Dan 3:4-6 Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, (5) that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. (6) “But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”
RASNs (revilers, abusers, sociopaths, narcissists) operate in the same self-worship as King Nebuchadnezzar. Everything they do, every thought they think, every word they speak, all of it is designed to promote one goal – the image of the RASN. They do not love, they use. They use their spouse, their children, their career, their religion, the clothes they wear, the “friends” they choose….all for one single purpose. Build the image. Promote the image. Sensing they are nobody with no worth, out of an astonishing fear of being seen as such, they are driven to construct this false image and they demand that all bow down to it.
The purpose of their family is to promote the image. The task of their spouse and children is to promote the image. The duty of everyone is to bow down to the image…or else. A fiery furnace awaits those who refuse.
Of course the “worship” given to the image is worthless in reality. Why? Because it is given at gunpoint. The whole thing is a sham, and yet the RASN revels in the sham.
People who are experts in personality disorders will tell you that, in respect to the pedophile for instance, everything the pedophile does is energized by one motive – to gain access to children for purposes of molesting them. Think about his. The kind of car they buy, the job they select, the clothes they wear, the various hobbies and recreations they pursue, the very thoughts that they think…ALL are driven by one motive – to gain access to children in order to molest them. The thing is astounding – that a person could be so consumed. And yet this is precisely what drives the pedophile.
And so it is with the RASN. The narcissist is driven by a constant pursuit of self-worship. The “love” he expresses (which is fake), the marriage he enters into, the children he has, the career, the car, the money, the religion, the “friends,” all of it is propelled by this one thing – image. Build the image. Perfect the outer shell, and then demand that everyone bow down to it.
The fiery furnace awaits all who refuse.
I used to tell people who said my ex loved my daughter and me is: he doesn’t love us, he loves what we can do for him or how we make him look. My daughter is a top student and a wonderful violinist. While she was growing up, he loved the fact that she made him look good because people would compliment him as her father. RASNs who marry attractive wives love that they get the attention of having a beautiful woman (even though they will tell her that she’s fat and ugly). My ex used to tell me how he would brag about me to people; it was all because it made him look good. No, RASNs do not have the ability to love anyone but themselves, as you say here, Pastor, it’s all about their image. And I experienced that fiery furnace many times when I didn’t bow down.
“And so it is with the RASN. The narcissist is driven by a constant pursuit of self-worship.”
“The “love” he expresses (which is fake),” — Throughout my imprisonment/fake marriage, there were substitute/fake expressions of love: flowers, cards, gifts, all of which he expected me to inform others he had given them to me.
“the marriage he enters into,” — 1.) A dear friend, an old and wise Christian gentleman said to me: “He wears you around his neck like a charm.” I made him look good, because I was loving, good, loyal, kind, charitable, and when young (many said)–beautiful–(constant trauma resulting in illnessess removed it). The focus landed on me and off of the “empty suit.”
2.) He’s already onto victim(wife)#2– Slept with her, before their marriage–oh and the pastor that performed their ceremony was from the church we use to attend, the pastor I went to for help, the pastor who *angerly* responded and scowled at me when I finally revealed I was being abused. I was told in no uncertain terms from someone present at the “marriage” ceremony, when monster recited vows to victim #2, it was “absolutely CRINGE worthy, like he had to muster up some emotion, crooking his head to the side to get in her face to squeeze out his empty words.”
“the children he has,” — The only time he payed attention to the children was when he planned the divorce and during divorce. He was too busy cheating on me and “kicking (the children) to the side.” He had “ZERO” interest in them, in fact he is jealous of them.
“the career, the car, the money,” — The monster’s true loves. ‘Look at me! I’m SO successful, see that makes me a good guy! Look at my title, power, and 401K (that I stole hundreds of thousands dollars from over the years using on other women, and pornography, and cashing out and hiding the money so that when I divorce my wife, she will get crumbs!’
“the religion, the “friends,” — Monster attended church and Sunday school *every* week. Corey Ten Boom said, “A mouse in a biscuit tin, does not make the mouse a biscuit.”
His “friends” are all the people he duped at church.
“all of it is propelled by this one thing – image. Build the image. Perfect the outer shell, and then demand that everyone bow down to it.” — “Outer shell” what a great way to explain a person who only uses people, situations, for his gain and to hide his true perverted, raging, power hungry self; his heart void of all love, except for himself.