Who are these "other gods" in the universe, the Bible speaks of?
The Bible emphasizes the existence of only one true God, the Creator of the universe, while acknowledging the existence of other gods, but asserting that they are false and not to be worshipped.
Deuteronomy 32, notes the very important use of a lowercase "g" when referring to other gods. There is only one God. But there were many things which humanity turned into gods (with a lowercase g). This applies also to Psalm 82.
Baal, from 1 Kings 22, was exposed as an imposter god in 1 Kings 18, yet still, the Bible said foolish mankind returned to worship it. This does not make it God. It makes it a god.
Baal was a prominent deity in ancient Canaan and Phoenicia, associated with fertility, rain, and storms. In the Hebrew Bible, Baal is presented as a false god or idol, in contrast to the one true God, Yahweh.
Monotheism vs. Henotheism:
While the Bible, particularly the OLD TESTAMENT, acknowledges the existence of "other gods" worshipped by other nations, it ultimately promotes one true God, a concept known as monotheism.
The One True God:
The Bible consistently portrays the God of Israel as the supreme and only true God, the creator of the universe and all that is in it.
False Gods:
The Bible refers to other gods as "false gods" or idols, emphasizing that they are not real or worthy of worship.
Scriptural Examples:
Exodus 20:3: "You shall have no other gods before me".
Isaiah 44:6-8: "Thus says the LORD, Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me, there is no God.
Psalm 82:1: "God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods, He sits in judgment".
When the Bible speaks of "gods" outside the context of idolatry, it refers to divine beings or powers that are not the true God the Bible refers to. These "gods" can be false deities, demons, or even human leaders or institutions that people mistakenly elevate to a position of worship or authority.
The Bible frequently warns against worshipping or serving false gods, which are entities or objects that people mistakenly believe to be divine and worthy of worship.
In some passages, the Bible uses the term "gods" to refer to demons, who are spiritual beings that are opposed to God and who can be worshipped or serve as idols.
Sometimes, the Bible uses the term "gods" in a metaphorical sense to describe human leaders or institutions that people mistakenly rely on or worship, instead of God.
The first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before Me," emphasizes the importance of worshipping only the true God and not any other entity or power.
Idolatry, in a biblical context, is the act of worshipping or serving something or someone other than the true God, and it is a serious sin.
Examples in the Bible:
The Israelites repeatedly fell into idolatry by worshipping false gods of the surrounding nations.
Jesus warned against putting worldly possessions or ambitions before God, which is a form of idolatry.
The apostle Paul wrote about the dangers of idolatry, in the context of false teachings and practices. The Bible also strongly emphasizes the words of Jesus, as He condemns idolatry, which He confirms as the worship of anything or anyone, other than the one true God, Yahweh.
Idols as Man-Made Objects:
The Bible repeatedly portrays idols as being crafted by human hands, often from materials like wood, stone, silver, or gold. Here are some examples from the Bible on this:
Exodus 20:4-5: "You shall not make for yourself a 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. You shall not bow down to them or serve them..."
Psalm 115:4-8: "Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak; eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear; noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel; feet, but cannot walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them."
Isaiah 44:9-20: This passage mocks the futility of worshipping idols made by human hands, highlighting their inability to help or protect their worshippers.
Idolatry as a Deviation:
The Bible views idolatry as a rejection of God and a turning towards false gods, often associated with the practices of surrounding pagan nations.
While the specific idols of the past may be different, the principle remains the same. Anything that we place above Jehovah God in our lives, whether it's material possessions, relationships, or other pursuits...can be considered an idol.
"For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is no other name under heaven, by which we must be saved."
I agree, I once committed illegal idolatry when I was 19, but found out the hard way that I was sinning by finding myself in sheol...But God is love! That's the Love that I had been looking for my whole life!!
When I fell from grace and became schizophrenic, the demons were telling me that " I am god" "I am god" "I am god" but I knew that they weren't It brings me the fragrance of Life to expose that dark moment in my life... Jesus Christ saved me from them by covering me in His Blood later on that night I felt it, it felt like raindrops upon my skin while indoors! This too brings me the Fragrance of Life to speak of...Then the ONE TRUE GOD gave me a vision of the cross to redeem my soul silencing the screams in my head, and giving me this sweet sweet perfume that get's caught up in my thoughts called the fragrance of LIFE so so pretty! It guides me 2 Corinthians 2:14! Jesus Christ saved my soul!!! Not Budda, Not Allah, Not the thousands of so called gods of other religions, and it was the occult that made me fall in the first place! But to this day I can honestly say that Jesus saves, there is no place that I will go that He hasn't been, He guided me out of the darkness and into the Light, and now He has seated me in Heavenly Places where Heavenly Angels Sing!!!!! No mere man could have figured that out, He had to have come from Heaven!
I can honestly say that Jesus saves... there is no place that I will go that He hasn't been.
Yes sister, I love that. So true. And any place we go, God is there. 🌹
Psalm 139:7-12: This passage famously asks, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?" Even in the heavens or the depths of the earth, God is there.
He never leaves us nor forsake us. A powerful biblical promise, found in verses like Hebrews 13:5 and Deuteronomy 31:6:
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This is a promise of God's unwavering commitment and faithfulness, even in difficult times.
Everything, we put before Real God is Fake. False IDOLS as well as False IDEALS must be discarded because often, false ideals take the form of false idols whether it is chasing money, cigarettes or even drugs.
I have learnt how to live life for God from you and I pray that I never worship any idols. I only want to belong to My God because He is an awesome God.
in the beginning there was man, man created god in his own image to explain all unknown phenomena
Man created god??? Where did you get that information? Man created gods....false idols. The Bible says just the opposite and God is no liar. That is not his character.
Genesis 1:27. ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
@edtur61 People prepare for everything else in life, but the biggest mistake they'll ever make, is not preparing their own soul for eternity. Eternity is an awfully long time to not have prepared your soul. You do that by being truthful and admitting that like all people on earth, you have sinned and therefore need Jesus to save your soul. When you go to him and ask him for forgiveness of your sins, with a truthful heart, He is more than willing to save you and forgive your sins. And not only that, he not only forgives you, but he forgets your sins, and you can start a brand new life in Christ. Just as if you had never sinned in your life. He never turns anyone away.
@LadyGrace sorry being aggressive but I don't show mercy for this world and falling angels. I'll go deep with Jesus to get rid of demons in my appearance. I'm always aware spiritual instead of flesh.
@FreestyleArt You never have to apologize to anyone for your convictions. Yes I know you pay close attention to your spiritual side instead of the flesh. I know you love God deeply. You're always so kind and good to everyone, for one thing, and you try so hard to live according to the scriptures and God's will. None of us are perfect and we make plenty of mistakes, but praise God that He loves us despite our human errors. 🫂❤
@edtur61 I don't know how you can interpret what I just told you as trying to convince. Maybe you don't hear very well or see very well. All the evidence is there, if you're truly seeking God. The Bible says seek and ye shall find. If you want to just brush God off as fantasy and believe that the Bible is just stories, that's up to you, but that's no way to have eternal life in heaven. It's not wise to leave your soul to chance. You never did answer me. Are you looking for Christ or not?
@LadyGrace bible is a book written over a period of around 500 years there are no facts it’s all handed down word of mouth. It’s written by people that were scared of the dark with no understanding trying to make sense of the world so they made stories.
