Wed.’s Devo - To the Church in Sardis

Read: Rev. 3:1 Sardis was at that time the capital of ancient Lydia. It was usurped by the Persians and then Alexander the Great. Antiochus the Great leveled it, then it went to the kings of Pergamos until the Romans took over. It was further destroyed by earthquakes and plagues. Today it is a heap of ruins. At one time the city was a commercial success. The art of dying wool was said to have been invented here, and gold coins minted here for the first time. They worshiped the goddess Cybele. She had a son who was the sun god; and she was the moon god. He, Deoius, was the lord of heaven and she was the queen of heaven. They were equal in power. When he was killed, raised and ascended into heaven; he carried her with him. He was referred to as the son of God and she the mother of God. Sound familiar? The worship of the son began to fade to the worship of the mother. She wore a key like Janus which gave her the same authority as him. He was the father. This key was the key to heaven and earth and the mysteries. The worshippers would whip themselves until blood spurted from their bodies, which is a custom done still to this day. During this age the Protestants broke with Rome as Luther received his revelation of justification by faith rather than what the Roman Catholic Church was teaching which was justification by works, penance, prayer, and other means. As the Protestants worshipped Jesus, the Catholic Church increased their worship of Mary. Jezebel worshipped Astarte, which resurrected in this age as Cybele and has resurrected again as Mary. They are all the same. I do not want to dishonor Mary, the mother of Jesus, who God chose to carry Jesus into this world. What a privilege and an honor. What they have done to her is dishonoring and sacrilegious. People have worshipped the creature instead of the creator. Lord, as we study history, help us to do it without having malice in our hearts.