A World of Shadows And Images

11/29/23

Concerning God and the word of God, we live in a period of skepticism, skepticism being the doctrine of philosophy. It is a universal doubt denying the certainty of knowledge respecting God and His Holy Word. Many believe in a life that extends beyond this world. Most are still determining what it is, where it is, and how to achieve it. This doubt can lead to many forms of idol worship. Various old and new religious systems have persuaded men to define their passions with mythologies, theologies, chance, fate, the cosmos, karma, the supernatural, divinations, stone towers, magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and mystical healing.

Some call on Hindu wonderworkers, enchanters, stargazers, and palm readers; others believe in mythology; this is the world outside the scope of Christianity, a world that has made a pact with demons.

Are you okay because you attend church? Does this make you okay with God? If you believe this, it is not valid. Many churches have corrupted God’s word, having blended Christian doctrines with various forms of false worship. Conflicting powers and thoughts are being taught today as one in truth.

As voodoo is, in many places, blended with the teachings of organized religions, his practice takes place in some Catholic-dominated Island nations. I have heard the expression “good white witches” as compared to evil black witches. Witchcraft, this hypocrisy, is practiced throughout the United States. The Gospel message intermixed with the act of snake handling, claiming to be the work of the Holy Spirit. Those who attend these rituals believe that supernatural power enters those who handle snakes without being affected. These are the lovers of the flesh, giving worship to false gods. 

True Christian worship is to pay honor, reverence, respect, and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. The English word for worship means “worthship.” It’s the state of worth, or worthiness, and refers to the excellence of Jesus’ character and His dignity. When Christians give worship to the God of the Bible, it involves an acknowledgment of Jesus’ perfections. We can worship God in the privacy of our homes or in a public setting. Private worship is done and then received with the highest respect and reverence. 

Christians should worship with awe and excitement concerning the power and glory surrounding the Almighty. Self-abasement and repentance are God’s requirements for sinners. Followers of Christ need to have great expectations concerning fulfilling His promises. The Jews were to worship following the Lord’s instructions.

When in public, the works of Jesus Christ should always be the number one topic of conversation. Those who worship privately object to public worship. They say, “I don’t talk about God or politics in public.” That’s a good platform on which to go to hell. Public worship in a church on a Sunday morning, Wednesday, or any other day, is a requirement. Unity is strength, its power coming from the Holy Spirit.

1. Jesus promised His presence in all public gatherings that are in agreement concerning Him. Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This promise is 24/7.

2. Christ attended public worship. Luke 4:15, “He taught in their synagogues.” 

3. Jesus prayed with His disciples. Luke 9:28, “He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.”

4. Luke 11:1, “As was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples.”

5. In Acts 1:23-24, Joseph and Matthias prayed.

6. In Acts 6:4, the apostles called many before them and said, “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

The disciples worshiped on the examples and the precepts of Jesus Christ, the Head of the body. And so, as members of the body of Christ, we must pray and worship our Savior in the form set within his instructions. We are commanded by the Lord to teach and to preach the Gospel message in silence. We must gather together, hear, teach, and glorify God.

Two forms of Idolatry developed centuries ago. False gods were worshiped by forming images, performing blood sacrifices, and other elaborate ceremonies.

God requires us to worship Him through prayer and deed. It is by faith, faith in Him, faith in His promises, and faith in those He entrusted His Holy Word to.

The habitation of idols and gods could be found in the mountains, springs, trees, and stones. Wooden carvings, the sun, and the rivers represented their source of life. Animals became sacred, so they were crafted having human bodies with animal heads, then defied.

Romans 1:25, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.”

These false gods have no moral character, and the worship of them, in many cases, carries with them child sacrifices, prostitution, Idol worship, exterminations (as in Hitler and Stalin), drunkenness, babbling, false healing, frantic dancing, shaking, being cast down, all in the name of Jesus. If I recall correctly, I believe Jesus said of His work, “It is finished.”

The word idolatry occurs only once in K.J.V. 

1 Samuel 15:23, “Rebellion = (bitterness) is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” However, several Hebrew words can be rendered “Idol.”

These words express loathing, contempt, dread, emptiness, and nothingness. These are: “an object of horror” or “terror,” something hideous, an idol and its worship. Furthermore, when the title “el,” or God, is given to lifeless idols, it can be a cause of grief and a shameful thing for those who practice this.

The Israelites were the sole worshippers of the One True God, Jehovah. While in captivity, they began to worship the gods of Egypt. Moses destroyed the myth behind the Egyptian gods by smiting the symbols representing them. He accomplished this with the plagues pronounced upon Pharaoh, the people, and the land. Each plague represented the power of an Egyptian god that the people worshiped. Despite the miracles the Jews witnessed, they insisted on having some visible shape or form in their ceremonies to which they could pay honor.

Aaron, the brother of Moses, convinced the people to make a golden calf, symbolizing the reproductive power of nature with which they had become familiar in Egypt. For this crime, three thousand were put to death. The commandments of God forbid any person to make or to bow down (to worship) to any image. There is no exception, even if you believe the image represents Jesus, the Father, Mary, or any other Biblical character. Those who worship idols will ask Christians the following questions or make the following claims.

1. What did the people of the world worship before Abraham and Moses? The answer is “false gods.” 

2. Did Abraham’s father not worship false gods? Answer: Yes. 

3. Did not the great nations and powers, before the Jews came into being, worship other gods? Answer: Yes. 

4. Because this thinking prevails today, we also honor things evident to the human senses. 

5. We want images that can go before us and live among us. 

6. Our Lord is everywhere in power and nowhere in appearance; therefore, for many, it is hard to understand.

7. False gods favor human passions and require no morals. 

Pagan rituals included lavish ceremonies, feasting, dancing, and usually nighttime assemblies. Hidden mysteries, signs, and wonders govern idol worshippers. But in truth, they have changed God’s truth into a lie. Led by corrupt priests who are disciples of Satan, they teach doctrines of evil, participating in many vices. 

Sorcerers or enchanters raise questions that elude any mathematical demonstration. They ask questions concerning the universe’s origin, where man came from, and when. What is man’s destiny? Is it chance or fate that dominates the landscape of our lives? What does a man’s future hold? 

Many intellectual and scientific fields claim that the Bible explains by default. Default because no analytical, experimental, or mathematics experiments can test the words of Scripture or the mysterious world from which they came. With powerful electronic microscopes, biologists look into the smallest corners of D.N.A., which is so complex that just charting it took years with the aid of supercomputers. So how long will it take to understand it, and what are the mathematical odds of D.N.A. coming together as it has?

An astronomical number would have to be the answer. Why? Because the number is infinite! It took a designer, an architect, and a master builder to engineer the D.N.A. of all living organisms. Chance is not even a consideration. If I were to show someone a car and say that it came together by itself, they would think I was nuts. Living organisms are so much more complex, yet evolutionists say life came into existence by chance.?

Non-Christians with college degrees have nightmares trying to answer the following issues, “A thing cannot be and be at the same time. Nothing produces something. Non-intelligence cannot produce intelligence.” A rock cannot produce a living object. Evolutionists may ask, what is the origin of evil? If God has no sin in Him, He cannot create evil, so what is its cause? Their priests apply the idea of good and evil, two principles: equal, opposite, and co-eternal. They teach the concept that good and bad hold the world in balance and impose a law of merciless compensation upon man.

Light may be the opposite of darkness, and heaven, the opposite of hell, but Satan is not the opposite of God. Jesus is the Creator of all things, including the Devil himself. God gave the Jews His sacred script first and then the Gospel to all of us. Satan has no power, none, except that which God allows him. God has declared all things from the beginning, and His declarations stands. The bottom line is that all things, both good and evil, work for the glory of God. Lucifer, through his freedom, has chosen to oppose His Maker.

Am I an alarmist? No! Do I care? Yes! Can I change people? No! Can I do anything about man and his evils? Yes! What? Teach the word of God to as many people as I can. The ancient Jews recognized there was one God, and when obedient, they benefitted from His hand; when the Jews strayed, they suffered, one would think we should understand this by studying history, but many don’t. 

America lives in its land of shadows. The immaterial, invisible, spiritual world of God is falling into the shadows of materialism, entertainment, sport, sex, porn, and uncaring complicity. Our children are no longer acquainted with the Scriptures. Many are absorbed in sports, music, computers, drugs, T.V. movies, and other distractions. 

Have you noticed how many athletes and Hollywood stars are considered icons on T.V.? You ask, “What is an icon?” A hero can be a religious image, a Hollywood actor, a sport, a sports star, a team, work, machines, things, or anything people have become addicted to. The photos and autographs of celebrities are highly desired; we worship them all: antiques, travel, you name it. These memorabilia are to be treasured and wanted more than the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We must all ask ourselves, how would you respond if put to the test? Would you set aside certain things in your personal life, valuables, and time to remain faithful to the Lord? A day may come when we all must respond to that question. Ask yourself, have I become an idol worshipper in some way?

Children know more about play-station games than they know about the finished work of Jesus Christ. Ask any teenage boy about a football, baseball, or basketball star; their response is immediate and exuberant. Now, ask about Jesus Christ, and the child stumbles, retreats, and looks the other way. Parents send their children to public schools where the mention of God may get their children expelled. Children have free rein to view any T.V. program they wish. Programs that elevate the “THEORY” of evolution to the position of fact and encourage loose sex, murder, theft, and use of the Lord’s name in vain need to be avoided and rejected.

If there is enough of this material, this imagery, this dialog, and propaganda entering a person’s thoughts, that person will slide into eternity, lost forever. Parents, family friends, and church leaders are responsible and to be held accountable because the LORD is not to be mocked! Satan has fine-tuned Idolatry into an art form. He has camouflaged it so it is no longer considered Idolatry by Christians. Hollywood stars, sports figures, and political and religious figures elevated to the throne of a God. They are worshipped, honored, and highly esteemed by their fans. Glory heaped on them with written and spoken words, financial rewards, and, in some cases, worship.

Idolatry falls into two categories. The first is metaphorical, and the second is proper.

Metaphorical Idolatry is the love of personal wealth, honor, looks, and physical pleasure; therefore, personal pleasure and physical passions are the things sought after. These things are made superior and put before God’s will. In doing so, they have made a god of themselves and have become slaves to their sensual lusts.

Proper Idolatry is to glorify and honor someone or something other than their Maker. Some worship and celebrate themselves, becoming idols to themselves. God is also said to be in some ray of light or flame of fire. He may dwell in some old bones, an ancient artifact, an edifice, or any artificial or natural thing. It may become a form of entertainment, ceremony, or a false admiration of God through some mistaken idea of His character or being. Others worship angels, the sun, the planets, comets, animals, or whatever suits their fancy. These are the idolaters of yesteryear today and in the future. 

There is no doubt that they worship these things, giving God’s honor over to them. They justify that worship but deny the Idolatry of it. When asked, they say these things are subordinate to the worship of God. It is but a vain and futile attempt to hide what is in their hearts, for their words are trifling and actions blasphemous. 

God’s invitation of salvation is for all men, but not for the ignorant, murderous, and guilty. When two or more gathered in His name, His Holy Spirit infuses us with power and glory. We are taken into fellowship with Him, strengthened, and given knowledge with understanding. He prepares the way so that every devout Christian can have a clear, unrestricted path to success; this is in His work of saving grace.

Young and old, black, red, yellow, white, Hispanic, Polish, Italian, Indian, the rich and poor, blue collar, white, all sinners meeting on common ground, equally dependent upon Him and asking for His mercy. Our pride gives way to humility. In this, we raise the hope and the spirit of the poor, the sick, and those who are weak emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, showing the spirit of grace and kindness to the Almighty in these glorious gatherings. Blessed is he who walks in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com