October 12 through October 19, 2012
Dear Brethren,
In this writing I am posting the ‘Second Commandment’ from The Ten Commandments Booklet that is in its final stages of being completed by me.
Your friend,
Don Billingsley
Chapter Two
2.
The Second Commandment
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image— 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 nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:3-5.
The Inherent Desire to Worship
There is an inherit desire that the most sovereign God in heaven above has placed within humankind to worship Him. And to reach out with that yearning desire, man wants to be able to see and touch something that represents their concept of Him.
To take advantage of this inherit desire to worship God, Satan has over time raised up leaders in religion of choice often wearing royal robes with great pomp and ceremony; they deck their places of worship with steeples, crosses, fill them inside with pictures, paintings, statues, candles, bells, etc.; all designed to DECEIVE mankind into believing they are worshiping the true God.
All this seems so religious!—while neglecting to read the Scripture that God is Spirit and He is to be worshiped only in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24; Exodus 20:3)
The Garden of Eden
Satan the devil began using skilled men and women in the very early history of mankind to develop graven images of himself as the cherub angel Lucifer!
This can be seen later on when the people of Israel demanded Aaron to make them a golden calf while Moses was on the mountain with God (Exodus 32:1-8).
The Cherub Angel Lucifer had become the Adversary and Devil due to his rebellion against his Creator the Most High God! He was also the greatest of God’s creation (Ezekiel 28:12-17; Isaiah 14:12-15). Each of the Cherubs had four faces: that of a man, a lion, an ox (calf) or cherub, and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14; Revelation 4:7). It would appear that Satan can use any of those four faces when the need arises.
Satan the devil also TRANSFORMS himself into an angel of light to the religious leaders he uses and to their parishioners just as his ministers also TRANSFORM themselves into ministers of righteousness— false apostles, deceitful workers (II Corinthians 11:13-15).
After having driven out Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, the LORD God placed Cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard and deny entrance to the tree of life by anyone (Genesis 3:22-24).
The Cherubim very probably remained there until the Flood swept the Garden of Eden away and with it the symbolic tree of life.
Mankind having seen the Cherubim over the pre-flood years, then carved images of them.
Ham, Japheth, and their wives carried over that image into the new world; and over some little time, Nimrod and Semiramis developed graven images of these Cherubim and they were worshiped by the Egyptians, Assyrians, and later by Israel (Exodus 32:1-4).
The International Standard Bible Dictionary, volume 1, page 603, Cherubim:
“In Genesis 3:24 the cherubim are placed by God, after the expulsion of Adam from the Garden of Eden, at the east thereof, together with the flaming sword ‘to keep the tree of life.’ In their function as guardians of paradise, the cherubim bear an analogy to the winged bulls and lions of Babylonia and Assyria, colossal figures with human faces standing guard at the entrance of temples (and palaces), just as in Egypt the approaches to the sanctuaries are guarded by sphinxes . . .”
Though Egypt worshiped many gods, among them was a molded golden image of a winged ox or calf (Ezekiel 1:10; Exodus 32:4, 8; Revelation 4:7). It was a replica of Lucifer a Cherub who became Satan the Adversary and was the chief pagan god worshiped by them.
This was the winged ox or calf in the memory of Aaron from which he molded the golden calf for the people of Israel to worship.
The People of Israel
Later, Israel, having been in Egypt 210 years (Soncino Commentary, Genesis 12:41), and on their way to the Promised Land, pressured Aaron into making a mold for the golden calf; then worshiped it by calling it by the LORD God’s name, ELOHIYM (Strong’s Concordance, Number 430):
“Even when they made a molded calf for themselves, and said, “This is your God that brought you up out of the land of Egypt . . .” (Nehemiah 9:18; Psalm 106:19-20).
So has it been ever since; Israel continues using pagan practices to worship their concept of God from pictures, paintings, and statues that depict the erroneous image of the one they think was Christ Jesus, the Messiah; therefore, they commit the sin of idolatry.
The Catholic Church
God’s true Church began in 31 A. D. without all the fanfare, pomp, relics, pictures, graven images, etc. – worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24).
Satan however began the church he would use to deceive mankind in about 33 A. D. with all of those religious trappings. It would come to be known as the Catholic Church.
Simon Magus was the kind of leader that Satan needed; a man deeply involved in the mysteries of Babylon’s Religions. In addition he was a magician attracting mankind with his illusions of magical arts (Acts 8:9-24).
Satan the devil led men with great skill to carve out images that supposedly represented Jesus Christ and His mother, Mary, as well as creating pictures of their concept of them.
And people continue to bow down before them in their worship in direct disobedience to the Second Commandment.
What did Jesus Christ actually look like? Please note the following question and answer with needed marked edits:
ISRAEL TODAY
What Did Yeshua Look Like?
Monday, October 31, 2011 | Ludwig Schneider
“When I look at the portrayals of Christ which have been produced during the course of Church history, I presume that they are declarations of love because they present the Lord in romanticized physical beauty. He is depicted with cherry-red lips, delicate feminine skin tones, and in silk robes woven with gold thread.
Yet what did the Messiah really look like? Today nobody knows because the oldest portrayal of Christ is from 375 AD and is thus not an eyewitness account. Although He is the Son of God, the Gospels suggest a more rustic figure of Yeshua [Jesus] in keeping with His revolutionary style, as He overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple courts. His disciples followed a radical leader who said that He had not come to bring peace but a sword (Matthew 10:34) [not literal]; they were zealots and sons of thunder (Mark 3:17) [Christ calmed them]; and Peter was also known as Bar-Jonah (Matthew 16:17)—a rebel who reached for his sword when Jesus was arrested [Matthew 26:51-54; only to fulfill prophecy].
It also fits in with the picture of a revolutionary that Jesus allowed John to baptize Him, the man who, clothed in camels’ hair, called on the people to repent and denounced publicly the infamous deeds of King Herod Antipas, which cost him his head. Jesus also denounced Herod as a fox (Luke 13:32) and warned people prone to materialism that they could not serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). He even presents the people with an ultimatum, that in order to follow Him they have to— if necessary—hate [love-less] father and mother (Luke 14:26).
Jesus put across anything but a soft, comfortable gospel. He was only gentle and mild when He stepped in for the outcasts and healed the sick; in all other situations He was a firebrand.
The Romans tolerated prostitution and drugs, but not criticism of the state. Yet like Elijah, Jesus spoke out against the unrighteousness of the state and religious establishment. Jesus knew the cost in turbulent Jerusalem; He knew Pontius Pilate had sent thousands of Jews to crucifixion.
Jesus was and is anything but a soft, pathetic Savior, for one day He will “rule the nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 2:27).” End Quote
Satan the Devil Appears as an Angel of Light
Appearing as an angel of light, Satan uses his ministers to cunningly bring mankind into his darkness of deception as he did with mother Eve (Genesis 3:1-4; II Corinthians 11:3, 13-15)!
Eventually destruction will come unless the blindness is removed and repentance takes place.
Satan continues to take full advantage of the inherit desire to worship God by using skilled people in speech and art to satisfy that inborn desire of worship and turn it from God to himself by using artists to develop from their imagination beautiful religious pictures and paintings, while using skilled artisans to sculpture beautiful counterfeit-heavenly images in direct disobedience to the living God:
“You shall not make for yourselves; no idols, nor shall you ERECT a graven image, PILLAR or OBELISK, NOR shall you place ANY FIGURED STONE in your land to which or on which to BOW down; for I am the Lord your God ” (Amplified Bible, Leviticus 26:1).
The Roman Catholic Church
To circumvent this direct commandment from God Himself, the Roman Catholic Church eliminated it altogether. They replaced the Second Commandment by splitting the 10th Commandment into TWO COMMANDMENTS. This enabled them to still have the full Ten Commandments. (See Clarke Commentary, volume 1, page 403, The Second Commandment, Exodus 20:4).
This would enable their members to commit idolatry by worshiping these false images of God, Mary, etc., without any feelings of guilt.
The following is their version of the 10 Commandments:
Roman Catholic Ten Commandments
1. I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. [meaning Sunday worship to them]
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 against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
Please note the version of the 10 commandments of the daughters of the Roman Catholic Church who came out of her in protest and are called— Protestants:
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
As can be seen there is little difference between the Roman Catholic Church and their daughters of their versions of the 10 Commandments.
This Second Commandment given by God has been violated by virtually all religions just as all of the others of His laws; they are continually being transgressed just as they have been throughout the long history of Israel since they entered the Promised Land.
Not only is this commandment being violated by religion, but it is also being violated on a national level in this country, and also by the other nations of Israel, as well as the Gentile countries:
The National Monument in Washington, D. C
The National Monument of America in Washington, D. C. is an obelisk and as such is also a violation of the Second Commandment as ancient history reveals its true symbolism to that of pagan sex gods.
Washington Monument From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington. The monument, made of marble, granite, and blue stone gneiss,[1] is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5+1?8 inches (169.294 m).
The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death. . . .
The obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra, and during the brief religious reformation of Akhenaten was said to be a petrified ray of the Aten, the sundisk. It was also thought that the god existed within the structure.
The city of Rome harbours the most obelisks in the world. There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisks in Rome.
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The Shape of the Obelisk
Anciently this sculptured obelisk was an object of worship to the sun-god Ra; however it is also in the image of the male phallus pointing up to God as in figurative speech saying I do not need you, God, for I can procreate without you!
This act is an affront to the Almighty God as made known by a prophet of God:
Then He (LORD God) said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man (verse 16)? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit this abomination which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose (Ezekiel 8:17).
The branch symbolized the Asherah cut into the shape of a male phallus; a striking and obscene act (I Kings 15:13).
Bullinger’s Companion Bible, Appendix 42, Pages 35-36. THE ASHERAH
The word Asherah is from the root ‘dshar, to be straight, erect, or upright . . . The Asherah was so called because it was set upright or erect in the ground, and worshipped. . . .
All religions have become corrupt. So with the Ashrah. Originally a tree, symbolical of the ‘tree of life,’ (Genesis 2:9) it was an object of reverence and veneration. Then came the perversion of the earlier idea which simply honored the origin of life; and it was corrupted and debased into the origin of procreation, which was symbolized by the form and shape given to the Asherah. It was the Phallus image of Isaiah 57:8, and the image of the male’. Ezekiel 16:17. . . .
There can be no doubt about its being, in its essence, Phallic worship pure and simple, whatever may have been its origin. This abomination was common to all the ancient nations; and relics of it are found to-day in various forms, in India and elsewhere. The memnhirs of the Celtic religion are the descendants of the Asherim. . . .”
They can be found in various cities throughout the House of Joseph.
This National Obelisk is a copy of the ones found in pagan Egypt and Rome, Italy. Please note the following comments:
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Page 2177, “Obelisk: A sacred stone . . .”
The Good News, January, 1987, page 17, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS – “What are the “groves” mentioned so many times in the Old Testament:
“. . . the impression most people usually get when reading about the groves is that they were clumps of trees on a hillside where pagans went to worship idol. Yet the Bible mentions in II Kings 23:6 (KJV) how King Josiah took a grove out of the house of the LORD, burned it and stamped it into powder. How could he do this to a clump of trees?
Notice II Kings 23:6 speaks of the grove in a singular sense. It was something Josiah could pick up. And he hated it so much that he burned it and ground it into bits.
In every instance except for one, the Old Testament Hebrew word for “grove” is asherah. This word refers to an image or symbol dedicated to the ancient pagan goddess Astarte. .
. . The groves were posts, pillars, images or denuded and stripped trees dedicated to the worship of this woman. . . .
To honor Astarte, men and women practiced prostitution, and roused themselves to spiritual frenzy through wild dances and self-mutilation. Not only did the people bow down to the symbols of the queen of fertility, but they carried on a spiritual orgy before these images.
Astounding as it may seem, you may have many of these symbols or groves in your hometown. They have spread the world over, and stand in mute dedication to the “queen of heaven” – the great whore Astarte.
They are simply obelisks, or upright towers, representing the male organ. . . . Today they are still used at places of worship in churches of the world, in the form of steeples perched on top of the church buildings themselves. . . .Sometimes at the very peak of the steeple a cross is attached, supposedly in commemoration of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. However the truth is that the cross, too, represents the male phallus. . . .
Think how deluded and deceived the world is! People enter ‘the church of their choice’ every week, believing they are worshiping God, when they are merely sitting in a ‘high place’ with an asherah or grove poised over their heads as the symbol of the “goddess of fertility.” They do not know what they are worshiping (I John 4:22).
Satan is a clever deceiver and liar who has blinded the entire world (John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9). You have been shown the truth, and instead of worshiping a false god with symbols, steeples and groves, you can worship the true God in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23-24).
Satan is invisible to human eyes yet he receives worship through yielded human instruments; and sometimes more directly when he actually possesses human leaders, both secular and religious.
One should realize from Scripture itself that God is to be worshiped in Spirit and NOT through images, pictures, statues, or anything else. John 4:23-24.”
The Second Part of the Second Commandment
Little attention is paid, if any, to the second part of the second commandment yet it holds the key to virtually all of the health problems of mankind:
Exodus 20:5 “. . . For I the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me . . .
Sometimes mankind wonders why they have diseases that can be traced back to earlier generations. If they were to consider this in view of the second commandment possibly they would have the answer.
One family was surprised when they found a younger daughter had come to be diabetic. The mother checked back and found it in an earlier generation.
From the Internet— is a listing of inherited diseases:
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. hereditary disease - a disease or disorder that is inherited genetically congenital disease, genetic abnormality, genetic defect, genetic disease, genetic disorder, hereditary condition, inherited disease, inherited disorder disease - an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning monogenic disease, monogenic disorder - an inherited disease controlled by a single pair of genes polygenic disease, polygenic disorder - an inherited disease controlled by several genes at once achondroplasia, achondroplasty, chondrodystrophy, osteosclerosis congenita - an inherited skeletal disorder beginning before birth; cartilage is converted to bone resulting in dwarfism
abetalipoproteinemia - a rare inherited disorder of fat metabolism; characterized by severe deficiency of beta-lipoproteins and abnormal red blood cells (acanthocytes) and abnormally low cholesterol levels
inborn error of metabolism - any of a number of diseases in which an inherited defect (usually a missing or inadequate enzyme) results in an abnormality of metabolism
congenital megacolon, Hirschsprung's disease - congenital condition in which the colon does not have the normal network of nerves; there is little urge to defecate so the feces accumulate and cause megacolon
mucopolysaccharidosis - any of a group of genetic disorders involving a defect in the metabolism of mucopolysaccharides resulting in greater than normal levels of mucopolysaccharides in tissues
hyperbetalipoproteinemia - a genetic disorder characterized by high levels of beta-lipoproteins and cholesterol; can lead to atherosclerosis at an early age
ichthyosis - any of several congenital diseases in which the skin is dry and scaly like a fish
branched chain ketoaciduria, maple syrup urine disease - an inherited disorder of metabolism in which the urine has a odor characteristic of maple syrup; if untreated it can lead to mental retardation and death in early childhood
McArdle's disease - an inherited disease in which abnormal amounts of glycogen accumulate in skeletal muscle; results in weakness and cramping
dystrophy, muscular dystrophy - any of several hereditary diseases of the muscular system characterized by weakness and wasting of skeletal muscles
oligodactyly - congenital condition in which some fingers or toes are missing
oligodontia - congenital condition in which some of the teeth are missing
otosclerosis - hereditary disorder in which ossification of the labyrinth of the inner ear causes tinnitus and eventual deafness
autosomal dominant disease, autosomal dominant disorder - a disease caused by a dominant mutant gene on an autosome
autosomal recessive defect, autosomal recessive disease - a disease caused by the presence of two recessive mutant genes on an autosome
congenital pancytopenia, Fanconi's anaemia, Fanconi's anemia - a rare congenital anemia characterized by pancytopenia and hypoplasia of the bone marrow
juvenile amaurotic idiocy, Spielmeyer-Vogt disease - a congenital progressive disorder of lipid metabolism having an onset at age 5 and characterized by blindness and dementia and early death
congenital afibrinogenemia - a rare congenital disorder of blood coagulation in which no fibrinogen is found in the blood plasma
Albers-Schonberg disease, marble bones disease, osteopetrosis - an inherited disorder characterized by an increase in bone density; in severe forms the bone marrow cavity may be obliterated
nevoid elephantiasis, pachyderma - thickening of the skin (usually unilateral on an extremity) caused by congenital enlargement of lymph vessel and lymph vessel obstruction
dwarfism, nanism - a genetic abnormality resulting in short stature
lactase deficiency, lactose intolerance, milk intolerance - congenital disorder consisting of an inability to digest milk and milk products; absence or deficiency of lactase results in an inability to hydrolyze lactose
porphyria - a genetic abnormality of metabolism causing abdominal pains and mental confusion
hepatolenticular degeneration, Wilson's disease - a rare inherited disorder of copper metabolism; copper accumulates in the liver and then in the red blood cells and brain
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Related Searches
* Huntington's Disease Heredity
* Parkinson's Disease Heredity
* Crohn's Disease Heredity
* Thyroid Disease Heredity
* Celiac Disease Heredity
* Coronary Artery Disease Heredity
* Heart Disease Heredity
The above listing should help one to understand what God tells us in the latter half of the Second Commandment – as physical sin.
A Distinction between Physical Sin and Spiritual Sin
Please note the distinction:
Psalm 103:2-3 “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and forget NOT all His benefits: who FORGIVES all your iniquities (spiritual sins by the shedding of Jesus Christ life’s blood), who HEALS all your diseases (physical sins – as made known in Isaiah 53:4-5).
Spiritual Sin:
God does NOT pass on the spiritual sins of the fathers to their offspring of future generations:
Ezekiel 18:19-20 “. . . the soul that sins shall die. The son shall NOT bear the guilt of the father nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”
Physical Sin:
In view of this Scripture, the latter half of the second commandment can only be understood as physical sins that may or may not have been inherited by the offspring of the fathers.
Many health problems develop in life by not practicing God’s health laws, such as the dietary laws in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14; therefore sin is committed. This is made known by what Jesus Christ said to an infirmed man who had an infirmity for 38 years:
John 5:5-14 . . . “See, you have been made well. Sin NO MORE lest a worse thing come upon you.” Also, Mark 2:1-12; I Peter 2:23-25; James 5:14-15.
The Last Part of the Second Commandment
The Last Part of the Second Commandment reveals blessings follow all those who love God and obey Him:
“. . . but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
To ancient Israel, and applies at all times to any and all people, the LORD God promised every good blessing to those who would love and obey all of His laws, both spiritual and physical (Leviticus 26:3-13; Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
The awesome and wonderful promise of answered prayer by God and Jesus Christ is also made known by the Apostle John:
I John 3:22-23 “And WHATEVER we ask we receive from Him, because we KEEP His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the NAME of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”
And to love and to please God— mankind MUST worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24), not by worshiping carved out religious statues and objects, nor the paintings and sculptures out of which famous artists such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci created in their pagan imagination before which deceived mankind behold them in great awe with deep reverence and worship.
God also commands mankind not to bow down or to worship any man who poses as God, while calling himself: “the holy father, the vicar of Jesus Christ”, and kissing his ring!
Scripture also reveals that God the Father and Jesus Christ are the only ones to bow down before and worship, not man or angel (Exodus 34:12-17; Acts 17:16-31; Revelation 22:8-9). No one else is worthy of worship (Revelation 5:1-14).
The Creator God made this clearly known when thundering the second commandment to Israel from the top of Mount Sinai.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image— 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 nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me— but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:3-5.
To be continued with the 3rd Commandment.