At the height of summer I had to dig out an enormous ants nest that infested the path outside the front door. The moment the ground was disturbed there came scurrying out a horde of tiny creatures each carrying either an egg or some other aspect of the nest and immediately began attempting reconstruction of that which they had just lost, regardless of the threatening presence of their destroyer. Are we any different?
In Revelation 9:20, we read: The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
A constant theme of the Bible is that of humanity's inherent wilful disobedience. The events throughout Revelation are largely meant to demonstrate that God's wrath and judgment on man is well-deserved; even when confronted with the most terrible consequences imaginable, humanity at large refuses to submit, backtrack or repent.
Those who are not killed by the events described in this chapter persist with their refusal to repent. They show no desire whatsoever for of a change of mind, heart or direction. They continue to practice idolatry by continuing to worship demons and man made idols of gold and silver and bronze and wood.
Whether literally by bowing down to statues, or in the more symbolic sense of emphasizing wealth, possessions, media personalities, pleasure et al above God, idolatry is among the most dangerous and most often condemned sins in Scripture. Hardly surprising that Paul warned the Corinthians about idolatry in 1 Corinthians 10:19–21, and John commanded, Little children, keep yourselves from idols in 1 John 5:21.
Daniel accused King Belshazzar of Babylon of idol worship when he told him: You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know (Daniel 5:23). He also told Belshazzar the price of his idolatry: his kingdom would come to a sudden end and be given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:26–28).
A dictionary definition of idolatry is 'extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.' When one of our idols, either media star or technological achievement, is shown to have feet of clay, instead of rejecting them outright we attempt to replace with another and so continue our idolatry albeit in a different direction.
In the final analysis, idolatry is endemic in the global mindset and is a barrier to salvation for all who involve themselves as Jesus explained in Matthew 6:19–21, 24.
In Revelation 9:20, we read: The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
A constant theme of the Bible is that of humanity's inherent wilful disobedience. The events throughout Revelation are largely meant to demonstrate that God's wrath and judgment on man is well-deserved; even when confronted with the most terrible consequences imaginable, humanity at large refuses to submit, backtrack or repent.
Those who are not killed by the events described in this chapter persist with their refusal to repent. They show no desire whatsoever for of a change of mind, heart or direction. They continue to practice idolatry by continuing to worship demons and man made idols of gold and silver and bronze and wood.
Whether literally by bowing down to statues, or in the more symbolic sense of emphasizing wealth, possessions, media personalities, pleasure et al above God, idolatry is among the most dangerous and most often condemned sins in Scripture. Hardly surprising that Paul warned the Corinthians about idolatry in 1 Corinthians 10:19–21, and John commanded, Little children, keep yourselves from idols in 1 John 5:21.
Daniel accused King Belshazzar of Babylon of idol worship when he told him: You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know (Daniel 5:23). He also told Belshazzar the price of his idolatry: his kingdom would come to a sudden end and be given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:26–28).
A dictionary definition of idolatry is 'extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.' When one of our idols, either media star or technological achievement, is shown to have feet of clay, instead of rejecting them outright we attempt to replace with another and so continue our idolatry albeit in a different direction.
In the final analysis, idolatry is endemic in the global mindset and is a barrier to salvation for all who involve themselves as Jesus explained in Matthew 6:19–21, 24.
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