by
Keith Hunt
It is important to note some very striking passages in the Bible
concerning the offering of BUNS to the queen of heaven or ISHTAR
- Easter. Ralph Woodrow puts it very succinctly in his work
'BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION' p. 154, "In the days of Jeremiah, God
rebuked his people for a practice in which the children gather
wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their
dough, to make CAKES to the queen of heaven....Therefore thus
saith the Lord Gods Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be
poured out upon this place' (JER. 7:18-20; 44:17-19,25). Now in
these two chapters of Jeremiah, the word translated 'cake' is
'KAVVAN' meaning BUN.(In all other places in the Bible, except in
these two chapters, the word cakes is translated from different
words). And so here was some type of special cake - or BUN - as
part of the Mother Goddess worship.
These buns were very possibly made in the shape of a cross or
marked with a cross, - for this symbol was regarded as sacred to
her." (emphasis Mr. Woodrow)
EASTER HAM
Among the ancient pagans the PIG was regarded symbol of good luck
and prosperity. Savings boxes for children in the figure of a pig
(piggy banks) carry out the ancient symbolism of good luck and
prosperity.
Mr. Weiser states, "It is an age-old custom, handed down from
pre-Christian times to eat the meat of this animal on festive
occasions ..... At Easter,smoked or cooked ham, as well as lamb,
has been eaten by most European nations from ancient times and is
the traditional Easter dish in America, too. The first records on
the liturgical blessing of Easter ham date from the tenth
century." (Christian Feasts and Customs p. 237).
God gave to ancient Israel (the Church of the Old Testament Act
7:38) various LAWS regarding health and well being He revealed to
them what was good to eat, that would produce health - and what
was NOT good to eat, things God never intended man to eat. These
laws are found in LEV.11 and DEUT. 14. Under the rules of these
laws the PIG would not be eaten.
Has God somehow today "DONE AWAY" with these food laws - is the
pig now GOOD to eat?
In an amazing PROPHECY - a prophecy for the yet future time - God
tells us what he thinks about his food laws and those who
willfully rebel against them. It is likely He is also telling us
what He thinks about using such animals as the pig in our
national festivals.
This prophecy is found in ISAIAH 66:15-18. The TIME SETTING is
clearly given in verses 15-16,18. It is the time of the coming of
the LORD - with FIRE, ANGER and GLORY. The time of Jesus Christ's
return to this earth to war against all nations and establish
Himself as K KING over all peoples. It is the time when He will
plead with all flesh and when His enemies will be slain.
Now notice verse 17 - see who is included in the slain of the
Lord, "They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in
the garden, ONE AFTER ANOTHER (mrg. rendering) eating SWINE'S
flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be CONSUMED
together, saith the Lord."
Clearly God is telling us what He thinks of our nations consuming
such animals as the pig - and we as it were THUMB our noses at
God in blatant contempt of His laws by making HAM a traditional
dish at the festival season of the queen of heaven - Easter.
LENT - WHERE IT WAS BORROWED FROM
Many churchgoers will, during a forty day period prior to Easter
Sunday, abstain - give up - something that is dear to them. It
may be chocolate bars, butter, a certain T.V. program, or beer or
potato chips. Some may smoke only one cigarette a day instead of
a pack. They do this during a period called LENT.
LENT is supposedly in commemoration of the 40 days that Jesus
fasted just before starting His ministry. If this is true - LENT
then should have been observed by the early apostles and New
Testament Church. But we can not find ANY verse where Jesus or
the writers of the NT said we should observe such a practice.
When then did LENTAL observance begin? Woodrow says, "It was
during the sixth century that the POPE officially instituted the
observance of Lent, calling it a 'sacred fast,' and ordered the
people to abstain from meat and a few other foods for the length
of its duration" (Babylon Mystery Religion p.159). See also the
'Two Babylons' page 106-7.
The popular Catholic church did not at once agree as to how long
LENT should be observed. The World Book Encyclopedia states, "The
Length of time for observing LENT varied through the ages. For
many years it was considered a 36 day period of fast. By the
reign of Charlemagne, about A.D. 800, four days were added,
making it 40...." (article 'LENT').
We can see then that the LENTAL season of 40 days was a GRADUAL
adaption by the Catholic church.
For a full discourse of LENTAL practices from its adoption see
the book "Christian Feasts and Customs" by Francis Weiser.
What does the word LENT mean? The World Book Encyclopedia writes,
"The term comes from the Old English word which meant spring
time."
LENT is associated with the SPRINGTIME!
Writing on from WHERE this LENT observance originated HISLOP
states, "The forty days abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed
from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such
a Lent of forty days, 'in the spring of the year' is still
observed by the YEZIDIS or Pagan Devil - worshippers of Koor-
distan (Sayard's NINEVEH AND BABYLON p.93) who have inherited it
from their early masters, the BABYLONIANS. Such a Lent of forty
days was held in spring by the Pagan Mexicans,for this we read in
Humboldt MEXICAN RESEARCHES, V.1 p,404) where he gives account of
Mexican observances: 'Three days after the vernal equinox.....
began a solemn fast of FORTY DAYS in honour of the sun! Such
Lent of forty days was observed in Egypt, as may seen on
consulting Wilkinson's EGYPTIANS ANTIQUITIES" (Vol. 1 p.278) (THE
TWO BABYLONS p 104-105).
Ralph Woodrow gives us a little more insight into WHY the pagans
held a forty day LENT, "In olden times these forty days were
observed with weeping, fasting, and self-chastisement for
TAMMUZ - to gain anew his favor- so he would come forth from the
underworld, end winter, and cause spring to begin. According to
the old legends, Tammuz was forty years old when he was killed
by a wild boar, And so forty days - a day for each year he lived
on earth - were set aside to 'weep for Tammuz!'" (Babylon Mystery
Religion p.158).
We even find that when God's people of Israel fell into apostasy
and idolatry they adopted this festival of weeping for Tammuz -
see EZEK.8:1-14.
LENT - the forty day period before Easter - is NOT Christian, but
is - as we have seen, a doctrine whose roots are in Babylonish
paganism,
FISH - FRIDAY AND EASTER
As Jesus said he would be THREE days AND THREE nights in the
heart of the earth, or the grave (Mat. 12:40) and as He said that
a day has twelve hours (Jn. 11:9), it is very simple to realize
that Jesus could not have died on a FRIDAY and been resurrected
on Sunday morning, as the Good Friday - Easter Sunday tradition
supposedly claims.
Why did FRIDAY become, especially to Catholics, a special day -
when FISH was to be eaten instead of meat? (this has now been put
aside as a law for Roman Catholic, since this study was first
published - Keith Hunt).
Roman Catholics in the United States are no so required by their
church to abstain from meat on Fridays formerly - except during
Lent - nevertheless many still follow the custom of no fish on
Friday.
Certainly the scriptures never associate Friday with fish - from
where then did this custom originate?
The answer is found in ancient PAGANISM.
We shall again quote from the book BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION by
Woodrow, "The word 'FRIDAY' comes from the name of 'FREYA,' who
was regarded as the goddess of peace, joy and FERTILITY by the
ancient pagans (Fausset, p.232, Art, 'FISH'). And as the symbol
of her fertility, the FISH was regarded as being sacred to her!
Now the fish has from very early times been a symbol of
fertility. It was a well known symbol of fertility among the
ancient Babylonians as well as the Assyrians, Phoenicians, the
Chinese, and others, (A Dictionary of Symbols). The very
word 'FISH' comes from the original word 'dag' implying increase
or fecundity (Fausset, p.232). The reason the fish was used as a
symbol of fertility is seen by the simple fact that it has a very
high reproduction rate. For example, a single cod fish annually
spawns upwards of 9,000,000 eggs; the flounder, 1,000,000; the
sturgeon, 700,000; the perch, 400,000; the mackerel, 500,000; the
herring, 10,000 etc. and so, from ancient times the fish has been
a symbol of sexual fertility, and thus was associated with the
Goddess of fertility - FREYA - Friday! ...."
So now we begin to see the significance of Friday and fish. We
have seen that the Romans called the goddess of sexual fertility
by the name of VENUS. Friday was regarded as her sacred day
(Encyclopedia of Religions, Art., 'FRIDAY'), because it was
thought the planet Venus ruled the first hour of Friday, and to
complete the significance - the fish was regarded as being sacred
to her (Ibid, Art., 'FISH').
It was relatively easy for the early Church Fathers to quote to
the none Jewish or unlearned Christian converts JN. 19:31 "The
Jews therefore, because it was the PREPARATION that the
bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day...."
and say that Jesus was crucified on a FRIDAY the day before the
Sabbath. Whereas the TRUTH was that THAT preparation day was for
the PASSOVER (JN 19:14) and the Sabbath that was coming was a
HIGH or ANNUAL Sabbath of the days of Unleavened Bread festival,
(last part of JN 19:31). The Passover day is not limited to a
Friday.
It is very clear from LUKE 23:54-56 and Mark 16:11 that there
were TWO sabbath days in the week Jesus died. One was the ANNUAL
Sabbath the other the weekly Sabbath (4th point of the Ten
Commandments), with a regular day in between. When this HIGH DAY
Sabbath was past the women bought sweet spices - prepared them -
and THEN rested the Sabbath day which is according to the
commandment (7th day of the week - Saturday).
In the week Christ died the PASSOVER was on a WEDNESDAY - the
HIGH Sabbath on a THURSDAY - the weekly Sabbath SATURDAY. Jesus
died on the PASSOVER day - WEDNESDAY - not FRIDAY! Friday has
only been special to the worshippers of the goddess of fertility
- FREYA - VENUS - ISHTAR - ASTER. Never to God!
So prior to and leading up to this special FRIDAY just before
Easter SUN-day were other days we now know as LENT - all this
from PAGANISM - to honor false gods.
But what about Easter Sunday itself and the Sunrise service
practiced so widely today by most churches?
That we shall look into next.
EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE
As shocking as this may sound to most of you - there is not ONE
scripture that says Jesus rose from the dead at SUNRISE on that
first day. It was yet DARK when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
on that first day of the week - and the tomb was already empty:
(Jn. 2:1).
So why a SUN-RISE service?
There was a type of sunrise service that was a part of old pagan
customs connected with SUN-WORSHIP:
God's chosen people - Israel - fell into this idolatrous
worship. We read about it in the book of Ezekiel chapter eight.
"And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and,
behold at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch
and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their BACKS
toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the EAST,
and they worshipped the SUN toward the EAST" (v.16).
Was this a SUNRISE worship? Yes! They were worshipping the SUN
toward the EAST - the sun rises in the east.
The SUN was regarded by the PAGANS as a representation of BAAL -
the chief male god.
In the days of Elijah the prophets of BAAL looked towards the
east - at "morning", that is, DAWN (Strong's Concordance of the
Bible) to call upon Baal for help (1 Kings 18:26). Therefore,
when Elijah challenged the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel
with the words: "The God that answers by FIRE, let him be God,"
he was meeting Baal worship on its own grounds - fire being
regarded as the representation of the sun-god.
The worship of the RISING sun - in one form or another was known
among many ancient nations. Concerning Japan and Mount Fuji-yama,
we read in "THE STORY OF THE WORLDS WORSHIP" p.330 this:
"The pilgrims pray to their rising sun while climbing the
mountain sides.....sometimes one may see several hundred of
Shuito pilgrims in their white robes turning out from their
shelters, and joining their chants to the rising sun."
Those who made the SPHINX in Egypt, built it to watch for the
rising sun. The pagan MITHRISTS of Rome - met together at dawn in
honour of the sun-god.
Is there any indication that these sun-rise services were
conducted at the "Easter" season - in the SPRING of the year?
Yes indeed!
"....the very name 'Easter' comes from the name of the pagan
goddess of SPRING - and this was the time of her festival. She
was regarded as the goddess of the rising light in the east, as
the very word 'EAST-ER' shows 'The english EASTER....is at all
events connected with the east and sunrise...' (History of the
Church (Schaff).vol.l, p.373). Thus the dawn of the sun in the
'east' and name 'easter,' and the Spring season are all
connected." (BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION by Woodrow P.155).
There is still more - to connect the SUNRISE service, the goddess
Easter and the Spring festival.
The various pagan nations had a "SAVIOUR" worshipped with various
rites at Spring time. The legends say that after he was slain, he
went into the underworld. But through the weeping of his 'MOTHER'
Ishtar (Easter), he mystically was revived. This sign of his
supposed coming to life again, was represented in the new
vegetation and life that occurred at Spring time. We read this
from the book 'MAN AND HIS GODS' p,86, "The resurrection of
Tammuz through Ishtar's grief was dramatically represented
ANNUALLY in order to insure the success of the crops and the
fertility of the people ..... Each year men and women had
to grieve with Ishtar over the death of Tammuz and celebrate the
god's return, in order to win anew her favor and her benefits."
Now read again the entire 8th Chapter of Ezekiel and see how
clearly God shows and describes this pagan Easter festival.
The climax of this 40 day period (which began with the first day
of Lent) ENDED on the day that all pagan religions honored to
BAAL (fire-light god).
SUN-day!
DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE?
The Catholic writer Francis Weiser openly states in his book
"Christian Feasts and Customs" that many of the customs now
practiced by the churches came directly from PRE-Christian times
and PAGANISM. The Catholic church make no effort to conceal his
fact in their Encyclopedias etc. They simply say that we no
longer do these things to honor PAGAN gods but the true God and
His Son Jesus Christ.
But has the true God ever given to man the freedom to decide HOW
to worship Him? Can we take a pagan custom - adopt it - and say
we shall use it to worship God with?
This is what God says: "TAKE HEED..... that thou inquire not
after their gods (pagan gods), saying, How did these nations
serve their gods? even so will I do likewise," We shall NOT adopt
their quaint customs and use them to worship our God with, "Thou
shalt NOT do so unto the Lord thy God.... What thing soever I
command,you, observe to do it, thou shalt not ADD thereto nor
diminish from it" (Deut.12:30-32).
Plainly then, our God does not want us to use customs and rites
that the heathen used. We are to observe His commands and laws -
His form of worship - His customs and festivals. God does have
HIS FESTIVALS - He has not left us without special seasons of the
year - you can read about God's festivals in LEV.23.
If you take the customs and traditions or men - pagan nations
devoid of God's truth - and you use them to try to worship God,
then listen to what the READ saviour says to you:
"Howbeit in VAIN do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you
hold the tradition of men...." (Mark 7:7,8).
Will you forsake the ways of this false deceived world and
worship God in spirit and with His TRUTH?
The decision is yours!
................
Written 1981
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