Are you a Bible believer? Are you a covenant-keeper who reads and practices the FATHER's commandments as contained in the Book of the Covenant (BOC)? Do you earnestly seek the Kingdom of YAHWEH and His righteousness? Are you expecting the return of YAHSHUA the SAVIOUR of mankind? Are you a Gentile man or woman who seeks to be saved as YAHSHUA returns to reign on the earth? Are you expectant about the restoration and return of Yisrayah to the Promised Land? Do you hope for the Second Exodus of Israel? The key duty you are to perform is to OBEY YAHWEH the FATHER's VOICE and KEEP HIS COVENANT. The Covenant covers all His commandments to His people whom He wants to obey Him and worship Him. Whom you worship is the number one obedience requirement in His commandments. He commands that you must serve, bow and worship only Him, not another. Any attempt to worship anything other than YAHWEH will stop the person from partaking in His coming Kingdom, even from receiving eternal life. Let's examine what many have overlooked.
Exodus 20:2-6 (BOC)
“I am YHWH your FATHER, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no Gods (gods, elohim) before Me – YHWH. “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, YHWH your FATHER, am a jealous YHWH, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:3-5 (NLT)
“You must not have any God but Me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, YHWH your FATHER, Am a jealous YHWH who will not tolerate your affection for any Gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.”
The above great commandment instructs worshippers that they must not make for themselves an IDOL of any kind or an image of anything that is in heavens or on earth or in the sea. They must not bow or worship them – because YHWH alone is the FATHER, who must be worshipped (also see Deuteronomy 6:13; 10:20; Matthew 4:10; Luke 4:8, etc.). This instruction applies to the FATHER, YHWH, and the SON, YAHSHUA HaMashiach. Indeed, no image of YAHSHUA should be portrayed, drawn, carved, moulded, or captured in picture or photo. As the FATHER is Spirit, so also the SON, YAHSHUA, is Spirit. No one has ever captured the image of Spirit because it’s hard to do so. This is exactly what the commandment is saying. But what about the images that are worshipped today? Those are exactly the reasons YHWH is warning His people not to worship them. All the religions of the world have one kind of image or another that they bow down to or worship. In Exodus 20:3-5, YHWH tells us that HE never left His image or the picture of the Messiah for us to worship. He pointed out that the images people worship were created by Satan through his deceived human agents (e.g., priests, pastors, teachers, popes, bishops, etc). He called these images, pictures or photos idols.
Kepha [Peter] further taught that covenant-keepers must never worship YAHSHUA by the way of figures of object or images in the form of pictures or photos because - You do not see Him now, but are commanded to worship Him by faith because He is with you in Spirit. If He is not seen now but exists in Spirit [until He returns when all eyes will see Him], how then do you violate His instruction to worship an image or bow down to the picture of a ‘man’ or ‘woman’ [as in some religion] acclaimed as a messiah? Were you not warned that in the latter days, there would be many false messiahs? (Matthew 24:4-5). Is there not only one Messiah – YAHSHUA – from the Hebrew Israel (Nazareth) given to humanity to deliver them from their sins and to give them salvation? [Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:33]. Which other Messiah came in the Name of His FATHER, YAHWEH, other than YAHSHUA of the Hebrew Israelite? [John 5:43]. Do you know that the Christian “Jesus Christ”, Hindu “Krishna”, Islamic “Mohammed”, Buddhist “Buddha” (Siddhartha Gautama), etc., are all spiritual leaders designated as messiahs? Do you know that these spiritual teachers and founders of these various religions are exactly what YHWH refers to in Exodus 20:3-5 – that you must not bow down to them or worship them? These religious bodies have the images or objects of their worship, thus:
PHOTOS OF BUDDHA
Buddha Statue – depicted in various images
PHOTOS OF HINDU KRISHNA
Krishna Statue – depicted in various images
PHOTOS OF BLACK STONE IN ISLAM
Muslims claim they do not worship the black stones, but they touch and kiss them as a symbol of respect and remembrance [what is kissed and respected is worshipped].
The Gentile nations worship their deity through carved images or objects. The above images, pictures and objects were described in Deuteronomy 4:28 and Deuteronomy 32:16-17 as “wood and stone”. Yisrayah were told that when YHWH scattered them into the Gentile nations, there, they would worship their God of “wood and stone.” He made it clear that He would withdraw Himself from them, which means they would not worship Him. They will worship only ‘the Lord God’ of the Gentiles. But in the last days, when they would diligently seek Him, they will find Him, and He will restore His Name, YHWH, to them (Deut. 4:28-30). “But I will reveal My Name to My people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognise that I AM the One who speaks to them” (Isaiah 52:6 NLT). Today, He has revealed His Name as He promised. If you are not serving and worshipping YHWH of the Hebrew Israelites, you are worshipping ‘the Lord God’ of the Gentile nations as YHWH foretold. This calls for sincere REPENTANCE and return to YHWH as He has revealed His Name to you to serve and worship Him in spirit and truth, so that you will not partake in His judgement and wrath that would consume all those who refuse to obey His voice and keep His Covenant (Deut. 8:19-20, Deut. 28:58-61; see Exodus 19:5; Revelation 11:18; Revelation 18:4).
Deuteronomy 4:28-30 (BOC)
“There (Gentile nations) you will serve Gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you shall seek YHWH your FATHER, and you will find him when you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in oppression, and all these things have come on you, in the latter days you shall return to YHWH your FATHER and listen to his voice.”
Deuteronomy 28:58-62
“IF YOU WILL NOT OBSERVE TO DO ALL THE WORDS OF THIS TORAH [LAW] THAT ARE WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK (BOC), THAT YOU MAY FEAR THIS GLORIOUS AND FEARFUL NAME, YHWH YOUR FATHER, then YAH will make your plagues and the plagues of your offspring fearful, even great plagues, and of long duration, and severe sicknesses, and of long duration. He will bring on you again all the diseases of Egypt, which you were afraid of; and they will cling to you. Also, every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of this law, YHWH will bring them on you until you are destroyed. You will be left few in number, even though you were as the stars of the sky for multitude, because you didn’t listen to YHWH your FATHER’s voice.”
Revelation 11:18
”The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints and those who fear Your Name, to the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
This is the time to escape. This is the time to STOP every form of idol worship. Beloved Christian brethren and other religious folks, this is the time to stop serving and worshipping the God whom YHWH never commanded. This is the time to stop worshipping and bowing to Jesus you were taught as messiah, because there is no other Messiah other than the Saviour and Messiah appointed from the Land of Yisrayah [Israel].
Apostle Yohannan (John) warned that no one should make an IDOL (1 John 5:21). Today, Christians can no longer deny that the Jesus by name and his image they bow and worship is not who was referred to in John 5:43, “I have come in my FATHER’s Name, and you don’t receive Me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.” The “another” – Jesus – indeed came. He is amongst the identified messiahs in Matthew 24:5. You were baptised into ‘Jesus’ own name’ (a name that did not emanate from the FATHER’s Name, YAHWEH). I pray the SPIRIT to minister to your heart to discover that the Jesus you call your messiah is not the true Messiah. Can you not recall that YHWH said you will worship the Gentile “God” when He scatters Israel because He will not be part of what they would worship? Jesus is the one you claim is your messiah, but YAHSHUA and His Apostles are saying he is not your Saviour. The Book of the Covenant (BOC) proves you wrong about whom you believe! Here's what it says,
”May it be known to you all, and to all the people of Yisrayah, that in the Name of YAHSHUA HAMASHIACH of Nazareth… He is ‘the stone which was regarded as worthless by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner.’ There is SALVATION in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved!” [Acts 4:10,12 BOC]
The Name of YAHSHUA the Messiah of Nazareth, crucified (not Roman Catholic Christian “Jesus Christ”), whom YHWH raised from the dead, in Him is salvation. Salvation is in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which they must be saved. Stop confusing the Gentile name – Jesus – with the Hebrew Name YAHSHUA. Even on translation or transliteration, Jesus has been proven not to be the same as YAHSHUA. Yahshua is the Saviour of the world; Jesus is not! The two names are different – in spelling, pronunciation, meaning and purpose. While YAHSHUA is recognised in the BOC as the Saviour of mankind, Jesus, as a Gentile name, is not reckoned to salvation nor known in heaven. According to biblical history, Constantine and the Roman Catholic Bishops created the Christian spiritual leader called Jesus, about 325 B.C (read further about this in the Book: “Babylon Is Fallen, Come Out of Her My People”).
YAHSHUA, the true Messiah, never left His image or picture – carved or moulded for mankind, and He never authorised anyone to create or carve his image and worship. While He commands us to have faith in Him and serve and worship YHWH the FATHER, He wants us to remain faithful to Him to the end. Apostle Kepha [Peter][ clearly stated that though we follow and obey Him by faith without seeing Him, we must continue to have faith in Him, trust Him, rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy until He returns our reward of SALVATION (1 Peter 1:8-10). Yahshua warned that many false messiahs will appear to deceive many in the latter days (Matthew 24:4-5). His warning is not considered by many. The false messiahs He refers to are idols, which ABBA YHWH forbids.
Apostle Yohannan wrote:
“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take YAHWEH’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21 NLT). Here we are warned to desist from worshipping every form of idol. The BOC expressly captured the same verse thus: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” Idols ensnare, corrupts and destroy the souls of those who serve them. Let’s stop to profess and serve the idols which YHWH warns that they would bring destruction upon those who would not heed His voice and Covenant. Let’s return to the Hebrew Israelite YHWH and YAHSHUA that will save the obedient in these last days of trial that will come upon the whole world (Revelation 3:8,10). Again, all other names are idols, and must never be served nor worshipped.
REPENT TODAY AND FOLLOW YAHSHUA THE SAVIOUR!
SHALOM
Dr. Goodwins Arikibe
Bible Teacher [ALY]