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| Queen of the Nations? |
What do one billion Roman Catholics, two billion Muslims and several million others including Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Evangelicals and even Hindus have in common?
They all recognize Mary. Not the true physical mother of Jesus Christ who was known as Miriam, but the Mary who has been known by other names throughout history. Those names include Artemis, Asherah, Ashtoreth, Isis, and Ishtar.
In the Bible, she's even referred to as the Queen of Babylon or the Queen of Heaven.
The ancient prophet Jeremiah, who lived about 2,600 years ago, recorded these words from the Lord who was angered by the Jews who had begun to worship this pagan goddess: "Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’ Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs." (Jeremiah 44:24-28)
The Lord subsequently punished Israel for bowing down to this pagan idol. The Israelites knew that she was a pagan goddess, and yet they worshiped her in violation of the second of the Ten Commandments.
Unfortunately, most of the modern world is ignorant of Mary's pagan history. Nearly half of the world's seven billion residents believe her to be divine and the exalted mother of Jesus Christ.
And many Christians even believe that Mary existed in prehistoric times as a goddess who was worshiped as Artemis, Ashtoreth, Asherah, Ishtar, Isis and the infamous Queen of Heaven by many ancient pagan nations.
Though the Catholic Church doesn't officially teach of the pre-existence of Mary, its doctrines and liturgy seem to indicate otherwise. That could be one of the so-called mysteries that the Catholic Church holds over her gullible and biblically ignorant flock.
Nevertheless, Mary holds the keys to the coming global counterfeit spiritual revival. When nearly half of the world's residents recognize her, she has the potential to seduce the entire world.
But how? Through physical manifestations. When strange images that resemble Mary appear on buildings, houses, bridges, highway underpasses and on trees, thousands of people flock to those sites to get a glimpse.
Imagine what would happen if a giant glowing figure of Mary suddenly appeared in a crowded public setting and began speaking. And imagine if that figure began appearing at other public venues across the world in front of thousands and thousands of people. That would set off a tidal wave of hysteria that would quickly spread across the planet.
Now imagine if this apparition claimed that millions of folks would begin to be healed of such maladies as cancer, blindness, heart disease, and that began occurring. The world would truly be convinced that the great revival had begun.
And finally, imagine if this apparition called the world to prepare for the coming of the "Christ" who will lead the nations to a new order of peace, harmony and prosperity. Does that sound far-fetched? Only if you aren't expecting it.
It's coming. During the 20th century, there were nearly 400 recorded sightings of Mary across the world. Undoubtedly, not all of them were genuine. But many were.
What happened during the last century will pale in comparison of what's to come. This will be a spiritual counterfeit of a magnitude that the world has never seen. It will deceive millions. And the revival prophets will joyously claim that their prophecies have been fulfilled.
Finally, those who reject the truth want to be deceived. I know some of these people. Tragically, even the evidential truth can't sway those who are determined to believe in a lie. In the end, they will get what they deserve.
But for those who seek the truth and reject evil, the apostle Paul's words should be heeded: "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)
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