In the article „Is it allowed to pray to God through images, crosses, and figurines?” I presented 22 verses that speak of the prohibition against praying to images, crosses, and figurines, and the prohibition against praying through images, crosses, and figurines. God treats images and figurines as separate entities/deities, and the Revelation of John tells us that demons may be behind this. God does not allow the Father and the Son to be placed in images. One reason is very simple: no one knows what they looked like. However, most religions, most Christians, disregard these prohibitions. They have devised the following thesis: since Christ was a human being on earth, it is permissible to place Him in images. This combination leads to a grave error of faith. Because how do you know, Reader, who a given image or figurine represents?

Let’s see how Christians explain their views on images.

1 – “We pray to God, not to images.”

Some Christians say directly: „I use religious images to pray, but I don’t pray to them, but to God.”

We certainly know this story. In Exodus 32:1-6, it says:

„3 Then all the people took off the gold earrings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took them from their hands and melted them down and made a molten calf out of it. And he said, 'O Israel, this is your god…'”

Moses was on Mount Sinai, receiving the Law from God. The people of Israel felt abandoned and feared that Moses would never return. So they fashioned an idol, a calf, out of gold. This idol represented the God of Israel, or the Lord YHWH. When Moses returned from his meeting with God’s messenger and saw what the Israelites had done, he became terribly angry. At Moses’ command, the tribe of Levites rose up and meted out punishment – approximately three thousand people who had participated in the worship of the golden calf were killed (Exodus 32:28).

In other words, God, through the hands of Moses, executed judgment on the idol worshipers.

God did not tell the Israelites, „You have done evil, but I know that you have prayed to Me through a molten image.” Nothing of the sort. God repeatedly told them not to do so.

Since they disobeyed, they were punished.

Some will say: YHWH was cruel. This is a misinterpretation of God’s justice. Revelation describes what Christ will do to those who worship idols, images, and statues. The lake of fire awaits them.

2 – “I carry a picture of Christ, just as I would carry a picture of my child/parents”

Another argument Christians make about images is this: „I carry a picture of Christ, just as I would a picture of my child/parents. If I kiss a picture of my child, I see no problem with doing the same with a picture of Christ.”
Proponents of image worship say that God commands us to honor our fathers and mothers. This means, they argue, „if I have a picture of my parents/child in my pocket, it’s not idolatry.”
Of course, if they kiss a picture of their parents/child, there’s no sin. It would be idolatry if someone knelt before a picture of their parents/children and prayed to them.
After all, no one does that.

No one kneels before a picture of a child or parents to pray to them. Similarly, one should not pray to pictures of God. Let’s repeat the same argument: how do you know whose image is in that picture? God does not allow prayer to Him through pictures. We have at least 22 verses that speak to this.

It is also very risky to carry a picture of the so-called Virgin Mary.

Why?

Because we don’t know what Christ’s mother looked like. The Bible generally says very little about Christ’s mother. She was a wonderful woman, since she was chosen for such an exalted role. However, none of God’s saints prayed to her. The cult of the virgin mary arose much later. It was probably around the turn of the 2nd and 3rd centuries that short prayers and hymns to the „Theotókos” (Mother of God) appeared in the church liturgy.

3 – The Snake Story

Another example used by image worshipers is the story of the snake.

During their journey to the Promised Land, the Israelites complained about the lack of water and food. Despite many examples of God’s care for them, they still did not trust Him. Therefore, God sent poisonous snakes onto them. Their venom caused the death of many Israelites. To prevent further deaths, God commanded Moses to hang the snake on a pole. Anyone bitten had to look at the snake, which resulted in their healing:

„4 From Mount Hor they journeyed toward the Red Sea to bypass the land of Edom. But on the way, the people lost patience. 5 Then they began to speak against the LORD and against Moses, saying, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we are weary of this meager food.'” 6 Then the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, which bit the people, and a great number of them died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned by complaining against the LORD and against you. Intercede for us with the LORD, and He will take these snakes away from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people. 8 Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a snake and put it on a high pole; whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.'” 9 – Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten and looked at the bronze serpent lived” – Numbers 21:4-9.

Many people see this example as God’s permission to worship images. They say that since God commanded us to look at a serpent hanging on a pole, this means we must kneel before images. Proponents of this theory should familiarize themselves with the following verse:

“He removed the high places, broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and broke the bronze serpent that Moses had made in pieces, for until that time the Israelites had burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.” – 2 Kings 18:4

Hezekiah „broke” (smashed) the serpent because the people worshiped it, and idolatry was forbidden. This tells us that the serpent was not intended to serve the Israelites as an instrument of prayer. It was a bronze idol. Therefore, it was destroyed.

4 – God ordered angels to be carved

Another argument Christians use to support the worship of images is the sculptures of angels. God commanded the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, the tent of meeting, and the mercy seat. He then ordered the sculptures of angels to be placed there. According to proponents of the cult, this allows the use of images in prayer. They compare the tent of meeting to modern churches. The text I’m talking about is found in the Book of Exodus, chapters 25-27. God commanded the Israelites to build the Ark of the Covenant. It was a golden chest with ornaments.

Among other things, there were: a golden vessel containing manna, Aaron’s staff, and the tablets of the covenant (Hebrews 9:4).

The Ark of the Covenant was located in the tent of meeting. This was the place where priests, appointed by God, offered atonement sacrifices for their sins and those of the Israelites.

God ordered the ark, the mercy seat, and the tent of meeting to be constructed according to precise guidelines. However, ordinary people were never allowed to enter the tent of meeting. This was punishable by death, and the priests were required to carefully perform animal sacrifices in the manner God had instructed them.

For this mistake, Aaron’s two sons were put to death – Leviticus 10:1-3.

Every Israelite who sinned had to give a portion of his property as atonement for his sins. This was a form of apology.

If he was wealthy, he gave an animal; if poor, he gave turtledoves; and the very poor gave a baked cake.

In no way can the tent of meeting be compared to today’s churches.

Why?

Because no masses were celebrated there, ordinary people were not allowed to enter.

The Apostle John writes:

“The God who made the world and everything in it, Being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made with hands” – Acts 17:24.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote about the Ark:

„And it shall come to pass, when ye shall multiply, and shall multiply in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, that no man shall say any more, 'The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord’; it shall no more be thought of, nor remembered, nor be missed, nor made a new one.” Jeremiah 3:16

It is true that God commanded that images of angels be placed above the Ark of the Covenant and on the mercy seat. This was the place where God met with Moses.

He said: „And you shall make two cherubim of gold” – Exodus 25:18.

However, reading the entire context, there is no mention of worshiping or praying to the cherubim. They were merely a form of decoration.

The Apostle Paul thought similarly, even downplaying the importance of carved angels:

„…and the Ark/Chest of the Covenant, covered all with gold, in which were the golden pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the Covenant; and over it were the cherubim of Glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which there is no need to speak in detail now.” Hebrews 9:4-5.

Proponents of image worship must go to great lengths to prove that the Ark of the Covenant or carved cherubim are permission to worship God through images.

If God had intended for us to worship Him using images, crosses, or medallions, He would have written about it. However, there is no verse in the Bible that gives permission for such practices.

Many religions deceive people and force them to pray to images. Such forms of idolatry are severely punished…

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, the pharmacists, the fornicators, the murderers, the idolaters, and whoever loves and practices lying” – Revelation 22:14-15.