BEN F. VICK, JR.
The Lord said through the prophet Malachi, "For I am the Lord, I change not; Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." (Mal. 3:6.) The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Heb. 13:8.) Insofar as God's characteristics are concerned, He changes not. Though Jesus Christ left the glories of heaven and tabernacled among men, His attitude toward transgression was/is the same. This truth should be kept in mind as the world celebrates what it pleases to call "Gay Pride Month." There will be parades and celebrations of homosexuals this month. The media pushes it; Disney supports it, but God hates it.
When Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom in the long, long ago, heavenly messengers visited Abraham. On that visit, the Lord spoke to Abraham. We read, "And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;" (Gen.18:20.) God let Abraham know that the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, and surrounding towns would be destroyed. Abraham bargained with God. God would not destroy the city if there were 50 righteous ones in Sodom. From that number it went to 45, then 40, then 30, then 20 and at last 10. If there had been ten righteous souls in the city of Sodom, God would have spared the city. When one reads the 19th chapter of Genesis, he can see how wicked the city was. Both the old and young men surrounded the house where Lot's guests were. They demanded to know them sexually. God spared Lot and his daughters, but he sent down fire and brimstone and destroyed the cities of the plain. The term "sodomite" came from the disgusting practices of the people of Sodom. They were homosexuals. To be a sodomite was to be a homosexual.
When God gave the law of Moses to Israel, he said, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 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. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants." (Lev. 18:22-25) Again in the same book, it is said, "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." (Lev.20:13.) In repeating the law, God said, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel." (Deut. 23:17.) God's attitude toward homosexuals or sodomites did not change, though a written law was given to Israel.
When the kingdom of Israel divided due to the poor decision of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, the historian said, "And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel." (1 Kings 14:24.) This statement depicts how immorally corrupt the nation had become during the reign of Rehoboam. It may have had its slide earlier. However, the grandson of Rehoboam, Asa, did right in the eyes of the Lord. One of the things he did was to take away the sodomites out of the land (1 Kings 15:12)). He did not thoroughly do this because Jehoshaphat, son of Asa, removed the remnant of the sodomites out of the land (1 Kings 22:46). Josiah began his reign in Judah by cleaning up the nation. One of the things he did was break down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord (2 Kings 23:7). Imagine that! Under previous reigns – Manasseh and Amon, the sodomites pushed their way into building houses near the temple. One of the indications of a good or bad king was what he allowed or disallowed regarding homosexuals. Evil kings allowed the sodomites to push their agenda, but good kings got rid of them. That was God's assessment of the kings.
In Romans 1, the apostle Paul described the condition of the Gentile's world:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 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. 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: 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. 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;" (Rom. 1:18-28)
Of these and others, Paul said that they are worthy of death; i.e., spiritual death, separation from God (Rom. 1:32).
Jude, the brother of the Lord, described the condition of those of Sodom and Gomorrah when he wrote: "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 7.) Those of Sodom and Gomorrah are "suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" now. Note the present tense. They are not sleeping in restful repose; they are suffering. They will be at the judgment on the final day (Matt. 11:22-24).
So, the world may call it "Gay Pride Month." I am not in favor of celebrating the homosexuals period. If people do not speak out against this abomination, the homosexuals will be pounding on our doors. They do not want us just to accept them. They want us to embrace their lifestyle. But David said, "Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every false way." (Psa. 119:104.)