And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day. Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

(2Ki 21:10-16)

Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

(2Ki 23:26-27)

And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.

(2Ki 24:2-4, see also Jer 15:4)

The fall of Judah is one of the most notable events in the Old Testament. In 587 B.C., the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem. The Lord God allowed the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity due to the sins of Judah. (It should also be noted that in 709 B.C., the northern 10 tribes of Israel were similarly sacked by the Assyrians for similar sins described in 2 Ki 17:17-23). The cause of the fall of Judah in 587 B.C. are neatly summarized in the above verses in 2 Ki 21:10-16, 2 Ki 23:26-27, 24:2-4: the sins of King Manasseh of Judah.

Although King Manasseh is known to Christians and other students of the Bible, it is important to understand what the sins of Manasseh were since the fall of Judah to the Babylonians has prophetic significance. In the book of Revelation, Babylon is prominently featured in several places including Revelation 17-18. Careful study of Revelation 17-18 indicates that the harlot Babylon depicted therein may be viewed as a symbol of apostate religion (most notably Christianity). Therefore, it is important to understand what the sins of Manasseh were in order to gain some possible insight into what sins lead to apostate Christianity.

At the death of the third king of Israel (Solomon) in 931 B.C., Israel became divided into two parts: the northern kingdom (referred to as Israel consisting of 10 of the tribes of Israel) and the southern kingdom (referred to as Judah consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin). After Solomon, Israel had 20 kings (all bad kings) and Judah also had 20 kings (7 good and 13 bad), resulting in a total of 23 kings for each sub-divided kingdom. The 17^th of the 23 kings of Judah was King Manasseh (son of good king Hezekiah and grandfather of good king Josiah). Manasseh reigned for 55 years (2 Chr 33:1) from 697 B.C. to 642 B.C.

The sins of Manasseh are concisely identified in the Bible in 2 Chr 33:2-9 and 2 Ki 21:2-11. 2 Chr 33:2, and 2 Chr 33:9 notes that Manasseh did that which was evil in the sight of Lord, even worse than the ungodly inhabitants of the land of Canaan, which Lord drove out so Israel could inhabit the ‘promised land’. The sins listed in 2 Chr 33:2-9 and 2 Ki 21:2-9, on the surface, could appear as being so outrageous and horrible that people today just do not do those type of things. Although such sins as idol worship, building sacrificial altars, worshiping heavenly bodies and child sacrifice may seem scarce today, a careful study (by comparing Scripture with Scripture) will show us that the sins encouraged by Manasseh are alive and well today, albeit in a ‘more contemporary, sophisticated’ manner.

It is also important to understand that the events of the Old Testament are completely relevant in the Christian life in 1 Cor 10 we find this passage:

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

(1Co 10:1-13)

Step #1 – Building High Places – Rebellion from the Word of God resulting in Prideful, Works-Based Religion

For he built again the high places which his father Hezekiah had broken down…. (2 Chr 33:3, 2 Ki 21:3)

– Old Testament Examples of High Places

Although on the surface, it is easy to disregard this sin in today’s modern world since we do not generally see the prevalence of worship being performed in physically elevated areas. However, we must understand the Bible’s teaching on high places in the Bible and that the occurrences that occurred in the Old Testament were written for our admonition (1 Cor 10:11). In the Old Testament, high places (Hebrew word H1116, ‘bamah’) were physically elevated places where people could worship and give sacrifices to their gods. However, these high places provoked God to anger (Ps 78:58, see also Lev 26:30). Below are some examples of ‘high places’ in the Old Testament.

Heathen nations often worshipped their gods or perform other religious practices in high places:

Moab – Is 15:2, 16:12, Jer 48:35, Num 21:28, 22:41, 33:52, Deut 32:13
Baal worship – Jer 19:5-6, 32:35, Num 22:41

Because there was no house of God built yet, kings Saul, David and Solomon often regarded high places as spiritually significant:

Saul (with Samuel) performed sacrifices – 1 Sam 9:12-14, 19, 25
Prophets came down from high places to meet Saul – 1 Sam 10:5, 13
Saul and Jonathan slain – 2 Sam 1:19- 25
David with Zadok the priest prior to building temple at Gibeon – 1 Chr 16:39, 21:29
Solomon at Gibeon – 2 Chr 1:3, 13
Solomon built for Chemosh and Molech (god of the Moabites and Ammonites) – 1 Ki 11:7

Bad kings of Israel / Judah set up / worshipped at high places:

Jeroboam (4^th king of Israel) set up high places which were never completely removed – 1 Ki 12:31-32, 13:2, 13:32-33, 2 Chr 11:15
Jehoram (8^th king of Judah) – 2 Chr 21:11
Ahaz (15^th king of Judah) – 2 Ki 16:4, 2 Chr 28:4, 5
Israel exiled in part due to high places – 2 Ki 17:9-11
After exile of Israel (northern 10 tribes), Samaritans continued to worship in high places – 2 Ki 17:29-32
Manasseh built again high places -2 Ki 21:3, 2 Chr 33:3, 17
Jerusalem considered to be ‘high place’ of Judah where sin occurred – Micah 1:5, 3:12, Jer 26:18

Good kings of Judah which removed high places:

Asa (6^th king) – removed from Judah (2 Chr 14:3-5), but left in Israel (2 Chr 15:17)
Hezekiah (16^th king) – removed high places (2 Chr 31:1, 32:12, 32:19)
Josiah (19^th king) – removed high places in Judah and Israel (2 Ki 23:5-20, 2 Chr 34:3, 15-20)

Good kings of Judah which did not remove high places:

Jehoshaphat (7^th king) – 21 Ki 22:43, 2 Chr 20:33
Uzziah (13^th king) – 2 Ki 15:3-4
Jotham (15^th king) – 2 Ki 15:35

Prophets who condemned worshipping in high places:

Micah – Micah 1:3, 1:5, 3:12
Amos – Amos 4:13, 7:9
Isaiah – Is 36:7
Jeremiah – Jer 7:31, 19:5-6, 26:18, 32:35
Ezekiel – Ezekiel 6:3, 6:6, 16:16, 16:24-25, 20:29, 36:2

– Spiritual Significance of ‘High Places’ – God and His Dwelling Place

In order to understand the spiritual significance of ‘high places’, it is important to compare Scripture with Scripture. As mentioned previously, the Hebrew word for ‘High Place’ is bamah (H1116) which appears about 100 times in the Old Testament. However, this word can also be related to other Hebrew words that indicate high, lofty places (H1361-H1365 and H7311-7319), which appear in several hundred other places in the Old Testament. We find that these other Hebrew words are also used to described high places where false worship took place (e.g., high hills – Eze 6:13, 20:28, 34:6, Deut 12:2, Is 2:11-17).

A high place in the Old Testament can also refer to God and Jesus:

God is exalted / holy – Is 5:16
In PS 113:4, we find that it is Lord (i.e., the LORD) who is high above all, whose glory is above the heavens – Ps 113;4
It is the LORD God who dwells on high – Ps 113:5-7
Lord is exalted above the heavens -Ps 108:5
Lord is referred to as the Most High God – Ps 50:14, 46:4, 73:11, Mk 5:7, Lk 8:28, Acts 16:17, etc.
Lord’s ways are higher than our ways – Is 55:9
Lord is seated on a throne and is high and lifted up – Is 6:1
The servant (Jesus) shall be exalted and be very high – Is 52:13 (see also, Eph 4:8-10, Ro 8:34, Eph 2:4-7, Col 3:1-3, etc.)
God is exalted – 2 Sam 22;47, Ps 18:46, 21;13, 46:10, 57:5, 57:11, 108:5
God’s name is high – Neh 9:5
Lord built his sanctuary on high – Ps 78:69
Lord high above the people, He dwells on high– Ps 113:4-5

A high place can also refer to heaven itself:

As the heavens are higher than the earth – Is 55:9 (see also Ps 103:11)
High as heaven – Job 11:8
Earth is referred to as ‘beneath’ heaven – Ex 20:4, Deut 4:39, 5:8, Josh 2:11, 1 Ki 8:23, Is 51:6, Acts 2:19
High place, where God dwells with him of a contrite and humble spirit – Is 57:15
Heaven is high above the earth – Ps 103:11
Lord high above His people – Ps 99:2 Ps 113:4)

– Satan’s Desire to Exalt Himself to a High Place

When we examine the Scripture, we find that Satan also desired to lift himself into the ‘high place’:

Satan desires to ascend above the heights (Hebrew word bamah) to be like the Most High God – Is 14:14 (see also 2Th 2:4)
Nebuchadnezzar (type of Satan) – like a lifted tree high to heaven – Dan 4:10-11, 20, 37
King of Tyre (Satan) lifted up in his beauty – Eze 28:2, 5, 17
The man of sin exalts himself above God – 2 Th 2:4
A messenger of Satan given to Paul so he would not be exalted above measure – 2 Cor 12:7

– Man’s Desire to Exalt Himself – The Tower of Babylon

Another important Bible passage is the historical lesson about the Tower of Babel (a.k.a., Babylon). This passage is found in Gen 11:1-9. The purpose of the Tower of Babel was to build a tower whose height would reach to heaven so the people could make a name for themselves (Gen 11:4). This was a Biblical portrait of man, in his pride, desiring to reach into heaven and work his way up to God, salvation and a ‘higher consciousness’. This brings us to our next very important fact concerning high places.

– Pride is a High Place

Throughout the Bible (Old and New Testaments), to be high or lofty is also a symbolic reference of being prideful. The word translated pride in many cases is the same word translated elsewhere as high or lofty. Similarly, the words translated as humble usually refer to being in a low place. As those who wished to build the Tower of Babel, so too are the proud:

Bible passages regarding pride being a ‘high place’:

Uzziah’s heart lifted up in pride – 2 Chr 26:16
Hezekiah’s heart was lifted up, but he humbled himself – 2 Chr 32:25-26
Pharoah (as a high cedar tree_ lifted up in pride – Eze 31:3, 5, 10
David’s heart not haughty, nor his eyes lofty, he did not exercise himself in things too high for him – Ps 131:1
Before destruction, the heart of man is haughty (high) – Pr 18:12
Daughters of Zion haughty (high) – Is 3:16
Sodom had pride, fullness of bread, idleness, they were haughty (high) and committed abomination – Eze 16:49-50
God’s people to no more be haughty – Zeph 3:11
Edom prideful; made nest as high as the eagle – Jer 49:16 (Job 39:27)
They who have a high look and a proud heart will be cut off – Ps 1-1:5
Everyone proud (high) in heart is an abomination to the Lord – Pr 16:5
The patient in spirit is better than the proud (High) in spirit – Ecc 7:8
The wicked through pride (high) do not seek God – Ps 10:4
Pride goes before destruction and a haughty (high) spirit before a fall – Pr 16:18
Eyes of the lofty shall be humbled – Is 5:15, Is 10:33
Loftiness of a man shall be bowed down and haughtiness made low – Is 2:11
People will say their hand is high and God has not done all – Deut 32:27
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down – Is 2:11, Is 2:17
Moab was haughty – Jer 48:29
A high look and a proud heart…is sin – Pr 21:4
Belshazzar’s heart lifted up in pride – Dan 5:19-23

Humility is often compared to pride as being lowly:

A man’s pride shall bring him low – Pr 29:23
Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud – Pr 16:19
When pride comes, there comes shame. But, with the lowly is wisdom – Pr 11:2
The Lord has put down the mighty from seats and exalted them of low degree – Lk 1:52
O thou Capernaum, which are exalted un to heaven shall be brought down to hell – Mat 11:23 (see also Lk 10:15)
Parables of Pharisee and Tax Collector and Wedding Feast – Everyone that exalts himself will be abased, and everyone that humbles himself will be exalted – Lk 18:14, Lk 14:11 (se also Mat 23:12)
Serving the Lord with all humility of mind – Acts 20:19
Be clothed with humility (lowly in mind), for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble…humble yourself…that He may exalt you in due time – 1 Pet 5:5-6 (see also James 4:6)
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves – Phil 2:3
And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself (lowly mind) and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Wherefore God has highly exalted Him… – Phil 2:8-9
Put on humbleness (lowly) of mind – Col 3:12
Mind not high things, but condescend t men of low estate – Ro 12:16
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that is exalted…but the rich who is made low – James 1:9-10
God comforts those who are cast down – 2 Cor 7:6
Take my yoke upon you, for I am lowly and meek – Mat 11:29

– The New Testament Definition of a High Place (Eph 6:12 and 2 Cor 13:3-5)

Eph 6:12 and 2 Cor 13:3-5 are key verses in order to understand the applicability of ‘high places’ for us today:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

(Eph 6:12)

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

(2Co 10:3-5)

In these verses, we find two passages that specifically discuss the Christian’s battle with ‘high places’. In these verses, we find that we do not was against people, governments, politics, ‘the system’ or anything else carnal. Christians are engaged in a spiritual warfare against spiritual darkness / wickedness in high places. That is, just as we previously studied, Satan seeks to exalt himself against God (Is 14:14) we find that we are similarly tempted by Satan to sin and follow the ways of the world (of which he rules – 2 Cor 4:4).

Specifically, in 2 Cor 10:5, we find that high things are they that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. We must continually follow God through His Word, Jesus. We find that Word of God written in the pages of our Bible. The word ‘imaginations’ in 2 Cor 10:5 is the Greek word ‘logismos’, which could also be translated as arguments or beliefs. Therefore, the high places today refer to the false religions, false doctrine, new age and worldly philosophies that are not in accord with the truths of the Bible. Just as the ‘high places’ in the Old Testament were a false form of worshipping and knowing God, so too we must strive to find the true God. We must tremble in humility at His Word (s 66:2).

– Summary and Application to the Church Today

The first step in the sin of Manasseh in 2 Chr 33 was that he rebuilt the ‘high places’ that his good father Hezekiah and broken down. Instead of being obedient to his father (Eph 6:1-2, Jer 35:14, 18, Pr 1:8, 6:20, 23:22, Lk 2:51, Gen 28:7), his father’s desires and beliefs were discounted.

High places in the Old Testament were a place where God’s people would worship in vain. Similar to the desire of Satan, they wanted to find a location where they could be elevated in order to worship. Essentially, they would build their ‘Tower of Babel’ in order to reach into the heavens. Establishing high places was never ordained by the Lord. On the contrary, they were considered the wrong way to worship. God established His own way for people to worship (i.e., the tabernacle in the wilderness, later changed to the temple at Jerusalem, which were spiritual portraits of Christ and proper worship of God). Unfortunately, in their lofty, high-minded pride, they developed other ways to approach God.

In the Bible, we learned that people who are prideful are referred to as the lofty people who exalt themselves above others and the truth of God. The humble tremble at God’s word and are considered lowly and contrite. They submit to God’s word.

Although physical ‘high places’ are not prevalent today, the prevalence of spiritual high places is great. As we say in Eph 6:12 and 2 Cor 10:3-5, the high places that we have today are false religions, false doctrine, new age and philosophical wisdom which contradict the Word of God. In churches today, there are many ‘high places’ of false doctrine that contradict the clear teachings of the Bible. There are a vast array of denominations that essentially have become modern-day Babylon. They inherently contradict each other. Some points of doctrine are never talked about in churches due to the potentially controversy they could create.

The below questions (although not exhaustive) are provided to allow the reader to evaluate whether they or their church may be worshipping in churches / places that have high places:

Is the Bible the focus of the worship experience or have other activities such as music, entertainment, sports and social activities become the dominant theme?
Does the church teach the absolute necessity of humility being in evidence in a Christian’s life or does the church allow for pride and selfishness?
Is the whole Gospel preached including sin, repentance, eternal judgment and the need for salvation or is the preaching focused mostly on the love of God and providing tools to lead a successful, victorious life?
Is the leadership of the church male or have females become elders, leaders and speakers when the church is assembled together?
Is the doctrine of salvation by grace only (by the sovereign election of God’s people) or is salvation by man’s free will the gospel that is preached?
Is there healthy church discipline or does recognized sin in the church body go without discipline?
Does the church teach and encourage holy living or have the ways of the world become more important?
Is divorce and remarriage preached against or has the church resigned itself to accepting divorce as acceptable in some situations?
Are miraculous gifts recognized as apostolic gifts that existed to validate those who were used to write the New Testament or are gifts of signs and wonders active in the church?
Are elders of the church screened by Biblical criteria or are elders chosen based on their societal position even though they do not meet the Biblical qualifications?
Does the church maintain its distance from the world’s philosophies or has psychology, new age and other philosophical beliefs crept into the church?
Does the church live in a manner that reflects the humility of Jesus Christ or are its leaders highly paid and does the church building have luxurious accommodations?

Step #2 – Worshiping Baal – Worshiping Satan by Practicing Sin

…reared up altars for Baalim (2 Chr 33:3, 2 Ki 21:3)

Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.

(2Ch 33:4, 2 Ki 21;4)

– Old Testament References to Baal

Baal was an ancient false god primarily in the land of Canaan. Baal (Hebrew words H1166 through H1178) simply mean ‘master’. It is a title that was applied to false gods in Old Testament times. The word is sometimes used to describe an owner (e.g., Ex 21:28-36, 22:11-15, Job 31:37, Pr 1:19, Ecc 5:1-13, Is 1:3, 62:4-5). It was also used in Old Testament times to describe a husband (e.g., Ex 21:22, Deut 21:13, 22:22, Pr 31:11, 23, 28, Jer 3:20, Joel 1:8, Pr 12:4). The feminine version of Baal (i.e., Baalah) was also used to refer to a woman in power (i.e., mistress – 1 Sam 28:7, 1 Ki 17:17, Nahum 3:4).

However, most of the time, Baal referred to the god of the Moabites (Num 21:28, 22:41, 25:3-5, 32:38, Deut 4:3, 1 Chr 5:8, Ps 106:28, Eze 25:9, Hos 9:10), Zidonians (1 Ki 16:31), Midianites (Judges 6:25-33, 8:33) and Ammonites (Jer 40:14). It is the god of these Canaanites, who the Lord drove out of the land, that Israel and Judah served (see 2 Chr 33:3, 2 Ki 21:3, Jud 2:11-13, 3:7, 8:33, 10:6-10, 1 Sam 12:10, 1 Sam 7:4, 2Ki 17:16, 2 Ki 10:18, etc.).

There were some notable judges and kings in Israel that put away Ball worship. For example, Gideon (a.k.a., Jerubaal) rescued Israel from Midian, who worshiped Baal. Gideon is well known for throwing down the altar of Baal, where his father made sacrifice (see Jud 6:25-32, 7:1, 8:29-35, 9:1-2, 5, 16-28, etc). However, after the death of Gideon, Israel promptly returned to the worship of Baal (Jud 8:33). Other kings of Israel that served Baal include Ahaziah (1 Ki 22:53), Manasseh (2 Chr 33:4) and notably King Ahab of Israel, who had married Jezebel, the daughter of the Zidonian king (1 Ki 16:31-32, 1 Ki 18:18-26, 40, 1 Ki 19:18). Notably, Jezebel had 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherim (see discussion of ‘groves’ below).

Altars to worship Baal were also constructed. There were altars to burn incense to Baal (Jer 7:9, 11:13-17, 32:29, Hos 11:2). There were also altars constructed to burn sacrifices to Baal (Jud 6:25-32, 1 Ki 16:32, 18:26, 2 Ki 11:18, 21:3, 2 Chr 23:17, 33:3, 34:3, Jer 11:13). These sacrifices included corn, oil, silver and gold (Hos 2:8). Also, Jer 19:5, 32:35 records that there were high places for Baal worship, which included burning children as sacrifices to Baal. Judah had forgotten the Lord’s name in deference to Baal (Jer 23:37). They walked after Baal (Jer 19:14, 2:23, 7:8-9) and swore by Baal (Jer 12:16).

– Beelzebub is the Key to Understand who Baal Represents

In the Old Testament, we find that Baal is a god that was extensively worshipped by the nations of Canaan, Israel and Judah. But, just who is Baal? How may Baal be applicable to the church today? Have altars to Baal been set up within the church today? Thankfully, God provides more insight for who Baal is in the New Testament. The key linkage to understand who Baal is and represents today is found in the New Testament passages concerning the accusation by the Pharisees and scribes that Jesus cast out demons by the prince of demons, who is Beelzebub: Mat 12:22-32, Lk 11:14-23, Mk 3:22-30. We can use the passage in Matt 12:22-32 to understand who Baal represents:

Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

(Mat 12:22-32)

We find in this passage (Mat 12:24, 27) that Jesus was accused by the Pharisees of casting out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons. The Greek word ‘Beelzebub’ (Greek word G954) is transliterated from the Hebrew word (Baal Zebub, H1176, literally ‘Lord of the flies – 2 Ki 1:2-3, 2 Ki 1:6, 2 Ki 1:16) as a parody and literally means ‘Master of the Dung’. The parody involves the Hebrew title literally meaning ‘Lord of the Flies, while the Greek word used in Mat 12:24, 27 is ‘Lord of the Dung’.

The word ‘prince’ (Greek G758, archon) of the devils literally means ‘chief’ of the ‘source’ or first power. So, it should become apparent that the Pharisees (Mat 12:24) and scribes (see Mk 3:22) claimed that Jesus was under the control of Satan since Satan would obviously be the prince (or chief) of the demons. Moreover, in the passage itself (see Mat 12:25-26), Jesus asserts that if ‘Satan cast out Satan’ (i.e., the casting out of demons by Beelzebub), Satan would be divided against himself and Satan’s kingdom could not stand. Therefore, it should be clear from this passage (see also Mat 10:25) that ‘flies’ in the Old Testament represented demons and ‘Baal’ spiritually represents Satan.

– The Names and Actions of Satan

In Rev 12:9 and 20:2 there are four primary names / titles used for Satan (i.e., Satan, Devil, Serpent, Dragon). The following names and titles are used to describe Satan:

Satan
- Literally means: the adversary / accuser
- This name occurs 36 times in the New Testament Greek (Satanas) and 19 times in the Old Testament Hebrew (Satan)
- The use of Satan in the New Testament is a transliteration of the Hebrew word
- A good example of the use of Satan as adversary is when Satan was accusing that Job would deny God if he suffered – Job1:6-9, 12, 2:1-7
Devil
- Literally means: the false accuser
- This name occurs approximately 35 times in the New Testament Greek (diabolos)
- ‘Devil’ is used interchangeably in the New Testament for Satan
The Dragon – Rev 12:3-17, 13:2, 13:4, 13:11, 16:13, 20:2
The Serpent – Gen 3:1-14, 2 Cor 11:3, Rev 12:9, 12:14-15, 20:2
The wicked (or evil) one – Mat 13:19, 38, 1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, 5:18, John 17:15
The god / prince of this world – Mat 4:8-9, 2 Cor 4:4, Eph 2:2, Eph 6:12, John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11,
Roaring Lion – 1 Pet 5:8

Satan attacks Christians

The wiles of the devil – take up armor of God – Eph 6:10-20
Takes advantage – 2 Cor 2:11
Beguiles Christians from the simplicity in Christ – 2 Cor 11:3
Deception by transforming himself into an angel of light – 2 Cor 11:13-15
Power, signs and wonders – 2 Thess 2:9
Walks around like a roaring lion, trying to devour – 1 Pet 5:8
The depths of Satan – Rev 2:24
Dragon deceives whole world – Rev 12:9
Dragon persecutes the woman (church) and makes war – Rev 12:13-17
Christians must resist the devil and he will flee – James 4:6-7 (see also 1 Pet 5:8-9)
Give not place to the devil – Eph 4:27
Synagogue of Satan – Rev 3:9
Elders can fall into snare of the devil – 1 Tim 3:7

Satan deceives / blinds the world

Blinded minds of those who do not believe in Christ – 2 Cor 4:4
Deceivableness of unrighteousness, sends strong delusion – 2 Thess 2:9-11
Dragon deceives whole world – Rev 12:9
Deceives the nations – Rev 20:2-3
Snare of the devil – 2 Tim 2:26
The whole world is in wickedness – Gal 1:4, Titus 3:3, James 4:4, 1 John 5:19, 1 John 4:4-5, John 15:18-19, Ro 1:28-32, 3:9-18, 1 John 2:15-17

– Are You a Child of God or a Child of Satan?

A sublimely simple truth in 1 John 3:10 is that a person is either a child of God or a child of Satan (see also Acts 13:10, John 8:38, 41, 44, Gen 3:15, 1 John 3:12).

Consider 1 John 3:6-10:

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

(1Jn 3:6-10)

These verses teach that a Christian will not practice sin. Christians are indwelt with the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:9) and will be convicted when they sin and will turn away from sin. Notably in 1 John 3:10, the Bible teaches us that the children of God are manifested by their humble repentant attitude towards sin and their on-going desire to please God and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. However, the children of the devil have an on-going desire for sins and therefore, are different from children of God. A true Christian will be known by his fruits (Mat 7:16, 7:20, Phil 1:11, etc.).

Another Biblical assertion that that there are only children of God or children of Satan can be found in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

(Mat 13:24-30)

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

(Mat 13:36-43)

The important facts to observe in the above is that the farmer’s field represents the entire world. Either there wheat grains (i.e., children of God) or there are tares (i.e, children of the wicked one).

– Is Satan in the Church?

The fact that Baal means ‘master’ accords with the Scriptural assertion that Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4) and this world is evil (Gal 1:4). This world is a dark place that exists in a state of confusion since Satan is in control. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (1 Cor 14:33). However, when we see confusion throughout the world, in religion and in churches, we know very well that Satan is at work in Babylon (which literally means confusion). The Christian is commanded to keep himself unspotted from this world (James 1:27) and not to be conformed to this world (Ro 12:1-2).

Because Satan is often understood as a hideous, ugly, dark character as portrayed in the common culture of movies, media and folklore, it is easy to be deceived as to where Satan really is focused. We are accustomed to believe from common culture that Satan resides in haunted houses or in other dark and creepy places. However, that is not what the Bible teaches at all:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

(2Co 11:3-4)

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; whose end shall be according to their works.

(2Co 11:13-15)

The Bible that teaches that Satan is transformed into an angel (or messenger) of light. He is the author of subtle deception (Gen 3:4-13). His ministers (demons) are also angels of light and do Satan’s bidding. In fact, Babylon (which represents apostate Christianity) is the habitation of devils and every foul spirit (Rev 18:2). We find numerous New Testament warnings concerning those who creep into the churches and bring deception (2 Cor 2:17, 4:2, Mat 24:24, Acts 20:30-31, Gal 1:6-8, 2;4, 3:1, Eph 4:14, 6:24, Col 2:4, Col 2:8, Col 2:18, 2 Thess 2:3-11, 1 Tim 1:3, 4:1-4, 2 Tim 3:1-9, 3:13, 4:3-4, Tit 1:10, Heb 13:9, 1 Pet 4:17, 1 Pet 5:8, 2 Pet 2:1-14, 3:3, 3:17, 1 John 2:18, 1 John 4:1, 2 John 7-11, 3 John 9-11, Jude 3-4, Rev 12:9). These warnings about false and perverted gospels and deception occur in almost every book of the New Testament.

– Do Churches only Consist of Christians?

Consider Mat 7:12-14 and Mat 7:21-23:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

(Mat 7:12-14)

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

(Mat 7:21-23)

A very important truth is that there are many, many people who believe that they are children of God (i.e., Christians), but in reality they are not Christians. They are those who practice iniquity. They are children of the devil (1 John 3:10). Coupled with the fact that we observed above concerning the extensive warnings of deception and false gospels (which means that there are many false teachers within the church), we find that Satan’s focus is on the church. Even in the church there are wheat and there are tares. There are Christians and non-Christians. We do not know who are those that are saved and those who are not. Nor do we know the percentage of those saved and those who are not. We only know that the gate to salvation is narrow and the gate of destruction is broad.

– Worshiping / Serving – the Altar of Baal (Satan) in the Church

It is important to understand that the church in the Old Testament was Israel (later separated into the northern 10 tribes of Israel and the southern two tribes of Judah and Benjamin). In Acts 7:37-38, the Bible informs us that Moses was in the church in the wilderness (which was Israel). This church ultimately became apostate resulting in the northern tribes (Israel) being taken into captivity by Assyria and the southern tribes (Judah) being taken into captivity by Babylon. The reason for captivity, in part, was that Israel / Judah turned from the worship of Jehovah God to the worship of Baal. It is interesting that Jesus Christ called the Pharisees children of the devil and that they were like their father Satan (John 8:38, 41, 44) who was a liar and a murderer. At this time the Israel, the ‘church’ was under the control and influence of Satan.

Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.

(2Ch 33:4 – see also 2 Ki 21:4)

As we find in the above verse, Manasseh built altars in the house of the Lord to serve Baal. This in in direct violation of the 2^nd commandment (Ex 20:4-6) to not worship idols. Contrary to that commandment, Israel / Judah worshiped and served Baal (1 Ki 19:18, Ro 11:4, 1 Ki 16:31, 22:53, 2 Ki 10:19-23). In the original design for the House of the Lord, it was commanded by God that there were two altars. The first was the altar of burnt offerings (where certain animals were sacrificed, see Ex 27:1-8, 38:1-7). However this altar was established in the court of the house of the Lord and not in the holy place itself (Ex 40:6, 29-30, 33). The second was the altar of incense, where sweet incense was burned as a fragrance to the Lord (Ex 30:1-10, 37:25-29. This altar was in the holy place (Ex 40:26, Heb 9:4). The sacrifices of animals were intended to be symbols for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (e.g., Heb 9:11-27, 10:1-18), while the burning of incense on the incense altar represent the continual prayers that God’s people offer up as a sweet smelling aroma (Rev 5:8, 8:3-4, PS 141:2, Lk 1:10). In addition to these symbols, we find that Israel / Judah built altars for Baal where apparently sacrifices (including human) and incense were burned:

Sacrifices:

Jud 6:25-32, I Ki 16:32, 18:26, 2 Ki 11:18, 21:3, 2 Chr 23:17, 33:3, 34:3, Jer 11:13, 19:15

Incense:

Jer 7:9, 11:13, 11:17, 32:29, Hos 11:2

It is important to note that the altars were placed in the house of the Lord. Sacrifices were not to be made in the house of the Lord. The sacrifices were performed in the court (representing that Jesus was crucified outside of the Holy Place – Heb 13:8-13).

But what about today’s visible church? Is it controlled by Satan (Baal) or by God? Are people in church serving God or serving Satan? In order to understand the characteristics of a church that is controlled by God, we need to understand what it means to be a Christian. The fundamental characteristic is that once saved, a Christian becomes a servant of Christ and righteousness (Phil 1:1, 2 Pet 1:1, John 13:16, 2 Cor 4:5, Rev 1:1, Ro 1:1, Gal 1:10, Col 4:12, 2 Tim 2:24, Ro 6 (entire chapter)). On the other hand, people who are in the church, but not saved would still be serving Satan and unrighteousness (2 Tim 2:26, Ro 6:16-20, Ro 8:34, 2 Pet 2:19).

In order the further understand the power of Satan and what he has to offer people, we should consider the temptation of Jesus Christ (Mat 4:1-11, Mk 1:12-13, Lk 4:1-13). There were three fundamental temptations:

Food (turn stones into bread) – represents lust of flesh
Testing God (attempt suicide) – represents intentional sin
Worship Satan (possess kingdoms and glory) – represents worshiping other gods / idols

– Summary and Application to the Church Today

The second step in the sin of Manasseh in 2 Chr 33 was that he reared up altars of Baal within the house of the Lord. Baal represents Satan and the altars represents worshipping and serving Satan within the church (house of the Lord).

The below questions (although not exhaustive) are provided to allow the reader to evaluate whether they or their church may be worshipping and serving Satan:

Does the teaching in the church include the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:28) including preaching against sin and the need for holiness to exist in the believer’s life or does the teaching limit itself to harmony and the love of God?
Is Biblical church discipline for sinful practices exist or does the church avoid church disciple?
Does the church remain distinctive and separate from the world or does the church follow the world in its sinful practices?
Does church teach separation from the lusts of the world including fashion, inappropriate or worldly music, pleasures, over-eating (gluttony), excessive financial debt, divorce and re-marriage, pre-marital sex, unbalanced time spent on material possessions, vacations, pleasures, TV / internet / social media, reliance on political action and involvement, over-working for financial gain, unholy careers, pride in careers, position or civic leadership, excessive possessions and obsessions, excessive time on sports, over-achieving, selfishness, acceptance of sexual perversions, laziness, etc.?
Does the church primarily minister spiritual needs or has the focus of the church become ministering to the needs of the community and the needs to of those who have sins (serving Satan) that are not consistent with being a Christian?
Do the church activities focus on the teaching of the Word of God or have they been altered into fellowship activities focused around sports, yoga, entertainment, social services, self-help groups, addiction groups, etc.?
Does the church teach sole reliance on the Bible for spiritual matters or does it compromise by allowing for psychology, eastern religious practices and other philosophies that are Satanic in origin?
Does the church teach the whole counsel of God, truthful unbiased, in-depth Biblical exposition and believe in the authority of the Scriptures (Bible) or do they only teach certain portions of the Bible, exclude ‘controversial and offensive’ Bible passages, only teach the Bible in a superficial, non-spiritual and / or historical manner?
Does the church teach that salvation is only by the grace of God, based on God’s will and not man’s free will or do they allow for ‘easy-believism or a free will, do-it-yourself gospel?
Does the church teach that the signs, wonders and miracles recorded in the Bible were apostolic signs that pointed to various aspects of salvation or do they believe in miracles, signs, wonders, tongues, dreams or other forms of God speaking to people outside of the Bible?

Step #3 – Making Groves (Asherim) – Worshiping and Serving the Apostate Church

…and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel…

(2 Ki 21:3)

And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

(2Ki 21:7)

– What is a Grove?

The term ‘grove’ occurs about 40 times in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. In other versions besides the KJV of the Bible, the word for ‘grove’ is defined in other terms such as Asherim poles, Asherim, sacred poles, idol poles and shrines. The Hebrew word (H842) translated as ‘grove’ in the KJV version is based on the Hebrew word (H833), which means ‘happy’. We know from verses such as Ex 34:13, Deut 7:5, 12:3, Deut 16:21, 2 Ki 18:4, etc.), that these idols were likely wooden poles made out of trees that could be ‘cut down’ and ‘burned’.

These idols often were placed next to (or co-existed) with idols of Baal (see Jud 3:7, 6:25-30, 1 Ki 18:19, 2 Ki 17:16, 21:3, 23:4, 2 Chr 33:3, 34:4). Groves were a sin of Israel / Judah (Is 27:8-9, Jer 17:12, Micah 5:12).

‘Groves’ were built / allowed by the following notable people in the Bible:

Gideon’s father – Jud 6:25-30
King Jeroboam – 1 Ki 14:15-16, 2 Ki 13:6 (a cause of Israel’s exile – 2 Ki 17:10-16)
King Rehoboam – 1 Ki 14:23
Good King Asa’s mother – 1 Ki 15:13, 2 Chr 15:16
King Ahab – 1 Ki 16:33
King Joash – 2 Chr 24:18
King Manasseh – 2 Ki 21:3, 7, 2 Chr 33:3, 19

‘Groves’ were removed by the following people:

Good King Asa – 2 Chr 14:3
Good King Jehoshaphat – 2 Chr 17:6, 19:3
Good King Hezekiah – 2 Ki 18:4, 2 Chr 31:1
Good King Josiah – 2 Ki 23:4-7, 2 Chr 34-3-7

– King Ahab, Queen Jezebel, Baal and Ashtoreth

In order to further understand what the ‘groves’ (or asherim) really were (and even more importantly, what their relevance is for us today), we find important clues in the Bible passages regarding bad King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel. King Ahab was the (11th) king of the northern kingdom of Israel:

And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

(1Ki 16:29-33)

In this passage, we find that Ahab was a very evil king. He built an altar for Baal and he also made a ‘grove’ (Asherim). (King Manasseh similarly built a grove (2 Ki 21:3)). Importantly, we find in this passage that Ahab married the daughter of the king of the Zidonians (1 Ki 16:31). The Zidonians were a nation of the Canaanites, who served the goddess Ashtoreth (1 Ki 11:5, 1 Ki 11:31-33, 2 Ki 23:13):

For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

(1Ki 11:5)

And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

(1Ki 11:31-33)

And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.

(2Ki 23:13)

In the above passages, we find that King Solomon (3^rd king of Israel) had introduced Ashtoreth to Israel as a result of Solomon marrying foreign wives. Similarly, Ahab married a Zidonian woman who would have been a worshiper of Ashtoreth. Additionally, Ashtoreth was worshiped in Israel during the times of the judges (Jud 2:13, 10:6, 1 Sam 7:3-4, 12:10). Notably, in these passages we find that Ashtoreth was worshipped with Baal as well. Because we find many instances of Baal being worshiped in conjunction with both groves (asherim) in Jud 3:7, 6:25-32, 1 Ki 18:19, 2 Ki 17:16, 21:3, 23-4-7, 2 Chr 33:3-4, 34:4 and also Baal was worshiped in conjunction with Ashtoreth in Jud 2:13, 10:6, 1 Sam 7:4, 12:10, it can be safely concluded that the groves (asherim) were a reference to the wooden pole that was used to worship Ashtoreth. Queen Jezebel (who worshiped her Zidonian goddess Ashtoreth) also assembled 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the grove (asherim). It should be noted that commentaries such as the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, Jamiesson-Faussett-Brown, etc. note that the groves (asherim) were objects used to worship Ashtoreth (a.k.a., Astarte).

– What does Ashtoreth Symbolize?

Based on a study of Queen Jezebel (a Zidonian) who worshiped the goddess Ashtoreth, it can be established that the building of the groves (asherim) were a means to worship the goddess Ashtoreth (see Hebrew words H6251-H6255). The word Ashtoreth literally means ‘flock’ as used in relationship to a flock of sheep. We find clear evidence that the word ‘ashtoreth’ used in Deut 7:13, 28:4, 28:18, 28:51 literally means flock:

And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

(Deu 7:13)

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

(Deu 28:4)

Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

(Deu 28:18)

And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.

(Deu 28:51)

So, we find a Biblical correlation between the groves (asherim) and flocks of sheep. Flocks of sheep in the New Testament in the New Testament is a reference to a group of believers (i.e., church – see Mat 7:15, 10:6, 12:11-12, 15:24, Mk 6:34, etc.).

Another important observation is that the groves (asherim) and the goddess Ashtoreth are closely related and are often present with Baal. As we saw in Step #2 above regarding Baal, Baal is in reality simply a spiritual reference to Satan, who is also called the King of Babylon in Is 14:3-23. Similarly, Baal’s consort in the list of Manasseh’s sins (2 Ki 21:3, 2 Chr 33:3) and elsewhere is the grove (asherim), which is used to worship the goddess Ashtoreth. Therefore, Ashtoreth can be viewed as woman who is Queen to Satan (Queen of Babylon). The Queen of Babylon in Rev 18:7 can be shown to be a reference to apostate Christianity. That is, descriptions of Babylon such as the ‘great whore’, the ‘woman’, a ‘queen, not a widow’ and many other descriptions indicate that Babylon is a spiritual portrait of the apostate church. The reader is referred to the article entitled ‘Babylon – The False Christian Church in the Book of Revelation’ for an expose’ of Babylon:

Woman (female) as a portrait of the church – Eph 5:22-33, Mat 25:1-13, Rev 19:7-8, 21:2, 2 Cor 11:2, Ps 19:5, Mat 9:15, Mat 25:1-10, Is 62:5, 61:10, Jer 2:32, Jer 7:34, Jer 16:9, Jer 25:10, Jer 33:11, Mk 2:19-20, Lk 5:34-35, John 3:29, Rev 12, Gal 4:21-31, 2 John 1, 2 John 4, 2 John 13, 1 Pet 5:13, Jer 31:32, Hos 2:1-13, Is 54:1-7, Is 50:1, Deut 24:1-4.

Combining the facts suggest that the worship of the groves (asherim) discussed in 2 Chr 33:3, 2 Ki 21:3 can directly relate to worshiping the church:

Groves (asherim) were the objects used to worship the goddess Ashtoreth
Worshiping both Baal and asherim (Ashtoreth) together relate to the male aspect (Satan, king of Babylon) and the female aspect (apostate church, queen of Babylon)
Making an altar in the house of the Lord relates to worshiping and serving (by making sacrifices) the goddess Ashtoreth (apostate church)

– Worship of the Carved Image (Asherim) in the House of the LORD

(2Ki 21:7)

It is important to note in this passage that there was a graven image of a grove (i.e., asherim) that was placed directly in the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord consists of a Holy place and a Most Holy place. The Bible teaches (see Hebrews 9) that the Most Holy place was a spiritual portrait of the place of God (i.e., heaven). It represents the completed work of Christ (mercy seat located on the ‘ark of the covenant’). It was where the sweet incense of the believers reach unto God Himself. Once a year the High Priest would enter into the physical Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, which represented the atoning, sacrificial work of Christ. The Holy Place (just outside of the Most Holy place) is where the lampstand and the table of showbread were. This represents the daily ministry of ministering in the Word of God and sharing the witness of the Gospel. The House of the Lord represents the temple of where God dwells, which includes dwelling in the true church of all saved people (i.e., Christians) individually and collectively (John 14:2, 2 John 10, 1 Cor 16:15‑19, 2 Tim 2:20, Eph 2:19, Heb 3:6, 1 Pet 2:5, 4:17, Ro 16:5, 2 Thess 2:4, 1 Cor 3:16‑17, 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:21, etc.).

A ‘carved image’ (Hebrew pesel (H6459)) refers to an idol that can be carved as opposed to a molten (heated and shaped) image or an impage of stone (see Lev 26:1). A ‘carved image’ typically would been carved out of wood and therefore, the carved image of Manasseh refers to the asherim (or grove). A ‘carved image’ nonetheless is an idol which is not to be worshiped or even used (Ex 20:4, Deut 5:8) since this is idolatry (Deut 4:16-31). Idolatry is a violation of the second commandment (Ex 20:4) and is also called folly (foolishness) in the Bible, which is the subject of extensive discussion in Is 40:9-20. Idols are dumb an teach lies (Hab 2:18-19).

Contrary to the symbolic meaning of the house of the Lord, we find that an idol (carved image) of the female image of the asherim pole (i.e., the goddess Ashtaroth). We saw above that the female counterpart of Satan (i.e., Baal) could be viewed as the false church (false religion). Therefore, we find that the placement of Ashtaroth in the house of the Lord can be used to symbolize the false worship of the church itself. It is God only who should be worshiped in the house of the Lord, not the church worshiping itself (2 Chr 6:6, 7:16, 12:13, 1 Ki 8:29, 1 Ki 9:3.

– Summary and Application to the Church Today

We have discovered that Baal worship in the Old Testament is Satan worship which exist when there are people who are not in the church and they practice willful sin. Similarly, we also find that the worship of the groves (asherim) is worship of the female counterpart of Baal. The combination of Baal and asherim / Ashtoreth appears in combination in many places in the Old Testament. We also know that the things that were written in the Old Testament are for our instruction today (see 1 Cor 10:1-13). We learned that reference to a woman in the Bible often is a symbol for a church. We learned that as Satan is referred to as the king of Babylon (Is 14:3-23), so does the Queen of Babylon (Rev 18:7) refer to as an apostate church.

In 2 Ki 21:4, 7, we find that a graven image of the grove (asherim, Ashtoreth) was placed in the house of the Lord by Manasseh. This is a spiritual portrait of the placement of worship of the ‘flock’ (i.e., the church) as an object of worship. But, some may ask how can we worship the church? Does not the church exist to worship God? But in fact we find many examples where the organization (church) is placed in front of God. We find that we are following and serving the organization rather than serving God. A notable example of following the traditions of the church rather than God can be found in this passage in Matthew 15:

(Mat 15:1-9)

The above Scripture is just one example where the traditions of the church are placed before the worshiping of God through obedience to Him and His Word (see also, for example, Col 2:4-23).

The below list of church activities / practices are provide to provoke the reader to consider whether obedience to the church has replaced obedience to God. Have these activities become the object of your worship, time and devotion? Please consider these items:

Idols (cross (with and without Jesus), statues, stained glass windows, pictures / paintings, etc.)
Church holidays (St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, St. Andrew’s Day, Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Day, All Saints Day, Advent Season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Boxing Day, Epiphany, Twelfth Night
Saturday / Sunday Sabbath keeping
Tithing
Keeping the sacraments
Following church leaders without verifying those actions are in accord with the Bible
Leaders wearing of religious garb
Order of worship / liturgy
Sunday school
Vacation Bible school
Confirmation
Confession / penance
Physical fasting
Signs and wonders including speaking in tongues
Church membership
Following Denominations / books of church order
Strict church attendance
House blessings
Mary worship
Worshiping of angels and saints and church leaders
Praising one’s church (pride)
Spending excessive time at church at expense of one’s own family

Step #4 – Worship and Serving the Host of Heaven (Stars, Angels and Church Leaders)

For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

(2Ch 33:3, see also 2 Ki 21:3)

And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

(2Ch 33:5, see also 2 Ki 21:5)

Host:

The phrase ‘host of heaven’ is used at least 20 times in the Bible (mostly the Old Testament). The word ‘host’ is used extensively in the Old Testament (~475 occurrences) and also in the New Testament (2 occurrences – Lk 2:13, Acts 7:42). The word ‘host’ literally means a very large group of people (i.e., army). In the Old Testament, the word ‘hosts’ is used close to 300 times as referring to the ‘LORD of hosts’ (i.e., Jehovah God and His armies of angels – e.g., Is 6:3, Is 28:5, Ps 46:7, Ps 84:3, etc., etc.). The other 175 or so occurrences either refer to physical armies of people of the host of heaven, referring to angels.

Heaven:

The word ‘heaven’ occurs about 450 times in the Old Testament and about 280 times in the New Testament. The Bible refers to three ‘heavens’.

1^st Heaven – Atmosphere – where the birds fly (Gen 1:6-8, Gen 1:20, Ps 150:1, Rev 19:17, etc.)
2^nd Heaven – Physical creation beyond the earth and its atmosphere (Mat 3:16, Mat 24:29, Mk 1:10, Mk 13:25, Eph 4:10, Heb 1:10, 2 Pet 3:5-13, Rev 6:13, etc.)
3^rd Heaven – Where God and angels dwells (2 Cor 12:1-5, Deut 10:14, Ps 148:4, Mat 18:10, Mat 22:30, Eph 4:10, Heb 4:14, 1 Pet 3:22, etc.)

– Two Primary Meanings of ‘Host of Heaven’

When we examine the phrase ‘host of heaven’ we find two specific meanings:

Physical Stars –
1. Host of heavens created – Gen 2:1, Ps 33:6
2. Do not worship the host of heaven – Deut 4:19, 17:3
3. Worship of host of heaven resulted in exile of Israel – 2 Ki 17:6
4. Worship of host of heaven resulted in captivity of Judah – 2 Chr 33:3-5, 2 Ki 21:3
5. Building of altars for host of heaven in 2 courts of the Lord – 2 I 21:5, 2 Chr 33:5
6. Burned incense on housetops to host of heaven – Jer 19:13, Zeph 1:5
7. Host of heaven to be dissolved on judgment day – Is 34:4 w/ Is 13:10
Angels of Heaven –
1. Micaiah saw Lord sitting on throne with the host of heaven (angels) on His right and left – 1 Ki 22:19, 2 Chr 18:18-22
2. Host of heaven worship the LORD – Neh 9:6
3. Heavenly host worshiping at Jesus birth – Lk 2:13-15
4. Multitude of host worshiping God in heaven – Rev 5:11
5. Little horn became great to the host of heaven, cast down some of the host to the ground – Dan 8:10, Dan 8:24, see also Rev 12:4 where Satan cast down 1/3 of the stars of heaven)

– Stars are often used as a Biblical Symbol for Entities such as Jesus Christ, Satan, Angels, Fallen Angels, False Teachers and Christians

Based on the above, the phrase ‘host of heaven’ could refer to the actual physical stars, but also to other entities, such as spiritual angels. The interchangeability of using the phrase ‘host of heaven’ as physical stars or angels points to the fact that the Bible often uses stars as a representation of angels. In addition to the phrase ‘host of heaven’ we find additional evidence in the Bible that physical stars are used as a type of angels:

Old Testament:

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for ‘star’ (H35567, kokab) occurs more than 35 times. In the ln Testament, we find that stars are used to represent the following entities:

The offspring that will come from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (represents Christians in Gal 3:16, 29, Ro 4:13-16, etc) – Gen 15:5, 22:17, 26:4, Ex 32:13, Deut 1:10, 10:22, 28:62, 1 Chr 27:23, Neh 9:23
The 12 sons of Israel (represents the church of God) – Gen 37:9
Jesus Christ as the Star of Jacob in Balaam’s parable – Num 24:15-17
Those who fought against Sisera in the Song of Deborah and Barak – Jud 5:20
The sons of God (morning stars, i.e., angels) singing – Job 38:7
Entities that God calls by name – Ps 147:4
Those who are to praise God – Ps 148:3
Those who Satan will be exalted over (i.e., bad angels) – Is 14:13 (see Is 14:12 – Lucifer, which literally means ‘brightness’ is the son of the morning)
Those who the ‘little horn’ cast to the ground and stomped on (angels) – Dan 8:10-12
Believers (i.e., those wise people who turn people to righteousness) – Dan 12:1-3
An idol – Amos 5:26
Where a proud person (Edom) exalts himself above – Ob 1:4 (similar to Is 14:13)
Merchants of Nineveh – Nah 3:16

As can be seen from the above list, most of the occurrences of ‘star’ in the Old Testament actually refer to people or angels. The only other occurrences of star in the Old Testament either refer to creation (Gen 1:16, Job 9:7, Ps 8:3, 136:9, Jer 31:35), worshiping the stars (Deut 4:19), the onset of nighttime (Neh 4:21), the falling or loss of stars on judgment day (Job 3:9, Ecc 12:2, Is 13:10, Ez 32:7, Joel 2:10, 3:15 ), the elevated nature of God being over the stars (Job 22:12, 25:5) and those who serve the occult (Is 47:13).

New Testament:

In the New Testament, the Greek word for ‘star’ (G792, aster) occurs 24 times (with 14 of these occurrences in Revelation). Similar to the Old Testament, we find the use of ‘star’ in relation to the following entities:

Jesus Christ – His star – Mat 2:2 ( see also Mat 2:7, 9-10 and Gal 4:14)
The resurrected bodies of believers – 1 Cor 15:41 (2 occurrences)
The false teachers crept into the church – Jude 13
The angels of the 7 churches (Rev 1:16, 1:20, 3:1) (4 occurrences)
The angel with the power to open the bottomless pit (Rev 9:1, see also Rev 20:1)
Woman with crown of 12 stars (represents the church of God) – Rev 12:1
Dragon cast 1/3 of stars of heaven to the earth (represents fallen angels) – Rev 12:4
Jesus, the bright and morning Star (Rev 22:16, Rev 2:28, see also Num 24:17, Mat 2:2, Lk 1:78, 2 Pet 1:19)

The only other occurrences of star in the New Testament refer to the falling of stars on judgment day (Rev Mat 24:29, Mk 13:25, Rev 6:13) the star Wormwood (Rev 8:10-12), which both hold symbolic meanings.

In summary, we have seen that most of the occurrences of ‘star’ in the Bible actually symbolize actual entities such as Jesus Christ, Satan, angels, fallen angels (i.e., demons) or actual Christians.

– What are Angels?

It is important to understand what angels are. Firstly, both in the Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek, we find that the word translated as angel is really just the word for ‘messenger’ (i.e., someone who brings forth communication).

The Hebrew word for messenger (malak) occurs about 215 times, while the New Testament word (aggelos) occurs about 185 times in the Bible. In the Old Testament, about ½ of the occurrences simply refer to human messengers (e.g., messengers sent from Balak to Baalam – Num 24:12, messenger sent from Jacob to Esau – Gen 32:3, etc.). The other ½ refer to spiritual messengers (angels).

In the New Testament, the vast majority of occurrences refer to the spiritual entities, but there about 8 occurrences where physical human messengers are referred to

John the Baptist – Mat 11:10, Mk 1:2, Lk 7:27 (see also Mal 3:1)
A thorn in the flesh, messenger of Satan – 2 Cor 12:7
Messengers of John – Lk 7:24
Messenger of Jesus – Lk 9:52
Messengers sent to Rahab the Harlot – James 2:25
Believers are like angels in heaven – Mat 22:30

However, it should also be noted that the word ‘evangelize’ is literally the word ‘good message’, from where the word Gospel comes from. Therefore, whoever brings the Gospel, is an evangelist and therefore a good ‘messenger’ of the good news of Jesus Christ (see, for example, 2 Tim 4:5, Acts 21:8, Eph 4:11, etc.). In fact, there are about 170 occurrences of words that relate to the message of the Gospel, which all have the Greek word aggelos as one of its roots. The Greek word for Gospel is euaggelion (which literally would mean ‘good message’). Therefore, anyone who shares the Gospel can be considered as a ‘good messenger’ or angel. This would include Jesus Christ himself since Mal 3:1 talked about two messengers: John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. In addition, Jesus came to speak the words that were sent from the Father (John 8:38-42 combined with John 12:49-50). Therefore, Jesus was a messenger.

The Chief Angel, Michael:

In Jude 9, the Bible refers to the archangel Michael (literally, who is like God). The only other mention of the archangel in the New Testament occurs in 1 Thess 4:16. Archangel literally means ‘chief messenger’. Without knowing anything else about this word, it may be immediately recognizable who the chief messenger may be. It is Christ that is referred to as an angel (messenger) in Gal 4:14. Of course, as God Himself, Christ would also be the chief messenger of the Gospel. However, many have made an assumption that this cannot be Christ because Michael is referred to as an angel. But, when the proper definition of the word angel is employed (i.e., messenger), there is no harm in understanding Michael as a representation of Jesus Christ, who is God, and is the chief messenger. Michael (see also Dan 10:13, 21, 21:1) simply means: Who is like God? It is Jesus Christ who is the exact representation of God (Col 1:15). Therefore, Michael in all likelihood represents Christ. This is confirmed by the usage of Michael in Dan 10:13, 21, 12:1. There, it can be seen that He is described as the Great Prince who stands up for the children of God. Elsewhere in Scripture Christ is referred to as the Prince of the people (see Is 9:6, Ez 37:25, Acts 5:31, Dan 9:25). Therefore, there is great Scriptural harmony with understanding Michael as a name for Christ.

– The Significance of Altars in the Two Courts of the House of the Lord

And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

(2Ch 33:5, see also 2 Ki 21:5)

As we find in the above verse, Manasseh built altars for the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. This in in direct violation of the 2^nd commandment (Ex 20:4-6) to not worship idols. In the original design for the House of the Lord, it was commanded by God that there were two altars. The first was the altar of burnt offerings (where certain animals were sacrificed, see Ex 27:1-8, 38:1-7). However this altar was established in the court of the house of the Lord and not in the holy place itself (Ex 40:6, 29-30, 33). The second was the altar of incense, where sweet incense was burned as a fragrance to the Lord (Ex 30:1-10, 37:25-29). This altar was in the holy place (Ex 40:26, Heb 9:4). The sacrifices of animals were intended to be symbols for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (e.g., Heb 9:11-27, 10:1-18), while the burning of incense on the incense altar represent the continual prayers that God’s people offer up as a sweet smelling aroma (Rev 5:8, 8:3-4, PS 141:2, Lk 1:10). However, we find that Judah had built altars for the worship of the host of heaven. In 2 Ki 23:5, we find that they had burned incense to the host of heaven, which symbolize their worship and devotion to the host of heaven.

The Two Courts:

To understand the full intent of the purpose of setting up the altars to the host of heaven, it is important to understand the meaning of the ‘two courts’. In the original design for the tabernacle in the wilderness, God commanded Moses to place a court around the Holy Place and the Most Holy place (Ex 27:9-19, Ex 38:9-20). It was in this court where the altar of burnt sacrifices and the laver of washing were to be set up (Ex 27:1-8, Ex 30:18-21, 38:1-8, 40:7, 40:19, 40:30-32). There was never a command to set up altars for the burning of incense to the host of heaven.

The altar of burnt animal sacrifices and the laver of washing were also carried over in the building of Solomon’s temple (1 Ki 7:23-26, 1 Ki 7:38, 1 Ki 7:48, 1 Ki 8:64, 2 Chr 4:19). However, we find both in Solomon’s temple (1 Ki 7) and the temple described in Ezekiel 40-43, that there were two courts outside of the House of the Lord:

2 courts: 2 Ki 21:5, 2 Chr 33:5
Inner court (court of the priests): 1 Ki 6:36, 1 Ki 7:12, 2 Chr 4:9, Eze 10:3-5, 40:23-42, 42:3, 43:5-7
Outer court (great court): 1 Ki 7:12, Eze 40:17-34, 42:1-20

In the above verse, we find that the inner court would have been where the priests performed their ritual sacrifices and cleansings. The outer court would have been for the people of Israel / Judah to congregate and come for religious observances.

Spiritual significance of the 2 courts:

The House of the Lord consists of a Holy place and a Most Holy place. The Bible teaches (see Hebrews 9) that the Most Holy Place was a spiritual portrait of the place of God (i.e., heaven). It represents the completed work of Christ (mercy seat of the ark of the covenant). It was where the sweet incense of the believers reach unto God Himself. Once a year the High Priest would enter into the physical Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, which represented the atoning, sacrificial work of Christ. The Holy Place (just outside of the Most Holy place) is where the lampstand and the table of showbread were. This represents the daily ministry of ministering in the Word of God and sharing the witness of the Gospel. The House of the Lord represents the temple of where God dwells, which includes dwelling in the true church of all saved people (i.e., Christians) individually and collectively (John 14:2, 2 John 10, 1 Cor 16:15‑19, 2 Tim 2:20, Eph 2:19, Heb 3:6, 1 Pet 2:5, 4:17, Ro 16:5, 2 Thess 2:4, 1 Cor 3:16‑17, 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:21, etc.).

The court outside is where sacrifices are made (i.e., Christ was crucified outside of the camp – Heb 13:10-14). It is also where cleansing occurs at the laver. We also find the following activities that occur in the courts of the Lord:

Old Testament:

Where the chosen dwell and be satisfied with the goodness of God’s house – Ps 65:4
Where the believer’s soul long to be – Ps 84:2
Where it is better to dwell 1 day, rather than a 1000 elsewhere – Ps 84:10
Where those planted in the House of the Lord will flourish in the court – Ps 92:13
Where offerings are brought – Ps 96:8 (see also Is 1:11-12)
Where praise is brought – Ps 100:4 (see also Ps 135:1-2, 116:19)

New Testament:

Where unsaved will tread upon – Rev 11:2
Sheepfold – John 10:1, John 10:16
Where Jesus was mocked – Mk 15:15-16
Where judgment was pronounced on Christ – John 18:27-28, 33, John 19:9, Mat 27:27
Where Paul was judged – Acts 23:35, Phil 1:13
Where Peter denied Christ 3 times – Lk 22:5, John 18:15, Mk 14:54, 66, Mat 26:58, 69)
Where palace of high priest was – mat 26:3
Where the strongman’s (Satan’s) goods are plundered – Lk 11:21

In summary and spiritually speaking, the courts represent a place where religious activities occur involving people who are seeking God. It is a place where one interacts with God. It is where Christ was mocked, denied and judged. The courts of the Lord are also where true Christians are. It is where they interact with others interested in God (whether good or bad). In the inner court, it is where the priests do ‘sacrificial and cleansing work’. The priests, spiritually speaking are a Biblical portrait of all true Christians (1 Pet 2:5, 1 Peter 2:9, Ex 19:6, Deut 7:6, Is 61:6, 66:21, Phil 3:20, Eph 2:19) as they minister in serving Christ. The outer court if for other visitors and people interested in God (whether good or bad). Based on the above, we can conclude the following:

Most Holy Place – represents heaven
Holy Place – represents where only priests (Christians) can interact with God in Bible study, prayer and ministering the true Gospel – the true universal, invisible church of God (1 Pet 2:9, Ex 19:6, Deut 7:6)
Courts – Where people (whether saved or unsaved) come to interact with God in this world – (e.g., a church building, community or some other type of interaction with others).
- Inner courts – Where the true Christians interact with others concerning spiritual matters
- Outer courts – Where spiritual activity occurs (whether true of false).

– Summary and Application to the Church Today

As we recall, 1 Cor 10:1-13 teaches us that all events of the Old Testament are completely relevant for Christians today. Spiritually speaking, we saw that the ‘host of heaven’ refers to a large group of angels. A large groups of angels could be either spiritual angels or physical angels.

Spiritual angels are ministering spirits (Heb 1:14, 1 Cor 11:10, Mat 4:11, Lk 22:43, Ps 34:7, Ps 91, Acts 12:7‑9, Mat 18:10, Lk 16:22). They announced Christ (Mat 1:20, Lk 1:11, Mat 28:2, John 20:12, Acts 1:10‑11), praise God (Ps 103:20, Rev 5:11-12) and act in judgment with Christ on judgment day (e.g., Mat 13:39, 16:27, 24:31). They do not marry (Mat 22:30), but they protect children (Mat18:10), which is a Biblical portrait of their care for all children of God (Christians). But, they are most definitely not to be worshiped (Col 2:18‑19, Rev 22:8‑9)

Similarly, physical angels refer to anyone who ‘evangelizes’ the truth of Jesus Christ. As we saw the word ‘evangelize’ simply means to ‘good angel’ or bring the good message of Jesus Christ (the Gospel). Christians as messengers of the Gospel set their minds on things above (Col 3:2) and are seated in heavenly places with Christ (Eph 2:6-7, Ro 6:4-5, etc).

We saw that the two altars (2 Chr 33:5) of incense (2 Ki 23:5) were set up to burn incense to the host of heaven. We also saw that burning of incense represents the raising of prayers and devotion to those being worshiped.

The below questions (although not exhaustive) are provided to allow the reader to evaluate whether they or their church may be worshiping the host of heaven:

Are prayers to spiritual angels practiced?
Are spiritual angels worshiped?
Is devotion / prayers to dead saints performed?
Are statues, pictures or other images of spiritual angels used for spiritual reasons?
Is there a belief that one can communicate with spiritual angels, guides or other ministering spirits?
Is there blind trust that spiritual angels will watch over a person no matter what they do?
Are human messengers (angels) blindly followed without checking everything that is taught against the Bible?
Is there inordinate trust and reliance placed into church dogma, doctrine and catechisms created by men at the expense of truth from the Bible alone?
Is there excessive use and reliance on Christian books, commentaries, helps, devotional guides, etc?
Are spiritual leaders (e.g., priests, elders, pastors deacons, etc.) blindly followed and trusted without searching the truth in the Bible as a Berean believer (Acts 17:10-15)?
Are books by spiritual people held in higher regard than the Word of God and is every assertion written by these people carefully checked with the Bible?

Step #5 – Sacrificing of Children – Teaching Wrong Gospel

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom…

(2Ch 33:6)

And he made his son pass through the fire…

(2Ki 21:6)

King Manasseh allow his son to ‘pass through the fire’ (i.e., sacrificed). The practice of child sacrifice in the Old Testament was prevalent. We find that one of the causes for the exile of the northern 10 tribes of Israel was, in part, the sacrifice of their sons and daughters (2 Ki 17:17). When we read the phrase ‘pass through the fire’, we would like to understand that as simply disciplining their children, but not a resultant death of their children. However, we find several other Scriptures (e.g., Jer 7:30-32, 19:2-6, 2 Chr 28:3, Eze 16:21, etc.) that indicate that this indeed did include the death of their children. As we read in 2 Chr 28:3, Judah followed the behaviors of heathen nations, which God had cast out of the land of Canaan.

On the surface, today’s culture would find sacrificing one’s children as an abhorrent occurrence. We would be quick today to say that child sacrifice does not occur today and the above passages simply reflect superstition and religious fanaticism that just does not exist today. But is that really true? Some may argue that the abortion of the unborn could easily be fit into the example of child sacrifice. But, we will find that the extent of child sacrifice today is significantly broader than just the act of abortion of unborn babies.

– What Does ‘Pass through the Fire’ Mean?

The following passages refer to the passing of children (sons / daughters) through the fire:

Lev 18:21 (to Molech), Deut 18:10, 2 Ki 16:3 (Ahaz’s son), 2 Ki 17:17, 2 Ki 21:6, 2 Ki 23:10 (Molech), 2 Chr 33:6, Jer 32:35 (Molech), Eze 16:21, Eze 20:26, Eze 20:31, Eze 23:37

The Hebrew word for ‘pass’ is abar which literally and simply means to travel through or move through. This Hebrew word is common (700+ occurrences) and is translated as ‘pass’, ‘go’, ‘went’, etc. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the act of sacrificing children involved having them move through a fire. A ‘fire’ in the Bible refers typically to utter destruction, judgment or eternal separation /hell (e.g., Lk 9:54, 17:29, Gen 19:24, Lev 9:24, 10:1-2, Jud 6:21, 1 Chr 21:26, 2 Chr 7:1, Job 1:16, Deut 29:23, 1 Ki 18:36-38, 2 Ki 1:10-14, Ps 11:6, 18:10‑13, Ps 97:1‑6, 140:10, 11:6, Is 28:2, Rev 8:5, 13:13).

Also, in the Old Testament law, sacrifices were performed by offering animal sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering (Ex 27:1-8, 38:1-7), which represents the need for an atonement for sin, by offering life for life. The sacrifices of animals were intended to be symbols for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (e.g., Heb 9:11-27, 10:1-18, see also Jud 6:25-32, I Ki 16:32, 18:26, 2 Ki 11:18, 21:3, 2 Chr 23:17, 33:3, 34:3, Jer 11:13, 19:15).

Based on the above, it can be concluded that children were offered, by their death as a sacrifice for atonement with false gods. The effect of this sacrifice was that the children ultimately were destroyed because of their parents worship of false gods.

– What does the Valley of the Son of Hinnom refer to?

The son of Hinnom was a Jebusite in the land of Canaan where his ‘valley’ was used as a landmark for the division of the land between Judah and Benjamin (see Josh 15:8, 18:16) on the south side of the area which would later be called Jerusalem. The valley apparently extended to the point near to the east gate of Jerusalem (Jer 19:2). The valley later became to be known as Tophet (Jer 19:6, 2 Ki 23:10, Jer 7:30-32), which is a place of ‘smiting’ and later was prophesied by Jeremiah as being a burial place that would be required due to God’s judgment on Judah (see Jer 19:11-14). Therefore, it would be also known as the valley of slaughter (Jer 19:6, Jer 7:30-32).

The valley of the son of Hinnom would also be the place where King Manasseh (2 Chr 33:6, 2 Ki 21:6) and King Ahaz (2 Chr 28:3) would sanction the sacrificing of children. These children would be sacrificed at the high place of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom to the Ammonite god Moloch (Jer 32:35, see also 2 Ki 23:10, Lev 18:21, 20:2-5, 1 Ki 11:7, Amos 5:26)) which is literally the ‘king’. As Baal (literally, master) was a god to the Moabites (Num 21:28, 22:41, 25:3-5), so Moloch was the god ‘king’ of the Ammonites. The Ammonite god called Milcom (lit: great king, king of kings) can be shown to be synonymous with Moloch (see 1 Ki 11:5-7, 1 Ki 11:33, 2 Ki 23:10-13, 1 Chr 8:9, Zeph 1:5). As we previously examined, Baal is simply a portrait of Satan. So, too would the god Moloch be a portrait of Satan as the authority of the world (2 Cor 4:4, Eph 2:2, etc.).

It is important to compare the ‘valley of the son of Hinnom’ to its equivalent description in the New Testament passages. In the Old testament, a great evil took place in the valley of the son of Hinnom. The valley of the son of Hinnom later became symbolic of the valley of slaughter that occurs during God’s judgment. Notably, this reference to the valley of the son of Hinnom is used in the New Testament. In the New Testament, the Greek word ‘geena’ (G1067) is transliterated from the Hebrew words (H1516 and H2011) for ‘valley of Hinnom’. This Greek word is also commonly referred to as ‘gehenna’. It is used 12 placed in the New Testament and is translated into the English language as ‘hell’. In these usages of ‘gehenna’ in the New Testament, God’s final eternal judgment of the wicked is in view (see Mat 5:22, Mat 5:29-30, Mat 10:28, Mat 18:9, Mat 23:15, Mat 23:33, Mk 9:43-47, James 3:5-6).

– What is the Spiritual Significance of Child Sacrifice in the valley of the son of Hinnom?

The spiritual significance of child sacrifice (walking through the fire) in the valley of the son of Hinnom should now become apparent. We saw that the valley of the son of Hinnom is none other than the eternal judgment of everlasting destruction (hell). The fact that these children were offered to false gods that symbolize Satan should reinforce the evil of sacrificing one’s children to the hell fire.

Children are sacrificed in the valley of the son of Hinnom (eternal destruction) when children are allowed to ‘walk’ after the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

(Eph 2:2-3)

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

(Eph 5:6)

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:

(Isa 30:1)

For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

(Col 3:6)

Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

(2Pe 2:14)

It is important that parents understand the importance of training their children in the way of the Lord, so that when they are old, the children will not depart from that way (Pr 22:6). Parents must also disciple their children to ensure obedience and deliver their soul from hell (see Pr 23:13-14, see also Pr 23:24). Just as natural parents discipline their children, so does Father God discipline His children (Heb 12:6-8).

We should also observe that Paul called Timothy his spiritual ‘son’ (1 Tim 1:2, 1:18, 2 Tim 1:2, 1 Cor 4:17). He also said the same of Onesimus (Phm 1:10) and Titus (Titus 1:4). In 1 Cor 4:14-15, Paul said that he wrote things to the Corinthians to warn them of proper behavior. We also see in 1 Tim 5:1, that from a Christian perspective, elder people should be treated as ‘fathers’. The intent of a father is to teach and correct their children (Deut 6:4-9, Ex 13:8-9, Deut 4:9-10, 11:19,20, Joel 1:3, Ps 34:11, 78:1-10, Eph 6:1-4)

Parents are quick to learn that children will tend to imitate their parents. This truism is confirmed in the Scriptures as well. First and foremost we see the example of Jesus the Son and God the Father. The Scriptures teach us:

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the father loveth the son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these that ye may marvel.

(John 5:19-20)

Here we see the initiative aspects of Jesus as Son. He learned all things from the Father and does what the Father does. The Bible also teaches us that the way in which a child is brought up will have a profound impact on how we will act when he gets old:

Train up a child the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Pr 22:6

– Summary and Application to the Church Today

Sacrificing children by having them walk through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom typifies those who are in the church today who do not regard the spiritual welfare of their own children. The Biblical model is to teach one’s children the Word of God and to provide appropriate discipline to ensure that they are brought up in the way of holiness. Secondly, it can also typify those spiritual leaders in the church that are not teaching and training their ‘spiritual’ children the Bible, which would include church discipline.

The below questions (although not exhaustive) are provided to allow the reader to evaluate whether they or their church may be sacrificing their children in the valley of the son of Hinnom (hell):

Are children being trained in the Bible so they can learn to live a holy life?
Do children receive discipline for unholy living or are they allowed to behave and live like the world?
Is there a concern for living a more holy life within the congregation and do the children behave in an obedient manner?
Does the church practice church discipline or is sin that those in the church commit ignored?
Has the church grown large due to welcoming all types of adherents without any regard to their spiritual condition or behavior?
Does the church leadership remain engaged with all the congregants such that they actually know their lifestyles and behavior or has the church leadership simply become executive-like managers that are not engaged with all those in the church?

Step #6 – Teaching False Gospels – Occult Practices in the Apostate Church

…also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.

(2Ch 33:6)

In this final passage for the sins of King Manasseh, we find five specific actions listed:

Observed times
Used enchantments
Used witchcraft
Dealt with a familiar spirit
Dealt with wizards

Because there are variations among Bible translations regarding the use of these words, the following table is provided:

King James Version	New International Version	English Standard Version	New American Standard	Douay-Rheims	English Revised	Young’s Literal Translation
Observed Times	Divination	Fortune telling	Witchcraft	Dreams	Augury	Observed clouds
Enchantments	Witchcraft	Omens	Divination	Divinations	Enchantments	Enchantments
Witchcraft	Omens	Sorcery	Sorcery	Magic arts	Sorcery	Witchcraft
Familiar spirit	Mediums	Mediums	Mediums	Magicians	Familiar spirits	Familiar spirits
Wizards	Spiritists	Necromancers	Spiritists	Enchanters	Wizards	Wizards

As can be seen from the above table, there is a variety of translations regarding the 5 occult practices sanctioned by King Manasseh. In order to develop the spiritual meaning of these practices, it is important to analyze each of the original words used in the Hebrew text and compare them to other usages of the specific word in the Old Testament. Finally, linkage to the New Testament equivalent words will be analyzed. For the purposes of this study, the Bible is used as the sole authority for interpretation. Although it is tempting to use various historical references and other beliefs of scholars of ancient history, that temptation must be resisted. The Bible gives us enough information to understand God’s message to us. Because we know all things in the Old Testament are provided as warnings to us (1 Cor 10:1-3), we will just use the Bible. By analyzing the actual Hebrew words used in 2 Chr 33 and 2 Ki 21, we can compare Scripture with Scripture (see 1 Cor 2:13) to come to truth. We will look for linkages to New Testament verses that will enhance our understanding.

– Observed Times (Cloudiness) – Glorious False Teachers who Promote Sin

+ Old Testament References

The Hebrew word translated as ‘observed times’ is ‘anan’. The related Hebrew word cognates (H6049-H6054) occur about 90 times in the Old Testament. The vast majority of these occurrences are translated as ‘cloud’. The literal word meaning is to cover or cloud over. A key verse in the Old Testament is the following:

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

(Gen 9:14)

In the above familiar passage, the word ‘bring’ (H6049) is the exact same word translated in 2 Chr 33:6 and elsewhere as ‘observed times’. The literal meaning of H6049 is to ‘cloud over’. In the above passage (Gen 9:14) the word ‘cloud’ (H6051) is translated as cloud in about 75 places in the Old Testament. A cloud is used in the various manners in the Old Testament:

God provided a covenantal promise by the rainbow in the cloud – Gen 9:13-16
In the wilderness, Israel was led by God in a pillar of a cloud by day – Ex 13:21-22, 14:24, 19:20, 40:34-38, Ps 78:14 (see also 1 Cor 10:1-2)
Cloud covered the tent in the wilderness – Num 9:15-22, PS 105:39
Mount Sinai covered in a cloud (thick clouds, represents judgment of the law of God) – Ex 19:9, 19:16, 24:15-16, 34;5, Deut 4:11
Glory of the Lord was in the cloud – Ex 16:10, 40:34-38
God caused His Light of the cloud to shine – Job 37:15
God spoke in the cloudy pillar – Ps 99:7
Lord appeared in cloud of incense on mercy seat – Lev 16:2, Lev 16:13 (day of atonement)
Waters are bound up in clouds – Job 26:8-9
Clouds blot out sin – Is 44:22
Clouds accompany Judgment Day – Ex 30:3, Eze 34:12, Nah 1:2-3, Zeph 1:15

From these above Old Testament passages, we see that clouds symbolized the presence of the glorious Lord. They provided direction and shelter from the hot sun (which represents the judgment of God – Ps 121:6, Is 49:10, Rev 7:16). But, they also represent God in judgment.

+ New Testament Clouds

In the New Testament, we find clouds referred to in the following way:

Bright cloud at Christ’s transfiguration – Mat 17:15, Mk 9:7
Angel clothed with a cloud and a rainbow on his head (represents Christ) – Rev 10:1
Coming of Christ with His angels on Judgment Day – Lk 21:27, Acts 1:9-11, Mat 26:64, Mk 13:26, Mat 24:30, Mk 14:62, 1 Thess 4:17, Rev 1:7, 11:12, 14:14-16
Clouds of glory – Lk 21:27, Mk 13:26, Mat 24:30 (see also Ex 16:10, 24:16, 40:34-35, Eze 1:28, 10:4, Is 4:5, 2 Chr 5:14, 1 Ki 8:11, Num 16:42)
False teachers (clouds without water) – 2 Pet 2:17, Jude 12

It is important to recognize that in the Bible, clouds (in a good sense) represent the glory of God. However, in a negative manner, they are used to present false teachers who may look glorious, but they have no ‘rain’, which water is necessary for salvation:

Rain – Gospel ‑ Deut 32:1‑2, Is 55:10‑11
Water refers to the Gospel ‑ Eph 5:25‑26
Washing of regeneration ‑ Titus 3:5, 1 Cor 6:11, Acts 22:16
Springs of the water of life:
Initial salvation on earth ‑ Is 55:1, John 4:14, Jer 2:11‑3, 17:13, Ps 46:4, Job 20:17
Full effect of salvation ‑ Rev 21:6, 22:1 (eternal life)

In other words, these false teachers may look good on the outside. They may appear to be holy men of God, however, they do not actually contain the Gospel. They are deceivers.

Returning to the Old Testament phrase ‘observed times’ (H6049), we find this action to be condemned by the Lord in several passages (Lev 19:26, Micah 5:12, 2 Chr 33:6, Deut 18:10-14). This type of ‘gospel’ is not to be listened to (Jer 27:9, Deut 18:14). This type of ‘gospel’ is what non-Christians adhere to. The Philistines were soothwayers (observers of times, see Is 2:6). The Philistines were constantly at war with Israel (Ps 56:1-3, 83:1-7, Ex 25:15, Jud 3:1-3, Joel 3:4-6), trying to force Israel to submit to their gods (1 Sam 5). Although it cannot be certain what exactly was meant by ‘observed times’ in the reign of King Manasseh, we can know for sure by reference to the clouds without water in Jude 12 and 2 Pet 2:17 what this false gospel looks like today from the context of Jude and 2 Peter 2:

Ungodly men who turn the grace of God into licentiousness (Jude 4) – Here is a notable description of the false teachers: ungodly. This simply means that these men were not god like. They did not exhibit the characteristics of God. The fruit and holiness of what is typical in believer’s lives was not evident. This description of ungodly, points to the sensual nature of these individuals. This is further described by their particular activity of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. To be lascivious means to have a license to sin (Mk 7:22, 2 Cor 12:21, Gal 5:19, Eph 4:19, 1 Pet 4:3, 2 Pet 2:18, Ro 13:13). In other words, they taught antinomianism (the teaching that believers can be saved and still live like the world). The word antinomianism simply means to be against the law (of God). The Bible teaches that Christians will practice holiness and righteousness. Christians are holy. Moreover, the reference to turning the grace of God into lasciviousness points to the same error ad in Ro 6:1, 15. That is, since God has saved men not by his works, but completely by God’s grace, why not sin that grace may abound? This teaching is condemned in Ro 6 as well as many other areas of Scripture. The fact that they ‘turned’ the grace of God into lasciviousness (or the license to sin), reminds the readers that the working of Satan can be very subtle. He is a deceiver and is very subtle. Galatians 1:6-9 and throughout the remainder of that epistle, Christians are reminded that the Gospel of grace can be very easily transformed into a false gospel.
Deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 4) – The Greek word translated ‘Lord’ is the word ‘despotes’. The normal word for Lord is ‘kyrios’. The term ‘despotes’ carries the meaning of Master as in one who rules over us. Therefore, we see that the denial of the Master would amount to an act of rebellion from God. The denial of the Lord (kyrios) Jesus Christ carries a slightly different connotation. To deny Christ is to deny His office of:
- Priest – He is the only way to salvation ( John 14:6, Acts 4:12)
- Prophet – Jesus Christ is the Word of God (John 1:1). To deny Him is to deny His Word. The proof of whether one is really a true believer of Christ (i.e., saved) is that this person will abide in the doctrine of Christ (2 John 1:9, 1 John 5:1). The saved person will be believe that Jesus is the Word of God and that the Bible is god-breathed by the spirit of Christ and that the Bible points to the work of Christ throughout.
- King – Jesus is the Heavenly King. He is our Sovereign, to whom we will obey and follow

It can be seen in 2 Pet 2:1 and Jude 4, the subjects of the passages is about those false teachers who have crept into the congregation unaware of their evil schemes. These false teachers bring heresies and deny God and the Lord Jesus Christ. In 2 Pet 2:6 and Jude 7, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are provided as an example of the false teachers. The behavior and subsequent judgment on the cities serve as a stark reminder of judgment to be made on those who practice that type of sin. In 2 Pet 2:10 and Jude 8, a description of the false teachers’ errors are provided. In both passages, it can be seen that they walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and they despise government. In 2 Pet 2:17 and Jude 12-13, the symbolism of clouds carried by the wind and the judgment of the blackness of darkness is depicted. Finally in Jude 16 and 2 Pet 2:18, the false teachers are said to speak great swelling words of vanity.

+ Summary

To ‘observe times’ literally means to cloud or cover over. As we saw above, the New Testament provides us information on the negative connotation of clouds (without water). In Jude and 2 Pet 2, we find that these waterless clouds represent false teachers within the church who look glorious externally, speak with great swelling words, but deceive the people with a gospel of licentious living. They Also deny the three-fold work of Christ: Prophet (Bible only), Priest (Christ alone is the way to salvation) and King (Holiness in a Christian’s life).

– Used Enchantments – Manipulative Actions for Personal Gain

+ Old Testament References

The Hebrew word for ‘enchantments’ is nachash (H5172, H5173) which literally means to ‘hiss’. It occurs 11 times in the Old Testament. This word is sometimes translated as a divination. We find that enchantments are condemned by God in the law (Lev 19:26, Deut 18:10-12) as being an abomination. It was one of the causes of the exile of the northern 10 tribes of Israel (2 Ki 17:17) as well as the captivity of Judah. In Num 23:23, we find that an enchantment is just one form of the broader act of ‘divination’ (H7080, H7081), which involves the false information given by ‘spiritual’ entities using mystical means.

The only other occurrences of ‘enchantments’ (H5172, H5173) are found in relation to Laban (Gen 30:27), Joseph (Gen 44:5, 44:15), Balaam (Num 23:23, 24:1) and the messengers of Syrian King Ben-Hadad sent to Ahab, King of Israel (1 Ki 20:33):

Laban (Gen 30:27):

In Genesis 29, we find that Jacob (later to be called Israel) traveled east (Gen 29:1) and met beautiful Rachel (Gen 29:17-18) who had taken her sheep for watering (Gen 29:9-14). Jacob agreed to serve Rachel’s father Laban for 7 years in order to have Rachel as wife (Gen 29:15-20) since Jacob loved Rachel (Gen 29:18). However, when the 7 years expired, Laban tricked Jacob and gave the older sister Leah to Jacob as wife (Gen 29:21-27). Jacob then agreed to serve Laban for an addition 7 years to have Rachel as wife also (Gen 29:26-30). After Joseph was born to Jacob and Rachel, Jacob desired to depart from Laban (Gen 30:25-27). This brings us to the key verse that uses the word ‘enchantment’ (translated in Gen 30:27 as ‘learned by experience’:

And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

(Gen 30:27)

In this passage we see that it was by an ‘enchantment’, that Laban believed that God blessed him through the large increase in the flock of sheep (see Gen 30:30). In other words, it was the trickery or cunning of Laban that caused Jacob to work for Laban for 14 years. During this time Laban’s wealth (i.e., number of sheep) grew significantly.

Joseph (Gen 44:5, 44:15):

In Genesis 44, we find prosperous Joseph is Egypt. His 11 brothers just came from the land of Canaan to look for food (Gen 42:1-15) since there was a famine in the land (gen 41:54-57). In Genesis 44, Joseph was unknown by appearance to his brothers and he tested them by placing a valuable goblet into the bag of the youngest brother Benjamin, who was well-loved by his father Israel. In Gen 44:5 and 44:15, Joseph was called an ‘enchanter’ (translated as a ‘diviner’) because he feigned that he was aware of the goblet being ‘stolen’ by Benjamin (see also Gen 44:12). As a result, Joseph demanded that Benjamin be left behind in Egypt and become Joseph’s servant (Gen 44:10). This trickery ultimately led to the request of Joseph to have Benjamin as a servant until the father (Israel) can be brought to Joseph (Gen 44:19-21). However, Judah pleaded with Joseph to become a substitute for Benjamin (Gen 44:22-34). This led to Joseph making himself known to his brothers (Gen 45:1-8).

In this passage, we find that Joseph used an enchantment to lure the brothers and ultimately Israel back to Egypt where they would be re-united with Joseph.

Balaam (Num 23:23, 24:1):

Possibly the most revealing passage concerning ‘enchantments’ is that of the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-24. After seeing what Israel did to the Amorites, Balak, King of the Moabites sent for Balaam with the rewards of divination (see also Deut 23:4-5, Neh 13:2) in order that Balaam was somehow to curse the Israelites and save the Moabites and Midianites from the hand of Israel (Num 22:1-7). The chronology of the story is as follows:

Balak sends messengers to Balaam to curse Israel – Num 22:1-8
God comes to Balaam and tells him not to go to help Balak – Num 22:9-12
Balaam tells Balak’s messengers he cannot go with them – Num 22:13-14
Balak send more notable messengers back to Balaam offering greater rewards – Num 22:15-17
Balaam seeks God and God says to go with them, but only speak God’s word – Num 22:18-21
Angel of the Lord stands in Balaam’s donkey’s way as an adversary – Num 22:22-35
Balaam arrives and taken to the high places of Baal to curse Israel – Num 22:36-41
Balaam builds 7 altars and offers burnt sacrifices – Num 23:1-6
Balaam’s first parable from the LORD that he cannot curse what the LORD has blessed – Num 23:7-10
Balak takes Balaam to field of Zophim, builds altars and sacrifices – Num 23:11-15
Balaam ‘s second parable from the LORD and blesses Israel – Num 23:16-26
Balak takes Balaam to the top of Peor to build altars and sacrifice – Num 23:27-30
Balaam’s blessing on Israel as third parable from the mouth of the LORD – Num 24:1-9
Balak’s anger aroused since Balaam will not curse Israel – Num 24:10-11
Balaam’s response to Balak that he must speak from the LORD – Num 24:11-14
Balaam’s final parable – Num 24:15-25
Based on Balaam’s advice (Num 31:16, Deut 23:4), Israel tempted by daugher’s of Moab to commit whoredom and offer sacrifices to Moab’s gods (Num 25:1-5)

Just before Balaam’s third parable (Num 24:1, see also Num 23:16-26), we find that in this case there were no enchantments that would be sought. Balaam now knew that he could not curse Israel (Num 24:11-14). So, he gave up trying to use manipulation hoping that God would allow him to curse Israel. Up to this point Balaam was headstrong on trying to attempt to curse Israel. His enchantments (belief that he could manipulate God into cursing Israel) are now done. Balaam in his second parable learned:

Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

(Num 23:23)

In other words, enchantments and divination will not succeed against God’s sovereign plan of salvation of His people. Although people can try to use manipulative methods for God’s people to stumble, God is still in control.

Balaam is a type of a false minister who teaches what is in the Bible and speaks God’s word concerning righteousness (Micah 6:5, Josh 24:9-10), but finds another devious method to injure and curse the people of God (i.e., commit whoredoms and idolatry – 2 Pet 2:15, Jude 11, Rev 2:14)).

Balaam is called a soothsayer (Josh 13:22, Num 22:7, Num 23:23) which used ‘enchantments’ to attempt to curse God’s holy people.

The messengers of Syrian King Ben-Hadad sent to Ahab, King of Israel (1 Ki 20:33):

The final example of an ‘enchantment’ is found in 1 Ki 20. At this time, Israel under the rule of King Ahab had a series of victories over King Ben-hadad of Syria. In 1 Ki 20:33, King Ben-hadad’s messengers come to King Ahab seeking to spare the life of King Ahab. The ‘enchantment’ in 1 Ki 20:33 was that once these messengers gleaned that Ben-hadad was the brother of Ahab, they used this knowledge to try to make Ahab feel mercy toward Ben-hadad since he was his brother.

+ New Testament Parallels

In addition to what we already discussed regarding Balaam (2 Pet 2:15, Jude 11, Rev 2:14), we find several passages in the New Testament that relate to people who are in Christianity for gain:

Political gain – Phil 1:15-17, Lk 20:3-8, Mk 11:27-33, Mat 21:23-27, Herodians (Mat 22:16, Mk 3:2, 12:13), Jude, Korah (Num 16), Eph 4:14, Ro 16:17-18, Gen 3:4-5, 1 John 4:1-6, Mat 23:1-12, 2 Cor 11:12-15, Mat 23:27-28, Phil 2:21, Mk 12:38-40, 2 Tim 3:13
Financial gain – Phil 3:17-19, 1 Tim 6:3-5, Baal (Num 22-25), 2 Cor 2:17, Ro 16:17-18, Mat 23:14, Titus 1:10-16, 2 Chr 24:5-7, 1 Chr 6:28, etc

Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

(Rom 16:17-18)

Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

(Php 3:17-19)

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

(1Ti 6:3-5)

+ Summary

‘Enchantments’ used in 2 Chr 33:6 is essentially deceptive type of activities to reap some type of gain. In the most notable case of Balaam, we see that he kept on trying to beseech God to curse His people, Israel. He used sacrifices and offerings to try to make inroads with God. Balaam was a prophet for hire. He was paid the wages of divination.

Similarly, Laban also used trickery to get labor from Jacob to build his sheepfold for gain. Laban also used ‘enchantments’ for personal gain. Joseph used ‘enchantments’ by feigning that Benjamin stole the goblet in order to have the other brothers commit to bring Israel to Egypt. Finally, Syrian king Ben-hadad messengers used ‘enchantments’ to save the king’s life. Based on the fore-going, ‘enchantments’ are manipulative actions used to achieve personal gain.

– Witchcraft (Sorcery) – Manipulating People to Serve Other Gods

In 2 Chr 33:6 and 2 Ki 21:6, the sin of ‘witchcraft’ is among the list of sins that King Manasseh encouraged in Judah. The Hebrew word for ‘witchcraft’ (kashaph – H3784) occurs 12 times and either translated as ‘witchcraft’ or ‘sorcery’. The word kashaph literally means ‘to whisper’. When we think of witchcraft in today’s modern culture, we think of a somewhat crazy person that is disheveled. We think of a person (usually female) that practices secret tricks, spells and other devices to shape outcomes of life events. However, to understand the real spiritual meaning of this word, it is necessary to analyze the 12 occurrences of the word in the Old Testament and then relate the Old Testament word to any similar words in the New Testament by looking at quoted or referenced Old Testament verses that are discussed in the New Testament. We will see that the parallel word in the New Testament is the Greek word pharmakeia which is translated as either ‘witchcraft’ or ‘sorcery’. We know that the Old Testament word ‘kashaph’ and the New Testament word ‘pharmakeia’ since a verse in Rev 18:23 using the word ‘sorceries’ is a reference to Is 47:9 and Is 47:12, which uses the Hebrew word ‘Kashaph’.

+ Old Testament References

In the Old Testament, we find that witchcraft / sorcery is condemned in the Old Testament. In fact, the law of God requires that those who perform witchcraft be put to death (see Deut 18:10, Ex 22:18). God condemns witches / sorcerers (see Mal 3:5, Micah 5:12, Jer 27:9). Also, God commanded the future king of Israel (Jehu) to kill Jezebel, who was a witch (see 2 Ki 9:22, 2 Ki 9:30-37). In the Old Testament, we find that Pharaoh (of Egypt) had sorcerers that were able to replicate the miracle of Aaron. When Aaron threw down his rod and it became a serpent (see Ex 7:10-11), so did the witches (sorcerers) of Egypt. We can know from the Scripture (Ex 7:9, Ex 4:3) that the turning of Aaron’s rod into a serpent was a command of God, but that Pharaoh’s sorcerer’s action was ‘witchcraft’ (Ex 7:11). We find in Ex 7:11, that Pharaoh’s sorcerer’s used an ‘enchantment’ (lit: to blaze) to produce a serpent. It is likely that this was a magic art that was performed and the Scripture does not give us the details on how the serpent was produced ‘in a blaze’. It could be that there was a trick that caused a burst of flame while the sorcerer secretly produced his serpent. Similar imitations by the Egyptian magicians in the first two plagues of water to blood and production of frogs on Egypt (Ex 7:22, Ex 8:7) are also likely to be secret arts and not necessarily actual miracles. In the third plague of lice, the magicians were unable to produce lice (Ex 8:18) and the magicians reported to Pharaoh that the plagues must be from God. Nebuchadnezzar also had sorcerer’s who he called upon to interpret his dream, but were unable to do so (Dan 2:2).

The only other occurrence of witch / sorcerer in the Old Testament occur in relation to Queen Jezebel, Babylon and Nineveh.

Jezebel:

In the passage that describes the death of Jezebel, we find that she was put to death for her whoredoms (relating to idol worship) and her ‘witchcrafts’ (see 2 Ki 9:22). Jezebel was the Zidonian woman (daughter of Eth-baal, Kind of the Zidonians) that King Ahab of Israel took to wife (1 Ki 16:31-33). The Zidonians worshiped Baal and the groves (as we have already studies above). Additionally, Jezebel cut of the prophets of God from the land (1 Ki 18:4, 1 Ki 18:13) and replaced them with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the grove (asherim), which sat at Jezebel’s table (1 Ki 18:19). The 450 prophets of Baal were slain in Elijah’s challenge and as a result Jezebel sought godly Elijah’s life (1 Ki 19:1-2). The replacement of the prophets of God with the prophets of Baal and the groves was tied to Jezebel’s whoredoms of worshiping other gods. In 1 Ki 21:25-26, the Scripture tells us that Jezebel stirred up King Ahab’s heat to worship idols.

Jezebel also did a very wicked act described in 1 Ki 21:1-15, where she had false accusers claim that Naboth blasphemed God and the king, resulting in the death of Naboth. This allowed Ahab to claim Naboth’s vineyard. The name Naboth literally means ‘fruit’. Therefore, spiritually speaking Naboth (the fruit) was put to death by false witnesses that were raised so Ahab and Jezebel could acquire the vineyard (which is a spiritual portrait of God’s people – see Is 5:1-10, Mat 20:1-16, Mat 21:28-32, etc.). It should be seen that the story of Naboth’s vineyard foreshadows the desire of evil people to commit ‘witchcraft’ to acquire spiritual territory (see below discussion on Babylon). The ‘witchcraft’ of Jezebel is that she fraudulently stirred up false witnesses to testify a lie against Naboth resulting in his death (similar to what happened to Jesus Christ – Mat 26:59, Mk 14:55-56).

Nineveh:

Another example of Old Testament is the ‘witchcraft’ of Nineveh. We find in Nahum 3:4 (see also Nah 1:1) that Nineveh is referred to as a whore, a mistress of witchcrafts. The book of Jonah records that the city of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah and Jehovah God spared them (i.e., a portrait of salvation to the Gentiles). At this time, the people of Nineveh became Jehovah God’s people due to their repentance (Jonah 3:6-10, Jonah 4:10-11, Mat 12:41). The people of Nineveh became a great example of God’s salvation plan for all His chosen gentile people, not just those of the heritage of Israel. However, within just a few generations, the city had returned to worship false gods and therefore, was considered as a whore, since they rebelled from Jehovah God. They worshiped false gods by the art of ‘witchcraft’. Similar to Jezebel, the people of Nineveh used witchcraft to turn its people from the worship of the true God to the worship of false gods. Those actions are witchcrafts.

Babylon:

The final Old Testament example (Is 47:9-12) is that of Babylon, which is notable since it directly relates to the New Testament (via Rev 18:23). Is 47 is a description of God’s judgment on Babylon, which becomes a portrait of the final judgment in Rev 17-18 of the end times apostate Christian church. In part, judgment on Babylon is due to her ‘multitude of sorceries’. We know that Isaiah 47 also relates to the end time apostate Babylon church in Rev 17-18 due to the following verses in Isaiah 47 relating to Revelation 17-18:

Is 47:1 – Rev 18:7
Is 47:3 – Rev 18:5-8, 18:20
Is 47:5 – Rev 18:21-24, Rev 17:3-5, Rev 17:18, Rev 18:7, Rev 18:16-19
Is 47:8 – Rev 18:3-8, Rev 18:7
Is 47:9 – Rev 18:8-10, Rev 18:21-23, Rev 18:23
Is 47:11 – Rev 18:9-10
Is 47:12 – Rev 17:4-6
Is 47:14 – Rev 18:21
Is 47:15 – Rev 18:11-19, Rev 18:15-17

We know from many places in the Old Testament that Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon due to the sins of Judah. But, to fully understand the meaning of witchcraft / sorcery, it is important to understand the sorcery of Babylon in Rev 18, which will be addressed below.

+ New Testament References

By relating Is 47:9 and Is 47:12 to Rev 18:23, we can safely conclude that the witchcraft / sorcery of the Old Testament is the parallel word in the New Testament that is the Greek word pharmakeia (which is translated as either ‘witchcraft’ or ‘sorcery’). In the New Testament, pharmakeia is used 6 times. The word literally means ‘medicine’ or ‘drugs’ and is the word we get the current English word ‘pharmacy’ from. In the New Testament times, this word (G5331, G53432, G5333) was translated as ‘witchcraft/ sorcery’, and was likely used to reflect the sinful behavior of altering one’s mind by using chemicals / drugs. In 5 of the 6 occurrences (Rev 9:21, Gal 5:20, Rev 21:8, Rev 22:15), the word is used in a list of sins (harlotry, idolatry, murder, lying, unbelief, stealing, wrath, sedition, heresy, strife, jealousy, etc.) that are condemned by the Bible as being reflective of someone who is not saved and will be judged accordingly. The only occurrence that provides more insight as to what New Testament witchcraft / sorcery spiritually means is Rev 18:23. As the literal meaning of the word sorcery in the New Testament is to alter one’s thoughts by using drugs, we will find that spiritually speaking, sorcery can refer to altering one’s thoughts about the True God to worship false gods.

Revelation 17-18 describes the judgment on the end-time harlot, Babylon (Rev 17:1). The noun ‘whore’ (or harlot) is used throughout the Bible primarily to describe people who identify with Jehovah God, in name, but have rebelled from God and have joined themselves to serve other gods and idols in contradiction to the first two commandments (Ex 20:3-6). Other gods and idols refer to whatever a person worships or mostly values in their life (which could include money, false teaching about the true God, materialism, family, accomplishments, power, fun, cars, boats, work, sports, wisdom, new age philosophy, etc., etc.). Notably, we find that greediness is a form of idolatry (Col 3:5).

Israel in the wilderness (God’s church of the Old Testament – see Acts 7:38) was called a harlot because Israel rebelled from God and as a result, did not enter into the promised-land. Israel was caused to wander 40 years in the wilderness (Num 14:33) for her whoredoms. In Num 25:1, as influenced by Balaam (Num 31:15-16, 1 Cor 10:8), we find that Israel pursued whoredom by joining themselves to the daughters of Moab and bowed down to the gods of Moab (Num 25:1-3). Israel, at this time, joined themselves with Baal-peor, providing an example of whoredom by the worshiping of other gods.

Similarly, the northern 10 tribes (called Israel) and the southern two tribes (called Judah) also committed abominable whoredom just as their fathers did (Eze 20:30). Ezekiel 16 provides a history of the whore Israel and records her whoredoms she committed with idols of other gods (Eze16:17, 36). In Ezekiel 23, Israel and Judah are signified by two sisters (Oholah and Oholibah), which committed great whoredoms against God because of their service to false gods and idols.

In the book of Hosea, Israel is recognized as being an adulterous whore (Hos 3:3, Hos 4:10-18, Hos 5:3-4, Hos 6:10, Hos 9:1) in that she rebelled from God’s holy path. Hosea was told to marry a whore (Gomer), which symbolized the nation of Israel (Hos 1:2, Hos 2:2-5, Hos 3:3, Hos 4:10-15, Hos 4:18).

There are many other references to Israel / Judah being considered as an adulterous whore, which represented their going after false gods and idols (Eze 6:9, 43:9, Jer 3:1-9, 5:7, 2 Ki 9:22 (Jezebel), 2 Chr 21:11-15, Ex 34:15-16, Deut 31:16, Judges 2:16-17, Nah 3:4 (Nineveh), Micah 1:7, Pr 7:10, Ps 73:27, Ps 106:39, Lev 17:7, Is 1:21, etc.)

+ Three specific actions that resulted in worshiping false gods:

In Rev 17:2 and Rev 18:3, there are three actions that the harlot Babylon does:

Commit fornication with the kings of the earth
Make all nations drink of the wine of the wrath (passion) of her fornication
Make the merchants of the earth rich through the abundance of her delicacies

Because the book of Revelation is a spiritual, allegorical book, Scripture must be compared with Scripture (1 Cor 2:13) to understand the spiritual meanings of these three actions.

Commit fornication with the kings of the earth (Rev 17:1-2, 18, 18:3, 18:9):

From a spiritual perspective (and as discussed above), fornication (Greek: porneia) involves intercourse with other gods and idols. That is, spiritual fornication is violating the first and second commandments of God to not have any other gods before Him, nor worship any idols o anything in heaven, earth or sea. The noun ‘whore’ (or harlot – i.e., one who fornicates) is used throughout the Bible primarily to describe people who identify with Jehovah God, in name, but have rebelled from God and have joined themselves to other gods and idols. Other gods and idols refer to whatever a person worships or mostly values in their life (which could include money, materials, family, accomplishments, power, fund, cars, boats, work, sports, philosophy, etc., etc.). In Rev 17:18, the Bible says that Babylon reigns over the kings of the earth. This term ‘reigns’ is not a typical translation in the New Testament since the Greek word used is echo. The Greek word echo is used extensively in the New Testament and is typically translated as ‘hold’ or ‘have’. Therefore, the translation in Rev 17:18 could easily be to have or hold kings of the earth. Therefore, Babylon, as the corporate Christian church indeed can be viewed as having kings of the earth under her authority. There are a multitude of ‘kings’ of the earth that would be said to be held by one of the Christian denominations and churches. These churches often are important in shaping the belief structure of the leader.

Make all inhabitants of the world corrupted by drinking the wine of the wrath (passion) of her fornication (Rev 17:3, 18:3, 19:2):

As a result of Babylon’s fornication, the inhabitants of the earth become drunk and corrupted. To be drunk means to be spiritually drunk, which means that the one who is drunk loses their mental faculties to be able to spiritually discern truth from error. They are in a spiritual stupor. To be spiritually drunk is the opposite of being filled with the spirit (Eph 5:18). To be filled with the Spirit is to have the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit at work in one’s life by enlightening the word of God to the believer resulting in good works (Col 3:16, Col 1:9, Mat 5:6, John 14:26, etc.). To be drunk also relates to being in the dark since the Bible says that those who are drunk are drunk at night (1 Thess 5:7, Ro 13:13). They are in darkness and do not have the marvelous light of the Gospel (2 Cor 4:4-6, 2 Pet 1:19, 2 Tim 1:10). Therefore, through Babylon’s fornication, people become darkened due to their worship of other gods and idols rather than a worship of the true God by diligently studying the Word of God (2 Tim 2:15), who is Jesus. They are darkened in their understanding of the true and only God (John 1:4-10).

The word ‘corrupted’ (Greek ‘phtheiro’, Rev 19:2) means to become decayed. We find in Jude 10 that it is due to sin and false doctrine that people become corrupted. The unsaved man is corrupted by deceitful lusts (Eph 4:22). In 2 Cor 11:2-3, we find that our minds can be corrupted by the deceiving work of Satan. Finally, 1 Cor 15:33 teaches us that evil company corrupt good manners. By harmonizing these Scriptures, we can discover that the nature of the church Babylon is that it is corrupted due to sin. By having a blend of unsaved (majority) and saved (minority) persons within Babylon, even true believers can be affected by the false doctrine and sin to which they may be emboldened to partake of. Broad is the way to destruction, but narrow is the way that leads to life and there are few than find it (Mat 7:13). Babylon has grown into a very large, great church, but by so doing, it has increased in sin, especially the worship of false gods and idols. This leads to drunkenness and corruption.

Merchants became rich by Babylon’s merchandise, which is the abundance of her delicacies (Rev 18:3, Rev 18:7, Rev 18:11-13, Rev 18:15, Rev 18:23):

Merchants are those who buy and sell to make a profit. From a most basic spiritual perspective, all people are sold under sin (Ro 7:14). Is 50:1 says that by our iniquities, we have sold ourselves. That is, by our very sinful nature, we have been sold into the slave market of sin (Ro 6:16-22). At the point of salvation, we have been redeemed (literally, bought out of the slave market) by Jesus Christ (Gal 3:13, 1 Pet 1:18). Therefore, the most basic doctrine of salvation can be seen in terms of a Merchant (Jesus Christ) who has bought us out of the slave market of sin. As Is 52:3 and 45:13 teach, we have sold ourselves for nothing and we will be redeemed without money. We are instructed to come in our thirstiness to the waters of life. We have no money to buy, but we can come and buy and eat and drink (Is 55:1).

Merchants refer to those who are in the marketplace of religion. 2 Pet 2:3 refers to false teachers of Jesus Christ who through greed, make merchandise of Christian believers. They entice people with words that sound Christian, but in reality are untruthful. Some of the errors of these false teachers are discussed, for example, in 2 Peter 2 and the book of Jude. These errors include teaching a license to sin, sensuality, greed, false gospels, unfaithfulness and denying the Christ nature of Jesus (Prophet, Priest and King).

Those false Christian teachers are similar to those who made the temple a house of merchandise (John 2:16, Mat 21:12-15, Mk 11:15-17, Lk 19:45-46). The merchants are as those who profit from Christianity in the assembling of large church congregations who become very wealthy in buildings, people, status and ministries, but do not realize that they are spiritually poor (Rev 3:17). They have in essence made the house of God, a place of making money. The house of God has become a place to make money and create power and influence. The Christian church is an example of a very, very rich organization that controls people’s finances. In essence, it has become a den of thieves (Mk 11:17, Mat 22:15, Jer 7:11). In John 2:16, Mat 21:12-15, Mk 11:15-17, Lk 19:45-46, Jesus used the temple at Jerusalem as example of the merchandising of Christianity, similar to what is found in 2 Pet 2:3.

+ Tools of the harlot to worship false gods

We find in Rev 18:22-23 that the sorcerous methods that are used in order for Babylon to deceive Christians to follow false gods:

And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

(Rev 18:22-23)

We find in Rev 18:22-23, the types of activities that were occurring in Babylon, which included music, building, working at the millstone, lighting of candles, the voices of the bride and the bridegroom. All these activities were the results of the ‘merchants’ building the false church of Babylon. All these activities are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, but they were used as a means of promoting and growing the great and idolatrous church of Babylon. Therefore, sorcery (at least in the New Testament) can be defined as Babylon’s actions that are described in the context of Rev 18:21-24:

Music – The sound of harpers, musicians, pipers, trumpeters
Craftsmen (church growth techniques)
Millstone workers (labor in word)
Light of the candle (evangelism)
The voice of the bride and bridegroom (the true remnant of believers)

Each of the above actions have spiritual meanings that need to be explored:

Music

Music can be viewed in either a positive or negative way. Mostly, in the Bible, musicians refer to praising God (e.g., Ps 147:3, 150:3, 92:3, 57:8, 33:2, etc). The entire book of Psalms is essentially the Word of God to music. Musical instruments were often an accompaniment to vocal singing (e.g., Ps 71:22, 98:5, etc.). Pipe music can be used in joyous occasions (1 Ki 1:40, Is 30:29, etc.). However, music can also be tied to worshipping idols as we find in Dan 3:5, 3:7, 3:10, 3:15. Also, in a negative way, it is tied to unrighteous mirth (e.g., Is 5:12, Is 23:16) and vanity (Amos 5:23, 6:5, 8:3,10, Is 23:15, Eze33:31-32). Pipers are referred to in both the Old and New Testament. In the New Testament, it is referred to as negatively in referring to someone who pipes and other follow (i.e., follow the piper) (Lk 17:32). This underscores the power of music and how it can be used to emphasize praise, but can also be used as deception. In all cases, one must weigh the music one listens to by the content of the message and not the strength of the melody.

Therefore, we find that the use of music can be used in a negative manner. It can be used in a manner to dull one’s senses and sets up the conditions for deception. The tempo or style of the music is not as important as the message. However, the tempo or style of music can overshadow a positive message in the music and therefore, can lead to a sensual ‘high’ based on the tempo or style instead of the message. Similarly, a good style or tempo can allow for deceptive messages to be communicated to an unsuspecting listener. Most often, the words in music played in churches are not directly from the Bible. They can be a summary of what one believes to be true, but can involve significant deception (especially concerning the way to salvation – i.e., free will versus the true Gospel of God’s election of those who are of the faith of Abraham). Therefore, music can be a sorcerous tool that can be used to lead people into the idolatrous church of Babylon.

Church Growth – Craftsmen

The Greek word for ‘craftsmen’ is the word ‘technites’ from where we get the word ‘technician’. The craftsmen of Babylon are ‘technically’ very good at building things. In Heb 11:10, we find that God is referred to as the builder of the heavenly city. But, in Acts 19:24-25, Acts 19:38, we find at the riot at Ephesus that those who made idols of Diana were also referred to by the same word technites (translated as ‘occupation’). Also, in Acts 17:29, we find the same use of this word at Athens referring to those who make idols. Finally, in Acts 18:3, we find that Paul and Aquila had the ‘craft’ (technites) of tent-making. So, we find that this word can be used in both a positive and negative sense. The word for crtaftsmen could have a positive connotation insofar as Christians are sharing the Gospel, but also a negative connotation for those who would build an idolatrous church with wood, hay and stubble (1 Cor 3:12).

A strong feature of Babylon’s church is its desire to attract a large following and ‘build’ a church. We find that the Rev 17-18 church sits on many waters, which refers to various peoples. There are many leaders of the church that are very good at developing methods to draw people into the church organization. So called side-door evangelism where churches use any and all tactics to bring people in the church is very prominent. These methods often involve leading people into church due to some personal need that they may have and not on the central need of worshiping God. These tactics can appear positive surface since they appear to help people in whatever need they may have, but can often be deceptive since the Gospel of salvation is replaced with a social gospel of ministry needs. Some examples of side-door evangelism include fellowship groups, addiction meetings, daycare, clubs, sports, rummage sales, parties, entertainment, counseling services for various problems, etc. These tactics can result in large church growth that is based on a social gospel that appeals to mankind, but it is not based on the ‘offensive’ true Gospel of the depravity of man and God’s elective grace.

Bible Teaching – Millstone Workers

A millstone was a very heavy spinning wheel that can be used to grind (or pulverize) material. A millstone, similar to a craftsmen is tied to a person (often a woman (Ex 11:5) or a slave (Job 31:10, Lam 5:13, Jud 6:21, Is 47:2)) who works to produce flour which is used to make food (Is 47:2). We find in Mat 24:41 and Lk 17:35, that the workers at the millstone are used allegorically to reflect two people who are doing the same work, but one will be saved and the other not saved. Therefore, just as in the reference ‘craftsmen’, the workers at the millstone can be seen in a positive or negative way. One could be grinding to make food (e.g., bread, which can represent the Word of God, John 6:63, Deut 8:3, Is 55:10-11) or it could represent someone who is not saved, yet is toiling in the same spiritual work (e.g., trying to teach spiritual truth) as one who is saved.

Similarly, we find in Babylon that there are saved and unsaved workers at the grindstone that are making bread for the people. In other words, a millstone worker can be viewed as a person that teaches the Bread of Life, which is the Word of God (John 6:63, Deut 8:3, Is 55:10-11, Mat 4:4, Amos 8:11). The act of operating a millstone is to break down the grain into a more useable form for ingestion (similar to what a teacher does with the Word of God.

Teaching the Word of God is a grave responsibility that must be taken seriously in order to not deceive the listeners. The teacher must be diligent to show themselves approved, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God (2 Tim 2:15). Unfortunately, the New Testament is ripe with many examples of deception and false teaching: Rev 22:18, Acts 20:27, Col 2, 2 Cor 11:3-15, Mat 7:15-23, 2 Tim 2:16-23, 2 Thess 2:9, Gal 1:6-8, Jude 3-4, etc. Babylon’s sorcery includes not only music and church growth methods, but also false teaching. False teaching leads to worshiping false gods and idols in one’s life when the focus is taken off of Jesus as the Christ (i.e. Prophet, Priest and King).

Evangelism – Light of the Candle

The true Gospel is a beautiful light in an otherwise dark world. In order to understand the Rev 18 reference to ‘light of the candle’ being present in Babylon, it is important to understand the nuance of ‘light’, ‘candle’ and ‘candlestick’. The candlestick supports the candle, which once ignited shines forth the true Gospel. The ‘candlestick’ (sometimes referred to as a lampstand) in the Bible refers to the true church of God itself (see Rev 1:12, Rev 1:20, Ex 25:31-40, etc.). The true church of God (not Babylon) is supposed to support the candle, which shines forth the Gospel. We find that a candle (Greek: lampos) refers to a true Christian (Mat 5:15 in the context of Mat 5:14-16, Mk 4:21, Lk 8:16, Lk 11:33 John 5:34-35, Lk 12:35). The light (Greek – phos) is the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself (2 Cor 4:6, John 8:12, Eph 5:8, Col 1:12, 1 John 2:7-10, John 1:4-9).

Babylon, as the wicked end-time Christian corporate church indeed has the light of the candle in that it contains true Christians that know, believe and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But this Gospel is often perverted by the deception that exists in Babylon. This perversion of the Gospel by offering anyone and everyone a ‘free-will’, name it and claim it false gospel is rampant within organized Christianity causing the church to balloon with unsaved nominal members (Mat 7:21-23). This doctrine as well as non-Biblical doctrines are false gods and idols since they cause people to worship other ideas and philosophies other than Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God. The essence of the Gospel is there, but it is perverted by a large contingent of false demonic ministers and congregants that control the organized Christian church. Satan and his ministers have taken their seat in the temple of God (2 Thess 2) and the abomination of desolation is in place (Mat 24:15).

The True Remnant – The voice of the bride and bridegroom

Paradoxically, Babylon allows true Christians to remain within her midst. The voice of the bride and the bridegroom refers to the truth of Jesus Christ (the bridegroom) and the true church (the bride) (Ps 19:5, Mat 9:15, Mat 25:1-10, Eph 2:25-26, Rev 1:2,9,17, John 3:29, Jer 2:32, Jer 7:34, Jer 16:9, Mk 2:19-20, Lk 5:34-35, Is 61:10, Is 49:18, Joel 2:16, ). Notably, in Rev 21:2, Rev 21:9 and Rev 22:17, we find the true church referred to as New Jerusalem and the Bride. So the voice of Christ and the true church, New Jerusalem were heard in Babylon, but evil Babylon held majority control of the world’s leaders (politics) and inhabitants. Many will say in Judgment Day that they did great things for the Lord, but will find that they were serving Babylon and not God (Mat 7:21-23).

Importantly, we find that true Christians are commanded to flee from Babylon in Rev 18:4 (see also Jer 51:6, Jer 51:45, Jer 51:50, Mat 24:15-16, 2 Cor 6:17, Is 52:11) that they be not partakers of her sins. Although true Christians want to fellowship with like-minded believers, Babylon is deceptive, sinful an ultimately powered by Satan and his demonic ministers. Therefore, they must depart.

+ Jezebel in the New Testament

In Rev 2:20-22, we find the following message to one of the 7 churches (i.e., Thyatira) to which the book of Revelation was addressed:

Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

(Rev 2:20-22)

Similar to what we studies above in the Old Testament, Jezebel taught and seduced people to commit fornication and to eat things offered to idols.

It is important to look at the relationship of her name, Jezebel, to the Jezebel of the Old Testament. The Jezebel of the Old Testament was married to Ahab the King of Israel. However, she was not of Israel. She was a Sidonian (Baal worshiper) who married King Ahab (1 Ki 16:29-33). It should also be noted that she was very aggressive and head strong. For example, when Ahab wished to purchase Naboth’s vineyard, he seemed to resign himself to Naboth’s will to keep his property. However, she caused Ahab to do evil by having Naboth killed – 1 Ki 21:25. The parallel to Thyatira is instructive to us. It is likely that the Jezebel of Thyatira was very headstrong and took command. She claimed revelation from God which was not the true Gospel at all. The two errors that she brought into the church were immorality and eating things sacrificed to idols. The immorality points to fornication. Fornication, in the spiritual sense as we saw, points to rebellion from God and loving the things of the world (1 Cor 5:1,6:13-18, 7:1, Gal 5:19, Eph 5:3, Acts 15:20-29, 1 Thess 4:3, Col 3:5). Spiritually speaking, fornication (Col 3:5, Eph 5:32, Jer 3:1-9, Eze 16:15-20, Ex 34:12-16) points to the condition of a person when he is involved with the world or other gospels and not truly following the Gospel of the Bible.

We have found another lover other than our betrothed husband, God. In other words, Jezebel likely taught that it was fine to be very much enamored with then things of the world. The eating of things sacrificed to idols points to the things that we do that may cause our brothers to stumble. These are the debatable things in life that may be left better not to participate in. However, Jezebel taught people that they have freedom in Christ and there is no problem indulging in things that are not specifically prohibited in the Bible. In the New Testament we see that eating things offered to idols is not forbidden (but emboldens weaker brother to sin 1 Cor 8:4-13, 10:23-33, Ro 14:13-15;1, Acts 15:20-29). When one partakes in a debatable area, it is possible that the newer brother may see the one partaking and being emboldened to do so as well with a conscience telling him that it is sin. Therefore, to eat things sacrificed to idols is a figure for partaking in areas which causes the newer or weaker brother to stumble.

– Familiar Spirits (Mediums) – Communicating with Spirit World by Demons

In 2 Chr 33:6 and 2 Ki 21:6, the sin of ‘familiar spirits’ is among the list of sins that King Manasseh encouraged in Judah. The Hebrew word for ‘familiar spirits’ (ob – H178) occurs 17 times and is almost always translated as ‘familiar spirit’. The word ob literally means ‘to mumble’ as in the sound that could be made in a bottle. However, to understand the spiritual meaning of this word, it is necessary to analyze the occurrences of the word in the Old Testament and then relate the Old Testament word to any similar words or concepts in the New Testament.

+ Old Testament Occurrences

It is interesting to note that in 11 occurrences of the word for ‘familiar spirits’, it is used in the same verse as a ‘wizard’. It should be noted that a wizard and person with a ‘familiar spirit’ both use their arts to convey (or divine) special information to people.

Most of the occurrences of ob (familiar spirits) simply either condemn the action or place the action into a list of other occultic practices that are considered as evil (see Lev 20:6, Lev 19:31, 2 Ki 21:6, 2 Ki 23:24,

2 Chr 33:6, Deut 18:11, Is 19:3, Is 8:19). In Lev 20:27, the Old Testament law required the penalty of death for a person who had a ‘familiar spirit’.

The most informative passage of Scripture concerning ‘familiar spirits’ is that of the woman of Endor that had a familiar spirit and King Saul (1 Sam 28:3-25). The term familiar spirits appears 5 times in this passage. In 1 Chr 10:13 we are informed that reason Saul died an untimely death was due to his interaction with the woman that had a familiar spirit. In 1 Sam 28:3, we find that after Samuel’s death, Saul had put away all the people who had ‘familiar spirits’ and wizards from the land. However, in 1 Sam 28:4-7, we find that Saul was not receiving any answer from the Lord regarding the impending threat of the Philistines and he sought out to talk to a woman with a ‘familiar spirit’. It is important to understand that in 1 Sam 28:7, the Scripture says that the woman ‘had’ a familiar spirit. The word ‘had’ is literally the Hebrew word ‘baalah’ which means mistress (feminine version of Baal). In other words, the woman at Endor was the ‘mistress of a familiar spirit’, which means that she had a particular familiar spirit that she would use to divine. Saul then disguised himself and talked with this woman and desired that she bring up Samuel from the dead so that Saul could get advice on how to address the Philistine threat (1 Sam 28:8-11). It is important to note that once the woman ‘brought up’ Samuel she cried with a loud voice and was afraid (1 Sam 28:11-13). She was apparently afraid and immediately recognized that this must have been Saul because it was not her ‘familiar spirit’ that she was the mistress of. It was actually Samuel. We can learn from this passage that the woman with a ‘familiar spirit’ actually did have contact with the evil spirit (i.e., demon) world. She was accustomed to her voice from the ground (Is 29:4), not actually encountering Samuel. This woman of Endor was possessed with an evil spirit that she used for divination.

+ New Testament Parallel Verses

In order to recognize parallels in the New Testament, it is important to realize that demon possession was somewhat common in the New Testament time that Jesus was on earth (i.e., the Gospels). We find four prominent passages that describe demon possession:

The demoniac in the Synagogue (Mk 1:21-28, Lk 4:31-36)
The Syrophoenician Woman’s daughter (Mat 15:21-28, Mk 7:24-30)
The Deaf and Dumb Boy (Mat 17:14-18, Mk 9:14-29, Lk 9:38-42)
Garderene Demoniacs (Mat 8:28-34, Mk 5:1-20, Lk 8:26-29)

In addition to these passages, there are other references in the Gospels and Book of Acts that reference demon possession:

Blind and dumb demoniac (Mat 12:22, Lk 11:14)
Dumb Demoniac (Mat 9:32‑33)
Other: Mk 1:34, Mk 3:11 Lk 4:41, Acts 8:7

It should be noted that the significance of casting out demons points to salvation: (Mat 8:16‑17, Eph 2:2, 4:8‑9, 6:12, 1 John 4:1‑4, 5:19, John 12:31). However, later in the New Testament, there are no additional references to demon possessions that was similar to those described in the Gospels and the book Acts. In the Gospels and the book of Acts, demon possession was usually associated with wild behavior or some type of physical impairment. Casting out these demons became a portrait of salvation. Prior to salvation, an unsaved person is a child of Satan and is influenced by the prince and god of this world (Eph 2:2, 2 Cor 4:4). However, once saved, Christians are made a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) and indwelled by the Hold Spirit (Ro 8:9).

Subsequent to the book of Acts, the references in the New Testament to demons / evil spirits is only with regard to those in the church who teach false gospels and lead people astray. We find that Babylon houses demons (Rev 18:2) and therefore, it can be concluded that this worldly, apostate, organized Christian church typified by Babylon is influenced and inhabited by demons. We find in 1 Tim 4:1 that in the latter times, people will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (i.e., demons). James 3:14-16 notes that bitter envying and strife in the heart is contrary to truth and this type of ‘wisdom’ is demonic. James 3:16 states that this results in confusion (i.e., Babylon). Other verses mention that it is possible to worship demons by our actions: 1Cor 10:20, Deut 32:17, Ps 106:37, Gal 4:8, Ex 22:20, 32:8, 34:15, 2 Chr 11:15, Lev 17:7). These verses teach us that whatever we sacrifice our time and resources to, that is what we worship. Worshiping of devils and giving heed to their seductions and doctrines is considered as idolatry as well (see 1 Tim 4:1, 1 Cor 10:20-21, Deut 32:17, Ps 106:37).

Demons are spirits (e.g., Mat 8:16). The terms demons and unclean spirits are used interchangeably to refer to demon possession (e.g., Mk 1:23-26, 3:30, 5:1-30, Lk 4:33, etc.) However, the use of the word ‘spirit’ when referring to demons underscore the arena to which they are operating: the spiritual realm. Other spirits at the time of Christ, possessed human bodies being evidenced by sickness, palsy, deviant behavior, etc., evil spirits are also referred to as being the motivating force behind false doctrines (1 Tim 4:1) and false ministers. In 2 Cor 11:13-15, the Bible teaches us that just as Satan appears as an angel of light, so too does his ministers appear as ministers of righteousness in order to deceive people. The spiritual realm is where we know God the Father and Jesus Christ, by the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14-16). We are instructed that we must worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). It is by the Spirit, that we can understand and know God through the Bible (1 Pet 1:10-12, 2 Pet 1:19-21, 2 Tim 3:16, Eph 5:18 w/ Col 3:16, 1 Cor 2:1-13, Ro 8:9, John 14:26, 15:26, etc.). Therefore, unclean spirits can be understood as those who operate within organized Christian religion that are teaching things contrary to the truth of God. In this sense, they are unclean spirits. 1 John 4:1-3 teaches us that we must test the spirits to see if they are from God. Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus, as the Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, but this is the spirit of antichrist. To understand Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not just agreeing that Jesus was an actual man-God that existed, but it is also to agree that he is the Christ (Prophet, Priest and King). If one does not believe in these three offices of Jesus, he is not saved (1 John 5:1) and he is an antichrist (2 John 7, 1 John 4:3, 1 John 2:18, I John 2:22). The church of Babylon contains many who may ‘believe’ in Jesus because of their decision for Him, but they have not received the faith of Christ (Eph 2:8-9, Ro 3:22, Rev 14:22, Gal 2:20, etc.) which causes them to have faith in Jesus Christ (Prophet, Priest and King) and therefore, born again.

+ Summary

In 2 Chr 33:6 and 2 Ki 21:6, we find that Manasseh commissioned the practice of consulting with ‘familiar spirits’. We found in 1 Sam 28 that the medium at Endor possessed or was the mistress of a ‘familiar spirit’. The New Testament instructs us that Satan has come as a minister of light and therefore, we should not be surprised if his ministers appear in like manner (2 Cor 11:3-4, 12-15). In fact that are many demons at work in the churches as we are instructed in several New Testament passages discussed above.

A person with a ‘familiar spirit’ (i.e., medium) is no different that many today that are being led by Satan and ‘possessed’ with a familiar spirit. Demon possession today is not what we watch in movies where the possessed person looks and acts crazy. Demon possession today is alive and well in the religious, apostate realm of those who take the name of Christ, but in reality are false ministers of light. A medium is one who receives messages from the spirit world. Satan, as the master of confusion and lies, uses various false doctrines to deceive people, which could include the following examples:

False doctrine and the denial that Jesus is the Prophet (i.e., the Bible alone is useful or spiritual truth), Priest (Jesus is the only way of salvation) and King (Jesus is authoritative and must be submitted to in obedience and holiness).
New Age and Eastern mysticism practices including yoga, channeling, transcendental meditation, astral projection, higher consciousness, etc., etc.
Receiving direct messages from God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, angels, dead relatives, circumstances or other mystical means (e.g., ‘the Spirit spoke to my heart and told me….).
Using human psychology and philosophy to apply to spiritual problems
Messages in dreams, voices, visions, etc.
Speaking in tongues

It is only through the Word of God (i.e., the Bible, inspired by the Spirit of Christ) that we are made complete. It is only the Word of God that is needed for spiritual truth (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pet 1:19-21, Heb 4:12, Acts 20:27, 2 Tim 2:15, etc.).

– Wizards – Worldly Knowledge and Wisdom

Very similar to mediums who have a ‘familiar spirit’, wizards are another type of ‘art’ that involves providing a source of spiritual information. Mediums provide information from a spiritual entity (i.e., demon), while a wizard provides spiritual information ‘from the earth’.

+ Old Testament Occurrences

The Hebrew word for ‘wizard’ is the word yidde oniy (H3049), which literally means ‘a knowing one’. The original Hebrew word is from the Hebrew word yada which means ‘to know’. ‘Wizard’ occurs 11 times in the Old Testament. In every case, it occurs with ‘familiar spirits’.

In Lev 20:27, the law of God commanded that a wizard or a person with s ‘familiar spirit’ was to be put to death by stoning. In Deut 18-11-12, God prohibited a ‘wizard’ (as well as many other occultic activities) to not be found among Israel since these practices were an abomination of the nations that were to be case out of Canaan. There are other occurrences in the law of God (i.e., Lev 20:6, Lev 19:31) where wizardry was condemned. We previously saw in 1 Sam 28:3, 28:9 that Saul had cast out all the wizards from the land as did Josiah (2 Ki 23:24). In Is 19:3 that the Egyptians sought after wizards and were condemned for that practice.

A very informative passage concerning wizardry is Is 8:18-20:

Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

(Isa 8:18-20)

We find in this passage that those who seek for wizards and those with ‘familiar spirits’ do so because there is no light within them. Instead of seeking light in God’s word, they turn to false sources of truth. It is important to observe that wizards are said to ‘peep’ and ‘mutter’ in Is 8:19. The word ‘peep’ (H6850) only occurs a total of 4 times in the Old Testament (all in Isaiah) and literally means to ‘chirp as a bird’ (see Is 38:14, Is 10:14). In the Bible, we find that the vast majority of birds were considered as an unclean animal (Lev 11:13-19) and are generally described in a negative context in the Bible. In Rev 18:2, the reference to hateful birds within Babylon relates to Jer 5:26-27. This passage refers to the deceptive practices in the Old Testament church at Jerusalem and how wicked men would lay traps to deceive people into their ‘cage of birds’. The evil workers in Babylon have similarly used deceit to capture hateful, deceived people into their church.

The reference to wizards that ‘mutter’ is also notable. The Hebrew word ‘mutter’ (H1897) is hazah and literally means to ‘murmur’. It is often translated as ‘meditate, speak, studieth, talk, mourn, mutter, etc.). It often has a positive aspect in meditating on God, His work and the word of God (e.g., Jos 1:8, Ps 1:2, Ps Ps 35:28, Ps 63:6, Ps 71:24, Ps 77:12, Ps 143:5, Pr 8:7). We find that the heart of the righteous studieth to answer (Pr 15:28), but the unrighteous person studieth destruction (Pr 24:2), has muttered perverseness (Is 59:3) and imagine deceits all day long (Ps 38:12). The heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing (Ps 2:1) in reference to attacking the Lord and His Anointed One (Ps 2:2).

Based on the Biblical definitions of ‘peep’ and ‘mutter’, it can be concluded that a wizard is someone that teaches deceit, but does it from an intellectual, rigorous and detailed manner. They spend great amounts of their time thinking and analyzing. They formulate ideas that are not based on the Bible, but from knowledge from other sources since a wizard’s primary description is a ‘knowing one’.

+ New Testament Relationship

It is somewhat straightforward to find examples in the New Testament of cases where people followed their knowledge and wisdom rather than the Word of God.

Man’s Wisdom versus God’s Wisdom:

First, it is important to understand that true wisdom comes from the Word of God:

Job 28, Pr 1:2,7, Pr 2:2‑10, Pr 3:13, Pr 3:19, Pr 4:4‑11, 1 Chr 22:12, Lk 11:49, 1 Cor 1:17‑2:13, 2 Cor 1:12, Eph 1:8, Eph 1:17, Eph 3:10, Col 1:9, Col 1:24 Col 1:28-30, Col 2:3, Col 2:23, Col 3:16, James 1:5, James 3:15‑17, 2 Pet 3:15, Rev 13:18

It is notable that some very long passages compare the wisdom of God to the wisdom of man (which is foolishness with God). Most importantly, we find that Christ is our wisdom (e.g., 1 Cor 1:24, Col 1:30, Col 2:3, Lk 11:49, etc). The reader is encouraged to study all the above Bible passages. The following passage is offered as an example:

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known

it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

(1Co 1:17-2:13)

It should also be noted that wisdom is a characteristic of those who are saved in Christ ‑ 1 Cor 1:19‑2:16, 1 Cor 3:18, 4:10, Eph 5:15, Mat 7:24, mat 10:16, mat 25:2‑9, Lk 12:48, 2 Tim 3:15, 2 Cor 1:12, Col 1:9, Col 1:28, Col 2:3, Col 3:16, Rev 5:12, Rev 7:12, Rev 13:18, Job 28, Rev 17:9, etc.

Christians serve an all-wise God ‑ Ps 104:24, Pr 3:19, Pr 8:22‑36, John 1:1‑3, 1 Cor 1:24‑30, Heb 1:3, Dan 2:20, Ro 11:33.

Pharisees and Tradition:

We find an important passage in Mat 15:1-9 regarding the a question raised as to why Jesus disciples violated the Jewish tradition by not washing their hands before they at (Mat 15:1-2). The answer by Jesus was completely based on the need to follow the Word of God and not man’s tradition (i.e., wisdom):

Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable.

(Mat 15:1-15)

Colossians Chapter 2 Warning:

An important warning for Christians can be found in Colossians 2 regarding the importance of following the word of God and not man’s wisdom:

For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

(Col 2:1-23)

+ Summary

A wizard is someone who uses worldly knowledge to provide spiritual information. Christians are to live by the bread of the Word of God alone. It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of His mouth (Mat 4:4, Lk 4:4, Deut 8:3). Contrary to that important code of the Christian life, there are many sources of worldly wisdom that are over-used and over-prioritized (much of are false and deceptive):

Prioritization of commentaries, study helps and other Christian literature over the direct study of the Word of God
Psychology / man’s philosophies
Self-help books
Following teachers without checking everything in the Bible
New age wisdom
Over-reliance on the world’s science, politics and other sources of knowledge
Traditions of the world
Traditions of the church

Overall Summary of the Road to Babylon

Based on 2 Ki 23:26-27 and 2 Ki 24:2-4, the sins of Judah’s King Manasseh ultimately led to the Babylonian captivity of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. Because Revelation 17-18 discusses that genuine Christians are commanded to depart from Babylon (Rev 18:4), it is very important to understand the reasons for the Babylonian captivity (Jer 39, Jer 52, 2 Ki 25, 2 Chr 36). The following is a brief summary of those reasons, of which the Christian must flee:

High Places – Rebellion from the Word of God resulting in prideful, works-based religion
Worshiping Baal – Serving Satan by practicing sin
Setting up groves – Worshiping and serving the apostate church
Worshiping and serving the host of heaven – worshiping angels and church leaders
Sacrificing children – Teaching wrong gospel leading to spiritual death of children
Occultic Practices
- Observed Times – glorious false teachers who promote sin
- Used enchantments – manipulate actions for personal gain in the church
- Witchcraft (sorcery) – manipulating people to serve false gods
- Familiar spirits (mediums) – communicating with the spirit world by demons
- Wizards – worldly knowledge and wisdom