In Abraham, God found a man after the Flood who would obey Him. He commanded him to leave his home country and told him He would make of him a great nation and give him and his offspring forever all the land he saw (Gen. 12:1-4; 13:14-15). Ultimately, Abraham's twelve grandsons found themselves in Egypt due to a famine in Palestine, and there they became the slaves of the Egyptians (Ex. 1:11). They were in Egypt — the land which, according to other evidence, was full of the worshippers of the Mysteries (SYMBOLS) of Semiramis. They were among the pagans, and remained captives among them over two hundred years. They learned, while there, how to worship the first "Savior" and his "virgin" (so-called) mother, the Queen of Heaven (Semiramis). They forgot the True God, but God, because of His promise to Abraham, had not forgotten them. He led them out of Egypt and promised them He would make them the greatest of nations if they would forsake their idol (SYMBOL) worship and follow Him. If they would not, He said He would punish them severely (Lev. chap. 26).
Israel Worshipped Counterfeit "Savior"
The Israelites had scarcely started their journey to the promised land when the people called for their old SYMBOLIC pagan gods that they had known in Egypt. Moses had gone up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. In his absence the people said to Aaron, "Make us gods (SYMBOLS), which shall go before us; for as this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him" (Ex. 32:1). Aaron made them a golden calf to worship, which, as we have shown, was the way the Egyptians mystically worshipped Osiris (Nimrod), their "Savior." This was almost 1500 B.C. Those who first worshipped the golden calf (Exodus 32:1-4), did so with the full knowledge that they were worshipping the "reborn" Nimrod — the "Savior" in one of his symbolic forms! The calf symbolized the false Savior, as the Lamb symbolized the True Savior. EVERY ONE OF THE NINETEEN KINGS THAT RULED OVER THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, AFTER THE SEPARATION OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH, WORSHIPPED THE GOLDEN CALF — the symbol of the FIRST "SAVIOR"! Now continue through the Scriptures. Do you recall the account of the Europeans who passed through the bonfire in our "Christian" times? Now notice that your BIBLE shows it originates from the worship of Nimrod : We have previously shown that Molech was also a title applied to Nimrod in one of his idol forms and that in order to "purify" themselves, people, usually children, were made to "pass through the fire to Molech." In Leviticus 18:21, just after they had left Egypt, God warned Israel: "Thou shall not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech." "Whosoever. . . giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death" (Lev. 20:2). That this practice was picked up from neighboring pagan nations is evident; "Thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations...that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire" (Deut.18:9-10). Today the teaching has become the doctrine of purgatorial fires in the next life.
Why Mentioned In Scripture
Now we can begin to see why God named in Scripture an endless array of pagan gods — ALL OF WHOM REPRESENT THE THREE DEIFIED MEMBERS OF Nimrod's FAMILY! IT IS A VEILED WARNING THAT A WORLD saturated WITH THE WORSHIP OF THE false CHRIST WOULD continue TO WORSHIP THE FALSE "SAVIOR" THEY HAD KNOWN SINCE THE FLOOD — BUT WOULD REJECT THE TRUE SAVIOR AND HIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM WHEN HE CAME, EVEN THOUGH THEY WOULD APPROPRIATE HIS NAME FOR THEIR PAGAN CUSTOMS. Chemosh was the god of the Moabites. God says Israel had forgotten Him and was worshipping Chemosh (I Kings 11:33). Who was Chemosh? He is identified with Baal-peor — the pagan "Christ child" — and with Baal-zebub, Mars, and Saturn (Peloubet's Bible Dictionary, p. 115). We have shown that Saturn was one name of Nimrod, and Mars, another name as the god of war of the Greeks. Chemosh, then, was the Moabite name for Nimrod. Solomon, despite his wisdom, built an altar to him (II Kings 23:13). Even he was misled by this Babylonian worship. Israel also joined itself to the worship of the idol BAAL-PEOR which is but another form of the old Babylonian worship of Nimrod (Num. 25:3). Again in Numbers 31:16, God rebukes Israel for worshipping PEOR, which is the abbreviated name of BAAL-peor.
A Dead "Savior"
Recall that the true Messiah is often pictured still hanging dead on a cross — whereas He is actually LIVING today. God admonishes in Psalm 106:28 that Israel "joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead" — the dead human Nimrod, (Hislop's The Two Babylons, p. 69). These people were eating sacrifices offered to Nimrod. God was telling them a dead god could do them no good. The true God is a living God (John 6:57). BAAL-ZEBUB, the god of Ekron (II Kings 1:3-4), the pagan god of medicine, was none other than Nimrod (Hislop, p. 279). Here we see Israel partaking of the Mysteries of Semiramis and worshipping Nimrod in this form also, by depending on healing from him through doctors and drugs. Luke 11:15 shows the real power behind Baal-zebub — it was the "chief" of the demons — Satan. These are the pagan customs which have passed into the churches as Christian customs. They are labeled with the name of Jesus — but they originated among the pagans as a means to help them worship the FALSE MESSIAH! Peter warns you today that there is no other way to be saved than through the NAME AND PERSON OF THE TRUE MESSIAH! (Acts 4:12).
History's Secrets Unfold
God had promised Israel — the people He chose for a special mission — that if they obey Him, the greatest earthly blessings any nation ever had, would be theirs. But He did not promise the nation, as a whole, eternal life. In Egypt, they had lost much of the knowledge of the True God their ancestors had possessed. In bringing them out of Egypt, God performed many miracles, showing them His power (Jer. 32:21). Were they going to obey the True God who could and would make His promise of material wealth and power come true if they obeyed Him? Or were they going to be misled by the Devil-inspired idols of Semiramis, which were, as we shall soon prove, all about them? Were they going to believe the Devil's lie — that they could obtain eternal life by following the doctrines taught by the Mysteries of Semiramis, who falsely promised eternal life (a thing she could not bestow)? Or would Israel see through this deception and follow God's commands instead and obtain the material wealth of this earth, and ultimately, through God's promise to Abraham, eternal life? (Recall that Adam and Eve lost the material garden of Eden and eternal life at that time by following Satan's deception.)
Baal and Ashtoroth
Scarcely over sixty years after God led Israel out of Egypt, God says: "They forsook the Eternal and served Baal and Ashtoroth" (Judges 2:13). We find these two names used in many places in connection with the Israelites. Who were they? Why are they so important in Scripture? The word "baal" means master or lord (New Standard Bible Dictionary, p. 820). As first and mightiest of the lords of the earth, Nimrod, became Baal or Bel (Peloubet, p. 80). He was recognized as the chief Babylonian deity (Halley's Pocket Bible Handbook, p. 95). Ashtaroth, as we have previously shown, was Semiramis. Israel was soon worshipping these two under these names. Israel also worshipped Baal-berith (Judges 8:33). Nimrod, as Mediator and head of the covenant of grace, took this name or the name of Mithras (Hislop's The Two Babylons, p. 70). "Solomon went after Ashtoreth" (I Kings 11:5, 33). For a short time Israel "did put away Baal-im and Ash-ta-roth and served the Eternal only" (I Sam. 7:4), but they returned to this pagan practice (I Sam. 12:10). Please recall that Ashtaroth is just another form for the word "Ishtar" or "Easter" which the Christ-professing world observes today! We, today, just as Israel was, are "in Babylon" or "in Egypt" which continued Babylon's pagan practices! "Jeroboam...served Baal, and worshipped him" (I Kings 16:31). You have heard of him. Is modern Israel — the United States of America and the British Commonwealth — not worshipping Baal (Nimrod) by observing his birthday, Christmas? The priests of Baal (remember, Nimrod was the first and mightiest of baals, or gods) were the official representatives of Israel's religion (I Kings 18:26), while Ahab and Jezebel were the rulers. These priests, in their rituals, "leaped" or, properly translated, "limped," or "went sideways" just as their god Baal (Nimrod) is said to have done when he, through Semiramis' Mysteries, was identified as Adam who "went sidewise" or turned aside when he disobeyed God. The official representatives of Israel's religion in the reign of Ahab and Jezebel were the Priests of Nimrod! Nimrod had become Israel's god! Do the representatives of modern Israel's religions not encourage us to keep Nimrod's Sun-days and birthday? Who is our national god today? Among all the millions in those days who followed Baal under Ahab and Jezebel, only seven thousand did not follow him (I Kings 19:18). How many are not keeping these days today in our nation?
Other Names of Nimrod
Israel worshipped Milcom "the god of the children of Ammon." Who was this? None other than Molech whom we have identified as Nimrod (New Standard Bible Dictionary, p. 824). Judah was worshipping this god just before her captivity (II Kings 23:13). Jeremiah 7:17-20 warned Judah against her practice of worshipping the Queen of Heaven, who was Semiramis. Now please notice II Kings 17:17, Jeremiah 8:18-22, and Deut. 4:16-19. Alexander Hislop, in his book, page 309 says: "As Baal (Nimrod) the Lord of Heaven had his visible emblem — the sun, so she (Semiramis) as Beltes, Queen of Heaven, must have hers also — the moon." Josiah (II Kings 23:11) "burned the chariots of the sun with fire." With regard to Israel's and Judah's gods being represented by stars, the New Standard Bible Dictionary, p. 827, says "The stars formed a class...corresponding to the Igigi or 'heaven gods' of the Babylonians." High places, elevations used in the main for idolatry, were all over Israel and Judah (II Kings 23:13, Micah 1:3). Bel (Isa. 46:1) was Baal or Nimrod, as we have seen, and Nebo (same ref.) was Nimrod as the prophetic god (Hislop, p. 34). Dagon (I Sam. 5:2-5) was the fish god of Babylon, whom Semiramis created in order to associate the dead Nimrod with Noah (Hislop, p. 264). Recall that Semiramis associated her dead deified husband with great personalities for prestige. As we saw (earlier), Israel continued to worship the golden calf. God said He would cut off the horns of the altars at Bethel (Amos 3:14). Israel had a golden calf there (Peloubet's Bible Dictionary, p. 87). God warned Israel just before her captivity which He brought upon her for such practices, "Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves. Therefore they shall be as...the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind" (Hosea 13:2-3). God warns Israel today — the U.S. and Britain, "Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off...they shall return to Egypt" (Hosea 8:5, 13). Samaria was the capital of the ten northern tribes of Israel. They never returned to the land of Egypt after Moses' time but we, their descendants, will do so, as this prophecy shows — and soon! We have seen that Molech was a title applied to Nimrod in one of his god forms and that in order to "purify" themselves, people, usually children, were made to "pass through the fire to Molech." In Leviticus 18:21, God warned Israel: "Thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech." Again, "whosoever...giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death" (Lev. 20:2). But they went right ahead and disobeyed God, for "Ahaz...the king of Judah...walked in the way of the kings of Israel...and made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen" (II Kings 16:1-3). That this practice was picked up from pagan nations is evident. "Thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations...that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire" (Deut. 12:30-31 and 18:9-10). Note carefully that the heathen — the gentiles — were doing these practices of Nimrod and Semiramis as the Bible affirms. Solomon built a high place for Molech (I Kings 11:7). Israel and Judah were both being deceived by the Babylonian worship. They, like the other nations, were infected with it! More evidence: Josiah, one of Judah's good kings, "defiled Tolpheth (a place where Molech was worshipped)...that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech" (II Kings 23:10). This destruction of a worshipping place of Molech had no lasting influence, for Judah continued in idolatry. This was happening eight hundred years after God led Judah and Israel out of their Egyptian captivity. What does God say of this practice? "Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, that thou hast slain My children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire?" (Ezek. 16:20-21). God says this worship of Nimrod was a great sin. "They sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils" (Psalm 106:37). It is Devil worship. We have now seen Bible proof that Israel worshipped the pagan gods of this "Mystery" system. What about the customs used in the observance of these pagan gods? Does the Bible speak of these? Let us examine.
Israel's Pagan Customs
God says of the days set aside by Israel on which to worship — days which had not been commanded by Him: "Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth...I am weary to bear them" (Isaiah 1:14). God had not appointed these days and customs Israel had been observing. But God did give Israel His days and His feasts — times which keep God's people in remembrance of His GREAT PLAN OF SALVATION. And the keeping of these times instills the habit of obedience to the True God! What about today? Has God, through His Bible, appointed the days which churches now observe? God, we have seen, specifically condemns the observance of Christmas (Jer. chapter 10), which actually commemorates Nimrod's rebirth as Horus but what we say is Christ's birthday — a day which was observed by Israel, our forefathers, as the birthday of Nimrod long before Christ was born. Israel had their picture of the image of jealousy — Tammuz, the counterfeit of Christ — hung upon their walls (Ezek. 8:5, 10, 14). Who knows what the actual Christ looked like, who men say was born on Christmas Day? We hang his supposed picture on our walls today. Israel, our forefathers, worshipped the sun, as the United States and the United Kingdom, modern Israel, do today when they observe Easter sunrise service: "Their faces toward the east...they worshipped the sun" (Ezek. 8:16, Jer. chap. 8). God says, "I gave them My statutes and...My judgments...also My sabbaths...but the House of Israel rebelled against Me" (Ezek. 20:11-13). God said, "I will turn your (not God's) feasts into mourning" (Amos 8:10). "I hate, I despise your feast days, and...your solemn assemblies...ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity " (Amos 5:21-27). What a duality! Moloch we have identified as Nimrod, the fire god of Babylon, and Chiun was Nimrod in his hidden form as Saturn (New Standard Bible Dictionary, p. 823). They were setting aside days for the worship of Nimrod, and God said He would scatter them into captivity. Today, modern Israel, the United States and the democracies of northwestern Europe, are doing the same thing in our Sunday, Christmas, and Easter observances, and our captivity is foretold! Read Ezekiel, chapter 5. Note that verse 4 says the prophesy is to the house of Israel and remember that this prophesy was given about 600 B.C. This was long after ancient Israel was scattered. This prophesy is for us! It is the same old story — Israel today is deceived by the same old means the Devil used to deceive ancient Israel! It is evident by now that the pagan gods that the ten and two tribes of Israel and Judah worshipped, were none other than those that the Devil inspired Semiramis to concoct for the deception of the world. They were believing the lie of the Devil — that they could obtain eternal life and material benefits through the worship of these gods. All through the history of Israel, while she was worshipping these gods which we have identified as those composing the Mysteries, God was warning her not to follow the way of the heathen. The heathen were following these same gods (see II Chron. 28:3, 33:2, 36:14; II Kings 17:15, 21:2). Here is Bible proof that the Gentiles were being deceived by this same system. The whole earth, at the time that Israel existed under the rule of God as a nation, was deceived by these mysteries. Israel itself finally refused to be under God's direct rule and became deceived! Why is it that God calls attention to only this system of deception — the Mysteries of Semiramis — and never mentions the many demon gods of Asia? Because Semiramis' counterfeit way is patterned after the true way of salvation so closely that God knows that, if it were possible, it would even "deceive the very elect" (Matt. 24:24). God has warned the few that follow Him about these "Mysteries." Other pagan practices they are able to recognize without Divine revelation. He knows this one will deceive the earth!
New Testament Mentions Mystery System
Paul warned the Churches of his time against these same practices when he said, "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you" (Gal. 4:10-11). When Paul visited Athens in his day, "he saw the city wholly given to idolatry" (Acts 17:16). The Greeks did not know the true God (verses 23-28). Paul stood on Mar's Hill to talk (verse 22). Mars was Nimrod as the Roman god of war (Hislop, p. 153). He was a well-known god. Diana, who was Semiramis as the "Bruiser of the Serpent's Head" (Hislop, p. 76) was worshipped by "all Asia and the world" in Paul's time (Acts 19:27). The Devil, the hidden head of this Mystery system, is not an evil-looking person with a pitchfork and a tail, as we have been led to believe. The New Testament shows us he "is transformed into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14).
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