A newly released Pew research study surveyed in 2014 has found that Christianity has declined in the United States for the first time in history. The study shows that identified Christians went down to 70.6% nationally from 78.4% in 2007. There was also an increase in “no religion” to 23% which was only 16% in 2007. So we can see a 7% increase in non-belief and a 7.8% decrease in Christian belief, which roughly ads up to be about 1,983,429 Christians that lose their faith every year and a whopping 13,884,000 in the last 7 years and counting. This is very sad news and is reflective of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 which prophesies that a “falling away” must happen first before the antichrist can be revealed.
Despite this falling away from Christianity, there is one group of people where believers in Jesus Christ have sharply increased. Within this same Pew Research study in 2014, it was found that 48% of lesbians, gays and bisexuals identify as Christians. This is up 6% in just 1 year compared to the 2013 study! Based on gay, lesbian and bisexual demographics, that’s averaged to be about 150,000 or more new gay, lesbian and bisexuals accepting Christ just in the past year. Praise God! The advancement in gay Christian identification could likely be do to the recent growth of gay-affirming Christian congregations and the increasing knowledge and availability of gay-affirming Biblical studies and literature. This rising acceptance has led to a growing longing for Christ in the gay community.
Another interesting thing to note is a particular exception to the decrease in nationwide Christianity. When looking at a state level, all states show an overall decrease in the amount of Christians. There were only a couple states which had an increase in a particular area of Christian identification, but still a decrease overall. California increased by 2 percentage points between 2007 and 2014 within the Evangelical tradition. As an observation, this is intriguing since California represents one of the most populated areas for gay-affirming churches. This possible association has not been studied, but I found it to be a fascinating observation that could be significant.
One more intriguing stat reveals the importance level that faith plays in those that were surveyed. Gay, lesbian and bisexual Christians reported that their religion played an important part of their life 3 percentage points higher than the heterosexuals Christians surveyed. So it would appear that the gay Christians faith is of devoutly serious importance.
Although these statistics for gay believers are exciting and demonstrate the bearing of good spiritual fruit, the fact remains that the gay community still has significantly lower levels of Christians compared to the heterosexual population due to the rejection from many churches and Believers. As a side note, the population of gays and straights of the Jewish faith were the same statistically. But for the Christian population, gays were significantly less Christian overall. Although another Pew study reveals a 12 percentage increase in church acceptance of gays, lesbians and bisexuals between 2006 to 2012, numbers are still relatively low. We must work towards spreading the Gospel message in a loving way to all of humankind without exclusion. As I’ve said before, we must be strive to be spiritually fruitful and multiply Believers.
Here are some articles that show these statistics as well as the 2014 Pew study:
Surrounding the decision by the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage country-wide, I have noticed an influx in anti-gay religious rhetoric that has extended from just the normal clobber passages we usually see quoted. (Please visit http://www.gaychristians.2freedom.com for in-depth explanations of these verses.) I have recently witnessed many pastors and Christians on social media quoting from Matthew 24:38,39 and Luke 17:27 as “proof” that gay-marriage was the cause of the flood, and that the end times being likened to “the days of Noah” means that gay marriages will be the major sign preceding the tribulation. Not only that, but I’ve recently heard a new translation that connects the first horseman of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6:2 to same-sex marriage. They are also using other religious text (not in the Bible) to support this idea, which I will get to shortly…
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“Marrying and giving in marriage”
Below are the verses used to condemn gay marriage as the reason for Noah’s flood, hence it is being connected to the reason for the apocalypse. The verses read:
“For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:38,39)
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”(Luke 17:26,27)
Before I go onto explain their logic, let it be known that Luke 17 goes onto say:
“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30)
The phrase in question is that they were “marrying and giving into marriage.” Some newer translations say “they were taking wives and taking husbands.” But for some reason, these pastors have concluded that this is speaking of males (not Biblically supported) and that “marrying” is referring to heterosexual marriage and “giving in marriage” is referring to homosexual marriage. They say that a man cannot be “given in marriage,” thus the passage speaks of males marrying other males. They use this quote to claim that those in Noah’s day right before the flood were engaging in same-sex marriages, thus God flooded the earth. And as Jesus makes a comparison between the days of Noah and His coming, this means gay marriage is a sign of the imminent end times.
Perhaps the additional comparison of Sodom in Luke 17:28-30 (listed above) could be why they initially thought of homosexuality, yet it states that the residents of Sodom were “eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,” NOT “marrying and giving into marriage.” There are several problems with this logic. First are the listed verbs that describe what was happening at the time. Clearly both mentions of what was occurring in the days of Noah and the days of Lot are not reasons for the flood or their destruction. God did not flood the earth because people were consuming food and drink, nor for buying and selling nor for planting and building. So why then should one isolate that “they were marrying and giving in marriage” is the cause of the flood? (As an important side note if you aren’t already aware, when one looks at the context of the Sodom story in Genesis 19, we can see a situation where the residents of Sodom violently threaten to have sex with the angel visitors against their will. Trying to have sex against someone’s will is attempted rape. So this story represents an attempted gang-rape of angels. When we look at the cultural context of the time, some pagan towns would gang-rape male foreign visitors as a sign of power, punishment or payment, similar to modern day prison-rape among otherwise heterosexual males. This bears no resemblance to modern-day same-gender committed unions or even gay and lesbian people. Additionally, women were seen as being of less value, hence their refusal of Lots virgin daughters, as Sodom was also exceedingly filled with greed. Read Judges 19 for another account of such a practice and see the result of the wicked men that succeeded in their efforts.)
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Secondly, the context of all these verses comparing the days of Noah and Lot to the days of the coming of Jesus clearly are reference to the fact that the unbelievers did not have any clue that destruction was going to overtake them. Matthew 24:39 said they were “unaware until the flood came and swept them away.” We all see this sudden destruction that unexpectedly overtook them without their knowledge because they did not believe any of the warnings. This reminds me of 1 Thessalonians 5:3 which reads “While people are saying, ‘peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” With this said, the events described prior to the flood and destruction of Sodom were not describing the reason for their destruction, but rather that people were going about their daily activities, planning for the future (which they did not have) and not preparing themselves for the coming end. This is how this mind state of the people is similar to the coming of the Son of Man. It is as it says that He will come like a thief in the night, but not to believers who can see the signs of His coming, as it states, “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-9).
So with this, just as Noah heeded the warnings of God’s flood and was brought to safety into the arc, so shall it be for the believers in Christ that will escape the wrath against those who scoff in unbelief and choose the antichrist over following Him. He gave us the instruction for the one way to salvation through the blood covenant of the sacrifice of His Son for all sin, just as He gave instruction to Noah to build the arc which brought him into safety. Without this faith, obedience would have been impossible. The Christians’ “arc” is being built by Him who has saved us, as it is written: “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:2-4)
Third, if “marrying and giving in marriage” truly is a reference to a distinction between straight and gay marriage, then one must also take this phrase from other passages to mean the same thing. Here are some other instances:
“For in the resurrection they neither marrynor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Matthew 22:30)
“For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Mark 12:25)
“And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marrynor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:34-36).
In context, Jesus is explaining that marriage is only for our time here on earth, and at the resurrection, we will no longer be “marrying and giving in marriage.” He compares believers to be like the angels of heaven and is clearly speaking about believers, not unbelievers, as Luke 20 goes onto say that we are “sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” So if the phrase “marry and giving into marriage” is a distinction between straight and gay marriage, than these additional verses would prove that there are believers who had participated on earth in not only heterosexual marriage, but same-sex marriage. Jesus mentions both, which would demonstrate that He accepts them both.
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But I don’t really think this is what He was talking about…
Instead I conclude that this is simply a phrase talking about marriages in general. If the distinction is important, than it would seem highly more likely to be talking about marriages and re-marriages, especially considering the context of the Pharisees question in Luke 20 where they were trying to figure out which deceased husband out of seven would have the wife in the afterlife. Luke 20 is particularly interesting, as it says that people in His age also “marry and are given in marriage.” So if it were a sign of the end, it has been going on for a long time. So either way, it seems highly unlikely to be targeting same-sex marriage as the reason for the end.
If we really want to connect a gender to this, the passages that talk about the days of Noah do not have any gender specificity, as it is actually more properly translated literally “as indeed existed those before the flood.” That which is translated “they were” is just “existed” (Greek word esan, ἦσαν) and “those” is the Greek word ekienais (ἐκείναις) which is a demonstrative pronoun not connected to gender whatsoever.
The first horseman of Revelation
Now I will mention another Bible verse that is more of a new fringe translation, but I see it growing in popularity on social media. Most are familiar with the famous 4 horseman of the apocalypse in the book of Revelation. A recent new translation has popped up that has connected it to gay marriage being the big sign, once again, to enter the tribulation. The first horseman’s item in hand is the target in question. The verse reads:
“And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2)
A pastor who I adore but will leave unnamed has now translated this horseman not to be holding an ordinary bow of weaponry, but a rainbow, which he connects as being a rainbow gay pride flag! And he is going out to conquer marriage! He also went on to conclude that the gay pride flag has 6 colors, but the real rainbow in nature has 7, and 6 is the “number of man” and 7 is the “number of God.” He admits that in nature one cannot see the 7th color (indigo), so this was “confirmation” to him that “gays can’t see (God.)” This I find very sad, although I know this pastor is loving and doesn’t know the damage this translation might cause others… (Now I’m also wondering if the wording “he came out” had anything to do with his subconscious gay connection as well.)
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Although most would reject this teaching or at least question it (hopefully), I will show that the bow is not a rainbow, just to cover all the bases. The Greek word for bow here is toxon (τόξον) which is an arc of a crossbow or an archers bow. The Greek word for rainbow is iris (ἶρις.) As one can see, this does not even closely resemble τόξον (toxon) in Revelation, as they don’t even share any common letters. I know that this pastor means well, but I feel that looking for signs connecting gays to the apocalypse is just causing more divisions between LGBT people and the church. Even worse, it is adding to the bad fruit of encouraging them to reject Christianity due to the blatant rejection from those who identify as Christians. On a side note, I do feel that there are some incredible end times signs happening in our age like nothing before, but those who focus all attention on gays being the target antichrist enemy might miss legitimate signs that are much more Biblically impacting, while in the process they discourage LGBT people from being saved!
Extra-Biblical Texts
Watchers descending from Mount Hermon, which in Hebrew means “an oath.”
But aside from this, there has come another claim, which states that several other “religious text” (not the Bible) relate gay marriage to being the reason for Noah’s flood. Some have claimed that the pseudepigraphal book of 2 Enoch (NOT first Enoch) has spoken out against homosexuality connected to the reason for the flood. Let me first say that I believe that the first (and probably only authentic) book of Enoch should be prayerfully considered for the following reasons: a quote from the book of Enoch is in the Bible (in Jude 1:14,15) as a prophetically inspired text, it coincides with the themes and imagery of Scripture throughout, it strongly prophesies Jesus as Savior as well as His coming millennial rein on earth after the great tribulation, and the Aramaic text was found with other Biblical Scripture within the Dead Sea scrolls (not to mention that Enoch himself prophesied that his book would be for the last generation on earth.) Although the book of Enoch is still in the Bible in Northeastern Africa and continues to be accepted in Christian Churches there, it would seem that it may have been canonically rejected by the mainstream church due to a controversial topic matter. Namely, it speaks of a set of Angels (called “the Watchers”) that were given responsibility to watch over humans, but they made an oath together to rebel against God and went after the flesh of humans and married them, consequently producing a race of fallen angel/human hybrid offspring called the Nephilim Giants (not to be confused with modern gigantism!) Now this may seem like something out of science fiction novel, but a reading of Genesis 6 in the Bible seems to describe such unions, as it says the bene-Elohim (always contextually translated as “angels”) went into the daughters of humankind and married them and had children by them which were also called the Nephilim Giants! So if this book is authentic, then the men of Sodom going after the strange (or “different”) flesh of angels makes a whole lot more sense, as it would seem known that great supernatural power was given to any who sexually joined with angelic beings.
The last of the Giants
As a long but needed side note (as this will all connect to the extra-Biblical verses mentioned), when the verses above say that we will be “like the angels in Heaven” which are unmarried and seemingly genderless, this is not referring to the fallen angels and their possible past ability to create hybrid offspring when they took the form of human men. (Those particular set of fallen angels guilty of such a crime were said to be imprisoned with heavy chains in darkness until the time of the end [reference Jude 1:6, 2 Peter 2:4, Enoch 54:3, 10:12].) What better way for evil to try to divert the birth of the Messiah than to pollute the human genome into extinction? Noah was considered from a “pure generation,” thus he could have been one of the only true human lines left and so this would further explain why God had to wipe out most of His creation and start over if most had been corrupted by a demonic seed and would be thinking of evil continuously. If anyone questions wether a race of giants existed on the earth, one can go to Scripture and find 34 verses about them all connecting back to the Nephilim. http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Giants/type/kjv It would also explain why God commanded His people to wipe out entire nations (including children), as each were connected to being inhabited by these giants, so perhaps they were not all fully human, as they were described to devour their lands’ inhabitants and Genesis 6 says they were around before and after the days of the flood (possibly through Ham’s wife.) So regardless of accepting the book of Enoch as legitimate or not, the Bible supports this idea of fallen angel/human hybrid giants, as well as support found in many other documents by the ancients and early church fathers. Other views of trying to define them as the “sons of Seth” and “daughters of Cain” are explained and refuted here.
But that discussion is for another time…
2nd Enoch, late 1st century, first printing end of 19th century
So back to 2 Enoch, which is accepted as being of a different author than the first book of Enoch written many hundreds of years later. Within it is a chapter which states:
“They have rejected my commandments and my yoke, worthless seed has come up, not fearing God, and they would not bow down to me, but have begun to bow down to vain gods, and denied my unity, and have laden the whole earth with untruths, offences, abominable lecheries, namely one with another, and all manner of other unclean wickedness, which are disgusting to relate. therefore I will bring down a deluge (great flood) upon the earth and will destroy all men, and the whole earth will crumble together into great darkness.” (2 Enoch 34)
Some have modernly added to the text by saying that “abominable lecheries” is properly translated as “sodomite offenders,” but Enoch was only on earth before Sodom and the Bible said he was taken up by God before the flood (as he did not die), so these words (Sodom and sodomite) would not have been around during the time of his legitimate writings. There are also added verses in other modern versions, which say “friends with friends in the anus in the manner of Sodom.” Again, Enoch was not on earth in the time of Sodom, nor did he give any prophetic account of the Sodom story, so this is just taking the words and deriving whatever pops up into the modern imagination.
More importantly, although I have not been able to find an Aramaic or Hebrew version of 2 Enoch available, I do know that in the Bible, when a word is translated as “sodomite” it is always the word “qadesh (קָדֵשׁ)” which always means “temple prostitute,” as pagan temple prostitutes used to work as intercessors to the idol gods and accepted the followers seed into them as sacrifice. Being that the semen was a “sacrifice,” it was never performed in a procreative manner, so this could include male-male or female-male anal sex rituals. So this is not talking about all gay people, but a specific idolatrous sex act. So even if “the abominable lecheries, namely one with another” could be translated in the graphic way they have in the expanded texts, then we still must see that the context of who is being attacked are the ones that stopped following God and instead, “have begun to bow down to vain gods.” Consequently, as a qadesh (“sodomite”), they would have given up a “worthless seed” as sacrifice to their idols. Again, the book of 2 Enoch is widely rejected as not being authentic or connected to Enoch, unlike many who accept the book of Enoch, so we should be cautious to use it as any sort of “proof” or reference of God’s intentions for the flood.
Babylonian Talmud, 500A.D., first printing 1520A.D.
Now I must apprehensively report that there are 2 Jewish texts that have been generously re-phrased by Christians as directly relating to gay marriages to the flood. These texts are the “Babylonian Talmud” and the “Genesis Rabbah.” When I see it referenced, they just say that “both texts have connected gay marriage as the reason for the flood,” but there is more to the story when we look to these original texts.
The Babylonian Talmud is part of the Talmud that the Jewish religion follows as authoritative in their own religion (the other half is the Jerusalem Tamud). It has been described as “the body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend” and was written by Jewish Rabbi’s some 500 years after the birth of Christ. In the text that people say “proves that the flood happened because of gay marriage,” we find this quote:
“And I said to them, ‘If it is good in your eyes, give me my wage, and if not, withhold it.’ And they weighed out for me my wage, thirty pieces of silver.” (Zechariah 11:12) Rabbi Yehudah says: These (the pieces of silver) are (i.e., symbolize) the thirty righteous people of the nations of the world, such that the nations of the world are sustained by them. Ulla said: These are the thirty commandments which the sons of Noah took upon themselves but they observe three of them, namely, (i) they do not draw up a kethubah [marriage contract] document for males, (ii) they do not weigh flesh of the [human] dead in the market, and (iii) they respect the Torah.” -Babylonian Talmud, Chullin 92a-b
If one reads carefully, it mentions that there were 30 commandments given to Noah (not Biblical) and that the “sons of Noah” were given these 30 commandments, but only followed 3 of them. Number one that they followed was not to draw up a marriage contract document for males. So if anything, the text says they did not perform or engage in same-sex marriage. So this text seems to be often misquoted without any reference.
Genesis Rabbah, 400-500A.D., first printing 1939
Now we look to the “Genesis Rabbah” which is an extensive Jewish commentary (not part of the Talmud.) This portion of commentary is relating to the verses that I previously mentioned that are connected to the Nephilim, although it will become clear that the Jewish commentators don’t accept the view that “the sons of God” are angels. I will first show the Bible verse, then their commentary conclusions relating to gay marriage.
“the sons of God (bene-Elohim/angels) saw that the daughters of man (mankind) were attractive. And they took as their wives whomever they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years. 4 The Nephilim Giants were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God (bene-Elohim/angels) came in to the daughters of man (mankind) and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. 5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:1-6.)
Now here is Genesis Rabbah chapter 26:1-6:
“THAT THE SONS OF GOD (BENE ELOHIM) SAW THE DAUGHTERS OF MEN, etc. (VI, 2). R. Simeon b.Yohai called them the sons of nobles; [furthermore], R. Simeon b. Yohai cursed all who called them the sons of God.1 R. Simeon b. Yohai said: If demoralisation does not proceed from the leaders, it is not real demoralisation.2 The Rabbis said: It was in order that they might receive their own punishment and that of the generations that followed them.3 THAT THEY WERE FAIR (TOBOTH). R, Judan said: Actually tobath 4 is written: when a bride was made beautiful for her husband, the chief [of these nobles] entered and enjoyed her first.5 Hence it is written, For they were fair, which refers to virgins; And they took them wives, refers to married women, 6Whomsoever they chose: that means males and beasts. R. Huna said in R, Joseph’s name: The generation of the Flood were not blotted out from the world until they composed nuptial songs7 in honour of pederasty and bestiality…”
In focusing in on verse 2, it states “The sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives whomever they chose.” The Jewish commentators have concluded that first, the sons of God were human nobleman (and CURSED anyone who called them what Scripture plainly says) and second that “they took as their wives whomever they chose” to extend meaning to literally whomever! Meaning that they took as wives males and animals. This might be a possible translation had the first part of the verse not shown that the object of attraction was clearly towards the “daughters (females) of man.” Although these Jewish studies can certainly be very fascinating, this seems to be reading much too closely into the text just as is “they were married and giving in marriage.”
The second portion of text seems more specific, but I must humbly say that I have no clue how the commentators derived this meaning (especially the mention of nuptial songs?). Again it states, “The generation of the Flood were not blotted out from the world until they composed nuptial songs in honour of pederasty and bestiality.” Now it seems to just condemn wedding celebration of pederasty and bestiality, namely adults with children and/or animals. Whereas the previous verse had just mentioned that they had married adult males and beasts.
If we really want to look closely, then it seems these commentators mentioned 3 things:
1) marriage to males
2) marriage to animals
3) marriage to children
But only TWO (marriage to animals and marriage to children) are actually overtly blamed for the flood. Marriage to males was mentioned as happening, but not the reason.
Almost The End
Many things are coming to pass in our age which seem to point to us entering into the end times as described in the Bible. I am not blind to any of this and keep my eyes open on these matters daily. Its true that the “birth pangs” seem to be getting closer and closer together at an accelerated rate and there are signs all over that point towards being on the very edge of the tribulation period. (As a side note for anyone watching for signs, this September 2015 seems to have a significant amount of prophetic convergence!) I just don’t feel that the gay marriage thing is part of the signs mentioned by Jesus in the Gospels or John in Revelation. Rather, it seems to have become more of a distraction from the legitimate signs and a further excuse to target gays and lesbians as the inherently Anti-God enemy of their own making.
For the very first time in history, a new Pew study released in 2015 reported that Christianity has declined in the United States by 7.8% and atheism has increased by 6.7%! Again, this decline of Christianity has never happened before! This critical condition is in part due to the hateful inclusion broadcasted by well-meaning Christians who know not what they do, but something needs to be done. For gays and lesbians to desire marriage is for them to desire the loving bond that God created as good; the blueprint for marriage as a monogamous committed lifelong covenant. To deny them of this is to indirectly encourage lack of commitment and/or promiscuity.
Despite your views on homosexuality in the Bible, rather than focus on the command given to Adam and to Noah to “be fruitful and multiply,” instead let us be Spiritually fruitful and multiply believers! Knowing that the time is short, let us work together for Him more than ever to bring the lost to redemption by showing them the only saving grace of our Savior! This can only be accomplished through emulating the love of Christ and not exuding an exclusion against any one group of potential followers. It is by my conviction that I feel He is calling us to do this work in order to help gather ALL of His sheep before the Appointed Time.
When we as Christians condemn homosexuals as unsavable unless they stop being gay (which is an impossible task), we are essentially casting out this entire group from the “whosoever” in John 3:16. As He said, “my grace is sufficient, as My power is made perfect in your weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9.) The most important law is the law of love, as Romans 13:10 states, “love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is all God’s law demands.” Romans 14 also reveals that believers may have differing personal convictions, yet God accepts them both when they do it in thanks to Him. We are to just be thoughtful not to put a hinderance or stumbling block against the fellow believer when we have differing personal convictions. All of us in the body of Christ have different “parts” to play depending on the Will of God for our own life, so we should not criticize one who has a different role in His purpose. Most importantly, we must never fail to recognize the strength of the grace of God and the strength of the blood of our one and only Messiah who died to put a final death to the power of sin! When we lovingly present anyone with the Gospel message, let it be written in the forefront of our minds, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9) Let us strive to make this song a reality:
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
In my previous article, I presented a profound discovery that the Holy Spirit revealed to me which is the Divine meaning within the Hebrew language. Unlike any other language aside from Aramaic (the language of Jesus), ancient Hebrew has a known deep symbolic meaning within each letter. All other languages only use letters as a phonetic indicator for sound, but Hebrew letters have meaning within each letter. All other languages have root words, but the ancient Hebrew language has root letters. So when one combines the letter meanings in a particular word, one can derive amazing meaning. When applying this letter-meaning formula to the words written in Biblical Scripture, one can witness miraculous messages that point to a Divine authorship. It is recommended that you read my previous article first so that that following article makes more sense.
The first miraculous sign of Jesus has been noted in the Gospel of John as follows:
“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.‘ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.‘ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” -John 2:1-11
So the first miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine. Totally random and unexpected? It would sure seem so on the surface… But as we can usually see in the Scriptures, nothing is insignificant, especially when concerning the works of our Messiah. Like the parables of Jesus, this act is steeped with an even deeper meaning which can be procured by looking at some of the key words in Hebrew and unearthing their combined letter meanings. Although the Gospel of John was written in Greek, one can still find value in using the Old Testament language of Hebrew to derive a deeper meaning. But before I show you that, I will give what can be generally symbolized by His act (without the need for Hebrew letter symbolism.)
In the general symbolism, we can see that Jesus used the jars reserved for Jewish purification ritual, had them filled with water, and then transformed its elements into wine. This act showed that He would be the one to bring about the New Covenant in which His blood would provide superior purification to Old Covenant ritual. More than symbolic is that the concentration of amineted acid in wine is very close to that which is in human blood. Secondly, it is interesting that this takes place at a wedding, which is reminiscent of the marriage between Christ and the church and the wedding supper of The Lamb. Third, we can observe that Jesus performed this sign only in front of the servants and disciples, yet the “master of the feast” was offered His miracle, yet “did not know where it came from.” This can show us that all are offered Salvation, but not all recognize the Redeemer. It should also be noted that this first sign done with all 12 Disciples is very much connected to the communion in the last supper which was the last interaction with all 12 of Jesus’ Disciples before His crucifixion. The water into wine is the first sign, and the wine representative of His blood is the last sign. It is not a coincidence that these two acts are first and last as a symbol of what was to come next…
Speaking of which, it is curious that Jesus responds to this problem with “what does this have to do with me?” This is ironic because it has everything to do with Him. So now let me explain it’s deeper meaning by showing you the letter meanings of key words in Hebrew. I will list some of the key Hebrew words associated with this verse and reveal the letter meanings for each. Note that my personal conclusions are in [brackets]:
Mayim מָ֫יִם – water
מָ֫ – Mighty water [water altogether represents spirit, such as the water of Baptism in the Holy Spirit.]
יִ – SPIRIT, worship [Yeshua was conceived of the Holy Spirit so that we can worship and commune with God.]
ם – Mighty blood [His mighty blood covers our sins.]
[Summary: Water represents that which is Spirit.]
Chamar חֲמַר – wine
חֲ – outside of the tent wall [Tent: residence of God. Being outside of the residence of God is to be present in the human body.]
מַ – mighty blood/water [Yeshua’s mighty blood and spirit.]
ר – head of MAN [Yeshua came as a man.]
[Summary: Wine represents being flesh/human.]
Tsappachath צַפַּ֫חַת – jar/cup
צַ – PATH [Path to salvation.]
פַּ֫ – blow with mouth, scatter to every edge [See summary below.]
חַ – outside of the tent wall [Tent: residence of God]
ת – the CROSS, sign, symbol, covenant.
[Summary: The jar/cup represents the path to the cross.The mouth of God breathes out to scatter His offer of salvation outside of His residence to those on earth by the path of the cross covenant.] Nesak נִסְכֵּי – drink offering
נִ – seed, continue [God sent His seed to continue human life eternally by salvation.]
סְ – thorns, protect [He was pierced by thorns to protect us from death.]
כֵּ – open palm, allow [He opened his palm and allowed it to be pierced for our transgressions. He allows and invites us to come to Him.]
י – arm with closed palm, spirit, worship [Yeshua is the arm of Yahweh and grasps onto us so that we can receive the Holy Spirit and worship God eternally.]
[Summary: Drink offering is representative of the sacrifice of Jesus offered to mankind. In order that humans be given eternal life (to continue), God sent His seed and offered His open palm to be pierced and used the arm of God to grasp us in His hand and never let go. (read John 10:28-30)]
Now let me show you how each of these key items (water, wine, jar/cup, drink offering) paint a picture of what occurred:
Let me explain in clearer detail:
You can click to enlarge this image, or you can read this explanation: That which is SPIRIT had to be made human FLESH in order that the PATH to the CROSS be made as a sacrificial OFFERING… Therefore, by the OFFERING of the CROSS we take His PATH from being of the FLESH into being of the SPIRIT.
In other words, His Spirit had to become flesh to take the path to the cross as a sacrificial offering for us, so that when we accept His sacrifice and drink the cup of His salvation, our flesh (which is outside of the residence of God) becomes Spirit (in the presence of God.)
The bottom line is that Spirit had to be made flesh so that flesh could be made spirit. Flesh dies, but the spirit is life eternally.
As an added connection, here is the Hebrew word for Heaven, which just happens to be the same word for water but with one letter added to it: Shamyim שָׁמָ֫יִם- Heaven
שָׁ – Consuming fire [God is described in the Bible as a consuming fire, as He refines and purifies us. This symbol has also been connected with the Trinity.]
מָ֫ – Water
יִ – Spirit
ם – Blood
This verse says it all: “This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” 1 John 5:6-8
As you can see, these key Hebrew words of Jesus’ first miracle reveal the pattern of Salvation. Who would suspect that turning water into wine would say so much? Let ALL praise be to our Father in Heaven for sending His only Son to die in our place so that we can go from flesh to spirit! Praise Yahweh for giving us His Word so that we may be given the knowledge of His perfect thoughts! Glory to Yahweh!
I don’t usually do this, but I have decided to include a scan of my handwritten thoughts as these things were revealed to me. My purpose is to show you how these ideas were connected together so that you can see the full picture. Please forgive me for my poor quality sketches.
If you are interested in the Ancient Hebrew letter symbolic meanings, please visit my previous article (noted above) which has the chart and links to all the needed resources to do your own Hebrew study. Below is my personal chart based off of the studies provided by the Ancient Hebrew Research Center.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” -John 1:1,14
Preface
The following presents a simple Aramaic / Hebrew letter formula which reveals deep meaning into Biblical words. Unlike our English alphabet, each individual letter in the Aramaic and Hebrew language has a known ancient symbol and meaning. When one takes the letters of an Aramaic or Hebrew word in Scripture and deconstructs their corresponding letter meaning, something miraculous may be revealed. Contained in this article are the hidden meanings in the “Alpha and Omega,” name of Jesus, title and name of God as well as the words for peace, murder, sin, forgiveness, Heaven, the Holy Spirit, truth, grace, saved, faith, works, boast, salvation, Sodom and the words commonly translated as homosexuals. Note that this is in no way related to Jewish mysticism or Kabbalah, but is solely interpreted from a Christian reader’s perspective. Please read on… This article will be updated with new insights! Last update: April 22, 2015.
I have been praying daily for Scriptural wisdom from The Lord, and I feel He has revealed something profound in my study of Aramaic and Hebrew. It must first be known that each letter in the Aramaic and Hebrew language has a deep meaning and symbolizes certain things. (Note that all of the letters in both languages coincide in their letter meanings.) For example, the letter “Nun” (נ) is symbolized by a “seed” and means “to continue, an heir to inheritance, offspring and/or a son.” The letter “Tsad” (צ) is symbolized by a “trail” and means “to go on a journey, to chase and/or to hunt.”
Just like most languages have root words, the Aramaic and Hebrew language has a root meaning in every single letter! When I was reviewing the Aramaic and Hebrew alphabet, I came across something that floored me. As you may know, God proclaimed Himself as “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation1:8,21:6,22:13) which is the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. Knowing that Jesus spoke Aramaic, I looked to see the meanings behind the first and last letters of the Aramaic and Hebrew language. “I am the Alaph and the Taw” (Aramaic) or “I am the Aleph and the Tav” (Hebrew). The ancient pictorial lettering of the Alaph/Aleph is a picture of a head of an ox and symbolizes “God, first, strong, power and leader.” The Taw/Tav is a picture of two crossed sticks and symbolizes “a covenant, monument mark and a sign.” What I realized is that the Alaph/Aleph ox head is like the animal sacrificial system under the Old Covenant. The Taw/Tav crossed sticks is like a symbol of the crucifixion under the New Covenant. Put together, it represents God as the First Leader with strong power and the sign of New Covenant of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross! This is of course just a reference to two simple letters…
After being astounded at this deep meaning, I decided to begin to look at Hebrew and Aramaic words, and see what each letter combined in each word came out to mean. Note that this is not a normal way of translating the words in the language, but rather deconstructing meaning from each letter to see what it defines when put together. I first looked at the letters in Jesus’ name in Aramaic (ישוע Yeshua). Here I will provide the letter name and it’s relevant connective meaning. The words in [brackets] are my conclusions:
Jesus – ישוע Yeshua
י Yudh- Hand [His hands were pierced for our transgressions], Worship [We worship Him]
ש Shin – Front teeth [He speaks for God], two, [second in the trinity].
ו Vav – Tent peg [looks like a nail. Refer to the nail in his hand. Represents the tent’s foundation. Extra note: the “tent” means house and temple.], add [adds the New Covenant], secure [secures mankind], hook [like “fishers of men”].
ע Ayin- Eye [see God], know [know God], experience [how we experience God.]
So as you can see, the letters of Jesus’ name connect fully to His essence.
Here is the breakdown of the title of “My God” (אלהי El’ahi) in Aramaic, spoken by Jesus on the cross in Matthew 27:36: “My God” – אלהי El’ahi
א Alaph- God, first, strong, power, leader.
ל Resh- Head of man [He is our leader or “head” and we are made in His image], first, top beginning [He is first and eternal].
ה Heth- Man with arms raised [He has power over all things and we raise our arms up to Him. Also symbolic of Jesus’ arms raised up on the cross], breath [His breath gives us life], reveal [He reveals Himself to us], look [we look to Him and He sees all].
All the letters of El’ahi coincide to our connection with The Father!
Next I looked up the true personal name of God (יהוה Yahweh) in Hebrew: The name of God – יהוה Yahweh
י Yud- Worship [He is worshiped.]
ה Hey- Man with arms raised [He has power over all things and we raise our arms up to Him. Also symbolic of Jesus’ arms raised up on the cross.], breath [His breath gives us life], reveal [He reveals Himself to us], look [we look to Him and He sees all].
ו Vav- Tent peg [looks like a nail. Prophesied His Son being pierced to forgive us. Represents the tent’s foundation. Extra note: the tent means house and temple.], add [Creator of all- adds all creation.], secure [we find secure refuge in Him], Hook [“fishers of men”].
ה Hey- [repeated above]
Once again, God’s essence is clearly shown in the letters of His name.
I was in awe to find these connections in the names for God and Jesus. So I ventured on to research a few other words to see if I could find any relevant connections in their definitions. Note again that this is not a normal way of translating a word, but just taking the letters of a word and seeing their meaning based on the connected meaning of the letters… I decided to see the letters for the Hebrew word for “peace” (שָׁלוֹם shalom):
Peace – שָׁלוֹם shalom
שָׁ Shin- Two [two people or nations]
ל Lamed- To bind [binding together]
וֹ Vav- Secure [to be secure from…]
ם Mem- Chaos [disturbance.]
According to the interlinear biblical dictionary, the Hebrew root word for peace means “to join, tie together into a whole.” The dictionary defines peace as “freedom from disturbance.” So we can see that the above Hebrew letters combined to make the word peace are like “two binding together to be secure from chaos.”
In researching this, I thought I should also look up a negative word to see what appeared, just in case this was an anomaly. I decided to look up the Hebrew word “murder” (רָצַח ratsach). Here is the result: Murder – רָצַח ratsach
רָ Resh- Man.
צַ Tsade- Chase, hunt.
ח Chet- Divide in half.
[Murder= chasing and hunting a man and dividing them in half/destroying them!] In discussing this one with my wife, she had an amazing point. Anytime someone is murdered, (or dies for that matter) their soul is divided from their body, thus they are “divided in half.” So this becomes an even more accurate description of murder itself as one chases/hunts a man (person) and divides their soul from their body!
There are several Hebrew words for “sin.” One of the most common is chatta’ah” (חַטָּאָה) Which is a direct offense against The Law of God deserving of punishment:
Sin – חַטָּאָה chatta’ah
חַ Chet- Outside, divide in half [Sin divides us from God]
טָּ Tet- Mud [Sin makes us dirty]
אָ Aleph- God
ה Hey- Reveal, man with arms raised up. [Through The Law our sin is revealed so that we may seek forgiveness from God. The man with raised arms is symbolic of Jesus’ arms raised up on the cross, which reveals our Savior!]
Sin divides us from God and makes us dirty (like mud), but through the Law, we are made aware of our sin and need for a Savior, and our Savior is revealed at the cross. So in the word “sin,” it has the answer of how to be forgiven by Jesus on the cross! Romans 3:20 states, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” Hebrews 7:19 reflects this- “For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” The bottom line is that we can learn from our sin and know that we are all unworthy until we seek Our Savior’s forgiveness!
Forgiveness – סְלִיחָה selichah
סְ Samech – Protect
לִ Lamed – Bind
חָ Chet – Divided
ה Hey – Man with arms raised, reveal
Here we have an instance which shows us how forgiveness is connected closely to the letters in sin. Recall that the letters in “sin” showed us divided from God, but the letters in forgiveness shows that we are protected and bound from being divided by the man with his arms raised (on the cross,) as our Savior has once again been revealed in the letters!
So next I looked up the word for “Heaven.” Heaven – שָׁמַ֫יִם Shamayim שָׁ Shin- Trinity
מַ֫ Mem- Water
יִ Yod- Spirit
ם Mem – Blood
The word for Heaven has a deep meaning. Rather than describe its physical attributes, its name is more of the description of how one is able to enter into such a destination. This verse says it all: “This is the one who came by water and blood–Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.” 1 John 5:6-9 But what is this water and blood signify? We see in John 19:33, 34 “But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.” This shows that Jesus’ death on the cross as our sacrifice is the way to the entrance into Shamayim!
Very similarly, the word for “mercy” reveals Heaven… Mercy – רחמים rachamim
ר Resh – man
ח Chet – divided
מ Mem – Water
י Yod – Spirit
ם Mem – Blood
As you can see, God’s mercy reveals that man would be divided without the Water, the Spirit and the Blood.
The Holy Spirit – רוח הקדש Ruach Ha-Kodesh
ר Resh – head of man
ו Vav – Nail, secure
ח Chet – Outside tent wall
ה Hey – Man with arms raised, behold, breath, reveal
ק Qof – Time
ד Dallet – Access
ש Shin – Trinity, consuming fire, destroy
[Man is secured by the nails of the Messiah who went outside of the residence of God (“the tent”) to raise his arms on the cross. And behold, the breath of God’s mind is revealed in our time on earth by the access of the Trinity which consumes and destroys sin.]
Truth – אֱמֶת Emet
אֱ Aleph – God
מֶ Mem – Mighty, blood
ת Tav – Cross, covenant
The word for “truth” in Hebrew is yet another miraculous sign of the truth of God and Messiah’s sacrifice. The word itself is compromised of the first, middle and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, representing all encompassing truth. Even more amazing is that the letters themselves point towards truth as God the mighty blood covenant sacrifice on the cross! Praise Yahweh for the One and only Truth! “and you will know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH will set you free.” – John 8:32. ‘Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”‘ -John 14:6 They exchanged the TRUTH about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:25 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in TRUTH.” -John 4:24. Side note: This last verse Of John 4:24 gives evidence to the Trinity in Scripture, as we are told that God IS spirit, and we must worship Him in spirit (representing the Holy Spirit) and in God’s mighty blood Covenant on the cross (representing Jesus.)
In reading of Ephesians 2:8,9 I was led to look up key words in the verse to find it’s deeper meaning. The verse reads “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not by your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Following are a study of the underlined words:
Grace – חנד Hanan
ח Chet – outside, divided
נ Nun – Son
ד Dalet – Entrance
Grace shows that we would be outside and divided from God if it weren’t for the Son, who provides the entrance to Salvation.
Saved – הציל Hitziyl
ה Hey – Behold, the man with the arms raised, revealed
צ tsadi – capture
י Yod – Spirit
ל Lamed – Bind, to, Shepherd
Being “saved” reveals the man with the arms raised (on the cross), as He captures our spirit and binds us to the Good Shepherd.
Faith – אמונה Emunah
א Aleph- God
מ Mem- Mighty blood
ו Vav – Nail
נ Nun – Son
ה Hey – Reveal
The very essence of our faith in the Hebrew language is the meaning behind the word itself; “God’s Mighty Blood nailed to the Son, revealed!”
Gift – מֶתנ Matan
מֶ Mem – Mighty, blood
ת Tav – Cross, covenant
נ Nun – Son
Very much like the word for truth (Emet), the word “gift” reveals the most amazing gift of all. It simply means the Mighty Blood cross Covenant of the Son! Hebrew it truly a Divine language!
Works/actions/deeds – פעלום pa’alim
פ Peh – communicate
ע Ayin – Watch, understand
ל Lamed – teach
ו Yod – work, worship, spirit
ם Mem – Mighty blood
Here is the hidden meaning behind this word. Works are performed to communicateunderstanding so that one can watch the teaching of the work of worship through the Spirit of the Mighty Blood. In other words, works are performed to be a witness of the work He has done for us so that we may demonstrate the spirit of His work to others.
Boast- לְהִתְפַּאֵר La’hit’paer
ל Lamed – To / Bind
ה Hey – look, behold / man with arms raised
ת Tav – monument / cross
פַּ Peh – speak / scatter away
א Aleph – power / God
ר Resh – man, first
I believe that this word has two relevant translations. First, it is tolook and behold the monument (idol) of self and speak of the power of man (self) first above all. Second, it is to restrain from (bind) beholdingthe man with the arms raised on the cross and scatter away the thought of God by putting man first.
As you can see, being saved, God’s grace and having faith all point to the works of God’s Son! These words reveal God’s plan for saving humanity through His Son by His works on the cross and demonstrate that this perfect gift from God is the entrance to Salvation. We can also see that our human works as defined do not take away from this, but only reinforce that we share the Good News with others of HIS works! It is only when we fall into the prideful act of boasting that we lift up ourselves above God, but despite this, His Work remains true. Furthermore, we can trust that this is truth by deconstructing the meaning of the Hebrew word for “truth” itself which reveals God’s Mighty Blood Covenant on the cross! (See above.)
Salvation – ישועה Yeshuah
י Yudh- Hand [His hands were pierced for our transgressions], Worship [We worship Him]
ש Shin – Front teeth [He speaks for God], two, [second in the trinity].
ו Vav – Tent peg [looks like a nail. Refer to the nail in his hand. Represents the tent’s foundation. Extra note: the “tent” means house and temple.], add [adds the New Covenant], secure [secures mankind], hook [like “fishers of men”].
ע Ayin- Eye [see God], know [know God], experience [how we experience God.]
ה Hey – Man with arms raised, behold, reveal [Salvation is revealed through Him on the cross.]
If you haven’t noticed already, salvation is the same word with one letter added for the name of Jesus. Yeshua (Jesus) and Yeshuah (Salvation.) With this said, we come full circle and see that salvation truly is revealed in Him!
Scripture – כתב Kethab
כ Kaf – Open palm
ת Tav – Cross
ב Bet – Tent floor plan
Symbolically we can gather that Scripture is handing to us (with an open palm) the knowledge of the cross as the foundation (tent floor plan.) The more I research Scripture, the more I find that everything seems to point back to Yeshua and His sacrifice for us. We can see symbolic reflections of Him within so many stories in the Scriptures, and now also in the individual words themselves! It is clear that God made Him known throughout time and all that was preserved to be revealed was for this purpose to lead us to our salvation!
Before proceeding to the next section which explores deeper meaning into the words connected to homosexuality, I wanted to first share another insight which was revealed to me. Isaiah chapter 53 is one of the most famous Old Testament prophesies that foretold the first coming of The Messiah. It describes in detail that He was to be killed for our transgressions, and “by His wounds we are healed.” I asked The Lord to show me more, and in reading only the first sentence in Isaiah 53:1, I was shown two things. Note that Hebrew is read from right to left:
As you can see, the name of Yeshua (Jesus) is encoded into the sentence which describes “the arm of Yahweh revealed.” But even more amazing is that the letters in the word for “Messiah” are also encoded in the same sentence:
This shows that Yeshua is the Messiah! For further proof, when we look at the last word “reveal,” there is only one instance of this exact word in all of Scripture, and here is what is revealed! Reveal – נִגְלָֽתָה niglatah
נִ Nun – Son [Son of God]
גְ Gimal – walk [will walk with us]
גְ Lamed – teach [and teach us]
תָ Tav – crossed sticks [at the cross]
ה Hey – reveal [He will be revealed]
Only God Himself could put such perfect meaning into each letter to combine into the words of Scripture. Of course I have not gone through all the words that exist, but I would imagine that finding such perfect meaning in just these few are profoundly statistically improbable.
After discovering these hidden connective meanings of the Aramaic and Hebrew letters for myself, I went online and searched for anything similar. I found that several others have also been revealed this connection for the Alpha and Omega, name of God, and Jesus. This provided personal confirmation that I must be onto something… Let all praise be to God for answering my prayer for new wisdom of the Scriptures!
The Aramaic / Hebrew connection to homosexuality and the Bible
Rather than list many other words, I will now discuss what is relevant to the topic of this website. I have dedicated many years of study into what the Bible appears to say about homosexuality. My full study can be accessed at http://www.gaychristians.2freedom.com After finding that there is a genuine alternate translation within Scripture that does NOT condemn all of homosexuality (but rather homosexual acts of gang rape and shrine prostitution for idol worship, etc.), I decided to study some key words to see if using this Aramaic/Hebrew letter formula would help uncover anything relevant.
First lets start with the word Sodom (סְדֹם Sedom): Sodom – סְדֹם Sedom
סְ Samech- Grab [the men of Sodom tried to grab the angels], hate [Sodom hated foreigners], Protect [The men of Sodom only cared to protect their own resources. The angels came under the protection of Lot’s roof.]
דֹ Dalet- Door, entrance [the men of Sodom tried to violently break down the door of Lot’s house to retrieve the angels.]
ם Mem- Chaos, mighty, blood. [The city was filled with violence and chaos, and then the mighty were covered in blood by its destruction.]
The letters in the name of this city demonstrates their practice of trying to grab those they hate and break down doors of those who try to protect outside foreigners. The end result is chaos and blood. This definition within the letters could support the alternate translation which shows that the violent men of Sodom attempted to gang-rape the angel visitors in Lot’s house, rather than the traditional interpretation which just sees Sodom as a city full of gay people who wanted to have sex with men for pleasure. (Compare Genesis 19 and Judges 19). It also should be noted that the name of Sodom itself prophesied it’s end days and destruction through the letters in its own name!
The next word we shall look at is the word that is commonly translated into “homosexuals” in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:9-11. It must be noted that these books by Paul have been modernly translated from Greek. The Greek word is “arsenokoites” (αρσενοκοιται) and was coined by Paul which simply means “man, beds.” Considering that the word and concept of homosexuality has only been around for the past century, the original meaning was not the word “homosexual.” A likely translation is “male prostitutes,” as it is a man (singular) in many beds (plural.) The practice of shrine/temple prostitution was ramped in Biblical times, as the male shrine/temple prostitute would act as an intercessor to the idols by accepting the male seed of the worshiper who was to gain power from the idol. Although our New Testament is in Greek, it would not be unlikely that Paul spoke Aramaic. Some even believe that Paul spoke Aramaic and had his letters translated into Greek, as many Aramaic idioms are found within his writings. If this was the case, it would explain why Paul created so many Greek terms, as there may not have been a proper Greek way to express his Aramaic words fully. Even if this is not the case, the Aramaic word equivalent to arsenokoites (shach-bay am dich-re – שכבי עם דכרא) still provides a symbolic connection to shrine prostitution: αρσενοκοιται arsenokoites – שכבי עם דכרא shach-bay am dich-re
ש Shin- Two [two people]
כ Kaph- Bend allow [bending in submission to allow]
ב Beth- Temple, in [insertion at the temple]
י Yudh- Work, worship [worker for pagan worship]
ע E- Know [to “know” each other]
ם Mim- Chaos, mighty, blood [which causes blood]
ד Dalath- Entrance [often performed at the entrance of the temple]
כ Kaph- Bend allow [bending in submission to allow]
ר Resh- Man [a male]
א Alaph- Power [for power]
So taken as a whole, shach-bay am dich-re (שכבי עם דכרא) echoes shrine/temple prostitution, as the prostitute in the temple bends over to allow the worshiper to enter him which causes blood and was done for power.
Lastly, the other Greek word associated with homosexuality is “malakos” (μαλακοι). The only contextual meaning we have from Scripture is “soft,” but some scholars have connected it to the practice of males who kept boys as sex slaves and often trained them up as shrine/temple prostitutes. In our modern day, this could represent a child molester, as nothing else in Scripture seems to condemn that act and we all know that it’s devastatingly harmful to children! The King James translates this as “effeminate,” but not all gay males are effeminate, so this seems better to represent the “soft” pre-pubescent boy. The Aramaic word is m’khab-le (מחבלא) and the Biblical context in Aramaic Scripture refers to “corrupted children.”
Here are the letter meanings in the Aramaic equivalent to malakos – m’khab-le (מחבלא): μαλακοι malakos – מחבלא m’khab-le
מ Mim- chaos, mighty, blood [in chaos]
ח Heth- outside the tent walls (tent=family), divide [separates child from the family]
ב Beth- temple, in [in the temple]
ל Lamad- bind, teach [bind them against their will to teach them]
א Alaph- power [done for power]
So m’khab-ble (מחבלא) all together with the letters tells a story. In chaos, the mighty (strong men) separates the child from the family, takes them in the temple and binds them against their will to teach them the act of child prostitution. This was an act done for power.
So all together we can see a genuine meaning behind these Aramaic and Hebrew words that suggests that these Divine languages uphold the truth of Scripture. As said previously, I have not reviewed all of Biblical words using this letter formula, but the words presented above seem to demonstrate an intentional hidden meaning. Here is my personal Ancient Hebrew letter symbolism chart I compiled (based on the professional chart from the Ancient Hebrew Research Center noted below):
If you would like to conduct your own study, here are the needed resources that I used:
In celebration of the resurrection of our Savior, I felt like sharing with you the most beautiful song I have heard in a long time that gives glory to God! It is a Hebrew song with the Words of Jesus (ישוע Yeshua) from Matthew 6:9-13, better known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is how we are to pray to our Father (אָבִינוּ a·vi·nu) in Heaven (שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם she·ba·sha·ma·yim). If you are wanting to learn Hebrew, listening to musical lyrics is a great tool to start out considering that musical recall is naturally more automatic as opposed to reading or listening to spoken word. This means that listening to a language within a melody can dramatically increase your ability to recall and recognize words. There are some repeated and added phrases to this particular song, so below the video I have included the English, Hebrew and Hebrew pronunciation of the Lord’s prayer so that you may learn to recite it. Note that the Hebrew language is read from right to left. I have also enclosed a quick reference guide of the Hebrew alphabet, pronunciation and transliteration. I hope you find this beneficial. Also note the new bonus Hebrew song at the bottom of the page. Praise be to God in all things!
Here is “Avinu” in Hebrew with Hebrew pronunciation and English subtitles. [Song by Christene Jackman]
Here is another Hebrew song which touched my Spirit. It is called “Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai” (ברוך הבא בשם יהוה) This has a special meaning. Jesus said in Matthew 23:39, “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” This saying is what it means:
Baruch ברוך-Blessed is haba הבא-He b’Shem בשם-who comes in the name of Adonai יהוה – The Lord Hallelujah הַלְּלוּיָהּ – Praise The Lord!
Let us hasten the Lord’s coming Kingdom by exclaiming these words! Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai!!!!
The following article demonstrates some key factors that encourage marriage between Christian same-sex couples. However, this must be prefaced with a knowledge of the alternate translation within the Scripture that shows that homosexuality is not condemned as a sin as a whole in the Bible, but rather same-sex acts of rape, shrine prostitution, promiscuity, orgies, etc. Please first read this alternate translation before proceeding at http://www.gaychristians.2freedom.com. If you do not read the previous information provided, note that it will be difficult to accept the below information without all of the puzzle pieces. Please refrain from condemning words unless you are fully familiar with the alternate gay-affirming translation within Scripture that address the verses that appear to condemn homosexuality.
Biblical marriage is a God-centered committed monogamous life-long covenant. In the Bible, we only see examples of heterosexual marriage (unless David and Jonathan’s covenant was in fact a marriage.) This is not that unusual considering that homosexuals make up a very small portion of the population. The Bible gives no instruction on marriage to hermaphrodites (those born with both working sex organs), but they also exist in the minority. Couldn’t a marriage to a hermaphrodite be considered both a heterosexual and homosexual marriage? I was reading Scriptures recently and praying for knowledge in this area of marriage and I received this message loud and clear:
I am convicted that Biblical heterosexual marriage is a BLUEPRINT for same-sex couples as well. Just as the Message of Salvation was given “first to the Jew, then to the Gentile,” the blueprint for marriage as God centered, life-long committed union was given first to the heterosexual (majority), then to the homosexual (minority.) In Biblical times, the majority of the God-believing community were Jews. The Gentiles were the outsiders, yet a minority of Gentiles (non-Jews) believed in God despite their rejection from the Jews. It was the majority Jew belief that ALL Gentiles were unclean abominations, essentially cast out from God. They believed within themselves that only the Jews were chosen by God to believe. Only a few Jews believed that Salvation was open to the Gentiles as well, and this was in fact the true message (refer to Isaiah 56 and Acts chapter 10.) This Biblically demonstrates that “the majority” of believers aren’t always in the right… Likewise, it seems that the majority of contemporary Christians believe that gays cannot be Christians, nor does God bless a same-sex marriage. Are they correct because they are in the majority in this belief? Or have they confused their personal repulsion of the sex act for Spiritual conviction? Throw in the modern “traditional” translation of Scripture and it appears to justify them despite the contextual and linguistic evidence to the contrary.
(Again, please visit http://www.gaychristians.2freedom.com for the alternate translation.)
It has been said in Scripture that Biblical marriage is a reflection of Christ and the Church. Sometimes Christians say that only heterosexual marriage is recognized by God because homosexual marriage does not fit this comparison. The truth is that such a comparison can only be made PERFECTLY CLEAR beside the ancient marriage process in Biblical times. Marriages in Biblical times were conducted much differently than they are done today. Modern Christian marriage consist of the partners looking for a partner, dating/courting, engagement, obtaining a government state marriage license, wedding ceremony by clergy in a church, celebration, and then consummation on a “honeymoon,” usually at some exotic or attractive location. No modern Christian marriage reflects Christ and the church in the same way as the cultural practice of marriage in Biblical times. Pay attention to the differences:
1) The first step was for the father to chose his daughters’ husband with the daughters’ verbal consent of agreement. *The act of the father choosing the husband for his daughter is like God choosing His Son for us. The verbal consent of agreement from the bride is like the body of believers agreeing to follow Christ. Note that this is a mutual agreement.*
2) A contract (called a “ketubbah”) was signed between the male and the bride’s father and a dowry payment of 50 shekels of silver was paid to the father for the “bride price.” A cup of wine was shared between the couple from the same cup, sealing the covenant. Once the contract was signed and cup was shared, the couple was completely legally married and the ketubbah was filed at the synagogue. There was a waiting period before co-habitation, sometimes lasting a year or more. *The ketubbah marriage covenant is proof that the body of believers have committed to follow Christ. The dowry payment is Jesus’ payment for our sins. The sharing of the cup is reflective of communion and a symbol of our marriage vow to Jesus. The filing of the ketubbah in the synagogue is a reflection of the body of believers names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The waiting period for cohabitation is our life, as we wait to be united with Christ in Heaven.*
3) Third was consummation of the marriage which was performed in the wife’s house. Proof of virginity was proved by a white cloth which had to show blood after consummation and was then shown to the father of the wife. *Consummation is like us coming together as one with Christ with the Holy Spirit within us as believers. This act of consummation could also be represented by Baptism as we chose to follow Christ. The Father accepts us through proof of Jesus’ blood covering our sins. Note that the blood is represented by the wife in this case, as now the two have become one and our righteousness is only made perfect in the eyes of God by the Grace of Jesus’ sacrifice.*
4) Once the consummation was completed and previous virginity was ensured, the last step was the wedding feast of celebration which was done at the husbands house. *As we are risen to be united with God at the Father’s House in Heaven, we celebrate and have the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, as the body of believers (the church) are forever with Christ.*
With this true comparison, we can’t honestly apply modern marriage to this exact design. If we did, the order would be mixed up and things added that don’t fit. In most modern marriages, the father (represented by God) doesn’t chose the husband (represented by Jesus) for his daughter (represented by the body of believers). Dating or courting don’t fit. We can’t supplement engagement for the the Ketubbah, as this is not done by a contract and can be broken at any time (metaphorically suggesting that Salvation is easily broken by either party.) There were no ceremonies of vows or head of clergy to officiate nor a government license. The modern wedding doesn’t compare, as the ancient marriage came long before consummation. Modern celebration as a reception happens before consummation, which would be like celebrating in Heaven before we unite with Christ as forgiven believers on earth. Please note that I am not trying to say that modern Christian marriage has no comparison to Christ and the church, but rather showing exactly how the act of ancient Biblical marriage custom PERFECTLY reflects Christ and the church.
With this considered, we can find great value in reflecting the cultural marriage of Biblical times with Christ and the church. But if we try to condemn same-gender relationships based on “lack of comparison,” than we must also condemn all modern heterosexual marriages as not perfectly reflective. I am obviously not suggesting that we do this… I am only showing how marriage custom in the Biblical culture is HOW it perfectly reflects Christ and the Church, so we should not condemn gay marriages based on a difference in gender-paring.
Aside from this, there are still major comparisons of modern Christian marriage to Christ and the church that always remain throughout time:
-Christ and the church are monogamous while Christian marriage is monogamous.
-Christ and the church are eternal while Christian marriage is life-long (“eternal” to earthly standards).
-Christ and the church are committed while Christian marriage is committed.
-Christ and the church are united in a covenant while Christian marriage is united in a covenant.
-Christ loves the church while Christian marriage is loving.
-Christ forgives the church while Christian marriage is forgiving…
-Most importantly, Christ serves God with the church and Christian marriage serve God together. *These things that remain are applied to ancient AND modern Christian marriage and can also be followed by Christian same-sex unions as a blueprint for marriage, as given to us in Scripture. They do not require gender differences to be compatible.*
So if Biblical marriage is a blueprint for same-sex couples, we have to consider what constitutes as a marriage since many geographical areas do not recognize same-sex marriage. Are all gay committed monogamous relationships outside of marriage unless they live in a state or country that legally recognize it? I don’t believe this is so. Biblical marriage was not a state or government contract. It was and is a united covenant between the couple and God. There were no government marriage “licenses” in Biblical times, yet they were considered married by their covenant. We can suppose from Scripture that the first marriage was instituted by God between Adam and Eve. Why now would we have to ask the government permission to marry if it is a covenant made between the couple and God?
1 Timothy 4:1-3 describes that in later times, people will move away from true teachings and forbid people to marry. There is historical documentation that same-sex marriage was performed in some churches in the past. Not until recently, most were forbidden from marriage. This is similar to the forbidding of interracial marriage in the United States. Ironically, government marriage licenses were not in effect in the U.S. until it became a law that interracial couples ask the governments’ permission before marrying. Then it became widespread that all state marriages require licenses. This law is formed from a government institution, not Biblical. It puts the final authority in the government’s hands rather than God. God is the only final authority and should be held as the only final authority in the marital union. Therefore, it seems that a legal government license is not required to be truly married in the eyes of God.
The fact that same-sex couples have been denied government license to marry for so long has caused many to feel that “the rules” don’t apply to them. I feel that the problem of same-sex promiscuity and short fading relationships is because the majority have discouraged same-gender marriage. For us to be equal, we must act in an equal way and take marriage seriously. There are many life-long same-gender relationships, but most of the modern church sees and believes only the gay promiscuity. As Christians, we should form a marriage covenant that is God-centered, committed, life-long, and monogamous. It is my belief that this does not require government marriage license, but a mutual covenant made before God.
Upon examining all of the evidence, it seems that same-sex couples should follow the blueprint for marriage outlined in Scripture. If we mutually follow Christ and grow in our walk with God together, how can we fail? In the Prophetic book of Isaiah, God reveals that the outcasts are and will be accepted by God. Heterosexuals may see us as eunuchs or foreigners to God. But the prophecy of the future has been revealed! Isaiah 56:3-6,7b,8 states, “Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord or say, ‘The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.’ And let no eunuch complain, ‘I am only a dry tree.’ For this is what the Lord says: ‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever. And the foreigners who join themselves to The Lord, to minister to Him, to love the name of The Lord, and be His servants… —’My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.’ The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,‘I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.'” May your marriage grow in the abundant blessings of The Lord as you do all things for the glory of God!
READ: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” -Matthew 7:21-23 These are the words of Jesus spoken towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount. I recall the first time I read this verse and it terrified me. I first heard it preached in church followed by many times through various periods of my life. Does this mean that all Christians might not really be saved? If we sin after accepting Jesus as our Savior, could we be rejected by Him as “evildoers?”
When quoted by a preacher, it is usually said in the context to motivate people out of fear. (Insert Pastor’s voice): “You may think you’re saved as a Christian, but Jesus warns that not everyone who calls on Him and does godly works in His name are saved. You may think you’re saved, but if you do not obey God and stop your sinning, Jesus will reject you! Only those who do God’s Will are saved, so you better take a good look at your life and be sure you’re doing enough good in God’s eyes. Are you tithing to the church, or are you greedily keeping your money from God? You better prove that you are for Him because if you sin too much, you might be condemned to hell!” …The passage Matthew 7:21-23 has been used as a tool to frighten believers and sometimes cause them to question their salvation in Jesus. So how can we view this verse while still simultaneously having 100% absolute confidence and assurance in our salvation as Christians?
Jesus did speak these words, so we can’t simply dismiss or ignore them. But what we can do is recognize that many preachers have quoted this passage of Scripture, while totally ignoring the context. Let’s revisit this while reading the context as one topical statement:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” – Matthew 7:15-23
Did your catch that? Jesus is talking about a specific audience here. This is not a condemned believer who is totally shocked that they are rejected by God. Nor is it a condemned believer who “didn’t do enough good works” or “sinned too much.” Jesus is in no way speaking of Christian believers. Rather, He is warning us about false prophets among the believers. Not everyone who claims to be a believer is a believer. A wolf in sheep’s clothing knows its a wolf. These are those who don’t truly believe in Jesus as Savior and spread lies using the name of God for their own gain. If you are a believer, this verse is not talking about you whatsoever.
The other worrisome area in this passage can be where Jesus says that only those who do the Will of God will enter Heaven. So how can we know for sure that we are doing the Will of God? Jesus states this plainly: “For this is the Will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” -John 6:40. So we have already completed the first part of the Will of God by believing in His Son Jesus. If you are alive reading this, than the second part is yet to come when you are raised to eternal life on the last day. Praise God always for His gift of Salvation through the blood sacrifice of His Son! For it is not by works that you are saved, but by grace through faith. (Reference Ephesians 2:8.)
I recently watched a sermon by Pastor Ken Bussell on this topic and he made these things clearer to me. Another great point that he made was that “sin cannot make you lose your salvation. Sin can make you lose your faith.” We all sin to some degree no matter how hard we try to be good as believers. It is in our nature and our Creator knows this full well. “The rules” were not given for salvation, but given to show our need for a Savior (reference Romans 7:7-25). When we become comfortable in our sin, we offend the One who is uncomfortable with sin. In our comfort in sin, we can begin to question our faith and ask “Who is God to tell me what not to do?” In the worst case scenario, a previous believer can renounce their faith and fully embrace their sin. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” -Romans 8:5. Once a believer, “you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit of God.” -Romans 7:4 One cannot “lose” their salvation, but do have the free will to reject it. Sin can dangerously lead us away from our faith in God, but it cannot void the saving blood of Jesus as forgivenbelievers. The one who endures in their faith will be saved! (Reference Matthew 24:13.)
So to the believers, I remind you that you cannot be rejected by God on the day of judgment. Just remember that your good acts and your less frequent amount of sin acts will not be what saves you. For it is written, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…” -Isaiah 64:6. We have received the gift of our salvation, despite our sin nature: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” -Ephesians 2:8. As a believer, your sin has no power to eternally condemn you: “He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” -Psalms 103:10-14. So if our foundation is in Jesus Christ, we cannot be eternally condemned: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.” -1 Corinthians 3:11-15.
So as a Christian believer in Jesus Christ, you will NEVER hear Him say “I never knew you. Depart from me!” Instead, this is what He has said about you: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.” -John 10:27-30
To the Christian believers reading this, I encourage you to personalize this passage for impact and re-read Jesus’ words about you out loud: “(insert your name) hear(s) my voice, and I know (your name), and (your name) follow(s) me. I give (your name) eternal life, and (your name) will never perish, and no one will snatch (your name) out of my hand. My Father who has given (your name) to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch (your name) out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.” -John 10:27-30 (edited for Christian personalization.)
My previous article explored how God does not appear to “heal” homosexuals into heterosexuals and examined the possible reasons as to why people are gay. As an extension to the topic, I would like to briefly demystify the cases which have portrayed the illusion that sexual orientation change is possible. Many ex-gay groups and reparative therapy clinics have claimed that “thousands have left homosexuality.” This allegation has destroyed many lives, physically and emotionally. It has given unwarranted ammunition to individuals who use it to condemn gay people. It has also misled many gay people with unwanted same-sex attraction to believe that they can become straight. I will now highlight several problems that keep this gross misconception in circulation.
Definition of “gay”
The first problem with those who claim to be “ex-gay” is the definition of “gay” itself. To the majority of English-speaking society, it is known that gay (or homosexual) means “someone who has romantic attraction towards the same gender.” As noted in Justin Lee’s new book Torn, the ex-gay movement has played a sneaky trick with the definition of gay without admitting that they redefined it. Leaders of the ex-gay movement have redefined “gay” and “homosexual” as meaning “someone who has sex with the same gender.” They don’t believe in orientation and only define it as a sexual behavior. Therefore, saying someone is “ex-gay” just means someone who isn’t participating in same-gender sex. As I’ve previously noted in another article, this would be like saying that a celibate heterosexual is an “ex-straight.” Given the common definition of “straight” as someone with romantic attraction towards the opposite gender,” one would then assume that an “ex-straight” was in fact gay, just as it would seem an “ex-gay” is now straight. Neither are true. But with this redefinition of gay, a celibate homosexual can claim “freedom from homosexuality” because they are abstaining from gay sex while still continuing to have attractions to the same gender.
The mirage of success rates
Like the re-definition of “gay,” ex-gay groups and reparative therapists have also redefined “success.” If you heard that someone had been “successfully delivered from homosexuality,” you would most likely assume that they no longer experienced same-sex attractions. There is a major dilemma with this statement that goes beyond the previous re-definition of “gay” as “having gay sex.” In my recent search for the truth, I have had several conversations with a very famous reparative therapist. After probing for answers, it came to light that he admits that “success is in the eye of the beholder.” For some, “success” is defined as “having a minimal (very small) reduction in same-sex attractions.” On a personal note, I believe that anyone can have a small reduction in their attractions (gay or straight) if they simply refocus their attention on something else besides the people around them. For me, this would not make the person any less gay or straight. If the goal of reparative therapy is to rid oneself of their homosexuality, than having a minimal reduction in their same-sex attraction is not true success. Despite this, a client who experiences a small reduction in their attraction is considered a success! Furthermore, if one looks deeply at the studies, the “success” of gay-to-straight change is even more deceptive. I recently read one study that considered sexual orientation change a success if the person was able to have heterosexual sex without thinking of the same-gender for more than 20 seconds at a time… So if they thought of the same gender every 21 seconds while having opposite gender sex, they were included in the gay-to-straight statistics as being a success! Of course we see rare cases that make it appear on the surface as if some have in fact transformed from gay to straight, but I will get into that a bit later…
Praise for the unseen
One of the main advocates of Homosexuals Anonymous has promoted a religious tactic to keep themselves from feeling gay, yet it is very deceptive to the ones around them that don’t understand their intention. It is taught that rather than praying for themselves not to be gay, they should instead claim that they are heterosexual because “God has already conquered the sin of homosexuality.” This is the same concept as a sick person with cancer claiming that they are already healed, as they believe in faith that this will be the outcome. They thank and praise God for healing them and claim it to be true because they believe it will be true in the future. I don’t personally see anything wrong with believing in faith that God will do a good work and thanking Him in advance (as long as it is in His Will), but to claim heterosexuality in hopes that God will change them to become heterosexual in the future is nearly the same as me claiming to be a multi-billionaire in hopes that God will provide me with mass amounts of money. (Note that I do not have this wish nor do I claim it.) This idea is more like the “law of attraction” which attempts to manifest a desired outcome by gratitude and visualization. When we see a homosexual claiming heterosexuality out of belief it will be true in the future, this does not mean they have changed from gay to straight.
Rejection of the LGBT label
Also confusing to the outsider is the rejection of calling oneself “gay.” Some people just want to rid themselves of being labeled with a certain group and that’s fine. But when a person claims that they “no longer identify as gay,” this does not mean that they no longer are attracted to the same gender. But when one hears this statement, it most certainly could be confused as someone who is no longer gay. Furthermore, it seems that ex-gay groups see “the gay lifestyle” as one of promiscuous anonymous sex. Although this may be true for some, we really can’t chalk up the entire “lifestyle” as having a bunch of anonymous gay sex. Calling it a lifestyle to begin with gives it a deceptive image that we are all the same. No one says someone is living in the “straight lifestyle” because everyone knows that heterosexuals all have many different ways to living; some married, some single, some promiscuous, some celibate, etc. It is the same for the homosexual.
Is “change” possible?
Thus far, we have explored the very surface of this issue. Going deeper now I will explore those who truly appear to have changed their sexuality in some way. Let me first distinguish something so there is no confusion. There are many gays and lesbians who decide to live in a heterosexual marriage because they believe that it is God’s only design for partnership. Many times these are called “Mixed-Orientation Marriages,” or “MOM.” These people are living very conflicted lives, as they do not have attraction to their spouse and still have same-gender attraction, but choose not to act upon it. This encompasses the majority of heterosexual-looking marriages between a gay and heterosexual spouse. With these, no change in orientation is present.
The most rare category we see is the person who has outwardly identified as gay and then marries an opposite-sex spouse and claims that they are truly attracted to them and sometimes other opposite-sex people. These are the rare instances that make it appear that change is possible and are different from the mixed-orientation marriages. So is “change” possible? Re-define the word “change,” and yes. If change means going towards something that already existed previously, then yes. If change means going from an innate exclusive homosexual orientation to an exclusive heterosexual orientation, than no. Let me explain…
I have been doing a lot of studying into these types of relationships and really trying to see what they are all about. There are similarities between these people that explain how they didn’t truly “change,” but rather went towards something that existed previously. In all the cases I have studied, there are at least one of two things present in their life stories:
For most, they admit to already having opposite-sex attractions from an early age, but had stronger same-sex attractions. To anyone this would be obvious that they are bisexual, but preferred the same-sex. When entering reparative therapy, they try to increase their “heterosexual potential.” This is just choosing to be with an opposite-sex partner rather than a same-sex partner. So as you can see, there is no change, but a shifting towards exclusive heterosexual behavior (not attraction.)
The second thing we nearly always see in these life stories is someone who was massively sexually abused as a child. Many try to blame all homosexual orientation on being molested, but as I’ve stated before, I have never been molested and neither have most of the gays and lesbians that I know. However, it seems that in these rare cases, sometimes heterosexuals are molested and it might influence them to sexualize the same-gender. After working through their sexual abuse, they might have a reemergence of their innate heterosexual feelings. This is not to say that all gays that were molested are actually heterosexual. It just depends on what existed first. Sometimes homosexuals are molested and remain homosexual. What is not known is if some who appear heterosexual are actually homosexual but were molested which swayed them to have opposite-gender attractions.
In both of these two instances, the potential for heterosexual attraction previously existed, therefore this only gives an illusion of actual change. But if someone never had heterosexual potential to begin with, one can not increase something that was never there in the first place. Furthermore, in ALL of these cases, not one claimed to have zero same-sex attractions even after marrying and being attracted to their opposite-sex spouse. In every case, their same-sex attractions remained at some level, therefore no one has changed from exclusively homosexual to exclusively heterosexual.
So overall, most of it comes down to semantics. If we secretly re-define “gay,” “change” and “success,” we can see that gays can successfully change (when gay=gay sex, success=small reduction in attraction and change=increasing innate heterosexual/bisexual orientation.) But if we take on their intended and widespread definitions, than gays do not successfully change. When we pull back the curtain, we can see that the only thing behind it is word-tricks and things that already existed.
There has been a question on my mind lately that I have also heard from many that struggle with their homosexuality as a Christian. Many gay and lesbian Christians have diligently prayed and spent many hours for years asking God to “deliver” them from their homosexuality. Many have asked God to transform them to have heterosexual attractions so that they can live in what they believe to be God’s plan and natural design for marriage between a man and a woman. Likewise, many of their family members have reached out to God, asking that their loved one be transformed into their natural state of heterosexuality. When my parents first learned of my attraction to the same gender, a weekly church group was formed who fasted and prayed for me to escape homosexuality and be “restored” to heterosexuality. Despite all of these prayers and pleadings for change, all of the stories and valid studies that I have heard and read seem to come to the same result. None are “released” from their same-sex attractions and none develop true romantic feelings for the opposite gender. Even when gays and lesbians decide to marry the opposite sex, when probed for the truth, they admit that they do not have romantic feelings for their spouse equated with their same-gender attractions. So the question becomes, “If God is against my homosexuality, than why won’t He ‘heal’ me to be heterosexual?”
Before you jump the gun and say that “God doesn’t choose to heal ALL diseases, disabilities and addictions,” let me remind you that there is not a single valid case of an exclusive homosexual transforming into an exclusive heterosexual. Because we know that God is fully capable of doing anything He pleases, than the real question becomes, why has God chosen NOT to change homosexuals into heterosexuals? If homosexuality is unnatural and sinful and heterosexuality is natural and blessed, than why has God not given healing to those who ask in faith?
I feel like this question deserves an exploration of multiple options which requires us to question why one is homosexual in the first place? So first, let’s explore the possible reasons as to why individuals are gay and how those reasons correspond Biblically to Gods’ healing power. Note that I am going to explore all the options that I have heard and do not agree with most that I will list. (Please let me know if I leave anything out.) Also note when I use the words “gay,” “lesbian” or “homosexual,” I define it as someone who has exclusive attractions towards the same gender.
Reminder- Below are the eight possibilities as to why one is gay which will lead us to the possible answers as to why God doesn’t transform homosexuals into heterosexuals:
1) Human choice: If being gay is a choice, than this assumes that people are naturally heterosexual and make the conscious choice to be homosexual. If this were the case, than we wouldn’t even be asking my original question. It would seem that the person wouldn’t even struggle or need Gods help on the issue. They would just simply choose to be straight if this is what they wanted for their life just as easily as they chose to be gay. So if being gay is a choice, why then has not a single homosexual chosen to be heterosexual? (Note that no Biblical explanation is needed for this possible reason.)
2) Broad spectrum temptation: The majority of Christians view homosexuality as an unnatural sexual expression, a deviation from God’s design for sex, i.e. sin. This covers the understanding that sin is anything in opposition to God’s law of love and not doing harm. Some Christians say “homosexuality is a temptation just like any other sin such as the temptation to commit adultery, steal or lie.” I beg to differ. The reason being is that the latter sins can be stopped despite the temptation. Not only that, but the person is born and able to act in opposition to their sin. The adulterer had the ability of loving their spouse or they wouldn’t have married in the first place. One couldn’t commit adultery without seeking the marriage to begin with, thus they have the natural capacity for committed love. The thief has the ability of keeping their hands to them self and not stealing. They are not stealing everything they come across and born without the capacity to not steal. The liar has the ability of telling the truth…. They are not lying every moment without the capacity to tell the truth. As I have stated before, the exclusively homosexual person does not have the ability to be attracted to the opposite gender. Due to this, homosexuality as just “a sinful temptation” is not comparable to any other sin. What human can completely stop themselves from loving? How can one compare love with harming people by cheating, lying, stealing and even murder? Romans 13:10 tells us that “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” So how then can love be a sin? [Side note: Please review my study on the alternate translations within Scripture which show how homosexuality as a whole is not condemned http://www.gaychristians.2freedom.com ]
3) Demon possession / oppression: Sadly, I have heard far too many Christians state that they believe that gay people are possessed by “a demon of homosexuality.” They assert that if the person admits they have a demon, than it can be easily cast out and they would become straight (assuming heterosexuality is everyone’s natural state)… Curiously, these same people also claim that homosexuals are so evil and attached to their demons that they don’t willingly allow for the demon to leave, thus the exorcism of such demons are unsuccessful.
Many Bible verses can be found in which Jesus and His followers have the power through God to cast out demons. Usually it is by the request of a loved one that they be exercised, abandoning the possibility that one must want the demon gone for it to be cast out. It should be recognized that many successful healings of all kinds in the Bible were by the request of loved ones of the afflicted. Biblically we can see that God has given the power to humans through faith to cast out demons. So if homosexuality is a demon possessing or oppressing a person, than why hasn’t a single exorcism worked to make one heterosexual?
4) Mental illness: Although homosexuality was taken out of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in 1973, many Christians still believe that this is the problem. The practice of reparative or conversion therapy to rid oneself of homosexual attractions is still performed in most states. When one looks at the VALID data, it becomes clear that no complete transformation from homosexuality to heterosexuality is observed. The closest we come are those who are bisexual, already having the attraction to both genders, claiming “healing” because they chose to be with the opposite sex instead of the same sex. In all cases, same-gender attraction remained despite their choice to be celibate or partnered with either sex.
Biblically, we can see throughout the Scriptures that God calls us to cast our anxiety on Him and He will deliver us. Many have claimed that their relationship with God has strengthened them out of the pit of depression. Some even believe that several of the people who Jesus healed in the Bible suffered from serious mental illness. So we have Biblically established evidence that God has shown to heal some with mental illnesses. Knowing that God has the power to cure mental illnesses, than why hasn’t a single homosexual been cured (assuming that it is a mental illness.)?
5) Parental absence, gender inferiority, and trauma: [Added 01/10/14] Under the same umbrella of mental illness, psychological factors influenced by the childhood environment seem to be a popular reason to explain same-sex attraction. Most commonly, homosexuality is explained by being raised in an environment with an absent father. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America live in father-absent homes. This does not include the millions of fathers who are living with their family, but are emotionally absent. The Census Bureau also reports that around 9 million of the U.S. Population identifies as homosexual. If absent fathers are to blame for homosexuality, than why are the remaining 15,000,000+ heterosexual? Furthermore, many pro-ex-gay therapists claim that the fathers of gay males didn’t relate with their son which caused them to be gay. This seems like a confusion of which came first; the chicken or the egg. More than likely, heterosexual fathers didn’t relate with their son because they were gay. On a side note, I had a great relationship with my parents growing up and was close with both. In fact, nearly all of the gays and lesbians I know come from good solid homes. It was not until their sexuality was discovered that problems sometimes arose due to their opposition to homosexuality. A common tactic used by reparative therapists is to convince the gay client that their father was emotionally absent, even when they personally assert that their parental relationship was healthy. This twisting of perception can cause harm to the current parental relationship and puts unneeded blame on the parents of the same-sex attracted person. Additionally, if homosexuality is considered a sin, than why would God punish and condemn the child if it was caused by the wrong actions of the parent?
[Section added 01/14/14] Another deficit said to cause homosexuality is someone who experienced “gender inferiority” as a child and adolescent. The idea is that the homosexual needed to be loved and wanted by others of the same sex, but felt “different” and wasn’t able to fully relate to other heterosexuals of their gender. As the theory states, the only way they could express their need for relating to the same gender was by sexual means. The premise of ex-gay therapy in these cases is to build healthy non-sexual relationships with the same gender which will help them get in touch with their man/woman-hood and make them know how to act heterosexual. This may include playing football with males or putting on make-up and dresses with females. I recently saw a video of a gay man whose reparative therapy “action assignment” was to trim his trees and chat with muscle guys at the gym about women in order to get in touch with his masculine side. Supposing that homosexuality is caused by not “fitting in” with heterosexuals is once again a shifting of cause and affect. To the anti-gay, their homosexuality is caused by feeling different from their same gender peers. But could it be that they felt different from their same gender peers because they were gay? So it’s either “I am gay because I felt different,” or “I felt different because I am gay.” In my personal upbringing, I did not feel like I related to the heterosexual girls and did feel different from them. However, I didn’t sexualize my need for closeness with other females, as I always have had healthy non-sexual female relationships growing up. So to me, I felt like I didn’t relate with the heterosexual girls who had crushes on boys because I had crushes on girls. Sadly, this made me feel inferior because the majority of girls I knew were straight. For me, it would have been impossible for my inferiority to be the cause of my homosexuality because it was the affect of being a lesbian that caused me to feel inferior. So if being exclusively homosexual is caused by gender inferiority, than why doesn’t receiving affirmation from the same gender cause exclusive heterosexuality?
The other most popular supposed reason for homosexuality is being molested as a child. The logic is that if a boy is a abused by an adult man, they will grow up to be sexually attracted to males. Completely opposite, a girl that is abused by an adult man will grow up to be sexually attracted to females. So in the boys case, same-gender child abuse leads to same-gender adult orientation, but in the girls case, opposite-gender child abuse leads to same-gender adult orientation. The truth is that there are a lot of different outcomes to child abuse. They can be either heterosexuals, bisexuals or homosexuals. Some grow to be promiscuous and others in a monogamous relationship or celibate. In the very worst cases, they become adult child molesters themselves. Like parental relationships, child abuse does not seem to be a predictor of adult sexual orientation. Most of the gays and lesbians that I know were never abused as children. However, nearly every story that I have heard of a homosexual choosing to live in a heterosexual marriage despite their continued same-sex attractions have been massively abused as a child. It could very well be that in these particular cases, abuse led them to sexualize the same gender. If this is true, than perhaps they really would have been naturally heterosexual, so any perception of gay-to-straight change is just them going back to what they would have been without the abuse. (Note that I am NOT asserting that all same-sex attracted people who were molested are innately heterosexual, as many could have been gay despite the abuse.) This conflicted aversion to same-sex relationships is completely understandable, however should be distinguished from an act of child abuse.
Despite fatherly absence, inferiority issues and childhood trauma, many have grown to have healthy adult lives after working through their childhood deficits and processing their trauma. Millions of testimonies can be found online of adults working through these issues and attributing their emotional healing to their relationship with God. For those that lacked a healthy relationship with their earthly father, many find peace with the love and caring of their Heavenly Father. Likewise, through the horrific traumas caused by the sin of this world, God invites us to give our burdens to Him. Romans 8:15-17 states, “For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him.” Considering that so many claim restoration after parental deficits or childhood trauma, than why has God chosen not to also restore them to their natural intended sexuality (if heterosexuality is the only natural orientation)?
6) Disability: Many Christians see disabilities as an unnatural mutation, possibly “due to the fall of mankind.” Some Christians see homosexuality as a mental disability. Perhaps some problem in the brain has caused them to act in this “unnatural” manner. If we look to the Scriptures, we can see that Jesus and his disciples were given the power to heal people’s disabilities. Knowing that God has the power and is willing to cure disabilities, than why has there not been one instance of a gay person being cured to become a “natural” heterosexual?
7) Addiction: Some believe that homosexuality is simply an addiction. Many of the stories that you hear about gay people choosing to become celibate come from those who claim to have had a sexual addiction to gay sex. Stories of vast promiscuity and even prostitution is sometimes shared with these individuals. They are convicted to stop their behavior and believe that God has told them it is wrong to be gay. The trouble with this belief is that their promiscuity and prostitution is most certainly wrong because it is physically and emotionally dangerous, but this does not mean that the fact that they were engaged in this behavior with the same gender is the reason for their conviction. I believe that many confuse their conviction to stop certain harmful behaviors with feeling that it is a conviction that being gay is wrong. They associate the promiscuity and/or prostitution or other addictions with homosexuality, ignoring what it might feel like to have a committed monogamous relationship.
Secondly and most importantly, homosexuality bares no resemblance to any addiction such as alcoholism or sex addiction. To become an alcoholic, one must drink. To become a sex addict, one must have sex. Although some may be genetically more “at risk” to become an alcoholic or addict (of anything), one does not “become” gay by having gay sex. Some gays go their whole lives in celibacy, but still experience attraction to the same gender.
Addiction is one of the most common forms of healing we see in our modern times. With all the church support groups and 12-step programs (“Homosexuals Anonymous” has 14 steps! http://www.homosexuals-anonymous.com/the-14-steps) to help those in struggle, we can see many cases of deliverance from TRUE addiction. One might argue that the urges remain with these addicts throughout their lifetime, but I can say from personal experience that The Lord has blessed me with zero urges to drink (having over 9 years of sobriety from alcohol.) Due to this, I know that complete deliverance from addiction is possible. With this in mind, if homosexuality is simply addiction, why can’t those “sober” (without a romantic relationship) stop feeling same-gender attraction?
8) Genetic/Biological: If being gay is biological and the person is born in the condition to make them attracted to the same gender, than it is fair to say that God would have to change their biological makeup to make them heterosexual. Going back to the disability aspect, we can see that Jesus had given sight to those born blind and given hearing to those born deaf. So those born with any condition, genes or not, can be transformed into their natural intended state by the power of God. We know that many diseases are genetically based or formed in the womb. Jesus healed a multitude of people in the Gospels. It is not far-fetched to believe that Jesus could have healed those with genetically based conditions. On a side note, although a gay gene has yet to be discovered, science has uncovered that homosexuality could be related to the amount of certain hormones in the womb as well as inborn epigenetic influences that signal the brain. In addition, it has been recently uncovered that identical twins do NOT possess 100% identical DNA as previously thought. Many argue that there cannot be a gay gene since some identical twins are a gay twin and a straight twin. But the new research confirms that copy number variations in the twins DNA code have noted differences. Thus, the gay gene could still exist, but be more of a needle in a haystack to find. Psalms 139:13 states, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.” We know that God has the power to bring the dead back to life and can do anything He pleases to do. Why then has He seemingly ignored the millions of prayers of gays who believe in faith and want to become straight?
The possible answers…
So we have established that God is capable and willing to cast out demons, cure mental illnesses, disabilities, addictions and genetic conditions (among many other healings.) After reviewing all the evidence, there are two possible answers to this difficult question. The first possible answer is that God hates homosexuals with such a passion that He refuses to listen to their prayers, even when they seek Him. Furthermore, not only does He ignore their prayers, but the prayers of those who love them. He refuses to make a way of escape for their abominable sin, leaving them without hope. Because one commits adultery even when they look at another with passion, than even if they remain celibate or marry the opposite sex, they are still sinning in the eyes of God by their longing of romantic affection for the same gender. God created homosexuals with their final destination in mind, which is eternal burning hell, whether they want to love Him or not. This is one possibility (which I do not believe at all!)
The second possible answer is that homosexuality is a natural variation of humankind and not in need of changing. We see in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the tempting he will also provide the way of escape so that you may be able to endure it.” If there is no way of escaping homosexual attraction, than how can it be considered a sinful temptation if we are promised to be given a way out by the faithfulness of God? Gods very nature is to lead us NOT into temptation but deliver us from evil, so then how can we consider homosexuality a temptation of evil if God Himself provides no way of escaping it? Many have committed suicide due to not being able to change their homosexuality, so obviously this was more than they could handle.
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 we read “To the unmarried and the widows I say it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn in passion.” Considering that celibacy is a Spiritual gift, those without the gift have a great need for romantic companionship. For the heterosexual, it is obvious that marriage is the “way out” from burning in passion. But what about for the homosexual? Marriage with an opposite sex spouse will not satisfy, but in fact do harm to the unloved spouse.
Could it be possible that the union of marriage between a man and woman in the Bible is a blueprint for same-gender couples? We see examples in the Old Testament of Gentiles following the commands of Moses and God has said to have accepted them due to their faith in following His commands despite them not being “the chosen” Jewish people by heritage. To the vast majority of Jews, any acceptance of Gentiles by God was a completely rejected concept just as we see the majority of mainstream Christians rejecting the notion that God could bless any gay relationship. Later in the Scriptures we see that Gods Word came “first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Similarly, could it be that the foundation of marriage as a life-long monogamous partnership be a model for same-sex couples as well? First to the heterosexual, then to the homosexual minority? Could it be that homosexuality as a whole is not condemned in the Bible, but rather harmful forms of homosexual sexual expression such as rape, prostitution, ritual sex, etc.? This would certainly explain why God has chosen NOT to answer the millions of prayers from gays and their loved ones pleading to become straight. The human race is saturated enough with sin which the grace of God delivers through the acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So the bottom line and final answer is this: Either His grace is sufficient or there must be nothing broken to fix.
I thought that I’d heard it all when it comes to ex-gay ministries. The movie “But I’m a Cheerleader” shows the comedic side of ex-gay rehabs which exist in the U.S., but are dwindling since the closing of Exodus International. It has recently come to my attention that there exists several foreign ex-gay reform camps overseas in which U.S. parents can sign over the rights of their gay teens to be kept and held until they are “cured.” One such camp which is highlighted in the upcoming documentary, “Kidnapped for Christ,” is called “Escuela Caribe” in the Dominican Republic. This “Christian reform school” which resembles a prison camp is funded and run by the American organization, “New Horizons Ministries,” and represents just 1 out of 4 of their overseas programs that cater to eradicating homosexuality. (Note that these foreign “reform schools” also attempt to cure addiction, mental illness, defiant behavior, and even low grades…) These camps have been in operation since the 1980’s.
Teens that are sent to Escuela Caribe are some times physically restrained and captured to be shipped over to the camp. Their money and passports are confiscated and they are not allowed to leave for home until the program is completed, even if they have reached the age of 18. There is no timeline for release, as residents must accumulate points based on work, grades, and behavior and complete a 5 level system which could last from months to years. The camp is surrounded by armed guards and each member is watched at all times. The program director attributes “culture shock” as the cure of their undesired behavior. The camp consists of grueling physical labor, physical punishments (including body slamming, whippings, labor which causes physical injuries, etc.) and emotional punishments (prison-style isolation, public humiliation, mental abuse, etc.), among other activities. Students of the program must ask for permission to even walk across the room, eat, or use the restroom (which consists of a bucket while in isolation). Guards watch their every move and ensue punishment at any perceived mistake. They are not allowed to speak to any Dominicans and all mail is read and filtered. Students (i.e. prisoners) of the camp who attempt suicide and survive are not given help or support, but instead punished for their “defiant behavior.” This is just the tip of the iceberg….
As mentioned previously, a documentary exposing this ex-gay reform school is in post-production and needs donations to fund its world-wide release. “Kidnapped for Christ” follows an 18 year old gay teen who is trapped at Escuela Caribe and not allowed to leave. If you can afford to even give $1, this will help this film be released to the public so that people are aware of this barbaric practice. The goal of the film is to expose this injustice in hopes of changing the laws to prohibit citizens from being sent to these camps. You can learn more about the film and donate at http://www.documentary.org/community/sponsorship/donate?film_id=3846
in the United States for the first time in history. The study shows that identified Christians went down to 70.6% nationally from 78.4% in 2007. There was also an increase in “no religion” to 23% which was only 16% in 2007. So we can see a 7% increase in non-belief and a 7.8% decrease in Christian belief, which roughly ads up to be about 1,983,429 Christians that lose their faith every year and a whopping 13,884,000 in the last 7 years and counting. This is very sad news and is reflective of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 which prophesies that a “falling away” must happen first before the antichrist can be revealed.
Another interesting thing to note is a particular exception to the decrease in nationwide Christianity. When looking at a state level, all states show an overall decrease in the amount of Christians. There were only a couple states which had an increase in a particular area of Christian identification, but still a decrease overall. California increased by 2 percentage points between 2007 and 2014 within the Evangelical tradition. As an observation, this is intriguing since California represents one of the most populated areas for gay-affirming churches. This possible association has not been studied, but I found it to be a fascinating observation that could be significant.
Writings of a Christian lesbian 