Wednesday, February 14, 2007
RSS and blog update...
When Blogger converted my blog to the new format, it also refreshed all of my RSS feed items. Those of you that watch the blog via an RSS reader will see a lot of items showing up as "new" - that are actually old. My latest post is the one about the "queen of heaven".
Queen of Heaven?
Yesterday evening in our family devotions we were reading in Jeremiah. We read a reference to the “queen of heaven”. I know that Catholics refer to Mary as the queen of heaven, and I decided to do a little research.
I was shocked by what I found.
In Jeremiah, several times throughout the book, God, through Jeremiah, is exhorting the people of Israel to stop worshipping idols, and to not worship or pour out libations to the queen of heaven. Jeremiah warns of the consequences of idolatry and worshiping anything or anyone other than the God.
Scripture clearly teaches that there is no mediator other than the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”) – which means we are not to pray to anyone other than Him.
The clear teaching of the Catholic Church is that it is good and proper to pray to Mary, and on top of that, the Catholic Church clearly calls her the queen of heaven?!?
Link to the Official Vatican web page
What is even more amazing is that the Catholic Bible actually includes similar references (in Jeremiah) to the dangers of worshipping the “queen of heaven”! Any “good” Catholic, by definition, must worship (that is what praise and veneration is) and idolize the queen of heaven.
I would encourage any Catholic reading this to please spend a few minutes studying this – for yourself – in God’s Word (even the Catholic translation would be acceptable for looking at these verses) and study the references in Jeremiah to the queen of heaven – read the verses before and after to get a feeling for what is happening and the dangers of what the Israelites were doing by their idolatry, and the judgment that was soon coming upon them. I’ll include the verses below for those that would like quick and easy references…
In this first reference Jeremiah was encouraged to not even pray for their repentance because God was so angry with them:
This is a longer reference, and includes a response from the people after being rebuked by Jeremiah for worshipping the queen of heaven. Their response was that they would continue, despite the fact that God’s Word was clearly telling them to stop. God, once again, said that He would destroy them as a result of their not turning from their idolatry.
It’s interesting to note that, in Scripture, prayer is pictured as incense (Rev 5:8; Rev 8:3; Rev 8:4), and these idolatrous Israelites were burning incense to the queen of heaven – and refused to stop! On top of that, the reason they wanted to continue praying to the queen of heaven is that they believed she was answering prayers – something which is claimed by the Catholic Church, but is contrary to Scripture.
I knew the Catholic Church idolized Mary as the queen of heaven, and I knew it was contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture, but I was absolutely struck yesterday evening and this morning with the amazing clarity of God’s Word on the subject, and the incredible parallels between burning incense and offering prayers...
May none of us simply follow the teachings of man or a religious system, but may each of us be in the Word on a daily basis, following after the Lord Jesus Christ and learning of Him!
I was shocked by what I found.
In Jeremiah, several times throughout the book, God, through Jeremiah, is exhorting the people of Israel to stop worshipping idols, and to not worship or pour out libations to the queen of heaven. Jeremiah warns of the consequences of idolatry and worshiping anything or anyone other than the God.
Scripture clearly teaches that there is no mediator other than the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”) – which means we are not to pray to anyone other than Him.
The clear teaching of the Catholic Church is that it is good and proper to pray to Mary, and on top of that, the Catholic Church clearly calls her the queen of heaven?!?
Link to the Official Vatican web page
ENCYCLICAL (a letter to be circulated through the Catholic Church) OF POPE PIUS XII ON PROCLAIMING THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY TO THE VENERABLE BRETHREN ….
From the earliest ages of the catholic church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven….
What is even more amazing is that the Catholic Bible actually includes similar references (in Jeremiah) to the dangers of worshipping the “queen of heaven”! Any “good” Catholic, by definition, must worship (that is what praise and veneration is) and idolize the queen of heaven.
I would encourage any Catholic reading this to please spend a few minutes studying this – for yourself – in God’s Word (even the Catholic translation would be acceptable for looking at these verses) and study the references in Jeremiah to the queen of heaven – read the verses before and after to get a feeling for what is happening and the dangers of what the Israelites were doing by their idolatry, and the judgment that was soon coming upon them. I’ll include the verses below for those that would like quick and easy references…
In this first reference Jeremiah was encouraged to not even pray for their repentance because God was so angry with them:
Jeremiah 7:16-20
16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee. 17 Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. 19 Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? 20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
This is a longer reference, and includes a response from the people after being rebuked by Jeremiah for worshipping the queen of heaven. Their response was that they would continue, despite the fact that God’s Word was clearly telling them to stop. God, once again, said that He would destroy them as a result of their not turning from their idolatry.
It’s interesting to note that, in Scripture, prayer is pictured as incense (Rev 5:8; Rev 8:3; Rev 8:4), and these idolatrous Israelites were burning incense to the queen of heaven – and refused to stop! On top of that, the reason they wanted to continue praying to the queen of heaven is that they believed she was answering prayers – something which is claimed by the Catholic Church, but is contrary to Scripture.
Jeremiah 44:15-22If you have your Bible out, I would encourage you to keep reading and studying past verse 22 in the above section (in your Bible) as the judgment continues, with yet another reference to the “queen of heaven” in verse 25.
15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, 16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto 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 had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. 18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. 19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind? 22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
I knew the Catholic Church idolized Mary as the queen of heaven, and I knew it was contrary to the clear teachings of Scripture, but I was absolutely struck yesterday evening and this morning with the amazing clarity of God’s Word on the subject, and the incredible parallels between burning incense and offering prayers...
May none of us simply follow the teachings of man or a religious system, but may each of us be in the Word on a daily basis, following after the Lord Jesus Christ and learning of Him!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Yet another open customer service rep...
We’re back on the road for another few weeks (ministry trip). We are praying that the Lord will provide many open doors to share the gospel as we travel and share at a few small conferences.
Before leaving I called in to our cell phone company to have the data plan changed around a bit. I talked with a gentleman who helped me get everything squared away (actually, later, I found out it was the wrong package and I had to call back in – but at the time, it appeared everything was set!).
After he had helped me with the data plan he asked if there was anything else he could do to help me out. I said the cell phone was all set, but that I had another question not related to cell phones for him – if he had a minute. I had been praying (in my heart) during the phone call that the Lord would give me an opportunity to share with him, and when I asked the question I was praying that the Lord would give him a favorable reply.
He said – “go ahead”. I even double-checked his availability by saying something to the effect of “I know you probably have other calls coming in, but this’ll be quick” – and he again said “not a problem, I have time.”
I asked if he had ever heard of or taken the good person test, and he said that he hadn’t. I said it only takes a few minutes and has a “moral” at the end (that’s how unbelievers would view a spiritual truth, although salvation is far greater than simply a “moral”!). I asked if he considered himself a good person, and he said that most of the time, but, if he’s honest, not all the time. I was impressed with his answer, because a lot of people simply say “Yep, I’m good.”
I asked if he was familiar with the ten commandments, and he was. I asked if he felt he had kept all of them, none of them, or some of them. He felt he had kept most of them – but, again, to be honest, he had broken some of them.
I shared the honesty is a good one to start with, since it is the 9th commandment, that we are to never tell a lie. I acknowledged that I have told lies, and asked if he ever had. He said he had, and when I asked what that would make both he and I, he came up with the word “liars”.
The 8th commandment is that we are to not steal anything. I shared that I have stolen in the past, and that most people have stolen something when they were young, but tend to do less as they grow older - and I asked if he had ever stolen something. He acknowledged that he had stolen something when he was younger. I asked what that would make both of us and he said “thieves”.
The 3rd commandment is to not take God’s name in vain, and while he couldn’t remember a specific time, he was confident he had at some point. I said God calls that “blasphemy”.
I then said that, while people would look at him and see a good person, and he was able to get our cell phone all squared away, God would look at his heart, or mine, and see someone that is a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart.
I asked if he were to die, and God were to judge him based on those ten commandments, as He says He will, would he be innocent or guilty. He said that, based on those commandments, he would be guilty.
I asked where he would then spend eternity, heaven or hell? He paused for a moment, and said that, he couldn’t say because his coworkers might misunderstand the conversation and think he was swearing, but that it was rather obvious.
I appreciated his sensitivity, and asked if his eternal destination concerned him – it did.
I then spent a few minutes sharing the gospel with him, and encouraging him to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a Bible at his house, and I encouraged him to be reading in the book of John.
As we talked, I shared the difference between head knowledge (knowing about what Jesus has done for someone – as one would know a historical fact), versus life-changing repentance (actually turning away from the sin in ones life and living fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ) and belief in Jesus. He understood it to the point where he said most people know about Jesus with head knowledge – but they aren’t willing to change the way they life with heart knowledge.
I was surprised at his understanding of what he needed to do, but was saddened that he wouldn’t actually take the step and be broken before the Lord, but I have been praying for his salvation…
Before leaving I called in to our cell phone company to have the data plan changed around a bit. I talked with a gentleman who helped me get everything squared away (actually, later, I found out it was the wrong package and I had to call back in – but at the time, it appeared everything was set!).
After he had helped me with the data plan he asked if there was anything else he could do to help me out. I said the cell phone was all set, but that I had another question not related to cell phones for him – if he had a minute. I had been praying (in my heart) during the phone call that the Lord would give me an opportunity to share with him, and when I asked the question I was praying that the Lord would give him a favorable reply.
He said – “go ahead”. I even double-checked his availability by saying something to the effect of “I know you probably have other calls coming in, but this’ll be quick” – and he again said “not a problem, I have time.”
I asked if he had ever heard of or taken the good person test, and he said that he hadn’t. I said it only takes a few minutes and has a “moral” at the end (that’s how unbelievers would view a spiritual truth, although salvation is far greater than simply a “moral”!). I asked if he considered himself a good person, and he said that most of the time, but, if he’s honest, not all the time. I was impressed with his answer, because a lot of people simply say “Yep, I’m good.”
I asked if he was familiar with the ten commandments, and he was. I asked if he felt he had kept all of them, none of them, or some of them. He felt he had kept most of them – but, again, to be honest, he had broken some of them.
I shared the honesty is a good one to start with, since it is the 9th commandment, that we are to never tell a lie. I acknowledged that I have told lies, and asked if he ever had. He said he had, and when I asked what that would make both he and I, he came up with the word “liars”.
The 8th commandment is that we are to not steal anything. I shared that I have stolen in the past, and that most people have stolen something when they were young, but tend to do less as they grow older - and I asked if he had ever stolen something. He acknowledged that he had stolen something when he was younger. I asked what that would make both of us and he said “thieves”.
The 3rd commandment is to not take God’s name in vain, and while he couldn’t remember a specific time, he was confident he had at some point. I said God calls that “blasphemy”.
I then said that, while people would look at him and see a good person, and he was able to get our cell phone all squared away, God would look at his heart, or mine, and see someone that is a lying, thieving, blasphemer at heart.
I asked if he were to die, and God were to judge him based on those ten commandments, as He says He will, would he be innocent or guilty. He said that, based on those commandments, he would be guilty.
I asked where he would then spend eternity, heaven or hell? He paused for a moment, and said that, he couldn’t say because his coworkers might misunderstand the conversation and think he was swearing, but that it was rather obvious.
I appreciated his sensitivity, and asked if his eternal destination concerned him – it did.
I then spent a few minutes sharing the gospel with him, and encouraging him to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has a Bible at his house, and I encouraged him to be reading in the book of John.
As we talked, I shared the difference between head knowledge (knowing about what Jesus has done for someone – as one would know a historical fact), versus life-changing repentance (actually turning away from the sin in ones life and living fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ) and belief in Jesus. He understood it to the point where he said most people know about Jesus with head knowledge – but they aren’t willing to change the way they life with heart knowledge.
I was surprised at his understanding of what he needed to do, but was saddened that he wouldn’t actually take the step and be broken before the Lord, but I have been praying for his salvation…
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