Valentine’s Day origins
The satan has a counterfeit for all of Yahweh’s
ways. Yahweh has His 7th day Shabbath, the
satan has his
Sunday. Yahweh has His Kodesh set apart days, the satan has His
holidays. Yahweh has His commandments; the satan also has his commandments, traditions and
customs that he has amalgamated into a belief system he calls Christianity in
order to deceive. The pagans have their own Holy days with which the
satan has Christianized in
order that the body of Christianity would be leavened. The satan even has a counterfeit love!
From the Pagan Library “……one of the Holy Days still celebrated by
many in alien and some Sicilian traditions is the Lupercalia, on February
15. It has since been Christianized into St. Valentine's Day on Feb. 14. Let me
quote from the WICA Newsletter: Ancient Roman festival honoring Lupercus, God of Fertility. It was called dies februatus meaning 'day of expiation.' The Lupercal -'wolf's grotto' -a cave on the western slope
of Palatine Hill. Near it was the ficus ruminalis, the fig tree under which Romulus and Remus were
found and nursed by a she-wolf. The Lupercai who
celebrated this yearly festival were made up of the Fabian who belonged to
the Sabines and the Quintilian Lupercai, the Latins. Later in honor to Julius Caesar,
there was added the Julian Brotherhood. They sacrificed a goat. Young neophytes
were brought in. The High Priest touched their foreheads with the bloody knife.
Then another priest wiped away the blood with wool dipped into milk. The feast
began with the celebrants clothed only in goat skins and carrying (really
hiding) thongs made from the same goat hides. They ran up and down the streets
of the city striking anyone who passed them. Women came forward to be hit by
the goat-thongs, believing it enhanced their own fertility. This was also a
symbolic purification of the land and of the persons touched. This was on the
last Pagan rites to be given up before Christianity completely dominated the
country. It is still celebrated today but in modern form, without the goat or
any other kind of sacrifice, but all wearing skins and goat horns in a
special streghe ritual."
http://www.paganlibrary.com/introductory/questions_answers.php
Those who are outright pagan in their
beliefs openly admit Valentine’s Day originates from one of their ancient pagan
Holy days. But unconverted Christianity has adopted these pagan
customs and then merged them into the worship of their heathen deity that they
call “God”. What does Yahweh think about doing this?
"When Yahweh your Elohim shall cut off the nations from
before thee, whither thou goest to possess
them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; Take heed to thyself that thou
be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee;
and that thou enquire not after their elohim, saying,
How did these nations serve their elohim? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto
the Yahweh your Elohim: for every abomination to Yahweh, which He hateth, have they done unto their elohim;
for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their elohim. What thing soever I
command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from
it.” Deuteronomy 12:29-32
Followers of Yahweh are not to
implement pagan customs used to worship false elohim
and use those customs in the worship of the true Elohim. We are not
to take away from His commandments nor are we to add to His commandments, or
anything in between, such as merging pagan customs with His ways.
Although Christianity Today magazine
and website seems to speak out of both sides of their mouths concerning Valentine’s day, one article does say the
following: “There are more
tales of the "origins" of Valentine's Day than arrows in Cupid's
quiver. As expected, most have something to do with pagan ritual (pretty much
every holiday—from Christmas to Mother's Day—has something to do with pagan
ritual). Four centuries before Christ, Romans had a day called Lupercalia.
Without going too much into it, I'll sum it up as a sexual lottery. Pull names
out of a box at random and couple with a young member of the opposite sex.
After a year, you get to pick another name.” (Olsen T. Then Again Maybe Don't
Be My Valentine. Christianity Today. February
12, 1999). http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/februaryweb-only/11.0a.html
With a little research you will also
find that in almost all ancient cultures there is a mother and child deity that
has been worshipped. Most likely these all stem from Nimrod
(mentioned in the scriptures) and his wife Semiramis,
who were the rulers of ancient Babylon. According to myth and
legend, Nimrod or possibly the son of Semiramis,
Tammuz (also from the scriptures and has much to do with another pagan season
known as Lent that we shall discuss in another editorial) had an inordinate
affection for one another. Along with Nimrod and his other identities, the
mother/wife and the son, are most likely the model for what became Cupid,
Jupiter or Osiris and Semiramis became Venus,
Diana, Aphrodite, Fortuna or whichever culture that you want to explore. Also
may be the roots for early trinitarianism.
In order to amalgamate such paganism
with Christianity the mother and child deities were renamed as Mary and Jesus,
but still retained at its roots the pagan customs and traditions that were
associated with the pagan deities, only watered down to
deceive. Nimrod died and according to legend he took possession of
the sun. Semiramis claimed that she
was the moon goddess and that the sun impregnated the moon and she gave birth
to the son of the sun god deity who was known as Tammuz. This took
place near what we today would call Christmas, another Christianized pagan
holyday. (the moon does not have light
unto itself, but reflects the light from the sun. It is easily
understood how the pagans would say that the sun impregnated the moon)
This writer grew up in the typical
antinomian Church. It was filled with very good people who were
charitable, caring and honest to what they believed. Yet these super
wonderful people for the most part were unconverted believers as is true of
most of Christianity. This doesn’t mean that Yahweh has plans to
cast them into the lake of fire hell, but that He may just not be ready to call
them during this age and most will not gain entrance into the
Kingdom. Their opportunity for salvation will come after their
resurrection from the grave hell.
We are not saying that those who
observe Valentine’s Day or any of the other Christianized pagan holidays are
going to burn up in the lake of hellfire. We are saying that it is
possible that those who engage in such things may not be allowed to enter into
the Kingdom of Yahweh. They may miss out on the better promises
being offered to those who will come forth in the 1st resurrection (Rev. 20);
those who have the faith of Yahshua and keep His
commandments. “Here is the
patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Yahweh, and
the faith of Yahshua.” Revelation 14:12
The few short excerpts contained in
this editorial pertaining to Valentine's day only skims the surface of
information that is out there openly, not hidden, that you can research on your
own. If you continue to use pagan customs as if you’re worshipping
the true Elohim, He says that your worship of Him is vain! “But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:9 We are
not to learn the ways of the heathen! Jeremiah 10:2
The Old Paths Restoration Ministry
PO Box 247
Marengo, IN 47140