The Giza Discovery

Part One

By Peter Goodgame
The Giza Discovery Volume 1
By Peter Goodgame

Index

1. The Search for the Hidden Tomb

The Hallway of Osiris
The French Initiative
The Hawass Initiative
The Giza Wall

2. The Myth and Religion of Osiris the God

Egyptian Religion
The Myth of Osiris
The Symbols of Osiris
The Pyramid Texts
Giza and the Cult of Osiris
The Mysteries of Osiris

3. The Saviors of the Ancient World

The Real Debate
Ugaritic Baal
Melqart of Tyre
Adonis of Byblos
Eshmun of Sidon
Dumuzi of Sumeria
Osiris of Egypt
The Osiris Agenda

4. Egypt's Forgotten Origins

Flinders Petrie
The Dynastic Race
The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of a Theory
Data: The Nakada Artifacts
Data: Writing
Data: Architecture
The Square Boat Invasion
The Great Migration

5. The Spirit World and Civilization

The Sumerian Perspective
The Creation of Man
The Great Flood
 The Transfer of Divine Authority
The Hebrew Perspective
The Creation of Man
The Crime and Banishment of Cain
Eridu: the Place of Descent
The Great Flood
The Tower of Babel
Enmerkar and the Shrine of the Abzu
Evidence for Eridu's Tower
The Egyptian Connection
The Historical Osiris

6. Domination by Deception
Israel's God and the Gods of Sumer
Enki Unmasked
History is Written by the Victor
The Biblical Response
God Against the Gods
God's Nation
The Kosmokrators and the Occult
Hermeticism
Gnosticism
The Kabbalah
The Kosmokrators, Egypt and Freemasonry
The End of the "World Powers"

7. The Second Coming of ...

Introduction
The Beast
The Seven Kings of Satan
The First Seal of the Apocalypse
Seven Kings Summary
The Division of the Nations
The Myth of Dionysus
Messiahs of Life or Death
The Two Messiahs in the Old Testament
The Kabiric Mysteries
The Hero With A Thousand Faces
The Hermetic Tradition
Edgar Cayce and the Second Coming
"The Dying God Shall Rise Again!"
The Stargate Conspiracy
Conclusion
The Search for the Hidden Tomb

"I really personally believe that the secret chamber of Khufu is hidden inside the
pyramid."
Zahi Hawass, from a lecture in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in early July of 2005

In October of 2005 the world will witness another serious effort to uncover some of the
mysteries that lay buried under the rock and sand at Giza. There is a very good possibility
that this effort will not be in vain, and that it will result in the greatest archaeological
discovery ever made in the history of mankind. This series of articles will explain what that
discovery might be and, more importantly, what that discovery could mean for the world
not only archaeologically and historically, but spiritually as well.

The major components of the Giza complex include the the three major pyramids and also
the enigmatic massive stone statue known as the Sphinx. The Great Pyramid, the largest of
the three main pyramids, was the first built and is also the last remaining of the Seven
Wonders of the ancient world. It is a well-established fact that the Great Pyramid was built
by King Khufu, of Egypt's Fourth Dynasty, whose reign began around approximately 2500
BCE. What is not an established fact, although it is the common explanation, is that Khufu
built the Great Pyramid to be his own personal burial chamber. That was not the purpose of
the Great Pyramid—the truth is much more interesting.

Zahi Hawass himself explains that the Giza Plateau was known by the Egyptians as the
"House of Osiris, Lord of the Underground Tunnels." [1] So if we want to understand
Giza and the Great Pyramid we must understand the ancient Egyptian god Osiris, rather
than focus on Khufu the king who was merely tasked with initiating the construction of this
enduring monument. To begin this story we will go back to 1998, when Dr. Hawass had just
made what he called his greatest discovery, a discovery that definitely did concern the
Egyptian god Osiris.

You may be asking, 'Who is Dr. Zahi Hawass?' Well, his official titles are 'Secretary General
of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt' and 'Director of the Giza Pyramids
Excavation.' In other words, Dr. Zahi Hawass is the top man in charge of Egyptian
antiquities. Nothing happens archaeologically in Egypt without his approval and signature,
and nothing happens in Giza without him usually being physically present, either personally
directing the research or excavation or else observing with a keen and critical eye.

The Hallway of Osiris

Back in November of 1998 Hawass made a discovery that he relates here in his own words,
as taken from a press release at the time [2]:
"I have found a shaft, going 29 meters [95 feet approximately] vertically down into the
ground, exactly halfway between the Chefren Pyramid [the middle pyramid] and the Sphinx.
At the bottom, which was filled with water, we have found a burial chamber with four
pillars. In the middle is a large granite sarcophagus which I expect to be the grave of
Osiris, the god... I have been digging in Egypt's sand for more than 30 years, and up to
date this is the most exciting discovery I have made... We found the shaft in November and
began pumping up the water recently. So several years will pass before we have finished
investigating the find."

Zahi Hawass believed at the time that he had found the burial place of Osiris the god and
he referred to this as the greatest discovery of his entire career. This discovery eventually
became known worldwide and the FOX television network broadcast a special program on
March 2, 1999, entitled "Opening the Lost Tombs: Live From Egypt." The special was a huge
success for FOX as far as ratings were concerned, but as far as the academic world was
concerned it was a travesty and an embarrassment both to archaeology and to Egyptology,
despite what appeared to be the good intentions of Zahi Hawass. [3]

The so-called grave and sarcophagus of Osiris was eventually explained by Hawass as being
"symbolic," probably having been used for initiatory and/or ritual purposes as a part of
Egyptian religion, and dating to 2000 years after the building of the pyramids (665-525
BC).[4] In any case, the shaft in which it was located did open up previously unexplored
tunnels, but the world is still waiting for Hawass to make a public presentation documenting
where these tunnels go, how extensive they are, and what they lead to.

This story is not dead but it has been quiet for some time now. To examine it further
readers may click to an excellent series of articles written by Nigel Skinner-Thompson called
"The Shaft, The Subway & The Causeway," or they may click to an article entitled "Ananda
in the Hallway of Osiris" which contains a first-person account of what the tunnels and
chambers contain and a number of color photographs.

From this adventure we can deduce that Zahi Hawass maintains a belief that Osiris was in
fact a historical figure and that his grave, and possibly his mummified body, must still exist
somewhere within the Giza complex. What is also clear is that, for some unknown reason,
Hawass wants to make sure that when this tomb is found the whole world will be able to
watch when its contents are revealed.

The French Initiative

From past excitement concerning the possible discovery of the tomb of Osiris we now direct
our attention to current excitement regarding the "tomb of Khufu."

From September 6-12 of 2004 the 9th International Congress of Egyptologists met at
Grenoble, France. This conference included a presentation given by two French researchers
who publicized their theory (and book) that structural anomalies suggested the existence of
a hidden chamber within the Great Pyramid itself. Gilles Dormion and Jean-Yves Verd'hurt
admit to being amateurs in areas such as Egyptian history, culture and religion, but their
specialty is in the field of architecture and their method has achieved success in the past
when they were able to locate two previously unknown chambers in the Meidum Pyramid to
the south of Giza.
Dormion and Verd'hurt's theory is that this hidden chamber exists underneath the Queen's
Chamber at a symbolic location at the very heart of the Great Pyramid. As evidence for it
they argue that the hole in the floor of the niche in the east wall of the Queen's Chamber
was used to pass ropes through to install what are called "portcullis blocks" which are used
primarily to block the entrances and exits of chambers or passageways.

Their theory appeared to have been confirmed in September of 2000 when ground probing
radar was used on the floor of the Queen's Chamber revealing a passageway or void 3.5
meters below. Dormion and Verd'hurt also provided evidence that the paving stones of the
Queen's Chamber had at one time been removed to gain access to this alleged passageway,
which is illustrated in an article located here. [5]

Dormion and Verd'hurt appear to have gained the support of much of the French
Egyptological establishment, including Jean-Pierre Corteggiani of the French Institute of
Oriental Archaeology in Cairo, and Nicolas Grimal the head of Egyptology at the Collège de
France. Grimal even wrote the preface to their book La Chambre de Chèops (The
Chamber of Cheops), writing that their ideas may lead to "without doubt, one of the
greatest discoveries in Egyptology." [6]

While this French initiative appears to have both solid evidence and high-level backing on its
side it will inevitably go nowhere without the support of Dr. Zahi Hawass. To test their
theory the French team has been lobbying for permission to drill through the floor of the
Queen's Chamber and Zahi Hawass, who attended the Grenoble conference and listened to
the presentation, refuses to allow this.

There are a couple of reasons why Hawass is opposed to the French initiative. In the first
place, Dormion's theory is based on the idea that the Egyptian builders of the Great Pyramid
were incompetent and that the location of Khufu's Tomb had to be changed from the King's
Chamber to underneath the Queen's Chamber because the pyramid exhibited signs of
structural failure as it was being built. This possibility does not appeal to Hawass, who
happens to be an Egyptian himself, and neither does it appeal to the other two individuals
consulted by Hawass, Mark Lehner of the USA and Rainer Stadelmann of Germany, who
Hawass considers to be the top experts on the Great Pyramid.

The other reason that Hawass refuses to allow the French initiative to move forward is
because he wants to focus on his own theory of where this hidden "tomb of Khufu" might be
found within the Great Pyramid.

The Hawass Initiative

The current theory that Hawass holds regarding the location of the "Hidden Chamber of
Khufu" traces back to the 1992-93 UPUAUT PROJECT led by Rudolf Gantenbrink. This was
the project in which a robot was sent up the two anomalous shafts that project up and out,
north and south, from the Queen's Chamber. On March 22, 1993, this robot made its way to
the end of the southern shaft, 210 feet up and 54 feet from the surface of the pyramid,
where it found what looked like a stone door fitted with metal handles. Subsequent testing
showed that this "door" was only about three inches thick.

The discovery of a "door" at the end of the southern "star-shaft" created a storm of media
attention and debate, but nothing was done about it until 2002. That was when another TV
special was set up, funded by the National Geographic Society and broadcast live, as before,
by the FOX TV Network on September 16, 2002. The world watched as a robot ascended the
shaft to drill a tiny hole through "Gantenbrink's Door" after which a camera was inserted
offering pictures of the other side. What it showed was simply the end of the shaft in the
form of a rough hewn block, this time without metal handles. The robot was also able to
successfully ascend the northern shaft and it found another smooth stone "door" with metal
handles. However, in this case a decision was made not to drill through the "door."

To bring this story up to date we must go to the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of

Archaeology and Anthropology where Zahi Hawass gave a lecture in early July of 2005.
According to a report carried by The Daily Star, this was when Zahi Hawass voiced his
confidence that "the secret chamber of Khufu is hidden inside the pyramid." [7]

Hawass explained that his hopes lay in what is beyond the "end" of the Queen's Chamber's
southern shaft, and what is beyond the "door" of the northern shaft. According to Hawass,
in October of 2005 a robot built by the University of Singapore will be sent up the shafts to
drill through both of these blocks. This time, to avoid any major disappointment as before,
Hawass says that the drilling will not be broadcast live, but the results will be announced in
a press release. However Hawass did explain that "If something interesting is
discovered, we're going to show it to people all over the world."

At the same time that the drilling is taking place in the Great Pyramid there will also be a
team from Birmingham, England, performing radar mapping at select locations on the Giza
plateau. Perhaps this has to do with the new tunnels that were opened up with the
discovery of the so-called "Tomb of Osiris"?

The Giza Wall

Whatever may be in store for Giza this October, it appears that Zahi Hawass and the
Egyptian authorities have been preparing for something big. In 2002 construction began of
a massive concrete security wall to surround the Giza plateau which, for reasons unknown,
also extends into the empty desert to encompass a total area of about eight square
kilometers. Egyptologist and mystic J.J. Hurtak comments on this wall saying that such a
wall was never needed for tourists, but can only be in preparation for a major discovery [8]:

"The psychological reality of guards stationed as sentries at intervals along the entire wall
carries the intrigue of a major feature film set, designed for the few experts who are to find
an underground sphinx or obelisk, or a connection between Osiris and the constellation of
Orion, rather than an open-door feature for thousands of well-behaved international
students of history and archaeology who have never needed to be extensively controlled."

It is now 2005 and this wall must now be almost certainly complete. What kind of event
could possibly be scheduled to demand such a high level of security and safety? What kind
of discovery could possibly be expected?

It is interesting that Hurtak referred to the possibility of finding evidence connecting Osiris
with Orion. This connection is something that is well-known to many researchers of the
religion and history of ancient Egypt, but it is still unaccepted within the mainstream
academic community of Egyptology. In the next article we will examine why this connection
is important and we will argue that the Great Pyramid of Egypt, if it was indeed built as a
tomb, is more likely to contain the mummy of Osiris, rather than that of Khufu the builder of
the pyramid.

Postscript:

2005 has passed and there has been little activity regarding the search for the hidden
chamber. However, in a December 12, 2005 interview Dr. Hawass remained unshaken in his
expectation that it will be found. Whether it exists near the top of the Great Pyramid or not
remains a matter of debate. Perhaps it exists in the heart of the pyramid as argued by
Dormion and Verd'hurt, or perhaps there is indeed a 250-foot high chamber near the base
of the pyramid as alleged by independent researcher Larry Dean Hunter. Read on to learn
how this discovery, whether it occurs as soon as 2006 or as late as 2012, will be
remembered as the greatest archaeological discovery ever made in the history of mankind.

Footnotes

1. http://www.towers-online.co.uk/pages/shaftos1.htm

2. From a newspaper article entitled "Sandpit of Royalty" by Dorte Quist taken from
http://phoenix.akasha.de/~aton/HO-OSIRIS.html

3. See this page for two critical reviews:

http://www.csicop.org/cmi/reviews/opening-lost-tombs.html

4. Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records, Robert Bauval, 1999, p.83

5."A Secret Chamber in the Great Pyramid?" :

http://www.cite-
sciences.fr/francais/ala_cite/science_actualites/sitesactu/question_actu.php?langue=an&so
mmaire=1&id_article=3343

6. "Secret Chambers of the Great Pyramid of Khufu" by Jimmy Dunn:

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramidchambers.htm

7. "The Great Pyramid may still contain Khufu's intact pharaonic tomb" by Kyle Cassidy:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=4&article_id=16740

8."New Walls Encircle Pyramidal Complex at Giza" by Dr. J.J. Hurtak:

http://www.initiation.cc/Giza_Update/giza_update.html
The Myth and Religion of Osiris
the God

"Glory be to thee, Osiris Un-nefer, the great god who dwellest within Abtu
(Abydos), thou king of eternity, thou lord of everlastingness, who passest through
millions of years in the course of thine existence. Thou art the eldest son of the
womb of Nut, and thou wast engendered by Seb, the Ancestor... Let thine heart, O
Osiris, who art in the Mountain of Amentet, be content, for thy son Horus is
stablished upon thy throne... He leadeth in his train that which is, and that which
is not yet... he is exceedingly mighty and most terrible in his name 'Osiris'; he
endureth for ever and for ever in his name of 'Un-nefer.' Homage be to thee, O
King of kings, Lord of lords, Ruler of princes, who from the womb of Nut hast ruled
the world and the Underworld. Praise be unto thee, Osiris, lord of eternity, Un-
nefer-Heru-Khuti, whose forms are manifold, and whose attributes are majestic...
thou guide of the Underworld, whom (the gods) glorify when thou settest in the
night sky of Nut... Those who have lain down [i.e., the dead] rise up to look upon
thee, they breathe the air and they look upon thy face when the disk riseth on the
horizon; their hearts are at peace inasmuch as they behold thee, O thou who art
Eternity and Everlastingness."
"Hymn to Osiris" from the Egyptian Book of the Dead (c.1400 BC)

When the pyramids of Giza were built by pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty (circa 2600-2500
BC) the center of Egyptian religion was located at the city of Anu or Iunu, later known to the
Greeks as Heliopolis the "City of the Sun." This religious capital was located on the opposite
side of the Nile from the Giza plateau about twelve miles to the northeast. The pyramids
were built as a religious monument and if we are to fully understand them we must first
have a basic understanding of Egyptian religious beliefs at the time.

Egyptian Religion

According to what is called the Ennead System of creation, which

was developed and promoted from Heliopolis, there were nine major
gods at the head of the Egyptian pantheon. The chief god was Atum,
also known as Ra or Re. It was he who emerged alone out of the
primordial nothingness and he was represented and worshiped as the
sun. The next stage was Atum's creation of the elements 'air' and
'water,' deified as the god Shu and goddess Tefnut. From this union
came the next generation of Egyptian divinities who were the god
Geb (also known as Keb or Seb) who represented the earth, and the goddess Nut or Nuit,
who was a deification of the sky and the heavens. This pair, the sky and the earth, were
eventually separated as the picture shows, with the canopy of the heavens arching over and
covering the prostrate earth.
It was from the union of Geb and Nut that Egyptian history began, because prior to their
separation Nut became pregnant and gave birth to four children: the brothers Osiris and
Set, and the sisters Isis and Nephthys. According to ancient Egyptian accounts from every
era Osiris was the very first king of Egypt who ruled wisely and compassionately in a
primordial Golden Age referred to as Zep Tepi—the "First Time."

The Myth of Osiris

The story of the life and death of Osiris is related in the myth called "The Legend of Osiris
and Isis." This myth is recounted in bits and pieces throughout Egypt in hieroglyphic
inscriptions, in papyrus funerary texts, and in paintings and sculptures, but it was not set
down in a complete modern literary form until the Greek writer Plutarch summarized it in
the first century AD. [1]

Briefly, according to this version of the myth, when Osiris appeared the land of Egypt was in
chaos and the people lived as ignorant barbarians. Osiris civilized the Egyptians and brought
order to the land by teaching them agriculture and writing, by giving them a code of laws,
and by instructing them in the proper worship of the gods. After his great success in the
land of Egypt Osiris set out on a journey to civilize and bring order to the entire earth. While
he was gone his sister/wife Isis ruled in his stead, while his jealous brother Set plotted how
to get rid of him and take over his throne.

During a return visit to Egypt Set held a banquet in Osiris' honor. He had secretly measured
Osiris' body and had fabricated a beautiful chest to his exact specifications. During the party
this chest was brought out and admired by all. As if in fun Set remarked that he would give
this beautiful object to whomever could fit perfectly inside it. Everyone at the party tried to
fit inside, but only Osiris fit perfectly, and then when he was inside Set, along with
seventy-two fellow conspirators, slammed the door of the chest shut and fastened it
with nails and molten lead. They then carried the chest out and tossed it into the river,
whereupon Osiris drowned and the chest was carried out to sea.

Eventually this chest came to the shore near Byblos, where the ocean-side shrubbery grew
up around it and covered it. This shrubbery grew thicker and thicker so that it appeared as
a tree trunk, after which it was cut down, with the chest hidden inside, and installed as a
pillar in the court of the local king. After a series of miraculous events Isis eventually found
the chest, recovered the body of Osiris and brought it back to Egypt where she hid it.
Unfortunately, while out hunting one night the evil Set came upon this chest, discovered the
body of Osiris, cut it up into fourteen pieces and scattered them throughout the land. Isis
then went throughout the land to recover these pieces, setting up a shrine or tomb for
Osiris at each place. She found every piece of Osiris except for the phallus and magically
put him back together again. In place of the phallus she created an artificial one and
consecrated it to the gods, after which she copulated with Osiris and became pregnant. The
body of Osiris was then mummified and buried at an undisclosed location, which is the first
historical or mythological reference to the practice of mummification. Osiris was the world's
very first mummy, which is an important fact to remember.

The son born to Isis from Osiris was named Horus and he was raised to adulthood in secret.
The spirit of Osiris would often visit his son, instructing him in warfare and in the proper
way to rule as a king. Horus gradually became skilled and knowledgeable enough to
challenge his uncle Set, and faced off against him in a number of epic battles. Horus
eventually overcame Set militarily and then also legally, when the Council of the Gods gave
Horus the authority to rule over the whole land of Egypt. Osiris was also rewarded for the
virtue that he displayed in his life by being transformed into a god and given authority as
the Judge of the Dead and Ruler of the Underworld. From then on every king of Egypt was
known as a descendent of both Horus and Osiris.

The Symbols of Osiris

In Egyptian art Osiris is almost always depicted as

a figure who is mummified in white linen from his
neck down, with only his arms or hands unbound.
He is usually shown wearing the white crown—the
hedjet, which is the crown that always refers to
Upper Egypt (southern Egypt). There was also a
red crown—the deshret, which was usually
reserved for Lower Egypt, and there was also a
double crown—the pschent, which symbolized the
wearer's authority over both Upper and Lower
Egypt. Osiris almost always wore the White Crown,
and rarely the Red Crown, but Horus was often
pictured wearing the Double Crown.

Osiris is also depicted with green skin, which

Egyptologists explain as a reference to the fact
that he is dead, or as an allusion to his role as an
agricultural god. Osiris is often shown holding a
crook or hooked staff and a flail. The crook was a
shepherd's tool, while the flail was used as a
threshing tool in agriculture. These became
symbols of royalty and were adopted by pharaohs
down through the ages, including King
Tutankhamen. [2]

Images of Osiris are also often accompanied by the hieroglyphic symbol known as the ankh,
which looks like a cross with a loop at the top, as shown at the bottom right of the picture.
This hieroglyph is the ancient Egyptian symbol meaning "life," and it was used in the case of
Osiris, as with the Cross of Christianity, to refer to life after death and eternal life. Another
symbol used in connection with Osiris that had the same connotation was the Bennu bird, or
phoenix, the legendary bird of prey that dies a fiery death but is always reborn from the
ashes. Some accounts state that this bird first emerged from the heart of Osiris, while
others equate the Bennu bird with the soul of Ra-Atum. As we will continue to show, the
theme of "Resurrection" is a constant companion to the figure of Osiris.

Another important symbol for Osiris is the constellation Orion. As Part 1 explained, this is a
connection still debated within the field of Egyptology, yet the evidence seems to be clear.
Below are translations of several inscriptions that date to approximately 2175-2350 BC.
They are the earliest references to Osiris in existence and they clearly connect the god with
the constellation Orion:

Utterance 219:
"In your name of Dweller in Orion, with a season in the sky and a season on earth. O Osiris,
turn your face and look on this King, for your seed which issued from you is effective."
Utterance 442:
"This Great One has fallen on his side, he who is in Nedit is felled. Your hand is taken by Ra,
your head is lifted up by the Two Enneads. Behold he has come as Orion, behold, Osiris has
come as Orion... O King, the sky conceives you with Orion, the dawn-light bears you with
Orion. He who lives, lives by the command of the gods, and you live. You will regularly
ascend with Orion from the eastern region of the sky, you will regularly descend with Orion
into the western region of the sky..."

Utterance 466:
"O King, you are this great star, the companion of Orion, who traverses the sky with Orion,
who navigates the Netherworld with Osiris; you ascend from the east of the sky, being
renewed at your due season and rejuvenated at your due time. The sky has born you with
Orion, the year has put a fillet on you with Osiris, hands have been given to you, the dance
has gone down to you, a food-offering is given to you, the Great Mooring-post cries out to
you as (to) Osiris in his suffering." [3]

These inscriptions are part of the Pyramid Texts which are an important key to unlocking
the mysteries of Egyptian religion, the origin of Dynastic Egypt, and the historical identity of
Osiris—the man who became a god.

The Pyramid Texts

The three main pyramids of Giza were built during Egypt's Fourth Dynasty (c.2600-2500
BC) and they are curiously devoid of any kind of ritualistic hieroglyphic inscriptions. Less
than two hundred years later another major pyramid complex began to be built at Saqqara,
about ten miles southeast of Giza. Altogether five kings from the Fifth and Sixth
Dynasties erected five main pyramids at this new cult location. These pyramids were much
smaller than those of Giza and they were also different by the fact that the halls and
chambers within these pyramids were completely covered with the inscriptions that are
known today as the 'Pyramid Texts.'

There are over seven hundred groups of inscriptions, known as 'utterances,' carved
throughout these five pyramids, and the majority of them are spells or ritualistic verses
whose purpose is to "ensure the welfare of the dead king in the hereafter."[4] Strangely,
the very first of these utterances appear to have much in common with the early pages of
the New Testament:

Utterance 1:
"The King is my eldest son... he is my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Utterance 2:
"Recitation by Geb: 'The king is my bodily son...'"

Utterance 3:
"...The King is my beloved son, my first-born upon the throne of Geb, with whom he is well
pleased, and he has given to him his heritage in the presence of the Great Ennead. All the
gods are in joy, and they say: 'How goodly is the King! His father Geb is pleased with him.'"
[5]

Throughout the Pyramid Texts the king is the focus and his relationship with the gods is
explained. He is referred to often as Osiris or as Horus, and he is referred to repeatedly as
the son of Ra—the chief god of the Ennead, or as the son of Geb—the earth god of the
Ennead. During his life the king was viewed as a sort of living or reincarnated Osiris/Horus
and then at his death he took his place in the Netherworld among the gods and stars after
undergoing a judgment presided over by Osiris. One of the most important doctrines of
Egyptian religion is thus developed, as the French Egyptologist Ledrain explains,

"Osiris was the god through whose sufferings and death the Egyptian hoped that his body
might rise again in some transformed or glorified shape, and to him who had conquered
death and had become the king of the other world the Egyptian appealed in prayer for
eternal life through his victory and power. In every funeral inscription known to us, from the
pyramid texts down to the roughly written prayers upon coffins of the Roman period, what
is done for Osiris is done also for the deceased, the state and condition of Osiris are the
state and condition of the deceased; in a word, the deceased is identified with Osiris. If
Osiris liveth for ever, the deceased will live for ever; if Osiris dieth, then will the deceased
perish." [6]

Giza and the Cult of Osiris

Evidence that Giza was built as a magnificent memorial to Osiris can be found throughout
Egyptian history. In his book Secret Chamber (1999), author and researcher Robert Bauval
gathers much of this evidence and organizes it into a formidable argument.

For instance, in the Book of the Two Ways, which dates to c.2000 BC, Bauval cites a
reference to the "Highland of Aker, which is the dwelling place of Osiris," and another that
states: "Osiris who is in the Highland of Aker." Bauval then refers to Egyptologist Selim
Hassan whose research has concluded that Aker, a lion-figured deity pictured often in
connection with Osiris and the Netherworld, is most likely symbolized by the Great Sphinx,
and that the "Highlands of Aker" must then refer to the raised Giza plateau upon which the
Sphinx and the Pyramids were built. In other words, Giza is the dwelling place of Osiris. [7]

Another reference comes from the inscription on the Shabaka Stone which dates to c.700
BC. However, the scribe who carved the text states that the inscription is a copy from an
earlier original, one that scholars believe may date as far back as the Pyramid Age:

This is the land ////// the burial of Osiris in the House of Sokar. ////// Isis and Nephthys
without delay, for Osiris had drowned in his water. Isis [and Nephthys] looked out, [beheld
him and attended to him]. Horus speaks to Isis and Nephthys: "Hurry, grasp him ///."
Isis and Nephthys speak to Osiris: "We come, we take you ///."
////// [They heeded in time] and brought him to [land. He entered the hidden portals in the
glory of the lords of eternity]. //////. [Thus Osiris came into] the earth at the royal fortress,
to the north of [the land to which he had come...] [8]

According to this text Osiris was buried in the "House of Sokar" after his body had been
taken by Isis and Nephthys and brought to the land, whereafter he entered the "hidden
portals" and "came into the earth at the royal fortress," which was in the north of the land
of Egypt.

The Pyramid Texts explain that Sokar is merely another name for Osiris. Some current
researchers believe that Sokar was an ancient deity originally distinct from Osiris but their
evidence is thin and based primarily on conjecture and supposition [9]. Sokar may have
been a name by which the Egyptians originally knew Osiris, and one of his many aspects,
but Sokar was never completely distinct from Osiris.

In Utterance 300 of the Pyramid Texts the king, who is often identified as Osiris, states, "...I
am Sokar of Rostau, I am bound for the place where dwells Sokar..." In Utterance 532 the
connection is made more explicit: "...they have found Osiris, his brother Seth having laid
him low in Nedit; when Osiris said 'Get away from me,' when his name became Sokar."
The "House of Sokar" is therefore the very same as the "House of Osiris."

The next question is, what and where is Rostau? Remember that in Part 1 Zahi Hawass was
quoted as referring to Osiris as the "Lord of the Underground Tunnels"? Well the word
Rostau means underground tunnels, and "Lord of Rostau" is one of the many titles held by
Osiris.[10] "Rostau" was simply another name for the Giza plateau and the many tunnels
underneath it.

This understanding is clarified by a stela that once stood between the paws of the Sphinx
that is attributed to Thutmose IV (c.1400 BC). Line seven of this stela states that the
Sphinx lies "beside the House of Sokar ... in Rostau." [11]

Bauval finds further proof that Rostau refers to Giza in the so-called Coffin Texts which were
inscribed in burial chambers near the end of the Old Kingdom (c.1800-2000 BC):

"I am Osiris, I have come to Rostau in order to know the secret of the Duat ... I have come
equipped with magic, I have quenched my thirst with it, I live on white emmer, filling the
Winding Waterway..."

"...on the day of concealing the mysteries of the deep place in Rostau ... I am he (Osiris)
who sees the secret things in Rostau... O you who opens up ways and open up paths for the
perfected souls in the House of Osiris..."

"...Sokar... (is) happy and content when (he) sees that this mansion of mine is founded
among the waters... while Sokar belongs to Rostau..."

"I have travelled by the roads of Rostau on water and on land... these are the roads of
Osiris and they are in the sky..."

"I have passed over the paths of Rostau, whether on water or on land, and these are the
paths of Osiris; they are at the limit of the sky..."

"I shall not be turned back to the gates of the Duat. I ascend to the sky with Orion... I am
one who collects for himself his efflux in front of Rostau..." [12]

Robert Bauval first made his mark internationally with the book The Orion Mystery, co-
written with Adrian Gilbert in 1995. This volume put forth the hypothesis, which has steadily
gained popular support, that the three pyramids of Giza were laid out and built as a
deliberate representation of the three belt stars of Orion on earth. Rostau, Giza, the
"Highland of Aker," the "House of Sokar" or "House of Osiris," by whatever name it is
known, was built to be a picture of the heavens on the earth. Bauval explains,

"Giza, the earthly Rostau, is located on the west bank of the River Nile. Thus by
transposition, we can deduce that the celestial Rostau is a region of the starry sky on the
west 'bank' of the Milky Way. Furthermore Giza... is a counterpart of a portion of the sky
near the Milky Way which contains Orion, Sirius and the constellation of Taurus and Leo.
Everything thus strongly points to the idea that we are invited to consider this celestial
region as a sort of 'guide map' – one, perhaps, that may lead us to the 'tomb' or 'burial
place' of Osiris." [13]

Many researchers believe that the Tomb of Osiris, as well as his bodily remains or "efflux,"
will be found and publicized in the very near future. However, there are other references
among the Coffin Texts that appear to state that the remains of Osiris may in fact be
supernaturally protected:

"This is the sealed thing which is in darkness, with fire about it, which contains the
efflux of Osiris, and it was put in Rostau. It has been hidden there since it fell from him,
and it is what came down from him onto the desert sand; it means that what belongs to him
(his body) was put in Rostau..." Coffin Texts Spell 1080

"This is the word which is in darkness. As for any spirit who knows it, he will live among the
living. Fire is about it, which contains the efflux of Osiris. As for any man who shall
know it, he will never perish there, since he knows what shall be in Rostau. Rostau is hidden
since he fell there... Rostau is (another name) for Osiris..." Coffin Texts Spell 1087 [14]

Perhaps it is not up to us to find it, but up to something or someone else to allow it to be

found, when the time is right.

The Mysteries of Osiris

Here is what the celebrated Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge had to say about Osiris "the
single most important Egyptian deity" at the beginning of his book Osiris and the Egyptian
Resurrection, first published in 1911 (and dedicated to Lionel Walter Rothschild):

"The religious literature of all the great periods of Egyptian history is filled with allusions to
incidents connected with the life, death, and resurrection of Osiris, the god and judge of the
Egyptian dead; and from first to last the authors of religious texts took it for granted that
their readers were well acquainted with such incidents in all their details. In no text do we
find any connected history of the god, and nowhere are stated in detail the reasons why he
assumed his exalted position as the judge of souls, or why, for about four thousand years,
he remained the great type and symbol of the Resurrection. No funerary inscription exists,
however early, in which evidence cannot be found proving that the deceased had set his
hope of immortality in Osiris, and at no time in Egypt's long history do we find that the
position of Osiris was usurped by any other god. On the contrary, it is Osiris who is made to
usurp the attributes and powers of other gods, and in tracing his history... we shall find that
the importance of the cult of this god grew in proportion to the growth of the power and
wealth of Egypt, and that finally its influence filled both the national and private life of her
inhabitants, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sixth Cataract at Shablûkah. The fame of
Osiris extended to the nations around, and it is to the hands of foreigners that we are
indebted for connected, though short, narratives of his history." [15] (emphasis mine)

Osiris became one of the most revered gods in Egypt and even throughout the civilized
world in the millennia before the appearance of Christianity, but his origins still remain
obscure. Was he a historical figure, or was he a product of man's imagination? The ancient
Egyptians would emphatically argue that he was once a flesh-and-blood man before he died
and became a god.

Robert Bauval agrees with the ancient Egyptian understanding of Osiris. He believes that
Osiris once walked the earth, but like Budge he is mystified by many of the unknowns that
surround this figure. Bauval writes,

"There is a great paradox in Egyptology that so far has not been properly explained.
Although the earliest reference to Osiris is found in the Pyramid Texts which date from
c.2300 BC, a cursory study reveals that the mythology, doctrines, liturgy and rituals which
they contain could not possibly have developed overnight, but would have required a long
process of intellectual and religious evolution long before that date. Although all
Egyptologists seem to agree to this, none can agree, however, on how long before that date
this process would have begun. A tentative date of around 6000 BC was suggested by Jane
B. Sellers on astronomical grounds, but an even earlier date of around 10,500 BC also
based on astronomical considerations is, in my opinion, more likely. Furthermore, the
Egyptologists are also at a loss to explain why in the large quantities of inscriptions that
predate the Pyramid Texts, not one single mention of Osiris has been found. It is as if the
cult of Osiris, with its rituals, doctrines, liturgies and mythology, suddenly materialised out
of nowhere and, almost overnight, was readily adopted as the principle religion of the
pharaonic state." [16]

In the quote from Budge above he theorized that the origins of the Osiris cult trace back to
about 4000 BC. Bauval's quote refers to Sellers who believes that the cult goes as far back
as 6000 BC, while Bauval personally believes that the Osiris cult traces back even further to
10,500 BC. These are all interesting conjectures yet the fact remains, as Bauval concedes,
that prior to 2300 BC among the large quantities of inscriptions that have been found,
absolutely none of them mention or refer to Osiris or to his alter-ego Sokar. With this fact in
mind it is far more likely then that the historical figure of Osiris is to be found only a few
hundred years, rather than a few thousand years, before his appearance, fully-evolved
and fully-functional, at the heart of Egyptian religion.

The search for the historical Osiris will continue in the next installment.
Footnotes

1. Plutarch's "Isis and Osiris":

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/ho
me.html

2. Crook and flail of Tutankhamen: http://touregypt.net/museum/tutl63.htm

3. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, translated by R.O. Faulkner, 1969

4. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, translated by R.O. Faulkner, 1969, inside dust
jacket

5. Ibid, p.1

6. Ledrain, Les Monuments Égyptiens de la Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 1879, pll. xxi-
xxvii.
from http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ebod/ebod04.htm

7. Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records, Robert Bauval, 1999, pp.82-83

8. Ibid, p.85
Shabaka Stone text from http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/texts/shabaka_stone.htm

9. See www.kheraha.co.uk and the work of Simon Cox and David Alan Ritchie

10. For further corroboration also see http://www.guardians.net/hawass/osiris1.htm

11. Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records, Robert Bauval, 1999, p.88

12. Ibid, pp.92-94

13. Ibid, p.95

14. Ibid, Coffin Texts from p.88 and p.94 respectively

15. Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection, E. A. Wallis Budge, 1973 (1911), page 1

16. Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records, Robert Bauval, 1999, pp.95-96
The Saviors of the Ancient World

"The central figure of the ancient Egyptian Religion was Osiris, and the chief
fundamentals of his cult were the belief in his divinity, death, resurrection, and
absolute control of the destinies of the bodies and souls of men. The central point
of each Osirian's Religion was his hope of resurrection in a transformed body and
of immortality, which could only be realized by him through the death and
resurrection of Osiris."
E. A. Wallace Budge, Osiris & the Egyptian Resurrection, 1973 (1911), Preface

"The philosophers of the ancient world were the spiritual masters of the Inner
Mysteries... At the heart of the Mysteries were myths concerning a dying and
resurrecting godman, who was known by many different names. In Egypt he was
Osiris, in Greece Dionysus, in Asia Minor Attis, In Syria Adonis, in Italy Bacchus, in
Persia Mithras. Fundamentally all these godmen are the same mythical being."
Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, The Jesus Mysteries - Was the Original Jesus a Pagan
God?, 1999, p.4

Prior to the birth of Christianity the ancient world was full of mythology, rituals, ceremonies,
and religious beliefs that conformed on many levels with what later became the
fundamental doctrines of Christianity. This fact may be unknown to most practicing
Christians today, or at least ignored, but it has been a common understanding in the secular
intellectual world since at least 1890. That was the year in which Sir James G. Frazer's book
The Golden Bough was first published. In this volume, now universally recognized as a
classic, Frazer became the first mainstream scholar to highlight the common themes found
throughout the myths and legends of many different cultures, themes that predated
Christianity but which were still very similar—the most important of these being the story of
a dying and rising god.

The implications of Frazer's analysis were quickly grasped by his

contemporaries who were already in the process of dismantling
the Judeo-Christian worldview, aided and abetted by the
materialistic preconceptions of Darwin, Freud, Marx and
Nietzsche. Frazer's role is probably under-appreciated, but his
influence greatly contributed to the emergence of today's modern
secular philosophical outlook, especially as it exists within
academia.

Since the publication of The Golden Bough many scholars have

taken Frazer's thesis, built upon it, and proclaimed much more
bolder and more explicit conclusions regarding the connection that
must surely exist between Jesus of Nazareth and paganism's
Dying God. Below is a sampling of some of the books that have
been published over the years that have offered answers to this
curious question:
The Historical Jesus and the Mythical Christ, Gerald Massey, 1900

Christianity Before Christ, John G. Jackson, 1985

The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You To Read, edited by Tim C. Leedom, 1993

The Christ Conspiracy - The Greatest Story Ever Sold, Acharya S, 1999

The Jesus Mysteries, Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, 1999

The Jesus Puzzle, Earl Doherty, 1999

That Old-Time Religion, Jordan Maxwell, 2000

The Truth Behind the Christ Myth, Mark Amaru Pinkham, 2002

The Pagan Christ - Recovering the Lost Light, Tom Harpur, 2005

The Messiah Myth, Thomas L. Thompson, 2005

The books listed above represent the work of a minority of scholars who are motivated often
by their own religious beliefs and with an axe to grind against Christianity. Their books are
aimed at a general audience and they do not hesitate to promote sensational or
controversial theories that often do not stand up against rigorous critical scrutiny. However,
the above list represents only one side, the radical side, of the academic debate that
eventually sprang up after Frazer's publication of The Golden Bough.

The Real Debate

The most recent full-scale scholarly analysis of the ancient mythological/religious

phenomenon of dying and rising gods is an academic manuscript by Tryggve N. D.
Mettinger, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Lund University, Sweden, entitled The Riddle of
Resurrection—"Dying and Rising Gods" in the Ancient Near East, published in 2001.

According to Mettinger, Frazer's thesis—that dying and rising gods were a major element of
Near Eastern pagan religion—stood relatively unchallenged for a number of years until it
suffered a "severe attack" from a French scholar named R. de Vaux in 1933. Then from that
point it led a "somewhat precarious life" until it apparently "died the death of a thousand
wounds" through a listing in Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion (1987). That listing, under the
heading "Dying and rising gods" written by scholar Jonathan Z. Smith, claimed to
summarize the current academic consensus on the issue, and what it had to say was far
from favorable for Frazer's thesis.

According to J.Z. Smith, the entire category of "Dying and Rising" gods was a fabrication,
and all of the deities placed in this category, upon close inspection, proved to be either gods
who disappeared and then returned, but did not die, or deities who died and then never
rose. For Smith it was either one or the other, but never both, as Frazer had claimed for a
multitude of pagan deities and which happened in the case of Jesus Christ. Smith even
stated that in some cases it appeared that Frazer was "strongly influenced by the wish to
demonstrate that Christianity was not an innovation, but that all its essential features are to
be found in earlier religions." [1]

If J. Z. Smith's 1987 article was the death of Frazer's thesis, then Mark S. Smith's
subsequent paper entitled "The Death of 'Dying and Rising Gods' in the Biblical World,"
published in 1998, was an attempt to bury it once and for all. In this paper M.S. Smith
focused on all of the alleged dying and rising deities and was able to find discrepancies with
each and every one of them as they related to Frazer's thesis. According to Smith's
interpretation of the data, either they were not fully divine, or they did not actually die, or
they did not rise after death. The twentieth century ended with Frazer's thesis in a very
abused condition.

But what if the reaction against Frazer has swung too far in the opposite direction? That is
what Tryggve Mettinger concludes at the end of his analysis of the current status of "Dying
and Rising God" scholarship, which is a state of affairs that prompted him to write his book
The Riddle of Resurrection in the first place.

In his book Mettinger makes a meticulous examination of the Near Eastern gods that have
been placed at one time or another under the heading of "Dying and Rising" gods. These
include Ugaritic Baal, Melqart-Heracles, Adonis, Eshmun-Asclepius, Dumuzi-Tammuz, and
Osiris. For Mettinger the question is simple: is there any evidence—literary or inscriptional,
ritual or mythological—that any of these gods were ever understood by the people that
worshiped them as having actually died and then returned to life again? It is a simple
question but Mettinger does not believe that the scholars who have reacted against Frazer's
thesis have been completely honest. In his book Mettinger sets the record straight and gives
his own even-handed interpretation of the evidence.

We will now move forward and examine each of these deities and address some of the
issues that influence whether or not they should be viewed as "Dying and Rising Gods." We
will also see how closely inter-related they all are, despite the fact that one of them is
Canaanite (Baal), three of them are Phoenician (Melqart, Adonis and Eshmun), one is
Sumerian-Assyrian (Dumuzi), and one is Egyptian (Osiris). Is it indeed the case, as Tim
Freke alleges within the quote at the head of this study that "Fundamentally all these
godmen are the same mythical being"?

Ugaritic Baal

In approximately 1200 BC the Temple complex of Ras Shamra, in the ancient north Syrian
port of Ugarit, was catastrophically destroyed and buried. When this site was finally
excavated by archaeologists in 1929 a treasure trove of ancient texts was unearthed which
have become a primary source for historians studying the religion of the ancient Canaanites
and Phoenicians. What they have found is that Canaanite culture had a highly structured
view of the universe, of the gods, and of mankind's relationship with both.

The Canaanite pantheon was a four-level hierarchical structure. At the top there was the
great ancient god El, with his consort the mother goddess Asherah. El was described as the
father of the gods, yet he did not play a very active role in world affairs and scholars have
labeled him an "otiose" deity. He was a figurehead only and remained far removed and
inactive.
The second level was made up of the seventy sons of El and Asherah. These were the great
gods that did play an active role in human affairs. They each had their allotted areas of
activity and they constantly fought each other directly as well as indirectly through their
manipulation of human beings.

The third level consisted of the lesser deities, the angels, who acted as servants,
messengers and foot-soldiers of the gods, and every god had a huge retinue of these.

The fourth level was the level on which human beings existed. We were the slaves and
property of the gods. Human society was also organized in a hierarchical structure, with a
priesthood dictating the will of the gods, a monarchy making sure that it was obeyed, and a
complicated civil-service network of officers and scribes ensuring organization, efficiency
and piety.

In Canaanite religion El was honored and worshiped but he was not recognized as the
principal divine figure that ruled directly over the gods and over mankind. That principal
divine figure was the god Baal, and it is the myth known as the Baal Cycle that explains how
Baal rose to become the universally acknowledged "King of the Gods." It is also within this
myth that evidence exists for placing Baal within the category of "Dying and Rising Gods."

The Baal Cycle begins with the world in a transition period. El is looking fondly towards
retirement and so he appoints the god Yam, his son, as his successor to act as the King of
the Gods. Yam takes over as the head of the pantheon but he rules the world as a tyrant.
Asherah the Queen Mother attempts to appease Yam by offering herself as a sacrifice but
she is prevented by Baal, who then confronts Yam and defeats him in battle after a
complicated series of events.

Baal takes over as the King of the Gods but then he is confronted by El's new favorite who
is Mot the god of the Underworld. What happens next is disputed by scholars. The ancient
texts are clear that Mot is victorious and that Baal disappears for a period of time, but was
Baal actually killed and was his period of disappearance spent in the Underworld? After
considering evidence from many different sources Mettinger makes a very convincing
argument that Baal was indeed killed and that he did exist in the Underworld before being
resurrected. For Mettinger, Ugaritic Baal is indeed a "Dying and Rising" god.

Another major question that scholars grapple with is the source and evolution of the Baal
myth. How did the worship of Baal evolve and why did the Canaanites create a story of a
usurper god who rose to a position as the King of the Gods?

Modern scholars have concluded that Baal has much in common with the Babylonian god
Marduk whose ascendancy to divine kingship is related in the Babylonian creation epic the
Enuma Elish, which predates the Baal Cycle of Ugarit. In the Enuma Elish Marduk is the son
of Ea/Enki who is one of the primary Sumerian gods that we will examine in a future article.
Ancient historians such as Philo of Byblos, Plutarch of Delphi, and Berossus of Babylon all
agreed that Baal and Marduk were in fact the very same god.

Melqart of Tyre

The Canaanites were the inhabitants of the Levant at the time of the Hebrew Exodus from
Egypt and their settlements stretched from what is now southern Israel all the way up to
northern Syria. There are many parallels between the Phoenicians and the Canaanites and
often they appear to be the very same culture. However the following distinction can be
made: The Canaanites were primarily the inland inhabitants who were more influenced from
the Babylonians and the Assyrians, while the Phoenicians were the coastal dwellers of the
port cities of Tyre, Sidon, Byblos and Aradus, known for their skill as seafarers and for their
activities as colonizers of the entire Mediterranean basin. The Phoenicians were therefore
more influenced by Egypt, as opposed to Babylon or Assyria, and they in turn were a great
influence upon the Greeks.

The Phoenicians appear to have recognized the god Baal as the chief deity of their
pantheon, yet each Phoenician city also worshiped a unique city-god that they especially
revered. In Tyre the name of that god was Melqart. The Greeks knew him as Heracles (the
Roman Hercules) and from their Phoenician contacts they absorbed Heracles into their own
pantheon early on and created a separate identity for him over the centuries. Ancient
historians were therefore always careful to make the distinction between the Greek Heracles
and the Tyrian Heracles who was Melqart.

The history of Melqart is much more mysterious than that of Baal, Marduk or Osiris, because
there are no full-length mythological narratives of his career and all we have are bits and
pieces. In his analysis Mettinger refers to Philo of Byblos who wrote that, "Demarous had a
son Melkarthos, who is also known as Heracles." In Ugarit Baal is referred to as Dmrn,
which means "The Warrior" and from this Mettinger concludes that we may have a tradition
here that Melqart was once known as a son of Baal. [2]

What is important for this study, however, is whether or not Melqart was viewed as a "Dying
and Rising" god. Mettinger refers to two different traditions that describe the "death" of
Melqart. He first offers the following quote from Eudoxus of Cnidus from an inscription
dating to around 200 BC,

"...the Phoenicians sacrifice quails to Heracles, because Heracles, the son of Asteria and
Zeus, went into Libya and was killed by Typhon; but Iolaus brought a quail to him, and
having put it close to him, he smelt it and came to life again."

The reference is to the Phoenicians, and this, plus evidence from other ancient sources,
makes it clear that this tradition refers to the Tyrian Heracles who is Melqart. His death is
given as having been inflicted by Typhon which parallels the traditions of Osiris being killed
by Set and Baal being killed by Mot. Typhon was a Greek god who was viewed by the
ancient historians as the very same as the Egyptian god Set, while there are parallels
between Typhon and Mot as well.

The second tradition regarding the death of Melqart seems to have developed from the
Phoenician practice of cremation and Mettinger gives a number of sources that describe a
death by fire as the final end of Melqart. In summation it is very well attested that Melqart
was understood as at least a "Dying" god.

The evidence that Melqart was also understood as a "Rising" god is very interesting but
somewhat controversial, although not for Mettinger. It has to do with a ritual tradition
known to the Phoenicians as the "Awakening of Heracles." This tradition is related by the
Jewish historian Josephus in one of the different translations of a passage from his book
Antiquities of the Jews. It refers to the time of King Solomon and the activities of King
Hiram of Tyre,
"He (Hiram) built the temple of Hercules and that of Astarte, and he was the first to
celebrate the awakening of Heracles in the month of Peritius." [3]

In support of this translation Mettinger also refers to other various inscriptions that allude to
the cult of Heracles and mention a specific person known as the "Awakener" or
"Resuscitator" of Heracles. Mettinger sums it up this way,

"Our conclusion so far is that there are certain reasons to believe that there was, in the
Phoenician mainland and in Palestine, in Hellenistic times, a cultic celebration referred to as
the (awakening) of the god, a celebration in which some agent was referred to as the
(awakener), 'the resuscitator of Heracles'." [4]

The Old Testament also offers evidence that the Phoenicians worshiped a god that was
known to be asleep and in need of awakening. In 1 Kings 18:19-46 the prophet Elijah faced
off against King Ahab, who was married to Jezebel, a princess of Tyre. Ahab and Jezebel
had led Israel into idolatry through the worship of Baal and Elijah was called to demonstrate
that the Lord God of Israel was indeed Israel's true God.

Elijah was able to convince Ahab to agree to a divine showdown on the top of Mt. Carmel
near the sea to the south of Tyre. Two altars were prepared, one for Baal and one for the
God of Israel, and Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal to call fire down from heaven
in the name of Baal to burn up their sacrifices. After the prophets of Baal had prayed and
leaped around all morning, unsuccessfully appealing to Baal for a miracle of fire, Elijah
began to mock them saying,

"Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or he is on a
journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened." [5]

Elijah's final remark was an insult directed specifically towards the Tyrian worship of
Melqart/Heracles, who was known to be "asleep" and who was ritually "awakened" during
the city of Tyre's annual cultic ceremony. At this particular event on the top of Mt. Carmel
neither Melqart nor Baal (perhaps Melqart was Tyre's Baal) responded to the efforts of their
priests, but fire did come down from heaven for Elijah after he offered a quick word of
prayer, which burned up the sacrifices, the stones of the altar, and the surrounding water-
filled trench.

Adonis of Byblos

Adonis is the second Phoenician city-god that we will

examine. His original cult center was in Byblos, located
about 20 miles north of the modern city of Beirut,
Lebanon.

Mettinger explains that there are two different versions

of the myth of Adonis that explain his relation to the
Underworld and to the "Dying and Rising" category. One
version simply states that Adonis was a young hunter
who was killed by a boar and this version of the myth is
elaborated upon in Lucian's second century AD work, De Dea Syria,

"I did see... in Byblos a great sanctuary... in which they perform the rites of Adonis... They
say... that what the boar did to Adonis occurred in their territory. As a memorial of his
suffering each year they beat their breasts, mourn, and celebrate the rites... they first
sacrifice to Adonis as if to a dead person, but then, on the next day, they proclaim that he
lives and send him into the air. ...There is also another marvel in the land of Byblos. A river
from Mount Lebanon empties into the sea. Adonis is the name given to the river. Each year
the river becomes blood red and, having changed its color, flows into the sea and reddens a
large part of it, giving a signal for lamentations to the inhabitants of Byblos. They tell the
story that on these days Adonis is being wounded up on Mt. Lebanon..." [6]

The other version is much older and a summary of it comes from the fifth century BC
author, Panyassis:

Some say that when Adonis was still an infant Aphrodite, for the sake of his beauty, hid him
in a chest unknown to the gods and entrusted it to Persephone. But when Persephone
beheld him, she would not give him back. The case being tried before Zeus, the year was
divided into three parts, so that Adonis should stay by himself for one part of the year, with
Persephone for one part, and with Aphrodite for the remainder. However Adonis made over
to Aphrodite his own share in addition. For this reason Adonis may be counted among those
who were in the Underworld and came back to be among the living. [7]

Persephone was the wife of Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld, which is why Adonis
was said to spend one third of the year there. Mettinger quotes from the Christian writer
Cyril of Alexandria who refers to an Alexandrian pagan festival that was based upon this
myth. It began with weeping and wailing on behalf of Aphrodite for the loss of her son and
then ended with rejoicing after she returned from the Underworld having found him.

Origen and Jerome are two other early Christian writers who took notice of the Adonis myth
and ritual and both of them, in their commentaries on Ezekiel 8:14, equated Adonis with the
Sumerian god Tammuz. They also both clearly identified Adonis/Tammuz as a "Dying and
Rising" deity. Despite the apparent certainty of both Origen and Jerome, Mettinger points
out that the twin elements of both "Dying" and "Rising" seem to appear rather late in the
Adonis cult. This prompts his following comments,

"We must realize that the Adonis cults were exposed to strong competition from the
Christian church. Could the notion of the resurrection of Adonis perhaps be a feature
'confiscated' from Christianity? To ask that question is to ask whether or not we have
reasons to think that Adonis was a dying and rising god already in pre-Christian times." [8]

At the end of his analysis Mettinger concludes that there is simply not enough data on the
early Adonis cult to give a conclusive answer to this last question.

Eshmun of Sidon

Eshmun is the third Phoenician city-god that we will examine who is alleged by many
scholars to belong to the category of "Dying and Rising" gods. His primary cult headquarters
was in the city of Sidon, but he was revered throughout the Near East. He was known by
the Greeks as the god Asclepius, a god noted for healing. A useful short narrative of his life
comes from Damascius, a fifth century AD Neo-platonic philosopher,

"Asclepius of Berytus, he says, is neither a Greek nor an Egyptian but a native Phoenician.
For to Sadykos sons were born, who are explained as Dioscouri and Kabeiri. Then as the
eighth child, Esmounos was born [to him]; and Esmounos is interpreted as Asclepius. He
was of very good appearance, a young man of admirable looks, and therefore became,
according to the myth, the darling of Astronoe, a Phoenician goddess, the mother of the
gods. He used to go hunting in these valleys. It then once happened that he discovered the
goddess pursuing him. He fled, but when he saw that she continued to chase him and was
just about to seize him, he cut off his own genitals with an axe. Greatly distressed at what
had happened, she called Paian and rekindled [the life of] the young man by means of life-
bringing heat and made him into a god. The Phoenicians call him Esmounos because of the
warmth of life. Others, again, interpret Esmounos as "the eighth", explaining that he was
the eighth child of Sadykos." [9]

Mettinger is wary of accepting too much of the account from Damascius at face value.
Perhaps the "rekindling" of the "life" of Asclepius was merely a successful nursing of his
wounds? Other sources must be brought forth if we are to conclude that Eshmun is indeed a
"Dying" as well as "Rising" god, which Mettinger immediately provides.

The first reference is simply to that of a Lebanese place name that must certainly date back
to ancient times, known as the Qabr Smun, located about 15 km southeast of Beirut. The
name translates as "Tomb of Eshmun." If Eshmun once had a tomb, then he must have
once died.

Mettinger finds a second reference in the writings of a medieval Islamic scholar who quotes
from the second century work of Galenus. These short lines attest to Eshmun's resurrection,

"It is generally known that Asclepius was raised to the angels in a column of fire, the like of
which is also related with regard to Dionysos, Heracles, and others..." [10]

Mettinger concedes that the information on Eshmun is very limited and that it is probably
not enough to offer firm conclusions. However, our understanding of Eshmun can be
supplemented if we accept that Eshmun was probably very closely related to Baal and also
to Melqart. Concerning Melqart Mettinger offers the following,

"...the formulation may indeed be a result of the close relationship between Eshmun and
Melqart. Thus, in two treaties between Assyria ... and cities to the west we find Melqart and
Eshmun together. What is probably a genitive relation, smn mlqrt, is found on Cyprus
(Kition) during the fourth century B.C.E. This double name may be understood in different
ways. In any case, it seems to testify to a cultic proximity or even fusion of the gods
Eshmun and Melqart. This cultic proximity could indicate that the two gods are of broadly
the same type. The fact that both have Ashtart as their spouse supports this assumption.
What we know of Melqart as a dying and rising deity might then shed light on Eshmun. But,
admittedly, this last possibility is highly hypothetical." [11]

Dumuzi of Sumeria
We now turn to one of the far older alleged "Dying and Rising" gods of the ancient Near
East—Dumuzi of Sumeria. The earliest text that relates the story of Dumuzi and his
connection with the Underworld comes from a Sumerian poem called Inanna's Descent,
which has been dated to the twenty-first century BC. This story involves Sumerian figures
that will become much more familiar in future articles, but for now here is the basic story
[12]:

Inanna the goddess and Queen of Sumeria one day determined to take over the
Underworld. She gathered everything she needed and abandoned her responsibilities on
earth and in heaven and she set out, making her way past the seven gates. At each gate
she was required to leave something behind and when she finally stood in front of her twin
sister Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld, she was completely naked. Inanna forced
her sister off of her Underworld throne and then took her place.

Then seven Anunnaki judges appeared and they rendered a harsh decision against Inanna,
accusing her of abusing her power. They gave her the look of death and then hung her
corpse up on a hook, giving the throne back to Ereshkigal.

Upon learning that Inanna was being held lifeless in the Underworld her minister Nincubura
approached the Sumerian gods Enlil and Nanna for help, but they refused. Only after
approaching Enki at his holy city of Eridu did Nincubura find hope.

After listening to Nincubura Enki created two rescuers from the dirt under his fingernails,
giving one of them the water of life and the other the food of life. They were then sent out
and they successfully penetrated the Underworld, finding Inanna, and giving her the life-
giving food and water, after which she was brought back to the surface.

After escaping from the Underworld Inanna found that she was being chased by demons
who demanded to take Inanna back. Inanna bargained with them and found that they would
be willing to accept a substitute, but she balked at the thought of the demons taking
someone she loved. However, she finally agreed to allow them to take her husband Dumuzi,
the human King of Sumeria, back to the Underworld in her place.

Soon after giving up Dumuzi Inanna felt guilty and mournful at the loss of her husband, so
she then decreed that Dumuzi's sister Geshtinanna should be a second substitute and they
would each serve half of every year in the Underworld.

In Inanna's Descent Dumuzi appears only as a secondary figure, but the important thing is
the end result and how this was reflected in Sumerian religion and in the Assyrian and
Babylonian religions that followed after. It is clear from the later texts, as well as from the
Old Testament, that Dumuzi, later known as Tammuz, was mourned every year upon the
anniversary of his entrance to the Underworld (his death), and then celebrated every year
upon his reappearance from the Underworld (his resurrection). This is enough for many
scholars to classify him as a "Dying and Rising" god.

Mettinger is more careful to come to a conclusion and he first considers the question of
whether or not Dumuzi was even truly a god. The texts are clear that Dumuzi, although a
mythical king, was still just a human being. His name even appears on the Sumerian King
List as an early ruler after the Flood who immediately preceded the hero Gilgamesh:
1) Meskiagkasher, son of Utu, became high priest and king - reigned 324 years...
2) Enmerkar, son of Meskiagkasher, king of Uruk, the one who built Uruk - reigned 420
years
3) Lugalbanda, a shepherd - reigned 1,200 years
4) Dumuzi, the [...], his city was Kua[ra] - reigned 100 years
5) Gilgamesh, his father was a lillu-demon, a high priest of Kullab - reigned 126 years

Even though Dumuzi was clearly a human being Mettinger argues that he was still
recognized as a god by the Sumerians and later groups. The Sumerian distinction between
human and divine was not always clear, plus we have the case of Gilgamesh who was born
partially divine but still fully worshiped as a god. Mettinger concludes that Dumuzi's cult had
to have given him the recognition of a god.

Dumuzi/Tammuz also possessed a number of characteristics that parallel the other "Dying
and Rising" gods that we have analyzed. For instance, both Dumuzi and Adonis were said to
live a portion of their lives in the Underworld. With Dumuzi it was half the year and with
Adonis it was a third. Also, the ritual of the mourning of Tammuz was held in the summer,
which was the same time that the annual mourning/celebrating of Adonis took place, while
the raising of Tammuz must have taken place in the winter, near the month of Peritius
(February-March) when the celebration of the "Awakening of Heracles" took place. Recall as
well that Origen and Jerome (see Adonis above) both clearly believed that Adonis and
Tammuz were the very same figure.

Osiris of Egypt

Osiris is clearly the oldest (from prior to 2500 BC) and probably the most-understood of all
of the alleged "Dying and Rising" gods of the ancient Near East. His myth was related in
Part Two, so we do not need to cover it again here. Because Osiris was the oldest of this
class of gods then we can expect that his cult was also the most influential, which is what
we find when we compare Osiris with members of the rest of the group.

Regarding Adonis of Byblos we find that there are connections between Byblos and Egypt
that reach back deep into antiquity. Mettinger writes that "we should calculate with the
possible presence of a cult of Osiris at Byblos from the Late Bronze Age and onward,
perhaps even earlier." Mettinger also refers again to Damascius' work De Dea Syria in which
was written that there "are some inhabitants of Byblos who say that the Egyptian Osiris is
buried among them and that all the laments and the rites are performed not for Adonis but
for Osiris." Damascius also writes that the worshipers of Adonis shaved their heads for the
annual ceremony in the same manner that they did in Egypt.

There are several connections between the myths of Osiris and Adonis that exist. In the first
place, according to Plutarch's version, the casket of Osiris after leaving Egypt washed up in
Byblos, and it was there that Isis recovered the body of Osiris. Also, the very name 'Byblos'
means papyrus in Greek, and the city probably received that name because in ancient times
it was the main distributor of Egyptian papyrus in the region. There is also evidence that
Byblos was once perhaps a colony or even property of Egypt. Mettinger explains that in
Byblos "the local ruler uses Egyptian language and writing, recognizes Pharaoh as his right
lord, and carries the title of an Egyptian official... In the Amarna letters, the ruler of Byblos
says that Byblos is like Memphis to the king (Pharaoh)." [13]
To say then, that Osiris and Adonis are figures that developed separately but from the same
ancient source is certainly a reasonable conclusion. The Phoenician city of Byblos was
located north of its sister cities of Sidon and Tyre, and all three of these primary city-gods:
Adonis, Eshmun and Melqart, were closely related if not originally the same. Furthermore,
all of them appear to link with Osiris.

The connection between Osiris and Eshmun exists on the mythic level and is perhaps the
least obvious of the three. After the body of Osiris was brought back from Byblos to Egypt it
was discovered by Set who cut it up into many pieces that were then scattered throughout
the land. All of these pieces were then found by Isis except for the phallus. In the myth of
Eshmun we also find an emphasis on the phallus, where Eshmun cuts off his own genitals
upon being captured by his pursuer the goddess Astronoe, who is Ashtart who then
becomes the wife of Eshmun, who is simply the Phoenician version of Isis the wife of Osiris.

In Greek myth Eshmun is known as Asclepius and, as we will explore later, a strange
connection between Asclepius and Giza is given in the Hermetic writings that date to the
second and third centuries AD.

When it comes to Melqart/Heracles there is also extensive evidence linking him with Osiris.
We have already seen that there was a high cult functionary in Tyre who was known as the
"Awakener" or "Resuscitator" of Melqart. Mettinger points to fourth century BC inscriptions
from Tyre in which this cult leader refers specifically to the god Osiris as "my lord Osiris."

Mettinger also considers whether there may be a connection between the Tyrian rituals of
the "awakening of Melqart/Heracles" and the numerous "raise yourself" litanies found in the
cult of Osiris, especially within the Pyramid Texts. Below are just a few examples: [14]

Utterance 498
"Awake, Osiris! awake, O King! Stand up and sit down, throw off the earth which is on you!
I come and give you [the eye of] Horus... Go up and take this bread of yours from me."

Utterance 532
"Raise yourself, O Osiris, first-born son of Geb, at whom the Two Enneads tremble... Your
hand is taken by the Souls of On, your hand is grasped by Ra, your head is raised by the
Two Enneads, and they have set you, O Osiris, at the head of the Conclave of the Souls of
On. Live, live and raise yourself!"

Utterance 603
"Raise yourself, O my father the King, knit on your head, gather together your members, lift
yourself up on your feet, that your will may guide you..."

Utterance 628
"Rouse yourself, O King! Turn yourself about O King! I am Nephthys, and I have come that I
may lay hold of you and give to you your heart for your body."

One of the major cult centers of Melqart/Heracles was located at Gades in Spain, near the
ancient location of the Pillars of Hercules monument. The second century AD writer
Philostratus, in his Life of Appolonius, comments on this place and gives support for the
notion that Melqart was simply Tyre's version of Osiris. Mettinger explains,
"Philostratus' description of the Melqart/Heracles cult at Gades contains a feature that could
perhaps be seen in the light of a connection between Melqart and Osiris. Apollonius speaks
of a dual cult at Gades of "both one and the other Hercules" and goes on to distinguish
between "the Egyptian Hercules" and "the Theban." The latter is the Greek Heracles. De
Dea Syria speaks of the sanctuary of Heracles at Tyre, who is not "the Heracles whom the
Greeks celebrate." The Egyptian Hercules at Gades is then, presumably, the Tyrian Melqart.
If so, there must be some reason for describing the Tyrian Melqart as the Egyptian
Hercules. If he had become associated with Osiris, we would understand this way of
referring to him." [15]

The association becomes even more solid if we recall again that the myth of
Melqart/Heracles says that he was killed by the god Typhon, who is the Greek equivalent of
the Egyptian god Set, the murderer of Osiris. Furthermore, the murder of Heracles took
place in Libya, and in a future article we will explain how this could possibly be a reference
to ancient Egypt and not to modern-day Libya.

The connection that exists between Osiris and the other ancient Near Eastern "Dying and
Rising" gods appears to be real and it appears to be solid. The case would be closed if not
for one major problem. It is the fact that of all of these gods it is Osiris who is actually the
least-suited to be a member of the category. It has to do with the "Rising" aspect of Osiris
and is something that any amateur student of Egyptology can easily point out. Mettinger
looks to Egyptologist Henri Frankfort to bring it to our attention:

"Osiris, in fact, was not a "dying" god at all but a "dead" god. He never returned among the
living; he was not liberated from the world of the dead, ... On the contrary, Osiris altogether
belonged to the world of the dead; it was from there that he bestowed his blessings upon
Egypt. He was always depicted as a mummy, a dead king..." [16]

To put it bluntly, Osiris was not a "Dying and Rising" god, but a "Dead and Gone" god! The
so-called "Resurrection" of Osiris was not to this world, but to the next, which is why he was
known as the Lord of the Underworld, and why the Greeks also equated him with their god
Hades. If Osiris was the initial creator of the "Dying and Rising" category, from whom all of
the others originated, then what can explain this glaring discrepancy?

The Osiris Agenda

In mid-October of 2005 the most recent complete scholarly analysis of Osiris and his cult is
due to be released. The book is written by the highly-credentialed and well-respected
Egyptologist Bojana Mojsov and the title is Osiris: Death and Afterlife of a God. It may be a
coincidence, but it must be noted that the release of this volume will occur near the very
same time that new investigations at Giza are scheduled to take place under Zahi Hawass,
as noted in Part One. If anything is found relating to Osiris then Mojsov's book will probably
receive international attention and acclaim. Strangely, one of the main thrusts of Mojsov's
book appears not to be cultural or archaeological, but rather spiritual. Here is the book
description as given at Amazon.com:

"Osiris, ruler of the netherworld, played a central part in the religious life of the ancient
Egyptians, and his cult grew in popularity down the ages, resonating in all the cultures of
the ancient Mediterranean. This is the first book to tell the story of the cult of Osiris from
beginning to end. Drawing together the numerous records about Osiris from the third
millennium BC to the Roman conquest of Egypt, Bojana Mojsov sketches the development of
the cult throughout 3,000 years of Egyptian history.

The author proves that the cult of Osiris was the most popular and enduring in any ancient
religion. She shows how it provided direct antecedents for many ideas, traits, and
customs in Christianity, including the resurrection after three days, the concept of
god as trinity, baptism in the sacred river, and the sacrament of the Eucharist. She
also reveals the cult’s influence on other Western mystical traditions and groups, such as
the Alchemists, Rosicrucians, and Freemasons."

Again, we have an emphasis on the relationship between Osiris and his cult and Jesus and
the doctrines of Christianity. We have seen in this article, as well as in Part Two, that this
strange connection is real and that it is not something that was artificially created merely to
discredit Christianity. The phenomenon exists. We must deal with it. To ignore it or to
explain it away as so many Christians do would be either cowardly or dishonest.

Near the end of his book Mettinger concedes that a strange connection does exist between
Christianity and the "Dying and Rising" gods of paganism. However, he does not believe
that the existence of this pre-Christian phenomenon must necessarily mean the non-
existence of the Jesus Christ of New Testament Christianity. Here is what he writes,

"There is, as far as I am aware, no prima facie evidence that the death and resurrection of
Jesus is a mythological construct, drawing on the myths and rites of the dying and rising
gods of the surrounding world. While studied with profit against the background of Jewish
resurrection belief, the faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus retains its unique
character in the history of religions. The riddle remains." [17]

Part Four will continue with an investigation into the origin of Egyptian civilization and of
Osiris their most important god. An answer to the riddle exists, but will the world be willing
to accept it?

Footnotes

1. The Riddle of Resurrection, Mettinger, 2001, p.16

2. Ibid, p.85

3. Ibid, p.89 citing: Josephus, R. Marcus, Loeb edition, vol.5, 1988: p.651

4. Ibid, p.91

5. 1 Kings 18:27, NASB

6. Mettinger, p.133

7. http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Adonis.html

8. Mettinger, p.136
9. Ibid, p.155

10. Ibid, p.160

11. Ibid, p.160

12. Inanna's Descent: http://www.earth-history.com/Sumer/sumer-inana-descent-

netherworld.htm

13. Adonis facts: Mettinger, pp.176-77

14. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, translated by R.O. Faulkner, 1969

15. Mettinger, p.181

16. Ibid, p.172

17. Ibid, p.221

Egypt's Forgotten Origins

"The origins of pharaonic civilisation have always been shrouded in mystery. What
caused dynastic culture to burst forth in the Nile valley within such a relatively
short period of time? ... There is little evidence of kingship and its rituals very
much before the beginning of the 1st Dynasty; no signs of the gradual
development of metal working, art, monumental architecture and writing – the
defining criteria of early civilisation. Much of what we know about the pharaohs
and their complex culture seems to come into existence in a flash of inspiration."
David Rohl, Legend – the Genesis of Civilisation, 1998, p.265

One of the most controversial questions in the entire field of Egyptology is also its most
basic: Where did the advanced pharaonic Egyptian civilization come from? At the very
beginning of the first dynasties the Egyptian state appeared to be fully developed, intricately
structured, technologically advanced and economically vibrant. How could something so
complete appear so suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere? Today the answer that you will
most often hear is that 'it just happened that way,' that Egypt was built by African
Egyptians, that they did it on their own using their own knowledge and resources, and that
to argue for any other answer is an insult to Egypt and to Africans everywhere!

This "politically correct" tone that is so pervasive within mainstream academia today was,
however, not always so influential in the past. When the study of ancient Egypt was turning
into a science near the end of the nineteenth century the scholars involved in the field had
much more freedom to advocate their own unique ideas, no matter how controversial or
ridiculous they might appear to be. It was in this open marketplace of ideas that some of
the most important facts about ancient Egypt were uncovered and when some of the most
important methods for studying and excavating ancient Egypt were developed.

Flinders Petrie

One cannot begin to describe the origin and evolution of the

science of Egyptology without referring to William Matthew
Flinders Petrie. Other than Jean Francois Champollion, who first
deciphered the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian hieroglyphics,
Petrie's influence over the field is largely unmatched.

Petrie began his excavations in Egypt in 1884, as a director of

the British-based Egypt Exploration Fund and his experiences led
him to be very critical of the methods of those excavators who
had preceded him, who were more concerned with uncovering
and plundering major sensational treasures than with learning
the real history of Egypt. He wrote,

"Nothing seems to be done with any uniform or regular plan,

work is begun and left unfinished; no regard is paid to future requirements of exploration,
and no civilized or labor saving devices are used. It is sickening to see the rate at which
everything is being destroyed and the little regard paid to preservation."

Petrie's methods went entirely against the grain of his contemporaries. They were
completely scientific, very meticulous, and in the end very fruitful, and today he is regarded
as a 'Father of Egyptology' as well as perhaps the 'Father of Archaeology'. According to
author James Baikie who wrote A Century of Excavation in the Land of the Pharaohs, "if the
name of any one man must be associated with modern excavation as that of the chief
begetter of its principles and methods, it must be the name of Professor Sir W.M. Flinders
Petrie." [1]

Flinders Petrie was an inspired genius and his views on the origin of dynastic Egypt should
not be rejected lightly, even though, as his detractors allege, they may have been
subconsciously supported or developed in line with his own colonial biases.

The Dynastic Race

Petrie came to address the problem of the origin of dynastic Egypt as a result of his
excavation of the massive ancient burial site near the village of Nakada about 20 miles
north of Luxor in Upper Egypt. In the winter of 1894-95 Petrie's team methodically
excavated and recorded the contents of over 2000 graves, which turned out to date to a
period in Egypt's history just prior to the emergence of the First Dynasty.

From the data gathered from the excavations Petrie realized that the Nakada gravesite
contained burials of two entirely different groups of people. One group was characterized by
bodies placed in simple pits, laid out in fetal positions and covered with palm branches. This
group, designated Nakada I, was buried with simple everyday objects including the basic
Egyptian pottery that was found in numerous other digs that dated to this time period. The
other group, Nakada II, was markedly different. The bodies were buried in pits that were
lined with bricks, which were then covered over with palm logs. These pits contained
valuable objects such as lapis lazuli jewelry, and also pottery of new types and functions.
The bodies were not buried intact, but only after being dismembered, with the skull buried
apart from the torso and members. There were also signs of ritual cannibalism having taken
place within the Nakada II group which was completely absent within Nakada I.

The Nakada dig provided much of the evidence that led Flinders Petrie to put forth his
theory of the origin of the magnificent and long-lived civilization of Egypt. It became known
as the 'Dynastic Race' theory and it alleges that in the pre-dynastic era Egypt was invaded
by a technologically superior group of elite foreigners (Nakada II) who came originally
from Mesopotamia. This 'Dynastic Race' invaded and conquered Upper Egypt and settled
in their city of Nekhen, also known as Hierakonpolis, near where the important cult centers
of Abydos, Thebes, Luxor and Edfu would later emerge. Petrie referred to this invading force
as the "Falcon Tribe," and the name of their capital of Nekhen means "City of the Falcon."
Their descendents became the Horus Kings of Egypt with the First Dynasty being
established under the king named Horus-Aha, or "Horus the Fighter," after his tribe finally
subdued and unified the entire land of Egypt.

The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of a Theory

The idea that the splendor of ancient Egypt came from a culture that was originally foreign
to Egypt was at first not so unpalatable for the academic world to accept. In fact, for many
decades it was viewed as the most likely solution to the problem. Well respected and highly-
credentialed Egyptologists adopted the theory and continued to gather additional evidence
to support it. Up until about World War II it was the dominant academic viewpoint.

And then Hitler came on the scene and after his disastrous legacy any talk of a "master
race" began to be viewed in a negative light. The end of World War II also signaled the end
of European colonialism and with it came the rise of Third World nationalism when newly
independent countries began to emphasize and celebrate their cultural identities. Suddenly
the fields of archaeology and ancient history became very much influenced by politics,
especially in Egypt which was led by Nasser, who successfully fought the British and the
French in the 1956 Suez War.

In the early 1960s a last major academic push in support of the 'Dynastic Race' theory was
made by Bryan Emery the Professor of Egyptology of the University College of London.
Unfortunately his choice of terms was even more politically incorrect than those used by
Petrie—Emery referred to the invaders of Egypt as a 'super race.' The backlash against
Emery was predictable and devastating, and ambitious scholars were smart enough to
realize that the academic establishment would no longer seriously consider any talk of an
invading 'Dynastic Race' having built Egypt's civilization. This situation remained the same
for about thirty years, during which time many scholars were much rewarded for their
attempts to show how Egyptian civilization sprang up all by itself and all of a sudden
through internal innovations alone.

The question of the origin of Egypt's dynastic founders would have

remained ignored into the twenty-first century if not for the remarkable
work of David Rohl. In 1998 he published his second major study on
ancient history entitled Legend – the Genesis of Civilisation. With this
best-selling volume the validity of the Dynastic Race theory was extensively
documented and presented to the public, much to the consternation of the
academic world.

David Rohl is a professional Egyptologist with a degree from the University

College of London (UCF), the same college affiliated with Flinders Petrie and Bryan Emery.
The main focus of Rohl's career has been to re-work the commonly accepted chronology
which artificially extends dates from ancient history back an extra three hundred or so
years. Because of this flawed chronology most academics feel safe in saying that the history
of the Old Testament is a myth and that events such as the Exodus, the Israelite conquest
of Canaan, and the United Monarchies of David and Solomon, never really happened. In his
first book A Test of Time: The Bible – From Myth to History, published in 1995, David
Rohl showed that archaeologists have been looking in the right place for evidence of Biblical
events, but they have not been looking at the right time. David Rohl offers a number of
possible explanations for why the commonly-accepted chronology of ancient history is
flawed, and then he shows how Biblical history comes alive and how all of the pieces fit the
puzzle if viewed from the perspective of his proposed New Chronology (NC). Needless to
say, his work has been greatly appreciated by much of the general public, but roundly
criticized by the academic world that is not eager to accept the fact that all of their ancient
history textbooks need to be recalled and rewritten.

In his first book David Rohl focused on the history of the Israelites and how Old Testament
events fit into the record of ancient history, while in his second book, Legend – the Genesis
of Civilisation, he turned to ancient Egypt and showed how its history was intimately
connected with many of the events described in the book of Genesis. What follows is a short
list and explanation of some of the data that supports the theory that invaders from
Mesopotamia were responsible for creating the glories of dynastic Egypt.

Data: The Nakada Artifacts

The discovery of the massive burial site at Nakada by Flinders Petrie was briefly mentioned
above, yet more needs to be said. What Petrie found was conclusive evidence of a group of
invaders who were associated with artifacts whose origin was clearly traceable back to
Mesopotamia. Among these artifacts was pottery made in styles similar to Sumerian ware.
Rohl refers to the appearance of both lug-handled and tilted-spout pottery among the
Nakada II burials and he quotes from respected scholar Helene Kantor,

"Among the decorated pot shapes are relatively large jars with three or four triangular lug
handles on the shoulder. These lugs are reminiscent of those which were already in use on
Mesopotamian pottery in the Ubaid Period and which became particularly typical and
frequent on protoliterate pottery."

"More convincing are the vessels with tilted spouts... Although made in the old, indigenous
polished red ware, the spouts are completely un-Egyptian; as a whole these jugs resemble
Mesopotamian ones of the earlier part of the Protoliterate Period." [2]

Included among the many artifacts uniquely associated with the Nakada II
burials were jewelry and ornaments made from the precious blue stone lapis
lazuli. Rohl explains how modern scholars address this important fact:

"Amazing as it may sound, this stone is presumed by scholars to have come

from the only known source location in the region – the mountains of
Badakshan in Afghanistan, over 3,700 kilometers from Egypt... lapis lazuli
was highly prized in Sumer (Mesopotamia) and was imported all the way
from Meluhha (Indus Valley) via Dilmun (Bahrain). ...the pattern of
distribution is the same: a product or material first appears in Sumer and
Susiana before it arrives in Egypt." [3]

Another important item present in the Nakada II burials was the pear-shaped mace.
Supporters of the 'Dynastic Race' theory argue that the introduction of this weapon (from
Mesopotamia) gave a technological edge to the Nakada II invaders, who used it effectively
to overwhelm the indigenous Egyptians who were armed with flimsier and less effective
weaponry. The pear-shaped mace then became an important part of the legendary
symbolism and imagery associated with the invaders.

The final unique artifact that we will discuss from the Nakada II burials is the cylinder seal.
This ceremonial tool was used to leave a pattern when rolled over wet clay and its origin is
most certainly Mesopotamian. Rohl provides the obvious conclusion:

"It is no coincidence that the cylinder seal first appears in Egypt at the same time as the
pear-shaped mace and lapis lazuli. The cylinder seal was not an invention of the Nile valley
people for, as we have seen, these remarkable little objects were already being employed
for the same purpose in the city of Uruk during the Late Ubaid Period. The cylinder seal was
therefore another Sumerian invention." [4]
An analysis of the artifacts associated with the alleged 'Dynastic Invaders' may appear to be
conclusive in and of itself, yet the evidence from the Nakada II gravesites goes much
deeper than that. How can we conclusively prove that these were people who came from
outside Egypt? We can look at the people themselves. Rohl quotes from anthropologist
Douglas Derry who studied the physical remains of the bodies buried at Nakada and found
obvious differences between the Nakada I and II groups,

"The predynastic people are seen to have had narrow skulls with a height measurement
exceeding the breadth, a condition common also in negroes. The reverse is the case in the
Dynastic Race, who not only had broader skulls but the height of these skulls, while
exceeding that in the Predynastic Race, is still less than the breadth."

"It is also very suggestive of the presence of a dominant race, perhaps relatively few in
numbers but greatly exceeding the original inhabitants in intelligence; a race which brought
into Egypt the knowledge of building in stone, of sculpture, painting, reliefs, and above all
writing; hence the enormous jump from the primitive predynastic Egyptian to the advanced
civilization of the Old Empire." [5]

Since Derry's time the practice of using cranial measurements to determine the level of
"intelligence" has been debunked, however the data that proves the physical differences
between the two groups still stands. It is clear that the invaders of Egypt were Asiatic in
origin and they were at least much better motivated and organized than the indigenous
African inhabitants. The final result is that this group eventually conquered Egypt and
emerged as the dominant social class that produced the Horus Kings and the Iry-Pat
aristocracy of the Old Kingdom.

Data: Writing

One of the most mysterious achievements of early Egyptian civilization is their almost
instantaneous development and perfection of a complex system of writing. Was Egypt's
writing developed completely independent from outside influence and from the ingenuity of
the indigenous Egyptians themselves, or was there an outside influence that paved the
way? Rohl quotes from UCL Egyptologist Henri Frankfort who gave the following explanation
in his book The Birth of Civilisation in the Near East,

"It has been customary to postulate prehistoric antecedents for the Egyptian script, but this
hypothesis has nothing in its favour. ... the writing which first appeared without antecedents
at the beginning of the First Dynasty was by no means primitive. It has, in fact, a complex
structure. It includes three different classes of signs: ideograms, phonetic signs, and
determinatives. This is precisely the same state of complexity as had been reached in
Mesopotamia at an advanced stage of the Protoliterate Period. There, however, a more
primitive stage is known in the earlier tablets, which used only ideograms. To deny,
therefore, that Egyptian and Mesopotamian systems of writing are related amounts to
maintaining that Egypt invented independently a complex and not very consistent system at
the very moment of being influenced in its art and architecture by Mesopotamia where a
precisely similar system had just been developed from a more primitive stage." [6]

For Frankfort the answer was obvious. Egyptian hieroglyphics first appeared with the same
level of sophistication as found in Sumer because the idea behind the art was brought to
Egypt from Sumer. However, as Rohl points out, after its initial appearance Egyptian writing
took a different path of development because of the writing materials that were available.
Egypt possessed papyrus and ink, whereas Sumer had only mud and reeds. Egypt therefore
developed a much more flowing and pictorially impressive style, while Sumer continued to
develop the writing known as cuneiform which used the cut tip of a reed to etch impressions
into wet mud, which were then baked and preserved as brick tablets and cylinder seals.

Data: Architecture

For many Egyptologists, regardless of how they interpret the data, one of the most obvious
areas of Mesopotamian influence in ancient Egypt came in the field of architecture. We have
already seen how the Nakada II burial pits were lined with mudbrick, and soon after the
initial use of this Mesopotamian innovation (for Sumer had no readily available stone), there
appeared the first monumental architecture in Egypt, also made of Sumerian-style
mudbrick.

These initial constructions were massive tombs built for the invaders' most important
leaders. They appeared near the city of Tjenu (Gr. Thinis) near the cult-site of Abydos,
where the body of Osiris was originally thought to have been buried. The Egyptian historian
Manetho writes that Tjenu was the capital of the First Dynasty begun by Menes—who was
probably Horus-Aha. (By the time of the First Dynasty the capital had been moved down the
Nile a number of miles north from the original capital of Nekhen). Along with these great
tombs built for the Falcon Tribe's first leaders there were also subsidiary gravesites of
scores of individuals who were most likely ritually sacrificed at the same time that the
primary individual was buried. Human sacrifice as well as cannibalism both appear to be
important aspects of the Falcon Tribe's religion and ritual system, although these elements
are decidedly downplayed by most modern scholars.

A further architectural innovation that had obvious parallels with Mesopotamia came with
the Egyptian utilization of 'niched façades,' which simply means the use of alternating
projecting and recessed walls around the perimeter of a building. On this point Rohl is able
to quote from a number of scholars who agree that it is one of the most important in
proving a link between the Dynastic Race and their origin in Sumer.

Niched façades were used throughout Mesopotamia and they were the architectural method
that preceded the appearance of the great stepped ziggurats that sprang up in the city-
states as Sumerian culture reached its zenith. In Egypt, once again, this Mesopotamian
parallel appears suddenly and fully developed. This method is used in Upper Egypt for
tombs located in Abydos and in Nakada, and then it appears again later for construction
done at Saqqara in Lower Egypt in the First and Second Dynasties after Egypt was unified
under the Horus Kings.

Mesopotamian influence is again seen in the Third Dynasty with the

creation of the great step-pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara which is
recognized as Egypt's first pyramid and obviously modeled after a
Sumerian ziggurat. This monument is also one of the first instances when
the builders began to utilize the stone that was readily available, rather
than depending on the mudbrick that they had been used to. The
achievements and innovations at Saqqara then paved the way for the pyramids and temples
erected during the Fourth Dynasty, typified by the Giza complex.

The Square Boat Invasion

If we accept the premise that a highly resourceful and technologically advanced group
invaded and subdued Egypt prior to the first dynasties we do not have to look very far for
evidence of how and where they did it. For many years this evidence has existed yet it has
not been very well explained by the mainstream scholars, who deny such an invasion even
took place.

The invasion of Egypt came into the Nile valley from the Red Sea through the valleys of the
Eastern Desert. These valleys are known as "wadis" and there are three wadis (Hammamat,
Abad and Barramiya), opposite the settlements of Nakada and Nekhen, where evidence of
this invasion was left in the form of primitive graffiti.

The most common pictures etched into the rock walls of the valleys are pictures of large
Mesopotamian-style square boats with high prows and sterns that are braced back, which
often display horns, antlers or streamers. These boats are often filled with people,
sometimes with a chieftain-figure carrying a pear-shaped mace standing tall in the center.
The wadis run east-west and the prows of the ships always face west towards the Nile.
Many of the depictions show the boats being pulled with ropes by members of the crew.

What happened when this group of invaders finally reached the Nile itself after dragging
their boats through the desert from the Red Sea? David Rohl refers to several of the most
important ancient Egyptian artifacts for an answer, including the following two.

The first is known as the Gebel el-Arak knife. This ivory artifact was found near the
western end of Wadi Hammamat and is important for the images found on its intricately
carved handle which specialists conclude give it a firm pre-dynastic date. On one side the
carved images point unmistakably to a Sumerian source, from the "Master of Animals"
scene wearing a Sumerian hairstyle and long un-Egyptian coat, to the stocky, muscled,
short-snouted Mesopotamian dogs pictured underneath. On the other side we find the end
result of the invaders' appearance on the Nile. David Rohl calls it "History's First Battle."
There are two battle scenes, a land battle at the top and a naval battle at the bottom. In the
land battle we find that a short-haired group carrying pear-shaped maces and clubs is
defeating a long-haired group that fights back but appears unarmed. In the naval battle the
very same type of square boats that are pictured on the rock walls of the eastern wadis are
shown defeating a row of crescent-shaped boats that are typical of the Nile.
Another major pre-dynastic artifact that explains the result of the square boat invasion is
known as the Narmer Palette, found in Nekhen in 1897 and now held in the Cairo
Museum. Narmer was the Upper Egyptian king who immediately preceded Horus-Aha, the
conqueror of Egypt. One side of this palette shows a large picture of the king holding a
pear-shaped mace in a smiting pose, while his other hand holds the hair of a cringing
victim. Beneath his feet two other enemies flee in terror. On the other side the major
depiction is that of two dinosaur-like beasts with heads intertwined in the typical Sumerian
fashion, controlled with ropes held by two bearded men. Below this the king is depicted as a
bull crushing an enemy and invading a town, while above there is what appears to be a
victory procession. Narmer is the main figure and he again holds his mace. He is attended
by a servant, his queen, and four figures carrying standards. Against this procession there
are the figures of ten beheaded bodies, over which is portrayed the very same high-prowed
square boat as found on the Gebel el-Arak knife handle and in the eastern desert graffiti.
From its earliest beginnings Egyptian culture has held the boat to be sacred, as evidenced
by the huge so-called "solar-boats" that were unearthed next to the southern face of the
Great Pyramid in 1954. These boats were buried when the pyramid was built and scholars
believe that they were ceremonial renditions of the mythological ship that transported Ra
across the sky each day. However boats were not revered merely for their usefulness on the
Nile, or for their mythological traditions, but also because the conquerors of Egypt came to
Egypt from across the sea by boat. In fact, the boats unearthed at the Great Pyramid, with
their high prows, flat bottoms and central cabins, look more like the boats that were pulled
across the desert to the Nile than the boats traditionally used on the Nile. Perhaps the boats
buried at Giza were not "ceremonial" at all.

The Great Migration

In Genesis chapter ten there is a long list of the many different tribes of the earth that
existed after mankind emerged from Noah's flood. This passage is known as the Table of
Nations and the list is organized under the three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth. It
is to this list that David Rohl is drawn after he brings his readers to accept the inevitable
conclusion that dynastic Egypt was founded by invaders from Mesopotamia.

According to the Table of Nations account there were four children of Ham, and three of
them settled in Africa, specifically Cush, Mizraim and Put. The land of Cush is known
throughout the Old Testament as the region of modern-day Sudan/Ethiopia to the south of
Egypt; the land to the west of Egypt, modern-day Libya, is believed to be the land of Put;
and the land of Egypt itself is named throughout the Old Testament as Mizraim.
Josephus the Jewish historian supports and elaborates upon the Genesis account,

"...time has not at all hurt the name of Chush (Cush); for the Ethiopians, over whom he
reigned, are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men in Asia, called Chushites.
The memory also of the Mesraites is preserved in their name; for all we who inhabit this
country [of Judea] call Egypt Mestre, and the Egyptians Mestreans. Phut (Put) also was the
founder of Libya, and called the inhabitants Phutites, from himself: there is also a river in
the country of the Moors which bears that name... but the name it has now has been by
change given it from one of the sons of Mesraim, who was called Lybyos." [7]

David Rohl believes that Cush, the oldest son of Ham, appears within the Sumerian King
List as the first ruler of the post-flood Dynasty of Uruk, where his departure from Sumer
and journey to Africa is noted,

"Meskiagkashar, son of Utu, became high priest and king - reigned 324 years.
Meskiagkashar went down into the sea and came out at the mountains." (SKL column
iii, lines 4-6) [8]

If this ancient king and his brothers journeyed away from ancient Sumer by sea, then their
route had to have been through the Persian Gulf and around the Arabian Peninsula, sailing
the bitumen-coated reed square boats that were typical of the Persian Gulf at this ancient
date.

This brings us to the fourth son of Ham, who was Canaan. According to Genesis 10:19, the
Canaanites settled the lands on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. They were also
known as the Phoenicians. How they got there was noted by the fifth century BC Greek
historian Herodotus, and also Strabo, the first century AD Greek geographer,
Herodotus: "The Persian learned men say the Phoenicians were the cause of the feud
(between the Greeks and Persians). These (they say) came to our seas (i.e. the Eastern
Mediterranean) from the Erythraean Sea, and having settled in the country which they still
occupy (i.e.Phoenica/Lebanon), at once began to make long voyages." [9]

Strabo: "On sailing farther (down the Erythraean Sea), one comes to the other islands, I
mean Tyre and Aradus, which have temples like those of the Phoenicians. It is asserted, at
least by the inhabitants of those islands, that the islands and cities of the Phoenicians which
bear the same name are their own colonies." [10]

David Rohl explains where the Erythraean Sea was and also how this understanding of the
origin of the ancient Phoenicians has been passed down to the modern day over the
centuries,

"Go to visit a Lebanese school and sit in on a history class. There you will hear the teacher
explain to the children that the modern Lebanese are descended from the ancient
Phoenicians who, in turn, originated from the islands of the Persian Gulf. The legendary
origins of the Phoenicians are not an invention of the Lebanese Christian community purely
to provide a separate ethnic tradition from their Muslim neighbors. The idea that the
ancestors of the Phoenicians came from far-off Bahrain to found the new cities of Canaan on
the Eastern Mediterranean coast was well known to the classical writers. Justin, Pliny,
Ptolemy and Strabo all regarded the original homeland of the Phoenicians in the Gulf as an
historical fact. ... The Tyrians (citizens of Tyre) proclaimed their original homeland as the
island of Tylos in the Erythraean Sea. Now the Erythraean or 'Red' Sea was not in ancient
times what we know as the Red Sea today... The original Red Sea was what we today call
the Persian or Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean beyond. It was named as such after
Erythraeas who, according to legend, was buried within a great mound on the island of
Tylos." [11]

Rohl goes on to explain that the name Tylos is a Greek rendition of the Akkadian word
Tilmun, and the legendary "Paradise Island" of Dilmun, well-known in Sumerian myth, is in
fact the island of Bahrain. This was proven in 1970 through the scholarship of Geoffrey
Bibby in his classic book, Looking For Dilmun, an account of his twelve-year excavation of
Bahrain and his research into its origins.

Bahrain was the very first stepping stone from ancient Mesopotamia when the sons of Ham
were dispersed after the Flood. One of the most impressive natural symbols of this region is
the falcon, the swift and noble bird of prey that is prized today by the sheikhs of the Arab
Gulf. Perhaps that is what explains the tribal symbol that was adopted by the invaders of
Egypt.

Rohl quotes from Flinders Petrie to summarize the exploits of this powerful warlike group,

"This Falcon tribe had certainly originated in Elam (Susiana), as indicated by the hero and
lions on the Araq knife handle. They went down the Persian Gulf and settled in 'the horn
of Africa.' There they named the 'Land of Punt,' sacred to later Egyptians as the source of
the race. The Pun people founded the island fortress of Ha-fun which commands the whole
of the coast, and hence came the Punic or Phenic peoples of classical antiquity. ... Those
who went up the Red Sea formed the dynastic invaders of Egypt entering by the Kuseir-
Koptos road. Others went on to Syria and founded Tyre, Sidon and Aradus, named
after their home islands in the Persian Gulf." [12]
 [Map from Rohl's Legend p.293]

If the Egyptians and the Phoenicians shared common ancestors and a common sea-borne
path of migration out of Mesopotamia, then these facts go a long way towards explaining
their similar religious beliefs revolving around the worship of a primordial Dying God.

We are one step closer to identifying this Dying God as a historical figure.

Footnotes

1. http://touregypt.net/featurestories/flinders.htm

2. Legend – the Genesis of Civilisation, David Rohl, 1998, p.311

3. Ibid, p.314

4. Ibid, p. 317

5. Ibid, p.315

6. Ibid, p.317-18

7. Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus, Chapter IV,2

8. Rohl, pp. 164-165, 217

9. Ibid, p.303, citing Herodotus, Book I:1

10. Ibid, p.253, citing Strabo, Book XVI, 3,4

11. Ibid, pp.252-253

12. Ibid, pp.304-305

The Spirit World and Civilization

"Once upon a time, ... there was no fear, no terror. Man had no rival.
... the whole universe, the people in unison ... to Enlil in one tongue gave praise."

Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, Sumerian Epic, c.2000 BC

Human beings are unique among all living creatures by the fact that we have a capacity and
a need for religious expression. This element of human activity has been understood as
rational, necessary and basic from our earliest beginnings up until about the middle of the
nineteenth century. It was at this point, guided by materialistic-based philosophy, that
religion started to become viewed as irrational and "unscientific." Gradually secular
materialism infiltrated the academic world and eventually replaced the Judeo-Christian ethic
as the dominant worldview.

It was from this new perspective that James G. Frazer developed his theories on how
religion could have evolved into such an essential part of human life. What was "religion"
and where did it come from? Like Sigmund Freud, Frazer believed that the answer would
not be found in the world of spirit, but rather in the world of matter—in terms that can be
perceived by the five senses. From this perspective Frazer concluded that mankind's earliest
religious beliefs were merely attempts to understand and bring order to the physical world
of nature. This new hypothesis fit in well with the current philosophical trends and it quickly
became the accepted academic consensus. It was the idea that religion, even though it has
evolved into different complicated forms in many different cultures, was at its root simply
"Nature Worship." As the twentieth century progressed this theory grew stronger and was
adopted and promoted on a mass scale by influential experts like Joseph Campbell and Bill
Moyers, among others.

Alongside the "Nature Worship" component of early religion it was also understood that as
primitive man advanced, a tendency arose to deify some of the more influential human
ancestors that had left behind significant or meaningful legacies. This practice of "Ancestor
Worship" was acknowledged by the ancient cultures themselves and widely written about
by the Greeks. For instance, in Plato's Euthydemus, Socrates refers to the ancient gods as
his "lords and ancestors," while Euhemerus (c.300 BC) was another Greek philosopher who
argued that "Ancestor Worship" was the primary source of religion. Today modern scholars
recognize this element as playing a major role in pagan religion and it is a primary
component of the historicist approach used by scholars such as David Rohl.

In addition to these two major components that were a part of man's early religious beliefs
there is another component. It was named by the ancients themselves as the original basis
of their beliefs, yet it is usually minimized or ignored within mainstream academia. Today it
is readily acknowledged in Eastern, alternative, or "New Age" circles, but it is also
something that has been understood within the Judeo-Christian tradition right from the
beginning. This most important and foundational component of religion is "Spirit
Worship."

To understand how mankind has been influenced and directed from the very beginning by
spiritual entities from other dimensions we will go back in time as far as we can go. We
will go to where this study has been leading all along—to the records of the ancient
Sumerians of Mesopotamia. This ancient civilization was the very first to invent the art of
writing, and what they had to say early on about their own history and beliefs will help to
provide the answers that we seek.

The Sumerian Perspective

Before we investigate the belief-system found in Sumerian religion we should first give a
general overview of Sumerian history. Modern scholars date the origin of this civilization to
around 4500 BC, and its disappearance to about 1750 BC, when it was finally extinguished
and absorbed by the conquests of Hammurabi.[1] In addition to inventing writing the
Sumerians are also credited with a number of historical 'firsts' including the wheel,
metalworking, pottery, and beer brewing. This last invention perhaps allowed the world's
first monarchy to take power, which promptly set up the world's first known system of
taxation.

The earliest Sumerian history is related in the Sumerian

King List, copies of which have been found on several
cuneiform tablets or blocks dating to different periods. It
begins like this [2]:

After the kingship descended from heaven, the

kingship was in Eridug.
In Eridug, Alulim became king; he ruled for 28800 years.
Alaljar ruled for 36000 years.
2 kings; they ruled for 64800 years.
Then Eridug fell and the kingship was taken to Bad-tibira.
In Bad-tibira, En-men-lu-ana ruled for 43200 years.
En-men-gal-ana ruled for 28800 years.
Dumuzid, the shepherd, ruled for 36000 years.
3 kings; they ruled for 108000 years.
Then Bad-tibira fell (?) and the kingship was taken to
Larag.
In Larag, En-sipad-zid-ana ruled for 28800 years.
1 king; he ruled for 28800 years.
Then Larag fell (?) and the kingship was taken to Zimbir.
In Zimbir, En-men-dur-ana became king; he ruled for 21000 years.
1 king; he ruled for 21000 years.
Then Zimbir fell (?) and the kingship was taken to Curuppag.
In Curuppag, Ubara- Tutu became king; he ruled for 18600 years.
1 king; he ruled for 18600 years.
In 5 cities 8 kings; they ruled for 241200 years.
Then the flood swept over.

The very first line of the SKL implies something of a spiritual or religious nature, which
brings us back to the subject of Sumerian religion. The Sumerians worshiped a huge
pantheon of greater and lesser gods, but the primary gods who ruled from the top of the
hierarchy were Anu, Enlil, and Enki. Of these three it was Enki who was understood as the
founder of civilization, and it was he who was associated with the city of Eridu(g), where
"kingship descended from heaven." Here are the descriptions of these gods as given in the
authoritative Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia,

An is the Sumerian word for 'heaven,' and is the name of the sky god who is also the prime
mover in creation, and the distant, supreme leader of the gods. ... He is father of all the
gods... It is An who, in Sumerian tradition, took over heaven when it was separated from
earth (ki), creating the universe as we know it... Although in almost all periods one of the
most important of Mesopotamian deities, An's nature was ill-defined and, as he is seldom (if
ever) represented in art, his specific iconography and attributes are obscure.

Enlil is one of the most important gods in the Mesopotamian pantheon. According to one
Sumerian poem, the other gods might not even look upon his splendour. Sometimes he is
said to be the offspring of An... The great centre of the cult of Enlil was the temple E-kur
(the 'Mountain House') at Nippur, at the northern edge of Sumer, and Enlil is often called
the 'Great Mountain' and 'King of the Foreign Lands,' which may suggest a connection with
the Zagros Mountains. Other images used to describe his personality are king, supreme
lord, father and creator; 'raging storm' and 'wild bull.'

Enki (Akkadian Ea) was god of the subterranean freshwater ocean (abzu), and was
especially associated with wisdom, magic and incantations, and with the arts and crafts of
civilisation. ... Enki/Ea was a son of An/Anu... Enki's most important cult centre was the E-
abzu ('Abzu house') at Eridu. As a provider of fresh water and a creator god and determiner
of destinies, Enki was always seen as favourable to mankind. ... In the Sumerian poem
'Inana and Enki' he controls the me concerned with every aspect of human life, and in 'Enki
and the World Order' he has the role of organising in detail every feature of the civilised
world.

In Sumerian mythology Anu is portrayed (like the Canaanite God El from Part Three) as a
figurehead or "otiose" deity who takes little interest in earthly events and can best be
described as "retired." The real action takes place between Enlil and Enki, the two primary
sons of Anu, who manage and organize human civilization and are often portrayed as bitter
rivals. In the Sumerian language the word en means "lord," the word lil refers to the sky,
wind, or lower atmosphere, and the word ki means "earth." Therefore En-lil, who appears
in Sumerian myth as the primary decision-maker among the gods, possesses a name that
makes him a "sky god," similar to Anu and somewhat similar to the Greek god Zeus. En-ki,
on the other hand, even though his wishes are often over-ridden by Enlil, is known as "Lord
Earth" or perhaps "The Lord of the Earth." Their combative relationship is portrayed
throughout Sumerian myth and in the Akkadian and Babylonian myths that were written
later.

The Creation of Man

In the Sumerian creation myths Enki stands out as the central figure. In the myth known as
Enki and Ninmah Enki is tasked with relieving the gods from the hard work that they do all
day long. Nammu, the mother-goddess who had given birth to all the gods, pities the plight
of the gods and says to Enki, "Rise up, my son, from your bed, practice your skill
perceptively. Create servants for the gods. Let them throw their baskets away." Enki
does just that, after which Enki stands the new creatures up and looks at them intently. The
text then reads,

"After Enki, form-fashioner, had, by himself, put sense in their head, he says to his mother
Nammu, 'My mother, the creature whose name you fixed—it exists. The [labor/work] of the
gods has been forced on it.'" [3]

In the Sumerian myth Cattle and Grain the creation of man is again referred to, but only
as an apparent side note, implying again that man had been created to serve and please the
gods.[4]

A more detailed account of man's creation is given at the beginning of the Akkadian
Atrahasis Epic, which dates to c.1700 BC. In this similar account the lesser gods who have
been overworked revolt against the higher gods and confront Enlil himself. Enlil summons a
council of the gods in an attempt to resolve the situation. Enki suggests that one of the
lesser gods be sacrificed to create a creature that will "bear the load of the gods." The flesh
and blood of this victim is mixed with clay, which Enki then treads upon as a goddess recites
incantations. From this mass of clay fourteen clumps are pinched off, which are then
inserted into the wombs of "birth-goddesses." Ten months later human-kind is born, as
seven males and seven females, who are then forced to take up the hard labor of the lesser
gods, digging ditches, growing food, and tending to the everyday needs of the gods.

The Great Flood

Atrahasis is the Akkadian name for the Noah-like figure who is known in similar Sumerian
accounts as Ziusudra (The Eridu Genesis) or Utnapishtim (The Epic of Gilgamesh).
According to all of these accounts the creation of mankind eventually became regretted by
the chief god Enlil. The Atrahasis Epic reads,

"And the country was as noisy as a bellowing bull.

The god grew restless at their racket,
Enlil had to listen to their noise.
He addressed the great gods,
'The noise of mankind has become too much,
I am losing sleep over their racket.'"

To deal with the problem of human over-population Enlil causes first a plague, and then a
famine, to strike the land. In each case Atrahasis calls upon Enki to help mankind and offer
a solution to the calamity. Enki responds by giving advice to Atrahasis but his interference
on mankind's behalf causes Enlil to become very angry. The final solution, which is agreed
upon by the gods despite a passionate argument from Enki, is that a flood will be caused to
wipe out mankind entirely. This decision is kept secret and Enki is forced to make an oath
that he will not speak of it to any human being. In spite of his oath Enki cleverly conceives a
plan to save Atrahasis and still remain true to his word. He contacts Atrahasis from behind a
reed wall, and then gives instructions as if he were talking to the reed wall. In this way
Atrahasis is informed of what is coming and told how he can prepare for the calamity. He is
told to build a boat as long as it is wide and to build a solid roof over the top. The
Gilgamesh Epic includes the instructions to "load the seed of every living thing into the
boat."

After the flood passes Enlil becomes enraged after finding out that mankind survived
through Atrahasis and his family. However the other gods and goddesses rejoice and praise
the wisdom and compassion of Enki. The anger of Enlil is eventually subdued after Atrahasis
reverently builds an altar and offers him sacrifices. In the end Enlil becomes reconciled with
Enki, blesses Atrahasis, and gives Atrahasis the gift of immortality.

The Transfer of Divine Authority

One of the most important Sumerian concepts associated with the gods and human
civilization, as they related to the world both before and after the flood, was that of the me.
The definition here is from Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia:

me: The Sumerian term me (pronounced 'may') is a plural, inanimate noun, and expresses
a very basic concept in Sumerian religion. The me are properties or powers of the gods
which enable a whole host of activities central to civilised human life, especially religion, to
take place. A related term, gis-hur ('plan, design'), denotes how these activities ought,
ideally, to be: the me are the powers which make possible the implementation of the gis-
hur and which ensure the continuation of civilised life. They are ancient, enduring, holy,
valuable. Mostly they are held by An or Enlil, but they can be assigned or given to other
gods of, by implication, lesser rank.

As this definition explains, originally the me were held by An and/or Enlil. The Sumerians
recognized Enlil as the supreme active god, but the myths make it clear that "Father Enki,"
the god who helped to create mankind in the first place, was much more loved and revered.
Eventually Enki's close bond with humanity became recognized by Enlil, who brought about
a significant change in the way mankind would be ruled. It was decided that the me,
previously held by Enlil in his great temple at Nippur, would be transferred to the shrine of
Eridu and given into the hands of Enki. This momentous event in Sumerian history and
religion is described in a well-preserved myth of 467 lines called Enki and the World
Order. This myth is related in Samuel Noah Kramer's book Myths of Enki, the Crafty God
(1989). It begins with the words below, with the poet praising Enki in reverent terms,

Lord who walks nobly on heaven and earth, self-reliant, Father Enki,
engendered by a bull, begotten by a wild bull, prized by Enlil, the Great Kur, loved by holy
An,
king who turned out the mes-tree in the Abzu, raised it up over all the lands,
great usumgal (dragon), who planted it in Eridu—its shade spreading over heaven and
earth...
Enki, lord of the hegal (abundance) the Anunna-gods possess,
Nudimmud (another name for Enki), the mighty one of the Ekur, the strong one of An and
Uras.
Nudimmud, the mighty one of the Ekur, strong one of the Anunna,
whose noble house set up in the Abzu is the mast of heaven and earth. [5]

After fifty-nine lines of similar praise and exultation the poet then allows Enki a chance to
give praises to himself. Within these lines we find that Enlil, the brother of Enki, gives over
to Enki the me that are so essential to ruling over the affairs of mankind:

Enki, king of the Abzu, celebrates his own magnificence—as is right:

"My father, ruler above and below, made my features blaze above and below.
My great brother, ruler of all the lands,
gathered all the me together, placed the me in my hands.
From the Ekur, house of Enlil, I passed on the arts and crafts to my Abzu, Eridu...
I am the first among the rulers. I am the father of all the lands.
I am the big brother of the gods, the hegal is perfected in me.
I am the seal-keeper above and below. I am cunning and wise in the lands.
I am the one who directs justice alongside An, the king, on the dais of An.
I am the one who having gazed upon the kur, decrees the fates alongside Enlil:
he has placed in my hand the decreeing of the fates at the place where the sun
rises..." [6]

After his first speech in praise of himself Enki stops for a moment, allowing the assembled
gods to offer their worship and praise, and then Enki continues on with more self-laudatory
pronouncements that take up another fifty or so lines:

After the lord had proclaimed his loftiness,

after the great prince had pronounced his own praise,
the Anunna-gods stood up in prayer and supplication:
"Lord who stands watch over the arts and crafts,
expert at decisions. adored one—O Enki, praise."
A second time, for the pleasure it gave him,
Enki, king of the Abzu, celebrates his own magnificence—as is right:
"I am lord. I am the one who endures. I am eternal..." (etc., etc., etc.) [7]

Following this speech the gods again respond, commenting once again on the fact that Enki
is the possessor of the "great," "pure," and "noble" me—solidifying Enki's place as
mankind's most important god and confirming his worthiness to be known as "The Lord of
the Earth":

To the great prince who had drawn near to his land,

the Anunna-gods speak with affection:
"Lord who rides the great me, the pure me,
who stands watch over the great me, the myriad me,
who is foremost everywhere above and below,
At Eridu, the pure place, the most precious place,
where the noble me have been taken in—
O Enki, lord above and below, praise!" [8]

Although the very name En-ki signifies the god's association with the earth, there is really
no indication within the Sumerian myths that the worship of Enki evolved from a primitive
form of earth-worship. There is also no indication within the myths, as with many other
Sumerian deities, that Enki was once a human being. No, Enki did not evolve from nature
worship, or from ancestor worship—Enki was a spirit, and he was worshiped as a spirit.
One of his most important aspects therefore had to do with his relationship with the spirit
world. Kramer explains,

"The craft of Enki is nowhere better represented than in magic. The one who knows the
secrets of the gods and the ways of the other world is, not surprisingly, the god who knows
the words and rituals to control the spirits. A large number of texts preserved in the 'stream
of tradition' are incantation texts, and Enki is prominent in the tradition." [9]

"Enki is the 'lord of the watery deep,' the 'lord of hidden, unfathomable knowledge' in the
depth of his 'house of wisdom.' He was also the chief magician of the gods, the great
exorcist. His purifying water was used in incantations and magic rites. Ruler of waters of the
underworld, lord of rivulets and brooks, of plenteous harvests, Enki was also the god
associated with other goods of the earth, metals and precious stones. He was the patron of
metal works and crafts generally. Patron of foundations, he gave instructions for building
things... The sacred water basin, an image of the Abzu, was set up in temples in honor of
Enki. And the sacred tree grew up in his cult city of Eridu." [10]

Perhaps the reader will recall that there is another ancient religious tradition that has its
roots, as it were, in the memory of an ancient tree. This tradition contains many themes
similar to those of the Sumerians, but these similarities only help to highlight the many
differences that clearly set them apart.

The Hebrew Perspective

According to tradition the first five books of the Old Testament were written down by Moses,
who received them directly from the mind of God. The very first words set down were
radically presumptuous and completely revolutionary, if compared with the creation
traditions of the surrounding cultures that existed at that time, around the middle of the
second millennium BC.

At that time in Mesopotamia the Sumerian culture had long since passed away and the
Sumerian language was no longer spoken or written. The language of the land was
Akkadian and Babylon was the city of power. Religion was dictated by the state and the
accepted creation account—the very basis of Babylonian society—was a text known as the
Enuma Elish. According to this account the great god Anu was no longer viewed as the
primordial god and ancestor of all the gods. Instead he had been turned into a created
being, who had been born from a union between a god that was merely a deification of
heaven (Anshar), and a goddess that was a deification of earth (Kishar).

In Egypt the Heliopolitan tradition of the Great Ennead had been accepted for hundreds of
years. The "beginning" was conceived as "Nun," who was a deification of the primordial or
primeval waters. Nun was not really even a god because it had no cult, no temples, few
representations and was not worshiped. Out of Nun came Atum, later known as Ra. Atum
then masturbated with himself to create the pair Shu and Tefnut, who then produced the
god Geb (also Seb or Keb) and his sister the goddess Nut. Geb represented the earth and
Nut represented the sky, as shown in the picture in Part Two. From this pair came four
siblings, of which the most important was Osiris.
There are no existing Canaanite creation myths, but we do have Greek creation myths
which were developed from a synthesis of Near Eastern sources. With the Greeks the
pattern is basically the same. The beginning is largely undefined (Chaos), yet out of Chaos
the earth goddess Gaia is able to emerge. She then gives birth to a number of deities who
represent different facets of reality, including "heaven" who is a god named Ouranos. It is
finally her relations with her son/husband Ouranos from which come the early gods
including Kronos, who later sired Zeus.

With this universally accepted pattern in mind, of heaven and earth somehow giving birth to
the gods, the very beginning of Genesis 1:1 is revealed as a revolutionary statement:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

Moses was led to believe that the God he served was not a created being, merely one
among many equals, not a God who would one day die, or be usurped by his son, but that
his God was in fact the Creator of the entire universe, the One who existed before the world
and who would exist when this world passes away.

The Creation of Man

Moses was taught that his God was responsible for creating mankind in the first place.
Mankind was created "in the image of God," and given an important responsibility to rule
over and care for the earth. However, due to deception coming from a spirit-being who
worked against God, from the temptation that came from a forbidden tree, and from willing
disobedience stemming from selfish pride, mankind fell from this position of authority over
the earth and purity before God.

The Crime and Banishment of Cain

After the "Fall," as it was called, God continued to care for and instruct humanity, yet He
expected reverence and worship in return. The first recorded sin after the "Fall" was
committed out of jealousy and involved God's requirement that He be worshiped on His own
terms, rather than on man's terms. In the book of Genesis this is the story of Cain's murder
of Abel. The same basic story is found, with a few subtle twists, in Sumerian mythology.

In the myth of Emesh and Enten two minor gods, one of farming and one of shepherding,
fall into a quarrel. They finally bring their case to Nippur to be judged by Enlil who, in a
decision that contradicts that given by the God of Genesis, chooses the farmer over the
shepherd.

In the myth of Cattle and Grain the siblings Lahar, a cattle god, and Ashnan, a grain
goddess, get into a quarrel over who deserves more recognition, but unfortunately the end
of the myth has not survived.

The myth Inanna Prefers the Farmer is another variation on the Cain and Abel theme. In
this story Inanna rejects the advances of the shepherd who then becomes belligerent
towards Inanna's favorite, the farmer. Only after the farmer offers soothing words of
appeasement and a number of gifts in consolation, including that of Inanna herself, does
the shepherd's anger subside. In the Genesis account it is the farmer, Cain, who kills Abel
the shepherd in a jealous rage.[11]

After the rejection of Cain's sacrifice and the murder of Abel the book of Genesis gives a
detailed account of what happened to Cain and to his descendents. This story helps to clear
up some of the mystery surrounding the similarities and contradictions within the Sumerian
and Hebrew traditions.

"And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field,
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain,
Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? And he said,
What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And
now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's
blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee
her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast
driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I
shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one
that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth
Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest
any finding him should kill him.

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east
of Eden. (17) And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded
a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch." (Genesis
4:8-17, KJV)

Eridu: the Place of Descent

According to the Bible the first city

was built by Cain and named after
his son Enoch. According to
Sumerian history the very first city
ever built was established by human
beings under the care of the god
Enki, and named Eridu. While the
Genesis account may in fact be
correct there is a great deal of
evidence that the very first city
eventually became known by the
name of Enoch's son, who was Irad.
In other words, the name "Eridu"
comes from the name "Irad."

In fact, based on his analysis, David

Rohl believes that the Genesis text of
4:17 has been tampered with. He
believes that the subject of the
second sentence, following the usual rules of grammar, should be understood to refer to
Enoch. Rohl also believes that the last word of Genesis 4:17 appears out of place and must
certainly be a scribal insertion. If read with Rohl's preferred corrections the verse would
then read:

"And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he (Enoch) builded a city,
and called the name of the city, after the name of his son (Irad)."

Rohl points out that the name Irad most likely derives from the Hebrew word yarad, which
means "to descend" (Irad in Hebrew is spelled ayin-yod-resh-dalet, and yarad is spelled
yod-resh-dalet). Recall again the very first words of the Sumerian King List: "After the
kingship descended from heaven, the kingship was in Eridu."

Whatever the case may be, whether there are scribal errors in the Masoretic text of Genesis
or not, there is a clear connection between the descendents of Cain, the first cities of the
Sumerians, and the great Sumerian god Enki. According to the book of Genesis Lamech was
a descendent of Cain through Irad, and Lamech had two wives. One wife was named Zillah
and she gave birth to Tubal-cain who became "the forger of all implements of bronze and
iron." Again David Rohl connects this information from Genesis with Sumerian accounts,
specifically with the second city of the Sumerian King List, Bad-tibira:

"Badtibira means 'Settlement of the Metal Worker.' If we take the Hebrew consonants which
make up the name Tubal we get T-b-l. We know that the soft consonant 'l' is often
representative of 'r,' thus we might get an original T-b-r which could, in turn, stem from
ancient Tibira. Interestingly enough the Semitic epithet 'Cain' in Tubal-Cain also means
'smith' which suggests that this epithet has been added as a clarification of a little-known
Sumerian word by the Hebrew author of Genesis. So these are clues which suggest that
Tubal-Cain and Badtibira are connected in some way." [12]

According to the Genesis account Tubal-Cain's half-brother was Jubal, who was "the father
of all those who play the lyre and pipe." These two "arts of civilization," music and metal-
working, are always closely associated with Enki and they are mentioned specifically in the
myth Inanna and Enki as a part of the me that became controlled by Enki. In the
apocryphal Book of Enoch, which contains another ancient "descent from the heavens"
account, mankind was taught the art of making weapons (as well as sorcery, magic,
cosmetics, astronomy, astrology, divination, and other such "arts") by the fallen angels who
descended from heaven and took human women for wives, as written in Genesis 6.

If this last possibility is considered then Enki begins to be seen in a very different light. In
the Sumerian myth Enki Builds the E-Engurra the story is told of how Enki built his shrine
in Eridu and of the blessings and praises that he received from the other gods after he had
completed it [13]:

"After the water of creation had been decreed,

After the name hegal (abundance) born in heaven,
Like plant and herb had clothed the land,
The lord of the abyss, the king Enki,
Enki the Lord who decrees the fates,
Built his house of silver and lapis lazuli;
Its silver and lapis lazuli, like sparkling light,
The father fashioned fittingly in the abyss.
The creatures of bright countenances and wise, coming forth from the abyss,
Stood all about the lord Nudimmud (Enki);
The pure house he built
He ornamented it greatly with gold,
In Eridu he built the house of water-bank,
Its brickwork, word-uttering, advice-giving,
Its... like an ox roaring,
The house of Enki, the oracles uttering."

The Great Flood

In the book of Genesis the Great Flood is caused by God not because mankind was too
"noisy," as the Atrahasis Epic claims, but because mankind had become corrupted from
their interactions—sexually, spiritually and technologically—with the fallen angels:

"The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every
inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that
he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, 'I will
wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and
creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have
made them.'
...Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt
the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to
Noah, 'I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of
them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth...'" (Genesis 6:5-7, 11-13)

Noah was chosen to be saved because he and his family alone had resisted the negative
influences of the spirit world, and remained true to the Creator. Noah was a "righteous man,
blameless in his time" and like Enoch he "walked with God." After the flood Noah worshiped
God and received a blessing in return. However it was not long before mankind was seduced
by the spirits again.

The Tower of Babel

The genealogy of the human family is given in a list known as the Table of Nations in
Genesis 10. In this list there are exactly seventy names given of the descendents of Noah's
three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. It was through these tribes that the earth was re-
settled and re-populated after the Great Flood. However, the book of Genesis also gives a
strange account that describes how God's intervention was needed to get the process
moving:

"Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward,
they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, 'Come, let's make
bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the
heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of
the whole earth.'
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
The LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this,
then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse
their language so they will not understand each other.'
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building
the city. That is why it was called Babel --because there the LORD confused the language of
the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth."
(Genesis 11:1-9, NIV)

According to the Genesis account God supernaturally "confused the language of the whole
world." This made it impossible for the Tower of Babel to be completed and also made it
necessary for the different tribes, all speaking different languages, to branch out and claim
their own territories for habitation.

The Sumerian account of this event can be pieced together by clues found within a large
epic narrative of 636 lines known as Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta (c.2000 BC).
Within this epic poem there is a section known as the "Incantation of Nudimmud" located in
lines 136-155. These lines speak about a long-ago age when human beings lived without
fear, when man was united in monotheistic worship, and when human speech was unified in
a single language. This text is important because it clearly points to Enki (Nudimmud) as
the force behind the scenes who helped to bring about the confusion of tongues [14]:

Once, then, there was no snake, there was no scorpion,

there was no hyena, there was no lion,
there was no wild dog, no wolf,
there was no fear, no terror:
human had no rival

Once, then, the lands of Shubur-Hamazi, polyglot Sumer,

that land great with the me of overlordship,
Uri, the land with everything just so,
the land Martu, resting securely,

the whole world—

the people as one—
to Enlil in one tongue gave voice.

Then did the contender—the en (lord)

the contender—the master
the contender—the king
the contender—the en
the contender—the master
the contender—the king
Enki, en of hegal,

the one with the unfailing words,

en of cunning, the shrewd one of the land,
sage of the gods, gifted in thinking,
the en of Eridu,

change the speech of their mouths,

he having set up contention in it,
in the human speech that had been one.

The first century historian Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews explains that the building
of the Tower of Babel was an act of disobedience towards God and that those who worked
on it were motivated by their own selfish desires and pride. He also explains that its chief
proponent was a king by the name of Nimrod, the son of Cush and grandson of Ham.
Nimrod appears within the Table of Nations as the Bible's very first potentate:

"Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a
mighty hunter before the LORD; that is why it is said, 'Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before
the LORD.' The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in
Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and
Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city." (Genesis 10:8-12, NIV)

The figure known in the Bible as Nimrod, who opposed the God of the Old Testament, was
known to the Sumerians as Enmerkar. He is the hero of the Enmerkar and the Lord of
Aratta epic. In Hebrew the four letters that make up the name Nimrod roughly translate to
n-m-r-d. In Sumerian the name Enmer translates to n-m-r, while the suffix -kar simply
means "hunter." In the Bible he is "Nimrod the Hunter" and in Sumerian myth he is "Enmer
the Hunter."

After the Great Flood the Sumerian King List gives the kings who ruled the First Dynasty of
Uruk. First on the list is the king Meskiagkasher who, as we explained in Part Four, was in
fact the Biblical Cush. The second name given is that of Enmerkar [15]:

"Enmerkar, son of Meskiagkasher, king of Uruk, the one who built Uruk – reigned 420
years..."

The Sumerian King List records that Enmerkar built Uruk, and according to Genesis the
center of Nimrod's kingdom was Babylon (Babel) and Erech, which is Uruk (modern-day
"Iraq").

Enmerkar and the Shrine of the Abzu

The epic poem Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta tells the story of Enmerkar's plan to
build a temple to the goddess Inanna in Uruk, and his attempts to force the neighboring
mountain kingdom of Aratta to provide all of the necessary building materials. In addition to
this project, Enmerkar was also engaged in renovating and greatly expanding Enki's shrine
that was located in Eridu. It is this project which David Rohl believes was recorded in
Genesis as the attempt to build the Tower of Babel.

According to David Rohl, the references in Genesis 10 and 11 to the city of "Babel"
(Babylon) should be understood as references to Eridu. The original Sumerian name for the
cult headquarters of Enki in Eridu was Nun.ki, which means "mighty place." When the
sacred precinct of Babylon was built for Marduk a thousand years later it was also known as
Nun.ki, but it was known primarily by its Akkadian name of Bab-ilu. In other words, Bab-ilu
equates to Nun.ki, and the original Nun.ki was located not in Babylon, but in Eridu. Here is
how Rohl explains it,

"(Nun.ki) is otherwise known as Eridu – the very first royal capital in Sumer and the
residence of the god of the abyss, Enki. Indeed, it seems that the sacred precinct at
Babylon was named after that original Nun.ki, even going so far as to call the temple
dedicated to Marduk, E-sagila or the 'lofty house' and also known as the 'mooring post of
heaven and earth', after the original tower temple at Eridu. So, the biblical Tower of
Babel/Nun.ki was not the second millennium Old Babylonian ziggurat at Babylon but rather
the prototype third millennium ziggurat built at Eridu/Nun.ki in the Late Uruk period." [16]

The epic Sumerian tale, Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, begins with Enmerkar of Uruk
calling upon the goddess Inanna and asking her to help him create a temple for her that is
worthy of her greatness. Until this time Inanna was associated with the kingdom of Aratta
of the Zagros Mountains to the northeast of Sumer, but in the poem Enmerkar alleges that
these people do not worship and honor her as she deserves. Enmerkar refers to Inanna as
"my sister," and he asks that she force Aratta to provide what Enmerkar desires,

"My sister, let Aratta fashion gold and silver skillfully on my behalf for Unug (Uruk). Let
them cut the flawless lapis lazuli from the blocks, let them …… the translucence of the
flawless lapis lazuli .... .... build a holy mountain in Unug. Let Aratta build a temple brought
down from heaven -- your place of worship, the Shrine E-ana; let Aratta skilfully fashion the
interior of the holy ĝipar, your abode; may I, the radiant youth, may I be embraced there
by you. Let Aratta submit beneath the yoke for Unug on my behalf." [17]

In addition to this shrine for Inanna, the E-ana, to be built in Uruk, Enmerkar also asks for
materials for another project, which he refers to as the "great shrine," the "great abode of
the gods," which will be a renovation of the abzu, the cult center of Enki in Eridu,

"Let the people of Aratta bring down for me the mountain stones from their mountain, build
the great shrine for me, erect the great abode for me, make the great abode, the abode of
the gods, famous for me, make my me prosper in Kulaba (Uruk), make the abzu grow for
me like a holy mountain, make Eridug gleam for me like the mountain range, cause the
abzu shrine to shine forth for me like the silver in the lode."

Inanna responds to Enmerkar's plea, and she gives him instructions regarding how to deal
with the kingdom of Aratta. She tells him to choose a strong and eloquent messenger and
to send him into the mountains to speak with the people of Aratta and repeat Enmerkar's
demands. She predicts that the people of Aratta will "humbly salute Inanna like tiny mice"
and that "Aratta shall submit beneath the yoke to Unug (Uruk)"; they will provide materials
for Enmerkar's projects which will allow the abzu of Eridu to "grow for you like a holy
mountain."

Enmerkar follows Inanna's advice and the rest of the epic consists of a series of diplomatic
exchanges between Enmerkar and the king of Aratta. Enmerkar refers to himself as "the
lord whom Nudimmud has chosen in his sacred heart" and he demands that Aratta submit
to him "lest like a settlement cursed by Enki and utterly destroyed, I too utterly destroy
Aratta!"

In the final exchange Enmerkar gives his messenger a long list of demands to make of
Aratta, ending with the demand that Aratta "take the mountain stones, and rebuild for me
the great shrine Eridu, the abzu, the E-nun; let them adorn its architrave for me .... Let
them make its protection spread over the Land for me." In the end the king of Aratta
refused to submit to Enmerkar, but we know that Enmerkar eventually invaded and
subdued Aratta from other epic poems, such as Lugulbanda and the Mountain Cave.
Enmerkar's career is summarized by David Rohl:

"The conquest of resource-rich Aratta was the culmination of Enmer's expansionist policy.
By the end of his long reign the king of Uruk controlled much of Mesopotamia and had
greatly enriched the cult centres of Sumer. He also controlled the donkey trade routes
through the Zagros mountains and sea trade via the Persian Gulf. To the north, large
heavily fortified colonies were established close to the main waterways and therefore
connected the heart of the empire by means of fast-moving ships. Exotic goods and metals
were pouring into the capital city of Uruk and, of course, Enmer's palace coffers. This really
does make him the first potentate on Earth, just as the Genesis tradition states. In his guise
of warrior-hero Enmer/Nimrod is remembered as the founder of the mightiest cities in
Assyria and Babylonia, as well as a great builder in the old religious centres of Sumer." [18]

Evidence for Eridu's Tower

The story of the Tower of Babel is dismissed by modern historians as fiction because there is
no historical evidence that Babylon existed as a city at that early date, circa 2800-3000 BC,
and because there is no archaeological evidence for the Tower itself, which must have been
one of the most significant wonders of the world, even if it was never fully completed. The
fact is that the city of Babylon did not become important until prior to the rise of
Hammurabi around 1800-2000 BC, and Babylon did not possess a major ziggurat until one
was built by Hammurabi in honor of the new god Marduk. This problem disappears,
however, once it becomes clear that the Tower of Babel was actually the Tower of Eridu.
Once again, David Rohl comes through with evidence that too many historians have
misplaced or ignored.

In the late 1940s the ancient site of Eridu—modern Tell Abu Shahrain—was excavated by a
joint British and Iraqi team led by Fuad Safar. What Safar found was evidence for a
continuously maintained cult center of the god Enki. The very first shrine was a simple affair
probably made of reeds, but a square brick structure was soon built and after this the
inhabitants made continuous renovations and expansions. The excavation revealed
seventeen different levels of construction for this temple, Enki's abzu, which during the Uruk
Period became the holiest site in all of Mesopotamia.

The most impressive discovery was known as

Temple I, a massive structure with a huge
temple built on a massive platform, with
evidence of an even larger foundation behind
it that would have risen up almost to the
height of the temple itself. David Rohl
believes that whatever was built on top of
this massive foundation was probably the
structure that is described in Genesis as the
Tower of Babel.

What was even more intriguing for the

excavators was their discovery that precisely
at its highest point of architectural
achievement, the Eridu settlement was
abandoned. Rohl writes that "quite suddenly,
the island of Eridu suffered some unknown but cataclysmic fate."

Fuad Safar's academic analysis of the site states,

" ... the Uruk Period ... appears to have been brought to a conclusion by no less an event
than the total abandonment of the site. ... In what appears to have been an almost
incredibly short time, drifting sand had filled the deserted buildings of the temple-complex
and obliterated all traces of the once prosperous little community. ... At this point, there is a
considerable hiatus in the history of the site, as it is known to us from the results of our
excavations. ... the Jemdet Nasr epoch ... is not represented at Eridu. During the Early
Dynastic period also, there is reason to suppose that the fortunes of Enki's shrine at Eridu
had reached an extremely low ebb. In fact, the only meager remains of this period, were
indications on the slopes of the mound which now represented the ruins of the prehistoric
shrine, that some kind of impoverished sanctuary still survived at its summit." [19]

So what happened to Eridu? More importantly, what happened to Enki? What could have
caused the abandonment and desolation of the primary holy site of Mesopotamia's most
revered and influential god? If the Genesis account is correct, and Nimrod was somehow
involved, then what happened to Enmerkar? Strangely, the Sumerian myths and legends do
not offer straightforward or satisfactory answers to any of these questions.

Sumerian myth may not offer good answers, but the book of Genesis does. It tells us that
the attempt to build the Tower of Babel caused God to intervene and confuse the languages
of the builders, after which the different tribes and groups set out from Mesopotamia to
claim and settle lands of their own. Part Four focused on the children of Ham and explained
how they journeyed by boat, first to Bahrain and then on to Africa, Egypt and the
Mediterranean. There is evidence that this group, the Falcon Tribe, maintained a recollection
of their original home in Eridu and, more importantly, of their leader Enmerkar and of Enki
their god, after they set out to conquer and settle new lands.

The Egyptian Connection

Egyptian creation myths represent a major challenge for scholars to try to interpret. In Part
Two we briefly summarized the creation myth of the Ennead of Heliopolis, which promotes
the god Atum as the creator of the world, but it seems that each major religious center in
Egypt found it necessary to develop its own version of the creation story. So, for instance,
in Memphis the creator was Ptah; in Hermopolis creation came jointly from the enigmatic
Ogdoad gods; and in Sais in Lower Egypt it was the goddess Nit, or Neith, who "caused
everything to come to be." Superceding all of these was the account given by the priests of
Thebes, whose creator was the ram-headed god Amun, who had become associated with
Zeus by the time that Alexander the Great annexed Egypt.

Despite the differences in the creation accounts it does appear that all of them do have
several things in common. In the first place, they all appear to have at least some elements
of their theology based upon the early Pyramid Texts, and secondly they usually describe
the universe before creation as a watery, formless chaotic void, personified as the god Nun.
It is from Nun that the Primeval Mound arises, from which comes the creator who brings
forth the rest of the gods and mankind.

In Heliopolis this creator was Atum, whose association with the Primeval Mound is depicted
by the Benben, a pyramid-shaped stone. Atum was personified as the Benu bird, the self-
creating phoenix that was shown perched atop the Benben stone, and Atum was also
associated with Ra and viewed as a sun god.

The city of Memphis was thought to have been founded by Menes in pre-Dynastic times and
it was an important administrative center during the Old Kingdom. The priests of this city
believed that Ptah was actually the creator of Atum, and eventually Ptah became absorbed
into the Egyptian conception of Nun. In examining Ptah David Rohl refers to a Memphite
text that reads, "Ptah who is upon the Great Throne; Ptah-Nun, the father who begat Atum;
Ptah-Nunet, the mother who bore Atum; Ptah the Great, that is, the heart and tongue of the
Ennead; Ptah who gave birth to the gods..."

In Hermopolis the very beginning was personified as four pairs of related primordial couples.
These were Nun and Naunet, who personified the primeval waters; Heh and Hauhet, who
represented infinity; Kek and Kauket, who personified darkness; and Amun and Amaunet,
who represented the air. The priests of Hermopolis developed the idea that at some early
point these couples interacted and sparked a great explosion, out of which the Primeval
Mound came into existence. This mound was known as the "Isle of Flame" because it was
where the sun god Atum/Ra was born and where he first blazed forth.

In Thebes the priests chose to focus on the god Amun. He was the "Hidden God" and his
priests went to great lengths to make him appear as mysterious and as powerful as they
possibly could. The Theban priesthood recognized Amun as a member of the Ogdoad group,
yet they believed that Amun also preceded it and was in fact its creator. He transcended
creation and preceded the primordial waters of Nun, creating all of the gods and even
matter itself. Amun rose to power in the Eleventh Dynasty when he was merged with Ra the
sun god and became known as Amun-Ra. Aside from the strange short-lived cult installed
by Akhenaten, the worship of Amun was the closest that the Egyptians came to embracing
something vaguely similar to monotheism. The ascendance of Amun as the primary
Egyptian god may relate in some way to the period of Israelite captivity in Egypt after the
death of Joseph, when the Egyptian monarchy first began to view the Israelites as internal
enemies that needed to be culled and enslaved.

For David Rohl, whose task in his book Legend is to show how the rulers of the Egyptian
Dynasties came from Mesopotamia, the important commonality in all of the creation
accounts is the reference to a Primeval Mound that was the original home of the gods.
During the period of Ptolemaic rule in Egypt there was a major renovation and expansion of
the temple to Horus at Edfu. Engraved on the walls of this temple there are important
references to this Primordial Mound and to the long-gone era of the gods known as Zep-
Tepi, or "The First Time." David Rohl refers to these engravings and finds evidence that the
Egyptians possessed dim memories of their journey, first from Eridu to Bahrain, and then
from Bahrain to Egypt.

The founding of the first mythical temple upon the Primordial Mound is shown on a wall
inscription at Edfu that is labelled "Thoth and the Seven Sages." This primordial temple is
simply called "The Great Throne" and Thoth and the Seven Sages are attended by two
enigmatic gods known as Wa and Aa. Rohl points out that a group of "Seven Sages" are also
prominent characters in Sumerian myth. They are honored as fathers of Sumerian
civilization and in the Epic of Gilgamesh the city of Uruk is referred to with the words, "Did
not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plans?"

In another Edfu scene there is a central depiction of a Falcon seated upon a ceremonial
perch known as the Djeba. In front of it stands a king in an "attitude of adoration," and
behind it six different gods sit alongside Wa and Aa. These gods are referred to as the
"Senior Ones," the "Offspring of the Creator," the "Glorious Spirits of the Early Primeval
Age," "Brethren of the Sages," the "Builder Gods," the "Glorious Shebtiu, and also "Children
of the Risen One." In this scene Wa and Aa are referred to as the "Lords of the Island of
Aggression" who "founded this place and who were the first to exist therein in the company
of Re."
This group, the Shebtiu, are interpreted by Rohl to be the descendents of the original
"Ancestors" who lived during the era of Zep-Tepi. Their original home was the "Island of
Aggression" or "Island of Flame" where Ra was said to have first shone forth—the original
Primordial Mound. However, for reasons not clearly explained, the Shebtiu relocated and
founded a new place known as the "Blessed Isle" which was the location of the Djeba of the
Falcon.

This "Blessed Isle" was Bahrain, and the Edfu inscriptions also refer to it as the "Island of
Re," "The Exalted Throne of Horus," the "Foundation Ground of the Ruler of the Wing," as
well as "The Place of the Uniting of the Company." Rohl comments that this last title
suggests "a gathering of forces or an alliance of some sort. It is almost as though the island
becomes a staging post for something much bigger." This possibility is reinforced by some
of the other names that are given for the individual Shebtiu within the Edfu texts. Their
names are "The Distant One," "The Great One," "The Sailor," "The Sacred Head," "The
Serpent-Creator of the Earth," "Lord of the Twin Hearts," "Lord of Life and Divine Power,"
and also the ferocious "Mighty-chested Lord who made slaughter; the Spirit who lives on
blood." [20]

The location of the original Primordial Mound itself, which according to Egyptian creation
myths arose out of the chaotic waters of Nun, is made clear by some of the most common
Sumerian and Babylonian creation myths, of which the following is an example:

"A reed had not come forth. A tree had not been created. A house had not been made. A
city had not been built. All the lands were sea. Then Eridu was made." [21]

The connection between Egypt's Primordial Mound and the Sumerian city of Eridu is made
clear by some of the names associated with both. For instance, the primordial waters were
known as "Nun" to the Egyptians, while the name for Enki's shrine at Eridu was, as the
reader may recall, "Nun.ki" and also "e-Nun." Another connection exists with the many
references to Eridu as the "Abzu" of Enki. This is the root for the word we know today as
"Abyss" and Enki was the Lord of the Abyss. One of the first important cult centers for the
invaders of Egypt was a place which came to be known by the Greeks as "Abydos."
However, the Egyptian name is better represented as "Abedjou" or "Abdju." The sound "dj"
is often simply given as "z," such as in the common rendition for the Step-Pyramid of Djoser
as "Zoser." With this in mind we find that Abydos=Abdju=Abzu, which directly equates with
the cult center of Enki known as the Abzu in Eridu.

The god of the Falcon Tribe, the tribe that invaded and conquered Egypt, was clearly Enki.
Below is a well-known Sumerian pictographic inscription of Enki depicting him holding a
falcon with one hand, with the "life-giving" fresh waters of the Abyss flowing from his
shoulders.
Enki was always associated with fresh-water springs, which were considered gateways to
the land of the underworld dead. In Eridu his temple was built over such a spring, and in
Bahrain there are numerous fresh-water springs that bubble up on the island and out in the
ocean close to the shore. The locations chosen for the cult sites in Egypt in the vicinity of
Abydos were chosen probably because it too had such a spring. (On a side note, this
connection between underwater springs and the world of the dead was also clearly
understood by the ancient Maya and was essential to their elaborate rituals of human
sacrifice, as examined in recent National Geographic investigations.)

In Sumerian myth Enki was known as the "Lord of the Earth," and he plays a major role in
the myths that explain the appearance of the sun god Utu and the great goddess Inanna
who was brought down from the mountains and given a central role. In the case of Utu we
find that both Meskiagkasher (Cush) and Enmerkar (Nimrod) are referred to as "sons of
Utu." What appears to have happened is that after Enki's cult center of Eridu was
abandoned he re-invented himself within the Falcon Tribe. They were his most devoted
worshipers and through them he was able create for himself a new religious system as well
as a new civilization.

David Rohl finds many connections between the Sumerian Enki and the Egyptian gods Ra,
Atum and Ptah. Enki was able to appropriate the role of primary creator through Atum,
while at the same time utilizing the symbol of the sun, Ra, that had been given to Utu in the
Sumerian myths. This explains why the Primordial Mound was known as the "Isle of Flame,"
the place from which Ra first blazed forth and from which Atum created himself, and it also
explains why Bahrain, the "Blessed Isle" was also known as the "Isle of Ra."

In the excavations done at Bahrain the evidence is overwhelming that in its earliest days it
was a cult haven for worshipers of Enki. In the epic Enki and the World Order it was Enki
who established Bahrain, or Dilmun, as a civilization, and it is Enki who was known as "The
Lord of Dilmun."[22] In the account of his excavation of Bahrain the archaeologist
Geoffrey Bibby comments on the finding of a special spring and pool in one of the ancient
temple's dedicated to Enki:

"Such an ablution pool was a very un-Sumerian feature in a temple which otherwise was not
un-Mesopotamian in character. And we thought of the Great Bath on the citadel of Mohenjo-
Daro, and of the washing places which are an indispensable feature of every mosque to this
day. But perhaps there was more to it than that. To the Sumerians, and probably even
more to the people of Dilmun, such a spring was not a natural phenomenon. Here were the
waters of the Abyss, here the sweet waters of the sea-beneath-the-world broke through to
the surface. This might be the very spring which Enki, the Lord of the Abyss, had caused to
gush forth in Dilmun, at the behest of the goddess Ninhursag." [23]

Enki the Lord of Eridu was known to the Egyptians as Atum of the Primordial Mound as well
as Ra of the "Blessed Isle" of Bahrain. Like Enki who helped to fashion mankind from clay,
Atum was known to the Egyptians as "The First Primeval One" who "fashioned earth upon
his (potter's) wheel," who created men and gave birth to the gods. Through his control over
the Falcon Tribe the land of Egypt became Enki's personal fiefdom and Enki became the
primary spiritual force directing its three thousand year history.
The Historical Osiris

The Golden Age of the gods, the era known as Zep-Tepi, was for the Egyptians the era of
the reign of Osiris. If the original "Primordial Mound" was located in Eridu, and not on an
island on the Nile River in Egypt, then the historical identity of Osiris is revealed. He is none
other than Enmerkar, known also as Nimrod in the book of Genesis, who ruled over the first
super-kingdom of history with a political base in Uruk and a spiritual base in Eridu.

When the kingdom of Enmer/Osiris was brought to an end, and when the great king died,
his inner circle was forced to flee from Mesopotamia entirely. Eridu was abandoned, along
with its unfinished Tower, after what must have been a major conflict, because the Edfu
inscriptions refer to the original home of the gods as the "Isle of Aggression" (Egy. iu titi)
and "Isle of Combat" (Egy. iu aha). [24]

After regrouping and consolidating their forces on the "Blessed Isle" of Bahrain a significant
faction of this Falcon Tribe then invaded Upper Egypt. They took the carefully-preserved
body of their slain king with them and they sailed around the Arabian Peninsula, up the Red
Sea, and then re-embarked on the Nile River after dragging their boats through the wadis of
Egypt's eastern desert. One of the first cult centers of this invading group was located at
Abydos, and it was here where the body of Enmer/Osiris was temporarily laid to rest:

"Abydos, or Abdju, lies in the eighth nome of Upper Egypt, about 300 miles south of Cairo,
on the western side of the Nile and about 9.5 miles from the river. It spreads over 5 square
miles and contains archaeological remains from all periods of ancient Egyptian history. It
was significant in historical times as the main cult center of Osiris, the lord of the
netherworld. At the mouth of the canyon at Abydos, which the Egyptians believed to be
the entrance to the underworld, one of the tombs of the 1st dynasty kings was mistaken for
the tomb of Osiris. A thousand years later, and pilgrims would leave offerings to the god for
another thousand years. The area is thus now called Umm el Qa‘ab, 'Mother of Pots.'" [25]

Perhaps this tomb was indeed the original tomb of Osiris and the ancient Egyptians were not
"mistaken." Whether it was or not, we can be certain that the location known as Umm el
Ga'ab was an important site for the invading Falcon Tribe from the very beginning. At this
location archaeologists have determined that a total of ten pre-dynastic and early-dynastic
royal tomb enclosures were built, of which eight have been found and excavated. Many of
these burial enclosures also included subsidiary graves for attendants that were offered as
human sacrifices at the time of the royal burial. Egyptologists believe that the Umm el Ga'ab
enclosures are related to early inscriptions that mention "fortresses of the gods," as
Egyptologist Richard H. Wilkinson explains,

"(The enclosures) seem to have been ceremonial gathering places for the gods known as
the shemsu-her, the 'entourage of Horus,' who were associated with the king as the
manifestation of the falcon god Horus – probably regarded as the same deity worshiped at
Hierakonpolis (Nekhen - Falcon City). ...The open courts of these enclosures may have
contained a sacred mound similar to that found in the shrine of Hierakonpolis as well as in
other later temples and shrines. The mound is of particular significance as it may have been
regarded as a symbol of the original mound of creation in Egyptian mythology, from which
the primordial falcon god was said to have surveyed the world from his perch or standard."
[26]
The "sacred mounds" of these early holy sites relate directly back to Eridu of Mesopotamia.
Further proof of the Falcon Tribe's origin comes from other artifacts buried nearby which
mainstream Egyptologists have a hard time understanding:

"Near Khentyamentiu’s temple, a mile north of the Umm el Ga’ab (Qa'ab) cemetery and
nested among the enclosures were fourteen (found to-date) large boat graves. The remains
of the ancient ships, dating to the 1st Dynasty, were uncovered in the desert. Each
averages 75 feet in length and had been encased in a structure two-feet thick with
whitewashed mud-brick walls. Whether they were meant to represent solar barques,
anticipating the ship built by Khufu and found within his Pyramid at Giza, is not yet known."
[27]

These boats were viewed as sacred to the Falcon Tribe because they were the means by
which the Shemsu-Hor invaders arrived in Egypt in the first place. Their original use was
functional, and only later did they become viewed as cultic "solar barques" and become
assimilated into Egyptian religion.

In the thirteenth century BC the Egyptian king Seti I, the father of the great Ramesses II,
built one of Egypt's most impressive and remarkable temples. This temple, the Temple of
Seti I at Abydos, has seven sanctuaries, dedicated to himself, Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re,
Osiris, Isis and Horus. It is built in a curious L-Pattern, at the back end of which is another
remarkable monolithic structure known as the Osireion.

(Image borrowed from http://touregypt.net/featurestories/setiabydos.htm)

The Osireion was built as another "Tomb of Osiris" and when it was completed it featured
numerous elaborate paintings and inscriptions on its walls detailing the many aspects of
Osiris and his role in Egyptian religion. At the center of the building was a raised rectangular
"island," with receptacles cut into the floor to hold a sarcophagus and canopic chests.
Surrounding the "island" was a water-channel cut into the floor, into which steps from the
island descended. Wilkinson explains a likely factor that dictated this temple's placement,

"The location of the Osireion in the temple of Sethos I (Seti I) at Abydos ... is due to the
proximity of a natural spring. This seems to have been used to provide a pool of water
around the subterranean 'grave' in order to make it a model of the mythical mound of
creation which the Egyptians believed rose from the primeval waters." [28]

Again, this description of a fresh water spring integrated into the plan of a temple of Osiris
in Abdju is very similar to the descriptions given in Sumerian texts of fresh water flowing
out of Enki's Abzu in the sacred island of the city of Eridu, the cult-capital ruled by Enmer
prior to its abandonment.

Regarding the dating of the building of the Osireion, most

scholars believe it was begun by Seti I and completed by his
grandson. However, the mystic Egyptologist John Anthony
West disagrees. In his Magical Egypt DVD series, West offers
several factors that point to an earlier date for the building of
the Osireion. First of all, there is the curious fact that the
elevation of the Osireion is almost fifty feet lower than that of
Seti I's temple. Secondly, there is the strange L-pattern to the
layout of Seti's temple, and thirdly, there is the odd fact that
there is a chamber dedicated to Osiris within Seti's temple.
Why dedicate a chamber within the temple, if another entire building was planned in honor
of the same deity from the beginning? West believes that the original plan for Seti's temple
called for it to be built as a straight rectangle, and that this was changed only after the
workers uncovered the Osireion while digging to lay the foundation of Seti's temple. The
discovery of the Osireion forced the architects to shift the "Southern Wing" off to the side,
which created the L-pattern. The finding of the Osireion would have been taken as a divine
sign and the ancient building would have been refurbished, renovated, and redecorated, and
incorporated into the plan of the overall site.

Of course West's theory may be wrong and the Osireion may indeed date to the thirteenth
century BC. Nonetheless, the intriguing possibility exists that it may have actually served as
a temporary resting place for the body of Osiris more than fifteen hundred years earlier. We
cannot know for sure where the body of Osiris rested while in Abydos, but we can be
reasonably certain that it did rest there. However, once the massive necropolis at Giza was
completed during the Fourth Dynasty the body was brought north and secreted in its
current undiscovered location, perhaps in a hidden chamber in the very heart of the Great
Pyramid (Part Two).

Giza became the greatest monument to Osiris ever built, but Abydos still continued as a
primary location for the Osiris cult and his related rituals and festivals. Perhaps the most
important of these festivals was the Festival of Khoiak, held in the fourth month of the
season of Akhet (Inundation). The high point of the ritual was a three-day reenactment of
the myth of Isis and Osiris, and the death of Osiris at the hands of Set. It included a
procession with an effigy of the deceased Osiris carried in a ceremonial barque from his
temple out into the desert and then to his burial place either at the Umm el-Ga'ab cemetery
or (later) at the Osireion itself. Much of what we know of this early "Passion Play" comes
from the "Stela of Ikhernofret" which dates to the Middle Kingdom, which is here
summarized [29]:

The First Day - The Procession of Wepwawet:

Wepwawet opens the way of the procession. The enemies of Wesir (Osiris) are struck
down in a mock battle. It seems an assault was staged by the 'followers of Set,' this was to
be struck down, either by priests or by pilgrims acting as the 'followers of Wesir,' or perhaps
both. The jackal-god Wepwawet who is walking foremost in all royal processions and
conquests, goes by the name of 'Opener of the Ways.' In that context he opens the path for
Wesir to gain access to the tomb.

The Second Day - The Great Procession of Wesir:

The deceased Wesir, carried on a barque called 'Neshmet' (night barque which Re rides in
every night) is taken from his temple to his tomb. The procession moves through the
surrounding cemetery grounds to the tomb (it seems they take a tour out in the desert
before ending up at the Osireion). The Lamentations of Aset (Isis) and Nebt-Het are
performed by women impersonating the goddesses, all throughout these three days.

The Night of Vigil:

During this night's reenactment, the enemies of Wesir are slain on the 'banks of Nedyet'
(the tomb) and the night ends with the trial of Set before the Divine Tribunal.

The Third Day - Wesir is Reborn:

The god was reborn at dawn and crowned with the crown of Ma'at. The statue of Wesir
on the Neshmet barque is brought back in triumph to his temple, followed by the jubilant
masses. Purification and installment of the god in his House followed and before the rites
were concluded, the 'Raising of the Djed-pillar' took place. This last part was not open to the
public.

The notable characteristic of this reenactment (aside from the familiar 'Resurrection on the
Third Day') is the fact that Osiris is depicted as being taken from his temple after he is
already dead, and being transported by a boat to his burial place. This makes sense if the
original temple of Osiris was actually in Eridu, and the journey of his death-boat signifies
the removal and transportation of his body from Eridu to its ultimate destination in Egypt.

Additional evidence found within the myths of Osiris also appear to link him with
Mesopotamia, with the god Enki, and with Enmer the great king who ruled just prior to the
abandonment of Eridu.

According to Plutarch's account Osiris was the great king who brought civilization to Egypt
and to the world. Osiris was the inventor of agriculture, and he presided over the invention
of writing, which is accorded to his scribe the great god Thoth. Osiris was also the one who
organized society on the basis of uniform laws, and who also taught mankind the proper
way in which to worship and honor the gods.

In Sumerian myth it is Enki who receives credit as the great civilizer of mankind. It was he
who invented agriculture, and he who gave laws to mankind as well as establishing the
tradition of a hereditary kingship, which was first adopted in Eridu.
According to the Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta epic it was Enmer who sought to
renovate and expand the temple in Eridu as a "great abode of the gods." In addition to this
project Enmer also introduced goddess-worship to the land, specifically the worship of
Inanna, who is referred to as Enmer's sister, just as Isis is the sister of Osiris. David Rohl
comments on the fact that the symbol for Inanna in Sumer was a six-pointed star, and this
very same symbol is used repeatedly in early Egyptian references to Isis, who was also the
wife and rescuer of the deceased Osiris.

In another provocative similarity, according to the Lord of Aratta epic (lines 500-514), it
was Enmer who first transformed spoken words into writing: "Formerly, the writing of
messages on clay was not established. Now, under that sun and on that day, it was indeed
so."

Evidence linking Osiris to Enmer is also apparent in the very name of Osiris as it is
reproduced in the earliest hieroglyphics. Here is what The Ancient Gods Speak - A Guide
to Egyptian Religion has to say on this important subject [30]:

"The god's name Wsir (in Coptic, Oycipe or Oycipi) was written at first with the sign for a
throne, followed by the sign for an eye; later the order was inverted. Among the many
meanings suggested is one cognate with Ashur, implying a Syrian origin; but also "he who
takes his seat or throne;" "she or that which has sovereign power and is creative;" "the
place of creation;" "seat of the eye," with the Eye explained as the Sun; "the seat that
creates;" and "the Mighty One," deriving from wsr ("mighty")."

If the original meaning of the name Osiris was "The Mighty One," and if he is somehow
associated with the Assyrian god Ashur, then both of these items point towards Nimrod of
the book of Genesis, who became "a mighty one on the earth" and a "mighty hunter before
the Lord," who founded the city of Ninevah that became the capital of Assyria. David Rohl
explains how it all ties together [31]:

"This Ashur ‘lived at the city of Ninevah’ and was the eponymous founder of the Assyrian
nation, whilst Ninus founded Ninevah — as did Nimrod. It appears that we are dealing here
with a single historical character who established the first empire on Earth and who was
deified by many nations under four main name groupings:

(1) Early Sumerian Enmer, later Mesopotamian Ninurta (originally Nimurda), biblical
Nimrod, Greek Ninus;
(2) Old Babylonian Marduk, biblical Merodach, later simply known as Bel or Baal ('Lord');
(3) Late Sumerian Asar-luhi (a principal epithet of Marduk), Assyrian Ashur, Egyptian Asar
(Osiris);
(4) Sumerian Dumuzi, biblical Tammuz, Phoenician Adonis, Greek Dionysus, Roman
Bacchus. ...

Both Marduk and Ashur had their origins in the Sumerian deity Asar (or Asar-luhi) ‘son of
Enki and Damkina’ originating from Eridu. Damkina (Sumerian Damgalnuna) seems to have
been another name for Inanna.

After Eya (Enki) had vanquished and trampled his foes, had secured his triumph over his
enemies, and had rested in profound peace within his sacred chamber which he named
'Abzu' ..., in that same place he founded his cultic shrine. Eya and Damkina, his wife,
dwelled there in splendour. There in the chamber of fates, the abode of destinies, a god was
born – the most able and wisest of gods. In the heart of Abzu, Marduk was created. He who
begat him was Eya, his father. She who bore him was Damkina, his mother. [Babylonian
Creation Epic]

At his names may the gods tremble and quake in their dwellings. Asar-luhi is his foremost
name which his father Anu gave him. ... Asar, bestower of the cultivated land, who
establishes its boundaries, the creator of grain and herbs who causes vegetation to sprout
forth. [Babylonian Creation Epic]

The new god’s Sumerian name—Asar—was written with the sign for throne which was also
one of the two hieroglyphs used to write the name Osiris. Of course, Osiris is the Greek
vocalization for the Egyptian corn-god of the dead. The people of the Nile valley simply
knew him as Asar. The Sumerian epic ‘Dumuzi and Inanna’ tells us that the fertility-goddess
Inanna ‘married’ King Dumuzi (Asar) of Uruk just as the Egyptian Isis, goddess of fertility,
was the wife and queen of King Osiris (Asar)."

With the death of Enmer/Osiris, and the crumbling of his Mesopotamian empire, a new form
of religious worship came to dominate the world. According to the myth, before Enki set out
to create contention in the land, "the people in unison ... to Enlil in one tongue gave praise."
Afterwards the situation was very different and very chaotic, and monotheism was replaced
by polytheism. Along with this new pagan polytheistic framework the world seemed to
recognize the ascendance of a new god to the head of the pantheon, and this god had a son
who was known by many different names, who was universally understood to have died and
risen again, either in this world or the next.

The next installment of this series will focus on the hidden spiritual side of what appears to
be an epic conflict between two opposing forces. These forces utilize spiritual themes that
appear to have many parallels and similarities, yet there are also important distinctions that
clearly separate them along the age-old lines of Good and Evil. These lines have been
purposely blurred over the centuries, but by the end of this series they will be brought back
into a much sharper focus.

Footnotes

1. The Sumerians - Their History, Culture, and Character, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1963,
pp.33,72

2. From http://www.earth-history.com/Sumer/sumer-sumer-kinglist.htm

3. Myths of Enki, the Crafty God, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1989, pp.32-33

4. Sumerian Mythology, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1944, pp.72-73

also see http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/sum/index.htm

5. Myths of Enki, the Crafty God, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1989, p.39

6. Ibid, pp.41-42

7. Ibid, p.42
8. Ibid, pp.43-44

9. Ibid, p.100

10. Ibid, p.123

11. Sumerian Mythology, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1944, pp.51-53 and 101-103

12. Legend – the Genesis of Civilisation, David Rohl, 1998, p.200

13. Sumerian Mythology, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1944

from: http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/myths/texts/enki/enkieridu.htm

14. Myths of Enki, the Crafty God, Samuel Noah Kramer, 1989, pp.88-89

15. See http://www.earth-history.com/Sumer/sumer-sumer-kinglist.htm

16. The Lost Testament, David Rohl, 2002, p.66

17. Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, ETCSL translation located at:
http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.8.2.3#

18. The Lost Testament, David Rohl, 2002, p.63

19. Legend – the Genesis of Civilisation, David Rohl, 1998, p.339, citing Eridu, Fuad Safar,
1981

20. Ibid, p.341-342

21. Ibid, p.159

22. Ibid, p.243

23. Looking For Dilmun, Geoffrey Bibby, 1970, p.196

24. Legend – the Genesis of Civilisation, David Rohl, 1998, p.340

25. "Abydos In Egypt", by Marie Parsons

from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/abydos.htm

26. The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard H. Wilkinson, 2000, p.19

27. "Abydos In Egypt", by Marie Parsons

from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/abydos.htm

28. The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Richard H. Wilkinson, 2000, p.36

29. Summary of Khoiak Festival quoted from

http://www.philae.nu/akhet/APassionPlays.html
30. The Ancient Gods Speak - A Guide to Egyptian Religion, edited by Donald B.
Redford, 2002, p.304

31. The Lost Testament, David Rohl, 2002, pp.73-74

Domination by Deception

"Spirits narrate things wholly false, and lie. When spirits begin to speak to man,
care should be taken not to believe them, for most everything they say is made up
by them, and they lie; so if we permitted them to relate what Heaven is, and how
things are in Heaven, they would tell so many falsehoods, and with such strong
assertion that man would be astonished; wherefore it was not permitted me when
spirits were speaking to have any belief in what they stated. They love to feign.
Whatever may be the topic spoken of, they think they know it, and if man listens
and believes, they insist, and in various ways deceive and seduce."
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), Miscellaneous Works [1]

In virtually all of the mythologies of the world there is the theme of an ancient conflict
among the gods. In Egyptian myth it is the conflict of Osiris and Horus against Set; in
Babylonian myth it is the battle of Marduk against the primeval goddess Tiamut; in the
Canaanite myths of Ugarit it is Baal against Yam and Mot; and in Greek myth it is Zeus
against the Titans. All of these conflicts relate in one way or another to the original conflict,
the first divine conflict ever set down in writing, which was the ongoing conflict between
Enlil and Enki as told by the ancient Sumerians. This conflict never involved physical
violence but it was a bitter conflict nonetheless. The Sumerians did not record its resolution
but their myths show that they clearly favored Enki, and later accounts of the Babylonians
portray Enki as the eventual victor.

Much of pagan mythology and religion, in its many different forms and cultural expressions,
can be traced back to this original conflict, but it is interesting that the accounts that most
closely parallel the Sumerian accounts of creation, of the gods, and of human civilization
and religion, are not to be found in later "pagan" traditions, but are instead found in Hebrew
accounts, specifically the book of Genesis. Both the Sumerians and the Hebrews told a story
of mankind being created from the earth or from clay with divine assistance; both sources
refer to an ancient dispute between a farmer and a shepherd; both give an account of gods
or angels descending from heaven and influencing human civilization; both mention the
creation of the first city; both testify of a great flood that covered the land which wiped out
civilization and almost all of mankind; and both sources speak of the conquests of a great
king who was involved in some way with a great temple or tower and with the creation of
the many languages that divided the nations.

When the cuneiform tablets of the ancient Sumerians were uncovered in the mid-1800s
from archaeological excavations in Nineveh, Nippur, Babylon, and elsewhere, the
discoveries sent shockwaves around the world. Many Biblical scholars were greatly
encouraged and believed that the Genesis accounts were finally vindicated. For them, it was
obvious that the Sumerians had handed down, with a few distortions, memories of the same
historical events that God had inspired Moses to record in Genesis. For other Biblical
experts, however, the newly-discovered Sumerian texts were interpreted in a different way.
Skeptical Biblical critics took the view that because the Sumerian texts predated the book of
Genesis by 500-1000 years, then it was obvious that the Sumerian texts must be the
authentic accounts. Both accounts were viewed by the critics as merely myths, and certainly
not based on historical events, but because the Sumerian myths were older and it was
assumed that "antiquity equals authenticity" then they had to be the true myths. The book
of Genesis was then viewed as merely a distorted compilation or recollection of the
Mesopotamian originals. This interpretation of the relationship between Sumerian "myth"
and the book of Genesis remains the dominant view in the academic world today.

There are many parallels between Sumerian myth and the book of Genesis, yet there are
also some very important distinctions which, if examined, bring forth a number of important
questions. Perhaps the most important of these questions has yet to be answered by the
academic community, which is: How could such a strict form of Hebrew monotheism have
"evolved" from the liberal and diverse polytheistic religion of the Sumerians? Another way to
pose this question is: Where is the God of Israel to be found within the Sumerian pantheon?
This is a good question to ask because Abraham, the founder of the nation of Israel, was
supposedly called out by God from the city of Ur, which was located in the heart of the land
of the Sumerians.

Israel's God and the Gods of Sumer

The God of Israel was certainly unique when compared with the ruling gods of the
pantheons worshiped by the nations that surrounded Israel. For the Hebrews the identity of
the God of Israel could be understood on two related levels. The first level was the identity
of God as He related to Israel itself, and the second was the identity of God as He related to
all of reality.[2]

As far as the first level was concerned, God had revealed Himself to Israel and given His
name as YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah), which is usually translated as something like "Oh He
Who Is" or "I am who I am." YHWH was Israel's personal God and Israel's relationship with
YHWH was based upon successive covenants or agreements made between the two parties.
This type of relationship was rarely to be found within the pagan nations.

The second level by which the Hebrews understood the identity of their God was the level
on which He related to all of reality. When Moses elaborated upon the identity of Israel's
God as the Creator of the entire universe and as the ultimate Ruler and Sovereign Power
over the universe these claims must have been looked upon as completely outrageous and
presumptuous by Moses' pagan contemporaries. The pagans had their traditions about
creation (see Part Five) and they had their traditions of how the dominant god achieved
supremacy over creation, but they did not unite Creator and Ruler in one figure and worship
this figure alone to the exclusion of all other gods.

Despite these major distinctions between the God of Israel and the gods of the surrounding
nations, there are a few scholars who have attempted to identify Israel's God as a figure
who, it is believed, had to have "evolved" from the earlier and very similar Sumerian
tradition. These attempts usually focus upon YHWH's similarities with the three major
Sumerian gods: Anu, Enlil and Enki.
YHWH is similar to the enigmatic god Anu in that both are viewed as "Father" deities. Anu
was understood as the father of the first generation of gods including the two brothers Enlil
and Enki, while YHWH was the "father" of the angelic host who are referred to throughout
the Old Testament as the B'nai Ha Elohim, or "Sons of God." Anu may have also been
viewed by the Sumerians as the original creator of the universe, but gradually creation
became viewed as a "natural" process involving impersonal primordial "forces." For the
Sumerians Anu was really unimportant and he existed as an "otiose" deity far away in
heaven, which was also the place from where YHWH ruled according to the Hebrews.

The apparent relationship between YHWH and Enlil is much more substantial. Enlil was not
viewed by the Sumerians as the original Creator of the universe but he was viewed as the
ultimate Ruler of the gods and of mankind. Sumerian myths also describe Enlil as the father
of a generation of gods, and several myths refer to Enlil (as opposed to Enki) as the creator
and father of mankind.[3] The cult center of Enlil was located in the holy city of Nippur,
which was never a political capital and does not appear as a capital city on the Sumerian
King List. Nippur was instead a sort of religious capital where the kings of Sumer went to
receive Enlil's approval and to honor the mightiest and most-feared of the Sumerian gods.
According to the Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta epic, prior to the reign of Enmerkar the
Sumerians worshiped Enlil alone, which implies something similar to Hebrew monotheistic
worship of YHWH. The Sumerians also looked to Enlil as the ultimate decision-maker within
the council of the gods and, like YHWH in the book of Genesis, it was Enlil who decided to
send the Great Flood to wipe out mankind.

The relationship between YHWH and Enki presents much more of a challenge for scholars of
the ancient texts and remains a highly debated question. If any god could be said to be the
"personal" god of the Sumerians it would have to be Enki. Like YHWH's relationship with the
Hebrews, Enki was viewed by the Sumerians as powerful, kind, and wise in his schemes to
protect the Sumerians from the animosity of other gods (especially Enlil) and from
neighboring enemy tribes. Just as YHWH cared for his people, the Hebrews, so was Enki
portrayed as caring for the Sumerians. As mentioned in Part Five, Enki's apparent love for
mankind could be traced back to Sumerian traditions that Enki, just like YHWH in Genesis,
was personally involved in creating mankind out of clay. Enki also played a role similar to
YHWH when, through his actions, a particular family was chosen, warned, and spared from
the Great Flood by being given instructions for building an ark.

For David Rohl, YHWH has more in common with Enki than with Anu or Enlil, and the
similarities between YHWH and Enki outweigh their differences. In his books Legend and
The Lost Testament, which have been referred to often throughout this study, Rohl
concludes that the god who was revealed to Moses was none other than Enki, who was
known in the Akkadian language as Ea. YHWH is portrayed as a positive and caring god in
the Hebrew Bible, and Enki/Ea is portrayed as equally benevolent in Sumerian myths, so for
David Rohl this is where the connection exists between the Sumerians and the Hebrews.
Rohl even believes that YHWH actually declared His identity as Enki/Ea to Moses in a
straightforward manner at the incident of the burning bush:

"Moses then said to God, 'Look, if I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The god of your
ancestors has sent me to you," and they say to me, "What is his name?" what am I to tell
them?' God said to Moses, 'I am who I am'." [Exodus 3:13-14]

Here is how David Rohl explains this curious dialogue between Moses and the Voice from
the burning bush:
"As we have learnt, Enki ('Lord of the Earth') was called Ea in Akkadian (East Semitic) –
that is to say in the Babylonian tradition. Scholars have determined that Ea was vocalized as
'Éya'. So, when Moses stood before the burning bush and asked the name of the god of the
mountain, did he really reply 'I am who I am' (Heb. Eyah asher eyah)? This puzzling phrase
has long perplexed theologians but now there is a simple explanation. The voice of God
simply replied 'Eyah asher Eyah' – 'I am (the one) who is called Eyah' – the name of Ea in
its West Semitic (i.e. Hebrew) form. Scholars have simply failed to recognize that this is
another of those characteristic puns in which the Old Testament abounds. 'I am (Eyah) he
who is called (asher) Ea (Eyah)' is a classic biblical play on words. It also explains God's
apparently nonsensical instruction: 'This is what you are to say to the Israelites, "I am has
sent me to you."' God's words should really be translated as 'Eyah has sent me to you.'
'Eyah' or simply 'Ya' is the hypocoristic form of the name Yahweh found as an element of
so many Old Testament names. So Enki/Ea, the god who created Man and then later
warned Ziusudra/Utnapishtim of the impending destruction of mankind, is one and the same
as the god of Moses." [4]

David Rohl is correct that the vocalization for the Hebrew phrase "I AM" sounds very similar,
if not the same as, the East Semitic vocalization for the name "Ea," which is indeed the
Akkadian name for the Sumerian god Enki. However, if YHWH had actually meant to name
Himself as "I AM," which has been the orthodox understanding in Judaism from its
inception, it is not nearly as perplexing and puzzling as Rohl tries to portray it. "I AM" is
actually a very appropriate name for the God who claims to be the single eternally existent
One, who refers to Himself in Revelation 1:8 as the One "who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty." Rohl's etymological argument for equating YHWH with Enki might
sound good, but it is far from conclusive.

In equating YHWH with Enki David Rohl focuses almost completely on the perceived
similarities and he minimizes or ignores the many profound differences that exist between
the two. These differences, if examined thoroughly, make it highly unlikely that YHWH and
Enki are the very same entity. In the first place, we must return again to the unique Hebrew
conception of the identity of YHWH. This conception was based upon YHWH's two-fold role
as both Creator and Ruler of the universe. In the many Sumerian myths that praise and
glorify Enki, there are none in which Enki is said to be the original Creator of material
reality, a claim made by YHWH at the very beginning in Genesis 1:1. Regarding the Ruling
aspect of YHWH, within Sumerian myth this aspect is better represented by Enlil. It is true
that at one point Enki does gain possession of the me in the myth Enki and the World Order,
as explained in Part Five, but this authority is given to Enki only by the permission of Enlil,
who retains ultimate power as the primary decision-maker within the council of the gods.
The bottom line is that for the Sumerians Enki was neither the Creator nor the Supreme
Ruler, while for the Hebrews YHWH was and is both.

There are many more aspects of Enki that directly contradict the Hebrew understanding of
the identity of YHWH. According to Sumerian texts the practice of a hereditary kingship was
first established at Eridu, which was the cult-center of Enki where the descendents of the
biblical Cain became established. On the other hand, within the Israelite nation the custom
of a hereditary kingship did not exist from its beginning with Abraham, through the Egyptian
captivity and the Exodus, through the centuries of the Judges all the way up until the time
of the prophet Samuel. It was at this point that the Israelites demanded that YHWH give
them a king, to which YHWH at first refused before grudgingly allowing the institution of the
monarchy (1 Samuel 8:7-22). In this respect YHWH and Enki are again proven different. For
Enki a monarchy was essential and necessary to maintain his power and influence, but for
YHWH a monarchy was viewed as undesirable and unnecessarily oppressive of His people.
Another major difference between YHWH and Enki comes from examining some of the
religious practices associated with the two gods. When we examine the Sumerian
conception of Enki we find that one of his primary characteristics was his association with
magic and sorcery, with rituals allowing contact with the spirit world, and with divination of
the future. When we examine YHWH and his relationship with Israel, and especially the Law
or Torah that He gave to Israel, we find that these occult practices are completely
forbidden:

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass
through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who
interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one
who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and
because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you."
(Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

These occult practices were the foundation of Sumerian religion and they evolved to become
the basis of initiatory rites and hierarchical priesthoods around the world, from Egypt to
India, and from the Greeks and Romans to the Mayans and Aztecs of the New World. These
religious systems and occult practices were all similar, so one has to wonder why the god
worshiped by the Israelites demanded such a strict separation of his people from the rest of
the world? Was YHWH keeping them from spiritual practices that were necessary for their
own spiritual advancement, or was He simply protecting them from a spirit world that was
deceiving everyone else with fleeting metaphysical experiences and false promises and
expectations?

If we are correct to conclude that YHWH and Enki are actually separate entities, then it
becomes more plausible to equate YHWH with the Sumerian god Enlil, who was the long-
time adversary of Enki in the Sumerian accounts. This brings a whole new set of problems
to the table, however, because of the negative and derogatory portrayal of Enlil throughout
Sumerian myth. Enlil is portrayed as angry, vindictive, abusive and cruel, and he commits
crimes including adultery, rape and genocide. YHWH is sometimes portrayed as angry and
violent in the Hebrew Old Testament, but to the Hebrews YHWH's actions were always
justified, no matter how cruel they appeared to be. For the Sumerians there was rarely any
justification for the rash abuses of power that characterized the rule of Enlil.

In examining YHWH and Enki and their respective traditions one must also address the fact
that they make conflicting claims. In the book of Genesis YHWH is credited with creating
mankind, while in the majority of Sumerian texts Enki is portrayed as man's creator.
Another case is the similar tradition of the Great Flood. The book of Genesis explains that
YHWH brought the flood as a judgment upon human society that had become wicked
through negative influences from fallen angels. In the Sumerian accounts it is Enlil who
brings the flood to cull the human population that had become "too noisy." However, the
book of Genesis tells a story of YHWH mercifully saving Noah and the last righteous family
on earth from the impending destruction. Contrasting this account, in Sumerian myth it is
Enki who saves Atrahasis and his family from the flood against the wishes of Enlil. These
conflicting claims and accounts cannot both be true if Enki and YHWH are indeed separate
entities. If YHWH is the spiritual source for the Hebrew tradition, and if Enki is the spiritual
source for the Sumerian tradition, then we must face the reality that one of them is lying.

If YHWH in the Sumerian tradition is represented as Enlil, the adversary of Enki, then where
can we expect to find Enki within the Hebrew tradition? Perhaps we need to examine the
Biblical adversary of YHWH to find the answer. While Rohl equates YHWH with Enki, he
nonetheless provides the following description of Enki that resembles this Biblical Adversary
much closer than it resembles YHWH Himself:

"It is clear from the numerous incidents in the myths associated with Enki that he is a
clever, even cunning, deity; he is mischievous and non-conformist; in his aspect of the
creator of humanity he is a fertility-god; he liaises with humans by whispering through reed
walls so that he may circumvent the ban, placed on him by his fellow deities, which
prevents direct communication with humans. One could look upon him as a bit of a wily
prankster. He is sometimes shown with the legs of a goat complete with cloven hooves,
whilst his upper body is clothed in the scales of a fish. Enki is also, as we have seen, very
much the protector of his creation – humankind – and the provider of the life sustaining
sweet water." [5]

Enki Unmasked

Over the last one hundred and fifty years or so since the discovery and translation of the
ancient Sumerian texts modern scholars have been drawn to Enki as the most interesting
and enigmatic of all the Sumerian gods. Near the end of his career Samuel Noah Kramer,
perhaps the most respected Sumerologist of the twentieth century, chose to focus on Enki
in a book he published in 1989 entitled Myths of Enki, the Crafty God. Within this book
the late Dr. Kramer examined the many different myths and traditions of Enki in the
Sumerian and Akkadian texts and he makes a number of crucial observations regarding the
role of Enki in the evolution of paganism after the fall of Sumerian civilization. Kramer is
remembered within the academic world as a giant in his field, but within the world of
popular culture, a world influenced by talk radio and the mass-market paperback, he
remains relatively unknown.

Zecharia Sitchin is an author/scholar who is perhaps the exact opposite of Kramer. Sitchin
cannot claim any academic achievements within the field of Sumerian studies, yet he has
gained international popularity and acclaim as a reputed expert on ancient Sumerian texts
since the appearance of his book The 12th Planet in 1976. The basic theory behind
Sitchin's book, which has since been expanded to a six-volume series called "The Earth
Chronicles," is that the gods of the Sumerian pantheon were actually extra-terrestrial
visitors from an alleged planet "Nibiru," who arrived on earth 450,000 years ago in search
of gold.

Sitchin's Jewish roots became apparent with the publication of Divine Encounters in 1995,
in which he argued that YHWH of the Hebrew tradition is the Creator of the universe who
also created the Sumerian pantheon of extraterrestrial "gods" including Anu, Enlil and Enki.
Sitchin's primary affections, however, are reserved for the god Enki. Just like David Rohl
and Samuel Noah Kramer, Sitchin is taken in by the positive characterizations of Enki that
are found throughout Sumerian texts. Sitchin's latest work The Lost Book of Enki focuses
on Enki and claims to be "the autobiographical memoirs and insightful prophecies of an
extraterrestrial god." [6]

While Sitchin argues in Divine Encounters that YHWH is actually the Creator of the "extra-
terrestrial visitors" Anu, Enlil and Enki, he does concede that there are many similarities
between YHWH and Enlil, much more than exist between YHWH and Enki. Regarding the
YHWH-Enki relationship Sitchin puts forth the following tentative hypothesis in The 12th
Planet (1976): "The possibility that the biblical antagonists—the Deity and the Serpent—
stood for Enlil and Enki seems to us entirely plausible."[7] Sitchin
elaborates upon this theory in his later book Genesis Revisited
(1990):

"In the biblical tale of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the
antagonist of the Lord God who had caused them to acquire
"knowing" (the ability to procreate) was the Serpent, Nahash in
Hebrew... in the original Sumerian version the "serpent" was Enki.
His emblem was entwined serpents; it was the symbol of his "cult
center" Eridu (a), of his African domains in general (b), and of the
pyramids in particular (c); and it appeared on Sumerian illustrations
on cylinder seals of the events described in the Bible." [8]

The idea that the Serpent of the Garden of Eden, identified as Satan in the Judeo-Christian
tradition, is in fact a representation of the Sumerian god Enki seems to be hinted at by
Professor Kramer himself by the very title of his book Myths of Enki, the Crafty God, which
is a characterization found in Genesis 3:1,

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD GOD had
made..."

Since the early 1980s Sitchin's radical theories of extra-terrestrial "gods," (based on a face-
value acceptance of Sumerian myth as legitimate history and often utilizing the conservative
scholarship of Kramer), have opened up a whole new genre of alternative research involving
extraterrestrial interference, political conspiracy and New Age spirituality. This new genre is
predominantly skeptical of, and antagonistic towards, the Judeo-Christian tradition, and
usually promotes the forgotten "wisdom" of paganism and the Ancient Mysteries as the key
to mankind's spiritual advancement. From this perspective the Serpent of the Garden of
Eden is viewed as an Illuminator and Liberator of mankind and Lucifer/Satan becomes a
positive figure repeatedly identified with the Sumerian god Enki.

Laurence Gardner is a well-known member of this school of alternative research, and he

combines many of Sitchin's theories with some of the anti-Christian conspiratorial ideas
found in the best-selling book Holy Blood, Holy Grail (1983). His credentials are
impressive: Laurence Gardner is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and a Professional
Member of the Institute of Nanotechnology. Distinguished as the Chevalier de St. Germain,
he is a constitutional historian, a Knight Templar of St Anthony, and is Presidential Attaché
to the European Council of Princes. Based in England, he is author of The Times and Sunday
Times bestseller, Bloodline of the Holy Grail. This was serialized nationally in the Daily
Mail and gained Laurence a UK Author of the Year award in 1997." [9]

Gardner approaches the subject of Enlil and Enki in his follow-up book Genesis of the Grail
Kings (1999), and for him the identity of YHWH/Jehovah is very obvious: "The Jehovah of
the Jews (El Elyon of the Canaanites) was, therefore, synonymous with Enlil of the
Anunnaki, son of the great Anu."[10] Gardner then goes on to identify Enki:

"The serpent who conversed at length with Eve was clearly not a lowly, dumb creature, but
a guardian of the sacred knowledge... It is further evident from the Mesopotamian serpent
illustration that it has a direct Enki association, since Enki (Ea) was traditionally depicted as
the Serpent-Lord of the Euphrates. Just as the serpent was the giver of wisdom, so Enki
was constantly referred to as Enki the Wise..." [11]
For Gardner the "Grail Kings" are the true kings who have the divine right to
rule over mankind. He traces the genealogy of this illuminated elite back to
Cain, the first son of Eve, and Gardner resurrects the ancient Talmudic legend
that Cain's true father was Samael the serpent, identified by Gardner as Enki.
He writes, "In terms of sovereign genealogy, the line of Ham and Nimrod (in
descent from Cain, Lamech and Tubal-cain) held the true heritage of Grail
kingship, while the Sethian line through Noah and Shem were of lesser
standing..." [12] According to Gardner, Ham was in fact the first-born son of
Tubal-Cain, and not the son of Noah as stated in Genesis. With this step Gardner is able
secure a line of human descent directly to Enki himself, even through the catastrophe of the
Great Flood.

In commenting on the Judeo-Christian concept of Satan/Lucifer as the great Adversary of

God and man, Gardner claims that this is a spurious theological invention created to help
intimidate and subjugate early Christians under the domination of the Roman Church. For
Gardner, the serpent-god Enki was mankind's original creator, our most important teacher,
our protector against the animosity of Enlil/YHWH, and essentially "a true champion of
mankind." [13]

Mark Amaru Pinkham is a successful author who also alleges that mankind's true creator is
Lucifer, a name which he says is synonymous with Enki of the Sumerians. Pinkham's ideas
are explained in his book The Return of the Serpents of Wisdom (1997), while in
another book, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth (2002), he explains that Jesus Christ
was simply one of a series of manifestations of this divine figure. Pinkham has also written
on the connection between the true "christ" and the medieval Knights Templar, and he is
the founder of an organization called The International Order of Gnostic Templars.

William Henry is another name associated with Sitchin's "extra-terrestrial origins" theory.
Henry refers to himself as an "investigative mythologist," he has published close to a dozen
books, and he can be heard often on late-night radio on shows such as Coast-to-Coast AM
that discuss alternative and esoteric issues. In one of his online articles Henry explains how
the conflict between Enki/Ea and Enlil continues to the present day: "E.A. and his priests,
seek to uplift humanity to the level of the gods through global education and revelation of
all sacred secrets. Enlil‘s priests seek to keep humanity at the level of slaves and sex
objects, the property of a police state cryptocracy." [14]

Philip Gardiner and Gary Osborn are two British-based writers who, together and separately,
have written a number of books covering these same themes. The title of their most recent
collaboration is enough to explain their perspective: The Serpent Grail: The Truth Behind
the Holy Grail, the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life (2005).

Alan Alford is another British writer who takes the Sumerian myths at face-value. He
published Gods of the New Millennium in 1997, and has followed it up with several more
books, turning his focus recently towards Egypt. In an article that appeared in New Dawn
magazine Alford refers to Enki as "the Serpent God of the Garden of Eden."[15] Alford
greatly admires Enki, whose Mesopotamian cult center was Eridu, which is reflected in the
address of Alford's website at www.eridu.co.uk, and in the name of his publishing house:
Eridu Books.

Dagobert's Revenge is a magazine that was started in 1996 by editor and publisher Tracy
Twyman. Originally it focused on themes such as the Holy Grail, the Merovingian Dynasty
and the Knights Templar, but it quickly broadened to include many more alternative and
esoteric subjects. In 2004 Twyman published her book The Merovingian Mythos and the
Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau. In keeping with the trend Twyman credits Enki as being
mankind's extra-terrestrial creator, and her writing is more blunt as she unashamedly refers
to Enki as "Satan" throughout her book, with Jehovah/YHWH taking the familiar role of the
"villainous" Enlil.

Since 1994 Atlantis Rising magazine has been another repository for
scholarship and research dealing with mankind's ET origins and other
related subjects. In Spring of 2005 editor J. Douglas Kenyon published
Forbidden History: Prehistoric Technologies, Extraterrestrial
Intervention, and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization. The book is
a collection of forty-two articles that have appeared in Atlantis Rising
over the years, written by seventeen different authors. As a collection it
represents the New Age consensus that the appearance of modern homo
sapien sapiens is the result of extra-terrestrial intervention. This
understanding includes the notion that ancient Sumerian texts are the
most literal and trustworthy accounts of human origins, and that the primary character in
this episode was Enki, known in the book of Genesis as the Serpent of the Garden of Eden,
whose benevolent character has since been slandered by the Judeo-Christian establishment.

The glorification of Enki at the expense of the Judeo-Christian Creator has also been
embraced by those who consider themselves part of the belief system that calls itself
"Satanism." The website www.exposingchristianity.com is edited and promoted by Satanists
and it includes the following quote:

"[Christianity] is based upon stolen material that has been twisted, warped and distorted to
manipulate, confuse and incite fear into humanity. CONTROL. It has taken the ORIGINAL
GOD AND CREATOR OF HUMANITY, EA/ENKI aka SATAN/LUCIFER and turned him into an
assumed enemy of humanity. It has been used to blaspheme, ridicule and malign the Old
Gods, create estrangement and enmity from legitimate deities of which it replaced with the
false god "Yaweh/Jehova." [16]

A Satanist website called "Joy of Satan" also equates Enki with Satan, which appears to be a
trend within Satanism that is steadily gaining ground: "The Christian Churches have
dictated to a populace cut off from all ancient knowledge and the Original Gods, namely our
Creator God, Ea, also known as Enki, Lord of the Earth and "Satan," what "Satanism" is
supposed to be all about." [17]

One of the most interesting and compelling books written on the subject of alleged extra-
terrestrial control and manipulation of mankind is The Gods of Eden (1989) by William
Bramley. The majority of researchers in this field view the ancient gods as benevolent
caretakers of humanity, but Bramley is one of the few who argues against this consensus.
The back cover of his book explains Bramley's unique perspective:

They came to earth millions of years ago to spread the poison of hatred, war and
catastrophe... They are still with us... Human history is a seemingly endless succession of
bloody conflicts and devastating turmoil. Yet, inexplicably, in the light of astonishing
intellectual and technological advancement, Man's progress has been halted in one crucial
area: he still indulges the primitive beast within and makes war upon his neighbors.
As a result of seven years of intensive research, William Bramley has uncovered the
sinister thread that links humanity's darkest events—from the wars of the ancient pharaohs
to the assassination of JFK. In this remarkable, shocking and absolutely compelling work,
Bramley presents disturbing evidence of an alien presence on Earth—extraterrestrial visitors
who have conspired to dominate Humankind through violence and chaos since the beginning
of time...a conspiracy which continues to this very day.

Bramley points to Sumerian texts that explain that humans were created by these "gods" to
be slaves to the gods. Here is his basic thesis:

Human beings appear to be a slave race languishing on an isolated planet in a small galaxy.
As such, the human race was once a source of labor for an extraterrestrial civilization and
still remains a possession today. To keep control over its possession and to maintain Earth
as something of a prison, that other civilization has bred never-ending conflict between
human beings, has promoted human spiritual decay, and has erected on Earth conditions of
unremitting physical hardship. This situation has existed for thousands of years and it
continues today. [18]

Bramley refers to these alleged ET controllers as the "Custodians," and he views them as
the ultimate source of the most deep-seated and perplexing evils that affect humanity.
However, like all the rest, Bramley identifies Enki as a uniquely positive figure and as a
"renegade" Custodian who has always tried to help mankind. This, despite the fact that
Sumerian records state that Enki is the god who created mankind to serve as slaves in the
first place. In fact, in the Sumerian language the word for "worship," avod, is the very same
word used for "work." [19]

Sitchin and his immediate followers all view the ancient gods, as well as the modern UFO
phenomenon, as visitations of physical entities whose origin is from other planets or
galaxies. Dr. Jacques Vallee is a French-born scientist who has studied UFOs all his life and
is one of the most highly-respected members of the ufological community. Vallee
understands the "extra-terrestrial" premise that underlies so much of UFO research, but he
disagrees with it completely. For Vallee, the entities that so many researchers refer to as
"extra-terrestrial" are more properly described as "extra-dimensional." In other words, they
are not purely physical beings, but are better understood as primarily spiritual. In his book
Messengers of Deception (1979), Vallee wrote that "what we see in effect here is not an
alien invasion. It is a control system which acts on humans and uses humans."
In his book Dimensions (1989) Vallee elaborates on this hypothesis:

I propose that there is a spiritual control system for human consciousness

and that paranormal phenomena like UFOs are one of its manifestations. I
cannot tell whether this control is natural and spontaneous; whether it is
explainable in terms of genetics, of social psychology, or of ordinary
phenomena—or if it is artificial in nature, under the power of some superhuman
will. It may be entirely determined by laws that we have not yet discovered. [20]

If indeed the ancient "gods" are manipulating and controlling human consciousness from
other dimensions then we can expect Enki to be playing a major role in this ongoing
program. But is his role positive, as the Sumerians and modern New Age authors assure us,
or is he the Great Deceiver and the greatest enemy of both God and man, as Judeo-
Christian traditions have warned from the very beginning?

History is Written by the Victor

The battle between Enki and Enlil is never completely resolved within Sumerian myth itself,
but texts such as Enki and the World Order and Inanna and Enki give the impression that
Enki gains the upper hand, at least as far as authority over mankind is concerned. After all
it was in Eridu, Enki's cult headquarters, where the office of the hereditary kingship was
established, and it was Enki who eventually gained possession of the me (see Part Five)
that were associated with the organization of human civilization.

Modern researchers who look to Sumerian texts as unbiased and authentic accounts of
mankind's origins need to re-evaluate their positions and take this development into
consideration. The old adage that "history is written by the victors" has been proven true
time and again, and if Enki was indeed the victor in his clash with Enlil, then perhaps that
explains why he is portrayed in such positive terms by the societies that he came to
dominate. By the same token this also explains why Enlil is portrayed in such negative
terms.

This brings us to the development of the art of writing itself. According to the Sumerian
myth Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta the very first person to originate "the writing of
messages on clay" was none other than Enmerkar, whom we have identified as Osiris and
Nimrod. Enmerkar was a devoted servant of Enki and he was also involved in renovating the
great temple of Enki at Eridu. David Rohl places the end of Enmerkar's reign at circa 2850
BC.

Modern scholars mark the Proto-Literate Period, when primitive pictographic writing
emerged and evolved, at approximately 3500-2800 BC. Near the end of this period the
pictographic system was replaced by a syllabic system and the thousands of signs in the
Sumerian vocabulary were reduced to a few hundred, which made writing much more
practical and functional.[21] Under a syllabic system the art of writing, which had previously
been useful only for bureaucratic or financial purposes, suddenly produced literature, and
this new invention quickly became an important tool for the purposes of propaganda.
Samuel Noah Kramer explains how Enki was viewed by the Sumerians as the protector of
this important innovation:

"Enki is, in addition to the lord of magic and the great problem-solver of the gods, the god
of craftsmen, including what we would now call artists and writers... Enki was, perhaps
more than any other ancient deity, essentially identified with the spoken and the
written word." [22]

The eminent Assyriologist Georges Roux also points out the historic connection between
Enki and the art of writing:

"Enki-Ea, the tutelary god of Eridu, was above all the god of intelligence and wisdom, the
'broad-eared one who knows all that has a name.' He stood as the initiator and
protector of arts and crafts, of science and literature, the patron of the magicians, the
Great Teacher and the Great Superintendent who, having organized the world created by
Enlil, assured its proper functioning." [23]

The recently-published Historical Atlas of Ancient Mesopotamia notes Enki's association

with writing as well:

"According to the Sumerian epic poem of Inanna and Enki, the 'one hundred basic elements
of civilization' were transferred from Eridu, City of the First Kings, to Uruk. Among these
basic elements was writing, considered to be a divine decree from the deities and under
the patronage of Enki, God of Wisdom. From its inception, writing was therefore
considered a gift of the gods and carried with it both power and knowledge." [24]

It is certainly true that control over the craft of writing meant power and knowledge.
From the very beginning, when individual kingdoms first appeared, politics and religion were
closely connected and there was no separation of Church and State. The Priesthood served
the State, and the State was obliged to follow the decrees of the Priesthood, which were
understood to come directly from the spirit-world of the gods. The chosen few who were
taught the skills of reading and writing were privileged members of a scribal class that was
itself a part of the official Priesthood. Consider the following brief biographies of historians
from the ancient world, as proof of the connection between what we view as "history" and
the pagan system of worship erected for mankind by the "gods."

Berossus of Babylon was a highly educated man who lived from approximately 340-260
BC. He personally witnessed Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia and much of Asia, and
after the Greeks took over Babylon Berossus was quickly assimilated into the new regime.
Berossus is known to us through his Babyloniaca, or History of Babylon, which was a three-
volume study written in Greek that used ancient texts such as the Enuma Elish and
Atrahasis to give the Babylonian perspective on the history of the world. According to
scholars this work was either commissioned by the Seleucid king Antiochus I, or by the High
Priests of Marduk to justify the worship of Marduk throughout Babylon under the Seleucid
Greeks. According to Berossus, Marduk was the very same god as the Greek high god Zeus
and the Egyptian god Ammon. Berossus was himself a priest of Marduk, and his Akkadian
name was most likely Bel-re-ushu, which means "Bel is my shepherd," with Bel being simply
another name for Marduk.

Manetho of Heliopolis was a historian who lived from approximately 300-220 BC. Like
Berossus, Manetho lived in the aftermath of Alexander's conquests. Manetho's greatest work
was his three-volume Aegyptiaca, or History of Egypt, also written in Greek. Scholars
believe that Manetho's work was inspired by the Histories of Herodotus, and was meant to
correct many of Herodotus' errors and give the Egyptian perspective on world history.
During his day Manetho's greatest contribution was in bringing unity to the Greek and
Egyptian people through the creation of the new cult of Sarapis. According to Plutarch this
project was initiated by a dream received by Ptolemy I, after which Manetho the Chief Priest
of Ra at Heliopolis was introduced to Timotheus the Eumolpid, the Greek High Priest of the
Eleusinian Mysteries, to work out the doctrines and rituals of the new cult.[25] Most
scholars view Sarapis as a combination of the Greek god Zeus and the Egyptian god Osiris,
who was also worshiped as Apis the bull of the Nile. Thus, Osir-Apis, or Sarapis. On the
other hand, Samuel Noah Kramer is inclined to see the cult of Sarapis as a return to the
direct worship of Enki:

"In his survey of Akkadian epithets of the gods, Knut Tallqvist gives many citations for the
title sar apsi, king of the Abzu (Apsu). Only one god is called sar apsi, Ea. E. Douglas
van Buren was intrigued by the possibility that the epithet of Ea gave rise to the popular
Hellenistic god Sarapis. The story of the invention or discovery of Sarapis is reasonably well
attested in antiquity, but the origins of the god remain obscure. Tacitus was told by
Egyptian priests that Ptolemy I received a dream of "a young man from heaven" who told
Ptolemy to send for the statue of Sarapis. At Sinope the statue was found, worshiped as
Jupiter Dis along with Proserpina. Priests of Apollo at Delphi advised the Egyptians to take
the statue of Sarapis to Alexandria, but to leave his consort behind. The statue arrived in
Alexandria and a shrine was built for it, where the Egyptians assimilated Sarapis to Osiris.
The god caused a good bit of etymological and historical speculation in the ancient world,
but the explanations of Sarapis are not very convincing. Van Buren's suggestion that
Serapis is Ea is based on knowledge that Sinope had been an Assyrian seaboard colony...
Sarapis was widely popular as one of the great savior gods, a miracle-worker and healer.
Zeus Sarapis was a benefactor of humanity, especially those like sailors who made their way
by water." [26]

If the tale of Ptolemy's dream is true, and a statue known to depict "Sarapis" was found in
Sinope in Pontus on the Black Sea coast, a colony with Akkadian connections, then it is
virtually a foregone conclusion that the statue was in fact a statue of Ea/Enki, the only
Akkadian god ever known as Sar Apsi, the Lord of the Abyss. Supporting this conclusion is
the fact that "Sarapis" was especially favored by Alexander the Great:

"The earliest mention of Sarapis is in the authentic death scene of Alexander, from the royal
diaries (Arrian, Anabasis, VII. 26). Here Sarapis has a temple at Babylon and is of such
importance that he alone is named as being consulted on behalf of the dying king." [27]

The "Sarapis" honored by Alexander is of course the Sar Apsi known as Ea/Enki, a point on
which all scholars agree. It should then be obvious that the cult of "Sarapis" created by one
of Alexander's greatest generals was a cult to this very same god. What may have
happened is that after Sarapis became installed in Alexandria perhaps the god's
identification with Osiris/Apis was something that the leaders of the cult allowed in order to
ensure its popularity within Egypt, while his true identity remained known to the inner circle
of initiates.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods Alexandria was understood to be the capital of the
world. It was the most populous city in the world, and the center of learning and religion.
Many gods were worshiped in Alexandria, but Sarapis stood head and shoulders above them
all. According to Franz Cumont, by about 30 BC there were forty-two Serapeums, or
Temples to Sarapis, in Egypt alone.[28] There was also a major Serapeum in the city of
Pergamum (in modern Turkey), a city known also for its center of healing dedicated to the
god Asclepius [29], and for its massive altar to Zeus, which was brought to Berlin just prior
to the rise of Hitler. In Revelation 2:13 Jesus Christ declares that "Satan's Throne" is
located in Pergamum, "where Satan dwells."

Plutarch of Delphi was another high initiate of the pagan Mysteries who
left a legacy as a historian. He lived from 46-127 AD, and was a High
Priest of Apollo based at the famous Oracle of Delphi. Plutarch's most
famous work is Parallel Lives, a series of biographies featuring pairs of
famous Greeks and Romans. During his life Plutarch was a very rich and
influential man also successful as a politician. His prestige allowed him to
travel to Egypt where he was initiated into many of the Egyptian
Mysteries, after which he wrote the first ever prose account of the myth of Osiris in Isis and
Osiris. Throughout his many writings on spiritual matters Plutarch often refers to "secrets"
that he is not allowed to reveal on account of his oaths of initiation.

Philo of Byblos lived from 64-141 AD and was an important writer who did for the
Phoenicians what Berossus and Manetho did for the Babylonians and Egyptians. His primary
work is Phoenician History, and what we know of this Greek text comes primarily from
quotes found in the writings of Eusebius and Porphyry. According to Philo, the basis of the
History were Phoenician texts attributed to a priest of Baal named Sanchuniathon, who lived
prior to the Trojan War, probably within the thirteenth century BC. Philo writes that
Sanchuniathon began his quest for knowledge through his devotion to the god Tauthus, who
"was the first who thought of the invention of letters, and began the writing of records."
Philo explains that Tauthus is known as Thoth to the Egyptians and as Hermes Trismegistus
to the Greeks.

According to this History [30], the universe was created through a sequence of events that
are remarkably similar to the modern theory of evolution. Out of chaos, water, wind and
mud, eventually early man developed, and after several generations the earliest gods were
born. The first divine conflict was between Uranus and his son Kronos, and after Kronos was
victorious, with crucial help from his secretary Tauthus, he founded the first city which was,
as can be expected from a Phoenician scribe, the Phoenician city of Byblos. After the
eventual death of Uranus at the hands of Kronos (in the thirty-second year of Kronos'
reign), the text records:

"This, then, is the story of Kronos, and such are the glories of the mode of life, so vaunted
among the Greeks, of men in the days of Kronos, whom they also affirm to have been the
first and 'golden race of articulate speaking men,' that blessed happiness of the olden time!"

The pagan custom of human sacrifice, a common occurrence during the "blessed happiness"
of the "Golden Age," is also traced back to Kronos:

"It was a custom of the ancients in great crises of danger for the rulers of a city or nation, in
order to avert the common ruin, to give up the most beloved of their children for sacrifice as
a ransom to the avenging daemons; and those who were thus given up were sacrificed with
mystic rites. Kronos then, whom the Phoenicians call Elus, who was king of the country and
subsequently, after his decease, was deified as the star Saturn, had by a nymph of the
country named Anobret an only begotten son, whom they on this account called ledud, the
only begotten being still so called among the Phoenicians; and when very great dangers
from war had beset the country, he arrayed his son in royal apparel, and prepared an altar,
and sacrificed him."

The identity of Kronos is revealed through the work of Berossus, who was intimately familiar
with the Sumerian and Akkadian myths and legends. In his Greek interpretation of various
parts of the Enuma Elish, "Enki" is simply translated by Berossus as "Kronos," seemingly
without any need for an explanation. Philo concludes that this deity is now deceased, but
unfortunately for us the facts show that these rumors are greatly exaggerated.

In ancient times writing was a very exclusive, valuable and highly protected skill. From the
time of its invention it existed for hundreds of years as the property of the Priesthood and
the State, which were themselves virtually inseparable. As we have seen, religion in the
world prior to the appearance of Christianity was similar in virtually every key aspect from
culture to culture. Each was governed by a hereditary monarchy and led by a hierarchy of
initiated priests who communicated with the gods in ways very similar to the shamanism
practiced within Eastern religions and indigenous cultures today. Each of these ancient
cultures viewed the gods in a pantheistic framework, with the pantheon itself being led by a
high god who exercised authority over heaven and earth. In early antiquity this high god
was known as Kronos or Enki, who was represented by the planet Saturn. In later antiquity
this leader of the gods was viewed as the son of Enki, and his name was Marduk, Baal, or
Zeus, who were gods all represented by the planet Jupiter.

As far as the pagan world was concerned there was only one story to be told, even though
each culture told it in a unique way with different names and each with its own culturally-
relevant details. In the final analysis this story is Enki's story, and Enki's great rival Enlil,
understood by so many to be YHWH the God of Israel, had to wait about fifteen hundred
years before He could give His side of the story. That was the approximate length of time
from the invention of writing to the moment when Moses met his appointment with God on
the top of Mt. Sinai. It will be interesting as we find out what He had to say.

The Biblical Response

The early chapters of the book of Genesis are written according to the following outline:

Genesis 1: Creation of heaven and earth and all living things in six days.
Genesis 2: Creation of Adam and Eve.
Genesis 3: The Garden of Eden, the Serpent, and the Fall of Man.
Genesis 4: The story of Cain and Abel, and the first city built for Cain's descendents.
Genesis 5: The descendents of Adam from Seth to Noah.
Genesis 6: "Sons of God" descend to earth, produce Nephilim from relations with human women.
Genesis 7-8: The story of the Flood.
Genesis 9: The Noachide Covenant, the indiscretion of Ham and the cursing of Canaan.
Genesis 10: The seventy descendents of Noah's sons and the separation of the Nations.
Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel, the diversity of tongues, and the dispersion of the Nations.
Genesis 12: The calling out of Abraham to create the Lord's own nation.

Modern scholars find many similarities when they compare Genesis with the creation
accounts of the Sumerians and Babylonians. For instance, according to Genesis, creation
took place in seven days, literal or otherwise, whereas the Enuma Elish creation account of
the Babylonians was written down in a division of seven tablets. Other similarities exist
which were covered in Part Five, but these many similarities only serve to highlight the few
important differences that do exist. These differences are enough to prove that the Hebrews
had an understanding of creation and early history in common with the pagan cultures, but
they viewed these events from a completely different, and in many cases opposite,
perspective.

Concerning the "Fall of Man," this is the event in Genesis that sets the stage for all further
divine-human relationships, whether they be mankind's relationship with God, or mankind's
relationship with the "Sons of God," also known as the fallen angels, who manipulate human
affairs from the spirit-world. This event also introduces the primary adversary of God and
Man, who is referred to in Hebrew as the nachash of the Garden of Eden. Semitic languages
scholar Dr. Michael S. Heiser believes that this word, which is usually translated as
"serpent," can also be translated as "the shining one."[31] This means that this creature
was not a mere snake, but was a divine being capable of using speech to flatter and
deceive. Heiser associates this nachash with the descriptions of Satan in Isaiah 14 and
Ezekiel 28. In Isaiah his name is given as Helel ben Shakar, which means "the shining
one, son of the dawn," translated in some Bibles as "Lucifer, son of the morning,"
whereas Ezekiel helps to explain the origins of his overblown pride: "You had the seal of
perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God..."

While the tempter of Eve may not have been an actual snake, he has always been
associated with the serpent in one way or another. The book of Revelation (12:9) describes
him as a red dragon, and refers to him as "the serpent of old who is called the devil and
Satan, who deceives the whole world." In the book of Genesis his punishment for deceiving
Eve also appears to be related to his "serpentine" aspect:
"Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild
animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will
crush your head, and you will strike his heel." (Genesis 3:14-15)

Within this curse upon the serpent was also a prediction of the serpent's doom, which would
come from a man descended from Eve herself. The Hebrews understood this promise as the
Protoevangelium, or "first prophecy," of the coming of the world's Messiah who would
provide the remedy and reverse the effects of the Fall.

For the Hebrews "Satan the Serpent" was known from the beginning as a cunning deceiver
who was cursed by God and would one day be destroyed by the Messiah. Compare this with
the pagan view of the "shining serpent," as given by Philo of Byblos, translated from even
earlier Phoenician texts:

"The nature then of the dragon and of serpents Tauthus [Egyptian Thoth, Greek Hermes]
himself regarded as divine, and so again after him did the Phoenicians and Egyptians: for
this animal was declared by him to be of all reptiles most full of breath, and fiery. In
consequence of which it also exerts an unsurpassable swiftness by means of its breath,
without feet and hands or any other of the external members by which the other animals
make their movements. It also exhibits forms of various shapes, and in its progress makes
spiral leaps as swift as it chooses. It is also most long-lived, and its nature is to put off its
old skin, and so not only to grow young again, but also to assume a larger growth; and
after it has fulfilled its appointed measure of age, it is self-consumed, in like manner as
Tauthus himself has set down in his sacred books: for which reason this animal has also
been adopted in temples and in mystic rites... The Phoenicians call it "Good Daemon"; in
like manner the Egyptians also surname it Cneph; and they add to it the head of a hawk
because of the hawk's activity. Epeïs also (who is called among them a chief hierophant and
sacred scribe, and whose work was translated by Areius of Heracleopolis), speaks in an
allegory word for word as follows: 'The first and most divine being is a serpent with the
form of a hawk, extremely graceful, which whenever he opened his eyes filled all with light
in his original birthplace, but if he shut his eyes, darkness came on.' Epeïs here intimates
that he is also of a fiery substance, by saying 'he shone through,' for to shine through is
peculiar to light." [32]

The question that begs to be asked is this: What can possibly explain these two radically
different perspectives on the nature of the serpent? For the Hebrews he was cursed by God
to a level lower than that of animals and forced to eat dust, whereas for the pagans he was
the "Good Daemon," and "the first and most divine being."

After God's cursing of the serpent the next curse falls upon Cain for killing his brother Abel.
In Part Five we saw how the dispute between the shepherd and the farmer is resolved
differently in Sumerian texts than in the book of Genesis, with the farming winning divine
favor over the shepherd, and the shepherd becoming belligerent towards the farmer. There
is also a different emphasis on the lines of descent. Genesis gives the descendents of Cain
and relates their founding of the first city, but Seth's line is more important because it leads
to Noah. On the other hand, the Sumerians appear to focus upon the line of Cain, with the
institution of the hereditary monarchy "descending from heaven" to Enki's city, the city of
Eridu, named for Irad the grandson of Cain. In contrast, as far as YHWH was concerned the
institution of a monarchy was unnecessary and was viewed as inevitably leading to
oppression (1 Samuel 8:10-22).
The other "descent from the heavens" account is the descent of the fallen angels
themselves. This is portrayed in Genesis 6, and it involves unholy relations between some of
the "sons of God" and human women, a relationship which produced the Nephilim. From
this human-angelic interaction the world became "corrupt in the sight of God" and "filled
with violence," which became the justification for sending the global Flood. According to
pagan mythologies this was the Golden Age of Kronos when the gods lived with men during
the era of the kingdom of Atlantis. However, even though it was viewed as an idealistic time
when the "true religion" originally ruled, Greek writers such as Plato explained that Atlantis
became corrupt in its spiritual teachings and used its great power to dominate and abuse
the entire world.

The non-canonical book of Enoch explains how the fallen angels taught mankind astronomy
and astrology, charms and spells, and the properties of plants and herbs. One particular
angel named Azazel "taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and
breastplates, and taught them about metals of the earth and the art of working them"
(Enoch 8:1). In Genesis the craft of metalworking is ascribed to Tubal-Cain, a descendent of
Cain. David Rohl associates this name with Bad-tibira, which is the second city on the
Sumerian King List, following Eridu where "kingship descended from heaven."

According to Sumerian accounts the great "civilizer" of mankind was the great god Enki, the
Lord of the Abzu in Eridu, who was portrayed as a firm friend and champion of
mankind. On the other hand the book of Enoch explains that the innovations given to
mankind were used for wicked purposes. The Nephilim ruled with an iron fist, "and when
men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind"
(Enoch 7:4). Regarding Azazel himself, Enoch 10:8 reads: "The whole earth has been
corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe ALL SIN."

After the Great Flood we come to a curious incident in which Ham, one of the three sons of
Noah, dishonors his father. This brings about another curse, which is a curse from Noah,
given because of Ham's indiscretion but applied to Ham's son Canaan. In the Sumerian King
List and in the myth Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta both Meskiagkasher (Cush) and
Enmerkar (Nimrod) are said to be descendents of Utu. If Utu is to be found within the book
of Genesis then Utu can only be Ham, the third son of Noah who is described negatively in
Genesis. On the other hand, within Sumerian mythology, specifically Enki and the World
Order, we find that Utu/Ham is glorified:

"Enki placed in charge of the whole of heaven and earth the hero, the bull who comes out of
the ašur forest bellowing truculently, the youth Utu, the bull standing triumphantly,
audaciously, majestically, the father of the Great City, the great herald in the east of holy
An, the judge who searches out verdicts for the gods, with a lapis-lazuli beard, rising from
the horizon into the holy heavens." [33]

Utu became known as the Sun God in Sumerian mythology and the god of Truth and
Justice. In the Akkadian language Utu was known as Shamash. It was Ham's grandson
Nimrod who was responsible for the Tower of Babel, and we have already shown how this is
portrayed in Sumerian myth as Enmerkar's attempt to renovate the Holy Abzu of Eridu in
honor of Enki. In the descriptions of the role given to Utu by Enki, we can perhaps read how
the young Ham (the youth Utu) left the home of his father Noah (which was a mountainous
land of forests), in a fury of indignation (bellowing truculently) because of what he
perceived to be an unjust verdict against himself and his son. Then Enki appears, offering
flattering words and deceitful promises, after which we find that Ham becomes deified by
Enki as the Sun and God of Justice!
In Egyptian myth we find that Ham is most likely represented as the god Horus. This may
sound confusing on the surface, because Horus is usually viewed as the son of Osiris, who
has been shown to be Nimrod, the grandson of Ham. The problem is resolved once we
realize that the earliest Egyptian myths describe Horus as either the brother or uncle of
Osiris. Eventually two separate Horus identities appeared whom Plutarch refers to as "Horus
the Elder" and "Horus the Younger," the latter being the well-known son of Osiris and the
great unifier of Egypt.[34] This interpretation makes sense because the facts show that the
cult of Horus was well-known some time before the cult of Osiris was established. The
worship of Horus dates back to Pre-Dynastic times to the "Falcon City" of Nekhen, while
concrete evidence for the worship of Osiris first appears only in the Fourth Dynasty.

Horus was the god of the Falcon Tribe, who were the dynastic
invaders of the Nile Valley who came from Mesopotamia in the
immediate aftermath of the fall of Eridu. As worshipers of Enki they
identified above all with Ham their most important post-flood ancestor
who was, as we have shown, honored by Enki as the Sun God. In
Egypt we also find that Horus is closely identified with the Sun:

As Horakhty (Harakhty), or "Horus of the two horizons", Horus was

the god of the rising and setting sun, but more particularly the god of
the east and the sunrise. In the Pyramid Texts, the deceased king is
said to be reborn in the eastern sky as Horakhty. Eventually,
Horakhty became a part of the Heliopolis sun cult and was fused with
its solar god as Re-Horakhty. As Behdety, or "he of [the] behdet",
Horus was the hawk-winged sun disk which seems to incorporate the
idea of the passage of the sun through the sky. As Hor-em-akhet
(Harmachis) or "Horus in the horizon", Horus was visualized as a sun god in falcon or
leonine form. [35]

Further evidence that Horus can be identified as the Biblical Ham comes from the fact that
throughout Egyptian texts there are repeated references to the deified Four Sons of
Horus, which is documented in the book The Ancient Gods Speak - A Guide to Egyptian
Religion. These four sons are mentioned fourteen times in the Pyramid Texts, throughout
the many coffin texts of the Middle Kingdom, throughout the Book of the Dead and the Book
of Gates, and they even appear as representations on canopic containers holding organs of
the deceased in royal tombs.[36] If Horus is indeed a deification of Ham, then the Biblical
names of these four sons would be Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaaan. The descendents of
Ham were Flinders Petrie's "Falcon Tribe," known to the Egyptians as the Shemsu Hor, or
"Followers of Horus," who migrated from Mesopotamia and settled in northeast Africa and
around the Mediterranean Basin. They all worshiped various forms of the god Enki as their
primary god, which can be traced back to Enki's spiritual seduction of Ham after Ham's
unfortunate episode in the house of Noah.

It seems that at every important stage of the book of Genesis we find a description of
events very similar to pagan accounts, but the interpretation of the events is given a
completely opposite spin. What can account for the fact that the Hebrews, a seemingly
insignificant tribe of refugees fleeing from Egypt, would seek to create a history of creation
and civilization that repeatedly contradicted the way in which the surrounding nations
viewed the very same history? The next section will help to answer this question.

God Against the Gods

After the account of the indiscretion of Ham the book of Genesis continues in chapter ten
with a listing of seventy of the descendents of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of
Noah. At the end of this listing is an explanation: "and out of these the nations were
separated on the earth after the flood."

Chapter eleven then continues with the story that helps to explain exactly how these
nations were separated, which is the story of the Tower of Babel. Hebrew tradition, as well
as Josephus, maintains that this episode was directed by Nimrod, whose empire included
virtually the entire civilized world. At his prodding the people of the earth said "Come, let us
build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for
ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the earth."

According to Genesis the building of the city and the tower was begun for two reasons: 1)
To "make for ourselves a name," and 2) To establish a base from which to resist the divine
command given in Genesis 9 as part of the Noachide Covenant to "multiply and fill the
earth." As a result of this disobedience Genesis 11:5 explains that the Lord "came down to
see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built." God's response to the situation
is explained in Genesis 11:6-7, which included an appeal from God to His heavenly host:

"The Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people and they all have the same language. And this
is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for
them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language so that they will not
understand one another's speech.'"

The Book of Jasher is a non-canonical book that is mentioned in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel
1:18, and it explains the identity of the "us" that God refers to in Genesis 11,

"And they built the tower and the city, and they did this thing daily until many days and
years were elapsed. And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before
him, to those who were near to him, saying, ‘Come let us descend and confuse their
tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor,’ and they did so
unto them." (Jasher 9:31)

This strange episode was concluded after these "angels" agreed to God's invitation to make
a "descent" from heaven to earth. The final result is given in Genesis 11:8-9, which explains
how the people of the earth who resisted being scattered were forced to meet the terms of
the Noachide Covenant of Genesis 9:

"So the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the earth; and they stopped building
the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language
of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the
whole earth."

In Part Five we explained how the name of this city, given in Genesis as "Babel," was known
as "Nun.ki" in Akkadian, which was the name for the original city of Eridu that was
abandoned at the end of the career of the Sumerian king Enmerkar, who was the Biblical
Nimrod. In Sumerian myth Eridu and Enmerkar are both intimately associated with the
Sumerian god Enki. With Enki's support Enmerkar was able to conquer the civilized world,
re-inhabit and rebuild Enki's pre-Flood capital of Eridu, and begin building a great Temple or
Tower in honor of Enki, while at the same time resisting the divine command to spread out
and inhabit the entire earth.
Under the authority of Enmerkar the world had essentially reverted back to its pre-Flood
condition. Through Enmerkar Enki had succeeded in re-establishing the oppressive
"kingship," and through his building projects mankind was being directed away from the
worship of God and towards the worship of God's unholy Adversary. With the sign of the
rainbow God had promised never to destroy mankind again, so another remedy to the
situation had to be arrived at. This is the context from which to interpret God's response to
the situation, which included an appeal to the seventy "angels" who stood before Him, and
an agreement allowing them to "descend" to the earth once again. It was this "descent of
the angels" as well as the creation of the different languages that served to separate and
divide humanity from that point forward, with the "descent" proving to be most spiritually
significant.

The book of Genesis does not elaborate on how these descending angels affected mankind
at the time of the division of the nations. In fact, the explanation of this event does not
appear until the book of Deuteronomy where it can be found within the final speech that
Moses gave to the people of Israel just prior to his death:

"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of
man, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God."
(Deuteronomy 32:8) [37]

These "sons of God" were members of the "heavenly host" of angelic beings that God
originally created to help manage the earth and all creation. This explanation for these
"sons of God" is clarified by an old Jewish Targum on this text found in a manuscript known
as Pseudo-Jonathan.

"When the Most High made allotment of the world unto the nations which proceeded from
the sons of Noach, in the separation of the writings and languages of the children of men at
the time of the division, He cast the lot among the seventy angels, the princes of the
nations."

The decision to divide the nations of the world took place in a "Divine Council" setting, with
God consulting with a council of seventy "sons of God" before arriving at a decision. The
"sons of God" are advanced beings, also known as "angels," and because they were created
with Free Will not all of them have always acted in obedience with God and His divine plan.
The seventy "sons of God" who appeared before God at this particular Divine Council to
come to an agreement with God regarding the problem of the Tower of Babel were rebel
angels whose interaction with humanity far pre-dated the Flood. In other words, they were
a dissident faction of angels who thought they could manage humanity much better than
God could. To deal with the problem of Enki's domination of the world through Nimrod and
his empire God decided to allow these angels a chance to prove their argument. The end
result was that the world was divided up according to "the number of the sons of God."
"Seventy" was the number of members within this particular angelic faction, which is why
the Table of Nations of Genesis 10 lists exactly seventy descendents of Shem, Ham, and
Japheth, who made up the nations that "were separated on the earth after the flood."

From God's perspective, a situation in which humanity was united against God under the
control of Satan and Nimrod was exchanged for a situation in which humanity was divided
against God under the control of the seventy fallen angelic "princes."

From the perspective of these seventy fallen angelic princes, they willingly agreed to the
dismemberment of Nimrod's empire because it allowed for them to take control of their own
individual nations and prove their skills as human managers. Now they could try their hand
at "playing God" without YHWH's interference.

From the perspective of Satan/Enki, the breakup of Nimrod's empire and the fall and
abandonment of Eridu was certainly a negative effect. However, as the most powerful
member of this breakaway group of dissident angels Satan was confident that he would
quickly regain dominance. The life of Nimrod was a sacrifice that Satan was willing to offer
because it removed God from the picture and it allowed Satan and the fallen angels freedom
to rule over humanity. Nimrod became the historical basis for all of the many different
"Dying and Rising" gods found throughout ancient mythology, and he can be viewed as a
human sacrifice offered on behalf of the "gods," for without Nimrod's death they would not
have had their chance to rule as "gods."

Ancient mythology reflects the spiritual transition that occurred at the Tower of Babel.
According to the Sumerian epic Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta, at one time "the people in
unison ... to Enlil in one tongue gave praise." Afterwards the authority of Enlil was
diminished and it was Enki who rose to prominence, which is celebrated in the myth Enki
and the World Order, which includes the account of Enki gaining control over the enigmatic
me, the holy and valuable "powers" associated with divine authority and the management
of human civilization.

The disappearance of YHWH from human affairs, through the transfer of direct authority
over humanity to the "fallen angels," can be deduced by the existence of so-called "otiose"
deities at the head of the pantheons of the pagan world. For instance, most scholars refer to
the Sumerian god Anu as an "otiose Deity." He was the head of the Sumerian pantheon, but
he did not actually do anything, and the Sumerians had very few, if any, representations of
him, despite the fact that temples were built in his honor, such as the one excavated by Sir
Leonard Wooley at Ur.

In Canaanite mythology, which is known to us from the Ugaritic texts of Ras Shamra, the
"otiose deity" is the great god El. The primary Canaanite myth known as The Baal Cycle
characterizes El as a deity far removed from human affairs, who falls into a dispute with his
wife when he is faced with promoting one of his sons to the position of active leader of the
pantheon. According to Ugaritic accounts, and this is a very significant point, the number of
El's sons was exactly seventy. (See Against World Powers IV.)

In Greek mythology the sky god was known as Ouranos, and he was reputed to be the wife
of Gaia (the earth goddess) and the father of Kronos. Unlike the Sumerians or the
Canaanites, Ouranos was not written out of the Greek story as an otiose "figurehead"
deity—instead he was simply killed off by his son Kronos, who was in turn slain by his son
Zeus.

The brief disappearance of YHWH from an active role in human affairs appeared to the
pagan world as evidence of Enki's victory over Enlil. It also explains how YHWH's character
could be so terribly slandered by the pagan priests and scribes from whom we get our
descriptions of YHWH in his various degenerated forms.

In Sumerian myth it appears that the identity of YHWH was split into two aspects. One
aspect was named Anu, who became completely inactive and placed up above in the
unreachable and unknowable heights of heaven, whereas the other aspect was portrayed as
Enlil, who was the active opponent of Enki and the alleged enemy of mankind, who sought
to exterminate mankind because we had become "too noisy."
In Ugaritic mythology El is similarly slandered and abused and is characterized as cowardly,
spiteful and conniving, despite the fact that he is viewed as basically powerless.
Nevertheless El's connection with YHWH/El of the Hebrews is very clear. Lowell K. Handy, in
his book Among the Host of Heaven, shows that the Canaanites preserved a memory of
the division of the earth similar to the Hebrew understanding, and this division was
mandated by the authority of El. He writes,

"The division of the world into regions of authority is ascribed to El in the narratives related
by Philo of Byblos. These regions were distributed to various deities to govern under the
care of and with the consent of El. Both material and immaterial regions were allocated by
El. Even the realm of the dead was assigned to Mot by El." [38]

In conclusion, the Tower of Babel event, more than being simply a fascinating story of how
the different languages came to exist, is in fact the place and time where "Paganism" came
into existence as a religion and as a system of spiritual control over, and enslavement of,
the minds and souls of humanity. In this sense William Bramley was absolutely correct in
his characterization of the oppression of humanity at the hands of the "Custodians" when he
wrote,

"To keep control over its possession and to maintain Earth as something of a prison, that
other civilization [the fallen angels / Custodians] has bred never-ending conflict between
human beings, has promoted human spiritual decay, and has erected on Earth conditions of
unremitting physical hardship. This situation has existed for thousands of years and it
continues today." [18]

God allowed the fallen angels to achieve a position of authority over mankind which led to
them being worshiped as "gods." As the strongest and most intelligent of these "gods" it
was Lucifer who emerged as the leader of the group, and from the Sumerians to the New
Testament we find that he is referred to as "The Lord of the Earth." Yet God had a plan to
redeem the world from these false gods that would be worked out through His own nation,
which began with the choosing of Abraham as described in Genesis 12.

God's Nation

The division of the nations of the world into the hands of the "gods" took place around 3000
BC, give or take 100-200 years. For about a thousand years these advanced beings used
their power and authority to dominate, deceive, and manipulate mankind without any overt
interference from YHWH, who remained for the most part only an observer.

Finally around 2000 BC God reached out to an influential Sumerian family from the city of
Ur, who were direct descendents of Noah through the line of Shem. This family had settled
in Haran in northern Syria, and it was there that God gave Abram, the patriarch of the
family, instructions to move his family into the land of Canaan:

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show
you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will
curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)
The calling out of Abraham for the purpose of creating a "great nation" for the Lord needs to
be understood in relation to the events described in Genesis 11 when the "sons of God"
descended to the earth to take possession of the nations of the earth. In effect, the creation
of the Nation of Israel was a delayed response to the creation of the seventy nations that
were handed over to the "gods." These "gods" possessed seventy nations, whereas God
Himself took only one, but it was through this one that "all peoples on earth" were promised
to be "blessed."

There are many references throughout the Old Testament to the "gods" of the pagan
nations, and the fact that they exist is never denied. However, the God of Israel shows
Himself unique by claiming to be the creator of these gods, the creator of heaven and earth,
and the true and only ruler of all that He created (Nehemiah 9:6, Isaiah 40). Israel's status
as God's unique possession is explained in Deuteronomy 32:9,

"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of
man, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. For
the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance."

In Leviticus 20:23-26, prior to Israel's entrance into the Promised Land of Canaan, God
explained His attitude towards the nations ruled by the gods, as well as Israel's special
status as the Lord's unique nation.

"You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before
you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. But I said to you, 'You will possess
their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.' I am
the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations... You are to be holy to me
because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my
own."

Similar commands and characterizations are given again in Deuteronomy 18:9-14,

"When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the
detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son
or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in
witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone
who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices
the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before
the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice
sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to
do so."

These "detestable" practices were the very basis of the pagan religious system of ritual and
worship and the means by which the pagan priests contacted the spirit world and received
instructions. Today these practices are known collectively as shamanism, which is making a
resurgence through the New Age movement in the world today. The modern New Age
consensus is that "spirits are our friends," but the Hebrews were warned quite the opposite.

From the very beginning the angelic "sons of God," both holy and unholy, were always
associated with the heavens and equated with stars (Job 38:4). Within paganism many
deities became represented by the sun, moon and planets as well. This explains the many
Old Testament passages in which the angels are referred to collectively as the "host of
heaven." They are often pictured as God's subservient retinue in heaven (Job 1:6), standing
by His side (2 Chronicles 18:18-21), and they are often mentioned in the context of a
warning, reminding Israel not to worship them as the heathen do. The following text gives
further evidence that certain members of the "host of heaven" have been allotted to the
peoples of the earth:

"And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars,
all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which
the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven."
(Deuteronomy 4:19)

Whether they are referred to as "angels", "gods," "sons of God," the "heavenly host," or the
"princes" of the various nations (Daniel 10:12-21), God's instructions to Israel make it clear
that these beings, although in positions of authority, have abused their power and will one
day be faced with their end. The judgment upon these fallen angelic powers and a
prediction of the end of their authority over the nations is given in Psalm 82:

"God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
‘How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak
and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak
and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’ They have neither knowledge nor
understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I
say, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like men,
and fall like any prince.’ Arise, O God, judge the earth; for to thee belong all the nations!"

The Kosmokrators and the Occult

In the New Testament the apostle Paul makes it clear that the world is controlled by fallen
angelic forces under the authority of Satan, whom he refers to as the "god of this world" (2
Corinthians 4:4). In his epistle to the Ephesians Paul concludes his message of
encouragement with the following words:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that
you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh
and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:10-12)

For early Christians who were grounded in the traditions and perspective of the Hebrews it
was understood from the beginning that the world was ruled by evil authorities, powers, and
spiritual forces that had rebelled against God and served Satan, the devil. Paul simply
explained to the Ephesians that in the day-to-day struggle to maintain and proclaim the
Faith these "powers," or Kosmokrators (world-powers) in Greek, who ruled over the
darkness of this "world" (aion or Age), were their ultimate enemies.

The birth of Christianity brought about the downfall of Paganism as an overt system of
political and religious control over humanity. Nations turned away from taking advice and
direction from the initiated High Priests who stood at the pinnacle of the spirit-led Mystery
Religions and instead embraced the Bishops and Popes of the Church as spiritual leaders.
Eventually the institutions, rituals, practices and practicers of Paganism were forced to go
underground to survive, and they took with them their worship of the Kosmokrators as well
as an entrenched faith that one day the gods and spirits that they served would once again
take their "rightful" place as honored and accepted rulers of humanity.
For the Hebrews and for the Pagan world the number of Kosmokrators at the top level was
originally understood to be seventy. We find this in Hebrew traditions of the seventy nations
and seventy languages of the world, and we find this in Pagan tradition through the
Canaanite texts of Ugarit which depict the great god El's division of the different aspects of
global management over to his seventy sons, before his power is usurped by Baal.

Seventy was the original number of Kosmokrators but with the rise in sciences such as
geometry, mathematics and astronomy in late Hellenistic antiquity the preferred number of
Kosmokrators came to be viewed as seventy-two. We find this fact evident in two of the
most important spiritual movements that emerged from Alexandria, Egypt, around the same
time that Christianity was becoming popular. These movements were Hermeticism, which
was essentially a fusion of Pagan spirituality, Greek philosophy and ancient Egyptian
tradition; and Gnosticism, which was similar but added twisted aspects of Hebrew tradition
and bits and pieces of Christianity.

Hermeticism

Hermeticism takes its name from Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary figure associated with
the Greek god Hermes (symbolized by the planet Mercury); with the Canaanite god Tauthus
the secretary of Kronos (see above); with the Babylonian god Nabu (also identified with
Mercury) who was the son and scribe of Marduk (Jupiter); and especially with the Egyptian
god Thoth the scribe of Osiris and god of learning to the Egyptians.

The textual foundation of Hermeticism is a collection of dialogues involving Hermes and his
disciples in which the major metaphysical questions of life are addressed. These texts date
to the second and third centuries AD, but at the time of the Renaissance when they became
famous they were believed to date back much further. Modern collections of the Corpus
Hermeticum include eighteen Greek texts and one Latin text known as the Asclepius.

It is in the Asclepius that Egypt's role as the primary home of the gods is highlighted, and
within this description there also appears a prophecy of Egypt's decline and the
disappearance of the gods, leaving Egypt destitute and abandoned:

"Do you not know, Asclepius, that Egypt is an image of heaven or, to be more precise,
that everything governed and moved in heaven came down to Egypt and was transferred
there? If truth were told, our land is the temple of the whole world.
And yet, since it befits the wise to know all things in advance, of this you must not
remain ignorant: a time will come when it will appear that the Egyptians paid respect to
divinity with faithful mind and painstaking reverence – to no purpose. All their holy worship
will be disappointed and perish without effect, for divinity will return from earth to heaven,
and Egypt will be abandoned. The land that was the seat of reverence will be widowed by
the powers and left destitute of their presence... Then this most holy land, seat of shrines
and temples, will be filled completely with tombs and corpses.
O Egypt, Egypt, of your reverent deeds only stories will survive, and they will be
incredible to your children! ... For divinity goes back to heaven, and all the people will die,
deserted, as Egypt will be widowed and deserted by god and human." [39]

The Hermetic pantheon is described in the Asclepius as being led by a groups of five major
gods who are "hypercosmic" and "intelligible" who each rule over divine aspects of the
universe that are "cosmic" and "sensible." Jupiter is the primary deity, corresponding with
Zeus, and he is described as the god of heaven, "for Jupiter supplies life through heaven to
all things." Light is second, which rules over its "sensible" divine aspect the Sun. Thirdly
there is a deity named as Pantomorphos of Omniform, who rules over the "Horoscopes" or
"Thirty-six." These are thirty-six gods, also known as Decans, so-named because they each
have authority over ten degrees of the zodiacal circle. Fourth is the deity Heimarmene that
rules over the seven planets, and fifth is a secondary aspect of Jupiter that rules over the
Air, sometimes known as Zeus Neatos. [40]

The twelve major signs of the Zodiac each include three of the thirty-six Hermetic Decans,
known as "Horoscopes" and referred to as "stars" in the text. This division of the Zodiac into
thirty-six Decans was also doubled to seventy-two Duodecans, a division which gave each of
the twelve Zodiacal signs six stars, making each of these Duodecan stars, also known as
Quinances, the ruler over five degrees of the Zodiacal circle. From this comes one of the
explanations for the occult significance of the Pentagram which is a five-pointed star. Each
of the five points represents one of the five "hypercosmic" deities, or five degrees of the
zodiac, and each point is created by an angle of 72 degrees, with the product of five by
seventy-two being 360, which completes the circuit of the zodiac.

In ancient Egypt the priests of the sacred rites were known as horoskopoi [41], and the
Hermetic emphasis on the astrological relationship between mankind and the stars who
represented the Kosmokrator gods is explained by Frances Yates in her book Giordano
Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition:

"That strange people, the Egyptians, had divinised time, not merely in the abstract sense
but in the concrete sense that each moment of the day and night had its god who must
be placated as the moments passed... They had definite astrological significance, as
"Horoscopes" presiding over the forms of life born within the time periods over which they
presided, and they were assimilated to the planets domiciled in their domain... But they
were also gods, and powerful Egyptian gods, and this side of them was never forgotten,
giving them a mysterious importance." [42]

The return of these gods to an active and outward position as rulers of mankind is predicted
in the Asclepius, which is predicted to come after the long period of spiritual decline in
Egypt:

"Those gods who rule the earth will be restored, and they will be installed in a city at
the furthest threshold of Egypt, which will be founded towards the setting sun and to which
all human kind will hasten by land and by sea."

This text and the physical location of this divine city is explained by Garth Fowden in his
book The Egyptian Hermes [43]:

"... in answer to Asclepius's enquiry where these gods are at the moment, Trismegistus
replies (at Ascl. 27): 'In a very great city, in the mountains of Libya (in monte Libyco)', by
which is meant the edge of the desert plateau to the west of the Nile valley. A subsequent
reference (Ascl. 37) to the temple and tomb of Asclepius (Imhotep) in monte Libyae
establishes that the allusion at Ascl. 27 is to the ancient and holy Memphite necropolis,
which lay on the desert jabal to the west of Memphis itself."

The "mountains of Libya," (which was also the place where Heracles was killed by Typhon
according to Greek myth—see Part Three), is simply a reference to the plateau that rises
above the desert on the west bank of the Nile, west of the ancient city of Memphis. In other
words, according to this Hermetic prediction, when the Kosmokrators are "restored" they
will be "installed in a city" on or near the Giza Plateau.

Gnosticism

This brings us now to that strange sect known as the Gnostics who, like the Hermetics, had
their beginnings in Alexandria, Egypt. From the outset it must be stated that the Gnostics
were purely Pagan, and they subscribed to the most fundamental Pagan doctrines, such as
the realization of immortality through acquiring hidden knowledge (gnosis), reincarnation,
and the belief in the divinity of Man. In addition to these outright Pagan doctrines the
Gnostics had a very clear understanding of the Hebrew scriptures, but their interpretation of
these scriptures was completely and unreservedly anti-Semitic.

The anti-Semitic basis of Gnosticism is enough for most serious scholars, except perhaps for
Elaine Pagels, to conclude that Gnosticism is "Christian" in name only, and cannot possibly
have anything to do with the original teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who remained a pious
Torah-observant Orthodox Jew his entire life. Gnosticism is "Christian" only in the sense
that it attempted to utilize the story of Jesus and incorporate it into the Pagan system of
gnosis and illumination. In other words, Gnosticism was simply an attempt to neutralize the
full force of the revolutionary message of Jesus, so that the Pagan system could survive as
a political force in the world. This attempt failed for the most part, but the teachings and
beliefs of Gnosticism have survived and are making a major resurgence in popular culture
today.

The basic teaching of Gnosticism is that all matter is inherently evil, which is symbolized by
Darkness. The purpose of life is therefore to transcend this Darkness by reaching towards
the Light, which can be achieved through knowledge, or gnosis, of Man's true predicament.
The Gnostics believed that the true and ultimate God is the God of Light, who is purely
spiritual, and has no relationship either as a Creator of, or as a Ruler over, material reality.
To the Gnostics the god of material reality was the God of Israel. He was accepted as the
Creator and Ruler of the material universe, but he was denigrated as inferior to the God of
Light and viewed as the ultimate personification of evil. The grand scheme of Gnostic
cosmology is explained by Hans Jonas in his authoritative study The Gnostic Religion:

"The universe, the domain of the Archons, is like a vast prison whose innermost dungeon is
the earth, the scene of man's life. Around and above it the cosmic spheres are ranged like
concentric enclosing shells. Most frequently there are the seven spheres of the planets
surrounded by the eighth, that of the fixed stars. There was, however, a tendency to
multiply the structures and make the scheme more and more extensive: Basilides counted
no fewer than 365 "heavens." The religious significance of this cosmic architecture lies in
the idea that everything which intervenes between here and the beyond serves to separate
man from God, not merely by spatial distance but through active demonic force. Thus the
vastness and multiplicity of the cosmic system express the degree to which man is removed
from God.
The spheres are the seats of the Archons, especially of the "Seven," that is, of the
planetary gods borrowed from the Babylonian pantheon. It is significant that these are
now often called by Old Testament names for God (Iao, Sabaoth, Adonai, Elohim,
El Shaddai), which from being synonyms for the one and supreme God are by this
transposition turned into proper names of inferior demonic beings—an example of the
pejorative revaluation to which Gnosticism subjected ancient traditions in general and
Jewish tradition in particular. The Archons collectively rule over the world, and each
individually in his sphere is a warder of the cosmic prison. Their tyrannical world-rule is
called heimarmene, universal Fate, a concept taken over from astrology but now tinged with
the gnostic anti-cosmic spirit. In its physical aspect this rule is the law of nature; in its
psychical aspect, which includes for instance the institution and enforcement of the Mosaic
Law, it aims at the enslavement of man. As guardian of his sphere, each Archon bars the
passage to the souls that seek to ascend after death, in order to prevent their escape from
the world and their return to God. The Archons are also the creators of the world, except
where this role is reserved for their leader, who then has the name of demiurge (the world-
artificer in Plato's Timaeus) and is often painted with the distorted features of the Old
Testament God." [44]

The Gnostic hatred of the God of Israel extends to the very beginning of the book of
Genesis. Gnostic texts explain that Ialdabaoth and the Archons created Adam and placed
him in the Garden of Eden with an intent to deceive him. After learning of this situation the
feminine aspect of the "God of Light," known as Sophia-Prunikos, acted to disrupt the
schemes of the demiurge by sending an emissary of the Light to bring knowledge to Adam,
allowing him to break free from his bondage. This divine emissary, according to the
Gnostics, was none other than the Serpent of the Garden of Eden, and subsequent Gnostic
sects reflected this veneration of the serpent by referring to themselves as Ophites (from
the Greek word for serpent, ophis), and as Naassenes (from the Hebrew word for serpent,
nachash). Jonas explains what Adam and Eve's "sin" actually meant to the Gnostics,

"It is the first success of the transcendent principle against the principle of the world, which
is vitally interested in preventing knowledge in man as the inner-worldly hostage of Light:
the serpent's action marks the beginning of all gnosis on earth which thus by its very origin
is stamped as opposed to the world and its God, and indeed as a form of rebellion." [45]

The Gnostics took the idea that the Serpent was the true savior of mankind right up to the
life of Jesus of Nazareth, as the following text shows,

"This general Serpent is also the wise Word of Eve. This is the mystery of Eden: this is the
river that flows out of Eden. This is also the mark that was set on Cain, whose sacrifice the
god of this world did not accept whereas he accepted the bloody sacrifice of Abel: for the
lord of this world delights in blood. This Serpent is he who appeared in the latter days in
human form at the time of Herod..." [46]

According to the New Testament, the sacrifice of Jesus did represent the triumph of the
Kingdom of God over the "lord of this world," but this "lord" is clearly identified as Satan in
several passages (Matthew 4:8-10, Luke 4:6-13, John 12:31, John 14:30, 2 Corinthians
4:4, etc). The Gnostics turned this belief around and argued that the "lord of this world"
was actually the Creator-God of Israel, and that the life and teachings of Jesus represented
a manifestation of the Serpent against this "God of Darkness."

Marcion, a hugely influential second century Gnostic based in Rome, also articulated a
strong hatred of the Old Testament and of the Jews. Jonas writes that Marcion taught that
upon His death "Christ descended into hell solely to redeem Cain and Korah, Dathan and
Abiram, Esau, and all nations which did not acknowledge the God of the Jews, while
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and so on, because they served the creator and his law and
ignored the true God, were left down below"[47]. This glorification of the enemies of the
God of the Old Testament as heroes of the "God of Light" also included Nimrod, and the
positive characterization of Nimrod became part of the founding mythology of the
Freemasons, which we will examine later.
It is within Gnosticism that we find that the transition of the number of Kosmokrators from
seventy to seventy-two occurs, bringing older traditions in line with Pythagorean and
Hermetic astrological designs. The following selections are taken from The Nag Hammadi
Library, edited by James M. Robinson, 1990:

"Then the twelve powers, whom I have just discussed, consented with each other. <Six>
males (and) females (each) were revealed, so that there are seventy-two powers. Each
one of the seventy-two revealed five spiritual (powers), which (together) are the three
hundred and sixty powers. The union of them all is the will...
And when those whom I have discussed appeared, All-Begetter, their father, very soon
created twelve aeons for retinue for the twelve angels. And in each aeon there were six
(heavens), so there are seventy-two heavens of the seventy-two powers who
appeared from him. And in each of the heavens there were five firmaments, so there are
(altogether) three hundred sixty firmaments of the three hundred sixty powers that
appeared from them." (From the text Eugnostos the Blessed)

And before his mansion he created a throne, which was huge and was upon a four-faced
chariot called "Cherubim". Now the Cherubim has eight shapes per each of the four corners,
lion forms and calf forms and human forms and eagle forms, so that all the forms amount to
sixty-four forms - and seven archangels that stand before it; he is the eighth, and has
authority. All the forms amount to seventy-two. Furthermore, from this chariot the
seventy-two gods took shape; they took shape so that they might rule over the
seventy-two languages of the peoples." (From On the Origin of the World)

"James said, "Rabbi, are there then twelve hebdomads and not seven as there are in the
scriptures?" The Lord said, "James, he who spoke concerning this scripture had a limited
understanding. I, however, shall reveal to you what has come forth from him who has no
number. I shall give a sign concerning their number. As for what has come forth from him
who has no measure, I shall give a sign concerning their measure"
James said, "Rabbi, behold then, I have received their number. There are seventy-two
measures!" The Lord said, "These are the seventy-two heavens, which are their
subordinates. These are the powers of all their might; and they were established by
them; and these are they who were distributed everywhere, existing under the
authority of the twelve archons." (From The Apocalypse of James)

The Kabbalah

In addition to Gnosticism and Hermeticism another major component of the Occult is the
tradition of Jewish mysticism known as the Kabbalah. The origins and teachings of this
tradition are covered in depth in Red Moon Rising's "The Divine Council and the Kabbalah,"
so for now we will only examine how the Kabbalah viewed the seventy Kosmokrator angels
and how it followed the occult trend of also numbering them as seventy-two.

One of the earliest Kabbalist texts is a document known as the Bahir, meaning "bright,"
which originated in southern France and dates to the twelfth century. The Bahir popularized
the concept that the God of Israel possessed seventy-two sacred names, which is an idea
based upon the Biblical passage in which the angel of the Lord protects Israel in Exodus
14:19-21. This passage contains three verses, and each verse is made up of exactly
seventy-two Hebrew letters. Early Jewish mystics were infatuated with this anomaly and so
they came up with the idea that the entire passage is composed of exactly seventy-two
names of God that contain three letters each. This mystical concept came to be known
throughout the Middle Ages as the Shem ha Mephoresh, which means basically "The
Name of Extension." What it became was a powerful tool for occultists
to summon spirit-beings that were assumed to be Holy Angels.

The Bahir also elaborates on the Kabbalistic conception of the universe

as the "Tree of Life," known as Zeir Anpin, which is made up of ten
Sephirot joined together in a geometrical manner. The Bahir explains
that the twelve diagonals of the tree signify the twelve "Functionaries"
or "Directors" that are also associated with the twelve stones erected
by Israel in Joshua 4:9. Then, because Exodus 28:10 mentions
engraving six names on a stone, the Kabbalists assumed that each of
Joshua's twelve stones also had six names, for a total of seventy-two
names. The Bahir explains that "This teaches us that God has twelve
Directors. Each of these has six Powers. What are they? They are the
72 languages." These Powers are also referred to as Holy Forms, and
another portion of the text explains that "all the Holy Forms oversee all
the nations. But Israel is holy, taking the Tree itself, and its Heart."
The Kabbalistic belief that the fallen angelic Kosmokrators were Holy
and existed in harmony with the God of Israel led to some very serious spiritual
repercussions that are still being felt today.

Some years after the publication of the Bahir there appeared a new and far lengthier
compilation of Kabbalistic philosophy and theology. It was known as the Sefer Ha-Zohar,
meaning "Book of Splendor" and it first appeared in Spain near the end of the thirteenth
century. The Zohar, as it is called, also contains frequent references to the seventy
Kosmokrator "world powers" that were known to rule over the nations of the world:

Volume 5 Vayishlach, Section 24, verse 236:

"...Come and behold: when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He divided the
earth into seven regions that correspond to the seventy ministers appointed over the
nations. These are the secret of the exterior--Chesed, Gvurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod,
and Malchut--each consisting of ten and thereby totaling seventy. The Holy One,
blessed be He, appointed the seventy ministers over the seventy nations, each
according to its worth, as it is written: "When the most High divided to the nations their
inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people
according to the number of the children of Yisrael " (Devarim 32:8)."

Volume 9 Beshalach, Section 24, verses 315-316:

"Rabbi Shimon said: There is a great and strong, tall supernal tree, which is Zeir Anpin.
Those above and those below are sustained through it... And seventy branches, which are
the seventy princes that are appointed over the seventy nations of the world, rise
in it and are nurtured by it. From the center of its roots they nurture from around. And they
are the branches that are found in the tree.
When the time of dominion arrives for each branch, they all want to completely destroy
the trunk of the tree, which is the mainstay of the branches, that rules over Yisrael who are
joined with it. And when the domination of the trunk of the tree reaches them, which is the
portion of Yisrael, it wants to guard them, and to arrange peace among them all. For this
purpose, seventy oxen are offered during Sukkot to bring peace among the seventy
branches in the tree, which are the seventy patron angels of the nations of the
world."
The occult significance of the Kabbalah which all initiates eventually learn is that it acts as a
bridge connecting the initiate with the world of the spirits, specifically with the Kosmokrator
angels that the Kabbalistic texts blasphemously connect with their dubious "Name of God."
This connection is made throughout the Zohar including the following passage:

Volume 3 Vaera, Section 20, verses 274-279:

"Ten Names are engraved by the King's authority. The ten names refer to the ten sfirot;
there are ten sfirot... nevertheless, they also add up to a greater number, which is a
reference to the 72 names. This can be explained further. These seventy colors that glow in
all directions derive from these Names, that is, from the 72 names. And these seventy
colors were engraved and formed into the secret of the seventy Names of the angels,
which are the secret of the heavens...
When they are all joined together as one, in one secret, by the power of the Almighty,
namely Zeir Anpin, then He is called Vav-Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei, which means that all are united
as one. This refers to Zeir Anpin and the Nukva together with the seventy angels below her.
The phrase, "from Hashem out of heaven" refers to the Holy Name that is engraved with the
other seventy Names of the secret of the heavens--which allude to Zeir-Anpin, which is the
name of 72 that are in the Mochin of Zeir-Anpin, while in essence it includes seventy...
...the lower ones, which are the seventy judgments, are dependent on the upper ones,
which are the seventy names of Zeir Anpin. They are all connected together and they
all shine simultaneously. And thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, appears in His
glory... the heavens have a numerical value of seventy and the secret of Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei...
is the secret of the 72 names derived from the three verses (Exodus 14:19-21)."

The practices of the Kabbalah are expressly forbidden by the Torah, as representatives of
traditional Judaism have maintained ever since they came into the light of day. One of the
early opponents of the Kabbalah was a famous thirteenth century Hasidic Jew named
Jehudah the Hasid. In his Book of the Devout Jehudah gave the following warning:

"If you see one making prophecies about the Messiah, you should know that he deals in
witchcraft and has intercourse with demons; or he is one of those who seek to conjure
with the names of God. Now, since they conjure the angels or spirits, these tell them
about the Messiah, so as to tempt him to reveal his speculations. And in the end he is
shamed because he has called up the angels and demons, and instead a misfortune occurs
at that place. The demons come and teach him their calculations and apocalyptic secrets in
order to shame him and those who believe in him, for no one knows anything about the
coming of the Messiah." [48]

The history of the Kabbalah is essentially a long chronology of the appearance of one false
messiah after another. Akiba ben Joseph is viewed as one of the most important of the early
Kabbalists, and the angels that he contacted told him to name Simeon bar Kochba as the
Messiah. The Bar Kochba revolt of 132-135 AD was a disastrous failure and Jews suffered
immensely because of it. Centuries later a Kabbalist named Abraham Abulafia became
convinced that he was the Messiah, and he appealed to the Pope in 1280 before
disappearing without a trace. In his own writings Abulafia explained that his spiritual quest
was greatly impeded by Satan and the demons, as renowned scholar Gershom Scholem
explains,

"By immersing himself in the mystical technique of his teacher, Abulafia found his own way.
It was at the age of 31, in Barcelona, that he was overcome by the prophetic spirit. He
obtained knowledge of the true name of God, and had visions of which he himself, however,
says, in 1285, that they were partly sent by the demons to confuse him, so that he "groped
about like a blind man at midday for fifteen years with Satan to his right." Yet on the other
hand he was entirely convinced of the truth of his prophetic knowledge." [49]

Another major Messianic failure was the career of Sabatai Sevi. Just prior to the year 1666
a young Kabbalist mystic based in Palestine named Nathan of Gaza became convinced that
he was in contact with "holy" angels, and they told him to name Sabatai Sevi as the
predicted Messiah, which marked the beginning of the Sabbatean movement that affected
Judaism worldwide. Nathan's role was simply to act as a mouthpiece for the "angels" that
spoke through him, and Sabatai Sevi was directed even to the point where he apostatized
from Judaism as a prisoner in Turkey and converted to Islam.

The Key of Solomon (Clavicula Salomonis) and the Lesser Key of Solomon (Lemegeton
Clavicula Salomonis) were both natural products of the angel-summoning practices
promoted by the Kabbalah. Both of these legendary grimoires appeared as complete
manuscripts in the seventeenth century, but both were composed of even earlier writings
that dated back to the Middle Ages.

One of the co-founders of the occult society known as the Golden Dawn was a Rosicrucian
Freemason named S. L. MacGregor Mathers, who was the first to print and publish the Key
of Solomon (in 1889) making it readily available to the public. Mathers describes it as a
primary occult text: "The fountain head and storehouse of Qabalistic Magic, and the origin
of much of the Ceremonial Magic of mediaeval times, the 'Key' has been ever valued by
occult writers as a work of the highest authority." Of the 519 esoteric titles included in the
catalogue of the Golden Dawn library, the Key was listed as number one. As far as contents
are concerned, the Key included instructions on how to prepare for the summoning of spirits
including departed human beings (necromancy), angels, and even demons. Animal sacrifice
and astrological awareness are both described as critical aspects of
this preparation.

One of the most well-known members of the Golden Dawn was the
magician Aleister Crowley. In 1904 Crowley published the first part
of the five-part Lesser Key of Solomon known as the Ars Goetia,
which is Latin for "art of sorcery." The Goetia is a grimoire for
summoning seventy-two different demons that were allegedly
summoned, restrained, and put to work by King Solomon during the
construction of the Temple of YHWH. The demons named in the text
include figures such as Baal, Astaroth, Asmodeus, and Belial.
Occultists have always wondered at the relationship between the seventy-two Goetic
demons and the seventy-two "angels" of the Shem ha Mephoresh, and the usual
explanation is that they are "polar opposites." However, this explanation only holds for
those who view the Kabbalah's Kosmokrator angels as "good" and "holy" angels, which they
are definitely not.

Throughout his life Aleister Crowley was a very ambitious and daring sorcerer, and his
exploits in dealing with the spirit world have become legendary. His most enduring
contribution to modern occultism is known as the LIBER AL vel
LEGIS, or Book of the Law. It was a message channeled through
Crowley from a spirit-entity known as Aiwass, a spirit that claimed to
be a messenger from the "the forces ruling this earth at
present," which are none other than the Kosmokrator fallen angels
that we have been studying. The message itself was verbalized
through Crowley on the three days of April 8, 9 and 10, in Cairo,
Egypt, in the same year of Crowley's publication of the Ars Goetia in 1904. The demonic
nature of the "forces ruling this earth" becomes readily apparent within the text of the
infamous Book. Against the Golden Rule of Christianity of "Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you" (Luke 6:31), the Egyptian spirit Aiwass proclaimed the message
of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." To this was added, "Love is the
law, love under will," which Crowley would later explain by showing that the numerical value
of the Greek word thelema, which means "will," is the same as that of agape, a Greek word
for "love." With this logic Crowley taught that the truest expression of love was to live
purely according to one's own will, which is essentially the opposite of the teachings of
Jesus. The demonic hatred of Jesus is expressed in the final chapter of the Book of the Law
in the verse that reads, "With my Hawk's head I peck at the eyes of Jesus as he hangs upon
the cross."

The Kosmokrator angels are also represented in the occult system of divination known as
the Tarot, which Tarot scholar Christine Payne-Towler refers to as the "flash cards of the
Mysteries." In an article located at www.tarot.com she gives a brief history of the creation
of the Tarot, its deep roots in Hermeticism and the Kabbalah, and how it emerged during
the magical heyday of the Renaissance:

"In the sequence of Renaissance magi from Ficino to Kircher ... we see the force that drives
Tarot into expression. The ancient Mysteries were already in place, although episodically
forgotten and re-remembered with the cycles of history. The rediscovery of the bone
structure of the Mysteries at the cusp of the publishing revolution made the creation of
Silent Invocations in card form possible for the masses." [50]

The "silent invocations" of the Tarot are nothing more than appeals to the spirits that
allegedly govern all aspects of life which, as we have shown, are associated with the Shem
ha Mephoresh and the Zodiac. Most modern Tarot packs are made up of 78 cards where the
angels of the Shem ha Mephoresh are linked 2-1 with the thirty-six Minor Arcana (cards 2-
10 of each of the four suits). However, there are also 72-card Tarot packs, like the ones
favored by Eliphas Levi and Hermeticist Franz Bardon, where each card is linked with its
own angel. The Tarot is also intimately associated with the curious culture known as the
Gypsies, which is a name derived from the medieval belief that the Gypsies were direct
descendents of the Egyptians and the heirs and protectors of the ancient Egyptian
"wisdom."

Franz Bardon is regarded by many as "the greatest Hermetic adept of the 20th century." He
was born in Czechoslovakia in 1909 and was allegedly possessed by "the spirit of a high
hermetic adept" when he was fourteen. During his life he was captured and tortured by the
Nazis during World War II, and later he was imprisoned by the Soviets up to his death in
1958. His occult teachings live on through four books that he was able to publish during his
lifetime. One is a novel based upon his life experiences, and the other three make up a
trilogy known collectively as the "Holy Mysteries." Volume I is entitled Initiation Into
Hermetics and is basically an introduction to the occult which includes explanations of the
Tarot. Volume II is The Practice of Magical Evocation, which provides step-by-step
instructions for communicating with the spirit world. The third volume of Bardon's "Holy
Mysteries" trilogy is entitled The Key to the True Kabbalah, and it gives a detailed
explanation of the Shem ha Mephoresh, with Bardon referring to its associated angels as
"the seventy-two genii of Mercury."[51] An introduction to Volume II explains the purported
relationship between mankind and the "angels":
"Bardon provides hundreds of seals of positive spiritual beings, angel spirits, intelligences,
genii, principals and the spirit beings of the elements. These beings have been teachers
to mankind since time immemorial. They teach the mature magician subject matters
from A to Z, i.e. arithmetic, alchemy, astrophysics, astrology, astronomy, the arts, biology,
zoology, and so on. In other words every subject of earthly science and universal laws. They
also help every profession and every trade, whether or not they are magicians. Since magic
and the Kabbalah are the highest sciences in the universe, the reader requires the proper
theoretical education and practical training before he can contact these spiritual beings."
[52]

The characterization of the spirits as the "teachers of mankind" goes directly back to the
Sumerian beliefs regarding the descent of the "gods" to the earth and their gifts of
technology and religion that became the basis of pagan civilization. The pagans viewed the
"gods" as great and benevolent benefactors but, lest we forget, the Hebrews viewed them
as angels that had fallen from heaven, who had descended to rule over a world inhabited by
a human family that was similarly fallen and in need of redemption.

Lon Milo Duquette is one of the most well-known and well-respected Hermetic Magicians
alive today. A prolific author and teacher of the ancient mysteries, DuQuette is featured
throughout the Magical Egypt video series produced by Egyptologist and mystic John
Anthony West. In Episode Six DuQuette remarks upon the Egyptian influence over the
Golden Dawn, which included a ritual that dramatized the resurrection of Osiris from his
tomb. Duquette explains that the Egyptian influence was intensified even greater through
Aleister Crowley who "just went hardcore Egyptian!" Concerning the magical system of
Crowley, Duquette describes it by saying that "it's just as wholesome as anything else. It's
scary, but it's wholesome."

DuQuette is the author of Angels, Demons, and Gods of the New Millenium, and a
review of the book in Gnosis magazine explains how the Kosmokrator angels of the Shem
ha Mephoresh are the cornerstone of Duquette's system of sorcery:

"One excellent display of his skill is his presentation of the Shem ha-Mephorash, the 72-fold
divided Name of God from which a series of spirit names are generated. DuQuette boils
down the abundance of turgid writing on this subject to a few pages accompanied by a
chart... This, combined with the methodology presented in the later chapter "Demons Are
Our Friends," provides a sufficient, though sparse, basis for sorcery, the practice of spirit
conjuring." [53]

The Kosmokrators, Egypt and Freemasonry

The Hermetic text known as Asclepius predicts that "Those gods who rule the earth will be
restored, and they will be installed in a city at the furthest threshold of Egypt." This
understanding of Egypt's role as the land of the gods and primary seat of the Ancient
Mysteries permeates the occult and secret societies such as the Golden Dawn and Crowley's
OTO, as we have shown, and it can be found as well within the more mainstream esoteric
organizations such as the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons.

As an independent secret society the Rosicrucians date back to the publication of three
famous manuscripts from the early seventeenth century in Germany. Since that time there
have appeared a number of groups that have referred to themselves as "Rosicrucian," all
with alleged connections with the original group. In the United States the primary
Rosicrucian order is the AMORC (Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis), which was
created in 1915 and is based in California. One of its primary achievements was the
establishment of "The Rosicrucian Egyptian Oriental Museum" in San Jose in 1928. On its
website the question is asked: "What does the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC have to do with
Egypt?" The answer follows:

"The older connection to Egypt is of a Traditional nature. All Rosicrucians from the 17th
century onward understood that the wisdom they received had been transmitted through
many paths from the earliest times of human civilization, and were consistent with the
teachings of the ancient Mystery Schools.
The first mention of the organization of such Schools is associated by mystics with the
reign of King Tuthmosis III during the 15th Century BCE. In addition, the 14th Century BCE
King Akhenaten taught the ideal that there was one Divine force behind all things, even the
many Gods of Egypt.
Thus Rosicrucians trace their Traditional connection back to ancient Egypt because the
wisdom and methods they follow are consistent and continuous with those from the Mystery
Schools of Egypt through the Rosicrucian Manifestos of the 17th century to the modern-day
Rosicrucian Order, AMORC."

The Rosicrucians are basically very straightforward in promoting their connection with
ancient Egypt, but when it comes to the institution of Freemasonry the subject of Masonic
origins is much more controversial and hotly debated. Within Freemasonry there have been
three primary study groups involved in researching and publishing material concerned with
this question.[54]

The foremost of these "study groups" is the Quator Coronati Lodge based in London,
England, which was created in 1884 by the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of
England (UGLE), the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII. The first Grand
Master of the QC Lodge was Sir Charles Warren, who was the president of the Palestine
Exploration Fund (PEF). Another founding member of the QC Lodge was Sir Walter Besant,
who worked under Charles Warren as the Treasurer of the PEF. He was the brother-in-law of
Annie Besant who led the Theosophical Society after the death of Helena Blavatsky. It
should also be pointed out that an early member of the QC Lodge was Dr. Wynn Westcott,
who was the primary founding member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Perhaps Westcott was involved in the lecture presented at the founding of the QC Lodge
which was entitled "Freemasonry as Seen in the Light of the Cabala."

The primary purpose of the Quator Coronati Lodge was to focus on Masonic origins, to
research the Kabbalah and Solomon's Temple, and to promote the creation of a Jewish
homeland in Israel. Sir Charles Warren had been the director of British excavations on the
Temple Mount two decades earlier, and his Palestine Exploration Fund, which was created in
1865, was itself funded with money from the British Crown, UGLE, the Church of England,
and the Rothschild banking trust. The event commemorating the PEF's founding was chaired
by the Archbishop of York who proclaimed that the Holy Land was, by divine right, British
property.

The Quator Coronati Lodge was therefore intimately involved in the "Jewish" or "Hebrew"
side of Masonic origins (and Masonic 'destiny') and it downplayed the relationship
Freemasonry had with the Ancient Mysteries associated with "pagan" cultures. This was a
situation that disgusted several QC members including Dr. Wynn Westcott who, according to
one source, "made several attempts to steer the representatives of the prevailing ‗authentic‘
school of masonic historiography into considering the possibility of Freemasonry having
more occult origins. That approach was ridiculed then and anyone who has tried to make
similar suggestions since then has received a similar response generally from the
members." [55]

Perhaps because of the "narrow orthodoxy" of the QC Lodge another Masonic study group,
the Masonic Study Society (MSS), was founded in London in 1921 by Alvin Coburn, J.S.M.
Ward, and Walter Wilmshurst:

"Their aim was to encourage the study of masonic symbolism, to chart its origins and
possible interpretations along anthropological lines. Avoiding the methodology espoused by
the so-called ‘authentic’ school, this group is still active and studies Freemasonry in light of
cultural phenomena that are broadly similar, in the past and present. They use approaches
that have been adopted in the fields of comparative religion and folklore studies. They view
Freemasonry as a living organism. Their published transactions are circulated world-wide
and devote special attention to the symbolic and mystical interpretation of the various
masonic Degrees."

Of the founding members of this group J.S.M. Ward is the most interesting because he is
the author of Freemasonry and the Ancient Gods, a lengthy examination of Masonic
origins that journeys throughout the pagan world to examine the beliefs of cultures
including India, Africa, America, and of course Europe, Egypt and the Near East. Ward's
thesis reflects the Darwinian overtones of his day and the palpable influence of James G.
Frazer's Golden Bough:

"...Freemasonry originated in the primitive initiatory rites of prehistoric man, and from those
rites have been built up all the ancient mysteries, and thence all the modern religious
systems. It is for this reason that men of all religious beliefs can enter Freemasonry... Thus
Freemasonry is the basis of the mysteries, not the mysteries cut down and mutilated...
Therefore it is that to this day, if we look carefully, we can find in our ritual the seed of
practically every important dogma of every creed, whether it be the Resurrection or
Reincarnation." [56] p.viii

The third major study group involved with researching the origins and purpose of
Freemasonry is the Dormer Masonic Study Circle, founded also in London, in 1938. It
met more frequently than the MSS, and published more papers, but it shared the former
group's interest in the ancient mysteries and Freemasonry's occult origins. Its very first
paper was entitled "The Pythagorean Tradition in Freemasonry," by the Rev. J. R. Cleland,
and begins with the following characterization of Freemasonry:

"Freemasonry is closely allied to the ancient Mysteries and, if properly understood, and in
spite of repeated revision and remolding at the hands of the ignorant and sometimes the
malicious, it contains "all that is necessary to salvation", salvation from the only "sin" that
ultimately matters, that which lies at the root of all other sin and error, the sin of ignorance
of the self and of its high calling."

With this introduction the Gnostic influence upon Cleland and this study group becomes
evident. The Egyptian influence comes a few sentences later:

"...the usages and customs among Freemasons have ever borne a near affinity to those of
the Ancient Egyptians; The Philosophers of Egypt, unwilling to expose their mysteries to
vulgar eyes, concealed their systems of learning and polity under hieroglyphical figures,
which were communicated only to their chief priests and wise men, who were bound by
solemn oath never to reveal them." [57]

However, an analysis of the most important Egyptian connection with Freemasonry was not
published until paper #47, entitled "The Great Work In Speculative Masonry," which begins
with the following introduction:

"In this Paper the attempt will be made to present, for the guidance of Masonic students, an
interpretation of the Egyptian metaphysical tradition in harmony with the teachings set forth
in what are called the Mysteries; the Egyptian tradition will then be briefly discussed in the
light of its transmission and ultimate incorporation in Speculative Freemasonry;
finally, reasons will be given in support of the theory, which we hold to be valid, that the
Great Work ("Magnum Opus") of the Rosicrucians and Spiritual Alchemists is the same as
that which is symbolised in our Masonic legend of H.A. (Hiram Abiff). Thoughtful
students may find in the references to the Old Wisdom and the Mystery tradition an
introduction to a great subject; nor should the Mysteries be thought of only as institutions
long vanished into the night of time; rather their re-establishment is to be accepted as
inevitable. In years to come a wiser generation will restore the sacred rites which are
indispensable to the spiritual, intellectual and social security of the race." [58] (emphasis
mine)

The legend of Hiram Abiff is the basis for the most important ritual within the Masonic
Brotherhood, the ritual of "raising" the Fellow Craft initiate (2nd Degree) to the level of
Master Mason (3rd Degree). According to the myth, which is very loosely based on passages
from the Old Testament, Hiram Abiff was a Phoenician master builder who was provided by
the king of Tyre to King Solomon to offer help in building the Temple of YHWH in Jerusalem.
According to the Masons, Hiram Abiff was murdered by three conspirators after they failed
to coerce from him the "hidden secrets" of building, or "masonry." In the ritual the initiate
plays the role of Hiram Abiff and is led along as he is struck once, twice, and then a third
fatal time. The ritual ends with the initiate (Hiram Abiff) being resurrected from his dark
tomb and into the pure light as an equal and "raised" member of the Masonic Fraternity.

The author of the Dormer paper "The Great Work" connects Freemasonry with Egypt and,
more specifically, he connects the legend of Hiram Abiff firmly and directly with the Egyptian
tradition of the death and "resurrection" of Osiris, commenting on the fact that Osiris was
the basis for the ancient "Dying God" myth found throughout the pagan world:

"It is now generally acknowledged by those competent to judge, that of all the ancient
peoples the Egyptians were the most learned in the wisdom of the Secret Doctrine; indeed,
there are some who would have it that Egypt was the Mother of the Mysteries, and that it
was on the banks of the Nile that the Royal Art was born. We can affirm, without entering
into any controversy on the matter, that the wisest of philosophers from other nations
visited Egypt to be initiated in the sacred Mysteries; Thales, Solon, Pythagoras and Plato are
all related to have journeyed from Greece to the delta of the Nile in quest of knowledge;
and upon returning to their own country these illumined men each declared the Egyptians to
be the wisest of mortals, and the Egyptian temples to be the repositories of sublime
doctrines concerning the history of the Gods and the regeneration of men. To the earliest
period of Egyptian metaphysical speculation belongs the fable of Isis and Osiris,
and we find that the myth of the Dying God recurs in many of the great World
Religions; also it is an established fact that the life, death and resurrection of the
immortal-mortal have become the prototype for numerous other doctrines of human
regeneration.
 The fable, as it has descended to us in the account given by Plutarch, the celebrated
Greek biographer, has not been much amplified by modern research; nor has any new key
been found to unlock this sublime drama, which may well be termed the "Passion Play" of
Egypt. Plutarch himself, however, says that "the mystic symbols are well known to us who
belong to the Brotherhood," and this intimation suggests that the interpretation of the myth
as it is given by him in his "Isis and Osiris" will reveal its hidden meaning to students who
are already familiar with the principles of the doctrine...
In the Egyptian metaphysical system, TYPHON, the conspirer against OSIRIS, is the
embodiment of every perversity... The traditional history relates that TYPHON lured OSIRIS
into the ark of destruction, stated to be a chest or coffin... Typhon was assisted in his
"impious design" to usurp the throne of Osiris by ASO (the Queen of Ethiopia) and seventy-
two other conspirators. These conspirators represent the three destructive powers, "the
three ruffians," which are preserved to modern Freemasonry as the murderers of
the Master Builder [Hiram Abiff]; they are ignorance, superstition and fear. Thus the
advent of greed and perversion marked the end of the Golden Age, and with the death of
Osiris, Typhon forthwith ascended the throne as regent of the world... At this stage, Isis,
now represented by the scattered but still consecrated body of Initiates, began the great
search for the secret that was lost; and in all parts of the world the virtuous in "grief and
distress" raised their hands to the heavens, pleading for the restoration of the reign of
Truth. Continuing their search in all parts of the earth and throughout innumerable ages,
the congregation of the just at last re-discovered the lost arcana and brought it back with
rejoicing to the world over which it once ruled. In this manner, we learn, Isis by magic (the
initiated priests were magicians), resurrected the dead God, and through union with him
brought forth an order of priests under the collective title of HORUS."

The Dormer study group was not the first, and certainly not the last, to equate the
legendary Hiram Abiff with the Egyptian god Osiris. Underneath the surface of mainstream
Freemasonry this association has been known and understood as fact probably since the
beginning of the organized fraternity. This fact was certainly not lost on the celebrated 33°
Masonic historian Manly P. Hall, who promotes this association in a paper he wrote on
"Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins":

"Preston, Gould, Mackey, Oliver, and Pike—in fact, nearly every great historian of
Freemasonry-have all admitted the possibility of the modern society being connected,
indirectly at least, with the ancient Mysteries, and their descriptions of the modern society
are prefaced by excerpts from ancient writings descriptive of primitive ceremonials. These
eminent Masonic scholars have all recognized in the legend of Hiram Abiff an
adaptation of the Osiris myth; nor do they deny that the major part of the symbolism of
the craft is derived from the pagan institutions of antiquity when the gods were venerated in
secret places with strange figures and appropriate rituals."

This association is also explored in the relatively recent Harpers's Encyclopaedia of

Mystical & Paranormal Experience (1991) under the heading "Freemasonry," which
introduces another provocative symbol associated with the seventy-two Kosmokrator
"gods":

"...In ritual Masons "die" as Hiram Abiff died, and are reborn in the spiritual bonds of
Freemasonry.
Philosopher Manly P. Hall compared the Hiramic legend to the worship of Isis and Osiris
in the ancient Egyptian mystery schools, another reputed source for Freemasonry. Osiris
also fell victim to ruffians, and the resurrection of his body minus his phallus - and Isis's
search for it - seems symbolically similar to the quest for the Lost Word of God. Followers of
the Isis cult were known as "widow's sons," after the murder of her husband/brother Osiris,
and Masons also are called "sons of the widow."
Speculative Masonry borrowed the tools of the craft as symbols of the order: the square,
compass, plumb line, and level. Members wear white leather aprons associated with
builders. Ritual colors are blue and gold. The capital letter G appearing in the Masonic
compass most likely stands for God. Meetings are held in Lodges or Temples: four-sided
rectangular structures decorated with Masonic symbols and black-and-white checkered
floors, symbolic of humankind's dual nature.
Another Masonic emblem is the Great Pyramid of Giza, always shown with seventy-
two stones representing the seventy-two combinations of the Tetragrammaton, or
the four-lettered name of God (YHVH) in Hebrew. The pyramid is flat-topped, unfinished,
symbolizing humankind's incomplete nature. Floating above the pyramid is the single All-
Seeing Eye of the Great Architect, also associated with Horus, son of Isis and Osiris. Both
the pyramid and the All-Seeing Eye appear on the United States dollar bill and the reverse
of the Great Seal of the United States." [59]

So once again we are brought back to the Great Pyramid of Giza, the first built and last
remaining of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, which is the reputed resting place of
Osiris. The Great Pyramid itself is but one structure within a major Necropolis that was
designed according to the layout of the constellation Orion, the Great Hunter in the sky. As
we have endeavored to show, Osiris is none other than the Biblical Nimrod, the "mighty
hunter before the Lord," whose death brought about the division of his global empire into
the hands of the seventy Kosmokrator angels who descended from heaven to begin their
era of authority over mankind. The seventy angelic "world powers" eventually came to be
understood as seventy-two, which is the number of "conspirators" who aided Set/Typhon in
the murder of Osiris. It is also the number of angels associated with the Kabbalistic Shem
ha Mephoresh, and the number of stones portrayed in Masonic representations of the Great
Pyramid.

Another representation of the Great Pyramid of Giza may perhaps be found in the
"square and compass" symbol of Freemasonry. The compass is opened to the
familiar number of 72° as the apex of the pyramid, whereas the base of the
pyramid appears as the square, while the "G" represents, not "God," or
"Geometry," as some have speculated, but "Giza," the location of the resting place
of Masonry's dear departed master.

There is little doubt that Hiram Abiff is but a veiled representation of Osiris, and the Third
Degree ritual of the "resurrection" of Hiram is simply a reenactment of the different pagan
Mysteries that ritualized the "raising" of Osiris, the "awakening" of Heracles, or the
"resurrection" of Dionysus. By the same token there is a great deal of doubt regarding the
legend of Hiram Abiff and Masonry's reputed connection with King Solomon and the building
of the temple of YHWH. The fact is that the legend of Hiram Abiff is a relatively late addition
to the Masonic tradition which is first documented in Anderson's Constitutions of 1723. The
little book Symbols of Freemasonry, translated from the French publication Les
Symboles des Francs-Maçons (1997), reveals that the original "Legend of the Craft"
connects directly with our understanding of Osiris:

"...the date of the construction of King Solomon's temple has not always been the key date
in the Freemasons' cosmology. This central role was once given to the Tower of Babel. The
Regius manuscript, which predates Cooke [1410] by twenty years, cites King Nemrod, the
builder of that famous tower, as "the first and most excellent master." He it was, and not
King Solomon, who gave the Masons their first "charge," their rules of conduct and
professional code.
For a long time both King Solomon and King Nemrod played a part in the tradition. A
Masonic text known as the Thistle manuscript, of 1756, says that Nemrod "created the
Masons" and "gave them their signs and terms so that they could distinguish themselves
from other people ... it was the first time that the Masons were organised as a craft."
It was during the early years of the eighteenth century that Freemasonry stopped seeing
its origins in the Tower of Babel and that Solomon alone was considered "the first Grand
Master".
The eighteenth-century Masonic texts shed light on the ideas and attitudes at the time of
the shift from Operative Masonry to Speculative Masonry... Speculative Masons, who were
concerned with social responsibility and had no desire to threaten the establishment, finally
rejected the "Legend of the Craft" which honored the Tower of Babel, a pagan edifice
constructed in open defiance to heaven. Instead of the Promethean or Faustian Nemrod,
they preferred "our wise king Solomon," or as A Mason's Examination of 1723 puts it:
"Grand Master in his time of Masonry and Architecture." [60]

One way or another the legendary origins of Freemasonry all point back to Egypt, to the
Great Pyramid, and to Osiris or Nimrod, the original Dying God intimately associated with
Giza and the constellation Orion, whose death brought about the era of the pagan gods.

The most recent comprehensive study of Osiris was mentioned at the end of Part Three,
which is Osiris: Death and Afterlife of a God, by respected Egyptologist Bojana Mojsov.
This study mentions several interesting aspects of the Osiris cult that provide evidence that
perhaps the original number of "conspirators" involved in the death of Osiris may have
actually been seventy, rather than seventy-two, which would bring Egyptian myth in line
with Canaanite and Hebrew traditions regarding the seventy Kosmokrator gods that were
given authority to rule the earth. Mojsov mentions that the ritual process of mummification,
which traces back to Osiris the first mummy in history, was a strict process that lasted for
exactly seventy days. According to Mojsov, it was during this time that the departed soul
"lay unconscious" in the Underworld, waiting for the mummification process to end, after
which the individual would be "resurrected" on the other side.

The number seventy is also associated with the constellation Orion, which was known by the
name "sah," which was also the Egyptian word for "mummy," as well as a word meaning
"nobility" and "dignity." Mojsov explains that Orion was understood to be "the spirit of
Osiris," and sah was also a word that meant "spirit" or "soul." The number seventy is
connected with Orion because that was traditionally the number of days during which the
constellation disappeared from the summer night sky over the land of Egypt. This was
understood as the time during which Osiris himself underwent his own regeneration
process. Mojsov writes that "Mummification was more than the mere preservation of the
corpse; by substituting perishable substances with everlasting ones, the body was
transfigured and "filled with magic." It became 'an Osiris.' " [61]

Plutarch's account of the Osiris myth was written at the end of the era of the Egyptian
Mystery Schools when Greek influence brought about the rise of Hermeticism and related
beliefs. When Plutarch wrote that there were seventy-two conspirators perhaps this was a
late innovation rooted in the desire to connect the myth with the zodiac, with seventy-two
being exactly a fifth of 360. The number seventy may be preserved in Plutarch's account,
however, because after the death of Osiris his body is divided into fourteen parts by
Seth/Typhon, which is exactly a fifth of seventy, the number of Kosmokrator "gods" among
whom the entire world was divided after the death of Nimrod according to the Hebrews.

By whatever route we take we arrive at the fact that Osiris was intimately connected with
the appearance of pagan religion in the past, and his reputed burial place at Giza appears as
a location intimately associated with the re-appearance of the "gods" in the future, when
they are predicted to once again take their positions as direct rulers over humanity.

The End of the "World Powers"

Despite the fact that the Kabbalah erroneously portrays the angelic "world powers" as holy
"angels of God," the medieval Kabbalists remained tied to the primary themes of the Old
Testament, themes such as the uniqueness of God's nation Israel, the numerous promises
involving a Messiah or Redeemer figure for Israel (and for the world), and the apocalyptic
belief that the "time of the end" would involve judgment on the Gentile nations and the
salvation and glorification of Israel. Psalm 2 is an Old Testament passage that speaks of
these themes:

"Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their
stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One
[Heb. mashiach].
"Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in
his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy
hill." I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have
become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends
of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to
pieces like pottery."
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with
fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your
way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." (Psalm
2)

This passage predicts that the kings and rulers of the world will one day violently resist God
and His Messiah, but they will fail miserably. The end result is that the nations of the world
which are presently the possession of the fallen angelic "world powers" will become the
possession and "inheritance" of God's Son, the Messiah. These verses are commented upon
within the Kabbalist's bible, the Zohar:

Volume 9 Beshalach, Section 22, verse 309:

"Rabbi Yitzchak said: This verse refers to the time when The Holy One, blessed be He, will
attire Himself with majesty over the nations that shall gather against Him, as it is written:
"And the princes take counsel together, against Hashem, and against His anointed" (Tehilim
2:2). As we have learned, seventy generals of armies shall gather from every side at that
time with the hosts of the entire world to wage war against Jerusalem, the Holy City, and to
plan against the Holy One, blessed be He. What do they say? 'Let us rise against the
protector first, and then against His people and His sanctuary'."

A. E. Waite was an occult historian, high level Freemason and former member of the Golden
Dawn who was also a very serious scholar of the Kabbalah. A brief passage in his book The
Holy Kabbalah shows that he understood these apocalyptic themes and predictions which
found their way into Kabbalistic teaching from the Old Testament:

"A great king will rise up and will conquer the world. There will be war against Israel, but
the chosen people shall be delivered. According to one account, the seventy celestial
chiefs who rule the seventy nations of the earth will marshal all the legions of the
world to make war on the sacred city of Jerusalem, but they will be exterminated by the
power of the Holy One." [62]

Kabbalistic teaching has many Gnostic, Pagan, and Occult overtones, especially when it
comes to communicating with the spirit world as a shortcut to determining the will of God.
However, these Torah-forbidden Pagan influences are not enough to overshadow the
influence of the Old Testament, which predicts the eventual downfall of the very spirits that
the Kabbalist places his faith in as guides of his spiritual quest.

So the question that must be addressed is the final fate of the Kosmokrator "gods." These
"gods" are portrayed by many sources as holy angels, as spiritually evolved "Ascended
Masters," or as benevolent extra-terrestrials, and they are credited as being humanity's
ancient teachers, our future saviors, and even as our original creators. Occult sources
including Pagan mythology, Hermetic literature, Aleister Crowley, Helena Blavatsky, Alice
Bailey, and channeled messages from UFO cults and New Age mystics, all predict that the
"New Age" of peace and enlightenment will come with the appearance of these "gods" to
accepted and outward positions in human society. With their guidance it is believed that
mankind will spiritually evolve, realize our inherent inner divinity, and finally become the
gods that we have always been, just as the Serpent promised in the Garden of Eden.

The Judeo-Christian tradition speaks of a different fate for these "gods" and for the human
beings who are deceived into following them. We have already looked at Psalm 82, in which
God sits in the Divine Council and judges against the "gods" because they have abused their
positions of authority. God says that their final end will be "death" and that the nations will
become God's "inheritance." Psalm 2, above, similarly explains that the "rulers" of the earth
will be destroyed when they resist God and the nations will then become the inheritance of
the Messiah.

Daniel 7 is the description of an apocalyptic dream that was given to the Hebrew prophet
Daniel who was living in exile in Babylon. In this dream the Gentile nations of the world are
represented as four great Beasts and the final Beast represents a kingdom that will conquer
the entire world. God is predicted to destroy this Beast, and following that Daniel witnesses
the transition of global authority into the hands of a figure who is referred to as a "Son of
Man":

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming
with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his
presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and
men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not
pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14)

In the New Testament Jesus of Nazareth claimed that He was this very "Son of Man"
mentioned enigmatically by the prophet Daniel, who would "inherit" all the nations of the
world. Before His crucifixion Jesus was put on trial by the chief priests of the Sanhedrin.
Caiaphas the High Priest demanded of Jesus, "Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
In response Jesus said,

"Yes, it is as you say... But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of
Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of
heaven." (Matthew 26:64)

Because of this statement the High Priest accused Jesus of blasphemy, Jesus was sentenced
to death, and the trial was immediately ended. There was absolutely no question that Jesus
was claiming to be the Jewish Messiah who was predicted to one day rule as King over the
nations of the world. Afterwards Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler in
charge of Palestine. Pilate repeated the question that had prompted the death sentence
given by the High Priest: "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus replied by saying,

"You are right in saying I am a king. In fact for this reason I was born, and for this
I came into the world, to testify to the truth." (John 18:37)

However, Jesus prefaced this remark by saying, "My kingdom is not of this world." What
Jesus meant was that His kingdom would first be a spiritual kingdom before becoming a
physical earthly kingdom, which will only begin after the defeat, judgment, and destruction
of the unholy "world powers." Foreshadows of this "spiritual kingdom" can be seen in an
episode near the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, which reveals that Jesus knew He was
dealing with a "world order" ruled by spiritual beings under the authority of Satan.

The Gospel of Luke explains that Jesus appointed seventy disciples to travel ahead of Jesus
throughout Israel "to every city and every place." When they entered a house they were
instructed to say "Peace be to this house," and then to give the message that "The kingdom
of God is near you." Jesus even told these seventy messengers that if they entered a city
and were not accepted into any homes then they were to proclaim their message in the
streets.

Some of the Greek manuscripts that record this event say that Jesus appointed "seventy-
two" disciples for this mission, but whether the actual number was seventy or seventy-
two the symbolic intent behind the mission was clear: Jesus was serving notice to the
spiritual powers behind the scenes that the Pagan World Order was coming to a close. The
era of the "gods" was ending and the "Kingdom of God" would take its place. When the
seventy disciples returned to Jesus they joyfully announced to him, "Lord, even the demons
submit to us in your name." Jesus responded to them by saying (Luke 10:18),

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

The spiritual "Kingdom of God" had just been established on earth, at the expense of Satan
and the fallen angels. Jesus then went on to explain what this meant to His disciples (Luke
10:19-20, 23-24),
"Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over
all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not
rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are
recorded in heaven...
Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many
prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them,
and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them."

The fallen angels exist as two distinct groups. One group is already chained up in the Abyss
and awaits the final judgment. Jude 6-7 connects the fallen angels of this group with the
angels that had sexual relations with human women in Genesis 6 which states, "...the
angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these
he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day." The
Apostle Peter also refers to this group of angels bound in the Abyss: "...God did not spare
angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be
held for judgment" (2 Peter 2:4). Throughout the Gospels, when people were cured of
demon possession, the demons would often be cast into the Abyss to await their judgment
and punishment.

The other group of fallen angels is the group that the Apostle Paul refers to as the "powers
of this dark world," and as the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians
6:12). They exist in the heavens from where they attempt to manipulate the affairs of
humanity as much as they are able, against the Church which has been given "all power"
through the name and authority of Jesus Christ. For the last two thousand years this has
been the spiritual struggle that Paul referred to in his letter to the Ephesians.

The book of Revelation explains that one day Satan and his fallen angels will be forcefully
evicted from heaven and thrown down to earth, where they will be in control for only a
short time before their judgment comes,

"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the
dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place
in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or
Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with
him." (Revelation 12:7-9)

The judgment upon the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" is predicted by
Isaiah the prophet as one of the results of the apocalyptic "Day of the Lord":

"The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken. The
earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of
its rebellion that it falls--never to rise again. In that day the LORD will punish the
powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded
together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished
after many days. The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will
reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously." (Isaiah 24:19-23)

The prophet Jeremiah simply states:

"These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and
from under the heavens." (Jeremiah 10:11)
The book of Revelation is a detailed account of the final confrontation between God and the
"gods" before the Messianic Kingdom is established. Central to this conflict is a document
held by God that is described as a Scroll sealed with seven Seals, which many scholars of
Bible prophecy believe to be something like a Title Deed to the earth. In the aftermath of
the Tower of Babel and the death of Nimrod this Deed became the property of the seventy
angelic princes and Satan their leader. That is why Satan was able to tempt Jesus by
offering to give Him authority over the kingdoms of the world in Matthew 4. Satan could
offer it because it was Satan's possession to give. That is also why the Kingdom of God is
only a spiritual kingdom for now, and "not of this world."

But one day this world will be taken away from the "gods" and given into the hands of the
Son of God. The precise moment that this occurs is shown in Revelation, after the blowing
of the seventh Trumpet, which is the final Trumpet released by the breaking of the seventh
Seal of the Scroll:

"The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever.' And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their
thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: 'We give thanks to you,
Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has
come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints
and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for destroying those who
destroy the earth.' " (Revelation 11:15-18)

Until that moment the earth will still be the physical property of Satan and the fallen angels.
Within this system human beings are also the possession of Satan, as harsh as that may
sound. Redemption from this terrible situation can only be achieved through faith in the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation explains that it was this divine sacrifice, of
the life of the Son of God given on behalf of human beings everywhere, that "purchased
men for God":

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne,
encircled by the four living creatures and the elders... He came and took the scroll from the
right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures
and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb... And they sang a new song: 'You are
worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your
blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and
nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will
reign on the earth.' " (Revelation 5:6-10)

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will put an end to the strange situation that presently
exists in our little corner of the universe, of fallen angelic spirits ruling over a fallen earth
that is inhabited by fallen human beings. The fallen angels will be cast into the Abyss,
judged, and finally destroyed, along with the human beings that they were able to deceive.
On the other hand, those who reject the lies and deception of the "world powers," who
embrace the Creator and Jesus Christ as their Savior, will be raised up from their fallen
condition and given an eternal life with infinite rewards.

But that is looking into the future. Today the world still exists in its fallen condition,
manipulated by spiritual beings that look forward to a brief period when they will enjoy
power and authority as they exercised it in the past. The central figure in this brief demonic
renaissance is known as the Beast in the book of Revelation, and named the Antichrist by
John the Apostle (1 John 2:18). His brief return will be the subject of the seventh and final
part of "The Giza Discovery" series.

(For further reading on the Biblical relationship between the nations and the fallen angels
see the online series Against World Powers located at
http://www.redmoonrising.com/worldpowers/awpindex.htm )

Footnotes

1. Swedenborg quote from "Forerunners to Modern Spiritualism: Emanuel Swedenborg

(1688-1772)" by Rev. Simeon Stefanidakis, located at http://www.fst.org/spirit2.htm

2. God Crucified : Monotheism and Christology in the New Testament, Richard

Bauckham, 1999, pp.9-11

3. For instance, Enlil is portrayed as the creator of mankind in the myth "The Creation of the
Hoe" (see Treasures of Darkness, by Thorkild Jacobsen, 1976, p.103), and in "The Curse of
Agade" the text speaks of "mankind fashioned by Enlil" (see The Sumerians, by S. N.
Kramer, 1963, p.64). However the most descriptive and well-known Sumerian myths credit
Enki as the creator of mankind.

4. Legend – the Genesis of Civilisation, David Rohl, 1998, pp.206-207

5. Ibid, pp.345-346

6. The Lost Book of Enki, Zecharia Sitchin, 2002, p.9

7. The 12th Planet, Zecharia Sitchin, 1976, p.370

8. Genesis Revisited, Zecharia Sitchin, 1990, p.202

9. From Laurence Gardner's website at http://www.graal.co.uk/

10. Genesis of the Grail Kings: The Explosive Story of Genetic Cloning and the
Ancient Bloodline of Jesus, Laurence Gardner, 1999, p.82

11. Ibid, pp.118-119

12. Ibid, p.193

13. Ibid, p.120

14. "Secrets of the Cathars" by William Henry, located at:

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/esp_autor_whenry04.htm
15. "The Gods of Eden" by Alan Alford, located at:
http://www.newdawnmagazine.com/Articles/Gods%20of%20Eden.html

16. From http://www.exposingchristianity.com/Old%20Testament.html

17. From http://www.freewebs.com/eridu666/Origins.html

18. The Gods of Eden, William Bramley, 1989, p.34

19. The 12th Planet, Zecharia Sitchin, 1976, p.337

20. Dimensions, Jacques Vallee, 1989, p.243

21. Civilization - Past and Present, Scott, Foresman and Company, 1987, pp.10-11

22. Myths of Enki, The Crafty God, Samuel Noah Kramer and John Maier, 1989, p.5

23. Ancient Iraq, Georges Roux, 1964, p.95

24. Historical Atlas of Ancient Mesopotamia, Norman Bancroft Hunt, 2004, p.24

25. Oriental Religions In Roman Paganism, Franz Cumont, 1956 (1911), p.75

26. Myths of Enki, The Crafty God, Samuel Noah Kramer and John Maier, 1989, pp.166-
167

27. http://serapis.biography.ms/

28. Oriental Religions In Roman Paganism, Franz Cumont, 1956 (1911), p.75

29. http://www.bibleplaces.com/pergamum.htm

30. "Phoenician Theology," http://phoenicia.org/theomythology.html

31. "The Nachash and His Seed" by Michael S. Heiser,

http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/nachashnotes.pdf

32. "Phoenician Theology," http://phoenicia.org/theomythology.html

33. "Enki and the World Order," http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.1.3#

34. Isis and Osiris, Plutarch,

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/A.h
tml

35. "Horus the God of Kings," http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/horus.htm

36. The Ancient Gods Speak - A Guide to Egyptian Religion, Donald B. Redford, 2002,
pp.132-134
37. Regarding Deuteronomy 32:8, most Bible versions read "Sons of Israel" which follows
the Masoretic text, but the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint, as well as most updated
Bible versions read "Sons of God." See the article Deuteronomy 32:8 and the Sons of God,
by Michael S. Heiser (http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/DT32BibSac.pdf) for a detailed
argument that "Sons of God" is the original and correct reading.

38. Among the Host of Heaven, Lowell K. Handy, 1994, p.83

39. Hermetica, translated by Brian P. Copenhaver, 1992, p.81

40. Ibid, pp. 231-232

41. Ibid, p.232, citing Egypte, by Franz Cumont, pp.124-5

42. Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, Frances A. Yates, 1964, p.46

43. The Egyptian Hermes, Garth Fowden, 1986, p.40

44. The Gnostic Religion, Hans Jonas, 1958, pp.43-44

45. Ibid, p. 93

46. Ibid, pp.94-95

47. Ibid, pp.95-96

48. Major Trends In Jewish Mysticism, Gershom Scholem, 1995 (1946), p.88

49. Ibid, p.127

50. "The Kabbalah/Cabbalah," by Christine Payne-Towler,

http://www.tarot.com/about-tarot/library/essays/kabbalah

51. "THE HERMETIC MAGICK OF THE GREAT MAGUS FRANZ BARDON,"

http://www.glassbeadgame.com/magic.htm

52. http://www.merkurpublishing.com/franz_bardon_hermetics_evocation_kabbalah.htm

53. http://members.cox.net/heru-ra-ha/reviews.htm

54. "A Basic Historico-Chronological Model of the Western Hermetic Tradition," R.Wy. Frater
Trevor Stewart,
http://sric-canada.org/stewartintro.html

55. Ibid.

56. Freemasonry and the Ancient Gods

57. "The Pythagorean Tradition in Freemasonry," Rev. J. R. Cleland

http://users.ucom.net/~vegan/dormer.htm
58. "The Great Work In Speculative Masonry," http://www.mt.net/~watcher/greatwork.html

59. http://www.gaiaguys.net/Freemasons-Harpers.htm

60. Symbols of Freemasonry, Daniel Béresniak, 2000 (1997), pp.26-28

61. Osiris: Death and Afterlife of God, Bojana Mojsov, 2005, p.18

62. The Holy Kabbalah, A.E. Waite, 2003 (1929), pp.322-323

The Second Coming of the

Antichrist
"Raise yourself, O Osiris, first-born son of Geb, at whom the Two Enneads
tremble... Your hand is taken by the Souls of On, your hand is grasped by Ra, your
head is raised by the Two Enneads, and they have set you, O Osiris, at the head of
the Conclave of the Souls of On. Live, live and raise yourself!"
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, Utterance 532

"I am Yesterday and I am Today; and I have the power to be born a second time!"
Egyptian Book of the Dead (Theban Recension), statement of Osiris, chapter lxiv

Introduction

The Giza Discovery series, of which this is the final Part, began with a statement from
Egyptian antiquities director Zahi Hawass, in Part One, that a hidden tomb exists within the
Great Pyramid of Giza. This tomb is expected by many to
be the tomb of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the
Underworld, who was believed to have been the very
first to undergo the mummification process after death.
Before we continue with the analysis of what exactly the
discovery of this ancient corpse will mean for the world
spiritually, which is of primary importance to each and
every individual on the planet, we must first summarize our series and explain the step-by-
step process that has brought us to this point.

The Giza Necropolis was designed and built as a great memorial dedicated to the god Osiris,
the legendary king of Egypt, who brought religion, writing, a system of laws,
and other innovations necessary for civilization to the Egyptians, and
afterwards to the world. The mythology surrounding the life and death of
Osiris and his resurrection on "the other side" as the Lord of the Underworld
was covered in Part Two. Osiris became the divine figure at the heart of
Egyptian religion and his cult was memorialized by the Giza Necropolis that
was built in the Fourth Dynasty (c.2600-2500 BC). Several generations later
the theology of the Osiris cult was codified by the Pyramid Texts that were inscribed on the
walls of a complex built at Saqqara a few miles from Giza during the Fifth and Sixth
Dynasties (C.2350-2150 BC). With these late manifestations of the Osiris cult it becomes
likely that the origins of the cult, and the actual life of the historical Osiris, can be found not
more than a few hundred years before the construction of the Great Pyramid, rather than
originating thousands of years earlier as many Egyptologists assume.

Part Three of our series examined Egyptian beliefs involving the death and "resurrection" of
Osiris and how they affected the mythology and religions of the cultures that surrounded
Egypt. What we discovered was that Osiris was the original "Dying and Rising God" from
whom evolved the later "Dying and Rising" figures so prevalent throughout the pagan world,
figures including, but certainly not limited to, Baal, Heracles, Adonis, Eshmun, Dumuzi and
Dionysus. We also mentioned the fact that skeptics of Christianity have used the historical
reality of a pre-Christian "Dying and Rising God" tradition as the basis for the allegation that
Jesus Christ could not have been a historical figure, or that his life as presented in the New
Testament is no more than a mythical re-introduction or re-packaging of the original Pagan
"Dying God" tradition.

To uncover the truth behind the mysterious relationship between the Pagan "Dying God"
and the Christian "Dying God" Part Four focused on discovering the historical origins of
Dynastic Egypt from where the legend of Osiris evolved. The intent was to uncover the
identity of the historical Osiris, which is the key to solving Mettinger's "Riddle of the
Resurrection." What we found was that the origin of Dynastic Egypt can be traced directly
back to Mesopotamia to a time period shortly after the Deluge mentioned in ancient
Sumerian and Hebrew texts.

In Part Five we analyzed Paganism in general and concluded that its primary basis was
"Spirit Worship," in addition to its less important aspects of "Ancestor Worship" and "Nature
Worship." To understand this belief system, which was once accepted and practiced
throughout the world, we turned to Mesopotamia and to the culture of ancient Sumer that
was the first to record, on cuneiform tablets, a knowledge of human origins and an
understanding of the Human-Divine relationship. The Sumerians believed that humankind
had been created by the gods, from whom we received all of the accoutrements and
innovations of civilization, including religion. The most powerful god worshiped by the
Sumerians was known as Enlil, while the most loved god was known as Enki, who was
portrayed as mankind's steadfast champion.

There are many parallels between Hebrew and Sumerian accounts but there are also subtle
differences that appear to be related to perspective. For instance, the Sumerians have
memories of a "Cain and Abel" type of struggle, but they place the "Cain" figure in the
positive role. The Sumerians glorify the building of the first city, Enki's city of Eridu,
whereas the Hebrews hold to a negative, or at least neutral, description of this event. The
Sumerians celebrate the descent of the gods and their interaction with humanity, but the
Hebrews lament the descent of the fallen angels who corrupted mankind to the point that
God decided to bring the Flood.

In examining the myths of ancient Sumer we found that throughout the world the Hebrew
scriptures, more than any of the Pagan traditions, give accounts of man's early origins that
most closely parallel the Sumerian accounts, even though the book of Genesis was written
hundreds of years after the Sumerian culture had ceased to exist. These similar accounts
converge on the story of a great conqueror who was involved in the building of a tower or
temple located in Enki's city of Eridu. The Hebrews knew this conqueror as N-M-R-D
(Nimrod) the Hunter, whereas the Sumerians knew him as N-M-R-kar (Enmer-the Hunter).
Hebrew tradition holds that his actions led to the linguistic division of the nations, while the
Sumerian epic Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta also speaks of the
emergence of a variety of tongues, along with the end of monotheistic
worship of Enlil.

Part Five was concluded by presenting evidence that the invading "Falcon
Tribe" that took over Egypt, which came from Mesopotamia, was a faction
or group that worshiped the god Enki and was closely related to Enmerkar
the Sumerian conqueror. Enmerkar became known as Osiris, and when he
died his followers mummified his corpse and buried it in Egypt. The Giza
Necropolis was later built to honor his memory and to hold his body, and
it was designed according to the layout of the constellation Orion, the
Great Hunter in the sky. The historical Osiris is therefore none other than
the Biblical Nimrod. The Hebrews accused him of being a great rebel who acted against the
will of God, whereas the Sumerians glorified him as a great leader and champion of the god
Enki. The Egyptians glorified him as well and deified him as the Ruler of the Underworld, in
whom they placed their faith in a blessed afterlife.

The adversarial relationship between Enlil and Enki that is portrayed in Sumerian myth was
analyzed in Part Six. The conclusion was reached, with support from several modern-day
researchers, that the Enlil-Enki conflict appears in the Hebrew tradition as the conflict
between Jehovah (YHWH) and Satan. The answer to the problem of perspective, when
comparing the similar accounts given by the Hebrews and Sumerians, is simply that the
Hebrews viewed things from Jehovah's perspective, whereas the Sumerians viewed things
from Enki's perspective. In fact, all of the cultures of the ancient world inherited the "Enki
perspective," which was caused by the strange "disappearance" of YHWH/Enlil from human
affairs, combined with Enki's control over the very art of writing which gave him the
opportunity to "dominate and deceive" through propaganda.

The perceived triumph of Enki, known as Kronos to the Greeks, and the disappearance of
YHWH/Enlil from the Pagan world, is explained by the spiritual change that took place within
the divine-human relationship at the Tower of Babel event. The Old Testament and extra-
Biblical Hebrew texts explain that the division of the nations occurred at this time and,
alongside the linguistic division, there was also a spiritual division in which God gave the
nations of the world over to the authority of the seventy top-ranking fallen angels. Nimrod's
empire was destroyed and divided, and Nimrod himself was slain as a human sacrifice that
allowed the pagan "Age of the Gods" to begin.

Part Six continued with an examination of pagan and occult beliefs that involve the worship
of these very same beings, and how these seventy or seventy-two gods are perceived
within occult traditions including Hermeticism, Gnosticism, the Kabbalah and the
Freemasons. All of these traditions include expectations of the return of the gods which,
according to Hermetic texts, will involve Egypt—specifically the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Secret Societies such as the Rosicrucians, the Golden Dawn and the Freemasons have
always looked to Egypt, and the Freemasons in particular hold Osiris in high regard through
their ritual representation of him as Hiram Abiff. The death of Osiris came as a result of a
conspiracy of the "gods," and the evidence shows that the reappearance of the "gods"
somehow involves Osiris as well.

We concluded Part Six by exploring how this epic conflict of "God against the gods" is
resolved according to Judeo-Christian eschatology. Many years after the division of the
nations into the hands of the "gods," Jehovah chose His own nation, Israel, through which
to bring about the redemption of mankind. Jesus of Nazareth, the "Dying and Rising God"
predicted within the Hebrew tradition, who claimed to be the Messiah and the "Son of Man"
who would receive the nations as His possession, was the culmination of this redemptive
process. Jesus Christ can and should be understood purely through the Hebrew tradition
because He was the unique product of Hebrew prophecy. The similarities that exist between
the Judeo-Christian "Dying God" and the Pagan "Dying God" should be examined only with
the understanding that mirror opposites, if viewed superficially, only appear to be the same.
Their antithetical relationship will be made clear by the end of the study.

The apocalyptic events at the end of the age that will precede the transfer of sovereignty
from the "gods" into the hands of the "Son of God" are explained in the Book of Revelation.
The central figure of the Apocalypse who plays a role opposite that of Jesus Christ is the
Beast, or Anti-Christ. The book of Revelation explains that this figure will be revived to rule
for a brief period of time during which Satan and the fallen angels will appear on the earth
after being thrown down from heaven. The "gods" will indeed return, but the Bible predicts
that their visit will be very brief.

This seventh and final addition to The Giza Discovery series will explain how Biblical
apocalyptic prophecy, as well as numerous Occult expectations, point undeniably to the
resurrection of Osiris. The Biblical prediction is that his reign will be short and end in
destruction and the victory of Jesus Christ and His saints, while Occult predictions maintain
that the return of Osiris will bring forth a New Age where mankind will live in peace and
harmony in a state of divine bliss. Once again the Word of God as given in the Bible
contradicts the flattering promises and whispered urgings received from the spirits. It is up
to each one of us to decide which of them is lying.

The Beast

The great Adversary of God and Man is first described in the book of Revelation in chapter
twelve, which begins with a description of Israel, the single nation chosen by God (in
contrast to the original seventy ruled by the fallen angels) that is represented as a Woman
who gives birth to the Savior of the world:

"A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the
moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried
out in pain as she was about to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads
and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of
the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about
to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.
And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to
a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the
dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place
in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the
devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his
angels with him... woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." (Revelation 12:1-9,12)
Satan is described as a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on
his seven heads. An explanation is not given for the heads and horns within this particular
passage, but they can be understood by turning to chapters thirteen and seventeen of
Revelation, and to Revelation's Old Testament counterpart—the book of Daniel. First we will
turn to Revelation 13:

"And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He
had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a
blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear
and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and
great authority." (Revelation 13:1-2)

In this passage we see a picture of Satan the dragon, but then the Beast emerges from the
sea and we find that the Beast is now shown with the seven heads and ten horns of Satan,
this time with the ten horns wearing crowns. The Beast that comes out of the sea
represents two things: at first it represents the final great Kingdom that will have authority
over the entire world by the end of the Apocalypse, but in other passages it represents the
great King that rules over this kingdom who is more commonly known as the Antichrist. The
Beast is a Kingdom, yet also a King. The Kingdom aspect of the Beast is explained by
turning to the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel.

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning
up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
The first was like a lion... And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a
bear... After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a
leopard... After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth
beast--terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and
devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the
former beasts, and it had ten horns." (Daniel 7:2-7)

Daniel's fourth kingdom, the Beast with ten horns that is able to crush and devour
everything in its path, is the same as the Beast with seven heads and ten horns described in
Revelation 13, which is also described as resembling a leopard, with feet like a bear and the
mouth of a lion. In other words, the Beast is a global kingdom that has absorbed, or is
made up of, Daniel's three earlier beast-kingdoms (whose identities are unimportant for
now). After viewing the terrible Beast Daniel turns his attention to the horns:

"[The fourth Beast] was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. While I
was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came
up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes
like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully...
Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept
looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
(The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period
of time)." (Daniel 7:7-8,11-12)

After witnessing these terrible events Daniel the prophet was very troubled. While still in
vision he turned to one of the angels that was next to him in heaven and asked the meaning
of the terrible Beast and the little horn that spoke out against God:

"He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on
earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth,
trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this
kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue
three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change
the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half
a time. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed
forever.' " (Daniel 7:23-26)

From Daniel we learn that the ten horns of the Beast in Revelation 13 are actually ten kings
that rule over the Kingdom aspect of the Beast. They are kings that rule simultaneously
over the final end-times global empire. Now we return to Revelation 13 and come to a very
crucial but enigmatic reference to the seven heads of the Beast:

"One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had
been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast." (Revelation 13:3)

The seven heads of the Beast are not explained by Daniel, but they are explained in
Revelation chapter seventeen, which we will turn to shortly. For now simply keep in mind
the fact that this is the first statement that implies the resurrection of the Antichrist. He is
shown with a fatal wound, but then his wound is healed and the whole world is astonished.
A similar description of the appearance of a fatal wound is given in Revelation 5:6 of Jesus
Christ,

"Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne..."

After the healing of the Beast's fatal "head wound" the book of Revelation continues with a
description of the career of the Beast. The transition from the Kingdom aspect of the Beast
to the King aspect of the Beast comes when the Beast is "given a mouth." From that point
on the descriptions of the Beast apply to the individual, the Antichrist, who is described in
Daniel as the blasphemous "little horn."

"Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also
worshiped the beast and asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?'
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his
authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his
name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war
against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation.
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been
written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he
will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls
for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints." (Revelation 13:4-10)

The Beast is a Kingdom as well as a King. He is both the New World Order and the Antichrist
that rules over it, who achieves power with the help of ten great kings who also rule over
this empire. They give the Antichrist his political power, but much of his religious power
and authority comes from another figure who is introduced as the second Beast. Revelation
19:20 refers to him as the False Prophet, and his role is explained in Revelation 13 where
we continue:

"Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he
spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made
the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been
healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down
from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on
behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up
an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was
given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause
all who refused to worship the image to be killed." (Revelation 13:11-15)

In the passage above we find the second and third references to the resurrection of the
Antichrist. He is dead, yet he will be alive once again, which will cause the whole world to be
"astonished" and to follow him in awe (13:3). Now we turn to Revelation 17 which will
provide even more answers for the meaning of the Beast and his ten horns, and of his
seven heads, one of which is healed of a fatal wound.

"One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, 'Come, I will show
you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of
the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the
wine of her adulteries.'
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting
on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads
and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold,
precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things
and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON
THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I
saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore
testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished." (Revelation 17:1-6)

The identity of the "Great Prostitute" is not the subject we are studying, so we will focus on
the scarlet Beast and his seven heads and ten horns, which are immediately explained by
the angel:

"Then the angel said to me: 'Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of
the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and
go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in
the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast,
because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. This calls for a mind with wisdom.
The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings.
Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must
remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He
belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for
one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and
will give their power and authority to the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but
the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him
will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.' " (Revelation 17:7-14)

The angel goes down the list and explains first the Beast, then the heads, then the horns,
and lastly the woman, which is another subject. Regarding the Beast, the angel's
explanation strongly implies that he is speaking of the "King" aspect of the Beast, rather
than the "Kingdom" aspect. In other words, his descriptions apply directly to the Antichrist
himself.
Within his description the angel states twice that the Beast "once was, now is not, and
yet will come." He also explains that the point of origin from which the Beast "will come"
is "the Abyss." Furthermore, when the Beast does come, and is "seen," the inhabitants of
the world who are not saved will be "astonished." This is the very same response that is
given in Revelation 13:3 when the world is "astonished" when they see that the Beast's fatal
wound is healed. When we connect the "healing" of the fatal wound with an initial
"appearance" from the Abyss, we can see how they both predict the resurrection of the
Antichrist. His dead body is on the earth, while his soul is in Hell (the Abyss), but one day
his soul will come out of the Abyss and his body and soul will be reunited and he will live
again, much to the astonishment of the inhabitants of the earth.

This understanding is reinforced by the angel's description of the seven heads. There are
actually two interpretations given by the angel for understanding the seven heads. The first
is connected with the woman, which we can avoid for now, while the second gives the
explanation that we seek. The angel simply says that "the seven heads are seven
kings." Furthermore, in contrast to the ten horns of the Beast, which are ten kings who
rule simultaneously over a single kingdom at the end, the seven heads of the Beast are
seven kings who rule sequentially, one after the other, throughout history. The angel
explains their sequential order:

"Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must
remain for a little while."

This explanation must be understood from its first century AD context. In other words, at
the time that this vision was received by the Apostle John five of these kings had already
passed away, one of them presently existed, and one was yet in the future. The angel then
explains to John how the Beast relates to these seven kings:

"The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is
going to his destruction."

At first the explanation that the Beast is an eighth king might appear to be confusing,
because Revelation 13 clearly shows that he is one of the seven heads—specifically the head
that is healed of a fatal wound. However the angel confirms that he is one of the seven
when he proceeds to say very clearly that he "belongs to the seven." The problem is solved
when we realize that there are only seven kings but there are eight appearances of these
kings. Six of them appear once, but one of them appears twice and rules as a king twice.
The angel is telling us that it is the Beast who appears twice when he keeps repeating that
the Beast "once was, now is not, and yet will come."

When we look at the appearances of these kings we see that five were in the past, one was
in the first century AD, and two are predicted for the future, which are the seventh and
eighth appearances. Of these future kings the seventh rules "for a little while," while the
eighth and final king is the Beast or Antichrist who will rule during the Apocalypse.

Regarding the first appearance of the Beast, the angel explains that the Beast "once was,"
which connects the Beast with the first five kings who "have fallen." This means that the
Beast must have been one of the first five kings that had already passed away by the first
century AD. The Beast ruled as one of these kings in the past and he will return again to
rule as the eighth king in the future.

It will be the second coming of the Antichrist.

The Seven Kings of Satan

We will now attempt to identify the Seven Kings of Satan as they have appeared throughout
history. That they are Satanic is evident by the fact that they are initially presented as the
seven heads of the dragon in Revelation 12, who is identified as Satan the "serpent of old"
in verse nine. They can also be identified by their antagonistic relationship to the God of
Israel because in Revelation 13:2 they are said to have "blasphemous names." They serve
Satan and they oppose God and the people who serve Him.

In Daniel 12:1 there is a passage that may help to explain the time frame that we are
dealing with in our search for these seven kings. The passage refers to the "time of distress"
associated with the apocalypse and the end of the age. Once again, it is an angel that gives
Daniel the message, and he says,

"There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations
until then."

The beginning of nations, as we explained in Part Six, was

associated with the Tower of Babel event. It was a separation based
on language, but it also involved the handing over of these seventy
nations into the hands of the seventy top-ranking fallen angels. This
event marked a spiritual transition, and the earth and its nations
were given into the spiritual authority of the fallen angels and to
Satan their most powerful leader. Daniel was told that the
Apocalypse would be the most terrible time of distress from "the
beginning of nations" until the end of the Age. In Matthew 24:21 Jesus Himself makes a
similar statement,

"For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—
and never to be equaled again."

The word that is translated as "world" is the Greek word kosmos. In the Gospel of John
(12:31-32) after predicting His own death, Jesus explained what the "end of the world"
would involve: "Now is the time for judgment on this world (kosmos); now the prince of this
world (kosmos) will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all
men to myself." In John 16:11 Jesus looked forward to the effects of His death and
explained that "the prince of this kosmos now stands condemned."

The disciples wondered about the events that would happen at the time of the end and they
asked Jesus (Matthew 24:3), "Tell us, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of
your coming and the end of the age (Aion)?" After His death and resurrection Jesus
ascended into heaven, leaving His disciples with encouraging words (Matthew 28:30), "And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Aion)." Concerning the nature of
this present Aion, or Age, the Apostle Paul refers to Satan as the "God of this Aion" (2
Corinthians 4:4), saying that he is the deceiver that keeps unbelievers from accepting the
Gospel.
This current Age is the Age during which the fallen angels (the Kosmokrators), led by Satan
their prince, rule over a fallen earth that is inhabited by fallen human beings. It began as a
result of the Tower of Babel and it will end with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, who will
either reward or punish all human beings and the fallen angels, and cleanse and renovate
the earth.

Nimrod

This Age began because of the conquests and rebellious actions of Nimrod, and so it makes
perfect sense to conclude that Nimrod should be identified as the very first of Satan's seven
kings. He ruthlessly conquered the known world, he attempted to rebuild the city of Eridu,
the pre-flood capital of the god Enki, and he also began to build the Tower of Babel as a
means to resist the divine command to spread out and "fill the earth." He is the first of the
seven kings, and he will also be the last to appear when he comes again and rules as the
eighth king. The Antichrist is the "first and the last" to rule over this particular fallen Age,
but Jesus Christ is the "First and the Last" of all Creation, and the Ruler of all Ages to come.

The first of Satan's seven kings is the most important to identify, but thankfully he is also
the easiest to identify. We will continue identifying the other six kings, but with them the
facts are not always so clear and one or two of the names may be based on conjecture and
logical speculation. Our final list will be complete but it may not be 100% accurate, because
much more scholarship on this subject can and should be done.

Pharaoh of Egypt

The second king is most likely either the king of Egypt that attempted to kill all male
Hebrew children born at the time of the birth of Moses, or perhaps rather the Pharaoh who
resisted Moses at the time of the Exodus who was drowned in the Red Sea. An Egyptian
identity for the second king makes sense because it was in the land of Egypt that Satan was
able to perfect his own religion and create his most lasting empire, and it was in Egypt
where the body of Nimrod, known to the Egyptians as Osiris, was laid to rest.

Biblical scholars have explored the idea that the Ten Plagues that forced
Pharaoh to release the Hebrews were structured as Divine repudiations
of the ten primary Egyptian gods, with the final plague of the death of
the first-born aimed against the cult of Osiris, the cult most-closely
associated with the Egyptian monarchy itself. This possibility is
supported by the fact that Osiris is repeatedly identified as the "first-
born son of Geb" throughout the Egyptian Pyramid Texts. In Egyptian
myth the god Geb was understood to represent the earth, which is odd
because in every other pagan culture the earth is worshiped in feminine
form as the Mother Goddess. In Plutarch's retelling of the legend of Isis
and Osiris Plutarch identifies Geb as Kronos, who was in turn understood
by classical scholars to be the Greek form of the Mesopotamian god Enki, whose name
meant "Lord of the Earth."

The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (c.90-30 BC) gives an account of pillars that were
found in Arabia that were erected as memorials to Isis and Osiris. He writes that the pillar of
Osiris contained the following inscription (which also provides evidence that Osiris was the
legendary conqueror Nimrod):
 "My father is Kronos, the youngest of all the gods.
I am Osiris the king, who led my army all over the earth
to the uninhabited districts of India and those that lie to the North,
to the source of the river Ister, yea, everywhere, even to the Ocean.
I am the eldest son of Kronos.
Child of the noble and beautiful egg, I was born an offspring congenital with day.
No place is there in the whole world, whereinto I have not been,
conferring on all the benefits whereof I have been the inventor." [1]

It is very ironic then, that it was from Egypt that the small and insignificant tribe of the
twelve sons of Jacob was able to emerge as the Nation of Israel, symbolized in Revelation
as the Woman who gave birth to the first-born Son of the Creator of the universe, through
whom the world has been redeemed.

Sennacherib of Assyria

The third Satanic king on our list, who must certainly be included somewhere, is King
Sennacherib of Assyria. The story of his campaign against King Hezekiah and against
Jerusalem is given in 2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36-37. It is an amazing
story of the effectiveness of prayer and of the mercy, justice and power of God. When King
Hezekiah resisted Sennacherib's demands Sennacherib responded through his messengers
with ridicule and blasphemy against the God of Israel. King Hezekiah responded to
Sennacherib's insults by going to the Temple to pray, and after hearing Hezekiah's prayers
God responded through the prophet Isaiah. The story unfolds in Isaiah 37:

"Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: This is what the LORD, the God of
Israel, says: 'Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,' this
is the word the LORD has spoken against him:
'The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem tosses
her head as you flee. Who is it you have insulted and blasphemed? Against whom have you
raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your
messengers you have heaped insults on the Lord. And you have said, 'With my many
chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I
have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its pines. I have reached its remotest
heights, the finest of its forests...'
But I know where you stay and when you come and go and how you rage against me.
Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put
my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you
came...'
Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria:
'He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter
this city,' declares the LORD. 'I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the
sake of David my servant!'
Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five
thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were
all the dead bodies. So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned
to Nineveh and stayed there."

King Sennacherib returned to Ninevah where he went to the temple of the god Nisroch to
find out what had gone wrong. While he was worshiping there he was murdered in cold
blood by two of his own sons. The possibility that Sennacherib was one of Satan's seven
kings is supported by Isaiah's description of him in chapter fourteen:

"On the day the LORD gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you
will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon:
'How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The LORD has broken
the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with
unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. All the lands are at
rest and at peace; they break into singing. Even the pine trees and the cedars of Lebanon
exult over you and say, "Now that you have been laid low, no woodsman comes to cut us
down."
The grave below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the
departed to greet you—all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from
their thrones—all those who were kings over the nations. They will all respond, they will say
to you, "You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us."
All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. How you have fallen from
heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit
enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred
mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the
Most High."
But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." (Isaiah 14:3-15)

Biblical scholars agree that this passage refers to Sennacherib who conquered and ruled
Babylon. This conclusion is supported by the statement of Sennacherib in Isaiah 37 in which
he boasts of plundering the forests of Lebanon, which connects with the taunts against
Sennacherib in Isaiah 14 from those very same forests. However the most provocative
portion of Isaiah 14 is where the text transitions seamlessly from a description of the
human king to a description of a figure that can only be Satan, or Lucifer, as some
texts say. This transition only makes sense once it is understood that Satan himself became
manifested on earth through Sennacherib. In other words, Sennacherib was possessed by
Satan and should be viewed as one of the seven kings of Satan.

Ithobaal II of Tyre

The fourth king of Satan is the King of Tyre, the powerful Phoenician city-state that
dominated trade in the Mediterranean. This king, who was most likely Ithobaal II, was
accused of pride and blasphemy by the prophet Ezekiel:

"The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: 'In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne
of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you
are as wise as a god...
Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'Because you think you are wise, as
wise as a god, I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they
will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor...
Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a
man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. You will die the death of the
uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'
'...This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You were the model of perfection, full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God... You were
anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount
of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from
the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your
widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in
disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from
among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and
you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made
a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you
have come to a horrible end and will be no more.'" (Ezekiel 28:1-19)

This passage is very similar to Isaiah's description of Sennacherib in that it also contains a
description of a human king that transitions into a description of Satan, who was the
perfectly-created guardian angel of the Garden of Eden, who fell from his exalted position
because of his pride. Like the case of Sennacherib, these references imply that Ithobaal II,
the King of Tyre, was possessed and controlled by Satan.

Tyre's relationship with Israel was friendly under King Hiram during the reign of Solomon,
but after that it degenerated quickly. The prophet Amos accused Tyre of taking Israelites as
slaves and selling them to neighboring kingdoms, and of breaking their "covenant of
brotherhood" (Amos 1:9-10). The relationship finally reached its lowest point during the
time of Ezekiel who predicted God's judgment upon Tyre (Ezekiel 26-28), which was fulfilled
by the conquests of Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great. Ithobaal II was eventually
executed by Nebuchadnezzar after being captured and brought to Babylon.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

The fifth of Satan's seven kings can only be King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. His career was
predicted in Daniel 11:21-35, where he is described as a contemptible and vile person,
scheming and deceitful, psychotic and possibly insane, who would focus his rage against the
Jews, against God, and against Jerusalem and the holy temple.

Antiochus obtained his throne in Syria by conspiring against the rightful heir and by
flattering powerful allies. After he took power he waged war against Ptolemy VI of Egypt,
and after striking a treaty with Ptolemy he brought his army into Palestine. He received
word that the Jews were rejoicing because of false reports of his death, so he attacked
Jerusalem, killing 40,000 and capturing another 40,000 as slaves. He reinstalled his puppet
Menelaus as the Jewish high priest who continued Antiochus' plan to Hellenize the Jews.
After another unsuccessful campaign into Egypt Antiochus sent 22,000 troops into
Jerusalem to aid Menelaus and to eradicate traditional Jewish worship. His forces attacked
Jerusalem on the Sabbath and massacred many worshipers. Antiochus then entered the
Temple and consecrated it to Jupiter (Zeus), setting up an idol and sacrificing a pig on the
altar. He passed a law that outlawed the Jewish religion, and he killed and tortured the
violators that were caught.

The career of Antiochus is typical of Satan's kings. He was one of the greatest blasphemers
against the God of Israel, and he minted coins that pictured himself with the inscription
"Antiochus the Great, God Manifest." He committed the greatest outrage possible against
the Lord when he violated His sanctuary and erected a pagan idol within, followed by the
sacrifice of an unclean beast on the altar. These acts were an "abomination" against the
Lord that will be matched by the Antichrist when he sets up the "abomination of desolation"
predicted by Jesus (Matthew 24:15), Paul (2 Thessalonians 2), and Revelation 13. Daniel's
description of Antiochus is similar to those given by Isaiah and Ezekiel for Sennacherib and
Ithobaal II, because once again we find a passage that transitions from descriptions of the
king into descriptions of another figure. In the case of Daniel, the descriptions of Antiochus
lead directly into prophecies of the end-times Antichrist, beginning with Daniel 11:36.

The end came for Antiochus after his retinue was ambushed while plundering the temple of
a goddess in Persia. Some accounts say that he was violently slain, while others say he died
of a stomach ailment while in retreat. Given the trend followed by these kings it seems
more likely that he died violently. In any case Antiochus must certainly be counted as one of
Satan's seven kings, and he completes our list of the first five that were predicted in
Revelation 17:10 to "have fallen" at the time that the vision of Revelation was received.

Nero Caesar

The sixth was a king that ruled at the very same time that John's vision was
received. To identify this king we must enter the scholarly debate on when
exactly the book of Revelation was written. The modern consensus is that it was
written near the end of the first century around 95 AD, but an older tradition
holds that it was written around 64-68 AD during the Roman reign of the
infamous Nero Caesar. The reasons for accepting such an early date for the
writing of Revelation are numerous:

- The Church Father Clement of Alexandria asserted that all revelation ceased under Nero's
reign.
- The Muratorian canon (c. 170 AD) has John completing Revelation before Paul had written
to seven different churches (Paul finished these writings in 67-68 AD).
- The Church Father Tertullian placed John's banishment to Patmos at the same time as
Peter and Paul's martyrdom (67-68 AD).
- The Church Father Epiphanius (315-403 AD) twice stated that Revelation was written
under Nero.
- The Syriac version of Revelation (6th century AD) begins with the heading, "written in
Patmos, whither John was sent by Nero Caesar."
- The Byzantine scholar Arethas, from the 9th century wrote, "When the Evangelist received
these oracles, the destruction in which the Jews were involved was not yet inflicted by the
Romans [70 AD]." [2]

The early date for the writing of Revelation is used by some scholars to support the absurd
Preterist interpretation of Bible prophecy. An early date for the book of Revelation may
support Preterist arguments, but it hardly proves them, and it can work just as well with
literal and futurist interpretations of Revelation.

When we examine the life of Nero we find all of the elements necessary to include him on
the list of Satan's seven kings, and we uncover a tale of sex, violence, scandal and murder,
that far exceeds anything an HBO script-writer could imagine.
Nero was born in 37 AD. His father was a wealthy Roman citizen and his mother, Agrippina,
was the sister of the Emperor Caligula. Nero's father died when he was three and at this
time, out of a very reasonable fear of his sister, Caligula confiscated their wealth and
banished Nero and Agrippina to a tiny island. After Caligula died and Claudius became
Emperor of Rome Nero and his mother were freed and Agrippina quickly married another
wealthy Roman, who died shortly thereafter, leaving another fortune to Agrippina. After
Emperor Claudius executed his wife for scolding him in public he fell under the spell of
Agrippina, whom he married and made Empress of Rome in 48 AD, which he lived (or rather
died) to regret.

After becoming Empress, Agrippina manipulated Claudius into making Nero his legal heir,
against the claims of his own son Britannicus. Nero's position as heir to the throne was
solidified when he married Octavia, the Emperor's daughter (Nero's legal sister). From this
point the days of Claudius were numbered, and he died by assassination in 54 AD, from
poisoning, which made Nero the Emperor of Rome.

As a young man Nero was tutored by the homosexual philosopher Seneca, who was actually
one of the more rational Roman thinkers of his day. In the first few years of Nero's reign it
was Seneca who actually controlled the affairs of the Empire and he did an adequate job,
despite the fact that he became a hated enemy of Agrippina. This time, however, the game
was up for Agrippina, and Nero had his own mother executed in 59 AD. However, the stress
in dealing with Nero became too much for Seneca, who retired as Nero's advisor in 62 AD.
From that point on the affairs of the Empire steadily degenerated. Nero went through a
string of male and female lovers and focused on pursuing his entertainment career,
imagining himself to be a great singer, poet and actor.

In 64 AD Nero moved forward on a plan to rebuild a section of the old city of Rome, and to
rename it Neronia in honor of himself. A fire was set to aid in the demolition and to remove
the unwanted occupants, but this fire soon raged out of control, destroying three and
damaging seven of Rome's fourteen districts. The fire was then blamed on the community of
Christians that lived in Rome, and Nero found it convenient to vent his rage on the young
sect that he passionately hated. The Roman historian Tacitus was a young eyewitness and
he later recorded what happened in Book XV of his Annals,

"Therefore, to stop the rumor [that he had set Rome on fire], he [Emperor Nero] falsely
charged with guilt, and punished with the most fearful tortures, the persons commonly
called Christians, who were [generally] hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of
that name, was put to death as a criminal by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea, in the
reign of Tiberius, but the pernicious superstition - repressed for a time, broke out yet again,
not only through Judea, - where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also,
whither all things horrible and disgraceful flow from all quarters, as to a common receptacle,
and where they are encouraged. Accordingly first those were arrested who confessed they
were Christians; next on their information, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much on
the charge of burning the city, as of "hating the human race."
In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: for they were covered with
the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set fire to,
and when the day waned, burned to serve for the evening lights. Nero offered his own
garden players for the spectacle, and exhibited a Circensian game, indiscriminately mingling
with the common people in the dress of a charioteer, or else standing in his chariot. For this
cause a feeling of compassion arose towards the sufferers, though guilty and deserving of
exemplary capital punishment, because they seemed not to be cut off for the public good,
but were victims of the ferocity of one man."
Nero's reign was unique simply for the extent of his persecution of Christians. In 67 AD he
executed Peter, and he even went so far as to execute Paul, a Roman citizen. Politically,
Nero's prestige was quickly expended. In 65 AD he faced down a political conspiracy that
included his former mentor Seneca, and by 68 AD Nero faced a revolt that came from his
generals in the provinces and from the Roman Senate. On June 9, after being abandoned by
his guards and his palace attendants, Nero retreated from the soldiers that had been sent to
arrest him and he fled to his room where he committed suicide.

Nero exhibited all of the traits and characteristics of a Satanically-possessed individual. He

was arrogant and prideful, as well as paranoid and psychotic, and his rage, frustration, and
cruelty was directed at God and the people of God. His actions focused on short-term goals
and were ultimately destructive, both for himself and for Rome. Nero's suicidal fate was
basically the same as that suffered by Pharaoh of Egypt, who brought himself into the
parted Red Sea, and the same as the final king on our list who we turn to next.

Adolf Hitler

After the persecution under Emperor Nero Christianity steadily gained power in Rome,
despite scattered persecution and antagonism from various Emperors. Eventually
Christianity became the official religion of Rome under Constantine in the fourth century,
and the faith spread from its home in the Near East to become the dominant religion in
Europe, Africa, and eventually throughout the world. Since that time Christianity has been
the most powerful spiritual force on the planet, and during that time, up until the twentieth
century, a significant threat to that power was never manifested in the life of a single man.

The seventh and final king is explained in Revelation as the king who "has not yet come;
but when he does come, he must remain for a little while." He was a king that would appear
sometime in the future, and then his authority would last for only a short time. He would be
the precursor of the Antichrist himself, and he would exhibit the very same traits as
previous Satanic kings, such as pride, rage, paranoia, cruelty, and a passionate hatred of
God and the people of God.

This predicted figure came to power in Germany in the 1930s and he ruled over a short-
lived Empire the like of which had not been seen in Europe for almost two thousand years.
Here is how one biographer introduces Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich:

"Why did a civilised nation of the twentieth century abruptly revert to barbarism? How could
a shabby ex-dropout, so manifestly third-rate in all matters of the intellect, have achieved
such unparalleled power? Why did the Germans come to venerate Hitler as a god? Why do
he and his associates, Himmler, Goering, and Goebbels, still exert a mystique that is so
conspicuously absent when we study Mussolini, Ciano and Starace, or Stalin, Molotov and
Beria? Why does one feel that the Third Reich stood for a radically different kind of
civilisation? Most fascinating of all, what drove Hitler, what motivated him, what went on in
his mind that resulted in consequences of such magnitude?" [3]

According to this biographer, the answer to what drove Hitler can be found by examining
Hitler's relationship with the occult and his involvement in the dark arts of sorcery and
spirit-possession. The author is qualified to explore this relationship because he is the late
Gerald Suster, a former disciple of Golden Dawn adept Israel Regardie, who was himself the
personal disciple and secretary of Aleister Crowley.
Suster's biography is entitled Hitler: Black Magician and it documents Hitler's involvement
with groups and individuals who used pagan rituals to contact the spirit world. One of
Hitler's closest friends was a man by the name of Dietrich Eckart and he is a primary figure
(according to Suster, Peter Levenda and Trevor Ravenscroft) involved in grooming Hitler for
his Satanic role. Eckart's influence over Hitler is proven by Hitler's dedication that appears
at the very end of Mein Kampf:

"And I want also to reckon among [Nazi heroes] that man, who, as one of the best, by
words and by thoughts and finally by deeds, dedicated his life to the awakening of his, of
our nation: Dietrich Eckart."

Dietrich Eckart was a popular German author, poet, and editor of an influential newspaper.
He was well connected with the financial world and he was a high-level initiate in the occult
world. One of the greatest influences upon his life was the Gnostic mystic Helena Blavatsky,
whose anti-Christian and anti-Semitic teachings came to permeate the Third Reich, as
Levenda explains:

"It should be remembered that Blavatsky's works—notably Isis Unveiled and The Secret
Doctrine—appear to be the result of prodigious scholarship and were extremely convincing
in their day. The rationale behind many later Nazi projects can be traced back...to ideas first
popularized by Blavatsky. A caste system of races, the importance of ancient alphabets
(notably the runes), the superiority of the Aryans (a white race with its origins in the
Himalayas), an "initiated" version of of astrology and astronomy, the cosmic truths coded
within pagan myths ... all of these and more can be found both in Blavatsky and in the Nazi
Party itself, specifically in the ideology of its Dark Creature, the SS. It was, after all,
Blavatsky who pointed out the supreme occult significance of the swastika." [4]

Eckart died in 1923, but for the three years previous to his
death he was "Hitler's constant companion and the man
who helped propel him into the public spotlight."[5] On his
death bed Eckart penned the following words to a friend,
which go far to explain the spiritual source of Hitler's brief
success:

"Follow Hitler! He will dance, but it is I who have called the

tune. I have initiated him into the 'Secret Doctrine,'
opened his centers in vision and given him the means to
communicate with the Powers. Do not mourn for me: I
shall have influenced history more than any other German." [6]

Identifying Adolf Hitler as the seventh manifestation of the seven-headed dragon of the
Apocalypse should not be viewed as questionable or controversial whatsoever. Hitler
certainly exhibited the personal characteristics of a Satanically driven and possessed
individual, and his passionate hatred of the Jews is very well documented. Unfortunately,
the Christian Church in Germany was too timid and too deceived to challenge Hitler directly,
but there were many individual Christians who did, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who paid
for his dedication to Christ with his life. Despite the fact that the organized Church in
Germany worked with the Nazi Party, Hitler's ultimate goal was to destroy Christianity.
Suster offers the following quotes from Hitler to that effect:

"The religions are all alike, no matter what they call themselves. They have no future -
certainly none for the Germans... Whether it is the Old Testament or the New it's all the
same old Jewish swindle... One is either a German or a Christian. You cannot be both... We
need free men who feel and know that God is in themselves... The Ten Commandments
have lost their validity... Our peasants have not forgotten their true religion. It still lives...
The peasant will be told what the Church has destroyed for him: the whole secret
knowledge of nature, of the divine, the shapeless, the daemonic... We shall wash off the
Christian veneer and bring out a religion peculiar to our race...through the peasantry we
shall really be able to destroy Christianity because there is in them a true religion rooted in
nature and blood." [7]

The First Seal of the Apocalypse

In the book of Revelation the breaking of the first Seal of the seven-sealed Scroll brings
forth a figure that many Bible scholars have identified as the Antichrist. However, in the
book Red Moon Rising - the Rapture and the Timeline of the Apocalypse the
conclusion is reached that this figure is better understood as symbolizing the brief career of
Satan's seventh king—Adolf Hitler, rather than the eighth king who will "come up out of the
Abyss":

"I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four
living creatures say in a voice like thunder, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a
white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a
conqueror bent on conquest." (Revelation 6:1-2)

This figure wears a crown, as do the seven kings of Satan in Revelation 12:3, he holds a
weapon, and his primary purpose is that of conquest. The possibility that this figure
represents Hitler is reinforced by what comes with the opening of the second Seal, which
can easily be viewed as referring to World War II:

"When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come!'
Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from
the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword." (Revelation
6:3-4)

A reasonable conjecture is that perhaps the "large sword" may represent the emergence of
atomic weaponry, which was first used in World War II. Jesus Christ refers to such an
unprecedented global conflict between kingdoms and nations (Matthew 24:7) as the first
"birth-pang" that would precede the Apocalypse. The return of Israel to their land prior to
the apocalyptic Day of the Lord was also predicted by Old Testament prophets (for instance
Ezekiel 38). Examined from this perspective Hitler and World War II were both
eschatologically important because Hitler attempted to exterminate the Jews but the end
result was the re-establishment of the Nation of Israel in their own land in 1948.

Seven Kings Summary

This completes our list and our initial analysis of the seven kings of Satan:

"Five have fallen"

1. Nimrod
2. Pharaoh of Egypt
3. Sennacherib of Assyria
4. Ithobaal II of Tyre
5. Antiochus IV Epiphanes

"One is"
6. Nero Caesar

"The other has not yet come"

7. Adolf Hitler

The Antichrist "once was, now is not, and yet will come"
8. Nimrod

The appearance of the eighth king will be the re-appearance of the first king:

"The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven..."
"He will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction"

The Biblical Nimrod was known to the ancient Egyptians as Osiris, the Lord of the Abyss:

Pyramid Texts, Utterance 577, Osiris and the king become one in the Netherworld [8]
"Osiris appears, the Sceptre is pure, the Lord of Right is exalted at the First of the Year,
even he the Lord of the Year... 'Here comes the Dweller in the Abyss,' says Atum. 'We have
come,' say they, say the gods to you, O Osiris... The sky has conceived him, the dawn has
borne him... You bear up the sky with your right side, possessing life; you live because the
gods have ordered that you shall live... You support the earth with your left side, possessing
dominion; you live, you live, because the gods have ordered that you shall live."

Pyramid Texts, Utterance 512, The king's son to his dead father identified as Osiris
"Raise yourself, my father... Traverse the sky, make your abode in the Field of Offerings
among the gods... Sit upon your iron throne, take your mace and your sceptre, that you
may lead those who are in the Abyss, give orders to the gods, and set a spirit in its spirit-
state... O my father, raise yourself, go in your spirit-state."

Osiris will rise again, which is a fact that explains why the corpse of Osiris was mummified
in the first place and why it became secured in a complex as magnificent and long-lasting as
the Necropolis of Giza. It also explains why Osiris and other manifestations of the Dying God
myth took central positions in Pagan religion in all of its different cultural expressions.

The Division of the Nations

One of the most important foundations of this study is the "division of the nations" that
occurred as a result of the Tower of Babel event described in the book of Genesis. This
event was discussed briefly in Part Six, but it deserves a much closer look. The division of
the nations involved a spiritual division as well as a linguistic division, with the nations being
handed over by God to the authority of a renegade faction of His angelic host.

The decisions that were made by God as a result of the Tower of Babel event need to be
understood in a "Divine Council" context [9]. The Divine Council is simply the meeting place
where God sits in council among the "sons of God," who are the angelic host. The "sons of
God" are created beings who have been given the freedom and responsibility of Free Will,
and the majority of them use their free will to love God and to serve Him faithfully.
However, there is a minority faction of the "sons of God" whose members have used their
free will to disobey God, who can be viewed as having defected from the family of God. The
leader of this rebellious faction is known as Lucifer or Satan in the Bible, and as Enki to the
Sumerians. The events that led to his defection, and his subsequent rise to his current
temporary position as the "Lord of the Earth," are intimately connected with the history of
mankind and with humanity's fall from grace. Satan's actions in fact helped to create the
historical basis for the Christian doctrine of Original Sin.

The "Divine Council" is the meeting place where God discusses various aspects of
governing, ordering and maintaining Creation with the angelic host. He listens to his family
and receives suggestions and then He makes decisions and gives orders. This is the context
from which to understand the several cases of divine "plurals" found in the book of Genesis.
For instance:

The Creation of Man:

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over
the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all
the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created man in his own image, in the
image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:26-27

The Tower of Babel:

"But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The
LORD said, 'If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then
nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse
their language so they will not understand each other.' " Genesis 11:5-7

God was faced with certain decisions and He resolved them while in the presence of His
"sons" (which are absolutely not references to the Trinity [10]). A proper understanding of
the Divine Council is absolutely essential for understanding the spiritual battle taking place
right now that ultimately involves possession of the earth. After the division of the nations
God stepped to the side, so to speak, and allowed Satan and the fallen angels to rule over
their nations as they wished, yet he also called them into His council periodically to review
how they were exercising their authority. This understanding is supported by several
passages in the Old Testament:

Satan Tests Job:

"One day the angels [literal Hebrew - b'nai Elohim or "sons of God"] came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan,
'Where have you come from?' Satan answered the LORD, 'From roaming through the earth
and going back and forth in it.' " Job 1:6-7

God Judges the "Gods":

"God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the gods: 'How long will
you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? ... Defend the cause of the weak
and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked. They know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, 'You are
gods; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere men; you will fall like
every other ruler.' Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance."
Psalm 82

After the division of the nations God allowed the fallen angels to rule as they wished over all
of the pagan nations of the world, but it was a different story as far as Israel was
concerned. God ruled over Israel directly. He chose Abraham, He brought Israel out of
Egypt, and He made sure that His nation was victorious in its struggle to live in the
Promised Land that was given to them. Sometimes He even used pagan nations and the
fallen angels to carry out His will regarding Israel. The former case is true regarding the
Babylonian captivity, in which God used Babylon to punish Israel for their sins, and in the
case of Persia where God used Cyrus to defeat Babylon, allowing the Jews to return back to
their Land. Cyrus is even called a "Messiah" (anointed one) by God, which is a title of honor
given to Cyrus even though God says of Cyrus that "you do not acknowledge me" (Isaiah
45). The latter case, of God allowing fallen angels to carry out His will, is described in a
story of God's dealings with the wicked Israelite King Ahab:

Deceiving King Ahab:

"Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host
of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab
king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' One suggested
this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will
entice him.' 'By what means?' the LORD asked. 'I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouths
of all his prophets,' he said. 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'
" 2 Chronicles 18:18-21

God's judgment was that King Ahab would be killed, and then He allowed a "lying spirit" to
make it come to pass. The concept of the Divine Council also helps to explain the
blasphemous pretensions of Lucifer himself, which are given in Isaiah 14:12-14:

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star (Lucifer), son of the dawn! You have
been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, 'I
will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit
enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred
mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the
Most High.' "

Lucifer wanted to usurp God's position as the Most High and be recognized and worshiped
as the leader of the Divine Council. To secure this position, at least as far as human
perceptions were concerned, after the division of the nations Satan worked to eliminate any
memory of the Creator while at the same time he used the memory of Nimrod to shake up
the perceived hierarchy of the pantheon and gain leadership by another name. Before we
examine how this happened we must first take a hypothetical look at how the "division of
the nations" might have appeared from a "Divine Council" perspective.

According to the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were originally created to rule over the
entire earth (Genesis 1:28) in a state of conditional immortality. They lost their immortality
because of the successful deception perpetrated by Satan who was apparently jealous of
Adam and Eve's position. Adam and Eve may have lost their authority over the earth at this
time as well, but the texts are not clear. What we do know is that after the banishment of
Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden a number of the fallen angels descended to the
earth (Genesis 6) and interacted with the descendents of Cain, sexually, technologically and
spiritually. The pre-Flood world may have been an era of a sort of co-rulership over the
earth, with God working through the line of Seth on one side and Satan and the fallen
angels working through the line of Cain on the other. Eventually, because of mankind's
wickedness that originated with the fallen angels, humanity and the earth degraded to a
point that God decided to destroy almost all of humanity through the Flood of Noah.

After the Flood humanity and the fallen angels both faced a fresh start and God announced
a covenant and a blessing upon the family of Noah. They were told to "be fruitful and
multiply" and to "spread out and fill the earth." They were also warned not to commit the
crime of murder, with God saying, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood
be shed; for in the image of God has God made man" (Genesis 9:6). Three generations
later Nimrod created a vast empire that was to a large extent built on bloodshed. And then,
after establishing himself in Mesopotamia in Eridu, the pre-flood capital of Enki, Nimrod
began to build a Tower for the expressed purpose to avoid being "scattered abroad over the
face of the earth" (Genesis 11:4). Biblical accounts do not mention fallen angelic interaction
with humanity at this time, but we can assume that such interaction was probably focused
upon the line of Noah's son Ham, who sinned and then suffered a rebuke and a curse upon
his son Canaan.

Eventually the successes of Nimrod, in his empire building and his monument building, and
in his success in gaining supporters from all the different tribes of the earth, forced God to
again make a change in the way that humanity and the earth was governed. The earth had
essentially reverted to its pre-Flood status, but God had promised that He would never
destroy the world in such a manner again, so a different solution had to be arrived at. This
decision was made undoubtedly within the Divine Council, with God discussing the issue
with the "sons of God" and then coming to a conclusion and stating it in their presence. In
Genesis 11:7 when God says "Come let us go down..." the text is implying that the decision
to divide the nations was a decision that involved all of the parties concerned: God, Satan,
and the fallen angels. The results of this decision can be understood as follows, based on
the information that we have uncovered in this study so far.

The most important decision was that God would give the nations of the world over to the
authority of the fallen angels. The number seventy is intimately associated with this event
because seventy is the traditional number of top-ranking fallen "sons of God" present at this
particular Divine Council. Seventy is also the traditional number of languages that were
created as a result, and seventy is the number of descendents of Shem, Ham and Japheth
listed in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10. Through this genealogical, linguistic and
spiritual division, God ensured that mankind would remain divided while He stepped to the
side and gave the fallen angels their chance to rule over mankind virtually unhindered.

During the "Age of the Fallen Angels" God would keep His interference in human affairs to a
minimum, except that He would be allowed to exercise a right to establish His own nation at
a time of His own choosing. This nation was Israel and it was through Israel that God
worked to bring salvation and humanity's liberation from the authority of the fallen angels.
God took only one nation, while Satan and the fallen "sons of God" were given seventy.

Satan's situation, both before and after the division of the nations, must also be examined.
Before the division Satan appears to have been in a very comfortable and secure position.
His prodigy was Nimrod, and through him Satan had effectively achieved dominance over
virtually the entire world and re-established his pre-flood headquarters of Eridu, the location
of the Tower of Babel. Yet Satan must have known that this situation would not be allowed
to last for long. Why did Satan agree to the break-up of Nimrod's empire and the sacrifice of
Nimrod himself? Well, with God's promise to remove Himself from the scene Satan must
have known that he could easily reestablish himself as the dominant figure in a world ruled
by a multitude of fallen angels, given the fact that he himself was the most powerful
member of the group. Satan must have realized that this was actually the only way for him
to realize his dream of becoming "like the Most High" by ruling over his very own counterfeit
"Divine Council" made up entirely of fallen angels.

To sweeten the deal even more, so to speak, there was also the clause in the agreement
that allowed for Satan to manifest himself upon the earth seven more times, through seven
individuals, with the first and the last of the eight manifestations of these seven kings
coming through the very figure, Nimrod, that brought Satan a global empire in the first
place. Satan accepted the division of the nations because he knew that he would emerge as
the "Lord of the Earth" and because he knew that in the end both Nimrod and his global
empire would be resurrected. Ultimately, of course, Satan and Nimrod would face judgment
and destruction but on this question the Great Deceiver and Father of Lies has been able to
deceive even himself.

The ancient religious texts of Egypt provide several tantalizing references to Osiris that may
connect him with the agreement reached between God and Satan after the division of the
nations regarding the fate of Nimrod:

"I am the Radiant One, brother of the Radiant Goddess, Osiris the brother of Isis; my son
and his mother Isis have saved me from my enemies who would harm me. Bonds are on
their arms, their hands and their feet, because of what they have done evilly against me. I
am Osiris, the first-born of the company of the gods, eldest of the gods, heir of my father
Geb; I am Osiris, Lord of persons, alive of breast, strong of hinder-parts, stiff of phalus,
who is within the boundary of the common folk. I am Orion who treads his land, who
precedes the stars of the sky which are on the body of my mother Nut, who conceived me
at her desire and bore me at her will. I am Anubis on the Day of the Centipede, I am the
Bull who presides over the field. I am Osiris, for whom his father and mother sealed an
agreement on that day of carrying out the great slaughter; Geb is my father and Nut
is my mother, I am Horus the Elder on the Day of Accession, I am Anubis of Sepa, I am the
Lord of All, I am Osiris." (Egyptian Book of the Dead, Theban Recension, chapter 69) [11]

The "great slaughter," if viewed from the context of the division of the nations, could
possibly be a reference to the execution of Nimrod and the subsequent dismantling and
destruction of his great global empire. The text states that on this day the father and
mother of Osiris "sealed an agreement" concerning Osiris, but who they sealed it with, and
what the agreement involved, is unfortunately not explained.

The father of Osiris according to all Egyptian sources is the god Geb the "earth god," and
the mother of Osiris is Nut the "sky goddess." In quote [1] above the Greek historian
Diodorus Siculous equates Geb with the ancient Greek god Kronos, who was the father of
Zeus. The Babylonian historian Berossos in turn equates Kronos in his writings with the old
Sumerian god Enki, whom we have identified as Satan. As Samuel Noah Kramer shows in
his authoritative study Myths of Enki, the Crafty God, Enki was well known for his
intelligence, his wisdom, and his clever wit in finding solutions to difficult problems. Enki
was also an "earth god" in that his name meant "Lord Earth," or "Lord of the Earth."
Consider then this Egyptian description of Geb from the Pyramid Texts (c.2300 BC), while
keeping in mind Satan's position of authority over the world after the division of the
nations:

Utterance 592, Geb is invoked on the king's behalf

"O Geb, son of Shu, this is Osiris the king; may your mother's heart
quiver over you in your name of Geb, for you are the eldest son of Shu,
his first-born.
O Geb, this is Osiris the King; care for him, make complete [what
appertains to him], for you are the sole great god. Atum has given you
his heritage, he has given you the assembled Ennead, and Atum himself
is with them, whom his eldest twin children joined to you; he sees you
powerful, with your heart proud and yourself able in your name
of 'Clever Mouth', chiefest of the gods, you standing on the earth
that you may govern at the head of the Ennead. Your fathers and
your mothers are pre-eminent among them, for you are mightier than
any god. You shall come to Osiris the King that you may protect him from his foe.
O Geb, clever mouth, chiefest of the gods, Osiris the King is your son; may you
nourish your son with it, may your son be made hale by means of it, for you are
lord of the entire land.
May you have power over the Ennead and all the gods, may you have power and drive
away all ill from this Osiris the King; may you not allow it to come again against him in your
name of Horus who does not repeat his work, for you are the essence of all the gods. Fetch
them to yourself, take them, nourish them, nourish [Osiris] the King, for you are a god
having power over all the gods. The eye has issued from your head as the Upper
Egyptian crown Great-of-magic; the eye has issued from your head as the Lower Egyptian
crown Great-of-magic; Horus has served you and has loved you, you having appeared as
King of Upper and Lower Egypt and having power over all the gods and spirits." [12]

In the text above Shu is identified as Geb's father, while Atum is the god who gives Geb his
authority. The Heliopolitan cosmogeny identifies Atum as the father of Shu and thus the
great-grandfather of Osiris. The Memphite cosmogeny also identifies Atum as the father or
creator of the gods. The important point to note is that in the Egyptian story the divine line
of succession is peaceful and harmonious.

On the other hand, in the earliest mythical literature of Sumer the situation is very different.
The Sumerians, despite their obvious influence from the spirit world, were not able to forget
the true Creator, YHWH, but they were led to apparently split his personality up and lose
touch with Him after the division of the nations. The 'Creator' aspect of YHWH, with His
residence in heaven, became personified as the primordial god Anu, a far-removed and
heavenly figure who fathered the first generation of gods. The more personal aspect of
YHWH, the one that the Sumerians probably remembered through an oral tradition, became
known as Enlil who was worshiped at his cult center of Nippur. Anu was the father of the
two brothers Enlil and Enki, and within this second generation the disputes were never-
ending. What we can see is that by being represented as the brother of Enlil, Satan (Enki)
was able to secure a position equal with YHWH (Enlil). As we have shown, the Sumerian
accounts of these divine disputes obviously favored Enki, while the later Hebrew accounts
favor the god YHWH who equates well with Enlil in many ways, as covered in Part Six.

In Egyptian mythology the pantheon of the gods is presented as a unified happy family for a
number of generations. From Atum, to Shu, to Geb, there is harmony in the universe. The
first divine dispute does not erupt until the generation after Geb, and it involves two of his
sons, Osiris and Set. According to the story, after Osiris had civilized Egypt he journeyed
throughout the world with his army and succeeded in conquering and/or civilizing wherever
he went. After he came back to Egypt his brother Set invited him to a banquet or feast, and
by deception, with the participation of seventy-two fellow conspirators, Set succeeded in
murdering Osiris.

In Part Six we saw how the number seventy was intimately related to the early Osiris cult,
and we also explained how the number came to be changed, probably for astrological
reasons, to seventy-two. With this in mind, and with our understanding of the division of
the nations into the hands of the seventy fallen angels, the presence of Osiris at a
"banquet" in the company of seventy-two other attendees, which resulted in his death, can
be seen as a veiled representation of the seventy "sons of God" meeting with God to come
to a decision regarding Nimrod's empire. As we have shown, the final decision was that
Nimrod would be executed, that God would step back from the scene, and that the seventy
fallen angels, as well as Satan, would be given power to rule over the earth. Therefore the
"banquet" that Osiris attended was none other than the Divine Council, and the seventy-two
conspirators who agreed to the death of Nimrod is an esoteric reference to the seventy
"sons of God" who agreed to the execution of Nimrod.

Set, the brother of Osiris, who created the plan to kill Osiris in the first place, may in fact be
a very narrow representation of YHWH, at least as far as His role in this single event of
mandating and/or carrying out the death of Nimrod/Osiris is concerned. Recall again that in
Sumerian myth Enlil was portrayed as the brother of Enki, who were the first protagonists in
the Sumerian divine disputes, so the first Egyptian divine dispute between the brothers
Osiris and Set may be viewed as another manifestation of the ongoing dispute between God
and Satan. However, this correlation cannot be taken too far because Set developed traits
and characteristics in Egyptian religion that had absolutely nothing to do with YHWH, and
the cult of Set was most certainly managed by a fallen malevolent spirit. The correlation
between YHWH and Set is applicable only as far as this one single event at the division of
the nations is concerned, but it should be kept in mind as we examine the dispute between
Osiris and Set as described in a Pyramid Text:

Utterance 477, Osiris is raised from the dead

"The sky reels, the earth quakes, Horus comes, Thoth appears, they raise Osiris from upon
his side and make him stand up in front of the Two Enneads. Remember, Seth, and put in
your heart this word which Geb spoke, this threat which the gods made against you in the
Mansion of the Prince in On because you threw Osiris to the earth, when you said, O Seth: 'I
have never done this to him', so that you might have power thereby, having been saved,
and that you might prevail over Horus; when you said, O Seth: 'It was he who attacked
me', when there came into being this his name of 'Earth-attacker': when you said, O Seth:
'It was he who kicked me', when there came into being his name of Orion, long of leg and
lengthy of stride, who presides over Upper Egypt.
Raise yourself, O Osiris, for Seth has raised himself, he has heard the threat of the gods
who spoke about the god's father [Geb?]. Isis has your arm, O Osiris; Nephthys has your
hand, so go between them. The sky is given to you, the earth is given to you, and the Field
of Rushes, the Mounds of Horus, and the Mounds of Seth; the towns are given to you and
the nomes assembled for you by Atum, and he who speaks about it is Geb." [13]

In this passage we find that Set is being threatened by Geb and by the other gods. Set is
accused of having thrown Osiris down, and of having attacked him, but Set responds by
saying "It was he who attacked me!" Then we are told that one of the names of Osiris, in
addition to "Orion," is "Earth-attacker," and Set repeats his defense that he acted against
Osiris in self-defense saying, "It was he who kicked me!"
If Set is indeed a "personification," in this single instance, of the will of YHWH, specifically
regarding the execution of Nimrod, then this Pyramid Text can be viewed as evidence to
that effect. Nimrod was indeed an "Earth-attacker," and he broke God's covenant with
humanity as he expanded his empire by bloodshed. From this perspective Nimrod was the
offender, and God's decision to kill Nimrod and divide his empire was necessary to save
humanity and allow time for the redemption process for humanity to be fulfilled. However, it
must be kept in mind that the decision to kill Nimrod and to divide his empire was also
agreed upon by the seventy fallen angels, because they were the benefactors of Nimrod's
death in that they were able to gain authority over the nations of the earth as a result.

The Myth of Dionysus

The link between the death of Nimrod, the division of the nations, and the Osiris myth can
be confirmed by turning to Greek mythology associated with the god Dionysus. According to
nearly all of the ancient Greek historians, including Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and
Plutarch, Dionysus and Osiris were simply two names for the same original god. [14]

The Greeks became familiar with Dionysus at a late date, after their pantheon of Olympian
gods headed by Zeus had already been established, and Dionysus was first inherited from
contact with the Phoenicians as well as the Phrygians, who knew him by many names,
including strange names such as Zagreos, Sabazios, Epaphus and Euboleos. In these myths,
which became the heart of the Orphic, Eleusinian and Bacchic Mysteries of Greece and
Rome, the death of Dionysus is explained as having come at the hands of the Titans, who
were a group of gods eventually defeated by Zeus.[15] The Orphic Hymns explain that
Dionysus was the son of Zeus and Persephone:

"[Persephone] mother of Eubouleos [Dionysos], sonorous, divine, and many-formed, the

parent of the vine." (Orphic Hymn 29 to Persephone)

"Eubouleos, whom the leaves of vines adorn, of Zeus and Persephoneia occultly born in
beds ineffable." (Orphic Hymn 30 to Dionysos)

"[Dionysos-Zagreos] from Zeus' high counsels nursed by Persephoneia, and born the dread
of all the powers divine." (Orphic Hymn 46 to Licnitus)

Pausanius was a Greek writer who lived in the 2nd century AD, and in his Guide to Greece
he refers to the conflict between Dionysus and the Titans:

"The stories told of Dionysos by the people of Patrai, that he was reared in Mesatis and
incurred there all sorts of perils through the plots of the Titanes." (7.19.4)

"From Homer the name of the Titanes was taken by Onomakritos, who in the orgies he
composed for Dionysos made the Titanes the authors of the god's sufferings." (8.37.1)

The Greek geographer Strabo from the first century BC also mentions the strange cult of
Dionysos in his book Geography:

"Sabazios also belongs to the Phrygian group and in a way is the child of the Mother [Rhea],
since he too transmitted the rites of Dionysos." (10.3.15)
"Just as in all other respects the Athenians continued to be hospitable to things foreign, so
also in their worship of the gods; for they welcomed so many of the foreign rites ... the
Phrygian [rites of Rhea-Khybele] [were mentioned] by Demosthenes, when he casts the
reproach upon Aeskhines' mother and Aeskhines himself that he was with her when she
conducted initiations, that he joined her in leading the Dionysiac march..." (10.3.18)

Diodorus Siculus was another Greek historian who lived in the first century BC, and in his
Library of History he mentions the myths of Dionysos numerous times:

"...there was born of Zeus and Persephone a Dionysos who is called by some Sabazios and
whose birth and sacrifices and honours are celebrated at night and in secret, because of the
disgraceful conduct which is the consequence of the gatherings. They state also that he
excelled in sagacity and was the first to attempt the yoking of oxen and by their aid the
sowing of the seed, this being the reason why they also represent him as wearing a horn."
(4.4.1)

"This god [Dionysos-Zagreos] was born in Krete, men say, of Zeus and Persephone, and
Orpheus has handed down the tradition in the initiatory rites that he was torn in pieces by
the Titanes." (5.75.4)

"But the Aigyptians in their myths about Priapos say that in ancient times the Titanes
formed a conspiracy against Osiris and slew him, and then, taking his body and dividing it
into equal parts among themselves, slipped them secretly out of the house, but this organ
alone they threw into the river, since no one of them was willing to take it with him. But Isis
tracked down the murderers of her husband [or son in the Greek version], and after slaying
the Titanes and fashioning the several pieces of his body into the shape of a human figure,
she gave them to the priests with orders that they pay Osiris the honours of a god..."
(4.6.1)

References to a lost phallus can be found in a number of pagan Dying God myths. In Part
Three we mentioned the myths of the god Eshmun of Sidon, known to the Greeks as the
healing god Asclepius, who reputedly cut off his own genitals with an axe before he was
captured by the goddess Astronoe. In Anatolia there was a similar story of the god Attis,
who was also pursued by a goddess, and who was also driven to castrate himself. The myth
of Attis is also very closely related to the myth of Adonis the Phoenician god of Byblos, who
was closely connected with both the Sumerian god Tammuz and Osiris. Both Adonis and
Attis were described as hunters, and Adonis died after being mortally wounded while
hunting a boar. All of these mythical gods thus appear to be closely related, and all of them
can be described as "dying and rising" gods because the theme of death and rebirth is at
the heart of each of their cults.

The Latin writer Gaius Julius Hyginus (c. 64 BC - 17 AD) offers his own explanation of how
the murder of the Dying God was related to an attempt by a faction of the gods to take over
the divine pantheon:

"After Juno [Hera] saw that Epaphus [Dionysos], born of a concubine, ruled such a great
kingdom, she saw to it that he should be killed while hunting, and encouraged the Titanes
to drive Jove [Zeus] from the kingdom and restore it to Saturn [Kronos]. When they tried to
mount to heaven, Jove with the help of Minerva, Apollo, and Diana, cast them headlong into
Tartarus." (Fabulae 150)
Plutarch's myth of Osiris has the death of Osiris coming at the hands of Set in collusion with
seventy-two other conspirators. From the connections between Osiris and Dionysus we can
see that these seventy-two "conspirators" were understood to be gods themselves,
specifically the Titans, according to the Greeks. What we can see is that these mythical
traditions are simply degenerated recollections of the historical circumstances surrounding
the death of Nimrod, the division of the nations to the seventy fallen angels, and the
subsequent disappearance of God from the scene as He allowed these malevolent spiritual
forces to take over and rule the earth as they wished. The Greeks portrayed the killers of
Dionysos/Osiris as gods who were then defeated by Zeus and thrown into Tartarus, but we
know that these gods were not defeated and that the death of Nimrod allowed for them to
establish their position as the Kosmokrators (world powers) referred to by the Apostle Paul
in Ephesians 6:12.

The death of Nimrod and the spiritual division of humanity led to the quick establishment of
Paganism worldwide as a religion in which human beings existed in bondage and servitude
to the gods. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ liberated humanity from this spiritual system, but
today there is a worldwide movement to turn back to it, to welcome the return of the
"gods", and to willingly submit ourselves and our sons and daughters to the authority of the
deceiving spirits that stand behind it. It is up to us to resist this movement, to turn to the
true Messiah, and to preach His saving Gospel against this "gospel of destruction" that is
steadily gaining momentum.

Messiahs of Life or Death

The strange relationship that exists between the dying and rising god found in different
forms throughout the pagan world, and the dying and rising God who brought forth
Christianity, is best explained as a relationship of mirror opposites. Up until now this
relationship has only been addressed by researchers who believed they had found in it
evidence that Jesus did not exist, or evidence that the 'historical Jesus' was far different
than the miracle-working Messiah portrayed in the Gospels. They have argued that the
"Jesus Myth" is simply a clever repackaging of the pagan myth in which figures such as
Osiris, Adonis, Dionysus, Mithras, or Krishna, played the central role. What we have shown
so far in this series is that these pagan saviors can all be traced back to the historical
Nimrod, whereas the historical Jesus stands alone, with a separate identity and a separate
and unique message of salvation for all humanity.

When an image is held up to a mirror there are, of course, many similarities that can be
identified. Often if the two images are glanced at quickly and superficially the viewer may
immediately conclude that the images are the same. However, this conclusion is false,
because what is seen in a mirror is actually the exact opposite of the original. Such is the
case with the myths that developed in connection with Nimrod and their relationship with
the story of Jesus of Nazareth as found in the Gospels. Similarities between the two figures
definitely do exist, but these similarities should only serve to highlight the differences
between the messages that are associated with the two Messiahs. One of these Messiahs
offers a message of hope and redemption based on hard truth that is not geared to appeal
to our selfish pride, while the other offers a similar promise, but with a different appeal and
a different method to gain that promise. In the letters of the Apostle John we find that this
second figure is referred to as the "Antichrist" :

"Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now
many antichrists have appeared." (1 John 2:18)
In his letter John explains that an "antichrist" is one who denies either God the Father or
Jesus Christ the Son, yet John also points to a singular figure who "is coming." This future
Antichrist is identified in the book of Revelation as the Beast who comes out of the Abyss.

The definition of the word "Antichrist" is given in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. It is

composed of two words: the prefix "anti" which means "opposite," "instead of," or "in place
of," and is "often used in composition to denote substitution;" and the word "Christos" which
means "anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus." From this definition we can see that
the Antichrist will not be a figure who openly attacks Jesus, or who espouses hatred of
Jesus, or who identifies himself openly as an enemy of Jesus. The Antichrist will instead
claim to be the true "Christ," and will make many of the same claims and promises,
especially when it comes to the question of eternal life, that Jesus made for those who have
accepted Him as their gateway to immortality.

The Antichrist will be a deceiver and an imposter and his message will appeal to humanity's
self-centered aspirations, to our pride, and to our intellect and emotions. Just as Jesus
offers us eternal life, so will the Antichrist, but the Antichrist's message will be based on the
three-fold Luciferian lie that brought about humanity's fall from grace in the very beginning.
Author Alan Morrison gives a very good analysis of this lie in his excellent book The
Serpent and the Cross:

"This 'lie' is at the very heart of all that is awry in the cosmos... It is the root of falsehood in
every form and was brought into being by Satan, as is evidenced by the fact that Jesus told
the Pharisees that the devil was the 'father of the lie' (Jon 8:44). This original 'lie' has three
essential components which have great significance for our study into religious corruption.
...
The first part of Satan's threefold lie involved the promise that our first parents would 'be
like God [or gods]' if they partook in the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil
(Gen. 3:5). This could be referred to as the cardinal sin in the cosmos. It was the beginning
of an endemic sinful process in which human beings 'strive against their Maker', imagining
themselves to be unbegotten (cf. Isa. 45:9-10), in the belief that there is no Transcendent
Creator God and that it is human beings alone who determine their own destiny.
The significance of this aspect of the Satanic Lie for the subsequent religious
development of the world is cataclysmic; for it has led to the idea that Man can become
God. This has been manifested, firstly, in the practice of spiritual techniques and systems
which will lead to a personal experience of the divine and even to actual 'deification' —
which, as we shall discover, is an integral component in the world's religions. Secondly, it
has materialised in the substitution of the creature for the Creator as the object of worship
and the focus of religious power (cf. Rom. 1:25), so that people worship anything but the
true God, whether it is an image of an animal or a human being, or even themselves. ...
A primary object of Satan's enduring question ["has God indeed said...?"] was to
persuade our first parents that in following him they would 'certainly not die' (Gen. 3:4), as
the Lord had originally said they would if they disobeyed Him (Gen. 2:16-17). In effect,
Satan was promising them unconditional eternal life. This forms the second component in
his threefold lie. However, the complete reverse of what he promised actually came to pass.
Because our first parents were beguiled by Satan's questioning of God's statement that they
would die if they disobeyed His commandment, death then came into the world, just as the
Lord has spoken (Rom. 5:12). This is why Jesus said that Satan 'was a murderer from the
beginning' as well as the father of the lie (Jn 8:44). Satan promised life and instead brought
death to humanity. ...
The third part of Satan's threefold lie was to persuade our first parents that they could
acquire a level of wisdom over and above that with which they had been endowed by their
Creator: 'And when she saw that it was a tree desirable to make one wise...' (Gen. 3:6).
The clear implication in Satan's strategy here was that there was some special, esoteric
knowledge which God was concealing from His human creation, the acquisition of which
would enhance their lives. In fact, Satan's suggestion was that God was ... denying our first
parents the possibility of having their eyes opened and being like Him (see Gen. 3:5). In
other words, the fallen angel was suggesting that God was wrongfully making an exclusive
claim to the attribute of divine wisdom which could, in reality, be acquired by anyone. The
outworking of this strategy, in terms of subsequent religious corruption, has been centred
on the fascination with esoteric teachings as found in occult-mystical belief systems and the
mystery religions. In common with the majority of the world's religions, they hold to the
idea that one can be initiated into a body of 'higher-wisdom-teachings' which will bring
about supernatural change and even deification." [16]

This three-fold lie of Satan is manifested in the religious system of ancient Paganism and in
the underground occult tradition that has existed since the birth of Christianity:

1. You can be like God.

2. You can achieve eternal life.
3. You will gain wisdom equal with God.

Some day soon this lie will be resurrected and promoted again on a grand scale with the
appearance of the Antichrist. He will preach to the world that through his example and by
accepting his teachings all of these things will be gained for humanity. In a sense the
human family will be faced with the very same temptation that Eve faced in the Garden of
Eden, with the Antichrist offering a spiritual form of the forbidden fruit. Satan's lie is an old
lie and it has been closely connected with Paganism from the beginning. Historian Franz
Cumont summarizes the message of salvation and eternal life as promoted through the
cults of the Dying God during the time of the Roman Empire:

"This constant endeavor to secure an after-existence for one's self and relatives manifested
itself in various ways, but it finally assumed a concrete form in the worship of Osiris. The
fate of Osiris, the god who died and returned to life, became the prototype of the fate of
every human being that observed the funeral rites. "As truly as Osiris lives," says an
Egyptian text, "he shall also live; as truly as Osiris is not dead, shall he not die; as truly as
Osiris is not annihilated, shall he not be annihilated."
If, then, the deceased had piously served Osiris-Serapis, he was assimilated to that god,
and shared his immortality in the underworld, where the judge of the dead held forth. He
lived not as a tenuous shade or as a subtle spirit, but in full possession of his body as well
as of his soul. That was the Egyptian doctrine, and that certainly was also the doctrine of
the Greco-Latin mysteries.
Through the initiation the mystic was born again, but to a superhuman life, and became
the equal of the immortals. In his ecstasy he imagined that he was crossing the threshold of
death and contemplating the gods of heaven and hell face to face. If he had accurately
followed the prescriptions imposed upon him by Isis and Serapis through their priests, those
gods prolonged his life after his decease beyond the duration assigned to it by destiny, and
he participated eternally in their beatitude and offered them his homage in their realm."
[17]

The promises are the same but the methods to receive the promises are different. The cult
of paganism's Dying God promoted contact with the spirit world and offered hidden
initiations to higher and higher levels, while holding out the promise of hidden knowledge
that could be applied by the initiate as the key to eternal life. On the other hand, Jesus
taught that eternal life demands submission to the Creator, and acceptance of the death of
Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for our sins. There are no secrets and the knowledge has never
been hidden. From the very beginning Jesus told His followers to preach His message openly
to the entire world. Eternal life is not a hidden mystery that we can discover, or something
that we can achieve or earn, but is a gift of God given to those who are able to humble
themselves and accept it. Jesus claimed to speak for God, and He gave a clear message
concerning this gift of eternal life:

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up
at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who
listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except
the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes
has everlasting life." (John 6:44-47)

"When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.
When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light,
so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. As for the person who hears my
words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world,
but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words;
that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my
own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I
know that his command leads to eternal life." (John 10:44-50)

Furthermore, Jesus was very clear that the only path to eternal life was through Himself
alone when He said (John 14:6),

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus claimed that He was the way, the truth, and the life, and that He was the only way
through which to receive these blessings. He also predicted that the majority of humanity
would not make the right decision to follow Him. In the text below the two possible
destinations are given by Jesus as either Destruction or Life.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

In Hebrew the name of Jesus (which is an English form of the Greek "Iesous") is Yeshua. In
the Old Testament the English translation of Yeshua appears as Joshua, which is a named
derived from the Hebrew root word yasha, which means "salvation." Yeshua is therefore a
very fitting name for the Savior of the World.

In the book of Revelation the figure known as the Antichrist is predicted to rise up from "out
of the Abyss." The Abyss is simply another name for Hell, known the Hebrews as Sheol. It is
the place where the souls of all deceased humans were kept up until the sacrifice of Jesus,
and then afterwards it became the place where only the souls of the unsaved have been
kept. In Revelation 9 the Abyss is opened by a fallen angel (Lucifer) which allows the earth
to be invaded by demonic forces. These forces are said to be led by another figure who is
then introduced (Revelation 9:11):
"They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon,
and in Greek, Apollyon."

Bible scholars have debated the identity of this figure over the years and the consensus is
that Abaddon is either another name for Satan, or else he is one of Satan's chief fallen
angels who rules over the Abyss. Other scholars have submitted the possibility, however,
that Abaddon may be a name for the Antichrist himself, a conclusion made recently by
author and Bible scholar Patrick Heron. Opponents of this view argue that Abaddon cannot
be the Antichrist because he is described as an "angel." However, the Greek word for angel,
which is aggelos, is a word that simply means "messenger" or "envoy," and is not a hard
and fast term that must always refer to the angelic B'nai Elohim, or "sons of God" that make
up God's heavenly host. The soul of the Antichrist is currently confined to the Abyss, yet his
legacy endures as a message of deception for those who seek to gain eternal life by
acquiring hidden knowledge or through their own efforts. In this way the Antichrist is most
certainly an "angel," and more specifically an "angel of the Abyss," because those who
accept his message will end up in Hell.

If Abaddon is indeed a name for the Antichrist then it is a perfect fit because the Hebrew
word Abaddon means "destruction." This is additional evidence that the true relationship
between paganism's Dying God and Jesus Christ, is a relationship of mirror opposites. The
meaning of the Hebrew name Yeshua derives from the word meaning "salvation," whereas
the meaning of the Hebrew name Abaddon means "destruction." One Messiah will save
His followers and lead them to eternal life, while the other will deceive his followers and lead
them to destruction. The difference cannot be made more clear.

The idea of mirror opposites continues in the descriptions of these two figures within the
book of Revelation. Near the beginning of the vision God identifies Himself by saying, "I am
the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Near the
end of the vision Jesus identifies Himself as God when He says, "I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." In this way Jesus Himself can
also be viewed as the eternally existent one "who is, and who was, and who is to
come." On the other hand the Antichrist is identified in Revelation 17 as the one who
"once was, now is not, and yet will come."

Jesus lived on this earth and He died. After His death He was resurrected and taken up into
Heaven. The Antichrist lived on this earth as Nimrod, and he died. After his death his soul
was confined to the pit of Hell, and one day he will be resurrected. Both Messiahs, when all
is said and done, will have experienced resurrection, and both will make a "Second Coming"
to the earth. Jesus will return from Heaven, while the Antichrist will return from Hell.

The final destiny of each of these Messiahs can also be shown to be completely different.
The second coming of the Antichrist will result in a short period of triumph during which he
will rule over the entire world, yet his end will come and he will be destroyed and cast into
the lake of fire. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will result in His triumph and victory
over the Antichrist. Jesus will then rule over the entire world for eternity and continue to
exist for eternity.

In terms of the purpose of their deaths there is another relationship between the two
Messiahs along the lines of mirror opposites. The death of Nimrod, as has been explained,
led to the division of the nations and the beginning of the Pagan Era during which the
"gods" ruled over humanity as they wished. In this context the death of Nimrod can be
viewed as a human sacrifice that was offered on behalf of the "gods" enabling their period of
authority over humanity. Jesus Christ was the exact opposite. He was indeed a sacrifice, but
His sacrifice was a divine sacrifice of God offered on behalf of humanity. He was the Son of
God, and God incarnate in human flesh, whose death liberated humanity and provided
eternal life, so that human beings could replace the fallen "sons of God" and become
immortal members of the family of God.

In the book of Revelation, after John is brought into his visionary state, the Son of God
appears before John which causes John to collapse at His feet like a dead man. Jesus then
places His hand upon John and introduces Himself:

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold
I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:17-18)

Jesus Christ refers to Himself as "the First and the Last," which speaks of His connection
with God the Father and His presence at the beginning and end of Creation. The Antichrist is
also, in his own way, the first and the last. In Revelation 12 Satan is introduced as a dragon
with seven heads, which we have identified as seven kings that have ruled throughout
history on behalf of Satan. There are seven kings, but these kings make eight appearances
on the world's stage. The Antichrist, as Nimrod, was the first to appear, and he will also be
the last, when he is resurrected and allowed to rule as the eighth manifestation of Satan's
seven kings:

"The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is
going to his destruction." (Revelation 17:11)

The Two Messiahs in the Old Testament

The name "Nimrod" occurs in the Bible only four times. Twice it occurs in the Table of
Nations in Genesis 10 where Nimrod is first introduced, and once it occurs in 1 Chronicles
1:10 within a chronology that is simply a restatement of Genesis 10. The fourth and final
Biblical reference to Nimrod is offered by the Old Testament prophet Micah. Within this
prophetic message we find references to the two end-times Messiahs, beginning with a
prediction of the true Messiah:

"Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us. They will strike Israel's
ruler on the cheek with a rod. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among
the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose
origins are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time
when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.
He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the
name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to
the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace." (Micah 5:1-5)

The prophet Micah lived in the eighth century BC after Israel had been divided into the
northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. His message begins with a
prediction against the northern kingdom, saying that Israel's ruler would be struck with a
rod. This occurred in 722 BC when Assyria under Sargon II destroyed the kingdom of Israel
and scattered its fabled ten tribes.
The message then shifts to a small town within the kingdom of Judah named Bethlehem,
from whom Micah predicts the Messiah would be born. The Messiah's origins are "from of
old, from ancient times," while other versions read "from the days of eternity." This parallels
the book of Revelation's description of the Messiah (21:13) as being "the first and the last,
the beginning and the end." Micah continues by referring to Israel as "she who is in labor"
which is a description of Israel also found in the book of Revelation:

"A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the
moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried
out in pain as she was about to give birth." (Revelation 12:1-2)

Micah's prediction of the Messiah begins with His birth in Bethlehem and ends by describing
His reign over "the ends of the earth" that will finally bring peace to the nation of Israel.
Micah then turns to a description of another figure that he refers to as "the Assyrian:"

"When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise
against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. They will rule the land of Assyria
with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He [the Messiah of Bethlehem] will
deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders."
(Micah 5:5-6)

This provocative passage contains a reference to "seven shepherds, even eight leaders of
men" who are raised up to defend Israel from "the Assyrian" who is connected with "the
land of Nimrod." The references to "seven" and "eight," combined with Micah's previous
predictions of the true Messiah, make it reasonable to view the prediction about the
"Assyrian" as a prediction of the false Messiah, the Beast of Revelation who "belongs to the
seven" but appears as the eighth. The numerical connection may be dismissed by some as a
"coincidence" but, given what we have learned, it seems more of a confirmation than a
coincidence.

The possibility that Micah is offering a prophecy of the "Two Messiahs" is confirmed even
more in verse 6, when the true Messiah is said to be the One who delivers Israel from the
aggression of "the Assyrian." The Apostle Paul predicted the end of the Antichrist at the
hands of the Messiah when he wrote (1 Thessalonians 2:8) that the Antichrist would be the
one... "whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the
splendor of his coming." Revelation 19:20 also connects the destruction of the false Messiah
with the appearance of the true Messiah.

According to the prophet Daniel (11:40-45) the forces of the Antichrist will one day invade
and take over Israel from the north, which was the location of the ancient kingdom of
Assyria. According to Genesis 10:11 Nimrod was the founder of the nation of Assyria when
he built three cities there. Following the death of Nimrod and the breakup of his empire the
Assyrian people remembered Nimrod as the warrior-god Assur, which is a name David Rohl
connects directly with the Egyptian god "Asar," whom the Greeks referred to as "Osiris."
[Rohl]

Micah's prophecy of the "Two Messiahs" ends with additional apocalyptic references
involving the purging of Israel's wickedness; a promise that Israel will "be lifted up in
triumph" over her enemies; and a final warning that God will "take vengeance in anger and
wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed me." His message is thoroughly apocalyptic
and "the Assyrian" should be viewed as an apocalyptic figure as well.
The idea that Micah's prophecies of "the Assyrian" are related to the end-times career of the
Antichrist is put forth by respected prophecy scholar and commentator Chuck Missler within
his study "Antichrist—The Alternate Ending." A short summation of his view can be read
in the article "The Return of Nimrod?" in which Missler refers to the Antichrist and asks
"Could it be that this final world dictator will be, in some sense, a return of Nimrod?"
Missler's study focuses more on geographical origin than on identity, but he deserves to be
thanked for providing a good analysis and for making some very important points.

The Kabiric Mysteries

The theme of an "eighth" in connection with an original "seven" is closely connected with
the Phoenician god Eshmun, mentioned above and in Part Three, who was a form of the
Dying God worshiped by the Phoenicians of Sidon and Berytus (Beirut). Here is a quote from
the fifth century AD neo-Platonist writer Damascius:

"Asclepius of Berytus, he says, is neither a Greek nor an Egyptian but a native Phoenician.
For to Sadykos sons were born, who are explained as Dioscouri and Kabeiri. Then as the
eighth child, Esmounos was born [to him]; and Esmounos is interpreted as Asclepius. He
was of very good appearance, a young man of admirable looks, and therefore became,
according to the myth, the darling of Astronoe, a Phoenician goddess, the mother of the
gods. He used to go hunting in these valleys. It then once happened that he discovered the
goddess pursuing him. He fled, but when he saw that she continued to chase him and was
just about to seize him, he cut off his own genitals with an axe. Greatly distressed at what
had happened, she called Paian and rekindled [the life of] the young man by means of life-
bringing heat and made him into a god. The Phoenicians call him Esmounos because of the
warmth of life. Others, again, interpret Esmounos as "the eighth", explaining that he was
the eighth child of Sadykos." [18]

The above quote from Damascius is reproduced in The Riddle of Resurrection by Tryggve
N.D. Mettinger, who goes on to give an explanation of the important points:

"It is clear that this passage, late as it is, contains some information that receives striking
confirmation from earlier sources relating to the Eshmun cult. Esmounos is said in our text
to be a native Phoenician god, the eighth son of Sadykos, and born after the seven Kabeiri
or Dioscouri. All this we recognize from Philo Byblius, who speaks of "the seven sons of
Sydyk, the Kabeiri, and the eighth son, their brother Asclepius." Sydyk is obviously a
Semitic word, from the root for "righteousness", s-d-q. The final part of our passage in
Damascius gives two alternate Semitic etymologies for the name
of the god Eshmun: either from the Northwest Semitic >s, "fire",
or from Northwest Semitic tmn, "eight"... [19]

The center of the Kabiric Mysteries was the island of Samothrace

located in the Northern Aegean Sea. The island's mountain is the
highest throughout the Aegean Sea, and Homer wrote that the
god Poseidon took a seat at its top to watch the Trojan War being
fought to the southeast. By the fifth century BC the cult was
firmly established and the primary sanctuary had become an important part of the religion
in the region, especially for the wealthy and elite of Greek society. The following quote from
a website that discusses Samothrace describes the cult's prestige:
"The sanctuary was used for the worship and performance of the mysteries in honor of the
Great Gods, a religious event of great importance during Greek and Roman antiquity. The
identity and nature of the gods worshipped on Samothrace, the so-called "Kabeiroi", still
remains problematic." [20]

The author Guy Maclean Rogers, in his book Alexander—The Ambiguity of Greatness,
relates an interesting anecdote about Samothrace and its Mysteries:

"Alexander's father, Philip II of Macedon, had fallen in love with Olympias [Alexander's
mother] when both were initiated into the mysteries of the Kabeiri (earth gods) on the
island of Samothrace. Later on, Olympias was known to be devoted to ectastic Dionysian
cults. During their ceremonies she entered into states of possession, and to the festival
processions in honor of the god she introduced large, hand-tamed snakes that terrified the
male spectators." [21]

The settlement of the island of Samothrace and its origin as an important sacred site in the
pagan world is described by the first century BC historian Diodorus Siculus. According to
Diodorus, the island was settled by Myrina, the Queen of the Amazons, and subsequently
adopted by the "Mother of the Gods" and her sons the Kabeiri or "Corybantes." However,
Diodorus strangely refuses to provide the name of the father of these seven sons:

"As for Myrina, the account continues, she visited the larger part of Libya, and passing over
into Egypt she struck a treaty of friendship with Horus, the son of Isis, who was king of
Egypt at that time, and then, after making war to the end upon the Arabians and slaying
many of them, she subdued Syria... She also conquered in war the races in the region of
the Taurus, peoples of outstanding courage, and descended through Greater Phrygia to the
sea... then she won over the land lying along the coast and fixed the bounds of her
campaign at the Caicus River. And selecting in the territory which she had won by arms
sites well suited for the founding of cities, she built a considerable number of them and
founded one which bore her own name...
These, then are the cities she settled along the sea, but others, and a larger number, she
planted in the regions stretching towards the interior. She seized also some of the islands,
and Lesbos in particular, on which she founded the city of Mitylene, which was named after
her sister who took part in the campaign. After that, while subduing some of the rest of the
islands, she was caught in a storm, and after she had offered up prayers for her safety to
the Mother of the Gods, she was carried to one of the uninhabited islands; this island, in
obedience to a vision which she beheld in her dreams, she made sacred to this goddess,
and set up altars there and offered magnificent sacrifices. She also gave it the name of
Samothrace, which means, when translated into Greek, "sacred island," although some
historians say that it was formerly called Samos and was then given the name of
Samothrace by Thracians who at one time dwelt on it. However, after the Amazons had
returned to the continent, the myth relates, the Mother of the Gods, well pleased with the
island, settled in it certain other people, and also her own sons, who are known by the
name of Corybantes--who their father was is handed down in their rites as a matter not to
be divulged; and she established the mysteries which are now celebrated on the island and
ordained by law that the sacred area should enjoy the right of sanctuary." (Bibliotheca
Historia, Book III, Chapter 55)

The cult of the Kabiric Mysteries was influential and secretive, yet its influence declined and
many of its secrets have since been revealed. One of the best studies on this once-powerful
institution can be found in A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, by Aurthur Edward
Waite, who was himself a learned Kabbalist, a member of the Golden Dawn, and a high level
Freemason:

"Kabiric Rites
There was a wide and varied world of initiation long prior to the modern schools, as there
was a world before the Flood. It unfolds before us under many aspects and guises, but
these seem to be concerned always with the symbolism of Mystical Death. In the Kabiric
Rites of Samothrace we hear that the Candidate was brought into the presence of the gods
and was there slain by the gods. It seems obviously a kind of mystery which the most
enthusiastic disciple would have been disposed to avoid at that and any other period; but in
the light of all that we know concerning Initiation at large we shall interpret the episode in a
purely symbolical manner and shall conclude that the recipient was passing through an
experience of figurative death, after which there was a resurrection. Alternatively the
Kabiric pantheon—if I may be permitted so to term it—had a myth of this kind in connection
with one of their gods, in which case the Kabiric Rites, commemorating this event, were
identical with other Instituted Mysteries, and notably those of Osiris, Ceres, Bacchus,
Adonis and Rhea. Always, as Faber says, and as we have seen otherwise at length, "some
ancient personage was first bewailed as being dead, or as having descended into hell," after
which his or her "supposed revivification was celebrated with the most violent and frantic
expressions of joy." We hear accordingly of a ceremonial observance which was called the
Kabiric Death, celebrated precisely in the manner just indicated, that is to say, amidst
darkness and sorrow, but afterwards in rejoicing and gladness. It was in commemoration of
the mystical death and restoration of Kasmillos, the youngest of the Kabiric gods. I have
failed to discover on what authority the Candidate for these Mysteries of Initiation is said to
have taken the part of Kasmillos, suggesting that in the course of his experience he also
was slain figuratively by the gods, that is by the officiating priests, and was thereafter
restored to life. The assertion has been made, however, by more than one writer, and I
remember indeed that "Kasmillos the Candidate" figures in one of the non-Masonic Rites
which one meets with among modern inventions. ...
Pageant of the Rites.—As regards the ceremonial procedure, the scholiast on Homer
reports that Candidates presented themselves crowned with olive-wreaths and wearing a
purple girdle, that they passed in the dark of the night amidst woods and waterways—
according to the scholiast on Apollonius—and so reached the Temple. The Rite which they
witnessed was essentially phallic and its traditional history was the slaying of Kasmillos by
his own brethren and fellow-gods, who fled—bearing his genitals in a cistern or basket. This
is according to Herodotus—Liber II, c. 51—who says also that his body was carried into Asia
on a shield and was buried at the foot of Mount Olympus. The circumstances of his
restoration to life have not come down to us, and it may even be suppositious, an argument
from the analogies furnished by the Mystery of Osiris, Iacchos and Adonis, though the force
of the analogy is irresistable, and I have no doubt that those who mourned Kasmillos
rejoiced afterwards with him. It is said by Herodotus that the Recipients were instructed in
various historical traditions belonging to the Pelasgian race, and there is a suggestion
otherwise—but I know not on what authority—that the Rite ended with the enthronement of
the Candidate. The Kabiric Mysteries passed from Samothrace to Lemnos, Crete, Phrygia
and Rome. There is evidence of Strabo to show that they were still practiced in Samothrace
at the beginning of the Christian era." [22]

The Kabiric Mysteries appear to be a cult that promoted the Pagan perspective of the Judeo-
Christian expectation regarding Satan and his seven kings. The Kabeiri, as Philo of Byblos
explains, are the seven sons of a figure simply named "Sydyk" (righteous) whose identity is
otherwise unknown, and Asclepius (also known as Esmounos, Eshmun or Kadmillos) is
viewed as the eighth who died and rose again, or rather will rise again.
The name "Asclepius" comes from a Greek word that means "cut up," which is another
connection with Osiris/Dionysus. The symbol for Asclepius was a staff entwined with a
serpent, and a title for Asclepius was "serpent-bearer":

"This symbol has now become a symbol for physicians across the globe. However, one
should be careful not to confuse the Staff of Asclepius, which features a single serpent, with
the Caduceus of Mercury (Roman), or the Karykeion of Hermes. The Caduceus, which
features two intertwined serpents (rather than the single serpent in Asclepius' wand), as
well as a pair of wings, has long been a symbol of commerce. It is thought that the two
were first confused in the seventh century A.D., when alchemists often used the caduceus
to symbolize their association with magical or "hermetic" arts." [23]

Another connection between Asclepius, the eighth, who is associated with seven brothers,
and Osiris, who can only be viewed as an earlier representation of this dying and rising god,
can be found in the Hermetic literature that was written in
Alexandrian Egypt, during the first few centuries AD. In a
tract entitled Asclepius (III, 37), written in Latin, it is stated
very plainly that the "body" of Asclepius is buried in a
temple "on the Libyan mountain near the shore of the
crocodiles." This reference to Monte Libyco, as explained by
Hermetic scholar Garth Fowden (see Part Six) is simply a
reference to the Giza Plateau that rises next to the Nile, and
we can assume that the temple referred to can only be the
Giza Necropolis, which was known throughout antiquity as
the Tomb of Osiris. With these connections in mind it
becomes clear that the Hermetic "mountain" that allegedly
holds the corpse of "Asclepius" is probably the Great
Pyramid itself.

The Hero With A Thousand Faces

The story of a Dying God became known throughout the

world long before God took human flesh in the form of Jesus
of Nazareth. This is a fact that has always been known by
the masters and initiates of the mystery traditions, but it is a fact that has been long
ignored or repressed by Christian scholars. In the late 1800s the phenomenon was
presented through a secular academic perspective by Sir James Frazer and his
groundbreaking book The Golden Bough published in 1890. Then in 1949 Joseph Campbell
published his famous analysis of the "monomyth," entitled The Hero With A Thousand
Faces. Campbell attempted to assimilate all of the ancient accounts of heroes and saviors
into a basic template involving challenges, failures, death, rebirth, tragedy and finally
triumph.

Many of Campbell's ideas can be viewed in hindsight as accurate, because at a certain level
many of the hero-myths of antiquity can be traced back to one man: the Biblical Nimrod, as
we have shown. However, the fault with Campbell lies in his insistent materialism and his
unwillingness to appreciate the supernatural. Many of his critics have accused him of
attempting to destroy religion, and it is well known that Campbell viewed the Bible as an
unhistorical mythical fantasy, culminating in the New Testament which, according to
Campbell, was simply another presentation of the same primordial mythical hero in the life
of Christ. On this Campbell was wrong and he took his analysis too far. Nimrod can be
viewed as the historical basis of the "Hero With A Thousand Faces," but the true Christ has
had only one face and one message from the moment that He began to prove His identity
as the Messiah and Lord of all creation.

In the ancient world the Dying God took many different names and was remembered in his
many different aspects. The Egyptians knew him as Osiris, a former great king who died and
became the ruler of the Underworld. The Babylonians knew him as Marduk and the
Canaanites knew him as Baal, both of whom rose to become leaders of the pantheon. The
Phoenicians of Tyre knew him as Melqart the hero; those of Byblos knew him as Adonis the
lover; and those of Sidon knew him as Eshmun the healer; yet all of them were simply
separate representations of Nimrod the original historical figure.

When it comes to the Greeks, who had their own unique pantheon but then assimilated all
of the foreign gods all over again, the picture becomes even more convoluted. On a certain
level Zeus, who was equated with Baal and Marduk, can be viewed as a representation of
Nimrod/Osiris. The Greeks also knew Osiris as Dionysos, and then they assimilated the
separate representations of the Phoenician Dying Gods individually: thus Eshmun became
Asclepius the great healer, Melqart became Herakles the heroic demi-god, while Adonis
retained his name and his representation as a beautiful but ill-fated lover. The wisdom
aspect of Nimrod/Osiris as a great teacher and theologian became represented in Hermes,
who was also equated with the Egyptian god Thoth. The figure of Hermes became a very
important figure as paganism declined and today Hermetic teachings are making a major
resurgence.

The Hermetic Tradition

After Christianity became dominant in Egypt the cult of Hermes

became an important underground transmitter of pagan
traditions, and the alleged writings of Hermes Trismegistus, the
Hermetica, became highly treasured in occult circles. During this
time the Giza Necropolis became increasingly referred to as the
Tomb of Hermes, replacing the classical designation of the
monument as the Tomb of Osiris.

The Hermetic teachings were eventually repressed by the

Roman Church, along with the "Luciferian Christian" teachings of
the Gnostics, until they reappeared in the West near the end of
the life of Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464) the ruler of the
Republic of Florence. In fact, as Frances Yates explains, Cosimo
had access to the works of Plato and of "Hermes," but he chose to have the Hermetic works
translated first so that he could read them before he died.

The appearance of the neo-pagan mystical Hermetic writings, as well as the increasing
popularity of the Kabbalah as a reputed form of "Christian magic," led to the re-emergence
of occult beliefs and practices during the Renaissance. Magicians such as Giordano Bruno,
Cornelius Agrippa, Albertus Magnus, Tommaso Campanella, Paracelsus, Nostradamus, and
many others lived and worked in an underground occult network, often on the run from a
Church that was rarely hesitant to burn heretics at the stake. This network became closely
associated with the Rosicrucians, which appeared in the early 1600s, as well as with the
Freemasons, that became public as an esoteric order in Britain in the early 1700s. Britain
was also a haven for legendary occult figures like John Dee and Francis Bacon, the former
being the inspiration for magical orders such as the Golden Dawn and the OTO, and the
latter viewed as a father-figure of Rosicrucians and Freemasons.

The origins of the Freemasons can be traced back to the Knights Templar who, as scholars
have shown, held to Gnostic beliefs associated with the Cathars, a sect brutally suppressed
by the Church in a series of genocidal Crusades in the thirteenth century. The Gnostics, it
must be remembered, practiced a strange form of Luciferian Christianity, in which the God
of the Old Testament was reviled as evil and Jesus Christ was viewed as a manifestation of
the serpent of wisdom from the Garden of Eden. The Gnostics viewed the heroes of the Old
Testament as wicked, and in turn they glorified the enemies of God in the Old Testament as
heroes. From this perspective the first human hero after the Fall was Cain, and the first hero
after the Flood was Nimrod. This Gnostic perspective can be seen very clearly in one of the
earliest Masonic manuscripts known as the Dowland MS. It dates to approximately 1500 and
it tells the story of the beginning of Freemasonry as an institution allegedly dedicated to
truth and brotherhood among men. Here is an excerpt from this venerable manuscript:

"How that these worthy Sciences were first begunne, I shall you tell. Before Noye's flood,
there was a man called Lameche, as it is written in the Byble in the iiijth [4th] chapter of
Genesis; and this Lameche had two wives, and the one height Ada, and that other height
Sella; by his first wife Ada he gott two sons, and that one Jabell and thother Tuball, and by
that other wife Sella he got a son [Tubal-Cain] and a daughter... And this elder son Jabell
found the science of Geometrie... And his brother Tuball found the science of music... And
the third brother, Tuball Cain, found smithcraft of gold, silver, copper, iron and steele; and
the daughter found the craft of Weavinge. And these children knew well that God would
take vengeance for synn, either by fire or by water; wherefore they writt their science that
they had found in two pillars of stone, that they might be found after Noye's flood...
Our intent is to tell you trulie how and in what manner these stones were found that
these sciences were written in. The great Hermarynes, that was Cuby's [Cush's?] son, the
which Cub was Sem's son [sic], that was Noy's son. This Hermarynes afterwards was called
Harmes [Hermes], the father of wise men; he found one of the two pillars of stone, and
found the science written there, and he taught it to other men. And at the making of the
Tower of Babylon there was Masonrye first made much of. And the Kinge of Babylon that
height Nemrothe, was a mason himself; and he loved well the science, and it is said with
masters of histories. And when the City of Nyneve and other cities of the East should be
made, Nemrothe, the King of Babylon, sent thither three score Masons at the rogation of
the King of Nyneve, his cosen. And when he sent them forth, he gave them a charge on this
manner. That they should be true each of them to other, and that they should love truly
together, and that they should serve their lord truly for their pay; soe that the master may
have worshipp and all that long to him. And other moe charges he gave them. And this was
the first time that ever Masons had any charge of his science." [24]

The Gnostic influence on this early Masonic manuscript is apparent in its glorification of the
descendents of Cain who, according to the book of Enoch and other extra-Biblical Hebrew
accounts, were influenced directly by the fallen angels. The appearance of Hermes as a
historical figure is noteworthy, along with his positive portrayal, as well as the designation
of Nimrod as one of the first Masons. The tale also implies that the God of the Bible is evil
by presenting "knowledge" and "science" as something that had to be protected from God
and as something that was resurrected by Hermes, an unbiblical pagan figure, and then
used by Nimrod, the king who rebelled against God. The Masonic understanding of Hermes
must be understood because he appears as a major figure in the messages that came from
a modern Gnostic and high-level Freemason who we will examine next.
Edgar Cayce and the Second Coming

Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), the man known euphemistically as "The Sleeping Prophet,"
began his career as a door-to-door insurance salesman working for his father. The company
they worked for was the Fraternal Insurance Company whose employees were all
Freemasons and whose services were aimed at Freemasons. Throughout his life Cayce was
intimately involved in Masonic circles and his career as a psychic was promoted by fellow
Masons. In turn, the channeled messages received through Cayce
promoted the Gnostic neo-pagan spirituality that exists at the heart of
Freemasonry.

Edgar Cayce's career as a psychic began as a result of Cayce being

hypnotized as a means to bring back his voice, which he had lost shortly
after going into business with his father. While in a trance Cayce
successfully diagnosed himself, and then later he was persuaded to give
similar readings for other people. In 1910 the popularity of Cayce
increased to the point that the New York Times published a front-page
story (photo right) about his abilities. In 1918 Cayce was even invited
to the White House to give a reading for President Woodrow Wilson, a
fellow Mason. In 1925 Cayce relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he produced the
majority of his "readings" that have become so popular in New Age and alternative circles.

Throughout his life Edgar Cayce claimed to be a devoted Christian, yet many of the trance-
channeled messages that he received from the spirit world promoted a theology that
contradicted the Bible. Cayce was taught astrology and reincarnation, and the messages
even stated that Jesus Christ had gone through a number of incarnations as figures
including Adam, Enoch, Melchizidek, Joseph and others, prior to his birth in Bethlehem.
Cayce was also taught that mankind could evolve into god-hood (self-deification) after
achieving "Christ Consciousness" over numerous lifetimes, he was taught that death was
temporary and an illusion, and he was taught that hidden knowledge could be applied to aid
in mankind's spiritual quest. To put it bluntly, Cayce's source promoted the three primary
Satanic lies that underpin Gnosticism, Paganism and almost all occult belief systems.

Edgar Cayce's spiritual source also presented a view of human history that seemed to
confirm the Hermetic writings that were the backbone of Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism.
Some of his messages confirmed the existence of a hidden "Great White Brotherhood" of
spiritual masters that guided civilization as taught by Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey of
the Theosophical Society, and many more appeared to parallel the teachings of Harvey
Spencer Lewis who founded the American Rosicrucian order, AMORC, in 1915.

According to the messages given through Edgar Cayce the most important time in human
history, other than perhaps the time of Jesus Christ, was a period in ancient Egypt, dated to
around 10,500 BC shortly after the alleged destruction of Atlantis. The whole story, as
pieced together from a number of different readings given over several decades, appears to
revolve around an ancient Egyptian High Priest by the name of Ra-Ta, who just happened to
be a previous incarnation of Edgar Cayce himself. In reading this story as summarized by
Cayce's son Hugh Lynn Cayce [25], it becomes clear that the story of Ra-Ta is simply a
thinly-veiled presentation of the myth of Osiris that includes parallels with the life of Jesus
Christ. Hugh Lynn Cayce introduces Ra-Ta:
"There were many people, even nations, that were influenced by the material activities of
Ra-Ta. He came into the land of Egypt for a purpose, and was a man of unusual abilities as
well as appearance and manners of conduct."

H.L. Cayce explains that prior to his birth the soul of Ra-Ta chose to be born into a tribe
that later conquered Egypt. Ra-Ta was allegedly "the first pure white man on the earth" and
he was born of a virgin and "not begotten of man." In his early years Ra-Ta did not fit in
with society and was "rejected by those who ordinarily would have been his companions."
However, Ra-Ta was able to rise above this prejudice and prove himself, and he eventually
rose to a leadership position under the king, helping to lead the conquest of Egypt.

As the new dynasty became established Ra-Ta became the king's most trusted prophet and
seer. Afterwards, "there began a period that may well be called a division of interests of the
people." Ra-Ta worked with the king, and then with the king's son after the old king passed.
Political, economic and religious matters then consumed Ra-Ta as he worked for the new
king as the primary voice of the various councils that were set up. There is also a strange
reference to the "divisions of the ... spiritual relationships" during this time:

"With these, preparations began for the temple where there was to be the various forms of
worship, as related to the divisions of the penal or moral relationships of the people, and
what would be termed today the religious or spiritual relationships."

In another reading Cayce's source explains that "The separating of the peoples in their
castes was only the beginning then of group understandings, and the first ruler of groups
set self in that place in the Upper Nile, near what is now known as the Valley of the Tombs."
(Reading 195-41) [26]

Eventually Ra-Ta became famous throughout the world for his wisdom, for his technical and
economic innovations, and for his skill in managing Egypt, and his opinions became highly
sought after:

"From time to time it was necessary for Ra-Ta to visit these other lands, and during his
absence there arose more and more a dissension among the people, some claiming that Ra-
Ta was leaving much to subordinates. Especially some of the native councilors found such
fault with Ra-Ta, and a few others who had allowed avarice to arise in their own makeup.
This brought questioning more and more."

At this time Ra-Ta also became embroiled in a bizarre sexual affair with his own daughter,
Isris, who was coveted by the king himself. She was Ra-Ta's companion in performing the
temple rituals and eventually it was decreed that Isris would become his wife, through
whom there might be brought a "perfect body," meaning a higher-evolved human being,
which was an expectation realized in their son Iso. However, shortly after this the backlash
against Ra-Ta culminated in a public trial and Ra-Ta, Isris, Iso, and other members of their
inner circle, including "Hermes," were banished from Egypt to the land of Nubia to the
south. After nine years of chaos, hardship, tumult and warfare, the people of Egypt finally
realized their mistake and they begged Ra-Ta to return. To this Ra-Ta agreed, but only if
certain conditions were met:

"...and that not until there had been definite arrangements made that the priest Ra-Ta
would return, and that all would be submissive to his mandates. Ra-Ta became, then, a
dictator - or a monarch in his own right."
When Ra-Ta returned he found that the years had taken their toll on his body. He was old,
weak, stressed-out, and lacking in energy. Ra-Ta returned to the "Temple Beautiful" and
withdrew himself from the world for a period of time, which allowed for his body to heal and
rejuvenate. When he emerged from this period of "regeneration" Egypt began a new phase
in its history:

"Then began what may be truly termed the first national or nation spirit of a peoples. Rather
than the divisions causing a dispersing of ideal or a dividing up of interests, they seemed to
centralize the interests; for these divisions were being guided by a ruler or king whose
authority was not questioned any more. Neither were the advisings of the priest Ra-Ta
questioned, and he was acting in the capacity of preparing for this very spirit to manifest in
the way of the national emblems, the national ideas, that stood for the varied activities of
not only individuals or groups, but for the general masses. Hence there began the first
preparation for what has been called The Great Pyramid, which was to present that which
had been gained by these people through the activities of Ra-Ta, who was now known as
Ra. This work was aided much by Hermes, who had returned with Ra from the mount to
which he had been banished. Isris, who had been condemned with Ra-Ta in banishment,
was now raised to the position of queen without question, or the advisor to all her own
people...
Hence, under the authority of Ra, and Hermes acting as guide - or the actual construction
architect, with Ra giving the directions, work began in earnest on the pyramid. Isris, whose
name had now been changed to Isis, became the advisor for the laying in of those things
that would present to the people the advancement of that portion of man called woman, as
to her position in the activities of the human race."

This final great work of Ra-Ta was the building of the Great Pyramid, laid out "according to
that which had been worked out by Ra-Ta in the mount, as related to the position of the
stars about which this particular solar system circles in its activity..." It was to be a
prophetic model of human events as well, which was a well-known belief in Cayce's day
promoted by authors such as Piazzi Smith and David Davidson:

"As the changes came about in the earth, the rise and fall of nations were to be depicted in
this same temple, that was to act as an interpreter for that which had been, that which is,
and that which is to be..."

Finally, with the completion of the Great Pyramid the life's mission of Ra-Ta was
accomplished and the end of his earthly incarnation was described:

"Then there came the period when all the pyramid or memorial was complete. Ra, having
finished his work, ascended into the mount - and was borne away."

The purpose of the Great Pyramid is explained in a separate reading:

"In the building of the pyramid, and that which is now called the Mystery of Mysteries, this
was intended to be a MEMORIAL - as would be termed today - to that counsellor who ruled
or governed, or who acted in the capacity of the director in the MATERIAL things in the land.
With the return of the priest [Ra] (as it had been stopped), this was later - by Isis, the
queen, or the daughter of Ra - turned so as to present to those peoples in that land the
relationships of man and animal or carnal world with those changes that fade or fall away in
their various effect." [5748-6]
The story of Ra-Ta does not end with the completion of the Great Pyramid and his
"ascension" into heaven. The spirits behind the messages given by Edgar Cayce were not
interested only in the past, they also had a definite agenda for the future. According to
these spirits Ra-Ta would appear again on the earth and he would help to lead humanity
into the New Age of Aquarius. In the following excerpt the prophetic qualities of the Great
Pyramid are promoted, and then there is a reference to the "return of the Great Initiate"
that will take place when there is "a change in the earth's position":

"Then with Hermes and Ra... there began the building of that now called Gizeh, with which
those prophecies that had been in the Temple of Records and the Temple Beautiful were
builded, in the building of this that was to be the hall of the initiates of that sometimes
referred to as the White Brotherhood. This then, receives all the records from the
beginnings of that given by the priest, Arart, Araaraart and Ra, to that period when there is
to be the change in the earth's position and the return of the Great Initiate to that and other
lands for the folding up of those prophecies that are depicted there. All changes that came
in the religious thought in the world are shown there, in the variations in which the passage
through same is reached, from the base to the top - or to the open tomb AND the top.
These are signified by both the layer and the color in what direction the turn is made."
[5748-5]

Other readings explain that the "return of the Great Initiate" is associated with the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ. However, the relationship between Christ and Ra-Ta remains
unclear. On one hand Ra-Ta, a previous incarnation of Cayce, is clearly portrayed as the
"Great Initiate" who is expected to return, but then Jesus is also described as the "Great
Initiate." Strangely, Christ is also associated with an undiscovered tomb and/or pyramid
that allegedly contains records of His teachings:

"(Q) In which pyramids are the records of the Christ?

(A) That yet to be uncovered.
(Q) Are there any written records which have not been found of the teachings?
(A) More, rather, of those of the close associates, and those records that are yet to be found
of the preparation of the man, of the Christ, in those of the tomb, or those yet to be
uncovered in the pyramid.
(Q) He said He would come again. What about His second coming?
(A) The time no one knows. Even as He gave, not even the Son Himself. ONLY the Father.
Not until His enemies - and the earth - are wholly in subjection to His will, His powers.
(Q) Are we entering the period of preparation for His coming?
(A) Entering the test period, rather." [5749-2]

In the quote above Cayce's source echoes the Bible in saying that no one will know the time
of the return of the Messiah, yet in many other readings this return is closely associated
with the year 1998. Scholars have since concluded that Cayce's source was merely
predicting that a chamber, the so-called "Hall of Records," would be found underneath the
Sphinx in 1998. Evidence exists that just such a chamber was found in 1998, although its
discovery has not been officially confirmed. Below are a few prophecies of the allegedly
momentous year of 1998:

"In 1998 we may find a great deal of the activities as have been wrought by the gradual
changes that are coming about...
(Question) Can a date be given to indicate the beginning of the Aquarian Age?
(Answer) This has already been indicated as the period when it should pass, but that is
when it begins to affect. It laps from one to another, as is the natural sources, as he holds
to that which has been, which is. As has been indicated, we will begin to understand fully in
'98.
(Q) Are there any thoughts along these lines, beyond these, that can be given at this time?
(A) Holy, holy is His name!" [end of reading 1602-3]

"In this same pyramid did the Great Initiate, the Master, take those last of the Brotherhood
degrees with John, the forerunner of Him, at that place... and again is there seen that this
occurs in the entrance of the Messiah in this period - 1998." [5748-5]

The quotes above seem to refer to Jesus as the Great Initiate, yet another reading also
clearly predicts the return of Ra-Ta, a portion of which goes on to describe him as the
"Liberator of the World" :

"Is it not fitting, then, that these must return? As this priest [Ra-Ta] may develop himself to
be in that position, to be in the capacity of a LIBERATOR of the world in its relationships to
individuals in those periods to come; for he must enter again at that period, or in 1998."
[294-151]

The relationship between Ra-Ta and Jesus is enigmatic, and Cayce's secretary, Gladys
Davis, turned to an encyclopedia of occult themes and symbols written by Manly P. Hall to
try to make sense of it. In her notes she explains that according to Hall, the figure Hermes
is the same as the Biblical Enoch who ascended into heaven in Genesis 5:24. Enoch is
named in Cayce's readings as one of the incarnations of Jesus, and so Davis concludes that
Jesus appeared as Hermes during the time of Ra-Ta, circa 10,500 BC, to help in the building
of the Great Pyramid.

Apparently both Jesus and Ra-Ta are predicted to return to help guide mankind into the Age
of Aquarius, which corresponds with the channeled messages of Alice Bailey and Benjamin
Creme that predict that the "Master Jesus" will appear alongside the revealed "Maitreya" to
help usher in the New Age. According to Creme this "Master Jesus" will be based in Rome
and his task will be to correct the "false teachings" that have crept into Catholicism and
Christianity over the past 2000 years. It may be entirely coincidental, but it should be noted
that the ancient Egyptian holy city of Heliopolis, the spiritual capital of the ancient cults of
Ra and Osiris, is presently located underneath a suburb of Cairo that is known today as El-
Matariya. [27]

"The Dying God Shall Rise Again!"

It is interesting that Gladys Davis, the long-time secretary of

Edgar Cayce who recorded most of his trance-channeled
sessions, would refer to the work of Manly P. Hall as an authority
on spiritual and esoteric issues. The relationship between Edgar
Cayce and Manly P. Hall (right) remains unknown, but their lives
have very much in common. Both looked with interest to ancient
Egypt, both endorsed Gnosticism and other occult traditions and
beliefs, and both looked to the return of a "Great Initiate" who is
often confused with Jesus Christ. Furthermore, while the legacy
of Cayce was solidified with the creation of his Association of
Research and Enlightenment (ARE) on the east coast in
Virginia City in 1931, Hall's was confirmed by the creation of his
institution on the west coast in Los Angeles in 1934. Below is a brief biography of Hall
excerpted from www.wikipedia.com:

"Manly Palmer Hall (March 18, 1901 - August 29, 1990) was a prolific American author
and mystic. He is perhaps most famous for his work The Secret Teaching of All Ages: An
Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical
Philosophy, which he published at the age of twenty five; the first line of which is,
"Philosophy is the science of estimating values."
He has been widely recognized as a leading scholar in the fields of religion, mythology,
mysticism, and the occult.
Carl Jung, when writing Psychology and Alchemy, borrowed material from Hall's private
collection.
In 1934 Manly P. Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles,
California, dedicating it to an idealistic approach to the solution of human problems. The
PRS claims to be non-sectarian and entirely free from educational, political, or ecclesiastical
control, the Society's programs stress the need for the integration of philosophy, religion,
and science into one system of instruction. The PRS Library, a public facility devoted to
source materials in obscure fields, has many rare and scarce items now impossible to obtain
elsewhere.
In his long career, spanning more than seventy years of dynamic public activity, Mr. Hall
delivered over 7,500 lectures in the United States and abroad, authored over 150 books and
essays, and wrote countless magazine articles." [28]

Manly P. Hall was a very ambitious young occultist and, as the biography explains, his
magnum opus The Secret Teachings of All Ages, was published when Hall was only twenty-
five years old, in 1928. The first print run of this massive volume included only 500
expensive and "lavishly-illustrated" volumes that were quickly sold-out, and the book
remained a collector's item largely unknown to the "uninitiated." It was only in 2003,
seventy-five years after the initial print run, that Secret Teachings became available as a
mass market paperback to the general public.

Before we turn to relevant excerpts of Secret Teachings we will first examine some of Hall's
beliefs concerning Freemasonry, its ancient connection with Nimrod/Osiris, and its central
ritual involving the death of Hiram Abiff. Here again (from Part Six) is what he writes
concerning the connection between the Masonic legend of Hiram Abiff and the Egyptian god
Osiris in a paper entitled "Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins":

"Preston, Gould, Mackey, Oliver, and Pike—in fact, nearly every great historian of
Freemasonry-have all admitted the possibility of the modern society being connected,
indirectly at least, with the ancient Mysteries, and their descriptions of the modern society
are prefaced by excerpts from ancient writings descriptive of primitive ceremonials. These
eminent Masonic scholars have all recognized in the legend of Hiram Abiff an
adaptation of the Osiris myth; nor do they deny that the major part of the symbolism of
the craft is derived from the pagan institutions of antiquity when the gods were venerated in
secret places with strange figures and appropriate rituals."

Manly P. Hall achieved the honorary level of 33° within the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and
he was certainly a high-level initiate of many other occult societies. In the early 1920s,
before he began his six years of research for Secret Teachings, Hall published a small book
entitled The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, also known as The Secret of Hiram Abiff. In this
book Hall presents the legendary tale of the master builder that King Solomon contracted
from the King of Tyre to help build the Temple of God in Jerusalem. This myth is the
foundation of the most important initiation in the lower levels of Freemasonry—the "raising"
of the initiate to the third degree of Master Mason—which is also explained as the raising of
the initiate "from darkness into light" (Illumination!). In the Masonic ritual the initiate plays
the part of Hiram Abiff as he is slain by three "ruffians." Afterwards the initiate is regarded
as deceased for a period of time prior to his joyous "resurrection" that culminates the ritual.
We will now examine Hall's presentation of this legend [29], beginning with Hiram's death
at the hands of the "ruffians" :

"Turning upon their maker and striking him with his own tools given him by God out of
heaven, they left their Grand Master dying in the midst of his labors, broken and crushed by
the threefold powers of cosmic night. As he lay bleeding at the feet of his handiwork the
martyred Builder raised his eyes to the seething clouds, and his face was sweet with divine
love and cosmic understanding as he prayed unto the Master who had sent him forth: "O
Master of Workmen, Great Architect of the universe, my labors are not finished. Why must
they always remain undone? I have not completed the thing for which Thou hast sent me
unto being, for my very creations have turned against me and the tools Thou gavest me
have destroyed me... In Thy name, Father, I have labored and in Thy cause I die, a faithful
builder."
The Master fell back, his upturned face sweet in the last repose of death, and the light
rays no longer pouring from him. The gray clouds gathered closer as though to form a
winding sheet around the body of their murdered Master. Suddenly the heavens opened
again and a shaft of light bathed the form of Hiram in a glory celestial. Again the Voice
spoke from the heavens where the Great King sat upon the clouds of creation: "He is not
dead; he is asleep. Who will awaken him? His labors are not done, and in death he
guards the sacred relics more closely than ever, for the Word and the tracing board are his -
I have given them to him. But he must remain asleep until these three who have slain
him shall bring him back to life, for every wrong must be righted, and the slayers of my
house, the destroyers of my temple, must labor in the place of their Builder until they
raise their Master from the dead." The three murderers fell on their knees and raised
their hands to heaven as though to ward off the light which had disclosed their crime: "O
God, great is our sin, for we have slain our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff! Just is Thy
punishment and as we have slain him we now dedicate our lives to his resurrection.
The first was our human weakness, the second our sacred duty."

After this passage the three workmen who have slain their Master agree to their task and
are given further instructions on how to find his hidden body. The following passage
summarizes their task and then mentions the unfinished Temple that must be completed
after Hiram is resurrected:

"This eternal quest is yours until ye have found your Builder, until the cup giveth up its
secret, until the grave giveth up its ghosts. No more shall I speak until ye have found and
raised my beloved Son, and have listened to the words of my Messenger and with Him as
your guide have finished the temple which I shall then inhabit. Amen."

If Hiram is indeed a portrayal of Osiris, and if Osiris is in fact a mythical representation of

Nimrod, then historically the "unfinished Temple" refers to the Tower of Babel, that great
memorial erected in honor of the Sumerian god Enki, whom we have identified as Satan
(see Part Six).

On the other hand, if we view the completion of the "Temple of God" from an apocalyptic
viewpoint we find that this future Temple is in fact an allusion to the rebuilding of Solomon's
Temple, just as the ritual implies, which is predicted by prophets from the Old and New
Testaments, and which the Apostle Paul predicts will be briefly inhabited by the Antichrist:

"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask
you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter
supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let
anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the
man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will
exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets
himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

The rebuilding of Solomon's Temple has been identified by numerous sources over the years
as one of the primary goals of Freemasonry, and the writings of Manly P. Hall certainly
support this accusation. [30]

In The Lost Keys of Freemasonry Hall examines the legend of Hiram Abiff on a symbolic
level, and he explains that human beings, or more specifically those who are members of
the Masonic Fraternity, are in fact the "three ruffians" who must labor to perfect their
characters and work for the brotherhood of man that will allow for the inevitable
resurrection of "Hiram Abiff," otherwise known as Osiris:

"You are the temple builders of the future. With your hands must be raised the domes and
spires of a coming civilization. Upon the foundation you have laid, tomorrow shall build a far
more noble edifice. Builders of the temple of character wherein should dwell an enlightened
spirit; truers of the rock of relationship; molders of those vessels created to contain the oil
of life: up, and to the task appointed! Never before in the history of men have you had the
opportunity that now confronts you. The world waits - waits for the illuminated one who
shall come from between the pillars of the portico. Humility, hoodwinked and bound, seeks
entrance to the temple of wisdom. Fling wide the gate, and let the worthy enter. Fling wide
the gate, and let the light that is the life of men shine forth. Hasten to complete the
dwelling of the Lord, that the Spirit of God may come and dwell among His people,
sanctified and ordained according to His law."

Hall's Lost Keys gives a glimpse of the symbolism behind Freemasonry, but in his book The
Secret Teachings of All Ages Hall explains very clearly what some of these symbols mean on
a literal level, and on a level that will eventually affect all mankind. We will pick up his
analysis in chapter seven "The Initiation of the Pyramid" in the section dealing with "The
Pyramid Mysteries" [31]:

"...the Great Pyramid ... represented the inner sanctuary of pre-Egyptian wisdom. By the
Egyptians the Great Pyramid was associated with Hermes, the god of wisdom and letters
and the Divine Illuminator worshiped through the planet Mercury. Relating Hermes to the
Pyramid emphasizes anew the fact that it was in reality the supreme temple of the Invisible
and Supreme Deity. The Great Pyramid was not a lighthouse, an observatory, or a tomb,
but the first temple of the Mysteries, the first structure erected as a repository for those
secret truths which are the certain foundations of all arts and sciences. It was the perfect
emblem of the microcosm and the macrocosm and, according to the secret teachings, the
tomb of Osiris, the black god of the Nile. Osiris represented a certain manifestation of solar
energy, and therefore his house or tomb is emblematic of the universe within which he is
entombed and upon the cross of which he is crucified."
In this passage Hall connects Hermes with the Great Pyramid, which the medieval Arab
sages referred to as the "Tomb of Hermes."[32] The connection between Hermes and Osiris,
as previously mentioned, runs deep. In the next chapter entitled "Isis, the Virgin of the
World," Hall writes that "Plutarch affirms that many ancient authors believed this goddess to
be the daughter of Hermes." Cayce's messages claimed that Isis was the daughter and wife
of "Ra-Ta," while the usual myth of Osiris makes Isis to be his sister and wife. Regarding the
Great Pyramid in the quote above, Hall contradicts himself by first saying that it is not a
tomb and then immediately explaining that "according to the secret teachings" it was the
"tomb of Osiris." Hall then continues:

"Through the mystic passageways and chambers of the Great Pyramid passed the illumined
of antiquity. They entered its portals as men; they came forth as gods. It was the place of
the "second birth," the "womb of the Mysteries," and wisdom dwelt in it as God dwells in the
heart of men...
The technique of the Mysteries was unfolded by the Sage Illuminator, the Master of the
Secret House. The power to know his guardian spirit was revealed to the new initiate; the
method of disentangling his material body from his divine vehicle was explained; and to
consummate the magnum opus, there was revealed the Divine Name—the secret and
unutterable designation of the Supreme Deity, by the very knowledge of which man and his
God are made consciously one. With the giving of the Name, the new initiate became
himself a pyramid, within the chambers of whose soul numberless other human beings
might also receive spiritual enlightenment."

The entire passage above is filled with occult references. The possibility that human beings
can become gods by taking a secret "initiation" is another form of the original Satanic lie,
and author Phillip D. Collins gives an analysis of this aspect of occult dogma in his excellent
short article Luciferianism: The Religion of Apotheosis.

Hall refers to another occult practice when he mentions the conferring of the "power to
know his guardian spirit." This statement reveals Hall as a practicing magician because it
refers to an occult procedure based on The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the
Mage. This legendary text was supposedly composed by a Hebrew Kabbalist in the fifteenth
century and it related information provided by an Egyptian mage named Abramelin. The
text is essentially a grimoire that explains the procedures necessary for a magician to
conjure and communicate with his or her "Holy Guardian Angel" as a means to gain further
spiritual insight and instruction. This procedure became an important part of the Golden
Dawn system, and later Aleister Crowley endorsed it as a necessary component of the OTO.
Contrary to the occult belief that "angels" can be a source of spiritual wisdom, both the Old
and New Testaments categorically forbid communication with the spirit world and
characterize such contact as avenues through which the fallen angels can deceitfully portray
themselves as "angels of light."

Hall's references to the "Divine Name" show Hall's Kabbalistic inclinations because, as Part
Six explained, the 72-letter Shem ha-Mephorash, known as the Divine Name of YHWH, is
the primary basis for Kabbalists to contact the seventy or seventy-two Kosmokrator angels
that rule over the nations of the world. Regarding the number "seventy" Hall writes that
"wherever this round number is used by the Hebrews it really means seventy-two."[33]
Hall's commentary on the Great Pyramid continues:

"In the King's Chamber was enacted the drama of the "second death." Here the candidate,
after being crucified upon the cross of the solstices and the equinoxes, was buried in the
great coffer... While his body lay in the coffer, the soul of the neophyte soared as a human-
headed hawk through the celestial realms, there to discover first hand the eternity of Life,
Light, and Truth, as well as the illusion of Death, Darkness, and Sin. Thus in one sense the
Great Pyramid may be likened to a gate through which the ancient priests permitted a few
to pass toward the attainment of individual completion."

Again we find that occult doctrines are reinforced with promises of personal metaphysical
experience. Both combine to promote the Luciferian lie that death and sin are illusions that
inhibit spiritual growth. Hall continues:

"Though the modern world may know a million secrets, the ancient world knew one—and
that one was greater than the million; for the million secrets breed death, disaster, sorrow,
selfishness, lust, and avarice, but the one secret confers life, light, and truth. The time will
come when the secret wisdom shall again be the dominating religious and philosophical urge
of the world. The day is at hand when the doom of dogma shall be sounded. The great
theological Tower of Babel, with its confusion of tongues, was built of bricks of mud and the
mortar of slime. Out of the cold ashes of lifeless creeds, however, shall rise phoenixlike the
ancient Mysteries. No other institution has so completely satisfied the religious aspirations
of humanity..."

The reference to the Tower of Babel is certainly interesting, considering the next statement
that is perhaps the clearest ever written of occult expectations of the resurrection of the
Antichrist:

"The Dying God shall rise again! The secret room in the House of the Hidden Places
shall be rediscovered. The Pyramid again shall stand as the ideal emblem of
solidarity, inspiration, aspiration, resurrection, and regeneration. As the passing
sands of time bury civilization upon civilization beneath their weight, the Pyramid shall
remain as the visible covenant between Eternal Wisdom and the world. The time may yet
come when the chants of the illumined shall be heard once more in its ancient passageways
and the Master of the Hidden House shall await in the Silent Place for the coming of that
man who, casting aside the fallacies of dogma and tenet, seeks simply Truth and will be
satisfied with neither substitute nor counterfeit."

The "Dying God" who is expected to rise again will be the anti-Christ—the substitute and
counterfeit of Jesus Christ. He will be the messenger of Hell, yet he will be greeted by the
world as a savior and worshiped as a god.

The Stargate Conspiracy

The occult teachings promoted by Manly P. Hall and the very similar messages channeled by
Edgar Cayce appear in the twenty-first century as integral components of what can be
loosely referred to as New Age Spirituality. Giza is now viewed as a global spiritual capital
and Egyptian religion is seen as a pure form of religion that once had a unique connection
with the divine.

In the 1990s, following Rudolf Gantenbrink's exploration of the "star shafts" in the Great
Pyramid, and following the great success of West's Emmy-winning television program "The
Mystery of the Sphinx" (1993), the world became even more fascinated and intrigued with
ancient Egypt. Out of this climate two mainstream authors, Graham Hancock and Robert
Bauval emerged as, arguably, the most important voices that seemed to act as a bridge
between the "respectable" world of academia and the bizarre community of New Age
devotees and "pyramidiots." In Hancock's Fingerprints of the Gods (1995) Egypt was looked
to as a possible stepping stone to a more ancient and advanced global civilization
(Atlantis?), while Bauval's The Orion Mystery (1994) postulated that Giza was built as a
supernatural gateway to the afterlife and to the stars. Later Hancock and Bauval teamed up
to write The Message of the Sphinx (1996), The Mars Mystery (1998) and recently Talisman
(2004). The first two continued in their examination of ancient Egypt as the key to the
many mysteries surrounding human origins, while Talisman promoted Gnosticism and
Hermeticism as underground conduits of the "pure" Egyptian religion that preserved these
mysteries during the Dark Ages when Christianity rudely dominated the West.

At the same time that Hancock and Bauval were achieving their success and notoriety a
scientist and author named Richard C. Hoagland was making a parallel rise, thanks in large
part to his numerous appearances on Art Bell's Coast-to-Coast AM. Hoagland's The
Monuments of Mars (1987) brought an extra-terrestrial component to the mix, and
espoused a belief that allegedly artificial structures on Mars spoke of a connection between
the red planet and ancient Egypt. Hoagland believes that an extraterrestrial civilization was
responsible both for the alleged monuments on Mars and for the birth of civilization on
earth. He even goes so far as to postulate that perhaps this ET civilization was genetically
responsible for the emergence of modern Homo sapiens sapiens. In other words, Hoagland
believes that these entities from beyond our solar system are mankind's true creators.

In 1999 there appeared a much needed critical response to the direction in which the
hysteria surrounding ancient Egypt was headed. It came in the form of a book entitled The
Stargate Conspiracy, written by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince. Their book reveals many
strange connection between some of the conclusions reached by Hancock, Bauval and
Hoagland and the messages received by Edgar Cayce that have been posthumously
promoted by his Association for Research and Enlightenment (ARE).

For instance, Hancock and Bauval use archeo-astronomical methods to arrive at 10,500 BC
as a date corresponding with the legendary Zep Tepi, or "First Time," when the gods
established Egyptian civilization. After arriving at this date using purely scientific methods
Hancock and Bauval then mention in passing the messages received by Edgar Cayce that
give the same exact date, which gives the reader the impression of supernatural
confirmation for Hancock and Bauval's research. As critics Picknett and Prince are able to
scientifically debunk the 10,500 BC date and then they argue that Hancock and Bauval
probably tried to wrap their calculations around this pre-determined date from the
beginning. Picknett and Prince show that Hancock and Bauval are not always up front with
their readers, and they explain that Graham Hancock is even accused by other researchers,
for this and for many of his related ideas, of "wittingly or unwittingly, following a masonic
agenda..." [34]

Edgar Cayce's influence, and that of the ARE, runs much deeper than this, however:

"Mark Lehner ... is the most prominent American Egyptologist stationed in Egypt today. He
is highly respected internationally. His 1997 book The Complete Pyramids was hailed as a
masterly overview of an only too often thorny subject, and was promoted by many major
museums, including the British Museum. It is less well known that in 1974 he wrote a book
for ARE entitled The Egyptian Heritage, based on the Edgar Cayce Readings, which
attempted to reconcile Cayce's pronouncements with the findings of modern Egyptology.
According to Lehner in his early days, the Great Pyramid was built as a repository of
knowledge, and a 'Temple of Initiation for the White Brotherhood'.
In 1973 Edgar Cayce's son Hugh Lynn Cayce, selected the promising young student
Lehner to be ARE's 'insider' within the ranks of academic Egyptology, and it was ARE that
paid for his training. They also funded his recent carbon-dating tests of material taken from
the Great Pyramid (which seems to indicate that it is about 300 or 400 years older than was
thought – but not the 8,000 hoped for by ARE). Today he no longer advocates Cayceism,
and appears not to espouse any 'alternative' views, now being very much a mainstream
Egyptologist. ...
But Mark Lehner is not the only person on the Giza Plateau to have reason to be grateful
to ARE. Amazingly, that arch-enemy of all pyramidiots, Dr. Zahi Hawass – who since 1987
has been in the powerful position of Director of the Giza Plateau and who was recently
promoted to Undersecretary of State for he Giza Monuments – was also put through his
training as an Egyptologist by ARE. Through fellow ARE members, Hugh Lynn Cayce
arranged a scholarship for Hawass at the University of Pennsylvania between 1980 and
1987, where he gained his Ph.D. in Egyptology. Hawass has maintained his association with
ARE ever since, and is a regular lecturer at their conferences at their Virginia Beach
headquarters.
It is, to say the least, interesting that the two most prominent and influential
representatives of Egyptological orthodoxy at Giza are linked to Edgar Cayce's
organisation." [35]

Edgar Cayce died in January of 1945, and with his passing the "spirits" that spoke through
him lost a very influential voice. The primary "conspiracy" described in The Stargate
Conspiracy involves what appears to be the re-establishment of contact from these "spirits"
with an influential circle of people that included industrialists, businessmen, scientists and
high-level politicians. In this case, the "spirits" claimed to be the nine primary gods of the
ancient Egyptian Ennead of Heliopolis, known simply as "The Nine." The figure at the
center of the conspiracy was Dr. Andrija Puharich, a physicist and inventor who was closely
connected with the CIA and with important scientific research institutes, and who was
certainly a high-level member of the Masonic fraternity.

The method for communicating with The Nine was, as always, that of channeling. The first
channel by which Puharich was contacted was an Indian mystic by the name of Dr. D.G.
Vinod. This first occurred in 1952 in Glen Cove, Maine, on the property of an organization
set up for psychical research known as the Round Table Foundation, directed by Dr.
Puharich. Later on Puharich would use a handful of other channels to contact and receive
direction from The Nine including, albeit briefly, the Israeli psychic Uri Geller. Below is a
typical message of introduction from the Nine through their spokesman who claims to the
god Atum, who casually refers to himself also as simply "Tom":

"I am the beginning. I am the end. I am the emissary. But the original time I was on the
Planet Earth was 34,000 of your years ago. I am the balance. And when I say "I" - I mean
because I am an emissary for The Nine. It is not I , but it is the group. We are nine
principles of the Universe, yet together we are one."

The conspiracy laid out by Picknett and Prince runs very deep and involves groups such as
the ARE, SRI International, the Esalen Institute, the Christic Institute, the Institute of Noetic
Sciences, the CIA, and even NASA and the UN, and is much too complicated to explore at
length here. Let us just say that the predictions from The Nine are very apocalyptic in
nature and involve themes such as extra-terrestrial contact, spiritual evolution, and a
transition into the New Age. Picknett and Prince also write how they involve certain
expected discoveries in Egypt:
"Tom himself – allegedly the god Atum – is emphatic about the importance of the
monuments of Giza, in particular the Great Pyramid, but he has refused repeatedly to be
drawn on its purpose, saying only that this will be revealed when the landing has happened.
However, when asked by Puharich if there were undiscovered chambers in the Great
Pyramid, he replied, 'To a degree,' adding, 'The entrance is from the Sphinx'. [36]

Picknett and Prince also mention the independent investigations in 1999 of a one-time
associate of Richard C. Hoagland that ties in perfectly with what we can expect if the
premise of this study, The Giza Discovery, is correct:

"One particularly lurid story was recently posted on the Internet by the independent
American researcher Larry Dean Hunter who, as we have seen, investigated claims of
tunneling in Davison's Chamber on behalf of Richard Hoagland... It claimed that a massive,
250-foot high chamber had been found inside the Great Pyramid. This they call the Hall of
Osiris, which they claim leads to another chamber in which lies the body of the god Osiris
himself." [37]

Conclusion

According to the Bible there are only a few prophecies that must be fulfilled prior to the
beginning of the Apocalypse, that period of judgment often referred to as the "Day of the
Lord." One of these predictions involves the "revealing" of the Antichrist:

"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask
you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter
supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't
let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until ... the man of
lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt
himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in
God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

This study has presented evidence that the ancient figure worshiped as Osiris was in fact
the Biblical King Nimrod. According to the ancient Egyptians he was the very first human
being to undergo the process of mummification, and now we know why. Ever since the
death of Nimrod his soul has been kept in the Abyss (Hell), while his body has been
preserved intact somewhere within, or under, the Giza Necropolis, perhaps within the Great
Pyramid itself. One day in the future the Abyss will be opened, which will allow the soul of
Nimrod to be returned to its body, and the Antichrist will be resurrected to play his part as
the ruler of the final global empire prior to the return of Jesus Christ.

According to the passage above from the Apostle Paul the "Day of the Lord" will not come
until the Antichrist is revealed. The book of Revelation is clear that the "Day of the Lord" will
begin shortly after the sixth Seal is opened, while the Abyss is opened after the Day of the
Lord and after the seven Seals are opened, as a result of the fifth Trumpet. What this
means is that the Antichrist will be "revealed" prior to his resurrection. In other words, the
Antichrist will be "revealed" while he is still dead and he will first be a harmless corpse that
all of the world will be able to see.

But when can we expect the body of Osiris to be revealed? The Biblical evidence suggests
that this is an event that is outside of human control. The location of the body of Osiris may
already be known, but there are still other factors that prohibit the "revealing" of it to the
world. In Part Two there were two Coffin Texts referred to, that date to the Middle Kingdom
period of ancient Egypt, that suggest that the physical remains, or efflux, of the body of
Osiris is supernaturally protected:

"This is the sealed thing which is in darkness, with fire about it, which contains the
efflux of Osiris, and it was put in Rostau. It has been hidden there since it fell from him,
and it is what came down from him onto the desert sand; it means that what belongs to him
(his body) was put in Rostau..." Coffin Texts Spell 1080

"This is the word which is in darkness. As for any spirit who knows it, he will live among the
living. Fire is about it, which contains the efflux of Osiris. As for any man who shall
know it, he will never perish there, since he knows what shall be in Rostau. Rostau is hidden
since he fell there... Rostau is (another name) for Osiris..." (Coffin Texts Spell 1087) [38]

These references to a strange "fire" that protects the efflux of Osiris may in fact be
something that the Apostle Paul mentioned regarding a "restrainer" that stands in the way
of the "revealing" of the Antichrist:

"Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion
occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed... And now you know what is holding him
back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is
already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out
of the way." (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7)

A similar "restrainer" was put in charge of the entrance to the Garden of Eden after Adam
and Eve were banished from it:

"So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he
had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of
Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of
life." (Genesis 3:23-24)

The enigmatic "restrainer" that prevents the "revealing" of the Antichrist could very well be
a guardian cherubim who protects the body of Osiris with fire, as mentioned in the Coffin
Texts of ancient Egypt. When he is taken out of the way, at a time of the Lord's own
choosing, then the body of Osiris will be revealed to the world. Some time after that the
Day of the Lord will begin with the shaking of the earth and the Rapture of the saints, and
afterwards only then will the Abyss be opened which will allow for the soul of the Antichrist
to re-inhabit his body, and the Antichrist will be brought to life:

"One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had
been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped
the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast
and asked, 'Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?'" (Revelation 13:3-4)

"Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he
spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made
the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven
to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the
first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in
honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to
give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused
to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor,
free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could
buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his
name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the
beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666." (Revelation 13:11-18)

The appearance of the Antichrist will be used to separate humanity on the basis of their
acceptance or rejection of the Creator of the universe. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the
Creator in human flesh, and all who put their faith in Him will be saved. The Antichrist is the
son of Satan and all who allow themselves to be deceived by him will be destroyed. There
will be no middle ground and everyone will have to make a choice between these two
Messiahs—between the True and the False. The Apostle Paul makes the purpose of
appearance of the Antichrist perfectly clear:

"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the
breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless
one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God
sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be
condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the
beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through
belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we
passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and
good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." (2
Thessalonians 2:8-17)

The New Age will dawn, but it will not come without God's judgment upon an unrepentant
humanity. God is indeed the ultimate Destroyer, but his intention is that you will repent,
accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment for your sins, and thereby be saved! On the
other hand, Satan says that he wants to save you and empower you into godhood, but he
lies, as he has lied from the very beginning. Satan does not want to save you, he wants to
see you destroyed! That is Satan's intention, and it is the very opposite of the intention of
the God who created you and loves you. God is merciful in that He gave us a way out, but
the choice to take it remains ours. He cannot and will not make that choice for us, for a
universe without choice is a mechanical universe without love. Freedom of choice is
necessary. Freedom to love, or to reject love is also necessary. And Justice is necessary,
because a universe without consequences is inevitably a universe without any meaningful
choices. Please choose the God of Love and Truth and reject that wicked lying shadow of
Hatred and Lies, no matter how much his message appeals to your pride and to your selfish
aspirations. The true New Age awaits and it will be glorious beyond comprehension, just as
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, quoting from the prophet Isaiah,

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,

neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
END

Stay informed and up-to-date on the many issues associated with "The Giza
Discovery"

Footnotes

1. Osiris: A Study in Myths, Mysteries and Religion, Harold P. Cooke, 1931, p.149

2. Points taken from "The Dating of Revelation" by Jack Van Deventer located at:
http://www.credenda.org/issues/9-3eschaton.php

3. Hitler: Black Magician, Gerald Suster, 1996 (1981), pp.10-11

4. Unholy Alliance, Peter Levenda, 1995, p.15

5. Ibid, p.70

6. The Spear of Destiny, Trevor Ravenscroft, 1997 (1973), p.91

7. Hitler: Black Magician, Gerald Suster, 1996 (1981), p.111

8. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, translated by R.O. Faulkner, 1969

9. Dr. Michael S. Heiser (www.michaelsheiser.com) is currently the leading scholar of

"Divine Council" research. His work is crucial to this study and all of his material is highly
recommended.

10. Heiser explains: "The plurals here are ―hortatory plurals‖—commands of exhortation
issued to the members of God‘s divine council."
See http://www.michaelsheiser.com/Bates%20Review.htm, paragraph 15

11. The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day, by Raymond
Faulkner (translator), 2000, p.107

12. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, translated by R.O. Faulkner, 1969, p.243

13. Ibid, p.164

14. Evidence that the ancient priests and scholars viewed Osiris and Dionysus as the same
god can be examined at http://www.winterscapes.com/sannion/osiris.htm.

15. The 'Dionysos' quotes from ancient historians are taken from www.theoi.com, a website
dedicated to Greek mythology, page located at
http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Zagreus.html. The god Zagreus is also analyzed in an
article entitled "The Other Dionysus" located at
http://www.winterscapes.com/dionysus/otherdio.htm.

16. The Serpent and the Cross, Alan Morrison, 1994, pp.29-32

17. Oriental Religions In Roman Paganism, Franz Cumont, 1956 (1911), pp.99-100

18. The Riddle of Resurrection, Tryggyve N.D. Mettinger, 2001, pp.155-156

19. Ibid, p.156

20. "Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace" at

http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21119a/e211sa03.html

21. Alexander - The Ambiguity of Greatness, Guy Maclean Rogers, 2004, online excerpt
from chapter one

22. A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, Arthur Edward Waite, 1996, pp.427-429

23. Wikipedia entry: "Asclepius" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepius

24. The History of Freemasonry - It's Legendary Origins, Albert Gallatin Mackey,
2005, pp.19-20

25. The Story of Ra-Ta by Hugh Lynn Cayce is taken from "Reports Of Reading 294-153"
from the Edgar Cayce CD-ROM

26. Quotes from the Edgar Cayce readings are take from "The Complete Edgar Cayce
Readings On CD-ROM"

27. "Heliopolis, Egypt's Iunu," Marie Parsons, at

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/heliopolis.htm

28. Wikipedia entry: "Manly Palmer Hall" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manly_P_Hall

29. The Lost Keys of Freemasonry, Manly P. Hall, 1996, digital edition

30. An analysis and rebuttal of alleged Masonic involvement in rebuilding Solomon's Temple
can be found at http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/rebuild_temple.html. Also see
http://www.redmoonrising.com/tm.htm.

31. The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Manly P. Hall, 2003, pp.116-120

32. See "Pyramid Mysteries" at

http://doernenburg.alien.de/alternativ/pyramide/pyr08_e.php

33. The Secret Teachings of All Ages, Manly P. Hall, 2003, p.434

34. The Stargate Conspiracy: The Truth About Extraterrestrial Life and the
Mysteries of Ancient Egypt, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, 1999, p.100
35. Ibid, pp.62-63

36. Ibid, p.183

37. Ibid, p.101

38. Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records, Robert Bauval, 1999, p.88 and
p.94