Uncensored idolatry in the church of God
ARE YOU AWARE IDOLATRY IS A HEINOUS CRIME BEFORE GOD?
● Wondering what constitutes idolatry in the church of God?
● What does the bible say about abomination of desolation standing in the holy place of worship?
● Does image possess the power of a stumbling block to the souls of the unwise?
● Who is the fellow in all the paintings of Christ we see in tattoos, bangles, necklaces, movies, t-shirt, CD/DVD etc?
● Does kneeling and praying in front of image an act of Idolatry?
● What is the mind of God on Idolatry which consists not only in the worship of false gods, but also in the worship of the true God by images?
● Who authorized the use of the image that we see in movies and all the paintings of Christ that was allowed in the church of God?
IDOLATRY is the worship of a cult image or “idol” as though it were God. Idolatry (Image worshipping), in Judaism and Christianity, is the act of giving obeisance, adoration, worship of someone (image) or something (sculpture) other than God as though it were God. The first of the biblical Ten Commandments prohibits idolatry: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3).
In many Indian religions, which include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, idols (murti) are considered as symbolism for the absolute but not the Absolute, or icons of spiritual ideas, or the embodiment of the divine. It is a means to focus one’s religious pursuits and worship (bhakti).
In the traditional religions of Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Africa, Asia, the Americas and elsewhere, the reverence of cult images or statues has been a common practice since ancient times, and cult images have carried different meanings and significance in the history of religion. Moreover, the material depiction of a deity or more deities has always played an eminent role in all cultures of the world. Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship as common in Roman Catholic and other churches.
It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God and claiming it is God. Idolatry contradicts the word of faith. We are enjoined to walk by faith and not by sight (2Cor 5:7).
The just shall live by his faith because the just is doomed without faith. The Lord told “the doubting” Thomas that we that would not see Him (Jesus) physically and still believe are blessed (John 20:29).
A billion dollar question in Christianity that has been ignored for centuries is this: Does image possess the power of a stumbling block to the souls of the unwise?
If JESUS was never photographed, then who is (are) the fellow in all the paintings of Christ we see in tattoos, bangles, necklaces, movies, t-shirt, cd/dvd etc?
The Bible is clear on idolatry. It’s a big no-no to everyone throughout Scripture, for obvious reasons. Here are some examples to refresh our memories: “The acts of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Galatians 5:19-21
“Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” – 1 Corinthians 10:7
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” – Colossians 3:5
“You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments”. – Exodus 20:3-6
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them”. – Jonah 2:8
“Dear children, keep yourselves from idols”. – 1 John 5:21
“Do not turn to idols or make metal or wooden gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God”. – Leviticus 19:4
“The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands.
They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them”. – Psalm 135:15-18
“The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes”. – Jeremiah 11:12
“Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.
“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk”. – Revelation 9:20
“For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” – 1 Samuel 15:23
“Cursed is anyone who makes an idol – a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of skilled hands – and sets it up in secret.” – Deuteronomy 27:15
Any Christian that reads the Bible knows the danger of Idolatry even though most of us when we think of idolatry we imagine the images carved to look like animals out of gold, silver, and jewels, It doesn’t have to be a statue of animal or a physical image that we literally stand before and worship, but that’s certainly the way of doing it. When you ignorantly create a statue of Jesus or Mary and kneeling down before it to render obeisance and adoration is core idol worshipping.
Apparently, these images that they give adoration as God are nothing but the works of men.
GRAVEN IMAGES
(THE HEINOUS CRIME)
The Second Commandment is thou shalt not make any graven image. It is idolatry to worship false gods or the true God by statues or pictures.
Right away you see when Catholics bow down and pray to images of Mary and Son.
It is idolatry. God is not wood, stone, or metal and he will not be worshipped as if he was a man-made item.
God is extremely serious when it comes to idols. There will be a day when many people who claim to be Christian will be caught lacking and will be thrown into hell for their blatant idolatry against God. Do not be that person who tries to twist Scripture and find any way possible to do something that is not supposed to be done. Nobody wants to listen to the truth anymore, but always remember God cannot be mocked.
The senior Pastor at DAYSPRING ASSEMBLY in Lagos state of Nigeria (Pst. Harrison Chiemerie Charles) explored the scripture with the unction of the Holy Spirit to debunk the false images of Jesus Christ in the walls of many churches in Africa and the Western world stating clearly that anyone who calls the White looking movie actor Jesus Christ of Nazareth is falsehood and Idolatry to pray to it.
According to David Freedberg, in his work: The Power of Images, “Pictures were justified because they were the books of the illiterate”. So by them worshipping these idols, they are an abomination unto God because in doing so, this image would become a stumbling block to the souls of men, and a snare to the feet of the unwise who do not know the word of God that clearly states the mind and position of God on idolatry which is a heinous crime.
This brings us to another crucial question on this article: Who is the fellow in all the paintings of Christ we see in tattoos, bangles, necklaces, movies, t-shirt, CD/DVD etc? – uncensored Idolatry in the church.
Who authorized the use of this man’s image that we see in movies and all the paintings of Christ and allowed in the church of God? CONTINUE READING…
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