* What is idolatry?
* Examples today of idolatry.
* Living today in various superstitions: clicking your drink glasses together at dinner, wearing medallions or crosses "for luck", joining the pagans of this world as they decorate graves, eating black-eyed peas "for luck" as they do in USA on New Year's Day.
You are a Christian. Consider what you do in this present life.
Episode 7: Scriptures
Witchcraft: Living in superstitions
II John, v. 8-11 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
(Have a nice day? Do you really want to speak blessings on a person who might be going out to commit fornication?)
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There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.
Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.
For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
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Idolatry and witchcraft are terrible sins.
Jeroboam: king of Israel made 2 golden calves ... and wouldn't allow the Levites who were appointed by God to receive the offerings and do burnt offerings as appointed by God.
I Kings 12:20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.
The kingdom was then divided with the tribe of Judah following king Rehoboam and the other tribes of Israel following Jeroboam.
Jeroboam was afraid the tribes would turn to Rehoboam in Jerusalem when they went up to worship God at Jerusalem.
So Jeroboam made 2 golden calves and put one golden calf in Bethel and the other golden calf in Dan, and told the people they no longer had to go up to Jerusalem to worship but they could worship in front of the golden calves in Bethel and in Dan.
Whereupon the king (Jeroboam, king of Israel) took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
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Another terrible sin Jeroboam did was to refuse to allow the Levites, the tribe appointed by God, to minister to the people of the tribes of Israel.
(In today's churches they won't allow the real apostles and prophets, who are appointed by Jesus, to speak, for the most part. The church leaders often say, "There are no apostles or prophets today." Jesus gave these apostles and prophets to the church, along with the evangelists, pastors and teachers. Ephesians 4:11-12 After Jesus arose, HE gave gifts to the church. And HE (Jesus) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:)
Other terrible sins of Jeroboam: I Kings 12:31-32 And he (Jeroboam, king of Israel) made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. (The Levites were appointed by God to do this work of the Old Testament ministry.) So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
(This is like man setting up the "religious" holiday of Christmas which became a great idol to the people today. And also the "religious" holidays of Easter and Lent which were set up by men and not by God in the Bible. Easter was a pagan holiday to the goddess of Spring according to Unger's Bible Dictionary. Easter was taken from that and made into a religious holiday in the 8th century by men. It is an "idol", not cited as a religious holiday in Bible. The one reference to Easter, in the New Testament, was really a reference to the Jewish passover. Lent is no where in Bible and was devised as a religious act by evil men who added these rules to the church. To give up something for Lent is to deny the sacrifice of Jesus and to make people think they have to sacrifice something for God. It is very evil to participate in Lent.)
A prophet was sent to Jeroboam to pronounce a word from God to Jeroboam.
Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.
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Concerning the nation of Judah:
For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there were also sodomites (homosexuals) in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
Later Asa was king over Judah:
I Kings 15:11-12 And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father.
And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
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Knowing the "terror" of the Lord:
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
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II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
(If we are born again of the Spirit of God, we don't do our old sins.)
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Homosexuals:
Genesis 19: Destruction of Sodom: The Homosexuals in Sodom
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24 Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord:
28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt. 30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
(NO! ... homosexuals are not born homosexuals ... neither are women born lesbian.)
You can be saved if you see, by the Bible that homosexual/lesbian is a sin ... and you repent ... and do not do that sin again.
John 8:11 Jesus said to the woman taken in adultery ... "Go ... and sin no more."
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13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
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Sin in the churches:
II Timothy 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (the churches)
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (the churches)
6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (the churches)
13-17 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
I Thessalonians 5:1-3 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
(You have learned from God)
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
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15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
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In 1960, in USA, homosexuals were put in prison in Texas if caught. Now those who speak against homosexuality are often in danger.
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Turned over by God to a reprobate mind:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
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Matthew 5:32 Whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
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Idolatry:
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Idolatry is adding anything to the church that is not in the Bible: lighting candles, crossing yourself, holy water in Bible was a poison water in Old Testament to test women concerning adultery, (Leviticus),
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Idolatry is adding anything to the church that is not in the Bible: lighting candles, crossing yourself, holy water in Bible was a poison water in Old Testament to test women concerning adultery, (Leviticus),
Idolatry: eating and grape juice and calling this the Lord's supper ... The Lord's supper is eating and drinking the Word of God.
(I Corinthians 11:25 After the same manner also HE (Jesus) took the cup, when HE had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in MY blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.)
In the above scripture, we have a strong "hint" by Jesus that the Lord's supper is really the New Testament Bible.
I Corinthians 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
We examine ourselves by the New Testament, and so let us eat of that bread of the New Testament and drink of "that" cup examining yourself.
You cannot "examine yourself" by eating crackers or by drinking grape juice. You can greatly examine yourself as you read the New Testament Bible!
Crackers/grape juice was set up by fleshly "religious" men and this is a very great idol in today's churches.
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Recording time: 63 minutes
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