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Particulars
of Christianity:
314
End Times Prophecy (Eschatology)
Prophetic
Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 3)
Prophetic
Symbols: The Great Prostitute (Part 1)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great
Prostitute (Part 2)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great
Prostitute (Part 3)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great
Prostitute (Part 4)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great
Prostitute (Part 5)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great
Prostitute (Part 6)
Prophetic Symbols: The Great
Prostitute (Part 7)
Articles 7-12
Articles 13-18
Articles 19-25
Articles 26-29
We will skip Greece momentarily to cover two final Biblical
passages, which display the existence of these wise men even
in the time of the Roman empire.
Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where
is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his
star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When
Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and
all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded
of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto
him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the
prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not
the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall
come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then
Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of
them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent
them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for
the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word
again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they
had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which
they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood
over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star,
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were
come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his
mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold,
and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in
a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed
into their own country another way.
This passage from Matthew provides us with the story of the
Three Magi, the three wise men from the east who come seeking
the birth of the King of the Jews. What we can gather from
these events is further confirmation of two aspects of these
wise men. First, as we have seen earlier they were astrologers
who used the stars to divine the future. Second, this passage
is conclusive confirmation that these men did indeed "know
the times" and the changing of one kingdom to the next. This
knowledge was apparently so precise that they knew at least
within a few years, but perhaps immediately, when the King
of the Jews was born. And we see that these men existed in
the days of the Roman empire.
Additionally, the Apostle Peter, in his first epistle, writes
of "the church that is at Babylon" (1 Peter 5:13).
1 Peter 5:12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you,
as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying
that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. 13 The
church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth
you; and so doth Marcus my son. 14 Greet ye one another
with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
What is interesting note in this verse is just what Peter
is indicating by Babylon. It is possible that Peter is referring
to some church that was in actual Babylon. But because it
seems that Peter was giving salutations from the church where
he himself was, this is unlikely. It is likely, that Peter
was writing from the church in Rome. In this case Peter would
be metaphorically ascribing the name Babylon to Rome, Italy.
This will become relevant later in our study. With regard
to this section, however, we see that it is possible that
the early church related Rome with Babylon in some sense,
that may portray its idolatry and sinfulness in the same manner
as Revelation 17 and 18 portray the woman who rides the beast.
One last bit of information that helps us tie all of these
groups from these different empires together is the words,
which are used to refer to these men to whom the kings turned
for guidance, the revelation of mysteries, and knowledge of
the future and the changing of kingdoms.
They are referred to as magicians in Genesis 41, Exodus 7-8,
and Daniel 1, 2, 4, and 5. In all of these cases, whether
they are in Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon, two similar words
are used. In Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel 1 and 2 the word
"chartom" is used. This Hebrew word (Strong's No. 2748) means
"diviner, magician, astrologer, writer in the sense of one
possessed of occult knowledge." In Daniel chapters 2, 4, and
5 the Aramaic word "chartom" (Strong's No. 2748) is used,
which also means "magician, astrologer."
Obviously these words are related. The spelling is the same,
the meaning overlaps. The only difference is that one word
is Hebrew and the other is Aramaic. They are even used interchangeably
in Daniel 2, where verse 2 uses the Hebrew form and verse
27 uses the Aramaic form to refer to the same group of people
who could not interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Some lexicons
will even tell you that these are actually the same word.
The word wise men is used in Genesis 41, Exodus 7, Esther
1 and 6, Daniel 2, and Matthew 2 to refer to these men. In
each of the Old Testament cases except in the Book of Daniel
the same word "chakam" (Strong's 2450) is used. In Daniel
the Aramaic word "chakkiym" (2445) is used. Again, notice
the similarity between the Hebrew and Aramaic. The primitive
root of this Aramaic word is even "chakam" (2449), which is
identical to and the root of the Hebrew word "chakam" (2450),
which is used in the other Old Testament passages.
In Matthew 2 the word "magos" is used. This word is related
to the word magi, which we use when we refer to the Three
Magi. The Greek definition for this word is worth noting.
3097 magos {mag'-os}
of foreign origin 07248; TDNT - 4:356,547; n m
AV - wise man 4, sorcerer 2; 6
1) a magus
1a) the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes,
Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests,
physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers,
soothsayers, sorcerers etc.
1b) the oriental wise men (astrologers) who, having discovered
by the rising of a remarkable star that the Messiah had just
been born, came to Jerusalem to worship him
1c) a false prophet and sorcerer
Notice that the main definition of this word is a Babylonian,
Media-Persian sorcerer and/or astrologer. This is the same
group of people that we first encountered in Daniel, the Chaldeans.
It is derived from the Hebrew word "Rab-Mag," (7248) which
means soothsayer or magician. It is also the proper name of
one chief soothsayer of Babylon, who was a chief of the princes
and officials of Babylon (Jeremiah 39:3 and 13).
These men are referred to as astrologers in Daniel 2, 4, and
5. The word that is used is the Aramaic word "ashshaph" (826).
It means "a conjurer, enchanter, or necromancer," (which is
a type of sorcerer).
We could continue, but the point is clear from the overlapping
words that are consistently used to describe them. These men
shared a common trade - their sorcery, practice of magic,
divination, and occult arts. Though the Bible has more to
say about such things we will now turn to some additional
reference materials in order to get a fuller understanding
of these people and to help fill in the gaps regarding their
significance in both Greece and Rome, the fifth and sixth
empires.
We will begin with a few relevant quotes about these wise
men and the mystery religions, which they practiced.
"Mysteries - in Greek and Roman religion, some
important secret cults...Individuals sought a more
emotional religion that would fulfill their desires for personal
salvation and immortality. Secret societies were formed,
usually headed by a priest or a hierophant. By the 5th cent.
B.C. mysteries were an important part of the fabric of
Hellenic life. Although the mystic rites were kept
secret, it was known that they required elaborate initiations,
including purification rites, beholding sacred objects, accepting
occult knowledge, and acting out a sacred drama. Some
mysteries were of foreign origin, such as the Middle Eastern
cults of Cybele, Isis, and Mithra;...The popularity of mystery
cults spread in the Hellenistic age and still more widely
in Roman times." - encyclopedia.com
Notice that encyclopedia.com corroborates what we found in
the scripture, that many of the popular mystery cults started
in the Middle East and then passed to the Greeks and Romans.
Among those Middle Eastern mysteries that passed to the Greeks
and Romans were those involving Cybele, Isis, and Mithra.
Here are some facts about those false deities, as described
in the book Dictionary of Ancient Dieties by Patricia
Turner and Charles Russell Coulter, copyright 2000, and published
by Oxford University Press. (And as a footnote, this book
is extremely exhaustive. It contains 525 pages of information
on the ancient deities, myths, and heroes around the world.)
"Mitra - (...Babylonia, India, Persia, Greece, Rome)...Also
known as: Mithra, Mithras...Sun god. Fertility god. Corn god.
Mitra is a Babylonian sun and fertility deity...as
a Vedic sun god and Hindu solar deity...In Zoroastrianism,
Mitra is known as Mithra...India adopted Mithra as Mitra and
in later times, he was worshiped in Rome...Reliefs
of a young god attired in Persian costume and wearing a conical
hat were found in Mithraic sanctuaries...the Mithraic Mysteries
excluded women but permitted men from all economic stratas
to become members. Though prevalent in Greece, it was far
more popular in Rome where it was established in approximately
67 B.C.E. The worship of Mithra in Rome became extremely
important and valued for its mystery and its ethical system."
(Page 325.)
It seems that mystery cults involving Mithra existed not only
in Babylon, but also India, Persia (Zoroastrianism originated
in Persia), Greece, and Rome. Coincidently (or perhaps not
coincidentally), this covers four of the kingdoms found in
the succession of empires depicted in Daniel 2, 7, and 8.
But let's continue with our brief survey. Cybele was also
mentioned as one of the Middle Eastern gods associated chiefly
with mystery cults, which passed to Greece and Rome. Here
are some relevant excerpts from Dictionary of Ancient Dieties.
"Cybele - (Greek, Phrygian)...(Asia Minor, known as
"Great Mother," then to Greece and Rome...) Earth goddess.
Healer. Builder of cities...Worship of Cybele traveled
to Greece and Rome." (Page 137.)
Notice that Cybele was known as "Great Mother" and the similarity
of that title to Revelation 17:5's "mother of harlots and
abominations of the earth."
Next and last on the list was Isis.
"Isis - (Egypt; also worshipped in Pompeii,
approx. 360 B.C.)... Patroness of loving wives and
mothers. Goddess of the earth, protector of the dead...The
Greeks called her Isis Pharia, the protector of seamen. She
assimilated the functions of many other goddesses...She
was worshiped in Rome and Greece, and came to be identified
with the goddess Demeter. She is also identified with Venus
(Roman), Astarte (Phoenicia), Ishtar (Babylon)...and Minerva
of Athens. Compare Isis to Ishtar (Assyro-Babylonian),
Marduk (Babylonian, who also used magic)..." (Page 243.)
There are several interesting points about Isis. First, she
"assimilated the function of many other goddesses" and so
she represents the central and essential mother goddess. And
not only was Isis worshiped in Rome, Babylon, and Athens,
which are three of the kingdoms mentioned in the succession
depicted in Daniel, but she was also worshipped in Assyria
and originated in Egypt. Assyria and Egypt are the other two
kingdoms we've identified as part of the succession of 7 empires
represented by the seven-headed beast of Revelation 13 and
17. Also worthy of note is the description that Isis was "the
protector of seamen." This parallels the description of Babylon
the Great from Revelation 18:17-19, which we covered earlier
wherein it was stated that the demise of this great city is
mourned by the shipmasters and sailors of the world.
What is important to learn from our survey of these three
ancient deities is that they involve five key elements of
the description of the woman found in Revelation 17.
1. They involve Babylon.
2. They involve mysteries and secret mystery cults.
3. They were popular in Rome.
4. And they involve mother earth goddesses.
5. Their collective popularity spans the entire range
of the kingdoms identified in the Biblical succession of kingdoms:
Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
What's important is that these "secret societies" were an
"important part" of Rome and Greek cultures, which involved
"mystic rites," which were "kept secret" and "involved accepting
occult knowledge." But no survey of mystery cults would be
complete without a mention of what is perhaps the most significant
mystery cult of the Christian era, Gnosticism.
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