The Pagan Woman
By Linda Y. Reed
There is a church in Luxor, Egypt on a street named “HATSHEPSUT.” Everyone knows where this street is for it is named after a famous Egyptian queen. Actually, we could say it was named after an infamous queen: Hatshepsut was one of only four queens who ruled in Egypt. After the death of her husband, she usurped the throne from her nephew and established her rule over the people. In order to maintain her strength as absolute ruler she dressed in men’s apparel, wore a false beard and had statues erected of herself in the appearance of a man, without breasts and dressed as a warrior. In other words, she was the first person in Egypt to undergo a sex change – at least in appearances. She chose attributes to describe herself such as “Son of the Sun” and “Lord of Two Lands.” It was Hatshepsut who created the image of an obelisk to represent the god, Amon. This pillar has since evolved into towers, steeples and minarets atop temples, churches and mosques. And she designed it to resemble the male sexual organ. Hatshepsut bore no children. Her nephew removed her when he was old enough to become the Pharoah. She was buried with the kings of Egypt, not in the valley of the queens, like the other royal women. This wicked and ruthless woman epitomized all women who would wish to be men. She was truly the mother of all lesbians to come. And she came out of Egypt.
Egypt holds a special place in history. It was one of the greatest civilizations of all time. Its mysteries have sparked controversy and entire fields of education have been created to discover and understand this kingdom’s secrets. Egypt also holds a special place in the Bible. For all through the writings of the prophets we see reference to Egypt and its effect on the nations around her and upon Israel in particular. Many times the word of God accuses Israel with these words, “you learned it in Egypt.” God took the children of Jacob out of Egypt, but could not get Egypt out of their hearts and minds. All of Israel’s pagan worship can be directly or indirectly traced back to the religion of Egypt.
When God condemned the women of Israel for their wanton ways and dress he referred to Egypt as the source of their debauchery and harlotry. In Ezek. 23 the Lord tells the story of two Hebrew girls who were captives in Egypt. There they were molested and raped, even as children. When they were set free from their captivity, they became the wives of Jehovah. One of them was Aholah, or Samaria. The other was Aholibah, the younger sister, or Jerusalem. Actually, this referred to the divided kingdom Israel and Judah, Samaria and Jerusalem being their capital cities. Instead of being grateful to the kind husband who had delivered them, they continued in harlotry with their neighbors. Of course, God was referring to their heathen worship of idols and adopting the ways of the countries around them. They became so submerged in the heathen worship that they took their children and made them walk through the fire or even be offered as human sacrifices to the heathen gods. Furthermore, the Lord describes how they painted their eyes and put on bracelets and fine clothes to entice their lovers. In all of this the accusation rings out, “you learned it in Egypt.”
Knowing this, it is my conviction that all apostolic women should study “The Pagan Woman” and compare her to the “Holy Women of Old” in I Peter chapter three. In this way, we can see how the modern woman of the twentieth century evolved.
I. COMPARISON OF THE PAGAN WOMAN AND 20th CENTURY WOMAN.
A. THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WOMAN:
1. Wore Sheer Linen Clothing That Was Cool And See Through
2. Used A Palette Of Colors On Her Face
A. White Lead Foundation
B. Red-Orange Lips And Cheeks
C. Kohl On The Eyes And Eyebrows
D. Green And Grey Paint As Eye-Shadow
3. Ornamented Herself With Excessive Jewelry
A. Jewels, Gold & Silver
B. Golden Bangles, Clasps And Necklaces
C. Earrings In The Form Of Idols. (Pierced Ears)
D. Amulets – Little Boxes Containing Curses Or Blessings
E. Spangles Or Braided Strands Of Beads And Metal In Her Hair
4. Used Cones Of Grease Containing Pungent Odors Like A Deodorant. These Were Worn In Her Crown Or Tiara.
A. As They Melted The Oils Fell On Her Clothing Making It Both Seductive And Perfumed.
B. These Cones Appear Like Pine Cones Hanging On The Forehead In Old Egyptian Paintings.
5. Shaved Her Head And Wore A Wig.
6. Used Tattoos And Lacquered Her Fingernails With Color.
7. Used Contraceptives. The Priestesses Of The Temples Practiced Abortion Since They Were To Be Reserved As Temple Prostitutes In The Worship Of Their Gods.
8. Used Eye Drops, Invented As An Aphrodisiac To Dilate The Pupils And Give The Appearance Of Sexual Arousal.
9. Used Drugs And Aphrodisiacs.
10. Studded The Stare. Magicians Were Part Of Her Everyday Life.
11. Was Renowned For Beer Making And Partied With The Men.
B. The Twentieth Century “Modern” Woman:
1. Wears Immodest, ‘Comfortable’ Clothing.
2. Uses Similar Makeup As The Ancient Egyptian Woman.
3. Wears All Kinds Of Jewelry. ‘New Age’ (Egyptian) Amulets
& Magical Jewelry Are Being Marketed Today.
4. Uses Various Perfumes And New Sensual Oils.
5. Changes Her Hair Color. Wigs Are Also Common. It Is Even A ‘New’ Fad To Shave The Head.
6. Colors Her Nails, Wears Tattoos, And Pierces Her Body.
7. Uses Various Contraceptives, Some That Kill A Fetus. There Is Also A New Morning After Pill. Abortion Is Available Up On Demand.
8. Pays Sexual Counselors, Buys Books About Sex, And Uses Sexual Stimulants Of All Kinds.
9. Finds Drugs Readily Available Tranquilizers Such As Valium, Etc.
10. Calls Psychic Hot Lines, Reads Horoscopes In Newspapers, Etc.
11. Drinks End Parties With The Men.
II. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY
A. about Jewelry and Adornment?
1. Gen. 35:1-7–earrings
2. Ex. 33:4-6–ornaments
3. Isaiah 3:16-23–jewelry, ornaments
4. Jeremiah 4:30–adulterous woman
5. Hosea 2:13–jewelry, ornaments
6. Ezekiel 23:26, 40, 42–ornaments
7. II Kings 9:30–tired her head
8. More scriptures–Ex. 11:2, Num. 31:50-54, Judges 8:24-
27, Ex. 32:2-4, 35:22
B. about the ‘attire of a harlot’?
1. Prov. 7:10
2. Hosea 2–Gomer and Hosea
3. Gen 38:14-19 Tamar
C. about Adultery?
1. MEN can commit adultery with their eyes. Matt 5:28
2. Adulterers will go to Hell. Rev 21:8
D. about whet happens when godly girls make friends with the
world?
1. Dinah- daughter of Jacob-Gen. 34
a. Raped, shamed, robbed of her future!
b. Broken heart!
c. No husband ever!
2. Aholah and Aholibah–Ezekiel 23
a. Notice reference to Egypt
b. These were names for Israel and Judah when they
played the harlot against God.
c. Makeup and ornaments went along with their
idolatry.
III. From where did these sinful customs come?
A. Earrings and ornaments came from Egypt.
1. They were derived from Egyptian idolatry and had magical meanings.
2. The word ‘earning’ meant ‘to conjure’ and was connected with idolatry. Gen 35:1-7, Jacob’s family removed their earrings without being told to do so when they put away their idols. The two went together!!
B. The Canaanites used amulets or ornaments with written messages in them or on them. They were used for either curses or blessings as charms are used in voodoo or witchcraft.
C. In the 1960’s and 1970’s fashion designers like Rudy Gernich popularized many sensuous items of clothing, aware that these things sell. They also broke down the barriers in clothing that distinguish the difference in the sexes.
V. CONCLUSION
A. All through the Old Testament God says that His people learned their wicked ways in Egypt. They also copied the Canaanites, Assyrians and Babylonians in dress and behavior.
B. Eventually these things led them straight to idolatry, fornication and child sacrifices to Chemosh and Molech-the fire gods. Don’t ‘play with fire’.
C. New Testament women were told to adorn themselves with the inward things of beauty and not the outward displays of the carnal nature.
D. Outward holiness protects a women from temptation. Men will ‘think twice’ before flirting with a ‘holy’ woman.
E. If we dress like the world we will give the same ‘subconscious sexual signals’ that they are giving and leave ourselves open to real temptation and sin!!!
Remember! We are God’s holy women! !
Very few women in the Old Testament were mentioned as being holy!
Sarah was one. (Read – I Pet. 3:1-6)
Additional videos and leaflets of the syllabus are available upon request.
Mrs. Linda Reed
FMD – UPCI
8855 Dunn Rd.
Hazelwood, MO. 63042-2299
USA
or order through:
Pentecostal Publishing House
(same address as above)
tel. 314 837 7300
fax 314 837 4503
E-mail PPHpublish@aol.com
Linda Yvonne Reed is the wife of Rev. Gary Reed, missionary to the Middle East for the United Pentecostal Church International. She received her B.A. in Theology in Pentecostal Studies from the Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, MN. The Reeds pioneered churches in the state of Wyoming before being commissioned overseas. She raised her two sons and one daughter on the mission field. A licensed minister herself, she is sometimes asked to speak at seminars for women. Her studies for women were inspired by her mother, Mrs. Nettie Kepler, who taught her to think clearly and speak truthfully. It is hoped that these lessons will be a blessing to all who study them.
The Above Material Was Published By Linda Y. Reed. This Material Is Copyrighted And May Be Used For Study & Research Purposes Only.
