Jeremiah
7:16-20
“16 Therefore pray not thou
for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither
make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.
17
Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets
of Jerusalem?
18
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.
19
Do they provoke me to anger? saith the Lord: do they not provoke
themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
20
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, mine anger and my fury
shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and
upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it
shall burn, and shall not be quenched.”
In verse 18 we see the first
place in Holy Scripture the first time the name “queen of heaven”
mentioned. There are only two other places in God's Word I know of
that mentions this name. Jeremiah 44:18 & 19 are the only other
two verse in the Bible I have been able to find this title. Most
Bible Scholars will agree that all three times we have listed here
are referring to either one or both of the false gods of fertility
Ashtoreth or Tammuz. These two were very popular with false god
worship in Jeremiah's day.
Down through history we see
this title given to others. As Baptist we commonly consider one of
the worst abominations of Roman Catholicism and her daughters to
their naming Mary, the mother of Jesus, the “Queen of Heaven”.
But what does our Lord say of this? In Luke 11:27-28 Jesus rebuked a
woman for praising His mother or for giving Mary too much praise. We
know in Luke 1:28 that the angel told Mary she was “highly favored”
But nowhere in God's Word does God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit or
anyone else for that matter ever refer to Mary as the “Queen of
Heaven”. Matter of fact the passage in Luke 11 Jesus rebukes those
seeking to give Mary praise.
So is there a “Queen of
Heaven”? I believe the answer is emphatically NO! Today there are
those who try to claim the Lord's Church is such. But where is this
found in God's Word? As right now, in the present time in which we
live, the Bridegroom has not come for His Bride. The marriage has not
been consummated As of our present time, the Lord and His Churches
have not been brought together as one as husband and wife. The
Churches are still spread all over the world and are local and
visible entities separate from each other. They will not come
together until the Bridegroom calls her out of this world into Heaven
to prepare for that great wedding. The Lord's Bride is still just
that, His Bride at this point in time. She will not be referred to as
His wife until Revelation 21:9 and this is after the wedding is over
and the marriage consummated and after the Marriage Supper of the
Lamb takes place back in Revelation 19.
But where is the Bride of
Christ or the Wife of Christ ever referred to or called or titled the
“Queen of Heaven” in God's own Word? Never!!!
As we have seen, the only
reference to the title or name of “queen of heaven” in Holy
Script is to false god worship and God called it abomination and even
told Jeremiah He would not hear the prayers of those who worshiped
such.
The Roman Catholicism title
for Jesus' Earthly mother, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven,
is more blasphemous than what we saw in Jeremiah's day.
So, what saith the Lord on
this matter? Nothing. The Lord refers to His Church as His Bride and
towards the end of the Book of Revelation, His Wife. Never His Queen
or the Queen of Heaven. Is she the Bride and eventual Wife of the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Certainly she is!!! But as Baptist
we must be careful not to fall for the false doctrines or even using
the false ideas and whims of the world's religion just because it
sounds good. God's Word is clear. So why not ask the question: What
saith Lord? And follow what He has said rather than follow our own
feelings and thoughts and ideas.
Praise ye the Lord!!!
