Exodus 20:4-6
“You DO NOT MAKE for yourself a carved image, or any LIKENESS of that which is in the heavens above, or which in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth, you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, YHWH your ELOHIM, am a jealous EL (God), visiting the wickedness of the ancestors on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My Commands.”
Statues of YESHUA or angels that are in the likeness of the heavens above (and we do not even know what YESHUA looks like); statues or toys of men or women: such as Barbie dolls, teddy bears, stuffed animals, statues, action figures by McFarland Toys, G.I. Joes, busts of presidents and those in the Hall of Fame are forbidden. The same for statues of birds, cattle, creeping things that are in the earth beneath; and statues or images of fish, whales, or other sea creatures that are in the waters under the earth.
So anything in the LIKENESS of YHWH’s creation like dolls which represent a human being to animal life should not be found in your homes. A Hebrew word for graven image is Pasal (paw-sal) in Strong’s #6458 which means: to hew, hew into shape, carved; short definition: cut.
Brown-Driver-Briggs defines this as: hew, hew into shape
And when YHWH said “You do not MAKE any graven image” The word for make is Asah Strong’s #6213 meaning- to make, acquire, keep, use, prepare, work, execute, fashion, bring forth, to produce, to bring about, to be made. So based of this definition graven images should not even be made to begin with unless it’s at the command of YHWH and we will discuss this later in the article.
Further guidelines and instructions about graven images!
Deuteronomy 4:15-18
“Therefore, diligently guard yourselves, for you saw NO FORM when YHWH spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you should DO CORRUPTLY and make (asah) for yourselves a carved image in the FORM OF ANY FIGURE- the LIKENESS of MALE or FEMALE, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heavens, the likeness of any creature that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth..”
This is a very detailed command by YHWH which matches the Hebrew word Asah and Pasal about making, fashioning, bringing forth, producing, to be made. YHWH says do not make, carve, hew into shape, fashion, or produce ANY FIGURE in the likeness of any of these! Now ask yourself, do you have any of these items in your home that are carved images, busts, statutes, dolls, or figurines in the likeness of a life form that YHWH has created?
Deuteronomy 4:23-24
“Guard yourselves lest you forget the Covenant of YHWH your ELOHIM which He made with you, and shall make for yourselves a carved image in ANY LIKENESS YHWH your ELOHIM has commanded you. For YHWH your ELOHIM is a consuming fire, a jealous EL.”
Romans 1:22-23
“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and changed the esteem of the incorruptible ELOHIM into the LIKENESS of an image of corruptible man, and of birds and of four-footed beasts and of reptiles.”
Jubilees 11:4-5
“And they made for themselves molded images (a hollow form or matrix for giving a particular shape, to work into a shape), and they each worshipped the idol, the molded image which they had made for themselves, and they began to make CARVED IMAGES and unclean LIKENESSES, and EVIL SPIRTS ASSISTED them into committing TRANSGRESSION and uncleanness.”
Making molded images and carved images is demonic as we see from this scripture in Jubilees, because the demons assisted them in making them. YHWH said do make them at all; therefore, they wouldn’t even have the chance to think about worshiping it if it never existed in the first place. So being that the demons are the exact opposite of YHWH in direct rebellion, they want believers to rebel and help humans make these abominations and transgress against the second commandment.
The common justification is, well I don’t bow down to them!
The same way man makes justifications for breaking the Sabbath, the dietary laws, and for sin is the same way someone will justify having these carved images in their homes. YHWH clearly said do not make them in the form or LIKENESS of ANY figure, yet those who admire their images so much make statements like: “Well, I don’t bow down to them!” Man defines worship as bowing down to something, but we all know you can commit spiritual idolatry against YHWH by not being faithful to Him, including sin and you are not physically bowing down to sin; you are just committing the act. Those same believers would agree that people worship money, yet they don’t place a stack of money on an altar to worship it.
YHWH’s definition is not “dependent” on what man does, or does not do with the object. He makes NO distinction between an object that is worshipped and one that is NOT worshipped because they are simply graven images in His sight in the likeness of a LIVING BEING and from making or acquiring one (buying one.)
The majority of the world agrees that the statues in the Catholic Churches are wrong and that they are graven images, so what is the difference of them being in their churches and believers having them in their homes? Additionally, if these graven images were never created as YHWH commanded, then the Catholic faith would never have had the opportunity to worship the image of Mary to begin with. YHWH showed NO form in the bush consumed with fire or on the mountain, because He knew that man would immediately craft an image and worship it, so they decided to settle for the golden calf.
Deuteronomy 7:25
“They carved images of their mighty ones you are to burn with fire. Do not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it, for it is an abomination to YHWH your ELOHIM. “And do not bring an abomination into your house, lest you be accursed like it. Utterly loathe it and utterly hate it, for it is accursed.”
We know what happens when you bring an accursed object in your home. Let’s look at: Joshua 7:11-12:
“Israel has sinned; they have violated My covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.” Verse 24 Then Joshua, and all Yisra’el with him, took Akan son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons.” And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? YHWH troubles you today! Then all Yisra’el stoned him with stones.”
The point is when you disobey the Word of YHWH and take an item and place it among your possessions like Akan did; then it makes it harder for you to stand against your enemies amongst other things. YHWH said He was not with them until they removed the accursed items and I draw the comparison with the carved images He said do not make.
Deuteronomy 27:15
“Cursed is the man WHO MAKES a carved or molded image, an abomination to YHWH, the work of the hands of the craftsman, AND (in addition to) puts it up in secret.” And all the people shall answer and say, “Ahmein!”
Habakkuk 2:18
“Of what use shall a carved image be? For its maker has carved it: a molded image and teacher of falsehood! For the maker trusts what he has made: to make dumb idols!
So YHWH says cursed is the man who even makes a carved or molded image which is an abomination to Him AND in addition to decides to hide it. The modern day definition of a graven image is: a carved idol OR representation of a god used as an object of worship. Notice the definition says OR meaning it can be carved object like a doll OR someone could worship it too. It’s a two-fold definition and we know YHWH said do not create them to begin with.
What about the mercy seat?
Exodus 25:18-22
“And you shall make two cherubim (kerubim) of gold, make them of beaten work, at the two ends of the lid of atonement. And make on cherubim at one end, and the other cherubim at the other end. Make the cherubim from the lid of atonement, at its two ends. And the cherubim shall be spreading out their wings above, covering the lid of atonement with their wings, with their faces toward each other, the faces of the cherubim toward the lid of atonement And you shall put the lid of atonement on top of the ark, and put into the ark the Witness which I give you. And I shall meet with you there, and FROM ABOVE THE LID OF ATONEMENT, FROM BETWEEN THE TWO CHERUBIM which are on the ark of the Witness, I shall speak to you all that which I command you concerning the children of Yisra’el.”
So Moses was commanded to make cherubim (an image in heaven) on the mercy seat that sits above the Ark of the Covenant and the esteem/glory of YHWH resided in the middle of the two covering cherubim. The Ark of the Covenant was behind the 2nd veil, the Holy of Holies, where the High Priest (Kohen ha’Gadol) would enter in only ONCE a year by HIMSELF on Yom Kippur to make atonement for himself, his household, and the assembly of Yisra’el. So the High Priest was the ONLY ONE in the entire community of Yisra’el who would have seen these images of the cherubim because no one else was permitted enter into the Holy of Holies or they would die.
YHWH was bringing a piece of heaven down to earth. The mercy seat represents the throne of YHWH judging with His mercy and kindness in the middle and the two cherubim on the right and left were covering His esteem. Satan before being cast out was a covering cherub over the throne which is a high position:
Ezekiel 28:14
“You WERE the anointed cherub THAT COVERED. And I placed you, you were on the holy mountain of ELOHIM. You walked up and down in the midst of stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.”
Further evidence YHWH was bringing a copy of heaven to earth is even in our prayers, we say “Let your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!” This shows that what is on earth is a shadow of what is in heaven:
Hebrews 8:1-2
“Now the summary of what we are saying is: We have such a Kohen ha’Gadol (High Priest), who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Greatness in the heavens, and who serves in the Miqdash (Temple) and of the TRUE TENT, which YHWH put up, and not man.” Verse 4-5 “For if indeed He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the Torah, WHO SERVE A COPY AND SHADOW OF THE HEAVENS, as Moses warned when he was about to make the Tent For He said, “See that you make all according TO THE PATTERN SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.”
Hebrews 9:23
“It was necessary, then, that the COPIES OF THE ONES OF THE HEAVENS should be cleanses with these, but the ONES OF THE HEAVENS themselves with better slaughter offerings than these.”
So we see that the earthly priests served in a copy and a shadow of the one in heaven where YESHUA serves as our High Priest! Moses didn’t have to come up with the design because YHWH showed him the one in heaven, just He did with the mercy seat. Other examples:
Revelation 11:19
“And the Mishkan (Tabernacle) of ELOHIM was opened in the HEAVENS, and the ark of His Covenant was seen in His Temple…”
Revelation 14:17
“And another messenger (angel) came out of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) WHICH IS IN THE HEAVENS, and he too held a sharp sickle.”
Revelation 15:5
“And after this I looked and saw the Temple of the Tent of Witness IN THE HEAVENS WAS OPENED.”
What about the serpent?
Numbers 21:5-9
“And the people spoke against ELOHIM and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of the Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our being loathes this light bread.” And YHWH sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people. And many of the people of Yisra’el died. Then the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against YHWH and against you. Pray to YHWH to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed on behalf of the people. And YHWH said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and put it on a pole. And it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
John 3:14-15
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of Man has to be LIFTED UP, so that whoever is believing in Him should not perish but possess everlasting life.”
The children of Yisra’el sinned against YESHUA in the wilderness, who was the Angel of YHWH who was sent before them:
1 Corinthians 10:9
“Neither let us try Mashiach (Messiah) as some them also tried, and were destroyed by serpents.”
So He sent serpents amongst them for their sins and killed many of them, because the wages of sin is death; and we know that sin and death came into the world through the serpent. And even though the serpent represents death and sin, once it was lifted up and they looked upon it then it brought LIFE, and by it being lifted up conquered death. The serpent was a reminder of their sin and rebellion yet through mercy they were saved.
The parallel is we look upon YESHUA to save us from death as He was lifted up on the execution stake to forgive us of our sins when we are worthy of death. So the serpent being LIFTED UP represented death but brought life was a foreshadowing of YESHUA being LIFTED UP on the stake to save us from death so that we can have everlasting life.
The foreshadow reminds me of YESHUA as the One speaking to Abraham telling him not to sacrifice his son, yet YESHUA came as The Son of YHWH to sacrifice Himself for all. He prevented Abraham from doing what He was coming to do Himself. That is true love!
Furthermore, the serpent was at the command of YHWH; therefore, there is a reason why He did it as we just discovered.
John 12:31-32
“Now is the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world (Satan) shall be cast out. And I, if I am LIFTED UP from the earth, shall draw all unto Myself.”
DOLLS/GRAVEN IMAGE/ACTION FIGURE
We have to remember that YESHUA said that the way to heaven is hard-pressed and narrow. So ask yourself does a majority of the world have these dolls, toys, statues, busts in their homes? Yes! So isn’t that the broad path to destruction, just as those who choose to worship on Sunday instead of Sabbath?
Action figures and dolls may seem like good innocent fun for your children or as collectibles for adults, but are they what they seem? ELOHIM said do not make anything in the “likeness” of anything in the heavens above and earth beneath. 3D sculptures of humans, action figures, dolls, teddy bears, animals, fish, all wild-life etc., are all in the likeness of ELOHIM’s creation of living beings.
I strongly believe that bringing these objects into your home carries unseen spiritual forces that open up portals in your home for unclean spirits, the same way I’ve discussed how the music industry said that they take the master copy of a recorded CD and place it on an altar and summon a demon to go wherever it goes. So when you play the music you have opened up a gateway and have given the demons “legal right” to enter into your homes even if you don’t play the music. John Todd who owned the record companies before getting out of the illumaniti and later died said “The most easily deceived people are the Christians because they don’t know their own word.” This ties in to Hosea 4:6 “My people perish for their lack of knowledge.”
Even more telling is the fact that the origin for dolls started with witchcraft, voodoo, and magic arts. Just think of the word voodoo DOLL. Dolls were also used in pagan religious ceremonies. So why would a set apart believer do the same things as a pagan as doing? Come out and be separate from the rest of the world. The word holy literally means set apart, so let the people of YHWH stand out amongst the crowd, just as we are wearing tassels/fringes/tsitsit on our garments and be completely obedient to our Father YHWH and His Son YESHUA!