Polytheism (worship of many gods, see 1 Cor. 8:55For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) (1 Corinthians 8:5)) appeared on the earth sometime after the flood. There is no record or intimation that men made gods for themselves prior to the deluge. Wickedness was rampant, and corruption and violence filled the antediluvian earth, but the sin of idolatry was unknown between man's expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the judgment by water.
On the cleansed earth God put government into the hands of men that violence might be restrained "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Noah and his family knew God, both by witnessing His judgments and in being preserved by His grace, and from them was handed down a traditional knowledge of God; but of their descendants we read:
"When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." Rom. 1:21-2321Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (Romans 1:21‑23).
Satan, who at first pulled man down through his temptations and then led him into gross licentiousness and violence until the flood, now made himself into a god for man to gratify his passions. This enemy of God and man, together with his wicked spirits, hid behind the idols. Another has described the making of the many deities of the heathen in these words:
"Having lost God... man made a god of everything in which the power of nature showed itself, making of it a plaything for his imagination, and using it to satisfy his lusts.... Although man could not free himself from the consciousness that there was a God, a Being who was above him, and though he feared Him, he created for himself a multitude of inferior gods, in whose presence he would seek to drive away this dread.... Everything took the form of "God" in man's eyes; the stars, his ancestors... the powers of nature, all that was not man but acted and operated without him.... He made gods for himself according to his passions and imaginations, and Satan took advantage of it."
After a time God called one man out of this evil to receive communications from Himself-"The God of Glory appeared unto... Abraham." In him and his family God raised up a witness to the fact that there is only one God. Israel's distinct testimony was monotheistic, and is expressed in the call to Israel: "Hear, 0 Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah." Deut. 6:44Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: (Deuteronomy 6:4). They were given God's righteous laws for the ordering of their lives, and they were to be a display before the heathen of the greatness, goodness, and wisdom of Him who was their God. But, alas, they signally failed and fell into idolatry instead of witnessing against it, and finally did worse that the heathen who were in the land before them. The name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them (Rom. 2:2424For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. (Romans 2:24)). Nevertheless there were individual heathen who found the true God in the Jehovah of Israel; for instance, Naaman the Syrian, Ruth the Moabitess, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.
During the days of Israel's brightest testimony to the one true God, Satan brought forward a counterfeit. His lie was that there were two gods-that Ormazd was the god of light and goodness and Ahriman was the god of darkness, and that these carried on a ceaseless war, with man aiding one or the other. Needless to say, this dualism obscured the light of the God with whom man had to do as effectually as polytheism had. The Persians came under the influence of this evil-Zoroastrianism-almost entirely, so that when God, by Isaiah the prophet, called Cyrus the Persian king by name 150 years before he was born, He had to instruct him as to who He was. He told Cyrus what he was to do ill rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem and assisting the Jews, and then gave him a special word to reveal Himself in contrast with their false dual deities:
"That saith of Cyrus, He is My shepherd, and shall perform all My pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith Jehovah to His anointed, to Cyrus... I, Jehovah, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel Mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I am Jehovah, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me; that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides Me. I am Jehovah, and there is none else. I form the light, and creat darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I Jehovah do all these things."* Isa. 44:28; 45:1-728That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isaiah 44:28)
1Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; 2I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: 3And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. 4For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. 5I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 6That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. 7I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. (Isaiah 45:1‑7).
It was important that Cyrus should know that his power was from the only true God, and that He (and not Ormazd and Ahriman) created both light and darkness, and sent peace or evil. There was no other God besides Him, whatever the Persians might believe to the contrary.
From that fateful day in the Garden of Eden until now, Satan has sought to come between man and his Creator; and today there are more false gods-the objects of desire and worship-than at any previous time. The god of this world is blinding the minds of those who believe not, just as efficiently today as he ever did with polytheism or dualism. What a powerful contrast to all this is expressed in the language of adoring faith! "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.