"EASTER" -AND "BABYLON THE GREAT"

"EASTER" -AND "BABYLON THE GREAT"

The Apostles foretold that after they died, the pure faith of Christ would be corrupted by false teachings. This Great "Apostasy" or falling away from the true faith - would be the result of a compromise with the ancient teachings of pagan Babylon. John, when writing about this great Apostasy - called it "Babylon The Great". Why ? Simply put - a false Christianity would arise - that would embrace all the false idolatrous teachings of Ancient Babylon. At the time of John's warnings about "Babylon The Great", the ancient city of Babylon no longer existed - but her false teachings live on - not only in pagan cults, but even today, in the false teachings of "Christendom". "When the early church departed from God and imbibed pagan errors, she became Babylon.." - the International Sabbath School Quarterly, Feb. 29, 1896 "It was by departure from the LORD, and alliance with the heathen

that the...church became a harlot." - The Great Controversy, page 382. In 1851, James White wrote : 'The woman, which is the great city, called Babylon, symbolizes the fallen apostate churches'.... "

"EASTER" - ANOTHER "LINK" TO ANCIENT BABYLON

With the celebration of "Easter" which is on the minds of many today, how appropriate that the "Truth" about this So-called Holiday - should be exposed for what it really is---- A compromise with Ancient Babylon. With all the compromises that the apostate Church has made with idolatrous Babylon - Little wonder that she is called : "BABYLON - THE GREAT " "Bible scholars further indicate that the Chaldean-Babylonian priesthood did not make Pergamos their final home. When the city was given to Rome, the priesthood sought out the new power center and moved to the Italian peninsula. Within the pagan Roman Empire they were able to continue their ancient Chaldean practices. This influence gradually extended into Roman Christianity. According to John Walvoord, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary, "when the teachers of the Babylonian mystery religions later moved from Pergamum to Rome, they were influential in paganizing Christianity and were the source of many so-called religious rites which have crept into ritualistic churches" -(The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Revelation). - Through an Ancient Looking Glass; DAVID HULME; publisher and Middle East scholar

"EASTER" and Ancient Babylon What is the connection ?

"Easter - She was the goddess of love, fertility, and maternity for the Phonicians, Canaanites, Aramaeans, South Arabs, and even the Egyptians. Her name was Ishtar in Babylonia and Assyria..." -World Book, Vol. 1, 782.

"The term 'Easter' is not of Christian origin. It is another form of Astarte, one of the titles of the Chaldean (Babylonian) goddess.... the pagan festival of 'Easter'... was introduced into the apostate Western religion, as part of the attempt to adapt pagan festivals to Christianity " - Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (1985, p. 192, "Easter").

Easter - "In Babylonia Ishtar was identified with Venus. Like Venus, Ishtar was the goddess of erotic love and fertility. Her chief seat of worship was Uruk (Erech), where prostitution was practiced in her name and she was served with immoral rites by bands of men and women." - The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1979, Volume 1, pages 319-320

Easter - "Ishtar... the most important goddess of the Sumero-Akkadian (Babylonian) pantheon. Ishtar was equated with the planet Venus. As goddess of physical love (sex), she was patron of the temple prostitutes. Throughout Mesopotamian and Babylonian history she was worshiped under various names in many cities....Astarte of Phoenicia was the offshoot of Ishtar of Assyria. To the Hebrews, this abomination was known as Ashtoreth or Ashtoroth." -Collier's Encyclopedia, 1980, Volume 15, page 748

Easter - "Ashtoreth; The name is cognate with the Babylonian Ishtar, the goddess of sensual love, maternity and fertility. Licentious - debased sexual worship was conducted in honor of her." - Unger's Bible Dictionary ; pages 412-413 "Easter - Other names of this deity were Ashtoreth, Astarte and Anath. Frequently represented as a nude woman bestride a lion with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other... Characteristically Canaanite - the lily symbolizes...sex appeal and the serpent fecundity. At Byblos (Biblical Gebal) on the Mediterranean, north of Sidon, a center dedicated to this goddess has been excavated. She and her colleagues specialized in sex... and her shrines were temples of legalized vice and prostitution. Her degraded cult offered.... sordid depths, as lust and murder were glamorized in Babylonian Canaanite religion." - (W. F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, Baltimore, John Hopkins Press, 1942, pages 68-94).

"Easter - Frequently represented as a nude woman bestride a lion with a lily in one hand and a serpent in the other..." - (W. F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religion of Israel, Baltimore, John Hopkins Press, 1942, pages 68-94).

Christendom's "Easter Lily" origin can be seen from the above observation. Easter Resurrection Worship : "God told the Israelites to destroy all traces of these false religious practices from among them. He said if they did not, they would be ensnared and destroyed by them. God was right! Somehow these things have made their way into the Church and the lives of Christians. What does this all have to do with Easter? Well, another set of local Babylonian names included Tummuz and Ishtar. These are Assyrian names for Nimrod and Semiramus. Does the name Ishtar sound like Easter? Well it should. It is the same. The death and "resurrection" of these false gods was celebrated annually in the spring. The celebration included coloring eggs, an ancient symbol of fertility. The ancients even hid eggs for children to find. Rabbits, known for their prolific reproduction, also became part of the pagan celebration." - Resurrection Sunday and the Babylonian Connection; By Errol Hale "Multiple gods and goddesses populated the Babylonian pantheon. Bel-Marduk or Bel-Merodach was chief god, and Ishtar (Easter) was worshiped as queen or mistress of heaven. Fertility rites, annual spring festivals and "mysteries" were elements of the religion designed to keep all levels of society, from king to peasant, in subservience to the power of the priesthood." - Through an Ancient Looking Glass; DAVID HULME; publisher and Middle East scholar "Christianity had co-opted pagan time for its festivals and calendar, without scriptural mandate and in obvious contradiction to scriptural commands...thus ancient Babylonian religion had replaced apostolic teaching and practice." - Augustine's Poisoned Chalice; PETER NATHAN "Augustine...simply re-dressed paganism with Christian nomenclature." - Augustine's Poisoned Chalice; PETER NATHAN "There in ancient Babylon were born the false beliefs that have wormed their way into almost every religion.

Even today millions and millions of people who may want to live according to the right ways are not aware that their manner of worship follows very closely that of ancient idol worship and pagan rites begun at Babel. People today, calling themselves Christians, keep the Babylonian festivals of the Solstice at Christmas and of Easter, which is the festival of Ishtar (the ancient fertility goddess of Babylon)." - Nimrod and False Religion; Adapted from Chapters 5 of The Bible Story Volume 1 by Basil Wolverton Published by Ambassador College Press. "Babylon was, at that time, the center of the civilized world; and thus Paganism...had opportunities of sending forth its debased counterfeit of the truth to all the ends of the earth." - Hislop, A., The Two Babylons, Loiseaux Brothers, Neptune, N.J. pg 99.

JOHN's WARNING ABOUT "BABYLON THE GREAT"

John makes a connection with the false so-called Christian church and ancient Babylon. In Revelation 17, verses 1-5, he labels this institution as 'Mystery, Babylon". Notice the comma after the word Mystery, and then afterwards comes the mention of a bygone empire based upon pagan religious works. Babylon was destroyed by the Medes and Persians in the 5th century B.C. and as a result, the priests of the ancient Chaldean Mysteries moved from Babylon to the city of Pergamos. John identified this city as the city of Satan's Seat in Revelation 3:12-13. Rome acquired the city of Pergamos by decree of Attalus III when he died and bequeathed his kingdom to Rome's Caesar. Thus the foundation was laid for Rome to eventually evolve into the religious institution predominated by the ancient Babylon styled Mysteries religious system.

Literal Babylon of old was overthrown under the direct judgment of God; but before this, the call went forth to God's people: "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life; be not cut off in her iniquity: for it is the time of Jehovah's vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense." (Jeremiah 51:6)(ASV)-BibleGateway Babylon went down but the principles of Babylon's religion persisted in the nations she had taught, even in the nations that overthrew her. Every false religion on the earth has been founded upon that of ancient Babylon. Even though ancient Babylon no longer exists we are told once again to get out of her...much as God's servants were warned through the prophet Jeremiah. "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! .... "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins..." (Revelation 18:2,4)(NIV)-BibleGateway

"BABYLON THE GREAT" -IS IDENTIFIED

"Babylon the Great is the secret name. It is telling us that Babylon the Great refers to a religious system." -Studies in Revelation By: J. Hampton Keathley, III , Th.M. The Description of Religious Babylon (17:1-6a)
"Babylon's description as "the great harlot" refers to the spiritual prostitution and fornication that categorizes the apostate church." -Studies in Revelation By: J. Hampton Keathley, III , Th.M.

The Description of Religious Babylon (17:1-6a)

"The word "apostasy" means to fall away. Paul is telling us that, just before the Lord's return, most people will fall away from the true faith of the Bible." -End Time; The Other Woman; Herbert L.Peters "When the early church departed from God and imbibed pagan errors, she became Babylon.." - the International Sabbath School Quarterly, Feb. 29, 1896 "It was by departure from the LORD, and alliance with the heathen that the...church became a harlot." - The Great Controversy, page 382. In 1851, James White wrote : 'The woman, which is the great city, called Babylon, symbolizes the fallen apostate churches'.... " When John wrote the book of Revelation, Babylon, as a city, had already been destroyed and left in ruins, as Old Testament prophets had foretold that it would. (Isaiah 13:19-22)(Jeremiah 51-52.) "Though the city of Babylon was destroyed, its religious concepts and customs had spread around the world. Today's myriad of false religions have their origin in ancient Babylon." -All Roads Lead to Babylon "Ralph Woodrow, in his book, Babylon Mystery Religion (first published in 1966, now out of print), clearly traces the practices and teachings of ancient Babylon, and their modern counterparts in the Roman Catholic Church and her Protestant daughters. Babylonian ideas are by no means isolated to professing Christianity." -All Roads Lead to Babylon "Mankind in general, has followed variations of

one kind or another, of the religion of Babylon, to this day." -Ralph Woodrow; Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966 "Rome...assimilated religions from her many conquered territories. All these religions had commonalities, for they all came from Babylon. These practices infiltrated and overcame the professing Christian Church, which later came to be dominated by Rome itself." -Ralph Woodrow; Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966 "This is the cup which the Babylonish system has made all the world to drink. It is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church of Rome, but she certainly plays a major role in today's religious deception." -Ralph Woodrow; Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966 "The Romish system is based upon a mixture. The word "Catholic" means Universal...the true Christian goal is not religion based on mixture, but a return to the original, simple, powerful, and spiritual faith that was once delivered to the saints." -Ralph Woodrow; pg. 161 Babylon Mystery Religion; 1966 "There is NO trace of Easter celebration in the New Testament. The Jewish Christians in the early church continued to celebrate the Passover, regarding Christ as the true paschal lamb." -(International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright(c)1996 by Biblesoft)
"There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament, or in the writings of the apostolic Fathers. The ecclesiastical historian Socrates (Hist. Eccl. V. 22) states, with perfect truth, that neither the Lord nor his apostles enjoined the keeping of this or any other festival...and he attributes the observance of Easter by the church to the perpetuation of an old PAGAN usage, just as many other customs have been established (by the pagan church of Rome)." -Encyclopaedia Britannica, 13th Edition, 1926, Vol. 8, p.828

"Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life; be not cut off in her iniquity: for it is the time of Jehovah's vengeance; He will render unto her a recompense." (Jeremiah 51:6)(ASV)-BibleGateway "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! .... "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins..." (Revelation 18:2,4)(NIV)-BibleGateway