Idolatry
is and has been one of the prime sins of man against God throughout history.
This has been the cause of the perverted, sexualized religion of the ancient
world and the decadence of mankind. Idolatry results in sexual perversion and
it is the byproduct and result of idolatry.
Romans
1:19 ¶ Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 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:
21 Because that, when they knew God,
they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools, 23 And changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and
fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24
Wherefore God also gave them
up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own
bodies between themselves: 25 Who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature
more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the
natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men
working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of
their error which was meet. 28 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; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness,
fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder,
debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of
evil things, disobedient to parents, 31
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful: 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.
In
that passage we can see why society decays and who is responsible for its
decay. God gives delusions and permits our more decadent natures to take
preeminence.
Whether
our idol is the flag or Constitution, which Mormon Joseph Smith convinced
patriots was divinely inspired by God, or whether it is money, sex, or
education idolatry is one of the prime reasons that American Christianity is so
powerless to impact a dying world in any way other than providing humanistic
drivel to control a congregation under the guise of fundamentalist, right-wing
or liberal, left-wing preaching.
Thou
shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but
thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.
God
is promising these physical, literal Hebrews coming into a physical, literal
land blessings and prosperity and protection and the written words of God are a
vital part of those blessings. By the way, don’t let some wicked preacher tell
you that if you attend church whenever the doors are open you won’t ever get
sick or have trouble in your life. We cannot apply literal, physical promises
to the Jews before Christ to the Christian as they are not promises made to us
under this dispensation. For all of your slavish devotion to a fundamentalist
preacher’s will and whims you will have trouble in your life and you will get
sick at some point and you will probably have a child that goes astray, etc.
etc.
Joshua
1:8 This book of the law shall not
depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that
thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
While
Christians were not promised an earthly country we would do well in life to
honor these admonitions and warnings that God has given. Idolatry will destroy
your walk with God and make you a caricature of a person of faith to the
unsaved, a cartoon, a joke. You cannot uplift an idol in one hand and God in
the other without looking stupid, a hypocrite, or just plain evil.
Even
though Christians do not have a country on this earth the historical principle
laid down in Romans, chapter one, applies to nations as we know them. Let me
give you a brief religious history of America to show you how idolatry can be
poison. America’s self-worship as idolatry has its
roots in the country’s earliest times. The
good thing, which was the belief and faith that this new land was to be a
nation set apart by God for a divine purpose was a common thread preached
throughout. However, a specific millennial belief, that Christ would set up a
kingdom on earth without being present Himself to last for literally a thousand
years or with the millennium as just representing a long time was the standard,
evangelical Christian view until the 20th century. This is called
Postmillennialism, with Christ returning at the end of the thousand years. With
a few exceptions it was believed that Christ would rule through His church. But
there was no doubt that America would be the location where this period would
begin. Men like John Cotton, Ephraim Huit, Increase Mather, John Davenport,
John Eliot, Samuel Sewall, Cotton Mather, and Joseph Morgan preached an
imminent millennium and Eliot, combining the fervor of what was called Fifth
Kingdom Monarchyism prevalent in England, was especially hopeful that the New
Jerusalem of the Book of Revelation would descend upon America itself.[1]
Sermons were preached before Congress that said that America was the Promised
Land and that the events of Revelation would take place here before we
converted the world and established Christ’s kingdom for Him.[2]
An actual, historical Kingdom of God was
expected, with the millennium, a thousand years of Christ’s reign through His
church, coming soon.[3]
Jonathan Edwards, the Congregationalist preacher so important to the series of
revivals in 1700s America called The First Great Awakening, viewed the
millennium not as Christ physically returning to save a ruined world, but a
gradual process where righteousness and the control of Godly men became
prevalent as Christ ruled through His church.[4]
[1]
David E. Smith, “Millenarian Scholarship in America,” American Quarterly Vol. 17, No. 3 (Autumn, 1965), 539. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2710907. (accessed 10.28.2015), 539.
[2]
Fountain E. Pitts, A Defence of
Armageddon or Our Great Country Foretold in the Holy
Scriptures In
two discourses, Delivered in the Capitol of the United States, at the request
of several members of Congress, on the anniversary of Washington's birthday,
1857, (Baltimore: J.W. Bull
Publishers, 1859), 90.
[3] Ernest Lee
Tuveson, Redeemer Nation: The Idea of
America’s Millennial Role (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1968),
29.
[4]
Ibid., 30.
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