The Bible Actually Predicts the Rise of Catholicism

Abstaining from marriage and Lent-

Most, if not, all Catholic holidays are found nowhere in the Bible. God doesn’t even command us to celebrate them. In fact, He abhors them (Deuteronomy 12:31). I’m not going to cover every single Catholic holiday, (for they are many in number), but I will just give an example of how wrong simply one of them are in order to demonstrate my point. Specifically, “Lent.”

“It ought to be known that the observance of Lent did not exist, as long as the primitive church retained its perfection unbroken.”–Cassianus, 5th Century

Lent is the “fortieth” day before Easter (another pagan holiday not commanded to be celebrated) and is observed in many Christian denominations, unfortunately. This is the six and one half week period that lasts from "Ash Wednesday" to "Easter Sunday." During Lent, Christians fast and refrain from various pleasures. This is said to be for the purpose of preparing to commemorate the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Although the Holy Scriptures do ordain a period of fasting in commemoration of Christ, this was not the forty day period known as Lent. In the Book of Leviticus it is written:

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation (holy gathering) unto you; and he shall afflict your souls (fast)…”–Leviticus 23:26-27

Furthermore, Paul prophesied of such a doctrine concerning unholy fasting in his epistle to Timothy. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 reads as follows:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”-1 Timothy 4:1-3

Paul is specifically prophesying of the rise of the Catholic faith. In Catholicism, which is the "mother of all other Christian denominations", (according to Catholics), priests are prohibited from getting married. In addition, they have instituted a spring fast attributed to the suffering of Christ. However, such a fast and its rituals are rooted not in Christ but in the pre-Christian Pagan worship of antiquity.

The word Lent means “spring” and derived from the Old English word “Lencten." Spiritually speaking, all roads lead to Babylon and such is the case in regard to the forty day spring fasts. In one version of the Babylonian myth, “Tammuz the great hunter” was slain while hunting a wild boar. Devotees mourned for him through weeping ceremonies for forty days. During the days of Ezekiel this ritual was even found among the Israelites. Ezekiel writes:

“He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. 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.”-Ezekiel 8:13-14

Worshippers of Tammuz wept with his consort Ishtar believing that his rebirth would mean the regeneration of life within nature. Similar feasts are found throughout pagan peoples of antiquity. For instance, the ancient Egyptians observed a forty day fast in honor of Osiris.

The sign of the cross rubbed with ashes is not exclusive to Constantinian Christianity; it is found throughout the ancient world and was used as prominent symbol of the pagan Gods. For example, “the Tau cross was inscribed on the foreheads of initiates into the Mysteries of Mithras.” It is also interesting to note that the act of simply sprinkling ashes directly on the head, which is also done on "Ash Wednesday," was done in honor of the pagan Norse god Odin as well. The placing of ashes above the brow always occurred on Wednesday, the day named in honor of Odin.

If it is true as Cassianus attests that, “… the observance of Lent did not exist, as long as the primitive church retained its perfection unbroken” (John Cassianus, Conference 21, The First Conference of Abbot Theonas on the Relaxtion During the Fifty Days, Chapter 30.), why is it observed today? Within the Holy Scriptures we find no commandment to observe such a fast. Undoubtedly, if the Christian veneer of Lent is wiped away, we see what mirrors an ancient pagan fast.

Just so you can truly understand how wicked the celebration of this fast is, I’m going to unveil the roots of Tammuz.

Tammuz the demigod apparently began as a Sumerian shepherd named Dumu-zid or Dumuzi. His father was the ancient Mesopotamian god Enki [also known as the Akkadian/Babylonian Ea, who saved the family of Utnapishtim (Noah) from the flood in the “Epic of Gilgamesh”], and his mother was the sheep goddess Duttur. In the earlier Sumerian culture, Dumuzid/Tammuz was the god of sheep, lambs, and sheep’s milk—a pastoral deity. In the later Akkadian mythos, he was the god of agriculture.

Tammuz was known as “the good, young one,” and his beauty caught the attention of Inanna (known to the Akkadians as Ishtar), who took him for her consort. At some point, they had a falling out. The most common story is that Ishtar travelled to the netherworld to take the throne of her sister, Ereshkigal. For her hubris, Ishtar was condemned by the Anunnaki (judges of the underworld) and sentenced to be killed and her corpse hung from a nail or hook. While Inanna/Ishtar was dead, sexual relations ceased over the entire universe. Enki/Ea allowed her to be resurrected, but she had to find another soul to take her place. She scoured the world, looking for someone who wasn’t mourning her death. Eventually she found her husband, Dumuzid/Tammuz, dressed in rich clothing and sitting on her throne.

In retaliation for his lack of devotion, Inanna/Ishtar set her demons on Tammuz. He hid in the home of his sister, Geshtinana, but the demons eventually caught up to him and dragged him to the underworld. Eventually, Inanna/Ishtar regretted her extreme measures, and the gods compromised by having Dumuzid/Tammuz and his sister alternate time in the underworld.

Another version says Inanna/Ishtar went to the underworld to rescue Dumuzid/Tammuz after he was killed by underworld raiders.

The story of Inanna and Dumuzid spread beyond the Sumerian and Akkadian Empires to other cultures. In Egypt, Tammuz relates to Osiris. Osiris, married to the faithful Isis, was killed by his brother Set for his throne. Accounts vary, but somehow Isis brought Osiris back to life in time to sire Horus before he was killed again. In appreciation for Isis’ devotion, the gods made Osiris the leader of the underworld, the Nile (whose tides ebb and flow, bringing life and death), and agriculture (with its cycle of dormancy and restoration).

In Greece, Ishtar and Tammuz seem to have inspired the story of Aphrodite and Adonis. Aphrodite gave the infant Adonis to her sister Persephone to protect in the underworld. Persephone fell for the beautiful child, as well, and the sisters fought. Zeus finally intervened, declaring Adonis had to stay four months with Persephone, four months with Aphrodite, and four months wherever he pleased. Sometime later, Adonis was killed by a boar. Zeus honored Aphrodite’s mourning by allowing him to remain above ground half the year.

Whether we’re talking about Dumuzid, Tammuz, Osiris, or Adonis, the theme of death and resurrection runs through the mythology. Because of this and his early identification as a shepherd, Tammuz in all his forms is known as the god of fertility and agriculture. During the Sumerian Festival of Tammuz, the king took on Tammuz’s identity and mated with a priestess; this act was said to ensure the fertility of crops and animals for the year. Tammuz’s retreat to the underworld, generally said to occur at the summer solstice when the weather turns hot and dry, brought the end of fertility of plants, animals, and humans. His return marked the restoration of plenty.

Later observance of the Tammuz/Adonis rituals was somewhat unique in that they were performed primarily by women, and, while worship may have included celebrations for Tammuz’s return, the mourning of his death was emphasized more. The women’s tears recalled the supposed tears of Ishtar that brought Tammuz back. This is what the women in the gate of the temple were doing in Ezekiel 8. It is easy to see why the Lord referred to this pagan observance as an abomination; a vile fertility god was being honored in the very place the One True God had sanctified for Himself.

Less well-documented legends further muddy the identity of Tammuz. The Sumerian King List mentions two kings named Tammuz. The first is the fifth king before the Flood, a shepherd who reigned for 36,000 years; the second king on the list is a fisherman who reigned for 100 years circa 2700 BC, immediately before Gilgamesh. Other legends say that Tammuz was the son of Nimrod (founder of both Babel and Nineveh, Genesis 10:8–12), but since Nimrod is thought to be Gilgamesh’s alter-ego, it’s impossible to say which was the origin of the legend.

Some critics claim that the legend of Dumuzid/Tammuz/Osiris/Adonis served as the inspiration for the “legend” of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The differences, however, are too many to take this claim seriously:

Tammuz/Adonis/Osiris was rescued from the underworld by a faithful lover.

Jesus was raised from the dead by Himself in conjunction with God.

“Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.” (John 10:17)

“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” (Acts 2:32)

Tammuz/Adonis died once a year.

Jesus died only once.

“For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” (Romans 6:10)

Osiris died once forever. Jesus rose once forever.

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10)

Tammuz/Osiris’s death and rebirth brought life to agriculture.

Jesus’ death and resurrection brings life to our souls.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The cult of Tammuz promised rich provision in the form of grain and sheep, but it is only Jesus who gives life and gives it to the full (John 10:10). It is said that Tammuz was a shepherd. But only Christ, the Good Shepherd, willingly laid down His life for His sheep (John 10:11, 18). Whatever modern-day idols we chase in the desire to have plenty, it is only God who can provide what we need (James 1:17).

[Note, Baal was a fertility, agriculture, and earth “god” of the ancient cultures (much in the same manner that “Tammuz” was) and was later exported to Egypt where he was worshipped as the storm god. The Semitic word Baal means lord or master, and the ancient people believed he was in charge of all of nature and humans. The Bible usually refers to Baal as “Molech.” The name derives from combining the consonants of the Hebrew melech (“king”) with the vowels of boshet (“shame”), the latter often being used in the Old Testament as a variant name for the god Baal. This is the same god people sacrificed babies and children to, by the way:

“And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.”-Jeremiah 32:35

“And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.”-Leviticus 18:21

“Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.”-Leviticus 20:2-5

The rotten stench of the demon “god” of fertility, Molech, still pervades today. It just goes by a different name now in the veil of a different form of sacrifice to it.

Abortion.]

Besides 1 Timothy 4:1-3 predicting the rise of Catholicism, we see this happen other times in the Bible.

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue (Daniel 2)-

God often spoke to prophets through dreams, but perhaps none so much as Daniel (Daniel 1:17). When Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his wise men reveal both his dream and the meaning, Daniel obliged. The king’s dream had been of the statue of a man: a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, body and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, feet of iron and clay. A stone cut without human hands then struck the feet of the statue, and the statue crumbled, but the stone became a mighty mountain (this “stone” is obviously Jesus). Daniel revealed that the different parts of the statue were different earthly kingdoms that would come into power, making this dream a far-reaching prophecy. The gold head was Babylon, the silver chest and arms were Medo-Persia, the thighs were Greece, and the legs Rome. The exact identity of the feet has not yet been revealed; it seems to be related to the Roman Empire (the feet and the legs both contain iron), and the ten toes seem to correspond to the ten horns mentioned in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. We know that the final worldwide kingdom will be ruled by the Antichrist. The stone in the dream, the one that destroys all the kingdoms and fills the earth, is the kingdom of God, established when Jesus returns to reign over all the earth forever.

Daniel’s dream of the four beasts (Daniel 7:1–8)-

Daniel had several dreams and visions of end times events that he couldn’t understand. One was of four great beasts: a lion with eagles’ wings, a bear with three ribs in its teeth, a leopard with four bird’s wings and four heads, and a monster with iron teeth and ten horns. A messenger from heaven interprets the dream for Daniel: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth” (Daniel 7:17). The lion was Nebuchadnezzar; the bear was the Medo-Persian Empire (the three devoured ribs were Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt); The leopard was Greece (the four heads representing how the Greek Empire was torn into fourths after the death of Alexander the Great); and the last was the Roman Empire, but with a twist. Although the beast was Rome, the ten horns speak of future events. They will be ten world leaders who will revive the Roman Empire and bring forth the Antichrist, the “little horn” of verse 8.

"The queen of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17-25)-

The phrase “the queen of heaven” appears in the Bible twice, both times in the book of Jeremiah. The first incident is in connection with the things the Israelites were doing that provoked the Lord to anger. Entire families were involved in idolatry. The children gathered wood, and the men used it to build altars to worship false gods. The women were engaged in kneading dough and baking cakes of bread for the “Queen of Heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18):

"The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger."-Jeremiah 7:18

The title "queen of heaven" referred to Ishtar, an Assyrian and Babylonian goddess also called Ashtoreth and Astarte by various other groups. She was thought to be the wife of the false god Baal, also known as Molech. The motivation of women to worship Ashtoreth stemmed from her reputation as a fertility goddess, and, as the bearing of children was greatly desired among women of that era, worship of this “queen of heaven” was rampant among pagan civilizations. Sadly, it became popular among the Israelites as well.

The second reference to the queen of heaven is found in Jeremiah 44:17-25, where Jeremiah is giving the people the word of the Lord which God has spoken to him. He reminds the people that their disobedience and idolatry has caused the Lord to be very angry with them and to punish them with calamity. Jeremiah warns them that greater punishments await them if they do not repent. They reply that they have no intentions of giving up their worship of idols, promising to continue pouring out drink offerings to the queen of heaven, Ashtoreth, and even going so far as to credit her with the peace and prosperity they once enjoyed because of God’s grace and mercy.

"But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?"-Jeremiah 44:17-19

[Note, it's a pagan practice to sacrifice food to other gods. You'll see a common thread with Catholics in that many will often offer food and drink to statues of Mary and other saints, and burn incense at the feet of those same statues. Statues that cannot speak nor hear them.]

It is unclear where the idea that Ashtoreth was a “consort” of Yahweh originated, but it’s easy to see how the blending of paganism that exalts a goddess with the worship of the true King of heaven, Yahweh, can lead to the combining of God and Ashtoreth. And since Ashtoreth worship involved sexuality (fertility rites and temple prostitution), the resulting relationship, to the depraved mind, would naturally be one of a sexual nature. Clearly, the idea of the “queen of heaven” as the consort or paramour of the King of heaven is idolatrous and unbiblical.

Catholics love to refer to Mary as "queen of heaven" and have given her this title. Interestingly, in pagan antiquity, you'll find a tradition in where a queen would often marry her own son. This was common practice due to their gods reflecting this abhorrent practice in their mythologies. The origin coming from Nimrod.

Most celebrate the birthday of Jesus on December 25th. We need to know the reason why we do it on that day because it's also the traditional birthdays of Nimrod, Osiris, Jupiter, and various other representations of the child-god of the Babylonian religious system. The day also rests on the winter solstice i.e. more pagan sun worship.

[Note, we can also thank Pope Gregory for the current Gregorian calendar, which rearranged the previous Julian calendar to match the Pagan holidays that the Roman Catholic Church now claims as Christian holidays…]

To understand the history of the child-god, we have to look at Genesis 10:8-10:

"And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."-Genesis 10:8-10

The Bible does not identify Nimrod's mother, or his date of birth, but Egyptian and Babylonian antiquities identify his mother as Semiramis, and his birthday is celebrated on 25th December. Sometimes Semiramis is referred to as the mother of Nimrod, and sometimes as his wife, leading to the belief that Nimrod married his mother.

The Biblical reference to Nimrod as a "mighty hunter" is important because he was seen as the "Saviour" of the ancient world for that very reason. People were living in small, scattered villages with little protection from wild animals. Nimrod was more than just a hunter, he was also a charismatic figure who could gather people together to build walled cities where they could live in safety. They were obedient to him as their leader, and considered that their loss of independence was a price worth paying for the safety that Nimrod and his kingdom offered.

There is nothing in the Bible about the death of Nimrod, but the ancient traditions suggest that he died a violent death. One tradition says that he was killed by a wild animal. Another says that Shem killed him because he had led the people into the worship of Baal.

His wife-mother, Semiramis, who had risen to greatness on his account, was not going to disappear into obscurity because of his death. Instead she pronounced him to be a god, so that she herself became a goddess. She produced another son, and proclaimed him to be the resurrected Nimrod. This was not difficult, because she was so promiscuous she produced many children whose father could not be identified. She proclaimed that she had gone down to the world of the dead, rescued Nimrod and brought him back.

Thus began the worship of Semiramis and the child-god, and the whole paraphanalia of the Babylonian religious system.

Why on earth would Catholics be calling Mary the "queen of heaven" considering the history behind the title and if her literal son is Jesus? It's condemned directly in Scripture! It doesn't matter what excuse Catholics bring up, the title has idolatrous and wicked roots. Anyone with common sense can see how wrong this is.

There is no queen of heaven. There has never been a queen of heaven. There is most certainly a King of Heaven, the Lord of hosts. He alone rules in heaven. He does not share His rule or His throne or His authority with anyone. The idea that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the queen of heaven has no scriptural basis whatsoever. Instead, the idea of Mary as the queen of heaven stems from proclamations of priests and popes of the Roman Catholic Church. While Mary was certainly a godly young woman greatly blessed in that she was chosen to bear the Savior of the world, she was not in any way divine, nor was she sinless, nor is she to be worshiped, revered, venerated, or prayed to. All followers of the Lord God refuse worship. Peter and the apostles refused to be worshiped (Acts 10:25–26; 14:13–14). The holy angels refuse to be worshiped (Revelation 19:10; 22:9). The response is always the same: “Worship God!” To offer worship, reverence, or veneration to anyone but God is nothing short of idolatry. Mary’s own words in her “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46–55) reveal that she never thought of herself as “immaculate” or deserving of veneration; on the contrary, she was relying on the grace of God for salvation: “And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Only sinners need a savior, and Mary recognized that need in herself.