LESSON #1: BAAL, ASHTORETH, AND MOLECH



The first commandment God gave to the children of Israel was a stern warning against idolatry. God told them, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3). Did the children of Israel always obey this commandment? No, they often had other gods and worshiped them. These gods were the gods of the nations around them. The three gods whom the children of Israel repeatedly worshiped were Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molech. Baal was a god of the Canaanites, Moloch was a god of the Ammonites, and Ashtoreth was a goddess of the Sidonians.


LESSON #2: BAAL



Baal was considered the supreme god and master of all the other gods. The word Baal means “lord” or “owner”. Its name is mostly associated with the Canaanite god of fertility, the rain, the sun, and the storm. To the children of Israel, Baal seemed to be a direct rival of the Lord. When Elijah the prophet challenged the children of Israel, he said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” (1 Kings 18:21) Because Baal was believed to be the god over nature, Elijah challenged Baal’s prophets, “Call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” (1 Kings 18:24)


LESSON #3: ASHTORETH



Ashtoreth was a female deity or goddess of the Sidonians. Her name has the meaning “shame” in it.  She was associated with sexuality and fertility. Samuel the prophet wrote about how the children of Israel forgot the Lord and their God and served Ashtoreth (Judges 3:7). Ashtoreth was known as the queen of heaven whom the children of Israel worshiped. They told Jeremiah the prophet, “But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble.” (Jeremiah 44:17)


LESSON #4: MOLECH



Molech was a god of the Ammonites. The word Molech means “king”. He was the god who demanded his worshipers to sacrifice their children as a burnt-offering to him. God strongly warned the children of Israel not to worship Molech, “And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:21) Jeremiah the prophet condemned the worship of Molech, “And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” (Jeremiah 32:35)


LESSON #5: MASTER, ENCHANTER AND MURDERER



Baal was a master. He always tried to make the children of Israel serve him instead of the Lord. Ashtoreth was an enchanter. She always tried to bewitch the children of Israel to practice sexual immorality. Molech was a destroyer. He always tried to make the children of Israel offer their offspring as a sacrifice to him. Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molech were like the trinity, but they were often worshiped in pair: Baal and Ashtoreth (Judges 2:13), Baal and Molech (Jeremiah 32:35), Ashtoreth and Molech (1 Kings 11:5).


LESSON #6: THE DRAGON, THE WOMAN, AND THE BEAST



Before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the world will be full of idolatry. People will turn away from the true God to other gods. They will return to the worship of the ancient gods, especially the worship of Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molech. On the island of Patmos, John the apostle saw a vision of the last days, “They (the world) worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast.” (Revelation 13:4) and, “A woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” (Revelation 17:3-4) The dragon is a picture of Baal, the woman is a picture of Ashtoreth, and the beast is the picture of Molech.


LESSON #7: THE SPIRIT OF BAAL, ASHTORETH, AND MOLECH



The spirit of Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molech are already in the world. People nowadays are full of idols. They worship everything, except the true God. They practice sexual immorality without shame as well as sacrifice their children without guilt. Covetousness, sorceries, adultery, fornication, perversion, uncleanness, divorce, abortion, child abandonment, kidnap, murder, theft, etc., are rampant in the society. John the apostle wrote, “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21)


LESSON #8: REAPPEARING OF BAAL, ASHTORETH, AND MOLECH IMAGES



John the apostle wrote, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16) These last days are the days full of worldliness. People love the things of the world so much. They are full of lust and pride. So, they will worship anyone or anything that promotes self-gratification. They also want the object of their worship to be visible. So, they make all kinds of images, such as idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. The images of Baal, Ashtoreth, and Molech are reappearing all over the world.


LESSON #9: WALKING CIRCUMSPECTLY



As the people of God, how must we live these last days? Paul the apostle wrote, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16) Peter the apostle wrote, “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2) John the apostle wrote, “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”” (Revelation 14:6-7)