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From the book: The Challenge of the Christian Theology and more...
of Ewald Frank |
Thou shalt have
no other gods …
Whole chapters are dedicated to this theme in the
Scriptures. Man created by God has always made gods for
himself; he worshipped the sun, the moon, the stars and
nature. In reality God alone is worthy of worship, for
everything was made by Him, for Him and exists through Him.
Any person or object being worshipped is an abomination to
Him. Humanity does desire to give glory to God alone, but
was deceived to honour other objects and therefore has
fallen away from Him and lost fellowship with Him. Rather
mankind was misled and has become the prey of a religious
deception.
The Lord God descended upon Mount Sinai and said , »I am the
Lord thy God … Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.«
(Ex. 20: 2-3).
He continued with His commandments and included images,
statues, icons etc., which are being worshipped in different
religions and cultures. Thus saith the Lord: »Thou shalt not
make unto thee any carved image, or any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, the Lord thy
God, am a jealous God , visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of
them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them
that love me, and keep my commandments.« (Vv. 4-6). God
classifies those who prepare such objects for worship as
those who hate Him. Guilt rests upon them and is hunted down
unto the third and fourth generation.
Again the Lord saith: »Ye shall not make with me gods of
silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.« (v.
23). Time and again God warned His people through Moses and
the prophets not to make any images, any symbol which are
idols (Lev. 26: 1). Thus saith the Lord Who is utterly
displeased and pronounces judgement, even the direct curse
upon those who disobey: »Cursed be the man who maketh any
carved or melted image, an abomination unto the Lord, the
work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a
secret place.« (Dt. 27: 15). The word remains valid even if
people prostrate before such an image, making the sign of
the cross thinking that they can bless themselves. Only God
can bless and He will bless but those who live according to
His Word.
God knew man would make carved images, therefore He was very
specific about the subject. Thus the Lord hath said in Dt.
4: 16 prohibiting the making of images resembling male or
female. If done, the covenant with Him is broken (v. 23).
For this reason Israel under the wrath of God was driven
from the Promised Land and scattered among the nations who
then asked, »Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this
land?« »Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord
God of their fathers, which he made with them, when he
brought them forth out of the land of Egypt; for they went
and served other gods, and worshipped them …« (Dt. 29:
24-26).
Has Christianity not done the same? Has she not broken the
New Covenant? Did she not fall away from the one God by
inventing and forming a tri-unity? Did she not make statues
of Mary and the apostles, which she calls upon? Thus saith
the Lord, »I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of
Israel, your King.« (Isa. 43: 15). God’s people only know
One Who is holy , Who is worthy of worship, and they are
sanctified by Him. Has not Christendom as a whole fallen
into apostasy leaving God, with unscriptural canonisation
and beatification of the dead?
Whoever teaches the Father to be the first person of the
Godhead, the Son to be the second, the Holy Ghost to be the
third, has in reality concealed the one unique God , even
affirming that these three compose one God. Until now one
and one is two, plus one is three. If we consider the
multitude of saints and patrons, which observed the triune
image, one wonders why God’s multiple word of warning went
unobserved. Consider the veneration of Mary, the statue of
Peter at St. Peter’s in Rome being kissed daily by
multitudes who make their pilgrimage from all over the
world. One has to consider the many images, statues, icons,
and altars in catholic and orthodox sanctuaries the world
over before whom people kneel down, making crosses and
calling upon them, kissing images, lighting candles and
worshipping! Pope John Paul II when elected into his office
dedicated himself totally to Mary. In his hand he carries
the shepherd staff with the image of the man-made Christ.
That Christ is dead, he can’t walk, see or hear. Such
practises are totally foreign to the Church of Jesus Christ
and are directed against God. And according to the Scripture
it is heathen idolatry. One also considers the idolatry in
Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions the world over.
Even if you only believe the smallest portion of God’s Word
you should, as a consequence comprehend that such worship of
saints is breaking the commandments of the Most High. In the
Reformation, the validity of God’s Word was placed into the
centre by preaching, and therefore an end was made of
emphasising icons, selling indulgences and to every other
cultish practice. These two cannot exist together. When the
Word, which is contrary to such tradition, is being
preached, then action has to follow. Possibly no one dares
to say it, but a voice cries in the wilderness, one who
prepares the way must be heard: True worship can only be
where God alone is worshipped in Spirit and Truth in the
name of Jesus Christ! Where Mary, Peter and the multitude of
canonized saints are called upon and even worshipped, such
is, according to the Scriptures, practicing idolatry.
Every crucifix and images are part of the respective
churches but have no place in the ecclesia of Jesus Christ.
They should not be hung up in municipal buildings, in
schools, courthouses, parliamentary rooms etc. The crucifix
originates from the 5th century A. D. The true Church of
Jesus Christ never recognized such symbols.
The resurrected and living Christ is not in the dead
Eucharist. He is not even in the consecrated wafer, where He
is supposed to be present bodily in the tabernacle. He
ascended into heaven bodily and is seated at the right hand
of the Majesty. Transubstantiation is not reality either
through the ringing of bells or through the practiced
consecration. Every priest knows that the wafer and the wine
remain unchanged as they were before. Where is it written
that Christ should be sacrificed anew over and over again?
Certainly not in the Bible! Such practices only confirm that
the final sacrifice of Christ has not been accepted. The
Holy Scripture express this plainly, »… by which we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all … For by one offering he hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified.« (Heb. 10: 10-14). Whoever
reads Hebrews, chapter 9 and other parallel Scriptures will
see that the work of redemption was done once for all.
Christ as High Priest went with His Own blood into the
heavenly sanctuary and put it there on the mercy seat and
thereby accomplished the eternal redemption (Heb. 9: 11-12
a. o.). Through the power of God the redeemed are changed
into a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5: 17). In the Lord’s
Supper bread and wine represent the Body and the Blood of
Christ. As in the Passover Israel celebrated their
deliverance for a memorial (Ex. 12), until Christ returns
true believers in the New Testament celebrate the Lord’s
Supper and their deliverance and redemption, which happened
through the sufferings and death of Christ till He come (1
Cor. 11: 26).
Christ is no longer the child in a manger, He is not on
Mary’s breast or in her arms, He does not hang on the cross,
and He does not lie in the grave. He was raised victoriously
and declared with majesty, »All authority is given unto me
in heaven and in earth.« (Mt. 28: 18). He was taken up into
heaven and will return with great glory and power. All
images whether of Christ, Mary or any other saint have no
part in original Christianity and have no place in any true
worship service today. They are typical for the ecumenical
churches. In the Assembly of Jesus Christ no relics, holy
garments, or any other dedicated objects are to be found.
Worship is not to be given to a man, place, or object. The
living God is the only One worthy of all the praise in the
name of Jesus Christ.
How long will the holy God who declares Himself to be
jealous look upon these things? Multitudes all over the
world, out in the open and also in dedicated buildings and
places of pilgrimage, are still falling down before images.
They recite prayers but do not speak to God, Who alone is
omnipresent and hears prayer. The made holy ones, including
Mary, who are long ago deceased do not hear you when called
upon. She is in Paradise and does not hear and certainly
does not answer prayer. The supposed appearances of Mary
didn’t happen not even in Fatima, because they are not
promised in the Holy Scripture.
Furthermore the communion with dead saints and the prayers
to them is totally unscriptural. God’s Word addresses living
saints — who are sanctified in Christ, as can be seen from
the epistles: »… to them that are sanctified in Christ
Jesus, called to be saints …« (1 Cor. 1: 2; 2 Cor. 1: 1;
Eph. 1: 1). Paul writes, »Greet every saint in Christ Jesus
… All the saints greet you …« (Phil. 4: 21-22). The
communion with and calling upon the dead is occultism and
spiritism. Although everything is done with fanfare and
celebration, the Bible declares it to be religious
deception. People are sacrificing time, money for vain
things, enduring hardship. All should know and understand:
The veneration of saints in the religions of the world is
not of faith, for then it would be united with God and His
Word, it is ancient superstition!
The great falling away from Christ and His Word into
heathenism, the separation from the only one true God, and
the involvement of idol worship has taken place. Something
terrible has happened and humanity is deceived. Using forms
of celebration and oratory still leaves us with
superstitions and folly from the minds of man. In Israel the
turning away from the only true God to other gods has taken
place plunging them into idolatry. Thus saith the Lord :
»They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God;
for the spirit of harlotry is in the midst of them, and they
have not known the Lord.« (Hos. 5: 4). Based upon the many
Scriptures people cannot turn to God unless they are set
free from the spirit of idolatry. This can only take place
through a real conversion to Christ. Paul warns, »Wherefore,
my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry … Ye cannot drink the
cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons; ye cannot be
partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of demons.«
(1 Cor. 10: 14-22). The apostle ascribes idolatry to demons.
One can only be a guest at the Lord’s table or otherwise at
the table of demons. Apparently the enemy has deceived all
that are under his influence into various idolatries.
Anyone taking time to consider this subject must admit that
all the statues, carved images, and icons of gold, silver
and various material have ears but cannot hear, a mouth
which cannot talk, hands that don’t move, feet which cannot
walk (Ps. 115: 1-8; Isa. 44: 12-20 a. o.). They are dead
objects, which are set up for admiration. They do not
represent nor have any association with the living God. The
Apostle John earnestly warned about this, when he spoke
about the true God who revealed Himself in the Son who is
the eternal life: »Little children keep yourselves from
idols.« (1 Jn. 5: 20-21).
In many countries on earth there are special places of
pilgrimage. In Europe, Turin, the so-called »shroud of
Christ« is exhibited, although independent tests in
Switzerland, England, and the USA have proven that this
shroud dates back to the 16th century. Many go to worship at
the shrine of the so-called »Holy Coat of Trier«, others
make their way to Lourdes, and again to Fatima and to
Czenstochowa and so on. The number making the annual
pilgrimage is given as follows: 6 millions to Guadeloupe,
Mexico; 5 millions to Lourdes, France; 4 millions to Fatima,
Portugal; 3.5 millions to Loretto, Italy, and so on. Never
have we heard about a single person having found Christ in
such a place. That is the shocking account of this
treacherous deception.
Since the Reformation many articles have been written about
the significance of relics. About their veneration Luther
said, »The Word of God is the only sanctuary above all
sanctuaries, yes, and the only one that we Christians know
and have. Even if we had all the bones of the saints, their
clothing in one pile, we would obtain no help, for it is
dead, bringing satisfaction to no one. But the Word of God
is the treasure, by which all things are sanctified, …« The
Lutheran theologian and member of the church counsel,
Karl-Hermann Kandler, adds , »Our faith is not in relics,
not attached to some left over of saints. Their veneration
and the pilgrimage to the holy places do not strengthen the
faith, for there unto, as Luther said ›many open lies and
invented nonsense were found. They were not commanded, or
even suggested, for they are unnecessary and vain. Things,
which cannot give indulgence or work forgiveness of sin to
anyone‹, Luther said.« (Magazin Idea-Spektrum 17/1996).
More recently the spirit of reconciliation is at work; this
does not proceed from God and His Word through Jesus Christ,
our Lord. It is rather the ecumenical spirit who has
penetrated into many protestant denominations.
In 1996 a group of German, Lutheran, high ranking clergy
made a pilgrimage to the Holy Coat of Trier. As the legend
goes, Helena, the mother of Constantine brought the seamless
coat of Christ, being over ninety years old, in 329 A. D. to
the city of Trier. For the first time this coat, called the
shroud of Christ, was shown in 1512. Over twenty such relics
exist in various places around the world.
In the same publication »Idea Spektrum« we read , »The
reformer called such a pilgrimage ›a new cheating, a very
peculiar masterly cheating with our Lord’s cloth‹. In his
last sermon, 1546, in the city of Eisleben he referred to
this relic and said, ”In Trier is the cloth of our Lord. Run
there, have all your money devoured and buy indulgence on
the Pope’s jumble market”.»
All Bible believing Christians must cry out »My God!« with
great pain, »what have all these things — the places,
relics, statues, carved images, and icons, which are being
venerated — have to do with you?« What have such dead
objects in different cults in common with the living God?
Whoever seeks Him can only find Him in Christ. And to find
Him requires no special place or image. Instead they are the
actual hindrance which must be removed. In view of such
things the Lord gave the best advice, »Seek ye me, and ye
shall live. But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and
pass not to Beersheba!« (Amos 5: 4-5).
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