Introduction Apparitions of a "Thing" Called Mary

The Marian Movement
Apparitions of Mary

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life

Joh 14:1-14 KJV  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (4)  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  (5)  Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?  (6)  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  (7)  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.  (8)  Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.  (9)  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?  (10)  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.  (11)  Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.  (12)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.  (13)  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  (14)  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Persecution Will Come

Mat 10:16-25 KJV  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  (17)  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;  (18)  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.  (19)  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.  (20)  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.  (21)  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.  (22)  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.  (23)  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.  (24)  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.  (25)  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Have No Fear

Mat 10:26-33 KJV  Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.  (27)  What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.  (28)  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  (29)  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  (30)  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  (31)  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.  (32)  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  (33)  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

Mar 8:31-38 KJV  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  (32)  And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.  (33)  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.  (34)  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  (35)  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.  (36)  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  (37)  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  (38)  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Well folks we are embarking on what for some may be a controversial journey. Not controversial for us however. We are going to be exploring the world of Marian apparitions or if you prefer “the Marian Movement”. This is a very sensitive area for some folks no doubt. People have been known to convert to Catholicism even those from Protestant faith upon seeing the apparitions. 

The reason we say that this is not controversial is because Jesus Himself makes it very easy for us to say. If we stay focused on the word and not on experiences supernatural or not we clearly get what the Savior tells us about this subject. 

In our opening from John 14 does Jesus at any point signify any other co redeemer when He says 

Joh 14:1-7 KJV  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (4)  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.  (5)  Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?  (6)  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  (7)  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

One question we would like to ask here is when our Savior Yeshua uses words like “I”, “me” or “no man” does any thing here sound plural about His words and the fact He is Lord, King and Savior. Amen

Let me ask you something here. Does Mary foretell her death, burial and resurrection to become our savior? Of course not. The thought of it never crossed her mind. The basic solution for this issue is found in Jesus’ own teachings in Luke 11.  

The Lord's Prayer

Luk 11:1-13 KJV  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  (2)  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.  (3)  Give us day by day our daily bread.  (4)  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.  (5)  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;  (6)  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?  (7)  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.  (8)  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.  (9)  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  (10)  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  (11)  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?  (12)  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  (13)  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Jesus and Beelzebul

Luk 11:14-23 KJV  And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.  (15)  But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.  (16)  And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.  (17)  But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.  (18)  If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.  (19)  And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.  (20)  But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.  (21)  When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:  (22)  But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.  (23)  He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

Luk 11:24-26 KJV  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.  (25)  And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.  (26)  Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

1. Alright now folks pay close attention to what our Savior is telling us about. We are talking about evil spirits.
2. Then pay close attention to what is said and by who next. 
3. The other thing we must realize is that these folks seeing apparitions some of whom you may know or even be are very much seeing something in an apparition form. 
4. The key word here being something. 

True Blessedness

Luk 11:27-28 KJV  And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.  (28)  But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Most importantly here we must pay attention to our Lord and Savior and let’s stress here our only Lord and Savior Jesus or Yeshua says to us here.

He tells us that we are to hear the word of God and obey it. He says this with a perfect opportunity to tell us that His mother being Mary was supposed to be adored, worshipped, prayed to or most importantly called co redemptory. Guess what? Jesus does not do this does He?

Do you see anything different than the rest of us here. Of course not but if we start depending on others to tell us that the above mentioned things concerning Mary here are true then we are all spiritually fooled. 

This passage right here should make clear to anyone that Mary is nothing special for our spiritual health and most importantly our salvation. This is not the only time Jesus had a chance to put Mary on some kind of pedestal or necessity in our worship habits. This goes for everybody unless you think you know more than the Bible. We certainly do not have any kind of problem with Mary being Jesus’ mother. We just have a problem with folks that want to make her as some kind of co redeemer.

The Parable of the Sower

Luk 8:4-8 KJV  And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:  (5)  A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.  (6)  And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.  (7)  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.  (8)  And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

The Purpose of the Parables

Luk 8:9-15 KJV  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?  (10)  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.  (11)  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  (12)  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  (13)  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.  (14)  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.  (15)  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

A Lamp Under a Jar

Luk 8:16-18 KJV  No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.  (17)  For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.  (18)  Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

Luk 8:19-21 KJV  Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.  (20)  And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.  (21)  And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

Notice what Jesus tells them. The same thing He told them in our earlier passage.

Luk 11:28 KJV  But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

I and the Father Are One

Joh 10:22-42 KJV  And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.  (23)  And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.  (24)  Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.  (25)  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.  (26)  But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.  (27)  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  (28)  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  (29)  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.  (30)  I and my Father are one.  (31)  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.  (32)  Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?  (33)  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.  (34)  Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?  (35)  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;  (36)  Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?  (37)  If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.  (38)  But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.  (39)  Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,  (40)  And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.  (41)  And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.  (42)  And many believed on him there.

OK let’s do a brief run down so far. 

Luke 11 we have Jesus giving a teaching concerning what of all things; evil spirits. He is interrupted by someone unknown to us to this day except for ABBA Father and the Savior and Son Himself Lord Yeshua or Jesus. The question she asks as follows straight from the word.

Luk 11:24-27 KJV  When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.  (25)  And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.  (26)  Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  (27)  And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

Most importantly Jesus gives a very stern and non ambiguous answer. Just in case you would like Webster’s 1828 version definition of ambiguous here it is:

Ambiguous
AMBIG'UOUS, a. [L. ambiguus.]

Having two or more meanings; doubtful; being of uncertain signification; susceptible of different interpretations; hence, obscure. It is applied to words and expressions; not to a dubious state of mind, though it may be to a person using words of doubtful signification.

The ancient oracles were ambiguous, as were their answers.

Luk 11:28 KJV  But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

That’s really all we need to know so far.

Do we have any warnings from the testaments other than Jesus’ own words of course we do. Jesus is and was and forever shall be the only fulfillment of our Messianic and any other prophecies as well from both testaments. In case you are not ready or maybe do not like what we are doing here we are not trying to slap any faces.

In case you do not think scripture warns us about apparitions of Mary or anything else let’s start into the root of all this in the OT. Let’s just start with the basics in the 10 Commandments which are not 10 suggestions by the way.

Exo 20:1-5 KJV  And God spake all these words, saying,  (2)  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  (3)  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  (4)  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  (5)  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

You see if you stop and think about this as a commandment and not a suggestion or a wonderful story book then we realize a few things. Things such as follows. 

Without trying to be insulting most folks who really go bananas over these apparitions violate every verse God spake above. 

Before you get mad realize that these apparitions are given titles or names such as “our Lady” of this or “our Lady” of that. 

They are also wrapped around the concept of having an image or even idols cast in honor of these “things” that are being called Mary all around the world. We will get into these things as we progress into our new journeys. 

Yes and as hard as it is to believe people are bowing down to these images and apparitions. The way we figure around here is that in the realm of spiritual warfare Satan figured out something really quick about our spiritual weaknesses. He discovered real quick that we can be tempted with the false ideology we will all become gods.

Gen 3:1-6 KJV  Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  (2)  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:  (3)  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.  (4)  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:  (5)  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  (6)  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Another thing he figured out at some point is that individuals might have a propensity for worshipping not only false gods but goddesses as well. 

The earliest mentioning of the goddess Ashtoreth are found in the early days of Genesis. We may be wrong here but we think the earliest reference to such activity is found in Genesis 14. The word Ashtaroth is mostly associated with certain locations where “she” was worshipped. It was also a location mentioned in the warfare of the kings in Genesis 14:5.

Gen 14:1-5 KJV  And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;  (2)  That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.  (3)  All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.  (4)  Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.  (5)  And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,

Of course Polytheism and Pantheism ran rampant throughout the world. Egypt the first empire of biblical history had many gods and goddesses. The Assyrians who were next also had a problem with worshipping Ashtaroth. Of course all the biblical empires that ruled had the same problems with multiple gods and goddesses. Especially the Greeks and Romans. Satan really capitalized on all this before and after the cross. 

This is why when we are talking about monotheistic religions the big 3 we always hear about are Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Even these 3 stay somewhat in disagreement not so much due to goddess worship but over Jesus being the Savior, Lord and King. Amen

Only the biggest difference in the world for our salvation correct.

Two other prophets we will be exploring regarding apparitions of Mary are Jeremiah and Zechariah. We have not gotten as far as Zechariah 5 yet in our Zechariah Zone journeys but that is the chapter we are referring to directly concerning this subject. 

With regards to Jeremiah 2 places for sure we will be exploring are chapters 7 and 44. They are each passages that detail worship of what God calls the queen of heaven. 

Jer 7:14-20 KJV  Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.  (15)  And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.  (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.

Jer 44:15-29 KJV  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.  (23)  Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.  (24)  Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:  (25)  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.  (26)  Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.  (27)  Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.  (28)  Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.  (29)  And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:

All together the phrase queen of heaven is found 5 times in the book of Jeremiah. We will be exploring these things moving forward with and please excuse us for simply using the word apparitions to imply as in Marian apparitions. 

We liked John Wesley’s comments upon Jeremiah 7:18.

Jeremiah 7:18

The children - Here God shews how busily they are employed from the youngest to the oldest for their idolatry. The queen - As the sun was looked upon as king, so the moon as the queen of heaven.

Albert Barnes provides us with the Following

Jeremiah 7:18

Children ... fathers ... women - All members of the family take part in this idolatry.
Cakes - Probably very similar to those offered at Athens to Artemis.
To the queen of heaven - A Persian and Assyrian deity, who was supposed to symbolize a quality possessed by moonlight of giving to nature its receptive power, as the sun represented its quickening power. The moon thus became generally the symbol of female productiveness, and was worshipped as such at Babylon. Disgraceful usages to which every woman was obliged once to submit formed part of her worship.

We would like to add here that what appears to be another form of the word Ashtaroth becomes Ishtar later on in history. 

Of course we have Diana and Artemis from Greek and Roman worship. Many feel as does yours truly that the massive amount of worship of Diana in Ephesus helped the early intrusion upon the church regarding the popularity of Mary. 

Zec 5:5-11 KJV  Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.  (6)  And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.  (7)  And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.  (8)  And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.  (9)  Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.  (10)  Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?  (11)  And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

Since this is an introduction to our latest subject we will save a breakdown in full on all these passages for our upcoming journeys. 

However there are 2 other subjects we would like to address before we close this out. They are going to be a couple of things from our NT. One of those subjects being the promise of the kingdom of our Lord and Savior from before the creation of the world. The following is a list of verses found only in the NT regarding THE KINGDOM and our ONLY way into it is our Lord, King and Savior Yeshua or Jesus. The phrase “foundation of the world” brought up the following results.

Mat_13:35  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. 

Mat_25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 

Luk_11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 

Joh_17:24  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 

Eph_1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Heb_4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb_9:26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 

1Pe_1:20  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 

Rev_13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 

Rev_17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 

10 verses found, 10 matches
Matthew 2 verses found 2 matches
Luke 1 verse found 1 match
John 1 verse found 1 match
Ephesians 1 verse found 1 match
Hebrews 2 verses found 2 matches
1 Peter 1 verse found 1 match
Revelation 2 verses found 2 matches

You see this is a promise that existed to a Son. That Son being the one and only that could give us the fulfillment of the promise. It has existed since long before any false god and goddess worship here on earth. No where in our Holy Scriptures does God promise us any other person, spirit or angel to be involved in the process of our salvation.

Another big thing we need to state here is that this is why our Savior has a name. A name that is above all other names. One of the things we will explore in the apparitions is how often people call this “thing” Mary as to how often it refers to itself as Mary. This can be a very dangerous area to tread in. Another thing we will be exploring is how often this “thing” called Mary refers to our ONLY SALVATION meaning Yeshua not someone’s immaculate heart. This is a very dangerous area to tread in as well. 

Mat 1:18-25 KJV  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  (19)  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.  (20)  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  (21)  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  (22)  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,  (23)  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  (24)  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:  (25)  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Mat 12:14-21 KJV  Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.  (15)  But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;  (16)  And charged them that they should not make him known:  (17)  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  (18)  Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.  (19)  He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.  (20)  A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.  (21)  And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Mat 18:1-6 KJV  At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  (2)  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,  (3)  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  (4)  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  (5)  And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.  (6)  But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Mat 18:18-20 KJV  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  (19)  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.  (20)  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Mat 23:36-39 KJV  Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.  (37)  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  (38)  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.  (39)  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Mat 24:4-5 KJV  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  (5)  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Act 15:12-18 KJV  Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.  (13)  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:  (14)  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.  (15)  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,  (16)  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:  (17)  That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.  (18)  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

Act 15:23-28 KJV  And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:  (24)  Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:  (25)  It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,  (26)  Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (27)  We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.  (28)  For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

Mat 10:22 KJV  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Finally friends one last thing to hold in mind as we start these upcoming journeys exploring apparitions. That is the fact that John shares with us in 1st John 4. John tells us how we are to test the spirits. Two verses that tell us that this is important are because 

2Co 11:14 KJV  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Rev 12:9 KJV  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Now the solution to all this. Friends saying and doing are always easier but if you ever encounter an evil spirit be it in the guise of a ghost, alien ,bigfoot apparition of Mary or whatever we as believers have a simple solution. That solution found in 1st John 4.

1Jn 4:1-21 KJV  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.  (2)  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  (3)  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.  (4)  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.  (5)  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.  (6)  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.  (7)  Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  (8)  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.  (9)  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  (10)  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  (11)  Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  (12)  No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.  (13)  Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.  (14)  And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.  (15)  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.  (16)  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.  (17)  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.  (18)  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is notmade perfect in love.  (19)  We love him, because he first loved us.  (20)  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  (21)  And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Friends if you see an apparition of Mary ask her if she confesseth that Jesus is THE SON of GOD. We wonder if any one attending an apparition has thought to ask the “thing” any of these questions. By not asking we are allowing the evil to persist and manifest. She will either say yes or she will go poof and disappear. That’s what the word of God teaches us. Amen

1Jn 5:1-13 KJV  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.  (2)  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.  (3)  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.  (4)  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  (5)  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?  (6)  This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  (7)  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  (8)  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.  (9)  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.  (10)  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.  (11)  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  (12)  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  (13)  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Rev 16:15 KJV  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Rev 22:7 KJV  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Please stay tuned for our explorations of apparitions of a “thing” called Mary 

Also thanks for sharing a word as always
God Bless