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[ Created: 2025-10-20 16:57:13  Updated: 2025-10-20 18:24:23 Owner: rl ]
Title: Ishtar, Astarte, the virgin Mary or the Holy Spirit Mother    
  
  
  
  

    

  
  
  
  


Pagan worship historically included both male and female gods and godesses.   

The True and Living God revealed to Moses that He is singluar and leaves no room for other gods or godesses in their theology and worship.   
Hear, O Israel: the Lord our Lord is one Lord:
How much plainer can it be made?     There are not three gods or persons, there is only one being who is Lord and His name is Jesus.     

Jesus Is Lord


When you read or hear the word, Lord, think Jesus.

But Israel strayed from this truth and began to worship gods and godesses of neighboring countries.   

In particular one of these godesses was referred to as the Queen Of Heaven in the passages below.   
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
The Queen of Heaven refers to a pagan goddess worshiped by the Israelites, likely Ishtar or Astarte.

But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goes forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,

The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into his mind?

So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which you have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
This is the first occurrence of the words 'abomination' and 'desolation' in the same passage.     

It lays out the basic understanding of the phrase: Abomination That Makes Desolate.     

Specifically, it connects gross wickedness (abominations) with the extreme destruction (desolation) of a people, their culture, their government and, ultimately, their sovereignty.     

That which was once glorious has become an astonishment to those who observe its fall from grandeur to nothingness.

Because you have burned incense, and because you have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the Lord of Israel, saying; You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: you will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
Why would you pay vows to any entity in heaven unless you worshipped them?     You would not.

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
The woman is the Holy Spirit who may reasonably be called the Holy Spirit Mother.     The 12 stars are likely the 12 Apostles who brought the Gospel to the world so that She might bring forth Children Of God - the manchild.

'It is unclear where the idea that Ashtoreth was a “consort” of Yahweh originated, but it’s easy to see how the blending of paganism that exalts a goddess with the worship of the true King of heaven, Yahweh, can lead to the combining of God and Ashtoreth.   And since Ashtoreth worship involved sexuality (fertility rites and temple prostitution), the resulting relationship, to the depraved mind, would naturally be one of a sexual nature.   Clearly, the idea of the “queen of heaven” as the consort or paramour of the King of heaven is idolatrous and unbiblical.' Mary, the mother of Jesus, was totally human and there is no scripture that mentions her being elevated to deity.   

As a matter of fact Jesus seemed to diminish her importance and favor in the following verses:
Then one said unto him, Behold, your mother and your brothers stand without, desiring to speak with you.

But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother?     and who are my brothers?
Jesus knew that the people would look through natural eyes to find those who they had mental images of as Jesus`s mother and brothers.

And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brothers!
So, Jesus looking through Spriritual eyes saw His disciples (followers) and claimed them as His family.

For whoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
The criteria for being in the family of the Lord is laid out here.     hearing the Word, receiving the Word and doing the Word makes a person a member of the Lord`s family,

Considering with these facts leads to the solid conclusion that worshipping Mary (who did not remain a virgin after Jesus' birth) is idolatry.   

Consider this:
   ➛ The Word is God and the Spirit is God
   ➛ The Word and the Spirit are One God
   ➛ The Word is Truth and the Spirit is the Holy Spirit
   ➛ We are Born Again by:
         → hearing, believing and receiving the Word
         → by asking for and receiving the Holy Spirit

When we are Born Again we are New Spirit beings who receive the Mind Of Christ.   

By receiving the Truth ( Word) and the Holy Spirit we are enabled to worship in Spirit And Truth as Christ predicted to the woman at the well.   

It is not unreasonable and may serve some purpose to consider the Word as the Y spiritual chromosome and the Spirit as the X chromosome by which we are born into the Kingdom Of Heaven spiritually.   

Since the Incarnate Word is not with us on earth while His Spirit Of Truth is with us, we understand that by preaching the seed is sown.   But it is the Holy Spirit Father who draws us into the Truth.   Furthermore, it is the Holy Spirit Mother in us that makes us One with Christ, nurtures us, comforts us and teaches us.   

So, in some sense the Holy Spirit is not only the Holy Spirit Father but also the Holy Spirit Mother.   

To bring this together we can see how that Christ Jesus produces the New Spirit being with His Word and His Holy Spirit.   Since the Word is preached by us Children Of God it falls on the Holy Spirit to produce the New Life in each of us.   

Hence we can see the Word being King Of Heaven and His Spirit being the Queen Of Heaven.   

Since the Word and the Spirit are One, there is only 1 being on the throne who is at once our Father, our Mother and our Brother .   

This gives new insight in when it talks about the dragon who fought with the woman ( Queen Of Heaven) who brought forth the man-child ( Children Of God).   So, Mary, who is human, is not the Queen Of Heaven but rather the Holy Spirit Of Christ Jesus is the Queen Of Heaven.   

As the woman who protects the man-child in the wilderness so will the Holy Spirit seal us against the evils that the Beast and the Dragon bring upon humans during the Great Tribulation.