MYSTERT

THE HISTORY AND PROPHECY OF

MYSTERY BABYLON

COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE!

Why is it that men all over the world observe so many different days of worship? Very few know WHY the world practices the customs that they do, or for that matter, where these customs came from! Does the Bible talk about these modern customs? The answer . . . is YES! Here is BIBLICAL PROOF that there is a GREAT FALSE SYSTEM behind today’s religious/economic system! The mystery system of Babylon!

THE HISTORY AND PROPHECY OF

MYSTERY BABYLON

By L.F. Maschio

WHY?

Very few know why they do the things they do, or from where our modern religious holidays originated! We were born into a world filled with customs. Most grew up practicing them; taking them for granted, but never questioning why? Many millions today don’t realize the true origins of the holidays of modern Christianity! What about Easter, with its hot cross buns, bunnies, and Easter eggs? What about Christmas—with: Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, gift trading, Yule log, and mistletoe? Did the celebration of these days, customs and symbols come from the Bible? Does it make a difference which days the world observes? Is just any day holy to God? Most in the world would say, “Worship on whatever days seem right to you, as long as we are worshiping God, it should not matter how or when we worship Him, should it?” Millions throughout the world think this way.

THE HOLY BIBLE IS THE ONLY AUTHORITY!

What Authority does Christ say we should heed? Jesus Christ taught that we were to follow GOD’S WORD—THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, as the ultimate authority, and that is because the Holy Scriptures ARE the very word of The Eternal God!

Notice what Christ taught in Mat 4:4; and said plainly “. . . It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Christ lived by every word of God! He was speaking of ALL of the holy writings up to that time. Now notice what the apostle Paul taught the Gentiles regarding the authority of the scriptures . . . 2 Tim 3:15-16; “. . . the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” So we can see that Paul, who was personally trained by Christ, taught that the Holy Scriptures (The Bible) IS the ultimate authority unto salvation! Now the question is . . . where did the world get today’s Christian holidays? Did they get these from the Bible or paganism? Do today’s religious leaders look to the Bible, or do they lean on the traditions of men? Christ taught that HIS WORD IS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY! So WHY all the modern day confusion? The world has been deceived by Satan the Devil . . . and Christ himself said that before He returns, there will be false ministers preaching false Christianity in His name!

THE REAL GOSPEL HAS BEEN SUPPRESSED Have YOU heard the TRUE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ? Most have heard about the “person” of Christ, but were you aware that Christ brought a special message from God to mankind? The TRUE Gospel . . . His message, was the announcement of “THE KINGDOM OF GOD which is about being born into the ruling, governing FAMILY OF GOD! That is far from the message most have heard about floating around Heaven doing nothing except playing a harp. What is offered to mankind is to RULE with Christ when He returns to set up His Everlasting Kingdom . . . to judge with righteousness, and to ultimately bring ALL MANKIND into His Divine Family! But many are ignorant of the fact that there is a super spiritual being that doesn’t want this truth known; a super powerful being that has been able to suppress this message from getting to the world from the time of the 1st century apostles to the latter mid part of the 20th century. How has this happened? This super deceiver, called by the name of Satan, has done this primarily through false ministers and false traditions of men. Did you ever wonder why there are HUNDREDS of denominations all claiming to be Christians, and all believing different doctrines? Is Christ divided? Christ said He would build His Church, and that the gates of the grave would not prevail against it . . . did He build it? It has to exist today; otherwise Christ’s words are not true, and we know that they are. The True Church that Christ founded is not of any denomination or corporation, nor is it a building. It is a spiritual organism, which is led by The Holy Spirit, with all speaking the same thing. The True Church teaches the same Gospel that Christ preached when HE walked the earth.

FALSE CHRISTIANITY PROPHECIED!

Most in this present world do not realize that there is a super powerful, invisible spirit being who has control and sway over past civilizations and also over this present world! This super powerful being has one great purpose . . . and that purpose is to fool, or to deceive all peoples and nations away from the Truth of God! It is through the Bible that we can find Jesus Christ’s warnings to us about such a being. Let’s notice Mat 24:4-5 “And Jesus said unto them (His disciples) take heed that no man deceive YOU. For MANY (not a few) shall come in my name, saying I am Christ (saying Jesus is the Christ) and SHALL DECEIVE MANY”! Jesus Christ warned Christians that false ministers would deceive not just a few, but many! Christ also taught that it was possible to worship him, and to do it all in vain. Notice Mat 15:9 “But in VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” False ministers have adopted the name of Christ as a cloak for teaching their false doctrines. They are saying that Jesus is the Christ, but are throwing away large portions of Biblical Truth. Most today don’t think it fashionable to believe in a devil, but there IS a great deceiver out there who uses HIS ministers to teach people a false gospel message ABOUT Christ! The apostle Paul warned of this deceit . . . 2 Cor 11:4 “For if he that comes preaches ANOTHER JESUS, whom we have NOT PREACHED, or if you receive another spirit, or ANOTHER GOSPEL, which is different than the one you first accepted, you might put up with it”! Verses 13-15 “For such are FALSE APOSTLES, DECEITFUL WORKERS, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if HIS MINISTERS also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; . . . .” The apostle Paul through the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit wrote that Satan holds all of this world’s peoples and governments hostage as the “god of this world” and in being their god, he has successfully deceived the whole world! (2 Cor 4:4, Eph 2:2, Rev 12:9) And he does this through false religion. The people he has deceived may be sincere; they may think they’re right; they are just deceived by the great deceiver. Satan has also deceived the people of the world that the major holidays that are observed, are “Christian.” Let’s go forward and UNMASK Satan’s pagan holidays for what they are, and have always been, a masterful deception foisted on the world!

EARLIEST FALSE SYSTEM—NIMROD, AND THE CITY OF BABEL

Since the time of Babel, and continuing into our modern times, the false religion of Nimrod has dominated the world! Nimrod was opposed to God, A closer study into the original Hebrew of Gen. 10:8-10 “. . . a mighty hunter before the Lord: . . . .” indicates that he had set himself in OPPOSITION TO—and IN PLACE of God! Notice what the prominent Jewish historian Josephus says of him, “now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God . . . he also changed the government into tyranny . . .” (Ant. Bk.I Chap IV, Part 2). Notice further the testimony of Josephus: “He (Nimrod) also said he would be revenged on God, if He should have a mind to drown the world again, (regarding the great flood) for he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach!” Nimrod claimed to be the “savior” of mankind—saving them from God! The people he had conquered now followed him. After God scattered the nations at Babel (Gen 11:8), and especially after the death of Nimrod, his followers continued their rebellion in secret. They developed an intricate symbolism called “the mysteries.” This pagan system hinged on the careful renaming of all phases of their worship. In order to deceive the people, the priests of Nimrod began calling their customs by the names which seemed to honor God Himself! Nimrod took the name “Lord” which translated into Hebrew became “Baal,” and into Greek, “Adonis.” Nimrod’s mother, known to historians as Semiramis, took the title of the “mother of god,” and was worshipped as “Ishtar,” the mother goddess of dawn or light. Her new name “Ishtar” was pronounced just the way we pronounce the word EASTER in English! She was worshipped in the spring—her feast day . . . a rite of fertility! Nimrod was so evil, it is said he married his own mother, Semiramis. After Nimrod’s untimely death, his so-called mother/wife, Semiramis, propagated the evil doctrine of the survival of Nimrod as a spirit being. She claimed a full-grown evergreen tree “sprang up” overnight from a dead stump, which symbolized the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. Millions today are unaware that this is the real origin of the modern Christmas tree tradition. Even more surprising, is that on each anniversary of Nimrod’s birth, she (Semiramis) claimed that he would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. The date chosen to celebrate Nimrod’s birthday was December 25th! Sounds a lot like Christmas today, does it not? Through her scheming and designing, Semiramis (also worshipped as Ashtoreth in the pagan world), became the Babylonian “queen of heaven,” and Nimrod, under various names, became the “divine son of heaven.” Through the generations Nimrod also became the (false) messiah, son of Baal, the SUN GOD! In this false Babylonish system, the “mother and child” (Semiramis and Nimrod reborn), became chief objects of worship. This worship of “mother and child” spread all over the world. The names varied in different countries and languages.

Here are some of Semiramis’ and Nimrod’s Mystery names of worship: . . . Ashtoreth, by the Phoenicians; in Egypt, it was Isis and Osiris; in Asia, Cybele and Deoius; in pagan Rome (before the birth of Christ), it was Ishtar-Astarte, Fortuna and Jupiter-puer. Even in Greece and China, and in Japan and Tibet are to be found the counterparts of the Madonna, long before the birth of Christ! Nimrod was also known by many other names: . . . Baal—which can mean master or lord, in Babylonia he was known as “Tammuz,” by the Moabites, “Chemosh,” by the Ammonites, Molek or “Melek,” in Syria and Greece, “Adonis”—which also meant lord. In Egypt he was, as stated above, the god “Osiris,” and was identified in “mystery” symbolism as the bull. All of these names were a direct attempt to disguise their true identity, and promote the mystery. Another of Nimrod’s names was “santa,” commonly used throughout Asia Minor. (See Langer’s An Encyclopedia of World History, p. 37.) “Santa Claus” is a shortened form of St. Nicholas. The followers of “St. Nicholas” or Nimrod are termed “Nicolaitans” in the New Testament. Nicolas was merely the Greek word for Nimrod. Christ said that He hates this false worship (Rev 2:6, 14-15)! So, those people who falsely called themselves “Christians”—continued to honor Nimrod in the days of the apostle John, just as they do today! Revelation chapters two and three are directed to the Church AFTER CHRIST DIED AND WAS RESURRECTED! What were these doctrines that God hates so much? Let’s look at what God had inspired to be written in Numbers 25:1-3 “. . . and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto sacrifices of THEIR gods, and the people did eat and BOW to their gods. And Israel JOINED himself unto Baal-Peor: and the ANGER of The Eternal was kindled against Israel.” Comment: Baal-Peor was another name for Nimrod. The compound name Baal-Peor had significance to the Moabites who worshipped Nimrod as a child! Today, in midwinter, the “sacred child” is STILL WORSHIPPED! The familiar mother and child theme is a cleverly disguised pagan “mystery” which dates back to Nimrod and his mother Semiramis! The “new year’s baby” once worshipped in ancient Greece as Dionysus or Adonis- “the lord” has now been welcomed in the churches of modern Christianity! In the Smith’s Bible Dictionary under Baal-Peor, it reads “. . . it seems clearly to show that this form of Baal-worship was connected with ‘licentious rites.’ ” The word Licentious according to Webster’s Dictionary means, “a freedom from strict conduct, rule, or practice, generally permitted by common consent; excessive, undisciplined freedom.” This is the same doctrine practiced today. Just accepting the name of Christ with no works is what is commonly believed, and a false notion that Jesus did away with His Father’s commandment’s is the widespread belief!

PAGAN GODS IN THE TIME OF MOSES Notice how widespread the worship of Nimrod and Semiramis had become in the time of Moses and what God says about it! Notice in Lev 18:3-4 that God did warn His people under Moses to avoid the ways of the Egyptian culture from which they came. Verse 3 “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelled, shall you not do: . . .” God went on to instruct the Israelites to follow His special Holy days, verse 4 “You shall do MY judgments, and keep MY ordinances, to walk in them: I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD.” Lev 23:2 “. . . concerning the feasts of the Lord, (it doesn’t say feasts of the Jews) which you SHALL proclaim to be HOLY CONVOCATIONS, even these are MY FEASTS.”

Even when the Israelites had approached the Promised Land, God did again warn them of the danger of mixing in with the pagan holidays and false gods! God knew that some might be tempted to mix a small amount of pagan error with the Truth that He had handed down through Moses. God makes plain His feelings on how we should and shouldn’t worship Him . . . notice. . Deut 12:30-32 “Take heed to yourself that you be not snared into following them (pagan-gentile practices), after that they be destroyed from you; and do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? we should do it the same way. Thou shall not do so unto the Lord your God: for every ABOMINATION to the Lord, which He HATES, have they done unto their gods; for even they burned their children unto their gods. Whatever thing I command you, OBSERVE TO DO IT! You shall NOT ADD or DIMINISH FROM IT.”!

ISRAEL TURNS TO PAGAN WORSHIP AFTER JOSHUA DIED After Moses, the leadership of Israel fell upon Joshua. Joshua was a good leader, but after he died, the Israelites again went into pagan practices and forgot God. They did evil in the sight of the Eternal! They went and served BAAL! (Judges 2:11-12) Who were the principal pagan gods worshipped by these rebellious Israelites? Judges 2:13 “And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth”! The mother and child = Nimrod and Semiramis! Ashtoreth was another name for Semiramis, the so called Babylonian “mother of god!” Comment: The book of Judges is a chronicle of the repeated rebellions of ancient Israel when they entered the land of Canaan. Each time they forgot God’s Law—lost sight of His Holy Days, and His plan; they began to worship heathen gods on pagan holidays!

KING SOLOMON INTRODUCES PAGAN RELIGION INTO ISRAEL King Solomon, son of David, was considered the wisest man who ever lived (apart from Christ). Yet with all the wisdom that God had endowed on King Solomon, he did not continue to follow in his father’s footsteps. Solomon became the wealthiest man in the world, at that time, and he allowed much of his power to pervert his judgment. He then went on to disobey the Eternal, and married scores of pagan wives who persuaded him to follow along in worshipping the god of this world! God warned Solomon not to worship other gods. Notice 1 Kings 9:6-7 “But if you shall turn from following me (God) you or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes, which I have SET before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: then I will cut off Israel from their land that I have given them; . . . and will cast them out of my sight; . . . .” Did Solomon allow his many heathen wives to influence him? Did Solomon worship pagan gods? Did he also worship Semiramis—later known as Ashtoreth, Istar-Astarte, today known as

Easter? 1 Kings 11:4-7 “. . . when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with The Lord, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after ASHTORETH (Ishtar-Easter) . . . and after MILCOM (Molek-Nimrod), the ABOMINATION of the Ammonites. Then did Solomon build a high place (altar of worship) for CHEMOSH (Nimrod), the ABOMINATION of Moab . . . .”! Time and time again, the god of this world has overwhelmed God’s servants, who have not stayed close to Him, to move them away from the Truth, and to follow the customs of the pagan false gods of the world! What about our world today? Is Satan still active in recycling this deception? Are the modern peoples and nations today, worshipping Satan through his subtlety?

OUR PRESENT WORLD . . . HELD CAPTIVE IN MODERN BABYLON! Christmas, New Years, and Easter customs were celebrated in Rome long before the birth of Christ! The world today is in Babylon. The world practices customs that the pagans were practicing hundreds of years BEFORE the time of Christ, and call them “Christian!” This “Babylon” is described as a mystery religion economic system which has its hands in and over ALL parts of this world! Let’s first look at Christmas and New Year’s.

“LO SATURNALIA—MERRY CHRISTMAS”! Toward the end of December, the Romans set aside several days to celebrate the winter solstice—when the sun reached the lowest point in the heavens, and the days were shortest. The high point of this solar festival was the “Saturnalia.” Notice this quote from history out of the Dictionary of Greek & Roman Antiquities, 3rd edition, vol. 2 Art. “Oscilla.” “In private, the day (Saturnalia) began with the sacrifice of a young pig . . . all ranks devoted themselves to FEASTING and MIRTH (merry making), PRESENTS WERE EXCHANGED AMONG FRIENDS, crowds thronged the streets shouting ‘Lo Saturnalia!’ ” Figurines and masks—called “oscilla” were hung on the tree, just as Christmas decorations are today! The practice of commemorating the winter solstice IS NOT limited to ancient Rome! Nearly EVERY PAGAN NATION AND EMPIRE has observed a “counterpart” to modern Christmas customs!

CHRISTMAS TREE? Did God warn us not to practice the “Christmas tree” custom? Let’s review God’s mind on this subject. The Eternal speaking through the prophet Jeremiah commanded . . . Jeremiah 10:2-4 “. . . Learn NOT the ways of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; (signs of the skies, winter solstice) . . . for the customs of the people ARE IN VAIN; for one cuts a tree out of the forest . . . and DECKS IT WITH SILVER AND GOLD; they fasten it with nails so it doesn’t move.” Verse 8 “But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a DOCTRINE OF VANITIES”! God goes on to say that these abominations will be corrected and forcefully removed through His indignation at Christ’s 2nd coming also known as the DAY OF THE LORD (Jer 10:10,15)! But, when and how did ancient Rome accept these pagan customs to be “Christian”? Let’s look into History once again through the Encyclopedia Britannica—under History of Christmas. “Christmas observance started at Rome about A.D. 336. In Roman times, festivals of ISIS or OSIRIS (Babylon) were held on December 25th. In the religion of SOL (sun god of Babylon), festivals were determined by astronomy. The GREATEST FESTIVAL was held on December 24th--25th, the time of the winter solstice, it was regarded as the DAY OF THE REBIRTH OF THE SUN and the RENOVATION OF LIFE! In the time of Emperor Constantine, Rome’s policy was to “absorb” the pagan observances to GAIN nominal adherents to the church. In the B.C. Roman world, the Saturnalia was a time of “merry making” and “exchanging gifts!” But some say gift giving is scriptural. Didn’t this custom start with the wise men? The answer is “NO.” The wise men didn’t present gifts to Christ because it was his birthday; He wasn’t even born on December 25th! Nor did He command us to celebrate His birthday! The wise men came to present gifts TO A KING! The people of the East never approached the presence of a King without gifts in their hands. (See Clark’s Commentary vol.5 pg.46). On the Roman New Year, January 1st, houses were DECORATED with GREENERY AND LIGHTS; GIFTS WERE GIVEN TO THE CHILDREN. Fire and lights, symbols of warmth and lasting life, have ALWAYS been associated with the winter festivals both PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN. During the 4th and 5th centuries, when the pagans of Rome were accepting the “new popular customs of so-called Christianity,” hundreds of thousands carried with them, into this new religion, their old pagan customs and beliefs! They merely cloaked these beliefs with Christian sounding names . . . like the Madonna and “mother and child” idea, not to mention the

decorating of a tree which became very popular at the holiday known as “Christmas.” Even the term Santa Claus can be traced back to one of the many names of Nimrod. Santa is also called “Old St. Nick.” Here is a definition of “Old Nick” from Webster’s Dictionary, quote: water sprite (Elf like) GOBLIN—THE DEVIL—SATAN! Look this up and prove it for yourself.

Easter SUN-day! HISTORICAL AND BIBLICAL FACTS ABOUT

EASTER OBSERVANCE AND LENTEN SEASON Now let’s review some of the facts surrounding the Easter and Lenten season. Quote: Encyclopedia Britannica “Lent is borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian queen of heaven.” (Semiramis) Quote: Book of Landseers Sabian Researchers pg.112 “We are informed on how an Egyptian lent of 40 days was held in honor of Osiris.” (Babylon) Quote: Encyclopedia Britannica “In Babylon, a 40 day fast was observed as an important preliminary of the “great feast” held in commemoration of the “death and resurrection of Tammuz!” (Nimrod) Christ also died and was resurrected! Satan has deceived this world into believing that Christ would want us to celebrate the resurrection with Easter eggs, bunnies, and hot cross buns, but Christ gave only one PROOF of His Messiahship. And that one proof is that He would be THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE GRAVE (Mat 12:40), and nearly every professing Christian denies that one proof. Question? How do you get three days and three nights in the grave, between “good Friday” sunset and Easter Sunday morning? Just do the math. PASSOVER VS. EASTER CONTROVERSY Great evidence about a demonic conspiracy can be found in Roman times around the year 325 A.D. There was a raving controversy regarding Christians adhering to what Christ commanded about the Passover. “The Passover” which was to be observed FOREVER (Ex 12:14, 24)! Christ gave us a command to keep the Passover as a MEMORIAL. He just changed the symbols. The symbols of the lamb and its blood were changed to the bread and wine which are the present symbols of HIS broken body and shed blood (Luke 22:13-20)! During early Christianity, there was much prejudice between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians. The Jewish Christians had been keeping themselves separate from the Gentile Christians, because the Gentiles, at that time, were accepting Christianity in light of the fact that the Roman Church, and the emperor had agreed to a policy to “accept” pagans into Christianity in order to gain members, and allowed these pagans to bring in all of their past pagan customs into the Roman Church! Again a quote from Encyclopedia Britannica Emperor Constantine, 325 A.D Nicene Council making Easter the “official” day over Passover “We ought not, therefore have anything in common with the Jews (Jewish Christians).” “We must separate ourselves from the detestable company of the Jews.”

It goes on to say “Rome’s policy was to absorb the pagan observances in order to gain followers.” Emperor Constantine himself was not a Christian, he was a worshipper of the sun god, but he saw an advantage to “merge.” The Encyclopedia Britannica continues: “The Easter Bunny is a symbol of the PAGAN RITE of fertility” “Hot cross buns and colored eggs are traced back to the Chaldean rites of Babylonish worship!”

Webster’s Dictionary under Easter - LOOK FOR YOURSELF! The definition of Easter is “Ishtar, Astarte pagan goddess of Spring” The Bible also records that the people of Judah rebelled against God and went on to worship the “queen of heaven.” Jeremiah 7:17-18 “Do you see what they do in Jerusalem? . . . the women knead their dough to make “cakes” to the queen of heaven . . . .” (Astarte-Semiramis) YES . . . even today, modern Christianity has adopted the worship of Easter, and bakes little “cakes” for the false queen of heaven calling them “hot cross buns!” Easter was observed thousands of years before the time of Christ and the beginning of the Christian era!

Easter is merely the slightly changed English spelling of the name of the ancient Assyrian goddess, ISHTAR. It bears the Chaldean origin on its forehead, ASTARTE, the queen of heaven. In the Bible, God condemns the worship of Astarte, “the queen of heaven” as the most abominable of all pagan idolatries. In connection with the Easter celebration, God condemns Easter sunrise services!

Ezekiel was a prophet to the whole house of Israel especially for the latter days! In Ezek 8:12-18 it says, “. . . have you seen what the house of Israel does in the dark? . . . then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat women weeping for TAMMUZ”! (The Babylonian sun god!) Verses 15-16 says, “. . . has thou seen this? Turn you again and you shall see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their BACKS TOWARD THE TEMPLE of the Lord, (WEST) and their FACES TOWARD THE EAST; and they WORSHIPPED THE SUN toward the east”! This is a description of an Easter (Sun) day sunrise service! There is not a single word in the Bible telling us to observe Easter. But some in western civilization may say, “I can see that these holidays are ‘pagan in origin’ but as long as we keep them in a ‘Christian spirit’ in honor of Christ, what difference does it make?”

The answer to this question depends purely on whether God exists. If there is no God, then it makes no difference whatsoever. But if there is a living God in Heaven; and you can absolutely prove that there is, and if God says that it makes a difference to Him; then it had better make a difference to us! God says, “. . . Learn NOT the way of the heathen . . . .” (Jer 10:2) Any Encyclopedia will tell you that Christmas AND New Years, Lent and Easter, (and for that matter, Halloween, St. Valentine’s Day) are pagan festivals, long antedating Christianity! But you will also find that all of these modern holidays were ordered and supported by the Roman system under the Roman calendar, BY the MOTHER of Churches!

BABYLONIAN “MYSTERY” Christ warned his disciples “. . . take head that no man deceives YOU. For many shall come in my name, (Christ’s name-authority) saying that I (am the Christ) Christ, and shall DECEIVE the MANY”! (Mat 24:4-5) This has happened! We can prove it! Did all this past pagan practice that God condemned in the Old Testament find its way into the New Covenant Church? Let’s look into God’s word for the answers! The God of the Old Testament, the same God that the Israelites had received all true instruction from, was in fact, none other than JESUS CHRIST! He was the one who condemned the abominable pagan practices in the past times! In 1 Cor 10:1-4 we read that Christ was the Israelites’ Spiritual Rock that they were following through the wilderness! So we see that it was Jesus Christ who taught us not to blend pagan beliefs with Truth from God, and to watch out for false teaching! That means, if we are to follow Christ today, we must agree with what he always taught His servants because he changes not! Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He doesn’t change! (Heb 13:8, Mal 3:6) But we do find through the prophet Daniel, a prophecy of a power that would persecute Christ’s faithful servants and look to change God’s Laws and times (God’s appointed Holy Days)! It is a prophecy of a great religious power, a false Church that would continually try to kill off and deceive the True servants of God, and to sway the world to worship a counterfeit Jesus Christ! Notice Daniel 7:25 “And he (false religious leader) shall speak great words AGAINST THE MOST HIGH, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: (God’s sacred calendar and Holy days to Roman calendar and pagan days) . . . .” God has continually warned His people not to pollute His name by applying it to pagan worship (Ez 20:39). He has warned of false ministers who preach the lies of Baal worship in His name!

Jeremiah 23:26-27 “How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets (preachers) that preach lies? . . . Yes, they are preachers of deceit of their own heart; Which cause my people to FORGET MY NAME . . . as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal”! (the sun-god)

ROMAN CHURCH SUN IMAGES

Daughter of the old—Mother of the modern daughters of the . . . Babylonian Mystery Religion!

Rev 12:9 says that Satan has managed to deceive the whole world! Either this is true or the Bible is not true at all. And in whom or in what do you trust? We were born into this world not believing any faith. We were taught by our parents and they were taught by their parents; and so forth and so on. We have been taught the habit of tradition. Our past generations were sincere, most were trying to teach what they thought was right, only not realizing that they were deceived by a mixture of Truth and error! This is because Satan is the Great Deceiver and appears to us as an angel of light! The Apostle Paul had to confront the inroads of false teachers who sought to get their own following. He warned the true Christians of his time that after he was gone, grievous wolves (false ministers/apostles) would enter among the flock to speak perverse doctrines (Acts 20:29-30)! 2 Tim 3:13 says “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, DECEIVING, and being deceived.” Jesus Christ warned his followers that false prophets would arise. Paul learned this from Christ. Paul was able to see that the “mystery religion” was already beginning its work in his time, and that this “mystery religion” would continue right up until Christ’s second coming Notice 2 Thes 2:7-8 “For the MYSTERY OF INIQUITY (LAWLESSNESS) does already work . . . and then that Wicked shall be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming”!

DAYS, MONTHS, TIMES, AND YEARS Were the Galatian Christians, of the time of the Apostle Paul’s ministry, in danger of slipping back into “pagan” doctrine’s that they had observed as unconverted Gentiles? Paul, who was the apostle to the gentiles, found that he had to remind the gentile Christians not to fall back into their previous pagan observances. Paul writes to the Church in Galatia . . . Gal 4:8-11 R.S.V. “Formerly, when you DID NOT KNOW GOD, you were enslaved to beings that by nature, are NOT GODS. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again? You are observing special days, seasons, months, and years, (King James Version says; Ye observe days, and months, and TIMES, and years.) I am afraid that my work may have been wasted”! These were Gentile Christians that CAME OUT of PAGAN RITES! Paul was writing to Gentiles who wanted to return to observing “days-times etc.”—Gentile days-times, EASTER, CHRISTMAS, AND SUNDAY!

Notice this quote: From the Catholic Church Chrysostom, Bingham’s Antiquities of the Christian Church, pgs.1123,1124: “These superstitious ‘TIMES’ which Paul forbid, were practiced by Christians in his day, but without the idols of old. Many were superstitiously addicted to the OBSERVACE OF TIMES, and made divination and conjectures upon them . . . in celebration of these TIMES, they set up lamps in the market place, and crown their doors with garlands.” That historic quotation comes from the Roman Catholic Church! Now, what does God say? Can we prove from the Bible what is meant by the phrase “days, months, times, years”? Notice in the book of Leviticus 19:26 “. . . neither shall you use enchantment, nor OBSERVE TIMES”! Also Deut 18:10, 14 “There shall not be found among you ANY ONE that makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or an OBSERVER OF TIMES, or an enchanter, or a witch . . . For these nations, which you shall (inherit) possess, observed times, and hearkened to DIVINERS, but as for you, The Lord commands you NOT TO DO SO”! So we can see that the Eternal God commands His people NOT to observe these pagan “times.” History proves that it was the Church at Rome who influenced the Empire, which compromised with the paganism of the old world and adopted it as Christian. Notice the testimony of Walter Johnson, British archeologist: “. . . by the edict of Theodosius (A.D.392), pagan shrines were to be dedicated as ‘Christian Churches.’ Pagan festivals were converted into Christian holy days (holidays). Christian and heathen ideas were blended. Following . . . the only practical method—that of peaceful permeation the church often retained the forms of ‘heathen ceremonies,’ while actually investing these with new meanings. Again, pagan festivals were converted into Christian holy days (holidays). The yuletide merrymakings in honor of Thor - revels which have been connected with the god Adonis, Dionysus, and Mirtha—became the festival celebration of the birth of Christ. Thus, by the retention of holy oaks, of idolatrous feasts, of pagan symbols and ceremonies, of the heathen names of the days of the week, the new religion gained entrance.”

MODERN BABYLON IS HERE . . . NOW!

Christmas, Easter, New Years, St. Valentine’s Day etc. have become COMMERCIAL SEASONS! It is sponsored and kept alive by the heaviest retail advertising campaigns throughout the year! The newspapers, who sell the ads, print flowery editorials exalting the pagan season, and its “spirit.” Many take offence when told the truth! The pagan holidays, do not honor Christ, but Baal, and the selling of merchandise! Like all of Satan’s delusions, these holidays appear as “an angel of light,” and they are designed to appear “good.” Billions and billions of dollars are spent throughout the “Roman calendar year” in these merchandising sprees; while the message of Christ, and the knowledge of His True Gospel are being buried by pagan customs and superstitions! It’s part of the economic/religious system of BABYLON! This system of Babylon has a grip on the world through religion and economics! For the remaining part of this chapter, please follow these questions and answers to attain a “clear” picture of the modern prophetic fulfillment of the old pagan sun-god religion that started with Nimrod at the tower of Babel: through the times of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2), Simon Magus (Acts 8), on into the great worldwide deception of our modern day! Here are some important questions answered biblically! Look these up and prove ALL THINGS to yourself! Has this great false system taught the world to be “blurry eyed” about Christ’s true Gospel? Revelation 17:2 answers “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made ‘drunk’ (spiritually) with the wine of her fornication.” Does the entire world’s economic structure benefit from this Babylonian system?

Notice Revelation18:3 “. . . and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”

Is this “mystery system” responsible for the persecution and death of God’s called people throughout the ages? Read Revelation 18:24 “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain on the earth.” Also see Rev 13:7 “And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them . . . .” Will this great “mystery” economic-religious system, develop into an end time super militaristic system, which will fight Christ at His 2nd coming? Revelation 19:19 “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their ARMIES gathered together to MAKE WAR AGAINST HIM (CHRIST) that sat on the horse, and against His army.” Who will win this battle over the Babylonian beast system? The answer is written in Revelation 17:14 “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is The LORD of lords, and The KING of kings! And they who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” All of God’s people throughout the centuries have had to face this beast power, and to overcome it. It is the tool of the god of this world! Understanding this history and prophecy . . . can help us get the victory over Satan! The Babylonian Mystery religion, and its economic, political, and militaristic beast will at last, be destroyed FOREVER! And finally, God’s Sabbath and Holy Days will be observed by all who will have to UNLEARN FALSE PAGAN PRACTICES and will then begin to understand their incredible human potential when the Mystery system of Babylon sees its permanent destruction!

For more information about God’s True Holy Days, please contact The Vigilant Church of God at www.Christ’sKnock.com