Page 54 - Attractive Deception - The False Hope of the Hebrew Roots Movement

were many vile statues, ornaments, decorations and murals depicting sexual orgies, sex with animals,
homosexuality, and all manner of sexual immorality. These objects and paintings were located in
very public places revealing the open and unabashed pursuit of hedonistic pleasure in these cities.
That Saturn should be worshiped in these cities as the chief deity of the Romans reveals much about
the character of the being represented by this idol. It was not long after the destruction of these cities
that Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans. In his letter he made reference to the sexual deviancy that
was common among Roman society.

Romans 1:18-32
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within
them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes,
His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been
made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as
God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was
darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible
God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling
creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies
might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave
them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is
unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and
burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in
their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God
any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being
filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice;
they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient
to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the
ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same,
but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

These words of Paul describe a Saturnian society. So closely associated was Rome with the worship
of Saturn that the ancient writers Ovid, Pliny, and Aurelius Victor tell us the original name of Rome
was Saturnia, “the City of Saturn.” Italy itself has long been renowned as “the Saturnian Land.” This
veiled Saturn, the god whose worshipers are not permitted to disclose the truth of his being and his
character openly, nor to give the true explanation of his rites and symbols, is none other than Satan.
Are not the wicked fruits described by Paul in his letter to the Romans what one would expect to be
associated with a people who have given themselves over to the worship of Satan, the adversary of
Yahweh and of all that is holy and good?

Alexander Hislop, in his valuable writing titled The Two Babylons, traces the worship of Saturn from
Rome back to the Chaldeans in the land of Babylon. The “mystery” religion of Babylon was carried
to Italy and Rome where it flourished once more.

On the Capitoline hill, so famed in after-days as the great high place of Roman worship, Saturnia,