Catholic
scholars recognize that their church developed from such a
mixture. But from their point of view, these things were
triumphs for Christianity, because the church was able to
Christianize SUN Worship practices. The Catholic
Encyclopedia makes these statements: "We need not shrink from
admitting that candles, like incense and lustral water, were
commonly employed in SUN Worship and in the rites paid to the dead. But the
Church from a very early period took them into her service, just
as she adopted many other things...like music, lights, perfumes,
ablutions, floral decorations, canopies, fans, screens, bells,
vestments, etc., which were not identified with any idolatrous
cult in particular; they were common to almost all cults."
"Water, oil, light, incense, singing, procession, prostration,
decoration of altars, vestments of priests, are naturally at the
service of universal religious instinct....Even SUN Worship
feasts may be "baptized": certainly our processions of 25 April
are the Robigalia; the Rogation days may replace the Ambarualia;
the date of Christmas Day may be due to the same instinct which
placed on 25 December the Natalis Invicti of the solar cult."
The use of
statues, and customs such as bowing before an image, are explained
in Catholic theology as having developed from the old emperor
worship! "The etiquette of the Byzantine court gradually
evolved elaborate forms of respect, not only for the person of
Caesar but even for his statues and symbols.
Philostorgius...says that in the fourth century the Christian
Roman citizens in the East offered gifts, incense, even prayers
(!) to the statues of the emperor. (Hist. Eccl. II, 17). It
would be natural that people who bowed to, kissed, incensed
the imperial eagles and images of Caesar (with no suspicion of
anything like idolatry)...should give the same signs to the cross,
the images of Christ, and the altar....The first Christians were
accustomed to see statues of emperors, of SUN Worship gods and
heroes, as well as SUN Worship wall paintings. So they
made paintings of their religion, and, as soon as they could
afford them, statues of their Lord and of their heroes."
It should be
noticed that no claim for any scriptural command is even suggested
for these things. It is clearly stated that these customs
developed from SUN Worship.
Sometimes
various wall-paintings of the early centuries, such as those in
the Roman catacombs, are referred to as though they represented
the beliefs of the original Christians. We do not believe
this is the case, for there is clear evidence of a mixture.
While some of these paintings included scenes of Christ feeding
the multitudes with the loaves and fishes, Jonah and the whale, or
the sacrifice of Isaac, other paintings were unmistakably
SUN
Worship
portrayals. Some believe this mixture was a disguise to
avoid persecution. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that
the roots of mixture were present. Says The Catholic Encyclopedia:
"The Good Shepherd carrying the sheep on his
shoulders occurs frequently, and this preference may well be dueto
its resemblance to the
SUN Worship figures of Hermes
Kriophorus or Aristaeus, which at this period were much in
vogue....Even the fable of Orpheus was borrowed pictoriallyand
referred to Christ. Similarly the story of Eros and Psyche
was revived and Christianized, serving to remind the believers of
the resurrection of the body.. ..The group of the Twelve Apostles
probably attracted the less attention because the twelve Dii
Majores were often also grouped together. Again the figure
of the Orans, the woman with arms uplifted in prayer, was quite
familiar to classical antiquity....Similarly the fish symbol,
representing Christ, the anchor of hope, the palm of victory, were
all sufficiently familiar as emblems among
SUN Worshipers
to excite no particular attention.'
In the
Old Testament, the apostasy into which the Israelites repeatedly
fell was that of mixture. Usually they did not totally reject the
worship of the true God, but mixed heathen rites with it!
This was the case even when they worshiped the
golden calf (Exodus 32).
We all realize that such worship was false, heathenism, and an
abomination in the sight of God, Yet--and this is the point we
would make--it was claimed that this was a "feast unto the Lord"
(verse 5)--a feast to Jehovah (or more correctly) Yahweh, the true
God! They sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
They practiced rites in which they made themselves naked (verse
25), perhaps similar to those which were carried out by naked
Babylonian priests.
During the forty years in the wilderness, the
Israelites carried the tabernacle of God. However, some of them
were not content with this, so they added something. They made
unto themselves a Babylonian tabernacle that was carried
also! "But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and
Chiun, your images" (Amos 5:26; Acts 7:42,43). These were
but other names for the
sun-god
Baal and the mother goddess Astarte. Because of
this mixture, their songs of worship, sacrifices, and offerings
were rejected by God.
At another period, the Israelites performed
secret rites, built high places, used divination, caused their
children to pass through the fire, and worshiped the sun, moon,
and stars (2 Kings 17:9-17). As a result, they were driven from
their land. The king of Assyria brought men from various nations,
including Babylon, to inhabit the land from which the Israelites
had been taken. These also practiced heathenistic rituals and God
sent lions among them, Recognizing such as the judgment of God,
they sent for a man of God to teach them how to fear the Lord.
"Howbeit every nation made gods of their own" (verses 29-31),
attempting to worship these gods and the Lord also--a mixture:
"So"--in this way--"they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves
of the lowest of them priests...they feared the Lord, and served
their own gods" (verse 32)!
Mixture was also apparent in the days of the
Judges when a Levite priest who claimed to speak the word of the
Lord, served in a "house of gods," and was called by the title
"father" (Judges 17:5-13)
.
At the time of Ezekiel, an idol had been placed
right at the entrance of the Jerusalem temple. Priests
offered incense to false gods which were pictured upon the
walls. Women wept for Tammuz and men
worshiped
the sun at dawn from the temple area (Ezekiel 8).
Some even sacrificed their children and "when they had slain their
children to their idols," God said, "then they came the same day
into my sanctuary"
(Ezekiel 23:38,39),
Jeremiah's message was directed to people who
claimed to "worship the Lord" (Jer. 7:2), but who had mixed in
SUN Worship rites.
"Behold," God said, 'ye trust in lying words that cannot profit.
Ye...burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods and...make
cakes to the queen of heaven..and come and stand before me in this
house" (verses 8-18).
Considering these numerous Biblical examples,
it is clear that God is not pleased with worship that is a
mixture. As Samuel preached, 'If ye do return unto the Lord
with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth
(the
SUN Worship mother worship) from among you, and
prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only: and he will
deliver you" (1 Sam, 7:3).
We should remember that Satan does not appear
as a monster with horns, a long tail, and a pitchfork. Instead, he
appears as an angel of light (2 Cor. 1 1: 14). As Jesus warned
about "
wolves in sheep's clothing"
(Matt. 7:15), so in numerous instances the
SUN Worship
that was disguised in the
outer
garments of Christianity became a mixture that has
deceived millions. It was like
removing the warning label from a
bottle of poison and substituting a
peppermint candy label in its place--the
contents are
deadly just the same.
No matter how much we may
dress it up on the outside, SUN Worship is deadly. True
worship must be "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24)-- not
SUN
Worship error.
Because of the clever ways that
SUN Worship
was mixed with Christianity, the Babylonian influence became
hidden--a
mystery--
"mystery Babylon." But as a detective
gathers clues and facts in order to solve a mystery, so in this
study we have presented many Biblical and historical clues as
evidence. Some of these clues may have seemed insignificant
at first glance or when taken alone. But when the full picture is
seen, they fit together and conclusively solve the mystery of
Babylon-ancient and modern! Over the centuries God has
called his people out of the bondage of Babylon. Still today
his voice is saying, "Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins" (Rev, 18:4).
It is a delicate task to write concerning
religious subjects about which very fine and sincere people have
strong differences. One wants to speak frankly enough to
make a point, yet also to maintain a proper balance, so that in
disagreeing he is not needlessly disagreeable. As with any
book--certainly not excluding the Bible itself--it is inevitable
that some misunderstanding or differences of opinion will
result. Some may feel too much has been said, others not
enough. Nevertheless, in the words of Pilate, "What I have
written I have written." If the Roman Catholic Church, which
claims to never change, is gradually turning from practices which
are unscriptural, we can be glad for any progress along the path
of truth. If this study has had any part in this trend, we
can rejoice.
We believe the true Christian goal is not
religion based on mixture, but a return to the original, simple,
powerful, and spiritual faith that was once delivered to the
saints. No longer entangling ourselves in a maze of rituals and
powerless traditions, we can find the "simplicity that is in
Christ," and rejoice in the "liberty wherewith Christ has made us
free" from "bondage" (2 Cor. 11:3; Gal. 5:1). In American we
hear the saying: "Freedom isn't free". No man or
government can give you Freedom.
The only Freedom and
liberty is in Jesus Christ.
Salvation is not dependent on a human priest,
Mary, the saints, or the Pope. Jesus said, "I am the
way, the
truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Neither is there salvation
in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Let us
look to Him who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, the
Apostle and High Priest of our profession, the Lamb of God, the
captain of our Salvation, the Bread from Heaven, the Water of
Life, the Good Shepherd, the Prince of Peace, the King of kings
and Lord of lords--
JESUS CHRIST.
“Signs and symbols rule the SUN Worship world, not
words nor laws.”
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