Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moses. Show all posts

Monday, October 16, 2017

Modern Day Idols

Dear God seekers,

Idolatry is something that has been around for thousands of years and is still just as prevalent in the world today as it was in the old days. In fact, this present generation is the most evil one that has ever lived on the face of the earth, so idolatry is probably more widespread now than ever before. It comes in many forms, some old-fashioned ones and some modern-day ones. Let's look at what the Scripture says about it and what constitutes idolatry, as well as what does not.

A golden calf
"Then God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."(Exo 20:1-6).

These are the first and second commandments. The first commandment is that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is Yehova our God, and we shall have no other gods before us. The second commandment forbids idolatry. We must not make an idol, which is a graven image. That includes any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water. God specified that we shall not worship such images or serve them, and this must be understood in the context of the first commandment against having any other gods before Yehova. When God commanded us in the second commandment not to make an image of anything in the likeness of what is in heaven above, that included God Himself, His throne, the angels, the cherubim, and the glorious Holy City.

The Lord reiterated it in Deuteronomy when He said:

"So watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, so that you do not act corruptly and make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the sky, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." (Deu 4:15-19)

When the Lord spoke to the Israelites at Horeb, He spoke from the midst of the fire on top of the mountain. They did not see any form on that day. He says that to make a graven image is to act corruptly. The prohibition is against making images in the form of any figure, including those in the likeness of male or female, any animal, any bird, anything that creeps on the ground such as serpents, and any fish. He also warned us not to lift up our eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them. This is essentially a reiteration of the first and second commandments.

Images in the Bible
We do see images in the Bible, some that were authorized by God and others that were not. Let's look at some of them.

The Tabernacle
God commanded Moses to be sure and make the tabernacle according to the pattern shown to him on the mountain (Ex 25:40). The tabernacle itself and all its furnishings were types or copies of the original realities that exist in heaven. Part of the pattern that God gave Moses to build was the ark of the covenant. Above it were the golden cherubim above the mercy seat on the ark.

"You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat." (Exo 25:17-20)

This is an example of a case where God commanded Moses to make an image of cherubim, which are created beings in heaven. In fact, they were on the ark of the covenant in the most sacred place of all, the holy of holies. God also commanded Moses to put images of angels in other places in the tabernacle, too, such as the curtains.

"Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman." (Exo 26:1).

All these images were authorized by God, who gave the skillful workmen the talent to create such beautiful material.

The Temple
We also see the use of cherubim in the design of Solomon's temple:

"Now there were four supports at the four corners of each stand; its supports were part of the stand itself. On the top of the stand there was a circular form half a cubit high, and on the top of the stand its stays and its borders were part of it. He engraved on the plates of its stays and on its borders, cherubim, lions and palm trees, according to the clear space on each, with wreaths all around. He made the ten stands like this: all of them had one casting, one measure and one form." (1Ki 7:34-37)

Likewise, we see cherubim in the design of the millenial temple:

"It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, a man's face toward the palm tree on one side and a young lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were carved on all the house all around. From the ground to above the entrance cherubim and palm trees were carved, as well as on the wall of the nave." (Eze 41:18-20)

These images were all allowed by God.

The Bronze Serpent
Another example of God authorizing an image is the bronze serpent. Snakes were biting the Israelites in the wilderness, because of their sinful behavior, and they were dying. So God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a cross bar atop a long pole. When those bitten by the snakes would look up at the serpent high atop the pole, they would be healed and not die.

"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.' And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived." (Num 21:8-9)

This serpent was actually a type of Christ on the cross, according to the Scriptures. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life." (Joh 3:14-15)

Unfortunately the Israelites turned the bronze serpent into an idol named Nehushtan and burned incense to it. That's why Hezekiah broke it in pieces.

"He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan." (2Ki 18:4)

The Gold Ephod
When Gideon returned from battle, victorious over the Midanites, the Israelites wanted him to be king over them. He refused to be their king, but said the Lord would rule over them. He did ask for one thing and that was their gold earrings, which they gladly gave him. He melted it down and made a gold ephod out of what he collected. The Israelites later prostituted themselves with the ephod and it became a snare to Gideon.

"Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, 'Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son's son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.' But Gideon said to them, 'I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.' Yet Gideon said to them, 'I would request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil.' (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) They said, 'We will surely give them.' So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil. The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that were on their camels' necks. Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household." (Jdg 8:22-27)

Baal and Ashtaroth 
Of course, we all know about the many idols the Jews made, such as idols to Baal and Ashtaroth. "So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth." (Jdg 2:13)

"Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him." (Jdg 10:6).

The prophet Samuel got them to get rid of these, although they later returned to idolatry. "Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, 'If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.' So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone." (1Sa 7:3-4)

The Golden Calf
Then there was the famous golden calf that they worshiped.

"Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, 'Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' Aaron said to them, 'Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.' Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.' Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, 'Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.' So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." (Exo 32:1-6)

This was a tragic moment for Israel when they fell into sin while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God.

The Foolishness of Idolatry
Idolatry is foolish, because it shows how man wants to worship something he can see. Yet God says, "To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter." (Isa 40:18-20). They worship created things rather than the Creator.

As we can see, there were many images in the Bible, most of which were evil, but others that were authorized by God Himself.

Traditional Images 
Aside from these biblical examples, we also have examples of traditional images used in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches

Pope Benedict kneels before Mary statue
These religions have made many images into idols, including paintings and statues of Jesus and Mary, as well as the saints. Even crucifixes portraying Jesus hanging on the cross have been turned into idols. These images are venerated by those who kiss them, touch them, and bow down before them. These images are believed to have power. 

For example, it is believed to provide protection to have a picture of "the sacred heart of Jesus" in your home. The same is believed to be true of something called a scapula, which is an image made of metal or cloth that is worn on the body around the neck on a chain or pinned to the underwear. And depending on what kind of help you need, there are false beliefs about the various statues. If you need safety on the road, then you put a statue of Saint Jude on your dashboard or hang the rosary over your rear view mirror in your car. If you need help selling your home, then I have heard that some believe you should bury a statue of Saint Joseph upside down in your yard. All of this is pure superstition and idolatry.

When I first came to Christ, nobody had to tell me these things were idolatry. I gathered them up in my hands and as I prepared to throw them away, I felt that I was either about to commit the greatest act of sacrilege and a lightning bolt was going to strike me, or else I was about to be set free from religious bondage. Well, I threw them away by faith in God, and He did not strike me with lighting, but He did set me free from bondage. The truth set me free not only from that, but from addictions to drugs, alcohol, and immorality. 

Yet when I tried to warn others who were still in bondage to idolatry in the Catholic religion, they would not listen to me. They insisted that these were not idols and they were not committing idolatry, since they were not bowing down to these images or worshiping them. They hardened their hearts when they heard the voice of the Lord speaking to them through me, and they chose idolatry instead of truth. They justified their sin, so they could continue practicing it, rather than repent and be set free to worship God in spirit and in truth. 

Jesus said, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:24).

Therefore, if you are involved in idolatry with traditional images, the Lord is calling you to repent and turn away from such wickedness. Turn back to the living God and He will save you.

Also see Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church and Unbiblical Practices of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Are All Pictures Idolatry?
But some people even teach that making any kind of picture of Jesus is idolatry, which will take you down to hell. I personally do not teach that or believe it is true. If it is idolatry to have a picture of Jesus, then that means motion pictures of Jesus are also idolatry. That would mean that movies about Jesus are a form of idolatry, such as The Jesus Film produced by John Heyman and directed by Peter Sykes and John Krish, which is primarily based on the Gospel of Luke. Yet this movie has touched lives for Jesus and many people have come to know Him after watching the film, who would not otherwise have heard the gospel. In the book I Just Saw Jesus, which describes the making of the movie, it is obvious that God was in it and the devil was strongly opposed to it. 

If all movies of Jesus were idolatry, that would also mean that The Passion of the Christ movie produced by Mel Gibson in 2004 is idolatry. And again, I know that this movie has helped to show the world the sacrifice that Christ made for them on the cross. I also know that satan opposed the production of it, such as the making of the sound track. And James Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus in that movie, encountered many trials and tribulations during the making of the film. For example, he was struck by lightning, accidentally scourged, had his shoulder dislocated, and suffered from pneumonia and hypothermia.

If all pictures of Jesus are idolatry, including still images and motion pictures, then according to the second commandment, all sacred artwork would be idolatrous, such as the pieces that artist Danny Hahlbohm says the Lord inspired him to paint. All photographs and pictures of any kind would also be considered idolatry, since they are either images of something on earth, in heaven, or in the sea. That would include videos of any kind, like videos of people, even pastors preaching sermons against idolatry! All such videos contain images of people, which are among the ones forbidden in Deu 4:15-19.

In fact, if all pictures are idolatry, then all drawings and illustrations are idolatry, such as children's illustrated Bibles, craft activities for children's Sunday School lessons on the Bible, coloring books of Bible stories, and paper cut-out figures of Bible characters. One of my children's favorite activities is flannel graph, which are flannel figures of people, angels, trees, animals, and buildings from the Bible, which they stick on a flannel board to create scenes from the Bible. They call it "sticky people." These would be considered idolatry, too, according to this teaching. All books containing illustrations, such as anatomy books and botany books would be idolatrous. All pictures everywhere would have to be eliminated.

I will leave it to you to prayerfully decide for yourself whether all pictures are idolatry, but unless the Lord shows me that personally, it is not my belief that they are.

Revelations About Diagrams and Drawings
Let me also share briefly some excerpts from a revelation given to a boy named Samuel, whom I have written about in my article Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega. The Lord told him:

"Pastors who put any form of diagram on My altar and call My Name there, I am angry with them. And I will send them to hell."

"Tell those who draw any diagram or creature that does not glorify Me, I shall cast them into the lake of fire. In fact...some of these artists are demons, and they are...used for satan. Therefore, repent and beware."

Other Modern Idols
Some modern idols include video games, cars, motorcycles, movies, TV, i pads, i phones, smart phones, laptops, computers, sound systems, boyfriends, girlfriends, fashion models, sports figures, military heroes, politicians, royalty, movie stars, and entertainers, such as rock stars and other music celebrities.  Some make idols of their children, their pets, their spouse, their house, their boat, their vacations, their holidays, their sports, and their photographs. People also still make idols of the sun, moon, and stars. Others make idols of rocks and crystals. They can even make idols out of money, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, sex, and food. And certain people like Hindus, still worship the images of their millions of false gods in their temples. Muslims travel to Mecca where they walk around a cube called the Kaaba. They bow before it, and pray, while some kiss the Black Stone in the eastern corner of the cube. Some make idols of their parents, grandparents, and ancestors. In some Asian countries, they venerate the dead by burning incense in front of pictures of their ancestors, which comes from Buddhism. Children may make idols of baseball cards, toys, dolls, action figures, super heroes, and cartoon characters. Christians even make idols out of their theological doctrines, as well as Christian celebrities and pastors, which is human worship.

With regard to the list of other idols I have made above, it is not comprehensive, of course. Moreover, just because people make idols of these things, not all of them are inherently sinful. For example, if the Lord blesses you with a spouse, a child, a pet, a house, a car, or a laptop, that is not necessarily sinful, and it does not mean we should get rid of these simply because others have idolized them. What is an idol to someone else is not necessarily an idol to me. However, some things are clearly sinful and idolatrous, regardless of who does them, such as all forms of pornography, which is an abomination to God.

Refusing to Bow to Idols
During the period when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon for their sins of idolatry, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and forced all the people to bow down to it. But the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow down.

"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." (Dan 3:1-2)

"Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." (Dan 3:7)

Everyone fell down and worshiped the golden image, except for the three Hebrew young men. When they were called before the king about this, and he threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace, they took a firm stand for God.

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'" (Dan 3:16-18)

Of course, we know that the king did throw them into the furnace, and though his soldiers who threw them into it perished because of the intense heat, the three Hebrews were unhurt inside the blazing furnace. They came out without even the smell of smoke or a hair on their heads singed or any damage to their trousers. God had sent His angel and rescued them. 

We need more people like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego today who refuse to bow down to idols. Idolatry is not just a thing of the past, it is still very much a practice of the present, and it is going to continue in the future. In fact, during the soon coming Great Tribulation, all the inhabitants of the earth, whose names are not written in the Book of Life, will worship the beast. 

"All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." (Rev 13:8).

And the false prophet will deceive the inhabitants of the earth with miraculous signs and wonders, forcing them to worship the image of the beast. 

"He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed." (Rev 13:13-15)

But woe to anyone who does so.

"Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.' Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." (Rev 14:9-12). 

Listen now to the words of the apostles. John said, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols." (1Jn 5:21, NIV). Paul said, "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry." (1 Cor 10:14, NIV).

He said, "...we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2Co 4:18)

He also said, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21).

John said in the book of Revelation when he described the Holy City, "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Rev 22:15, NIV).

Putting it All Together
As you can see, mankind has a tremendous propensity for idolatry, which is rampant today. It's all around us! Idolatry is not just an ancient practice, but a modern one. And some idols that may seem modern are actually just a more recent version of ancient ones. The devil has an idol for all people of all ages, races, creeds, and languages.  It's more popular today than ever before, and since we are immersed in a culture full of idolatry, it's more difficult to recognize it in our own lives.

If you want to make it into the kingdom of God, you have to repent from idolatry. This includes any and all forms of it -- both traditional and modern ones. God is a jealous God, and He will not tolerate idolatry. Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.

Attribution Notice: All images copyrighted and used according to the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note If you enjoyed this article. I would like to invite you to read Sins That Will Keep You From HeavenAvoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Drifting Away, Abominations in the Sight of GodDeleted Scriptures in the Bible?, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of GodSalvation with Fear and Trembling, The Apostasy ParablesAngelica Zambrano Heaven and Hell, Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church, Unbiblical Practices of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Bowing Low in Worship.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV. 

You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Abominations in the Sight of God

Boa Constrictor Snake
In the Church today, we rarely ever hear the word "abomination", if at all, unless it is in reference to something that applied only to the Israelites under the law of Moses. But we need to be reminded once again that abominations still exist for the saints today under the New Covenant in Christ's blood. The holy people of God must still avoid abominations, so it's important to know what things are considered abominations.

Abominations in the New Testament
Let's begin with the Greek word for abomination in the New Testament, which is “bdelugma,” meaning “a detestation, that is, (specifically) idolatry: - abomination.” To put it very simply, an abomination is something God utterly hates and finds disgusting. Idolatry in its various forms is the chief of all abominations and perhaps the most common, but there are many other kinds of abomination, as you shall see.

Jesus spoke about the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel, which will stand in the holy place (Mat 24:15; Mar 13:14). It will probably be some sort of idol set up in the temple by the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition doomed to destruction. The apostle Paul said he "opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God." (2Th 2:4). So the idol would be the son of perdition himself or his image.

The revelation given to the apostle John states that a false prophet will arise who will tell those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast (Rev 13:14), and he will give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed (Rev 13:15; also see Rev 14:9,11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4)

The Lord also said, that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable to God (Luk 16:15), so that means the things men value greatly are abominations in God's sight. In the context of that passage, the Lord was speaking specifically about wealth, which is at the top of the list of things that men cherish. This is why the prosperity gospel is so dangerous. However, there are many other things that men value highly like status symbols, big titles, political power, business prowess and success, intelligence, educational achievements, physical strength, athletic ability, muscle-bound bodies, perfect outward physical beauty, sex appeal, fashion, fads, and the like.

Abominations are part of what fills the gold cup of the woman on the beast (Rev 17:4), who is known as Babylon, the mother of the abominations of the earth (Rev 17:5).

Abominations in the Old Testament
Tarantula spider
Now that we have seen that abominations still exist under the New Covenant, let's look at the Hebrew Scriptures for more insight. The Hebrew word for abomination is "to‛ebah", meaning "something disgusting (morally), that is, (as noun) an abhorrence; especially idolatry or (concretely) an idol: - abominable (custom, thing), abomination." This is the same meaning as the word for abomination in the New Testament, so there is no difference. In fact, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, known as the Septuagint, this Hebrew word is translated with the Greek word “bdelugma,” which is also used in the New Testament for abomination.

Here is a list of people and things God considers to be an abomination, according to Scripture:

  • Homosexuality (Lev 18:22,26,29,30; 20:13; 1Co 6:9-10)  
  • Approaching any blood relative to uncover nakedness or have sexual relations (Lev 18:6,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with your mother or step mother (Lev 18:7,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with your sister or step sister (Lev 18:9,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter (Lev 18:10,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with your father’s sister, or your mother’s sister, which is your aunt (Lev 18:12-13,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with the wife of your father's brother, which is your aunt (Lev 18:14,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife (Lev 18:15,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with your brother’s wife (Lev 18:16,26,29,30)
  • Having sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter, or with either her grandchildren (Lev 18:17,26,29,30)
  • Marrying a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness (Lev 18:18,26,29,30)
  • Approaching a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity (Lev 18:19,26,29,30)
  • Having intercourse with your neighbor's wife (Lev 18:20,26,29,30)
  • Having intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it (Lev 18:23,26,29,30)
  • A woman standing before an animal to mate with it (Lev 18:23,27,29, 30)
  • The silver and gold of the pagan idols (Deu 7:25)  
  • Graven images (Deu 7:26)
  • An idol (Deu 27:15; Isa 44:19; Eze 7:20; 8:6; 14:6; 16:36; 1Co. 12:2; 2Co. 6:16; 1Th. 1:9; 1Jn. 5:21) 
  • Making idols (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Idolatry (Eze 16:43; 18:12). Likewise, the New Testament Scriptures teach us that no one who practices idolatry will enter the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:20), so we must flee from idolatry (1Co. 10:14). Let's not forget that even covetousness is a form of idolatry (Col. 3:5).  
  • The acts that the pagans did for their gods like human sacrifice, burning sons or daughters in fire, inquiring after the gods. Giving any of your offspring to offer them to Molech (Deu 12:31; Jer 32:35)  
  • He who chooses false gods. (Isa 41:24)  
  • Sacrificing to Baal, and walking after other gods. (Jer 7:10)  
  • Burning sacrifices and worshipping other gods (Jer 44:4)  
  • Burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings and making cakes in her image. (Jer 44:22)  
  • Adulterous hearts which turn away from God, and eyes which play the harlot after idols (Eze 6:9,11)  
  • Women weeping for the false god Tammuz (Eze 8:13-14)  
  • Worthless men going out and seducing the inhabitants of a city to serve other gods. (Deu 13:14)  
  • Serving and worshipping other gods, including the sun, moon, heavenly host. (Deu 17:4; Eze 8:15)  
  • Making your children pass through the fire, divination, witchcraft, interpreting omens, sorcery, casting spells, mediums, spiritists, those who call upon the dead (Deu 18:9,12)
  • Those who make their son or daughter pass through the fire, who use divination who practices witchcraft, who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. (Deu 18:12)
  • Burning incense as well as burning sons in fire according to the abominations of the nations. (2Ch 28:3)  
  • The false gods Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom were the abomination of the Sidonians, of Moab, and Ammon respectively. (2Ki 23:13)  
  • The things that the Hittites, Amorites,  Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites did for their gods. (Deu 20:18)  
  • Sacrificing to demons, neglecting the Rock who “begot you”, forgetting the God who “gave you birth” (Deu 32:16)  
  • Building high places, erecting altars to false gods, worshipping and serving the host of heaven, building altars for all the host of heaven in the house of the Lord, making your children pass through the fire, practicing witchcraft and divination, dealing with mediums and spiritists, setting the carved image of a false God in the house of the Lord, seducing God’s people to do evil (2Ki 21:11; 2Ch 33:2)  
  • Ahaz walked in the ways of Israel’s kings, even makings his sons pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations. (2Ki 16:3)  
  • Evil deeds committed by King Manasseh, according to the nations. (2Ki 21:2; Also see 2Ch 33:2)
  • Kings committing wicked acts (Pro 16:12) 
  • Sacrificing blemished/defective animals (Deu 17:1).  
  • The person who dresses in clothing of the opposite sex (Deu 22:5)
  • Practicing ritual prostitution, as in the work of cult prostitutes (1Ki 14:23-24)  
  • Sacred female prostitutes and sacred male prostitutes (Deu 23:18)  
  • To bring the wages of a female or male prostitute into the Lord’s house (Deu 23:18)  
  • For a man to take back his former wife after having sent her away (since she has been defiled). (Deu 24:4)  
  • Those who act unjustly and those who have differing weights and measures (Deu 25:16)  
  • Those who justify the wicked and condemn the righteous (Pro 17:15)  
  • Differing weights and measures (Pro 20:10, 23)  
  • A false balance (Pro 11:1)  
  • That which fills the heart of the man who has hatred (Pro 26:25) 
  • The devious (Pro 3:32) 
  • Haughty eyes (Pro 6:16)  
  • Those who are proud in heart (Pro 16:5)  
  • A lying tongue (Pro 6:16; 12:22)  
  • A false witness who utters lies (Pro 6:16)  
  • Hands that shed innocent blood,  (Pro 6:16)  
  • A heart that devises wicked plans (Pro 6:16)  
  • Evil plans (Pro 15:26) 
  • Feet that run rapidly to evil (Pro 6:16)  
  • One who spreads strife among brothers. (Pro 6:16)  
  • Wickedness (Pro 8:7)  
  • The way of the wicked (Pro 15:9)  
  • The perverse in heart (Pro 11:20)  
  • The prayer of the person who turns his ear away from listening to the law (Pro 28:9)  
  • The sacrifice of the wicked (Pro 15:8; 21:27)  
  • Pompous and costly devotions of wicked people, such as incense offered with hands full of blood (Isa 1:13)  
  • The acts of Sodom and Samaria, which were arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but not helping the poor and needy. (Eze 16:47,50)  
  • Lending money on interest and taking increase (Eze 18:13,24)  
  • Stealing, murdering, committing adultery, swearing falsely (Jer 7:10)
  • Shedding blood (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Treating father and mother lightly (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Oppression of the alien (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Wronging the fatherless and the widow (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Slanderous men shedding blood (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Eating at the mountain shrines (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Committing acts of lewdness (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Uncovering your fathers' nakedness (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Humbling her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Committing abomination with your neighbor's wife (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Lewdly defiling your daughter-in-law (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Humbling one’s sister (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Taking bribes to shed blood (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Taking interest and profits (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Injuring neighbors for gain by oppression (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Forgetting the Lord (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Despising the Lord’s holy things (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Profaning His Sabbath (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Priests hiding their eyes from the Lord’s Sabbaths (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Priests doing violence to God’s law and profaning His holy things (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Priests making no distinction between the holy and the profane;  priests not teaching the difference between the unclean and the clean (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Princes shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain (Eze 22:2-12) 
  • Prophets covering up for such evil rulers, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken; practicing oppression and committing robbery, wronging the poor and needy and oppressing the sojourner without justice (Eze 22:2-12)  
  • Bringing in uncircumcised foreigners to be in the Lord’s sanctuary to profane it, thus making His covenant void, and appointing these foreigners to keep charge of the Lord’s sanctuary." (Eze 44:6-7)
  • Giving daughters to sons of the “peoples of the land” and taking their daughters for your sons (Ezr 9:14)  
  • Profaning the Lord’s sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. (Mal 2:11). The New Testament still teaches us this is evil. "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. (2Co 6:14-18) 
  • Food-related abominations, regarding the consumption of unclean animals and creeping (swarming) things that go on their belly or walk on all fours or on many legs (Deut 14:3-21; Lev 11:41-43). This one is now apparently obsolete under the New Covenant, since the Lord Jesus declared all food clean (Mk 7:19). And the Lord said that what He has made clean, we must not declare unclean (Ac 10:15). You must not let anyone judge you with regard to what you eat or drink (Col 2:13). Nevertheless, just because you are allowed to eat them does not mean it is healthy to do so either physically or spiritually.
Putting it All Together
Aside from this last one about unclean animals, God still detests all of the abominations listed above. He detested them then and He still detests them now. What was an abomination to God thousands of years ago is still an abomination to Him today. He did not change His mind and decide that He now likes these things or that He does not mind it when people do them. At no point in Scripture does it say that God's grace means we are free to do these things. There are still Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven. It's important that we know about these things, so we don't miss heaven.

While the apostles clearly stated that circumcision is not required for believers, they did reaffirm that believers must avoid certain things that God hates. They set forth the following decree for Gentiles: "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell." (Act 15:28-29). This decree states that, in addition to abstaining from fornication, we must also still abstain from eating food sacrificed to idols and from blood and from the meat of strangled animals. The New Testament warns us not to touch what is unclean.

In the revelation given to John, the Lord Jesus indicated that He still hates it when believers commit acts of sexual immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols. He said, 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." (Rev 2:20)

And the Scripture is clear that no one who practices what is detestable will enter the Holy City. It states, "And nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev 21:27). The Greek word for "abomination" in this verse is “bdelugma,” meaning “a detestation, that is, (specifically) idolatry: - abomination.” All who do these things are offensive to God, since their conduct excites Him to disgust and abhorrence. Anyone who is practicing abomination, it doesn't matter how good of a Christian they or other people think they are, the Bible says they will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Nobody is allowed into heaven who does such things.

Therefore, based on Scripture alone, we have certainly established who and what God considers to be an abomination. “Thus says the Lord God, 'Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations." (Ez 14:6). Let's take heed of these warnings and repent, if you have done these things. Let's walk the straight and narrow path, avoiding all abominations, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness as we wait eagerly for the coming of our Lord Jesus from heaven on the day of God. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ and of God the Father abide with His saints forever.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
 
Author's note: You are invited to read Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Aim for PerfectionGodly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Michael Shigaba's Encounter with Jesus, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine RevelationsMessages from the Lord for Catholics Worshipping Idols, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular MusicIs Contraception a Sin? -- A Divine Revelation, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Led by the Spirit, Called to be Blameless, Holy Living in a Perverted World, , Separation from the World, and Fruit in Every Season. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Baptized by Blazing Fire Taken to Hell Angelica Zambrano Second Visit to Hell
A Warning for Christian Married Couples Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Avoiding Worldly Worship

Dear God-seekers,

Today I'd like to discuss a very pertinent topic for this time that we live in, which is avoiding worldly worship. These days, the seeker-friendly movement and churches consider it very important to make church services relevant to the world.  It's as if relevance were a biblical mandate to them, as if it were a necessary means of winning souls. But that's because men think they are saviors, and they think they must attract the lost by being like them.

However, the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior. We cannot save souls, but He can and does. His Holy Spirit brings the conviction for sin and people come to know the Lord through the Scriptural approach. The Scriptural approach is the gospel, which Paul called the power of God unto salvation.  The Lord will never condone worldly practices. He will never bless evil, nor will he anoint evil behavior in order to bring souls into His kingdom.

Yet these days it's common for churches to have what amounts to a rock band that plays rock music for worship. These people are often dressed in a worldly manner, playing their instruments in the worldly way, and playing songs with a worldly style. Some churches even have the sanctuary darkened, and have various multi-colored stage lights shining on the band, fog machines running, LCD screens flashing multimedia images, and the music turned up very loudly. Some have invested a lot of money for such state-of-the-art systems.  It all resembles the rock concerts I used to attend when I was in the world. I read of one famous pastor of a mega-church in Washington, who enjoys so-called Christian punk rock worship music. Remember Lot’s wife, who looked back and became a pillar of salt.

Someone might argue that Paul said he became all things to all men so that he might win some. That may be true that he related to people for the sake of the gospel, but he did not become sinful, evil, or worldly in the process of becoming all things to them. We are not supposed to conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  The apostle Paul wrote about true spiritual worship:

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom 12:1-2)

True spiritual worship begins by offering your body as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. It does not include conforming to the world in any manner.

"Yes" in concert
Jesus said, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Joh 4:23-24)

Be careful what you call worship in truth.  Jesus Christ is the Truth (Jn 14:6).  True worship is defined by Him in the Word of God, not by the latest styles. And be careful what you define as "worship in spirit", only the Holy Spirit can properly direct us in worship, and obviously He is holy.

One of the warnings God gave to the Israelites through Moses was to avoid worldly worship. He said, "When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?' "You shall not behave thus toward the LORD your God, for every abominable act which the LORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods." (Deu 12:29-31)

Moses warned them not to inquire after the gods of the nations to learn how they served their gods, so that they might do likewise. He explained that the world had done every sort of detestable, despicable act for their gods in worship, including human sacrifice of their own children.  All these practices are repulsive to God, and He did not want His people to behave that way toward Him. He did not want His people following the world in the way they worshiped Him, because He hates those practices. He is a jealous God!

We would do well to heed this same warning and not copy the world in our worship. Don't worship the Lord according to worldly patterns.  The Lord is coming back right away, Church! And He is only coming for the holy ones. It's high time we sought holiness and consecration, and repent of these evil practices in our worship.  Come, let us return to the Lord. Confess our sin to the Lord and He will restore us. Seek His face always. Worship Him with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Photo of Yes concert, Indianapolis, August 30, 1977, by Rick Dikeman, courtesy Wikimedia.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Is Secular Music for Christians?, Black and WhiteThe Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separation from the World, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Two Divine Revelations, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Popularity of the Gospel, Come Out of Her, Garments of Godliness, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Keeping Sundays Holy, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Faith Works!, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine RevelationsThe Straight and Narrow Path, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Remember Lot’s Wife, The Rise of Antichrists, and One Thing. I highly recommend reading, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies and Holy Fire Baptism. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Listen to Jesus, Who Upholds Moses and the Prophets

These days it is rare to find anyone who is correctly teaching the proper relationship of the Law and the Prophets to the kingdom of God.  Many are confused about the New Covenant of grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, and they fail to preach the whole counsel of God.  So let's take a look at what Jesus said on this topic.

Jesus with Moses and Elijah in the Kingdom of God
In Luke's gospel it is recorded that Jesus said:

"But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."  (Luk 9:27)

So He said some of his disciples would see the kingdom of God before they tasted death.  He meant that they would see the kingdom before they left this planet at the end of their lives.  And just as He said, eight days later He took His three closest disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- up onto a mountain to pray.  That is when the three disciples saw the kingdom of God. There the Lord's face and clothes became as white as lightning.

“Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.” (Luk 9:30, NIV)

The disciples saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. It is important to notice who was talking with the Lord in the glorious kingdom of God there on the mountain.  Not only was Jesus appearing glorified, but so were Moses and Elijah. These two men represented the Law and the Prophets.

Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"  (Luk 9:35)

So the Heavenly Father identified Jesus Christ as His Son, His Chosen One, which was an important seal of divine authority and remains so today as recorded in Scripture.  The Father commanded the disciples to listen to Jesus.  So this changed the focus, so that from that point forward all disciples of Christ would listen to Jesus.  There is still Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, but we listen to Jesus now.  Therefore, we must ask whether that means we listen to Jesus to the exclusion of the Law and Prophets, or in conjunction with them.

The Law and the Prophets Fulfilled in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God
Jesus answered this question later when He said:

"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail. Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.” (Luk 16:16-18)

Since Jesus came, the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing their way into the kingdom.  It was only until Jesus came that the Law and the Prophets were proclaimed. However, Jesus did not do away with the Law and the Prophets or annul them.  He upheld them!  Although He established a New Covenant with God's people, according to the prophet Jeremiah, He upheld the Law and the Prophets. He said, "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail."  And in Matthews gospel, he said:

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:17-19)

In the kingdom of heaven, whoever keeps and teaches the Law and the Prophets is considered great. Far from abolishing the Law and Prophets, the Lord gave them a place of very high importance. He said that not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. So let nobody annul one of the least of these commandments, or teach others to do the same.  In fact, if you read the rest of the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7, you will clearly see that Jesus taught the Law and the Prophets.  For example, He said, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 7:12). Other topics He taught about from the Law and Prophets in that sermon were murder, adultery, reconciliation, righteousness, and more. 

Likewise, in the context of Luke's gospel, where Jesus said it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail, He immediately referred to adultery in connection with divorce. That was a connection that the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were not preaching about. He said, "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery." In doing so, He accurately taught the meaning of the Law and the Prophets, tying together and unifying passages from the Law (like Genesis 2:24 and Deuteronomy 24:1-4) with passages from the Prophets (like Jeremiah 3:1 and Malachi 2:13-16).  He carried the same message in the gospel of the kingdom as the Lord said through Malachi and other prophets, "you are not keeping My ways."

Another example of Jesus tying together and unifying the Law and the Prophets with the gospel of the kingdom is in regard to the commandments to love. "One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  (Mat 22:35-40).  Therefore, Jesus summarized in two commandments everything that was written by Moses and the prophets. He showed that the whole Law and Prophets are unified or tied together by the one common, central theme of love.

Now back to the Luke passage we were examining a moment ago. In the same context of Jesus' instruction about the lasting nature of the Law and Prophets, He immediately told the account of the rich man in hell and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom.  This was not a parable, because it contains a proper name, which is Lazarus, and a parable never uses proper names.  Most of us are familiar with this account of the two men in the underworld.  But do we fully understand the final impact of the story's lesson?  Listen to Abraham teach us the lesson:

"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them…If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luk 16:29,31).

First of all, Abraham in his lifetime came before Moses and the Prophets, as well as before Christ.  Yet Abraham taught that people on earth should listen to Moses and the Prophets.  He upheld their teachings. In fact, he said that if people will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. And that is a veiled reference to both the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the first fruits from the dead, as well as the many genuine and proven testimonies we hear in these last days of people rising from the dead with a message from the Lord about heaven and hell.

Secondly, it was the Lord Jesus who told this true account of the rich man and Lazarus, and He used it to further emphasize His point that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.  In this story that Jesus told, He declared through the mouth of Abraham that people should listen to Moses and the Prophets.  As I said, that was the main point of the story, which most people miss.  In saying this, Jesus upheld the Law and the Prophets. In fact, if the rich man had listened to them, he would have remembered the poor and been kind to Lazarus.

Therefore, we can see that the Law and Prophets have not lost their importance and have not been abolished by the New Covenant.  The way we relate to God now has changed under the New Covenant, because of the great and loving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us, shedding His own blood, so that we sinners could be made righteous.  In the gospel of the kingdom, we preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But the ways of God have not changed!

And the message of the Lord to the apostate Church today is still "you are not keeping My ways." The message of the gospel is that you must repent of sin and believe on Jesus Christ in order to receive forgiveness of sins.  The Father said to listen to Jesus and Jesus said to listen to the Law and the Prophets, which taught a pro-love message against sin. We need to listen to Jesus, Who will teach us by His Spirit to properly understand the deeper meaning of the Law and Prophets, as He did in His Sermon on the Mount and the rest of the gospels, in order to show us the ways of God.  Then we will see where we have gone astray, so that we can repent, be forgiven, and return to God.

Learning the Ways of God in the Law and Prophets
I recommend you read my other articles about the Law, in order to understand clearly what I am teaching about the ways of God, which is not a return to living under the Law, since we are under grace and not Law. We are not endeavoring to keep up the law of Moses in conjunction with the gospel of Christ. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading the following articles below, beginning with the ones in the left column:

Is Obedience Optional?
The Law of Christ 
The Law Fulfilled in Us
The Law Established Through Faith
The Cost of Discipleship
Faith Works!
Costly Grace
Deleted Scriptures in the Bible?
Did Jesus Nail the Law to the Cross?
The Obedience of Faith
Righteousness by Faith not Law
Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God
Aim for Perfection
Righteous Deeds and White Robes
Doing What is Right
Your Rewards Are Based on Your Practice
Partaking of the Divine Nature
Walking in the Perfect Will of God
Pressing on Toward the Goal
Obedience by the Spirit
The Law is Good if Used Lawfully
What Then Must We Observe?
Remember the Eternal Law of God

Believe All That the Prophets Have Spoken
Jesus taught us to believe all that Moses and the Prophets have spoken.  He said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (Joh 5:46-47).  From this it is clear that Moses and Jesus are in harmony with each other.  And it is necessary to believe both Moses and Jesus.  If you do not believe the writings of Moses, you will not believe the words of Jesus.

Another passage in Luke’s gospel that I would like to mention is the account of the Lord meeting the two men on the road to Emmaus on the day of His resurrection. 

“And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luk 24:25-27)

Notice that he rebuked them for being slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. The prophets spoke of how it was necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory.  One example of that is in Isaiah 53, in which Isaiah prophesied about Christ’s suffering and crucifixion around seven hundred years before it happened (also see Yeshua Ha'Maschiah in the Tanakh).  And notice how Jesus explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with Moses and with all the prophets. So as they listened to Jesus, He taught about Himself from the Law and the prophets.

“Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” (Luk 24:44-47)

Notice that all things that are written about Jesus in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. So Jesus emphasized His harmonious relationship with the Law of Moses and the Prophets.  In Him we find the fulfillment of what is written in those Scriptures, including their fulfillment in Him within our lives.  His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection from the dead were all in fulfillment of those Scriptures. Likewise, we proclaim to all nations repentance for forgiveness of sins in His name, just as it is written in the Law and the prophets. It is always just as it is written in the Law and the prophets, since they must always be fulfilled.  And Jesus is the One Who opens our minds to understand those Scriptures by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Listen to Him!

As Philip said to Nathanael, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (Joh 1:45).  We proclaim as Peter did,  "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."  (Act 10:43). As Paul did, we believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets. (Ac 24:14).

Finally, if you notice in the many divine revelations of heaven and hell that I have posted on Eternal Destinations, the message in these revelations typically refers to the ways of God that are found throughout the Bible, including the Law and the Prophets. Let's keep the ways of God according to Scripture, and not be like the rich man in hell and countless others who failed to do so, because they didn't listen to the Law and the Prophets.  They were slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Just as it is written, let us prepare in holiness for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is coming right away! The call is going out today, "Sinner, come home!" Repent and believe the gospel, for the Kingdom of God is near.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  The calligraphy in the "Every Word of God is Flawless" image used in this article is by my sixteen-year-old daughter, C.V. Lacroix.  The "At the Cross" illustration was also created by her. You can find more of her fine artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, I recommend The Cost of Discipleship, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Remember the Eternal Law of God, Is Tithing Required?, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?The Straight and Narrow PathStriving to Enter the Kingdom of God, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Separation from the World, The Rise of Antichrists, The Flesh vs the Spirit, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.