The Bible and Homosexuality

Part Four

by Curt Wildy

Return to Part Three
Return to Part Two
Return to Part One

Introduction to Part Four

I once again strongly encourage everyone reading to start with part one; failure to do so will give an incorrect picture of the intent of this series and the rationale behind the arguments. The purpose of this discourse is to refute arguments made in certain churches to support a set of behaviour that God condemns in His word. This series is not designed to hurt, put people down, esteem ourselves over others, etc. It is one sinner (albeit a sinner saved by grace) warning other sinners about their sin. Although it is not my own sin, I do not think that those who engage in the activity described in this series is any more sinful than anyone else. We are all intrinsically, inherently, sinful; all to the same degree by nature. We all have the one wicked heart of man, even if God has ordained that some manifest their sinfulness more than others. Nonetheless, as with so many of my other posts, I aim to refute the errors put forth by those who claim to be part of the Christian church and who mislead and offer false refuges to people.

Homosexuality – Sodom, Gomorrha, and Gibeah

As discussed in the previous part, the Hebrew word Qadesh, translated as Sodomite in the AV/KJV, refers to both male temple prostitutes in particular, and to homosexuals in general. Most know that the word Sodomite is the English word denoting not only homosexuals, but the actual inhabitants of the Old Testament land called Sodom. In the Hebrew, Sodom is the word Cĕdom (סְדֹם – pronounced sed·ōm’), Strong’s H5467, and it actually means burning. It comes from an unused root meaning to scorch.  Remember we read in:

Romans 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned [ekkaiō ἐκκαίω (pronounced ek-kī’-ō) Strong’s G1572; verb; from ἐκ (G1537) and καίω (G2545); 1) burned out; 2) set on fire; 3) kindled, burned] in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Here we see that Sodom, meaning burning, ties-in with what God states that homosexuality is: the burning in their sexual lust, one man towards another (or one woman towards another).  Word tie-ins of this nature are not mere coincidence; they point us to the cohesiveness of the word of God. God’s testimony on these matters is the only testimony that counts. His word is authoritative and binding. Thus we should rely on it, and it alone, when forming our views on the matter. In this part, I would like to see how Sodom and Gomorrha, as well as Gibeah, tie-in to this discussion in light of the attempts that some make to lessen the impact of these truths. Before we begin, please consider the following passages:

Genesis 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.

Judges 19:16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which was also of mount Ephraim; and he sojourned in Gibeah: but the men of the place were Benjamites. 17 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city: and the old man said, Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou? 18 And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehemjudah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehemjudah, but I am now going to the house of the LORD; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. 19 Yet there is both straw and provender for our asses; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man which is with thy servants: there is no want of any thing. 20 And the old man said, Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street. 21 So he brought him into his house, and gave provender unto the asses: and they washed their feet, and did eat and drink. 22 Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him. 23 And the man, the master of the house, went out unto them, and said unto them, Nay, my brethren, nay, I pray you, do not so wickedly; seeing that this man is come into mine house, do not this folly. 24 Behold, here is my daughter a maiden, and his concubine; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good unto you: but unto this man do not so vile a thing. 25 But the men would not hearken to him: so the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them; and they knew her, and abused her all the night until the morning: and when the day began to spring, they let her go.

There are those who erroneously contend that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality, but only certain instances of it (i.e. male-on-male intercourse on a woman’s bed or with male temple prostitutes). One argument that is used is that God does not condemn homosexual sex, but only homosexual rape. Some even go so far as to argue that homosexuality is not involved at all because these men were supposedly heterosexuals who, out of a need to dominate, were acting out a spur of the moment desire to engage in male-on-male sexual activity. By making such arguments, they attempt to strip the passages of their clear and intuitive intent — to condemn homosexuality as a whole, not just rape (though that is clearly condemned as well). The understanding is that these men, in even being willing to commit such a form of rape, evidence a proclivity towards the homosexual lifestyle in the first place. Heterosexual men would not willingly engage in homosexual activity. Some point to prison abusers and try to argue that they are mostly heterosexual men behaving as homosexuals, but any heterosexual male will tell you that such activity is not something they would ever wish to engage in. You must have a proclivity for, or at least a latent interest in such things to ever willingly engage in them.

Jude 1:7 affirms my assertion that the homosexual nature of the Sodomites is what is primarily in view, and not the manifestation of that nature in the form of  intended rape. We read:

Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire [Note: notice the tie-in between fire and burning in regards to the original meaning of Sodom as well].

Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw [good].

The emphasis in these passages is not on rape, but on going after strange flesh and committing abomination (what God deems to be abomination as per Leviticus 18 and 20). The word going in “going after” is the Greek word aperchomai ἀπέρχομαι (pronounced äp-e’r-kho-mī) and it is a verb derived from ἀπό (G575) and ἔρχομαι (G2064, meaning 1) to go away, depart; a) to go away in order to follow any one, go after him, to follow his party, follow him as a leader. These men were departing from the right use of the woman (as described in Romans 1:26-28 above) and chasing after men for their sexual pleasures. The word strange in “strange flesh” is interestingly the word heteros ἕτερος (he’-te-ros), Strong’s G2087, which means the other, another, other, one not of the same nature, form, class, kind, different. This may seem confusing given that homosexual men are said to be going after other (hetero) flesh,  but the context is clear. These men are going after other/strange flesh, not flesh other than their own sex (male) but other, in the sense of other than God’s intended use, which is the woman. The strange flesh is going after men, other than going after the women as God intended (again, see Romans 1:26-28). It is true that in the events at Sodom and the events at Gibeah, homosexual men were going after what can be called heterosexual flesh in that they were going after heterosexual men, but I do not see this as the intended, or primary, meaning. The other flesh is not homosexual men going after heterosexual men (though that is homosexuality in itself as well), but homosexual men leaving the natural use of the woman and going after flesh other than that belonging to the woman.

Do the following verses mean what they appear to mean?

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (G3120 – malakos), nor abusers of themselves with mankind ()…

1 Timothy 1:9 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, 10 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;

I want to first consider the word translated as effeminate in 1 Corinthians 6:9; it is the Greek word malakos μαλακός (mä-lä-ko’s); Strong’s G3120. It is an adjective of uncertain affinity meaning soft, soft to the touch in the literal sense, but metaphorically (in a negative sense) it means effeminate, a catamite, a boy kept for homosexual relations with a man, of a male who submits his body to unnatural lewdness, of a male prostitute, or any many who is characterised as being delicate/womanly/cowardly. Please note that in modern Greek, malakos is still used in a derogatory sense for an effeminate man. It is commonly viewed as denoting the “passive” partner in a homosexual relationship. Many would try to tell you that there is much confusion over the meaning of this word; this is nonsense. The Greeks (and Greek speakers) of Jesus’ time knew what it meant as do the Greeks of our day. Some argue that since Malakos also has as a metaphorical reference the idea of cowardice, it doesn’t mean homosexual or effeminate. However, much like how our society calls someone a sissy whom they believe to be a coward, they called someone a malakos whom they deemed to be a coward. Both sissy and malakos have the same underlying effeminate/homosexual connotations,  even when used to denote a lack of manliness or manly bravery. I do not support the use of such language, I am simply telling you the facts of the matter.

Consider also the phrase abusers of themselves with mankind; this phrase is actually the single Greek word arsenokoitēs ἀρσενοκοίτης [är-se-no-koi’-tās — Strong’s G733; from ἄρρην (G730) and κοίτη (G2845, koitē, from whence we get the word coitus which we use to refer to sex)]. It means one who lies with a male as with a female, a sodomite, a homosexual. It literally means “male (G730) bed (G2845);” “male cohabitation” in the sense of sexual intercourse. Whereas malakos refers to the “softer,” effeminate, “passive,” gay partner, arsenokoitēs refers to the partner who actually lies with the malakos as a straight man would with a woman. This is why “Patriarch” John IV of Constantinople (a.k.a. John the Faster, the 33rd bishop of Constantinople from 582 – 595 AD) stated in a passage dealing with coercive and non-procreative sex “…many men [who] commit the sin of arsenokoitia with their wives.” In other words, they did to their wives what the “aggressive” homosexual men do with “passive” homosexual men.

In light of the above, I must stress again that those who argue that these terms are confusing, ambiguous, unclear, etc., are either outright blind or outright lying. What else would arrēn (male) + koitē (bed, in the sense of coitus or sex) be but male homosexual sex? Simply consider the context in 1 Corinthians 6:9 if you have a doubt. It states, again, “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.” We see that fornicator and adulterer, both often referring to heterosexual sexual sin, are already used; if you are dealing with temple prostitutes, then idolaters kicks in as well. So the sin related to the “bedding of males” is not at all likely to refer to that which is already covered by fornication, adultery, and (sex-based) idolatry. Likewise, 1 Timothy 1:9-10 has whoremongers preceding “them that defile themselves with mankind,” which serves to distinguish heterosexual sexual sin from homosexual sin. Moreover, God’s yoking of malakos and arsenokoitēs, one after the other in 1 Corinthians 6, further serves to establish the context. Only in our modern time, with the increasingly broad acceptance of the sin of homosexuality, does the world (and even those who claim to be a part of the Christian church) feel a need to cast doubt on something that has been historically and biblically clear on its face throughout the New Testament era.

Remember also that Leviticus 18:22 states “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination,” and we saw that some would argue that the “woman’s bed” was in view [the word with is the Hebrew word mishkab which means bed and thus they argue that Leviticus 18 and 20 prohibits male-on-male sex in a woman’s bed, but not the sex act itself… see Part Three]. Isn’t it interesting that arsenokoitēs is a compound word derived from the Greek words pertaining to male and bed when bed is the very word at contest in Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. I have already proven in Part Three that bed had a sexual connotation in Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, and in other places wherein the sexual act was clearly in view. Is it really hard to see that by yoking  the Greek words for male and bed, the Holy Spirit (through the Apostle Paul) was pointing us right back to Leviticus chapters 18 and 20? Thus, in one stroke, the Spirit of God affirmed the true interpretation of  Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and  1 Timothy 1:9-10. Only the deceivers and the deceived would try to argue that homosexuality, in general, is not in view in these passages.

For a very interesting case of grave error in the exigesis of those who would defend homosexuality, see All known references to arsenokoites wherein the site’s hosts list quite a large number of instances of this word, but incorrectly translate it as traders in homosexual slaves, non-procreative sexual intercourse, and homosexual rape (as if all three have the exact same meaning in the English). When you read this long list, and use the correct translation, it becomes mightily apparent as to the true nature of this term as used in centuries past (homosexual sex, or in one instance, heterosexual sex that mimicks a particular homosexual sexual act). It never ceases to amaze me just how deviously people will speak and act just to uphold their ungodly ways; especially those who claim to be Christian. We expect the world to secularly defend such things, but when those who erroneously bear the name Christian make such arguments, O how utterly, utterly absurd it is indeed.

More on Qadesh and Qedesha

In the English, we use the word whore to describe both a loose woman who does not charge money for sexual favours and a prostitute who does charge money for such favours. Whore is from the Old English word hore which meant prostitute or harlot and it comes from the Proto-Germanic word khoraz (fem. khoron) which means “one who desires.” It is related to the Old Norse word hora which means adulteress.

Consider the English word prostitute; the verb form of this word can be traced back to the early 1500’s as far as English usage goes. It derives from the Latin word prostituere which meant “to expose to prostitution or to expose publicly.” Prostituere derives from pro (before) and statuere (cause to stand, establish). The notion of “sex for hire” is not inherent in the etymology, which rather suggests one “exposed to lust” or sex “indiscriminately offered.” However, this is now almost the official American and European term for the institution (e.g. the German prostituierte, Russian prostitutka, etc.). The noun form, meaning “a woman who offers her body indiscriminately (usually for money)” is from the 1610’s. Here we see the reverse, a word that did not inherently mean sex for hire came to have that connotation as it’s primary meaning (source for this information can be found here).

As stated in Part Three, a dual use developed for the words Qedesha (Strong’s H6948; feminine noun; female temple prostitute, common prostitute) and Qadesh (Strong’s H6945; masculine noun; 1) male temple prostitute; 2) sodomite; 3) homosexual). Both words originally/primarily pertained to temple prostitutes but were likewise applied to all who engaged in the kind of activity that the temple prostitutes engaged in (with or without pay). We see in Genesis 38:13-26 that Judah thought he was going into a harlot when he went into Tamar. We see that God uses the terms zanah and qedesha in regards to Tamar in this passage. We also see that she was out in the open, in an open place and not in a temple, even though Judah calls her a qedesha. Although the Bible is silent as to where the act took place, there is clearly no reference to it being in a pagan temple belonging to Astarte/Venus/Ashtoreth/Asherah or any other manifestation of this false goddess or goddess pantheon.

Genesis 38:13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep. 14  And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which [is] by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought her [to be] an harlot [zanah; H2181; to commit fornication, be a harlot, play the harlot]; because she had covered her face. 16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she [was] his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? 17 And he said, I will send [thee] a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give [me] a pledge, till thou send [it]? 18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that [is] in thine hand. And he gave [it] her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. 19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive [his] pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where [is] the harlot (Qedesha / H6948), that [was] openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this [place].  22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, [that] there was no harlot (Qedesha / H6948), in this [place]. 23 And Judah said, Let her take [it] to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her. 24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot [zanah; H2181]; and also, behold, she [is] with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. 25 When she [was] brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these [are, am] I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose [are] these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. 26 And Judah acknowledged [them], and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

John Gill quotes Maimonides who stated “before the law was given, if a man met a woman in the street, and he and she agreed, he gave her hire, and he lay with her, and went away, and such an one was called “Kedeshah”, a harlot, the word used afterwards for Tamar.” Again, nothing here about a temple prostitute, even though she was playing the part (feigning the role) of a common prostitute nonetheless. Note also that it was said of Tamar that she “played the harlot” [zanah; H2181] in verse 24; this language means that she played the adulteress, the whore, and not that she was accused of charging money for her supposed adulterous act (no one would argue that they were upset not because she was found to be impregnated by someone other than a son of Judah, but because she charged money to be impregnated by someone other than a son of Judah). To be a qedesha is to play a zanah and to play a zanah is to be (or act as) a qedesha. The same mindset applies to homosexuals acting like male temple prostitutes and male temple prostitutes being homosexuals.

Consider God’s law on the matter of qedeshas and qadesh’s as declared in:

Deuteronomy 23:17 There shall be no whore [Qedesha / H6948] of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite [Qadesh / H6945] of the sons of Israel. 18  Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore [zanah / H2181], or the price of a dog [H3611 – keleb כֶּלֶב  –  masculine noun meaning a) a literal dog; b) contempt or abasement (fig.); c) of pagan sacrifice; d) of male cult prostitute (fig.); and (e) a homosexual], into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God.

Clearly God is stating that no whorish women or homosexuals should be found in Israel. He is not stating that women can be whores and men homosexuals so long as they engage in such activity outside of a temple setting; He is stating that such things ought never to be found in Israel (remember, Tamar was in an open place, not in a temple). God goes on to say that not only should such people not be found in Israel, but if they are, and they profit from such detestable activity, that profit must never enter into the house of God as a vow, sacrifice, or tithe. Concerning the discussion on zanah (whore), as further proof text, consider this passage:

Deuteronomy 22:13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: 15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth [the tokens of] the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: 16 And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech [against her], saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these [are the tokens of] my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; 19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred [shekels] of silver, and give [them] unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. 20 But if this thing be true, [and the tokens of] virginity be not found for the damsel: 21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore [zanah / H2181] in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

It is clear from this passage that the fate of the damsel whose tokens of virginity were not found would be the same whether she lost her virginity to another man freely, or for pay/hire. Deuteronomy 22:21 clearly evidences that whether for pay, or whether freely and wantonly without price, a whore is a zanah/qedesha and a homosexual is a qadesh/keleb (you are what you act like) and the judgment and wrath of God is upon such activity. This should serve as a warning to those who express hatred towards homosexuals and who wish them harm and ill-will. If you are living an unapproved heterosexual lifestyle (adultery, fornication, etc.) you are in the same natural boat; you are no different. We should not be wishing others ill; we should be speaking the truth plainly so that others may hear and be warned. We should point people to the Lord Jesus and not esteem ourselves over anyone. Nonetheless, we must speak truthfully.

Driving out the Sodomites

In light of the Qadesh (sodomite) discussion, I want to consider what God has to say above those kings who removed the homosexuals from the land.

1 Kings 15:11 And Asa did [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD, as [did] David his father. 12 And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

1 Kings 22:42 Jehoshaphat [was] thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name [was] Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing [that which was] right in the eyes of the LORD: nevertheless the high places were not taken away; [for] the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places…46 And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.

2 Kings 23:4 And the king [Josiah] commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. 5 And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. 6 And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped [it] small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. 7 And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that [were] by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

God commends the removal of the sodomites (whether temple prostitutes or otherwise) and the tearing down of their houses; the law of God dictated the removal of such from national Israel — and such will be removed from spiritual Israel as well (in the sense that they will not be found therein as per 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and related passages). Although I do not advocate the removal of practicing homosexuals from our country (there may be elect among them), clearly they ought to be excommunicated from all faithful congregations (if any of that persuasion are found therein) if they do not repent. I believe this is what King Asa and Josiah’s actions directly typify (for Israel was a type of the church). In our day (the New Testament), we are not to seek the physical harm of homosexuals, or the destruction of their property,  any more than we would of fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, liars, scorners, and all other unbelievers (just as the Lord Jesus did not seek the death of the woman caught in adultery). However, like John the Baptist, even if it means the loss of our heads — we ought to speak the truth before kings and beggars concerning the righteous law and Gospel of God.

The Warning and The Punishment

As we review the key verses at issue one more time, we see that the LORD declares fearful judgments against homosexual acts. No one with any spiritual sensitivity (spiritual life) can deny that the wrath of God is against all who unrepentantly engage in same-sex sexual relations as the course of their life. The so-called “homosexual lifestyle” is a sure and certain path to Hell if God does not quicken and convert the sinner (as is all unrepentant sinful lifestyles, including heterosexual ones); God must turn them from such sins if they are to be saved. Anyone who dies a practicing homosexual dies in their sin and they have nothing but the eternal, almighty wrath of God to look forward to.

Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion. 24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you. 29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them… 22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out. 23 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. 24  But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.

Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

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

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

1 Timothy 1:9 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, 10 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;

Revelation 22:14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Final Words

No one reading these warnings and ‘repenting’ out of carnal fear will turn to God; God has to turn people to Him. God, in Jeremiah 31: 18-19, declares “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself [thus]; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed [to the yoke]: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou [art] the LORD my God. 19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon [my] thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

My prayer is that God will work that work that only He can on elect sinners. Maybe, just maybe, this article will be a means by which he strikes some of their consciences as He brings the law home to their hearts by the Spirit of God. May a vessel of honour (who is walking about as a child and vessel of wrath by nature) be helped to see, through this writing or any other such, what he/she is by nature and how holy and just God is by nature to condemn them and the sin in them. I stress again, threatenings of the law cannot save. What must save a person is the Gospel Truth brought home to their heart, as it is made effectual in their lives by the Spirit of God. If a person is not washed and atoned for by the blood of Christ, being made clean and whole by His propitiatory work as an absolute Substitute on the cross, then such warnings are in vain. God must bring a sinner to see their sin-sickness and to cry to Him for mercy. God must bring His people to forsake self and to rest in the finished work of Christ, trusting in Him for all. As I consider the inhabitants of the region around me, I see the seemingly hopeless state of things. Nonetheless, I find much hope and rest in the words of the Lord Jesus wherein He stated “All that the Father giveth Me SHALL come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” John 6:37.

To God be the glory, majesty, and honour, forever.