Morning Devotional March 5, 2022

 

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!!!