Celebrated by lovers everywhere, St. Valentine's Day is a well known tradition. But, What is its origin? What is the meaning of it? Is it a day Christians should observe?
Every February 14th, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, and school classmates exchange "valentines", heart-shaped boxes of candy, and flowers while celebrating this holiday. You have more than likely grown up observing this custom, but have you ever wondered where it came from and what it is REALLY about?
Researching the name of this festival in most reference works would lead you to a third-century Catholic martyr named Valentine. However, the Encyclopedia Britannica states in its 15th ed., vol 10, p.336: "St. Valentine's Day as a lovers' festival and the modern tradition of sending valentine cards have no relation to the saints but, rather seem to be connected either with the Roman fertility festival of the Lupercalia (kept on the evening of Feb.14th and the day of the 15th) or with the mating season of birds." This information is reiterated by the Encyclopedia Americana (article: "ST. Valentine's Day") : The customs of Valentine's Day "have been handed down from the Roman festival of the Lupercalia, celebrated in the month of February, when the names of young women were put into a box and drawn out by men as chance directed." This is the origin of 'valentines' - cards linking men and women together for sexual purposes. This festival was "characterized in the later Roman period by wanton raillery and unkindled freedom . . . " (Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, James Hastings, Vol.III, p.226).
Lupercalia was a festival celebrated in honor of the god Pan of Egyptian mythology. Lempriere's Classical Dictionary records this about the name 'Lupercalia' on p.339: " the name seems to be borrowed from the Greek name of Pan, Lycaeus, from lukos, a wolf . . . because Pan, as god of shepherds, protected sheep from the rapacity of wolves." To the Romans, he was known as Lupercus (which means "wolf hunter"), the deified hero hunter, and by the Semites, he was known as Baal.
Who is Pan/Lupercus/Baal? He is none other than the deified Nimrod of Genesis10 who built the tower of Babel in defiance of God and set up a false system of worship (Babylon Mystery Religion) with his mother/wife, Semiramis. He was the "mighty hunter"- the name 'Valentine' itself means "strong man". As strange as it may seem, Nimrod is the man of honor of ALL of today's holidays. He has usurped the place of the TRUE Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He is honored on this day (Valentine's) as Cupid.
This festival also honored the goddess of sexual immorality,Venus. Venus was the mother of Cupid. He was believed to bring about love and also to make it cease. The name Cupid means "desire". Nimrod's mother, Venus (Semiramis) desired, that is, lusted, her son. That is why she is called the goddess of sexual immorality - she married her own son. They and their twisted sexuality are the object of Valentine's Day.
Cupid, the winged baby with a bow and arrows and a heart is tied directly to Nimrod and the Babylonian Mysteries. Alexander Hislop in The Two Babylons pp188, 189 states this about Cupid and the symbol of the heart: The "Heart" was one of the sacred symbols of Osiris [Nimrod] when he was born again, and appeared as Harpocrates, [Tammuz] or the infant divinity, borne in the arms of his mother Isis [Semiramis, Nimrod's wife]. . . this infant divinity was frequently represented with a heart, or the heart-shaped fruit of the Persea, in one of his hands." Hislop goes on about Cupid, "Speaking of a statue of Cupid, he [John Bell] says it is 'a fair, full, fleshly, round boy, in fine and sportive action, tossing back a heart.' Thus the boy-god came to be regarded as the 'god of the heart', in other words, as Cupid, or the god of love. To identify this infant divinity, with his father 'the mighty hunter' [Nimrod], he was equipped with 'bow and arrows' . . . He was the woman's seed (the false fulfillment of Gen 3:15). Venus and her son Cupid, then were none other than the Madonna and the child."
Are you starting to see the deception behind all this? Here were humans claiming to be the Savior, the Savior reborn (a type of the resurrected Christ) and the virgin mother. These people existed 2000 years before Jesus' appearing in the flesh and their worship has been kept ever since through the Babylonian Mysteries which cloak the true meanings of the traditions you keep today.
How did the 'Heart' become the recognized symbol of the Child of the great Mother? "The answer is, 'The Heart' in Chaldee [the Babylonian language] is 'BEL' (another name of Nimrod) . . . Now, the worship of the 'Sacred Heart' was just (justified), under a symbol [It's TRUE meaning was HIDDEN], the worship of the 'Sacred Bel, that mighty one of Babylon, who had died a martyr for idolatry; for . . . Horus [Tammuz], the infant god, was regarded as Bel born again. When Bel . . . was born again as a child, he was . . . represented as an incarnation of the sun. Therefore to indicate his connection with the fiery and burning sun, the 'sacred heart' was frequently represented as a heart of flame." (Hislop's The Two Babylons, pp.189-190) Again this FALSE SAVIOR attributed Jesus' likeness to himself. By associating the flame and the sun with himself, he claimed to be "the light of the world" (John 8:12) who is truly Jesus the Christ.
So, how did this pagan festival come to be known as Christian? It was during the reign of Pope Gelasius, that this festival became a Christian custom: " As far back as 496, Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia on Feb. 15 to St. Valentine's Day on Feb. 14" (Customs and Holidays Around the World, Lavinia Dobler, p.172) The Emperor Constantine had made "Christianity" the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century. By this time, much of God's truth had been discarded and replaced by pagan philosophy. Constantine himself, was a sun-worshipper. The "universal" (catholic) church's main concern was to convert the pagans as quickly as possible. These "conversions" were to be made at any and all costs. This included allowing their pagan customs to continue - ONLY, "Christian" names were to be placed upon them ( think Mt 15:8,9). "Thus at the first promulgation of Christianity to the gentile nations . . . they could not be persuaded to relinquish many of their superstitions, which rather than forego altogether, they chose to blend and incorporate with the new faith" (Popular Antiquities of Great Britain, John Brandy, p. xi). A blending of Christianity and paganism had occurred! John Brandy also stated in Clavis Calendaria, Vol.1, p.196, that "for almost every pagan ceremony, some Christian rite was introduced". WHAT IS KNOWN BY THE WORLD TODAY AS CHRISTIANITY, IS NOTHING MORE THAN PAGANISM UNDER A NEW NAME.
As is well noted here, St. Valentine's Day and all its trappings are nothing more than a sexual festival in honor of deified human beings who claimed to be of the divine Family of God and Jesus' earthly mother. Has anything really changed about this day in these 2000 years? For mankind today still uses it as an excuse to be sexually immoral, to do what it pleases. This is NOT the way of God! Christians should not partake of this fertility festival for God stated in His Holy word, "Thus saith the LORD, 'Learn not the way of the heathen . . .'(Jer. 10:2) and there is no denying that this is a heathen custom. Deut 12:30,31 state: "Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods." God says not to even ask how these false gods were worshipped, let alone to do likewise. God also says this, concerning the Mysteries of Babylon, "Come out of her My People, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Rev. 18:4) Please take our Father's warning to heart and turn and follow Him.
GOD BLESS
Author: Brian Hoeck
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©1998 Truth On The Web Ministries: All the articles originated by Kenneth Hoeck and/or Brian Hoeck may be freely distributed or mirrored as long as presented in their entirety (including this statement), attributed to Truth on The Web, and proper author credit given.
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