Lookout, baby! The darkest parts of Bible are back

For those who think the news of the day has little or nothing to do with the Bible, here's an eye-opening case that even millions of Christians might not have realized.

Countless believers across the world love reading the Good Book, but there are certain sections of Scripture they go out of their way to avoid. It's understandable, since learning about the love of God and how to attain everlasting life is far more attractive than reading about gruesome events where people actually celebrate horrific acts of evil.

But here in 2019, a major news item is a sobering reminder of one of the darkest, most diabolical themes found in Scripture. It's something probably no one enjoys talking about, but it's there on the pages of your Bible — many times.

So let's start with the big news of today.

The state of New York has now vastly expanded abortion rights, making it perfectly legal to kill unborn children right up to the moment of birth, for almost any reason.

It was condemned immediately by some of the most respected Christian and conservative voices in America, including author, radio broadcaster and family counselor Dr. James Dobson. 

"It is not overstating the matter to say I am horrified by the New York State Senate's vote to pass the euphemistic Reproductive Health Act (RHA). This bill is not about reproductive health at all. It is pure barbarism on a scale rarely seen since the Middle Ages," Dobson said.

"This legislation expands upon New York's already liberal abortion laws, which allow for on demand abortion up until 24 weeks. The RHA's main aim is to justify abortions throughout a pregnancy's entire term based on the overly broad exceptions defined in Roe's companion case, Doe v. Bolton, including such subjective measures as a woman's emotional and psychological wellbeing. Late term abortions had only previously been authorized in New York if done to save the life of the mother."

He explained the bill "also allows non-physicians to commit abortions, and decriminalizes abortion by moving it from the criminal code to the public-health code."

"New York is symbolically doubling-down on the killing of the unborn on the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, casting an even darker shadow on a date already shrouded in tragedy and the loss of innocent life," he said.

But despite condemnations from those on the political right, there were many who celebrated the new law.

Nicole Russell, a contributor to the Washington Examiner, reported: "Not only is this kind of legal protection of late-term abortion an affront to the humanity of the unborn and the dignity of society, but New York celebrated it publicly, as if it had just won the Super Bowl. 

"When the bill passed, video shows the assembly chamber erupting into cheers, with politicians and audience members applauding the bill as if it were a victorious symbol of strength.

"That night, One World Trade Center lit up in the color pink to honor the passage of the bill. Imagine, a beacon of capitalism, shining not to showcase freedom and prosperity but the 'liberty' marking the path toward infanticide."

Regarding the pink illumination, some online commenters stated: "'Grim Reapers Celebrate Death' is the appropriate headline."

"That's disgusting. Celebrating dead babies on that hollowed ground. I guess next thing you folks will do is light up Auschwitz. You folks in New York are some sick people."

You get the picture. There are plenty of people today celebrating the intentional murder of infant children.

Radio host Rush Limbaugh noted: "I'm gonna tell you that a significant part of that standing ovation at the New York Senate chamber and a significant part of all the other celebrations is about one thing, and that is they are beating us and rubbing our nose in it, and that is what makes them happy. They hate us to the point that anything that gives them the feeling of victory, the feeling of having trounced us, that's worth the standing ovation. 'Us' being religion, God, the Catholic Church, Christianity at large, conservatives, the conservative movement."

Today's disturbing events involving the intentional, brutal killing of babies are nothing new, and actually date back thousands of years. And it's all recorded in Scripture, if people would just crack open their Bibles and read the words on its pages.

Many don't realize that in ancient times, some people would slay their own innocent children. Although they didn't bring them to an abortionist, they had other lethal means.

Some would take their infants to have them burned alive in fires ultimately honoring the devil. That's correct. They would bring their children forth to be sacrificed, scorched to death, often in the arms of a searing-hot idol with the body of a man and the head of a beast — yes, a beast — such as a calf or goat.

Among the names you'll see in Scripture for such idols are Baal (the pagan sun god), Molech (a corruption of the Hebrew word melek, which means "king") and Chemosh.

Here are some of the passages that rarely, if ever, get discussed in church.

"And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech" (Leviticus 18:21 KJV)

"Do not permit any of your children to be offered as a sacrifice to Molech" (Leviticus 18:21 NLT)

It's simply mind-boggling to realize that human beings were engaged in this debased activity. Not only is it shocking to us, it's even more astonishing to our Maker, who eviscerated His own people for adopting what He calls a "horrible deed" and "incredible evil":

"They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind." (Jeremiah 19:5 NLT)

"They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil" (Jeremiah 32:35 NLT)

As the Bible explains, it's clear the sacrifices were actually to fallen angels better known as devils and demons:

"Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils" (Psalm 106:37 KJV)

"They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot" (Leviticus 17:7 NKJV)

On some occasions, the burning of children would take place on the seventh day of the week, which is God's holy Sabbath day of rest. And after the youngsters were burned to death, people would go back to the temple of the true God for their regular worship practice. This incited God's temper even more:

"They have committed both adultery and murder—adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacrifices the children they bore to me. Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day! On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house." (Ezekiel 23:37-39 NLT)

As you can imagine, this regular massacre of children prompted God to command a harsh penalty. And that, unsurprisingly, was the death penalty:

"If any of them offer their children as a sacrifice to Molech, they must be put to death. The people of the community must stone them to death. I myself will turn against them and cut them off from the community, because they have defiled my sanctuary and brought shame on my holy name by offering their children to Molech." (Leviticus 20:2-3 NLT)

The places where all this baby-killing was taking place has a unique name in the Bible. It's called Tophet. It's also spelled Topheth or Topeth depending on which Bible translation you have.

"And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart." (Jeremiah 7:31 KJV)

What's interesting about this word Tophet is that it has two meanings.

One is "the fireplace," and is obvious because of the burnings taking place there.

But the second meaning is "the drumming place," as people would bang drums and play other musical instruments during the sacrifices.

Now, why in the world would people pound on drums as children were being burned to death?

The answer is unnerving, to say the least. The loud noise from the drums and other instruments, was intended to drown out the horrific cries of the infants as they were being tortured by the flames. Maybe that's why people who support abortion today are so vocal, hoping their amplified noise drowns out any opposition.

In any case, these ancient practices are all over your Bible, and I encourage you to look it up for yourselves, as it's repeated over and over. Perhaps it's ubiquitous in Scripture because God is really trying to get our attention concerning this matter.

The Creator knew that murdering babies was not merely some bizarre, ancient practice that would expire and be forgotten in time.

Aware of the evil that dwells in the minds of human beings, God, "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done" (Isaiah 46:10 KJV), has let us know in advance about today's evil through the disturbing events of long ago.

Since the 1973 Roe. v. Wade Supreme Court decision, more than 60 million children in the United States have been slain by abortion. And worldwide since 1980, more than 1.5 billion (with a b) infants have been murdered by abortion.

So now you can see how the darkest parts of the Bible are back.

People intentionally and publicly killed their babies in the ancient past, and they are intentionally killing their babies today, while publicly celebrating the right to do so here in America.

As King Solomon wrote, "There is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

For those who celebrate the slaughter of children, here's a famous statement from Jesus that should be considered:

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning … ." (John 8:44 NIV)

Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.

Joe Kovacs is the author of the new book Shocked by the Bible 2, as well as his previous books Shocked by the Bible and The Divine Secret, all on sale in bookstores and Amazon.com. Learn more at http://www.shockedbythebible.com