ANCIENT BABYLONIAN SUN WORSHIP IS ALIVE AND WELL TODAY! Do those who oppose the fourth commandment know where they are heading? They think any day is as good as the next -- but in reality they are heading into plain old sun worship -- for the religio/political powers will see to it that they observe the venerable day of the sun! Many people are already doing so. It may well shock the reader to realize how sun worship has infiltrated Christianity, clothing itself in Christian garments to deceive, if possible, the very elect. SUN WORSHIP IS ALIVE TODAY Sun worship originated in Babylon A Key Strategy for Getting People into False Worship The false prophets would lead us straight into sun worship-- Page Two: Sun worship invades the Church Page Three: Sunworship and the Queen of Heaven -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sun worship? Really now, the sensible person will say, modern Christian people would never worship the sun! Satan knows this full well. He saw the power of the gospel as it entered peoples hearts and changed their lives. Once the love of Christ fully rooted itself in a persons life, neither ridicule, torture or death could cause them to renounce the truths of God. So he worked on plan B. Mingling of lies with the truth! Mix sun worship into Christianity, blend it with Christian concepts and wind up with the perfect counterfeit deception that people will buy, thinking they are obtaining the genuine. The saddest part comes when we see pages upon the internet, by people who ARE NOT IGNORANT OF GODS COMMANDMENT — people who know, yet have hardened their hearts and fight against the true rest with Christ, the rest of obedience which is the fruit of faith; they fight against Gods Holy Sabbath day. Not only that, but they are teaching others to transgress the commandments of God and are preparing the world to reject the three angels message. They are preparing a large number of people who see the true Sabbath from scripture, to accept the counterfeit --- clothed in Christian garments --- which is none other but SUN WORSHIP. SUN WORSHIP ORIGINATED IN BABYLON Babylon = sun worship. Sun worship originated in Babylon. Revelation 17 calls the last harlot church, Babylon. Now lets look at some history and open our eyes and see what is happening in our world today. After Noah and his family left the ark, Satan wasted no time in reestablishing the counterfeit — called Babylon. This counterfeit was brought into prominence and promoted by Nimrod, who was the founder of the empire known as Babylon, and by his queen, Semiramis. Nimrod, (grandson of Ham, and great grandson of Noah) was, as the Bible tells us in Genesis 10:8-10, was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Actually the Hebrew reading of this text points out that Nimrod was a mighty hunter in the place of the Lord. (The linguistic word before is more like in the context of have no other gods before me.) Also consider the meaning of the name Nimrod. It comes from the Hebrew verb marad, meaning rebel, or we will revolt. Some Biblical Historians think Nimrod could well be the vile and powerful Gilgamesh in the ancient Gilgamesh Epic. Gilgamesh sets out to hunt for, and kill the God who sent the flood! In the Epic Gilgamesh claims to have killed Huwawa, the sender of the great flood. Gilgamesh seeks the aid of Shamash, the sun god, who hates the terrible one who sent the flood. Nimrod established the first post-flood empire. Nimrod allowed his followers to hail him as a god! At his death it was proclaimed that their god Nimrod was exalted to his rightful domain. He was now the sun god, who would ensure his people with warmth, light and abundant crops. He would send down his blessings upon them. Semiranmis, queen of Babylon, after her husbands death, was found to be with child. It was declared that this child was the product of divine conception. Nimrod, the sun god was the father via a special ray of the sun. Semiramis named her son Damu which later Babylonian language became Dammuzi. In the Bible it is rendered Tammuz. Of course any son with such a claim to his conception was deified. Semiramis also deified herself as the mother of god (since only a god can beget a god) and installed herself as The Queen of Heaven pictured in the constellation Cassiopeia. The story was invented that she was a virgin sprung from the sea, and therefore a gift from the gods. Her name was later hellenized to Sammur-amat or gift of the sea. Most goddess worship as well as sun worship can be traced right back to Samiranmis. This one woman had such a lasting impact upon world history that the land from which civilization arose, (lower Mesopotamia) was known as the Land of Sammur or when translated into Hebrew becomes the land of Shinar. Genesis 10:9-10 Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, in the land of Shinar. Later, Daniel tells us that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and besieged it and carried the people as well as the vessels of the house of God: into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. (Dan.1:2) KEY TO GETTING PEOPLE AWAY FROM WORSHIPING THE CREATOR We see all through Biblical history that one of the key elements in weaning a loyal people away from their loyalties to the true God is by infiltration. Sun worship first infiltrated Israel, it became mixed with their true worship, until finally they were carried away into midst of Babylon itself. Look at the story of Balaam: The devil knows that as long as Gods people are in harmony with God he cannot touch them. So just like in the days of Israel, when they stood on the banks of the Jordan when Balaam came to try and curse them, he could but bless them, for he was powerless to do evil unto them while they were in Gods protection. Balaam knew why he couldnt curse them: Numbers 23.21 God has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither has he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD God is with them... there is no enchantment that will work against them. However, a plan was then devised. If the Israelites could be induced to rebel against Gods laws, they would lose Gods protection and would be destroyed. Crafty false prophet Balaam who once was a true prophet initiated the plan.(Numbers 31: 16) Sending heathen women to infiltrate the camp. Friendly, non threatening, they infiltrated, bringing with them their sensual arts and luring them away into idolatry. Numbers 25:2,3 They called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. Thousands died, and had not Israel repented they would not have entered Canaan at all. The craft of the false prophet -- is to get people to disregard Gods laws! The craft of the false teachers is to get people to believe that Gods law is no longer important so that they cannot discern sin. Then they will be easy to catch in the net of disobedience and bond with the chains of sin as they push aside the voice of the Holy Spirit calling them to repentance. For they think they need no repentance. Thus they are lead into the pit of rejecting the Holy spirit -- a bit from which there is no escape. The craft of the false teachers is to go out to deceive the whole world and gather them together to fight against Gods government. They cant reach God so they fight against those who walk in harmony with Gods laws. Ridiculing and belittling, mocking and intimidating. . For Revelation already tells us that all who will not bow to the false religion will be slated for death. These are the false teachers and the false prophets. Note well where disregard to Gods commandments leads. It leads to the worship of other gods. Revelation 13:3,4 I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? THE FALSE PROPHETS WOULD LEAD US STRAIGHT INTO SUN WORSHIP-- The third angels message cries with a loud voice to return to the worship of the Creator God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea. Why would the last warning message focus on this aspect of God? Why the emphasis on His Creative power? Could it be because sun worship, has invaded Christianity in a clever disguise and usurped the true worship of God the Creator. For in six days God created the heavens and the earth and rested upon the seventh day and blessed and sanctified it. Remember the Sabbath day! Sun day - is the venerable day of the sun. The edict of Constantine, in A.D. 321, was NOT the first time the week of seven day week with its recurring day of the Sun recognized. Two hundred years earlier we already see a Christian teacher trying to impress a Roman emperor by telling him Christians worship on the day of the sun. Justin Martyr writes a letter pleading for justice for the Christian during a time when the Jews had just suffered a second terrible overthrow. (approx. 130 A.D.) To the Emperor Titus Ælius Adrianus Antoninus Pius Augustus Caesar, and to his son Verissimus the Philosopher, and to Lucius the Philosopher, the natural son of Caesar, and the adopted son of Pius, a lover of learning, and to the sacred Senate... Now notice how he changes scripture when speaking of Christ to the Emperor: Psalms 19:1,5-6 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. Justins paraphase concerning those who published His doctrine and proclaimed His appearance Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the sun hath He set His tabernacle, and he as a bridegroom going out of his chamber shall rejoice as a giant to run his course. Justins version would ring a corresponding note in the emperors understanding. Then he continues in section LXVII of his Apology: And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, What Justin Martyr is saying here is that the Christians were coming together upon the day of the sun. A very significant fact! Why didnt Justin call it the 1st day? How could Justin be writing to the Roman emperor about a day called THE DAY OF THE SUN, if there was no such thing. Indeed, there was a DAY OF THE SUN! The Pagan Mithra Cult rose in the Roman Empire at the same time as Christianity moved forth. This cult was in many ways a counterfeit of Christianity! There were many Mithraic temples in the Roman empire, probably a couple thousand. The greatest concentrations have been found, interestingly enough, in the city of Rome itself, the home of the emperors! They were also located from England all the way to Palestine. What does this religion have to do with our study on sunworship in the church? Could it be that Satan raised a counterfeit to confound Christianity? A pagan counterfeit, focused on the ages long revered sun god, yet revampt in many ways that resembled Christianity. This counterfeit (along with many other practices and cultural beliefs) became intermingled with Christianity. According to the recent scholars the tauroctony (the main symbol of the Mithraic religion where Mithra is slaying the bull) is an astronomical star map! The zodiac-- which shows that this counterfit is an astrology based religion. (Just like Babylon) The understanding of Greco-Roman astronomy at the time of the Mithraic mysteries swept through the empire, was based on a so-called geocentric cosmology. They understood the earth to be fixed and immovable at the center of the universe and everything went around it. As the cosmos rotated around the earth it was believed to carry the sun along with it, resulting in the apparent movement of the sun around the earth once a day. They also believed that the sun moved on a second journey, beyond its daily rotation with the cosmic sphere: and made a yearly journey around the circle of the zodiac. They also believed in a cosmic or celestial equator emanating out from the earth‘s equator. From this they even got a symbol of the cross representing the intersection of the two celestial circles of the zodiac and the celestial equator. This cross-shaped symbol is found often in that cult. In Mithraic iconography Mithras and the sun god are pictured as separate beings, however in Mithraic writings Mithras is often identified with the sun by being called sol invictus, the unconquered sun. Thus it seems that the Mithraists somehow believed in the existence of two suns: one represented by the figure of the sun god, and the other by Mithras himself as the unconquered sun. Thus Mithria was the hypercosmic sun, god. Where does this concept of hyper cosmic sun god come from? The Chaldaean Oracles Chaldaean Oracles were a grand mixture of Platonic thought, from Platonizing thinkers ranging from Philo to Numenius. Probably the Chaldaean concept of a hypercosmic sun comes from the solar allegories of Platos Republic, in which the sun is used as a symbol for the highest of Platos Ideal Forms, that of the Good. In Book VI of the Republic (508Aff.) Plato compares the sun to the Good, saying that as the sun is the source of all illumination and understanding in the visible world (the horatos topos), the Good is the supreme source of being and understanding in the world of the forms (the noetos topos or intelligible world). So basically-- which christ is being worshipped today? The cosmic christ-- (who is very much part of the new age) Or the REAL CHRIST, JESUS. The similarities of Mithras and Christianity are astounding. One of which was this religion held Sunday as their special day. The meetings took place in caves, and crypts built to resemble caves, decorated with pictures of Mithra slaying the bull. The weekly holy day, naturally, was Sunday and, equally naturally, the Equinoxes were regarded as a sacred season, and the date of Mithras birth, placed at the winter solstice -- December 25. A History of the Church by Philip Hughes A fire was kept perpetually burning in the sanctuary. Three times a day prayer was offered the sun toward the east, south, or west according to the hour. Sunday was kept holy in honour of Mithra, and the sixteenth of each month was sacred to him as mediator. The 25 December was observed as his birthday, the natalis invicti, the rebirth of the winter-sun, unconquered by the rigours of the season. Catholic Encyclopedia Like the Christians, they purified themselves by baptism; received, by a species of confirmation, the power necessary to combat the spirits of evil; and expected from a Lords Supper salvation of body and soul. Like the latter, they also held Sunday sacred, and celebrated the birth of the Sun on the 25th of December, the same day on which Christmas has been celebrated, since the fourth century at least. Sacred Texts The Hebrew Sabbath having been abolished by Christians, the church made sacred the Sunday, partly because it was the day of the resurrection. But when we observe a little further we find that Sunday as a solar festival was the sacred day of Mithra. It is also interesting to notice that since Mithra is address as Lord, Sunday must have been the Lords day long before the Christian use. It is also to be noticed that our Christmas, December 25, was the birthdate of Mithra, and was only taken over in the fourth century as the date, actually unknown of the birth of Christ. (Stanford Studies) Stanford Studies pdf file The struggle between the two rival religions was the more stubborn as their characters were the more alike. The adepts of both formed secret conventicles, closely united, the members of which gave themselves the name of Brothers. 6 The rites which they practised offered numerous analogies. The sectaries of the Persian god, like the Christians, purified themselves by baptism; received, by a species of confirmation, the power necessary to combat the spirits of evil; and expected from a Lords Supper salvation of body and soul. Like the latter, they also held Sunday sacred, and celebrated the birth of the Sun on the 25th of December, the same day on which Christmas has been celebrated.. Historian Franz Cumont The pagan religion which began to sweep through the Roman world at the same time as Christianity and was at its height in Rome during Constantines time did indeed hold Sunday as special DAY to honor the Sun. However, the question is still-- did this influence the Christians in Rome Just read Constantines Sunday law. Let all judges and townspeople and occupations of all trades rest on the VENERABLE DAY OF THE SUN. . .March 7,321 Constantine was not really a Christian. At this very same time he was embellishing the Temple of the Sun in Rome. He was a sun-worshiper. The very next day after giving the Sunday law of March 7,321, quoted from above, Constantine enacted another law giving pagan soothsayers acceptance. Of course he also enacted the Edict of Milan, by which Christianity was given legal rights. We are told that the bishop of Rome counseled with Constantine and advised him of the best course to take in order to win everyone into a single imperial church. Remember that Mithraism was strong in Rome at this time-- Mithraism is the worship of the sun. The Romans gave him a new name -- Sol Invictus, which means the Invincible Sun. Mithraism imitated the worship of Christ in several ways: It had a dying, rising savior god, whose birth and resurrection was celebrated every year. Where do you think Christmas came from, its the rebirth of the sun -- as the days begin to get longer about Dec. 25. They had special religious suppers, or communion services, when the believers partook of their god. They even had to be baptize -- albeit they stood under a slaughtered bull and were baptized by blood. And it had one day in the week for celebration -- Sunday -- the Day of the Sun. Hmmm -- where did this concept of celebration instead of worshiping come from? As we continue in this study and see how sun worship invaded the church and thought to change Gods laws to adapt Christianity to the pagan mindset, we need to remember what Revelation tells us about the last days. The issue in the last days will be over true and false worship: Rev. 13:4 So they WORSHIPED the dragon (Satan) who gave authority to the beast, and they WORSHIPED the beast... Rev. 13:8 And All who dwell on the earth will WORSHIP him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life... Rev. 13:12 He causes the earth and those who dwell in it to WORSHIP the first beast,. . . Rev. 13:15 As many as would not WORSHIP the image of the beast should be killed. . . The angel cries with a loud voice: Rev. 14:7 WORSHIP Him who made heaven and earth. . . Rev. 14:9 If anyone WORSHIPS the beast and his image. . .he shall drink of the wrath of God. EARLY CHURCH FATHERS DEFEND SUNDAY The first instance in which the day of the sun is plainly mentioned as a day of Christian worship was by Justin in his First Apology. And upon the day called the day of the sun, all that live ...meet together at the same place where the writings of the apostles and prophets are read. . . Interesting observation we will make here. Justin, throughout all his writings uses the heathen designations for the day. What we see here is that the Christians are worshiping upon the day of the sun. A very significant fact! The reasons Justin gives are two fold: 1. The day of the sun is set forth as the first day of light. For on the first day God created light. 2. Christ rose from the grave on the first day. Thus it is the day of light and life. Later he also develops the 8th day philosophy, trying to tie it into the sign of circumcision. The eighth day philosophy was later enlarged upon by the gnostics. In all of Justins writings nothing is mentioned at all that any divine command was ever given. Nothing is mentioned that Christ instituted the day as the new worship day, or that the apostles instituted the day for that matter. All we see is a man trying to justify himself for worshiping upon the DAY OF THE SUN. Eusebius (AD 260-340) refers explicitly to the ideas of the light of the sun and of the day of the Sun, to explain the substitution of the Jewish Sabbath to the day of the sun. Phrases like: celebration of the Sabbath to the rising of the light. First day of light In this day of light All things whatsoever that were prescribed for the Sabbath, we have transferred them to the Lords day...It is also on this day that the Sun of Justice has risen for our souls. We see the constant theme that Sunday is the day of the Sun. It is the day of light. The commemoration of the creation of light and the resurrection of the Sun of Justice. Jerome (342-420) wrote, The Savior, like the rising sun conquered the darkness of the underworld and gleamed in the glory of the resurrection. This is why the same day was called day of the Sun by the pagans, because the Sun of Justice once risen would have illuminated it. Tertullian also makes it perfectly clear that the Christians were worshiping on the day known as the DAY OF THE SUN. Tertullian is here arguing with the pagans who chided the Christians on keeping Sunday. He writes: Others, again with greater regard to good manners, it must be confessed, suppose that the sun is the God of the Christians, because it is a well known fact that we pray toward the est, or because we make Sunday a day of festivity. What then? (What of it?) Do you do less than this? (You do the same?) Do not many among you, with an affectation of sometimes worshiping the heavenly bodies likewise, move your lips in the direction of the sunrise? We see striking similarities between the sun worshipers and the Christians outlined. 1. They both celebrated the same day— the day of the sun. And it was recognized as THE DAY OF THE SUN. There is no question about this fact that Sun day was indeed linked to sun worship. 2. They both have one common object of worship — light. Has anyone heard the argument today that now we have the greater light, the 7th day Sabbath was only a lesser light? Christ the Sun of Righteousness? 3. They both had their weekly services at sunrise. 4. They faced toward the east for worship. 5. They are not days given to contemplation of God and helping others, but they are days of celebration. WITH SUNDAY, THE DAY OF THE SUN, CAME OTHER SUN FESTIVALS As with most apostasy, one thing leads to another. We see Tertullian lamenting the fact that the Christians are joining the pagans in their heathen anniversaries held in honor of the sun. Ever wonder what easter bunnies and eggs and chickens have to do with the marvelous sacrifice of our Lord and Savior? Paganism in the centuries before Christ had a counterfeit yearly holiday celebrating the spring equinox of the sun. It was called Eostre meaning goddess of spring. Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similar Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility. This Eostre was simply another version of the original story of Semiramis of Babylon. Similar Goddesses were known by other names and were celebrated in the springtime. Most Pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a major seasonal day of religious celebration at or following the Spring Equinox. Cybele, the Phrygian fertility goddess, had a consort god, who was believed to have been born via a virgin birth. He was Attis, who was believed to have died and been resurrected each year during the period MAR-22 to MAR-25. About 200 B.C. mystery cults began to appear in Rome just as they had earlier in Greece. Most notable was the Cybele cult centered on Vatican hill ...Associated with the Cybele cult was that of her lover, Attis (the older Tammuz, Osiris, Dionysus, or Orpheus under a new name). He was a god of ever-reviving vegetation. Born of a virgin, he died and was reborn annually. The festival began as a day of blood on Black Friday and culminated after three days in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection. Easter Rabbit and Eggs: Both represented fertility. From these, we have inherited the customs and symbols of the Easter egg and Easter rabbit. Dyed eggs also formed part of the rituals of the Babylonian mystery religions. Eggs were sacred to many ancient civilizations and formed an integral part of religious ceremonies in Egypt and the Orient. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples, and the egg was regarded as the emblem of regenerative life proceeding from the mouth of the great Egyptian god. Easter Sunrise Service: This custom can be traced back to the ancient Pagan custom of welcoming the sun God at the vernal equinox - when daytime is about to exceed the length of the nighttime. It was a time to celebrate the return of life and reproduction to animal and plant life as well. Worship of the sun god at sunrise is condemned by God as recorded in: Ezekiel 8:16-18: ...behold, at the door of the temple of Jehovah, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of Jehovah, and their faces toward the east; and they were worshipping the sun toward the east. Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen (this), O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have turned again to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will I also deal in wrath; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them. (ASV) Since the resurrection of Christ, a custom developed among the Christians of celebrating this event yearly, though neither Christ nor the New Testament commanded it. This rivaled the pagan spring festival. However the fourteenth day of the month of the Passover was at first observed, not the Sunday festival of Spring. So why did the church change from the Passover date upon which Christ died, to the Spring Festival date of pagan celebration of the sun and fertility? Toward the close of the second century we find a controversy springing up between the East and the West, as to whether the Easter resurrection should be honored on the first day of the week or on the regular Passover day (the fourteenth of Nisan) which fell upon a different day of the week every year. Over in Rome, the bishop Victor (A.D.189-199) threatened to excommunicate the Christian communities in Asia which refused to follow his instruction that the resurrection was to be celebrated on the Sunday following the Passover. Victor I, the bishop of Rome, assembled provincial synods up and down the Mediterranean coasts to come to an agreement on the date of Easter. Clement, at the head of the school of Alexandria, brought decision in favor of Romes attitude by publishing a summary of traditions he had collected in favor of Sunday observance. At the same time Victor proclaimed the virtues of Sunday to all the nations around the Mediterranean. Uniting the pagan festival with the religious festival he issued his decree ordering the clergy everywhere to observe Easter on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. A lordly command issuing from one bishop over others was something new in the world. Never before Victor I, had any bishop dared to pass over the head of the provincial synods to command other clergy to obey his decrees. Representatives of the Asian Churches, stood by the Passover date, refusing to be frightened into submission by the threats of Victor of Rome. No, they declared, they would by no means forsake the real Passover date. Then the thunders of excommunication began to be threatened. Victor, stopped communicating with them, and pronounced them unworthy of being part of the church, and excluded them from fellowship with the church at Rome. Thus the gulf began between the east and the west which widened as the years progressed. It appears by the documents available that people in Rome under Sixtus first began the Sunday Easter custom some 60 years earlier (all changes took their time-Sunday worship did not descend upon the earth in one day or by one person-- it all evolved and then was enforced by the church). As the west drifted more and more into the Sun Culture, the observance of Easter also became more of a festival rather than a time to reflect on the great gift God gave the world. The primary motivation for this was an intense desire to get away from anything Jewish. It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the practice of the Jews...Let us have nothing in common with the detestable Jewish crowd. Wrote Eusebius. Yet by separating themselves from all things Jewish they united themselves with things pagan. Now Easter is celebrated, not just the Sunday after Passover, but on the Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox of the sun. What we have seen is that the bishop of Rome, seeking to outrival pagan pomp, began a campaign to force the resurrection celebration to be held on a Sunday of Easter and making it the high day of Christians. This move led to much controversy among the churches. Excommunication was the weapon Rome used to force the issue. The controversy laid the seeds for the split between the eastern and western church. Indeed there was a great movement coming from Rome to unit all the people under one worship. With the sun in the center. THE LAWS FROM ROME LEAD US STRAIGHT INTO SUN WORSHIP-- We have seen two key developments taking place in these early centuries. One was the shift from the Biblical Sabbath into the sun worshipers day of celebration, even to adopting the pagan holidays for their holy days. The other is the gradual rise to dominance of the Bishop of Rome. -- The Christians, in their eagerness to be disassociated from Jews were moving from plain Thus saith the Lord into pagan sun worshiping ceremonies. The Jews were not looked upon with any favor by the Roman Empire, therefore the Christians did their utmost to divorce themselves from any Jewish identification. However, this did not render them free from persecution. The emperor before Constantine, Diocletian (A.D. 284-305) launched a fierce campaign against Christians. It was clear to all that this internal strife was not building a strong empire. So when Constantine emerged as the next emperor he sought for a way to unite his empire. There were only two strong religions , Mithraism, the worship of the sun, and Christianity. So Constantine declared Sun day as a day of celebration for all peoples. Five additional Sunday Laws were to be issued by Constantine to strengthen the first one which asked for people to rest on the Venerable Day of the Sun. Someone usually asks this question at this point: Cant you people make up your mind— who changed the Sabbath, the Papacy or Constantine? Constantine only passed the laws, it was the church that adopted Sunday! One of the so called church fathers, Eusebius, was and advisor to Constantine. It was Eusebius who lobbied with the emperor to legislate Sunday with the recommendation that it would unite the Sun worshipers with the followers of Jesus. He wrote: The Logos (Christ) has transferred by the New Alliance the celebration of the Sabbath to the rising of the light. He has given us a type of the true rest in the saving day of the Lord, the first day of light...In this dy of light--first day and true day of the sun...we celebrate the holy and spiritual Sabbaths...All things whatsoever that were prescribed for the (Bible) Sabbath WE have transferred them to the Lords day, as being more authoritative and more highly regarded and first in rank, and more honorable than the Jewish Sabbath. Sun worship has rivaled true worship for almost as long as civilization can be traced. It is still the main opponent of true worship. How can one join Sun worship with Christianity? Yet that is exactly what Sunday has done. Catholic Tradition substituted the venerable day of the sun for the Holy Sabbath day of the Creator God! More laws followed, issued from the church, till the true Sabbath was almost forgotten. EVIDENCE OF SUN WORSHIP Images and symbols of the sun are everywhere in Catholic art and churches. Listen to this: In Egypt the city of Heliopolis was the center of North African sun worship around the time of Christ. In the center of the city stood a huge red granite obelisk as the symbol of the Sun-god. In A.D. 38, Emperor Caligula of Rome, a devoted Sun- worshiper, ordered that this 83 feet high obelisk be moved to Rome. It was quite an enterprise, but finally Emperor Nero had it erected in Rome and dedicated to Lord Mithra, the Sun-god. Obelisks of this kind were placed in front of their places of ceremonies to identify them. One and a half millennia later int 1585, a decree from the holy man in the Vatican went out saying that the obelisk that the pagan Emperor Caligula had brought over from Heliopolis, must be brought to the front of St. Peters and set up in the exact center of the circular court. The decree included a death penalty to the mover, if he accidently broke the obelisk in moving it. Finally someone was brave enough — or greedy enough — since the pay was good, to move the immense obelisk. On September 10,1586 the obelisk was ready to be erected in the circular court. The pope himself was present to pray that the sun- image would not be injured. He also issued a decree that no one in the crowds could speak aloud, on pain of death, lest the workmen be distracted and the solar idol of Heliopolis be shattered. It was a very reverent occasion. When the job was completed, hundreds of church bells rang out, cannons roared, Pope Sixtus dedicated the idol to the cross. and held solemn mass in its honor. The great obelisk of the ancient City of the Sun is once more identifying the largest church in the world. It is back at the center of worship— _______ Then there is the solar wheel Comes straight from Babylonian sun worshipers . Its an occult symbol! Unquestionable the largest occult solar wheel on earth is located in the court of St. Peter at the Vatican in Rome. It is made of a wheel within a wheel, with eight spokes, a common symbol of cosmic energy in paganism. And right in its center stands the obelisk, the ancient symbol of Osiris, the solar phallic god of Egypt! You can also see the solar wheel in many other places in Catholic art and architecture. There is a big one in the ceiling at the monastery of Jesuit St Ignatius Loyola in Spain. Another one in the floor tiles in the same monastery. There are pictures of bishops and even the Madonna holding the symbol of solar power! Pagan symbols of the sun-god. The face of a pagan sun-god, surrounded by straight and wavy blaze lines. These can be seen at the top of one of the giant serpentine pillars in St. Peters Basilica at the Vatican. Solar blazes around the heads of saints is common. And of course— there is the venerable day of the Sun which the Pope is promoting and asking the people to protect with legal legislation. MARY, Queen of Heaven? Do those who oppose the fourth commandment know where they are heading? They think any day is as good as the next -- but in reality they are heading into plain old sun worship -- for the religio/political powers will see to it that they observe the venerable day of the sun! Many people are already doing so. It may well shock the reader to realize how sun worship has infiltrated Christianity, clothing itself in Christian garments to deceive, if possible, the very elect. Fatima 1917 and the suns dance The Pope is Following Marys Timetable Marys Claims to Roles Belonging only to God (THE SEALING) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FATIMA AND THE SUNS DANCE The Roman church believes that someday soon the sun will do a dance in the sky (something like at Fatima in 1917-- but possible much larger) that will send the world to its knees before the church of Rome. Sun worship -- Sunday worship will be imposed upon the world. Now lets look at the sun dance that is to bring these things upon the world. The Thunder of Justice written and edited by Ted and Maureen Flynn, Maxkol Communications, 109 Executive Dr. Suite D, Sterling, Va 20166 This book has become one of the best selling Catholic Books on end time events. It is based on the revelations of Mary supposedly mother of Jesus. Page 137-138 On October 13, 1917, a severe storm had raged through Europe. The ground was soaked and muddy. A crowd of people estimated between 50,000 and 70,000 made its way--drenched— to the apparition site (Fatima). The Lady appeared. . .as the blessed mother was leaving she opened her hands, and from them rays of light extended in the direction of the sun. Gradually the sun grew pale, appeared as a silver disk at which all could gaze directly, without shielding their eyes. Rays of multicolored light shot out from the sun in every direction; red, blue, pink, green, and every color of the spectrum. Then the sun began to spin madly on its axis and appeared like a giant wheel of fire. The sun began to dance wildly. Suddenly the sun seemed to be torn loose from its orbit. It hurtled closer and closer to earth, and looked like it was going to plummet to the earth. The people were terrified and there arose cries of repentance and appeals for mercy. Many thought it was the end of the world. Then, just as suddenly, the sun stopped plummeting downwards, and in the same swirling motion it began to climb upward until it resumed its place in the sky. The rain- soaked clothes of the people were immediately dry. This was an event reported by several newspapers of the day. . . Pope Paul VI, in his May 1967 encyclical entitled Signum Magnum identifies Our Blessed Mother at Fatima with The Woman Clothed with the Sun, equating her directly with Revelation, Chapter 12. Pages 313-318 Over thirty years ago, the warning was predicted by the Mother of God, who communicated her message through four young girls from the Garabandal, Spain. . . .by Gods great mercy, the whole world would be converted. . . .the warning, a correction of the conscience of the world which all would experience as a kind of disaster in their lives, but none would die of if, except perhaps from the shock of it. Conversion like St Paul, who was penetrated by the same light we will soon endure. . . .our sins will all be vividly clear in the brilliant light which God shines in our souls. . . the major turning- point in world history, and probably the greatest sign of all time. Greater than the parting of the Red Sea...affect every man, woman and child on earth. A great miracle has been foretold by Our Lady which will take place in the little village of Garabandal. Millions will undoubtedly journey there to behold its glory, to be healed, converted, and comforted. . .It will alert the entire populace of the earth to . . . When the great miracle bursts forth at Garabandal, television, radio, newspapers, and the countless witnesses viewing the miracle will spread the story speedily...The warning will prepare us to hear God together at Garabandal, where His people will be gathered once again, just as they were on Sinai,... A similar miracle, also predicted in advance, was granted at Fatima in 1917, in what has come to be known as The Miracle of the Sun. The sun spun in the sky and hurtled toward earth. Some 70,000 spectators witnessed it. Marvelous as that may sound, it is even more amazing that the miracle WILL be experienced by so many people! What an event indeed is the great miracle going to be at Garabandal! THE POPE IS FOLLOWING MARYS TIMETABLE THE KEYS OF THIS BLOOD by eminent theologian, expert on the Catholic Church, and former Jesuit and professor at the Vaticans Pontifical Biblical Institute. P.493 John Paul is following a timetable he asserts has been established in Heaven; and he fully presumes that what he does and they do will succeed only if it conforms to the foretold sequence of historical events he confidently ascribes to a woman he, ... venerates under the symbol of her heart--the Immaculately Sinless Heart of Mary. P.639 He (Pope John Paul) is a pope who is waiting....He is waiting for an event that will fission human history, splitting the immediate past from the oncoming future,. It will be an event on public view in the skies, in the oceans, and on the continental landmasses of this planet. It will particularly involve our human sun, which every day lights up and shines upon the valleys the mountains and the plains of this earth for our eyes. But on the day of this event, it will not appear merely as the master star of our so-called solar system,, Rather, it will be seen as the circumambient glory of the Woman whom the apostle describes as clothed with the sun and giving birth to a child... Fissioning it will be as an event, ..for it will immediately nullify all the grand designs the nations are now forming and will introduce the Grand Design...John Paul (believes) he will be the sole possessor of the Keys of the Blood on that day. Do we have any idea of what is happening here? Lets look in the book More about Fatima by J. DaCruz C.S.Sp. (Which received the imprimatur in 1945) P 53-55 :This wonderful sign in the heavens, ...our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima has maternally granted to the modern world in order that all may believe. She came...asking us to recite the Rosary daily and to consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate heart.... The grandeur of this wonderful prodigy of Fatima will thus be in proportion to the greatness of the dangers...and this sign in the heavens will indicate to us the REMEDY we are to employ against the evils that hang over us.. . . In imitation of those happy pilgrims of Fatima, let us in turn respectfully bow down before this prodigy of the sign in the heavens, this ‘extraordinary demonstration of the existence of God. Let us meditate long on these divine facts: let us enkindle the flame of our faith in the mysterious rays of the Sun of Fatima. Now look at what Jeremiah has to say: 7.17-20 Dont you see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched. Compare this now to what we read in DaCruzs book: p. 118 In 1942 on the occasion of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima and the GREAT SOLAR PRODIGY. . . attendance was impressive 800,000. . the applause and hosannas were blended with tears of devotion, of love and gratitutde of all the people who acclaim mary as Queen and Jesus as King. . ..Yes crown her not only Queen of Portugal but Queen of Peace and Queen of the World because she helps it to find peace again and to rise again from its ruins. But while crowning her, you thereby enrol yourselves in the sacred crusade for the conquest or the re-conquest of her realm which is that of God and you undertake to work to make her loved, venerated and served throughout the world!. . . . Rev. 13: And they worshipped the dragon. Who is the dragon? Who is this Mary, Queen of heaven? MARYS CLAIMS TO ROLES BELONGING ONLY TO GOD Lets just see what claims this Mary makes: We, as Adventists understand that the righteous will receive the seal of God in their foreheads and the followers of the beast will also receive a mark in their foreheads and hands. For our position on this doctrine read the articles: Apocalyptic Seal Three Angels Message Now notice the cunning counterfeit. Mary is portrays herself as the one with the authority to seal people. From Thunder of Justice by the Flynns page 329-330 we read this astonishing statement: Ezekiel 9:1-9 is quoted then marys messages are quoted: You are thus signed with the seal of my love, which distinguishes you from those who have allowed themselves to be seduced by the Beast and bear his imprinted blasphemous number. ... The Star of the Abyss will persecute all those who are signed with my seal, but nothing will be able to harm the souls upon whom I myself have impressed MY image. By the blood which many of them will have to shed, divine justice will be appeased and the time of MY victory will be hastened. If my Adversary is signing, with his mark, all his followers, the time has come when I also, your heavenly leader, am signing, with MY heavenly seal, all those who have consecrated themselves to MY IMMACULATE Heart and have formed part of MY army. I am imprinting MY seal on your foreheads with the most holy sign of the Cross of my Son Jesus. I am imprinting upon YOUR HANDS my seal which is the sign of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Allow yourselves all to be signed on the forehead and on the hand with MY motherly seal. This is frightening reading! Do you see what is happening here. Is this what the Bible teaches? No! This is the mark of the Beast paraded as the mark of CHRIST! 1. Whose seal do we want in our foreheads? Revelation 7:2 calls it the seal of the living God: We do NOT want Marys seal — we want the seal of the LIVING GOD! Do you notice how this Mary claims the seal is HERS. (Capitals are mine) 2. Where is Gods seal imprinted? Revelation 7:3 tells us it is in the forehead! Nowhere do we read that it is placed upon the hand. What mark does the Bible say will be upon the hand? Revelation 13.16,15 And he (the image of the beast) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right HAND, or in their foreheads:....and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Revelation 14.9-10 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his HAND, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Have we followed the full circle of events in this study? Can we see the counterfeit craftily placed from the very beginning? The false Madonna and child, the Queen of heaven, the sun worship which haunted and seduced Gods people from the beginning of time. Can you see the Babylon, the false religion, which re-emerges as the great counterfeit in Revelation? Who sits as queen in Revelation 18, but comes to a brutal end when God takes command? i Duet. 4.13,16,19 And he declared unto you his covenant, and revealed to you the ten commandments which are your duty to perform; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, should be driven to worship them, and serve them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some one is bound now to say — but if you worship on Saturday are you not worshiping Saturn? Saturn??? since when do you see an obelisk of Saturn, or a great show of art objects and images venerating Saturn anywhere? Besides the 7th day of the week was declared holy and blessed and sanctified by our Creator Himself -- no one had heard about any Saturn god at that time. Notice too, many languages use the word Sabbath for the seventh day of the week. Saturn day is not at all universal. Linguistics only further shows that the 7th day was regarded as THE SABBATH in places all over the world. Heres an interesting observation I found on the internet concerning the planets, sun worship and the number 666. The Seals of the Planets, popular before the time of Christ according to Budge (Amulets and Superstitions), are interesting because the seal containing the Grand Number of the Sun contains the very sacred number 36 laid out in a 6x6 square with the numbers from 1 to 36 so arranged that they add up the same in all directions, with the total of the whole seal 666. Though popular also in Eastern lands, the Greek and Roman, or Latin, inscriptions on these seals show also their popularity in the West.. Since the sun-god was considered as the ruler over the 36 constellations of the sky and the 36 rooms of the circle of the zodiac, it was inevitable that the summary number of the numbers from 1 to 36, the number 666 should have been assigned to the sun as the ruler over all the gods of heaven and earth. We are not interested in Sun worship. We need to be in a loving, faith, obedient relationship with Jesus Christ the Son of God. We are not interested in receiving marys seal, we want the seal of the living God in our foreheads
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 05:59:00 +0000
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