The Olympics, Festivals and Covenants Olympic priestesses, sacred flames, altars, hymns to Zeus… Pprayers summoning the nations to his temple… The Olympics are not just about fun and games!

In 2004 the Olympics will return to Greece their ancient birth place. Not many are aware of the profound spiritual significance of these Olympics. They are much more than just an athletic event, but rather a religious festival dedicated to the powerful demonic spirit behind Zeus. The world will be returning to the place where this principality first gained power to celebrate a festival in his honor. This act will renew ancient covenants and establish new ones. This is the only religious festival that the entire world participates in, so its significance cannot be ignored. It is imperative that we understand that this is indeed a religious festival. We also need to understand that the demonic power to which it is dedicated, Zeus, has defiled and oppressed the people of God for millennia. Additionally, I believe that God is calling the body of Christ to celebrate one of His festivals in Athens on December 20, 2003 in opposition to the Olympic festival.

A Religious Festival

First of all, it is necessary to understand that the Olympics have always been a religious festival. The festival began in 738 B.C. in Greece, and was dedicated to Zeus of Olympia, hence the name Olympic Games. There were several other similar athletic festivals dedicated to other gods like Apollo or Athena. It was in Olympia that one of the seven wonders of the ancient world was located. It was a colossal ivory and gold statue of the god Zeus. Sacrifices were made to this demonic power before and during the festival. There is also some evidence that even human sacrifices were made in antiquity for this festival. Pagan priests presided over Hundreds of sacrifices to Zeus during each Olympiad. Huge financial gifts were made by cities from all over the ancient world in honor of this deity, as they competed to see who could honor Zeus and gain his favor. It was a covenant making event that persisted for a 1,000 years, and then stopped and was dormant for 1700 years.

In 1896 the timing was ripe for the evil one to revive this ancient covenant making festival, and envelope the world with it. A Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin was organizing a world wide athletic competition and while searching for a name he said, “The name [Olympics] imposed itself: It was not possible to find another.” De Coubertin also said that the Olympics name would “impart to [the athletes] a halo of grandeur and glory that is the patronage of classical antiquity.” At the age of 69 De Coubertin died of a heart attack and his heart was removed from his body and enshrined in an obelisk on the temple grounds of Olympia, Greece.

The modern Olympics did not just revive athletic events, but revived many pagan practices and the covenant making nature of the Games. Honor was give to Zeus by priestesses and ceremonies. An altar, as the Olympic flame is officially called, is lit to Zeus. The flame is first lit in a pagan ceremony, presided over by priestesses, by the sun in the heavens where Zeus is said to preside. The sacred flame is then run to the city where the Olympics will be held and the main altar is lit to the cheers of thousands from around the world. And soon cities, just like in ancient times, began to compete to see who could honor the deity with gifts and by hosting the games.

One of the officials on the Greek Olympic committee said that the 2004 Greek Olympics will be characterized by this pagan revivalism. In the 2004 games, priestesses will preside over the entire games. The 2004 opening ceremonies will start with one of the most frightening aspects of the modern games--the Olympic Hymn. It is a sacred song that summons the powers of hell to inhabit the games. It calls the nations to flock to Zeus’ temple to worship him. Here is the hymn translated from the original Greek:

Ancient immortal spirit, unsullied father of
that which is beautiful, great and true,
Descend, make thyself known and shine hero
on this earth and below these skies
witness of Thy Glory.

Illuminate the endeavor of the noble contests
in the running race, the wrestling and the throwing.
Place a wreath of evergreen branch,
creating the body as of iron and worthy.

Vales, mountains and oceans shine with Thee
Like unto a great temple of white and porphyry.
To which all peoples hasten to this temple
to worship Thee, Oh ancient immortal Spirit.

As a stadium of visitors from around the world participate in this prayer, it will release unspeakable spiritual authority to the powers of darkness as the world comes into agreement with his purposes. Another aspect, that is truly frightening, is that this hymn is being taught to Greek school children and out of the lips of children will come this demonic prayer instead of praise to God. (We live in Greece and my five year old daughter’s kindergarten is learning this hymn). In the photo, an ancient idol serves as the starting line for the modern Olympic Stadium. The relay of the sacred Olympic flame for 2004 will be unprecedented. Over 20 million dollars have been raised for this satanic prayer walk. The flame will visit all five continents involving thousands of runners. It will visit all of the former Olympic host cities, as well as, other cities of global importance prior to arriving back in Athens.

This will effectively renew the covenants that these cities of the world have made with this principality. This sacred flame will be the most honored altar flame in history. Never before has the altar of a pagan deity been so honored and so welcomed by the entire globe. Even the South Pole has been dedicated to the Olympics by a Greek who recently planted an Olympic flag there and plans to plant one on the North Pole, too. The entire planet is being dedicated to this festival.

As the people of the world cheer the lighting of the altar of Zeus, they will be cheering the same altar that once desecrated the Holy of Holies. In 168 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanies sacrificed swine to Zeus of Olympia and then poured the blood of the sacrifice in the Holy of Holies. The most sacred place to God, where not even consecrated priests would tread, was defiled by the god of the Olympics. The Jewish people were then tortured by Antiochus until they gave up the worship of Yahweh and bowed the knee to Zeus. Eventually the temple of God was destroyed in 70 A.D. and in its place was built a temple to Zeus. The demonic force behind Zeus hates the one true God, Yahweh, and is active even today in defiling Christ’s bride the church.

Defilement of the Church by the Spirits of Olympia

During the first and second century the people of God were once again forced to worship Zeus and the pagan gods or face death and persecution. These persecutions failed to stop the church, so the Olympian spirits invaded and took over the church. In the third century Greek bishops “Christianized” the pagan Roman Empire by decree and again by force. They whitewashed pagan ceremonies and festivals, and they adopted Greek thinking rather than biblical thinking. The following are some of the devastating results of this demonic Olympian invasion of the early Church: the worship, the knowledge, the covenants, and the seasons of God were perverted to those of the Olympian gods. The worship was corrupted so that men worshiped a pantheon of saints that were merely whitewashed idols, with the same powers and same demons behind them. The knowledge of the church was corrupted. Instead of following the path of theocracy, prophecy, revelation and the Word of God, it was supplanted by democracy, philosophy, scholarship and tradition. The covenants between God and man were twisted. Instead of blessing Israel we have persecuted them. The atonement became a mystery rite performed by priests not by the Messiah. The seasons of God, as given by the prophets, were replaced by pagan holy days. Almost every feast we celebrate in the Christian calendar has its roots in a pagan celebration.

Let’s look at some of the present day manifestations of this Olympic demonic possession of the West. Greek temple architecture abounds in every small town and city. Our University, Government, Financial, and Church buildings are built in a form of Greek temples. Most of the ideas that serve as the foundations for these institutions are Greek, including that of the Church. These Greek ideals have significant influence on the church, often times more than the Word of God. Even holidays that we hold sacred have Olympian foundations. December 25th is actually the birthday of Zeus and Mithra (the Roman/Persian sun god). Because December 25^th was the winter solstice it was also a date of countless Dionysian, sun god and fertility rites. Easter, the day we celebrate the resurrection of Christ is named after a fertility goddess “Easter”. We refer to the resurrection by the name of a sexual demon! We celebrate the day with fertility rights of eggs, sunrise services and fertility rabbits. We were told by Christ to remember the Passover but our church fathers intentionally moved it from the Jewish Passover to a day coinciding with pagan calendars and the spring equinox. That is why Carnival and Marti Gras rites are performed in conjunction with Easter. These rites have their roots in the worship of the Olympian god Dionysius.

Festivals and Covenants

The evil one realized that festivals and holidays create powerful spiritual bonds that are renewed again and again from generation to generation. So Satan has worked hard to corrupt our holidays and to add festivals like the Olympics that create a bond between him and nations and generations. God meant festivals and feasts to be a time of rejoicing, worship and renewal of the bonds of love between Him and his people. A proper understanding of this will help channel this power of festivals into the kingdom of God, and away from the kingdom of darkness.

Festivals are very significant in God’s economy. It is on these days that His people renew covenants with Him. A festival was God’s last act of creation. Man was to observe the Sabbath as holy unto God each week, effectively renewing their dedication to God every week. God has ordained days and times for His people to enter into covenant with Him, “kairos moments” where we can enter into His plans and times or miss them for another generation. Hebrews chapters three and four talk about how God established these “kairos moments” and called them “today”. It associates these moments with the Sabbath rest or feasts of the Lord, as the feasts are called Sabbaths. The feasts prophetically declare that the purposes of God are already accomplished in the heavenlies. The Sabbath rest is a celebration that “it is finished” in the heavenlies. The feasts of the Lord are prophetic acts that release the Word of God as the sharp double-edged sword that establishes the will of God in the heavens and on earth (Heb. 4:12). Hebrews chapter three admonishes us not to miss the call of God like the Israelites did when God called them to go up and take the land. So we see these prophetic streams flowing from feasts to “kairos moments” to God’s kingdom on earth. Is it any coincidence that Jesus died on the Passover, the festival that pointed to the redemption of man by the death of the Lamb? Is it any coincidence the Holy Spirit came during the feast of Weeks or Pentecost? It is very likely that Christ was born during the feast of Tabernacles, God tabernacleing with men. Is it any coincidence that the 7^th trumpet of Revelation will call all history to an end and that the feast of Trumpets is the 7^th trumpet of the monthly trumpets? It celebrates the last and final trumpet of the Lord. Is it any coincidence that the Sabbath echoes the fulfillment of God’s timing for us, just as Hebrews chapter four reminds us?

Is it any coincidence that Hanukkah celebrates the cleansing of the Temple of Yahweh from the defilement of Zeus? Back in 168 B.C. when the temple was defiled and God’s people persecuted, Yahweh delivered His people against impossible odds. A band of farmers defeated the most powerful army in the region. The people of God cleansed the temple from the defilement of Zeus and established the festival of Hanukkah in remembrance of God’s deliverance. God also provided miraculously that a one day supply of consecrated lamp oil would last for eight days until more could be consecrated. Hanukkah is a festival of the miraculous light of God delivering His people from the defilement of Zeus.

In the past two years the Lord has had my family and I celebrate Hanukkah. The first year I celebrated it at the foot of the temple of Zeus, lighting the eight lights of Hanukah and declaring the cleansing of God’s temple from this dominating spirit. The following year God directed my wife and two other women from Greece to go to Israel and repent for the actions of the Greeks against the God’s chosen people. When they returned three archbishops were publicly declaring for the first time that icon worship was idolatry. The icon that precipitated their protests was the “Virgin of Jerusalem”. This kind of protest by archbishops has not happened for thousands of years in Greece. I believe that something is being dislodged, by even a few of God’s people celebrating this feast in His timing. This is a prophetic call that the Lord has placed on me. It is not motivated by research or legalism but by the timing of God.

Please pray for the churches of Greece, and ask God how He would have you intercede for this momentous world event, the 2004 Olympics. We want to see His kingdom come on earth; and Yahweh will establish it through the prayers and deeds of His people.

Daniel 11:31-32 Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation [the altar to Zeus]. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.

For More information please contact Randy Weidenaar at rsw@enanet.gr