YAHWEH, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, IS WITH US!

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins...” ( Isaiah 58: 1)

Homosexuality

1. Introduction

Homosexual behavior is not new. It has been around for thousands of years: and virtually every society has had to come to terms with it. Is it bad? Is it good? Or is it just another way of expressing human affection? Should society ban homosexuality? Or should it be welcomed? Do governments have the right to legislate on the sexual behavior of consenting adults? Or is homosexuality a private matter which shouldn’t concern the church, the government or even God? Popular opinion about homosexuality is very difficult to assess. Try out this question on a few people to see what we mean. ‘Would you share a house with a professed homosexual?’ Many would be insulted by the question: others wouldn't. The answers, nonetheless, would give you some idea about public opinion on this sensitive moral issue.

2. Does God Exist?

Before one can properly discuss any complex moral issue, such as homosexuality, it is necessary to answer the question Does God Exist? Some doubt it: but most people believe that He does. They may not go to a church, a mosque or a temple to worship Him, but they do believe in a supernatural Being. We'll call this being ‘God.’ However, a person's disbelief or belief in God has absolutely no effect whatsoever on the fact of God's existence or non-existence. If God exists, then doubting that fact will not cause Him to go away. If He doesn't exist, then one's belief, however fervent, will not bring Him into existence. In other words, believing or disbelieving in God has absolutely no effect whatsoever on His existence or non-existence. Your belief or doubt may effect God's pleasure or sorrow, but it can have absolutely no effect on His existence. With that thought in mind we will divide people into two basic groups:

BELIEVERS: These are the people who believe that God exists.
UNBELIEVERS: These are the people who do not believe that God exists. They are atheists.

There are, of course, those who don't know - agnostics - they fluctuate between belief and unbelief. Anyway, for the time being we'll proceed with just two groups, believers and unbelievers. Again we must stress that both belief and unbelief have absolutely no effect on God's existence or non-existence. Nothing we can think, say or do will alter either condition, whatever it be. Having got that fact established, let us now get to grips with this subject on homosexuality. You may, however, want to first examine the reasons why we believe God exists. This article's arguments and conclusions though Bible based are not meant as an attack on any individual or group of individuals, be they believers or unbelievers. Instead it's aim is to inform everyone of how the Almighty God of the Bible, the One known as Jehovah the God of Israel, reacts to the practice of homosexuality.

3. The Rising Popularity of Homosexuality

Sex is big news these days. On TV and in the press the sexual antics of the famous and infamous are discussed daily. Besides, homosexuals no longer hide their sexual orientation. They have ‘come out.’ They boldly proclaim that they are homosexuals. Strangely enough even this development is not new. It took place centuries ago.

Isaiah 3: 9: “The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not.”

What is new is that laws are now being formulated in many countries to allow consenting adults absolute freedom to commit homosexual acts. This could mean that it will soon be unlawful to publicly voice disapproval of the sexual behavior of others. That would be punishable by fine or imprisonment. In other words, all preachers of whatever faith would be breaking the civil law if they condemned homosexuals for their behavior. These are facts which will, perhaps, be the subject of discussion by multiplied millions.

4. God’s Law Concerning Homosexuality

Complex moral issues are not easily dealt with by human governments. What one parliament decides is unacceptable and morally wrong, another, perhaps even in the same country and a few years later, may decide is perfectly all right. How does one legislate on the sexual rights and wrongs of consenting adults? The answer is: men and women cannot do so. We just do not have the mental ability or moral stature to legislate on issues such as homosexuality, fornication, prostitution and Sabbath-breaking. These are moral issues on which only God can legislate. To be sure, parliaments may implement His directions: but should they formulate new moral laws? Do they know enough on the matter of morals and their long-term effects on individuals and society to formulate laws? Obviously not. That is why when discussing moral issues the first question to answer is: Does God exist? If your answer is No, then the rest of this article doesn't concern you: switch off or move to another site. But before you do, remember that your verdict will not make God go away; neither will it prevent His reaction to your subsequent behavior. If on the other hand your answer is Yes, then what He says about this matter of homosexuality is vital. We will now let the Holy Bible tell you what God thinks of homosexual behavior.

Remember the quotations that follow are taken from the Holy Bible.

Genesis 13: 13: “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.”

Leviticus 18: 22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.
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.
24: Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:
25: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.”

Deuteronomy 23: 17: “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.”

This is the Almighty's law concerning homosexual acts. Failure to keep it constitutes an abomination. Bear in mind that the city of Sodom existed long before Israel became a nation: so the Almighty's law doesn't only apply to Israel, but to all mankind.

5. God’s Reaction To Sodom’s Behavior?

God was extremely angry with the men of Sodom and sent two angels to burn the city to ashes. Note His Words:

Genesis 18:

20: “And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
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.
22: And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.”

6. The Old Testament Teaching

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.
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.
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.
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.
12: And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
14: And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15: And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16: And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17: And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18: And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
19: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20: Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21: And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
22: Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23: The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24: Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25: And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26: But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27: And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.”

7. The New Testament Teaching

The Apostle Paul wrote at length of how the Almighty reacts to those who refuse to acknowledge His existence and creative powers. Paul says that He hands them over to vile affections.

Romans 1: 19: “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20: For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21: Because 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.
22: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23: And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24: Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26: For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
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.
28: And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30: Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31: Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

8. Bible Prophecy Concerning Homosexuality

The Bible tells us that God is going to punish blatant sinners just as He did in days gone by. He didn't spare evil angels for cohabiting with human females. He didn't spare mankind in the days of Noah. He didn't spare Sodom in the days of Lot. In fact He burned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes. So it is foolish beyond imagination to suppose that God has somehow changed and will react differently towards the sins of this generation.

The Apostle Peter Says The Same Thing.

2 Peter 2: 4: “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
5: And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6: And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.”

9. What About You?

Remember that Yahweh, the Almighty God of Israel, the Creator of the universe, is the only one capable of formulating laws on human morality. He created the human race in the first place and He alone has the moral stature, authority, knowledge and right to tell us how to live. In the Bible He appeals to our wayward world, which has become like the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, to escape His soon-coming wrath by turning away from sin.

Failure to heed His warning and offer of mercy is courting disaster. Unbelief is a world-wide disease, far worse than AIDS: and God is appealing to every man, woman and child to repent and accept salvation before it is eternally too late. Let the reader pay close attention to His words.

Isaiah 1: 10: “Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.”

Ezekiel 16: 49: “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.”

Deuteronomy 29: 18: “Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
19: And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
20: The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
21: And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:
22: So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it;
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.”

10. Is Salvation Possible For A Homosexual?

The answer is yes it is. The Almighty God is well able to forgive, sanctify and save every sinner who turns to Him for salvation, no matter how much that person has sinned and no matter what his/her sin may be. But the Almighty will only do so if sin is repented of and forsaken. Expressions of faith which are not followed by obedience accomplish nothing.

God has made ample provision for salvation through His Son Yeshua the Messiah. No matter what your sin may be, salvation is possible through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul's letter to the Corinthians proves that the sin of homosexuality can be forgiven. Here are his words to a congregation which included former homosexuals.

1 Corinthians 6: 9: ”Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10: Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11: And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

A Voice In The Wilderness has many articles about Salvation. Study them and make your decision for God today. You will never regret it - never.

AMEN

In The Son's Name, For The Father's Glory
A Voice In The Wilderness - USA www.avitw-usa.org

Genesis 13:	13: “But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.”
Leviticus 18:	22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 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. 24: Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.”
Deuteronomy 23:	17: “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.”

Isaiah 1:	10: “Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.”
Ezekiel 16:	49: “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.”
Deuteronomy 29:	18: “Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; 19: And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: 20: The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven. 21: And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law: 22: So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it; 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.”