Come out of her, My people - Institute for Scripture Research

custo ms of the Gentiles.
Furthermore, being secretly enticed by the sun or the moon, or any
homage paid to them, is an iniquity and a denial of Elohim (Job 31:26-
28).
In Eze. 8:3-16 we see the most alarming description of how idolatrous
worship is merged with True Worship, especially in verses 14-16, where
Sun-worship has been brought into the House of Yahuweh. The Tammuz-worship
of v. 14 is just one form of Sun-worship, Tammuz being
the incarnate Sun, the young rising Sun as a deity. 2 In verse 16 the
prophet was also shown the twenty-five men worshipping the Sun
towards the East, and that is exactly what started taking place in postapostolic
Christianity.
This praying towards the Sun in the East is recorded in the writings of
Clement of Alexandria (150-215 C.E.), as well as in the writing of his
scholar, Origen. They were both guilty of trying to justify this practice,
which Yahuweh labeled “wicked abominations” (Eze. 8:9). The Bishop
of Carthage, Cyprian, in the year 258 also exhorted Christians to pray to
the East at sunrise.
On the other hand, in the year 197, Tertullian writing in his Ad nationes
1, 13, accused fellow Christians of Sun-worship because of their praying
to the East and because of making Sunday a day of festivity. 3
Despite this warning by Tertullian, Augustine (350-430 C.E.), in his
many writings, was repeatedly trying to justify his prayers to the East.
This was a regular practice in the basilica of St. Peter in Rome, which
caused Pope Leo the Great to make a vigorous attack on this practice in
the year 461. 4 However, his objection was ignored and they continued
with this in the basilica up to the year 1300, as we shall later see.
Another voice in the wilderness was crying out against this practice,
that of Eusebius of Alexandria, who wrote, “and not only Sun-worshippers
and heretics do this, but also Christians, departing from the faith,
mingle with heretics.” 5
These important facts are all well documented in Dr. F.J. Dölger, Sol
Salutis, as well as in Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to
Sunday.
In Eze. 8:9 Elohim calls this a “wicked abomination.” In Deut. 17:3-5
the civil law demanded that those of Israel who were found guilty of
worshipping “the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven,” were to be
stoned to death. Has our Mighty One changed? “For I am Yahuweh, I do
not change” (Mal. 3:6). He is “the Father of lights, with whom there is
no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). The civil laws of the
Scriptures are not being applied today, but Yahuweh has not changed
and will still mete out righteous punishment.
5