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"but you--this is what you say: `If a man says to his father or mother, That is consecrated, whatever it is, which otherwise you should have received from me--he shall be absolved from honouring his father'; and so you have abrogated God's Word for the sake of your tradition." (Matthew 15:5-6 [Weymouth New Testament])

"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth." (Deuteronomy 5:8 [NASB])

 
Idolatrous steeples [Baalim / Asherim] are set up / reside on top of church buildings all across the landscape.  The Egyptians placed obelisks at the sides of temple portals in pairs, dedicating them to the sun god.  What will the people of the Lord do when they discover that their steeples' origin is based on symbolism to the sun god and goddess, and have been instituted for such a purpose?  I wonder how many people who claim to fear the Lord already know there are idols on their holy sanctuaries (but yet remain impious toward God, choosing to let the idols stay "to draw the world toward God").

In the Old Testament, the Lord makes it very clear that such a practice is not acceptable.  Have we (as a people) gone the way of the Scribes and Pharisees to choose to transgress the commandments of God to preserve our vain traditions? (See Matthew 15:1-6)

"You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the LORD your God hates."  (Deuteronomy 16:22 [NASB])

"Do not make idols or set up carved images, sacred pillars, or shaped stones to be worshiped in your land. I, the LORD, am your God." (Leviticus 26:1 [NLT])

The King James translation of the Word of God says:

"Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.  Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth." (Deuteronomy 16:21-22 [KJV])    (See also Leviticus 26:1)

Groves / "sacred pillar" / Asherah poles are symbols of the false goddess / false female deity known as Astarte (also known by Babylonians as Ishtar).  This "goddess" is an associate of the Baal (the false god who represents productive forces of nature).  These false deities and their symbolisms were denounced by the prophets of God (See Judges 2:12-14 & Ezekiel Chapter 8).

 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.  And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.  And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.  (Judges 2:12-14 [KJV])

In the Amplified Bible (AMP) interpretation / translation of the bible, Exodus 34:13 reads:

 
Since the steeples have sacrilegious origin purposed to symbolize false gods and their false authority, could anyone who reverences and is led by the Lord believe that our Lord does not hate these abominations? (See Malachi 1:6)

"Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:  But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"  (Exodus 34:12-14 [KJV])

Some have set up the obelisks / steeples to draw people to the House of the Lord.  But, that nullifies the Lord’s command to abstain from idols (See Galatians 5:20, 2 Corinthians 6:16 & 1 Corinthians 10:20-22). We must remove the idols (steeples, et al.), and all appearance of evil, and not repeat the provocations of Manasseh.  If we defend these obelisks, which have no biblical merit, we are supporting another gospel.

"let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."  (2 Corinthians 7:1 [KJV])

 "Abstain from all appearance of evil."  (1 Thessalonians 5:22 [KJV])

"But if any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof:" (1 Corinthians 10:28 [KJV])

 
In addition to paying homage to false deities, these obelisks are designed in symbolism of (representation of) male reproductive organs (Baal is the false god who represents productive forces of nature).  Exodus 20:4 and Deuteronomy 5:8 express that these idols are not acceptable.  (We are not to make idols in the form of anything on earth).

Even though this abomination often is crowned with a cross, it is not holy.  The image of a cross does not make something sanctified or clean.  Hanging a bell on an idol to summon the "faithful" does not make it holy.  As a cross on top of a Buda statue can not make the idol / statue holy, a cross on an obelisk / steeple can not make that sacrilege holy either.  No matter how you dress it up, a steeple remains a high place, inspired by the adversaries of God, provoking Him to jealousy and anger.

 
"Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal."  (2 Kings 23:26 [KJV])  

"For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them."  (2 Kings 21:3 [KJV]) 

"Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood,and there is no breath in them.  They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish."  (Jeremiah 10:14-15 [KJV])

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For deeper understanding of the origin of church steeples, using an internet search engine search on a phrase similar to the ones listed below:  (Copy and paste a phrase below into your favorite search engine for better insight into church steeples).

obelisk in vatican st. peter's square where pope speaks
washington monument and sun worship
axum obelisk

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content revised: 9/18/05


http://seventhdayapostolic.org/ChooseLORD/