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Introduction

Since the inception of man there have been many mysteries concerning his worship of the spirit world, but none stands out more than sacred places or sites. Anthropologists note that most cultures, from the most advanced to the most primitive, had some form of sacred site. Many of these ancient sites were set up before the formation of Israel. The mystery lies in discovering the purpose of the sites and the cause of the various psychic or supernatural phenomena surrounding the sacred sites.

Modern man with his technological knowledge scoffs at the assertion that there might be non-physical causes behind these sacred sites. He believes that these sites were sheer superstition and primitive ignorance. Yet the Bible furnishes proof for the existence of these sacred sites for Israel had many.

The primary purpose for places being labeled sacred was that supernatural occurrences took place there and men believed that they had to go to these places to receive some type of miracle or oracle.

The purpose of this lecture was to prove the existence of sacred places which the scriptures verify, examine the modern day sacred sites of the Roman Catholics in Lourdes, France, which more people visit each year than any other religious sites in the world including Fatima, Portugal. Now the discourse also explained various theories concerning these sacred sites and their spiritual reality.

How are sacred sites defined?

Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience defines Sacred Sites as “Power Points.” A location, site, object, or edifice, believed to be sacred or to possess magical or supernatural energies, or to be the dwelling place of Spirits of the dead, nature spirits or gods. The “power” at points emanates from an ineffable spiritual source, identified as cosmic in origin or part of the living Earth. Coming in contact with it instills feelings of wonder, awe, fear, fascination, and mystery (p. 460).”

Joseph Campbell revealed the true reality of “sacred places” in his book The Power of Myth, in an interview with Bill Moyers. Mr. Moyers states: “You [Joseph Campbell] write in Mythic Image about centers of transformation, the idea of a sacred place where the temporal walls dissolve to reveal a wonder. This is an absolute necessity for anybody today … This is a place where you simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be (p. 92).”

What are modern theories of ancient sites?

Many modern researchers look for physical reasons behind these sacred sites, but supernatural entities are behind most of the phenomenon at these sacred sites. An Englishman Alfred Watkins developed a theory called Leys to explain sacred sites in 1927. He believed that holy sites and places of antiquity, such as barrows, stones circles, pagan altars, medieval churches, etc., were connected by a pattern of lines called “leys.” (needs an illustration)

Certain researchers believed that when “leys” intersect they form “nodes” or “vortices” that radiate multiple lines of energy. Now they believe that this energy causes all types of paranormal phenomena, according to Mystics Places (p. 102) and Harper’s Encyclopedia of Paranormal Experiences. Besides angels there could be other entities such as ghosts and evil spirits causing supernatural feats.

Is there scientific verification?

Most of the ancient sites such as Stonehenge in England have been physically measured and researchers have detected anomalies of energy that were inconclusive.

The “Dragon Project,” headed by Paul Devereux along with other engineers, statisticians, dowsers, psychics, and astro-archeologists, performed these measurements.

Is there a model of a sacred place using the Bible?

The Bible gives the best model concerning sacred sites. The Bible shows that at various places there were supernatural occurrences such as an angel manifesting (Exo. 3:2; Gen. 32:24-30) or Yahweh appearing in a cloud (Exo. 19:16-20, 24:9-10).

Many of these sacred sites existed long before the formation of Israel and the Bible. A number of these sacred places were the result of some supernatural phenomenon. For example, Jacob dreamed at a place called Bethel (originally called Luz) that angels ascended and descended on a ladder with Elohim sitting atop this ladder. He awoke and said: “How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of Elohim (God), and this is the gate of heaven (Gn. 28:17).” Clearly, Jacob thought this location was the gate of heaven.

The area around Mt. Sinai was a sacred place before Moses received his vision of the angel in the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-3). In fact, Mt. Sinai was called Mt. Elohim (God). For this mountain to be called Mt. Elohim, many visions or supernatural occurrences had to have happened there. The inhabitants of this region considered it a sacred place. The angel told Moses in his vision: “…Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground (Ex. 3:5).”

Usually anytime an angel or anything supernatural made an appearance at a certain place, the custom of this area was to make sacrifices and create a shrine. Jerusalem and other sites were made sacred by this same process.

What did the Messiah say about sacred sites under the New Covenant?

When the Messiah was in His ministry there were many scared places in Israel, which He would soon abolish and explain the spiritual reality. There was a sacred place in Jerusalem called Bethesda, near the sheep market pool, where people went and were healed. An invisible angel troubled the water at a certain season and whoever went into the water first was healed (Jn. 5:1-4).

The Messiah came along to end this process. He found a man who was sick for 38 years laying by the pool waiting for somebody to help him into the pool. He asked the man his problem and immediately spoke the words: “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk (Jn. 5:8).” Here the Messiah healed a man without the healing of cure being tied to a geographical location.

He later revealed to the women at Jacob’s well that Elohim desired that mankind worship Him in Spirit and Truth (Jn. 4:24) and not on the mount or at the temple as it was under the Old Testament. In other words, all physical forms of worshipping Yahweh, such as sacrifices, feast days, ceremonies, sacred place, etc., were going to be done away by the Messiah's death. Thus, the true sacred place is within the hearts and minds of mankind.

The Apostle Paul told the Corinth assembly where the true sacred place of Elohim was under the new Covenant. He stated: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of Elohim (God), and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify Elohim (God) in your body, and in your spirit, which are Elohim (God)’s (1 Cor. 6:19-20).”

Has the Virgin Mary appeared at sacred sites?

It should be noted that none of the Apostles designated any geographical locations to worship Yahshua the Messiah nor His mother. Now one may wonder why there are so many physical sacred places in this spiritual age of Grace, especially among Roman Catholics.

Most of these places occurred as the result of the Virgin Mary appearing at various places, such as Lourdes, France, Fatima, Portugal, etc. Now the irony of the Virgin Mary’s appearances is that she only appears to Roman Catholics. Protestants do not worship her, have visions of her. So Protestants have no record of her appearances nor have sacred sites.

What occurs at these sacred places now in this Present Age of Grace?

The most popular sacred site among the Roman Catholics is Lourdes, France as a result of the Blessed Virgin appearing to Bernadette (1871) and performing miracles before the crowd. D. Scott Rogo in his book Beyond Reality (© 1990 Aquarian Press) states that due to the stringent medical standards of the Roman Catholic Church, they have only proclaimed 64 miracles at Lourdes in the last 126 years (p. 217). Likewise, the Virgin Mary appeared to the three children at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, and performed miracles before a crowd of 70,000.

There is no way to reconcile these Roman Catholic sites with the Messiah’s own words and the writings of the Apostles. Their message was that the Messiah must be revealed within one’s heart and mind not in some geographical location.

The prophet Isaiah wrote in the Old Testament that Yahweh said He would send Israel a strong delusion for their unbelief. Isaiah wrote: “I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not (Isa. 66:4; See 1 Kgs. 22:18-22).” The Apostle Paul said to those that would not obey the words of Grace of Yahshua. Paul wrote: “And for this cause Elohim (God) shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie (II Th. 2:11):”

Now the only conclusion that is left for the sacred places of Fatima, Lourdes, and other so-called sacred sites is that they were a strong delusion. One cannot worship Elohim in Spirit and Truth by visiting these sites. Finally, there is only one Mediator between man’s soul and His creator, who is the Messiah, and not the Virgin Mary (1 Tim. 2:5).

Conclusion

This article shows that there was a supernatural phenomenon causing sacred sites. In most cases there were angels working behind the scenes performing various supernatural feats. There was a time when under the Old Covenant this was necessary for the people’s development, but the Messiah brought this form of worship to an end. The sacred place in this Present Age of Grace is the holy place inside one’s heart where the true miracles take place.

Paul said: “For Elohim (God), who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of Elohim (God) in the face of Yahshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ). But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of Elohim (God), and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

Always bearing about in the body the dying of Yahshua the Messiah (the Lord Jesus), that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body (2 Cor. 4:6-10).”

REFERENCES

Campbell, Jospeh, The Power of Myth (1988 © Doubleday)

Guiley, Rosemary Ellen Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience (© 1991 Harpers)

Ravier, Andre, Bernadette (© 1979 Collins)

Rogo, D. Scott, Beyond Reality, (The Aquarian Press 1990)

Roney-Dougal, Serena, Where Science and Magic Meet (© 1991 Element)

Scofield Reference Bible (© 1909 Oxford University Press)

Welsh, William Thomas, Our Lady of Fatima (© 1954 Image)

(Time-Life Books) Mystic Places, Mysteries of the Unknown (Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia)

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