Satan’s religion in History:Old Paganism

As earlier established in the previous article, false religions started at Babel

Gen 10:8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Gen 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Gen 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
“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 procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny,- seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into constant dependence upon his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, If he should have a mind to drowned the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach!”
Josephus Antiquity of the Jews book1 ch. 2, 2
The first pagan religion multiplied with the splitting of the tower of Babel.
Gen 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Jos 24:2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
Deu 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
Paul’s letter to the Romans describes what happened spiritually.
Rom 1:19-32 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 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. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 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. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.


From the law we can see some basic aspects of their religion
Deu 4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
Deu 4:17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,
Deu 4:18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Deu 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

There is a focus upon anything and everything but the one true God.
So since their was different cultures their was a polythiestic religion for each culture.
“The prominent gods in Mesopatamia were those over heaven, air and earth personified by Anu, Enlil, and Enki (Ea). Another group was made up of those that controlled the heavenly bodies: the sun, the moon, and the planet Venus (the ‘morning star’). In fact, Ur, the city from which Abraham came, was the center for worship of the moon god ‘SIN’. As Mesopatamian religion developed, each god has his or her own star, and the worship of stars became popular with the development of ASTROLOGY. Many of the astrological texts and charts of the ancient Babylonians read like modern horoscopes. The worship of the sun, moon, and stars eventually spread across the entire ancient world. The Egyptians, Canaanites, and Phoenicians all incorporated features of this form of worship.” Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary “GODS, PAGAN” (The pagan god’s of Mesopatamia)

Gnosticism
Gnosticism was essentially the initial attempt to merge Christianity with paganism
“ ‘For a long time the pagan beliefs had ceased to be take seriously by thoughtful men and had been displaced by various creeds derived from philosophical speculations. These in themselves were abstract and unsatisfying, but had been partly vitalized by union with the theosophies of the East. An attempt was made on the part of this philosophical religion to effect an alliance with Christianity. A section of the church was dissatisfied with the simplicity of the gospel, and sought to advance to something higher by adopting the current speculations…the late books of the New Testament are all occupied more or less, with this movement, which was the more dangerous as it threatened the church from within.’ (Professor E. Scott, The Apologetics of the New Testament, 14)”
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia “Gnosticism”

Essentially, Gnosticism was composed of pagan philosophy it attempted to merge with Christianity since regular paganism had lost it’s passion. These views were seen by the New Testament as demonic.
1Ti 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;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
Jud 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Jo 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Catholicism
The church absorbed millions of pagans through force thanks to Constantine
At first it seemed a blessing, Constantine started by legalizing Christianity. The religion had grown illegal for 2 centuries to 10% of the Roman Empire. Now it was free, but then two events happened. First, Constantine pushed for a creed, which would settle the trinity controversy. Christianity at this point needed no creed but the Bible. As a result Christians would be judged by their fidelity to the creeds and Bishops alone, but not the rest of the Bible. For instance the Donatist was a massive Christian movement in North Africa consisting of about half the church. The donatist decided to separate from the mainstream church because they used ministers who had went apostate and denied the faith during the persecution, as well as they had loose ethics on alcohol and were known for drunkenness. As a result, (St.?) Augustine had them persecuted, imprisoned and exiled. Why? Because they crossed the Catholic Church. The mainstream was allowed to act unbiblical so long as they did not cross the Bishops and church.
Secondly, the church was now expanded by force. The Roman Empire would force everyone into this form of Christianity with death threats that were on occasion carried out. Now did these people really become born again Christians because of threats?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Joh 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Therefore, the majority of Catholics were not born again Christians.

The pagans of the Empire historically have had the same religion reinterpreted in every generation.


The culture of the Empire was one of which where religion would follow the culture and was enter changeable. Babylonian religion was translated into Persian religion. Persian religion was translated into Greek religion and then translated into Roman religion. The same theology would simply take different names.
When these pagans were turned “Christian” but not born again. An they made statues to honor the saints, which was never biblical. Then they crowned Mary calling her the unbiblical title of Mother of God. The call her “Queen of Heaven” which is the title of a Babylonian Goddess condemned in scripture.
Jer 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.
Jer 44:18 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.
Jer 44:19 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?
Jer 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.
Jer 44:26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.
It seems obvious, to me at least, that paganism was a part of the church of that day and the Catholic Church of today.

The Catholic Church indoctrinated its ministers with pagan writings while down playing the Bible.
Most pastors were thoroughly indoctrinated by Philosphers like Aristotle and Plato. They had very little background in the Old Testament.
With the help of many Eastern Church Fathers Augustine developed a system of theology where all prophetic passages where interpreted in a complicated allegorical system.
The Pastors then started to practice their religion with many pagan philosophies attached to them. Church Buildings were made like the pagan Temples. The atonement was interpreted as a cosmic battle that had nothing to with salvation and justification. The pastors became priests who would deal out salvation through liturgy. The Bible was seen as too complex for illiterate commoners.
Through this process many became apostate and the pagans stayed pagan and still practiced much of the Roman pagan holidays.
The priest were then taught Gnostic worship which we call monasticism, they became so obsessed with trying to live out personal perfectionism that thorough exposition flew right out the window.
The church did arrest those who were heavily into the occult or “black magic”. Yet they preserved all their writings hidden in libraries. Those with more conservative Bible believing views were held in more contempt than the witches. Not only were they killed and persecuted but their bibles were burned unlike the witches.

Other religions
According to scripture all who reject the Messiah are under the authority of Satan.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The Jews had made the temple an idol. Even today 85% do not practice their faith. The other 15% have to deny the Messianic prophesies and usually do not believe in all of the Old Testament.
Muslims have worship an entirely different God. This God is name “Allah”. He is specifically not a father, not really personal and definitely not the Trinity. The Bible says that Jehovah is the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Allah only claims to be the God of Abraham.
Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
Exo 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Exo 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
It is said that Muhammad himself wondered if he was in fact demon possessed. Though his wife changed his mind.

Eastern religion
While all this was going on paganism was hitting full blast. There were rare witnesses of Jews and then Christians. But generally, India and China were pagan. This polytheism is very similar to the Western paganism. Yet they had one great doctrinal twist. They argued for the doctrine of reincarnation. This was a good way to explain away the Doctrine of God's Judgement.