Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
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:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Verse 3 prohibits both pantheism and polytheism. It also prohibits anything that would replace or take the place of God in the eyes of men. This could be anything imaginable whether visible or invisible. This verse demands that God stands preeminent in the minds of men.
Verse 4 prohibits the human producton or making any kind of "image" or any kind of "likeness" of anything that would take the place of God in the eyes of men. Hence, an Idol is an "image" that can be made by man. It is something that could be chisled, carved, molded, painted, crafted, etc.
Verse 5 defines what kind of actions toward images that would indicate it is usurping the place of God in the eyes of men. Bowing down before images and/or serving them. The Hebrew term for "serving" refers to RELIGIOUS SERVICE such as giving adoration, prayer, attributing to it the names or characteristics of the True God or any other form of worship.
Now, how does these prohibitions apply to things God commanded them to make, such as, the cheribums, tabernacle/temple and its furniture?
First, God cammanded them to be made and gave the specific reason for making them. God never commanded Rome to make its statutes and paintings. Second, God never commanded any kind of worship toward such things. God designed them to be instructive types not visible replacements of God. They were not to bow down to them, pray or render any kind of worship toward them.
Whenever, man crossed the line from perceiving them merely as instructive types unto objects of worship, then they became idols as well. This is precisely why the brazen serpent was destroyed in order to keep it from changing from a type to instruct unto a idol to be venerated.
What about bowing down before kings and superiors? These are not things made by anyone's hands but refer to authorized positions ordained by God to represent his authority - Rom. 13. They simply bow in recognition of the authority God established. However, whenever a dignitary made it clear that he was the object of worship, God's people refuse to bow down before them and whenever created angels perceived they had become objects of worship they immediately forbade both the actions and attitudes that conveyed worship toward them.
What about Rome's statues and pictures of saints, Mary and Christ? First,God never commanded them to be made. Second, These are all visible images made by the hands of men in direct disobedience to verse 4 above. As man made images, they are taking the place of God in the eyes of men when such actions as bowing down and rendering any religious service toward them takes place, which is in direct disobedience to verse 5 above.
What about Mariolotry? It is idolatry plain an simple. She was never born sinless but claimed the need of a redeemer. Jesus who was born sinless NEVER claimed the need of a redeemer. She did not conceive deity, as the Son was given, whereas the child was born by a virgin (Isa. 8:6). She gave birth to the child that was born not the Son which was given. The Son was not born, only the child was born. She is not the Mother of God. She is no a co-redemptrix or a co-mediator as there is no other redeemer but Christ and no other mediator between God and man than Chrsit. She had other children after the birth of Christ and she was not taken up to heaven at her death. All of this is pagan supersitition that comes directly from Babylon's Queen of heaven as the Madonna.
