Who is the Queen of Heaven?

[Quasar92]

The phrase ‘the queen of heaven’ appears in the Bible twice, both times in the book of Jeremiah. The first incident is in connection with the things the Israelites were doing that provoked the Lord to anger. Entire families were involved in idolatry. The children gathered wood and the men used it to build altars to worship false gods. The women were engaged in kneading dough and baking cakes of bread for the “Queen of Heaven” [Jeremiah 7:18]. This title referred to Ishtar, an Assyrian and Babylonian goddess also called Ashtoreth and Astarte by various other groups. She was thought to be the wife of the false god Baal, also known as Molech. The motivation of women to worship Ashtoreth stemmed from her reputation as a fertility goddess, and as the bearing of children was greatly desired among women of that era, worship of this “queen of heaven” was rampant among pagan civilizations and, sadly, it became popular among the Israelites as well.

The second reference to the queen of heaven is found in Jeremiah 44:17-25, where Jeremiah is giving the people the word of the Lord which God has spoken to him. He reminds the people that their disobedience and idolatry has caused the Lord to be very angry with them and punish them with calamity. Jeremiah warns them that greater punishments await them if they do not repent. They reply that they have no intentions of giving up their worship of idols, promising to continue pouring out drink offerings to the queen of heaven, Ashtoreh, and even going so far as to credit her with the peace and prosperity they once enjoyed because of God’s grace and mercy.

It is unclear where the idea that Ashtoreth was a “consort” of Jehovah originated, but it’s easy to see how the blending of paganism that exalts a goddess with the worship of the true King of heaven, Jehovah, can lead to the combining of God and Ashtoreth. And since Ashtoreth worship involved sexuality, (fertility, procreation, temple prostitution) the resulting relationship, to the depraved mind, would naturally be one of a sexual nature. Clearly the idea of the “queen of heaven” as the consort or paramour of the King of heaven is idolatrous and unbiblical.

There is no queen of heaven. There has never been a queen of heaven. There is most certainly a King of Heaven, the Lord of hosts, Jehovah. He alone rules in heaven. He does not share His rule or His throne or His authority with anyone. The idea that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the queen of heaven has no scriptural basis whatsoever, stemming instead from proclamations of priests and popes of the Roman Catholic Church. While Mary was certainly a godly young woman greatly blessed in that she was chosen to bear the Savior of the world, she was not in any way divine, nor was she sinless, nor is she to be worshipped, revered, venerated, or prayed to. All followers of the Lord God refuse worship. Peter and the apostles refused to be worshipped [Acts 10:25-26; 14:13-14]. The holy angels refuse to be worshipped [Revelation 19:10; 22:9]. The response is always the same, "Worship God!" To offer worship, reverence, or veneration to anyone but God is nothing short of idolatry. Mary’s own words in her “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46-55] reveal that she never thought of herself as ‘immaculate’ and deserving of veneration, but was instead relying on the grace of God for salvation: “and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Only sinners need a savior and Mary recognized that need in herself.

Furthermore, Jesus Himself issued a mild rebuke to a woman who cried out to Him, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you" [Luke 11:27], replying to her, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." By doing so, He curtailed any tendency to elevate Mary as an object of worship. He could certainly have said, “Yes, blessed be the Queen of Heaven!” But He did not. He was affirming the same truth that the Bible affirms—there is no queen of heaven, and the only biblical references to the “queen of heaven” refer to the goddess of an idolatrous, false religion.

Quasar92

 

[A_Thinker]

Jesus Himself issued a mild rebuke to a woman who cried out to Him, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you" [Luke 11:27], replying to her, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." By doing so, He curtailed any tendency to elevate Mary as an object of worship. He could certainly have said, “Yes, blessed be the Queen of Heaven!” But He did not. He was affirming the same truth that the Bible affirms—there is no queen of heaven, and the only biblical references to the “queen of heaven” refer to the goddess of an idolatrous, false religion.

As you say, the only "Queen of Heaven" mentioned in scripture was an idol ...

 

[Phil 1:21]

Christianity became more appealing to pagans when they had a "goddess" to worship (er..."venerate").

 

[Goatee]

Mary. Mother of Jesus, is the Queen of Heaven

 

[rockytopva]

Mary. Mother of Jesus, is the Queen of Heaven

As Mary has had such a prominent position in the church all through these many centuries, it is a wonder that she did not write a book of the bible. It would have been very useful.

 

[Goatee]

Dont scoff at the Mother of Our Lord. That is not funny

 

[Roseonathorn]

It is indeed strange that noone has "found" a storybook tales by Mary that she told Jesus as a child. Noone ever wrote them down or maybe Jesus told them in other words or in His parables. We will not know. There is no known book of Mary. Could she write? That just reminds me I should write down some of the tales and made up stories I tell the kids.

 

[Goatee]

Lots of parchments were destroyed in ancient times.

Even with Jesus's teachings, St Johns Gospel does say:

John 21:25
25 But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

So, lots of facts lost in ancient times!

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The one known as "Lucifer" wanted to ascend and be "like" God, which if allowed would make her (Lucifer was the antetype of Eve thus 'her') co-ruler, thus Queen of Heaven. She was however Queen of the Earth until she abrogated that position by her rebellion. That Mary has that RC title is a dangerous thing for those who believe it.

 

[Goatee]

The one known as "Lucifer" wanted to ascend and be "like" God, which if allowed would make her (Lucifer was the antetype of Eve thus 'her') co-ruler, thus Queen of Heaven. She was however Queen of the Earth until she abrogated that position by her rebellion. That Mary has that RC title is a dangerous thing for those who believe it.

Absolute scare mongering.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Dont scoff at the Mother of Our Lord. That is not funny

There is no biblical authority for the assumption or ascension of Mary into heaven.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Absolute scare mongering.

Dangerous deceptions are coming. That Mary is up there looking after things will likely cause some bad problems as the end approaches. Many don't realize how much Mary is 'venerated' in many third world countries, and how that adoration might be used for evil purposes.

 

[Goatee]

There is no biblical authority for the assumption or ascension of Mary into heaven.

You think it is ok to scoff at the Mother of Our Lord?

 

[stevenfrancis]

Yes.....I'll certainly spot you that there are an abundance of Catholics and Orthodox, as well as all strains of protestants, who, (usually unwittingly, and without intent), make idols of all sorts of things in their individual lives. Money, sex, drugs, alcohol, success, power, etc.. There are likely some who also unknowingly make an idol of Mary. This is an unfortunate side effect of our fallen human natures, and it is something that each Christian must take responsibility for on the last day. But there is no such idolatry taught in the doctrines of either the Catholic or Orthodox Churches. If you're genuinely interested in the actual Marian doctrines and teachings, the best resource I've found is the book by Tim Staples, called "Behold your Mother". There is also The Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Church Fathers, Councils, etc.. Heck........this link to the Catholic encyclopedia is even a good place to start, and it's free. www.newadvent.org. As to individual Christians, and whether any given Christian is engaging in a superstitious or even idolatrous practice is rather a thing each one of us must grapple with on our own. It is precisely that they are NOT in accord with the true doctrines when they are doing that, which forms the point I'm trying to make. I find that most times, when I explore an attack on either the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, it is usually the case that the attacker is generally misinformed on actual doctrine or teaching, and instead going on from their cultural, and/or inherited anti-Catholicism, or from seeing or reading about badly catechized, and improperly practicing Catholics.
There are many Catholics I've met and talked with, who are, in essence the best argument against the Catholic Church, but they are also one of the strongest indicators of the reality of it being the true Church established by Christ. If the practitioners were all perfect, it would obviate the need for Christ to even leave us with a Church. And given the many bad Catholics who have existed throughout her history, it has endured from Jesus and His disciples until the very moment of writing this forum post, ("and the gates of hell shall not withstand it" Mt. 16:18).

 

[AlexDTX]

The phrase ‘the queen of heaven’ appears in the Bible twice, both times in the book of Jeremiah. The first incident is in connection with the things the Israelites were doing that provoked the Lord to anger. Entire families were involved in idolatry. The children gathered wood and the men used it to build altars to worship false gods. The women were engaged in kneading dough and baking cakes of bread for the “Queen of Heaven” [Jeremiah 7:18]. This title referred to Ishtar, an Assyrian and Babylonian goddess also called Ashtoreth and Astarte by various other groups. She was thought to be the wife of the false god Baal, also known as Molech. The motivation of women to worship Ashtoreth stemmed from her reputation as a fertility goddess, and as the bearing of children was greatly desired among women of that era, worship of this “queen of heaven” was rampant among pagan civilizations and, sadly, it became popular among the Israelites as well.

The second reference to the queen of heaven is found in Jeremiah 44:17-25, where Jeremiah is giving the people the word of the Lord which God has spoken to him. He reminds the people that their disobedience and idolatry has caused the Lord to be very angry with them and punish them with calamity. Jeremiah warns them that greater punishments await them if they do not repent. They reply that they have no intentions of giving up their worship of idols, promising to continue pouring out drink offerings to the queen of heaven, Ashtoreh, and even going so far as to credit her with the peace and prosperity they once enjoyed because of God’s grace and mercy.

It is unclear where the idea that Ashtoreth was a “consort” of Jehovah originated, but it’s easy to see how the blending of paganism that exalts a goddess with the worship of the true King of heaven, Jehovah, can lead to the combining of God and Ashtoreth. And since Ashtoreth worship involved sexuality, (fertility, procreation, temple prostitution) the resulting relationship, to the depraved mind, would naturally be one of a sexual nature. Clearly the idea of the “queen of heaven” as the consort or paramour of the King of heaven is idolatrous and unbiblical.

There is no queen of heaven. There has never been a queen of heaven. There is most certainly a King of Heaven, the Lord of hosts, Jehovah. He alone rules in heaven. He does not share His rule or His throne or His authority with anyone. The idea that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the queen of heaven has no scriptural basis whatsoever, stemming instead from proclamations of priests and popes of the Roman Catholic Church. While Mary was certainly a godly young woman greatly blessed in that she was chosen to bear the Savior of the world, she was not in any way divine, nor was she sinless, nor is she to be worshipped, revered, venerated, or prayed to. All followers of the Lord God refuse worship. Peter and the apostles refused to be worshipped [Acts 10:25-26; 14:13-14]. The holy angels refuse to be worshipped [Revelation 19:10; 22:9]. The response is always the same, "Worship God!" To offer worship, reverence, or veneration to anyone but God is nothing short of idolatry. Mary’s own words in her “Magnificat” (Luke 1:46-55] reveal that she never thought of herself as ‘immaculate’ and deserving of veneration, but was instead relying on the grace of God for salvation: “and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Only sinners need a savior and Mary recognized that need in herself.

Furthermore, Jesus Himself issued a mild rebuke to a woman who cried out to Him, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you" [Luke 11:27], replying to her, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." By doing so, He curtailed any tendency to elevate Mary as an object of worship. He could certainly have said, “Yes, blessed be the Queen of Heaven!” But He did not. He was affirming the same truth that the Bible affirms—there is no queen of heaven, and the only biblical references to the “queen of heaven” refer to the goddess of an idolatrous, false religion.

Quasar92

I am no Roman Catholic, but it sounds like you are taking a pot shot at Mary.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

You think it is ok to scoff at the Mother of Our Lord?

Not scoffing, just rejecting the idea that she is alive and well in heaven. It smacks of idolatry.

John was emphatic that "nobody" has ascended to heaven except Christ. If Mary had been taken to heaven it would have been a monumental event that John certainly would have recorded (and thus legitimized) in Revelation. What greater revelation for the church than Mary going to heaven, body and soul? Instead.....silence.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I am no Roman Catholic, but it sounds like you are taking a pot shot at Mary.

I think he's trying to reveal some history about the "Queen of Heaven", not disparage Mary. Mary was a wonderful person, the mother of our Lord, but she has been made an idol by millions. Not good, either for them or Mary.

 

[Goatee]

I think he's trying to reveal some history about the "Queen of Heaven", not disparage Mary. Mary was a wonderful person, the mother of our Lord, but she has been made an idol by millions. Not good, either for them or Mary.

Idol is something worshiped. Catholics do not 'worship' Mary! If you believe that, then you are totally wrong. We dearly love Her.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Idol is something worshiped. Catholics do not 'worship' Mary! If you believe that, then you are totally wrong. We dearly love Her.

Can you say that of the millions in central and south America, as well as other third world countries. I have heard that the CC is constantly having to reeducate these peoples, that seem to have a natural tendency to worship idols. It's a marriage of the Catholic faith and their historical 'spiritism', worship of various spirits.

But worship and idolatry aside, the very fact that many believe Mary is in heaven, protecting them from the wrath of Christ, is troubling enough.

 

[Sanoy]

Essentially we can roll any of the gods back in time and find their initial prototype. If we roll back Jeremiahs "queen of heaven" something very interesting emerges. When we go back in time to the prototypical "Queen of Heaven" we get Inanna.

(going to keep this G rated)
Back in the Sumerian religion it was Inanna who had the authority to give primacy to kings. The king was ceremonially married to Inanna but it goes further than that. The king would lie in a ceremonial marriage bed and perform the "ritual" with a female stand in for Inanna. This "ritual" is also the primary form of possession in occultist practice. I forget which Summerian text but one said that the king in effect suckled upon Inanna's wisdom, or something like that. In other words the king was infused supernaturally with both authority and wisdom by this Queen of Heaven.

When you take it back to it's prototype you really start to see just how horrific Jeremiahs Queen of Heaven was.