The children of Israel often worshipped idols.

Though they were designated the Lord's people, often many secretly sought after foreign gods to their own destruction. Today there are various idols in people's hearts still, even though they proclaim themselves Christians. Nothing really has changed. Let's take a look back at what God said in this matter. Also, let's see what the ancient idols of the men were like. The Scriptures are listed first. "Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;" Deuteronomy 6:14 "Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;" Deuteronomy 13:7 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them." Deuteronomy 31:16 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 "And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger." Judges 2:12 "And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice." Judges 6:10 "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him." Judges 10:6 "And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they." 1 Kings 20:23 "Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand? Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?" 2 Kings 18:33-35 "Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar?" 2 Kings 19:12 "And they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them." 1 Chronicles 5:25 "For all the gods of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens." 1 Chronicles 16:26 "Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them. Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought

after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand?" 2 Chronicles 25:14-15 "For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel." 2 Chronicles 28:23 "Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand? Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand? Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand? And his servants spake yet more against the LORD God, and against his servant Hezekiah. He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him, saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand. Then they cried with a loud voice in the Jews' speech unto the people of Jerusalem that were on the wall, to frighten them, and to trouble them; that they might take the city. And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man." 2 Chronicles 32:13-19 "For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens." Psalms 96:5 "Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?" Isaiah 36:18 "Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?" Isaiah 37:12 "He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire." Jeremiah 43:13 "The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen." Zephaniah 2:11 "But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." Romans11:4 "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." 2 Peter 2:15 "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." Jude 1:11 "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication." Revelations 2:14 The idols of men were many but essential the same being repeated in slightly different forms, all of this was vanity all passed down from Babylon to every country after the dispersal from the tower of Babel. The Urban Dictionary defines a false god or idol as what follows. "An item of worship other than the God explained in the Bible. Usually another being or object." Also from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary and from the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. "The pagan civilizations of Bible times worshiped many gods. They had male and female deities, high and low gods, assemblies of gods, priests and priestesses, and temples and sacrifices. All

the forces of nature that could not be controlled or understood were considered supernatural powers to be worshiped and feared. Most of the people of the ancient world worshiped more than one god. These gods were worshiped in the form of representative idols. This practice is called idolatry. The pagan nations made statues or images to represent the powers which they worshiped. Most of these idols were in the form of animals or men. Each civilization and culture had its own mythological structure, but these structures were often quite similar. The names of the gods may have been different, but their functions and actions were often the same. The most prominent myth to cross cultural lines was that of the fertility cycle. Many pagan cultures believed that the god of fertility died each year during the winter but was reborn each year in the spring." Here now is a brief list of only a few of the many gods other than Yahweh in the Scriptures: Astroloth - Judges 2:13, Samuel 7:3-4 Baal - 2 Samuel 2:8; 1 Kings 17:1, 18:17-19; 2 Kings 1:2-5; Jeremiah 9:13-16; Hosea 2:2-13, 1422 Baal-zebul - 2 Kings 1:2-5 Bel - Isaiah 46:1-4 (also in apocryphal chapters removed from Daniel) Beelzebul - Mark 3:22 Chemosh - Numbers 21:29, Judges 11:24 "Day Star" and Dawn (Satan or Lucifer) - Isaiah 14:12-15 Hadad-rimmon - Zechariah 12:11 Ishtar - Jeremiah 44:15-28 Marduk - Jeremiah 50:2-3 Milkom - 2 Samuel 12:30 Nabu - Isaiah 46:1-4 Sakkuth and Kaiwan - Amos 5:26 Tammuz - Isaiah 17:9-11; Ezekiel 8:14-18; Daniel 11:36-39 Here's a more definitive description of the various gods of the major ancient cultures. Saturn Roman god of agriculture concerned with the sowing of seed. Equated with the Greek god Kronos. His consort was Ops. He was the father of Jupiter. His temple was constructed in the Roman Forum as early as the fifth century BC. It served as the Roman treasury (aerarium). His festival was the Saturnalia, observed on December 17 but later extended to seven days. It was the most popular Roman festival, characterized by a suspension of all business, a reversal of the roles of master and slave, the exchange of gifts (including candles to symbolize the reborn sun god), and a loosening of moral restrictions. Our Saturday was named after Saturn. Jupiter King of the Roman gods, son of Saturn(whom Jupiter overthrew), brother and husband of Juno. He was particularly concerned with oaths, treaties, confederations and with the most ancient and sacred form of marriage. Jupiter, the name, is derived from the same root word as Zeus (bright).

He was improperly called Jove also. Originally the god of the sky, Jupiter was worshiped as god of rain, thunder, and lightning. He developed into the prime protector of the state, and as the protector of Rome he was called Jupiter Optimus Maximus. As Jupiter Fidius he was guardian of law, defender of truth, and protector of justice and virtue. The Romans identified Jupiter with Zeus, the supreme god of the Greeks, and assigned to the Roman god the attributes and myths of the Greek divinity Zeus. Jupiter with the goddess Juno and Minerva, formed the triad (Trinity) whose worship was the central cult of the Roman state. Venus "Behold,...moved by your prayer I come to you--I, the natural mother of all life, the mistress of the elements, the first child of time, the supreme divinity, the queen of those in hell, the first among those in heaven, the uniform manifestation of all the gods and goddesses--I, who govern by my nod the crests of light in the sky, the purifying wafts of the ocean, and the lamentable silences of hell--I, whose single godhead is venerated all over the earth under manifold forms, varying rites, and changing names. Thus, the Phrygians that are the oldest human stock call me Pessinuntia, Mother of the Gods. The aboriginal races of Attica call me Cecropian Minerva. The Cyprians in their island-home call me Paphian Venus. The archer Creatans call me Diana Dictynna. The three-tongued Sicilians call me Stygian Proserpine. The Elusinians call me the ancient goddess Ceres. Some call me Juno. Some call me Bellona. Some call me Hecate. Some call me Rhamnusia. But those who are enlightened by the earliest rays of that divinity the sun, The Ethiopians, the Arii, and the Egyptians who excel in antique lore, all worship me with their ancestral ceremonies and call me by my true name, Queen Isis." Apuleius, 2nd. century A.D. Osiris (AKA: Saturn/Jupiter) All the evidence in the subject now available goes to prove, that the early Egyptians before the first Dynasty believed that Osiris(Jupiter) was a man-god, son of (Helios or Ra or Saturn) and brother and husband of Isis.(AKA: Goddess of ten thousand names, Juno, Diana, Venus, ect.) Osiris who was murdered and Isis claimed his body was entombed in a tree that sprang from a sprout to a tree three times its normal size in a single day when touched by Osiris's dead body. After a long search Isis (AKA: Goddess of ten thousand names, Juno, Diana ect.) recovered her Brother's/Husband's dead body from the tree. Latter his enemies found his dead body and he was cut into fourteen pieces. Isis found all of the pieces but one and the various pieces of his body were reassembled and Osiris was reborn. Isis claimed Osiris was reborn in her son Horus. We know from very interesting text at the ancient city of Dendera that during the month of Khoiak (December) a number of festiva ls were celeb rated at all the sanctuaries of Osiris in Egypt. The elaborate ceremonies were performed in the temples in commemoration of every event which took place in the life, death, and resurrection of Osiris. In the text at Dendera the uses of the various Temples are described. Detailed instructions are given for the making of the funeral chest, and the Statue of Osiris, (which was to be buried in the coffin), and of the incense, and the amulets, and of the fourteen divine members, and all the materials, etc. which were employed in the ceremonies. On the 12th day of Khoiak, the Festival of the Ploughing of the Earth and the Festival of the Tena, were celebrated (Saturn Roman God of Farmers) on the 16th day the Festival of Osiris began (Khent Amenti). On the 24th day the statue of Osiris from the preceding year was taken from its place in the temple and buried suitably. The new reborn Osiris was embalmed in the sanctuary on his birthday the 25th of the month; on the last day of t he month the T et was set in Tettu, because on this day the divine pieces of Osiris were brought to be put back together. The new Osiris remained for seven days because of the tradition, which declared that the god had remained for seven days in the womb of his mother Nut when she was with child. In connection with the ceremonies in the great Temples, at Dendera, thirty-four papyrus boats with tamarisk trees were employed, and these trees were lit up with 365 lights or lamps to signify Osiris rebirth. Helios - (Sol, Saturn, Ra, Nimrod) The sun, seen as a man driving a chariot of fire-breathing horses and sunbeams crowned upon his head.

Nimrod (AKA:Osiris, Saturn) (Beginning of Mysteries of Babylon) Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefor it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord." The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Niveveh and Calah; that is the great city.(Genesis 10:8-12) It is believed that Nimrod established his empire by forming horseback hunting parties to kill off the predators, which had multiplied faster than Humans after the flood. He was the first man to tame the horse, with which he hunted the wild beast and gathered people from the forests into cities. They built a tower to watch the heavens to predict the next flood. Nimrod created, and named the various constellations, and invented Astrology dividing the Heavens into 12 zodiacs, they used astrology to find the perfect baby to sacrifice to the sun, this would ensure no more floods. Nimrod which comes from the Hebrew verb 'nimrodh' (which is translated,"Let us revolt"). Nimrod denies that God is involved with the affairs of the world. He denies the flood is an act of God', and as a result of Mankind's behavior. In the midst of Nimrod's war of conquest Nimrod and Semiramis met, in not so savory circumstances, for tradition states that she was an inn/brothel keeper in the city of Erech, leading one to speculate upon the nature of their initial acquaintance. Very little has come down to us through the millennia concerning Semiramis' rise to power, but it is safe to assume that it was initially upon Nimrod's coattails that she rode, although later in life as well as throughout history her influence overwhelmingly obscured that of her husband. Of course, it would not do to have an ex-harlot upon the throne, so the "polite fiction" was invented that she was a virgin sprung from the sea at Nimrod's landing, and hence a suitable bride for the emperor(thus the title Semiramis which has totally obscured her original name). Nimrod was a great Hunter and Warrior soon people began to worship him instead of the true God as preached by Noah. Semiramis and Nimrod formed a false religion aimed at supporting their rule and comforting peoples fear of another flood. The religion invented was based upon baby sacrifice and the newly invented art of Astrology and Worship of the King as God and the sun and the moon and planets. All this was done to "predict" the future and thereby maintain control of his subjects through fear and lies. He reassure the people that if they would sacrifice their babies to the Sun God their would not be another flood of the Earth. Although Nimrod was a brilliant strategist, he made a fatal blunder when he allowed Semiramis to retain full control over the religious system they had created. Through it Semiramis could control the minds and hearts of the people. When a schism occurred between them she was able to turn the religion from a tool of support into a deadly weapon. The rift between husband and wife occurred when the queen became pregnant with an illegitimate son, and the king threatened her with both dethronement and exposure of her true origin. Semiramis, of course would not allow this to take place, and devised a plot to overthrow Nimrod. During the course of the New Year's festivities (winter solstice) at which the advent of Nimrod's rule was celebrated, there was a certain feast exclusively for the royal family and the upper echelons of the priesthood. During this feast, a year-old ram was traditionally sacrificed by being torn limb-from-limb while still alive, and it's flesh eaten raw. This ram symbolized the old year passing into the heavens to allow room for the New Year. A newborn lamb was then presented which, symbolizing the New Year, and would be kept and fattened for the next year's ceremonies. This year Semiramis directed the ritual according to the formula, with the exception that when the time came for the ram to be slaughtered, it was the king who was torn to pieces at the hands of the priesthood and Semiramis. Her illegitimate son was to be installed as king. Thus Nimrod, the

mighty hunter, died a horrible death as a trapped beast himself. Following the death of Nimrod, his wife with some alterations continued this form of worship. She claimed that her husband had become the Sun God, and was to be forever worshiped. Some time after this, Queen Semiramis gave birth to a son named Tammuz, who she declared was actually Nimrod reborn, and that the "Spirit of Rebirth" had reincarnated him her womb. She was worshiped as the mother of the gods, Queen of Heaven.Semiramis assumed the regency for her infant son, and ruled as absolute monarch for 42 more years. The Gods of the Phoenician's The Phoenicians Worshiped the Father God Baal, The Mother Goddess Astarte/Ashtoreth, and the son Melqart /Tamuz. All of these Gods were primarily Gods of great force and of war. Baal or Baalim or Balaam(AKA:Osiris/Saturn/Nimrod) Baal (ba'al), plural Baalim (ba'allm) [Semitic,= possessor], name used throughout the Old Testament for the deity or deities of Canaan. The term was originally applied to various local gods, but by the time of the Ugarit tablets (14th cent. B.C.), Baal had become the ruler of the universe. Baal (Hadad) is regularly denominated "the son of Dagan," although Dagan (biblical Dagon) does not appear as an actor in the mythological texts. Baal also bears the titles "Rider of the Clouds," "Almighty," and "Lord of the Earth." He is the god of the thunderstorm, the most vigorous and aggressive of the gods, the one on whom mortals most immediately depend. Baal resides on Mount Zaphon, north of Ugarit, and is usually depicted holding a thunderbolt. Baal, also known as El. In 1978, Israeli archaeologists excavating at an eighth-century B.C. site in the eastern Sinai desert found several Hebrew inscriptions mentioning Ba'al and El in the form of "Elohim," a name used to refer to God in the Hebre w Bible. Further, whenever the Jews refer to God or our God they use "Eloh, Elohaino or Elohim." The Ugarit tablets make him chief of the Canaanite pantheon. He is the source of life and fertility, the mightiest hero, and the lord of war. There were many temples of Baal in Canaan, and the name Baal was often added to that of a locality, e.g., Baal-peor, Baal-hazor, Baal-hermon. The Baal cult penetrated Israel and at times led to a syncretism. The practices of holy prostitution and child sacrifice were especially abhorrent to the Hebrew prophets, who denounced the cult and its "high places" (temples). This abhorrence probably explains the substitution of Ish-bosheth for Esh-baal, of Jerubbesheth for Jerubbaal (a name of Gideon), and of Mephibosheth for Merib-baal. The substituted term probably means "shame." The final detestation of the term is seen in the use of the name Beelzebub (see SATAN), probably the same as Baal-zebub . 1 Kings 11.4-8; 2 Kings 1. The B aal of 1 Chron. 4.33 is probably the same as RAMAH 3. As cognates of Baal in other Semitic languages there are Bel (in Babylonian religion) and the last elements in the Tyrian names Jezebel, Hasdrubal, and Hannibal. Astarte (AKA:Seramilias, Isis, Juno Diane ect.) Astarte also spelled ASHTART, great goddess of the ancient Near East, chief deity of Tyre, Sidon, and Elath, important Mediterranean seaports. She was called Asherar-yam, our lady of the sea, and in Byblos she was Baalat, our dear lady. Astarte was linked with mother goddesses of neighboring cultures, in her role as combined heavenly mother and earth mother. Cult statues of Astarte in many different forms were left as votive offerings in shrines and sanctuaries as prayers for good harvest, for children, and for protection and tranquillity in the home. Hebrew scholars now feel that the goddess Ashtoreth mentioned so often in the Bible is a deliberate compilation of the Greek name Astarte and the Hebrew word boshet, "shame," indicating the Hebrew contempt for her cult. Ashtaroth, the plural form of the goddess's name in Hebrew, became a general term denoting goddesses and paganism. King Solomon, married to foreign wives, "went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians " (I Kings 11 :5). Later the cult places to Ashtoreth were destroyed by Josiah. Astarte/Ashtoreth is the Queen of Heaven to whom the Canaanites had burned incense and poured libations (Jer. 44). Astarte, goddess of love and war, shared so many qualities with her sister, Anath, that they may originally have been seen as a single deity. Their names together are the basis for the Aramaic goddess Atargatis. Astarte was worshipped as Astarte in Egypt and Ugarit and among the Hittites, as well as in Canaan. Her Akkadian

counterpart was Ishtar. Later she became assimilated with the Egyptian deities Isis and Hathor, and in the Greco-Roman world with Aphrodite, Artemis, and Juno, all aspects of the Great Mother. Anath, also spelled ANAT, chief West Semitic goddess of love and war, the sister and wife (helpmate) of the god Baal. Considered a beautiful young girl, she was often designated "the Virgin" i n ancient texts. Probably one of the best known of the Canaanite deities, she was famous for her youthful vigour and ferocity in battle; in that respect she was adopted as a special favourite by the Egyptian king Ramses II (reigned 1279-13 BC). Although Anath was often associated with the god Resheph in ritual texts, she was primarily known for her role in the myth of Baal's death and resurrection, in which she mourned and searched for him and finally helped to retrieve him from the netherworld. Egyptian representations of Anath show a nude goddess, often standing on a lion and holding flowers. During the Hellenistic Age, the goddesses Anath and Astarte (q.v.) were blended into one deity, called Atargatis (q.v.). Melqart (AKA:Tamuz, Horus, Jupiter, Sol) Melqart, Son of Baal (or El, Ruler of the Universe), God of Tyre, King of the Underworld, Protector of the Universe symbolized the annual cycle of vegetation and was associated with the female deity Astarte in her role as the maternal goddess. Also, he was considered the Heracles or Hercules of the Tyrians though he came from a more distant past than the Greek Heracles/Hercules. Melqart was also known as Eshmun by the Sidonians. The Greeks equated Melqart with Heracles who was held to be the mythical founder of the Macedonian dynasty. Melqart was also known by other names -- like other Phoenician gods and goddesses. He was known as Baal- Adon- Eshmun- Melqart the God of warand also as Thasian Heracles because he was worshipped on the island of Thasos. Also, a Temple of Melqart is known to have been on the island of Sancti Petri near Cadiz. Many historians such as Josephus Flavius refer to Melqart and Heracles interchangeab ly. Also, Herodutus, Theophrastus (Arsistotle's pupil) and Horace the Roman wrote about Melqart's Temple in Tyre. It had two pillars one of pure gold and the other of emeralds which shone brilliantly at night. Melqart made Tyre a Phoenician Jerusalem whose kings minted Tyrians coins with Melqart riding on the Phoenician Hippocampus (seahorse/monster). This unique position of Tyre in Phoenician mythology survived into the Christian Era as an amazingly modern city. The remains of the Temple of Eshmun (Sidon's Melqart) have been found in Sidon. The fame and name of Melqart travelled to the far corners of the Phoenician colonies around the Mediterranean and the other dominions and territories where the Phoenicians settled. The famous Pillars of Hercules of Gibraltar were actually known as the Pillars of Melqart but as time went by and the two gods became combined into one, the Pillars became those of Heracles or Hercules. Because of the diverse languages, over time Nimrod, Semiramis, and Tammuz were called by different names from place to place. For instance, in Egypt, Tammuz was called Horus, the divine son in whom Osiris (Nimrod) was reincarnated after he was dismembered. The divine mother who gave birth to this divine son was Isis, the Egyptian name for Semiramis. Thus there were now three gods to whom worship was due, a Father God(Nimrod or Osiris or Saturn, Baal), his Son part Father part Son(Tammuz or Horus or Jupiter, Melqart), and a Mother Goddess Semiramis(AKA: Isis Goddess of ten thousand names, Juno, Diana, Venus Astarte, ect.), yet all of these were to be considered equal, because they were all to be considered equal parts of a triune god. The Plagues of Egypt Against Their False Gods The ten plagues were sent down upon Egypt by the LORD God, because the Pharaoh refused to let Israel go. Each plague seems to have been directed against a specific Egyptian god in order to prove that Yahweh or Jehovah, was and is the true God of gods. 1. Bloody water (7:17) against the false god Nilus, the sacred river god. 2. Frogs (8:6) against Hekt, the false goddess of reproduction 3. Lice (gnats) (8:17) against Seb, the false god of the earth 4. Flies (beetles) (8:24) against Khephera, the sacred scarab

5. Murrain (plague) on Egyptian cattle (9:3) against Apis and Hathor, the sacred bull and cow 6. Boils on man and beast (9:10) against Typhon, the evil-eye false god 7. Hail (9:23) against Shu, the false god of the atmosphere 8. Locusts (10:14) against Serapis, the false protector from locusts 9. Darkness (10:22) against Ra, the sun false god 10. Death of the first-born of man and beast (11:5) against Ptah, the false god of life. Perhaps this was a blanket attack against all the false gods of Egypt. Lastly, remember that if we love God we will serve Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Mark 10:29-30) This means avoiding anything that would displease Him. Obviously an idol would take His place in our hearts and lives but usually Satan presents them subtly, and then they take over our lives. It's not a siege process, instead it's a like a secret infiltration that overtakes the host. "Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? " (1 Corinthians 10:14-22) "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24) "For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." (1 Thessalonians 1:9) "Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (1 John 5:21)