Idolatry Destroys Nations

To the beloved in Christ, may God bless you and keep you.

This sharing is for mature believers to consider what is occurring in the world today and guard against it. 

 Any devils infiltrating this page, the Lord rebuke you.

Idolatry is without question one of, if not the most serious of topics in the Word of God. Indeed the original sin of mankind was idolatry against the true God. Further along in history, the children of Israel fell into idolatry time and time again and this is evidenced all throughout the old testament records. But how does idolatry relate to Christians on earth today? Let us examine the scriptures to gain a greater insight as to what idolatry is and how we can guard against it in our time.

"The love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after..." 

-1 Timothy 6:10

 

 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.....and covetousness, which is idolatry" 

-Colossians 3:5

By these two verses alone we can distinctly conclude the following:

1. The love of money is the root of ALL evil.

2. The love of money is covetousness

3. Covetousness is idolatry.

Hence idolatry is indeed the very source of adversity against the true God, and by the origins of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis, we learn Satan was the first idol. 

 

There is a record where the apostle Paul was healing a man, and the people immediately resorted to idolatry for celebration. Let us examine the record to see the apostles' response and the outcome:

Acts 14:8-19

"8. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: 

9. The same heard Paul speak: who(Paul) stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, 

10. Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

11. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

12. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

13. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

14. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

15. And saying, 

"Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: 

16. Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.

17. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

 

18. And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

19. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead."

-end verse-

 

 

The apostles took this idolatry very serious, they rent their clothes and immediately rushed to reason with the people from sacrificing to other gods. The people nonetheless refused and continued in their idolatry. Not only this, but certain jews persuaded these people to stone Paul, bringing him to the brink of death. Paul healed a man before all these people and they nevertheless stoned him.

It should be clear by now just how dangerous idolatry is. It sears the conscience of people and separates them from not only the true God, but even from natural reality. God explicitly commanded believers to guard their heart(conscience) from idolatry, for out of the heart comes the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23, 1 John 5:21). When a believer doth not guard the heart, and idolatry is allowed into the mind, man becomes blinded to the Truth and may even to ones' own natural senses. Man ultimately becomes separated from the heavenly Father. 

Idolatry is putting anything above Almighty God. He is the Creator and head-God. He sent His only Son to be the mediator and bridge for mankind to be reconciled back to Him. How much more important it is to guard against idolatry knowing what was accomplished for Man through Christ.

 

If it was not clear to men before, Jesus openly stated that the Devil is the father of lies (John 8:44), wherefore it should be no surprise that he is the one who subtly deceives mankind to fall into idolatry. For this very reason, it is imperative for believers not to be ignorant of his devices and schemes (Gen 3:1, 2 Corinth. 2:11).

To help the mature believer guard against idols, there is available the study of numbers.This study is known as Gematria and it is the science of numerical values as they pertain to words. This science is an invaluable tool that mature believers can use to prove the Scriptures and examine what numbers reflect the things of God, and what numbers reflect the things of the world and Satan. With this science, believers may better "prove all things" to keep idolatry out of the household faith.

A great work of reference to this study is,

"Number in Scripture" by E.W. Bullinger

Perhaps one of the most common ways Satan tricks people to turn away from God is by introducing idols very subtly and getting people to accept them. This is where Gematria can be very useful to prove and guard against such. For instance, when we see certain numbers in relation to created things, we can know whether they are magnifying the true God and His creation, or if they are magnifying the false god and corruption.

For instance, let us examine the number 13 and prove what it means in God's Word. By using the science of Gematria in God's Word, we can see this number specifically reflects the following:

"Rebellion, apostasy, corruption, adversarys of God, lineage of Cain, Sin, and atonement for Sin." (Number in Scripture E.W. Bullinger pg. 205-234)

With information like this referenced, believers' can guard against and not be ignorant of the devices of the world. Now for a practical application, let us take our knowledge of 13 and see where it has been used on earth.

Rather curious, a notable usage of the number 13 is on the present US flag. On this flag one can observe 13 red and white stripes. Accustomed as people may be to their traditions and history, it ought always be God's Word that is the standard for believers and not Man's traditions. Scripture Jesus Christ was the final payment and redemption of Man; for by his stripes alone we were healed (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). The possibility that this U.S. flag was made in mockery to what Christ accomplished is not unlikely when referencing this study of Gematria. Disheartening as it may be sometimes, these critical examinations are necessary for mature believers if we seek to prosper and improve the conditions for God's household while here on earth.

1 John 4:4

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

 1 John 4:4

Satan may be in the world, but God is greater. It is God that made Heaven and Earth, and by God's creation is the science of numbers to prove God's Word. 

 

One good thing about the U.S. flag is that it has 50 stars, and by using Gematria, we can see just what the number 50 represents.

"FIFTY is the number of jubilee or deliverance. It is the issue of 7 x 7 (72), and points to deliverance and rest following on as the result of the perfect consummation of time."

("Number in Scripture pg. 268")

Further, in Scripture one may note that 50 represents the day of Pentecost as recorded in the book of Acts, and this important time was the start of the Christian church and the initial outpouring of the gift of holy spirit! How great it is when we can apply good numbers to our daily lives that reflect the things of God and His creation. Certainly we can further God's protection when we use good numbers while putting our hands to work.

Romans 8:37 states that we are more than conquerors through Christ, so why not claim this promise and bring it to pass in our daily lives? Why not improve upon the conditions we find ourselves here amidst the nations of the earth? God promised it so we can absolutely claim it and do it. We can keep ourselves from idols and we can be more than conquerors in all walks of life.

rough work, all rights reserved. last edited 01/22/2023