Why the need for False Gods
By
Gary Primo
2 Kings 17:29 - Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
30 - And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 - And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 - So they feared Yahuwah, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 - They feared Yahuwah, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
34 - Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not Yahuwah, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which Yahuwah commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 - With whom Yahuwah had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
I suppose this is a question we have all asked ourselves at one time or another. The answer is quite simple. If anyone hates the true Elohim, they (by nature) seek out a god to worship more to their liking; and, people can and do make gods out of just about anything. If one believes hard enough, they can make a god out of a pile of dog dung. For some reason man (by nature) needs a god to worship. I believe it is because that is their primary source of hope. When one does not believe in the One True Elohim, whatever else is there left to worship? Even Atheists that believe in no god at all, make a religion out of their beliefs. They worship the philosophy of “no god”.
Before the flood, it was likely the fallen angels that mankind worshipped. These fallen angels taught them things that Yahuwah did not want taught (just yet, anyway). I firmly believe it is most likely that these same fallen angels became the heroes of modern day themes such as Hercules, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. These mythical creations all have a common theme, they replace the One True Elohim with imaginary gods.
Some believe that the angels are no different from Yahuwah in that they already possess eternal life. This assumption is totally untrue. There is a day of judgment coming for the angels also. Some believe this judgment will only befall the fallen angels, but I believe it is for the entire angelic realm.
The following site lists 9 scriptural verses that imply that the angels face a judgement. Again, they imply that only the fallen angels will face a judgment.
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Judgment-Of-Fallen-Angels
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
The Scriptures tell us that 1/3 of an innumerable number of angels rebelled along with HaSatan; yet only 200 came down to earth. What have the remaining 1/3 been doing all this time? I firmly believe that just like mankind, there will be a judgment for all angels as well. We already know what the punishment for the fallen angels will be; but what will be the reward for the righteous angels. There is always a punishment and a reward. If the righteous angels already possess eternal life, what other reward is there?
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Is this a punishment reserved only for the fallen angels? Is the same punishment reserved for faithless men and women as well? In the Old Testament Ezekiel infers that HaSatan will be destroyed from a fire in his midst that will turn him into dust and as verse 19 plainly states, “and you shall be no more forever”.
Ezek. 28:16 - By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you hast sinned: therefore I will cast you as profane out of the mountain of Elohim: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
18 - You hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of you, it shall devour you, and I will bring you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 - All they that know you among the people shall be astonished at you: you shall be a terror, and never shalt you be any more.
Meanwhile, the New Testament seems to imply that HaSatan will be tortured for all of eternity. Who are we to believe? Personally, I have been suspicious of the NT translations, in some places, for some time. Since it was the Antichrist (Constantine) who oversaw the writing of the NT, certainly he would have instituted changes as he saw fit. Words have been added and taken away, bringing a curse from Elohim upon them for doing so. The old world is going to die, along with everything that caused it to become corrupted. The end! Finished! No more forever! Why would Yahuwah want such to be kept around and tormented for all of eternity? Is that an action of an all loving, merciful Elohim? Or, is death the only merciful outcome? I will go with the latter.
"By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of Elohim. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.
Hatred breeds violence. HaSatan’s hatred for the Father caused him to be filled with violence towards the physical children of Yahuwah. He sees us as his replacement and hates us beyond measure. HaSatan has been trying to destroy man since he was first created. He thought that Adam would die the moment he sinned. When he did not, that made HaSatan very angry. Since that time he has set man against one another with one war after another, and yet we are still here.
HaSatan did such a good job before the flood that Yahuwah was forced to wipe out all life on earth, save for those in the ark. Yahuwah has a backup plan to counter every move HaSatan makes.
"Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
HaSatan was not made the elohim of this world by Yahuwah. He was made such by man. In bringing himself under obedience to him, man made HaSatan the god of this world. He became the god that they worshipped and have continued to do so through all of the worldly religions that exist today. Even the Jews have made the Torah of no value by the creation of their Talmud.
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Who gave HaSatan the power of death? Man did! Remember that death did not exist until man sinned. One cannot have power over something that doesn’t exist. Just as death comes about because of man’s sin, so the devils power over death only came about because of man’s sin.
And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.
By “persecute” they mean bring to destruction. HaSatan knows he only has a short time left and perhaps feels if he can destroy Yahuwah’s plan he will replace Yahuwah as Elohim. I have some very sad news for him. Since Yahuwah created death, only He has the power to take it away. Yahuwah’s plan will succeed, in spite of the efforts of HaSatan to destroy it.
For if Elohim did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
The pits of darkness are only a temporary holding place for the fallen angels. Their judgment will not come until the saints are brought to glory; and it will be the saints who judge them.
Ex. 20:2 - I am Yahuwah your Elohim, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 - You shall have no other gods before me.
4 - You shall not make unto you any graven 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:
5 - You shalt not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I Yahuwah your Elohim am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 - And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
The first three of the 10 Commandments address this situation. 1 – We are not to make up gods unto ourselves. We are only to serve the one true Elohim. 2 - Anything that we bow down to and serve becomes our god and separates us from the true Elohim. It could be something as simple as being a sports enthusiast and “worshipping’ certain sports figures. Or it can be worshipping before a giant statue of an owl and making mock sacrifices of dolls in place of live infants. Anything that draws our attention and devotion away from Yahuwah towards any object, person or idea makes that the thing you worship. 3 - Yahuwah will indeed show mercy towards those who love Him and keep His commandments. Notice the relationship between loving Yahuwah and keeping His commandments. One demonstrates their love towards Yahuwah by keeping His commandments.
And, what about the fourth commandment?
Ex. 20:8 - Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 - Six days shall you labour, and do all your work:
10 - But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahuwah your Elohim: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:
11 - For in six days Yahuwah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yahuwah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
What is the first day of the week (look at your calendar)? It is Sunday. What is the seventh day? Saturday! The Gregorian calendar may have changed the dates, but never changed the days of the week. The RCC have been attempting to, but so far, have not succeeded.
This is the official day, delivered to us by the Most High Elohim, Yahuwah. The Messiah did not replace this day with Sunday; Constantine did. Neither is it Friday, like the Muslims practice. Any who worship on any day aside from the 7th day Sabbath, are not obeying and therefore not worshipping Yahuwah, but some other (false) elohim.
1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of Elohim: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 - Hereby know you the Spirit of Elohim: Every spirit that confesses that Yahushua HaMashiyack is come in the flesh is of Elohim:
3 - And every spirit that confesses not that Yahushua HaMashiyack is come in the flesh is not of Elohim: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Here the apostle John, reveals that not every spirit is of Yahuwah, nor are they to be believed. We are to test them. How? By comparing their words to the Word of Yahuwah! Whenever I see a brother in the faith turn from Yahuwah to some other god, I cringe because I know that the person has allowed a false spirit to overtake them.
I was once being led by a false spirit, denying Elohim and believing in science instead. I learned the error of my ways and will never return to the error again. And I cannot claim any responsibility for that myself. It was Yahuwah all the way.
Some time ago I was challenged to read the Scriptures for myself, on my own, from cover to cover. My reason for doing so was not to learn about Yahuwah but to prove my friend wrong. Well, somewhere half way through the OT, I began hearing Yahuwah speaking to me – not out loud but in my head. By the time I was finished, I was a believer; but queried as to where this NT church was today. The closest I could find was the WCG (while still under Armstrong).
However, the one thing Armstrong always used to admonish us to do, was to blow the dust off our bibles and read them for ourselves. Well, I had already done that. However, I knew nothing about the true names at the time, and when I came across that info, I soon after set out on my own.
Rom. 16:17 - Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them.
18 - For they that are such serve not our Master, Yahushua HaMashiyack, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
I have met such as are described in verse 17. I recognized something was not right in them as soon as they opened their mouths. Their words are indeed contrary to what Yahuwah teaches. Such are seeking an audience of their own and can be very convincing.
In verse 18 Paul states that their words and fair speeches are meant to deceive the hearts of the simple. The simple in my book are those who are too lazy and slothful to pick up their Bibles and find out for themselves what Yahuwah says. Once someone has ingrained the true word of Elohim in their minds and hearts, it is pretty difficult to be deceived.
1 Tim. 1:18 - This charge I commit unto you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on you, that you by them might war a good warfare;
19 - Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck;
20 - Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
2 Tim. 2:16 - But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
17 - And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
18 - Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
Who were the three men mentioned in theses verses?
https://www.gotquestions.org/Hymenaeus-and-Alexander.html
Question: "Who were Hymenaeus and Alexander, and what does it mean that their faith was shipwrecked?"
Answer: Hymenaeus and Alexander were men in the early church in Ephesus who had “suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith” and so were “handed over to Satan” by the apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:19–20). Hymenaeus and Alexander are thus examples of those who reject the true doctrine and follow the false. Later, Hymenaeus is mentioned with Philetus, another false teacher (2 Timothy 2:17). An opponent of Paul named Alexander the metalworker is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:15–16, but whether or not this is the same Alexander mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:19 is unknown.
These three men, Hymenaeus, Alexander and Philetus are named as types of Antichrists which we are not to emulate. The purpose of their expulsion was to learn not to blaspheme. However, there is no mention of them ever returning to the faith. I believe that once someone has learned the truth and then divorces themselves from the truth of Yahuwah, there is no coming back. Once the demons (false gods) get a toe hold, that’s it!. Game over! Therefore, we must be eternally on guard against their devises.
Gal. 1:8 - But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!
9 - As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
Anyone teaching contrary to what Yahushua and His disciples taught is accursed and unqualified for the Kingdom. And there are many of such out there. They are indeed like ravenous wolves, seeking prey whom are easily swayed and will follow them to their destruction. Anyone who has been in the faith for a long time have certainly run into such individuals.
Conclusion
So, as we have seen from this study, there are plenty of things that qualify as false gods.
1 Cor. 8:4 - As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other Elohim but one.
5 - For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
6 - But to us there is but one Elohim, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Master Yahushua HaMashiyack, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Yahuwah is the one and only true Elohim. All others are false. That is all we have to remember. Stay focused on Yahuwah alone and one should have no problem recognizing the phoneys.
On a personal note, there is a fellow in my town that is a devout Christian and a really nice guy, who is constantly trying to draw me back into that faith. I, of course, am constantly trying to bring him over to the truth. So far neither of us has prevailed. I gave him a copy of my e-book, The Christian Counterfeit, but if he ever read it, he never mentioned anything about it. But, he no longer tries to recruit me either. Oh well, we can’t win them all.
One only has to look at how many different religions there are and how many different denominations of each to tell that there is something terribly wrong with this world. Almost all have gone their own way, chasing whichever false god they worship. And, it seems that once their mind is made up, there is no turning back. They have found what they were looking for, a god perfectly suited for them; who tells them they are fine just as they are and qualified to gain the Kingdom. I feel real empathy for them when they get to the gate.
We simply cannot make Yahuwah over into our image, which would certainly make things a lot easier. We wouldn’t have to change at all, Yahuwah would. Well, I hate to tell everyone, but Yahuwah does not change – ever. He doesn’t have to. He already has eternal life, we do not.
It is a very narrow path that leads to the Kingdom and it is easy to fall off. There is always someone eager to knock us off that path. Misery loves company and they want us to be like them. And, as we all know, those who are generally the most hostile towards our beliefs are members of our own families. Most people are too comfortable in their family traditions and do not want to change. Even Yahushua had problems with his family who all though he was crazy.
When I first stopped celebrating Christmas, the first thing out of my family’s mouths was, “What about your kids?” - like I was depriving them of something. My wife wanted to know why I did not consult her before running off and joining that church. Meanwhile, the only thing they were concerned about was the celebrations of Christmas and Easter, which they quickly returned to once they were free of me. My wife died in 2010, but I am still holding out hope for my four daughters.
Of course it is the Adversary who throws up these road blocks between us and Yahuwah. It is up to us to diligently seek out Yahuwah’s will in all matters. There is only one right path and many of wrong paths.
The only guide to the truth is found in the Scriptures. Follow Yahuwah alone.
Yahuwah Bless
G.P.