Exodus 20:4 … Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Deuteronomy 7:5… But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

Deuteronomy 7:25… The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therin: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.

Deuteronomy 12:3… And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

2 Kings 17:41… So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.

2 Chronicles 33:19… His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sins, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers.

2 Chronicles 34:7… And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

Psalm 78:58… For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

Psalm 97:7… Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

Isaiah 10:10… As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

Isaiah 21:9… And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

Isaiah 30:22… Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.

Isaiah 42:8… I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Isaiah 42:17… They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

Jeremiah 8:19… Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?

Jeremiah 50:38… A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

Jeremiah 51:47… Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

Jeremiah 51:52… Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.

Hosea 11:2… As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.

Micah 1:7… And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

Micah 5:13… Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

No, this statue is not the image of the beast or the antichrist. However, given the intent, effort, investment and technology used to build this “image”, how likely will men around the world be comfortable in building (make an image) an image to the new world ruler (beast/antichrist)?

Revelation 13:14 … And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (Emphasis Added).

Blog note: I am not suggesting that Indians are worshipping this statue. Indians have other statues and images of worship in Hinduism. There are statues of past and present political leaders all over the world. Yes, some are worshipped and some are not. My point in sharing this blog is to indicate the extent that mankind goes through to venerate and glorify whomever they feel is worthy of doing so. Obviously, those who have studied the Bible’s book of Revelation (of Jesus Christ) will see the connection between building statues of ‘important’ people today with building statues (images) of the coming demonic ruler known as the beast or antichrist. Architects, engineers, construction people and material suppliers will all see no problem in doing this. It will pay the bills, as long as they have the mark, number or name of the beast/antichrist on their hand or forehead. End of blog.

Protests expected as India prepares to unveil world’s largest statue

Thousands of police to guard against angry locals with prime minister expected to attend

The Guardian. Tue 30 Oct 2018 16.15 EDT

Thousands of police officers have been deployed to guard the world’s biggest statue, as Indian authorities anticipate protests at its inauguration by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi.

Authorities have planned a spectacular opening ceremony on Wednesday for the 182-metre (600ft) tall tribute to the Indian independence hero Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with air-force jets and helicopters to shower flowers on the statue during a flypast.

But officials in Gujarat state are worried that community groups could stage protests to demand compensation for land taken to erect the Statue of Unity, which cost 29.9bn rupees (£315m) and has taken nearly four years to build.

“More than 5,000 police personnel have been deployed at various points in the 10km radius of the statue site,” said the Narmada district police inspector general, Abhay Chudasama. “Police patrolling has been intensified in the wake of protests by the local tribal community and leaders. Drones and helicopters will be keeping watch on the entire area.” There was a heavy police presence around the land from which families had been moved to build the statue, and local sources said several activists had “gone underground”. Posters of Modi with Gujarat’s chief minister, Vijay Rupani, were torn down or had their faces blackened at the weekend. The chiefs of 22 villages near the statue signed an open letter calling on Modi to stay away from the inauguration.

Chotu Vasava, a local legislator and community group leader, repeated a threat to stage protests on the eve of the ceremonies around the statue of Patel, who played a key role in unifying India after its independence in 1947. “I am not against Sardar, but what is the use of the statue if the people on the land have to suffer and are moved from their homes?” Vasava said.

More than 80% of the local population are from tribal groups with special protected status. The Gujarat government said the 185 families moved to make way for the statue had been compensated and given 1,200 acres (475 hectares) of new land. Modi, whose nationalist government has made the statue one of its flagship projects ahead of a national election next year, arrived in Gujarat’s main city of Ahmedabad on Tuesday night. He is to pay tribute at the foot of the statue of Sardar.

Gujarat’s chief secretary, JN Singh, said dance troupes from across India would also perform at the inauguration The statue is more than twice the size of New York’s Statue of Liberty and also dwarfs the 128-metre Spring Temple Buddha in China, the world’s second-biggest statue.

Online booking to visit the Statue of Unity has opened, with a 350 rupee (£3.75) admission fee for the 153-metre high observation deck. Authorities hope the statue will attract 15,000 visitors a day to the remote corner of Gujarat, which is about 60 miles (100km) from the nearest big city, Vadodara. However, the statue’s reign as record holder could be short-lived, with work due to begin on an even larger statue of a Hindu king off the coast of Mumbai.