When the Devil Was Baptized
Intro We have probably all witnessed a baptism at one time or another, but have you ever realized that history reveals that the devil has been baptized! I’ll be back in a moment with the prophetic perspective on “When the Devil Was Baptized!” Message Hello, this is Cody Francis with Prophetic Perspectives. Baptisms have become common in our Christian cultures of today. Special invitations are given when a friend or relative will be baptized and rightly so for baptism is the most important decision and step that can be made in this life. But have we ever stopped to think that perhaps the devil would present himself as a candidate for baptism? Certainly we would think that he would be the last one to the baptismal font, but if it furthers his deceptive designs, no doubt he would be the first in line. Astonishingly this is exactly what has happened in history, but many are unaware of this mammoth deception. Let us turn to the Bible to discover when and how the devil was baptized. Outline I. Babylon was the center of false worship from antiquity. A. Devil always inspired rebellion 1. Rebellion began in heaven – Rev. 12:9 2. Rebellion continued on the earth – Cain 3. Rebellion so bad, God destroyed – Gen. 6:5 B. Babel was devil’s first organized rebellion 1. Began at Babel – Gen. 11:1-4 2. Spread around world – Gen. 11:7-9 C. Three predominate Babylonian beliefs 1. Salvation in sin – live life & save themselves 2. Immortality of the soul – Ez. 8:14 3. Sun worship – Ez. 8:15, 16 D. Babylonian beliefs became universal 1. Variations, but same deceptions 2. Devil deceived entire world – Rev. 12:9 II. Israel compromised with sun worship A. Moses at Sinai – Ex. 32:8, 9, 18, 19, 26-28 B. Moses at Baal-peor – Num. 25:1-5 (sun) C. Gideon – Judges 6:24-28 (altar) D. Elijah – I Kings 18:19-21, 26, 28, 40 (dancing, etc.) E. Josiah – II Kings 23:4-7 (sun, moon, stars & booths) F. Jeremiah – Jer. 7:18-20 (queen heaven & cakes) G. Ezekiel – Ez. 8:13-16 (Tammuz & sun): worship sun; forgot Sab. – Ez. 22:26 H. Satan deceive – mix paganism with true 1. Leaders took the “best” 2. God hated – bloody purges III. The Devil has successfully attacked modern world. A. Devil attacked Christianity. 1. Rome stronghold of sun worship 2. Leaders compromise w/pagan – converts a. Same Moses, Gideon, Elijah, Jer., Ez. 3. ½ Pagan & ½ Christian – devil was baptized! 4. Strange mix still exists today B. Paganism was adopted. 1. Incense & lamps 2. Peter & Mary 3. Christianity became popular 4. Christianity became baptized paganism! 5. Worship of sun always most abominable. a.Sunday – day all pagans worshipped b.Sunday not from Resurrection; but Paganism! C. God still hates 1. Moses,Gideon,Elijah,Jehu,Jehoida,Jer.,Ez. 2. God wants no part 3. Pres./Past; Sabbath/Sunday 4. Know God’s hatred false religion of enemy. D. God is calling His people out of – Rev. 18:1-4 “In ancient Babylonia the sun was worshipped from immemorial antiquity.” The Worship of Nature, vol. 1, pg. 529, James G. Brazer. “Sunday—so called because this day was anciently dedicated to the sun or to its worship. The first day of the week.” Webster’s Dictionary, 1929, edition. “Christianity had now become popular, and a large proportion, perhaps a large majority, of those who embraced it, only assumed the name, received the rite of baptism, and conformed to some of the external ceremonies of the church, while at heart, and in moral character, they were as much heathens as before. Error and corruption now came in upon the church like a flood.” Sketches of Church History, Reverend James Wharey; chapter 4, “Fourth Century”; section 3, “Julian the Apostate”; pg. 54; Presbyterian Board of Publications: Philadelphia, 1840 “The new Christians were, as far as thinking and habits went, the same old pagans… Their surge into the churches did not wipe out paganism. On the contrary, hordes of baptized pagans, meant that paganism had diluted the moral energies of organized Christianity to the point of impotence.” Twenty Centuries of Christianity: A Concise History, Paul Hutchinson & Winfred Ernest Garrison, page 58, Harcourt, Brace; 1959. “Indeed we shall find, that when Christianity became the established religion of the Roman Empire, and took the place of paganism, it assumed, in a great degree, the forms and rites of paganism, and participated in no small measure of its spirit also. Christianity, as it existed in the dark ages, might be termed, without impropriety of language, baptized paganism.” Sketches of Church History, Reverend James Wharey; chapter 1, “First Century”; section 5, “Errorists in the Primitive Churches”; pg. 23, 24; Presbyterian Board of Publications: Philadelphia, 1840 “Not a few pagan habits and ceremonies, concealed under new names, crept into the church, or were baptized only with water, not with the fire and Spirit of the gospel…. And even in the celebration of Sunday, as it was introduced by Constantine, and still continues on the whole continent of Europe, the cultus of the old sun-god Apollo mingles, with the remembrance of the resurrection of Christ; and the widespread profanation of the Lord’s Day, especially on the continent of Europe, demonstrates the great influence which heathenism still exerts upon Roman and Greek Catholic, and even upon Protestant, Christendom.” History of the Christian Church, Phillip Schaff, volume 3, chapter VII, section 74, “The Revolution of Cultus”, pg. 376-378 “The Church took the pagan philosophy and made it the buckler of faith against the heathen…. She took the pagan Sunday and made into the Christian Sunday. There is, in truth, something royal, kingly about the sun, making it a fit emblem of Jesus, the Sun of Justice. Hence the Church in these countries, would seem to have said, ‘Keep that old pagan name. It shall remain consecrated, sanctified.’ And thus the pagan Sunday, dedicated to Balder, became the Christian Sunday, sacred to Jesus.” Catholic World, March 1894, p. 809.
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