Graven images
Graven Images
It is very dangerous to use information and assume you have constructed an image of reality and understand things clearly. The written word may mislead people as much for what they are failing to say as for what they contain.
There is often a critical element of the Gospel missing in the thinking of modern Christians as there was in the Pharisees who opposed Jesus as the Christ. The reason we do not understand things clearly is often because we are not as forgiving and as giving as Christ. We also are unwilling to think that we may have been deceived or are just wrong.
We eat of the tree of knowledge instead of the tree of life because of our unforgiveness, personal pride and even just a little of our selfishness blocks new understanding.
Once we have not truly submitted to Christ or let us say failed to completely submit to His way we will create an image other than what God intended for us, first in our heads or mind and then in reality with our hands.
Unmooring the Metaphor
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (פֶ֣֙סֶל֙), 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:" Exodus 20:4
Certainly the Golden calf was a graven image and they bowed down and served it but it also was a reserve bank or fund that helped bind the people together.
Most people do not understand that so the fail to understand what a "graven image" is and why it can be a bad thing we should avoid.
"Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image( וּפֶ֤סֶל), neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up [any] image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I [am] the LORD your God." Leviticus 26:1
There are many metaphors and allegories in the Bible and in the Hebrew language. If we are not aware of these and the idioms of language translators and teachers may deceive us into thinking something is true when it is not.
"The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it [is] an abomination to the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 7:25
To understand what graven images are and who their gods many are is very important to avoid real and actual idolatry. Words are the symbols of ideas and when you unmoore the metaphor from its meaning you sacrifice the truth on the altars of your own mind.
In truth, it was the result of already having the spirit of idolatry in their hearts which enters into our minds and hearts when we are not filled with the Holy Spirit of God. When our hearts are missing an element of God and His ways of righteousness.
How far and how deep does the spirit of graven images go?
This is the meaning of 06459 לספ pecel peh’- sel from 06458; n m; AV-graven image 28, carved image 2, graven 1; 31 1) idol, image
The Hebrew letters mean:
- פ ף PEI Communication: The Oral Torah The mouth, blow, edge . [Mouth speak open word]
- ס SAMECH The Eternal Cycle The circular symbolizes the fundamental truth
The combination of these two letters ספ produce words like part or lame or even color as if not quite white or pure.
Most Hebrew words are three letters to be complete and to complete the idea of a graven image they add a ל LAMED
- ל LAMED Aspiration of the Heart to learn or direct like a shepherd [connected to the Hand prod, staff, whip... tongue]
We create graven images all the time. They are the institutions we create with our own hands. They distract us from the way of God as we substitute the institutions of Nimrod, Cain, Pharaoh and Caesar and their ways of self-righteousness for the way of Christ and righteousness of God. By plucking information from the tree of knowledge rather than the tree of life we become lost in the branches. We never get all the knowledge and so we are easily led astray by some knowledge if we have not the Holy Spirit to be our comforter.
Evil plays on our emotions and pride, whittles away at us with judgment and unforgiveness and of course sloth and avarice.
We create vain philosophies that fall short of the light and righteousness of God because we are not willing to know the whole truth. The Bible is about how we should govern ourselves. Many like to hear about governments and their corruption but what of our own quest for the Kingdom of God and His righteousness?
Because of our rebellious nature we reject the Spirit of God that is trying to lead us in the way of righteousness and we fail to see clearly what is right before us. We rationalize an idea we want to believe is true and argue against an idea that might contradict our faith in the image of truth we have created.
Study audio
Many of the city-states used such systems to bind the people together and secure their loyalty?
The creation of the Federal Reserve was not only part of a depository for the wealth of the people it was a departure from just weights and measures.
The "Reserve Fund" it created and the choice which would move from the hands of the people into the hands of an elite class would return the masses to the bondage of Egypt.
"A revolution is taking place which will leave the people dependent upon the government and place the government where it must decide questions that are far better left to the people to decide for themselves. Finding markets will develop into fixing prices, and finding employment will develop into fixing wages. The next step will be to furnish markets and employment, or in default pay a bounty and dole. Those who look with apprehension on these tendencies do not lack humanity, but are influenced by the belief that the result of such measures will be to deprive the people of character and liberty." Calvin Coolidge The New York Tribune, June 20, 1931.
The revolution they will need is to Repent and seek the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness which is The Way of Christ, Moses, and the Early Church.
Banking on one purse to bind the people with a golden statue has been part of the schemes of the Nimrods and Cains of the world. These systems of central wealth and the exchange systems they use bind the people until the false benefactors and the fathers of the earth arise as the people degenerate into perfect savages become fit subjects of tyrants and despots. Jesus was not a socialist.
The Delay
- "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him." Exodus 32:1
Golden Statues
The practice of creating statues made of gold or silver was not mere superstition, but a practicality stimulated by fear and a lack of faith.
The people literally deposited their gold, as well as other goods, into a common purse [2] sacrificed the right to it, and took, in turn, some sort of exchangeable token.[3] The gold was poured or plated into a large statue for all to see.[4] The wealth of the community was melted together.
The result of this common purse was that no one person could leave in the face of an enemy attack or trouble without leaving behind the wealth deposited in the golden idol. This was a way of creating a closed society[5] but it bound the people and their loyalty and lead to centralization of power in society.
Their scarabs or tokens, which acted as a medium of exchange in a closed economy, were worthless except within their community. There was a possibility of some exchange with other communities but management practices may vary from group to group creating inequalities that allow for profit. The priests of the temple kept track of all the complexities of this monetary system and, of course, eventually the profits from interest and usury.
These systems besides leading the people back to the bondage of Egypt were too common in the world which produced a need for the principle of "just weights and measures".[6]
The Reserve Fund
This was a common plan found in many governments of that day and this. They deposited their family wealth in a central vault controlled by trusted men of government, in this case the golden calf was their “reserve fund”.[7] Moses understood how it was a wicked thing to bind the people by anything more than love for one another, a passion for mercy and justice and the way of God the Father.
This practice was used in Athens, who called their golden statue of a god the “reserved fund”. In 406 B.C., at the close of the Peloponnesian war, after a naval disaster, Athens equipped and manned its new fleet by sending the gold statue of the god Nike (in the Parthenon) to the mint.
These idols of old were not just superstitious mumbo-jumbo, but paganism with a purpose. The statues were symbols for systems created by the hand of men. To bow down to an idol was to make yourself subject to the system it represented. That was idolatry.
Where these statues were made of precious metal like gold they did more than represent the system but also were a reserved fund established to protect the wealth of the people in a common purse but also to guarantee their loyalty. It also assured the power of the ruling elite. The king of Sodom had put more value on ”his” human resources than the treasure of his city. [8]
Aaron also knew these “arts of the temple” and accommodated the people. But Moses was outraged with the people for entrusting their family wealth in this unrighteous mammon. He knew it would return people to the bondage of Egypt. Moses then called out the Church in the wilderness to undo the mess they got into. Christ did the same when He called out the Church.
"Bishops, presbyters(Elder) and deacons occupy in the church the same positions as those which were occupied by Aaron, his sons, and the Levites in the temple." –Jerome, Ep. 146
The early Church did not depend upon a centralized treasury nor men who called themselves benefactors but exercised authority one over the other and neither did the Levites. They did not pray to the fathers of the earth but to their Father who art in Heaven. Those prayers were often answered by the Holy Spirit living in the hearts of the men and women as they freely assembled through faith, hope and charity and the perfect law of liberty.
Some people believe “Capitalism enables the richest few to control everything for their sole benefit.” They believe that, “Efficient rationing by the State would allow everyone to have the ability to get everything they need to have at least close to the same quality of life as everyone else.”
Rome tried state control of the means of production and they got chaos, economic decline and eventually collapse. While the Roman empire was suffering under runaway inflation, forced price controls, regulated rationing and free bread. They still suffered mass shortages.
However the Christian community was not only surviving, but thriving. They did this by balancing capitalism with moral virtue and a network of charitable practices rather than the covetous practices of Rome's socialist state. The only reason the rich may have an advantage over the poor because the poor do not come together in a similar system of moral virtue and a network of charity.
Christ had forbid socialism and the use of government control, but not without offering an alternative. One of the basic problems with society today is that it does not understand what the early Christians were doing, including the modern Christians.
Missing elements
To leave out or leave off elements of the truth or carve off inconvenient facts which are a part of the truth is the way and spirit of making graven image and to cling to that image when confronted with the truth is idolatry.
For instance in the webpage How is a License against God’s Will? by Richard Anthony:
He asks "Man is constantly telling you that you must identify yourself. Well, please show me from scripture where it says that you must carry papers with you at all times and submit to man whatever he wants. God defines what is good and evil; please show me in the Word of God where it says it is evil to do an act without a license from the government (i.e. such as the act of marriage, fishing, or driving). God does not say this is evil."
I can show you both very easily but you have to be willing to see.
First we will deal with the second enquirery:
There is Ex 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
You cannot use my bike without asking.
If you want to use it I may say you can use it under certain conditions.
Once you know the conditions you must use it only by those conditions or you are stealing the use of a thing that is not yours to use.
My permission is license [Permission to do what would be unlawful to do without permission] and it would be unlawful to use my bike without my permission or knowing the rules I applied to my bike you can only use it in accordance to those rules.
That is biblical and if Caesar holds the beneficial interest to something you must ask permission to use it.
We have already shown how the Caesars of the world hold a right to the beneficial interest of almost everything.
Chapter 2. of the book The Covenants of the gods
Law vs Legal
Audio http://keysofthekingdom.info/COG-02.mp3
Text http://www.hisholychurch.org/study/gods/cog2lvl.php
Now you can turn a blind eye to the truth and say you do not have to give to Caesar what is Caesars, but that would not be the opinion of Christ.
Now as to papers and ID.
The Church does not require you to have ID. But it is right that you identify yourself to people seeking the evil doers of the world so that they know you are not one of them.
So how do you do that?
Personal testimony?
You mean you tell them who you are.
But what if you are a liar. Most bad guys are liars. Does personal testimony alone establish biblically who you are?
Is that what we even see Christ depending on or on the testimony of the people who hailed him highest son of David.
Self testimony is not what we see establishing things in the Bible especially in matters of law.
- "This [is] the third [time] I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established." 2 Corinthians 13:1
You can also see this principle in Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16 as well as tradition and custom for centuries.
This is all very simple but it may not be what people want to hear.
But it may be what they need to hear.
The Church produced ID for its ministers almost 2000 years ago. There were letters of testimony called epistles that introduced ministers to congregations. And there was forms of ID that allowed them to travel unmolested in the Roman Empire which was called Logos in the Justinian Codes.
- “The right of asylum might also be personal, that is to say, not connected with a place, but with a person. In this connection we find the so-called logos which was a letter or statement in writing granting the bearer exemption from molestation by public authorities. At first such letter or statement was probably granted to a person who had taken refuge in a sanctuary, but who wanted to go home or to some other place for the purpose of attending to some necessary matters.” [9]
This ID was issued by the Church which was a Network of men and women who came to serve the people in the name of Christ. The Justinian recognized that witness.
I see people all the time saying that they are part of the kingdom or have the answer but they are often caught chiseling away a part of the messages and directives of Christ.
I know the webpages you shared and the people who wrote them. I know and traveled with Randy, John, and Joseph... but where are they now... what are they offering... what are they missing??? Know those pages fall far short and have led many astray because of what they are missing...
Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness with your whole heart, mind and soul is no small thing. You have to see the big picture and walk alone together in a constant state of forgiveness and giving.
Is there anyone you have not forgiven?
Is there anyone you do not live to love and to sacrifice for?
Are those who you should care for as father, mother, brother son, daughter or sister that you have neglected, failed to forgive, care for or love...[10]
How can you find the kingdom before you have made peace in your own souls?
We share a lot of information on our websites for "free" but most of we are doing is not on there or on the email groups.
There is enough information there but many miss it because it is between the lines and in the footnotes... and because they want to think the image in their mind is complete.
The real journey is spiritual and is for those who gather in the name of and character of Christ which is in order to serve one another and not to merely create an image of the kingdom of God that falls far short of what the early Church was doing.
If you need help:
- Or want to help others:
Join The Living Network of The Companies of Ten
The Living Network |
Join Local group |
About |
Purpose |
Guidelines |
Network Removal
Contact Minister |
Fractal Network |
Audacity of Hope |
Network Links
About the author
Subscribe
HELP US at His Holy Church spread the word by SUBSCRIBING to many of our CHANNELS and the Network.
The more subscribers will give us more opportunity to reach out to others and build the network as Christ commanded.
Join the network.
Most important is to become a part of the Living Network which is not dependent upon the internet but seeks to form The bands of a free society.
You can do this by joining the local email group on the network and helping one another in a network of Tens.
His Holy Church - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/hisholychurch
Bitchute channel will often include material that would be censored.
https://www.bitchute.com/channel/o6xa17ZTh2KG/
Rumble Channel gregory144
https://rumble.com/user/gregory144
To read more go to "His Holy Church" (HHC) https://www.hisholychurch.org/
Brother Gregory in the wilderness.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJSw6O7_-vA4dweVpMPEXRA
About the author, Brother Gregory
https://hisholychurch.org/author.php
PreparingU - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9hTUK8R89ElcXVgUjWoOXQ
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/HisHolyChurch
Footnotes
- ↑ "They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off. 5. Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?" Hosea 8: 4-5
- ↑ "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:" (Proverbs 1:10-14)
- ↑ In Egypt they used clay scarabs, in Rome they used iron coins and clay scarabs, in many countries they use notes and now even credit entries but none are "just weights and measures"
- ↑ This allowed some accountability which is always a problem but it did not solve the problem of over issuing the exchange tokens which caused inflation.
- ↑ The camp was now gated not only to keep people out but to keep the people in. Exodus 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who [is] on the LORD’S side? [let him come] unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
- ↑ Leviticus 19:36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
- Proverbs 16:11 A just weight and balance are the LORD’S: all the weights of the bag are his work.
- ↑ Athens, under the leadership of Pericles, was driven to her golden goddess, their reserve fund, and compelled to melt it down and coin it into money Peloponnesian Wars. They eventually minted plated bronze tetradrachms in Athens during the hard times which followed the Athenian collapse, viz. from B.C. 406-393. “In 393 the wretched bronze money of necessity was cried down, the Town Crier being sent round to proclaim that silver was once more to be the only legal tender:” ARIST. Eccl. 819.
Aerarium (from Lat. aes, in its derived sense of ``money) the name (in full, aerarium stabulum, treasure-house) given in ancient Rome to the public treasury, and in a secondary sense to the public finances. The treasury contained the moneys and accounts of the state, and also the standards of the legions; the public laws engraved on brass, the decrees of the senate and other papers and registers of importance. These public treasures were deposited in the temple of Saturn, on the eastern slope of the Capitoline hill... In addition to the common treasury, supported by the general taxes and charged with the ordinary expenditure, there was a special reserve fund, also in the temple of Saturn, the aerarium sanctum (or sanctius), probably originally consisting of the spoils of war, afterwards maintained chiefly by a 5% tax... The later emperors had a separate aerarium privatum, containing the moneys allotted for their own use, distinct from the fiscus, which they administered in the interests of the empire. From a 1911 Encyclopedia - ↑ "And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself." (Genesis 14:21)
- ↑ Justinian Code, Annotated, By Fred H. Blume, Edited by Timothy Kearley, 2nd Ed., http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/blume%26justinian/
- ↑ Mt 5:22... But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.