The following information is taken from the e-book series:

BABYLON RISING: And The First Shall Be The Last
written by Rob Skiba II
Copyright © 2011

Enter the Greeks

Coming Soon!

The Sumerian/Babylonian and Egyptian "gods" had their chance to thwart Gods plans. While they did have some victories, ultimately they failed. But we haven't heard the last of them. They'll be back.

For now, let's take a quick tour of the history that bridged the time of Israel's height of power and the days that will lead up to the New Testament. We'll start around 793BC. That was approximately the time when the prophet Jonah lived, during the reign of king Jeroboam II (793-753BC). It was during that window of time that the Book of Jonah was written - a book containing events that Yeshua would later refer to as being the only sign that He would give to the religious leaders of His day.

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation."

- Luke 11:29-30 (NKJV) [emphasis mine]

The decades following Jonah's ministry would produce more prophetic books, including those of Joel, Amos, Hosea, Nahum, Micah and most notably the amazing, powerhouse, prophetic Book of Isaiah. As the prophet Amos seems to indicate, something is really about to go down here!

Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.

- Amos 3:7 (NLT)

For there to have been such an eruption in the prophetic realm - the likes of which had never been before - we know that God was indeed planning to do something big on the "Cosmic Chessboard." Something that will be both a response to what the Devil was planning as well as a long term strategy for his ultimate defeat.

Looking at "Day 4" of the Biblical Timeline of Human History Chart to the right, we can see that it was it was around the same time that the Book of Isaiah was written (750-740BC) that Rome was founded (753BC - a date that corresponds with the end of king Jeroboam's reign and the time of Jonah).

This was a time, when the Devil went into overdrive. It was also a time when God would start to move his pieces on the "Cosmic Chessboard" as well. The founding of Rome would mark the beginning of an empire that would one day rule the world. But there were three others that would come first.

God had totally thwarted the first attempted empire under Nimrod at the Tower of Babel. Then, through the Israelites, God completely destroyed the Egyptian empire during the time of the Exodus. Then, it was God's turn to establish His own earthly kingdom in the land of Canaan. This was to be a kingdom ruled by God Himself. But the Jews wouldn't have it. They begged for a king - a human to rule over them instead. Graciously, God gave them a few. By the end of the third king's reign, the land of the Jews was divided into the northern and southern kingdoms: Israel and Judah. And in spite of all that God had done for them, the people began to worship other gods once again. And this angered the Lord greatly!

He warned them through His prophets, begging them like a husband trying to get back a wife who had become a prostitute. To prove His point, He even had one of His prophets (Hosea) go out and marry a prostitute to show him and the nation of Israel how He felt.

The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

When the Lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him, “Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the Lord and worshiping other gods.”

- Hosea 1:1-2 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

Even though seven prophets begged the children of Israel to return to their husband, they still would not listen. Finally, the ten (northern) tribes of Israel were led into captivity by King Sargon into Assyria and were never to be seen again, thus becoming known as the "Lost Tribes of Israel." Today, those tribes have been completely dispersed into every nation on earth. God, their jealous husband, finally gave them what they deserved.

This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. They sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them safely out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. They had followed the practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of them, as well as the practices the kings of Israel had introduced. The people of Israel had also secretly done many things that were not pleasing to the Lord their God. They built pagan shrines for themselves in all their towns, from the smallest outpost to the largest walled city. They set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles at the top of every hill and under every green tree. They offered sacrifices on all the hilltops, just like the nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of them. So the people of Israel had done many evil things, arousing the Lord’s anger. Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord’s specific and repeated warnings.

Again and again the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. Obey my commands and decrees—the entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through my servants the prophets.”

But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them.

They rejected all the commands of the Lord their God and made two calves from metal. They set up an Asherah pole and worshiped Baal and all the forces of heaven. They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger.

Because the Lord was very angry with Israel, he swept them away from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land.

- 2 Kings 17:1-18 (KJV)

You would think that the remaining tribes in the southern kingdom of Judah would have learned after they saw what happened to their brothers in the north. At first, it appeared that they did. Not long after the northern tribes where taken away, Jerusalem was besieged by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. But King Hezekiah wisely called out to the Lord for help. God heard his prayers. Could it be that His bride was finally coming back to Him? The Husband was glad to assist His beloved.

That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there.

- 2 Kings 19:35-36 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

Praise God! Right? Well, it didn't take long before they started to screw up again. The next king, Manasseh started to do evil in the sight of the Lord right away. King Amon followed him in like manner. But then came King Josiah. He repented when he found the Book of the Covenant in the Temple and realized just how far they had transgressed against the Lord. He destroyed the altars to the gods and thus, God's anger and judgment was stayed... for a while.

Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.

Even so, the Lord was very angry with Judah because of all the wicked things Manasseh had done to provoke him. For the Lord said, “I will also banish Judah from my presence just as I have banished Israel. And I will reject my chosen city of Jerusalem and the Temple where my name was to be honored.”

- 2 Kings 23:25-26 (NLT)

Even though the Lord had sent the prophets Zephaniah, Jeremiah and Habakuk to the remaining tribes, once again calling the people to repent and turn back to their God, they would not. And the kings that followed King Josiah continued to do evil in the sight of the Lord until it was only a matter of time before God's judgment would fall. Finally, a 133 years after they saw the northern tribes get swept away, the people of Judah were taken into captivity as well - to Babylon, where they would remain for 70 years. And their precious Temple, the one built by King Solomon was completely destroyed by the Babylonians.

On August 14 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city. Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side.

- 2 Kings 25:8-10 (NLT)

Jewish independence was over. From that point on they would remain under the control of Babylon, Persia, Egypt (again), Syria and Rome until 70AD. Then, just like their other ten brothers, they would also be scattered to the four winds and remain dispersed amongst the nations until 1948AD.

So, it would appear that the Devil was successful in getting the people of God to follow other gods. He managed to wipe out the dwelling place of the Most High and destroy His Holy City. It is plain that God allowed this "victory," but Lucifer was going to take full advantage of this.

By this time, Babylon had swallowed up Assyria and Egypt. King Nebuchadnezzar was probably feeling pretty good about himself and his victories. Then, God gives him a disturbing dream. And a Hebrew slave proved to be the only one who could interpret it. Of course I am referring to the famous "statue of the kingdoms" dream spoken of in the Book of Daniel. A typical depiction of this statue is pictured to the left. We will discuss this statue more in depth in The Last Days blog (coming soon).

I've given this rather lengthy intro in order to set the stage for the next round of this "cosmic battle of the gods," which will focus on the Greek pantheon once again.

While at this point, things seem to have wound down with the Sumerian and Egyptian gods, Lucifer's "back-up plan" was quietly building momentum in the background. And so it was that in 333 BC, Alexander the Great defeated Darius and took over the Persian Empire, which had previously taken over the Babylonian Empire.

Thus, the first part of Daniel's prophetic revelation of Nebuchadnezzar's statue came true - to the letter. And this is where all the streams begin to come together.

Both Egypt and Assyria had merged into the Babylonian Empire (the head of gold). With them, the gods of the Egyptians and ancient Sumerians all became one big family under a Babylonian roof. Eventually, King Belshazzar, one Nebuchadnezzar's successors, got pretty arrogant and did something that really made the One True God angry!

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king,and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

- Daniel 5:1-6 (NLT)

Yeah, he was pretty scared. And for good reason. You don't just start using GOD's silverware and sacred cups for a party, while singing drunken praises to false gods! Not a good idea Bellie! Suddenly, a dimensional portal was ripped open and God let this king know exactly how He felt about it. Daniel was brought in to read "the writing on the wall" and it wasn't good news.

“You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So God has sent this hand to write this message.

 “This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is what these words mean:

   Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.
   Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.
   Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

- Daniel 5:22-28 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

That same night Belshazzar was killed and the Medes and the Persians took over. The two horned ram of Daniel's prophecy - the Persian Empire - lasted almost as long as our American "empire" - for 229 years - until the next part of Daniel's prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. The swift "he goat," Alexander the Great came to town. And so it was that the first part of the vision of Daniel chapter 8 came true in every detail. But here's a little "extra" observation I had concerning the "he goat" from Daniel's vision. Notice that the text says that it had one great horn on its head.

The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

- Daniel 8:20-23 (KJV) [emphasis mine]

In the context of this entire book, I can not help but think that "the first king" being referred to here is none other than our buddy Nimrod - once again! He was after all the first king of the world. So, this vision of Daniel's seems to be indicating that Alexander did what he did empowered by the spirit of Nimrod, the rebellious one... the Antichrist. And when Alexander died, that "horn" broke off.

The spirit of Antichrist then moved on and into the four that "stood up." They were the four generals who took over Alexander's now split kingdom. And the final sentence there seems to indicate that in the latter days a king of fierce countenance, who understands the dark secrets - the mystery religions - will "stand up" (or rise to power) out of those four kingdoms: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the Kingdom of Pergamum in Asia Minor, and Macedonia,  which for a brief period, after the conquests of Alexander the Great, became the most powerful state in the world, controlling a territory that included the former Persian empire, stretching as far as the Indus River; inaugurating the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greek civilization.

In this context, I also find it interesting that Alexander had conquered most of the known world then died at age 32, 40 days before he turned 33. By the following year - 322 BC - the formation of a New World Order was underway, and the Greeks were now leading the charge. Lots of interesting numbers there - especially (as we've already seen), the number 322! At any rate, thanks to Alexander the Great, the Greeks have now moved onto center stage, and with them came their gods. So, now we have the "big three" I mentioned at the beginning of this "God vs god" series all together under one empire. But notice how they all "came out of Babylon."

I believe this is where the whole concept of "Mystery Babylon" was infused into all of the world's systems... including the church. And I use that word as an all inclusive term. The Jews followed Babylonian ways. The Christians later did as well. Starting with the Catholic Church, but not limited to them. As we will see in my future blogs, ALL of Christianity has been infiltrated with "Babylonian Mysteries" and practices that really point more toward Nimrod than they do Yeshua (like Christmas and Easter for instance). This is why John begs us to "Come out of Mystery Babylon" in the Last Days.

To the Greeks, there was no higher deity than Zeus. He ruled supreme in the ancient world for three thousand years! Like Nimrod, he was known by many names. In the far north countries, he was known as Odin. The Egyptians associated him with Amon. The Hindus thought of him as Indra. The Romans knew him as Jupiter and the Assyrians, Medes, Persians and Babylonians appear to have known him as "Bel" or even Jupiter Belus. In fact, some even refer to the Tower of Babel as the Temple of Jupiter Belus. In every case, he was known as the "king of the gods," the "father of gods and men" and the ruler of the air or sky.

As mentioned in the The Days of Noah blog, I believe Zeus was actually Lucifer himself. If he is indeed the Devil of our Bible, then the Greek model of mythology perfectly illustrates how Satan works. Just look at all the things this powerful, ruling Olympian is and does, and you will understand the person, character and actions of the most famous and powerful Fallen Angel of them all!

Allow me to introduce you to Zeus:

Here are just a few characteristics to consider when comparing Zeus with Lucifer:

• He was full of pride and arrogance.
• He waged war against the gods above him.
• He was a master of disguise and deceit.
• He wielded mighty power on earth.
• He was known as the "sky god", often referred to as the "lord of the sky".
• He breed with the women of earth to create god-men.
• He was known as the "god of this world" to many of the ancient cultures.

Let's see what the Scriptures have to say about Lucifer to see if he is indeed the one the ancients worshipped as Zeus.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

- 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

Remember what King Wells said about viewing the Bible from a mythological world view? We have to consider the cultures of the people mentioned in the Bible. For instance, when Paul is writing to the Ephesians, he is writing to the people who lived in Ephesus. That much is obvious. But now, let's take a trip to Ephesus to get the context for what Paul was saying, who he was speaking to and what was going on at that time.

In 2005, I had the incredible privilege of doing the "Missionary Journeys of Paul" on a sailing ship. It was the most incredible vacation I think I've ever had! Traveling where Paul went, the same way he did so was truly amazing.

We started out in Athens (the picture on the left was taken on Mars Hill), then went to Corinth where we got on a sailing ship and continued along to some of the many places where Paul preached. Before we went to each location, I would read in the Book of Acts what happened there, so that I'd have the frame of mind of putting myself in Paul's shoes. Who was he talking to? What did he do there? What was the cultural context that Paul was dealing with?

With that mindset, one of our first stops was Ephesus. There, I stood in the lecture hall of Tyrannus where Paul had daily discussions (for two years). I saw the place where the new believers burned their scrolls of sorcery (the total value of which was 50,000 drachmas - each drachma being roughly equal to a days wage!). And I sat in the theater where the riot took place. And that is where I want to draw your attention here in order to make a point. Let's look at the story as written by Luke in the Book of Acts:

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. [note: they were led astray from the worship of Artemis, who was an immortal daughter of Zeus - in other words, a Final Tier god] He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. [implying blasphemy from their point of view. Those people believed these gods were real] There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”

When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” [because the Greeks did not want to hear about the God of the Jews]

The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? [that should give us a clue as to the true nature of this "deity"] Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

- Acts 19:-23-41 (NIV) [emphasis mine]

So, what we have here is a wise "city clerk" who puts a riot to rest before the higher authorities come down on them all. Essentially, he says, "Look guys. We all know - the whole world knows - our god is real. Who cares what these Jews say? They haven't robbed nor (directly) blasphemed our goddess. We are all civilized men. If there's a legitimate grievance, then take it to court. Otherwise we could all be charged with rioting and have nothing to justify it. So, shut up and get out of here!"

This passage shows that there was clearly a battle going on for the souls of men. On the one hand, the Ephesians thought Artemis was the key to their salvation. On the other, the Jews under Paul's leadership were trying to show them the Way (of Christ). With that in mind, read what Paul had to say to the Believers there in Ephesus when he wrote the Book of Ephesians:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 
- Ephesians 2:1-3 (NASB) [emphasis mine]

Do you see how an understanding of cultural context - in this case the worship of the Greek gods - brings this Scripture that much more to life, with deeper meaning and significance? Paul was writing to people who "formerly walked according to the course of this world," people who followed the "prince of the power of the air." We find multiple meanings here. The gods were up in the sky. The one who ruled over them - at least in the mind of the Greeks - was Zeus!

Barnes' Notes on the Bible has this to say about the identity of the "prince and power of the air" mentioned by Paul:

According to the prince of the power of the air - see Ephesians 6:12; compare the notes at 2 Corinthians 4:4. There can be no doubt that Satan is here intended, and that Paul means to say that they were under his control as their leader and prince. The phrase, "the prince of the power," may mean either "the powerful prince," or it may mean that this prince had power over the air, and lived and reigned there particularly. The word "prince" - ἄρχοντα archonta - "Archon," means one first in authority and power, and is then applied to anyone who has the pre-eminence or rule. It is applied to Satan, or the chief of the fallen angels, as where he is called "the prince - ἄρχων archon - of the devils," Matthew 9:34; Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15; "the prince of this world," John 12:31;John 14:30; John 16:11. [emphasis mine]

So, Paul was keenly aware of who and what he was up against. Which is why he wrote things like:

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

- Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

To him, in that day and age, the battle was very real. It was a battle between God and the gods. But is this proof enough that Zeus was Satan? Probably the most direct reference in Scripture that would lead us to believe this, can be found the Book of Revelation (which has already been quoted in my blog, "72 And A Red Moon Rising"):

"I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city."

- Revelation 2:13 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

The hillside where the Altar of Zeus once stood in Pergamum.

Remember that Pergamum. was one of the four kingdoms that came out of the fall of Alexander the Great. Today (as I've mentioned already in a previous blog), Satan's throne is set up in Berlin, Germany. That should help us understand why two world wars were started there! Will the third be as well?

Here are a few other (more indirect) references that I believe point to Zeus as being none other than Lucifer:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

- Isaiah 14:12-14 (KJV)

From a Biblical perspective, if Zeus is indeed Satan (Lucifer), it is easy to see how he weakened the nations. He was the dominant god of antiquity, worshipped all over the known world by the time of Christ. Zeus also demonstrated his arrogance and pride by taking a stand against his father (and the other Titans). He waged a war that won him a throne in the heights of the clouds known as Mt. Olympus.

And he [Jesus] said unto them, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. "

- Luke 10:18

Zeus was well known for his association with lightning.

On his web site, The Open Scroll, Bob Schlenker has an interesting take on this subject as it pertains to the lighting of the Olympic torch and cauldron. He writes:

The continual media emphasis on the torch relay that brings the flame to the Olympic venue serves to promote and build anticipation for the upcoming games for months in advance as the flame is followed from it's origin in Greece. It's obvious that the flame is highly exalted. What does it represent, that it should be so exalted? 

"Olympia is the home of the Olympic Flame, the sanctuary of Zeus (father of the gods of Olympia) and the site where the Ancient Olympic Games took place . The lighting ceremony of the Olympic Flame takes place at the temple of Hera within the Olympia site, where the ruins of a temple dedicated to this goddess remain. The actual lighting ceremony is a reminder of ancient rituals, in which gods Zeus and Hera were honored with several fires lit and animal sacrifices in the sanctuary of Olympia."

(The Lighting Ceremony, from vancouver2010.com)

Click Here for more on the history of the Torch and Cauldron

No effort is made to disguise the fact that the flame honors Zeus in ritual worship. Lit by the sun itself, the flame's origin is heavenly, not earthly, which is noted as a key feature. I can't tell you the words of the prayer offered during the worship service attending the ritual lighting. I suspect the hymn was probably the same Olympic Hymn that was sung both in English and French during the opening and closing ceremonies in Vancouver and which lyrics give further testimony about the meaning of the flame.

Immortal spirit of antiquity
Father of the true, beautiful and good
Descend, appear, shed over us thy light
Upon this ground and under this sky
Which has first witnessed thy unperishable fame

Give life and animation to these noble games!
Throw wreaths of fadeless flowers to the victors
In the race and in the strife
Create in our breasts, hearts of steel!

In thy light, plains, mountains and seas
Shine in a roseate hue and form a vast temple
To which all nations throng to adore thee
Oh immortal spirit of antiquity!

The light from the flame that burns in the cauldron is the light of Zeus. 

*******************************
The light of the Olympic flame is what puts the "illume" in the illuminati and the illuminated masters. It puts the "light" in spiritual enlightenment. It's the glow behind the eye that floats above the pyramid on the great seal of the US, and the glow in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic motto: "WITH GLOWING HEARTS." It's a legitimate spiritual light, but one that is in truth a counterfeit. 

Consider the following passages of scripture. 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

- John 8:12

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
- 2 Corinthians 11:14

Read More >

Now, was it actually Lucifer walking around calling himself Zeus, or was this "deity" simply a physical manifestation in which the Devil chose to operate? We know that the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim that died in the Flood were called the Raphaim, or demons. They look for a host to inhabit or possess. The very fact that angel seed can produce an abomination called a Nephilim - a creature that is neither angel, nor human, but a hybrid - is something we need to explore further. And we will in the blog, "The Return of the Nephilim" (coming soon). For the purposes of this blog, let me just say that I don't believe Lucifer was inhabiting a physical body, I believe he was manifesting himself as one. We know that angels can do this.

 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.

- Genesis 19:1-3 (KJV) [emphasis mine]

In this passage, the angels appeared as men. Lot at least assumed they needed a place to sleep (a human trait). He gave them food "and they did eat" it, which means it needed to be evacuated from the body through digestion. So, if they had the "plumbing" so-to-speak for digestion, is it too much of a stretch to think that they might also have the same "plumbing" for reproduction? The homosexual men of Sodom certainly believed they might.

But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”

- Genesis 9:4-5 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

Why did God put that kind of "plumbing" in His all male angels? I don't know. There are no female angels in Heaven, so it doesn't make sense to me that there would be a need for reproductive organs. But according to several places in Scripture and numerous accounts of global mythology, "those who from Heaven came" did indeed have that ability.

Angels have the ability to appear as they are. And when they did, the people to whom they appeared always fell on their face in terror. Thus, the first words out of the angel's mouth was always, "Fear not..." In those cases, there was something clearly different about their appearance. But in other cases when angels chose to manifest themselves completely as humans, people probably couldn't tell the difference. In every way, they would appear to be human.

I know in my own life, there were many times when I had encounters with "people" that had to have been angels. In every way, they looked "normal" and yet there was something different about them. They came at a very specific time when I needed them and either helped me through some trial or spoke words of wisdom, hope and encouragement to me when I needed it most. And sometimes, after they did, they would leave, I would say a quick prayer of thanks, look up and see that they were gone. Scripture talks about this sort of thing in a number of places throughout the Bible.

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. .

- Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) [emphasis mine]

Thinking along these lines, I have to wonder about the time when Lucifer appeared to Yeshua in the wilderness. Did he appear as Lucifer was known in angelic form? Or as a man... or did he take on the appearance of the god Zeus? Consider this passage:

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,  ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

- Matthew 4:8-10 (NLT) [emphasis mine]

I imagine, given the cultural context in which Yeshua lived, that the Devil came as a god. He could say the things he said because he was the "god of this world" and he did "own" the kingdoms that he was offering to our Lord. Considering what both the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle Paul wrote above concerning Lucifer, it seems very likely that he would therefore have taken on the physical manifestation of Zeus - who was the reigning god of that time - when he brought Yeshua to a very height mountain (Olympus?) and offered Him the kingdoms of the world that were under his dominion.

In this appearance, he would have been a daunting foe indeed. And he would have been acting as a counterfeit father as well. Zeus was the "father of the gods" who demanded worship, but Yeshua was the Only Begotten of the True Father of Heaven and earth - the only One who deserves to be worshipped.

With all of this in mind, let's look again at "Day 4" on the Biblical Timeline of Human History Chart.

Notice that this millennium started with the building of a Holy Temple to the Lord. That happened in Israel.

Meanwhile, as we saw above, the rest of the world was moving toward a one world system, uniting all of the gods under those of the Greeks. Not long after the destruction of the Temple and the Jews being taken into Babylonian captivity, the Devil got his own place of worship and a massive statue to himself.

The Temple of Zeus housed a huge statue that was made of gold and ivory. It was known as the FOURTH Wonder of the Ancient world. And the world did indeed "wonder after Zeus."

While "Zeusifer" was building kingdoms on earth, God was calling His prophets together and telling them what HIS plans were. Plans that included the arrival of the SON, who would arrive at the end of the 4th day, just like the sun did during the week of Creation. Isn't that amazing?

We know from scripture that as Believers in Yeshua (Jesus Christ), our bodies become the Temple of God. We become a living vessel that God Himself comes and indwells. If this is true, then the Devil will have a counterfeit. Not only will it be a counterfeit, but it will also be something that will be an abomination. God created man as a "fit extension" - a vehicle through which He could bring about a Son - the Messiah who was prophesied to "crush the head of the serpent."

Thus, the Devil was trying to do three things:

1. Corrupt the vessel (seed) of man so that this promised Messiah could not come. And he almost succeeded. Out of the entire population of the earth, only one man could be found genetically pure enough, Noah.
2. Make the "temple" that is our bodies corrupted so that God could not dwell in it.
3. Counterfeit God as a father figure.

When you realize that Zeus was Lucifer himself, you will see the New Testament in a whole new light. You will have a greater understanding about what the First Century Apostles were up against, and most importantly, you will have an even greater appreciation for who Yeshua was and what He (and His Apostles) accomplished too!

To be continued.... in God vs god, Part 6: The Son of God >> (coming soon)

Footnotes:

The information presented in this blog is part of the e-book series: BABYLON RISING And The First Shall Be The Last written by Rob Skiba II Copyright © 2010-2011

This e-book series is designed to explore many of the themes, concepts and ideas that will be in our forthcoming sci-fi series SEED. Thus, you might think of it as the non-fiction behind the fiction. To navagate this series, use the slide-out BLOG MENU to the left. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress. As such, each blog (chapter) is subject to change, modification and in some cases a complete re-write as I receive feedback, criticism and new revelation in my research. When I am fairly satisfied with what I have written, I will record myself reading the blog for your benefit. Whenever audio is available, you can listen as you read by clicking on the embedded audio player below each blog's title or by clicking here to bring up the all in one audio player. If I have not recorded a particular blog in audio format, it probably means I am not finished writing and/or editing it. When I feel it is ready, I will record it on my supplemental radio show, The Revolutionary Radio Project on BlogTalkRadio.com. If you find this information helpful and interesting, please click on the "SHOW SEED" button to the right. That will take you to a page that will enable you to show your support for this effort by filling out a short and simple form that will help us gauge the level of public interest. Doing so will give us a valuable tool as we approach investors to get this project off the ground. It will also put you on our mailing list for future Babylon Rising blog updates. This way you can know when a new blog has been posted (or an old one has been modified). You can also check out our SEED promotional page to have another resource for posting on Facebook and other social networking sites. Your support is greatly appreciated! A note from the author: This work represents some of my research, thoughts and ideas regarding history and the End Times. Do not take anything I write as the "Gospel Truth." I encourage you to be a “good Berean” and study these things out for yourself to come to your own conclusions. DISCLAIMER: While I do believe that the books contained in The Holy Bible were Divinely inspired and written by men, I do not necessarily hold to the idea that only the 66 books we now have in our (Protestant) Bibles are the sole Divinely inspired books of antiquity. For instance, the King James Version (on which I was raised) used to have 80 books in it. Today, we only have 66. Many editions of the Bible throughout the centuries contained or left out different books. God will not contradict Himself. Therefore, the fact that there have been so many different "canons" of Scripture over the centuries proves to me that the acquisition and accumulation of Scripture has not always been Divinely inspired. I also do not believe that any one version of our English Bible is 100% correct and accurate in its TRANSLATION. Granted, some are better than others. But Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic are all very complex languages and it is often hard for English as a language to do the text justice. Thus, I find that comparing different English translations can help show us a variety of ways of looking at what was originally written. I am mentioning this because throughout this series of blogs I will be referencing different versions of English Bibles as well as taking a look at some of the books not currently considered "canon" in our (Protestant) Bibles. Having grown up in a "KJV only" environment, I felt the need to say this up front. I pray that does not hinder you in any way and that this series of blogs is interesting, enlightening and encouraging to you. STATEMENT OF FAITH