Now we will begin to examine the overpowering influence that heathen (Babylonian/Chaldean) religious beliefs, customs, ceremonies, etc. have amassed over professing Christendom throughout the centuries.  Because I have written a complete series on most of the pagan beliefs and practices embraced by the Catholic/Protestant Church System, I will briefly summarize those I mention in this series.

The Sunday Sabbath:  God created His Sabbath, blessed it, sanctified it and called it “very good” during creation week as described in the Book called Genesis.  That 7th day of the week remained the Lord’s Sabbath until it was changed in 364 A.D. by Pope Sylvester I at the Council of Nicea who proclaimed that, for the church, the weekly Sabbath celebration would, from that time forward, be celebrated on the day that sun worshipers paid homage to their god–the Day of the Sun–Sunday.  For 333 years (31 A.D.-364 A.D.) church people observed God’s created, blessed and sanctified Sabbath.  The Catholic Church changed the sabbath to Sunday to appease the sun worshipers who had forced to “convert” to Catholicism.  God’s people continue to observe His 7th day Sabbath as He commands them to do in the fourth commandment.  Known as the “test commandment” because of the ease with which it is broken, God uses the day to test those who call themselves by His name.  With the exception of a tiny remnant of believers, the church has failed His test.

Christmas:  Seven known heathen gods were supposedly born on December 25–the beginning of the winter solstice when the sun begins to rise higher in the sky each day, symbolizing its “birth.”  Sun worshipers worshiped the sun, sacrificed children to him and, as they burned to death, read lists of things they wanted him to leave under trees they had brought into their homes and decorated with gold and silver.  God condemns this heathen celebration in Jeremiah 10:2-5.

Easter: “Easter” was the day some pagans paid homage to the mother of the sun god.  “Easter” is the English version of “Ishtar,” the “Queen of Heaven” whose worshipers used chickens, rabbits and eggs in their worship services because they symbolized the reproduction process.  During their annual celebration to the “Goddess of Fertility” the blood of children who had been sacrificed was used to color the eggs.  The sun god, named Tammuz, was honored with a “sunrise service” on the day each spring one the day when his mother was honored.  She was called by different names in different societies which worshiped the sun.  God condemns this practice in Ezekiel 8:12-18, emphasis on verse 16.

The Friday death and Sunday resurrection of Jesus:  When the church forced “conversion” upon  those who worshiped the sun god–Tammuz–those in power realized the need to combine his Friday death and miraculous Sunday resurrection with Christ’s death and resurrection.  To placate both the sun worshipers and the other parishioners church fathers substituted the god involved from Tammuz to Jesus and put forth “Good Friday” as the day of Christ’s death.  Half of professing Christendom continues to honor Tammuz and his one day, two night stay in the ground.  This in spite of the Scriptures’ proclaiming  13 times that Christ was in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights (from Wednesday at sundown until Saturday at sundown–exactly 3 days and 3 nights).  Christ’s Words on the subject are ignored by the Catholic/Protestant Church System.

Graven images: God condemns the use of “graven images” in worship of Him.  The word “graven” used by the Lord in writing the third commandment means anything made by man.  This includes crosses, fish symbols, pictures, statues, hand signs, banners, flags, steepled buildings, colored windows, etc., all of which were brought into the church when heathen were forced to “convert” to Catholicism during the heyday of the Roman Empire.  When the so-called “Protestants” left the mother church they took those symbols, along with many other heathen practices and beliefs with them.  God condemns the use of such symbols in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.

Hell and Heaven:  The belief that, upon dying, man immediately goes to either a place of fire and pain or a place of peace and joy comes from Babylonian mystery religion, not from the Bible.  God teaches that following the resurrections of three different groups of people one is either welcomed into an earthly paradise or is cast into the Lake of Fire.  The resurrections of three different groups of people at three different times will take place following the return of Jesus Christ to earth.  The series titled The Three Resurrections explains this Truth in detail.  Use the word Three as the key term.

Sinners will burn in hell forever:  Many heathen religions believed that those who did not obey their respective gods would spend eternity bein tortured in a fire-filled pit.  Dante’s Inferno depicted such a situation in which many people were pictured as being tortured with fire forever. God’s “fine print” reveals that those who refuse to obey His Word be cast into the Lake of Fire that will burn forever.  He does not say that sinners will burn forever in that eternal fire.  The fiery lake is where Satan and His angels will suffer eternally (Rev. 20:10).  Sinning man, who will be resurrected to his former flesh condition, will be cast into the lake with them (Rev. 20:15).  The merciful God will bring about a quick death for sinning man by burning their bodies to ash (Mal. 4:3).

God’s people will live in heaven forever:  That good people will leave this earth at death and be taken to a much better place was taught by almost every known heathen religion, including Christianity.  The Holy Scriptures do not teach this.   Upon death or the return of Jesus to earth, whichever comes first, God’s true saints who will live on earth forever in the Kingdom of God which Jesus will establish at the time of His Second Advent.  He and His Very Elect will rule and reign with over the earth for 1000 years (Rev. 20:6).  Then, following the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, they will reign over the entire universe for eternity (Rev. 22:5/ Heb. 2:5-8/ Rom. 8:14-19).

The Trinity:  Some of the heathen people who were forced into the Catholic Church believed in a  three-headed god.  In order to placate them the church fathers concocted the three-gods-in-one theme.  Their first trinity consisted of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.  The identities of the three gods have changer periodically over the centuries.  It appears that the current threesome comprised of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is here to stay.  However, the Bible speaks of two Gods: the Father (Yahweh) and the Son (Adonai).  The Holy Spirit is clearly revealed to be Their power in Luke 1:35 and 4:14.  God speaks and works through the Holy Spirit Whom the Scriptures refer to as “the Spirit of God” and “the Spirit of Christ” in Romans 8:9.  The Holy Spirit is not a god, but rather the power of the Godhead which is everywhere at all times while Father and Son are on their thrones in heaven as the Scriptures declare.

This series has featured beliefs, teachings and customs concocted by both church parishioners  and heathen religionists that were forced to “convert” to Catholicism during the height of the Roman Empire.  Regardless of their source, each of the aforementioned doctrines are abominations unto the Lord.  Because He speaks directly against them in His Word, they constitute deliberate rebellion against Him, His Son and His Word.  By openly rebelling against His Word church people prove that they DESPISE HIM AND HIS SON.  So said Jesus Christ in Luke 10:16.

In the 15th chapter of Matthew Jesus is confronted by a group of high ranking Jews to whom He makes some cutting statements that apply to the pillars of modern Christendom.  In verses 3 and 6 through 9 He states that those who quote the Scriptures but reject them in favor of the teachings of men are hypocrites who honor Him with their lips but are far from Him in their hearts (minds).  He states that all of their worshipful religiosity is in vain.  Those who embrace the false teachings exposed in this series are cut from the same spiritual cloth as the Pharisees and scribes to whom Jesus was speaking.  These are they who carry Bibles, quote from them, wear crosses and go to church three times each week but who serve and worship Satan by rejecting God’s Word.  These are the billions whom God rejects because of their duplicity.

For this reason God commands Truth seekers to leave the Catholic/Protestant religious system and remain as far away from it as possible (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).  In this Corinthian passage the Apostle Paul makes it clear that the Lord has NOTHING to do with Satan’s religious system known globally as “the church.”  Equally clear is His command that His servants are to follow His lead.  L.J.