Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues?
“You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]” (AMP, Exodus 20:4).
“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” (ESV, Exodus 20:4).
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:” (KJV, Exodus 20:4).
First found in Exodus 20:4, the popular phrase “graven image” comes from the King James Version of the Bible in the first (for Catholics) and second (for some Protestants) of the Ten Commandments from the Lord God Almighty. It’s important to take note that the Hebrew word translated “graven image” means literally “an idol.” “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Hebrew: לֹא-תַעֲשֶׂה לְךָ פֶסֶל, וְכָל-תְּמוּנָה, romanized: Lōʾ-t̲aʿăśeh lək̲ā p̲esel, wək̲ol-təmûnāh) is an abbreviated form of one of the Ten Commandments that were spoken by the Lord God to His children, and then written on stone tablets by His Finger. Notice that through Jesus Christ, we are made children of God. John 1:12 says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,“

What is a graven image? In simple terms, a graven image is an image carved out of stone, wood, or metal. A graven image could be a statue of a person or an animal or a relief carving on a wall or pole. A molten image is melted metal poured into a cast. Functionally, there is no difference between a “graven” image (Deuteronomy 4:16) and a “molten” image (Exodus 34:17). When worshipped, both become signs of man’s waywardness. Abstract Asherah poles, carved wooden Ba’als covered in gold leaf, and etchings of gods accompanying Egyptian hieroglyphics all fall under graven images. Though it may not be the carved or manmade gods of stone, wood, or metal common in the Old Testament, Christians today must be careful not to make their jobs, wealth, families, money, reputations, businesses, or anything else the center of their affections. For there is only One Living God, worthy of all our adoration and worship.

Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues?

What The Scriptures Say About Worshiping Idols

The Bible clearly forbids the worship of idols and calls on everyone to worship only the One and True God, Almighty, and Sovereign (Exodus 20:4).
Exodus 20:1-26 says, And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “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, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, …
1 Corinthians 10:14 says, “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”
1 John 5:21 says, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.”
Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.“
Isaiah 45:20 says, “Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save.”
Jonah 2:8 says, “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.“

Galatians 4:8 says, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.“
Psalms 16:4 says, “Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.“
Leviticus 19:4 says, “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.“
Revelation 9:20 says, “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 worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.“
Galatians 5:19-21 says, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.“

Biblical Warning Against Idolatry

In Exodus 20:4-5, we get one of the commandments which reads, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them.” Notice how this is similar to the commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me,” and specifically forbids the creation of idols.
Psalms 135:15-18 says, “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.”

Exodus 3:6 says, And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Exodus 3:14 says, God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’”
Nehemiah 9:6 says, “You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”
With all these in mind, we should Worship God Alone.

Idolatry in a Pagan Religion

Generally, idolatry in a pagan religion starts with the acknowledgment of a power that controls natural forces. The presence of the force is then thought to indwell a place, like a mountain or a water body, or an object like a stone or a tree. The next thing is altering a naturally occurring environment or object, like a waterfall, a standing stone, a deliberately planted tree, or a carved Asherah pole, and calling on the force to indwell it. When the idolatrous culture has had time to contemplate the personality of the god, they then make corresponding physical images. That’s, they make statues or relief carvings in the form of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth for worship. Places are set aside to commune with these false gods. For convenience’s sake, smaller items, thought to hold the communication line or power of the gods, are brought into homes and some are carried along on the go. And as such, those involved find themselves ensnared by the compulsion to give homage to a thing of their own definition instead of giving it to the Lord God Almighty, Creator of the Universe.

Do Catholics Worship Idols, Images, or Statues?

Catholics do not worship such, but rather use images and statues to learn, understand, explain, and/or portray the heavenly ministries. It’s important to understand that to portray means to depict (someone or something) in a work of art or literature. Early Christians had religious art. The church formerly confirmed the use of statues and other art as a means of veneration at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 A.D. Behold, they clarified, approved, and encouraged the honoring of Our Lord, Our Lady, saints, and angels, through the proper use of statues. Notice that 787 was way before Protestantism came into existence. Those who claim that Catholics worship images are simply propagandists deceived by mere interpretations of Scripture. While we are not out to argue with them, we simply have an answer to explain to those who are sincere and willing to know.
Titus 3:9 says, “But avoid foolish and ill-informed and stupid controversies and genealogies and dissensions and quarrels about the Law, for they are unprofitable and useless.“
1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.“

It’s without a doubt that images are part of the instruments for learning. Anybody and anything can be called an image depending on what one uses it for. This means that human beings, animals, plants, stones, carvings, and other things could be images. Hebrews 11:3 says, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” Notice that the Bible, Church buildings, crucifixes, statues, and others are all images. In addition, man is created in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Also, Jesus is the image of the invisible God (John 14:9; John 1:14). Colossians 1:15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the image of God (Genesis 1:2). Similarly, the Bible is an image through which we learn the Word of God. Notice that the Bible is not God in itself. And as such, the readers of the Bible do not worship it. They rather worship the Lord God who is revealed through the Scriptures. If this is logical, then you should understand that Catholics do not worship images which are merely pointing to hidden realities of their faith.

It’s important to understand that as a “Universal” Church, the Catholic Church employs different techniques to dispatch her message to all categories of people without discrimination: the learned and the unlearned, the rich and the poor, the blind and the lame, the deaf and the mute, as well as others. In doing this, she makes use of the Bible, the tradition, the teachings of her leaders, the images, signs, and symbols. Note that in all her techniques to transmit God’s message to everyone, she clearly knows, understands, and acknowledges the Lord God as the ultimate and only one to be worshiped (Exodus 20:2–5). In fact, the Catholic Church does not believe any statue or image has any power in and of itself. The beauty of icons and statues moves us to the contemplation of God’s Word as He is Himself or as He works in His saints.

Catholics make use of statues, paintings, and mosaics as a reminder of those who have gone before them. As saints, they point in the direction of Christ through the virtues of their lives. Remembering them reminds one of the virtues he/she should pursue. Notice that before the invention of photographs, man-made images were the only things that could be used as physical reminders of these people. In the same way, Jews used graven images in the manner the Lord God commanded them to, and those who followed God’s Law in the Old Testament understood that those religious images were not to be offered adoration and worship, Catholics do not worship statues today.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
2113 Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Many martyrs died for not adoring “the Beast” refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.

The Catholic Church during the Council of Trent (1545 – 1563) issued a clear statement concerning images and statues. According to the 25th session of this General Council:
The images of Christ and of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the saints are to be had and retained particularly in churches, and due honor and veneration are to be given them; not that any divinity or virtue is believed to be in them on account of which they are to be worshipped, or that anything is to be asked of them, or that trust is to be reposed in images, as was of old by the Gentiles, who placed their hopes in idols; but because the honor which is shown them is referred to the prototypes which these images represent; so that we through the images which we kiss…or bend the knee, adore Christ and venerate the saints, whom they represent. [The Canons & Decrees of the Council of Trent (TAN Books, 1978) p. 215-6]

What About Catholics Bowing Before Images And Statues?

Many anti-Catholics cite Deuteronomy 5:9, where the Lord God said concerning idols, “You shall not bow down to them.” Since many Catholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-Catholics confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry. As Christians, it’s important for us to understand that though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without necessarily worshiping him as a god. The Bible presents Abigail as a woman of great wisdom and beauty who in her wisdom and knowledge about the Lord God and His ways, bowed down before David with her face to the ground bringing to him divine counseling, preventing him from sinning, prophesying his kingship, and causing him to give praise to the name of the Lord God (1 Samuel 25). Pleased with her, and amazed by her wisdom, David later took her in as one of his wives (1 Samuel 25:39-43). The Bible also recounts how King Solomon, heir of King David, knelt before the altar of the Lord God with his hands spread up to heaven (1 Kings 8:54). Does this mean that Solomon was worshiping the altar or heaven? Absolutely not. In the same way, a Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshiping the statue nor praying to it, any more than a Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshiping the Bible or praying to it.

However, the Catholic Church does not compel her members to kneel or pray before images since they have no ears to hear nor the power to help. The Church allows for the veneration of images as long as the honor is directed toward Christ and His Saints. Some Christians may object to the veneration of images of the saints since they believe that honor should be directed toward God alone and not toward Mary or the Saints. After all, 1 Timothy 1:17 says, “Now to the King of the ages [eternal], immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” Behold, this objection arises from a confusion between divine honor (adoration – supreme honor proper only for the Lord God Almighty) and respectful honor proper for men. In the Bible, the people of God bowed down before King David to show him honor (2 Samuel 24:20; 1 Chronicles 29:20; 21:21). Likewise, Obadiah in 1 Kings 18:7 fell prostrate before Elijah showing him reverence for being a prophet of the Lord God. In the Ten Commandments, we are told to honor our mother and father (Deuteronomy 5:16). Notice that even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, defended and obeyed this commandment (Mark 7:9-13; Luke 2:51). The Catholic Church honors Mary in imitation of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:1). John 19:26-27 says, When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Are Catholics Omitting or Hiding the Second Commandment in Order to Worship or Promote the Worship of Images and Statues?

There are a lot of misleading writings portraying the Catholic Church as being behind the New World Order. These writings attempt to prove this claim by exposing the “marks of the beasts” (Revelation 17). One of the main charges frequently used is the alteration of God’s commandments. These writings claim that the Catholic Church dropped, omitted, or are hiding the “Second Commandment” which forbids “graven images.” Allegedly, the Catholic Church condones statue worship. However, are Catholics omitting or hiding the second commandment in order to worship or promote the worship of images and statues? Absolutely No. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
2132 The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, “the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype,” and “whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it.” The honor paid to sacred images is a “respectful veneration,” not the adoration due to God alone:

Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Sadly, some Protestants think that the Catholic Church “hides” the second commandment. This is because in Catholic Catechisms, the first commandment is often listed as “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), and the second is listed as “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain” (Exodus 20:7). From this, it is argued that Catholics have deleted the prohibition of idolatry to justify their use of religious statues. However, this is false. The truth is that Catholics simply group the commandments differently from most Protestants. In Exodus 20:2-17, from which the Ten (10) Commandments are derived, there are actually fourteen (14) imperative statements. To arrive at the Ten Commandments, some statements have to be grouped together, and there is more than one way of doing this. Since, in the ancient world, polytheism and idolatry were always unite – idolatry being the outward expression of polytheism – the historic Jewish numbering of the Ten Commandments have always grouped together the imperatives “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3) and “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” (Exodus 20:4). The historic Catholic numbering follows the Jewish numbering on this point, as does the historic Lutheran numbering.

It is important to understand that Jews and Christians abbreviate the commandments so that they can be easily remembered using a summary, ten-point formula. For example, Jews, Catholics, and Protestants typically summarize the Sabbath commandment as, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy,” though the commandment’s actual text takes four verses, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8–11).

Note that when the prohibition of idolatry or polytheism (the belief in or worship of more than one god) is summarized, Jews, Catholics, and Lutherans abbreviate it as “You shall have no other gods before me.” As a matter of fact, this is no attempt to “hide” the idolatry prohibition (notice that Jewish and Lutherans don’t even use statues of saints and angels). Brethren, don’t let yourself to be deceived as it is all about making the learning process of the Ten Commandments easier. So, where does the specific numbering controversy occur? Some Christians view the second commandment to be:  “You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Deuteronomy 5:8-9). They then group the directives, “Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house… field… or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Deuteronomy 5:21), into one as the Tenth Commandment. On the other hand, Catholics consider the verses forbidding the making and worshiping of graven images to be part of the First Commandment: “I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.” In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the un-summarized First Commandment reads: “I am the LORD your God…  You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything… in heaven… in the earth… or… in the water…  you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exodus 20:2-5). With this in mind and unlike what some Protestants think, it’s clear that Catholics as well as the Jewish and Lutherans have not removed or omitted the “Second Commandment,” but have included the directives forbidding creating and worshiping graven images in the First Commandment, because they are naturally part of it: to worship the Lord God Almighty alone, and nothing else anywhere. Catholics then consider the Ninth Commandment as, “you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife”, and the Tenth as “you shall not desire your neighbor’s house… field… or anything that is your neighbor’s”, recognizing the dignity of a person’s spouse and not grouping them with a person’s general possessions. This clearly distinguishes the desire (lust) to commit adultery from the desire (greed) to steal. This division scheme was advocated by St. Augustine in his writings on Exodus.

But what about the numbering of the Ten Commandments? Behold, the Bible clearly states that the Lord God gave Moses several directives under the form of Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 4:13), but does not group or number them specifically (and they can be eventually grouped into ten groups in more than one reasonable way). Consequently, while the Catholic Church has clearly defined all the teachings contained in the Ten Commandments, it has not dogmatically defined how they are to be organized/numbered. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of history. The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. It is also that of the Lutheran confession. The Greek Fathers worked out a slightly different division, which is found in the Orthodox Churches and Reformed communities” (CCC 2066). The present Catechism follows the numbering proposed by St. Augustine – which was also the numbering adopted by Martin Luther, best known as the seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutheranism. Sadly, many Protestants are unware of this interesting detail about Martin Luther who stands in history as a leader and father of the Protestant Reformation.

Ten (10) Commandments (Exodus 20)

Abbreviated Catholic Ten Commandments

1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day
4. Honor your father and your mother
5. You shall not kill
6. You shall not commit adultery
7. You shall not steal
8. You shall not bear false witness
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods

Abbreviated Protestant Ten Commandments

1. You shall have no other gods but me.
2. You shall not make unto you any graven images
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4. You shall remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5. Honor your mother and father
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not bear false witness
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

The Religious uses of Images in the Old and New Testament

In the Old Testament, we read how disaster came upon the chosen people of God because of their waywardness and they had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations. Numbers 21:8–9 says, Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten will live when he looks at it.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on the pole, and it happened that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps remember one’s father or mother by looking at his or her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at their pictures. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church, statues were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures and artistic works portraying Jesus as well as other Biblical characters in Sunday school for teaching children. Likewise, Catholics use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas. Notice that if a person measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these “graven” images they would equally be practicing the “idolatry” of which they accuse Catholics. But there is no idolatry going on in these situations. Note that God forbids the worship of images as gods, but He does not ban the making of images. In fact, it’s when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord’s command is broken and He becomes angry. Inline with this, when the people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named “Nehushtan”), the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kings 18:4).

In the New Testament, Galatians 3:1 says, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” Remember that to portray means to depict (represent someone or something by a drawing, painting, or other art form) in a work of art or literature. And here, Apostle Paul makes us understand that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified before the very eyes of the Galatians. Behold, the Galatians had seen an image of Christ crucified. They had seen a crucifix! The question we are asking ourselves now is that to know whether it was a live representation of Christ crucified, or was it a carved image – a graven image – of Christ crucified? We can’t really be sure about this, but one thing is for sure, they were looking at an image of Christ on the cross – a crucifix.

Sacred art is used to evangelize, catechize, and inspire. It’s also used to show reverence and honor for the Lord God and His Saints. When a Catholic kneels or bows in prayer before a statue, they are not worshiping it in any way whatsoever. They are simply using it as a person might use the picture of his family – to recall them, even pray for them, when he is not physically with them. As a matter of fact, he/she does not consider a picture of his/her children as being his/her actual children, but merely a reminder of them. And so it is with sacred art in any form. Such is used ultimately to raise our hearts and minds to God – to aid us in prayer. It’s important to understand that the Catholic Church strictly condemns the adoration (divine worship) of statues, images, or even the saints, since this is idolatry and in violation of the First Commandment. For Christians, a crucifix should not be considered merely as a statue of Jesus hanging on a cross, but as a reminder of the high cost of our salvation as well as His words to us: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34).

Did God Prohibit Statues?

Biblically, the Lord God did not prohibit statues; He prohibited the adoration and worship of these statues (Exodus 20:2–5). Notice that if the Lord God truly meant that we were not to possess any statues at all, then He would later contradict Himself when He commanded Moses to build the ark of the Covenant-containing His Holy presence – venerated as the holiest place in all of Israel. The Lord God instructed Moses to make two Cherubim hammered of gold on the two ends of the mercy seat (Exodus 25:18–19). In Numbers 21:8–9, not only did the Lord God Almighty order Moses to make another statue in the form of a bronze serpent, He commanded the children of Israel to look to it in order to be healed. Behold, this statue of bronze snake had no power in and of itself. John 3:14 says, “Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross],” Although this act was merely a prototype of Christ, we still observe how the Lord God used this image of a snake as an instrument to effect healing in His people.

Similarly, in 1 Kings 6, Solomon built a Temple for the glory of the Lord God – in the inner sanctuary he made two Cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. He carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of Cherubim and palm trees, and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. He made doors of olive-wood for the entrance of the inner sanctuary. The two doors of olive-wood were covered with carvings of Cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers which he overlaid them with gold. In fact, King Solomon ordered the construction of multiple images of things both “in heaven above” (angels) and “in the earth beneath” (palm trees and open flowers). Behold, after completion of the Temple, the Lord God declared that He was pleased with its construction. 1 Kings 9:3 says, The LORD told him, “I have heard your prayer and supplication which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My Name and My Presence there forever. My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually.

Did God know what king Solomon had done? Yes and He approved of it by putting His Name and Presence (1 Kings 9:3). Notice how the Lord God made use of the “graven image” of a bronze serpent to heal the people. Also notice how He commanded Moses and Solomon to build an ark and a Temple with images. Brethren, ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible nature, His sovereignty, power, and deity has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. You cannot love God whom you do not see than through loving His creatures. 1 John 4:20 says, If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Romans 14:13 says, “Then let us not criticize one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block or a source of temptation in another believer’s way.”
Romans 14:19 says, “So then, let us pursue [with enthusiasm] the things which make for peace and the building up of one another [things which lead to spiritual growth].”
Romans 14:22 says, “The faith which you have [that gives you freedom of choice], have as your own conviction before God [just keep it between yourself and God, seeking His will]. Happy is he who has no reason to condemn himself for what he approves.“
1 Thessalonians 5:14 says, “We [earnestly] urge you, believers, admonish those who are out of line [the undisciplined, the unruly, the disorderly], encourage the timid [who lack spiritual courage], help the [spiritually] weak, be very patient with everyone [always controlling your temper].”
Hebrews 5:12 says, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers [because of the time you have had to learn these truths], you actually need someone to teach you again the elementary principles of God’s word [from the beginning], and you have come to be continually in need of milk, not solid food.“
1 Corinthians 3:2 says, “I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Even now you are still not ready.”

Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues?

Exodus 20:3-6 – “You shall have no other gods before me. “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, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

1 John 5:21 – “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.“

Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.“

Jonah 2:8 – “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.“

Isaiah 44:9-20 – “All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together. The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. …“

Group 1 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Psalm 16:4 – “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.“

Jeremiah 11:12 – “Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry to the gods to whom they make offerings, but they cannot save them in the time of their trouble.“

Exodus 20:1-8 – And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “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, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, …

Psalm 135:15-18 – “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!“

Leviticus 19:4 – “Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.”

1 Corinthians 10:14 – “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.“

Galatians 5:19-21 – “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.“

Group 2 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Galatians 4:8 – “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.“

Isaiah 45:20 – “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you survivors of the nations! They have no knowledge who carry about their wooden idols, and keep on praying to a god that cannot save.“

Deuteronomy 12:32-13:18 – “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. …“

1 Corinthians 10:7 – Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”

Revelation 9:20 – “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,“

1 Samuel 15:23 – “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Group 3 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Romans 1:23 – “And exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.“

Deuteronomy 27:15 – “‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

Jeremiah 10:3-16 – “For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. …“

Exodus 23:13 – “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.“

Jeremiah 7:18 – “The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.“

Judges 10:14 – “Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.”

Psalm 115:1-18 – “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. …“

Group 4 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Hosea 11:2 – “The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.“

Isaiah 2:8 – “Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.“

Isaiah 46:7 – “They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.“

Acts 17:29 – “Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.”

Revelation 2:14 – “But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.“

1 Corinthians 6:9 – “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,“

Isaiah 44:17 – And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

Deuteronomy 7:25 – “The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.“

Micah 5:13 – “And I will cut off your carved images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands;“

Group 5 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Habakkuk 2:18 – “What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!“

Isaiah 42:17 – They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, “You are our gods.”

1 Peter 4:3 – “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.“

Colossians 2:18 – “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,“

1 Corinthians 10:19 – “What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?“

Jeremiah 1:16 – “And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.“

Revelation 21:8 – “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

Group 6 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Deuteronomy 7:26 – “And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.“

Isaiah 2:20 – “In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats,“

Amos 4:4 – “Come to Bethel, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days;“

Zephaniah 1:5 – “Those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom,”

Leviticus 26:1 – “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God.“

Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before me.“

Ephesians 5:5 – “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.“

Daniel 5:23 – “But you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.“

Group 7 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Exodus 32:6 – “And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.“

Acts 15:29 – “That you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

1 Corinthians 12:2 – “You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.“

Isaiah 17:8 – “He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense.“

Habakkuk 2:19 – “Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in it.“

Isaiah 42:8 – “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.“

Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.“

Genesis 31:19 – “Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods.“

Group 8 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Acts 17:16 – “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”

Deuteronomy 8:19 – “And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.“

Hosea 1:2 – When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.”

Jeremiah 32:35 – “They built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.“

Ezekiel 20:31 – “When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.“

Group 9 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Isaiah 57:6 – “Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things?“

Exodus 20:5 – “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,“

Jeremiah 13:9-27 – “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen. “You shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “Every jar shall be filled with wine.”’ And they will say to you, ‘Do we not indeed know that every jar will be filled with wine?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will fill with drunkenness all the inhabitants of this land: the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. …“

Group 10 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

1 Corinthians 5:11 – “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.“

1 Corinthians 10:1-33 – “For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. …“

Ezekiel 14:1-14 – “Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols. …“

Group 11 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Jeremiah 51:17 – “Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.“

Jeremiah 19:13 – “The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah—all the houses on whose roofs offerings have been offered to all the host of heaven, and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods—shall be defiled like the place of Topheth.’”

Acts 17:23 – “For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.“

Isaiah 46:6 – “Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!“

Isaiah 65:3 – “A people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;“

1 Kings 18:28 – “And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.“

1 Peter 4:4 – “With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;“

Group 12 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Zechariah 10:2 – “For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.“

1 Corinthians 10:20-22 – “No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?“

Micah 6:7 – “Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

Revelation 17:1-6 – “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” …“

Group 13 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Psalm 115:4 – “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.“

Ezekiel 16:17 – “You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore.“

Jeremiah 8:19 – “Behold, the cry of the daughter of my people from the length and breadth of the land: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” “Why have they provoked me to anger with their carved images and with their foreign idols?”

Acts 14:13-15:29 – “And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” …“

Group 14 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Isaiah 57:3-13 – “But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman. Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit, you who burn with lust among the oaks, under every green tree, who slaughter your children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion; they, they, are your lot; to them you have poured out a drink offering, you have brought a grain offering. Shall I relent for these things? On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed, and there you went up to offer sacrifice. …“

Jeremiah 44:17 – “But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster.“

Romans 1:1-32 – “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, …“

Group 15 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Exodus 34:14 – “(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),“

Psalm 106:38 – “They poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.“

Deuteronomy 5:9 – “You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,“

Ezekiel 8:1-9:11 – “In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. Then I looked, and behold, a form that had the appearance of a man. Below what appeared to be his waist was fire, and above his waist was something like the appearance of brightness, like gleaming metal. He put out the form of a hand and took me by a lock of my head, and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the gateway of the inner court that faces north, where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the valley. Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. …“

Group 16 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

2 Kings 18:4 – “He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).“

Malachi 2:11-13 – “Judah has been faithless, and abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. May the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob any descendant of the man who does this, who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts! And this second thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.“

Jeremiah 16:20 – “Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!”

Revelation 2:20-22 – “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,“

2 Chronicles 28:23 – “For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.“

Group 17 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Deuteronomy 7:1-26 – “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than yourselves, and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire. …“

Hosea 9:10 – “Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved.“

Jeremiah 8:2 – “And they shall be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped. And they shall not be gathered or buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground.“

Group 18 – Did The Catholic Church Change The Ten Commandments In Order To Worship Or Promote The Worship Of Graven Images And Statues

Deuteronomy 16:10-17:20 – “Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the Lord your God blesses you. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. “You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. …“

Isaiah 2:6-22 – “For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made. So man is humbled, and each one is brought low— do not forgive them! Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty. …“

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• What Does The Bible Say About Idols?
• What Does The Bible Say About Worship?
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• What Does The Bible Say About Adoration?
• What Does The Bible Say About Grace?
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• Bible Verses About Righteousness
• What Does The Bible Say About The Messiah?
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