The reproductions of the 50 foot arch that stood at the Temple of Baal in Palmyra, Syria that will be erected in New York City and London next month will only be the first of many. As you will see below, it turns out that there are plans to put arches in hundreds more cities all over the globe. The organization behind this is the Institute of Digital Archaeology, which is a joint venture between Harvard University, the University of Oxford and Dubai’s Museum of the Future. The initial arches from the Temple of Baal that will be erected in New York and London as part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Week in April are intended “as a gesture of defiance“, but ultimately the plan is to share this “cultural treasure” with as many cities around the planet as possible.
If you go to Times Square in New York or Trafalgar Square in London late next month, you will not be able to miss these giant arches. According to the New York Post, they will be 48 feet high and 23 feet wide…
The life-size model of the original 2,000-year-old structure, known as the Arch of the Temple of Bel, will stand approximately 48 feet high and 23 feet wide.
It will be one of two constructed in China for exhibition likely in Times Square and London’s Trafalgar Square as part of a World Heritage Week event in April 2016, said Roger Michel, executive director for the Institute for Digital Archaeology.
I suppose that it is appropriate that these giant arches are going to be made in China, because it seems like almost everyone is being made over there these days.
But these are not the only two giant arches that are going to be made. That same article from the New York Post says that the Institute for Digital Archaeology ultimately hopes to put 1,000 of these arches in cities all over the globe…
The institute plans to construct approximately 1,000 such versions of the arch in cities throughout the world.
If you are anything like me, this is an extremely disturbing development. Baal worship is definitely not something that we should be celebrating as a society. There were very good reasons why the God of the Bible found it so incredibly repulsive. The following description of what went on during Baal worship comes from Scott Brown…
We know that there were usually lots of people gathered, often on a high hill (like a theatre or stadium) to observe public sex, just like we see in movies and television and on the internet (Numbers 22:41, I Kings 12:25-33). We think that our watching these things is different than the idolatry of old, but this is not so.
The whole community came out and all of the best pagan ideas for success in crops and fertility were promoted, just like a business seminar that promotes unbiblical ideas that justify the worldliness of its origin.
The wicked personalities (promoters and performers) were respected and given the platform (like rock stars and Hollywood’s “People’.) Some of them were great dancers (like Brittany Spears and Madonna) while others were great musicians (like Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney) (I Kings 15:12-14). In our day, people who go to our churches celebrate celebrities when they should be doing the opposite. Psalm 101:1, 3 says “I will walk in my house… I will set no wicked thing before my eyes…”
People danced around the Asherah pole, which was nothing more than a phallic symbol. It is quite possible that these poles functioned somewhat like the poles in what are called, “gentlemen’s clubs.” The people also acted out lustful, licentious, bawdy scenes for the enjoyment of all who came (Isaiah 57:5-8; Deuteronomy 23:17).They had all the different kinds of sexual experiences on display including men with women, men with men and all of the combinations that are popular today in sit-coms, movies and news reports. On top of that, they invited the crowd to participate (I Kings 14:24).
In addition to everything that you just read, child sacrifice was a central feature of Baal worship. If you remember, this is something that I discussed yesterday as well. The following is what Jeremiah 10:4-6 says…
4 Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;
5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:
6 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.
We like to think that we are so much more advanced than people back then, but are we really?
Just like ancient Baal worshippers, we are a society that is addicted to watching other people have sex. In fact, it has been estimated that 68 percent of all Christian men watch pornography on a regular basis.
And just like ancient Baal worshippers, we are a society that is engaged in child sacrifice. We call it “abortion”, but the motives are still the same. If an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy comes along, we have a mechanism “for getting rid of it” just like they did.
Since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, we have slaughtered more than 58 million of our own children. I would venture to say that the ancient Baal worshippers never got quite that much blood on their own hands.
On one level, I find it quite ironic that a reproduction of part of the Temple of Baal is going up in Times Square. David Wilkerson once preached a message entitled “Tearing Down The Altars Of Baal” at Times Square Church, and now a monument to Baal is actually being erected in Times Square.
In our next video, my wife and I will be covering all of this. When it is published, you will be able to find it on our YouTube channel. And don’t forget to hit the red subscribe button on the right hand side of our YouTube page.
Many people regard America as modern day Babylon, and now we are going to have a monument that directly links us to ancient Babylon right in the heart of our most important city.
To me, this is one of the most important news stories of 2016 so far.
But what do you think? Please feel free to join the discussion by posting a comment below…