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Gates of Hell: THE DESCENT OF ISHTAR TO THE NETHERWORLD

Ishtar from whom we derive Easter went through the seven gates of hell to find Tammuz so that he could play the magical flute and smell the incense. The fertility goddess caused all natural processes to fail until she was rescued. The women in Ezekiel 8 lamented for Tammuz while the men held an early Sun Rise Service right there at the Temple in Jerusalem. Ishtar is worshiped in musical praise each year in thousands of churches.

Garnet cylinder seal showing Ishtar Neo-Assyrian, 720-700 BC From Mesopotamia

The supreme Mesopotamian goddess This very finely cut seal depicts Ishtar, Mesopotamian goddess of sexuality and warfare. She appears frequently on seals, relief carving, and in descriptions as a mighty warrior who protects the king by defeating his enemies. One Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal (reigned 669-631 BC), was even described as crying before the goddess like a child asking his mother for help. Her strength as a warrior is stressed here, as she is shown with weapons rising from her shoulders. Ishtar appears to have been associated at an early period with the Sumerian goddess Inanna and both deities are depicted with symbols of fertility, such as the date palm, and of aggression, such as the lion. The iconography survived relatively unchanged for over a thousand years. Here, Ishtar's astral quality is also emphasized: above her crown is a representation of the planet Venus. The goddess could be worshipped as both male and female Ishtar, reflecting her dual role of sex and war as well as the evening and morning aspects of the planet.

Jesus said that He, and I paraphrase, hid the truth from the foolish from the foundation of the world (Matthew 13). He did this because people dedicated to Ishtar, Tammuz and all form of worship which originated in Babylon, would make His words serve their own evil purpose. The method He used was to speak in Parables. Many of His words to the professional clergy and celebrative worshippers in Jerusalem are a direct but parabolic link to ancient Babylonian worship and Dionysus worship which they tried to force Him into. He identified the worshippers of song, instrument and dance as "childrn playing musical games." Most of the children's games of the time -- especially wedding and funeray -- were barely sanatized fertility rituals. They wanted Jesus to get involved but this would disprove His manhood and His credibility as God.

In connection with the fertility rituals, Jesus spoke something which people still wrestle with and pervert to their own destruction:

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18

Jesus spoke directly to the worship of Tammuz right there in Jerusalem. Adonis was another name for Tammuz and the Jews planted their little groves of trees around the tomb of Jesus for several hundred years. To be the god of their celebrative ritual Jesus must be Tammuz, Dionysus or some other god who was gender confused. The Jews never gave up and modern Christians still pretend that "Jesus is a Phallic kind of guy."

If we don't know who Jesus was then we may have to go through the gates of hell trying to bring fertility (Amos 5; 6) to the starving, thirsty seekers (Amos 8).

Listen to what Ishtar would have to give up as she went through the seven gates of hell and understand what they wanted, and still want, to do to Jesus.

The king of Tyre and the king of Babylon are treated as the "agents" of Lucifer who subverted the world like musical prostitutes for their own commercial profit (Isaiah 14:9-11 and Is 28:7fKJV). Ezekiel 32:21:31 is also somewhat parallel in its description of Sheol or the under-world:

From Ancient Near Eastern Texts

Translated by E.A. Speiser and George A. Barton, Archaeology and the Bible, 7th ed, pg 530f.

To the Land of No Return, the realm of Ereshkigal,
 
Ishtar (Astarte), the daughter of the Moon, set her mind.
To the dark house, the abode of Irkalla,
To the house which none leave who have entered it,
To the road from which there is no way back,
To the house wherein the entrants are bereft of light,
Where dust is their fare and clay their food,
Where they see no light, residing in darkness,
Where they are clothed like birds, with wings for garments,
And where over door and bolt is spread dust.
 
When Ishtar reached the gate of the Land of No Return (The Netherword or Hell),
She said to the gatekeeper:
"O gatekeeper, open thy gate,
Open thy gate so I may enter!
 
If thou openest not the gate so that I cannot enter,
I will smash the door, I will shatter the bolt,
I will smash the doorpost, I will move the doors,
I will raise up the dead eating the living,
So that the dead will outnumber the living."
 
The gatekeeper opened his mouth to speak,
Saying to exalted Ishtar:
"Stop, my lady, do not throw it down!
I will go to announce thy name to Queen Ereshkigal."
The gatekeeper entered, saying to Ereshkigal (Ishtar or Inanna's sister):
"Behold, they sister Ishtar is waiting at the gate,
She who upholds the great festivals,
Who stirs up the deep before Ea, the king."
 
When Ereshkigal heard this, her face turned pale like a cut-down tamarisk,
While her lips turned dark like a bruised kuninu-reed.
What drove her heart to me? What impelled her spirit hither?
Lo, should I drink water with the Anunnaki?
Should I eat clay for bread, drink muddied water for beer?
Should I bemoan the men who left their wives behind?
Should I bemoan the maidens who were wretched from the laps of their lovers?
Or should I bemoan the tender little one who was sent off before his time?
Go, gatekeeper, open the gate for her,
Treat her in accordance with the ancient rules."
Forth went the gatekeeper to open the door for her:
"Enter, my lady, that Cutha may rejoice over thee,
That the palace of the Land of No Return may be glad at they presence."
 
When the first gate he had made her enter,
He stripped and took away the great crown on her head.
"Why, o gatekeeper, didst thou take the great crown on my head?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Underworld."
 
When the second gate he had made her enter,
He stripped and took away the pendants on her ears.
"Why, O gatekeeper, didst thou take the pendants on my ears?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Underworld."
 
When the third gate he had made her enter,
He stripped and took away the chains round her neck.
"Why, O gatekeeper, didst thou take the chains round my neck?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Underworld."
 
When the fourth gate he had made her enter,
He stripped and took away the ornaments on her breast.
"Why, O gatekeeper, didst thou take the ornaments on my breast?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Underworld."
 
When the fifth gate he had made her enter,
He stripped and took away the girdle of birthstones on her hips.
"Why, O gatekeeper, didst thou take the girdle of birthstones on my hips?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Underworld."
 
When the sixth gate he had made her enter,
He stripped and took away the clasps round her hands and feet.
"Why, O gatekeeper, didst thou take the clasps round my hands and feet?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Underworld."
 
When the seventh gate he had made her enter,
He stripped and took away the breechcloth round her body.
"Why, O gatekeeper, didst thou take the breechcloth round my body?"
"Enter, my lady, thus are the rules of the Mistress of the Underworld."
 
As soon as Ishtar had descended to the Land of No Return,
Ereshkigal saw her and burst out at her presence.
Ishtar, unreflecting, flew at her.
Ereshkigal opened her mouth to speak,
 
"Go, Namtar, lock her up in my palace!
Release against her the sixty miseries:
Misery of the eyes against her eyes,
Misery of the sides against her sides,
Misery of the heart against her heart,
Misery of the feet against her feet,
Misery of the head against her head -
Against every part of her, against her whole body!"
 
After Lady Ishtar had descended to the nether world,
The bull springs not upon the cow, the ass impregnates not the jenny,
In the street the man impregnates not the maiden.
The man lies in his own chamber, the maiden lies on her side.
The countenance of Papsukkal, the vizier of the great gods,
Was fallen, his face was clouded
He was clad in mourning, long hair he wore.
 
Forth went Papsukkal before Ea, the king:
"Ishtar has gone down to the nether world, she has not come up.
Since Ishtar has gone down to the Land of No Return,
The bull springs not upon the cow, the ass impregnates not the jenny,
In the street the man impregnates not the maiden.
The man lies down in his own chamber,
The maiden lies down on her side."
 
Ea in his wise heart conceived an image,
And created Asushunamir, a eunuch:
"Up, Asushunamir, set thy face to the gate of the Land of No Return:
The seven gates of the Land of No Return shall be opened for thee.
Ereshkigal shall see thee and rejoice at thy presence.
When her heart has calmed, her mood is happy,
Let her utter the oath of the great gods.
Then lift up thy head, paying mind to the life-water bag
 
(the familiar spirit of the witch of Endor, the nebel or harp and the vile man):
 
"Pray, lady, let them give me the life-water bag
that water therefrom I may drink."
As soon as Ereshkigal heard this,
She smote her thigh, bit her finger:
"Thou didst request of me a thing that should not be requested.
Come, Asushunamir, I will curse thee with a mighty curse!
The food of the city's gutters shall be thy food,
The sewers of the city shall be thy drink.
The threshold shall be thy habitation,
The besotted and the thirsty shall smite they cheek!"
 
Ereshkigal opened her mouth to speak,
Saying these words to Namtar, her vizier:
 
"Up, Namtar, knock at Egalgina,
Adorn the thresholds with the coral-stone,
Bring forth the Anunnaki, seated them on thrones of gold,
Sprinkle Ishtar with the water of life and take her from my presence!"
Forth went Namtar, knocked at Egalgina,
Adorned the thresholds with coral-stone,
Brought forth the Anunnaki, seated them on thrones of gold,
Sprinkled Ishtar with the water of life and took her from her presence.
 
When through the first gate he had made her go out,
He returned to her the breechcloth for her body.
When through the second gate he had made her go out,
He returned to her the clasps for her hands and feet.
When through the third gate he had made her go out,
He returned to her the birthstone girdle for her hips.
When through the fourth gate he had made her go out,
He returned to her the ornaments for her breasts.
When through the fifth gate he had made her go out,
He returned to her the chains for her neck.
When through the sixth gate he had made her go out,
He returned to her the pendants for her ears.
When through the seventh gate he had made her go out,
He returned to her the great crown for her head.
"If she does not give thee her ransom price, bring her back.
 
As for Tammuz, the lover (and son) of her youth,
Wash him with pure water, anoint him with sweet oil:
Clothe him with a red garment,
let him play on a flute of lapis.
 
(Psalm 41 says that Judas would not triumph over Jesus. This is the same musical rejoicing God condemned in Numbers 10:7 for the assembly. The bag of Judas is defined by the Greek as "a bag for carrying the mouthpieces of wind instruments." It is made up of two parts: "speaking in tonges" and "of the world." The musical children even tried to turn John the Baptist and Jesus into courtesans)
 
Let the courtesans turn his mood."
When Belili was stringing her jewelry,
And her lap was filled with "eye-stones,"
On hearing the sound of her brother, Belili struck the jewelry on...
So that the "eye-stones" filled the...
 
"My only brother, bring no harm to me!
On the day when Tammuz comes up to me,
When with him the lapis flute and the carnelian ring come up to me,
When with him the wailing men and wailing women come up to me,
May the dead rise and smell the incense." (See Ezekiel 8:14)
 
Of the king of Tyre the agent of Lucifer (Sophia-Zoe) Ezekiel notes:
 
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Eze.28:13
 
The tabret is the tambourine and the "pipe" is the Hebrew neqeb which is like a ring or "bezel for a gem." As pipes were made of lapiz lazuli or other precious stone there may be some correlation.
 
(You begin to understand why religionists turn so vilely violent when it is suggested that Jesus was not Tammuz or Dionysus or one of the god's prostitutes. When the pagan "gods" didn't serve the worshippers it was not uncommon to murder them:
 
But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, Matthew 11:16
And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. Matthew 11:17
 
Marketplace religion was always know as a prostitute attempt to do God's work through secular, external means (Revelation 18)
 
This, dear friends, explains the form of worship which Jesus said would be launched against the church but it would not win. The goal of such fertility rituals were always believed to generate and regenerate new souls by forcing the seekers to come to your temple rather than selling all you own and going into all the world to preach the gospel. You, instead, always have something to sell them under the pretense that it is inspired by God.
 
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18
 
6.06.11 3000
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