17 Bible Verses about Temples, Heathen

And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, "My Lord Jehovah think upon me, and strengthen me at this time only, O God, that I may be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes." And Samson caught the two middle pillars on which the house stood and on which it was borne up, the one in his righthand, and the other in his left, and said, "My soul die with the Philistines," and bowed them with might. And the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were therein. And so the dead which he slew at his death, were more than they which he slew in his life.

and brought it unto the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod were up in the morning, behold, Dagon lay groveling upon the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon and set him in his place again. And when they were up early in the next morning behold, Dagon lay groveling upon the ground before the ark of the LORD, and his head and his two hands cut off upon the threshold, that the body only was left on him.

On the morrow when the Philistines were come to strip them that were slain, they found Saul and his sons lying in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head and stripped him out of his harness, and sent unto the land of the Philistines everywhere, to publish in the houses of their gods and to the people. And they hanged up his harness in the house of Ashtaroth, but they hanged up his carcass on the walls of Bet-Shean.

But herein the LORD be merciful to thy servant, for when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, he leaneth on mine hand, and I must worship in the house of Rimmon: Let the LORD, I pray thee, be merciful unto thy servant in this case."

But the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that there shall come no more seed of thy name. The carved and casten Images will I root out of the house of thy God. Thy grave shall I prepare for thee, and thou shalt be confounded.

And Jeroboam thought in his heart, "Now might the kingdom return to the house of David again. For if this people shall go up and do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall their hearts turn again unto their lord Rehoboam king of Judah. And so shall they kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah." Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold and said unto the people, "Ye shall not need to go any more to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, Israel, which brought you out of the land of Egypt!"read more.
And he put the one in Bethel and the other in Dan. And that doing was a cause of sin. And the people went before the one as far as Dan.

And he reared an altar to Baal in the house of Baal which he had made in Samaria.

Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel. And all the servants of Baal came, that there was not a man left behind that came not. And when they were come into the temple of Baal, the temple was full from one end to another.

And all the people went to the house of Baal and destroyed it, and brake his altars and his images, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.

See that ye destroy all places where the nations which ye conquer serve their gods, upon high mountains and on high hills and under every green tree. Overthrow their altars and break their pillars and burn their groves with fire and hew down the images of their gods, and bring the names of them to nought out of that place.

And king Ahaz went against Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, to Damascus. And when he saw a certain altar that was at Damascus, he sent to Uriah the priest the pattern of the altar and the fashion of all the workmanship thereof. And Uriah the priest made an altar in all points like to the pattern which king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, and had finished it by the king's coming from Damascus. And when the king was come from Damascus and saw the altar, he went to it and offered thereon.read more.
And he burnt his burnt offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offering, and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings upon the said altar.

For he offered unto the gods of them of Damascus which beat him, and said, "Because the gods of the Syrians help them, therefore will I offer to them, that they may help me also." But they were his destruction and the destruction of all Israel.

And he built altars in the very house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put my name." And he built altars unto all the host of heaven, even in two courts of the house of the LORD.

And he made altars unto all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.

For wicked Athaliah and her children had broken the house of God, and had thereto bestowed all the dedicated gifts of the house of the LORD, about Baals.

Then said he unto me, "Thou son of man, hast thou seen what the Senators of the house of Israel do secretly, everyone in his chamber? For they say, 'Tush, the LORD seeth us not, the LORD regardeth not the world.'" And he said unto me, "Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see the great abominations that they do." And with that he brought me to the door of the port of the LORD's house, toward the north. And behold, there sat women mourning for Tammuz.read more.
Then said he unto me, "Hast thou seen this, thou son of man? Turn ye about, and thou shalt see yet greater abominations." And so he brought me into the inward court of the LORD's house. And behold, at the port of the LORD's house, betwixt the fore entry and the altar, there were five and twenty men that turned their backs on the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, and these worshiped the sun.

And in his greatness his heart arose, that he was marred: and transgressed against the LORD his God. For he went into the temple of the LORD to burn cense upon the altar of incense. But Azariah the priest went in after him with four score priests of the LORD that were bold men. And they stepped to Uzziah the king and said to him, "It pertaineth not to thee, Uzziah, to burn cense unto the LORD; but to the priests the children of Aaron that are consecrated for to burn incense. Come out of the sanctuary, for thou hast trespassed, and it shall be no worship to thee before the LORD God."read more.
And Uzziah was wroth and had cense in his hand to offer, and in his indignation against the priest, the leprosy sprang in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, even beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest with all the other priests looked upon him: and behold he was a leper in his forehead, and they vexed him thence. And thereto he was fain to go out, because the LORD had plagued him.