"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel... By which also ye are saved... unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Hi Friends,

Thought I would send you the front page news of a local community paper. It is becoming all the more frequent, and yet another sign of the times as to our living in the last days. Many of you are well aware of the current situation in the midst of which we live, but for the sake of those who are not sure what the Bible says on this issue we are including it in our update.

Christ said,

“...as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30)

If we want to know the context of how it was in the days of Lot, we can read about those days and the events that transpired in Sodom in Genesis 18:16 – 19:29.

We are told specifically in the Scriptures that “the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly” (Genesis 13:13), and that “the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous” (Genesis 18:20). Peter also describes their behavior or manner of life as “filthy” (2 Peter 2:7). So what was their sin that was exceedingly grievous, filthy and wicked to God among the Sodomites? Jude says, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 1:7).

First of all “fornication” is any sexual act outside of the Biblical marriage covenant between a man and a woman.  It appears that the Sodomites had a blatant disregard for marriage which is rampant in our day and age. Today, many men and women choose to live together without the commitment of marriage, and of those who do get married, the current statistic is that about 50% of those marriages end up in divorce.

Going after “strange flesh”, some have sympathized, was that the men of Sodom were seeking to have sex with angels and conclude that bestiality was their great sin. But the men of Sodom saw these two angels as men and judged them to be so as per their enquiry, “Where are the men?” (Genesis 19:5). They were totally unaware that these two men were actually angels of God, coming to do His bidding. Rather, their sin was to take these two men to satisfy their sexual lust, and is evident by their demand of Lot to, “bring them out unto us, that we may know them” (Genesis 19:5). This term “know” (Heb. Yada) in its context was not a desire to have personal knowledge and befriend them, as Lot rebuked them “do not so wickedly” (v. 7), rather, it is very clear that it was to sodomize them as evidenced by Lots attempt to deflect their lusts away from these two men towards his own two daughters. “I have two daughters which have not known (Heb. Yada) man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing” (v. 8).

Lot said his two daughters had not “known” man, that is, they had not sexual relations with any man. So, it is clear that the sin of Sodom was more akin to what Paul wrote to the Romans, the unnatural crime of homosexuality. “God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly” (Romans 1:26).

This was not a sin that happened in the passion of a moment, it was the ongoing “day to day” iniquity that bought these two angels to rescue Lot before their sin was finally consummated in the judgment of God. “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds” (2 Peter 2:6-8).

It should also be noted that there were none spared but Lot and his two daughters. God had rained down fire and brimstone upon the land and overthrew “All the inhabitants of the cities”. This is also the testimony of Jesus who said, “it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:29). There was not one sodomite left in the land, not even a “small remnant” (Isaiah 1:9). Yet we will read centuries later, “And there were also sodomites in the land” (1Ki 14:24). It is apparent by this time, that “sodomites” were not individuals from that city and nation for they were all destroyed, not one remaining, rather, the term sodomites afterwards became synonymous with those who practiced the same sin of homosexuality as the Sodomites did in the days of Lot. This filthy behaviour sprang up once again in Israel for a season but later we read of righteous king Asa's response, “And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land” (1 Kings 15:11, 12).

Now, it is one thing for the Sodomites to hide their sin in the closet, or in their own bedrooms, but the men of Sodom were proudly parading their ungodly behaviour in the streets and violently trying to push their evil deeds on all of society. Is that not what we are seeing today? There are “gay pride parades” in every major city of the world these days to celebrate their iniquity. Isaiah said they were very prideful in their sin and they “hide it not” (Isaiah 3:9). Surely this phenomenon is great in this day where droves are publically flaunting their iniquity, promoting and publicising their sin via every form of media, even lobbying governments to make laws that demand punishment of those who do not approve of their behaviour and refuse to accept or partake in their immorality.

In the Bible, the rainbow was a sign that God would not judge the world with a worldwide Flood again. It is curious that the homosexuals have taken up the rainbow as the symbol of their rebellion against God, as if to taunt God that He will not judge their actions, however, God will not be mocked. The “unfruitful works of darkness” aforetime were usually “done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:11-12) as it was a shame to even speak of those things, but now they pridefully flaunt them in public. Such as these used to hide their sin in the confines of their own bedroom, and practice their evil deeds in secret, but now they are coming out in droves proudly proclaiming their homosexuality and celebrating their “gay liberation”. This is clearly an eye opening sign of the times.

When this individual was growing up it was an anomaly to hear of sex outside of marriage or of a couple “shacking up” and the sin of sodomy was considered so repulsive it was not even talked about. But my how the times have changed as homosexuals come out of the closet in droves. The times may change but God does not change (Malachi 3:6), He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God is longsuffering not willing that any should perish, however, He will not tolerate and turn a blind eye on sin forever, rather judgment will come as it eventually did with Sodom and Gomorah. For now, all impenitent sinners are treasuring up to themselves wrath “against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds” (Romans 2:5-6).

The Sodomites have once again taken to parading in the streets, waving their flags, to promote their iniquity, but now, even worse, the “church” is doing  the same. Lot may have stumbled choosing to dwell with and expose his family to such a lewd community but he never did condone their sin, rather, when they came forcefully to do such iniquity upon his guests he rebuked them saying, “do not so wickedly” (Genesis 19:7). Strangely enough, he even offered his own two daughters sexually (perhaps already turned in their minds to sexual perversion: Genesis 19:32) in hopes to pacify their lust toward these men and to thwart their evil deeds, but they would not consider them.

After Lot had judged their actions to be morally wrong they quickly turned on him, “And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.” (Genesis 19:9). This was the end result of compromising with such a culture (besides losing his whole family), either you join them or face the consequences. And if you stand up for God and His Word to point out the errors of their way, do not be surprised if you are despised and labelled a hater, divisive, unloving, homophobic, intolerant, judgmental, narrow-minded, a bigot, etc, and are sued and thrown in jail, put out of business and bankrupt.

We are seeing more and more news headlines these days of people in the business community being sued for refusing to make any sort of affiliation with their sin. Due to many Christian's conscience and personal moral standards, they have refused to perform “gay marriage” ceremonies, refused to bake gay marriage cakes or refused to take photos,. The Bed and Breakfast community has refused them to share the same bed under the roof of their own house with devastating results, legally and financially, as they are often sued and the sodomites cause is taken up by the ACLU and they are charged under hate crimes, discrimination and human rights charges, many of these being financially ruined. Some have been arrested for saying homosexuality is a sin. It appears that only Christians are not allowed to have a conscience or freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech.

Sadly, the current descent into moral degeneration might be largely due to the fact that the lamps have long been put out in many of the Christian denominations across the land. They have become empty vessels without any light and oil for guidance and healing of the nations, without salt to preserve the things that remain. From the first image in this article, you can see that this particular United Church consists of just a bunch of grey heads and no youth among them. These have long departed from the Word of God and the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ, and are now emptied of any up and coming generations, and are left to march about as fools. Why would they not just stick to preaching the Word of God instead of parading about to promote sodomy? Perhaps it is their children and grandchildren who are now “gay”. Perhaps in desperation as they see their club about ready to collapse they are trying to recruit any members no matter of their unrepentant and sinful affiliations.

But what gays are Christian? And those gays that lean toward Christianity, how do they interpret the Bible? Looking at many gay sites, and pro-homosexual churches, they certainly do wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). They claim the sin of Sodom was among other things, bestiality (sex with angels), rape, inhospitality, etc, and thereby convince themselves that homosexuality is ok with God because they were “born this way”. Mankind's nature is to justify himself, and it goes without saying that, “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) It also appears from the apostle Paul's burning commentary in the first chapter in Romans, that turning from the truth of God leads to all sorts of sin including sodomy and the concluding condemnation is “that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Romans 1:26-32)

It is not surprising therefore, that when a church departs from the truth of God's Word, that soon thereafter they would promote the LGBT agenda and “gay marriage”, and other like things taking pleasure in them that do them. And this is nothing new, for in the days of Jeremiah we are told, “I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.” (Jeremiah 23:14)   Even in the days of Israel, the prophets of Jerusalem had turned from the Word of the Lord to “commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom”. How sad it is to see the same happening in our day, when those who should be beacons of light in this lost and dark world instead walking in the ways of the world, and more, “strengthen the hands of evildoers” so that none repent and “return from his wickedness”. Sackcloth and ashes we should be wearing.

Rather than trying to gloss over sin to appease lost sinners we should be warning them of the wrath to come, that there is coming a day of judgment. The Lord is coming again, “To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 15), and that all those whose names are not found written in the Lamb's book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.

It should also be made clear, that while homosexuality is an abomination to God and worthy of death (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13),  all sexual relationships outside of Biblical marriage are just as serious, adultery and fornication (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), even looking upon another man or woman to lust after them, is likewise sin and condemned in the Bible (Matthew 5:27-28), and will shut the doors of heaven to you and me.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

The Law condemns all unrighteous activity as sin, for “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4) “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:9-10). And there are no small sins with God. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

So, let those who think they are clean escaped from them who live in error or have escaped the pollutions of the world and the corruption that is in the world through lust, guard themselves from taking a self righteous attitude as we are all sinners, and there are many warnings in the Scriptures against such a formidable attitude. “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” (2 Peter 3:17) “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Rather, let our mind be that of Christ who loved the sinner but hated the sin. Christ “so loved the world” (John 3:16) but “hated iniquity” (Hebrews 1:9). And certainly, everyone who has been born again, were all as brands plucked out of the fire, saved only by His grace and mercy, for we were all sinners and law breakers, deserving of the same judgment God's righteous Law demands. But Christ who hath loved us, took our sin and bore the wrath of God, the fiery indignation of God against sin in our stead, satisfying the justice that God's good Law demands against all lawlessness. When we accept the payment and pardon of sin that God offers freely through Jesus Christ, God blesses us with the “gift of righteousness” (for there is none righteous, no, not one), that is, the very righteousness of Jesus Christ who was without sin, and clothes us in Him, whereby we might have an entrance into heaven and eternal life in the glories of our Father, with His Son forever.

Salvation from sin (which keeps us out of heaven) is available to all who repent and believe the Gospel, the Good News, “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  The Bible tells us, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) When we call upon the name of the Lord and receive Him as our Saviour, God sends the Spirit of His Son to dwell in us and we are born again. And “if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). Sin and its wages will no longer have dominion over you for Christ has died for our sins, He has paid every last mite against sin, and the ultimate proof that we have been vindicated and justified is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ form the dead. God has thereby “begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

Thank God Jesus was the friend of sinners or we would all be in a bad way. Thank God that He goes in to publicans and sinners. Thank God that He goes out to find every lost sheep. Thank God He has come to seek and to save the lost. Thank God He has come to call sinners to repentance. Thank God that Jesus loves the whole world and that He loves us so much He became “sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thank God that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him. Thank God!

May we recognize this day the holiness of God and the awfulness of sin. If sinners uncleansed would enter the glories of heaven, what sort of place would it be? Well, have a look around you. Planet earth was not always like this. In the beginning it was very good, it was paradise, but when man sinned he was cast out of God's presence and was lost. By one man sin entered the world and death by sin. Death now reigns and is man's mortal enemy, the harbinger of all sorrow, pain and suffering. By man's sin the world became filled with murder, wars, hatred, deceit, lust, adultery, lying, fornication, drunkenness, abused wives and children, divorce and broken homes, pride, sexual abuse, pedophilia, homosexuality, abortion, covetousness, sickness and disease, AIDS, full of wickedness, violence and corruption, bad religion and cults, and on and on we could go.

What is humanities only hope? Sin must be banished to hell, to the blackness of darkness forever. And what will you do oh sinner. How can you flee from the wrath that is to come? How can you be saved from your sin and escape the damnation of hell? Will you snear at God's beloved Son, who bids you come to Him. The One who promises, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37), and again, “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13) Why wait, acknowledge your sin, repent and believe the gospel and secure your name in heaven today. Take God at His Word for He “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2). Come to the One who loves you so, to the only One who can take away your sin, and make you fit for heaven, for “There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Revelation 21:27). 

And if we choose to reject the wonderful offer that God has so lovingly bestowed upon mankind, that our sin may be washed away by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, by the blood of His cross, we will be found guilty. “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29)  The Bible says of God, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13) Be not deceived, your sins shall find you out. Remember, nothing that “defileth” shall enter into heaven and sin defiles. Christ alone can take away your sin. Come to Him today for pardon and cleansing today and you shall receive the gift of everlasting life. Do not despise the grace of God while it is called today. Come to the only fount that can wash away all your dirty stains and make you white as snow, fit for heaven to be forevermore with your Creator and King in the vastness of eternity. Believe the Gospel today, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. “What must I do to be saved?... Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” (Acts 16:30-31)