"Weaving Spiders, Come Not Here"

2 Kings 21:1-5 ~ 1-Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah. 2-And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. 3-For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 4-And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name. 5-And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

Worship In The Grove

One of the ways that Israel violated the law of the Lord was in the worship other gods and idols. The first commandment of the Lord was not to worship or have any other gods before (in the presence of) the Lord himself.(Ex. 20:3, Deut. 5:7)  Since one of the attributes of God is omnipresence, the command was not to have any gods or idols period. What seemed to be a simple command in light of all the power that God had shown and displayed by delivering his people would soon be violated over and over until the idol of an Asherah (Deut. 16:21, 2 Kings 13:6) was placed outside of the temple to signify the cohort (female counterpart, partner or wife) of the God of Israel. In other words no matter how God has blessed the nation to rise from obscurity to a possession, they would trample back over the name of the Lord and even add to their sins through idolatry.

This idolatry was not a hap-hazard system. There were certain practices, and places that were designated for designated for these types of practices. The "Grove" was on such place. The Grove was also called a "high place". This was a place where the spirit of evil and all kinds of lasciviousness was at its highest pinnacle. Usually, the Grove was not in an open place or easily seen by others. Neither was the worship in the Grove done openly. It was secret worship with secret ritual and ceremony. Only those designated could attend worship in the Grove and most of them were considered to be priests of the idol that was worshiped. 

Not every cult was dedicated to the same practices. There were elements of child sacrifice and sexual perversion in almost every one. To illustrate this point, in Leviticus 18, while God was speaking against sexual perversions and inordinate sexual unions, in the middle of prohibitions against such acts and perversions, the Lord inserts a verse against idolatry and specifically the worship of Molech stating: 

"And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD"

The practice was the murder of children, whether legitimate or illegitimate and children that were born as a result of prostitution as a result of pagan worship practices. Remember Jezebel was a priestess, and part of her "ministry" was to have sex and promote sexual deviance within Baalistic worship. 

The prohibition against idol worship and the worship of  Moloch or Milcom was one of scriptures most thorough declarations and gives insight into the practices of the Canaanite cultures as Israel entered into the land of promise. Children who were made "to pass through the fire" or given to the fire in a ritualistic and solemn manner. In return for live sacrifices, Molech was said to provide promises such as fertility or abundance in crop harvest, sexual fulfillment and secret knowledge to the leaders and members of the cult.  

One would think that this is a clear call against all such unrighteousness and what basically amounts to devil worship, however 1 Kings 11:7  outlines that King Solomon, after knowing all of these things from a historical perspective, erected a site to the worship of this idol against the word of the Lord. The Lord speaks against it calling it the "abomination of the children of Ammon". It was also practiced openly by the Moabites, who were descendants of  the ungodly and deceitful union between Lot and his first born daughter. (Gen.19:36-37) This form of idolatry perpetuated by these nations, would plague Israel for centuries even causing some of their greatest teachers to make allowance for it and the practice of child sacrifice for certain circumstances over the years.  

2 Kings 21: 6-10 ~ 6-And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 7-And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: 8-Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. 9-But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel. 10-And the LORD spake by his servants the prophets, saying,

Pluralistic Idolatry

As previously stated, in 1 Kings 18, it is revealed that King Ahab's wife Jezebel was the chief prophetess of the worship of Baal. The worship of Baal was the worship of almost anything that can be named. In other words, under Ahab's weak and ungodly leadership, the worship of anything, but TRUTH was accepted and allowed. The godly priests and Levites who served the Temple and that ministered before the Lord, had been replaced, killed, driven out and some even hidden in caves in the mountains hoping for the restoration of the Temple. 

Elijah points out the pluralistic identity of the idolatrous practices in the great challenge issued to Jezebel's priests. In 1 Kings 18:25  he challenges the prophets of Baal to "call on the name of your gods" The invitation was made for the idol worshipers to challenge the true and living God, by calling upon all of their idols and invoking all of their practices. There were 450 prophets of Baal and 400 Prophets of the "Grove" that were to come and call on their god to see if he would respond. They prayed, danced, sang, and even began to cut themselves in order to invoke the presence of their deity. In the end, the god of the grove and the gods of Baal were not any match (literally) against the Lord of hosts. He failed to answer, after which God answered by fire destroying a drenched sacrifice. The result was that the prophets were all killed at the hand of Elijah as a judgement against their idolatry. 

What many don't know, is that even after all these years, worship in the Grove and the idolatry that comes along with it still exists. Even among the most wealthy and powerful in the United States.   

Weaving Spiders, Come Not Here

Welcome To California's Bohemian Grove: One of America's most pristine and exclusive places is also home of one of America's most unbelievable secular secrets. It is the meeting place of powerful individuals and even world leaders. In fact it is said that the decision to develop and use the world's first weapon of mass destruction was settled upon in this place.  The Bohemian Grove is also home of the Bohemian Club, which is not only a secret and exclusive club with elite membership, it is also replete with the endorsement of certain ceremonies  of what can only be considered worship, that mimic many past pagan festivals and rites. The Bohemian Club is an all male group that sponsors an annual gathering of its powerful and influential members.    As stated, membership is exclusive, one must be wealthy, exclusively white and if one is not a member, must be done by invitation only. If there is an Illuminati, this is it.  No other substitutes will do.  One will not find Jay-Z or Lady Gaga or even Oprah roaming around at this event.  

There are ceremonies and rituals beginning with what is called the "Cremation Of Care" where all members preform a ritual around and in front of a carved stone owl. This club is a secret club just as the Baalistic religious rites. Remember, in the grove, the adherents did all types of things to bring attention to themselves to invoke the power of their god. In the case of Moloch and Milcom worship, killing children and innocents were par for the course.  

Why The Owl?

The owl has long been a symbol of cult worship and magic and has been directly related to the over 14,000 year old religious practice of Shamanism. The owl is special because of it's natural characteristics. For example:

• The owl can fly in utter darkness in the middle of the night and see everything 
• The owl can hear even the lowest whisper 
• The owl has wings that move soundlessly because of the special structure of the feathers. This makes them a stealth hunter. 
• The owl has sharp talons by which she grabs her prey at high speeds, surprising the hunted with its strength. 

The legend of the Owl is also found in extra-biblical pseudagraphia. Legend states that Lilith, the supposed first wife of Adam,  was originally a goddess who became a demon. She is depicted as having owl's feet and wings, being accompanied by two other owls. Further progression states that Lilith is the demon that entices men to sexual perversion and preys on the destruction of men through sexual activity.

Stone Makes A Difference

The Bohemian Grove owl is carved in stone. The representation in stone is in itself a symbol. Ancient Indian legend holds that any worshipful engraving in stone of an animal means that both what is represented, and those who venerate what is represented, have no empathy for other living creatures and have decided to pursue interests that bring about only personal satisfaction. In other words it is a symbol that all worldly pursuits are pursuits of self-interest over service to others. 

Here is additional information regarding the Owl symbolism from ancient Indian custom and ceremony:

"Owl medicine is symbolically associated with clairvoyance, astral projection, and magic, both black and white. Owl is called Night Eagle on several medicine wheels used by Amerindian teachers. Traditionally, Owl sits in the East, the place of illumination. Since time immemorial, humanity has been afraid of the night, the dark, and the unseen - waiting fearfully for the first crack of morning light. Conversely, night is Owl's friend...Owl is often times the medicine of sorcerers and witches. If Owl is your medicine, you will be drawn to magical practices and perhaps explore the dark arts. You should resist any temptation to practice Black Magic or any art that takes energy away from another person or being. If you have Owl medicine, these night birds will have a tendency to collect around you, even in the daytime, because they recognize a kinship with you..." ~ [Medicine Cards,  St. Martin's Press 1988 rev.1999 Jamie Sams, David Carson, Angela C. Werneke]

Below is a video done by ABC News in the early 80's regarding this grove and the ceremonies that take place. Aside from information from Alex Jones, which has further expanded bringing info to light on this topic, information seems to be rather sparse and repetitive.

Isa 2: 17-22:
"17-And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.  18-And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

19-And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
20-In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21-To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
22-Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"

The following videos will provide additional food for thought. Many claims all of this is simply garbage. It may well be. But just what if it isn't? Do you personally know any of these people to come to a better conclusion or judgement?

Blessed!

Judge For Yourself : The Cremation Of Care Ceremony