TIME FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT
HOMOSEXUALITY and THAT CITY CALLED SODOM
Romans
3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man
a liar; as it is
written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and
mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Let's get real. It's time for some
honesty, wouldn't you say? Maybe you've heard some of the things set
forth these days, as proof that the Bible really does not teach that
homosexuality is a sin, and further, that homosexuality was not the reason God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Why! If this is so, then surprise! Surprise! People have been
believing an error that has been passed on for generations to
unsuspecting people who did not know the Bible does not teach
that homosexuality is a sin!
Or does it?
After all, just because God made man
and woman to be united and said clearly -
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall
a man leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh.,
that doesn't mean that any other type
of union is wrong. Right?
Hmmm … let us use those little gray
cells as (Hercule Poirot would say), in our brains and reason here for
a minute. So if I tell my child that he must be in bed by 10 PM, he
will not necessarily conclude that to do anything else would be
wrong. Right?
If I find him still up at midnight and
he says to me. “You did not tell me not to be up until midnight,”
he will be justified and it will be wrong for me to correct him?
Right?
Umm … NO! I did not have to say, 'Do
not stay up past 10 PM,' if I specifically said to be in bed at that
time. If he has done anything other than be in bed at 10 PM he knows
that he has disobeyed.
Shall we pause for a duh moment here?
Simple logic still has it's place.
But let's say it another way. Suppose
I make a glaze to go on the homemade donuts that I have just finished
frying. My son walks into the kitchen and I tell him, 'I made this
glaze to go on the fresh donuts. Now if he picks up the bowl of glaze
and says 'I would rather use it as candy and eat it with my
friends,' then heads out of the door with it, he has done nothing
wrong – right?
Pause, for another duh moment........
Just because he wants to use the glaze in a different way than what
it was made for does not mean that makes it okay!
Ask any physician what certain body
parts, including internal organs are for, and he can tell you. He can
tell you how that the male and female bodies are designed to unite,
even with intricate detail.
Still, be that as it may, what is to
be considered here is what the Bible has to say.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a
man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his
wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Matthew 19:5 And said, For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall
cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Well, would you
look at that? It is in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
Please forgive my sarcastic tone, but it's time to get real and to
get honest.
Shall
– leave. Shall-
cleave to his wife. Shall
- be one flesh. - Shall,
Shall, and Shall.
Matthew 19:4 And he answered and
said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the
beginning made them male and female,
If
that seems hard to understand then let me help. The one who made
humans in the beginning, made two sexes- male and female
Matthew 19:5 And said, For this
cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his
wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
For
this cause, - that is – because God made them two sexes – male
and female –(designed for perfect physical union) - a man is to
leave his parents and be glued to his wife - AND
– they are to be one flesh.
In other words the
reason for heterosexuality is that the Creator made these two sexes
to be united and thereafter not be considered two but one composite being, which
is made of two parts, that come together in a unity that makes them
one.
Genesis
2:18 And the Lord God (elohiym)
said, It is
not good that the man should be alone; I will make him
an help meet for him.
WHAT
WAS NOT GOOD? (only
one thing)
The man to be alone. However in the Hebrew, this word does not mean
simply to be singular.
Alone'
– (Hebrew -Strong's Exhaustive Concordance) = 'bad', meaning,
separation, by impl. a part of the body, branch of a
tree ….
This
indicates something more than to be only one thing by itself, or
singular. It indicates an incomplete state. It indicates separation.
Help
meet for him – (Strong's) = ezer; aide; - help. - and neged; a
front, i.e. part opposite; spec. a
counterpart,
or mate ….
Counterpart
(Webster's 1913) = 1. A
part corresponding to another part;
anything which answers, or corresponds, to another; a copy; a
duplicate; a facsimile. 4.
A thing may be applied to another thing so as to
fit perfectly,
as a seal to its impression; hence, a thing which is adapted
to
another thing, or which suplements
it;
that which serves
to complete or complement
anything; hence, a person or thing having qualities
lacking in another; an opposite.
So
God created the woman to be the man's counterpart. She fits
perfectly, in a physical sense. She completes him by having the
qualities he lacks by being the same, as in also human, and yet
opposite. She is the receiver of what he has to give (seed). Male and
female were created in a way that would compliment and contrast each
other.
By
the way, according to
... The female
brain appears to have increased connection between neurons in the
right and left hemispheres of the brain, and males seem to have
increased neural communication within hemispheres from frontal to
rear portions of the organ
Isn't that
interesting? If this is the case, then, when male and female are
united as one, the neural connections of the whole brain – left to
right and front to back – come together and there is a completion.
Matthew 19:6 Wherefore they are no
more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder.
Put
asunder (Greek, Strong's) =
[cwrizw] chorizo
kho-rid'-zo
from
[cwra] - chora; to place room between, i.e. part; reflexively, to go
away:--depart, put asunder, separate.
If
it was the creator God who designed this unit, if He made these two
parts to connect and become one flesh, or one singular unit, do not
let human beings separate, or put any room between the members of
this unit.
Not only do these
verses give God's distinct instructions, but there is even a
'wherefore.' There was a reason that this was to be done. God made
His instructions clear and had a reason for making it so. This is
easy to see.
Two males cannot
be counterparts. And since, in the physiological makeup of each, there
is only the 'giver' (of seed and the sexual organ) and no 'receiver,'
either physical union must not happen, leaving only stimulation by
some other means, or the partners must improvise and manipulate
another part of the body to a use it was not designed for They must
go against the natural use of the body. Any physician can tell us
that the anus is not designed for sexual intercourse. Both the colon
and the rectum are part of the intestines. The anus is where waste it
to be passed from the body. The anus is full of bacteria, whereas the
vagina is self-cleansing.
Let's be honest.
No one would try to feed their body by stuffing food into their ear
or nose or anus . Who would not think that anyone who would do such a
thing has no sense at all? We cannot force our eyes to smell or our
nose to see. No one expects that they can cause their lungs to pump
blood or their heart to digest food. And yet individuals will choose
to take that which was meant for passing off body waste as the place
to receive life-giving seed, knowing it will only be cast off and
die. Not only so, but they will condemn anyone who will not accept
this as right and godly. How can a reasonable person consider that
which goes against God's design to be godly?
Can we be
reasonable here?
Yet the sort of ridiculous reasoning
put forth as evidence that God is not against men marrying men or
women marrying women, or homosexuality in general, is to say that
just because God created male and female with the ability to have
sexual intercourse, does not mean that it's wrong to do it another
way.
How about this? Let's have honesty
now! Do it if you choose to, but leave God out of the picture; out of
the discussion. He made his design, His purpose, and His instructions
clear. So why insult Him?
Or at least, to make a case for God
accepting homosexuality, please at least use more reasonable
evidence, though I understand there are many gullible people who will
not catch on to this very obvious misuse of scripture.
As to the next question, Did God
really destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of homosexuality and sodomy
in particular, let's be honest. Let's get real.
What was the reason God
destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?
For years there may have been few who
would have even questioned the assumption that it was because of
homosexuality. However, today, where there has been a push for
acceptance and validation of the gay lifestyle, this has been
questioned and in many cases denied.
It is understandable why someone might
say that the destruction did not come because of what the men of
Sodom attempted to do to the angels since God had made the decision
to destroy the cities before the angels came to see Lot and to warn
him of God's intentions.
Genesis 18:20 And the LORD said,
Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their
sin is very grievous;
Genesis 18:28 Peradventure there
shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the
city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five,
I will not destroy it.
Genesis 18:32 And he said, Oh let
not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once:
Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not
destroy it for ten's sake.
The
verses in Genesis 18 above, let us know that God's decision to destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah was based on the outcry that God had heard, the
unrighteousness, and the grievous sins that the people were
committing, although he does not list those sins in these verses. In
this portion of scripture, we are not told that homosexuality is the
primary sin of these cities. However, there is more to be found on the
subject in other scripture verses. Genesis chapter thirteen tells us
this -
Genesis
13:13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord
exceedingly.
Here
we are told what the men of Sodom were like. The word 'man' here
refers to the male gender.
It would seem
that the behavior of the males of Sodom toward the angels was
evidence of a pre-existing state of mind, which God already was aware
of before the angels arrived. These were exceedingly wicked men.
Men
= (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance) iysh; a man as an individual or
male person ...him (that is) husband ….
So then God
specifies the condition of the 'males' of Sodom as being
'sinners exceedingly'.
Before looking at
the list of Sodom's sins that are named in scriptures let us take a
closer look at what happened specifically, on the day Sodom was
destroyed and the night before.
Genesis 19:1 And there came two
angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot
seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face
toward the ground;
2 And he said, Behold now, my
lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all
night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on
your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all
night.
3 And he pressed upon them greatly;
and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made
them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
Here
we see that the angels came to Sodom while Lot was sitting in the
gate of the city in the evening. Lot invited the angels to come to
his home but at first, they refused, saying they would stay the night
in the street. After Lot “pressed on them greatly,” they finally
consented and went with him into his home.
4 But before they lay down, the men
of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both
old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5 And they called unto Lot, and
said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night?
Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
Before
the angels had laid down to rest for the night, both the young and
the old men (males) of the city, in fact, all of the people of the
city compassed Lot's house.
Young (Strong's) =
4480/5288 - min; from out of in many senses – with – naar
; a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence … also
(by interch. of sex), a girl (of similar latitude of age):....
At this point in
the story we are given some very interesting information about the
people of Sodom.
One train of
thought today is, that what was happening was something commonly done
as a means of showing strangers just who was in charge of the city. I
guess you could say that Sodom had set up a system whereby they
instilled fear into any strangers who might think of entering the
city, whereby they would not think of entering in an aggressive
manner but would rather be subdued from the beginning.
As much as some
may want us to believe this to be the case, I am afraid such an idea
overlooks some very important information given thus far in the
scriptures.
You see, it would
be one thing to have a vigilante group or a law enforcement group,
who were assigned the job of carrying out this cruel introduction to
Sodom and putting the fear of the city into all newcomers, but what
we read goes far beyond even the cruelty of such an idea.
What we have here
is all the males of the city from children to old men coming out in
mass to carry out their twisted behavior on the angels. Remember that
the Bible has told us that these were exceedingly wicked men.
What was it they
were intent on doing to these angels who they saw as men? It was to
“know” them.
It is a far
stretch to suggest that all they wanted to do was to be casually
introduced to these men, when Lot responded in the way he did.
6 And Lot went out at the door unto
them, and shut the door after him,
7 And said, I pray you, brethren,
do not so wickedly.
8 Behold now, I have two daughters
which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out
unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these
men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
Clearly the
men of Sodom were seeking to do something that was wicked as
scripture has plainly stated.
“And said, I
pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly”
Let's be
reasonable. Okay? A simple introduction would not have been seriously
evil.
While Lots begs
them not to do this evil thing, he in turn offers them an
alternative. He offers them to take his daughters who had not yet
“known” man and to - “do ye to them as is good in
your eyes.” Not just introduce yourselves to them, but rather –
do what you want to do to them.
There are
probably few who would fail to acknowledge that Lot was referring to
his daughters as being virgins who had not had sexual relations with
a man.
It is apparent
that the men of Sodom were calling out to Lot to let them have sex
with these two men (angels). This is why Lot called their intentions
wicked. Lot knowing who his guests were, would prefer letting these
men do what they chose to do with his virgin daughters rather than
let them have the angels of God.
There are those
who may be willing to acknowledge that this is what the men of Sodom
were intent on doing, yet try to pass it off as only a way of
bullying newcomers and showing them who was in control.
I read the
explanation of one person who claimed that the majority of the men in
Sodom and Gomorrah were heterosexual (although where such an idea
came from I do not know). But think about it with a rational mind. If
this was the case, then we have before us something quite astounding.
We have a
multitude of primarily heterosexual males of all ages, willing to
commit an act of homosexual rape on complete strangers.
I THINK NOT!
Ask any man who is
heterosexual if he would commit a homosexual act in order to
humiliate someone and see what his response would be! To his
thinking, he would not only humiliate the person he attacked but
would also defile himself, doing something he finds repulsive.
For any man, let
alone a heterosexual male, to be willing to 'put the hurt on' someone
who is endangering his family, his town, or his country, may seem
completely feasible. Men go off to war all the time in order to
protect their country and loved ones. They will fight an enemy. They
will fistfight, or even kill if they feel the necessity. They will
threaten bodily harm to anyone who would think of hurting their loved
ones. But it takes a different sort of a person, a degenerate sort of
person to rape another human being, let alone to consider rape as a
warning to someone who has not threatened them or their loved ones in
any way. To use rape as a form of bullying all strangers is not
reasonable even to very rough men.
But, and if, this
did seem to be something that a city of greedy people thought would
ensure the safety of their city, it would be more reasonable to have
certain men who were willing to commit such heinous atrocities on
other human beings assigned to the task.
To get to the
point of being capable of raping another human requires a killing of
the conscience and a hardening of the heart to an extreme.
But what happened
in Sodom on that fateful day, was that even the young men or boys
were not only willing to rape strangers but to rape other males. Not
only this, but they were so intent on doing so that they were going to
break Lot's door down in order to get to these men and get the job
done.
9 And they said, Stand back. And
they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will
needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them.
And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break
the door.
10 But the men put forth their
hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they smote the men that were
at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so
that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Do
you hear what is being said here?
What do you think
your immediate reaction would be to instantaneously becoming blind?
Think about it honestly. If suddenly, right now, you were to lose
your vision, how would you react? I think most people would panic. Oh
you might try to calm yourself for a second as you attempted to find
out if the lights had gone out in the house, if you were indoors. But
these men were outdoors. If you suddenly lost your sight outdoors,
you might rub your eyes to see if something had fallen over them or
gotten into them, but when the reality hit you that you were indeed
blind, I think most of us would panic!
However when the
angels struck all the men in Sodom with blindness at once, what did
they do? All of them, both small and great kept right on trying to
find the door to Lot's house to get to the two strangers. And they
continued their determined search until they had wearied themselves
in their efforts!
Incredible!
This suggests
being so consumed and driven by such a fever of lust, that the fact
of suddenly becoming blind is a secondary concern to satisfying their
sexual appetite!
My friend there is
nothing normal about such a condition! And even the young ones were
consumed with this passion!
Jude spoke of the
condition of the people of Sodom that confirms this.
Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and
Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving
themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are
set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Jude 1:8 Likewise also these filthy
dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of
dignities.
Giving
themselves over to fornication means – (Strong's) =
ekporneuoek-porn-yoo'-o
from
[ek] – ek
and
[porneuw] - porneuo to be utterly unchaste:--give self over to
fornication.
To
be chaste, is to be - 1.
Pure
from unlawful sexual intercourse; virtuous; continent.
(Webster's
Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)
They were
completely impure. They practiced unlawful sexual intercourse.
What is
fornication in the Bible?
Fornication
(Strong's) – 2181zanah (Hebrew) and 4202porneia (Greek) - Zanah; to
commit adultery (usually of the female and less often of simple
fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively to
commit idolatry ( the Jewish people being regarded as the spouse of
Jehovah): ….
Porneia; harlotry
(including adultery and incest); fig. idolatry:- fornication.
A
harlot in the Old Testament is the
same word as is translated 'fornication' above. It is the Hebrew word
zanah.
Jude tells us that
the people of Sodom had given themselves over to fornication. They
went after strange flesh. In other words, it was not simply that they
lived with a lover out of wedlock or were unfaithful to their spouse.
No! One partner would not suffice. They went after “strange” or
different or even altered flesh.
strange (Strong's)
= heteros (an-,the) other or different: - altered... strange
Let's tell it like
it is. The people of Sodom were utterly unchaste, they gave
themselves over to fornication and they went after strange flesh, or
that is - other flesh – different or altered flesh. Notice also, in
the meaning of the word fornication, are the words incest and
idolatry.
So then according
to the Bible, the majority of the people of Sodom were not simply
every day heterosexuals, nor were the homosexuals simply people who
led regular lives only with a partner of the same sex.
These were people
who wanted that which was strange, altered, or different. Not only was
this what they wanted but they went after what they lusted for.
My friend, this
sounds very much like an addiction. As a matter of fact, I think of
only three reasons why so many men of all ages would be so determined
to get to these two strangers that even blindness would not distract
them. That would be fear, pain, or addiction and these easily go
together.
If an individual
is addicted to drugs and is unable to get the drugs that he is
addicted to, he may suffer great pain, hallucinations, and fear. His
suffering can become so tremendous that all he can think of is
getting what he needs to stop his pain.
No, it is indeed
unlikely that young men at the age of early adulthood, who normally
might be thinking of what they were going to do with their future;
what career they might enter, who they might marry, where they would
like to live etc. would suddenly be so completely consumed with
getting to two complete strange men and raping them, that nothing
would deter them, including being stricken with blindness. Nor is it
likely that a normal young man would rush off, at the drop of a hat,
to rape anyone, let alone someone of his own gender, who had done
nothing to incite anger and rage; unless this were already an
addiction; unless his hunger for strange flesh was fueled by an
unholy appetite and addiction.
In other words, it
is unlikely that such homosexual acts were new and unfamiliar to the
mass of men in the city of Sodom. It is far more likely that such
acts were common to them and something they greatly desired.
I believe most
honest individuals would have to admit this to be the case.
Even
the historian Flavius Josephus in his writng of the Antiquities of
the Jews, which according to - http://www.britannica.com
– was written in Greek in about AD 93, spoke of the actions of the
people of Sodom as being of a sexual nature, not a desire for a
simple introduction!
Flavius Josephus
of the Antiquities of the Jews Chapter Eleven — Book I
And
the Angels came to the city of the Sodomites, and Lot intreated them
to accept of a lodging with him: for he was a very generous and
hospitable man; and one that had learned to imitate the goodness of
Abraham. Now when the Sodomites saw the young men to be of beautiful
countenances, and this to an extraordinary degree, and that they took
up their lodgings with Lot, they resolved themselves to enjoy
these beautiful boys by
force and violence: and
when Lot exhorted them to sobriety, and not to offer any thing
immodest to the strangers, but to have regard to their lodging in his
house; and promised, that if their inclinations could not be
governed, he would expose his daughters to their
lust, instead of these
strangers: neither thus were they made ashamed.
4. But God was
much displeased at their impudent behaviour: so that he both smote
those men with blindness, and condemned the Sodomites to universal
destruction. But Lot, upon God’s informing him of the future
destruction of the Sodomites, went away; taking with him his wife,
and daughters; who were two, and still virgins: for those that were
betrothed (31) to them were above the thoughts of going; and deemed
that Lot’s words were trifling.
Whether
you give Josephus' writings any credit or not, it is clear what the
mindset of this man who lived approx. 93 AD was. This is not just
some new idea of our day and time.
Also remember that
the scripture speaks of the cries that were coming from Sodom that
God had heard.
Genesis 18:20 And the LORD said,
Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their
sin is very grievous;
cry
- zeaqah= (Strong's) a shriek or outcry: - cry (ing)
Definition
of shriek in English: - http://www.oxforddictionaries.com
verb [no object] -
1. Utter a high-pitched piercing sound or words, especially as an
expression of terror, pain, or excitement:
noun - A
high-pitched piercing cry or sound; a scream:
great = (Strong's)
– rabab; to cast together, i.e. increase, espec. in number; also
(as denom. from rebabah, to multiply by the myriad: - be many
(-ifold), be more, multiply, ten thousands.
Genesis 18:21 I will go down now,
and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of
it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
Cry
= (Strong's) tsaaqah; a shriek:
-cry (ing).
There
were cries or shrieks that were numerous and perhaps increasing,
coming from Sodom and Gomorrah. The sort of sounds that often express
terror, pain, or excitement. It was obviously not a sound of something
good if it displeased God as it apparently did.
Could these have
been the cries of other victims of the men of that sinful city, as
they cried out in terror and pain?
Could it have been
the cries of multitudes of sinful men indulging in orgies and many
unchaste acts?
Perhaps both, for
the cries stirred God into action. And the scriptures give us a
glimpse of the men of that city on only one night when they again
went after strange flesh, the flesh of two angels of God, and were so
overcome with desire that even being struck with blindness did not
stop their fervent efforts to get to them. They continued on until
they wearied themselves in their blind efforts.
11
And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with
blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves
to find the door.
Still, some would
have us believe that homosexuality had nothing to do with God's
reason for destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, even though it appears to
have been a great part of their activities, in fact, a probable
addiction of the men of those cities; such an addiction in fact, that
the males of all ages were so consumed with the lust for strange
flesh including the same sex, that they mobbed Lot's house. Even
after losing their eyesight, they would not let up with their
desperate efforts to assault the angels of God. Still, some would have
us believe that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a weak argument
against homosexuality and that it does not indicate God's disapproval
of it.
Well alright then.
If that is not convincing, then let's go on and look at other
scriptures about these cities.
Sodom and Gomorrah
were Canaanite cities -
Genesis 10:19 And the border of the
Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as
thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even
unto Lasha.
In Leviticus
chapter 18. the Lord spoke to Moses, telling him that he was not to
do the things done by the Canaanites.
I bring this
scripture to show the list of what the Canaanites were doing, that
God said was 'defiling' them. I do not bring these verses for a
discussion of the Law and whether or not it is in effect today, but
to make clear that homosexuality was among the things defiling these
people. These things are said to have already been 'defiling' the
Canaanite people, when God began to give Moses the Law.
In other words,
they did not just become wrong, because to do them would be breaking
the Law. Before the Law was given, they were already defiling the
Canaanite people, of which Sodom and Gomorrah were a part.
Leviticus 18:24 Defile not ye
yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations
are defiled which I cast out before you:
Since the word
'defile here means -
tame' taw-may' - a
primitive root; to be foul, especially in a ceremial or
moral sense (contaminated):--defile (self), pollute
(self), be (make, make self, pronounce) unclean, X utterly.
we are able to
see God's view even before He put the Law of Moses in place.
God
began setting forth, as law, the forbidding of those things that were
already making the people foul, contaminated, polluted and unclean.
Among
the sins of these people were homosexuality (v. 22) and even
bestiality (v. 23)
Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie
with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
Shall not lie – (Hebrew, Strong's) shakab shaw-kab' a primitive root; to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose):--X at all, cast down, ((lover-))lay (self) (down), (make to) lie (down, down to sleep, still with), lodge, ravish, take rest, sleep, stay.
Leviticus 18:23 Neither shalt thou
lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall
any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.
Note
the word 'defile' here again.
An honest person
can see the meaning of these verses. God had designed male and female
for physical union.
To have physical
union or sexual activity with one of the same sex, or with an animal,
was to make them unclean and polluted. It was to disrespect and
disregard God, His creation, and the purpose for which He had created
man. But these people rebelled against the plan and purpose of God
and men are doing the same yet today.
Deuteronomy 9:24 Ye have been
rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.
Thus we can see
that if the nation of Canaan was defiled with all of these things, so
was Sodom and Gomorrah. Yes homosexuality was practiced in these
cities.
Any
honest person will recognize the meaning of these verses and not try
to twist their meaning.
These
activities, among others, brought on the wrath of God!
Deuteronomy 29:23 And that the
whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is
not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the
overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD
overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:
In
Ezekiel, we find another list of sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Some
point out that homosexuality is not named in this list. But is this
the case?
Ezekiel 16:49-51 Behold, this was
the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and
abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did
she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50 And they were haughty, and
committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw
good.
51 Neither hath Samaria committed
half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more
than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations
which thou hast done.
Abomination
here is the Hebrew
word - tow`ebahto-ay-baw' or tonebah {to-ay-baw'}; feminine active
participle of 'ta`ab' (8581); properly, something disgusting
(morally), i.e. (as noun) an abhorrence; especially idolatry or
(concretely) an idol:-- abominable (custom, thing), abomination.
The
list -
1 Fulness of bread
2 Abundance of
idleness
3 She did not
strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. (Self centered)
4 Haughty
5 Committed
abominations
6 Justified thy
sisters in all thine abominations
The picture here
is of a selfish, proud, and lazy people who indulge themselves with
food and whatever abominations, or that is, disgusting and abominable
things they choose and to justify the actions of others who do them,
while having no concern for the needs of others. No details are given
as to which particular abominations they were committing, but as
stated earlier, they were Canaanite people and God listed their
abominations in Leviticus! These included homosexuality (man lying
with mankind as with womankind).
The abominations
may not be specified here, but as we have seen, they were in
Leviticus and were evidenced in Genesis chapter 18, in the story of
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
As can be seen
from the meaning of the word 'abomination,'these things were
disgusting, morally. They were abominable (unequivocally detestable
[The Free Dictionary]) and an abhorrence (one that is
disgusting, loathsome, or repellent.[ The Free Dictionary])
IDOLATRY OF
SODOM AND GOMORRAH
Deuteronomy
32:32 38 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom,
and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall,
their clusters are bitter:
33
Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
34
Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my
treasures?
35
To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in
due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things
that shall come upon them make haste
36
For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his
servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none
shut up, or left.
37
And he shall say, Where are their gods, their
rock in whom they trusted,
38
Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of
their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your
protection.
When
men turn from the true and living God, lifting themselves above Him
in their own minds and hearts, they commonly turn to gods of their
own making. If they do not make Gods with their hands they worship
themselves as God. What is the results of such a mindset according to
the Word of God?
Zephaniah 2:9-11 Therefore as I
live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall
be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding
of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of
my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall
possess them.
10 This shall they have for their
pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves
against the people of the LORD of hosts.
11
The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods
of the earth;
and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the
isles of the heathen.
Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined,
and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are
against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
Isaiah 3:9 The shew of their
countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as
Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded
evil unto themselves.
Jeremiah 23:14 I have seen also in
the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit
adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the
hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they
are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as
Gomorrah.
So
be honest! It is time for truth!
Does
the Bible bear out that homosexuality was among the sins of Sodom and
Gomorrah? Yes it clearly does. Those who would like us to believe
otherwise can pick out verses about Sodom and Gomorrah and point out
that homosexuality is not named in them. They can perhaps be quite
convincing, if they leave out what is said before and after these
verses; if they omit other portions of scripture, like those
addressing the Canaanite cities, which Sodom and Gomorrah were a part
of and whose sins are actually listed. If they fail to look honestly
at what was going on in Sodom the day the angels of God arrived and
to face the facts that the activities of the men of that city, on
that day, had to be the result of an already developed way of life.
But is that why
God destroyed Sodom? We have read clearly that He destroyed them
because of their abomination, of which homosexuality was a part.
Of
course some of you may have heard the scoffers, who like to point out
other things in the Old Testament that are called abominations, as
though these were ridiculous and no longer binding. They refer to
things in the Law of Moses, speaking of things they apparently do not
understand. They mock things that had important purpose at the time
of the Levitical priesthood, pertaining to the ceremonies that were
performed, before Jesus came and brought a more perfect means of true
salvation for all mankind.
We have seen,
however that what was said to have defiled the Canaanite people to
which the people of Sodom belonged, and was considered, by God, to be
abominations, was defiling them before the Law was given. They were
acts of rebellion against God.
The scoffers scoff
either in ignorance or purposeful deception and either ignore, hide, or do not know or understand what Jesus Himself said -
Mark
10:6-8 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male
and female.
7 For this cause shall a man
leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
8 And they twain shall be one
flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
God
said how it was to be, in the beginning, and Jesus affirms that it
remains the will of God.
God
hears every word of insult made against Him. He sees every arrogant
heart that is puffed up and willing to defy Him. Those who think they
are elevated enough intellectually, to take upon themselves the right
and justification to turn away from God's design and purpose, to
their own, may smile and speak condescendingly to those who refuse to
do so.
They may insult
and slander those who refuse to pervert the Word of God or speak
irreverently of His design and His will.
But one day they
will receive in themselves that which is fair return for their
actions, as is said in -
Romans 1:27
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the
woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working
that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that
recompence of their error which was meet.
Recompence
(requital - .1
something given in return, compensation,
or retaliation)
meet
necessary (as
binding ...needful
They
will reap their just reward
Psalms
10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek
after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
Proverbs
16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a
fall.
Romans
14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall
bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
While
many homosexuals have suffered severely from abuse, pain, and loss,
before turning to this lifestyle; while many are hurting and see no
way to identify themselves in any other way, yet we cannot in all
honesty, manipulate the scriptures to justify what goes against the
heart and purpose of God.
There
is hope for any and all who are consumed in a life of sin, no matter
what that sin may be. For Jesus has said -
Matthew
11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
Mark 1:15 And
saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel.
1
Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
John
6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
1 Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is
contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner
stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded.
1 Peter 2:7
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which
be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is
made the head of the corner,
1 Peter 2:8 And a stone of
stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the
word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
Romans
3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;
as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings,
and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
