The prophet's dictionary guide to the supernatural

1652. Ziggurat—A massive temple with many steps that take the worshipper or priest to the heavenly abode of the gods. The Tower of Babel was one of these. It is believed to be dedicated to the astral gods and celestial powers of which Ishtar was venerated as one. 1653. Zodiac—A) The word for the twelve stars and the planets worshipped by the unenlightened as astrology. B) Called the Mazzaroth in Job 38:32. C) The stairs, steps, or the ladder of the spiritual creation. Amos 9:6 refers to them as “stories” in the King James Version and it is translated as creation’s “strata” in the New King James Version. Astrology is the modern name for the science of studying the stars in an effort to tell fortunes, classify human personalities, analyze people’s makeup in an attempt to correlate their life events with the movement of the stars and planets. The zodiac names its stars and constellations mainly after animals or hybrid mythological creatures. Horses with human heads, torsos, or bottoms for example, half-human/half-animal beings claimed to have cast and control people’s fates and fortunes. Their creatures correspond with the ancient deities of old civilizations, placing their studies not in the sphere of science or intellectualism but in the sphere of religion and pagan worship. See Constellations, Mythology, and Astrology. 1654. Zoroaster—The ancient Persian prophet who founded the Zoroastrian religion. 1655. Zoroastrianism—The ancient Medo-Persian religion upon which the priestly caste of the Magi is based. Founded in the sixth century B.C., this polytheistic religion’s chief god is Ahura Mazda who is in constant struggle with the evil god Ahriman. Worshippers then are prescribed a code of conduct requiring good deeds that seem to be essential to giving Mazda the upper hand in the battle. The religion operates on magic and sorcery, believes in reincarnation and the ilk of today’s New Age genre and shares typical irrational afterlife beliefs as the religions of its day and before. See Magi, Druid, Sorcery, Afterlife, Reincarnation, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Witchcraft.