Valentine’s
Day – Innocent Fun or Pagan Deception?
Where does Valentine’s Day come
from? Is its origin
Christian? Or pagan?
Who was the original “Valentine”
a Christian “saint” or the
originator of the “Babylonian
Mysteries”? Who was Cupid, the little guy with the bow
and arrow? And what difference does it make?
According to the Worldbook Encyclopedia,
“Valentine, Saint, is the name associated with two martyrs of the early
Christian Church. Little is known about
them. The Roman history of martyrs lists
two Saint Valentines as having been martyred on February 14 by being
beheaded. One supposedly died in
“The
Saint Valentine who died in
The Worldbook continues, “The custom of exchanging valentines on February 14 can be traced to the English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer. He mentioned that birds began to pair off on that day.”
Today, Valentine’s Day is a special day when people send greeting cards to their sweethearts, friends, and members of their family. Most Valentine’s cards have romantic connotations, verses, and often feature “Cupid” and his arrows aimed at the heart, with the message, “Be My Valentine.”
Stores sell valentines and valentine decorations weeks in advance of the day. School classrooms are often decorated with paper, hearts and lace. Many people give gifts, candy, flowers and other gifts to the friends, especially boyfriends, girlfriends, or husband and wives. Most candy-boxes come heart-shaped and are tied with red ribbon.
Today, Valentine’s Day has become big business, and a commercial money-making opportunity. It has caught the popular fancy because of its romantic connotations and emphasis, appealing to most all young men and women especially.
Where did this one day festival originate? Under “Valentine’s Day,” the Worldbook points out, “Different authorities believe Valentine’s Day began in various ways.. Some trace it to an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia. Other experts connect the event with one or more saints of the early Christian church. Still others link it with an old English belief that birds choose their mates on February 14. Valentine’s Day probably came from a combination of all three of those sources – plus the belief that spring is a time for lovers” (p.204-205).
The
Roman connection is interesting. “The
ancient Romans held the festival of Lupercalia on February 15 to ensure
protection from wolves. During this
celebration, young men struck people with strips of animal hide. Women took the blows because they thought
that the whipping made them more fertile.
After the Romans conquered
In
ancient
The central figure of Valentine’s Day is Cupid, the Roman god of love. He is called Eros in Greek mythology. Myths describe Cupid as a handsome lad who united lovers whenever he could. Early images show him as an athletic young man, but by the mid-300’s B.C. he had evolved to a chubby naked infant with wings, holding a bow and arrows. If one was shot by one of his arrows, he or she supposedly fell in love.
The origin of Cupid and his prominence in pagan religion is discussed in Hislop’s Two Babylons. He mentions that the ancient poet Aristophanes declared “we are informed that he from whom both ‘mighty ones’ and gods derived their origin, was none other than the winged boy Cupid.” In a footnote Hislop declares, “Aristophanes says that Eros or Cupid produced the ‘birds’ and ‘gods’ by ‘mingling all things.’ This evidently points to the meaning of the name Bel, which signifies at once ‘the mingler’ and ‘the confounder. This name properly belonged to the father of Nimrod, but, as the son is represented as identified with the father, we have evidence that the name descended to the son and others by inheritance” (page 40).
Cupid
occupied the very same position as Ninus the “son” did to Rhea, the mother of
the gods. Nimrod was the first of the
“mighty ones” after the Flood, as we read in Genesis, “
Thus Cupid, the
god of love, was none other than the infant NIMROD, the one who taught
rebellion against the LORD, Yahveh, after the Flood – the one who led the
revolt against God’s laws, and who attempted to build the
The Latin for word “Valentine” alludes to this major trait of Nimrod, the mighty hunter. The Latin word for “Valentine” is “Valentinus,” a proper name derived from the word valens which means “to be strong. It literally means, “strong, powerful, mighty.” Nimrod was, remember, the “MIGHTY hunter against the Lord.” He was renown in the ancient world for his muscular strength skillful hunting and bowmanship, and war-waging prowess.
The Moffatt
Translation says, “
Nimrod was not only physically powerful, and skillful at hunting game, including voracious leopards and lions, but he was also a “hunter” of the souls of men, who strove to lead mankind into idolatry, and worship of pagan gods, of whom he was considered the chief – a man who declared himself to be “God” in the flesh.
Aristophanes says that the boy Cupid, a “winged one,” produced all the birds, “winged ones,” occupying the very position of Ninus, the “son,” thus identifying him with Nimrod. “Ninus is Nimrod,” said the ancient historian Appolodorus (Hislip. Page 40).
One of the major symbols of Valentine’s Day is the heart. The use of the “heart” also has a pagan origin.
Among the pagans, “The ‘Heart’ was one of the sacred symbols of Osiris when he was born again, and appeared as Harpocrates, or the infant divinity, borne in the arms of his mother Isis” (ibid., p.188). The fruit of the Egyptian Persea was sacred to him as it resembled the human heart in shape. He was frequently represented with a heart, or the heart-shaped fruit of the Persea, much as Cupid is often represented with a “heart.”
John
Bell in
Says Hislop, “Thus the boy-god came to be regarded as the ‘god of the heart,’ in other words, as Cupid, or the god of love. To identify this infant divinity, with his father ‘the mighty hunter,’ he was equipped with ‘bow and arrows.’ In the hands of the poets, this sportive boy-god was “celebrated as taking aim with his gold-tipped shafts at the hearts of mankind. His real character, however, as the above statement shows . . . was far higher and of a very different kind. He was the woman’s seed. Venus and her son Cupid, then, were none other than the Madonna and the child” (ibid.).
Notice how this whole pagan panoply of gods and traditions were a satanic COUNTERFEIT of the coming of the TRUE CHRIST, Yeshua the Messiah, who came and died for our sins on the stake in 30 A.D. Christ was the true “woman’s seed” who would one day defeat Satan the devil (Gen.3:15).
“The
heart,” in Chaldee, is “Bel.” The
worship of the “sacred Heart” is the worship of the “Sacred Bel,” the mighty
one out of
Rhea, the mother of Ninus [Nimrod], was Semiramis, “the mother of the gods.” Semiramis also become Nimrod’s wife. Says Alexander Hislop, “The Chaldean Mysteries can be traced up to the days of Semiramis, who lived only a few centuries after the flood, and who is known to have impressed upon them the image of her own depraved and polluted mind. That beautiful but abandoned queen of Babylon was not only herself a paragon of unbridled lust and licentiousness, but in the Mysteries which she had a chief hand in forming, she was worshiped as Rhea, the great ‘MOTHER’ of the gods, with such atrocious rites as identified her with Venus, the MOTHER of all impurity, and raised the very city where she had reigned to a bad eminence among the nations, as the grand seat at once of idolatry and consecrated prostitution” (Two Babylons, p.5).
Cupid’s mother, Venus, is also called “Nemesis” by the ancients. Nemesis was the “goddess of revenge.” Pausanius comments on the stature of Nemesis, saying, “Among the Smyrneans, however, who possess the most holy images of Nemesis, I perceived afterwards that these statues had wings. For, as this goddess principally pertains to lovers, on this account they may be supposed to have given wings to Nemesis, as well as to love,” – that is, Cupid (Hislop, “Appendix,” page 291).
This implies that she was the counterpart of Cupid, i.e. Venus, the goddess of love. Photius speaks of the statue of the Rhamnusian Nemesis, “She was at first erected in the form of Venus.”
Hislop asserts, “Though a goddess of love and a goddess of revenge might seem very remote in their characters from one another, yet it is not difficult to see how this might have come about. The goddess who was revealed to the initiated in the Mysteries, in the most alluring manner, was also known to be most unmerciful and unrelenting in taking vengeance upon those who revealed these Mysteries; for every such one who was discovered was unsparingly put to death” (p.291).
Says Hislop, “Thus, then, the cup-bearing goddess was at once Venus, the goddess of licentiousness, and Nemesis, the stern and unmerciful one to all who rebelled against her authority. How remarkable a type of the woman, whom John saw, described in one aspect as the ‘Mother of harlots,’ and in another as ‘Drunken with the blood of the saints’” (ibid.; compare Rev.17:5-6).
The
whole pagan religious system is utterly CORRUPT in God’s eyes! God says of this religious “
Therefore we see that the Mother of the gods, Venus-Nemesis-Rhea-Semiramis, was also the mother of Nimrod-Ninus-Cupid. This “mother-and-child” worship was a pagan perversion of the true Messiah, Yeshua or Jesus, the son of Mary. Mary was not a god or goddess, but a chosen vehicle to bear the Christ-child, and therefore highly favored and blessed among mankind. But she was not divine, nor was her conception “immaculate.” She was merely a human being, blessed of God to be the physical parent of Christ, when He came into human flesh (Matt.1:18-21; Luke 1:28-35).
But
the arrogance and conceit of Nimrod and Semiramis knew no boundaries. Says Hislop, “The Babylonians, in their
popular religion, supremely worshiped a goddess Mother and a Son, who was
represented in pictures and in images as an infant or child in his mother’s
arms. From
Semiramis was worshiped by the Babyonians and other eastern nations as Rhea, the great Goddess “Mother.” However, she derived her own glory from her son, as well as her claims to deification and divinity. Her son, Nimrod, or Cupid, was a person of great stature and immense powers, as well as personality and charisma – great personal magnetism. He was widely admired, and worshipped, and among the pagans was also known as Tammuz, and Bacchus, that is to say, “The Lamented One.” Thus Ninus-Nimrod-Cupid, the son of Semiramis, was a counterfeit “Son of God.” Women adored him. In the book of Daniel we read of an end-time world ruler who “shall pay no respect to the gods of his ancestors, or to the one beloved by women” (dan.11:37, NRSV) – or “the desire of women” (NKJV) – that is, Nimrod! He provoked many women to jealousy, so much so that one idolatrous image of him was called “this image of jealousy.” This image stood in the gateway entrance north of the Temple of God, right in God’s face, as it were. God brought Ezekiel to this north gateway, “to the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy,” “this image of jealousy,” where the people behaved by doing “great abominations” (Ezekiel 8:3, 5).
Some scholars think it was the image of Baal, others believe it was an image of Mars, and others Adonis or Tammuz. In reality, they were all at times representations of Nimrod! The image name agrees perfectly, however, with Adonis-Tammuz, or Cupid, represented as a beautiful youth, beloved by Venus (his mother and later wife!). In one myth, Mars, the paramour of Venus, was so jealous of Adonis that he sent a wild boar to attack him, which killed him with his two tusks. Hence it was the image of him who fell a victim to jealousy.
Ezekiel 8:14 speaks of women “weeping for Tammuz,” the idol-god who had been slain. All scholars agree that Tammuz signifies Adonis. Says Adam Clarke, it is Adonis who is likely the one called “The dead” (Lev.19:27;28; Deut.14:9), because he is worshiped as one dead. The women represented as worshiping him were probably adulteresses, and had suffered the jealousies of their husbands. And the outrageous image of this sexual apostate and seducer provoked God Himself to jealousy over His people who were straying from the right path.
The question is, then, should a true Christian – a true worshiper of the God of heaven, God the Father, and Jesus Christ, His firstborn Son – celebrate a holiday like Valentine’s Day, which is so ripe and replete with pagan symbolism and imagery?
The name “Valentine,” itself, is significant. As I mentioned, it comes from the Latin valentinus, which means “strong,” “powerful,” “mighty.” It is a throwback to the original “strong man,” “mighty hunter,” “hero” of the pagan world who emancipated them from the rule and government of heaven, their own “valiant man” whom they loved and adored. It is a hidden, “mystery” reference to NIMROD, HIMSELF!
Women adored Nimrod. Even as women seem to adore certain charismatic men, or politicians, today, no matter what their track record or history of adultery, immorality, and promiscuity. When a woman send a Valentine’s card, saying, “Be my Valentine,” it is a carry-over from those ancient days when women sought a romantic relationship with the god “Baal,” “Nimrod,” “Bel,” or the blessings of “Cupid”!
Ninus or Nimrod was also the king of the ancient Assyrians. As such, says Trogus Pompeius, he “first of all changed the contented moderation of the ancient manners, incited by a new passion, the desire of conquest. He was the first who carried on war against his neighbors, and he conquered all nations from Assyria to Lybia, as they were yet unacquainted with the arts of war” (Hislop, page 23).
Diodorus Siculus wrote of him: “Ninus, the most ancient of the Assyrian kings mentioned in history, performed great actions. Being naturally of a warlike disposition, and ambitious of glory that results from valor, he armed a considerable number of young men that were brave and vigorous like himself, trained them up a long time in laborious exercises and hardships, and by that means accustomed them to bear the fatigues of war, and to face dangers with intrepidity” (ibid.).
Nimrod built the tower of Babel to consolidate and unify his kingdom. Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century tells us: “Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah – a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe it was their own courage which produced that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into a tyranny, -- seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence upon his power” (Josephus, Antiquities, I, iv, 2).
Josephus adds, “He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach. . . . Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determinations of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God . . . and they built a tower.”
We read a similar account in the book of Jasher: “And king Nimrod reigned securely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union. And all the princes of Nimrod and his great men took counsel together . . . and they said to each other, Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching heaven, and we will make ourselves famed, so that we may reign upon the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth on account of their wars” (Jasher 9:20-21).
God Almighty intervened to destroy their magnificent tower. He confused their languages and scattered them. They could not communicate with each other, so stopped the building program and dispersed throughout the earth. “And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven” (Jasher 9:25).
God smote them, according to their works and designs. “And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Babel, for there the Lord confounded the language of the whole earth; behold it was at the east of the land of Shinar.” What happened to the tower? Jasher relates, “And as to the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part thereof, and a fire also descended from heaven and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was aloft, and it’s circumference is three day’s walk” (Jasher 9:37-38).
The tower of Babel was built sometime between the years 2046 and 2006 B.C., during the time of Peleg. Peleg died in the year 2008 B.C., and the division of the peoples and land occurred before he died, fulfilling the prophecy of his name, “Division,” which was given to him at his birth in 2247 B.C.
The Great
Rebellion against God, after the Flood, then, occurred during the life-san
of Peleg! It was led by Nimrod – the
“original Valentine”!
Not only were the sons of men divided and scattered at that time, but also the earth itself underwent massive tectonic orogenies, earthquakes, and massive continental shifts, which caused the collapse of the gigantic tower of Babel. Very likely the continents themselves separated and were “divided” at that time, and moved into their present locations, creating the Atlantic Ocean, causing the uplift to the Andes along the western rim of South America, the North American Rockies, the Alps, and the Himalayas. See Immanuel Velikovsky’s Earth in Upheaval for a fascinating validation of this scientific reality in the time of man.
Elijah’s
Prophecy
In tractate 92a of the Talmud, a prophecy is attributed to Elijah the prophet. We read: “Elijah told Judah, the brother of Sala Hasida, ‘The world will endure not less than 85 Jubilees, and on the last Jubilee the Son of David will come’” (Talmud, Sanh.97b). What does this cryptic prophecy mean? What is 85 Jubilees? From what point do we count?
Notice this passage states quite clearly that the Messiah the Son of David will come ON THE LAST JUBILEE! A Jubilee year in ancient Israel occurred every 50 years (49 x 7 years plus 1 – see Leviticus 25:8-11). Therefore 85 Jubilees would be 85 x 50 or 4250 years.
The “world” Elijah was speaking of was most likely “this present evil world.” The Bible speaks of the “world that then was,” the pre-Flood world, and “the world that now is,” this present world – the post-Flood world. The post-Flood world began in the year 2348, according to Ussher’s chronology. Therefore, we could subtract the dates, to arrive at the “beginning” of the END time prophesied by Elijah. We find: 4250 – 2348 = 1902. Since there was no year zero, we must add one year, bring us to 1903 – the beginning of the twentieth century. This means that the “time of the end” could have begun at that time, as the world was prophesied not to endure less than that period of time.
However, the Great Rebellion did not commence until the days of Peleg, who was born in 2247 B.C. King Nimrod himself was 215 years of age when he was killed by Esau, in 1878 B.C., so his birth was in 2093 B.C., 154 years after Peleg’s birth. He began reigning at age 30, or 2063 B.C. During the time Abraham was in the school of Noah and Shem, from 2046 to 1998 B.C., Nimrod facilitated the building of the tower of Babel itself. Peleg’s name meant “Division,” and portended a great catastrophe.
If we count the first year of Peleg, “division,” as the beginning of the rebellion, and the beginning of the prophecy of “division,” then we would calculate 4250 years beginning in 2247 B.C.
4250 years in 85 Jubilee cycles
-2247 B.C.
2003 A.D.
+1
2004 A.D.
The prophecy of the tower of Babel rebellion was one hundred and one years after the Deluge. If we calculate from that date, 2247 B.C., the year Peleg was born and the earth was “divided,” we come to the recent year of 2004 A.D.!!!
Does that mean the world is once again on the brink of cataclysm? Does that portend a calamitous catastrophe in the next few years ahead of us?
Does this portend that once again, Almighty God will soon intervene to stop mankind’s hellish madness to unify themselves in a New World Order which attempt will lead to World War III and the greatest time of trouble the world has ever seen?
Will a ‘new Nimrod’ soon appear on the world scene, attempting to recreate “One World” through the United Nations and the Western powers, to unify the world in rebellion against the laws of the God of heaven? Will an end-time “VALENTINE” come on the world scene in the next few years -- a rebel against God who is beloved and admired and adored by the multitudes of people around the world?
Will he institute an END OF DAYS WORLD-WIDE APOSTASY AWAY FROM THE TRUTH OF GOD, AND THE LAWS OF GOD?
We are now living in the very year ending 4250 years or 85 Jubilee periods since the birth of “Peleg,” whose name meant he was a prophecy of “Division.” The world seeks to unify once again, and once again their vain attempts will end in tragedy, disharmony, dis-equilibrium, world war, division, and catastrophe!
Truly, we are living in the “End of Days.” Let us pray earnestly that we may be accounted worthy to escape all those things about to transpire on the earth, to be protected under the wings of Providence, sheltered under His divine care, and to stand tall before the Son of Man when He returns to claim His Kingdom (Luke 21:36).
God’s wrath is soon to be unleashed upon this apostate world – generation “Z” – the end-time generation. It is time to repent of our sins, and pagan ways, and to return to the true worship of God in all ways. As Jesus Christ, Yeshua declared, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and TRUTH” (John 4:23-24).
Should Christians today celebrate
this anciently, pagan-derived observance?
Many today may think it is all right, but the opinions of men are not
our standard or authority.
What does the Word of God itself say
about this matter? It is a very serious
question. Is it all right in the sight
of God for men to take pagan customs and traditions, and to observe them,
calling them "Christian"? Is
it all right to merge and combine PAGAN
practices with the truth of God?
According to the prophet Malachi,
God does not change (Mal.3:6). His laws
and commandments are eternal (Psa.111:7-8).
Does God say it is all right to observe the traditions and customs of
the pagans?
God commanded ancient Israel, “I am
the Lord your God. You must NOT DO AS THEY DO IN EGYPT, where you used to
live, and you must NOT DO AS THEY
DO IN THE LAND OF CANAAN, where I am bringing you. DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR PRACTICES. You must obey my laws, and be careful to
follow my decrees” (Lev.18:2-4).
God hates idolatry! He detests it with vehement passion. He tells us, “. . . Be careful not to be
ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve
their gods? We will do the same.’ YOU must NOT WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD IN THEIR
WAY, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of DETESTABLE
THINGS the LORD HATES” (Deut.12:29-31).
Because of pagan idolatrous
practices, God cast the Canaanites out of the Promised Land. They were worshippers of Baal, or Nimrod,
Tammuz, the sun god, the pagan Messiah, the god of wine and revelry. Their whole religious system stemmed from
ancient Babylon, the fount of all heresy and apostasy.
Truly, the whole world has been
deceived by Satan the devil and his clever masquerades and machinations
(Rev.12:9). God Almighty thunders: “Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus
saith the Lord GOD; Are ye POLLUTED after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye WHOREDOM after the manner of
THEIR ABOMINATIONS? . . . ye POLLUTE
yourselves with all your IDOLS, even unto this day . . . . But as for you, O
house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD:
Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not
hearken unto me: but POLLUTE YE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE with
your gifts, and with your idols” (Ezek.20:30-39).
Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “If you hold to my
teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will KNOW THE TRUTH, and the truth will set you FREE” –
free from the shackles of error, superstition, mythology, and pagan
deception! (John 8:32, NIV).
Valentine’s Day may seem so innocent
and romantic, on the surface. What could
be wrong in sending valentines and gifts of candy, chocolates, or other things
on this day?
The answer – the whole affair is
derives from the worship of ancient NIMROD, the pagan king of the gods! Its pagan origin is stamped in its
relationship with Lupercus, the hunter of wolves, and Cupid, the “god of
love.”
There can be no doubt about it. The
question is: What are you going to do
about it? God says to His people, ‘Learn
NOT the way of the heathen” (Jeremiah 10:1).
He says to His people today, “What fellowship has righteousness with
lawlessness? And what communion has
light with darkness? And what accord has
Christ with Belial [Baal, Nimrod, Bel, or Satan]? Or what part has a believer with an
unbeliever? And what agreement has the
Temple of God with IDOLS? For you are
the temple of the living God. As God has
said: ‘I will dwell in them, and walk
among them. I will be their God, and
they will be My people.’
“COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM AND BE
SEPARATE, says the LORD. DO NOT TOUCH
WHAT IS UNCLEAN, and I will receive you.’
I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty” (II Cor.6:14-18, NKVJ).
May God help you to make the right
decision, so you can inherit eternal life, and reign with the saints forever
(Rev.2:26-27; 5:10; 20:4).