The Radiant Mission Podcast | Episode 42
Host: Rebecca Twomey @theradiantmission
Co-Host: Rachel Smith @rachelsmithsmith
Thank you for listening to The Radiant Mission podcast! We are on a mission to encourage and inspire you on your walk with Christ and as you journey through life.
In Episode 42 we continue to discuss Pharmakeia from a Biblical perspective including symbolism, mythology and the Nephilim.
As we’re entering the End Times and deception is more and more prevalent, we feel convicted to speak up about topics like this one.
Also, for more on this topic, be sure to check out Casey Byrum’s IG Story Highlights.
DISCLAIMER: The information in this episode is NOT medical advice.
In This Episode on Pharmakeia: Symbolism, Mythology, and the Nephilim:
Something we did not address last week was the symbolism of Pharmakeia that is presented to us even today in the medical world. There is a popular symbol of medicine used today called the caduceus.
It is a staff with two snakes coiled around it, is the official insignia of the United States Medical Corps, Navy Pharmacy Division, and the Public Health Service. The caduceus is also the magic wand carried by Hermes (the Romans knew him as Mercury), the messenger of the gods. (Source: Mayo Clinic).
In an article put out by the Mayo Clinic, they break down the roots this emblem has in mythology, with the most standout part of the article stating this:
“To understand the association of the winged caduceus and the healing arts, one must consider two early forms of worship—adoration of serpents and of the sun. Serpent and sun worship are found to be universally associated. The serpent was worshipped as a symbol of life and regenerative power by primitive humans, who also associated sunshine with the blessings of life and health. The establishment of the seat of serpent worship in northern Egypt, in the dominion of the sun god Ra, led to the association of the sun and the serpent.”
As a Christian, just reading this gave me the heebie jeebies.
So, the emblem of Western medicine is rooted in serpent worship? Who do we think came up with this idea? Sounds like something the serpent himself would’ve come up with, no?
Satan is an imitator. He has created nothing and wants nothing more than to ruin God’s beautiful creation. What better way to do this than through pharmakeia, aka sorcery, aka modern-day pharmaceuticals?
If the Lord created herbs, plants, animals, the sun, and positive relationships to help heal us, it only makes sense to me that the enemy would attack those things.
Why use an herb or a plant when the enemy places a shiny pill in front of you to “solve your problems?” It’s the illusion of healing in front of us, when the truth is that these pharmaceuticals were designed to keep us entrapped in the medical system, dependent on it, in its cycle.
But let’s go back to mythology for a minute because I don’t want us to miss how commonplace this was in OTHER religions, in what we would call pagan religions.
As a reminder, you may want to listen back to episodes 3-6 on spiritual warfare. In episode 4 and 5 we dive into Genesis 6 and the Nephilim, which will give you a bit more context into this topic.
Said briefly, the Greek gods were likely not a “myth.” They were likely the offspring of the fallen angels, also known as the Watchers. The offspring being the Nephilim. The fallen angels mated with human women, and if we look at the story of Asclepius, we see this as his father was Apollo and his mother was a mortal human.
Gen. 6:4 states: “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
So, who is Asclepius? He was the god of medicine, healing, rejuvenation, and physicians. In depictions of Asclepius, he is shown with a staff with a coiled snake. To the Greeks, snakes were sacred beings of wisdom, healing, and resurrection.
Now, let’s talk about Asclepius’ daughters. Their names were Hygieia and Panacea.
Hygieia was the goddess of health, cleanliness, and hygiene and Panacea was the goddess of universal health. She is typically portrayed with a potion which she used to heal the sick.
The cup with the snake is known as the bowl of Hygieia and is the symbol for pharmacy in most parts of the western world where pharmacies are located. Think about some of the common pharmacies out there… Walgreens, Walmart, RiteAid… the symbolism lives there today.
Now let’s back this up even a little further. Let’s go back to Asclepius, whose father was Apollo. Apollo’s father was Zeus, and he also had a brother named Hermes.
What is Hermes holding? The Caduceus which is the two snakes winding up a winged staff. It is said that Hermes was the god of commerce and market, god of thieves, and also the guide for the dead because he could travel between worlds (the spiritual and physical). He was also known as Mercury.
He’s found holding the Caduceus, or some refer to it as Azoth, and it’s said to symbolize trade, negotiation, alchemy, and wisdom.
The point in mentioning this symbolism is to emphasize the roots of pharmakeia and where it began, and the fact that it’s still very much the same today. The Bible tells us to stay away from sorcery, which is also something the Nephilim are known for creating.
In Galatians 5:19-20 it says:
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions.
But perhaps the most hard-hitting reference is in Revelation 21:8
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts (also referred to as sorcerers in some translations), the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Yahweh does not take lightly to sorcery/witchcraft. And listen, my goal here isn’t to try to guilt trip or make anyone feel bad. I’m not trying to say everyone involved in the medical industry is a sorcerer.
The reason we are talking about it is TO talk about it. To shed light on this conversation because it does need to be had. The Lord did not create our bodies haphazardly. He created them in his OWN image. With this conversation I am challenging the idea that we need sorcery in order to heal our ailments.
The Bible clearly says in Revelation that during the end times ALL the nations will be deceived by the whore of Great Babylon with her sorceries. Sorcery is Greek word for Pharmakeia. Pharmakeia is connected with administering drugs, poisons, sorcery, magic arts, deception, and idolatry.
And what’s going on in our world today? The medical industry has been deeply infiltrated and controlled by evil sorcerers. It is a tool that the enemy is using.
Bible Verses Mentioned on Pharmakeia: Symbolism, Mythology, and the Nephilim:
- Genesis 6
- Galatians 5:19-20
- Revelation 21:8
- Ephesians 5:8-16
Resources Mentioned on Pharmakeia: Symbolism, Mythology, and the Nephilim:
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