Mary is NOT the queen of heaven

A close study of the "queen of heaven" in the Bible shows this woman was associated with false gods and pagan rituals.  A closer study shows she was the wife of King Nimrod and that she prayed to the underworld.  She was titled the queen of heaven and hell, was a pagan priestess, and was filled with evil.

The only scriptures where the queen of heaven is mentioned are in Jeremiah as he warns the people against idol worship. God tells them He will no longer protect and guide them because of this evil worship of false gods.

Jeremiah 7:18-19 (NKJV) 'The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me to anger?” says the Lord . “ Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?”'

Jeremiah 44:17 (NKJV) But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble.

Jeremiah 44:18 (NKJV) But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”

Jeremiah 44:19 (NKJV) The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”

Jeremiah 44:25 (NKJV)

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’ For their obstinance and unwillingness to stop performing idol worship The Lord says to them,

Jeremiah 44:26-27 (NKJV) 'Therefore hear the word of the Lord , all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says the Lord , ‘that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God lives.” Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them.'

In 1954  Pope Pius XII of the Roman Catholic church decided to officially  declare Jesus' mother the queen of heaven.  For years the Catholic church had worshiped Mary even when Jesus had specifically said to only hear the word of God and keep it when a woman called blessings upon His mother Mary.

Luke 11:27-28 (NKJV) 'And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”'

The word of God says,

Hosea 13:4 (NKJV) “Yet I am the Lord your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no savior besides Me.

I Corinthians 8:4 (NKJV) Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Exodus 20:3 (NKJV) “You shall have no other gods before Me.

Isaiah 45:5 (NKJV) I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,

Deuteronomy 32:39 (NKJV) ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

Isaiah 44:6 (NKJV) “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

Jesus plainly stated that ONLY the Lord God is to be worshiped.

Luke 4:8 (ESV) And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

Exodus 34:13-16 (NKJV) 'But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.'

When the Pope decided to officially declare Mary to be the queen of heaven he associated Mary with the only queen of heaven mentioned in Bible scripture in Jeremiah. The queen of heaven in scripture is a pagan queen, wife of Nimrod, who prayed to the underworld. The Catholic church did Mary no favors at all by associating her to a pagan priestess of the underworld.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Heaven_(antiquity)

The Seven Churches (Revelation Chapters 2 & 3)

As Born-Again Spirit-Filled Christians we strive daily to be in the Church of Smyrna.  The last thing we ever want is to be affiliated, in any way, with the Church of Laodicea.  Those who fit into the Church of Laodecia will not be saved and will be cast into the Lake of Death. The other five churches have many issues to overcome but we can also have hope that the Lord will continue to guide us and forgive us as we choose to repent from our sins and walk with Him.   

Godly Authority Over Christians

Jesus was put and trial and crucified because the religious authorities of his time hated that he did not always obey the religious laws.  He called himself the son of God which was considered blasphemy.  He defied the Sabbath ordinances or laws set by the religious leaders. Even today if Jesus were here on earth he would say “No” to some of the requirements of the laws and would choose between obeying the laws of a nation and the commands of God.  He would follow His Father even though it may be breaking the human government law and he would still remain completely sinless.  There are times we must make the same choices.

'When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” '

Matthew 12:2-8

We find in Romans 12 Paul was speaking of love and continued on in Romans 13 assuming a government is acting within its God-appointed parameters and in love. When it does not, other choices may need to be made by the individual Christian.

'Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. '

Romans 13:1-5

'Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! '

Acts 5:29

'If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” '

Daniel 3:16-18

By the discernment of the power of the Holy Spirit we will know if the government is acting in love or in power.  Adhering to government authority that tells us to do something contrary to scripture and contrary to God’s commandments is not sinful and we are not held to the authority of that government.

An evil government that persecutes and terrorizes the people has no authority in the lives of God’s people therefore honor and respect are not required.

https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/the-fourfold-gospel/by-sections/jesus-defends-disciples-who-pluck-grain-on-the-sabbath.html

https://www.crossway.org/articles/should-christians-always-submit-to-the-government-romans-13/

https://research.lifeway.com/2018/07/13/did-jesus-break-the-law/

Deliver

 

Our word for the month is DELIVER!

Psalms 91:14-16 says 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (ESV English Standard Version)

But......you know me and I am a word nut especially when it comes to scripture! 

I looked up the King James Version which is supposed to be the closest English Version of the Hebrew words used in the Old Testament.  The KJV version uses the word "deliver" in verse 14 and verse 15 while the above ESV version uses the word "deliver" in verse 14 and "rescue" in verse 15.

When we talked about this we assumed the words were interchangeable but they are 2 different words in Hebrew!

The first "deliver" (vs 14) is the Hebrew word "palet" meaning to slip out, cause to deliver, carry away, escape. 

The second "deliver" is the Hebrew word "chalats" meaning to pull off, to depart, strengthen, to arm, to prepare, to deliver and equip for fight.  This word "chalats" pertains to prepared and equipped armed soldiers ready for battle!  Oh wow!!

Now I don't know how each of you feel about the power of these verses of the Lord God speaking to the believer but it really hit my spirit.  These words are not the same and are not interchangeable.  The first “deliver” in verse 14, the Lord is telling us that He will help us escape, carry us away.  He says He will protect us because we love Him and He loves us.  The second “deliver” (rescue in ESV) in verse 15, He is telling us that in times of trouble He will give us the armor, ammunition, and strength as His soldiers who are in a battle.  Remember we talked about the spiritual battle going on right now.  We can see it but those who live in the world are blinded to the things of the spirit.  All they see is death and destruction which is why fear and anger are at such high levels today.  They need that “mustard seed” of faith to open their eyes and their hearts.

Here is Deb’s version of these verses:

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will “arm him, strengthen him, prepare him for battle” and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

 

P.S. We missed our sisters who were either not feeling well or out and about spreading the word of God to their families and friends! Our next meeting will be on July 10^th and if there weather is sunny and dry we should move out chairs outside!! I love you all and pray the Lord blesses you each day till we see each other!

 

A Study on Nicolaitans, Nicolas and Nicodemus

I am studying Revelation and began looking into the Nicolaitans.  I was going to start a new thread but this one popped up but with very little study information.

It seems the Nicolaitans may originally have been followers of Nicolas spoken of in Act 6:5 which makes sense to me since he is the only Nicolas in the Bible appointed to minister the word of Jesus and then something went wrong with his ministry.

Acts 6:5 - And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,

Rick Renner has a very good and thorough explanation of Nicolas and the Nicolaintans and why, by the time Jesus spoke to John on Patmos, He expressed hatred for their deeds.

https://renner.org/article/who-were-the-nicolaitans-and-what-was-their-doctrine-and-deeds/

My feeling today is that the spirit of the Nicolaitans is firmly back in the churches that allow a compromise of the Word of God.  Idolatry (money,power,greed, possessions), all sexual perversions, self promotion, self centeredness, self help, self ______ (you fill in the blank), no judgement allowed from fellow believers, basically lukewarm, politically correct Christianity.  Of course a large part of the problem is the teachers and preachers at the pulpit who follow this Nicolaitan doctrine, beliefs and deeds.

Jesus did not vocalize hatred to much, but we know He hated what the Nicolaitans were doing. 

More study information from Bible Gateway

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Nicolaus

Nicolaus

NICOLAUS nĭk’ ə lā’ əs (Νικόλαος, G3775, conqueror of the people), the proselyte of Antioch chosen as one of the seven men to serve the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). The reference to a proselyte meant that he was a Gentile who had become a convert to Judaism, and subsequently to Christianity. Because his name was Gr., as well as the others among the seven men chosen to distribute the food in the dole practiced by the Jerusalem church, it has been supposed that the others were proselytes also. It seems rather that they were all Gentiles, and the designation “proselyte” applied only to Nicolaus meant that he alone had come to Christianity through Judaism, the other six having come directly from paganism, or at least not having been converted to Judaism. This, of course, raises the entire question of circumcision and its importance in the Early Church. Because of a due consideration for the importance of such Jewish practices even in the Early Church, it has been most often assumed that all seven were either proselytes or Jews using Gr. names.

Nicolaus was thought by the Church Fathers to have been the founder of the heretical sect known as the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6, 15). Irenaeus excused him from responsibility for this by indicating that it was a misunderstanding of his teaching that had produced the Nicolaitans. Nicolaus, according to Irenaeus, had taught that “the flesh must be abused.” By this he had meant that the body must be buffeted to be kept under control. The Nicolaitans changed his teaching to mean that the flesh could be treated in any fashion, that the flesh was insignificant and of no concern. Thus a man could live in any fashion that he wished; all of which led to shameless immorality. On the basis of this teaching the followers of Nicolaus practiced all kinds of wickedness.

The Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary says that the name Nicolas is the same as Nicodemus. This does not prove out completely true to me.

To me there is a huge discrepancy in the definitions Nicolas - A Christian and Nicodemus - An Israelite.

Strong's Concordance G3530

Nikodémos: Nicodemus, an Israelite

Original Word: Νικόδημος, ου, ὁ

Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine

Transliteration: Nikodémos

Phonetic Spelling: (nik-od'-ay-mos)

Definition: Nicodemus, an Israelite

Usage: Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin.

Derived From G3534 and G1218 and primary word G3529

Strong's Concordance G3534

nikos: victory

Original Word: νῖκος, ους, τό

Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter

Transliteration: nikos

Phonetic Spelling: (nee'-kos)

Definition: victory

Usage: victory.

Strong's Concordance G1218

démos: a district or country, the common people, esp. the people assembled

Original Word: δῆμος, οῦ, ὁ

Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine

Transliteration: démos

Phonetic Spelling: (day'-mos)

Definition: a district or country, the common people, the people assembled

Usage: properly: the people, especially citizens of a Greek city in popular assembly, but in NT, multitude, rabble.

Strong's Concordance G3529

niké: victory

Original Word: νίκη, ης, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: niké

Phonetic Spelling: (nee'-kay)

Definition: victory

Usage: victory, a victorious principle.

The name Nicolas in Act 6:5 is G3532 derived from G3534 and G2004.

Strong's Concordance G3532

Nikolaos: Nicolaus, a Christian, probably not connected with the sect bearing the same name (my note: this is speculation and should not be a part of this definition)

Original Word: Νικόλαος, ου, ὁ

Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine

Transliteration: Nikolaos

Phonetic Spelling: (nik-ol'-ah-os)

Definition: Nicolaus, a Christian, probably not connected with the sect bearing the same name (again my note: this is speculation and should not be a part of this definition)

Usage: Nicolaus, a proper name.

Strong's Concordance G3534 - see above definition

Strong's Concordance G2004

epitassó: to arrange upon, i.e. to command

Original Word: ἐπιτάσσω

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: epitassó

Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-tas'-so)

Definition: to arrange upon, to command

Usage: I give order, command, charge.

G2004 is derived from G1909 and G5021

Strong's Concordance G1909

epi: on, upon

Original Word: ἐπί

Part of Speech: Preposition

Transliteration: epi

Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee')

Definition: on, upon

Usage: on, to, against, on the basis of, at.

Strong's Concordance G5021

tassó: to draw up in order, arrange

Original Word: τάσσω

Part of Speech: Verb

Transliteration: tassó

Phonetic Spelling: (tas'-so)

Definition: to draw up in order, arrange

Usage: (a) I assign, arrange, (b) I determine; mid: I appoint.

My Notes: 

Nicolaitans exalted and held in highest esteem the clergy over the people.  The Catholic church, with the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, etc. is an example of the Nicolaitan ideals.  Nicolaitans also had an attitude of compromise, which is associated with Balaam.  The churches today who allow homosexuality in it's pastors and members or any  church than condones any sexual immorality is an example of Nicolaitan ideals. Any church that condones or compromises sin is guilty of Nicolaitan ideals.