Advertorial | Worship of false gods versus the true God

Throughout the Bible, there is constant reference to a struggle between the worship of the true God and the worship of false gods.

The worshippers of the true God have always been snared by a pull toward the worship of false gods. Yet in modern times, it appears that this struggle between the worship of the true God and the worship of false gods is non-existent. It is generally assumed that we all worship the same God but simply use different names. Has the worship of the true God finally won the day, and the world has now been converted? Or is it that the worship of false gods has subtly invaded and replaced the true God, and the world is in apostasy, needing to be called back to the worship of the one true God? Please judge for yourselves.

The most prominent false god of Biblical antiquity was Baal. Who was Baal? Baal was considered to be the supreme male god, frequently mentioned alongside the female counterpart Ashtoreth. Ancient Israel was constantly warned against worshipping Baal and Ashtoreth. This male and female combination was associated with a woman and child representation where the child is said to be the male god reborn. At other times the god and goddess are replaced by a single female, sometimes represented as being pregnant. This was a three-in-one combination of father god being reborn, mother goddess, and the male offspring who is regarded as the Son of God or God himself, being the father god reborn. Where did all of this come from?

This system of Baal worship pre-dated the birth of Jesus Christ and ancient Israel did not have any such concept of a three-in-one God. The historical origin of the three-in-one God points back to ancient Babylon and its founder, Nimrod, who, with his wife Semiramis ruled ancient Babylon. Nimrod was a mighty ruler who came to be worshipped as a god. When he died, to maintain control over the kingdom, Nimrod's wife, Semiramis, promoted the idea that Nimrod had gone up to the sun and therefore the subjects of the kingdom could continue worshipping Nimrod by worshipping the sun. When Semiramis later got pregnant from her many sexual orgies, without a clear knowledge of who the father of her child was, she said that she was impregnated by Nimrod through the rays of the sun and that her child was Nimrod reborn. Her child, Tammuz, was therefore considered to be the son of the god, while simultaneously being seen as the god himself. The mother Semiramis was considered the mother of God and a goddess. When she died, she was considered to have become the moon goddess and the queen of heaven.

In contrast, Israel was established on the belief in one true God. The true God is the Creator who declares: “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else.” (Isa. 45:18). This one true God is a singular being, identified as He. This is the God who the Bible says sent His Son into the world – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). In the vision, the prophet John saw Him seated on the throne in heaven – “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” (Rev. 4:2). Of the one seated on the throne, it is said by the living beings in heaven, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev. 4:11).

Quite separate from the one true God, is the Son of God who was sent by God into the world. In the same scene above, the prophet John saw the Son of God represented as a Lamb, who came to the One seated on the throne and took from His hand a book (Rev. 5:1-7). The Lamb was described as the One who was slain – “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (Rev. 5:12). When the Lamb was seen later, those with Him were described as having His Father's name written in their foreheads – “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.” (Rev. 14:1)). So, even in heaven, the one who was slain is recognised and worshipped as the Son of God and not God himself.

In bringing greetings, the prophet John brought greetings from God, Christ and the seven spirits (angels) who were before God's throne – “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev. 1:4-6). Angels are called spirits and seven of them were before God's throne (Heb. 1:7; Rev. 4:5; Rev. 8:1).

The Bible does speak of three powers in heaven, God, Christ, and angels (spirits) – “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things” (1 Tim. 5:21). But the three powers are neither co-equal nor three-in-one. Those concepts are pagan and of Babylonian origin. The mystery concerning the godhead (divinity) of God is due to the efforts to amalgamate false concepts of pagan origin into the true. The godhead, or divine attributes of God are clearly revealed – “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). The most notable representation of God, Christ and angels are the sun, moon and stars. Like the sun, God dwells in light that no man can approach unto (1 Tim. 6:15, 16). Like the moon, Christ reflects the glory of His Father. Like the stars, angels are lesser lights compared to God and Christ.

The true worship of God involves worshipping God and Christ, not a three-in-one God nor the sun, moon, and stars. Let us by God's grace return to the worship of the one true God and His Son, Jesus Christ, as it will be in the new earth – “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” (Rev. 21:22).

“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15).

For further information, please visit Patience of the Saints at http://thecommandmentsofgodandthefaithofjesus.com/

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