"The Irish, and all of Europe have for centuries wondered why large mysterious monoliths (and Megaliths corrected) dotted their hillsides. Forty thousand of them, to be exact. Historians are baffled as to their purpose. Yet, if we examine the ancient monoliths found in Israel, and compare them to the monoliths found all over Europe, we find they are identical! Co-incidence??? I think not. The lost Israelites carried this custom with them when they migrated into Europe."
My added note: You identify these lost Israelites, not by race, but by religion...you identify them by the continuation of Baal worship that they carried with them. The Ten Tribes went into captivity worshiipping Baal, and Easter his wife, and they never did let go of it... This religion involved bringing a fir tree into the home around the time of the winter solstice...
Baal or Baalim is mentioned over 80 times in the biible. And over 13 times in the book of Jeremiah. It is in reference to this sunworshipping religion that Jeremiah 10 says,""Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, (winter solstice) though the nations are terrified by them. 3 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. 4 They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter....decorate it with silver and gold....) Sounds famiiar, doesn't it?
The point being they were keeping the way of the heathen... These Israelites were observing the solstices. (Be not dismayed at the signs of the heavens...ie winter solstice.) They set up images, (obelisks) groves, standing stones, etc....
There are monoliths (and megaliths) to Baal in Israel that match the 40,000 monoliths (megaliths) in Europe
The photos are here of the monoliths. (megalliths-- corrected
"HUNT FOR THE LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL...THE BAAL CONNECTION
How much of what we do in religion actually does come from Jesus or from the bible at all for that matter? If you think about it, the bible really doesn’t say a whole lot about holy water, egg hunts, bunny rabbits and kids dressing up like demons. There is nothing from front to back, commanding us to bring a tree into the house in the wintertime....so where do all these and other religious traditions come from? Surprisingly, none of the holidays kept by modern churchianity are anywhere “commanded” in the bible at all! Most people would be shocked to learn that many “Christian” customs were ritually performed by Pagans for thousands of years before the birth of Christ! Some of these beloved traditions actually have sinister origins when examined historically.
To understand where religious traditions come from, and why people do what they do, we must go back to man’s early history and examine it with a fine toothcomb. Let’s start with the history of December 25th, and see what we can discover about this date, since it is perceived to be a Christian holiday yet it is also observed by Satan worshippers, Pagans, ancient Baal worshippers, by the Mayan and Incan Indians, the Pueblo, the Anasazi and other Indian tribes. Astoundingly all these groups and so many more revere December 25th.
The Winter Solstice and Human Sacrifice
Astronomically, the winter solstice falls on or around December 21st, or 22nd, but the naked eye can’t discern the return of the sun until December 25th.... Thus, the 25th was considered the birthday of the sun to the ancients. Each year, as the sun seemingly halted in the sky, sun worshipers truly desired to entice the sun to come back. It “dismayed” them to see the sun “stall” in the sky. Human sacrifice was practiced with the belief that it “re-energized” the sun with life. One of the ancient European names of the December 25th holiday, we now call Christmas was Midvinterblot, meaning “midwinter blood” or “midwinter sacrifice”. In South America, “the Maya believed that the heavenly bodies needed human help, which was provided through rituals such as self-mutilation, torture, and human sacrifice. To the Maya, offering this help was simply the price to be paid for the continued survival of the universe.”
Sun Worship, Baal and the Evergreen Tree
Anciently, the worship of Baal involved rites of human sacrifice of firstborn children up to the age of five by causing them to “pass through the fire to Molech.” “They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech...” Jer 32:34-35
Read from the Mythology of all Religions, vol. 5. “Living infants and children were BURNED IN THE FIRE to the god Molech during this time. This was the time of the winter solstice (Dec. 25th) when those heathen were dismayed at the signs of heaven!”
Let’s examine Baal worship in detail, since according to the bible, it was the very cause of the rejection of both Israel and Judah. “And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree....And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire....Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. (2 Kings 17:10, 16-20 KJV)
Note that Baal’s places of worship were set up “in every high hill, and under every green tree” The two most important requirements for the alter of Baal were elevation and evergreen trees. If the land was flat, they would construct manmade “high places” called stepped pyramids, Ziggurats or Sun Temples. And according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the “green tree” mentioned here wasn’t just any old tree. They state that it means “any kind of evergreen tree, in its native soil.”
In fact, one of Baal’s many names, interestingly enough, was “Baal-bereth,” meaning “Lord of the Fir tree”. The evergreen tree is connected to the worship of Baal. In Jeremiah 2:20-23 it says, “For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot... A verse or two down it says, “How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim?”
You can look from front to back but you won’t find any requirement for evergreen trees in God’s religion. Literally millions of them are cut down every year and placed devotedly in homes, yet where is this particular practice commanded by God in the bible?
Jeremiah 10 certainly does sound like a description of the modern Christmas tree! But rather than commanding us to put a tree in our house, it says, “Thus says the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; (the winter solstice of December 25th) for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain, for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and gold, they fasten it with nails and with hammers that it moves not....” (Jeremiah 10:2-4 KJV) In fact, the whole book of Jeremiah mentions Baal or Baalim 13 times altogether and it is in connection with Baal worship that God is stating, “learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. (The signs of heaven that he alludes to is the December 25th winter solstice!) Sun worshippers were astronomers who clocked the movements of the sun, moon and stars as part of their religion. The winter solstice was fear provoking to them.....
Ever wonder why would people hang gold and silver balls on a tree? An article on Origins of Christmas Traditions gives an eye opening explanation! “Since the earliest of times, the pagans worshiped trees, especially evergreens. To them it represented life and freshness. Since it was EVERgreen, it always had life. The trees were worshipped as symbols of life, fertility, sexual potency, and reproduction. The evergreen tree represented a "PHALLIC" symbol (the man's sexual organ of reproduction) set in an upright position. Any wonder why people hang round balls on a tree?”
Read Jeremiah 2:23 NKJV "How can you say, 'I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals'? .... (27) Saying to a tree, 'You [are] my father,' And to a stone, You gave birth to me.” Go figure that one...but, it appears that the Christmas tree meant a whole lot more to them than we understand, vs. 27 infers that they felt this phallic symbol “was their father.... the author of their being, their god.” The Christmas tree must have represented Baal. Thus if the children were being sacrificed in honor of Baal, it makes sense that they would do it under the tree that represented him.
The words “green tree” (evergreen tree) are used 10 different times in the bible in connection with idolatrous worship and, in four cases, with child sacrifice. Baal worship required firstborn children to be burned alive by “passing through the fire to Molech” under a grove of evergreens. Can it be a coincidence that four different scriptures directly place child sacrifice and the evergreen tree in the same context?
1. Isaiah 57:5 “Enflaming yourselves with idols, under every green tree slaying the children, in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks...” The valley it is speaking of here is most likely The Valley of Ben Hinnom and according to Biblical Archaeology Review, this particular place of child sacrifice was near some overhanging cliffs. An idol called Molech was located there, which was a molten idol with a cow’s head at the top and a fire pit below. Outstretched arms held the victim. There was a pulley system that slowly raised the arms up to heaven and the child was dropped into the fire pit below! The sacrificial alter was located in a grove of evergreen trees. This scripture clearly depicts the act of child sacrifice. Most people would be appalled if they knew the origin of the tradition of “gifts” under evergreen trees. Then, even as now, this winter solstice holiday was perceived as a time of great “peace on earth”. Baal was supposedly satiated with these yearly sacrifices and all was well in the world.
2. II Kings 16:3,4 “he...made his son pass through the fire according to the abominations of the heathen.... and he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills and under every green tree.”
3. II Kings 17:10,16, 17 “and they set them up images and groves in every high hill and under every green tree.” “...and made them molten images, even two calves and made a grove (Asherah pole), and worshipped all the host of heaven and served Baal.” “and they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire...”
4. II Chronicles 28:3,4 “Moreover he burnt incense in the Valley of Hinnom and burnt his children in the fire....” “he sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.”
Christmas may not be mentioned by name in the bible but the words “gifts” and “tree” are in the same context with the sacrifice of children and the worship of idols. Read the following passage to see what God has to say about “gifts and trees.” Ezekiel 20:26,28, 31: “I let them become defiled through their GIFTS-the sacrifice of every first-born...” vs. 28 “When I brought them into the land that I had sworn to give them and when they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices...” vs.31 “When you offer your GIFTS -the sacrifice of your sons in the fire, you continue to defile yourselves with all of your idols to this day...” In The New English Translation of the Bible, there is a notation about the phrase “every leafy tree”. They inform us that this expression refers to evergreens, “because they keep their foliage throughout the year, providing apt symbolism for nature cults such as those practiced in Canaan.”
The priests of Baal wore black robes, just as many clerics do to this day, according to Adam Clarke’s commentary. In 2 Kings 23:5, the bible calls the priests of Baal “idolatrous priests” which is derived from the Hebrew word “kamar” meaning “to be black.” According to Adam Clarke’s Commentary, these priests were called “kemarim...meaning to be scorched...made dark, or black, because their business was constantly to attend sacrificial fires, and probably they were black garments; hence, the Jews in derision call Christian ministers kemarim, because of their black clothes and garments.” Clarke’s commentary continues to say, “Why we should imitate, in our sacerdotal dress, those priests of Baal, is strange to think and hard to tell.”
The whole nation of Israel had indeed come to the alter of Baal to worship. The prophet Elijah actually thought he was the only person left in Israel who wasn’t worshipping Baal! God reminded him that he had “seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal.” That’s not very many out of all of Israel. The Hebrew word for “bowed” here is “Kara” meaning “to bend the knee...to sink...stoop down...etc. There are several other words for “bow” in the bible, but “Kara” means specifically to dip the knee down. It refers to “genuflection” or the drooping of the knee when approaching the alter of Baal.
The practice of "genuflection", of bowing on one knee, was originally a Pagan practice
At a Tophet at Carthage, where Baal was worshipped, 20,000 cinerary urns were discovered with children’s ashes in them, and they found puzzling “cross motifs” at the site. Before the time of Jesus, the cross represented the sun god. “Crosses with arms of equal length were used frequently since time immemorial in pre-Columbian America, the Euphrates-Tigris region, and other parts of the world. That cross seems to have been associated with the sun and the powers that controlled the weather.....Sometime during the first centuries of the Western calendar the Latin cross was adopted by the Christian ideology. Still being associated with heavenly, and almighty lords both and even more so the sun god's staff.”
Speaking of the cross, Bullinger in The Companion Bible says, “crosses were used as symbols of the Babylonian sun-god...” “The evidence for its pagan origin is so convincing that The Catholic Encyclopedia even admits that "the sign of the cross, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of two lines at right angles, greatly antedates...the introduction of Christianity. It goes back to a very remote period of human civilization.”.
There are many supposedly Christian traditions that have suspicious origins. Most people never consider where the tradition of having a steeple on top of a church comes from....Do churchgoers ever wonder why almost every church has a steeple on top of it? Read from The Customs of Mankind by Eichler, “There are still in existence today remarkable specimens of original phallic symbols... steeples on the churches ...and obelisks ...all show the influence of our phallus-worshipping ancestors.” Baal worship involved phallus worship, so it is no surprise that all of Baal’s churches would have a phallic steeple.. The stone obelisk was another phallic symbol. “The word 'obelisk' literally means 'Baal's shaft' or Baal's organ of reproduction'.” (Page 341 Masonic and occult symbols illustrated. Dr. Cathy Burns) “Baal was a very common name of the principal male god...Among the Babylonians, he was called Bel” The obelisk is associated with sun-worship. According to Babylon, Mystery Religion, The erect upright pointed column represents the phallus, the male sex organ, of Baal (Nimrod).
Baal worship is no doubt tied to December 25th. And is the key to the identity of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. They went into captivity carrying this religion with them and they still have it to this day....
We need to straighten out one misconception. Most people falsely believe that the tiny modern nation of Israel in the Middle East represents all 12 tribes of Israel, but they could not be more mistaken. The Jewish people who make up the nation of Israel in the Middle East are only the remnant of the house of Judah that came back from the Babylonic captivity. This House of Judah represents at most, two tribes. (The tribe of Benjamin chose to stay with Judah.) Where are the other 10 tribes now? We must search the bible and history for the clues we need...and there are plenty of them!
In Police forensics, every possible small clue is gathered. They intensely examine the “scene of the crime,” and that is where we will begin in our search for the ten lost tribes of Israel. The book of Kings reveals that the twelve tribes of Israel had a civil dispute that split them into two separate assemblies with separate capitals and separate Kings. The House of Israel had it’s capital at Samaria in the north, and the House of Judah had it’s capital at Jerusalem in the south. They had a civil war no different than the one our own country experienced!
The whole division was caused by a spat over “taxation.” Solomon had taxed the people heavily, and when they sought some relief after his death, his young arrogant son Rehoboam recklessly said to the whole assembly of Israel, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions." At that point, the ten tribed conglomerate of “the House of Israel” went their separate way from the tribe of Judah. To them, it was “taxation without representation,” and they didn’t need a tea party to see it was time to go... Jeroboam the Ephraimite, was the leader of the 10 tribes. He now had a startling realization~... the temple was in enemy territory down at Jerusalem. Jeroboam couldn’t afford this natural pull that might cause his group to go back to Rehoboam...so he devised a scheme that would break all ties to Judah and to young king Rehoboam.
Jeroboam proclaimed Baal worship as the new official religion of the ten tribes. Pay attention to this fact, because forensically, this is a big clue that leads to their identity. Jeroboam knew that if the ten tribes went back down to Jerusalem to the temple as usual, this might cause them to become nostalgic and change their minds about what they had just done and go back to King Rehoboam. To steer clear of this possibility, he made the decision to break the Covenant that God originally made with Israel at Sinai and he set up a new kind of worship for Israel....Baal worship.
The “new” religion was sun worship. That is why the winter solstice that fell on December 25th was so important to them. (“Sol-stice means “sun stop) It represented the annual death and the re-birth of the sun god Baal.” This made December 25th a very important day for all sun worshippers! Even to this day, all Satan worshippers and pagans amazingly still devoutly observe these ancient sun worship rituals at the Yuletide. A quote from one of their websites says, “Yule (December 25th) marks the Death and Rebirth of the Sun-God.” Side by side with "Christians," they faithfully note this day. One group claiming to worship Satan by doing it and the other claiming to worship God. What is wrong with that picture?
Eventually these beloved pagan rituals which had been kept for thousands of years before Christ were “Christianized” over a long period of time. But, the early Church of God never kept December 25th as Christ's birthday. ...The truth is that December 25th was about "the birth of the sun god" long before the birth of the son.... Eventually all aspects of ancient sun worship were fully amalgamated into a church that had fully adopted sun worship and most of it's aspects around 400 years after the death of Christ.
But Baal worship is the key to the identity of the lost tribes of Israel. If you bring a tree into your home at the winter solstice of December 25th, you might be an Israellite!
Here is more info, for those who might want it.
http://www.thechurchesofgod.com/good%20old...20part%20two.ht
Cthrogmorton