[PDF]Babylon Mystery Religion

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Over 175,000 in Print


© Copyright 1966, 1981 Edition
Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, Inc.


ISBN 0-916938-00-X


Single Copies
$3.95

(quantity prices on request)

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RALPH WOODROW
P. O. BOX 124
Riverside, California 92502

Also Available in Spanish
Babilonia, Misterio Religioso








Contents

1. BABYLON—SOURCE OF FALSE RELIGION.

Babylon's beginning—Nimrod, its fini king—a mighty hunter—a rebel against God
—his wife Semi ram is—her child Tammuz—counterfeits. A Biblical and historical
account of how Babylonian paganism spread to the nations, was absorbed into the
Roman Empire, and was finally mixed with Christianity at Rome.7

2. MOTHER AND CHILD WORSHIP.

Queen Semi ram is and her god-child Tammuz—how their worship developed under
different names and forms in various countries — how it was mixed into the doc-
trines of the fallen church. Pagan titles applied to Mary.. 13

3. MARY WORSHIP.

Undue prominence given to Mary in the church of the falling away. The immac¬
ulate conception, the perpetual virginity, and assumption of Mary considered in
the light of the scriptures. The rosary—its origin and history.21

4. SAINTS, SAINTS’ DAYS, AND SYMBOLS.

Who are the saints? Are we to pray to them? Saint worship shown to be a contin¬
uation of the pagan devotion to the gods and goddesses of paganism. The use of
idols, images, and pictures as objects of'Worship.30

5. OBELISKS, TEMPLES, AND TOWERS.

Significance of the ancient obelisks—their use in front of pagan temples—the obe¬
lisk in front of St. Peter's in Rome. Elaborate and expensive church buildings.
The tower of Babel—religious towers.39

6. IS THE CROSS A CHRISTIAN SYMBOL?

The wide-spread use of the cross symbol—its ancient origin—its history among
pagan tribes—its various forms and their significance.47

7. CONSTANTINE AND THE CROSS.

The cross vision at Milvian Bridge. Constantine's "conversion” shown to be a
hoax. The story of Helena's discovery of the "true" cross considered. 55

8. THE RELICS OF ROMANISM.

Pieces of the true cross and other relics examined—many shown to be fakes. The
use of relics to "consecrate" a church—a pagan superstition. The origin of the
idea.BO

9. RELIGIOUS FRAUD.

Pilgrimages—indulgence selling—Tetzel's sales in Germany—Luther—the Refor¬
mation. Purgatory—its origin and legends—paying for prayers. Mo lech worship. 65

10. WAS PETER THE FIRST POPE?

Equality stressed by Christ. "On this rock I will build my church." Peter and the
Popes compared. Peter’s ministry compared to Paul's. Did Peter ever go to
Rome?.74












11. PAGAN ORIGIN OF PAPAL OFFICE.

The supreme pontiffs of paganism-the peter-roma, high priest of the mysteries—
the mystic "keys'*-Janus—the tiara—the fish-god mitre—Dagon worship—the pal¬
lium—Peter's "chair"-kissing an idol—carrying an idol—papal processions—the fa-
belli "fans"..79

12. PAPAL IMMORALITY.

The unholy history of the papal office. Luther's visit to Rome. The female
pope. 91


13. ARE POPES INFALLIBLE?

The Council of 1870. The trial of Formasus. Contradictions of the "infallibility"
theory presented. Christ and the popes compared. The mystic number 666. 100

14. THE INHUMAN INQUISITION.

Persecution of protestants. The rack, the iron virgin, and other torture instru¬
ments described. Persecutions at Beziers, Lavaur, Orange, Paris, ate. 105

15. “LORDS OVER GOD’S HERITAGE.”

Cardinals—the origin of their office—their red garments. Bishops—the scriptural
and traditional views compared. The "clergy"—church government—the ministry
of elders in the local church. Religious titles. 110

16. AN UNMARRIED PRIESTHOOD.

The celibacy doctrine of Babylon—its history—and immorality. The confessional—
its origin and purpose. Priests in black garments. The sun symbol tonsure.. . 116

17. THE MASS.

Transubstantiation—its meaning, origin, and history. The "finished" work at
Calvary contrasted to the Mass. The monstrance, the round "host", a description
of round sun symbols and their use in paganism, the mystery drama. 123

18. THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS.

The sign of Jonah. Was Christ crucified on a Friday? On what day was the resur¬
rection?. 135

19. FISH, FRIDAY, AND THE SPRING FESTIVAL.

The fish, a fertility symbol—its association with the mother goddess and Friday.
The Easter festival—eggs, rabbits, and sunrise services—"weeping for Tammuz"—

Lent. 142

20. THE WINTER FESTIVAL.

At what season was Christ bom? The Saturnalia—gifts, trees, and customs. St.
John's Day. Assumption Day. Can die mass Day. Flow pagan days were continued


in the fallen church, renamed, and given the outer appearance of Chris-

tianitv.149

21. THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXTURE.

A brief review of the mixture—how it was hidden-mixtures in the Old Testament
compared. Salvation only throu^i Christ. 156

FOOTNOTES.162














THE POPE CELEBRATING MASS AT THE HIGH ALTAR
OF ST. PETER’S CHURCH IN ROME. Do Popes and priests
really have power to change bread and wine into the flesh
and blood of Christ during the mysterious Mass ritual? See
Chapter Seventeen.






CHAPTER ONE


(J3aby


HE MYSTERY RELIGION of Babylon has been
symbolically described in the last book of the Bible
as a woman “arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked
with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden
cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her
fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”
(Revelation 17:1-6).

When the Bible uses symbolic language, a “woman” can
symbolize a church. The true church, for example, is likened
to a bride, a chaste virgin, a woman without spot or blemish
(Eph. 5:27; Rev. 19:7, 8). But in striking contrast to the
true church, the woman of our text is spoken of as an
unclean woman, a defiled woman, a harlot. If it is correct
to apply this symbolism to a church system, it is clear that
only a defiled and fallen church could be meant! In big
capital letters, the Bible calls her “MYSTERY BABYLON.”



When John wrote the book of Revelation, Babylon—as
a city—had already been destroyed and left in ruins, as the
Old Testament prophets had foretold (Isaiah 13:19-22; Jer.
51-52). But though the city of Babylon was destroyed,
religious concepts and customs that originated in Babylon




7



continued on and were well represented in many nations
of the world. Just what was the religion of ancient Babylon?
How did it all begin? What significance does it hold in mod¬
em times? How does it all tie in with what John wrote in the
book of Revelation?

Turning the pages of time back to the period shortly after
the flood, men began to migrate from the east, “and it came
to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found
a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there” (Gen.
11:2). It was in this land of Shinar that the city of Babylon
was built and this land became known as Babylonia or later
as Mesopotamia.

Here the Euphrates and Tigris rivers had built up rich de¬
posits of earth that could produce crops in abundance. But
there were certain problems the people faced. For one thing,
the land was overrun with wild animals which were a con¬
stant threat to the safety and peace of the inhabitants (cf.
Exodus 23:29,30). Obviously anyone who could success¬
fully provide protection from these wild beasts would receive
great acclaim from the people.

It was at this point that a large, powerfully built man by
the name of Nimrod appeared on the scene. He became
famous as a mighty hunter against the wild animals. The
Bible tells us: “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a
mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty HUNTER before
the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty
hunter before the Lord” (Gen.10:8,9).

Apparently Nimrod’s success as a mighty hunter caused
him to become famous among those primitive people. He
became “a mighty one” in the earth—a famous leader in
worldly affairs. Gaining this prestige, he devised a better
means of protection. Instead of constantly fighting the wild
beasts, why not organize the people into cities and surround
them with walls of protection? Then, why not organize
these cities into a kingdom ? Evidently this was the thinking
of Nimrod, for the Bible tells us that he organized such a
kingdom. “And the beginning of his KINGDOM was Babel,
and Erech, and Accad, and Caleh, in the land of Shinar”
(Gen.l0:10). Hie kingdom of Nimrod is the first mentioned
in the Bible.

Whatever advances may have been made by Nimrod would
have been well and good, but Nimrod was an ungodly ruler.


8



The name Nimrod comes from marad and means, “he rebel¬
led.” The expression that he was a mighty one '•'■before the
Lord” can carry a hostile meaning—the word “before”
being sometimes used as meaning “against” the Lord. 1
The Jewish Encyclopedia says that Nimrod was “he who
made all the people rebellious against God.” 2

The noted historian Josephus wrote: “Now it was Nimrod
who excited them to such an affront and contempt of
God...He also gradually changed the government into tyr¬
anny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of
God...the multitudes were very ready to follow the deter¬
mination of Nimrod...and they built a tower, neither sparing
any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the
work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed
in it, it grew very high...The place wherein they built the
tower is now called Babylon.” 3

Basing his conclusions on information that has come down
to us in history, legend, and mythology, Alexander Hislop
has written in detail of how Babylonian religion developed
around traditions concerning Nimrod, his wife Semiramis,
and her child Tammuz. 4 When Nimrod died, according to the
old stories, his body was cut into pieces, burnt, and sent to
various areas. Similar practices are mentioned even in the


Bible (Judges 19:29; 1 Sam. 11:7). Following his death,

which was greatly mourned by Stf co c

the people of Babylon, his ga. ...

wife Semiramis claimed he was 0-jfiijpSrw* \ JC

now the sun-god. Later, when /fl”/ %

she gave birth to a son, she fl

claimed that her son, Tammuz \ y L f K

by name, was their hero Nim-

rod reborn. (The accompa-

nying cut shows the way Tam-

muz came to be represented in

classical art.) The mother of

Tammuz had probably heard V I 'iVBI

the prophecy of the coming •rj/l

Messiah to be bom of a worn-

an, for this truth was known

from the earliest times (Gen. Aa

3:15). She claimed her son •f'

was supematurally conceived Tammuz


9



and that he was the promised seed, the “savior.” In the reli¬
gion that developed, however, not only was the child wor¬
shipped, but the mother was worshipped also!

Much of the Babylonian worship was carried on through
mysterious symbols —it was a “mystery” religion. The gold¬
en calf, for example, was a symbol of Tammuz, son of the
sun-god. Since Nimrod was believed to be the sun-god or
Baal, fire was considered as his earthly representation. Thus,
as we shall see, candles and ritual fires were lighted in his
honor. In other forms, Nimrod was symbolized by sun
images, fish, trees, pillars, and animals.

Centuries later, Paul gave a description which perfectly
fits the course that the people of Babylon followed: “When
they knew God, they glorified him not as God...but be¬
came 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 made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and
fourfooted beasts, and creeping things...they changed the
truth of God into a he, and worshipped and served the
CREATURE more than the CREATOR...for this cause
God gave them up unto vile affections.” (Rom. 1:21-26). o

This system of idolatry spread from Babylon to the na¬
tions, for it was from this location that men were scattered
over the face of the earth (Gen.ll:9). As they went from
Babylon, they took their worship of the mother and child,
and the various mystery symbols with them. Herodotus, the
world traveler and historian of anitquity, witnessed the mys¬
tery religion and its rites in numerous countries and mentions
how Babylon was the primeval source from which all systems
of idolatry flowed. Bunsen says that the religious system of
Egypt was derived from Asia and “the primitive empire in
Babel.” In his noted work Nineveh and its Remains, Layard
declares that we have the united testimony of sacred and pro¬
fane history that idolatry originated in the area of Babylonia
—the most ancient of religious systems. All of these historians
were quoted by Hislop. 5

When Rome became a world empire, it is a known fact that
she assimilated into her system the gods and religions from
the various pagan countries over which she ruled. 6 Since
Babylon was the source of the paganism of these countries,
we can see how the early religion of pagan Rome was but the
Babylonish worship that had developed into various forms and


10



under different names in the countries to which it had gone.

Bearing this in mind, we notice that it was during this time
—when Rome ruled the world—that the true savior, Jesus
Christ, was bom, lived among men, died, and rose again. He
ascended into heaven, sent back the Holy Spirit, and the New
Testament church was established in the earth. What glorious
days! One only has to read the book of Acts to see how
much God blessed his people in those days. Multitudes were
added to the church—the true church. Great signs and won¬
ders were performed as God confirmed his word with signs
following. True Christianity, anointed by the Holy Spirit,
swept the world like a prairie fire. It encircled the mountains
and crossed the oceans. It made kings to tremble and tyrants
to fear. It was said of those early Christians that they had
turned the world upside down!—so powerful was their mes¬
sage and spirit.

Before too many years had passed, however, men began
to set themselves up as “lords” over God’s people in place
of the Holy Spirit. Instead of conquering by spiritual means
and by truth—as in the early days—men began to substi¬
tute their ideas and their methods. Attempts to merge pagan¬
ism into Christianity were being made even in the days
when our New Testament was being written, for Paul men¬
tioned that the “mystery of iniquity” was already at work,
warned that there would come a “falling away” and some
would “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits
and doctrines of devils”—the counterfeit doctrines of the
pagans (2 Thess. 2:3, 7; 1 Tim. 4:2). By the time that Jude
wrote the book that bears his name,
it was necessary for him to exhort
the people to “earnestly contend
for the faith that was ONCE deliv¬
ered unto the saints”, for certain
men had crept in who were at¬
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