Came across this once in a forum…and this is how I retorted:
From Rev 8…4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.
…snip…
So I asked…who is bringing the prayers to God in this passage?
The former passage is acutally quite strong; NOTICE: The angels are around the throne, yet people adore God bowing to where the angels stand! Bowing before them proximately.
Also: In the second passage, the Priests who are between the people and God are also the ones who offer the sacrifice of prayer as incense; These are falling down before the angels, and they themselves are acting as angels (message bearers) to God.
More, later in the post…
I had a thought about this statue question the other day.
Strict protestants may not have statues of Jesus, but they certainly watch movies and about Him. …snip… If making statues of Jesus is blasphemous, then is not watching a movie - where actors (living statues) are dressed-up like Him - even more blasphemous? I
Film is actually a material where chemicals are selectively removed by light – it is technically a graven image – but not a statue. Both were forbidden in Exodus/Duteronomy; I agree with your point.
Please Explain Exodus 20:4-5… Thanks.
Answer later in the post…
If you have the opportunity go to Walshingsham, England sometime. I was there several years ago and witnessed busloads of dear souls worshipping that statue of Mary.
Grace and Peace,
QC
Did you ask them what they were doing? If not, then you don’t really know. Even if you think they are wrong… their ignorance would excuse them from any great sin.
In the Catholic tradition, statues are often placed next to – over-- or under the tabernacle; In that case, one is merely giving adoration (latria) to God in the Eucharist; If one does not belive in the real presence of Jesus in the FLESH (soma/sarks) then such a motion would be considered idol-latria (idolatry).
However, food that one eats is part of the body by a natural conversion – the Eucharist, then, may be understood as something Jesus transforms into his body; just without chewing.
– “This is my body; DO THIS in remembrance of me.”
There are several reasons people bow down in front of stautes, In the O.T. is was expected for people to bow down in front of statues. Pablope, unwittingly, shows the reason why in his first quote from Revelation. There are saints (of which, angels are sanctified/saints.) who are between us and God. God is invisible, and even in heaven can not be seen; hence the Jewish Tradition is that the shekina glory cloud, the burning bush, and several other instances are actually Angels.
usccb.org/bible/psalms/104 (Psalm 104:4)
usccb.org/bible/hebrews/1 (Hebrews 1:7)
Galations 3:19… etc…
It’s not possible to bow down before the sight of God the Father (or Spirit) without either a statue or an angel present; The son, having a body is the only one who can supply a perfect/actual icon of the invisible God. Yet in revelation, that is exactly what they are doing…!
There is one other important thing to add; lest one think that revealtion is just a “vision”, and hence these people aren’t really doing these things – but they are symbolic;
In the O.T. people routinely bowed down before statues and graven (woven tapestries) at the Temple in Jerusalem. On the Ark of the covenant – they did not leave it bare with a chair; rather, they placed two angels on either end of it; angels made of pure Gold. The tapestries of the angels (Cherubim) could be seen through the main door from the Bronze altar and from the porch of the Men of Israel. They would bow down and pray,
right there in full sight.
Psalm 95:6 (Consider:Where else could one bow down before the LORD?)
Psalm 5:7 is
explicit
KJV:
Psalm 5:7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
NAB:
Psalm 5:8 (
usccb.org/bible/psalms/5)
… I will bow down toward your holy sanctuary
out of fear of you.
Never has the worship of God been without statuary – it has been without foreign Idols, though – it is these which were sinful. Priests minister between God and man – and in heaven there are 24 of them offering our prayers; so it is, even in heaven, our prayers demonstratively go through priests unto God the Father. In the O.T. the queen mother, too, presents the petitions of the people to her son, the King. Just so, Mary can present (not that Jesus
must listen) our petitions.
I personally don’t find bowing down before statuary comfortable. However, I do recognize that not everyone has the same
feelings as I do. Feelings are neither right nor wrong – it’s what one does with them that is moral or immoral.
Treating angels themselves as objects of latria is wrong (Galatians 2:18); although adoring the one whom they make an image of (a cloud of Glory, the feet of the Father, etc.) is not.
The same is true of statues. If I had a statue with me, i’d be more inclined to touch it’s carved toe (not kiss it) when thinking about what I’d like to say… but, that’s just me… I’m more tactile than visual… But I don’t condemn those who kneel when hoping someone with high dignity before God might use their influence to bring the prayer more speedily to an answer from God.
