Victory
Catholics are called to live a virtuous life that is pure and blameless. The reward for this life which is purely sacrificial is that at the end, they will shine like stars in victory. In the Book of Philippians 2:15, the Bible talks of believers shining like stars.
This is what it says,
“so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.”
In a world that is full of people who do their work half-heartedly and grudgingly, Paul was writing to the Church in Philippians to live a life that showed a difference.
In addition to him telling them to work out their salvation with trembling and fear, he also tells them that they should do everything without arguing.
In this way, they will become victorious and distinctive among the crooked and warped generation of their time. As a consequence, this life would make them shine as they hold firmly the Gospel and its teachings which are the bread of life.
In the Book of Daniel 12:3, it also speaks of shining like stars for those who are wise and righteous. This is what the Bible says,
“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
This verse of scripture speaks to us about end times. In the preceding verse, Daniel talks of the multitude that sleep in the dust of the earth that they will rise with some to everlasting life while others to everlasting contempt.
It then speaks of those who are wise and those who lead many to salvation and righteousness that they will shine in victory like the stars for ever and ever.
Symbol of King of Babylon
The Kingdom of Babylon was one of the most ferocious of its times. It afflicted the children of Israel and at one point took them into captivity for 70 years. Whoever became king in Babylon adopted the punitive ways of ruling and relating with the neighboring kingdoms.
In the Book of Isaiah 14:12, the Bible says
“How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations.”
This passage of scripture refers to the king of Babylon who in the interpretation of the prophesy followed the steps of Satan. He was not only evil but wanted to elevate himself to the position of being worshiped much like God.
When writing to the Corinthians, Paul suggested that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. This means he appears as if to bring a revelation beneficial to man but, in the end, it is destruction.
Conclusion
In addition to the symbolism of stars discussed in the passages above, there are other mentions in Isaiah and Revelation that talk of the stars as a symbol of the wondrous works of God.
They also show that God has power over the created and on his command, they can either show their light or not. This shows how powerful God is and how much in control he is of the universe that he created with his own hands.
