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Ancient Coins
Ancient Customs
Ancient Gods
Ancient Holy Men
Ancient Monuments
Ancient Music
Ancient People
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Ancient Rulers
Ancient Ships
Ancient Symbols
Ancient Warfare
Ancient Writing
Ancient Ziggurat's and Temples
Dagon the Fish-God
Painted
Illustration of Dagon
in Ancient Times
Although there was a deep affection from Dagon's worshippers to their deity, the symbol of a fish in human form was really meant to represent fertility and the vivifying powers of nature and reproduction.
The Babylonians had a myth that a being emerged from the Erythraean Sea who was part man and part fish and thus adopted the deity into their culture in their earliest days in history. Their have also been discoveries of the fish-god in the sculptures found in Nineveh, Assyria.
"When the
Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the temple of
Dagon and set it by Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod arose early
in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth
before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its
place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was
Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD.
The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on
the threshold; only the torso of Dagon was left of it. Therefore
neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house
tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day."
- 1 Sam 5:2-5
"Now the lords of
the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to
Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: "Our god has
delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!" When the people saw him,
they praised their god; for they said: "Our god has delivered into
our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who
multiplied our dead."
- Judges 16:23-24
Judges 16:23 - Then the
lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great
sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for
they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.
1
Chronicles 10:10 - And they put his armour in the house of
their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
1 Samuel
5:7 - And when the men of Ashdod saw that [it was] so, they
said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his
hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.
1 Samuel
5:2 - When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought
it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.
1 Samuel
5:3 - And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow,
behold, Dagon [was] fallen upon his face to the earth
before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and
set him in his place again.
1 Samuel
5:5 - Therefore neither the priests of Dagon,
nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the
threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.
1 Samuel
5:4 - And when they arose early on the morrow morning,
behold, Dagon [was] fallen upon his face to the ground
before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and
both the palms of his hands [were] cut off upon the threshold; only
[the stump of] Dagon was left to him.
Heart Message
A WORD ABOUT IDOLS
"I am the LORD
your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the
land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before
me." It’s been
said, “God made man in his own image, and then man
kindly returned the favor.” A good
working definition of an idol is anything that is
loved or feared more than God. It is a substitute
or replacement for true worship. Idols are
entreated for the protection, power, & blessing of
individuals and nations. From ancient times, and
continuing today, civilizations have been creating &
then worshipping false gods through the images,
icons, and statues. Temples, priesthoods, and
elaborate systems of worship shower them with
honor. God severely condemns this practice in
scripture, since He is Creator of all things and due
all of mankind’s gratefulness for our existence and
the world He has given us to live. God alone can
give mankind the love, protection and blessing that
we desperately need. Consider
below the God’s Word through Isaiah the Prophet: "The LORD ,Not Idols "This is what the LORD says- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come- yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit him nothing? He and his kind will be put to shame; craftsmen are nothing but men. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and infamy. The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says," Ah! I am warm; I see the fire." From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god." They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, "Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?" He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?" "Remember these things, O Jacob for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 44:6-22
"The God who made
the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven
and earth and does not live in temples built by
hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he
needed anything, because he himself gives all men
life and breath and everything else." Acts 17:24,25
The superstitions of idol
worship were not created without help. Scripture
teaches that idol worship is empowered by demons.
The fallen spirit world offers magic, threatens
retaliation, and gives the manifestations necessary
to establish false religious worship. Once
established, shame and honor codes, ethnic pride,
and fear of family, neighbors and government are
enough to sustain the system. They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols or demons to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.' Lev. 17:7
Do I mean then
that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or
that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of
pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do
not want you to be participants with demons. 1Cor.
10:19,20 In the
Western world, we have our list of things that we
love or fear more than God, and we can make idols
without using a graven image. Here is a
short list of things we love or fear more than the
One True God.
The list is endless. Any created thing can become an idol. Man’s root problem is the disconnection from his Holy and Powerful Creator. The bible tells us that the willful sin of the human race has separated us from the Lord and we are blinded to Him. As a beautiful rose picked from it’s stem, soon we wither and fade. We need to be rooted and grounded in God’s love. We are isolated, empty, angry, fearful and needy. Without a relationship to God our innate desire to worship leads us to god’s of our own making. All of our attempts to worship anything other than God turn out to be very disappointing and leave us empty, violated and addicted. Thankfully, the Lord has not left us in this desperate state, destined to spend our lives in pursuit of false gods that will never satisfy. Jesus the Messiah, has paid the ultimate price for our sin and shame. Through God’s sacrifice on our behalf, somehow, God has satisfied the demands of His own Holy Nature for perfect justice. We can
come home. We can worship the One True God. We
can begin a new life. Say “Yes”
to God’s provision for you and come home to His
love.
After Jesus said this, he
looked toward heaven and prayed: 2"Father,
the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son
may glorify you. For you granted him authority over
all people that he might give eternal life to all
those you have given him. 3Now this is
eternal life: that they may know you, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John
17:1-3 |
Reconstructions & Sketches of the Ancient World
New Illustrated Bible History A growing database of images and sketches of the ancient world.
Paintings and Sketches by Bjanikka Ben, Galina Nelson, Maliyah Weston and more
Ancient Customs
Ancient Patriarch's Clothing in the Time of Abraham
The Name Jesus in Ancient Hebrew Script
The Watchtower in the Vineyard
Jewish Captives Playing the Lyre
First Century Israelite Houses
Egyptian Procession Carrying an Ark
Woman with Two Oxen and a Plough
Ancient Symbols
The Egyptian Staff of Inheritance
The god Asshur of Ancient Assyria
Ancient Rulers
Shishak of Egypt Mentions Judah
Tomb of Darius I Carved into Cliff
Assurnasirpal II Offering Libation
Colossal Statue of Rameses II at Abu-Simbel
The Pontius Pilate Inscription
Ancient Buildings, Walls, Towers and Gates
Monument of King Alexander Jannaeus
Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria
Color Drawing of the Colosseum Coin
Ancient Persian Column Capital
First Century Jerusalem Synagogue Stone
The Ancient Buildings at Persepolis
Ancient Palaces, Halls, Stairways, and Gateways
Herod the Great's Fortified Palace
Nebuchadnezzar's Palace Gateway
Hall of a Hundred Columns Relief Persepolis
The Great Stairway at Persepolis
Palace of Tiglath Pileser at Nineveh
Columns From the Hall of Xerxes
Palace of Darius and Susa Ruins
Colonnades From the Hall of Xerxes
Ancient Music
Ancient Cities and Nations
Sketch of Nebuchadnezzar's City of Babylon
Plan of Abdon Reconstruction. Khirbet Adben
Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus
Ancient Gods and Goddesses
Dagon the Fish-God of the Philistines
The god Asshur of Ancient Assyria
Juno the Roman Savior of Women
Thank Offering to the Bird God
Persian King Killing a Monster
Ancient Mummies, Sarcophagus, Tombs, and Ossuaries
First Century Jerusalem Ossuary
Ancient Warfare
Assyrian Siege of Lachish Sketch
Assyrian King Trods the Neck of His Enemy
Prisoners Under an Egyptian Kings Footstool
Egyptians Counting Enemy Hands
Placing the Foot on the Captive
Persian Archers at Palace of Darius I
Judaea Defeat and Roman Eagle Coin
Ancient Hittite Soldiers from Carchemish
Roman Gladiators and Colosseum
Gladiators Fighting Bears and Lions
Ancient Punishment
Assyrians Blinding Their Prisoners
Ancient Asians and Philistines Chained
Assyrian King Blinding his Captives
Ancient Ships and Harbors
Pompeii Illustration Rolling Up a Sail
Merchant Ships
Ancient Assyria
Royal Assyrian Chariot
Assyrian Stone Altar
Army of Sennacherib Attacking a City
Discovery of the Gigantic Head
The Assyrian
Army
Ancient People and Animals
Ancient Greeks
Ancient Ziggurat's, Pyramids, and Temples
Reconstruction Sketch of the Ziggurat at Ur
Reconstruction Sketch of the Temple of Marduk, Babylon
Reconstruction of the Sumerian Oval Temple at Khafaje
Luxor - Amun Cult Center near Karnak
Greek Temple Ruins - Aphrodisias in Turkey
Ancient Seas, Rivers, Mountains, Hills, and Valleys
Illustrated Ancient Daily Life
(More to come)
New Bible Maps A growing database of maps for study and teaching.
The Story of the Bible
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