Their love of setting things on fire for Moloch, or king

In the appendix notes about Tammuz at the end of his classic book (circa 1858), The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop writes, 

"Everywhere are the Zoroastrians, or fire-worshippers, called Gabrs. Now, Genesis 10:8 proves that Nimrod was the first of the Gabrs. As Zoroaster was head of the fire-worshippers, so Tammuz was evidently the same . . . 

"1. In the first place, Tammuz and Adonis are proved to be the same divinity. Jerome, who lived in Palestine when the rites of Tammuz were observed, up to the very time when he wrote, expressly identifies Tammuz and Adonis in his commentary on Ezekiel, where the Jewish women are presented as weeping for Tammuz . . . 

"2. Now, if Tammuz was Nimrod, the examination of the meaning of the name confirms the connection of Nimrod, with the first fire-worship, there needs no argument to show that, as the Chaldeans were the first who introduced the name and power of kings, and as Nimrod was unquestionably the first of these kings, and the first consequently, that bore the title of Moloch, or king, so it was in honor of him that the 'children were made to pass through the fire to Moloch.' But the intention of that passing through the fire was undoubtedly to purify . . .

"It is evident fire itself was worshipped as Tammuz, for it is called the 'Father that perfected all things.' In one respect this represented fire as the Creative god; but in another, there can be no doubt that it had reference to the 'perfecting' of men by 'purifying' them. And especially it perfected those whom it consumed. . . And this also, no doubt, reconciled the parents who actually sacrificed their children to Moloch, to the cruel sacrifice, the belief being cherished that the fire that consumed them also 'perfected' them, and made them meet for eternal happiness."

*****

Ezekiel 8 is a passage mentioning Tammuz: “Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.

[13] He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
[14] Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.”

Jordan explains, “Tammuz was the son of the goddess of the sun. In the Baal worship system there’s always a Madonna and child. Tammuz is the baby and he has two tremendous things happen in his life. One is he’s killed. Then, later on, he’s resurrected.

“He dies in the fall of the year as the ‘god of agriculture,’ as the winter approaches, and in the spring of the year he’s resurrected. These women are weeping not for their sin, or the judgment of God that’s coming. They’re weeping for Tammuz, of all things.

“Verse 15 says, ‘And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.’

“You see what these guys are doing? They’re in the temple and they’re making out like they’re worshipping Jehovah and yet they’re really just eyeball deep in Baal worship.

“Verse 17 says ‘they put the branch to their nose.’ That’s quite a statement, isn’t it? You know, four times in Old Testament the Lord Jesus is called by the title ‘the branch.’ Isaiah 4, Jeremiah 23, Zachariah 3 and 6.

“Each one of those four references is a reference to a particular characteristic of the Lord Jesus Christ that’s reflected in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It’s a fascinating portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Author of life.

“This idolatrous system here has taken that title and developed their own idolatrous source of life. God is love, therefore love is God, and the highest act a man can perform is to create life. That’s why the tremendous sexual abominations that were involved in this—in fact, the word used there is the word used for 'phallus.' The Greek phalex that later on shows up.

“You know, we say you’re ‘thumbing your nose at God.’ That’s the modern-day derivative of this term here. The Italians have a vulgar, vile gesture that they use that’s a similar kind of a thing. They just show the earthy, abominable nature and that’s what’s going on there.”

(another article later this evening)