TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL...TRUTH...OR A SUN-MYTH RETOLD?
Matt 4:1-2 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that many savior gods, including Buddha, Horus, Manu, Quetzalcoatl and Zoroaster, were tempted in the wilderness as a standard part of the mythos surrounding their lives just as was Jesus in the "Jesus Story" as depicted in our New Testaments?
Answer for yourself: Modern scholarship today draws the unique comparison between the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the New Testament with tale about the Egyptian "twins" Horus-Set and their "battle". In so doing they teach us that this temptation myth between Satan and Jesus represents the personification of the Ancient struggle between light and dark, day and night, and winter and summer. Could this be possibly true?
Answer for yourself: Is there any truth to what modern scholars tell us today; namely that the cyclical alignment of the Sun with the constellations provides the basis for understanding the allegorical significance of Jesus’ existence? Did Jesus Christ exist as an historical person or is his depiction in the New Testament little more than an allegorical representation of the Sun written into a Jewish plot line during the First Century? Is Satan, like Jesus, only an allegory that represents the Sun during the fall and winter months as it crosses the Summer solstice and falls in the sky bringing with it increasing darkness and fear to early mankind? Is Satan, as personified darkness which the Ancients feared, the root for our association of darkness with evil (darkness=evil; dark=evil; d=evil; devil)?
Our focus in this article is the temptation of Jesus by Satin as recorded in the New Testament. We are all familiar with the story since childhood growing up in the Christian church. It goes something like this:
- The spirit of God led Jesus up into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
- Satan, the Devil, first of all asked Jesus to prove he was the son of God by turning stones into bread.
- Second, the Devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city and asked him to prove his divinity by leaping off.
- Third, he took Jesus to the top of the highest mountain and offered him all the kingdoms of the world, if he would worship him, the devil. Jesus refused all three of the devil’s tempting offers.
This event occurs early in the life and ministry of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels. We have seen from a previous article that the life of Jesus starts in the constellation of Carpricon as the Sun enters this constellation with the birth of Jesus. We saw that this time span was from December 22 through January 19 and contains the Winter solstice. We moved next to find Jesus beginning his young life and ministry at the age of 30 Jesus. We find the account of Jesus now moves from January to early February. According we find the personified Sun as Jesus is in the house of Aquarius the water bearer as represented by John the Baptist. In Aquarius, he was just baptized by John. At this time of the sun’s cycle and time of the year the reader should note that the nights are longer than days as the Sun is gaining in strength having been born anew only two months ago at the Winter solstice. Allegorically, the Sun is too weak to overpower the great darkness of Satan, the Devil (dark=evil). The Sun has yet to gather its greatest strength at the Summer solstice and yet to decline again in the sky as its strength wains once again as its falls in the sky into the wintery months of increasing darkness.
Matt 4:1 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (KJV)
Astronomically and allegorically speaking we are at the time when the Sun crosses the constellation of Aquarius from which the Sun is "led UP into the wilderness" to be tempted by the devil (darkness). This only means that the Sun moves up in the sky (February) to meet the devil (personified darkness where presently the days contain greater lengths of darkness than light each day) where this cosmic battle goes on between light and darkness.
Answer for yourself: How was Jesus "led up"? Jesus was led "up" by a "wind".
Answer for yourself: Matt. 4:1 states that Jesus was led up "of the Spirit". What is the meaning of the word "spirit"?
Strong's Concordance:
4151 pneuma (pnyoo'-mah); from 4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit: KJV-- ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare 5590.
Answer for yourself: Allegorically speaking then we Jesus was led "up" by a "wind". Are you aware that the Ancients believed that heavenly bodies were either gods or were moved by the gods and if moved by the gods they moved by the "breath of the gods" or by the "wind of the gods' mouth" as they blew them about the sky?
Mark 1:13 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Are you aware that only one Gospel writer, Mark, mentions that in this wilderness that Jesus (as the personified Sun) encounters "wild beasts"? Could this possibly be an illusion to the constellations of the Zodiac since so many of these 12 houses are symbolized by animals (bull, lion, ram, etc.)?
Answer for yourself: Are you also aware that references to "angels" were often references to stars in early Christian writings? In Christian writings, stars are personified and identified with the angels (Rev 12:4). In the Book of Revelation, the seven stars in Jesus's right hand are the "angels of the seven churches" (Rev 1:20; 1:16; 2:1; 3:1).
Rev 1:16 16 And he (Jesus) had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. (KJV)
Rev 1:20 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. (KJV)
Rev 2:1 1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; (KJV)
Rev 3:1 1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. (KJV)
These above passage should convince anyone that the writers of this New Testament were not writing a "literal" story about this Jesus but rather an allegorical story at best. Take time to notice that Jesus' countenance is likened to the Sun and the reference to the Sun's strength which alludes to the Sun's growth at this time of year as it is ascending in the sky as it does battle with the darkness which is being defeated daily as the Sun moves "up" in the sky daily it is path to the Summer solstice and its zenith of power. Also it needs to be stated that in other areas of the world, stars are thought to be the eyes or windows of heavenly beings.
Matt 4:2-3 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (KJV)
Matt 4:3 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Why the reference to "hunger" and "forty"?
The
Bible is known for its numerology and the importance places upon certain
numbers. It appears that “Four” is one of these "key"
numbers in the Bible. For our purposes the number "4" refers to
the four cardinal points of the Zodiac. Therefore, any complete journey of
the Sun, or our Jesus in the New Testament, must pass through these four
points of the Zodiac and as I will show the "Jesus Story" does
this exactly. This truly is amazing when you see it all and then step back
and let it dawn upon you what you have just witnessed from beginning to
end. Let us not forget our time period for it is at this time, February,
we are yet in the late winter months here due to the ravages of darkness
of winter where days have longer periods of darkness than light and much
colder than warmer that mankind's food supplies are scarce.
Answer for yourself: Are there other "hunger motifs" connected with the "Jesus Story"? Yes there is.
Luke 24:41 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? (KJV)
Associated with the Winter solstice and the birth of the Sun from the dead (for 3 days the Sun remained motionless in relation to the horizon as it set and rose and in so doing the Ancients believed the Sun had died) as association with hunger since in the dead of winter foods were in scare supply. We likewise should expect and do find the same reference to hunger and food in the account of Jesus, as the personified Sun, where Jesus, following his resurrection from the dead, is being asked if he was hungry!
Answer for yourself: Is this just a coincidence or is this again more proof that the "Jesus Story" is the personification of the Sun in its path through the Zodiac?
Matt 4:5 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, (KJV)
As the Sun continues to climb in the sky in its battle with darkness it marches onward to its ultimate victory and power over darkness at the Summer solstice when the Sun is at its highest point on the horizon, when it shines directly overhead.
Answer for yourself: Where is this holy city? Jerusalem?
Rev 21:2 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven (the sky), prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Where is heaven?
Having seen that the Biblical Heaven is nothing more than our blue sky and the visible universe which we can see then let us move on.
Matt 4:5-6 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Of course in our story Jesus does not "jump down" from this pinnacle. Why not?
If you have been following closely then you now are beginning to see that Jesus, as the personified Sun, cannot descend because he, the Sun, has not yet passed-over the summer solstice which is the pinnacle of the sky? Did you catch that hint about "pass-over" in relation to the Summer solstice?
Strong's Concordance:
The Greek word "pinnacle": 4419 pterugion (pter-oog'-ee-on); neuter of a presumed derivative of 4420; a winglet, i.e. (figuratively) extremity (top corner): KJV-- pinnacle.
Looking at our picture of the 4 seasons above and understanding that the 4 seasons are but 4 corners of the year represented by the "cross of the Zodiac" then we see that in relation to the path of the Sun then the pinnacle expressed here has to do again, allegorically speaking, with the top of the sky in relation to the Summer solstice when the Sun is at its zenith. This is very important for the Sun at its greatest strength will now "pass-over" this heavenly divide of the Summer solstice and begin its slow march to its ultimate death at the Winter solstice.
Matt 4:9 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (KJV)
Answer for yourself: Did you notice again the mention of direction in the above verse? We have already seen " led UP" and now we see "fall DOWN". The Sun rises up and descends down; not only daily but seasonally in its trek across the sky as it travels through the houses of the Zodiac and through the 4 seasons as determined by the equinoxes and solstices. The Ancients fully understood this. It is we who don't today.
This is the end of our story for now. Jesus, as the personified Sun cannot go any further past the Summer solstice for if he did then he, as the personified Sun, would fall into the dark months of fall and winter when the devil is the dominate power. But in our position in the "Jesus Story" we are not that far along yet and only into the early life of the Sun as it knows it is in a battle with Darkness and has a job to do. Forty days has passed since the Sun, the personified Jesus, has been in the house of Aquarius (been with John the Baptist). Now Jesus must move on to the house of Pisces.But something lies hidden in the Book of Luke which few ever see.
Luke 4:13-14 13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. (KJV)
Luke tells us the devil departed for a season.
Answer for yourself: Is this a hint that behind Luke's Jesus is the personification of his Jesus as the Sun's yearly cycle through the 4 seasons (equinoxes and solstices)?
THE SCHOLARS SPEAK
That was "the story behind the story" of the temptation of Jesus. Now let us hear a few scholars and what they have to say about it.
Albert Churchward, in his Origin And Evolution of Religion, goes into detail about these elements of the mythos of this battle between light and darkness as personified as Horus-Set and Jesus-Satan:
The Gospel story of the Devil taking Jesus up into an exceeding high mountain from which all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them could be seen, and of the contention on the summit is originally a legend of the Astronomical Cult, which has been converted into history in the Gospels. In the Ritual . . . the struggle is described as taking place upon the mount, i.e. "the mountain in the midst of the Earth, or the mountain of Amenta which reaches up to the sky," and which in the Solar Cult stood at the point of the equinox, where the conflict was continued and the twins were reconciled year after year. The equinox was figured at the summit of the mount on the ecliptic and the scene of strife was finally configurated as a fixture in the constellation of the Gemini, the sign of the twin-brothers (Horus/Set), who forever fought and wrestled "up and down the garden," first one, then the other, being uppermost during the two halves of the year, or of night and day. . . . This contention in the wilderness was one of the great battles of Set and Horus. . . . Forty days was the length of time in Egypt that was reckoned for the grain in the earth before it sprouted visibly from the ground. It was a time of scarcity and fasting in Egypt, the season of Lent . . . The fasting of Jesus in the desert represents the absence of food that is caused by Set in the wilderness during the forty days' burial for the corn, and Satan asking Jesus to turn the stones into bread is a play on the symbol of Set, which in one representation was rendered as "a stone." The contest of the personal Christ with a personal Satan in the New Testament is no more historical fact than the contest between the seed of the woman and the serpent of evil in the Old. Both are mythical and both are Egyptian Mysteries (A. Churchward, The Origin and Evolution of Religion, p. 378-379).
This particular part of the mythos was rejected by early Christian fathers as being "fabulous," but, like many other elements of the solar myth, it was later added in order to make the Roman godman more competitive, "to show that Christ Jesus was proof against all temptations, that he too, as well as Buddha and others, could resist the powers of the prince of evil" (T.W. Doane, Bible Myths And Parallels In World Religions, p. 175).
The earliest gospel disposes of the forty days in the wilderness, the wild animals, the temptation by the Devil and the ministrations by angels in one verse. Let us not forget what we have already learned about the Darkness be equated with Evil and the word play: "Dark=Evil; D=Evil; Devil". Now understanding this let us continue and see what we shall see.
The gospel writer of the Gospel of John does not mention any of this. Yet Luke and Matthew give details of the fasting and the temptation with Jesus offered the world from the top of a mountain. By coincidence:
- Elijah fasted on Horeb in the wilderness for forty days;
- Moses did the same on Sinai.
- Zoroaster was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness;
- Buddha was tempted by this same Devil in a wilderness
- Jupiter was led by Pan (the Devil) to the top of a mountain called the Pillar of Heaven whence he could see the countries of the world;
Answer for yourself: Are the above examples not more proof of a common myth among the nations taking is origin from what early mankind witnessed in the stars above their heads?
Forty is one of those mystical numbers that pop up in old religions: there were forty days of sacrifice in the Persian Salutation to Mithras; forty days of mourning in the mysteries of the goddess Persephone; the deluge lasted forty days, etc. The story is introduced to establish Jesus as a great leader, superior even to Moses. Furthermore the offer of the kingship of the world by the devil was intended by Gentile Christians as a rebuttal of the idea that Jesus was a Messiah in the Jewish mould who would become a world ruler - that is what the Devil offered him and he refused it.
The temptation by, and victory over the evil one, the D-Evil, or whether Mara or Satan, is nothing more than primitive man's personification of the Sun and the victory of the Sun over the clouds of storm and darkness.
The Egyptians believed that all the fiends of darkness, led by the serpent, Apep, attacked the Sun during the darkest hours of the night and exerted all their powers in order to prevent his rising in the sky at dawn. But Ra, aided by his magical powers, pursued his course to the place of sunrise and hurled the fiery darts of his rays into Apep and his fiends, and paralyzed them and made them impotent. Accordingly, in ancient mythology, all heroes of light were opposed by the "Old Serpent," the Devil (Satan), symbolized by Serpents, Dragons, Sphinxes and other monsters. The earliest myth describing this eternal contest between light and darkness was the myth of Horus/Set and their historic battle.
The Serpent was, among the ancient Eastern nations, the symbol of Evil, of Winter, of Darkness and of Death. The Serpents was never understood to be "literal" in these Eastern nations.
The Serpent also symbolized "the dark cloud," which by harboring the rays of the Sun, preventing its shining, and therefore, is apparently attempting to destroy it!
Now, when one personifies the Sun, we have the picture of "evil" (Serpent) trying to destroy the Savior.
The Serpent is one of the chief mystic personifications of the Rig-Veda, under the names of Ahi, Suchna, and others. The Serpents of various nations represented the Clouds, the enemy of the Sun, keeping back the fructifying rays. Indra struggles victoriously against him, and spreads life on the earth, with the shading warmth of the Father of Life, the Creator, the Sun.
Buddha, the Lord and Savior, was described as a superhuman organ of light, to whom a superhuman organ of darkness Mara, the Evil Serpent, was opposed. He, like Christ Jesus, resisted the temptations of this evil one, and is represented sitting on a serpent, as if its conqueror (Bunsen, Angel-Messiah, p. 39).
Chrishna also overcame the evil one, and is represented "bruising the head of the serpent," and standing upon it (Asiatic Researchers, and vol. ii of Higgins Anacalypsis).
In Egyptian Mythology, one of the names of he god-Sun was Ra. He had an adversary who was called Apap, represented in the form of a serpent (Renouf, Hibbert Lectures, p. 109).
Horus, the Egyptian incarnate god, the Mediator, Redeemer and Savior, is represented in Egyptian art as overcoming the Evil Serpent, and standing triumphantly upon him (Bonwick, Egyptian Belief, p. 158; Monumental Christianity, p. 402).
Osiris, Ormuzd, Mithras, Apollo, Bacchus, Hercules, Indra, CEdipus, Quetzalcoatle, and many others Sun-gods, overcame the Evil One, and are represented in the above described manner (Cox, Tales of Ancient Greece, p. xxvii; Cox, Aryan Mythology, vol. ii, p. 129; Baring-Gould's Curious Myths, p. 256; Bunsen, Angel-Messiah, p. x; Kingsborough, Mexican Antiquities, vol. vi. p. 176). Osiris is represented in the heavens by the constellation of Orion, and the goddess Isis is represented by the star Sirius. There is some evidence that Set was associated with the planet Mercury and he is clearly identified in ancient Egyptian mythology as a dark or invisible serpent, as well as a red-haired man (a precursor to Esau of the Bible).
Free from every obstacle, and from every adversary, he sets in motion across space his disk with a thousand rays, having avenged the attempts of his eternal foe. He appears then in all his glory, and in his sovereign splendor; the god has attained the summit of his course, it is the moment of triumph (Doane, Bible Myths, p. 482-483).
IT IS ALL AN ALLEGORY...TOLD IN THE MYTHS OF SAVIORS
To understand this as it relates to the "Jesus Story" we must regress to what we learned from prior articles.
These "destruction myths" (the life of the Sun/Son was sought by the Darkness which was threatened by the coming Light) find their origin, like most Christian doctrine, in the stars. The new Son (Son) is born in the winter as we have seen. The astrological sign of Capricorn represents the lord of Hades. This is the Cardinal sign of Winter (opposition, Satan, Saturn). Winter takes control (at the Winter Solstice on Dec. 22), and within three days of mounting his throne, he is challenged by the Sun (Son) of the Father (Sun) that he, or some other ruffians captured (at the autumnal equinox) and has finally slain at the winter solstice. So now the king (Winter, Darkness) is worried and knows that he must murder the Sun (Son) before he gains the strength of his Father (Sun). The guardians of the Sun (Son) know that he can not withstand the power of the Winter (Satan, Herod), so they shield him (Son) and hide him till his time of glory approaches (he reaches maturity) (Jabbar, The Astrological Foundation of the Christ Myth, p. 34).
The Sun (Son) will be mature enough to withstand the powers of Satan after he reaches the age of thirty. This Thirty does not mean years, it means degrees of arc. The Sun is born right after the King of Darkness takes his throne, in the sign of Capricorn. This king (Herod) is determined to kill all opposition to his power within the nether world. But Capricorn (Herod) will die after thirty years (degrees), because each zodiacal sign is limited to thirty degrees of arc. Therefore after the death of Herod (Capricorn), the Sun (Son) comes out from hiding to begin his mission, he is thirty years (degrees) old. But even though the chief rival (Herod/Capricorn) of the Sun (Son) has died, the Sun is yet within the domain of Satan, under the equinoxes. He, the Sun, must face more struggles and temptations as he climbs and fights his way to his glory, at the vernal equinox (Jabbar, The Astrological Foundation of the Christ Myth, p. 35).
Now, let us pick up the story as we get ready to conclude this article.
The guardians were successful in protecting the infant (Sun, Son) but still he has not reached his glory (the Vernal equinox) i.e. the resurrection of Spring. The Sun (Son) at this point (the thirtieth degree of Capricorn) has matured (survived to 30 years (degrees) from his birth) but he (Sun, Son) is still within the realm of winter (Satan). Winter (Satan) knows that he cannot kill the Sun (Son) at this point of maturity, therefore he (Satan) seeks to torment the Sun (Son), tempt him, coax him to prevent the Sun (Son) from escaping his (Satan's/Darkness') domain. The torment, or temptation is described as lasting for 40 days. The Ancients, in this case, used the term days as a metaphor for degrees. The sign of Capricorn (the birth place of the Sun (Son) lies at minus 16 degrees south declination i.e. sixteen degrees below the celestial equator. The sign of Aries (the Vernal equinox, the birth place of spring, where Christ enters his glory and the Sun rises above the equator signaling the coming of Spring and life) lies at plus twenty-four degrees north declination. Add this twenty-four degrees to the sixteen degrees (position of Capricorn below the celestial equator) and you get forty degrees (the ancients told the story as 40 days to the masses). This is the distance, relevant to the position of the two Cardinal signs, Capricorn and Aries, that the Sun (Son) must climb, struggle, suffer, be tempted, before he (the Sun) escapes the clutches of Satan (Winter). This term forty represents the struggle of the Sun (Son) in the wilderness of Darkness, climbing and overcoming torments toward salvation and life of Spring. With Israel, it was forty years in the wilderness, and with Noah, it was forty days of torrential rains, but regardless, the symbology is the same; the plight of the young Sun in the valley of Amenta, the Nether World, fighting his way to cross the forsaken territory (wilderness) between the zodiacal sign of the winter solstice (Capricorn) and the Spring equinox (Aries) (Jabbar, The Astrological Foundation of the Christ Myth, p. 36-37).
The bottom line for you, if you are a Christian, is that there are many "myths" which have been added to the life of Jesus in the New Testament by Gentiles who, because they forsook Biblical Judaism and the Jew's enlightenment, remained in Darkness and they spread this darkness of ignorance, superstition, and falsehoods where ever they went and did so through the depiction of "Jesus" in their New Testament. Now you go to their churches where you inherit such fables as truth.
I hope you have the reason and sense enough to at least see the evidence for yourself and ask yourself if these "harmless" fables are the extent of such error as found in the New Testament. I assure you it is not. Most who read our articles have never investigated such materials for themselves and they simply do not know about such things. It is our hope at Bet Emet Ministries that what you see in these articles will cause you to seriously investigate other teachings in the New Testament as well which I assure you affect your relationship with the Creator God; other teachings which you have been taught in error and which, at this time in your life, you are not aware are less than truthful. We stand ready to help those who truly want the truth about God and His revelation before they die.
Answer for yourself: As you step back and examine the evidence, is it not overwhelming that what we interpret literally today is nothing more than a allegory to primitive man about the contest between light and darkness as seen in the path of the Sun through the sky and the equinoxes and solstices? The true religion and faith of of a Jew, like this supposed Jesus, awaits you if you are interested and really hungry for the God of Israel; a faith practiced without the idolatry fed us in Christianity.
The information contained in this article, coupled with the other knowledge come from studying these ancients texts as they were understood in their day and time by those who wrote them as well as their hearers along with the facts that there is not a shred of legitimate historical evidence anywhere that the Jesus Story originated as the biography of a man named Jesus, leads one to quickly see the truth behind the "Jesus Story" in the New Testament which we have believed as a "literal story" our whole lives. Comparative Religion, if you investigate this for yourself, will show you as well that the basic plot of the Jesus Story, including the motif of a crucified savior, already existed in many other religions long prior to the alleged time of Jesus. This leaves us with the conclusion that the "Jesus Story" is actually an allegory for what would naturally be the oldest and most important story humans would notice and write down, that of the annual passage of Sun through the 4 seasons of the year as well as through the Zodiac.
- Bet Emet Ministries
- Craig M. Lyons Ms.D., D.D., M.Div.
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