The Holy Spirit and the Holy Trinity

~~~ The Holy Spirit & The Holy Trinity ~~~
An Introduction to the subject
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If someone walked up to you today and asked you to explain the Holy Spirit, could you do it? I mean, could you really do it? What about Jesus, you could explain Him certainly? Or how about God, could you explain the Lord God to your new friend? And when you were done answering those three questions, would you have been describing three separate individuals or only one, and would that have been clear to the person asking? Surprisingly, most people will only get one out of the three correct, many more might get two out of the three questions correct, but if we have done our work well you shall get all three correct in about an hour. We ask wisdom and understanding from our Heavenly Father — in Jesus Christ's name — as we search His Word for our answers.

The 'concept' (or the understanding of) the Holy Trinity (Triune Godhead) as well as that of the Holy Spirit is oft misunderstood even by many faithful Christians. They know that they believe upon the Holy Trinity, by, in and through faith but they are hard-pressed to explain it or to teach it simply — or even to really fully comprehend it themselves.

And no wonder! For how hard is it for our frail human intellect (compared to God's) to comprehend "One being three and yet still only being One?" This confusion leads to err, in some cases it leads to great error regarding the Holy Spirit in the churches. Through this present Bible study we shall endeavor to lay clear and understandable the nature of the Holy Trinity, and to make that clarification based upon our Father's Holy Scriptures; for therein only lies any authoritative word on the matter.

And we know and are confident that none can understand anything of God except our Lord God show us His truth, of Himself, through the Holy Spirit; for such things are spiritually discerned and are foolishness to those whom are lost:

That most all Christian congregations and denominations somewhat 'miss the mark' in their teaching and understanding of the Holy Trinity will be aptly and abundantly shown in this little Bible study. But we must begin with this: Surely our brethren's misunderstanding of the Trinity is done by innocent error. In other words, we are not 'finger pointing' or trying to embarrass anyone here, but rather, we are trying to correct any errors that some may have been taught in the churches regarding the Holy Trinity & the Holy Spirit; and to do so with the Scriptures of God's Word being our witness. There is no shame in being in error, the shame is in staying that way, especially if it is due to some misguided reverence to the church traditions built up by men: "Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition" (Mark 7:13). For all men are wrong about something regarding the Scriptures, and, all men misunderstand some parts of the Bible, and, all men are indeed in some haze and do see somewhat "through a glass, darkly" (1st Cor 13:12) at the great and wondrous depths of God's Word — How much more so then at His Holy and Divine nature and personage?

Is it not therefore better for us all always to correct and/or reprove a brother or sister in Christ with mercy and kindheartedness, always giving the benefit of the doubt that they err by mistake and not intentionally. For it is wrong to call someone that is simply confused or whom has been themselves misled — a false teacher or anything of that sort. It is a fact that all men are sometimes incorrect on certain things spiritual; and also, let us remember that there is a vast chasm between simply being deceived oneself — as opposed to purposely deceiving another, between being deceived — or being a deceiver. So it would be wrong to accuse those of false teaching whom simply are misled themselves. Intent is everything regarding chargeable guilt; and the Lord is the final judge of all matters of the heart and spirit. We say this because in this Bible study we are going to expose many false teachings in the mainstream 21st century Christian Churches of today, and we do not want to appear as though we are accusing anyone of KNOWINGLY teaching falsehoods regarding the Holy Spirit &c.

Many may be surprised to learn that the word "Trinity," or "Holy Trinity" is nowhere to be found in the Bible (If you are using anything other than a King James Bible (KJV), see: Appendix One — Bible Versions) at the end of this study. (There is a link there to come back to this very place in the study.) However, what is found written is the word Godhead:

The word Godhead is what is commonly referred to as the "Holy Trinity" or the "Triune Godhead." (although the word "Triune" is not found in the Bible either). The words "Trinity" and "Triune" are just man's way of saying three, and this author does not see any problem with naming it as such even though it is not in the Scriptures per say; for three is implied but not stated specifically as "Trinity" or "Triune" in the Scriptures, for instance:

The concept of the Holy Trinity (we shall use this title henceforth since it is what people seem to be the most comfortable with) is difficult for our human minds to comprehend. And it is indeed a testimony to a true Christian that they believe something on faith that they may not well be able to explain to others nor perhaps even fully comprehend themselves. For as it is written: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb 11:1).

But the Scriptures are not mute regarding the Lord's nature and identity, the truth is written there for the seeker. But this author is convinced that a total comprehension of the Holy Trinity is not necessary for salvation; in other words, it is not necessarily a salvation issue. For the Scriptures do not state that one must fully comprehend the Holy Trinity to be saved; nowhere do we see the Prophets of old, or Jesus Christ, nor the Apostles state that to be saved one must understand the Holy Trinity fully. God did tell us what man must do to be saved:

Christians do not believe in three Gods, they believe in One God in three 'offices,' 'facets,' or 'aspects,' or, revealed in three different ways.

So then, you have the Lord God of all, and, you have that Lord God in the flesh (Jesus Christ), and, you have the Spirit of that Lord God (the Holy Spirit), but they are all One. The three; God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three aspects of the same one entity, that being the Ever Living Almighty Lord God. To understand how this can be so, look at it like this:

In the Scripture below we see all three aspects of the Trinity involved in one act: This was done for our benefit, that we would know that this same Jesus was the one we are to follow:

What just happened there was that the Lord God, by His Holy Spirit, showed us that Jesus Christ was the beloved Son of God, the promised One. For we also see John the Baptist's witness:

Some may say that it is hard to comprehend how God can be in three different places (in Heaven, coming down descending "like a Dove", and Jesus on the earth) all at the same time; and we certainly would agree. But allot of things were done simply so that we would understand. For the Holy Spirit needn't have visibly (appearing like a Dove) come down and rested upon Jesus as was done in the above Scripture, for Jesus was begotten of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit was within Him, it was His Holy Spirit:

Another place where something was done for our benefit, that we might believe, happened when Jesus prayed to God before raising Lazarus from the dead:

But this author agrees that it is difficult, yea impossible even, for us to fully comprehend when Jesus prayed to God. For Jesus was God, yet He spoke with Himself: "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee" (John 17:1), but in another place Jesus said: "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30), and again He said: "...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father...I am in the Father, and the Father in me...the Father that dwelleth in me..." (John 14:9-10). So why then should Jesus pray to Himself unless it was for our benefit. This author is comfortable with that.

Perhaps our minds just are incapable of fully understanding the things of God or of the spiritual realm. For even Apostle Paul, whom himself was "caught up to the third heaven" (2 Cor 12:2) stated: "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Cor 2:9 [quoting Isa 64:4]).

And we mustn't forget that God requires faith of us. But if we were shown all things, then it would not be by faith that we believed them, but we would have believed them because we had seen them; therefore not having shown faith in the belief of those things. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1), and: "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Rom 8:24-25). Jesus said that faith is to be commended and rewarded: "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29). So, suffice it to say, we simply shall not understand all things about God. But let us learn that which He will allow us to learn, and believe on faith that which is not given for us to fully comprehend. Sounds good and prudent, yes?

When you say the words, Jesus Christ, you are saying: "Y^ehovah Savior, the Anointed One." Anointed with the The Holy Spirit of God from the womb (Matt 1:20). So when you say, Jesus Christ, you are actually mentioning all three offices (or aspects) of the Holy Trinity, God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit (in the Greek = The Spirit The Holy):

And could not a much more effective witness to Jews and Muslims be made if it were fully explained to them that worshipping Jesus Christ (which Christians rightly do - Matt 28:17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38; &c.) does not violate the First of the Ten Commandments? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" [Ex20:3]. For Jesus was/is God (John 1:1; Rev 19:13). Jesus was both God and man at once, as Thomas declared to Jesus and was then commended by Jesus for believing upon that very fact: "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).

The use of both the word "Lord," and "God" in the above Scripture describing Jesus Christ is significant, for they are two entirely different words having two different meanings. Here, in this Scripture (Jn 20:28), the English word "Lord" is Kúriós (Master, Controller, Lord), and the word "God" is Theós (God, the One Lord God). While Kúriós is "supreme in Divinity," Theós is "The Supreme Divinity," there is a great difference. To be Theós is (in this verse) more than to be Kúriós, for Kúriós (Lord) can be Theós (God), and Kúriós is sometimes translated (God) in the Bible; however, Theós (God) is never translated to (Lord) in the Bible. But Jesus is called both Kúriós and Theós in the Scriptures, and He is called both in the Scripture below:

When God came to earth in the flesh (as Jesus Christ), He came "a little lower that the Angels" (Heb 2:9) because He was now in a flesh body that was liable to die (mortal, flesh). But God being omnipresent (present everywhere) He was still in Heaven and upon the earth at once. The reason that Jesus was referred to as "a little lower than the angels," is because that angels are in spiritual bodies, not flesh bodies, and are not subject to death (unless/until God blots some of them out in the Lake of Fire - Rev 20:13-15).

Jesus was subjected to death (made liable to die), and He did die, but after His death, by the grace of God towards all whom believe, Jesus then overcame death (1st Cor 15:26) by raising on the third day so that we all whom believe may also raise from the dead (John 3:16). Jesus was not holden to death (not held by): "Whom [Jesus Christ] God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it [death]." (Acts 2:24), but rather, He overcame death: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;" (Heb 2:14). And it is this same Jesus Christ who is the Eternal One: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys [the power, the control] of hell and of death." (Rev 1:18).

The only way for any of us to attain the promise and to live eternal with The One True God is through the sacrifice of His Son when He (Emmanuel - "God with us") came in the flesh to mankind to be crucified ("For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" - Rom 3:23). Therefore, to deny Jesus Christ is to deny The Lord God. This where the 'Jews' (Pharisees - Judaism) were snared in their own disbelief, for though they had the Scriptures and the written prophesies, but they had not faith to recognize them when they were being fulfilled right before their eyes; and for their unbelief, Jesus Christ became to them the "Stone of stumbling" (1st Pet 2:8) and the "Rock of offence" (Isaiah 8:14), for it was Jesus Christ, whom they killed, that was He whom was prophesied to come and whom did come and fulfill the prophesies:

The only way for any of us to attain eternal life is through Jesus Christ, for to deny Jesus Christ IS to deny the Lord God:

In the below Scripture we see that God's hand and Jesus' hand are synonymous (the same):

And don’t let anyone tell you that the above verse (1^st John 5:7) does not belong in Scripture! In a study segment we cover, with magnificent evidence, that this verse does in fact belong in the Scriptures. We included that segment as an Appendix One — Bible Versions. It is undisputedly documented that the verse belongs in Scripture!

~~~ The Holy Spirit ~~~
In the Greek: tó pneúma tó hágion
In the Hebrew: 'eth Ruwach qodesh
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OK, so having covered the Holy Trinity regarding the Son Jesus Christ and The Father Lord God, it is now that we must turn our attention to probably the most misunderstood aspect of the Holy Trinity, that being the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Lord God. Below we define the Holy Spirit in both the Greek and the Hebrew languages.

Man has out of ignorance, and even from the very pulpits of Christendom, corrupted the meaning and identity of the Holy Spirit. For how often do we today hear it on this wise: "The person of the Holy Spirit"? Yet, no where in Scripture do we find the Holy Spirit referred to as a person, nor do we find any "in the person of the Holy Spirit" written in Scripture. So then where did it come from if it did not from the Scriptures of the Word of God? Christians do not worship three Gods - God forbid, but we worship one God. The making of a separate entity out of the Holy Spirit of God is purely man's tradition, void of Scriptural support, repeated every day and week, in sermon upon sermon, from the pulpits in the churches of many, if not most denominations of Christianity. Surely they do so in error.

And while it is error, it is not harmless error, especially in the Baptist/Pentecostal/Charismatic (Rapturists all) denominations of Christianity, for they truly make a separate object of worship and adoration out of what they suppose is the Holy Spirit, attributing to the Holy Spirit a will and personage of It's/His own apart from God's intelligence. And it is through this spirit, whom they think is the Holy Spirit, that they commit some of the boldest errors ever seen in any Christian denominations and congregations. For they do error in many of the churches, and herein lies the great danger:

Yes, these poor beguiled souls actually do this, in Church even!, thinking that they are participating in something holy or glorifying to God! These are demonic practices spawn from evil spirits, not a blessing from the Holy Spirit of Almighty God! At the close of this study we shall include some personal testimonies of those who 'came out' of these spiritually warped 'practices.' Eye opening, to say the least!

Now lest we think that it is only the Protestant branches (not the Protestant Church Denmination per say) of Christianity that misunderstand the Holy Spirit, allow us to take a look at the skewed Catechism (church teachings) of the Catholic Church regarding the Trinity in general and the Holy Spirit in particular:

But the altered views of the Holy Spirit (both by the Catholic and the Protestant branches) have then been passed down from Churchman to Churchman until now the skewed understanding of the identity and operation of the Holy Spirit is the norm taught to laypeople of perhaps most all Christian congregations round the world.

So then, what many Christians have unwittingly done (or had done for them by errant at best, false at worst) teaching, in essence, is to ascribe a separate identity to the Holy Spirit quite apart and individual from God. For, they will say, the Holy Spirit is not God but a coregent with God, a separate person apart from the person of God, as many do also consider Jesus Christ to be a separate person or separate Deity apart from God. They are in error. I know that we covered this very much in depth earlier, but allow a couple of more paragraphs to really settle the issue.

Their error in this is at once noticed when we observe Jesus Christ quote the words of Almighty God Himself:

This term is common in many Christian congregations, as are similar phases like "filled with the Holy Ghost," "Holy Spirit filled," "the Anointing," "The outpouring of the Spirit,...." But statements like those can be taken more than one way, and often they are confused until they take on a whole new identity of their own quite apart from the teachings of Scripture. Doctrinal errors then creep in when we use the language (phraseology) of Theology instead of the words of God.

Allow me to categorize it thusly: There is the Holy Spirit that dwells in a man, i.e., to receive the Holy Spirit, i.e., for the Spirit of God to rest upon or reside within you. It is this Holy Spirit that guides and teaches a Christian, also referred to by Christ as the Comforter, and there is the Holy Spirit working through a man, i.e., when the Elect testify, and when the Prophets of old spoke prophecy and wrote the books of the Bible. They are both the selfsame Spirit, of course, but just in different operations.

I trust that we are not being misunderstood here; let's be clear: There is NOT two different Holy Spirits, there is only one Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, which is the Holy Spirit. In the Scripture below, besides documenting our point that it is the same one Holy Spirit that operates upon man, you will also see the Trinity (highlighted in red text) mentioned in it's completeness (i.e., all three 'aspects' or 'parts;' Father, Son, Holy Spirit):

So let’s look at both examples. But please do not let us be misunderstood here, let us not be confusing here; Let us make a clear statement: While the Spirit of God rests upon or resides in a Christian, that Christian is still just a man or woman. This must be clarified because there are some 'groups' whom errantly (and blasphemously) reason that since the Spirit of God dwells within saved Christians that they are somehow godlike.

This is very dangerous thinking that goes all the way back to the first lie of Satan in the Garden of Eden "...ye shall be as gods...." (Gen 3:5). Please don't let us confuse anyone here. We are the children, and the Lord God is the Father, we will never be more and He will never be less; for as it says even of the Eternity the New Heaven and the New Earth: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Rev 21:3). That being affirmed, let's look at the two operations of the Spirit of God upon and within man:

1). There is the Holy Spirit that dwells in a Christian, i.e., to be filled (or indwelt) with the Holy Spirit.

2). And there is the Holy Spirit that works through a Christian, i.e., like when the Elect testify in the end times, and when the Prophets of old spoke prophecy and wrote the books of the Bible.

We at WBSG really appreciate E.W. Bullinger's teachings. He wrote the The Companion Bible and was a dedicated servant of our Lord who's creed is seen written in all his works. Below Bullinger is speaking about the 'dating' of certain events in the Scriptures, and in his words we can see the thumbprint of a Holy Spirit led Bible believer. In his own words:

It is therefore that we feel no study on such a great topic as that of the Holy Spirit would be complete without a word on the matter by Bullinger. We excerpt one of Bullinger's many great works:

Excerpted from: — Word Studies on the Holy Spirit, by Dr, E.W. Bullinger

"It may, however, be asked, How are we to understand what is meant as it concerns our own individual experience? How does all this affect what is spoken of, theologically, as the “indwelling of the Holy Spirit”?

The answer is that the difficulty is partly of our own creating; from our not carefully noting the exact language of Scripture; partly from our clinging to “tradition”; and partly from the failure of human terminology when used of Divine truths.

Words are but counters on which we agree to put a certain value respectively. These words are human and finite; but the things connected with our subject are infinite. It is impossible, truly and exactly, to express Divine realities with human words, or infinite truths with finite words.

We speak of “the Person” of the Holy Spirit, but what do we mean? What is the idea conveyed to our mind by this collocation of words? What is the actual sense of” person” used in this connection?

" Person" denotes an individual. The word is from the Latin “per,” through, and “sonare,” to sound, and was used of the mask through which the actor’s voice sounded, as he represented a particular personage. Hence the usage of the word always refers to individuality.

The Christian Creeds do not speak of “ three Persons” as though they were three Gods. We are not Polytheists but Trinitarians; i.e., we believe in “a Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity.”

"Three in One; and One in Three"

It is not therefore correct to speak of the Holy Spirit as a Person apart from His being God Himself.

Christ can be spoken of as a “ Person,” for He is “God manifest in the flesh,” and therefore individualized. Hence, He can be spoken of as localized now, as sitting on the Father’s throne (Rev 3:21), and hereafter, at His advent, as sitting “on the throne of His glory” (Matt 25:31).

But, in the Scripture, the Holy Spirit is neither called nor spoken of as “a Person.” He is spoken of as “God.” (Compare Acts 5: 3 with verse 4).

Acts 5:3-4
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. (KJV)

God is pneuma [Spirit], and there is no common ground between flesh and pneuma. Hence we know Him objectively, in Christ, as our Creator and Redeemer; and we know Him subjectively, within us, by realizing His presence there in His gracious operations and gifts.

The Pauline teaching, as it is called, is distinctly in advance of the truth that is revealed in the Old Testament; or rather, we should say, the Divine revelation by Paul speaks not only of a power proceeding from God, and working in the hearts of His people, but that of God Himself " working in" them (Phil 2:13), and clothing them with His “power.” This is why it is called “power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

Dr. Candlish puts it thus:

“The Spirit of God is not in his (Paul’s) view an independent personality; that is not implied in the doctrine of the personality of the Spirit; but, as the spirit of a man is to man, so, according to Paul, the Spirit of God is to God; in one sense the same, but in another sense distinct. The principle of the Christian life is not a mere impersonal power, but God Himself in a mysterious way dwelling and working in the soul. But it is God working in man to lead him to God as He is above him; hence the Spirit of God that works in him must be distinguished from God, yet not as a different being; but just as the spirit or mind of a man may be distinguished from the man, and may be said to know the things of a man (1 Cor 2: 10-16).” --The Work Of The Holy Spirit, by James S. Candlish, D.D. T. & T. C1ark, p. 26.

In the Divine spiritual “gifts,” “ministrations,” and “operations,” we have a marvelous and mysterious testimony to the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity. We recognize them as the work of one Spirit, one Lord (Christ), and one God and Father of all (1 Cor 12 4-6, compare Eph 4: 4-13).

1 Cor 12:4-6
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. (KJV)

Eph 4:4-13
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Wherefore he saith [in Psm 68:18], When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (KJV)

The Holy Spirit is God; and God is omnipresent. Yet, in the Tabernacle and Temple of old, His presence was manifested by the miraculous shining of the Shechinah; so real, that God Himself was said to “dwell” there.

Even so in all His people to-day His presence is manifested by His miraculous operations and gifts, so real, that God is said to dwell in us; so real, that the new nature which is begotten of “The Pneuma” [The Spirit] is itself pneuma [spirit] and Divine. Hence, in 2^nd Pet 1: 4, those who possess this, are stated to be "partakers of the Divine nature."

There is no need for us to increase the difficulties necessarily inherent in so great a subject, by introducing a word which the Scripture does not once use of the Holy Spirit. He is never called a “Person” in Scripture; and we only create a difficulty when we use the language of Theology instead of the words of God.

Surely the fact is great enough for us without weakening the force of this wondrous truth, or losing sight of the glorious reality.

God is in us; and the evidence of this to us is that, as the Pneuma, He there begets pnuema, and performs His new creation work, with all its consequent bestowal of graces and gifts."

-- Word Studies on the Holy Spirit, by Dr, E.W. Bullinger, ppg. 36-39

We mentioned earlier in this study that we would supply some personal testimonies of Christians who were exposed to lying spirits and demonic influences and left that church, and/or where once beguiled themselves by these evil spirits masquerading as the Holy Spirit, who 'came out' of these unhealthy 'phenomenon' that are racing through many Christian denominations like a wild-fire devouring anything holy and true in it's path, taking the Christian and spiritually beguiling him into some New Age psuedo-Christian religion.

Such has become of the phrase "Born Again Christian." When most people hear the term "Born Again Christian," they think of those who participate in the bizarre spiritual manifestations we pointed out earlier, they see them on T.V. begging for money and forehead slapping people who fall backwards wailing and sobbing into strategically placed 'catchers' hands. They seen Benny Hinn throwing the supposed Holy Spirit around like a laser beam, sometimes laughingly 'throwing the supposed Holy Spirit at them again knocking the person down a second time (as though once would not have been enough for the true Holy Spirit!) while they try to get up from the first anointing from the Abyss that Benny Hinn is delivering. What a mockery to claim that this is of the Holy Spirit of God. Does anyone really think that God would allow the Holy Spirit to be so irreverently handled! The Holy Spirit of God is not something to defame; remember Simon (the Sorcerer) who was in grave danger for trying to 'buy' the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:18-24). Shame on any Christian who has been a part of that, especially the Christians that finance this ungodly facade through their tithes and offerings. "For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (II Jn 1:11).

Thus the word "Born Again" has been corrupted by satan and his evil spirits who have infiltrated the Baptist/Pentecostal/Charismatic/Word-Faith (Rapturists all) denominations just as deeply as they have infiltrated and corrupted the Roman Catholic Church. For a study on the Rapture lie, see: The Rapture Theory; What Does God's Word Say About It?

Below is a Testimonial from a new reader of our Website. After talking to her via e-mails, I asked her if she would mind sharing her Testimonial on the Website, as it might help others who may have gotten caught-up in the same trap the she, by the grace of God escaped from. Below is her testimony, unedited, unaltered, EXCEPT for the underlining and emboldening of selected segments of text to draw the attention of the reader, and segmenting the e-mail into easier to read smaller paragraphs (a huge paragraph is hard to keep your place in). Other than that the e-mail is exactly as I received it:

Subj: Re: Thank-you

Date: 7/19/2003 9:07:56 AM Pacific Daylight Time

From: ----------- [As is our policy, name withheld by WBSG]

To: WatchmenBS@aol.com

Dear Mr. Goggin

I would be more than happy to share my testimony as requested. I will add that I have decided not to give the name of the church in which I was involved. I feel pretty much as [A fine Christian Pastor from Ark. - name withheld by WBSG] does about not using specific names or organizations etc. However, it was part of the word of faith movement. Many of the ministers who visited our congregation were names you might have heard.

When I first started attending this church I was hungry for the Word of God. I felt an intense desire to serve Him and be around others who felt the same. However, I was not grounded in Gods Word at all. I was at the time like other Christians, and had pretty much accepted teachings from others all of my life. Yes, I read the Bible, but in the concept of organized Bible studies. As you probably know, many of the Bible studies out there in Christiandom today may focus on only one verse, or skip around all over the Bible, not really reading the entire scripture surrounding a particular verse, therefore, things are taken totally out of context. I was even less than an infant in Christ. I was probably still in utero if you can imagine. However I still had a genuine love and hunger.

I was attracted to this church because I thought I was seeing love for God and each others amongst the members. I also saw many different study groups, etc. and was excited to learn more. And in fact, God did allow me to grow closer and learn much while I was there. However, it did cause a few heads to roll. I would ask questions and challenge people as to where one concept or another that they were presenting was actually located in Gods word. Many times they were ill informed, and could not even find it there. Another words, the teachers and ministers were not even grounded in the Word. Their focus was more on the pentecoastal experience if you will. I guess my first feelings that things were not right occurred when I realized this. Even the pastor, it was obvious spent little time in Gods word other than preparing his weekly sermon, usually focused on one particular scripture. There was no actual deep verse by verse teaching, no one was really familiar with Gods word, or even where what they "believed" actually came from. They seemed to be more into that "ooey-gooey" feeling. Almost acting hypnotized. Our pastor was not a strong leader, and many people tried to "lead" resulting in chaos. There were many outside evangelists, etc. brought in and the pastor would turn the pulpit over to them quite frequently. This is when the evil happenings became obvious.

First there was "the spirit of laughter". Some one in the congregation would start laughing without control, red faced, falling down on the ground, rolling, then another would do the same, eventually hundreds of people (I am not exagerating) would be rolling about in the sanctuary. I admit I laughed (in my seat) once myself. However, to me it was like the whole scene was hilarious. I am sure you have been in a situation when someone laughed, and it just seemed as though the laughter was catching. This was like that. I was embarrassed at the same time to see this happening to people I cared about.

Here is an example of the animal sounds I talked about. The pastor was in front of a quiet congregation when suddenly a woman began howling like a dog. She started alternating between this howling and then started making hissing sounds like a cat, first jumping around the front of the sanctuary, then up and running around. The pastor told the congregation that she was releasing a demon spirit that had inhabited her since someone had treated her like a dog in the past.

Another instance. Do you remember the movie titled The Karate Kid? Do you remember the posture the karate kid made when he was going to fight? Raising his arms up like a bird. This was a common occurance in this church towards the end of my time there. There were people who would take this posture and make blowing noises. There were also some women who would do something that looked like an epileptic seizure, falling under the pews, having to be pulled out by ushers and and taken to another room. These are only a few examples.

The money raising (tithes and offerings) got out of control. The congregation of this church was primarily made up of people who were not (how can I say) very wealthy at all. There was a constant request for money for a new building. Sometimes even construction equipment would appear, and people would rush in and give lots of money, but ground was never even broken. Still nothing had been done, even when I left. Many weeks pastor would have everyone throw their purses and wallets on the altar for prayers. Then after services everyone would go and retrieve their wallets. Many weeks pastor would put buckets on the altar telling everyone that there was a special offering, have the congregation march up to the altar and put money in the buckets. Those who did not go up front and put money in were obvious to everyone. The pastor would even jokingly say,"I hope someone wins the lottery this week and pays their tiths".

All of these things were not happening when I first became a member, but started happening gradually.

I was a part of the praise and worship team. Usually the church had attendance of about 1000 on a Sunday morning. I was one of five who led the praise and worship services. When the guest evangelists came I was also in the same position. There was one well known husband and wife "healing ministry" that would visit once a month for "healing services" I remember one man from the congregation who was brought to the front and told that his back problems were because he had one leg shorter than the other and that God was going to heal his short leg. He was told to hold his legs straight out while sitting in a chair. A lot of loud yelling, commanding God to heal him, pushing on his forehead, etc happened, and then the evangelist started yelling look, look, his leg is growing longer now!! I was standing above the man looking directly down on his leg. It was not growing. There was absolutely no change. However, everyone was rejoicing, claiming a healing.

Over a period of time, I felt more and more condemnation in my heart, I felt God telling me things were not right. One Sunday morning, some events very similar to the above were happening, I was singing in front of the congregation. An overwhelming sadness came over me. The condemnation grew very very strong. It was like God was letting me know that if I continued to sing on the praise and worship team, I was part of what was happening there. I was part of a web of deceit. It did not matter what my personal intentions were, He was showing me the problems and I needed to not be a part of it. I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing, but I dropped the mic beside me and quit singing. The pastor and some men ran up on the platform, laying hands on my forehead. Someone asked me to please continue (into my ear) as the service was being videotaped for television. I just could not. I stood there for probably only a minute or so (but it seemed much longer) and walked off the platform, and out the door, stopping only to get my purse. I am not certain, but I do not think that part of the service was put on television. I later in the week went to see the pastor, told him why I was leaving, and that was that.

Since that time, I have been sort of having my own "wilderness experience" of sorts. I have had a difficult time finding anything "right" with any congregation I have visited. Therefore, pretty much on my own. God has been good. The teaching has been wonderful. He has guided me, and put me where I am today. I still have a long way to go. It seems as though Gods Word is never ending. No matter how much I study and pray, I just keep on being shown more that I need to study and learn. However, my sights are set on Him, firmly ahead, not behind. Waiting for those God may place in my path, perhaps others caught up in the same thing.

I hope this letter is not too long, feel free to glean from it what you feel you can use. [WBSG NOTE: We used it all, thank-you for sharing! Our prayer is that this Testimonial ends up on the computer screen of someone who is new in one of these beguiled churches, and through your story, themselves search deeper into what is going on around them. May God keep you and Jesus bless you!]

In His Service

------------ [As is our policy, name withheld by WBSG]

Below is a letter from a woman, whom we will leave unnamed, regarding her experience with the demonic Talking in Tongues, Slain in the Spirit, and Toronto Blessing experiences. (We at WBSG feel that there is no need to embarrass anyone by posting their names. Benny Hinn, in the above, and other public Ministers are a different case, for they deceive many and needs be exposed. But the people below are lay Christians, individuals who should not be publicly shamed for sharing their witness). (emphasis is added (bold italics) to highlight certain statements they made in the below):

Below is a woman’s testimony how satan’s evil spirits made her uncomfortable around the Holy Spirit of God. She gives us an excellent inside look into the so-called "Toronto Blessing" manifestation:

Deceived by Toronto Spirits
by _____

A gripping testimony from somebody who knows!!

This letter appeared in "Discernment", the newsletter of Jewel Van Der Merwe, and was recently posted to her website.

It graphically portrays the dangers of toying with the deceiving spirits of the "toronto-blessing", now also being passed on under other names, and in use at Brownsville, Pensacola.

The Toronto phenomenon is NOT NEW. It has been known throughout all centuries, and has been encountered before in many forms and under many different guises. It manifests itself as a "christian" experience where the worshippers are predominantly westernised and christianised. However, no real, genuine, Bible-loving and Spirit-filled, born-again believer is deceived for long by something that mimics Jesus. As you will see...

A Letter from a Reader in South Africa

"Dear Friend:

I write to you, as a concerned child of God and ex-member of ____ Christian Church. Since leaving this church, God has revealed the true Gospel of Jesus Christ our Saviour to me. Among other things, He has exposed the true source of the so-called "anointing" or "outpouring of the ‘holy spirit’" which is being experienced in many Charismatic churches. Although it seems to have its origins in the spiritual realm, I can assure you that is most definitely not the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

If, at this stage you are tempted to simply shred this letter, I implore you to at least read it through, before doing so. If however, thereafter you still feel inclined to do so, then be my guest. After all, it is not for me to convince or convict you in any way. That is the work of the Spirit of God. It is however, up to you to decide what you are going to do about that conviction. You can either choose to act upon it. or you can choose to simply ignore it.

In July 1995, after re-committing my life to the Lord, I experienced God's Miraculous Healing Power twice within a single week. In the first instance, God totally delivered me from a sexually immoral lifestyle and six days later He supernaturally healed me from smoking. As you could well imagine, these experiences had a dramatic influence on my life. Within a period of six days, God turned my whole life upside down.

I had heard that God touched the lives of people in similar ways in ____ Christian Church. But, I must admit at the time I wasn't really convinced that these ‘‘manifestations’’ were from God. I just couldn't believe that God would heal people in such strange ways. Then, to my utter amazement, I experienced not one, but two supernatural healings in the privacy of my home. I must admit, I began to think that which was being experienced in the _____ Christian Church must be from God.

I began attending the Church's services on a regular basis, but to my dismay, I didn't experience the ‘‘anointing’’ of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, I became extremely agitated when these ‘‘manifestations of the spirit’’ were displayed during the services. Needless to say, I became somewhat concerned. When I spoke to my fellow members about this problem, I was told that is was an attack from the devil to prevent me from experiencing the presence of the Lord and that I should seriously pray about the situation.

Thus began a period of serious spiritual warfare against this attack from Satan, but alas, still no manifestations. I could not understand it. Why was God withholding His Spirit from me? What was I doing wrong? I prayed and prayed to God to Fill me with His Spirit - but in vain. I continually pressed in, but nothing happened. At one stage I actually began to doubt my salvation due to the fact that I wasn't experiencing any manifestations.

I became so totally obsessed with the manifestations that I found myself concentrating solely on trying to induce a manifestation whenever I prayed or worshipped. It was only then that I finally managed to successfully induce a manifestation. To my utter disgust, this so-called ‘‘anointing’’ was a far cry from the wonderful life-changing experience which I had previously experienced when God had delivered me from an immoral lifestyle and smoking.

I noticed that for some strange reason praying and reading my Bible suddenly became virtually impossible. Furthermore, I became aware of the fact that I often felt tempted to fall back into sin in the areas where God had delivered me. I asked myself, "why is this happening?" I was confused. Then I blamed Satan for the fact that I was unable to effectively pray and read the Bible. As for falling back into past sins, I promptly found Scriptures with which to justify why God was supposedly allowing these things to happen, but in fact I used these merely to lull my own conscience.

In the eyes of my Charismatic friend, I had made it! God was actively working in my life. I most definitely couldn't allow anyone to know that which I had experienced as the "manifest presence of the Lord" wasn't everything it was made out to be. I couldn't risk being heard speaking out against the Holy Spirit - after all according to Matthew 12:32 and Mark 3:29, 30 - this is an unforgivable sin. I certainly wasn't prepared to be guilty of that. And so, the masquerade began. I pretended to enjoy these experiences when in actual fact, every single time I allowed myself to experience the ‘‘anointing’’, something deep inside my inner being would be pleading with me to put an end to the charade.

I was bewildered by this predicament that I found myself in:. .Was I the only person who felt this way?. . Were there others who had the same problems? . . or. . Was Satan yet again attempting to stop me from receiving God's blessing? Yes, that had to be it. Satan had to be responsible for these doubts, as well as for the discomfort I was experiencing. Of course, the only way I knew how to counter Satan's attacks was to engage in Spiritual Warfare.

Once again I launched not a serious battle against Satan. I earnestly prayed to God to: Remove anything and everything in my life that wasn't from Him, as far away from me, as the North is from the South and the East is from the West. If it wasn't from Him, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I thought He would take away the doubts and the discomfort.

Instead, when I prayed to God in this way, the most horrific thing happened. God took this strange ‘‘spirit’’ away from me. Yet, amazingly for the first time in many months, I was able to read my Bible without having to force myself to concentrate on what I was reading. Suddenly God's Word once again became a reality to me, as it had done when I gave my life to the Lord; I could once again actually understand what I was reading. What's more, I noticed that my prayer life dramatically improved and that the temptations which hounded me before had disappeared.

But, alas as far as the Charismatics are concerned, it is only when we experience what they define as the "presence" of the Lord (or the anointing or the outpouring of the ‘‘spirit’’ as they call it) in our lives that we truly grow spiritually. In fact, according to their teachings, a so-called ‘‘personal touch from God" is considered to be far more important than the Word preached from the pulpit. What was I to do? I sincerely desired to become spiritually mature. So, I yet again sought the so-called anointing and before long I found myself caught up in an action reply of the previously described scenario, but with one small difference. As I had had previous experiences, I was now able to achieve the manifestations much easier than I had the first time round, but as I did, the battles against Satan re-commenced. Surely something was wrong - But I was reassured by my friends that these incessant attacks were a sign that I was doing something right because Satan only attacks those who are making progress in God's kingdom.

At first I fell for this explanation, I even thanked God for the attacks, but after a while I began to doubt whether it was true. I simply could not believe that what I was experiencing was God's will for His children. I simply had to find the answers. Thus with much difficulty at first, I endeavored to seek answers to these and other questions I had in God's Word. (The Bible).

The first subject I tackled was that of the Scriptures used to justify these so-called manifestations of the Spirit. It wasn't too long before I realized how totally misquoted, twisted and misinterpreted these were. Should you doubt this fact, read the following Scriptures - in context: Acts 2:15, 16 and Eph 5:18 (being drunk in the "spirit"); Amos 3:8 (prophets - roaring like lions); 1 Pet. 1:8 (uncontrollable laughter) and Acts 9:6 (shaking in the Spirit).

Don't just skim over them because you believe you know them. Read them carefully. Sincerely pray that God will reveal the content through His Holy Spirit. Should you still believe that they do justify the so-called manifestations, and that these are of God, then read the following Scriptures carefully: I Cor. 12:7-11 (Manifestations of the Spirit); Gal. 5:22-24 (Fruit of the Spirit); Romans 12:6-8 (Gifts of the Spirit). In fact, perhaps you should also study Luke 4:33 and Luke 9:42 (Demon spirits).

I also had believed that what I was taught was Biblical and it took some time for my to fully comprehend the truth. The reason for this is described clearly in Isaiah 5:9 and Matthew 13:13. Christians hear these Scriptures quoted so often, they actually no longer hear their true contents. They only hear what they are taught to hear. Even when reading these Scriptures they do not see what they are reading.

God has shown me that what is happening in many churches is that the truth is being traded for a Lie. The danger lies in the fact that when a lie is believed for long enough it becomes the truth to those being exposed to it. God helped me to see that what I perceived as being the Holy Spirit was actually a Deceiving Spirit. And what I perceived as being a Deceiving Spirit was in actual fact the Holy Spirit.

Your friend in Christ,

_________ (Pretoria, South Africa)"

Below is an article from a man, whom we will leave unnamed, who left the Pentecostal Movement, which he refers to as the "Tongues Movement."

Below is a letter from a young mother, whom we will leave unnamed, regarding her experience with the demonic Talking in Tongues and Toronto Blessing experiences:

Below is a letter from a man who, while it appears that he still advocates talking in tongues (even though he says that he senses demons around him when he does it) he seems to be nicely coming out of the spiritually depraved practices and seems to have a pretty good handle on the other false manifestations in the churches:

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev 18:4)

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". . .Let's look at some of the so-called errors in the King James Bible, and throughout this study we will document that the King James Version Bible had it right all along and that the newer versions are the ones that contain the corruptions. The reason that I refer to the omissions in the newer versions as 'corruptions' rather than errors is because it will be seen that it was a concerted effort to consistently remove certain points of Scripture while leaving others unmolested. let's look at 1^st Jn 5:7-8, and observe that it can be no error that they methodically left out 24 key words documenting the Holy Trinity:

1^st John 5:7 (Illustrated above) is the single most powerful witness of the Trinity (God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit). the Corrupt Manuscripts (Sinaicticus,Vaticanus) used in the newer Bible versions omit the key words.

They simply omitted the key words supporting the Holy Trinity! The newer versions say it doesn't belong, but it is the single most powerful witness of the Trinity. But do these powerful and key words belong in the text? You bet they do, let's look at some authorities for those key words:

Perhaps one of the most telling proofs that the verse was included in the original manuscripts is evidenced by the writings of one of the early Church Fathers - Cyprian, who in his writing: "Treatises" found in The Ante-Nicene Christian Library (5:423): included a quote from 1^st John 5:7. In the verse quote from Cyprian he writes: "...and again it is written of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy spirit, 'And these three are one' "

Cyprian died in A.D. 258, some one-hundred years before the compilation of the corrupt Sinaiticus and Vaticanus manuscripts from which all the newer Bible versions are based upon. And his (Cyprian's) quote of 1^st John 5:7 supports the King James Bible version's inclusion of the key words and opposes the newer Bible versions in their omission of them!

Four of the strongest and most point-blank references to the Holy Trinity (Triune Godhead) in the New Testament are omitted in the newer Bible versions: The one we have just studied in depth and the below three. Look what they have done to them, it would seem from the newer Bible versions that there is no longer a Holy Trinity - God forbid! They have changed the Holy Trinity into some generic 'force'.

Is Baptism required for salvation? Well, Jesus was Baptized showing us the way. But one of those crucified with Christ was not Baptized, and Jesus told him that he would be in paradise with the Lord.

But that man on the other cross was not able to get Baptized, as he was in the process of being crucified; you today have the opportunity to get Baptized. And this was before Christ was glorified, surely had this man become a believer after the Resurrection, the Apostles would have Baptized him. So while Baptism is not written to be a direct salvation issue, it was told us faithful Christians to become Baptized. Below, Jesus instructs that the saved must believe upon Jesus Christ and they are to be Baptized. Jesus says that they are damned if they do not believe upon Him, but He does not state that they are damned who did not get Baptized:

I point this out (about Baptism not being a prerequisite to salvation) not to teach that Baptism is optional, it is not optional! But rather, that we may not fear for our deceased loved ones who did not become Baptized before their decease, as well as the children and infants and fetuses who were not Baptized if they died beforehand. Let me repeat: Jesus told us to be Baptized, and if we do not get Baptized then we are in disobedience to the Lord. I would hate to have to answer the Lord on Judgment Day when and if He has occasion to ask: "Why did you not get Baptized as I had instructed the faithful to?" Don't play games with the Lord's instruction, get Baptized Christian!

Baptism is not some complicated practice, but it means much. Any Christian can Baptize someone. The person being Baptized must simply believe upon Jesus Christ as Savior and Resurrected only begotten Son of God whom died for his/her sins. Any Christian can then take that person to a body of water and fully immerse the person, stating "I Baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ (or, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - same thing as we've shown in this study above)" and then raise the person up out of the water. They are now Baptized into the body of Christ. It is not the Christian doing (or officiating) the Baptism that makes the person Baptized, it is the Lord that accomplishes the Baptism, for we do it in His name thereby asking His seal upon it. [NOTE: So as not to sound confusing on what name to Baptize in, See, Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; Rom 6:3. For after Christ was glorified, it was ALWAYS said to Baptize in the name of Jesus Christ. But like we said, when you say Jesus Christ, you are saying the Father, Son, And Holy Spirit, for they are One.]

When we get Baptized, it is an act of faith and obedience; obedience because our Lord told us to do it, and faith in that when we get Baptized we are declaring that we believe that Christ Jesus died and rose again. It is a type of that which we do when we go under the water as Christ went into the tomb, and we come out of the water as Christ rose from the dead. It is a statement of faith as much as it is obedience to our Lord.

Now let's look how the Catholic Church (even as well as some of the Protestant family of Church Denominations) error in their Baptismal practices. As we have shown, the Catechism (teachings) of the Roman Catholic Church speak the below of Baptism:

The above states: "The first 'profession of faith' is made during Baptism." But the Catholic Church Baptizes at infancy, what "profession of faith" can an infant make? Nowhere in the Bible were infants Baptized. In fact, cognizant belief was required BEFORE one could be Baptized:

That's a bit much to expect out of the mind of a Toddler! I won't even get into the fact that the Catholic Church Baptizes by sprinkling with water, when the very word Baptize means to submerge. And when Jesus was Baptized we see that He came out of (Grk. #1537- ek) the water (from being under the water):

But worse than that, the Catholic Church, by Baptizing her adherents as infants, causes them not to get Baptized while making a cognizant 'profession of faith' as adults. The people figure that they were already Baptized and why redo it. They don't understand because the Catholic Church (as well as other denominations who Baptize this way) doesn't tell them.

Therefore, the Catholic Church basically is full of people who have not received Baptism willingly and coherently. This is concerning! Has not the Catholic Church read the Scriptures, or do they do this knowingly? How could they honestly error on this one?!? This is a cause for immediate concern.

In the early 1900's, Alexander Hislop wrote an excellent book regarding the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. Below we excerpt on section of that book regarding the Roman Catholic's Baptismal corruptions. We offer the book in our library.

The Two Babylons

"THE PAPAL WORSHIP PROVED TO BE
THE WORSHIP OF NIMROD AND HIS WIFE"
By The Late Rev. Alexander Hislop

The Two Babylons - SECTION I.--BAPTISMAL REGENERATION. (pages 129 -- 144)

It is well known that regeneration by baptism is a fundamental article of Rome, yea, that it stands at the very threshold of the Roman system. So important, according to Rome, is baptism for this purpose, that, on the one hand, it is pronounced of "absolute necessity for salvation," insomuch that infants dying without it cannot be admitted to glory; and on the other, its virtues are so great, that it is declared in all cases infallibly to "regenerates us by

The Two Babylons - PAGE 130

a new spiritual birth, making us children of God:" --it is pronounced to be "the first door by which we enter into the fold of Jesus Christ, the first means by which we receive the grace of reconciliation with God; therefore the merits of His death are by baptism applied to our souls in so superabundant a manner, as fully to satisfy Divine justice for all demands against us, whether for original or actual sin." Now, in both respects this doctrine is absolutely anti-Scriptural; in both it is purely Pagan. It is anti-Scriptural, for the Lord Jesus Christ has expressly declared that infants, without the slightest respect to baptism or any external ordinance whatever, are capable of admission into all the glory of the heavenly world: "Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." John the Baptist, while yet in his mother's womb was so filled with joy at the advent of the Saviour, that, as soon as Mary's salutation sounded in the ears of his own mother, the unborn babe "leaped in the womb for joy." Had that child died at the birth, what could have excluded it from "the inheritance of the saints in light" for which it was so certainly "made meet"? Yet the Roman Catholic Bishop Hay, in defiance of every principle of God's Word, does not hesitate to pen the following: "Question: What becomes of young children who die without baptism? Answer: If a young child were put to death for the sake of Christ, this would be to it the baptism of blood, and carry it to heaven; but except in this case, as such infants are incapable of having the desire of baptism, with the other necessary dispositions, if they are not actually baptised with water, THEY CANNOT GO TO HEAVEN." It came from heathenism. The classic reader cannot fail to remember where, and in what melancholy plight, AEneas, when he visited the infernal regions, found the souls of unhappy infants who had died before receiving. so to speak, "the rites of the Church":--

"Before the gates the cries of babes new-born,
Whom fate had from their tender mothers torn,
Assault his ears."

These wretched babes, to glorify the virtue and efficacy of the mystic rites of Paganism, are excluded from the Elysian Fields, the paradise of the heathen, and have among their nearest associates no better company than that of guilty suicides: --

"The next in place and punishment are they
Who prodigally threw their souls away,
Fools, who, repining at their wretched state,
And loathing an anxious life, suborned their fate."

The Two Babylons - PAGE 131

So much for the lack of baptism. Then as to its positive efficacy when obtained, the Papal doctrine is equally anti-Scriptural. There are professed Protestants who hold the doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration; but the Word of God knows nothing of it. The Scriptural account of baptism is, not that it communicates the new birth, but that it is the appointed means of signifying and sealing that new birth where it already exists. In this respect baptism stands on the very same ground as circumcision. Now, what says God's Word of the efficacy of circumcision? This it says, speaking of Abraham: "He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had, yet being uncircumcised" (Romans iv.11). Circumcision was not intended to make Abraham righteous; he was righteous already before he was circumcised. But it was intended to declare him righteous, to give him the more abundant evidence in his own consciousness of his being so. Had Abraham not been righteous before his circumcision, his circumcision could not have been a seal, could not have given confirmation to that which did not exist. So with baptism, it is "a seal of the righteousness of the faith" which the man "has before he is baptised:" for it is said, "He that believeth, and is baptised, shall be saved" (Mark xvi. 16). Where faith exists, if it be genuine, it is the evidence of a new heart, of a regenerated nature; and it is only on the profession of that faith and regeneration in the case of an adult, that he is admitted to baptism. Even in the case of infants, who can make no profession of faith or holiness, the administration of baptism is not for the purpose of regenerating them, or making them holy, but of declaring them "holy," in the sense of being fit for being consecrated, even in infancy, to the service of Christ, just as the whole nation of Israel, in consequence of their relation to Abraham, according to the flesh, where "holy unto the Lord." If they were not, in that figurative sense, "holy," they would not be fit subjects for baptism, which is the "seal" of a holy state. But the Bible pronounces them, in consequence of their decent from believing parents, to be "holy," and that even where only one of the parents is a believer: "The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; else where your children unclean, but now they are HOLY" (1 Cor. vii.14). It is in consequence of, and solemnly to declare, that "holiness," with all the responsibilities attaching to it, that they are baptised. That "holiness," however, is very different from the "holiness" of the new nature; and although the very fact of baptism, if Scripturally viewed and duly improved, is, in the hand of the good Spirit of God, an important means of making that "holiness" a glorious reality, in the highest sense of the term, yet it does not in all cases necessarily secure their spiritual regeneration. God may, or may not, as He sees fit, give the new heart, before, or at, or after baptism; but manifest it is, that thousands who have been duly baptised are still unregenerate, are

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still in precisely the same position as Simon Magus, who, after being canonically baptised by Philip, was declared to be "in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity" (Acts viii. 23). The doctrine of Rome, however, is, that all who are canonically baptised, however ignorant, however immoral, if they only give implicit faith to the Church, and surrender their conscience to the priests, are as much regenerated as ever they can be, and that children coming from the waters of baptism are entirely purged from the stain of original sin. Hence we find the Jesuit missionaries in India boasting of making converts by thousands, by the mere fact of baptising them, without the least previous instruction, in the most complete ignorance of the truths of Christianity, on their mere profession of submission to Rome. This doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration also is essentially Babylonian. Some may perhaps stumble at the idea of regeneration at all having been known in the Pagan world; but if they only go to India, they will find at this day, the bigoted Hindoos, who have never opened their ears to Christian instruction, as familiar with the term and the idea as ourselves. The Brahmins make it their distinguishing boast that they are "twice-born" men, and that, as such, they are sure of eternal happiness. Now, the same was the case in Babylon, and their the new birth was conferred by baptism. In the Chaldean mysteries, before any instruction could be received, it was required first of all, that the person to be initiated submit to baptism in token of blind and implicit obedience. We find different ancient authors bearing direct testimony both to the fact of this baptism and the intention of it. "In certain sacred rites of the heathen," says Tertullian, especially referring to the worship of Isis and Mithra, "the mode of initiation is by baptism." The term "initiation" clearly shows that it was to the Mysteries of these divinities he referred. This baptism was by immersion, and seems to have been rather a rough and formidable process; for we find that he who passed through the purifying waters, and other necessary penances, "if he survived, was then admitted to the knowledge of the Mysteries." To face this ordeal required no little courage on the part of those who were initiated. There was this grand inducement, however, to submit, that they who were thus baptised were, as Tertullian assures us, promised, as the consequence, "REGENERATION, and the pardon of all their perjuries." Our own Pagan ancestors, the worshippers of Odin, are known to have practised baptismal rites, which, taken in connection with their avowed object in practising them, show that, originally, at least, they must have believed that the natural guilt and corruption of their new-born children could be washed away by sprinkling them with water, or by plunging them, as soon as born, into lakes or rivers.

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Yea, on the other side of the Atlantic, in Mexico, the same doctrine of baptismal regeneration was found in full vigour among the natives, when Cortez and his warriors landed on their shores. The ceremony of Mexican baptism, which was beheld with astonishment by the Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries, is thus strikingly described in Prescott's Conquest of Mexico:--"When everything necessary for the baptism had been made ready, all the relations of the child were assembled, and the midwife, who was the person that performed the rite of baptism, was summoned. At early dawn, they met together in the court-yard of the house. When the sun had risen, the midwife, taking the child in her arms, called for a little earthen vessel of water, while those about her placed the ornaments, which had been prepared for baptism, in the midst of the court. To perform the rite of baptism, she placed herself with her face toward the west, and immediately began to go through certain ceremonies....After this she sprinkled water on the head of the infant, saying, "O my child, take and receive the water of the Lord of the world, which is our life, which is given for the increasing and renewing of our body. It is to wash and to purify. I pray that these heavenly drops may enter into your body, and dwell there; that they may destroy and remove from you all the evil and sin which was given you before the beginning of the world, since all of us are under its power.'.... She then washed the body of the child with water, and spoke in this manner: "Whencesoever thou comest, thou that art hurtful to this child, leave him and depart from him, for he now liveth anew, and is BORN ANEW; now he is purified and cleansed afresh, and our mother Chalchivitlycue [the goddess of water] bringeth him into the world.' Having thus prayed, the midwife took the child in both hands, and, lifting him towards heaven, said, "O Lord, thou seest here thy creature, whom thou hast sent into the world, thus place of sorrow, suffering, and penitence. Grant him, O Lord, thy gifts and inspiration, for thou art the Great God, and with thee is the great goddess.'" Here is the opus operatum without mistake. Here is baptismal regeneration and exorcism too, as thorough and complete as any Romish priest or lover of Tractarianism could desire. Does the reader ask what evidence is there that Mexico had derived this doctrine from Chaldea? The evidence is decisive. From the researches of Humboldt we find that the Mexicans celebrated Wodan as the founder of their race, just as our own ancestors did. The Wodan

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or Odin of Scandinavia can be proved to be the Adon of Babylon. The Wodan of Mexico, from the following quotation, will be seen to be the very same: "According to the ancient traditions collected by the Bishop Francis Nunez del la Vega," says Humboldt, "the Wodan of the Chiapanese [of Mexico] was grandson of that illustrious old man, who at the time of the great deluge, in which the greater part of the human race perished, was saved on a raft, together with his family. Wodan co-operated in the construction of the great edifice which had been undertaken by men to reach the skies; the execution of this rash project was interrupted; each family received from that time a different language; and the great spirit Teotl ordered Wodan to go and people the country of Anahuac." This surely proves to demonstration whence originally came the Mexican mythology and whence also that doctrine of baptismal regeneration which the Mexicans held in common with the Egyptian and Persian worshippers of the Chaldean Queen of Heaven. Prestcott, indeed, has cast doubts on the genuineness of this tradition, as being too exactly coincident with the Scriptural history to be easily believed. But the distinguished Humboldt, who had carefully examined the matter, and who had no prejudice to warp him, expresses his full belief in its correctness; and even from Prescott's own interesting pages, it may be proved in every essential particular, with the single exception of the name of Wodan, to which he makes no reference. But, happily, the fact that that name had been borne by some illustrious hero among the supposed ancestors of the Mexican race, is put beyond all doubt by the singular circumstance that the Mexicans had one of their day called Wodansday, exactly as we ourselves have. This, taken in connection with all the circumstances, is a very striking proof, at once of the unity of the human race, and of the wide-spread diffusion of the system that began at Babel.

If the question arise, How came it that the Babylonians themselves adopted such a doctrine as regeneration by baptism, we have light also on that. In the Babylonian Mysteries, the commemoration of the flood, of the ark, and the grand events in the life of Noah, was mingled with the worship of the Queen of Heaven and her son. Noah, as having lived in two worlds, both before the flood and after it, was called "Diphues," or "twice-born," and was represented as a god with two heads looking in opposite directions, the one old, and the other young. Though we have seen that the two-

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headed Janus in one aspect had reference to Cush and his son, Nimrod, viewed as one god, in a two-fold capacity, as the Supreme, and Father of all the deified "mighty ones," yet, in order to gain for him the very authority and respect essential to constitute him properly the head of the great system of idolatry that the apostates inaugurated, it was necessary to represent him as in some way or other identified with the great patriarch, who was the Father of all, and who had so miraculous a history. Therefore in the legends of Janus, we find mixed up with other things derived from an entirely different source, statements not only in regard to his being the "Father of the world," but also his being "the inventory of ships," which plainly have been borrowed from the history of Noah; and therefore, the remarkable way in which he is represented in the figure here presented to the reader may confidently be concluded to have been primarily suggested by the history of the great Diluvian patriarch, whose integrity in his two-fold life is so particularly referred to in the Scripture, where it is said (Gen. vi. 9), "Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generations," that is, in his life before the flood, and in his life after it. The whole mythology of Greece and Rome, as well as Asia, is full of the history and deeds of Noah, which it is impossible to misunderstand. In India, the god Vishnu, "the Preserver," who is celebrated as having miraculously preserved one righteous family at the time when the world was drowned, not only has the story of Noah wrought up with his legend, but is called by his very name. Vishnu is just the Sanscrit form of the Chaldee "Ish-nuh," "the man Noah," or the "Man of rest." In the case of Indra, the "king of the gods," and god of rain, which is evidently only another form of the same god, the name is found in the precise form of Ishnu. Now, the very legend of Vishnu, that pretends to make him no mere creature, but the supreme and "eternal god," shows that this interpretation of the name is no mere unfounded imagination. Thus is he celebrated in the "Matsya Puran:" "The sun, the wind, the ether, all things incorporeal, were absorbed into his Divine essence; and the universe being consumed, the eternal and omnipotent god, having assumed an ancient form, REPOSED mysteriously upon the surface of that (universal) ocean. But no one is capable of knowing whether that being was then visible or invisible, or what the holy name of that person was, or what the cause of his mysterious SLUMBER. Nor can any one tell how long he thus REPOSED until he conceived the thought of acting; for no one saw him, no one approached him, and no one can penetrate the mystery of his real essence." In conformity with this ancient legend, Vishnu is still represented as sleeping four months every year. Now, connect this story with the name of

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Noah, the man of "Rest," and with his personal history during the period of the flood, when the world was destroyed, when for forty days and forty nights all was chaos, when neither sun nor moon nor twinkling star appeared, when sea and sky were mingled, and all was one wide universal "ocean," on the bosom of which the patriarch floated, when there was no human being to "approach" him but those who were with him in the ark, and "the mystery of his real essence is penetrated" at once, "the holy name of that person" is ascertained, and his "mysterious slumber" fully accounted for. Now, wherever Noah is celebrated, whether by the name of Saturn, "the hidden one,"--for that name was applied to him as well as to Nimrod, on account of his having been "hidden" in the ark, in the "day of the Lord's fierce anger,"--or, "Oannes," or "Janus," the "Man of the Sea," he is generally described in such a way as shows that he was looked upon as Diphues, "twice-born," or "regenerate." The "twice-born" Brahmins, who are all so many gods upon earth, by the very title they take to themselves, show that the god whom they represent, and to whose prerogatives they lay claim, had been known as the "twice-born" god. The connection of "regeneration" with the history of Noah, comes out with special evidence in the accounts handed down to us of the Mysteries as celebrated in Egypt. The most learned explorers of Egyptian antiquities, including Sir Gardiner Wilkinson, admit that the story of Noah was mixed up with the story of Osiris. The ship of Isis, and the coffin of Osiris, floating on the waters, point distinctly to that remarkable event. There were different periods, in different places in Egypt, when the fate of Osiris was lamented; and at one time there was more special reference to the personal history of "the mighty hunter before the Lord," and at another to the awful catastrophe through which Noah passed. In the great and solemn festival called "The Disappearance of Osiris," it is evident that it is Noah himself who was then supposed to have been lost. The time when Osiris was "shut up in his coffin," and when that coffin was set afloat on the waters, as stated by Plutarch, agrees exactly with the period when Noah entered the ark. That time was "the 17th day of the month Athyr, when the overflowing of the Nile had ceased, when the nights were growing long and the days decreasing." The month Athyr was the second month after the autumnal equinox, at which time the civil year of the Jew and the patriarchs began. According to this statement, then, Osiris was "shut up in his coffin" on the 17th day of the second month of the patriarchal year. Compare this with the Scriptural account of Noah's entering into the ark, and it will be seen how remarkably they agree (Gen. vii. 11), "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the SECOND MONTH, in the SEVENTEENTH DAY of the month, were all the fountains of the great deep broken up; in the self-same day entered Noah into

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the ark." The period, too, that Osiris (otherwise Adonis) was believed to have been shut up in his coffin, was precisely the same as Noah was confined in the ark, a whole year. Now, the statements of Plutarch demonstrate that, as Osiris at this festival was looked upon as dead and buried when put into his ark or coffin, and committed to the deep, so, when at length he came out of it again, that new state was regarded as a state of "new life," or "REGENERATION." There seems every reason to believe that by the ark and the flood God actually gave to the patriarchal saints, and especially to righteous Noah, a vivid typical representation of the power of the blood and Spirit of Christ, at once in saving from wrath, and cleansing from all sin--a representation which was a most cheering "seal" and confirmation to the faith of those who really believed. To this Peter seems distinctly to allude, when he says, speaking of this very event, "The like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us." Wherever primitive truth the Chaldean priests held, they utterly perverted and corrupted it. They willingly overlooked the fact, that it was "the righteousness of the faith" which Noah "had before" the flood, that carried him safely through the avenging waters of that dread catastrophe, and ushered him, as it were, from the womb of the ark, by a new birth, into a new world, when on the ark resting on Mount Ararat, he was released from his long confinement. They led their votaries to believe that, if they only passed through the baptismal waters, and the penances therewith connected, that of itself would make them like the second father of mankind, "Diphueis," "twice-born," or "regenerate," would entitle them to all the privileges of "righteous" Noah, and give them that "new birth" (palingenesia) which their consciences told them they so much needed. The Papacy acts on precisely the same principle; and from this very source has its doctrine of baptismal regeneration been derived, about which so much has been written and so many controversies been waged. Let men contend as they may, this, and this only, will be found to be the real origin of the anti-Scriptural dogma.

The reader has seen already how faithfully Rome has copied the Pagan exorcism in connection with baptism. All the other peculiarities

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attending the Romish baptism, such as the use of salt, spittle, chrism, or anointing with oil, and marking the forehead with the sign of the cross, are equally Pagan. Some of the continental advocates of Rome have admitted that some of these at least have not been derived from Scripture. Thus Jodocus Tiletanus of Louvaine, defending the doctrine of "Unwritten Tradition," does not hesitate to say, "We are not satisfied with that which the apostles or the Gospel do declare, but we say that, as well before as after, there are divers matters of importance and weight accepted and received out of a doctrine which is nowhere set forth in writing. For we do blesse the water wherewith we baptise, and the oyle wherewith we annoynt; yea, and besides that, him that is christened. And (I pray you) out of what Scripture have we learned the same? Have it not of a secret and unwritten ordinance? And further, what Scripture hath taught us to grease with oyle? Yea, I pray you, whence cometh it, that we do dype the childe three times in the water? Doth it not come out of this hidden and undisclosed doctrine, which our forefathers have received closely without any curiosity, and do observe it still." This learned divine of Louvaine, of course, maintains that "the hidden and undisclosed doctrine" of which he speaks, was the "unwritten word" handed down through the channel of infallibility, from the Apostles of Christ to his own time. But, after what we have already seen, the reader will probably entertain a different opinion of the source from which the hidden and undisclosed doctrine must have come. And, indeed, Father Newman himself admits, in regard to "holy water" (that is, water impregnated with "salt," and consecrated), and many other things that were, as he says, "the very instruments and appendages of demon-worship"--that they were all of "Pagan" origin, and "sanctified by adoption into the Church." What plea, then, what palliation can he offer, for so extraordinary an adoption? Why, this: that the Church had "confidence in the power of Christianity to resist the infection of evil," and to transmute them to "an evangelical use." What right had the Church to entertain any such "confidence"? What fellowship could light have with darkness? what concord between Christ and Belial? Let the history of the Church bear testimony to the vanity, yea, impiety of such a hope. Let the progress of our inquiries shed light upon the same. At the present stage, there is only one of the concomitant rites of baptism to which I will refer--viz., the use of "spittle" in that ordinance; and an examination of the very words of the Roman ritual, in applying it, will prove that its use in baptism must have come from the Mysteries. The following is the account of its application, as given by Bishop Hay :--"The priest recites another exorcism, and at the end of it touches the ear and nostrils of the person to be baptised with a little spittle, saying,'Ephpheta, that is,

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Be thou opened into an odour of sweetness; but be thou put to flight, O Devil, for the judgment of God will be at hand.'" Now, surely the reader will at once ask, what possible, what conceivable connection can there be between spittle and an "odour of sweetness"? If the secret doctrine of the Chaldean mysteries be set side by side with this statement, it will be seen that, absurd and nonsensical as this collocation of terms may appear, it was not at random that "spittle" and an "odour of sweetness" were brought together. We have seen already how thoroughly Paganism was acquainted with the attributes and work of the promise Messiah, though all that acquaintance with these grand themes was used for the purpose of corrupting the minds of mankind, and keeping them in spiritual bondage. We have now to see that, as they were well aware of the existence of the Holy Spirit, so, intellectually, they were just as well acquainted with His work, though their knowledge on that subject was equally debased and degraded. Servius, in his comments upon Virgil's First Georgic, after quoting the well-known expression, "Mystica vannus Iacchi," "the mystic fan of Bacchus," says that that "mystic fan" symbolised the "purifying of soul." Now, how could the fan be a symbol of the purification of souls? The answer is, The fan is an instrument for producing "wind"; and in Chaldee, as has been already observed, it is one and the same word which signified "wind" and the "Holy Spirit." There can be no doubt, that, from the very beginning, the "wind" was one of the Divine patriarchal emblems by which the power of the Holy Ghost was shadowed forth, even as our Lord Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Hence, when Bacchus was represented with "the mystic fan," that was to declare him to be the mighty One with whom was "the residue of the Spirit." Hence came the idea of purifying the soul by means of the wind, according to the description of Virgil, who represents the stain and pollution of sin as being removed in this very way:--

"For this are various penances enjoined,
And some are hung to bleach upon the WIND."

Hence the priests of Jupiter (who was originally just another form of Bacchus), were called Flamens, --that is Breathers, or bestowers of the Holy Ghost, by breathing upon their votaries.

Now, in the Mysteries, the "spittle" was just another symbol for the same thing. In Egypt, through which the Babylonian system

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passed to Western Europe, the name of the "Pure or Purifying Spirit" was "Rekh." But "Rekh" also signified "spittle"; so that to anoint the nose and ears of the initiated with "spittle," according to the mystic system, was held to be anointing them with the "Purifying Spirit." That Rome in adopting the "spittle" actually copied from some Chaldean ritual in which "spittle" was the appointed emblem of the "Spirit," is plain from the account which she gives in her own recognised formularies of the reason of anointing the ears with it. The reason for anointing the ears with "spittle," says Bishop Hay, is because "by the grace of baptism, the ears of our soul are opened to hear the Word of God, and the inspirations of His Holy Spirit." But what, it may be asked, has the "spittle" to do with the odour of sweetness"? I answer, The very word "Rekh," which signified the "Holy Spirit," and was visibly represented by the "spittle," was intimately connected with "Rikh," which signifies a "fragrant smell," or "odour of sweetness." Thus, a knowledge of the Mysteries gives sense and a consistent meaning to the cabalistic saying addressed by the Papal baptiser to the person about to be baptised, when the "spittle" is daubed on his nose and ear, which otherwise would have no meaning

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at all--"Ephpheta, Be thou opened into an odour of sweetness." While this was the primitive truth concealed under the "spittle," yet the whole spirit of Paganism was so opposed to the spirituality of the patriarchal religion, and indeed intended to make it void, and to draw men utterly away from it, while pretending to do homage to it, that among the multitude in general the magic use of "spittle" became the symbol of the grossest superstition. Theocritus shows with what debasing rites it was mixed up in Sicily and Greece; and Persius thus hold up to scorn the people of Rome in his day for their reliance on it to avert the influence of the "evil eye":--

"Our superstitions with our life begin;
The obscene old grandam, or the next of kin,
The new-born infant from the cradle takes,
And first of spittle a lustration makes;
Then in the spawl her middle finger dips,
Anoints the temples, forehead, and the lips,
Pretending force of magic to prevent (urentes oculos)
By virtue of her nasty excrement."--DRYDEN.

While thus far we have seen how the Papal baptism is just a reproduction of the Chaldean, there is still one other point to be noticed, which makes the demonstration complete. That point is contained in the following tremendous curse fulminated against a man who committed the unpardonable offence of leaving the Church of Rome, and published grave and weighty reasons for so doing: "May the Father, who creates man, curse him! May the Son, who suffered for us, curse him!" I do not stop to show how absolutely and utterly opposed such a curse as this is to the whole spirit of the Gospel. But what I call the reader's attention to is the astounding statement that "the Holy Ghost suffered for us in baptism." Where in the whole compass of Scripture could warrant be found for such an assertion as this, or anything that could even suggest it? But let the reader revert to the Babylonian account of the personality of the Holy Ghost, and the amount of blasphemy contained in this language will be apparent. According to the Chaldean doctrine, Semiramis, the wife of Ninus or Nimrod, when exalted to divinity under the Name of the Queen of Heaven, came, as we have seen, to be worshipped as Juno, the "Dove"--in other words, the Holy Spirit incarnate. Now, when her husband, for his blasphemous rebellion against the majesty of heaven, was cut off, for a season it was a time of tribulation also for her. The fragments of ancient history that have come down to us give an account of her trepidation and flight, to save herself from her adversaries. In the fables of the mythology, this flight was mystically represented in accordance with what was attributed

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to her husband. The bards of Greece represented Bacchus, when overcome by his enemies, as taking refuge in the depths of the ocean. Thus, Homer:--

"In a mad mood, while Bacchus blindly raged,
Lycurgus drove his trembling bands, confused,
O'er the vast plains of Nusa. They in haste
Threw down their sacred implements, and fled
In fearful dissipation. Bacchus saw
Rout upon rout, and, lost in wild dismay,
Plunged in the deep. Here Thetis in her arms
Received him shuddering at the dire event."

In Egypt, as we have seen, Osiris, as identified with Noah, was represented, when overcome by his grand enemy Typhon, or the "Evil One," as passing through the waters. The poets represented Semiramis as sharing in his distress, and likewise seeking safety in the same way. We have seen already, that, under the name of Astarte, she was said to have come forth from the wondrous egg that was found floating on the waters of the Euphrates. Now Manilius tells, in his Astronomical Poetics, what induced her to take refuge in these waters. "Venus plunged into the Babylonian waters," says

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he, "to shun the fury of the snake-footed Typhon." When Venus Urania, or Dione, the "Heavenly Dove," plunged in deep distress into these waters of Babylon, be it observed what, according to the Chaldean doctrine, this amounted to. It was neither more nor less than saying that the Holy Ghost incarnate in deep tribulation entered these waters, and that one purpose that these waters might be fit, not only by the temporary abode of the Messiah in the midst of them, but by the Spirit's efficacy thus imparted to them, for giving new life and regeneration, by baptism, to the worshippers of the Chaldean Madonna. We have evidence that the purifying virtue of the waters, which in Pagan esteem had such efficacy in cleansing from guilt and regenerating the soul, was derived in part from the passing of the Mediatorial god, the sun-god and god of fire, through these waters during his humiliation and sojourn in the midst of them; and that the Papacy at this day retains the very custom which had sprung up from that persuasion. So far as heathenism is concerned, the following extracts from Potter and Athenaeus speak distinctly enough: "Every person," says the former, "who came to the solemn sacrifices [of the Greeks] was purified by water. To which end, at the entrance of the temples there was commonly placed a vessel of full of holy water." How did this water get its holiness? This water "was consecrated," says Athenaeus, "by putting into it a BURNING TORCH taken from the altar." The burning torch was the express symbol of the god of fire; and by the light of this torch, so indispensable for consecrating "the holy water," we may easily see whence came one great part of the purifying virtue of "the water of the loud resounding sea," which was held to be so efficacious in purging away the guilt and stain of sin, --even from the sun-god having taken refuge in its waters. Now this very same method is used in the Romish Church for consecrating the water for baptism. The unsuspicious testimony of Bishop Hay leaves no doubt on this point: "It" [the water kept in the baptismal font], says he, "is blessed on the eve of Pentecost, because it is the Holy Ghost who gives to the waters of baptism the power and efficacy of sanctifying our souls, and because the baptism of Christ is 'with the Holy Ghost, and with fire' (Matt. iii. 11). In blessing the waters, a LIGHTED TORCH is put into the font." Here, then, it is manifest that the baptismal regenerating water of Rome is consecrated just as the regenerating and purifying water of the Pagans was. Of what avail is it for Bishop Hay to say, with the view of sanctifying superstition and "making apostacy plausibly," that this is due "to represent the fire of Divine love, which is communicated to the soul by baptism, and the light of good example, which all who are baptised ought to give." This is the fair face put on the matter; but the fact still remains

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that while the Romish doctrine in regard to baptism is purely Pagan, in the ceremonies connected with the Papal baptism one of the essential rites of the ancient fire-worship is still practised at this day, just as it was practised by the worshippers of Bacchus, the Babylonian Messiah. As Rome keeps u the remembrance of the fire-god passing through the waters and giving virtue to them, so when it speaks of the "Holy Ghost suffering for us in baptism," it in like manner commemorates the part which Paganism assign to the Babylonian goddess when she plunged into the waters. The sorrows of Nimrod, or Bacchus, when in the waters were meritorious sorrows. The sorrows of his wife, in whim the Holy Ghost miraculously dwelt, were the same. The sorrows of the Madonna, then, when in these waters, fleeing from Typhon's rage, were the birth-throes by which children were born to God. And thus, even in the Far West, Chalchivitlycue, the Mexican "goddess of the waters," and "mother" of all the regenerate, was represented as purging the new-born infant from original sin, and "bringing it anew into the world." Now, the Holy Ghost was idolatrously worshipped in Babylon under the form of a "Dove." Under the same form, and with equal idolatry, the Holy Ghost is worshipped in Rome. When, therefore, we read, in opposition to every Scripture principle, that "the Holy Ghost suffered for us in baptism," surely it must now be manifest who is that Holy Ghost that is really intended. It is no other than Semiramis, the very incarnation of lust and all uncleanness.

(END OF EXCERPT)

The gentleman is is error, for the Scriptures do not state to speak in an UNKNOWN tongue, but that they would speak in OTHER tongues (i.e., other languages). This was a gift for communicating the Gospel to peoples of other languages and has absolutely nothing to do with the demonic manifestations that are being carried out in the modern deceived churches.

In every occurrence of "unknown tongue," in the New Testament, the word "unknown" is an added word (a "9999" word) by the translators to make the English readable. It is not in the Manuscripts!

Check your Strong's for the word "unknown" in: 1 Cor 14:2, 1 Cor 14:4, 1 Cor 14:13, 1 Cor 14:14, 1 Cor 14:19, 1 Cor 14:27; it is not there. The false teachers have seized upon a word that isn't even in the Scriptures and built a whole false doctrine around it. This garbage stems from the false Rapture-doctrine churches. The whole thing is corrupt from top to bottom and is in desperate need of a good clean sweep by our Lord Jesus Christ!!! What a time of great change the Second Advent shall be.

In the Acts Scripture that the gentleman refers to, the words are "other tongues" not UNKNOWN tongues. I would bet dollars to donuts that this man is using one of the corrupted newer version Bibles (see: Appendix One — Bible Versions). Below is the tongues of the book of Acts:

When they spoke this tongue, everybody understood it, the Scripture lists 18 different languages that understood it AT ONCE! Not like today's so-called tongues where only another possessed person can think that he understands it. The Pentecostal Day (Acts ch. 2) tongues were heard and understood by all languages:

What is happening in the churches today is so far removed from the Scriptures that one could only suspect demonic influences. Stop babbling, it is not of God!

Word Studies on the Holy Spirit: This unique book is both a concordance and a concise commentary on every verse in the New Testament that uses the word pneuma (Spirit). It enables the serious student of the Word to examine each reference and compare Scripture with Scripture. Is there any better way to discern the mind of the Lord on a given subject? (Approx. $8-$9)

The Two Babylons: (Highly Recommended!) Where did the practices and beliefs of Roman Catholicism come from? In this scholarly classic, first published over eighty years ago, Alexander Hislop reveals that many Roman Catholic teachings did not originate with Christ or the Bible, but were adopted from ancient pagan Babylonian religion, and given Christian names. Learn the true origins of: The Mother and Child, The Mass, The Wafer (Eucharist), Purgatory, The Sovereign Pontiff, Prayers for the dead, The Rosary, The Sign of the Cross, The Confessional, Clothing & crowning of images, Priests, Monks and Nuns, Relic worship, Worship of the Sacred Heart, Extreme Unction... Plus much more! Although it is difficult reading, this historically-accurate book provides a fascinating in-depth examination of the shocking similarities between the practices of ancient Babylonian religion and those of today's Roman Catholic church. See how a religion that was started by Nimrod and his wife spread to various regions, taking on different names, but keeping the same pagan rituals and trappings. These same rituals embody the Catholic church of today.