Hello and Welcome to the Women’s Weekly Bible Challenge! I’m Lisa Ann Spencer.
Today, which should be Part 8 of our study, When
the Holy Spirit Speaks to Women, we are going to deviate from the plan. Since
we are in the book of Acts, chapter 19, and the next woman we encounter is the false goddess, Diana, I thought I
would take one lesson to discuss evil spirits, goddesses and devils. In today’s lesson we will cross-reference to
discover all that we can about this supposed goddess from Jupiter.
We begin our account with the Apostle Paul in the
city of Ephesus.
CLICK HERE TO READ ACTS 19:8-10
Paul taught in the synagogue for three months, until
many of them were hardened, would not believe his message and spoke evil of it. So he moved to a school and continued to
teach for 2 years, so that “ALL THEY WHICH DWELT IN ASIA” heard the word of the
Lord Jesus.
📔 Note: Asia in the Bible is Asia Minor, which is
modern day Turkey.
Read Acts
19:11-20, to see how Paul worked miracles, so that diseases and evil spirits departed out of the
people. Evil spirits are mentioned 4 times in this passage, in verses
12,13,15 and 16. We are also told that the Ephesians used curious arts, which
we assume has something to do with the presence of evil spirit in Ephesus.
Acts
19:18 And many that
believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.19 Many of them also which used
curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price
of them, and found it fifty
thousand pieces of
silver.
We can read about the condition of the Ephesians
before they were saved in the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to them.
Ephesians
2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in
trespasses and sins; 2 wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience:
It is
Satan who is the god of this world, and he influences men with his evil
spirits.
Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify
in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 having
the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because
of the blindness of their heart:
The
Ephesians, before they heard Paul’s gospel and were saved, were walking
according to Satan’s course, which blinded their
minds and darkened their understanding due to the ignorance in them, no doubt
caused by this pagan idolatry. Satan’s course is to keep people in ignorance of
the One True God for as long as he can.
“GREAT IS DIANA OF EPHESUS”
In Acts 19:23 we are introduced to the female
goddess, Diana. We learn that the city of Ephesus is the center for worshipping
her. It is no coincidence that evil spirits are mentioned more times
in regards to the city of Ephesus than anywhere else in the New Testament.
In our last lesson I mentioned that (1) spirits are linked to devils, and (2) that spirits are linked to words. Here are the references to confirm this truth:
John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Matthew
8:16 When the even was come, they
brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that
were sick:
Luke 8:2 and certain women, which had been healed
of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven
devils,
In Ephesus, this
prevailing teaching, or doctrine, centers
on the worship of a false goddess. Such
teaching, the words being spoken and believed by the Ephesians, is what led to
the presence of so many evil spirits.
We read about a riot that
broke out in Ephesus as a result of Paul’s preaching. See Acts 19:21-41.
Because so many people
believed Paul’s gospel, they forsook Diana worship and stopped buying the
images, the silver shrines or idols, of Diana.
The businessmen stirred up the people against Paul, and for two hours
straight, the rioters yelled, “Great is
Diana of Ephesus”.
Acts 19:35 And when the townclerk had appeased
the people, he said, Ye men
of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the
Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess
Diana, and of the image which
fell down from Jupiter?
This verse gives us more information to
cross-reference with other Scriptures.
“Goddess”
is only mentioned 5 times in the KJB, and 3 of those are in this account. The
other 2 times that goddess is used are
found in the book of Kings. It concerns
King Solomon building places to worship false gods, including one for the goddess Ashtoreth.
1
Kings 11:15 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of
the Zidonians, …
1 Kings 11:33 because that they [Israel] have
forsaken me [God], and have worshipped Ashtoreth
the goddess of the Zidonians,…
In the Law of Moses, God had forbidden Israel to make images
for worship, but in Judges and 2nd Kings we can read about Israel
breaking the Law of God.
Exodus
20:4 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:
Judges 2:13 And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
2
Kings 17:16 And they left all the
commandments of the Lord their
God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served
Baal.
HOST OF HEAVEN
We read that the image Diana fell down from JUPITER.
Paul had already encountered pagan idol worshippers in Acts 14 when he healed a
man in Lystra. They tried to offer
sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas, calling them Mercurius and Jupiter.
These are the names of some of the hosts of heaven. Notice how the men of
Lystra refer to them.
Acts
14:11 And when the people saw what
Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the
likeness of men.
QUEEN OF HEAVEN
The worship of the goddesses, Ashtaroth in the Old
Testament and Diana in the New Testament, is nothing new.
It is as old as the Devil himself.
In the book of Jeremiah, the Jews worshipped “the queen of heaven”,
which is found only in the book of Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 7:18 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.
44:17 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?
44:25 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.
WHO FELL FROM HEAVEN?
A quick word search
lets us know that it is evil spirits, devils and goddesses that are spoken of
as fallen from heaven.
📔 NOTE: In scripture, stars are often angels.
Isaiah 14:12 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!
Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, …
Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan
as lightning fall from heaven.
Revelation 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I
saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit.
Acts 19:35 And when the townclerk had appeased
the people, he said, Ye men
of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the
Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess
Diana, and of the image which
fell down from Jupiter?
Acts 14:11 And when the people saw what Paul had
done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the
likeness of men.
PLANETS AND THE HOSTS
OF HEAVEN
The mention of Jupiter and
Mercurius as gods come down from heaven, which to us are familiar planetary
names, helps us understand what Job says about the heavens being unclean in His
sight.
Job 15:15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his
saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
Job 25:5 Behold even to the moon, and it shineth
not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
The word planet is only
found one time and it is associated with idolatry.
2 Kings 23:5 And he put down the idolatrous
priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high
places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them
also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
IDOLATRY
The Bible speaks in 4
places about sacrificing to devils, which was part of pagan idolatrous rituals and worship of false gods.
Leviticus 17:7 And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations.
Deuteronomy 32:17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they
knew not, to new gods that came
newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
Psalm 106:37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice,
they sacrifice to devils, and not to
God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
NO GODS?
Galatians 4:8 Howbeit
then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
By comparing
Deuteronomy 32:17 and Galatians 4:8, we can understand that Paul is not saying
there is no such thing as gods, but that unto us who are saved, there is only
One True God.
1 Corinthians 8:4 As concerning therefore the
eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
In the beginning,
Lucifer tempted Adam and Eve to obey him instead of God, so they could be like gods. These gods are the fallen angels, led
by the fallen Cherubim Lucifer, who are called sons of God (Job 1:6; 2:1).
Genesis 3:5 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.
WORSHIPING THE CREATURE
The Gentiles were given
over by God after the Tower of Babel, a tower that was built to reach unto
heaven (Genesis 11:4). These towers, or high places and housetops, were built
to worship the hosts of heaven.
2 Kings 21:3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had
destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king
of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
Zephaniah 1:5 and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham;
Romans 1:22 Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of
the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds,
and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Romans 1:25 who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for
ever. Amen.
The spread of Christianity, beginning with the
Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 13, whose gospel of grace went to every creature
(Colossians 1:23), brought pagan idol worship to an end. Now that the world is becoming more
biblically illiterate and forsaking the gospel of grace, men are falling back
into the snare of devil worship.
1
Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh
expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines
of devils;
We should not let this discourage
us from God’s business. He desires all
men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. In fact, understanding this should motivate
us to hold forth the word of truth in an attempt to save those who are
perishing.
In our next lesson we
will return to our study through the book of Acts, When the Holy Spirit
Speaks to Women, Part 9. I hope you’ll join
me.
The material found in the blog is covered in this YouTube video:
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