The first occurrence of the names of Deity in the Bible is a plural noun in form but is singular in meaning when it refers to the true God—“In the beginning God.” It is followed by the word “created” which is the Hebrew word “bara” which reveals that there’s something profound about the reality behind the word! It is saying that the reality of God is so awesome and so beyond that there’s no word in any language that can express it. He’s more, He’s better, He’s more majestic, and He is more amazing than we ever thought or can comprehend! It reveals that no matter how much we think we know of God, there’s always more to know, so much more—the unity of the Divine Substance—Father, Son and Holy Spirit! God said to Moses in Exodus 20: I AM the LORD thy God; I the LORD thy God am a jealous God; Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
It is also in Exodus 20 that “gods” is first mentioned. God commanded that “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me; Thou shalt not make unto thee any carved image; Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them for I am a jealous God.” We are introduced to some of the gods and goddesses in Egypt where they had dozens of local and regional gods and goddesses each having a different function. Egyptians needed numerous gods to support their belief that everything that occurred was the act of some god. Osiris, Isis, Horus, Ra, Thoth and Amon are just a few of them. We see Moses and Aaron as God’s instrument in the battle against the gods of Egypt. Jesus identifies these enemies of God in Matthew 25: 41 as the devil and his angels whose final destiny is the lake of fire. The enemy of God is the god of this world, his fallen angels and demonic spirits and this battle of the ages is revealed in God’s Word.
Throughout the Old Testament we hear God’s watchmen —Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elijah and other prophets declaring warnings about the dangers of these gods to God’s people. The gods of ancient Canaan and Phoenicia to which the Israelites sacrificed were not the figments of pagan imagination but actual spiritual entities. Likewise, the gods that the Gentiles worshipped and sacrificed to in the first-century Roman Empire, gods with such names as Jupiter, Apollo, Vesta, and Bacchus were not simply the imagined or invented characters of pagan mythology—but were connected to spiritual entities and demonic spirits. Jesus said that He came to destroy the works of the devil and to set the captive free! He died on the cross to destroy sin and death and become a sacrifice so that we can become children of God by believing in and trusting Him as Savior. It was Jesus’ apostles and afterwards Paul who were used of God to drive them out through the Gospel of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Today God is raising up watchmen to sound the alarm and warning that the ancient pagan gods are returning to our modern culture. In 1995, Dr. David Jeremiah wrote “Invasion of Other Gods” and last year Rabbi Jonathan Cahn wrote “The Return of the Gods” where they warn of the impending infiltration and encroachment of the ancient pagan gods in America. Dr. Jeremiah said: “Our American culture is being shaped by subversive forces…In a desperate search for spiritual significance, many people, including Christians, have been led into the territory of “other gods” without understanding the danger.” Rabbi Cahn says: “The gods have returned. They have ascended the thrones of the modern world. They seek to make every knee bow down before them.” These are indeed the days of great deception and we as Christians must test the spirits as Paul instructs to see if they be from God. (1 John 4:1)
With this in mind, let us examine the roots of some of the traditions that religions observe today. According to historians, Mardi Gras (carnival) dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. The earliest record comes from ancient times, when tribes celebrated a fertility festival that welcomed the arrival of spring, a time of renewal of life. The Romans wore masks, dressed in costumes and indulged all of their fleshly desires as they gave themselves to the gods “Bacchus” (god of wine) and “Venus” (goddess of love). The masks and costumes were used as disguises to allow sexual liberties not normally permitted as individuals engaged in immoral activities. When Christianity arrived in Rome, religious leaders decided to incorporate these popular local traditions into the new faith, an easier task than abolishing them altogether. As a result, the excess and debauchery of the Mardi Gras season became a prelude to Lent, the 40 days of penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Mardi Gras represents a blend of religion and immorality, steeped in ancient pagan fertility rites. Many of the parades celebrate and honor false gods. What was once deplored by the early church is now accepted. You might like to do a search on Wikipedia to trace the invasion of the gods of Madi Gras to Mobile in 1669 to today’s celebration organized by mystic orders named after the pagan gods!
What about Lent? The Catholic Church incorporated the 40-day fast that the pagans had been observing and renamed it Lent. It was the Catholic Church at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD that settled upon a 40 day fast period from Ash Wednesday to Easter as Constantine’s goal to combine pagans and Christians into a peaceable unit within the Roman kingdom. It was Pope Gregory who instituted the tradition of marking parishioner’s foreheads with ashes in the shape of a cross. The Bible directly speaks about repentance and fasting, but doesn’t mention Ash Wednesday nor the Lenten season and therefore Christians are under no obligation to celebrate it. The important fact to remember is that Christians should be ready and willing to repent, fast, and focus on God every day throughout the year.
So, what conclusions do we draw from this study? Let’s consider some scripture to direct us. Colossians 2: 15-16 says: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He (Jesus) made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days.” Galatians 4: 8-19 says: “But at that time, when you did not know God, you served those who by nature are not gods at all. But now you have come to know God—or rather you have come to be known by God. So how can you turn back again to those weak and worthless principles? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?” Jesus gave instructions about how to pray and fast in Matthew 6: 5-6 and 16-18. He said go pray in secret to be seen of God and not of men and likewise in fasting not to disfigure or alter the face as a sign of fasting to be seen by men so that the Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. When the Pharisees questioned the conduct of the disciples, Jesus quoted from Isaiah in Mark 7: 2-9 warning against teaching and following the commands of men rather than God. Paul continued the teaching in Colossians 2:8 to avoid adhering to the tradition of men rather than God and His Word. May we live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Mt. 4:4), recognizing that His holy scriptures cannot be broken. (Jn. 10:35) I Thess. 5:22 warns us to avoid even the appearance of evil even more as the day of the return of Christ approaches.
“The gods have returned. But their days will come to an end. And evil will give way to the good, falsehood to the truth, and the darkness to the breaking of dawn. The the illusions of the night, its dreams and nightmares, will fade into the waking of the day, and the gods into the brightness of His coming, the coming of Him who is the only Light—and who alone is God.” Jonathan Cahn