(new article tomorrow)
"It's always the female in the Bible. Her, she, her, she. God identifies an enemy as being a female deity. Historically it's the mother-son cult. With the Phoenicians it was Ashteroth and her son Tammuz. In Egyptian history she's called Isis. In Greek culture she's Aphrodite and in Roman culture she's Venus.
"Today she's called Mary. Is Mary an issue in the land of Shinar today? Is she a prominent figure in Islam? Mary is mentioned 34 times in the Koran. She's called 'the greatest of all women.'
"No other woman in the Koran is named except Mary. In fact, Sura 19 in the Koran is actually named after Mary. You see how culture will adopt and absorb?" says Alex Kurz.
"People argue, 'We don't worship Ashteroth!' Well, if you're worshipping Mary, where did it come from? Do Muslims really venerate Mary?
"The Koran teaches that Mary 'was born without the touch of Satan.' There are two people that's said of: Mary and Jesus, momma and son.
"Jesus is always called the 'son of Mary' in the Koran. He is never called the son of God. Why? Those two people are said to be born without the touch of Satan.
"There are Muslim theologians who say that term means she was born sinless. We know the religious system that believes Mary was born without sin. Out of the Koran they believe she 'kept her chastity.' In other words, she's a virgin.
"The Koran teaches that Mary is a sign to mankind. Mary, in Islam, is called the 'queen of saints.' She's called 'our lady.' There is in the land of Shinar in the Middle East--Mary, after the death and burial of Jesus Christ, moves to Turkey. There is a shrine called the 'House of Mary' in Ephesus in Turkey. According to tradition, this is where Mary spent the last years of her life.
"Where's Satan's seat in the Book of Revelation? Turkey. You've heard of 'Our Lady of Fatima.' Fatima is in Portugal. Did you know the Muslims dominated Portugal for centuries. You know where the name comes from? Mohammed's favorite daughter was Fatima.
"This site in Portugal is one of the most visited sites among Muslims. They believe in signs, wonders and miracles. You've heard of these Marian apparitions where supposedly signs, wonders and healings occur. You know that Muslims believe that?
"There are sites all over the Middle East that are believed to have this connection with Mary; they're called Marian sites and they're in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt.
"There's a book written by Monsignor Luigi, a diplomat for the Vatican who spent years in the Muslim world and believes 'Mary is the bridge and the link between Islam and Christianity.'
"He writes: 'Further proof is found in the pilgrimage that Muslims have made for centuries to Marian shrines in the Middle East.' Damascus, Morocco, Algeria, Casablanca, Algiers.
"There was a site in Egypt where supposedly Mary appeared over a few weeks period of time to perhaps 2 million Muslims.
"Ultimately, Revelation 17, there's this fascination with a woman connected to Baal worship that manifests itself in different shades and flavors in human history. Is Mary going to be the bridge that brings together East and West?"
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Revelation 17:3: [3] So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
"We've said so much about the area all of this is focused on. It's that wilderness area; it's called the 'island of the sea.'
"It's that Middle East area, beginning with northeast Turkey, extending down to Egypt, going all the way over to the Persian Gulf, following the Euphrates River.
"In human history, beginning in Genesis, we have the worship of the sun, the sun god representing Nimrod, which morphed into Baal worship. There's also in history the worship of the moon.
"In the Bible that moon represents Ashteroth. What you learn in this Babylonian tradition is that Baal and Ashteroth have a son named Tammuz. Interestingly enough, Tammuz, who is born via virgin birth by Ashteroth, is considered the reincarnation of Baal. In other words, the son that the virgin Ashteroth produces is really Baal incarnate.
"That whole concept of God enfleshing Himself has its origins in Genesis 10 and 11. You say, 'Wait a minute, it isn't until God promises the nation of Israel Immanuel--you know, God with us.'
"Sometimes we've got to give Satan a little more credit than we do. Genesis 3:15: [15] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
"This is the verse in which Satan launches his counterfeit plan and policy of evil. God is promising that the woman is going to produce a seed and that that seed, ultimately, is going to crush Satan.
"So guess what Satan now launches in answer to God's threat of a woman? Verse 15 actually tells us. In human history we see this infatuation--there is a mother-child cult that has its origins back there in Genesis 3. We see different names given to her.
"Satan has his own counterfeit seed that ultimately is going to culminate out there in the 70th Week. As you examine the issues, practices, behaviors, rituals and rites of Baal worship, this is nothing new under the sun.
"Ashteroth who, by virgin birth, has a son; the son is the incarnation of his father in human flesh. Isn't that what Jehovah God promises and does fulfill when He said, 'I'm going to indwell human flesh'? All of that stuff was already believed in the pagan form."