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Emergence of the First Beast (pg.2)

 

Event list:

1. Idol Worship In Christian Churches, In Violation Of The 1st & 2nd Commandments.

2. Praying to, and worshiping the dead (Necromancers) in the Christian churches of God.

3. Saint worship, worshiping the creation rather than the creator; more Necromancing.

Event #3
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Worshiping the creation rather than the Creator, more Necromancing.

Excerpted from the Chicago Tribune Newspaper, Nov 1999

Faithful take lost causes to St. Jude

Believers from around the world travel to a church on the Southeast Side to pray at a special shrine.

By Teresa Puente; TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

In an ordinary neighborhood of two-flats and long-shut steel mills on Chicago's Southeast Side is a place that attracts people from around the world, hoping for a miracle. Though it may be largely unknown even to many people in Chicago, it is an intensely special place in the world of Catholicism.

It is the National Shrine of St. Jude, the patron saint of difficult or hopeless cases; and recently it drew even more petitioners than usual for one of four annual novenas -- nine days of prayer services -- that included the feast day of the saint Oct. 28. The next novena precedes Lent, in February.

The article goes on to say: The patrons of the shrine arrive - at times by the bus load -- to pray before a life-size statue of the once largely forgotten St. Jude of Thaddeus, depicted in blue and gold robes and carrying a golden image of Jesus. The shrine is in Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 3200 E. 91st St., and was built 70 years ago at the behest of a local priest who wanted to bring hope to an impoverished neighborhood of Mexican and Polish immigrants.

It was the first U.S. shrine to St Jude to be recognized by the Catholic Church, and as the legacy of the saint grows the shrine has attracted thousands from the United Slates and other countries.

Clutching photos of her loved ones, Liz (last name omitted) recently knelt before the image of St. Jude, hoping that her private prayers would be answered.

"He's the saint of inspiration," said Liz, 49, an architect who lives in Manhattan. "There's a lot of positive power in prayer. The vibes travel." She was among the faithful and the thankful who recently filled the church, waiting to kiss a glass-encased relic of St. Jude, whose name is associated with generosity, courtesy and kindness. (name omitted) said that, for several years she suffered from serious health problems, but after praying to St. Jude she was healed.

Like (name omitted), those at the shrine each had a story of how their prayers to St. Jude were answered, or how they turned to the saint when they had lost all hope. St. Jude, considered the saint of' last resort, was a "brethren" or cousin of Jesus and also an apostle.

"People come to him when they are down and out," said Rev. Richard (last name omitted) a Claretian priest who is a former pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and who took part in the novena. "There's such a devotion to him."

Editor's Comment on article: The Rev Richard above says: "People come to him when they are down and out" but Jesus said: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." [Matt 11:28]. But these people don't follow Jesus' instruction, they instead pray to St. Jude, they are devoted to him. This is not what the Bible tells us to do.

There can be no denying that the people in the above article have given credit to St. Jude for miracles in their life, this is no small insult to God. Jesus Christ's half-brother James, who wrote the Epistle of James in the New Testament writes: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. [James 1:17]. The "Father of lights" is Almighty God, Father of all; James does not include saints who are arbitrarily and vainly imposed on God by the Catholic Pope.

We know from the Second Commandment that: "For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God" [Ex 20:5], and if you want to get on God's 'bad side' fast, then go ahead and give credit for His works to an angel, idol, or any thing else in the universe. God tells us in the below scripture that it is the nature of man to want to see and touch things that are Heavenly, He says that we have a tendency to want to give credit and praise to something we've made, instead of to Him. Because of this, God prophesied beforehand things that were to come to pass, no idol, statue, angel, or saint could have done that. He did that so we could know in our heart that He alone has power on Heaven and earth. And in the last verse he states that He will not share credit with anything or anyone, real or imagined.

Isa 48:4-11 (God speaking)
4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.
6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.
8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
9 For my name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another. (KJV)

It is not necessarily the lay person who is to blame for all of this. It is the false teachers/preachers in the church that have heaped so many false doctrines and practices on the people. It is the clergy and church hierarchy that have seeped heathen practices into the churches. It is not the deceived parishioners that we write against (we even omit their names) but it is the false teachers/preachers (clergy) who deceive the people with their lies that we write against. But do not misunderstand, not all teachers/preachers are false; there are many good men and women of God who teach His truth as it is written in His Holy Word, the Bible. But the false ones are easy to identify, for they teach out of Catechisms, Korans, Talmuds, Tibetan books of the dead . . . Many good men have quit seminary half way through because they just could not teach the lies they were being told to teach - God bless those men and women who take a stand for God's truth! If a Catholic priest were to stand at the pulpit and tell the congregation that praying to men that the Pope has made a saint is against God's Word, he would be fired and lose his pension. The church has total control over what is taught worldwide in their parishes. Every month a letter is sent out to the individual parishes worldwide instructing them what they will teach on every Sunday. The problem is: Who is writing the sermon??? We will never know who those mystery men are, or even whether they are Christian or not.

You have undoubtedly been taught by them since you were a child that to make a statement like I just did constitutes blasphemy. But is it really, I mean, it is the truth, and they do teach lies. You are being presented with scripture that denounces the very practices that they have you participating in, so either you say that these scriptures are misrepresented or you must say that the Catholic church is practicing heathen ceremonies at the alter of Almighty God; it is just that simple, that is why God gave you the Bible, so you would know for sure what is good and acceptable and what is not to be done. Just because a man says that he works for God and teaches the truth does not necessarily mean that he does, satan and his minions are allowed to lie you know.

You must make up your own mind, you will be judged for your actions, nobody else will. However, burying your head in the sand and pretending that wrong is right is not an option. We do not ask you to believe as we do, all we ask is that you study the scriptures that God ensured that you would have through the Bible, and follow your conscience. And we are not saying that all clergy who teach things that are contrary to what God says are evil, for most of them have been taught the lies and now they pass them on to the congregations like a plague. God will judge us all, man could never do it fairly.

One point that needs be addressed is that they will tell you: "We dont worship these saints," and: "These statues, entities, and human remains are not idols." This is incorrect. Let's go to a couple of Bible dictionaries and find out exactly what idol and worship mean, then we can effectively compare them to what is being committed in the Christian churches of God today.

The definition of the word Worship: in the Old Testament Hebrew:

7812 shachah (shaw-khaw'); a primitive root; to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially reflexive, in homage to royalty or God):
KJV-- bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

The definition of the word Worship: in the New Testament Greek:

4352 proskuneo (pros-koo-neh'-o); from 4314 and a probable derivative of 2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): KJV-- worship.

The definition of the word Idol: in the Old Testament Hebrew:

6091 `atsab (aw-tsawb');from 6087; an (idolatrous) image: KJV-- idol, image.
 

The definition of the word Idol: in the New Testament Greek:

1497 eidolon (i'-do-lon);from 1491; an image (i.e. for worship); by implication, a heathen god, or (plural) the worship of such:  KJV-- idol.

To put it in laymen terms, an idol is anything you worship, even a house, a car, or a lover can become an idol to you. And to worship something is to revere it, to pay homage and honor to it; even a rock and roll star can be worshiped, and you've heard the term: "They worship the ground he walks on." These two things, idols and worship are not necessarily some big drawn out affair like a huge revival type thing. if your not care these things can creep into your life unawares. Basically, if you put it before God, it is an idol, and if you turn to it instead of turning to God your are worshiping it. These terms can seem hard to identify sometimes, the lines can blur, but what these people in the above article are doing with the remains of deceased 'saints' is most certainly 'over and beyond' idol worship! They kneel (bow, prostrate themselves) before them, praying to them for healings and blessings (communicate to, petition of , request from, desire favor) , crediting them with miracles, giving thanks to them afterward - This is undeniable idol worship in the very house of God even! Be careful what you participate in.

We at Watchmen Bible Study group do not disrespect the memory of Jude, but he was a man, a very good man, who is now dead and with the Father in Heaven, nothing more nothing less. Do you think that Jude wanted to be exalted in such a way, prayed to instead of God, have his remains unearthed and parceled out to be paraded around the world, turned into an idol by corrupted doctrine and the church traditions of the Romans? And the above article also says that they pray to a dead man to help them with 'lost causes'. Have they lost their faith in God? Do they think that their partial corpse is more worthy of their prayers and more able to help them than Almighty God who created everything? Does God's Word speak of these apostates?

Rom 1:22-25
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (KJV)

And they say that St. Jude is their pet saint for 'lost causes', you have even seen them write newspaper classified Ads to him as though he buys the newspaper. But we who believe know that there is no such thing as a lost cause with God. When things get tough, and it seems like there is little hope, the true believer knows to put it in God's hands, for God is truely able; but these lost souls in the above article go to the graveyard and dig something up to pray to. Shame on them for allowing themselves to be so stupefied! If they stumble at this, how will they ever stand against the deceptions that the antichrist has in store for the world?!?

We who believe and remain faithful to our Heavenly Father and our Messiah Jesus Christ are comforted by God's Holy Written Word which instructs us that ALL things are possible with God, and that we can accomplish all things through Christ which gives us strength. But the Bible doesn't tell us to pray to, nor try to kiss corpses (like the lost woman in the article above). Who will you listen to, who is your strength and salvation, the living God or a dead man in a dead apostate church?

Mark 10:27
27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (KJV)

Phil 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (KJV)

The article goes on to say: During one of the recent prayer services, Rev Richard (last name omitted) read a letter from a diabetic who was advised by doctors that his leg must be amputated. But after praying to St. Jude, he wrote, his leg was saved. The faithful also send special requests that electric candles be lit at the shrine. Prayers can be said for everything from a happy marriage to selling a home to world peace.

Editor's Comment: More prayers to a dead man, and reports of miraculous healings??? Where have we seen this written? Below is a prophecy from the book of Revelation. The above saint worshiping and the imagined miraculous healings performed by dead men are not the ones performed by the antichrist (satan) in the end times prophecy below. But they will numb people into believing satan when he comes as the antichrist. In other words, what these people are doing is only the beginning, and by you seeing it as it is now, you will be in a better position to be aware of it as it grows into the first beast of revelation chapter 13.

Below we see satan as the the antichrist (second beast of revelation chapter 13) come to the earth having power to perform miracles. God allows satan this power for a short time just prior to the second Advent of Jesus Christ to fulfill the negative part of God's plan. In the Scripture below the first beast is the one-world religious system. And be assured that our present generation has been compromised by satan's false teachers/preachers into a position to climb right up onto the back of the first beast when it is time. This is the reason that God speaks so harshly of false teachers. The second beast is the antichrist, whom is satan in his end time role as the imposter to the True Jesus Christ. See the THE ANTICHRIST In-depth Bible study.

Rev 13:11-18
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV)

The article goes on to say: There is evidence of devotion to St. Jude In the Middle Ages, but for many centuries, it flagged, possibly because he was confused with Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, scholars say. In recent years, devotion has increased, manifested in modern ways, from numerous St. Jude Web sites to books on the saint. "There are literally thousands of people in the world who believe that St. Jude takes care of them," Rev Richard (last name omitted) said. (End of article excerpt)

Editor's Comment: As the first beast of Revelation chapter 13 (the one-world political/religious system) increases in power and stature so also will these types of abominations against the Lord occur in His very house (church). The end-time church is the apostate church written of, it is the greatest majority of the world who will have melded into a single religious system that is totaly and throughly corrupt. It is the church in that condition which satan comes to lead as the false messiah (the antichrist). We have yet but only begun to experience the magnitude of satan's vile abominations against our Lord God and His only begotten Son Jesus Christ! But it is written that we will see it come to pass in our present generation. this is not some distant event, look around you today at the state of the world's religions, and realize how little compromise truly needs be made to unify them under one banner or perhaps a confederacy under one head.

Perhaps at this time it is necessary to address satan's and his false teachers/preacher's number one enabling tactic for the acceptance of idol and Saint worship in Christian churches. They (the false teachers/preachers) say that these types of things give comfort and hope to the people. They say that the people are happier and that they lead good upright lives, therefore it is OK.

This tactic is also now being employed to draw Christians into an acceptance as a legitimate alternative to Christianity: Buddhism, Judaism, and the many New-age spirituality movements (occult). Many Christians now 'dabble' in other 'faiths' as though they are equal to what God instructs in His Bible. They disregard the fact that other doctrines and traditions of faith is expressly spoken against in God's Written Word, the Bible. There are many kinds of tolerance one can engage in in our society, a tolerance for different religions and doctrines no matter how much they contradict God's Word, a tolerance for sexual perversion, a tolerance for criminal conduct; and the term 'tolerance' enjoys a good reputation in our present society, but what it really means by definition is to overlook and tacitly approve of that which is inherently wrong. This causes the world to be turned upside down, 180 degrees out of sync with God. it causes right to be wrong, and wrong to be right. And yes, the Bible foretold of it as it foretells of all things:

Isa 5:20
20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (KJV)

Isa 29:13-16
13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
15 Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
16 Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? (KJV)

Mal 2:17
17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? (KJV)

These misguided Christians get themselves sucked into satan's pit subtly; it starts with the tolerance, acceptance, and then eventual co-worship with members of other faiths that do not even believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God - Savior. Thus this type of Christian surrenders that salvation that was earned for him on the cross by Jesus Christ. This is called deception. It is the spiritual whoredom away from God and life eternal, towards satan and the death of a soul. The most pathetic thing of all is that they give their soul away in the very name of 'religion;' mans religion not God's religion. They think they are doing something good and holy, but in reality they are setting themselves up to be rejected by Christ at His Second Advent:

Matt 7:21-29 (Jesus speaking)
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (KJV)

How about you friend? Who's doctrine do you follow, the doctrine of Jesus Christ or the doctrines of the devil? Sometimes satan's doctrines can outwardly look holy and good, but they are built on lies and have no foundation in truth. They are like the foundation of the foolish man above, built on sand that was dissolved right from under his soul. Don't let satan's false teachers/preachers win you over, away from God's True Word. Jesus spoke of those who 'convert' people to false doctrines:

Matt 23:15 (a proselyte is one who is converted to a different religious belief)
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (KJV)

Let's use an analogy to really drive home the point that God and Jesus will not honor your supposed salvation if it is found through religions and faiths that are contrary to what God states. For God ensured that we could find the truth through His Bible. The truth is not lost to those that seek it, seek is a verb, it is something we must DO. We know that Jesus compared His relationship to His church (a body of believers), with a man's relationship to his wife.

Eph 5:23
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (KJV)

God teaches us through the Bible in such a way that we can understand His emotion when it comes to us straying from His Word and spiritually whoreing after false doctrines and religions. God often compares idol worship and false doctrines with fornication and adultery. And just as our wife would hurt our feelings if she gave herself to another man, likewise so also are Jesus' feelings hurt when His bride (the church) give themselves over to false doctrines. When man's feelings get hurt, heads roll; when God's feelings get hurt, souls roll!

When Christians, who once knew better, begin to follow other faiths and religions contrary to God's Word , it makes God and Jesus very jealous. For our God is a jealous God [Ex 20:5].

You can get a good feel for how jealous and angry God becomes by thinking of how jealous and angry you would become if the below happened to you:

You marry your true love, your bride. Your honeymoon is the deepest love you have ever experienced, you are both so blissfully secure and content as you confirm together your plans and dreams of a large warm family that is sure to endure. You promise your beloved true love to make her the happiest wife in all the world, and you mean it.

But in the process of time, she strays off and gives herself to another man becoming pregnant. You are angry, your wrath builds against her whom you once would have died for. But she flippantly says to you: "Why are you so mad, what's the difference if I've found comfort and hope somewhere else? You can still have me too, you wanted me to be happy, and I am happy. You wanted to have a grand family with many babies, and I am pregnant."

You revolt bitterly in the very core of your being and tell her that you did want all those nice things for her, but you wanted her to have them with only you. You divorce her and cast her away from you, trying to blot out all memory of her from your mind - forever.

This is how God feels about false religion and those that follow it - especially Christians who should know better! because they are taught to read the Bible, which is a personal letter to all of mankind, written to them by the operation of the Holy Spirit of God through the hand of the Prophets and Apostles, and tells them (us) of all things! Someone who has never had the opportunity to hear God's Word has a good excuse for following antichristian religions and practices, but what excuse does the Christian have??? He has been warned, he has had much opportunity to learn the true path, therefore more is expected of him from God:

Luke 12:47-51 (Jesus speaking)
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!
51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: (KJV)

So when you see Christians worshiping idols and saints, or praying to decomposing human remains; when you see Christians following false doctrines of the devil like the rapture theory; when you see Christians following Kabala and Talmud (Judaism); when you see Christians following the Koran (Islam); when you see Christians dabbling in Buddhism and the New-age occult based spirituality movements - don't say: "How nice it is that they have found comfort!", say instead: "How sad it is that they betray the blood of the cross!" It is as sad as the funeral of one whom was once alive and now is dead - for it is the death of a soul that you are seeing when you see those things.

False teachers/preachers are more dangerous to you than a serial killer is, because a serial killer seeks to kill your body, but a false teacher/preacher hunts souls to put them in danger of the judgment of God, for it is only God who can destroy a soul in Hell. And God told us what we are to do, and what we are not to do so that we may live - eternally.

Matt 10:28
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (KJV)

If you have found yourself participating in this sort of thing, repent of the sin, and study God's Written Word, the Bible, so that you won't be so easily decieved again. God bless you in your observation of the signs, the discernment of the truth, and your studies of His Word; in the Precious and Powerful name of Jesus Christ.

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Event #2
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Praying to, and worshiping the dead (Necromancer's) in the Christian churches of God.

Excerpted from the Chicago Sun Times Newspaper; Nov 15, 1999

Faithful pray over relics of St. Therese of Lisieux

BY MOLLY SULLIVAN; STAFF REPORTER

Jill (Last name omitted) started praying to St. Therese of Lisieux when she was 6 years old.

So enthralled was she with the French Carmelite nun, who was known for her deep love of God, that as an adult, Jill joined the Carmelite order as a lay member.

On Sunday. Jill came as close to St. Therese as one can when The saint's relics -- several of her bones. -- were brought into a small chapel at the Carmelite Monastery in Des Plaines encased in an ornate, gilded coffin. "It was a very moving, very powerful experience," said the Inverness woman after settling into her seat in the sunlit chapel, where the coffin.sat surrounded by red and pink roses.

Comment on above article paragraph: A Definition: RELIC: (rel'ik) rel'ic n. 1), that which remains after decay of the rest. 2), a memento held in religious veneration. 3), (pl.) remains. In the Roman Catholic Church, an object revered for its association with a holy person, especially a saint - usually all or part of the saint's body, or an article used by him or her.

According to the Catholic Church:

First Class Relics: Remains of the bodies of saints, for example bones, hair, or blood.

Second Class Relics: Articles associated with the lives of the saints, such as clothing, books, and anything else associated with the saints.

Third Class Relics: Items, usually small pieces of cloth, which have come into contact with First or Second Class Relics and which are then treated themselves as relics. Among the first Third Class Relics were small pieces of cloth lowered through holes in the altars of churches built over tombs of martyrs or placed on the stone slabs covering these martyr's tombs.

The article continues: Many of the faithful carried roses -- a symbol of St. Therese, who was nicknamed "Little Flower" because of her practice of scattering rose petals in her path.

One woman was so taken with the experience that she fainted after laying her hands on the relics. She and Jill were among the St. Therese followers who were able to get seats inside the chapel for mass.

Thousands waited outside in the chilly wind for hours until they had the chance to pray before the relics. People started arriving at 8:30 a.m. for the 1 p.m. procession and 2 p.m. mass. The chapel filled quickly, forcing the rest wait outside.

Comment on above paragraph: Does the Bible warn against praying to the dead? Yes it does, and it is called being a 'necromancer'. In the Scripture below, God warns us not to participate in a number of occultist and evil practices, one of those is called being a 'necromancer'. This word is from two Hebrew words (#1875 darash (daw-rash') & #4191 muwth (mooth) and it means: One who follows, searches, seeks or asks; specifically to worship a dead body, dead man, dead one.

Deut 18:9-13
9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. (KJV)

The article continues: But that didn't matter to the faithful, such as Rose (Last name omitted) of Wheeling. "how often do you have the opportunity to stand in line with people who share your beliefs?" Rose said as another bus-load of people got in line behind her. "It's pretty amazing, isn't it?"

Des Plaines police Sgt. Michael Krueger said the reverend mother from the monastery told him Saturday that she wanted everyone who waited in line to be able to view the relics.

"They don't want to turn anybody away," he said. "We're prepared to stay for a while." The relics will he at area churches all this week.

It was so crowded Sunday that overflow parking was directed into nearby Maryville Academy, where buses brought people to wait outside the chapel. Those in line were not deterred by the long wait or the wind that grew colder as the sun went down.

A somber William (Last name omitted) of Oak Park clutched a framed photo of St. Therese. "She had a very profound effect on my spirituality." said William, who will continue to pray to the saint for help with his decision about entering the priesthood.

While all of St. Therese's followers pray to her to intercede on their behalf, others look to her for the peace and simplicity she brings to their lives.

"She is a model of humility and simplicity," said Charles (Last name omitted), who flew to Chicago from Westerville. Ohio, with his wife. Gerry, to pray before the relics. "In our complicated world, Lord knows we need that." (End of excerpt)

A little history on St. Therese:

Therese of Lisieux, Saint (1873-1897), also called Little Flower of Jesus. She died at the age of 24 from tuberculosis, became a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in 1925. She was born in Alencon, France. Her original name was Francoise Therese Martin. In 1888, she entered the convent of the Carmelite order at Lisieux, where she became known for her piety, simplicity, and patience in suffering from tuberculosis. She is credited by the Catholic church with many miracles.

St. Therese has been dead for 102 years, and may God rest her soul; but don't make an idol out of her partial corpse. These people are sick, this is borderline evil! We at Watchmen Bible Study Group do not denigrate Therese, for she never asked for all of this. They grave-robbed some of her remains and now they parade them around the world as an object of worship and prayer. Their despicable actions disrespect Therese's memory and her right to die with dignity. Would you want some "Pope" to dig your great-grandmother's body up from the graveyard and use it in abominable blasphemies?!? Would you want the Pope to unearth your remains after you die, divide them up, and pass them around? "The Pope in the early 1900's gave his son, Frances Joseph of Austria, a "tooth" of "St. Peter," as a mark of his special favour and regard. The teeth of Buddha are in equal request among his worshipers." - Excerpted from "The Two Babylons" page 180 by Alexander Hislop.

This sort of idol worship did not originate with the Roman Catholic church. It was practiced by Babylonians, Egyptians, and even today with the Buddhist's. And it is well said that it is of Babylon, for in [Rev 17:3-9] the woman (church) who rides the 1st beast (one-world religious system) is called: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH "

Rev 17:3-9
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (KJV)

The seven mountains represent the geographical regions of the world (like the seven continents), it means the whole world. The woman is the false apostate end-generation one-world church, it covers the whole of the earth. And further down in [Rev 17:18] we see that the woman is not a literal female but a body of 'believers,' it is the deceived end-time apostate church which will have by this time 'rode in on' the one-world political/religious system (1st beast):

Rev 17:18
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. (KJV)

This is not to say that the Catholic church is the end-time false religious system, but rather it will be a part of it. Let's close this exposition with an excerpt from a book that we carry in our Bible Study Aids section called The Two Babylons, which uncovers the pagan origins of most of the Roman Catholic traditions that are practiced in that particular denomination of Christianity. It should not come as a surprise to you that this book is on the 'Banned Book List' at the Vatican. But it should be scary that such a list exists. We at Watchmen Bible Study Group do not intend to slander any one particular religion or denomination, but rather we intend to identify, document, and herald the truth, were-by the concerned reader can make up his/her own mind. We do not make the history, facts, or events, we report them. The informed Christian of today seeks the truth, and if the truth offends, then so be it.

Excerpted from The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop, written in the early 1900's:

SECTION 11.--RELIC WORSHIP.

Nothing is more characteristic of Rome than the worship of relics. Wherever a chapel is opened, or a temple consecrated, it cannot be thoroughly complete without some relic or other of he-saint or she-saint to give sanctity to it. The relics of the saints and rotten bones of the martyrs form a great part of the wealth of the Church. The grossest impostures have been practiced in regard to such relics; and the most driveling tales have been told of their wonder-working powers, and that too by Fathers of high name in the records of Christendom.

Even Augustine, with all his philosophical acuteness and zeal against some forms of false doctrine, was deeply infected with the groveling spirit that led to relic worship. Let any one read the stuff with which he concludes his famous "City of God," and he will in no wise wonder that Rome has made a saint of him, and set him up for the worship of her devotees. Take only a specimen or two of the stories with which he bolsters up the prevalent delusions of his day: "When the Bishop Projectius brought the relics of St. Stephen to the town called Aquae Tibiltinae, the people came in great crowds to honor them. Amongst them was a blind woman, who entreated the people to lead her to the bishop who had the HOLY RELICS. They did so, and the bishop gave her some flowers which he had in his hand. She took them, and put them to her eyes, and immediately her sight was restored, so that she passed speedily on before all the others, no longer requiring to be guided."

In Augustine's day, the formal "worship" of the relics was not yet established; but the martyrs to whom they were supposed to have belonged were already invoked with prayers and supplications, and that with the high approval of the Bishop of Hippo.

The book continues futher on to read: If the places where the relics of Osiris were buried were accounted peculiarly holy, it is easy to see how naturally this would give rise to the pilgrimages so frequent among the heathen. The reader does not heed to be told what merit Rome attaches to such pilgrimages to the tombs of saints, and how, in the Middle Ages, one of the most favorite ways of washing away sin was to undertake a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Jago di Compostella in Spain. or to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Now, in the Scriptures there is not the slightest trace of any such thing as a pilgrimage to the tomb of saint, martyr, prophet, or apostle. The very way in which the Lord saw fit to dispose of the body of Moses in burying it Himself in the plains of Moab, so that no man should ever know where his sepulcher was, was evidently designed to rebuke every such feeling as that from which such pilgrimages arise. And considering whence Israel had come, the Egyptian ideas with which they were infected, as shown in the matter of the golden calf, and the high reverence they must have entertained for Moses, the wisdom of God in so disposing of his body must be apparent. In the land where Israel had so long sojourned, there were great and pompous pilgrimages at certain seasons of the year, and these often attended with gross excesses. Herodotus tells us, that in his time the multitude who went annually on pilgrimage to Bubastis amounted to 700,000 individuals, and that then more wine was drunk than at any other time in the year.

The book continues further on to read: We have not the same minute information about the relic worship in Assyria or Babylon; but we have enough to show that, as it was the Babylonian god that was worshiped in Egypt under the name of Osiris, so in his own country there was the same superstitious reverence paid to his relics. We have seen already, that when the Babylonian Zoroaster died, he was said voluntarily to have given his life as a sacrifice, and to have "charged his countrymen to preserve his remains," assuring them that on the observance or neglect of this dying command, the fate of their empire would hinge.* And, accordingly, we learn from Ovid, that the " Busta Nini," or " Tomb of Ninus," long ages thereafter, was one of the monuments of Babylon.

Now, in comparing the death and fabled resurrection of the false messiah with the death and resurrection of the True Messiah, when He actually appeared, it will be found that there is a very remarkable contrast.

When the false messiah died, limb was severed from Limb, and his bones were scattered over the country. When the death of the True Messiah took place, Providence so arranged it that the body should be kept entire, and that the prophetic word should be exactly fulfilled -- "a bone of Him shall not be broken." [John 19:36]

When, again, the false messiah was pretended to have had a resurrection, that resurrection was in a new body, while the old body, with all its members, was left behind, thereby showing that the resurrection was nothing but a pretense and a sham. When, however, the True Messiah was declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead," the tomb, though jealously watched by the armed unbelieving soldiery of Rome, was found to be absolutely empty, and no dead body of the Lord was ever afterwards found, or even pretended to have been found.

The resurrection of Christ, therefore, stands on a very different footing from the resurrection of Osiris. Of the body of Christ, of course, in the nature of the case, there could be no relics. Rome, however, to carry out the Babylonian system, has supplied the deficiency by means of the relics of the saints; and now the relics of St. Peter and St. Paul, of St. Thomas A'Beckett and St. Lawrence O'Toole, occupy the very same place in the worship of the Papacy as the relics of Osiris in Egypt, or of Zoroaster in Babylon. (End of Book excerpt)

For satan to corrupt the end-time church he must first deceive it. These people from our Newspaper clipping never intended to participate in idol worship in the very house of God, but they did. They are ignorant to the fact that they are doing it. That's how satan works, in the background, little by little, bit by bit, corrupting Almighty God's commands, until the abominable seems normal. This type of deception can only flourish amid ignorance. For truth kills lies and light kills the darkness. Jesus and the true Word of God are that light, and satan and his lies are that darkness:

John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (KJV)
 

John 8:12
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (KJV)

That is why we must individually compare everything we are taught by man about God and worship, with what God teaches us in His Bible. The Bible is God's letter of love and instruction to us. In it He has written us of all things. No one could be deceived if they understood the Bible, but most don't themselves read or study it with understanding; no, they think they have found an easier way. They instead trust the mystery man at the pulpit to tell them what it says, there-by entrusting a man with their very souls. Satan couldn't have planned it better. He did plan it.

I cannot comprehend nor fathom what tactic or method satan could possibly have used to enable and cause the Pope to institute and condone the abomination of worshiping partial corpses in the very house of Almighty God. Can you? Now you know why satan so wanted Archangel Michael to disclose the whereabouts of the bones of Moses. And is there really any doubt in your mind that if they were discovered, they would be on display and worshiped in Rome today.

Jude 1:8-13
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (KJV)

If you have found yourself participating in this sort of thing, repent of the sin, and study God's Written Word, the Bible, so that you won't be so easily decieved again. God bless you in your observation of the signs, the discernment of the truth, and your studies of His Word; in the Precious and Powerful name of Jesus Christ.

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Idol worship in Christian Churches, in violation of the 1st and 2nd Commandments of God.

This particular segment does not intend to single out the Catholic Church as the only offending church when it comes to idol worship in the Houses of God. However, it does deal with an Event that is near and dear to Catholic faith, and that is the worshiping of Mother Mary, the Mother of our Messiah Jesus Christ.

No Christian should disrespect the mother of Jesus, and nor do we. Mary was a good woman, most likely the most good of all the women on the earth, for surely Almighty God would not have picked her to bear the Messiah of the world if she was found lacking. She was called upon by our heavenly father to perform a service to mankind at great emotional cost to herself. She had to watch as they tortured and murdered her innocent Son for crimes He did not commit. Mary's own agony and heartbreak was prophesied of by the prophet of God when the child Jesus was being blessed:

Luke 2:25-35
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. (KJV)

BUT: We are not to worship her as some kind of goddess. Mary was a flesh and blood woman just like the women alive today. She has no supernatural powers, she has no power to forgive sin, and she is not to be prayed to. What the pagan Catholic Church has done to the memory of our Messiah's mother is a shame and a sin against God. I'm quite sure mother Mary is sitting up there in Heaven saying: "No, don't worship me, I never wanted that; worship God only, as it is written." Where is it written you ask? it is written in the first two Commandments of Almighty God:

Exod 20:3 (The first Commandment of God)
3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (KJV)

Exod 20:4-6 (The second Commandment of God)
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (KJV)

Now the false teachers/preachers that have infiltrated the Catholic Church (unfortunately, as well as most other denominations and faiths) are well aware of the Ten Commandments. And they attempt to soften the heresy by saying things like: "We really don't worship Mary, we reverence her," or, "We really don't pray TO Mary, we pray that she pray for us."

Friend, this is an out and out lie. And if they are praying to her to pray for them -- then they are praying to her! You also know that they pray TO Mary for gifts, forgiveness, and salvation. Below is an excerpt from the Catholic Churches own Catechism, which is basically their operating instructions or their statement of faith if you would, in paragraph #969 there is no doubt as to the official position of the Church in that they do in fact belief that Mother Mary saves souls:

Excerpted from: The Catechism, #969:

"#969: This motherhood of Mary in order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfilment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."

They also tell you that they do not bow down to, or worship Mary, this another lie. Have you not seen the televised Roman Catholic processions, in which a huge statue (idol) of Mary is help up into the air at the front of the procession? Is not God's House (The Church) defiled with statues Of Mary, before which candles are burnt as offerings for petitions? And how about all those "Saint this, and Saint that"; who made them Saints? Some Catholic Pope, who himself is reverenced almost as a god by the average misinformed Lay Catholic, who believes that the Pope has some self imagined power to change God's Word at will; making a sin , no sin; and making no sin, a sin. And how about that "infallibility of the Pope" stuff? The Catholic Church implies that the Pope as well as Mother Mary are somehow perfect beings. But God's Word states differently:

Rom 3:23
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (KJV)

Rom 5:12
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (KJV)

This does not state that everyone except the Pope and Mother Mary have sinned and come short. . . . There is only one who was without even one sin, His name was Jesus Christ, and He is the Living Son of God.

Heb 4:14-16
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (KJV)

It is anticipated that shortly after the year 2000, the Pope, by the authority vested in him (supposedly) he will elevate Mother Mary to a Co-Regent status with Christ, making her an equal to Him in all powers. This is scary, is it not? Do you doubt that the Catholic Church will fully accept it? You know they will, they have been spiritually numbed for a long time in anticipation of this apostasy and blasphemy. They have been programmed to participate in it without question. They will say: "After all, the Pope says it is the right thing to do." Well the Pope won't be able to help them on Judgment Day, he will have enough problems of his own.

Well, for an article that began by stating that it wasn't a singling out of the Catholic Church, perhaps we fell short of that promise. But when one talks about the Mother Mary in the Churches, let's face it, you are talking about the Catholic Church.

But how does this all fit in with the emergence of the first beast of Revelation chapter 13, which is the one-world political/religious system? There are diligent efforts underway to "build bridges" (unite) the Catholic Churches with the Orthodox Faiths as well as the Lutherans (who themselves split from the Catholic Church in the 16th Century because the Roman Catholic Church began selling Salvation to Church donors who donated great sums of money to build St. Peter's Cathedral). You see, Mother Mary isn't the only one that they say can forgive sin, they say the Pope can too. Of course neither the Pope nor Mary can.

When it is understood that the ultimate plan of satan is to have the entire earth in religious agreement or treaty, whereby he can then insert himself as Leader, Savior, God; then it becomes clear that it is no small thing that they do when they dilute the power of Christ and to blur the lines between mankind and Deity. In our Book Store of Recommended Bible Study Aids section we review an excellent book on the origins of all the imagery, traditions, and idols of the Catholic Church. It is titled: The Two Babylons (click to review) . The average Catholic will be shocked to learn were all their traditions originated from. Hopefully they will be shocked into putting down the Catholic propaganda booklets, and picking up the Written Word of God, The Bible, that warns them of the deception. Why do you think the Catholic Church has their own "religious books," and has Popes that change the rules on a whim???

And did you know that in a study, seventy percent of Clergy coming out of Seminary (not only of the Catholic faith) do not themselves believe in the virgin birth? Next time your in church, ask the priest to help you to understand the virgin birth, seven out of ten times you shall be shocked by their true answer! Although they have been ordered to give the stock answer, befriend one and ask him his personal opinion.

The virgin birth is very real, everything in God's Word is very real. In the first couple of chapters in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, you will learn of the virgin birth.

The Catholic Church maintains that Mary remained a virgin after Christ's birth all of her life. This is incorrect. Mary was a legally married woman in the eyes of the Lord, and while she was a virgin when she bore the Christ, she went on to have a normal relationship with her husband Joseph. Mary went on to have four other sons (two of them wrote books contained in the Bible; the Epistle of Jude and the Epistle of James). Mary also had at least three daughters. These were Jesus' half brothers and sisters. The Companion Bible (click to review) has an excellent appendix on this subject (appen. #182 'The Lord's Brethren')

In the scripture below, Jesus' four half brothers are named by their proper names. But His half sisters are not as is customary in the Bible. But the use of the word ALL for Jesus' half sisters indicates that there was at least three of them. For if there were one it would read "His sister," if there were two, it would read "His sisters," but by saying "all His sisters," indicates at least three, possibly more:

Matt 13:55-58 (The doubters in Jesus' home town speaking of Jesus)
55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
58 And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. (KJV)

Another fallacy of the Catholic Church regarding Mother Mary is that she did not die, but was rather taken up to Heaven alive. This corruption of truth has been imposed by the Church hierarchy to facilitate the making of a goddess out of Mary. And as we stated before, the Pope is expected to complete the blasphemy after the turn of the Millennium by elevating Mary to Co-Redeemer status with Christ. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that Mary was taken to Heaven alive. In fact, very little is written of Mary after the birth of Christ. The Bible does not direct us to worship the mother of the Messiah, but only the Messiah Himself because He is the Son of God.

Yet another false teaching about Mary is in the Catholic Churches teaching that Mary "agreed" to bear the Christ. I'm sorry to tell you, but the Angel of the Lord didn't ASK Mary to participate in this, he TOLD her what was to come to pass. Mary was a chosen vessel, just as Apostle Paul was chosen. Paul did not ask to be struck down blind on the road.

Luke 1:26-31
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. (KJV)

The Catholic Church will tell you that Mary was giving consent to the Angel in the below verse. The Angel did not seek nor need Mary's approval. Mary was simply telling the Angel that she believed what he had just told her. You remember what happened to Zacharias when he doubted this same Angle of the Lord when he was told that his wife Elizabeth would bear John the Baptist in her old age? Zacharias was struck dumb (couldn't speak). Below we see Mary tell the Angel that she is the handmaid to the Lord. This means slave. It most certainly does not mean Co-Savior.

Luke 1:38
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. (KJV)

Definition from the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

1399 doule (doo'-lay); feminine of 1401; a female slave (involuntarily or voluntarily):  KJV-- handmaid (-en).
 

As stated, we do not disrespect Mother Mary, but those who make her out to be some kind of pagan goddess do disrespect her. We believe that she is the flesh Mother of the only begotten Son of God. And we know from God's Written Word, that we are not to worship the creation, but only the Creator. We worship Jesus along with God because Jesus is God manifested in the flesh. But God the Father always comes first over the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. They all are one, it is called the Holy Trinity, the Triune Godhead:

John 1:1 (speaking about Jesus)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (KJV)

John 1:14-18 (speaking about Jesus)
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (KJV)

John 14:6-11
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. (KJV)

1 Tim 3:16
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (KJV)

As we continue on in this study, and we see the blatant violation of God's laws regarding idol worship by largest Christian organization in the world, should we not muse with Apostle Paul: "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." [1st Cor 10:14]

Excerpted from the Chicago Tribune Newspaper on Aug 4, 1999

Traveling statue of Mary stirs faithful

By Barbara Sherlock; Tribune Staff Writer.

"Remember o most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known that anyone who fled to Thy protection, implored Thy help, and sought Thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence I fly unto Thee, 0 Virgin of Virgins, My Mother! to Thee I Come; before Thee I stand sinful and sorrowful. Oh Mother of the Word, incarnate! despise not my petitions, but, in Thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen."

Quietly reciting the words of the Catholic prayer the Memorae, Rev. Joseph Linster concluded a summer evening highlighted by the arrival and elevation of a special statue of the Virgin Mary outside his St. Charles church.

Tucked into the narrow parking lot between the rectory and school of St. Patrick Church, the 33-foot Lady of the New Millennium began almost immediately Monday night to draw murmurs of appreciation and whispers of devotion from many in the gathered crowd.

Commentary on above paragraph: Lets see what God's Word says about the abomination of the traveling idol above.

Lev 26:1
1. Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. (KJV)

Dan 3:1
1. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. (KJV)

Is it not interesting that the number of the height and width of the idol made by Nebuchadnezzar is 66 (threescore cubits =60 and with the six cubits in breadth it adds up to 66), and this 66 is exactly twice the number of the height of the idol of Mother Mary which is 33?

Another ominous fact about Nebuchadnezzar's idol worship is found a couple of verses down from the dimensions of Nebuchadnezzar's idol. In [Dan 3:5] we see that Nebuchadnezzar commanded all the people to bow down to this idol when the special music was played.

Dan 3:5
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up (KJV)

There are 6 instruments mentioned by name. Thus with the 6 instruments and the 6 cubits breadth of the idol and the threescore cubits (60) cubits height of the idol you have six, threescore and six. This is a type.  Where have we seen 666 before?

Rev 13:18
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (KJV)

The article continues: It is the same reaction witnessed by hundreds each day since Mother's Day at the nine previous parishes, primarily on Chicago's South Side and in the southern suburbs, that have hosted the stainless steel statue.

Commentary on above paragraph: Below we see that idols are nothing, and those who worship idols are also nothings. Spiritually dead people worshiping dead statues:

Ps 135:14-18
14 For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants.
15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them. (KJV)

The article continues: Their gaze, as they pray or lay petitions at her feet, often lingers on the statue's lifelike face and hands, and their fingers reach out to touch the shimmering mesh of her gracefully draped mantle and simple gown.

Commentary on above paragraph: Friend, any way you look at it, praying at the feet of a statue of a woman and laying petitions (requests for favors) is idol worship!

Deut 4:14-16
14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female (KJV)

Rom 1:21-25
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (KJV)

The article continues: This attraction to the statue and Mary, theologians say, is due to a variety of reasons: the nostalgic warmth of her imagery for Catholics, Pope John Paul's II's dedication of his papacy to the Blessed Mother, the hunger in society for traditional family values and an affection for larger-than-life imagery. . . . (End of Article excerpt)

Commentary on above paragraph: An image is a likeness, an image of a woman that they pray to is an idol. We also see the Pope has dedicated his papacy to his idol; this is the intention for his Latin saying "toetus too-us" (phonetic spelling) meaning: "Everything is done for you." (Mother Mary).

And how "the hunger in society for traditional family values" ends up in idol worship is beyond me. I must emphatically state that there is nothing wrong with Mother Mary in all of this! She never asked to be elevated. The Catholic Church is desecrating her memory for their false agendas.

Once again, should we not muse with Apostle Paul: "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." [1st Cor 10:14]
 

Excerpted from the Chicago Sun Times Newspaper, 1999

Amazing place

Crowds view Virgin Mary's image at JoIiet home

By Art Golab; Suburban Reporter.

Two weeks ago, an 8-year-old boy playing near his Joliet home saw what he believed to be an outline of the blessed Virgin Mary on the attic window of an empty house.

Since then hundreds have come to see for themselves, and many believe it is a miracle.

On Monday afternoon, a steady stream of cars clogged the narrow street where the small blue frame home sits in a Hispanic neighborhood on Joliet's East Side.

In front of the house at 611 Abe St., crowds of up to 30 people at a time stood craning their necks, peering at the window. The outline, traced in the window's glass, appears to be a robed woman, her head slightly tilted to the left, but it is visible only when viewed from certain angles.

Many say it bears a resemblance to the popular artistic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is said to have appeared to a Mexican peasant boy in 1531, giving him roses.

On Monday, the front steps of the home were covered with roses and with votive candles depicting Our Lady of Guadalupe. . . . (End of Article excerpt)

It is truly sad how many well meaning Christians are sucked into satan's plan. What could these people be thinking? I mean really, miracles found in dirty attic windows in a vacant building? This is their idea of a spiritual experience?

How hard do you think that it will be for satan to deceive these people? Satan is coming to this earth claiming to be the Messiah. Satan will have power to perform miracles (even bringing fire down from Heaven on command) as it is written in [Rev 13:12-14]. Do you think that these mislead sheep have any chance at all to withstand the first tribulation (which is the tribulation of satan coming as the false christ). But don't worry, the True Jesus Christ comes shortly after the false one, and deals harshly with him and his misguided apostate followers. I don't want this to happen to you. You must study God's Word to understand whether or not you are being taught the truth in your particular Church/Bible study. Does it make a little more sense now, why false teaching is so very dangerous to a soul?

I know that the above "faithful followers of Mary" believe they are doing nothing wrong, but they are. That's not this authors opinion, it's the Word of God. You just read throughout this study, through the scripture references, how God feels about this. But the corrupted clergy don't teach the Word of God. We as individuals have the answers, they are written in God's Word for us. Why do so many of us reject God's Word and follow falsehoods spawn in the churches? Why do so many place their very faith and salvation in the traditions of men that make void the Word of God, instead of putting them in the Written Word of God? God knows.

Mark 7:13 (Jesus speaking)
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. (KJV)

And finally, once again, should we not muse with Apostle Paul: "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." [1st Cor 10:14]

God bless you in your observation of the signs, the discernment of the truth, and your studies of His Word; in the name of Jesus Christ.

EDITORS NOTE ON ABOVE STUDY: After posting the above study segment, once again the editor of another Christian Website sent us the below correspondence. We at Watchmen Bible Study Group felt that the information contained within it would be of value to anyone who read our above study. We asked for and received permission from 'Word Alpha Omega' Website to include their comments here for your discernment. Below is that e-mail in it's entirety:

Hello Watchmen Bible Study Group:

I can see that we are going to be good friends. It's good to discover sincere people like you. May God bless you in your work. Read your latest Exposition on idolatry. You pretty much summed it up. It has always amazed me by their 'traditions' how they use intermediaries for almost everything, such as the local parish priest hearing confession, and forgiving the sin, instead of Christ Jesus. In essence, their priest system is modeled after the Old Testament Hebrew priest system of atonement. As the article on the 33' idol alluded to, most people think they need something material, something seen, heard, or to touch, before they can properly worship. In my opinion, God made this a stumbling block for the ignorant, a trap that many must fall into. The false organizations only take advantage of it for their own gain, and present idols, appeasing the sensuality of the people. Since Satan well understands how human nature works, he's just continuing a practice 'of old'.

I listened to a Dr. Malachi Martin, a special attache' to the Church, offer a brief explanation of what the Church was all about, when someone asked him. He stated in so many words that the Church's foundation was it's 'traditions', not The Word, in that the Pope is 'Peter', etc. By this he was insinuating that 'Peter', having the 'keys' (you and I realize they don't really know what the 'keys' are), could change Christian Doctrine on this authority, over-riding God's Word. Anyone with common sense then, if they allow it to speak, would understand right off the bat a problem within that type of representation.

But traditions seem to be stronger than reason in most people's lives. When in Spain years ago in the '70's, I was introduced to a nice Spanish couple; noticed a Bible on their shelf in the living room, and I asked if they read it. Their answer, "No, it is up to the parish priest to tell us what It says." As that was when I wasn't very deep into God's Word, being very young, it was one of many experiences which 'wove the fabric', leading me into deeper study.

There were very few Protestants in mostly Catholic Spain. When born, you are Catholic by proxy. In order for me to get married to a Spanish national, I would have to become a practicing Catholic, sign papers, etc. (this I refused). I don't know about today in Spain, but in the '70s, Protestants were pretty much in hiding, heavily persecuted, and not allowed to put up a building with signs and such. They met in each other's homes, which has not been uncommon in Christian history.

Also, have you ever wondered about the link between the 'rosary beads' and the prayer 'beads' of Buddhism? Yep, that's where it came from, though it would be difficult to document I feel. The beads are used to 'count off' when doing 'repetitious prayer', a strong Eastern religious tradition. You'll find these Buddhist links within the Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, etc.

What really makes me feel sad, is that I know friends who understand The Truth, but because of their wife's beliefs, or husband's beliefs, they won't leave that organization. They are still attending these false tradition organizations and supporting them though, because, I feel, like so many others traps in life, they feel locked into it.

Matt 9:37

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few (KJV)

Peace in Christ Jesus to you,

Dave at 'Word Alpha Omega':

(End of E-mail from Website Alpha-Omega)

EDITORS NOTE: As Dave from Website 'Word Alpha Omega' points out, the catholic rosary Beads are nothing more that Pagan worship in a Christian House of God. There is a very revealing book that uncovers the Pagan roots to the Catholic Church. The book is called: The Two Babylons (click to review).

It should come as no surprise that this book appears on the Catholic Churches roster of banned books. I find it scary that that Catholic Church forbids their followers to read certain religious materials, especially those that point out the lies of the Catholic Church. They must feel that people are too stupid to make up their own minds, or maybe they are afraid that they aren't. What have they got hide if they are on the up-and-up with the people?!?

I know that the average lay-Catholic has no idea whatsoever that they are offending God in their heathen practices, but they must search out the truth for themselves, or they will continue to be mislead by satan's ambassadors into betraying Christ and God. It is said that ignorance is bliss, but I most certainly do not consider a rude awakening in hell - blissful! Do I judge people? Of course not, I have not that power or authority, but there is one who does and will. I write this because I care about all of God's children. To them I say: You must study God's Word on your own once and a while so that you can identify when you are being lied to. God's Word tells us to study, but many of us just sit on the same Church Pew all our lives and let the unknown man at the pulpit tell us what he says God says; and as you can see, what the Priest says God says - is not always what God's Written Word says He says - believe God's Word, not man's words. Study!

2 Tim 2:14-16
14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (KJV)

Below is an excerpt from The Two Babylons concerning the origin of the Rosary. This book is not mean-spirited towards Catholics, but rather a book written in love , in the early 1900's, to steer them out of the deception of the lies of the devil that have seeped into the foundation of the largest Christian Organization in the world - Catholicism.

BOOK EXCERPT:

SECTION IV. -- THE ROSARY AND THE WORSHIP OP THE SACRED HEART.

"Every one knows how thoroughly Romanist is the use of the rosary; and how the devotees of Rome mechanically tell their prayers upon their beads. The rosary, however, is no invention of the Papacy. It is of the highest antiquity, and almost universally found among Pagan nations. The rosary was used as a sacred instrument among the ancient Mexicans. It is commonly employed among the Brahmins of Hindustan; and in the Hindoo sacred books reference is made to it again and again. Thus, in an account of the death of Sati, the wife of Shiva, we find the rosary introduced: "On hearing of this event, Shiva fainted from grief; then, having recovered, he hastened to the banks of the river of heaven, where he beheld lying the body of his beloved Sati, arrayed in white garments, holding a rosary in her hand, and glowing with splendor, bright as burnished gold."

In Thibet it has been used from time im-memorial, and among all the millions in the East that adhere to the Buddhist faith. The following, from Sir John F. Davis, will show how it is employed in China "From the Tartar religion of the Lamas, the rosary of 108 beads has become a part of the ceremonial dress attached to the nine grades of official rank. It consists of a necklace of stones and coral, nearly as large as a pigeon's egg, descending to the waist, and distinguished by various beads, according to the quality of the wearer. There is a small rosary of eighteen beads, of inferior size, with which the Bonzes count their prayers and ejaculations exactly as in the Romish ritual.

The laity in China sometimes wear this at the wrist, perfumed with musk, and give it the name of Heang-choo, or fragrant beads." In Asiatic Greece the rosary was commonly used, as may be seen from the image of the Ephesian Diana. In Pagan Rome the same appears to have been the case. The necklaces which the Roman ladies wore were not merely ornamental bands about the neck, but hung down the breast, just as the modern rosaries do; and the name by which they were called indicates the use to which they were applied. "Monile'," the ordinary word for a necklace, can have no other meaning than that of a "Remembrancer." Now, whatever might be the pretence, in the first instance, for the introduction of such "Rosaries" or" Remembrancers," the very idea of such a thing is thoroughly Pagan.

It supposes that a certain number of prayers must be regularly gone over; it overlooks the grand demand which God makes for the head, and leads those who use them to believe that form and routine are everything, and that "they must be heard for their much speaking." (End of Book Excerpt)

Matt 6:7 (Christ speaking)
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (KJV)

If you have found yourself participating in this sort of thing, repent of the sin, and study God's Written Word, the Bible, so that you won't be so easily decieved again. God bless you in your observation of the signs, the discernment of the truth, and your studies of His Word; in the Precious and Powerful name of Jesus Christ.

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