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SHOULD YOU WISH PEOPLE "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"?







By John D. Keyser







    When you study into it, it is surprising how many words in the
English language have been devised, over the centuries, to the
honor of PAGAN GODS AND GODDESSES. And the universally known and
most popular birthday greeting in the world today -- "HAPPY
BIRTHDAY" -- is no exception!



    Have you ever considered WHY people wish each other a "happy"
birthday? Do you know WHERE this greeting comes from?



    In PAGAN ANTIQUITY people were using this very SAME greeting to
each other under the GUISE of the pagan MYSTERY RELIGIONS! The
initiated of these religions knew that a GOD was being honored
when this wish was being bestowed -- but to those who were NOT
initiated, this god was HIDDEN!



    The truth is, this birthday wish has -- then and now -- its
basis in conferring "LUCK" and "FATE" upon an individual through
the GODS and GODDESSES of the pagan world.



    To fully understand this we have to delve into the etymology of
the word "HAPPY." To learn HOW the word "happy" came into the
English language, we must begin with the "Hidden System of
Mystery" -- a system that originated in ancient Babylon.



Saturn -- The "Hidden" God!



    NIMROD was the first man after the flood to turn against God
and build the city-states of Babylonia -- in order to
concentrate power and authority under his rulership. Eventually,
however, Nimrod died an untimely death at the hands of Shem (son
of Noah) in the ancient city of SATURNIA or ROME. Later, after
his death, Nimrod's wife SEMIRAMIS became pregnant and delivered
a SON, whom she claimed was NIMROD REBORN -- her dead husband!
This is why Semiramis was regarded as "the Mother of Gods and
Men." She gave birth to a REBORN GOD, and Nimrod was RESURRECTED
TO LIFE as Ninus -- the Son. To put it another way, "The God was
The Son, and the Son was God" -- a PAGAN CONCEPT! Therefore,
"The Great Mother" -- Semiramis -- gave life to God and to man!



    The cult of Semiramis (also known as ISHTAR -- EASTER), which
was the personification of "regenerative" motherhood, developed
rapidly in Babylon and soon surfaced in EGYPT where this "Great
Mother" was known as Isis.



    According to ancient writers the MYSTERY GODS of the ancient
world were featured as "hero-gods" of the dying and rising
(resurrecting) type, who had suffered to an exaggerated degree
the trials to which mankind is prone, but in the end gloriously
triumphed over all adversities. This was appealing to many of
the ancient world because candidates to be "INITIATED" into the
MYSTERY RELIGIONS felt that they too would similarly triumph
over the trials and evils of human existence. "Be of good cheer,
you of the MYSTERY. Your God is SAVED. For as also shall be
salvation from ills." This, taken from ancient inscriptions, is
the exact terminology used -- and was the GUARANTEE of each of
the Mystery Religions.



    Notes the publication Should the House of Yahweh Celebrate
Birthdays?:



    By means of initiatory rites, which included various baptisms,
washings, and purifications, the candidate was made a person fit
enough to approach DEITY. Finally, in culminating rites of
communion, revelation, and DEIFICATION, the union of divinity
and humanity was experientially accomplished. But the chief
distinction of the MYSTERIES, in comparison with other gentile
cults, was the fact that they were eschatological religions,
which had to do with the ultimate issue of DEATH itself. -- The
House of Yahweh, Abilene, Texas. 1990. P. 58.



    The religion of the "Great Mother," and her many "Mystery"
spin-offs, held sway over the ancient world because the "Mother"
promised them salvation and immortality! Just as her husband/son
had died and was resurrected back to life, so too could the
members of the Mystery Religions become IMMORTAL!



    The Mystery Religions are part of a SYSTEM that is a "secret"
or a "mystery" -- through the idea of "SILENCE BY INITIATION"
into religious rites.



    Records Ronald R. Wlodyga:



    First Nimrod was deified, then herself [Semiramis], and then
her son. Due to the opposition, she gave them [converts] SECRET
FORMS that were only known to the initiated and these were
worshipped. THESE WERE THE "MYSTERIES"! Outsiders from this new
religious practice did not see the symbols, such as a calf or
tree, were ACTUALLY THE SAME as the worship of Nimrod and
Semiramis. These symbols represented the Sun and Serpent (Satan)
and were the same as the actual Sun-Serpent worship which Shem
had tried to destroy!

    Those who wanted to take part in these Mysteries in Semiramis'
day had to have it explained to them. The TITLE of the priest
that explained the Mysteries was called "PETER." In the
primitive Chaldee, the language of the Mysteries, "Peter" means
INTERPRETER (Parkhurst's Hebrew Lexicon, p. 602). -- The
Ultimate Source of All Super Natural Phenomena. Triumph
Publishing Co., 1981. P. 50.



    The Book of Revelation mentions this system and names it what
it is: "And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE
EARTH" (Revelation 17:5).



    According to Ronald Wlodyga: "After Nimrod's death the kings of
the earth continued her [Semiramis] self-conceived religious
system -- the MYSTERY mentioned in Revelation 17:5 -- the system
by which Semiramis blended paganism with the TRUE TEACHINGS of
the Eternal God regarding a Savior for man. Semiramis, being the
head of this false substitute for God's true Church, used
herself sexually for the kings and civil rulers of that time in
order to further her counterfeit religious system to the nations
of the earth" (Ibid., p. 50).



    Semiramis' husband Nimrod -- the founder of Babylon and the
first man after the flood to oppose God and His laws -- was
known as the GOD OF THE CHALDEAN MYSTERIES. His "mystery" name
was SATURN.



    Alexander Hislop, in his book The Two Babylons, informs us
that--





The name of the SYSTEM is "MYSTERY" (Mystery Babylon the Great).
Here, then, we have the KEY that at once unlocks the puzzle. We
have now only to inquire what was the name by which NIMROD was
known as the GOD OF THE CHALDEAN MYSTERIES. That name, as we
have seen, was SATURN. "Saturn" and "Mystery" are both Chaldean
words, and they are correlative terms. As MYSTERY signifies the
"HIDDEN SYSTEM," so Saturn signifies the "HIDDEN GOD." To those
who were "initiated" the god was "revealed"; to all else he was
"hidden." -- Loizeaux Brothers, N.J. 1959. P. 269.



    In a footnote on the same page of Hislop's book, we read the
following: "In the Litany of the Mass, the worshippers are
taught thus to pray: 'God HIDDEN, and my Saviour, have mercy
upon us' " -- (M'Gavin's Protestant, vol. II. P. 79, 1837).



    Quoting from Chamber's Book of Days (p. 435), Hislop then asks,
"Whence can this invocation of the 'GOD HIDDEN' have come, but
from the ancient worship of SATURN, the 'HIDDEN GOD'? As the
Papacy has canonised the BABYLONIAN GOD by the name of St.
Dionysius, and St. Bacchus, the 'martyr,' so by this very name
of 'SATUR' is he also enrolled in the calendar: for March 29th
is the festival of 'St. Satur' the martyr."



    It is the worship of a "HIDDEN GOD" that makes this a MYSTERY;
and that "HIDDEN GOD" is brought forth from a Church of Mystery!



    Hislop, in The Two Babylons, further explains:



    Saturn and Lateinos are just SYNONYMOUS, having precisely the
SAME meaning, and belonging equally to THE SAME GOD. The reader
cannot have forgotten the lines of Virgil, which showed that
Lateinos, to whom the Romans or Latin race traced back their
lineage, was represented with a glory around his head, to show
that he was a "child of the Sun." Thus, then, it is evident
that, in popular opinion, the original Lateinos had occupied the
very same position as SATURN did in the MYSTERIES, who was
equally worshipped as the "offspring of the Sun." Moreover, it
is evident that the Romans knew that the name "Lateinos"
signified the "HIDDEN ONE," for their antiquarians invariably
affirm that Latium received its name from SATURN "LYING HID"
there. -- Page 270.



    Continues Hislop:



    On etymological grounds, then, even on the testimony of the
Romans, Lateinos is equivalent to the "HIDDEN ONE;" that is, to
SATURN, THE "GOD OF MYSTERY." While Saturn, therefore, is the
name of the beast, and contains the mystic number, Lateinos,
which contains the same number, is just as peculiar and
distinctive an appellation of the SAME beast. The POPE, then, as
the HEAD OF THE BEAST, is equally Lateinos or Saturn, that is,
THE HEAD OF THE BABYLONIAN "MYSTERY." When, therefore, the Pope
requires all his services to be performed in the "Latin tongue,"
that is as much as to say that they must be performed in the
language of "MYSTERY"; when he calls his Church the Latin
Church, that is equivalent to a declaration that it is THE
CHURCH OF "MYSTERY." Thus, by this very name of the Pope's own
choosing, he has with his own hands written upon the very
forehead of his apostate communion its divine Apocalyptic
designation, "MYSTERY -- BABYLON THE GREAT." -- Ibid., pps.
270-271.



    This mystery system has come down to us almost unchanged in the
form of the Roman Catholic Church. It is the system of MYSTERY
SUN WORSHIP, and a large portion of this deceived world is
following it today!



Osiris and Isis



    This same "MYSTERY RELIGION," with its same "HIDDEN SUN-GOD,"
can be seen in the mythology of ancient Egypt; and with the
following passage we begin to see the etymology of the word
"HAPPY" in the greeting "happy birthday":



    Best known to us of the gods [of Egypt] is of course OSIRIS,
with Isis and Horus the child (Harpokrates), the family triad
beloved of ordinary people. In later times they seem almost to
monopolize worship, and BECOME IDENTIFIED WITH MANY OTHER
GODS....in a manner for which various explanations might be
given, he [OSIRIS] later on became identified with two local
gods of the dead, the hawk Sokri, AND THE BULL HAPI (APIS)
[variously spelt HAP, HAPY, HAPPY] at Memphis, and eventually,
under the middle kingdom with another local dead-god,
Khentamentiu ("chief of the Westerners") at Abydos. Thereafter
Osiris-Khentamentiu becomes the great god of the dead, ruling
the underworld of the tombs in which the dead lived in ghostly
fashion, and every Egyptian becomes himself Osiris at his death.
IDENTIFICATION WITH THE SUN in his mighty progress through the
underworld followed. At Memphis a TRIPLE OSIRIS,
Ptah-Socharis-Osiris, was confounded with the local deity Ptah,
as well as Sokri (Socharis), and the BULL APIS [HAPI] was his
animal. Under the Ptolemies Osiris-Apis was graecized as
Serapis, and because his seat at Sakkarah was ALSO CALLED
SE-N-HAPI, the Greeks imagined a connection with Sinope in Asia
Minor that has not even yet been expelled from the minds of
classical scholars. -- Encyclopedia Britannica, 1943 edition.
Vol. 8, article "Egypt," p. 58.



    In Collier's Encyclopedia we read about the Egyptian DYING AND
RISING TYPE of Mystery God, which is none other than the
Egyptian version of the Babylonian MOTHER/SON/ HUSBAND triad:



    The green (sometimes BLACK) color of his skin reflects the
concept of OSIRIS as vegetation or earth god, SUBMERGED IN THE
ANNUAL NILE INUNDATION and emerging again to bring forth
life-giving plants for mankind. The most widespread myth, fully
preserved only in late sources, associates him with Isis and
Horus, the former as his wife, the latter as their son.
According to this myth, Osiris died as the result of a trick
played by his jealous brother SET, who coveted the Egyptian
throne; Osiris' body was dismembered and scattered throughout
Egypt (or floated away to Syrian Byblos). Rescued by faithful
Isis, the body retained sufficient virility to beget Horus, who
was subsequently born at marsh-bound Chemmis and nursed by Isis
until big enough to challenge Set and avenge his father's
murder. -- Vol. 18, pps. 238-239.



    The encyclopedia mentions another myth about Osiris:



    Another myth tells that Osiris was simply drowned in the Nile.
In both, however, he descended into the water and then came
forth with life-giving moisture and fertilizing power, to
sustain human beings. Osiris was worshipped in many places,
notably at Abydos in Upper Egypt, regarded in the myth as the
burial place of his head. Here were celebrated the annual
"MYSTERIES OF OSIRIS"; a drama was enacted in which his struggle
with his enemies (chiefly Set) was simulated, his disappearance
(death) was mourned with loud wailing and self-torture by the
spectators, and finally his "resurrection" was celebrated with
corresponding joy and exultation.

    As king of the dead -- Horus having succeeded him as earthly
ruler -- Osiris presided over the final judgment which every man
and woman faced, when hearts were weighed against the feather of
truth. Egyptians hoped by the use of MAGIC to be in death
identified with Osiris in the nether world and even to become an
Osiris, triumphant over death, in the land of the blessed.
-Ibid., p. 239.



    Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia has this to say: "Originally
the local god of Abydos and Busiris, OSIRIS, who represented the
male productive force in nature BECAME IDENTIFIED WITH THE
SETTING SUN. Thus he was regarded as the ruler of the realm of
the dead...Osiris was the brother and husband of ISIS, goddess
of the earth and of the moon, who represented the female
productive force in nature. According to legend Osiris, as king
of Egypt, found his people plunged in barbarism and taught them
law, agriculture, religion, and other blessings of civilization.
He was murdered by his evil brother SET, who tore the body to
pieces and scattered the fragments. Isis found and buried his
scattered remains, however, and each burial place was thereafter
revered as sacred ground. Their son HORUS, sired by a temporary
regenerated Osiris, avenged his father's death by killing Set
and then ascended the throne. Osiris lived on in the underworld
as the ruler of the dead, but he was also, through Horus,
regarded as the source of renewed life" (Vol. 18 Article
"Osiris," p. 212).



Life and Death of Nimrod



    In this myth or legend we see preserved fragments of TRUTH
regarding the life and death of NIMROD -- "a mighty one in the
earth" (Genesis 10:8) and the first empire-builder after the
flood!



    We have just seen in the passage from Collier's Encyclopedia
that Osiris was sometimes represented as being BLACK. Hislop, in
his Two Babylons notes "that Nimrod, as the son of Cush, was a
NEGRO. Now, there was a tradition in Egypt, recorded by
Plutarch, that 'OSIRIS WAS BLACK,' which, in a land where the
general complexion was dusky, must have implied something MORE
THAN ORDINARY IN ITS DARKNESS...we have unequivocal evidence
that OSIRIS, the son and husband of the great goddess-queen of
Egypt, was...represented as a veritable NEGRO. In Wilkinson may
be found a representation of him with the unmistakable features
of the genuine Cushite or negro...This negro-featured Osiris is
clothed from head to foot in a SPOTTED DRESS, the upper part
being a leopard's skin, the under part also being SPOTTED to
correspond with it. Now the name NIMROD signifies "the subduer
of the LEOPARD." This name seems to imply, that...Nimrod had
gained fame by...making the LEOPARD aid him in hunting the other
wild beasts" (Loizeaux Brothers, N.J. 1959. Pps. 43-44).



    Author Bryant (Bryant's Mythology, London 1807) reveals that
Nimrod conquered all of the lands from Babylon to Libya
-including Egypt. This area included the majority of the
populated world of the day; and Nimrod imposed HIS government
and HIS religion upon these peoples. Nimrod created laws to
govern this vast area, but chose to ignore God's law because he
was intent on turning the people of these lands away from God
and to himself.



    According to Herman L. Hoeh "Nimrod settled Egypt 60 years
after the building of Babel, and reigned two years jointly with
his father. His total reign in Egypt was therefore 27 years"
(Compendium of World History. Ambassador College, 1962. P. 53).



    According to Hislop: "Ancient traditions relate that the
apostates who joined in the rebellion of Nimrod made war upon
the faithful among the sons of Noah [Shem and his followers in
Egypt]. Power and numbers were on the side of the
fire-worshippers. But on the side of the faithful was the power
of God's spirit. Therefore many [Nimrod and his government] were
convicted in their sin, and arrested in their evil career; and
victory declared for the saints. The power of Nimrod [Osiris]
came to an end, and with it, for a time, the WORSHIP OF THE SUN,
AND THE FIERY SERPENT ASSOCIATED WITH IT" (The Two Babylons, p.
232)



    Somehow Osiris (Nimrod) managed to escape and fled to ROME.
Shem (known as SET by the Egyptians) followed him there and
killed him, taking his body back to Egypt. As a result, the area
where Rome now stands became known as SATURNIA -- the place
where Nimrod [Saturn] hid from his pursuers.



    Shem (Set) returned to Egypt with the body of Nimrod (Osiris)
and, with the consent of the judicial system of Egypt (72
leading men of the country), cut the body up into pieces and
distributed it around the land.



    While this seems barbaric on the surface, the net result of
this act was to scare people from having anything further to do
with the SUN-WORSHIP system instituted by Osiris or Nimrod.



    Hislop recounts the story:



    Now when Shem had so powerfully wrought upon the minds of men
as to induce them to make a terrible example of the great
Apostate, and when that Apostate's DISMEMBERED LIMBS were sent
to THE CHIEF CITIES, where no doubt his system had been
established....[the] terror of an EXECUTION, inflicted on one so
mighty as Nimrod, made it needful that, for some time to come at
least, the EXTREME OF CAUTION should be used. -- The Two
Babylons, p. 66.



    Earlier, Hislop noted that: "In like manner, when the
dismembered parts of Osiris were sent among the cities by the
seventy-two "conspirators" -- in other words, by the supreme
judges of Egypt, it was equivalent to a solemn declaration in
their name, that 'WHOSOEVER SHOULD DO AS OSIRIS HAD DONE, SO
SHOULD IT BE DONE TO HIM; SO SHOULD HE ALSO BE CUT IN PIECES' "
(Ibid., p. 64).



    While this put an end to Nimrod's sun-worship religion for a
while, those who were intent on continuing their rebellion
against God realized that they would have to go UNDERGROUND to
avoid the same fate that befell Nimrod. "In these circumstances,
then, BEGAN, there can hardly be a doubt, THAT SYSTEM OF
'MYSTERY,' which, having Babylon for its centre, has spread over
the world. In these Mysteries, under the SEAL OF SECRECY and the
sanction of an oath, and by means of all the fertile resources
of MAGIC, men were gradually LED BACK to all the IDOLATRY that
had been publicly suppressed [by Shem], while NEW FEATURES were
added to that idolatry that made it still MORE blasphemous than
before" (The Two Babylons, pps. 66-67).




        "Many gods...."



    The citizens of ancient Egypt worshipped MANY different gods
and goddesses which were, at first, worshipped only in local
areas. But, when Upper and Lower Egypt were united, the gods of
the more influential cities acquired a "NATIONAL" rather than a
"local" status.



    We read about this in Collier's Encyclopedia, under the title
"Religion":



    From the beginning the Egyptians were intensely religious. If,
as some believe, they started as monotheists, they scarcely
possessed a monotheistic zeal. While they were loyal to the "GOD
OF THE CITY," that loyalty never excluded a readiness to accept
other divinities into their hearts and shrines. The gods of the
more influential cities acquired a sort of national status as
soon as the "union of the Two Lands" had been consummated. The
creator-god Ptah of Memphis, the sun-god Re of Heliopolis, the
fertility-god Min of Coptos, the cow-goddess Hathor of Dendera,
OSIRIS OF ABYDOS, Neith of Sais, the cosmic god Amon of
Hermopolis later transferred to Thebes: these were divinities
once more or less strictly localized whose cults were eventually
practiced up and down the Nile Valley....

    Gods whose cults were transferred to a new location
occasionally SUPERSEDED the native god. Thus Montu of Thebes was
overshadowed by Amon when the latter came from Hermopolis; it
was Amon who became king of the gods. Osiris was not native to
Abydos, but few Egyptians remembered the god who was, and
Osiris, lord of Abydos, was the MOST LOVED of all Egyptian
gods.-- Vol. 8, pps. 668-669.



    The Egyptians exhibited a great propensity to accept NEW gods
into their worship -- and willingly MERGED the most popular of
them. In other words, many of the gods were JOINED TO EACH OTHER
and their rituals were combined in order to worship BOTH of them.



The "HIDDEN GOD" of Osiris!



    But also, and this is important, the "HIDDEN GODS" that were
associated with these popular gods were also MERGED along with
them! In this fashion the god HAPI also became known as HAP,
HAPY, APIS and HAPPY!



    Remember that in the Babylonian Mystery Religion SATURN was the
"HIDDEN GOD" associated with Nimrod. So WHO, in the Mystery
Religion of Egypt, was the "HIDDEN GOD" associated with OSIRIS--
the GOD that was only revealed to those who were "initiated"?



    Earlier we read that: "The green (sometimes black) color of his
[Osiris] skin reflects the concept of Osiris as vegetation or
earth god, SUBMERGED IN THE ANNUAL NILE INUNDATION AND EMERGING
AGAIN to bring forth life-giving plants for mankind" (Collier's
Encyclopedia, p. 238).



    We also read that "another myth tells that Osiris was simply
drowned in the Nile. In both [myths], however, HE DESCENDED INTO
THE WATER AND THEN CAME FORTH with life-giving moisture and
fertilizing power, to sustain human beings" (Ibid., p. 238).



    Now, if we do a little research, we will discover that the NILE
RIVER itself -- from which the god OSIRIS "emerged" or "came
forth" from -- was THE GOD NAMED "HAPI"!



    This association with the Nile River can be found in The
Religion of Ancient Egypt, by Samuel A.B. Mercer:



    The river NILE was deified under the form of its ANCIENT NAME
HAPI (h'pi) or Hep (hp).

    It was thought that HAPI dwelt in a grotto on the Island of
Bigeh, in the Nile....He was called "great lord of provisions,"
"lord of fishes," "father of the gods," "creator of things which
exist," "vivifier." By his worshippers, he was exalted above
Re....His symbols were water and water plants....There is extant
an interesting HYMN OF THANKSGIVING TO HAPI, and the books of
the Nile-god are referred to.

    As a water and vegetation-god, HAPI WAS IDENTIFIED WITH OSIRIS,
Hapi being the Nile and Osiris the fertilizing virtues of the
river (PT 2063). The Nile was said to have come forth from the
sweat of the hands of OSIRIS, and the soul of Osiris was revived
by water flowing from the breast of the MALE-FEMALE HAPI and
from a vase in his left hand....(Luzac & Co., London. 1949. P.
185).



    Samuel Mercer explains that --



    He was worshipped, no doubt, as early as the first prehistoric
settlements on the banks of the Nile, and, although no regular
organized liturgical cult of Hapi is known, offerings were made
to him for his aid and blessing during the periods of
inundations. Out of that developed the regular FESTIVALS OF THE
NILE...such as those of Rameses II, when many kinds of offerings
were made TO HAPI, and later the festival of the annual rise of
the Nile was celebrated throughout Egypt with great solemnity.
Still later, Heliodorus Aeth. X, I, speaks of an offering to the
Nile and a festival (ib., IX, 9). The early Church Fathers refer
to the worship of the waters of the Nile, and the festival of
the Nile is celebrated even in our own day. We have reference to
several temples which were DEDICATED TO HAPI, at Nilopolis,
Heliopolis, and Memphis. -- Ibid., p. 186.



    In discussing the hymn of thanksgiving to Hapi (mentioned in
the above quote) historian Miriam Lichtheim makes the following
comments: "HAPY, the personified inundating Nile, AROUSED
FEELINGS OF THANKFUL EXUBERANCE which inspired some fine poetry.
Pyramid Text 581 speaks of the 'meadows laughing when the
riverbanks are flooding,' and the great hymn [to HAPI]...has
woven the reactions of the people to the annual miracle of the
inundation into a highly effective composition, which was much
admired by the Egyptians, as the numerous text copies
attest....The god HAPY did not have a regular temple-cult. But
there were FESTIVALS IN HIS HONOR, at which hymns were
undoubtedly sung" (Ancient Egyptian Literature. Vol. 1: The Old
and Middle Kingdoms. University of California Press, Los
Angeles, 1975. Pps. 204-205).



    Here, in this very quote, we find a textbook dictionary
definition of the word "happy" -- "feelings of thankful
exuberance"! This, my friends, is where the modern English word
"happy" comes from -- ancient Egypt and HAPI, the god of the
Nile!



    Further information about HAPY or HAPI as the Nile god can be
found in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore,
Mythology, and Legend:



    The god of the Nile; an obese bearded man with the breasts of a
woman; the Greek Nilus. Both the great stomach and the breasts
are SYMBOLS OF THE FERTILITY of this water god; the lotus or the
papyrus carried on his head, and the water he poured from vases
are likewise fertility symbols. Sometimes the god is dual: as
the red god of the lower Nile he wears the papyrus; as the blue
god of the upper river, he wears the lotus. HAPY was worshipped
especially at the annual inundation; the mysterious resurrection
of the life-bringing river caused him to be identified even in
early times WITH OSIRIS. -- Funk & Wagnalls Co., N.Y. 1950. Vol.
1, p.479.



    We can now see that "HAPY-HAPI" was the "HIDDEN GOD" that was
associated with and worshipped alongside the god OSIRIS!
HAPY-HAPI, as the Hidden God, was known as the "father of the
gods," "creator of things which exist," and "LIFE GIVER" -- the
god of fertility and resurrection!



The God Ptah



    A KEY to tying all this together is the god PTAH -- the god of
ancient Memphis. Ptah has a Semitic name which means "THE
OPENER."



    We read earlier that the TITLE of the PRIEST who explained the
MYSTERIES to the initiate was "PETER" -- meaning interpreter or
OPENER. Obviously, then, this title of the priest came from PTAH
(PTA) -- one of the gods of ancient Egypt. Ptah, therefore, can
help OPEN to our understanding the relationship between the
various gods and the symbols that represent them.



    Let us now look at PTAH, the god of MEMPHIS: "PTAH, in ancient
Egyptian religion, one of the greatest of gods. Ancient
inscriptions describe him as 'creator of the earth, father of
the gods and all the beings of this earth, father of
beginnings.' He was regarded as the patron of metalworkers and
artisans and as a  mighty healer. His most usual representation
is as a mummy bearing the symbols of life, power, and stability.
The main center of his worship was a magnificent temple in
Memphis" (Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, Vol. 19, pps.
449-450).



    For more detail we need to go to Collier's Encyclopedia once
more:



    PTAH [pta], the god of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis.
Of comparatively late origin -- early dynastic period or
before-- he is always represented as human in form and appears
in a tightly fitting garment with hands, feet, and head alone
extending....The theologies of Memphis, in their rivalry with
the city of Hermopolis and Hermopolis' god Amon, developed a
lofty concept of PTAH AS A CREATOR whose heart (mind) and tongue
(utterance) produced the entire creation....PTAH WAS JOINED TO
SOKAR AND OSIRIS and was even associated with the mortuary cult.
At Memphis, where he always remained supreme, he shared worship
with Sekhmet, his wife, and Nefertem, his son. -- Vol. 19, p.
479.



    Here we see that PTAH was JOINED to Osiris. Remember this fact.



Memphis -- City of Ptah!



    Now, since the main center of Ptah's worship was MEMPHIS, let
us find out more about this important Egyptian city.



    The Encyclopedia Britannica reveals the following information:
"MEMPHIS, the capital of Egypt through most of its early
history, now represented by the rubbish mounds at Bedreshen on
the W. bank of the Nile 14m. S. of Cairo. AS THE CHIEF SEAT OF
THE WORSHIP OF PTAH, the artisan god (Hephaestus), Memphis must
have existed from a very remote time. But its greatness probably
began with MENES [MIZRAIM -- GRANDSON OF NOAH], who united the
kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt, and is said to have secured
the site for his capital near the border of the two lands by
diverting the course of the river eastward. The residence here
of Pepi I. of the VIth Dynasty, as well as his pyramid in the
necropolis, was named Men-nefer, and this gradually became the
usual designation of the whole city, becoming Menfi, Membi in
late Egyptian, i.e. Memphis. It was also called HAKEPTAH,
"RESIDENCE OF THE KA [GENIUS] OF PTAH," and this name furnishes
a possible ORIGIN for that of EGYPT" (1943 Edition. Vol. 15, p.
235).



    Also, in Collier's Encyclopedia, we read:



    MEMPHIS, the capital of ancient Egypt, 14 miles south of Cairo,
across the Nile. Its site made it the key to Egypt, and its
choice as the royal residence is ascribed to MENES (c. 2850
B.C.) [?]. ITS GREAT GOD WAS PTAH, in whose temple was KEPT THE
APIS-BULL, attested by inscriptions as early as the First
Dynasty. Throughout the Old Kingdom Memphis remained the
capital, and the Pharaohs were buried at nearby Saqqara, Giza,
and Abu Sir. The city was first known as the "White Wall," but
in the Sixth Dynasty, for obscure reasons, it acquired the name
Men-nefer, which the Greeks rendered Memphis. Its sacred name
was HIKUPTAH, "house of the KA (GENIUS) of PTAH," which the
Greeks rendered "AIGUPTOS," giving us our name Egypt. -- Vol.
15, pps. 680-681.



    Did you see that -- the sacred name of MEMPHIS was HIKUPTAH,
(Aiguptos -- Egypt) which means "house of the GENIUS of Ptah"?!
Now what exactly is the "GENIUS" of Ptah?



The "Genius" of Ptah



    Webster's Deluxe Unabridged Dictionary gives us a clue:



    GEN'IUS (--yus), n.; pl. for 3, 4, 5, 6 gen'ius.es, for 1 and
2, ge'ni-i, [L. genius, the GUARDIAN DEITY OR SPIRIT of a
person, spirit, natural ability, genius, from gignere to
produce.]

    1. (a) [often G --] according to ancient Roman belief, A
GUARDIAN SPIRIT assigned to a person AT BIRTH; TUTELARY DEITY;
hence, (b) [often G --] the guardian spirit of any person,
place, etc.; (c) either of two spirits, one good and one evil,
supposed to influence one's destiny; -- Second Edition. Simon &
Schuster, N.Y. 1979.



    If we turn to the Encyclopedia Britannica once again, more
interesting facts come to light: "In its earliest meaning in
private cult, the GENIUS [GUARDIAN DEITY OR SPIRIT] of the Roman
house-father and the IUNO [ROMAN DEITY OF WOMEN] of the
house-mother were worshipped.... In this as in all forms of his
cult, the GENIUS was often conceived as APPEARING IN THE FORM OF
A SNAKE....Owing to the rise of individualism and also to the
prevalence of Greek ideas concerning a guardian spirit or
DAIMON, the GENIUS lost its original meaning, and came to be a
sort of personification of the individual's natural desires and
appetites....However, the development did not stop here. The
GENIUS came to be thought of as a sort of GUARDIAN ANGEL, a
higher self; and, as the Greek DAIMON was sometimes rationalized
into the individual's character or temper, so also Horace
half-seriously (Epp. ii. 2, 187) says that only the GENIUS knows
what makes one person so different from another, adding that HE
IS A GOD who is born and dies with each one of us. THIS
INDIVIDUAL GENIUS WAS WORSHIPPED BY EACH INDIVI- DUAL ESPECIALLY
ON HIS BIRTHDAY....As Greek DAIMONES were by no means always the
guardian spirits of individuals, so also we get A VAST VARIETY
OF GENII; i.e., guardian spirits, of places, genius loci,
including buildings (genius balneorum, etc.) and corporations of
all sorts, from the State (genius populi Romani) to small bodies
of troops, guilds of tradesmen and so forth. A very curious
development is that we sometimes hear of THE GENIUS OF A GOD,
even of Jupiter, or of the IUNO of a goddess. Apart from the
Latin use of the term, the plural "genii" (with a singular
"genie") is used in English, as equivalent to the Arabic jinn,
for a CLASS OF SPIRITS, good or bad, such as are described, for
instance, in The Arabian Nights" (1943 Edition. Vol. 10, p. 116).



Apis -- The Sacred Bull!



    We have just read in the quotation from Collier's Encyclopedia
that "Ptah was JOINED to...OSIRIS." Also, we have just read that
PTAH was the great god of Memphis, "in whose temple was kept the
APIS-BULL..." If we look into the DEFINITION of the word "APIS,"
we will soon learn that it literally means "THE HIDDEN"!



    Notice what Webster's Deluxe Unabridged Dictionary says:



    A'PIS, n. [L. Apis; Gr. Apis; Egypt. HAPI, lit. THE HIDDEN.] a
bull to which divine honors were paid by the ancient Egyptians
because of his supposed connection WITH THE GOD PTAH.



    Further, in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore,
Mythology, and Legend:



    HAP, HAPI, or APIS LITERALLY, THE HIDDEN: in ancient Egyptian
religion, the sacred bull of Memphis, symbol and incarnation of
PTAH-OSIRIS. This bull was the offspring of a virgin cow who had
been impregnated by lightning or a moonbeam. In death it was
known in Ptolemaic times as the POWERFUL GOD SERAPIS
(OSIRIS-APIS): in the Memphite Serapeum, uncovered in 1851, 64
mummified bulls were found. The bull was chosen by its special
markings, and succeeded to its post of honor after the death of
the preceding HAP. Those who inhaled its breath became thereby
able to prophesy. It is conjectural whether the calf worshipped
by the Israelites in the desert during the exodus from Egypt was
identical with, or an image of, this bull. See BULL; HAPY. -Vol.
1, p. 480.



    In the Encyclopedia Britannica (1943 edition) we read: "APIS or
HAPI (the Bull), a god of the ancient Egyptian Pantheon. His
chief centre of worship was Memphis and he was supposed to be
THE IMAGE OF THE SOUL OF OSIRIS. He is occasionally represented
as a man with the head of a bull. He was also regarded as the
reincarnation (or the son) of PTAH...and from his posthumous
name of OSIRIS-APIS [HAPI] is derived his other name, Serapis"
(Vol. 2, p. 99).



    Also, in Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, we learn: "APIS,
sacred bull of the ancient Egyptians. It was known to them as
HAPI, and was regarded as THE INCARNATION OF OSIRIS or of
PTAH....It was believed that when APIS died a new  Apis appeared
and had to be searched out...." (Vol. 2, p. 163).



    Now if we turn to The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible
(page 157) we will learn more about HAP-HAPI-HAPY -- the SACRED
BULL known as APIS:



    The SACRED BULL KNOWN AS APIS was worshipped in Memphis by the
Egyptians from earliest historical times as a GENERAL GOD OF
FERTILITY. Although he was primarily a manifestation of the god
Ptah, his fertility function led to his being closely associated
with OSIRIS in Greco-Roman times and to his being regarded as
the reincarnation of that god, under the name OSIRIS-APIS or
SERAPIS. The REPRESENTATIVE BULL was chosen with great care by
the priests of the cult, and during its lifetime it was accorded
all the honors concomitant with divine adoration. At its death
it was mummified and buried in one of the several places
reserved in Egypt for that purpose. -- Vol. 1.



    In Ralph Woodrow's Babylon Mystery Religion we find, on page
150, a view of an "APIS" (HAP-HAPI-HAPY) BULL with a SUN DISK
between its horns:



    In Hislop's Two Babylons the author reveals that the symbolism
for a "BULL" is a "PRINCE" or "RULER" -- a "KING"! Notice: "The
same word that signified a BULL, signified also a RULER or
PRINCE. Hence the "Horned bull" signified "The MIGHTY Prince,"
thereby pointing BACK to the first of those "Mighty ones," who,
under the name of Guebres, Gabrs, or Cabiri, occupied so
conspicuous a place in the ANCIENT WORLD, and to whom the
deified Assyrian monarchs covertly traced back the origin of
their greatness and might" (page 33).



    Therefore, the APIS-HAP-HAPI-HAPY BULL with the SUN DISK
between its horns is the symbolism that tells us that the HIDDEN
GOD is the RULER OF SUN-WORSHIP! In other words, the BULL
plainly represents NIMROD!



    Hislop points this out --



    The ordinary way in which the favourite EGYPTIAN DIVINITY
OSIRIS was mystically represented was under the form of a YOUNG
BULL or calf -- the calf APIS -- from which the golden calf of
the Israelites was borrowed. There was a reason WHY that calf
should not commonly appear in the appropriate symbols of THE GOD
HE REPRESENTED, for that calf represented the divinity in the
character of SATURN, "THE HIDDEN ONE," "APIS" being only another
name for SATURN" (Ibid., p. 45).



    Saturn of course, as we have already seen, is none other than
NIMROD!



     Therefore, according to the publication Should the House of
Yahweh Celebrate Birthdays, " 'HAPI-HAPY' was the 'GENIUS' of
Ptah (and of Osiris) -- the 'HIDDEN GOD' -- HAPI-HAPY-HAP-APIS--
represented as the 'Sacred Bull of Memphis,' was the symbol and
incarnation of the GODS Ptah and Osiris!" (page 65).



    Notice how ALL these gods trace back to the original god after
the flood -- NIMROD, the first to rebel against God in the new
age. These HIDDEN GODS were known by many different "names," but
all these gods combined into ONE "HIDDEN GOD NIMROD" -- even the
NAME OF EGYPT, the "house of the GENIUS [Hapi-Hapy] of Ptah"!



    When the Eternal God brought the Israelites out of  Egypt and
out of the apostate religion of the land, the first of the Ten
Commandments given to them was" "You shall have no OTHER GODS
before Me" -- period! But, human nature being what it is without
the spirit of God, the Israelites (and later, so-called
Christians) IGNORED this pivotal commandment; and today, whether
you believe it or not, "Christians" participating in BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATIONS are wishing the OTHER GODS of Egypt upon each
celebrant.



    The bottom line is that God is NOT WORSHIPPED among
"Christians" today; but the OTHER GODS OF EGYPT are worshipped
and glorified in this whole DECEIVED WORLD!



    Osiris was clearly identified at Memphis with Ptah and the GODS
that were identified or associated with Ptah -- namely the local
sacred bull APIS (HAP). Now, as we have seen, this UNION led to
the name OSOR-HAP (OSIRIS-APIS),  known as "SERAPIS" to the
Greek world.



    Ptolemy I, the Macedonian general who ruled Egypt after
Alexander the Great died, placed Serapis in the Egyptian
pantheon -- with the intention of establishing a GOD in whose
worship the Greeks could join at a common shrine. The temple of
OSIRIS-APIS was rebuilt at Alexandria (the sea-port of Egypt)
where it was called the SERAPEUM; and a great IMAGE OF GOD was
set up there. The Greeks informed the Egyptians that this GOD
was a FUSION of Osiris and Apis of Memphis -- thereby becoming
Osiris-Apis or SERAPIS. Serapis assumed the titles of Osiris, as
the NILE GOD (HAPI-HAPY), the god of the Underworld, and the
judge of the dead.



    The great SERAPEUM at Alexandria became the CHIEF SEAT of the
worship of Serapis and ISIS in the Ptolemaic Age. It was
evidently adorned by a huge statue of the god -- built of the
finest craftsmanship. The two other centers of his worship were
at MEMPHIS (where Serapis absorbed Apis (Hapi-Hapy), and at
ABYDOS (where he took over the temple of Osiris).



Serapis Spreads to the Empire



    Osiris, UNITED with Apis (HAPI-HAPY) under the name SERAPIS
(Osiris-Apis) attained INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION during the
Greco-Roman Period. The cult spread to GREECE and also found its
way to ROME and its provinces.



    Author John Ferguson traces the spread of Serapis to other
countries --



    Political suspicion of Egypt at the end of the Republic and
during the early Empire checked for a while the onset of the
Egyptian gods at Rome itself. It is possible that this very fact
encouraged the cult's dissemination elsewhere -- through the
great ports and emporia, FROM AQUILEIA INTO THE LAND OF THE
DANUBE, from Carthage into Africa, from the French coast up the
Rhone into Provence and ULTIMATELY TO NORTH-WEST EUROPE AND
BRITAIN. Witness, to take two examples, THE TEMPLE AT YORK TO
THE HOLY GOD SERAPIS dedicated by Claudius Hieronymianus of the
Sixth Legion, and the FINE HEAD OF THE GOD FROM THE WALBROOK
MITHRAEUM. At Rome itself Caligula reversed the policy of his
predecessors, and the Flavian, Antonine and Severan dynasties
alike WERE WARM IN THEIR SUPPORT OF THE CULT; the Christian
apologist Minucius Felix, writing in the second or third
century, comments that the Egyptian cult has been COMPLETELY
ADOPTED BY THE ROMANS. We receive occasional glimpses of its
power. For example, Aelius Aristides tells us that under the
Antonines there were FORTY-TWO TEMPLES OF SARAPIS IN EGYPT.
Diogenes Laertius records that the HYMN TO SARAPIS written by
Demetrius of Phalerum was still sung in his own day; Diogenes no
doubt took these last words from his source, Didymus, but he
thought that they were still true....The cult in fact survived
to the very end of the fourth century A.D. Then Theophilus, the
Christian patriarch of Alexandria, took an axe to the
cult-statue and directed the conflagration of the god's temple;
we see him in a manuscript illustration trampling on the shrine,
and Rufinius declared that he had cut off 'the very head of
idolatry.' -- The Religions of the Roman Empire. Cornell
University Press, Ithaca, N.Y. Pps. 36-37.



    We see here that the worship of SERAPIS (OSIRIS-APIS) was
popular among the Greeks and then the Romans. The Romans tried
to imitate (as they did in other spheres as well) as much as
possible the religions and traditions of Egypt. From Rome the
cult of Serapis spread throughout the Empire -- even as far as
Britain at the very bounds of Roman power.



    The publication Mythology of All Races shows HOW this occurred:
"Despite all this, the Egyptians never propagated their religion
abroad by missionaries. After the time of Alexander the Greeks,
who had always been somewhat ATTRACTED BY THE MYSTERIOUS WORSHIP
OF THE NILE-LAND, began to imitate some of its cults in their
entirety, EVEN OUTSIDE EGYPT ITSELF; in the Roman period THESE
CULTS SPREAD TO ITALY, AND THENCE THROUGH THE WHOLE ROMAN EMPIRE
AS FAR AS BRITTANY. As we have already seen (p. 121), this
propagation of the Egyptian religion was almost EXCLUSIVELY
RESTRICTED TO THE DEITIES OF THE OSIRIAN CYCLE, the most popular
of the Egyptian divinities, and to the GRAECO-EGYPTIAN SERAPIS.
In this dispersion the cults sought to imitate as closely as
possible -- though not always with success -- the ancient
traditions of the Nile-land. The architecture and the
hieroglyphs of the temples, the obelisks and sphinxes before the
shrines, the strange linen vestments of the priests with their
shaven heads and faces, the endless and obscure ritual, and the
animal forms of some of the idols everywhere filled the
Classical world with peculiar awe, and WONDERFUL MYSTERIES WERE
BELIEVED TO BE HIDDEN under these incomprehensibilities. It
mattered not that some free-thinkers always scoffed at the
animal worship and other strange features of this barbarous
cult; the proselytes only clung to its MYSTERIES with the
greater zeal, and the 'ISIAC' RELIGION [the religion formulated
by ISIS or Semiramis after the death of her husband Nimrod]
proved a formidable competitor of rising Christianity" (Cooper
Square Publishers, N.Y. 1964. Vol. 12, pps. 241-242).



    During the heyday of the Roman Empire, when Britain was under
the rule of Rome, APIS (HAP-HAPI-HAPY) was one of the gods
worshipped there. The word "HAPPY" in the birthday greeting
traces back to the word "HAP" in Old English as well as to the
Latin "APIS" -- and BOTH were pronounced "HAPPY"!!



    The worship of HAP (APIS, OSIRIS, OSAR-HAP, SERAPIS, etc.) was
practiced in YORK in England among those who were the
originators of the ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Not only that, but the
English-speaking people DIRECTLY worshipped HAP -- calling him
ZEUS!



    We have already proven that the "soul" of the god Ptah was the
GENIUS of the HIDDEN GOD that was worshipped, the SUN GOD
worshipped from antiquity.



    Today, when you wish someone "happy" birthday, you are wishing
this depraved and ABOMINABLE "hidden sun-god" to come upon them
and bring them "luck" -- and the SAME "fate" as Osiris-Hap: "The
lord of heaven," ZEUS or Jupiter.



    Birthday celebrations around the world today STILL honor the
"hidden god" and the GENII of "luck" and "fate"!



    In Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology,
and Legend we clearly see the CONTINUING THREAD of the worship
of the GENII running through each and every BIRTHDAY custom
celebrated in this deceived world now -- this very day:



    Among people with well developed sense of time, BIRTHDAYS mark
the transition from one stage of being to another. Because any
change is dangerous, BIRTHDAYS are the times when good and evil
spirits and influences have the opportunity to attack the
celebrants who at these times are in peril....The presence of
friends and the expression of good wishes help to protect the
celebrant against the unknown pervasive peril. Ceremonies and
games at BIRTHDAYS frequently are a SYMBOLIC wiping out of the
past and starting anew. The American child who at his BIRTHDAY
blows out all the candles on his cake with one puff is eager to
demonstrate his prowess, but the secret wish he makes will be
granted only if all the candles can be extinguished at once.
Trials of strength and skill on birthdays are demonstrations of
progress....



    The dictionary goes on to explain -- --



The exchange of presents and communal eating, except in
communities where eating together is dangerous or bad manners,
strengthen communal bonds and this is associated with the
importance of INGRATIATING good and evil fairies, godmothers,
and wealthy relatives, on their or our birthdays. The Tshi of
West Africa sacrifice to their protective spirits on their
birthdays by smearing themselves with egg and asking for good
luck....The social importance of BIRTHDAYS increases with the
importance of the celebrant: KINGS, HEROES, SAINTS, GODS.
Because kings are endowed in folk thinking with MAGICAL
functions in that a good king or PRESIDENT can bring among other
things good fortune to the people, that is peace and good crops,
the birth of a royal heir is the occasion for great social and
mild sexual excitement. In Christian communities the birthdays
of martyrs are their death days, when they are born into eternal
life.

    The date, hour, and place of birth may be the clues to good or
bad fortune as determined by the complex computations of
astrologers, numerologists, and geomants. Prudential ceremonies
either at birth or at stated anniversaries, depending on the
system of computation, are good insurance. Memorial services, or
sacrifices at tombs or before ancestral tablets, are in some
places customary on the birthdays of the deceased. The function
is a mixture of natural affection, the desire to keep the
deceased at peace and therefore to keep his ghost from troubling
the living. -- Page 144.



    The HIDDEN origin of many of the BIRTHDAY CUSTOMS practiced
today are highlighted in the following quote:



    Birthday parties began many, many years ago, IN EUROPE. People
believed in good and evil spirits in those days. Sometimes they
called them good and evil fairies. They thought that the spirits
gathered especially around a person who was celebrating his
birthday. Everyone was afraid of these spirits and that they
would cause harm to the birthday celebrant, and so he was
SURROUNDED by friends and relatives whose good wishes, and very
presences, would PROTECT HIM against the unknown dangers that
the BIRTHDAY held. The earlier after the break of day that good
wishes and greetings were given, the sooner the birthday
celebrant was given protection against the evil spirits. GIVING
GIFTS, along with GOOD WISHES, brought even greater protection.
EATING TOGETHER provided a further safeguard and helped to bring
the blessings of the good spirits, godmothers, and wealthy
relatives. So, the birthday gathering or party, along with its
GIFTS and GREETINGS, was originally intended to make a person
safe from evil and to insure a good year to come.

    In very early days, only kings or prominent men were thought
important enough to celebrate their birthdays. But as time went
on, THE COMMON PEOPLE began to celebrate theirs, and eventually
CHILDREN'S BIRTHDAYS began to be celebrated most of all.



    And what about birthday CANDLES?



    Even the smallest child knows that BIRTHDAY CANDLES are to wish
on. But WHY? The reason GOES BACK TO THE EARLY GREEKS AND ROMANS
who thought that tapers or candles had magical qualities. They
would offer prayers and MAKE WISHES to be carried up to the gods
by the FLAMES OF THE CANDLES. The gods would then send down
their blessings and perhaps answer the prayers. The Germans were
also the first to use LIGHTED CANDLES ON BIRTHDAY CAKES. The
birthday celebrant MADE A SECRET WISH ON THE FLAME, JUST AS MOST
AMERICAN CHILDREN DO TODAY, and this wish might be granted if
ALL THE CANDLES WERE BLOWN OUT WITH ONE PUFF. It became the
custom to have one candle for each year of life and in some
countries another candle "to grow on" has been added.

    PLAYING GAMES at birthday parties started a long time ago as a
symbolic wiping out of the past year and the starting of the new
year ahead. Games of skill or strength were played and they were
considered trials to show how much progress the birthday child
had made in the past year. Everyone was proud as he demonstrated
how much stronger and wiser he had become and how much more he
had learned to do since his last celebration.

    Giving BIRTHDAY SPANKS is meant to insure good luck for the
coming year This custom has come down to us from very long ago
and is still well known in many countries. It takes various
forms (there are whacks, smacks, spanks, pinches, pricks,
bumps), but ALL are given for GOOD LUCK. If your child complains
about friends following this age-old custom on his birthday you
can explain that they are really wishing him well for the year
to come.



    The author discusses OTHER birthday practices:



    Among the European peasantry, especially in Germany, the custom
of planting a birth tree was practiced. People believed that a
tree planted in honor of a child's birth had a MYSTERIOUS
CONNECTION with his welfare all his life. If the tree did well,
the child would have good fortune; if the tree withered, or was
cut down, or died, the child might be affected....

    Many superstitions are connected with the birthday.
Astrologers, numerologists, and geomancers still use the date,
hour, and place of birth as clues to good or bad fortune and
they are firm believers in lucky and unlucky days. Each month,
too, has its own BIRTH STONE, and many people believe that if
this stone is worn by the person who was born in that month it
will bring good luck.

    In some countries, BIRTHDAY CAKES are still used to tell
fortunes. A ring or thimble, button or coin, or several small
things of this type, is placed in the batter before the cake is
baked. When the cake is sliced, your fortune is told according
to the object found in your slice....

    Each month has a SPECIAL FLOWER. If you want to bring a bouquet
as a birthday gift, you could bring the flower that is
associated with the month of the birthday....

    Birthday customs vary somewhat from one region to another
within the same country. They are affected by religious
differences, rural and urban differences, and even economic
status. But if you were invited, today, to a BIRTHDAY PARTY
GIVEN IN ANY OF THE COUNTRIES I have written about in this book,
you might expect to find children and their families celebrating
very much as I have described. -- Birthday Practices Around the
World, by Barbara Rinkoff. M. Barrows & Co., N.Y. 1967. Pps. 3-9.



    On the surface these customs seem oh so innocent, but just
beneath this VENEER of respectability lurks the DEPTHS OF
PAGANISM. The worship of and the service to "THE HIDDEN GODS" is
an ABOMINATION which God truly hates!



    So, when you wish someone "happy" ("HAPI") birthday you are
actually wishing the "HIDDEN GOD" upon them! In fact, you are
wishing this person to be blessed by none other than Osiris -the
favorite god of ancient Egypt. And WHO was Osiris? NIMROD, the
first to REBEL AGAINST GOD after the flood! Literally, you are
wishing the birthday celebrant  a "NIMROD" birthday -- is that
what you want to do?



    More important, IS THAT WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO?





If you would like a copy of this article, COMPLETE WITH
GRAPHICS, then write to the address below.





JUST WHERE IN JERUSALEM DID OUR SAVIOR DIE?



There are currently two locations in the city of Jerusalem that
claim to be the site of Christ's death and burial. Can we know,
then, the CORRECT site of the greatest sacrifice in the history
of mankind? Read  about the tearing of the Temple curtain and
the meaning of the phrase "outside the camp," and how these can
point us to "The Place of the [Adam's] Skull." Discover the
awesome symbolism of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer and how
Christ satisfied the requirements of the Mosaic Law AND the
Roman Law as He hung on the TREE overlooking the Temple wall!





CHILDREN OF THE MIST: THE STORY OF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDERS!



Novelist Sir Walter Scott called them the "children of the
mist." Little did he realize that the Clan MacGregor has a ROYAL
background stretching through the mists of time to JUDAH THE SON
OF JACOB. It is no accident the Highland clans of Scotland
abhorred pork and exhibited many traits of the Israelites of
old. Read about the Royal Scots and how they differed from the
Scythae of the Lowlands; and discover the mysterious clan
alliance called the "Siol Alpin" that produced some of the most
prominent men in British and U.S. history!





For your articles, and a FREE one-year subscription to "Prophecy
Flash" magazine, write to:

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