It is that time of year once again (spring) when many religious people around us are practicing things that need to be discerned and tested (1 Thess5:21) for truth of God's Word. The practice of Lent is one of them. On what they call Ash Wednesday, people who practice denominational religion go to a special religious service and they have ashes marked on their foreheads in the sign of the cross as the start of the Lenten season.
The word Lent means ...spring. (it was first practiced at that time of year)
Let us begin to uncover the truth about this practice. Where do these rituals come from?
Has God requested this of His true followers? Can we find it in God's Word?
The answer is no, not at all. There is NO biblical evidence or support for the practice of Lent (or Easter which we will deal with on a separate post in the near future.)
In order to expose this false practice (Eph 5:11) we will want to find its origins. Lent can be easily traced back all the way to pagan Babylonian times of Nimrod. He had a wife named Semeramis who had a son named Tamuz and the traditional story goes like this:
One day while hunting, Tamuz was killed by a wild boar. Semeramis mourned for 40 days, at the end of which Tammuz was supposedly brought back from the dead. She proclaimed herself Queen of Heaven, founded a celibate priesthood to worship her son and declared its chief priest infallible, and memorialized her mourning in an annual 40 day period of denial.
Here we see a mock resurrection and a pagan practices all started to honor it. Interestingly enough the Bible records ancient Judah worshiping this false Messiah:
“Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz” (Ezek 8:14-15)
This was no doubt a very great abomination in God’s eyes!
It is important to note that we see the idea of a Queen of Heaven and a mother / son cult beginning to take shape and why is that to be noted? In the later centuries we can see that the false roman catholic faith then used that same name for Mary (queen of heaven), they too have re-created a mother / son cult out of what was a pagan practice and they are the ones who brought this false lent practice into their brand of Christianity; that God abhors. The roman catholic faith is a product of the merging of pagan Rome to biblical Christianity and the paganism seems to have won out.
It was in 325 AD at the counsel of Nicea that St Athanasius the so called Bishop of Alexandria first spoke of and started this Lent practice into what was the early stages of the pagan faith called roman Catholicism. If you go to our main blog that exposes man made religion, we talk about this and it was their ruler at that time named Constantine; who was actually very involved in paganizing the truth biblical faith into a perverted one that is, today, centered in Rome. HERE is that link.
They also instruct people to give up something for 40 days of Lent (chocolate, coffee etc) as they prepare for the other major false practice of mans religion to come, Easter.
The question is, does this appear anywhere in the bible? No it does not.
What did Jesus say you had to give up to follow Him and be His disciple? Coffee, chocolate, television.............. or your entire life?
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matt 16:24
Don't be fooled by religious acts of false piety. God wants you to surrender it ALL to Him in total obedience to His Word and not just toy with Him by offering snacks or fleshly indulgences for a short season. God is not mocked! (Gal 6:7)
Now you have a clear record of where this Lent practice came from, who was responsible for it at the start and how they came into man made religion today. Now let us see what does God's Word say about practicing false ways. What does the bible tell us how we are to live and who we are to follow?
Let us see using the trusted source of truth.... His Holy Word.
In all of our ways and practices (regarding spiritual things) we must cling to the mind and teaching of God not mans ways.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isa 55:8
Some will say "but people are just doing it from their hearts for God so what is the harm"? Well mans heart is the matter and we are to follow God not our hearts.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer 17:9
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Jer 10:23
So who are we to follow and what is our guiding source of truth for ALL of our spiritual ways?
Jesus said: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matt 4:4
We know that Lent came out of pagan Babylon and here is what the bible says about such places and false ways.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev 18:2-4
The bible says those who don't believe the true gospel are blinded by satan himself.
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Cor 4:4
Here are some verses that deal directly with that which is pagan.
Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain. Jer 10:2-3
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
Lev 18:3
Here the Lord tells Israel to not be linked or like the pagans at all.
Will you follow such things to your own demise or will you reject them and come out from those practices into His truth.... for His glory?
God be praised!
www.dontperish.com
The word Lent means ...spring. (it was first practiced at that time of year)
Let us begin to uncover the truth about this practice. Where do these rituals come from?
Has God requested this of His true followers? Can we find it in God's Word?
The answer is no, not at all. There is NO biblical evidence or support for the practice of Lent (or Easter which we will deal with on a separate post in the near future.)
In order to expose this false practice (Eph 5:11) we will want to find its origins. Lent can be easily traced back all the way to pagan Babylonian times of Nimrod. He had a wife named Semeramis who had a son named Tamuz and the traditional story goes like this:
One day while hunting, Tamuz was killed by a wild boar. Semeramis mourned for 40 days, at the end of which Tammuz was supposedly brought back from the dead. She proclaimed herself Queen of Heaven, founded a celibate priesthood to worship her son and declared its chief priest infallible, and memorialized her mourning in an annual 40 day period of denial.
Here we see a mock resurrection and a pagan practices all started to honor it. Interestingly enough the Bible records ancient Judah worshiping this false Messiah:
“Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz” (Ezek 8:14-15)
This was no doubt a very great abomination in God’s eyes!
It is important to note that we see the idea of a Queen of Heaven and a mother / son cult beginning to take shape and why is that to be noted? In the later centuries we can see that the false roman catholic faith then used that same name for Mary (queen of heaven), they too have re-created a mother / son cult out of what was a pagan practice and they are the ones who brought this false lent practice into their brand of Christianity; that God abhors. The roman catholic faith is a product of the merging of pagan Rome to biblical Christianity and the paganism seems to have won out.
It was in 325 AD at the counsel of Nicea that St Athanasius the so called Bishop of Alexandria first spoke of and started this Lent practice into what was the early stages of the pagan faith called roman Catholicism. If you go to our main blog that exposes man made religion, we talk about this and it was their ruler at that time named Constantine; who was actually very involved in paganizing the truth biblical faith into a perverted one that is, today, centered in Rome. HERE is that link.
They also instruct people to give up something for 40 days of Lent (chocolate, coffee etc) as they prepare for the other major false practice of mans religion to come, Easter.
The question is, does this appear anywhere in the bible? No it does not.
What did Jesus say you had to give up to follow Him and be His disciple? Coffee, chocolate, television.............. or your entire life?
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matt 16:24
Don't be fooled by religious acts of false piety. God wants you to surrender it ALL to Him in total obedience to His Word and not just toy with Him by offering snacks or fleshly indulgences for a short season. God is not mocked! (Gal 6:7)
Now you have a clear record of where this Lent practice came from, who was responsible for it at the start and how they came into man made religion today. Now let us see what does God's Word say about practicing false ways. What does the bible tell us how we are to live and who we are to follow?
Let us see using the trusted source of truth.... His Holy Word.
In all of our ways and practices (regarding spiritual things) we must cling to the mind and teaching of God not mans ways.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isa 55:8
Some will say "but people are just doing it from their hearts for God so what is the harm"? Well mans heart is the matter and we are to follow God not our hearts.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer 17:9
O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Jer 10:23
So who are we to follow and what is our guiding source of truth for ALL of our spiritual ways?
Jesus said: But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matt 4:4
We know that Lent came out of pagan Babylon and here is what the bible says about such places and false ways.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev 18:2-4
The bible says those who don't believe the true gospel are blinded by satan himself.
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Cor 4:4
Here are some verses that deal directly with that which is pagan.
Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain. Jer 10:2-3
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
Lev 18:3
Here the Lord tells Israel to not be linked or like the pagans at all.
When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. Duet 7:1-5
Today we that are born again gentiles; are now grafted into Israel through Christ our Messiah. We too must avoid all that is false and pagan for God's glory. Paul said this:
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 2 Cor 6:17
*** I do need to note here that while roman catholicism may have started this pagan practice of Lent; today we see her daughters the Lutherans, orthodox and many other denominational brands linked to and practicing this false Lent observance and they too must be called out for His truth to be made known.
*** I do need to note here that while roman catholicism may have started this pagan practice of Lent; today we see her daughters the Lutherans, orthodox and many other denominational brands linked to and practicing this false Lent observance and they too must be called out for His truth to be made known.
While I could go on and on with bible verses rejecting what is pagan and unbiblical; let me leave you with one of our favorite ones to warn people of lies and falsehoods.
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Revelation 22:14-15
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. Revelation 22:14-15
It is a lie to practice and believe that Lent is for a Holy God when it is of a pagan past or of obedience to man not God.
Will you follow such things to your own demise or will you reject them and come out from those practices into His truth.... for His glory?
God be praised!
www.dontperish.com