Worship? God or Babylon
Bible Study was written by Elene Rodgers
God is the only one who deserves our worship.“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) It is only because of God that we have life. “For in him we live, and move, and have our being...” (Acts 17:28) God made mankind: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26). Moreover, when man sinned and was doomed to die as a result, God had compassion and made a way to save humanity from sin; our Creator became our Saviour giving us the opportunity to have everlasting life. (John 1:1-3,14,29) Because of who He is and what He has done for us, in humble submission to His divine authority over our lives and thankfulness for what He has done, we should humbly bow down and worship Him.
Worship is something that belongs only to God. No angel is to be worshiped, as revealed in Revelation 22:8,9, “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. (9) Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” And no man is to be worshiped regardless of his position. Even the apostle Peter did not receive worship; “And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. (26) But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.” (Acts 10:25,26)
Lucifer was created as an angel who became known as Satan after he sinned and was cast out of heaven; he wanted to be worshiped like God but he did not deserve it. Ezekiel 28:13-15 gives a description of Satan who inspired the king of Tyre, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Isaiah 14:12-14 shows how Lucifer wanted to be God and receive worship, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”
Satan tries to get people to worship him by tempting them to disobey God, because obedience is an act of worship. You are not truly worshiping God no matter what you say if you are not obeying God. Who we worship is revealed by who we obey. Luke 6:46 says, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Also Romans 6:16 adds Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? An example of this is given in Acts 5:28,29 “Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. (29) Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”
In Daniel chapter 3, Satan tried to force the three Hebrew young men to worship him when threatened by King Nebuchadnezzar to bow down to the golden image or be killed. To obey the king’s decree would have been to disobey God’s commandment and they esteemed the worship of God more important than the worship of the king. Daniel 3:10-12 “Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: (11) And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (12) There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” The response of young men revealed their faith in God. “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. (18) But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:17.18)
The Bible makes it clear that the main question for God’s people in these last days is, “Who Will You WORSHIP?” Revelation 14:6-10 urges us to worship God, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, (7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (8) And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. (9) And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, …”
The choice of who we worship is the most important decision of our lives. It determines our destiny – eternal life or eternal death. (Deuteronomy 30:19) Since we understand the issue we need to make sure that we are worshiping God.