What were the Biblical Consequences for Worshiping other gods and What are Some of the Passages of Promise?

It was on my heart to do this Biblical Research Project to show what the Bible says on this topic. In order to do this Biblical Research Project, I will use the New King James Version of the Bible [a.k.a. NKJV], biblegateway.com/ and other internet resources, as needed.  Special note: Any time I use a capital “G” in God, I am referring to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and I will capitalize pronouns referring to Him . I will use lower case letters for all other references to god. I will use yellow to highlight God, His compassion, mercy, etc. . I will highlight passages in orange that say that the Lord God is the only God. Or there is no other God.  I will highlight in green when the Bible talks about other references to god.Since it made it difficult to differentiate between all the false gods, idols, and other things people worshiped in the Bible, I tried to make a little spot with no highlighting to make it easier to identify them. Additionally, I will highlight the consequence for following false gods in blue. Since there are so many Bible passages that meet the parameters of this Biblical Research Project, I will put a turquoise highlight at the beginning of the Bible passages that are especially significant, to help narrow your focus.

You may read this Biblical Research Project, as well as others in their entirety on either of these two blogs I felt led to create: Biblical Proof! at https://BiblicalProof.blogspot.com/ or Do Biblical Inconsistencies Really Matter? at https://Biblicalinconsistencies.blogspot.com/ 

Sometimes Bible passages have the word “he” and “him” within them. I will put within brackets who is speaking and who is spoken to anytime I determine it is beneficial for clarity. Additionally, I will put my analysis, evaluation, comments, and opinions within brackets, as well. 

[Note: Both of the passages in Exodus 34:13-17 and Leviticus 2-:4-8 and other passages in the Bible, talk about the Israelites playing the harlot or prostituting themselves to other gods, mediums and those with familiar spirits. The Lord God wanted the Israeltites to worship only Him, the One True God, who freed them from the oppression of the Pharaoh in Egypt. Although they know this and have seen how the Lord God miraculously provided manna, meat and water for them while they wandered in the wilderness, they still were led astray by those in other countries who worshiped false gods, used mediums, worshiped the sun and the stars, contacted the dead, had child sacrifice, and walked through fire, etc. The comparison is connected to how some people have been unfaithful going from person to person, just as the Israelites were unfaithful to the Lord God and went from god to god and turned their backs on the Lord God.]

[Some even led other Israelites astray so the Lord God had to have serious consequences for their choices to worship false gods as a deterrent. Sometimes, there was the consequence of death to stop others from continuing to be led astray. Other times, they were taken captive, so they could contemplate their choices and have the opportunity to turn back to worshiping the Lord God. It’s so amazing that when they would sincerely choose to turn back to the Lord God, He would forgive them and take them back.]

[Using Biblegateway.com/, I found out that the Old Testament speaks about idols 127 times and in the New Testament 31 times for a total of 158 times. Carved images are mentioned only in the Old Testament for a total of 46 times. Molded images are mentioned in the Old Testament for a total of 23 times. That does not count all the other times when it talks about false gods in different formats, like images made of wood, images made with their own hands, although many of these are in the verses I analyzed that follows.]

[Passages with Consequences for Worshipping false gods:

·         Exodus 20:5-6 says: ...you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

·         Exodus 22:20 says: “He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed. 

·         Exodus 32:35 goes on to say: So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.

·         Exodus 34:13-15 says: “But you shall destroy their [Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzite, Hivites, and Jebusites] altars break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

·         Leviticus 20:5 says: then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech [a false god whom they sacrifice their children to or make them walk through fire]

·         Numbers 25:4-55 says:Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel. So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor [idol].” 

·         Numbers 33:52 says: …’then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places;...

·         Deuteronomy 4:27-28 says: And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nation where the Lord will drive you. And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 

·          Deuteronomy 6:13-15 says: “You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of this earth.

·         Deuteronomy 7:16 says: “Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.” 

·         Deuteronomy 7:25 says: “You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver of gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. 

·         Deuteronomy 8:19-20 says: “Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.”

·         Deuteronomy 17:3-5 says: “...who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination has been committed in Israel, then you shall bring out to your gates that man of woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.”

·         Deuteronomy 18:20 says: ‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’

·         Deuteronomy 27:14-15 says: “And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel: ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and set it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen!’”

·         Deuteronomy  28:36-37 says: “The Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods- wood and stone. And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.”

·         Deuteronomy 29:20 says: “The Lord would not spare him [who turns away from the Lord]; for then the anger of the Lord and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him, and the Lord would blot out his name from under heaven. 

·         Deuteronomy 29:24-26 says: “All nations would say, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?’ “Then people would say: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them.”

·         Deuteronomy 30:17-18 says: “But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.” 

·          Deuteronomy 32:37-39 says: He will say: Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge? Who ate the fat of their sacrifices, And drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise and help you, And be your refuge. Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

·         Judges 2:13-15 says: They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them they were greatly distressed. 

·         Judges 2:16-17 says:  Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord: they did not do so.

·         Judges 2:19-22 says:  And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, “I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.”

·         Judges 3:7-8 says: So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 

·         Judges 10:6-7 says: Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him. So the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. 

·         1 Kings 9:6-7 God warns Solomon and says: “But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.” 

·         1 Kings 11:9-11 goes on to say: So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 

·         1 Kings 14:8-10 God has Jeroboam told: “...and [I, God]  tore the kingdom away front the house of David, and gave it to you [Jeroboam]; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back- therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone.”

·         1 Kings 16:12-13 says: Thus Zimri destroyed all the household of Baasha, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha the sins of Elah his son, by which they had sinned and by which they had made Israel sin, in provoking the Lord God of Israel to anger with their idols. 

·         1 Kings 18:35-40 says: Elijah had challenged the priests of Baal to have their idol start their burnt offering, but they couldn’t:  So the water ran all around the altar; and he [Elijah] also filled the trench with water. And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. “Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, he is God! The Lord, He is God~” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

·         In 1 Kings 21:24-26 God tells Elisha what to say to King Ahab: “The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.” But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 21:28-29 further says: And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.” [Although the first part of this tells the wicked things King Ahab has done, but the second portion shows what a difference turning to the Lord God can make.]

·         2 Kings 1:2-4 says: Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Edron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is not God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.”’ So Elijah departed.

·         2 Kings 10:21-22 says: Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So they came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. And he [Jehu] said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. So he brought out the vestments for them. 10:25-28 goes on to say: Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal, and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel. [God had Jehu kill those who worshiped the false god, Baal, so that Israel would turn from their wicked ways.] 

·         2 Kings 15:9-10 says: And he [Zechariah] did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin. Then Shallum the son of Jabest conspired against him, and struck and killed him in front of the people; and he reigned in his place.15:24-25 goes on to say: And he [Pekahiah] did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,who had made Israel sin. Then Pekah the son of Remaliah, an officer of his conspired against him and killed him in Samaria, in the citadel of the king’s house, along with Argob and Arieh; and with him were fifty men of Gilead. He killed him and reigned in his place. 

·         2 Kings 17:16-18 further says: So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone. 

·         2 Kings 21:20-23 says: And he [Amon] did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. So he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them. He forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord. Then the servants of Amon conspired against him, and killed the king in his own house.

·         1 Chronicles 5:25-26 says: And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land whom God had destroyed before them. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Havor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day. 

·         2 Chronicles  24:17-21 says: Now after the death of Jehoiada the leaders of Judah came and bowed down to the king. And the king listened to them. Therefore they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’” So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. 

·         2 Chronicles 24:22-24 further says: Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son; and as he died, he said, “The Lord look on it, and repay!” So it happened in the spring of the year that the army of Syria came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the leaders of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; but the Lord delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken  the Lord God God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash. 

·         2 Chronicles 25:1-2 says: And he [Amaziah] did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart. 25:14-16 goes on to say: Now it was so, after Amaziah came from the slaughter of Edomites, that he brought the gods of the people of Seir, set them up to be his gods, and bowed down before them and burned incense to them. Therefore the anger of the Lord was aroused against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people, which could not rescue their own people from your hand?” So it was, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, “Have we made you the king’s counselor? Cease! Why should you be killed?” Then the prophet ceased, and said, “I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this and have not heeded my advice.”

·         2 Chronicles 25:27 further says: After the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 

·         2 Chronicles 28:5 says: Therefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter. 28:9 further says: But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven.

·         2 Chronicles 33:22-24 says: But he [Amon] did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them. And he did not humble himself before the Lord, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. Then his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his own house. 

·         Psalm 106:12-21 says: Then they believed His [the Lord God’s] words; They sang His praise. Then soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul. When they envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the Lord, The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, And covered the faction of Abiram. A fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked. They made a calf in Horeb, And worshiped the molded image. Thus they changed their glory Into the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt. 

·         Psalm 106:28-31 says: They joined themselves also to Baal [false god] of Peor, And ate sacrifices made to the dead. Thus they provoked Him [the Lord God] to anger with their deeds, And the plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, And the plague was stopped. And that was accounted to him for righteousness To all generations forevermore. 106:39 yet says: Thus they were defiled by their own works, and played the harlot by their own deeds.  

·         Psalm 115:3-8 says: But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.

·         Isaiah 10:10-11 says: As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?

·         Isaiah 14:12-15 says: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol [Hell], To the lowest depths of the Pit.” [Although we all have choices, the Lord God doesn’t take kindly to Lucifer/Satan/Devil trying to become more powerful than the Lord God and he shall be cast into Hell at the appointed time.]

·         Isaiah 47:12-15 says: “Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries, In which you have labored from your youth- Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you will prevail. You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators [try to foretell the future using astronomy] Stand up and save you from what shall come upon you. Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before! Thus shall they be to you With whom you have labored, Your merchants from your youth; They shall wander each one to his quarter. No one shall save you.”

·         Jeremiah 1:16 says: I will utter My judgments Against them concerning all their wickedness, Because they have forsaken Me, Burned incense to other gods, And worshiped the works of their own hands. 

·         Jeremiah 2:28 says: “But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your trouble; For according to the number of your cities Are your gods, O Judah.” [The Lord God lets the Israelites know that their choice to worship false gods and idols is counter-productive and they won’t be able to help them in their times of trouble the way the Lord God, their fountain of living water can.] 

·         Jeremiah 5:18-19 says: “Nevertheless in those days,” says the Lord, “I will not make a complete end of you. And it will be when you say, ‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?’ then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.”

·         Jeremiah 7:30-32 says: “For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight,” says the Lord. “They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart. Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room.”

·         Jeremiah 8:2 says: “They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven [Zodiac], which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor bruised; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth.” 8:19 goes on to say: Listen! The voice, The cry of the daughter of my people From a far country: “Is not the Lord in Zion? Is not her King in her?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger With their carved images- With foreign idols?”

·         Jeremiah 9:13-15 says: And the Lord said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it, but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.”

·          Jeremiah 10:14-16 says: Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image [idol]; For his molded image [idol] is falsehood, and there is no breath in them [idols]. They [idols] are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish. The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He [the Lord God] is the Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The Lord of hosts is His name.” [Jeremiah contrasts an idol made with human hands with the Lord God who created everything!]

·         Jeremiah 11:11-13 says: Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.” 

·         Jeremiah 13:9-10 says: “Thus says the Lord: ‘In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing. For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the Lord, ‘that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’”

·         Jeremiah 16:11 says: `Then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me,’ says the Lord; they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me, and not kept My law.” 16:13 goes on to say: Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.’ 11:18 “And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance witht he carcassees of their detestable and abominable idols.” 

·         Jeremiah 19:2-6 says: “And go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the Potsherd Gate; and proclaim there the words that I will tell you, and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will bring such a catastrophe on this place, that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle. Because they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, nor their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents ‘(they have also built the high place of Baal [idol], to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind), therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that this place shall no more be called Tophet or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.” 19:12-13 goes on to say: “Thus I will do to this place,” says the Lord, “and to its inhabitants, and make this city like Tophet. And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah shall be defiled like the place of Tophet, because of all the houses on whose roofs they have burned incense to all the host of heaven [Zodiac, etc.], and poured out drink offering to other gods.”’

·         Jeremiah 32:29-30 says: ‘And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands,’ says the Lord. 32:34-35 goes on to say: ‘But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination to cause Judah to sin.’ [Besides worshiping Baal, a false god, they made their children go through the fire of Molech, a false god, which God would never have thought of asking us to do.]

·         Jeremiah 50:38 says: A drought is against her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is the land of carved images, And they are insane with their idols.

·         Jeremiah 51:15-19 says: He [God] has made the earth by His power’ He has established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heaven by His understanding. When He [God] utters His voice- There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightnings for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries.” Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image [idol]; For his molded image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish. The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name. 51:47 goes on to say: Therefore behold, the days are coming That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon; Her whole land shall be ashamed, And all her slain shall fall in her midst. 51:52 yet says: “Therefore behold, the days are coming.” says the Lord, “That I will bring judgment on her carved images, And throughout all her land the wounded shall groan.” [God is the Maker of the world and all in it, why would anyone worship a false god, anything made by man’s hand?]

·         Ezekiel 6:4-10 says: “Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries. Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”

·         Ezekiel 8:16-18 further says: So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. “Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” [God wanted Ezekiel to see the abominations the priests were doing behind closed doors and worshiping the sun and idols, so they will get the consequence for their choices.] 

·         Ezekiel 14:3-7 says: “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged  from Me by their idols.” Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God:  “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all of your abominations. For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets us his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. 

·         Ezekiel 22:3-5 says: “Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. Those near and far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult.”

·         Ezekiel 23:7 says: Thus she committed her harloty with them, All of them choice men of Assyria; And with all for whom she lusted, With all their idols, she defiled herself.  23:30 goes on to say: “I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols.''

·         Ezekiel 28:2 says: “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas,’ Yet you are a man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god.” 28:6-9 goes on to say: ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, The most terrible of the nations; And they will draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, And defile your splendor. They shall throw you down into the Pit [hell], And you shall die the death of the slain In the midst of the seas. Will you still say before him who slays you, ‘I am a god’? But you shall be a man, and not a god, In the hand of him who slays you.” [The Lord God tells of the consequence for the prince of Tyre who said that he is a god, but when he has his consequence, he will die as a man, not a god, in the hand of the person who slays him.]

·         Ezekiel 30:13 says: ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will also destroy the idols, And cause the images to cease from Noph; There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt; I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

·         Ezekiel 44:10-12 says: “And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people and they shall stand before them to minister to them. Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord God, “that they shall bear their iniquity.” [The Levites had been especially selected to be the ministers to the Israelites, but chose to teach them to worship idols, so they will no longer have positions of status and will only take care of the menial  positions for caring for the church and sacrifices for doing so.]

·         Hosea 10:12-13 goes on to say: Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity, You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way. In the multitude of your mighty men.

·         Hosea 12:10-11 says: “I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets.” Though Gilead has idols- Surely they are vanity- Though they sacrifice bulls in Gilgal, Indeed their altars shall be heaps in the furrows of the field. 

·         Hosea 13:1-4 says: When Epharaim spoke, trembling, He exalted himself in Israel; But when he offended through Baal worship, he died. Now they sin more and more, And have made for themselves molded images, Idols of their silver, according to their skill; All of it is the work of craftsmen. They say of them, “Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves [idols]!” Therefore they shall be like the morning cloud And like the early dew that passes away, Like chaff blown off from a threshing floor [the waste part of the grain] And like smoke from a chimney. “Yet I am the Lord your God Ever since the land of Egypt, And you shall know no God but Me; for there is no savior besides Me.”

·         Micah 3:6-8 says: “Therefore you shall have night without vision. And you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, And the day shall be dark for them. So the seers [fortune tellers] shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God.” 

·         Habakkuk 2:18-19 says: “What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols [idols that can’t talk]? Woe to him who says to wood, ’Awake!’ To silent stone, ‘Arise! It shall teach!’ Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, Yet in it there is no breath at all.” [It never ceases to amaze God that people would spend their time making and worshiping the idols they made who do not breathe or talk and are nothing but wood or metal or both.] 

·         Malachi 3:5-6 says: And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien- Because they do not fear Me,
 Says the Lord of hosts. “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” 3:16-18 continues to say: Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him [God] For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.” Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked. Between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him. [These passages speak of Judgment Day when the Lord God will choose between His jewels, who worshiped Him, and those who not only worshiped false gods, but also those who exploited women and orphans, and who turn away the alien. Something to think about in our current time!!!] 

·         Revelation 9:20-21says: But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality of their thefts. [Even though they were warned and had many opportunities to change their choices, many still worshiped idols, demons, and did not repent and follow the Lord God.]

[Time and time again, the Israelites were led astray by worshiping the false gods and idols of the neighboring areas. God would warn them or have prophets tell them the consequences for going astray, but they rarely listened. When they had the consequences for turning their backs on the Lord God, they would cry out to the Lord and when they would turn back to Him and He would take them back again and again.]

[Sometimes, the Lord God gave them a judge or a prophet to lead and refocus them, and they did well until the judge or the prophet died. Then, they fell back into their old patterns of worshiping false gods and idols. Fortunately, the Lord God never totally gave up and continued to provide ways for them to see the error of their ways, so that they would turn back to worshiping the Lord God.]

[Passages with Promise that show the Lord God’s Mercy and Compassion] 

• Exodus 34:5-6 says: Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 
• Deuteronomy 4:28-31 says: And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you see Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
• Deuteronomy  4:35 says: “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.” 
• Deuteronomy  4:39 says: Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.”
• Deuteronomy 5:9-10 says:  For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
• Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
• Deuteronomy 11:26-28 says: “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.”
• Deuteronomy 13:17-18 says, “So none of the accursed things shall remain in your hand, that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of His anger and show you mercy, have compassion on you and multiply you, just as He swore to your fathers, because you have listened to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all His commandments which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.” 
• Deuteronomy 18:14-15 says: For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you. The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.
• Deuteronomy 31:6 says: “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
• Deuteronomy 32:6 says:“For the Lord will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free. 
• Joshua 22:5 says: “But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 
• Joshua 23:6-8 says: “Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.”
• Joshua 24:20-23 says: “ If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good. And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!” So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!” “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” [Although we might not have statues of false gods, we can still have false gods in our lives. Anything that becomes of too much importance in our lives, becomes a false god. Things like: having the latest phone, trendy clothes, fast car, impressive job, etc. can become false gods in our lives. It’s important to make the Lord God our first priority, so these worldly items fall in place of lesser importance in our lives.]
• Judges 2:16-17 says:  Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord: they did not do so.
• Judges 2:18-19 says:  And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
• Judges 3:9 says:  When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.  
• Judges 3:14-15 says: So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 
• Judges 10:10-16 says: And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!” So the Lord said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians and the Amelekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” And the children of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. 
• 1 Samuel 2:2 says: “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.” 
• 1 Samuel 7:3-5 says:Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths [idols] from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
• 1 Samuel  7:8 says: So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the Hand of the Philistines.” 
• 1 Samuel 7:10-13 says: Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
• 1 Samuel 12:8-11 says: Samuel reminds the Israelites and says: “When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought our fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. Then they cried out to the Lord and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 
• 1 Samuel  12:14-15 goes on to say: “If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.”
• 2 Samuel 7:22 says: “Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
• 1 Kings 8:59-60 says: “And may these words of mine [Solomon’s words], with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God: there is no other.”
• 1 Kings 9:59-60 says: “And may these words of mine, which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant [Solomon] and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.”
• 1 Kings 11:38 says: Then it shall be, if you [Jeroboam] heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.” 
• 2 Kings  17:39-41 says: “But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their father did, even to this day.
• 2 Kings 19:15 says: Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.”
• 2 Kings 22:15-20 says: Then she [Huldah the prophetess] said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Tell the man who sent you to Me, Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants- all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read-because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.”’ “But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard- because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.” So they brought back word to the king. [This passage shows that the Lord God can see when we turn from our sinful ways and turn to Him. When we sincerely tell Him we are sorry for what we’ve done, He will forgive us.]
• 1 Chronicles 5:18-20 says: They [Some of the Israelites] went to war with the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him. 
• 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 says: Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
• 2 Chronicles 7:17-18 goes says: “As for you, if you [Solomon] walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your fathers, saying, ‘You shall not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’ 
• 2 Chronicles 13:8-10 where Abijah says: “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and with you are the gold calves which Jeroboam made for you as gods. Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests, like the peoples of other lands, so that whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of things that are not gods?But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties.” 
• 2 Chronicles 13:12-16 says: “Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!” But Jeroboam caused an ambush to go around behind them; so they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. And when Judah looked around, to their surprise the battle line was at both front and rear; and they cried out to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets. Then the men of Judah gave a shout; and as the men of Judah shouted, it happened that God struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. And the children of Israel fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hand. 13:18 says: Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers. 
• 2 Chronicles 15:3-4 says: “For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.”
• 1 Chronicles 16:25-26 says: For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens. 
• 2 Chronicles  33:10-13 says: And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his father, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty [request], heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
• Psalm 31:24 says: Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.
• Psalm 50:1 says: The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down. 
• Psalm 116:3-6 says: The pains of earth surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol [Hell] laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, implore You, deliver my soul!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
• Psalm 118:5-8 says: I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. 
• Isaiah 17:7-8 says: In that day a man will look at his Maker [the Lord God], And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel, He will not look to the altars, The work of his hands; He will not respect what his fingers have made, Nor the wooden images [idols] nor the incense altars. 
• Isaiah 30:22-23 says: “You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, And the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing: You will say to them, “Get away!” Then He [the Lord God] will give the rain for your seed With which you sow the ground, And bread of the increase of the earth; It will be fat and plentiful, In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.”
• Isaiah 37:16 says: O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
• Isaiah 42:8 says: “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.”   42:17 goes on to say: “They shall be turned back, They shall be greatly ashamed, Who trust in carved images, Who say to the molded images, ‘You are our gods.’ 
• Isaiah 43:3 says: For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, Your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
• Isaiah 43:10-12 says: “You are My witnesses, says the Lord, And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God.”43:15 goes on to say: “I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.” 
• Isaiah 44:6 says: “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.’ 
• Isaiah 44:8-10 says: “Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one. Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses;They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing?”
• Isaiah 44:24 says: Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb; “I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself:”
• Isaiah 45:5-8 says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me. That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and created darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’ “Rain down, you heavens, from above, And let the skies pour down righteousness; Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together. I, the Lord, have created it.
• Isaiah 45:12 says: I have made the earth, And created man on it. I- My hands- stretched out the heavens, 
• Isaiah 45:15 says: `Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God.”’ Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior! 
• Isaiah 45:16-18 says: They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You shall not be ashamed or disgraced Forever and ever. For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” [Our everlasting salvation comes from Jesus Christ who gave His life for us on the cross as the substitute for us and paid the consequence for our sinful lives].
• Isaiah 45:21 says: Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no others.”
• Isaiah 46:9-10 says: “ Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ 46:12-14 goes on to say: “Listen to Me, you stubborn- hearted, Who are far from righteousness: I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.”
• Isaiah 48:5 says: Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.” 48:12-13 goes on to say: “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together.” 48:17 further says: Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.”
• Isaiah 51:12-13 says: “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid Of a man who will die, And the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens And laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day Because of the fury of the oppressor, When he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor?”
• Isaiah 54:5 says: For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.
• Isaiah 57:13 says: When you cry out, Let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry them all away, A breath will take them. But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, And shall inherit My holy mountain.” [The Lord God is saying to those who believe in false gods and idols, when you have troubles, do you really think your false gods and idols are going to save you? Only those who trust in Me, the Lord God, will inherit salvation!]
• Isaiah 60:9 says: “Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of the Lord your God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He has glorified you.”
• Isaiah 64:4-5 says: For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned- In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved.  [Jesus Christ is the one who saves all those who believe in Him as their Savior.]
• Jeremiah 3:12-13 says: “Go proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord, I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.”[The Lord God will forgive the Israelites who turned astray to alien deities/false gods when they admit their error and turn back to the Lord God.]
• Jeremiah 4:1-2 says: “If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, “Return to Me; And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’ In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; The nations shall bless themselves in Him, And in Him they shall glory.”  
• Jeremiah 7:5-7 says: “For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.” 
• Jeremiah 10:6-7 says: “Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Lord (You are great, and Your name is great in might), Who would not fear [worship] You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You.”
• Jeremiah 10:10-13 says: But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. Thus you shall say to them [idols]: ‘The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.’ “He [the Lord God] has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, And has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. When He [the Lord God] utters His voice, There is a multitude of waters in the heavens: And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He [the Lord God] makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.” 
• Jeremiah 12:16-17 says: “And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people. To swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” says the Lord.
• Jeremiah 14:22 says: Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these.
• Jeremiah 18:7-10 says: “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.” [I like that the Lord God gives all of us choices. If those who chose to do wickedly, turn to the Lord God and follow His statutes, they will no longer have the consequence for their wickedness. But, if those who had followed the Lord God get led astray and start following idols and false gods, they will have the consequence for the wicked choices they are making.]
• Jeremiah 35:15 says: “I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, ‘Turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them; then you will dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers.’ But you have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me.” 
• Ezekiel 11:17-21 says: Therefore say, “Thus says the Lord God: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ “And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in MY statutes and keep My judgements and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.”
• Ezekiel 16:62-63 says: “And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame [of the wickedness you have done], when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’” [This passage is pretty amazing! The Lord God lets them know how terrible it is that they flit back and forth between false gods, when He is their Lord God. Although they will have consequences, the Lord God will not forget the covenant that He made with them years before, and the atonement that He is going to provide is His Son, Jesus, who freely gave His life as a substitute for all our sinful choices, so that those who believe in Him as their Savior can go to heaven when He calls us!]
• Ezekiel 18:5-10 says: “But if a man is just And does what is lawful and right; If he has not eaten on the mountains, Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife, Nor approached a woman during her impurity; If he has not oppressed anyone, But has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no one by violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the naked with clothing; If he has not exacted usury [interest] Nor taken any increase, But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity And executed true judgment between man and man; If he has walked in My statutes And kept My judgments faithfully- He is just; He shall surely live!” Says the Lord God.
• Ezekiel 18:25-32 says: “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgression which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” [This is an amazing Bible passage, because it tells us that even if we have done terribly sinful things in our lives, but choose to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, He will forgive us and all we’ve done in the past. On the other hand, it also says that if we followed the Lord God in years past, but choose to turn away from the Lord God and do wicked things, we will be judged on the Last Day according to the wickedness we chose to do instead of following the Lord. He lets us know that He takes no pleasure in the death of one who dies and warns all of us to turn to Him, our Savior, and live!]
• Ezekiel 20:18-20 says: “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. “I am the Lord your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you that you may know that I am the Lord your God.''
• Ezekiel 36:18 says: “Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.” 36:24-28 goes on to say: “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all counties, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.” [After all their choices to worship idols, the Lord God will still bring them back and give them a new heart to follow Him, His statutes and be His people.]
• Ezekiel 37:23 says: “They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” 
• Daniel 3:29 says: “Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap, because there is no other God.” [When the 3 Israelites who had been thrown into the burning hot furnace for failing to worship false gods, came out alive, King Nebuchadnezzar realized that the Lord God is the only God.]
• Daniel 4:34 says: And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion And His kingdom is from generation to generation.  4:37 yet says: Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
• Hosea 14:1-4 says: O Israel, return to the Lord your God, For you have stumbled because of your iniquity; Take words with you, And return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifice of our lips. Assyria shall not save us, We will not ride on horses, Nor will we say anymore to the work of our hands, ‘You are our gods.’  For in You the fatherless finds mercy.” I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him. 
• Joel 2:27 says: Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.”
• Micah 7:18-19 says: Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. [This passage is pretty significant if you think of all the times in this research that God’s people have chosen to go astray to false gods, but still has compassion on them to bring them back to Him.]
• Habakkuk 1:12 says: Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction. [The everlasting Lord God will have a judgment day, but corrects us so that we have a chance to choose to follow Him instead of things that lead us astray.] 
• Zephaniah 1:4-7 says: “I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests- Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, But who also swear by Milcom [false god]; Those who have turned back from following the Lord, And have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.” Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; For the day of the Lord is at hand, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests. [The sacrifice the Lord God prepared was the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross as a substitute for the consequence we deserve for our sins. His death and resurrection set us free from our consequence and the Lord God invites people who believe in Jesus to join Him, because the day of the Lord is drawing closer.]
• Zephaniah 2:11 says: The Lord will be awesome to them, For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; People shall worship Him, Each one from his place, Indeed all the shores of the nations.
• Malachi 2:10 says: Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another By profaning the covenant of the fathers?
• Matthew 1:21 says: And she [Mary] shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
• Matthew 3:16-17 says: When He [Jesus] had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 
• Matthew 4:233-24 says: And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He [Jesus] healed them. 
• Matthew 5:3-12 Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
• Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus says: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” [It’s easy to only look at what’s in it for me, rather than realizing there is also the flip-side about what we should do for others and the consequences for not doing so!] 
• Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus says: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all of these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
• Matthew 9:11-13 says: And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 
• Matthew 10:29-33 Jesus says: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” [Jesus Christ offers us so many blessings, but remember the flip-side for those who deny Him before others.]
• Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
• Matthew 14:14 says: And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 
• Matthew 15:24 says: But He [Jesus] answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 
• Matthew 15:30-31 says: Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He [Jesus] healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
• Matthew 16:24-27  says: Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” 
• Matthew 17:5 at the Transfiguration of Jesus: While he [Peter] was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
• Matthew 18:11-14 says: “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” 
• Matthew 19:13-14 says: Then little children were brought to Him [Jesus] that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
• Matthew 20:27-28 says: “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” 
• Matthew 26:27-28 says: Then He [Jesus] took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the remission of sins.”
• Matthew 26:63-64 says: But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
• Matthew 27:54 says: So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 
• Matthew 21:28-32 says: “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him [Jesus], “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.” [This passage is soooo significant. It tells us that no matter what terrible things we have done in the past, that once we truly turn to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can have Salvation with Him in heaven when He calls us someday.]  
• Matthew 25:34-40 Jesus shares this parable: “Then the king will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry and you gave Me food: I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” [Of course, there is a flip-side to this. Verses 41-46, Jesus talks about those who did not do it to one of the least of them, they did not do it to Him, and the consequence of it.]
• Matthew 28:16-20 says after Jesus had risen from the Tomb: Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him [Jesus] they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
• Mark 1:9-11 says: It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John [the Baptist] in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 
• Mark 1:14-15 says: Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 
• Mark 1:34 says; Then He [Jesus] healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons, and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.
• Mark 2:17 says: When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
• Mark 3:10-12 says: For He [Jesus] healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” But He [Jesus] sternly warned them that they should not make Him known. 
• Mark 6:54-56 says: And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He [Jesus] was. Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him [Jesus] were made well. 
• Mark 9:7 at the Transfiguration of Jesus: And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. hear Him!” 
• Mark 10:45 says: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
• Mark 11:25-26 Jesus says: “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your tresspasses.” [This is almost identical to the passage in Matthew 6:14-15 and Luke 6:36-37. I share them, because they are additional proof that Jesus is the Son of the Almighty God, because there are many different people who heard Jesus Christ and saw what He did and attest to it in the gospels. Sure, they paraphrase it in their own words, the same as you or I would do. Sure, some add more details and some have fewer details, but this adds to the validity of the Apostles testimony about Jesus Christ.] 
• Mark 12:29 says: Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” 12:32 goes on to say: So the scribe said to Him [Jesus], “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
• Mark 14:60-62 says: But He [Jesus] kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him [Jesus], saying, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But He [Jesus] kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 
• Mark 15:39 says: So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him [Jesus], saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”
• Mark 16:14-16 says after Jesus had risen from the Tomb : Later He [Jesus] appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table, and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
• Luke 2:10-11 says: Then the angel said to them [shepherds], “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
• Luke 2:26-32 says: And it had been revealed to him [Simeon, the priest] by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he [Simeon] took Him [Jesus] up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
• Luke 3:21-22 says: When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him [Jesus], and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
• Luke 4:16-20 says: So He [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then He [Jesus] closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He [Jesus] becan to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” [This was predicted about what Jesus would do in Isaiah 61:1-2, 100s of years before His birth to Mary.]
• Luke 4:40-41 says: When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with variou diseases brought them to Him [Jesus];  and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He [Jesus], rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.
• Luke 5:15 says when Jesus had told those He healed not to tell others: However, the report went around concerning Him [Jesus] all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. 
• Luke 5:31-32 says: Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 
• Luke 6:20-23 says: Then He [Jesus] lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.
• Luke 6:17-19 says: And He [Jesus] came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him [Jesus] and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.
• Luke 6:36-37 Jesus says: “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” [This is an example of how some of the Gospel authors add more detail than the others like in Matthew 6:14-15 and Mark 11:25-26, where they basically record the same things, but with differing amounts of detail according to their particular writing style.]
• Luke 7:20-23 says: When the men had come to Him [Jesus], they said, 'John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ And that very hour He [Jesus] cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight, Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”  [This was predicted about Jesus in the Old Testament in Isaiah 61:1-3 100’s of years before this.]
• Luke 7:40-43 says after the woman had put oil on Jesus and some thought it was wasteful: And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he [Simon] said, “Teacher, say it.” “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He [Jesus] said to him, “You have rightly judged.” [This passage is very significant. Jesus doesn’t expect us all to have led perfect lives, but He forgives all who love Him as their Savior!]
• Luke 9:11 says: But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him [Jesus]; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.
• Luke 9:33-36 says: Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah''- not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, Hear Him!”
• Luke 9:56 Jesus says: “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
• Luke 12:6-7 Jesus says: “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
• Luke 12:8-9 Jesus says: “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” [This passage is personally significant to me, because there was a time when I was embarrassed to mention my faith in the Lord God to others. This passage really made me reevaluate my hesitation. I can’ say that I always share with others the way I should, but I try to be much more open to allowing Christ to lead me in what to say in times of hesitation.] 
• Luke 12:22-31 says: Then He [Jesus] said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” 
• Luke 18:9-14 says: Also He [Jesus] spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
• Luke 19:9-10 says: And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man [Jesus] has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
• Luke 22:70 says: Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He [Jesus] said to them, “You rightly say that I am.” 
• Luke 24:36-49 says after Jesus had risen from the Tomb: Now as they said these things [about seeing Jesus who had risen from the grave], Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He [Jesus] took it and ate in their presence. Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He [Jesus] opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with the power from on high.”
• John 1:10-12 says: He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
• John 1:32-34 says: and John [the Baptist] bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He [the Holy Spirit] remained on Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
• John 1:40-41 says: One of the two who heard John [the Baptist] speak, and followed Him [Jesus], was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). 
• John 3:33 says: “He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.”
• John 4:25-26 says: The woman [by the well] said to Him [Jesus], “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”    
• John 4:39-42 says: And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He [Jesus] told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him [Jesus], they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His [Jesus’] own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
• John 5:24 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
• John 5:44 says: “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? 
• John 6:2 says: Then a great multitude followed Him [Jesus], because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
• John 6:35-37 says: And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”  
• John 6:40 Jesus says: “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” 
• John 6:68-69 says: But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
• John 6:47-51 Jesus says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” 
• John 7:37-39 says: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He [Jesus] spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
• John 8:12 says: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
• John 8:31-32 says: Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
• John 8:34-36 says: Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son [Jesus] makes you free, you shall be free indeed. 
• John 9:3-5 says: Jesus answered, “Neither this man [the blind man that Jesus healed] nor his parents sinned, but that the woks of God should be revealed in him [the healed man]. I just work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 
• John 10:9-11 Jesus says: “ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
• John 10:27-30 Jesus says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never  perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” [I know it’s got to be confusing, but by faith we know that Jesus Christ and God the Father are one. The Triune God consists of God the Father, God the Son [ which is Jesus Christ], and God the Holy Spirit. Although we can’t always understand the nature of God, it says in Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In my opinion, as Christians, we don’t have to always understand everything. Our knowledge is limited to human understanding, but that’s not necessary, as long as we have faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This next passage also pertains to this topic.]
• John 10:37-38 Jesus says: “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” [I want to include John 17:20-21 since it pertains to the narrative above: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believed that You sent Me.”]
• John 11:27-30 Jesus says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
• John 11:25-26 says: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 
• John 12:27-28 says: “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father,save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
• John 12:44-47 says: Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
• John 14:2-3 Jesus says: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” [Jesus promised this to His disciples, but also promises this to all who believe in Him as their Savior!]
• John 14:5-7 says: Thomas said to Him [Jesus], “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” 
• John 14:27 Jesus says: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” 
• John 15:4-5 Jesus says: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” 
• John 15:12-14 Jesus says to His disciples: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.”
• John 17:3 Jesus says: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” 
• John 20:19-29 says after Jesus had risen from the Tomb: Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side, Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the father has sent Me, I also send you.” and when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him [Thomas], “We have seen the Lord.” So he [Thomas] said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His [Jesus’] disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him [Jesus], “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” [John chapter 21 tells of a third time that Jesus showed Himself to a group of disciples.]
• Acts 4:24-26 says: So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’” [The Apostles are quoting a prediction in Psalm 1:1-2. made 100’s of before the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God and our Lord and Savior.]
• Acts 19:17-20 says: This became known to the Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So, the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed. 
• Romans 3:29-30 says: Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. [This is a very significant Bible passage, because it verifies that our Lord God is not just for the Hebrews, but is for everyone who believes in Him.]
• Romans 15:5-6 says: Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
• Romans 5:8-10 says: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 
• Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Romans 10:8-10 says: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 
• Romans 10:11-13 says: For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” [This is a pretty significant passage, because it lets us know that it doesn’t matter our ethnicity, but anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior can go to heaven.”
• 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 says: Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 sas: No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
• 1 Corinthians 15:3-10 says: For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas [Peter], then by the twelve. After that He [Jesus] was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to present, but some have fallen asleep [died]. After that He [Jesus] was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I [Paul] am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. [This passages is significant in many ways, but it also tells us that even those of us who have led very sinful worldly lives can be an asset to the Lord God who used Saul, who used to persecute the church, later known as Paul, to share the message of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection for us!] 
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-21 says: But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [died]. For since by man [Adam] came death. By Man [Jesus] also came the resurrection of the dead.
• 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
• 2 Corinthians 6:16 says: And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”
• Romans 3:21-26 says: But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as the propitiation [substitute] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.  
• Galatians 3:20 says: Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
• Galatians 4:7-8 says: Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 
• Ephesians 4:4-6 says: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. [This Bible passage tells of God the Father, Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, all of one God. Additionally, it briefly addresses our salvation through the grace of Christ, who gave His life the ransom for many.]
• 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 says: For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the Living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. [This passage is pretty significant, because it notes Salvation is also for those who used to worship false gods, but turned around and chose to worship the Lord God. It also mentioned how Jesus Christ is the one who delivers us from the wrath of the judgment we deserve as sinful human beings. He paid the price for our sin in His death on the cross and Resurrection, so that all who believe in Him as their Savior can someday have Salvation with Him when He calls us to join Him in heaven.] 
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 
• 1 Timothy 2:5-7 says: For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed  a preacher and an apostle- I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying- a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 
• 2 Timothy 2:22 says: Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 
• Hebrews 10:8-9 says: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. 
• Hebrews 13:5 says: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
• James 1:5-6 says: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
• James 2:19 says: You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe- and tremble! 
• James 4:7-8 says: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts you double-minded.
• 1 Peter 1:17-21 says: And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear: knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him [Jesus] glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
• 1 Peter 5:6-7 says: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
• 2 Peter 1:17-18 says: For he [Jesus] received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
• 2 Peter 3:9 says: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 
• 1 John 3:5 says: And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him [Jesus] there is no sin. 
• 1 John 4:9 says: In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.  [This is a powerful Bible verse telling how God loved us so much, that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to live, be betrayed, mocked, beaten, spit upon, crucified on a cross, died, was buried, and rose again according to what Jesus had predicted...All that those who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior could some day join Him in heaven, when He calls us.] 
• 1 John 5:11-13 says: And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
• 1 John 5:20-21 says: And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. [Again, this clarifies that Jesus Christ is part of the One True God.]
• Jude 1:4 says: For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. [This Bible verse also includes Jesus Christ as part of God.]
• Revelation 3:20-22 Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to seit with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
• Revelation 11:17 says: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.”
• Revelation 21:3-6 says: And I [the Apostle John] heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes: there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

[In conclusion, after the analysis of all these Bible passages, the Bible is very consistent about the Lord God saying to have no other gods before Him. Deuteronomy 4:39 says: Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other”. Additionally, the Lord God went to great lengths to include this in the Ten Commandments and had many prophets throughout Biblical times that would warn the people to not worship other gods. The Lord God even had consequences like famine, captivity, and death to help them turn from their evil ways and turn back to faith in the Lord God. When they genuinely turned back to worshiping the Lord God and no longer worshiped idols, images, the sun, moon, stars, and host of heaven [Zodiac], witchcraft, sorcery, turned to mediums and spiritists, no longer followed evil rituals to sacrifice their children to their idols or to make them walk through fire for their idols, the Lord God would forgive them and welcome them back.]

[No matter what we’ve done in our lives before, the Lord God welcomes all who come to Him and believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior, even those who come doubting, but are open to knowing the Lord.]

In John 3:16-21 Jesus says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him [Jesus Christ] is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the lights, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

[My advice, Follow Jesus, the Light of the World!]