Did you know that the practices of
child sacrifice and nature worship are alive and thriving in America today?
Ancient Israel was a people group
called into covenant relationship with God Almighty—the Holy One; the Creator;
the Great I Am; YHWH; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After the nation
was established in the Promised Land, they eventually split into two
kingdoms—the northern kingdom commonly referred to as Israel, and the southern
as Judah. Contrary to common perception, both kingdoms had descendants from all
twelve of the tribes who came from Jacob’s twelve sons. Initially after the
split, those who rebelled against God’s prescribed method for communion
migrated north, while those who desired to remain faithful migrated south.
Scripture clearly states this. Also eventually, both kingdoms fell away from
God, rejected His calling, turned from His ways, and declined into eventual
conquest and captivity by their enemies—the north to the Assyrian Empire, and
the south to the Babylonian Empire. The speed of decline was more rapid in the
north, with the southern kingdom lasting about a century longer.
Many things led to the downfall of
ancient Israel. But chief among them was the worship of false gods. God had
commanded them to abstain from idol worship. But, as they became secure in the
land of promise and prospered, they turned away and embraced the false gods of
the nations around them and those who had been in Canaan previously. Their
prosperity didn’t vanish immediately, and in fact some of them continued to
experience even greater prosperity (in worldly terms) for a time. This will be
an important point we will return to shortly. Two of the primary false gods
embraced by both kingdoms were Molech, also known as Chemosh, and Asherah.
False gods are not real gods. There
is only one real God. He is the Creator of all things—time, space, the
universe, and everything else, including all living things. He is the Great I
Am who spoke with Moses from the burning bush that wasn’t consumed in the
wilderness. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD [YHWH] our God, the LORD is one!”
(Deuteronomy 6:4; NKJV) False gods, and their representations or idols, are
exactly that—false. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t bases for their existence.
Besides God and humanity, there are also angels; both holy and fallen. Those
holy are set apart in service to God; they are loyal and obedient to him. Those
fallen are in rebellion against God, and loyal to their chief—Lucifer; also
known as Satan. Angels are all created beings. There also exist creatures
referred to in the Bible as demons, which are also beings of a fallen nature in
service to Satan. Many false gods have some fallen being (angelic or demonic)
as their inspiration or namesake. Many of these, what we might think of as
spiritual beings or spirits—though they may be able to take bodily form—have
very likely interfered in the cultures of humanity and influenced their affairs
and received their worship. This is also an important point we will return to
shortly.
Molech, or Chemosh, was a false god
worshipped by the Ammonites, Moabites, and other Canaanite peoples. He was
often depicted in idol form with the face of a calf, with outstretched arms and
open hands ready to receive something, and made of bronze. His worshippers
participated in human sacrifice, oftentimes of babies, who would be placed in
his hands and burned in fire. Molech is mentioned numerous times in the Old
Testament. Jeremiah 32:35 tells us that the people of Judah would, “cause their
sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech.” (NKJV) God called
this an “abomination” in that same context. They were sacrificing their
children to a false god, a fallen or demonic spirit, in the hopes of obtaining
in return some sort of favor—good harvest, abundance, wealth, prosperity, ease
and comfort; things that are thought to bring pleasure and the good life.
Asherah was a false goddess
worshipped by the Canaanites. She was worshipped as a mother or fertility
goddess. Originally she was supposed to be the consort of Baal, and later
perverted by the Israelites to a consort of, well, I won’t say. Her worshippers
would set up Asherah Poles in groves, on hills, and on other high places. The
poles were often made of wood. Worship of her was considered pagan, or
associated with nature or things of nature. Asherah Poles and worship of
Asherah are mentioned throughout the Old Testament. 2 Kings 21:7 tells us that
King Manasseh of Judah, “set a carved image of Asherah” in the Lord’s House
(the Temple of Solomon) in Jerusalem. (NKJV) Manasseh, by the way, also, “made
his son pass through the fire.” (2 Kings 21:6; NKJV) In other words, he too
practiced child sacrifice to Molech.
Worship of these false gods, and
others, significantly contributed to the downfall of the kingdoms of ancient
Israel and Judah. America today is involved in this same worship. The Unites
States, and many other industrialized nations both in the West and around the
world, are elevating the false gods of Molech and Asherah. Although the
physical representations of these gods as idols for people to abase themselves
before may not be with us, the spirit of these gods, and the spiritual beings
themselves whom these gods were named for, are with us in America.
Americans and others, though perhaps
unwittingly, sacrifice their own babies upon the altars of economic prosperity
and convenience through abortion. This assertion may shock one’s sensibilities,
but it’s true. When a child is aborted because its birth would create economic
hardship, then he or she is sacrificed in the spirit of hoping for a better
financial condition. When a baby is aborted because the timing of the pregnancy
interferes with a life stage, plans for education, or career, then he or she is
sacrificed in the spirit of convenience or hoping for a better life. When
abortion is used to eliminate the natural consequence of sexual activity, then
the child is sacrificed in the spirit of pleasure. These sacrifices are made in
the same spirit as those ancient societies who killed their children before the
idols or put them through the fire. They are made to the spirit of Molech.
Americans and others, though perhaps
unwittingly, worship the false gods and goddesses of nature when they elevate
environmental issues to be of greater importance than human issues. I want to
be clear. I am not asserting that we don’t have a responsibility to be good
stewards of creation, the earth, the environment, or other living creatures
with whom we share the planet. In fact, I believe we were given a mandate by
the Creator to be good stewards of the things— not to be wasteful, cruel,
destructive, or irresponsible. But when we (humanity) reject our Creator and
instead worship His creation, then we are worshipping false gods. When we
believe animal life or the environment has more value than humans who were made
in God’s image, then we are worshipping false gods. This is worshipping the
spirit of Asherah.
Our society and others not only
commit these acts, but they are also legalized, sanctioned, approved,
celebrated, demanded, and sometimes enforced by law—depending on location. The
spirits of Molech and Asherah are active in America and the world today, as
millions of people are sacrificing to them and worshipping them through their
priorities and actions. This will ultimately lead to our downfall as well,
though it isn’t possible to predict exactly how or when. Even though America is
still prosperous, at least by many standards, it is a temporary state. Both
kingdoms of ancient Israel were conquered by enemies who were just as wicked,
or even more so. Of course, those empires eventually fell too. God uses or
allows various instruments to implement His justice, even if those instruments
are in turn judged for their wickedness in due time. These aren’t the only
reasons that America and other nations will eventually be judged by the
Creator. But they certainly are significant contributors. It is poignant to see
the parallels. We can see the possible beginnings of the fall of America from a
place of preeminence on the global stage already happening with its current
internal strife and unrest. If so, and I’m not predicting this outcome for
certain, what we are seeing now would only be the beginning. After all, the
fall of the Roman Empire started with internal strife.
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb... Your eyes saw my unformed body; all
the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to
be.” -Psalm 139:13,16; NIV
“Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to
the nations.” -Jeremiah 1:5; NKJV
“And it happened, when Elizabeth
heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit... ‘For indeed, as soon as the voice of your
greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.’” -Luke
1:41,44; NKJV
“Therefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among
themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
-Romans 1:24-25; NKJV
“Thou shalt have no other gods
before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image... Thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor serve them...” -Exodus 20:3-5; KJV
“That which has been is what will
be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the
sun.” -Ecclesiastes 1:9; NKJV
I recognize this may anger many
people. It may enlighten or even encourage some. Lord willing, it might convict
some. If you are feeling a tugging on your heart or a desire to be made right
in relationship with the One who made and loves you, no matter what you may
have done in the past, there is hope! Jesus died and rose again from death in
order to take away all the evil done by, and present within, any and all people
who would accept Him and His offer to save. Just tell God in your heart and
mind that you know you’ve been and done wrong, and that you know you cannot fix
or save yourself. Tell Him you trust in Him to keep His promise to save you
because of what Jesus did and because you ask for it. Surrender to Him, and
believe! Read the book of John in the Bible if you want to know more. Or find a
true Christian who trusts in Jesus as Savior and ask. God will not turn you
away if you call upon Jesus.
Grace and peace.