Our next church age begins around 312 A.D. with the church of Pergamos. The name Pergamos is derived from two Greek words; "pergos" which means tower or elevation and "gamos" which means married. The words together mean married to the tower. This speaks of a time when the church was elevated to a place of power and was married to the world. The church and the state were united under Constantine and his successors. Each church represents a specific theological or doctrinal type. This age marks the creation of the Greek and Russian Orthodox theology type. This was the merger of Christianity and pagan worship that originated at the tower of Babel in old Babylon.

How is it that Easter bunnies lay chocolate Easter eggs? How did this custom become associated with the Christian faith? A rabbit is considered to be a fertile animal. Thus the statement, "Multiplies like rabbits." Such animals were revered for their fertility. This time period will see fertility rituals added to the church service and Paganism introduced. The pagan mixture will become the foundation of this church. This is the beginning of the Greek Orthodox type theology. This church has no end date because it is still very much with us today (as you continue reading it will become apparent which church fits into this category).

Constantine told them that he would put his sword away. The church loved him and followed him. This church will be guilty of gross compromise before it is finished. The Christians followed Constantine. After so many years of persecution they did not relish the wrath of Caesar. They were once willing to stand when the battle was fierce. They were willing to die for their beliefs. There was no more battle, they had a cathedral to worship in, the preacher on the public payroll and they were receiving honor at court. Everyone was prospering. They had too much to lose by angering Caesar again. In Verse 12 Christ said that it is not Constantine who has the power of life and death (sword with two edges), it is I who have the power over your life and your death. I do not want you to compromise. I want you to be faithful. I hold the sword with two edges.

This sword is going to be important throughout history. Rome organized its divisions of governments into two types- "Right of Sword" and "Rod of Iron". In Roman times the sword was a symbol of the highest order of official authority. The right of sword, "Jus Galadii", was roughly equivalent to what we call the power of life and death. Governors of provinces were divided into higher and lower classes depending upon whether or not they had the power of the "sword". If they had the "Rod of Iron" they had the power to sentence someone to death, but they had to send that person to Caesar to actually put that person to death. If they had the "Rod of Iron" and they wanted to go to war in their province they needed permission from Caesar. Most often Caesar would agree with the decisions of his governors. The Proconsul, who had his headquarters at Pergamos, had the "Right of Sword". At any moment he could use this power against Christians. Constantine of course, had the "Right of Sword". Jesus said however, that He was the real bearer of the sword.

The Description—"These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges"; this is a stern way to start a sermon. This references the short Roman sword- a very nasty weapon that could cut a man coming and going. The Romans had used this sword to conquer the known world and had used it against the church to destroy many Christians.

The Lord was telling this church that they do not owe their existence to Constantine. He was telling them He is the only savior. He was who gave Constantine the vision to end persecution. He was the one with the power of the sword and the power over life and death. The Lord was to be feared, not Rome.

What are the works Christ is talking about? Again, the work of the church is the spreading of the Gospel to the world.

Commendation- "where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is:" This is a place Satan uses to corrupt the church with Paganism. "And thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth."

This is an important statement. It refers to an actual historic event that happened in the Pergamite church age. When Constantine began to use the church to unite the empire he found Christian to be little different from pagan in certain respects. The Pagans of Rome were generally tolerant of each other’s differences, but Christians would not tolerate differences in doctrine. Any violation of perceived correct doctrine would cause dispute. A controversy broke in the Roman Empire involving the Christian church (this has been referred to as the Arian Controversy). A Bishop named Arias began casting doubts about Jesus being God and man. He stated the Jesus could not be the eternal Son of God. Instead, Jesus was merely one of God’s creations. Arias further taught Jesus could not be without sin. Some members of the church believed this heresy. A controversy arose between those who believed in the Holy Trinity and those who were willing to compromise the Christian faith.

That is why Jesus said, "I know where you are dwelling and have held fast and not denied the faith." There was an actual event that took place to protect faith in Jesus Christ, as we know Him today. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who was God before his birth, and became human while fully remaining God. After His death he remains as God and man. He rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God the Father.

This event was a meeting that took place in a small city in Asia Minor called Nicea. Constantine gathered all of the church leaders and clergy into a conference. These men were all survivors of the persecution period. They were tough Christians who were not willing to give up any part of their faith. There was a debate on what the Christian faith was. They determined a formula to would protect the Christian faith for all men. The basic foundations of Biblical doctrine are not always clear to everyone that picks up a Bible. The men studied the scriptures and began to hammer out the kinks. The controversy had to be solved. It was tearing the church apart. Because someone began to teach contrary to the sound doctrine of the church that stood for many years, a creed was written. This creed was made to preserve the faith and preserve the name of Christ and all that He was and will always be. This creed is the Nicean Creed. To not believe in the words found in it is to not be part of the Orthodox Christian faith. People who do not believe in the Holy Trinity are outside of the Orthodox Christian faith. The Nicean Creed states:

We believe in one God, the Father All- Sovereign, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, and the only begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father before all the ages, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens, and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into the heavens, and sits on the right hand of the Father, and comes again with glory to judge living and dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end: and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-giver, that proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped together and glorified together, who spoke through the prophets: in one holy catholic and apostolic church:  (Go to Chart)

We acknowledge one baptism unto remission of sins. We look for a resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen.

This is what Jesus meant when He said you held my name and you didn’t deny the faith even when Antipas was slain. Although they were faithful to Christ’s name and held the faith regarding theological doctrine, the people did not remain separated from the world. They joined with paganism. Antipas was a committed Christian in a time where people wanted him to compromise. He was approached and asked, "Don’t you know the whole world is against you?" His reply was, "Then I am against the whole world." In that city they had a sacrificial hollow brass bull. The people would keep it in the fire until it was red-hot. Antipas was roasted alive when they placed him inside. If you share the testimony of Antipas- refusing to give in to the world- then you may face that kind of torture one day. Jesus takes note of what you have done. It is much harder to stand for your faith when Christians are being roasted instead of receiving outpourings of blessings. Anyone can stand up for the truth when everyone is for the truth. Who can stand up for the truth when nobody is for the truth? We are almost coming to that place in our society today. We face the same question, "Who will stand for what is right?" Christ complimented this church in their willingness to defend the orthodox faith. Though there are unorthodox beliefs, their basic belief is the orthodox Christian faith.

Balaam went to prophesy against Israel and the Lord was very angry. While he was traveling on his donkey to do his misdeed, the donkey saw an angel with a sword standing in front of them. The angel was sent by God to kill Balaam, but the donkey bumped Balaam into a wall injuring Balaam’s foot. He jumped off of his donkey and began to curse it. The donkey spoke and said, "why are you treating me this way- haven’t I always been good to you?" Balaam spoke right back without any hesitation or surprise. When someone wants his or her way bad enough it is often hard to tell which donkey is talking to which. Then Balaam saw the angel and the told Balaam, "the donkey has saved your life- I was going to kill you." Balaam then realized he didn’t want to work for King Balac after all. The angel spoke saying, "you are going to go and this is what you will do."

God made an example of the Israelites. They prayed for idols and fertility symbols. God answered their prayers, but did not bless them. He placed them in bondage to those who invented the idols. The Israelites were in captivity for 70 years. After their release from Babylon they did not pursue idol worship, they had gotten their fill of idols. They had learned their lesson.

Our story continues with Balaam. He went back to King Balac to perform the prophecy against Israel, but the angel had instructed him to only say what God told him to. The King was waiting for Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam opened his mouth and all he could do was bless Israel. This made King Balac furious! Of course, he would not pay for something he did not receive. Balaam then said, "I cannot stop Israel with my words. All you have to do is send your women lie with the men of Israel. The Jewish men will marry the women and the women will lead them into worshiping Molech (the Moabite god). Then, the God of Israel will turn against His people and you will have your desire accomplished." Balaam taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel.

There are two sinful elements to Balaam’s actions. First, he thought he could change to mind of the one and only true God. He believed the more he prayed the better his chances at being right. When God says a thing is wrong, it is wrong. God will never be corrupted. If He changed His mind He would be. Something wrong is intrinsically wrong- always has been, always will. The substance of sin can never be right. Sin is sin. Second, Balaam taught the people to sin. He told the King how to introduce the holy sanctified men of God into a sensuous, Pagan style of worship. He knew they could be corrupted by fornication and adultery. Jewish babies would be sacrificed to Molech, passing their seed through the fire and turning God into an enemy. God was telling the Pergamos Church they were teaching the doctrine of Balaam to my people. They were eating things sacrificed unto idols. God used the story of Balaam to relay the message of Paganism entering the church. God’s people were learning to accept pagan rituals; masses, statues, idolatry, and the priesthood participating in them.

Where did Baal worship come from? It started in the very beginning with Adam and Eve. When Adam chose to sin the human race was fallen. As men multiplied, immorality, ungodliness, rebellion, occult, and witchcraft multiplied as well. God was grieved and looked upon the Earth saying, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Gen 6:7 KJV)"

(Deu 18:9-12 KJV) "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee". These are the Mystery arts of Babel. Children’s passing through fire refers to child sacrifice. Divination and observer of times denotes astrology, tarot cards, and anything else of that nature. Enchanters, witches, and charmers are people who cast spells, make potions, and call upon God for the performance of their acts. Consulters of familiar spirits, wizards, and necromancers are those who hold séances and speak to the dead. We make light of these things in today’s society. We have games in our toy sections such as Ouija Boards and Eight Balls. We have our cards read or psychic readings done just for fun. We read our Chinese Horoscope when we go to a Chinese restaurant. Remember the devil is subtle. All of these things have crept into our lives and have received total acceptance. A few hundred years ago we would have been burned at the stake for committing any one of these abominations. The Lord makes it clear how He feels about these things. They are abominations.

Noah and his family found grace in the sight of God. God spared the human race through their existence. Noah, his three sons, and all of their wives were spared. Noah built the great ark as God directed. The animals came on board and then the flood washed away all forms of life on the land. Do I believe it is true? Yes! True science and archeology show undoubtedly that there was a flood and there were four men that survived. In Chichen-itza on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico there is a pyramid with a man in each corner. Mayan legend tells they are the men that saved the world from the flood. Other archeological carvings from around the world have similar stories. There was a flood. Afterwards, the four men and their wives repopulated the world.

In the Chinese Alphabet the character for boat must include the number eight. There were eight people on the boat that repopulated the world. This is not a coincidence.

The human race started again on Mount Ararat. Shortly after repopulation a city arose by the name of Babel. This city is going to be very important later in the study. One of the Grandsons of Noah was Cush. He plotted a one-world government and built a tower to heaven in rebellion to God. He was married to the most beautiful woman in the world or so the legend goes. Her name was Semiramis and she was the original mother of the fertility Goddesses. She is Isis, Diana, Artemis and all of the others throughout History. Cush and Semiramis had a son. "(Gen 10:8-10 KJV) And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the Earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar."

Nimrod is the key player in the grand scheme of Baal worship. He is the inspiration for Greek and Roman gods such as Thor, Odin, Jupiter, etc. Just as Semiramis is the derivative of all Pagan goddesses, Nimrod is the derivative of all Pagan gods. Nimrod lived in a time when the land was fertile. People and beasts were thriving. There were no walls around the city to stop beasts from entering in and attacking people. Nimrod was a mighty hunter and was able to kill these beasts. He began to be exalted among the people for his bravery and strength.

When the Bible says, "he was a mighty hunter before the Lord (Gen 10:9)" it does not mean that he is in front of God. He opposed God and exalted himself to be mighty.

Nimrod married his own mother and they ruled together. They built Babel, a mighty gated city/fortress to keep the beasts away. They also built a tower called "Baal-Ed" meaning "gateway to God". God made it the Tower of Babel, meaning "confusion". Man attempted to reach God, but unholy men cannot reach God. God sent someone to make a holy meeting place so that God and man can meet. That someone is Jesus Christ.

Renderings of the Tower of Babel

Babel was an evil place. The souls of men were hunted, but it is hard to rule souls that have God living in their heart. Because God was there, measures had to be taken to darken foolish hearts and bring them under authority. Nimrod and Semiramis revived occult practices that caused the flood in the first place. They claimed to be the wise ones. When you see a Pagan god with two faces such as, Janis, it represents the knowledge of the secrets of the world before the flood and the secrets after the flood. The person who holds these secrets is the eternal keeper of the kingdom and the gatekeeper to hell and the underworld, so the legend goes. The only person I know that holds the keys to death, hell, and the grave is the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ.

A false religion was revived and refined. Souls were needed for building of a kingdom. The mighty hunter was denied the souls that belonged to God. His false religion will be used by the devil to try to defeat the plan of God.

What is the plan of God? Man fell into sin and needed a redeemer. God told the serpent in Gen 3:15 KJV "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thy shalt bruise his heel." The devil understood exactly what God meant. Only men have seed. The prophecy stated the seed of the woman would crush his head. God was telling the devil that Jesus is coming, he will be born of a virgin, a first born male child, and that child will be the undoing of Satan’s kingdom. This was the ancient prophecy that caused people of that time to know the redeemer would be born of a virgin. How will Satan try to stop this prophecy from happening? As if Satan could possibly defeat the plans of the Almighty God. He couldn’t stop it, but with the help of willing men he did his best to try. One way he tried was to decrease the number of virgins to reduce the chance of virgin birth. He instituted temple prostitution and fertility worship.

Paul speaks of it in Rom 1:21 KJV, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

Nimrod claimed to have the wisdom of the world that was before the flood. He told them, "I know the truth, and I know the mysteries and the secrets." When people came to see the mysteries of Nimrod, they lost sight of God. This is a reminder of today’s miracle chasers. They are so busy looking for the miracle that they often miss God all together. It’s like leaving the church and allowing a Hindu leader teach you about light and the mysteries.

One of the Ten Commandments tells the people of Israel not to make any graven image. God never allows statues to be made of Him. The simple reason is that no image can even come close to portraying His glory. To make an image would only diminish the glory of God. (Found in Exodus 20:3-5)

God cannot enter into Pagan temples. If God is inside a Hindu temple, if the Mormons are right, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are right, the Buddhists are right, or the Muslims, then the Bible is wrong. Everything we know about God becomes a lie. If Hinduism is the truth then the Bible is a lie. If the Bible is the truth then Hinduism is a lie. They are opposites that cannot abide in the same place. Light and darkness cannot abide in the same place. So what did the people of that day choose? (Rom 1:21-25 KJV) "Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

The people began to setup statues in their temples and proclaimed them gods. This started a kind of "tourist attraction". First they built a great temple and then people are sold the lies from the temple workers. "This is the temple of the great of the great Diana. You will receive great blessings and power here." The mind is a powerful thing. Under the power of suggestion a person can be told repeatedly that something is going to happen and the mind will begin to believe. When someone walked through the doors of one of those temples they got knocked off their feet by a mind "miracle".

You probably don’t remember or ever heard of A.A. Allen and Miracle Valley. One of the women visiting his revival said, "As I was driving into the country where he was there was so much power of God in the air that I was healed!" This man was a charlatan, a snake oil salesman, but the mind is a powerful thing. At one of his meetings a woman said she saw Jesus walking in the tent. Allen roped off that section, collected the sawdust off of the floor, bagged it up and sold it! "Buy the sawdust where Jesus walked! Don’t forget your prayer cloth. Healing water from the Holy Land!" We still hear this kind of thing today. We are so busy looking for miracles we miss the miracle maker.

The temple is built, the idols added, the atmosphere created, the power of suggestion influences the thinking, and every trick is used to get people coming into the temple. One such trick is a "miracle rumor". A rumor is circulated about a great miracle, thus creating an atmosphere of deception. God tried to protect people from being victimized. They had been warned. In spite of all the warnings however, the people rejected God and plunged into the dark regions of deception. There was no stopping their desire for the forbidden so God let them go. He didn’t convict them anymore. Just like Balaam. They got into something that was wrong and convinced themselves they were right. The things we see people do come from the lusts of their own hearts. God did not create this nature in them. When you see sexual immorality or spiritual corruption, it does not come from God. This is not the nature of God; it is the nature of man. Man will say that God made him that way. Wrong. No one is made or created in that manner. It is free will that God gave man. He gave man the ability to choose. Men or women dishonor their own bodies between themselves. We are created in the image of the Father and it is an honor He has bestowed upon us. The Bible says, "They change the truth of God into a lie". Some think that God does not demand us to be Holy- He will love us no matter how we live. He does love all, but He will judge all.

People have begun to serve the creature while serving their own lusts. For this cause God gave them up to vile affections. Do you know some affections that are evil in the sight of God? Some of the things you may want and lust for can be vile in the sight of God.

"(Rom 1:26-28 KJV) For this cause God gave them up to vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient," This first part of scripture speaks of woman committing acts of Lesbianism. Women were having sex with other women in these temples. Since the Pagan god is a god of fertility he is pleased with the sexual activity of his human worshipers. The people thought that because their God was pleased their crops would grow better and they would have more children. Also, this scripture speaks of the men engaged in Homosexual acts in these temples. The acts of the men caused disease to run rampant. This was part of their punishment. Why did they do this in the name of worship? They worshiped a fertility god so they were worshiping the parts of the body responsible for bringing human life into the world. This is both gross and immoral.

The people stopped thinking about God. They didn’t want to thing about the true God while they were committing these acts. If you are committing adultery, fornication, or homosexuality you don’t want to think about a Holy God. You want to forget that you have to answer to Him. To get away from God you would have to come up with some kind of concoction that would make you feel spiritually safe for all eternity, while giving you the permission to commit whatever acts you choose. The Bible says, "God turned them over". Much like God did with Balaam. There is a price to pay for going against what God tells you.

Many would like to say that we are descendants of the cavemen. True archeology says the opposite. When man was first created he was brilliant. The best pyramid is the oldest pyramid. The worst pyramid is the newest. When man turned his mind away from God he degenerated the human brain. Man became like cavemen. Adam was brilliant. Noah was no dummy. Anyone who can follow directions to a boat the size of several football fields that could withstand a flood is no idiot.

In this false religion that was developed, when a young girl came of age she had to go into the temple of Baal and worship. How do you worship? A man would select her, give her money, and they would commit fornication. The money was given to the priesthood- one less virgin for the devil to worry about. The devil needed to eliminate any possibility of a virgin birth. He tried to bring this religion to Israel so no Jewish girl could be pure. Israel was created in the first place because God needed a people with moral laws. This way their children could be protected and a girl could be raised holy to bring forth a child from her virgin womb.

Another aspect of this false religion was to take the first born of these young girls. The newborn would often be considered a god because it was conceived in a temple. They would offer the child as a blood sacrifice to the fertility god of that temple. It was taught if the first and best was given then the fertility god or goddess would smile upon the people causing them to flourish. Even if the child was not conceived in the temple it could have been the Messiah so it was better to be safe. Virgins were defiled and first-born children were killed in order to stop the coming of the King.

		"(Leviticus 18:21 KJV) And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD." Child sacrifice artwork provided by Duncan Long. "(Leviticus 20:1-5) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Again thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people, because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth his seed unto Molech, and kill him not: Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people."
Images of Molech

During the beginning of this false religion the Tower of Babel was being built, the builders called it Baal-Ed which meant "gateway to God." God looked upon the Earth being united and knew given time, they would fall under the power of this religion. In time, two things happened. God confused the language of the world, so that they sounded like babbling to each other, hence the name "Tower of Babel". This divided mankind into different tribes, which spread throughout the world. There were people working together to build this "gateway to God" and all of the sudden they didn’t understand each other. When the people separated they still carried memories of Babel with them. They began new cities with new temples, new fertility services and new languages. The goddess Semiramis became Isis, Diana, Artemis, and many others. This is how Semiramis of Mystery Babylon became the Mother of Abominations. This woman was the mother of all that sin. God destroyed it, but she brought it back.

The offering of human sacrifice was common in these rituals. When Shem (the righteous son of Noah), Nimrod’s uncle, saw what was happening he became troubled. He knew this to be the same sin that brought the destruction of the world through the flood. He raised an army to destroy Nimrod. In the battle Nimrod was captured and his body was hacked into pieces. The pieces were sent throughout the kingdom with the message if any were found in the same practice as Nimrod, their fate would also be the same.

When Nimrod was killed Semiramis remained alive behind her city walls. She kept the fertility alive only her religion became a mystery religion. Instead of practicing in the open everything was done in secret. An oath of secrecy was required, like the Masons do today, swearing to cut their own throats or kill themselves if the secrets were revealed. The true Christian cannot join a secret order or make oaths to kill himself. The believer was also forbidden to swear by anything. Christians tell the truth and their answer is their word.

In Leviticus 20:3 we see reference to Molech. Statues were created of Molech as a man with a bull’s head and with hands outstretched. In the temples of Molech there was loud music- much like rock and roll- while the statues were heated until red-hot. Firstborn babies were placed in the hands of the statue to be cooked alive. Abortion is the only comparison of today nearing this cruelty.

Have you ever wondered why God told Abraham to take his promised son to the mountain and kill him? Abraham had waited a very long time to have his son and he was commanded to sacrifice him. Abraham was accustomed to the sacrificing of children because he lived in a time when it was happening all around him. It was commonplace for those pagan times. On the way to the mountain Isaac said "dad where is the sacrifice?" Abraham answered saying "God will provide the sacrifice." When Abraham said these words, I don’t know if he understood what he was saying. Isaac became a foreshadowing of Christ. Isaac was no small child at that time. He was grown enough to lie down or run away. Abraham took him, laid him on the altar and tied him there. Isaac was not being forced to die. He decided to be obedient to God by the laying down of his life, much the same as Jesus. God commanded Abraham to do this because it would show exactly what would happen in the future when God sent the Redeemer. This example of Christ was pointing to Jesus’ visit to Earth. Abraham laid his son on the altar as instructed. I believe he would have completed the sacrifice if God had not sent an angel to stop him. The angel said, "do not hurt the boy". Then Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket. This was God telling Abraham no child sacrifice would appease Him. He would give his own son to be sacrificed for sin. Only Jesus will die. Your children won’t die. That is why God told Israel the first born were His- they were not to die. Usually the firstborn children are the leadership class of the nation. If you can kill them there is something that leaves that nation. It becomes easier to do things to a nation, such as control them. Often it is firstborn children dying in our abortion clinics today. This cannot fail to have a disastrous effect.

In the same time period of infant sacrifice, images of a mother and child began to appear. Nimrod was dead, but Semiramis was safe behind her city gates lying to the people to keep her goddess status. The people were told that Nimrod was not dead. He was the living Sun God. Semiramis became pregnant in one of the fertility temple’s rites, but her husband had been gone too long to be the natural father. She told the people that Nimrod was not dead, but it was he that drove the chariot of fire across the sky. He was the sun. She claimed at nighttime he visited her in her chamber and the child she carried was the divine child promised in the Garden of Eden. She told them the child was the Messiah. She told them he was God.

Images of Mother / Child cult from around the world

She gave birth to the child and called him Ninus- this is where we get the word nun. Ninus and Nimrod became interchangeable. This is where the premise of reincarnation began. Ninus was said to be Nimrod reborn. This was why pharaohs believed that each pharaoh was a reincarnation of the previous pharaoh. They also believed they were gods. Nimrod, Semiramis, and Ninus became the unholy trinity. Statues began to appear all over the world of the mother and the divine child.

Just in case Satan wasn’t successful in stopping the promised virgin from having the promised son, he would cause the people to practice sacrificing the firstborn. If he couldn’t stop the arrival of the Son of God, then he would create counterfeit gods, goddesses, divine children and new religious systems. Why did the devil do this? If he couldn’t stop the Savior from coming, he could try to confuse the people about which Messiah is the genuine Messiah. Which religion is the genuine religion? Some religious variations are so similar they sound almost like Christianity. This is how the devil works. He mixes just enough of the truth with a lie to lead people away from the true Christ. The cultic image of Mother and Child is present in many cultures. The statue of Mary and Baby Jesus was actually the Mother Goddess and the Divine Child. The corrupted church is responsible for the renaming of the statues. It was common to see the goddess with a tower shaped headdress. This was associated with the tower of Babel because mother-goddess originated in Babylon. When you see the goddess Diana you will see the tower on her head representing Babel. Also, you will see a gross exaggeration of multiple breasts representing fertility. The stag that you will see as well represents Nimrod.

Let us now take a look at a pagan worship service. There are many stone and woodcuttings in museums depicting these rituals. When you see a single eye in the sky this is a pagan symbol. When you see the single eye in the sky and the lightning coming down it is the god of fire or (you guessed it) Nimrod. Usually the high priest is wearing some sort of ornamental crown. You will see some depictions with a fish hat on the priest’s head. Why would he wear a fish on his head? A fish is another fertility symbol. A fish can have thousands of offspring in a single spawning season. As you can imagine, it was quite difficult to find a new fish for every ceremony. If that were the case the priest made his hat from cloth. This is the kind of hat the Pope of Rome wears to this day. His hat is a fertility symbol. In the ceremony the priest has a plate and cup. He is about to have mass with a round wafer that represents the sun god. This is paganism mixed with Christianity.

Fish God	Fish God	You tell me?

Their priests made a decision to take this blasphemy from Babel. There is a man named Attalus the first, and he is the high priest of the Babylonian religions. They called him the Pontifex Maximus the maximum father, the pope, the father of fathers. He was the pope. When the Persians conquered Babylon, and the city started to go down hill, Attalus and his priesthood decided to leave that city and make themselves their own headquarters. They went up in to Asia Minor, into what we call Turkey today, and built a city. They moved their Babylonian worship and established a city. Which was the seat of satan, this was satan’s effort to stop the messiah. The priests moved here and were ruling the city, and they named it Pergamos (which means Married to the tower). Are you beginning to see how Pergamos got it’s name? Attalus would have loved to stay at the tower of Babel, he would have loved to rule Babel but he doesn't have that anymore, his king has been conquered.

Attalus

The Persians have a Babylonian religion as well. This is Attalus, the head of all Babylonian religion. With the fall of Babylon he moved headquarters of the religion to his newly established city, Pergamos. He exalted himself to the status of god-king of the Pergomite dynasty. About 133 B.C. Attalus III died without an heir to the throne. He willed the entire Pergomite dynasty to the Roman Empire. No one wore the Pergomite crown until 63 B.C.

In 376 A.D. a man named Gratan was about to be made the ruler of Rome. Because of Christian reasons he refused to wear the crown of Nimrod. Two years later Damascus, the Bishop of Rome, proclaimed he wanted to wear the crown. That would make him head of the local mystery religion, worldwide head of the mystery religion and head of the Christian church. Through this single act pagans and Christian leadership were united under one all-powerful pope.

But guess what is going on right now? This present pope is bringing back what was separated. He is saying to the Hindu Religion, the Buddhist, the Muslim, the Jew, the protestant, and the Catholic Church that there needs to be one church and one head and he is going to be it. This year (2000) the pope is going to Germany where Martin Luther (The great reformist) nailed the 95^th thesis to the Whitenburg Castle door, proclaiming all of the false, non-biblical doctrines of the Catholic Church. And the pope will forgive Luther for his mistakes and the Lutherans and Catholics are getting together for the celebration. This is a total travesty for all of the martyrs that were killed under the authority of the Catholic Church, if Protestants reunite with Catholicism then their deaths were all in vain. These people died to preserve your right to worship a Holy God, but when the church reunites it will be with all world religions under the false prophet and all will be handed over to the antichrist to be worshipped as the Messiah, be careful. The Pope is celebrating mass with Buddhist idols on the altars. Kind of got the idea where this stuff is coming from?

The Deficiency- This is the start of the deficiency- pagan rituals and beliefs corrupting the church. The deficiency continues in the next verse.

The deficiency continues in this verse with the same problem as a previous church, the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. It is believed this group was founded by Nicolas, one of the seven original deacons found in the book of Acts 6:5. Nicolas was a pagan who became Jew by the proselyte process. The Apostles decided there was need for deacons to assist in the care of the church. They told the church to choose seven men from among their ranks. The requirements were they had to be full of faith and full of the Holy Ghost. The biblical deacon never ruled over the pastor. He only served the people. Nicolas thought he could improve Christianity by mixing it with paganism. Laymen were given no voice in the affairs of the church. They were required to blindly obey the decrees of the clergy. This set the stage for Popes, Cardinals, Monsignors etc... to have total control and dominance over the Laity. Does the phrase "Conquer the laity" sound familiar?

In the beginning of the church if you wanted to pick the apostles out while they were walking down the street you wouldn’t have been able to. They didn’t wear turned around collars or big crosses around their necks. They were just brethren. The apostles had no more power in prayer than any other born again Christian. They had a responsibility of service. God honored their ministry and gave them authority to rule. They didn’t stand between God and man. Do you know why most Protestant churches don’t have priests? A priest offers sacrifices. Jesus Christ is the High Priest of the Church. He has offered himself as the final sacrifice. Because He offered himself He has entered heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. We don’t need priests in our church. A priest also offers worship. Since all of the redeemed may now offer their own worship it is no longer necessary that human priests worship for us. Pastors and Evangelists are not the church’s representative to God, but God’s representative to the church. Quite often we don’t listen to that still small voice inside (which is God). For this reason the people are given preachers, evangelists, and prophets. The altars of the Protestant church are in front of the pulpit not behind it.

The Nicolaitans instituted different dress for the clergy. They brought a pagan mass into worship and began to lord over and dominate the people. God hated this priesthood. When Jesus said "Who taught Balac before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and commit fornication" He was referring to the style of mass used in this church. What is the one thing we eat as an act of worship? It is the Lord’s supper- the bread. How does it become a thing sacrificed unto idols? The Catholic and Greek Orthodox doctrine teaches when a priest prays the words "hocus es corpus menus" (this is where we get the catch phrase hocus pocus from) over the bread it actually becomes the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. It becomes therefore, a living God. The Greeks go behind a screen because your eyes are not to see Christ turn into the bread. The priest then takes the bread and prays over it. He tells the people the bread is alive. If something is alive and you eat it you kill it right? The Greek and the Catholic Churches sacrifice Christ over and over millions of times a day throughout the world. By doing this they are telling God Jesus dying on the cross was not good enough. God’s plan is not good enough. Catholic and Greek doctrine say the bread and the blood are the living Christ. Protestant faith says no. The bread is not alive. It’s only bread that symbolizes His sacrifice. Who is right? Christ said they were eating things sacrificed unto idols. The Catholic and Greek doctrines are not correct according to the Word of God.

Did you ever wonder why God didn’t let Moses into the Promised Land? The Bible is full of foreshadowing and examples that point to things that will become actual events in the future. There is nothing in the Word that does not fit into God’s plan. God has positive examples and symbols that teach the plan of redemption. Moses’ sin becomes a negative example. God uses it to teach Christians how not to live. The children of Israel were in the desert after their liberation from Egypt. They were in desperate need of water. God told Moses to strike a rock with his staff and there would be water. Moses did and the Israelites were satisfied. We are told that the rock was Christ who followed them wherever they went. The time came when they needed water again. God told Moses to speak to the rock and the water would again flow. Moses instead grew angry with the people. In his anger he struck the rock with his staff again. This angered God. Because of Moses’ disobedience he could not enter into the Promised Land. The rock was Christ. He only needed to smite Him once. From then on Moses only needed to talk  to Him to receive what was needed. That is how it works as a Christian. Jesus died once for all sin and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. If you are in need of forgiveness He doesn’t have to die again to cover your sins. You simply have to ask Him to forgive you.

"(1 John 2:1 KJV) My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." We have an advocate. All we have to do is speak with Him. Why didn’t Moses enter into the Promised Land which is a type if Heaven? He ruined the type. He was suggesting that Christ must die more than once for sin. Anyone sending out that message will not be allowed into the Promised Land (Heaven). Moses died in the wilderness. God used Moses as an example of what would happen to disobedient and false teaching. He assured that Jesus is only to die once and His servants are never to do anything that would suggest otherwise. He died once. All sinners that ever come to Him can be washed in the fountain flowing from Emmanuel’s veins, be saved, and go straight to Heaven when they die.

This is the simple gospel Jesus wants people to know. The devil will always try to interfere by putting a man between God and men or works between Heaven and Earth. It is faith and grace that saves us. He died once and for all. If a man thinks he can pray over bread, bring Jesus back, and kill him again, that man has no place in the Promised Land (Heaven). He will die in the wilderness (Hell). All who believe the lies and works of the man do not have salvation either. They may have faith in Jesus, but they don not have a faith that will save them. They cannot be saved unless they repent. They must believe Jesus paid the full pardon for their sins. Nothing needs to be added. It is heresy to add anything to His blood for salvation. If anything is added to the Bible for inspiration or direction that also, is heresy. A man stands between you and your Savior and detours you away from the right path. It is one God in three persons- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. God the Father is the Lawgiver. God the Son satisfies the law for a sinful man. God the Holy Ghost applies the blood to the repented sinner and gives eternal life to the believer. The Bible is the sole authority for the faith and practice of the true believer. Any other book or prophet comes from the devil.

This is the completion of the deficiency. Ouch that hurts!

If you compromise you can guarantee that God will be the enemy of what you are doing. This is what happened to these Christians. God’s Word is pure and cuts away all unrighteousness like a double-edged sword. Nothing false can stand against the sword of God’s Word.

The Discrimination – He that hath an ear, what have we learned already? God is speaking, are we hearing and doing?

The Promise- When the children of Israel had no food in the desert, God gave them manna to eat (Exodus 6:11-15). When the need of manna passed, the memory did not. A pot of manna was taken out of the Ark of the Covenant and laid up before God in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and the Temple (Exodus 16:3,34; Hebrews 9:4). Early in the sixth century B.C. the temple built by Solomon was destroyed. The rabbi’s have a legend concerning what happened. They say Jeremiah hid the pot of manna in a cleft in Mount Sinai. When the Messiah comes the pot of manna will be discovered again. To the Jews "to eat of the hidden manna", means to enjoy the blessings of the coming of their Messiah. Another perspective is found in Exodus 16:15-"This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat." The manna is called "grain of heaven" (Psalm 78:24). The manna may mean heavenly food. In that case John was saying, "In this world you cannot share with the heathen in their feast because you cannot sit down to meat which part of a sacrifice that has been offered to an idol." The Lord Jesus has already made it clear that the hidden manna represented Him. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever" (John 6:51). What is manna? It is a type of Christ. You will have the blessings of God if you overcome the church that is corrupting itself with compromising ideas that hide the truth the Lord.

Christ is not visible now in the Pergamos church. Pagan communion has replaced the pure and simple Lord’s Supper. God’s promise to the overcomer is always associated with the way the devil is afflicting each church. In this case he was hiding the gospel of Jesus in paganism. People thought they were receiving a Christian message, but Christ was hidden behind ritual and ceremony. The influence of paganism in Pergamos increased year by year. The church began to shroud itself in mystery and rituals bearing resemblance to Babylonian mysticism. Celibacy of the priests and nuns, which has no scriptural verification, was invented. Other doctrines the church instituted in this time period were, 300 A.D.- Making prayers for the dead, 300 A.D.- Making the sign of the cross, 375 A.D.- The worship of saints and angels, 394 A.D.- The institution of mass, 431 A.D.- The worship of Mary, 500 A.D.- Priests began to dress differently than the laymen- 526 A.D.- Doctrine of extreme unction, 593 A.D.- Doctrine of Purgatory, 600 A.D.- Worship service conducted in Latin, and 600 A.D.- Prayers directed to Mary. All of these are non-biblical doctrines.

What does the white stone with a new name signify? Some courts of law in John’s day gave the defendant a white stone when he was acquitted and a black stone when he was found guilty. The white stone with a new name on it shows the believer’s complete acceptance and favor of God. The white stone can also stand for adoption. The adopted person takes the name of the family into which he is adopted. He shall have the evidence (the stone with a new name) of son ship and inheritance. No man knowing the name on the stone until he receives it signifies the personal relationship between the believer and God. The white stone could also stand for victory in battle- a Medal of Honor. Those who have overcome have won a great battle. The white stone was also used as an engraved ticket to the Imperial Ball. It may well be the Overcomer’s ticket to The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.