The Idol Worship of Man

Exodus 20:3-5 tells us clearly, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;"

Let me first begin by refreshing you that the Mosaic Law was built on the Ten Commandments, and that was built upon the first commandment: "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me" which is found in Deuteronomy 5:6-7. Within these words, we not only see God’s prohibition against idolatry in and of itself, but also His reasons for that prohibition. He never commands us without giving reason to it, and for it. All of His instructions and commandments are for our sole benefit. You see, it was the Lord God alone who had the power to bring His people out of bondage in Egypt. It was He alone that cared enough for all of them to selectively choose them to be His own. He alone delivered and protected them and no other. So, for all this, and all of His protection and deliverance, He declares loudly and boldly that He ALONE deserves to be worshipped and reverenced. Isaiah 44:18, "They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand." This is better understood as saying that no idols that are made of stone, wood or other materials is, nor can BE, God. Why? Idols are deaf, dumb, blind, powerless and inanimate.

No Idolatry!

Paul’s letter to the Romans even indicates the worship of things in creation themselves is wrong in the eyes of God, not just their images. Romans 1:25, "who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." Paul even warned the Colossians against worshipping other supernatural beings in Colossians 2:18, "Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind," Then Jesus expanded the definition of "other gods" to also include the concepts in addition to graven images, living things and other supernatural beings. Matthew 6:24, Jesus warns against even the worship of material things by clearly defining and declaring, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."  For those of you who aren't familiar with the word mammon, it's the Greek word mammonas, which in this text is translated as meaning "money," but does not mean the money in one’s pockets. It's actually the personification of wealth, or money, especially the type of wealth that's gained through greediness and deception, the love of which can be termed as "materialism." In this culture, this generation, is more materialistic than ever before. We can get a clear outline of the dangers of worshipping material things through the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-26 who turned away from Jesus Christ because he couldn't part with his wealth. There was great sorrow in this young man for he had possessions and power but he didn't have the most important thing, the fulfillment of Jesus Christ! There is always a price to pay.....always.

So with that short lesson established, and before moving on, I would also like to take a moment to explain what idolatry actually is and its origins as described by Paul in  Romans 1:21-25, "because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22) Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23) and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24) Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25) who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."   Then in Romans 1:28, we are told, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;" Some of the forms of idolatry and idol worship is as follows:
1) Fetishism, or the worship of trees, rivers, hills, stones, etc.
2) Nature worship, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, as the supposed powers of nature. This is currently on the rise as can be found in the "marrying of nature" and the "new age" worship of nature.
3) Animal worship - this, too, is a pagan practice but is now more prevalent today with the New Age/False Religions "cults"
4) Hero worship, the worship of deceased ancestors, worship of pagan gods, paying homage and/or making shrines to the deceased, or of any perceived and revered heroes, such as sports figures, entertainment figures, music industry entertainers and political figures.

Originally, idolatry meant the worship of idols, or basically the worship of false gods by means of idols, but later, among the Old Testament Hebrews, came to mean any worship of false gods, whether by images or otherwise, and then finally the worship of Yahweh through visible symbols as in Hosea 8:5-6, "Your calf is rejected, O Samaria! My anger is aroused against them-How long until they attain to innocence? 6) For from Israel is even this: A workman made it, and it is not God; But the calf of Samaria shall be broken to pieces." and then in Hosea 10:5, "The inhabitants of Samaria fear Because of the calf of Beth Aven. For its people mourn for it, And its priests hriek for it-Because its glory has departed from it." Then ultimately in the New Testament, idolatry came to mean, not only the giving honor, devotion and worship to any creature or human creation that belonged ONLY to God, Himself, but also the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will which we can find in 1 Corinthians 10:14, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry." and again in Galatians 5:20, "idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies," and in Colossians 3:5, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." and finally, in 1 Peter 4:3, "For we have spent enough of our past lifetime[a] in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries." 

The origins of idol worship and some of the forms of idolatry have been established. While sifting through some of my YouTube subscriptions from the Christian community and what some call, "Truthers", I came across a very disturbing video expose' on a very rich, very young but very influential you-tuber and this took me down a rabbit trail that now led me to this post. My idolatry post will concentrate on the #4 above, in the forms of idolatry, because, with much sorrow and grief, we are moving a generation as far from God as possible and it's very disconcerting! In no way, will I name the "idol" as he does not deserve any more publicity than he already has received. However, this video apparently went viral and due to the backlash the young man took it down himself. YouTube did NOT remove it. YouTube did NOT shut his channel down. I did not see his video, nor would I have wanted to had he not taken it down. What I saw, what I heard from this "young man's" own mouth in his "scripted, yet self-serving" apology was enough to know who this person served, who he is, and what his motives are....evil. Satan masquerades in many forms, appearing as something on the surface that may seem innocuous and unassuming. Don't be fooled!!! We are living in a dissatisfied age, a generation full of angst, anger, distractions, emptiness and desires of the flesh. Satan is roaming around heavily and stealthily knowing his time is running out....it's short. He knows it. I will give the premises of this "viral" video and I'm sure you will immediately know who this young man is and if you have young children, teenagers or young 20-something adults, pay attention. The young man in question is a danger to his huge following.

Aokigahara Forest

There is a forest in Japan called, Aokigahara. Northwest of the amazingly majestic Mount Fuji lays Aokigahara in the sprawling 13.5 square miles: it's a forest so thick with foliage that it since became  known as the Sea of Trees. However, the Aokigahara forest has the unfortunate, disturbing distinction of being the world’s second most popular place to commit suicide. The Golden Gate Bridge is the first place according to recent data. The number 1 way of suicide in this forest is by hanging, 2nd is drug overdoses. According to many sources, many researchers, legend of the Sea of Trees and many investigative reports, Japanese spiritualists, which in and of themselves are occultic in nature, believe that the suicides that have been committed in the forest have permeated the Aokigahara’s trees, thereby generating paranormal activity. They "indicate" this is preventing many who enter the forest from escaping the forest’s depths, never returning. This, of course, is not the case or the cause but rather based on these "spiritualists" occult belief systems. It's said to be the commonplace of Japanese businessmen to end their lives there because of the tree density and the eerie isolation it provides. They say there have been many common experiences of compasses being rendered useless by the rich deposits of the magnetic iron in the area's volcanic soil that seems to be complicating matters further. Let's also remember that Japan has the highest suicide rate in the world! The forest is said to be just plain eerie by many visitors to the site but also said the trees organically twist and turn, while their roots wind across the forest floor in treacherous threads. The location of the forest is at the base of a mountain so the ground is uneven, rocky, and perforated with hundreds of caves. There really isn't a "walker's path" to take a leisurely stroll through. The terrain is extremely tricky, but worse is the feeling of isolation that is created from the eerie stillness. You see, the trees are too tightly packed for winds to whip through and the wildlife is sparse. Perfect recipe for a disaster. This forest is so daunting that there are signs all through the area like, "Your life is a precious gift from your parents. Think about them and the rest of your family. You don't have to suffer alone." and other signs to deter, the mostly male, suicidal people. Some include numbers to the suicide hotline.

There's the history, although brief for the sake of this writing and now it brings me to the video. The young man, who is one of the most influential young YouTube stars on the internet, took his crew to this forest. Cameras and phones in tow, they obviously set out to see what this forest was all about, and to see if their were any truths to the "legend." They happened upon a real suicide victim hanging from a tree. A poor, depressed, broken man took his life. This young man, who is so "drunk" on his fame and fortune and success, didn't stop rolling and actually filmed this poor soul's dead body. He had no shame. Neither did his crew. After some time, there were inappropriate jokes and they were laughing. I don't care what kind of jokes they were making, it was NOT the time for laughter. This should have been a moment of shock, of pain and sorrow. They should have immediately turned off every recording device out of sheer respect, but they didn't. This should have shaken them to their very core and been a moment of grief. Not of jokes and laughter. Not of disrespect. Not of disregard for another human life. This was such a disgusting act of inconsideration that I had no words. I did watch his weak, self-serving apology video and my spirit was grieving. I watched him holding back a "smirk" in such disrespect that I couldn't believe anyone would believe this apology was real. In this video is when I realized it was NOT YouTube that took the video down for violating their own guidelines, but rather the young man's decision. It was at this point when I realized just how many "truther's" and Christians who got their videos taken down, or their whole channels suspended or taken down permanently by YouTube for MUCH LESS and somehow this didn't seem fair or just. Christians are the target. Truth is a target. Jesus is a target. Everything else seems to be a go.

Anyway, this video of the suicide, became a "thumbnail" to promote it. The still shot used was with this young man in a silly, childish hat, It gleaned over 6 million views within the first 24 hours of his upload. He is, and has been, YouTube's cash cow because he brings in revenue for them just as much as he brings in the revenue for himself. He is said to have made $12.5 million, yes MILLION, dollars last year. Making videos. He decided to take a "break" from YouTube to "regroup" and think about his "actions." Nothing is going to come of it. It can't. Too much money will be lost and that's the motivation and his idol. The apology video was disturbingly cold. He barely blinked as though he was trying to desperately convince his "audience" of his sincerity. Lack of a natural function is an indicator of deception. Blinking is natural and to NOT blink is to FORCE it to stop which means deception. Simple lie detection. Simple lies. Now all I had to do is simply put his name in the YouTube search bar to see his influence and his demographics, ages 8-15 year-olds, mostly. These are very young, impressionable children who are "idolizing" this immature young man who does nothing but brag about his "wealth, possessions and experiences." These children are looking up to him, and due to his recent publicity stunt, he had thousands of his "fans" DEFEND his actions!!! He knows who is watching him and following him. His subscribers are in the millions as well as his worth. The sad thing is the trauma this idiotic action has unknowingly caused won't be publicized nor will it be spoken about. In researching this influencer, I came across a moving, yet horrifying, video of a mother filming the "aftermath" reaction of her young son after he viewed the video before it was pulled. The heart-wrenching cries and sobs from this young boy, maybe 10-11 years of age, broke my heart! The mother was consoling him, trying to explain what couldn't be explained. This little boy looked up to this young man just as many, many others. He will be undoubtedly scarred for the rest of his little life from viewing a dead body hanging from a tree and where is the young star? Reaping in the money that came from this disgusting video, laying up in his mansion, thinking about his actions. Really?

What does this have to do with idol worship, you might ask? Well, this young star is an idol to millions of young, easily influenced, kids. They spend hours watching him, listening to him, emulating him and his actions, mimicking him, and wanting to be like him. He has a mass appeal but in no way is he a good influence to others. Clearly. This suicide video and the reaction of the crew and him, the laughing and joking about such a sensitive subject as suicide, shows the lengths that greedy people will go to gain more views, more money, more power, more possessions. There was no regard for the family of this victim. Nobody, including him and his crew, knew if the victim's family was even notified or if the man had been identified. Yet he put this on the internet for all to see. Young and old, near and far. I was so disgusted by the level this young star went to for his self-serving ways. He became the idol that he always wanted to be and found his following for his narcissistic ways. His ego is feeding off of every subscriber, off of every view, off of every comment. He flaunts his excesses to his young audience making it appear attainable to those who aren't old enough to know better. Or the truth. He has achieved a "demi-god" status and he is literally addicted to the fame. Children and young adults are worshipping this young star as though he is a "god." They hold on to every word, experience, and action as though they "know" him personally. This is the danger in the technological age. The parents aren't paying that much attention to the content this young star is putting out and now they better sit up and take notice because he has just went over the line. The little boy that was sobbing and in clear mental distress over what he had just seen is an indication of the trauma this young star perpetuated on his followers. That one little boy will pay mentally for what he just watched, likely innocently, for a long time to come and this is just ONE that we all know of. While idols come in many different forms, this idol worship is dangerously evil. We, as a society, need to take more time with the children, raise them up in the way that they should go, seeking the Lord Jesus Christ.

These idols often mix in other "idols" of worship unbeknownst to the viewers so it becomes a very detrimental driving force to a population seeking immediate satisfaction, emulating whoever is "cool" at the moment and finding their "self" in others. A very dangerous path to say the least. This video was, and is, an outrage and many more people, parents and subscribers should sit up and take notice! He tried, while forcing himself to NOT blink, to convince his "audience" he uploaded the video and their experiences with the suicide victim as a way of a suicide prevention video. I believe at that moment, I fell ill to my stomach! By laughing and joking and showing the victim's actual body hanging from a tree knowing full well who their audience is, does NOT promote suicide awareness at all! This was clearly the enemy sending out more lies, traumatizing more youth, infecting the minds of the innocent. Suicide awareness is a real thing. It aims to help. It aims to assist with depression. It aims to educate. This video? It aimed to hurt, to kill, to devour. Sound familiar? If not, let me familiarize you with 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." It's hard to be sober and vigilant when this kind of content is ALLOWED to be uploaded and is viewed by over 6 million people, many of which were youths. It is hard to be sober minded when a child's mind is bombarded with these images and this young star isn't held accountable or responsible for his actions. He will be rewarded for his egregious acts because YouTube will keep his money-making channel up for more of his shenanigans. This will bring this young star even more money, more fame, more hunger and more edginess. How far will YouTube allow others to go if they allow this to occur? How far will others go in worshipping these kinds of people in hopes of becoming the very idol that is dragging them down in the pits of darkness?

The idols are being put before Jesus and are being worshipped as though they are above all others. Idol worship will leave you empty and in the generation we are raising, they are searching for something that will only be found in Jesus Christ! They are trying to fill an emptiness that is void of all joy and happiness through the technology of videos, smart phones, and television. There's an overwhelming unhappiness, emotional distance, disengagement, and disproportionate shortness of attention spans rampantly consuming this world. People are living through their devices and experiencing life strictly through their phones, ipad, tablets and computers. It's not real life. But it's their "real" life. Nobody can leave their phones turned off or leave them behind altogether. Nobody can put down all the distractions which leads to more idol worship because it's at their fingertips. This young star is shallow, empty and unfulfilled himself. Things don't make you truly happy. Things don't fulfill your emptiness. This star, though, has convinced the masses that he is happy, real, approachable, successful and content. He thrives on the attention and everyone continues to give it to him. He thrives on the financial success. Everyone clicks on his videos. At the end of the day, when he's alone with his thoughts, in his mansion that's too big for him. I imagine there is a great fear inside of his soul of being alone. All alone. People who crave that kind of materialism and fame and success, often fear being alone as this kind of fame affords them an entourage and people at their beckon call. Empty. Sad. And it can be taken away in a blink of an eye.

Idols as this young star is and has become, can never be good for anyone. However, even more so with our youth. Impressionable. Gullible. Some even entitled. If you think about idol worship in the full scope of its meaning, so many other sins come to light because of it. Jealousy, contention, hatred, sexual immorality, love of money and selfish ambitions. There is so much danger in idolizing another person, no matter what stage of fame they've obtained because they ALL have paid a price, a dear price, for their gains and success. There is always some form of sacrifice. The state of this young star's mental status is questionable as this was not a normal reaction to something so heart-wrenching as the loss of life of suicide. If we question his mental status because of his actions and lack thereof, then what kind of influence is he really? It's frightening to think that this star, for a lack of a better word, has so many defending him and what he did, saying there was nothing wrong with it and going as far as loosely "threatening" those who voice their disgust against him. He is lost. He is broken. Just like the victim in the tree he happened upon. Suicide is no laughing matter. It is becoming a social norm because it brings the "unheard" their last 15 minutes of fame. We have a generation of sadness and sickness. We have a generation of diversions and distractions.We have a generation of selfishness and self-serving attitudes. It's being perpetuated daily by the newest, coolest, funniest, daringest, silliest, narcissistic, entitled, and "creative" people, mainly young ladies and young men. These people are influencing the masses. Same goes for the entertainment industry, from movie stars to music stars. I'm focusing on the young YouTube star and how his lack of wisdom of what's right and wrong as opposed to how many clicks he would get and how many views it would generate. Greed. It's ugly. It's dangerous. And it's toxic.

People like this young influencer, can lead so many astray and down paths that are full of traps. These influential stars are never held accountable for what types of things they push. Eventually, some day, some way, they too will fall. It will not be pretty and it will hurt beyond anything they ever imagined. But the ways of man....they seem right.....they aren't. This egregious act is proof. YouTube removed him from Google's top tier ad revenue which will eventually hurt his pocket. But with other incidents in the past, eventually these "types" regain their strength and begin to soar again. What price will be paid to regain that strength, one has to wonder. Undoubtedly, there will be other forces against him as well but only time will tell. Remember, there is a price to pay and eventually, the piper will come for his dues. There is an ironic twist to this video upload. It's in conjunction with a movie that he was to star in on YouTube Red that would soon be released called, and aptly titled, "The Thinning: New World Order."  Coincidence? You decide. The project has been shelved in light of this debacle. People who reach this level of success at such a young age fall the hardest and it will appear to be the case if things continue to rise against him to the point that he just can't recover what he is soon to lose. Again, only time will tell but it's not going to be easy anytime soon. He might lose plenty of his possessions and money but that's not the worst thing he can lose.....just as the victim he so disrespectfully filmed and tried to gain from, he could lose his life, eternally. In the end, if he doesn't repent, turn from his ways, accept Jesus Christ as his savior, and be truly born again, his eternal life is already set. Unless he becomes born again in Jesus Christ, eternal life will be lived out in Hell where the gnashing of teeth prevails! I don't wish that upon anyone, not even this narcissistic, self-serving young star. He is just as lost and broken. He is empty and sad. These things are temporary but those that he is influencing don't understand that concept. They are too young-minded. And they are needing the same kind of "turning away" as the young star needs....idol worship is the same kind of powerful sin as the idol itself. Don't be fooled....the enemy lies are accepted all the time. 

Idol Worship

You see, those who worship "other gods" and idols will ultimately face the same fate as the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel where they were challenged  to a duel by the prophet Elijah. Elijah and the prophets of Baal offered up their sacrifices to their respective deities. However, they did not burn the sacrifices. The god who responded to their entreaties and subsequently took their sacrifice would be declared the one true God for all Israel. The prophets of Baal started very early and prayed while pleading with Baal to burn their sacrifice. In the meantime, Elijah kept taunting them. 1 Kings 18:27, "And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." So in the end, the prophets of Baal were all killed by the Israelites after the one, true God demonstrated His ultimate power, burning up the offering, the water, the wood, the stones, and the soil at the altar. Idol worship is, and can be, a powerful temptation because it feeds into an ego and it feeds into the sin nature of man. Idol worship, is in some ways, self-worship. It's so powerful that only those who belong to Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them can possibly hope to resist that strong temptation of our modern idolatry. As we know, it comes in many forms. When we hear the word idol, as mentioned earlier, we often think of statues and objects reminiscent of those that were worshipped by pagans in the ancient cultures of old. However, the idols of our generation and in the 21st century oftentimes bear absolutely no resemblance to the artifacts used thousands of years ago. Today, many have replaced the idolatry of the "golden calf" with their insatiable drive for money, prestige or "success" in the eyes of the this fallen world. To some, their status being held in high regard of others is something of an ultimate goal. Some seek after physical/emotional/mental comfort or a myriad of other passionate, yet empty, pursuits. Sadly, there is an oddity in our society where others often admire those who are actually serving such idols. In the end, however, ultimately it doesn’t really matter what empty pleasures one chases after, or what idol one worships, or which false god one bows down to; the result is definitely, yet profoundly, the same - separation from the one true, living God.

Let's put into perspective what an idol ultimately is....it's anything we put before God, anything that takes God’s place in our hearts, lives and spirits such as possessions, careers, relationships, hobbies, sports, entertainment, goals, greed, addictions to alcohol/drugs/gambling/pornography, etc. Some of the things we idolize are clearly sinful and no explanation is needed but others may be very good, such as relationships or careers. Yet, scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." and that we are to serve God only as stated in Deuteronomy 6:13, "you shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name." and also in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." But sadly, it's God who is often the one we push out of the picture while we zealously pursue our idols. The worst thing, however, is the significant amount of time that we often spend in these idolatrous pursuits that leave us with little or no time to spend with the Lord. That grieves Him. That's why we are warned so diligently against idol worship. I look at the time and the number of hours spent on this young stars channel idolizing him in all of his immature antics and think just how many of this young children, young boys and girls, are missing opportunities to spend that time with the Lord. I wonder....do they know Him like they know their "idol?" I ponder this as I write because sadly, I believe I already know the answer.....I understand fully how we sometimes turn to idols seeking solace from the hardships and trials of this life and the turmoil present in our world as a whole. Addictive behaviors like drug or alcohol use/abuse, or even something as deemed innocent like excessive reading or television viewing, may also be used as a means of temporarily "escaping" a difficult situation or the stressors of our daily life. However, the psalmist tells us that those who place their trust in this behavior will, essentially, become spiritually useless as indicated in Psalm 115:8, "Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them." and in Psalm 121:7, we're told, "The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul." and promised to supply all of our needs when we trust in Him.

The things of this world, of this life, will never satisfy the human heart fully because it was never meant to. The sinful things deceive us, tempt us, beckon us and ultimately lead us only to death as we are told in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The good things of this world are gifts from God, and there are plenty good things in this world! They are meant to be enjoyed with a thankful, joyful heart, in submission to Him and for His glory. However, it's when the gift replaces the Giver, or the created replaces the Creator, in our lives, that we run into falling into idolatry. Remember, NO idol can inject our lives with meaning or worth nor can it give us eternal hope or eternal LIFE. Solomon beautifully conveys in the book of Ecclesiastes, that apart from a right relationship with God, life is futile. AMEN! We were created in God’s image,  designed to worship and glorify Him as He, ALONE, is worthy of our worship. God placed "eternity in man’s heart" as indicated in Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end." and a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to fulfill this longing for eternal life. Period. Nothing else can, or will, compare nor fulfill the longing. All of our idolatrous pursuits will ultimately leave us empty, unsatisfied, and on the broad road that leads to destruction which most people take. Matthew 7:13, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it."

I shudder to think of all the broken people, the lonely ones, the impressionable minds and the lost ones who happened across that disgusting and irresponsible video who may have already been in a compromised state of mind. I shudder to think about those who struggle with suicidal thoughts and ideations coming across that video at the wrong time and finding a "solution" to an imagined problem. This young star should not be rewarded for his bad behavior because one never knows just how much this one insensitive act of greed effected the mass crowds of people who viewed it. He should be penalized, demonetized and shut down. Money isn't all there is in this life nor is the success that is obviously going to be short lived if the voices of reason have their way! I pray more voices are heard and fight against this absolute atrocious act. I pray for the family of the victim and I pray the victim sought the face of Jesus Christ before he took his last breath! It's never too late to turn from our idols, to not fall victim to the "young stars" of this generation. It's never too late to get involved, to monitor what your children are watching and following while limiting the amount of time they are spending in pursuit of idolatry. I don't want to see notoriety being given to someone like this young man nor to the forest of no return! Those Japanese "spiritualists" who said the souls of the victims are inhabiting the trees, have no idea what the speak of as this is very much a part of their cultural beliefs. Talking like this brings people to the forest, some already despondent, crying out for help and who are so overwhelmed that they don't see a way out. The forest isn't it. Jesus is the ONLY way out!

So I plead with each of you, don't give the devil his due and turn from the idolatry that you have found in your lives. Don't reward the "young man" and his ilk for their bad decisions and bad behaviors by supporting something, excusing it and defending something so horribly wrong! Don't get caught up in the lies!!! Look deep inside for the idols you worship and pray for deliverance from them and turn your face and your attention to Jesus! He is the ONLY answer we have in this life!!!

I pray for the family of the victim for comfort and reprieve! I pray for all of the young children who witnessed this horrible video to be protected and comforted by the loving hand of God! I pray for their families for an awakening to the world around them as we move closer to the end times!

In the name of Jesus Christ! Love to you all!


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