Virgin Birth; A teaching that arose in the 2nd century in a book called "Protoevangelium of St. James.". While the Bible teaches that Jesus would be born to a virgin, nowhere in the Bible does the term "virgin birth" appear. However, All Christians accept the term. The truth is, according to the Bible, that Mary was a Virgin at the time of the birth of Jesus.

Perpetual virginity; It is claimed by the church that Mary remained a virgin all of her life. This is a teaching that directly contradicts the teaching of the Bible. Their claim that the term "brothers" either means the children of Joseph by a previous marriage or else it means a cousin, neighbor, any man in the village or nation. While the definition of "brothers" could mean that as well as a blood brother, the term also used along with it is "sisters" and that word in the Greek is Only used of a Blood Relative, and never of anyone else. So we see by the Bible that Mary Did have additional children and so did not remain a virgin all of her life. There is another verse. Mat. 1:25 "And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and called his name JESUS." There are 2 things here. First: Knew her not till .. .. A search of the bible will show that the Biblical meaning of "know her" is to have intercourse, this verse says that Joseph had intercourse with Mary only after the birth of Jesus, but not before. Second; the term used here, "firstborn" clearly says that it is the first of more than one. Either would show that Mary did not remain a virgin even if the Bible had not also named his brothers and said that he also had sisters. The Bible does not teach Perpetual virginity, the Apostles did not teach this, and the Early Church Fathers, the ones who personally knew both the Apostles and Mary, never taught this. Stay with the truth of the Bible. Who better knew the truth on this than the Apostles.

Assumption of Mary; The belief by many Catholics that Mary was taken up to heaven bodily. By the 1860's many were petitioning that this belief be stated as a dogma -- something that must be believed. The church was at first reluctant to do so because there is no evidence for such a teaching either in the New Testament or in early church history. In 1950 Pope Pius XII finally confirmed the dogma leaving open the question as to whether she had died first. (Compton's Encyclopedia)

This has been an explicit belief for at least 1500 years being stated by St. Juvenal of Jerusalem (Bishop of Jerusalem) at the council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. The claim is that the feast was already celebrated in the east in that century.

However, This St. Juvenal was known by his peers as a Liar who would twist history to his advantage. (From a letter in the writings of the Early Church Fathers) In looking over all of the Canons of all the councils including the Council of Chalcedon in 451, there is not one mention or writing or acknowledgment of her assumption as shown above.

There are two other points; First, I have a Catholic Bible with notes in it that states that they are not sure where Mary died. It could have been either at Ephesus or Jerusalem. Second: Her tomb is not mentioned as being in Jerusalem until the beginning of the 5th century.

Now we must think of this: When Jesus' assumption happened, the entire Christian world knew about it from the eye witnesses within months, it is recorded in the Bible. It seems that when Mary died, there was no record kept by anyone of when or where she died or was buried. If there was nothing written down or passed down orally, then how could a man 350 + years later have known about it??? None of the Apostles wrote or taught about it. None of the Early Church Fathers in the first hundred years wrote or taught it. By all of the evidence, the Assumption of Mary never took place. Instead it is the fertile imagination of someone and many jumped on the band wagon because they just wanted to believe the lie. As you can see above, even the Church itself resisted the teaching for almost 1500 years.

Remember to test the spirits, do not accept everything any priest, minister, rabbi, etc. Says at face value.

Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, The location of an appearance of what appears or is reported to be the Virgin Mother Mary. This is only one of many. And yes there are signs and wonders but remember that the Bible warns us that Satan will come as an angel of light with signs and wonders to deceive the elect if possible. In reading about this event, the reports of what the supposed Mary was saying was very disturbing. Like her telling everyone that they should have a Sacred Object in their homes. Now a Sacred Object is an object that you Worship. God said that we were forbidden to worship anyone or anything except HIM. If that apparition was from God and Heaven, it would not have even suggested worshipping anything except God Himself. That alone showed it to be false. There were other points as well that I will not go into here.

The Bible tells us that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. You can not even get to heaven through God the Father because He put all things under the feet of Jesus until Jesus has defeated His last enemy. Even the Old Testament Saints could not enter heaven until Jesus died and rose again from the dead. The Bible says that salvation is only through the NAME of JESUS. By NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN (Acts 4:12).

To believe and pray to Mary or any other dead person instead of to Jesus or the Father or Holy Spirit is an Insult to God. The Bible forbids praying to Any dead person as being an abomination to God. The argument that they are not dead but are alive in heaven is false because that argument would also make it all right to pray to those in hell as well, that they also are alive in hell. You are not allowed to pray to or worship them in life, so what makes it Ok to pray and worship them after they died on this earth??

Title Queen of Heaven given to Mary

The Claim of the Catholic Church is that the body of Mary was miraculously preserved from corruption and after being united to her immaculate soul, was carried by angels into heaven. Claim that upon her assumption into heaven our blessed mother was received by her son and crowned as Queen of Heaven in the presence of the angelic choirs and all the saints.

Now I believe that we have shown above that the assumption of Mary never occurred, and even if it did, how would any one know what happened to her in heaven? They would have to claim that God gave them a vision. Now God does give us visions, but, would God give a vision of an event that happened in the past to anyone, when that event never really happened? I think not because God is not a liar. But Satan would. Now just where would Satan enter this picture?

For a fuller explanation about the term "Queen of Heaven", see on my Web Page http://www.barr-family.com/godsword/queen.htm or see a reprint below.

On examination of the Bible, we find that the term "Queen of Heaven" is ALWAYS associated with IDOLATRY. Therefore, to give the name "Queen of Heaven" to Mary the mother of Jesus is an insult to her. But, I can see Satan, when leading men to worship Mary, which is idolatry, even told those who would worship her as the Queen of Heaven, that they would be committing idolatry by worshipping her. See below for only a small part of what in on my web page.

The term ''Queen of Heaven'' is unknown to most people, and of those who have heard the term, few of them know who or what it refers to. This is a Satanic cult or practice that crept into many religions around the world, including some of the Christian churches. The easiest way to explain it is to quote from other books:

Secular history and tradition tell us that Nimrod married a woman who was as evil and demonic as himself. Her name was Semerimus. Knowing God's promise of a future Savior (Gen. 3:15), Semerimus brazenly claimed that Tammuz, her first son, fulfilled this prophecy. Semerimus thereupon instituted a religious system which made both her and her son the objects of divine worship. She herself became the first high priestess. Thus began the Mother-child cult which later spread all over the world. The city of Babylon was the seat of Satan worship until it fell, in 539 B.C., to the Persians.

1. From Babylon it spread to Phoenicia under the name of Ashteroth and Tammuz.r
2. From Phoenicia it traveled to Pergamos in Asia Minor. This is the reason for John's admonition to the church at Pergamos in the book of Revelation: ''I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is'' (Rev. 2:13).
3. In Egypt the mother-child cult was known as Isia and Horus.
4. In Greece it became Aphrodite and Eros.
5. In Rome this pair was worshipped as Venus and cupid.
6. In China it became known as Mother Shing Moo and her child.
7. In Mexico an image was found and authenticated as belonging to the period about 200 years before Christ, where it was the center of religious worship among some of the early Indians in Mexico. The image was of a mother with a child in her arms.

The teachings of Semerimus' satanic church (mother-child).

1. That Semerimus herself was the way to God. She actually adopted the title ''Queen of Heaven''.
2. That she alone could administer salvation to the sinner through various sacraments, such as the sprinkling of holy water.
3. That her son Tammuz was tragically slain by a wild boar during a hunting trip.
4. That he was, however, resurrected from the dead forty days later. Thus, each year afterward, the temple virgins of this cult would enter a forty-day fast as a memorial to Tammuz' death and resurrection.
5. After the forty-day fast, a joyful feast called Ishtar took place. At this feast colored eggs were exchanged Our Easter tradition and eaten as a symbol of the resurrection. An evergreen tree was displayed and a yule log was burned Our Christmas tradition. Finally, hot cakes marked with the letter T (to remind everybody of Tammuz) were baked and eaten Our yearly Hot Cross buns during the lent season. About 2000 B.C., God called Abraham away from all this (see Josh. 24:2-3) and led him into the promised land, but by 850 B.C. Israel had returned to this devil worship under the influence of wicked Jezebel (1 Kings 16:30-33). At this time the cult was worshipped under the name of Baal.

Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah warned against this hellish thing.

1. Ezek. 8:14 ....there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
2. Jer. 7:18 .....and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven.
3. Jer. 44:25 .... to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her.

By the time of Christ, this cult had so influenced Roman life that the Caesar's were not only crowned as emperors of Rome, but also bore the title Pontifex Maximus, meaning, ''high priest''. They were high priest of the Babylonian satanic church.

During A.D. 306, A Roman Emperor named Constantine, was threatened by a very powerful enemy army. Realizing that his uneasy troops needed confidence, Constantine claimed to have seen a vision on the eve of battle. He saw a large blue flag with a red cross on it and heard a mighty voice which said, In hoc signo vinces --- ''In this sign conquer.'' He thereupon marched his troops into a shallow river, claimed them to be officially baptized, and ordered the sign of the cross painted on all his weapons. Thus inspired, he led his troops to victory and subsequently made Christianity the state religion of Rome.

The Roman priests of Tammuz soon discovered that they could easily make the transition into Christianity (with certain changes) and thereupon carried their traditions forward without interruption by promoting the Madonna-Child worship concept, the holy water sacrament, etc. For nearly 300 years the devil had attempted to destroy the church from outside by his terrible persecutions. But with the advent of Constantine he changed his tactics, walking the aisle to work from within. The corrupted church was already flourishing in Christ's day and the Savior delivered a scathing attack against some of its very deacons and elders (Matt. 23)
(From Willmington's Guide to the Bible pp. 570-571)

Queen of Heaven (Heb. melekheth ha-sha-mayim). Some controversy surrounds the philology and significance of this title, but it seems best to regard it as the female deity to whom, with their families' aid and connivance, Hebrew women made offerings (Jer 7:18; 44:17-25). The most likely identification is with Ashtoreth, goddess of love and fertility, synonymous with the Assyrian and Babylonian Istar, and the Roman Venus. The ''wailing for Tammuz'' was associated with her cult (Ezek. 8:14). Its ritual was the license and obscenity characteristic of the eastern fertility cults, ever a temptation to the Hebrews, and the chief objective of the prophets' attack on paganism.
(from The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary)

1. There is no scriptural record of idolatry before the Flood.
2. Shortly after the flood and probably in connection with the daring scheme of the Babel tower of Genesis 2, appears the earliest historical record we have of idolatry. ''The discoveries of Nineveh and Babylon reveal that a secret organization of unbelievers was formed soon after the death of Nimrod (Gen. 10), at a time when open apostasy was dangerous, and that its members established their headquarters at Babylon. From this center they labored with ceaseless activity to confuse and destroy the knowledge of Jehovah in the world and to bring men under the yoke of demon gods. They soon became a powerful and influential body continuing to be a secret society, not wishing to share their power and privileges with any but those willing to pass through the ordeal of initiation, which included a baptism, after which the initiate was termed twice-born or regenerate (Greek diphyees), and worship was originally offered to a trinity consisting of father, mother and son. But the first person was very commonly confused with the third, and at last almost forgotten; so that the prominent deities were the mother and son. Of these the former was by far the most popular and has been known according to time and place as Queen of Heaven, Mother of the gods, Mylitta, Astarte, Diana of Ephesus, Aphrodite, Venus, Isis and the Blessed Virgin''
(from; Pember -- ''Great Prophecies'')
(From The Book of Revelation, by William R. Newell, page 274)

From ''beyond the river'' (Euphrates) --that is, from Mesopotamia, more particularly from Babel (later Babylon), and still more definitely from the daring acts of Nimrod, the ''mighty destroyer'' whose wife, Semiramis, (one of the most able and wicked women of the human race) was, upon her death deified as ''Queen of Heaven'', do we trace the beginnings of idolatry, which eventuates in Satan-worship.
(From The Book of Revelation, by William R. Newell, page 375)

The Worship of Mary has been pushed by the RC Church for a long, long time. Its leaders say that we are to worship Mary and the Saints. But they say that the worship of Mary is not the same degree as the worship we give Jesus. To those who object they say, "we don't worship Mary, we only venerate Mary." If you look up both words you will find that each one is a synonym for the other. Both words means Worship.

Now God did not say that we could worship something else as long as we worshipped Him more. He said "Thou Shall Not Worship...." and "I am a Jealous God..." God has made no exceptions. Look up in the dictionary's and encyclopedias what acts indicate worship. The burning of candles before statues or pictures, the kissing of an object, etc. These are all done and yet they say "I am not worshipping, only showing respect." The rest of the world looks on and says "Ya, sure you are. Ha Ha Wink Wink".

And what has this led to?

There was published in the newspaper on August 30, 1997 and in News Week magazine of August 25, 1997 the following composite article.

New role sought for Mary

Pope has been petitioned to name her Co-Redeemer

This week a large box shipped from California and addressed to "His Holiness, John Paul II" will arrive at the Vatican. The shipping label lists a dozen countries -- from every continent but Antarctica -- plus a number, 40,383, indicating the quantity of signatures inside. Each signature is attached to a petition asking the pope to exercise the power of papal infallibility to proclaim a new dogma of the Roman Catholic faith: that the Virgin Mary is "Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix of All Graces and Advocate for the People of God." Such a move would elevate Mary's status dramatically beyond what most Christians profess. Burt in the last four years, the pope has received 4,340,429 signatures from 157 countries -- an average of 100,000 a month -- supporting the proposed dogma. Among the notable supporters are Mother Teresa of Calcutta, nearly 500 bishops and 42 cardinals, including John O'Connor of New York, Joseph Glemp of Poland and half a dozen cardinals at the Vatican itself.

If the drive succeeds, Catholics would be obliged as a mater of faith to accept three extraordinary doctrines:

1. That Mary participates in the redemption achieved by her son.
2. That all graces that flow from the suffering and death of Jesus Christ are granted only through Mary's intercession with her son.
3. And that all prayers and petitions from the faithful on earth must likewise flow through Mary, who then brings them to the attention of Jesus.

This is what theologians call high Mariology, and it seems to contradict the basic New Testament belief that "there is one God and one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus." (I Timothy 2:5)

In place of the Holy Trinity, it would appear, there would be a kind of Holy Quartet, with Mary playing the multiple roles of daughter of the Father, mother of the Son and Spouse of the Holy Spirit.

The pope seems predisposed to this idea based on his choice of words in recent speeches. He is deeply devoted to Mary.

To declare Mary as a co-redemer would make her equal to God.
To declare that it is only through Mary that you can receive the grace of salvation declares all that Jesus did on the cross is null and void and of no use.
To declare that you can Only pray to Jesus or God through her makes her above God.

The result is that you can only gain salvation if you worship Mary who has control of what prayers from whom can or will reach God. This rejects Everything the Bible teaches making the Bible a lie. Makes Satan Happy doesn't it. Gets all those people to break the first and second commandments of God and solid into idolatry.

There is much more but this will point you on to the right track.

Is this saying that no Catholic will get into heaven? No, it does not and I am not saying that. There will always be some who will keep their eyes on Jesus and therefore not fall into the trap of idolatry. Perhaps you can see now why many believe that it will be the Catholic Church that will be the Apostate Church in the End times. See Revelation.