The Bible, the President, and History
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).
Sooner or later, it had to come to this. The Bible is now under full-fledged assault by homosexuals. (We plead with Christians not to use the word gay because it is a complete and thorough misnomer, which allows homosexuals to frame the discussion in their own vocabulary.) The reason for their attack is obvious:
Either homosexuality is acceptable, and the Bible is wrong, or the Bible is right, and homosexuality is wrong (not to mention homosexual marriage).
Dan Savage is a prominent homosexual who, along with his "partner," was invited to the White House for President Obama's 2011 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month reception. Can anyone imagine that our founding fathers ever envisioned such an outrageous event? Whatever happened to the idea that a president should be dignified? Dan Savage heads an organization called the "It Gets Better" project and writes an advice column called "Savage Love" (which somehow seems an appropriate title).
He was invited to speak at the National High School Journalistic Conference in Seattle recently, which provides a clue as to where journalism is today. His organization deals with anti-bullying (presumably against homosexuals), but in the course of his anti-bullying remarks, he became the bully, trying to beat up on the Bible, which caused dozens of students to leave his lecture in disgust. He said the Bible was full of __. Why? Because he disagrees with it. Obviously, it is not Mr. Savage that could be wrong; it must be the Scriptures. Undoubtedly, most fornicators, adulterers, and drunkards share his views. Any time the Bible defines sin, someone will be unhappy. "For everyone practicing evil hates the light that has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:20).
Mr. Savage's later "apology" for his crude remarks is strange to anyone who knows more about Christianity than he does (that figure would be in the multi-millions). He said: "I did not call anyone's religion __. I did say there is __…in the Bible. That is being spun as an attack on Christianity." Hello! What does Savage think Christianity is based upon? All of the morality of Christianity comes from the Bible. So if it is wrong, then Christianity is wrong. If one is riddled with error, so is the other. His comments would be analogous to saying, "I did not say the space station was a lousy idea—only the rocket science that gets us there."
The Bible is the inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). That means it is God-breathed. God's Word is truth (John 17:17). It is both true and righteous, as everything associated with God is. To say what Savage said is to vilify the only thing that can save us (James 1:21). It is to label corrupt the very Word of God, which is pure (Pr. 30:5). He has criticized the Scriptures, which have been established and verified through miracles and eyewitness testimony (John 20:30-31). This is the sin against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven (Matt. 12:31-32). Savage has blasphemed the Holy Spirit Who inspired the Holy Scriptures, and unless he repents, he is utterly and irrevocably lost.
Furthermore, he is a hypocrite of the worst sort. If he is concerned about slurs and comments against homosexuals, then he of all people should be the last to attack and insult the Scriptures. He apparently does not subscribe to the philosophy of Ephesians 4:29: "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers." Savage imparted nothing positive. It is obvious that he is frustrated with the fact that he is at odds with the Bible, and so he will vilify the Holy Scriptures in a vain attempt to justify his sin. All attempts shall utterly fail before the judgment seat.
The President
Probably, most people are tired of hearing about the president's "evolution"; de-evolution would be a better word. A band named Devo formed in 1972, and their one Top Forty hit was "Whip It" (1980). Many youth leaders have shortened the word devotional to devo (apparently using four syllables takes too much effort to say). But this band's name has nothing to do with that. Casey Kasem explained the origin of their name years ago, but it can also be found on Wikipedia:
The name "Devo" comes "from their concept of 'de-evolution'—the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has actually begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society."
The band may have been onto something. In saying that he now believes that homosexuals should be allowed to marry, the president has shamed not only himself but this nation. Furthermore, as the leader of the country he has set an evil precedent, which Christians can only pray will be reversed. He is not representing the citizens of this nation. When he "evolved" into being for homosexual "marriage," he ignored the voters in 38 states who rejected the concept.
Before proceeding, in case anyone has any doubts that this is a spiritual issue rather than a political one, it is affirmed that the same would be true whether the president were a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent, a Libertarian, or some party that has yet to be formed. Dick Cheney, the former Vice President (Republican) has said that homosexuals ought to be allowed to marry, also, and he was (and is) as wrong as the current president.
How perverted this country has become can be seen in the response of this announcement. Already being manufactured are baby outfits that say: "My Two Dads Support Obama" and "My Two Moms Support Obama." Newsweek has granted sainthood to Obama, putting a picture of him on the cover with a halo over his head and proclaiming him "the first gay president."
Same-sex has no precedent in the history of the world. God designed and instituted marriage between a man and a woman in the Garden of Eden before sin even entered into the world (Gen. 2:18-25). Adam realized that animals were not comparable to him. God did not create another guy for Adam. Had He so desired, he could have created two men, with the ability to reproduce, but He did not. Men and women complement each other sexually and in many other ways. The practice of homosexuality, in effect, is a rejection of God's design. It is "vile" and "against nature," according to what Paul wrote in Romans 1:26. To attempt to marry anyone of the same sex is to do that which has not been authorized under any covenant. God has never changed His original pattern—EVER—to include a person of the same sex. Dietary laws have changed, but this moral issue remains constant.
Which Side of History?
Many have praised the president for coming out on this issue—for his honesty and courage. Hah! Almost everyone in the entertainment and news media is pro-homosexual; what kind of courage is it to agree with people who will praise and honor anyone who joins them? A really courageous person would stand up and oppose them. A montage was played on the radio shortly after the President's announcement, in which he was commended for being on "the right side of history" (meaning future historians will commend him for taking the right stance). The following is actual history:
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. And he said, "Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way…. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally" (Gen. 19:1-5).
These two angels were seen by the men of the city when they entered it. The promotion of homosexuality in the city was so thorough that it had affected all of the men of the city, regardless of age or social standing. They were a highly devolved group of citizens who enjoyed the practice of homosexuality so much that they thought these strangers should take part in their lascivious behavior—by force, if necessary. Lot tried pleading with them to let the visitors alone in an effort to protect them, but the men probably resented the way Lot described what they were planning. He said, "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!" They may have reacted the way Dan Savage did (v. 7).
Lot's intentions were to protect his guests, but since they were angels, they protected him. They pulled him inside (v. 10) and struck the men with blindness so that they grew weary trying to find the door (v. 11). The outcry against Sodom was justifiably great; their sin was indeed "very grievous" (Gen. 18:20). God destroyed the cities which were rife with practicing homosexuals (Gen. 19:15-29), and, so far as we know, those men were not seeking "marriages." These are the facts of history.
Under the Law of Moses, homosexuals were to be put to death (Lev. 20:13). Actually, however, there were around 30 offenses for which the death penalty was required, such as adultery or violating the Sabbath day. That God required these punishments under the Law of Moses is a historical fact. Politicians who support homosexual "rights" are on the wrong side.
What about in the Christian age under the New Testament of Jesus Christ? Contrary to the opinion of some, Jesus did not come to earth to announce that sin was now okay to engage in. Since we are not a theocracy, Christians do not execute the justice of God. We do not stone people for violating the Sabbath day—in fact, we do not even have a Sabbath day. We meet for worship on the first day of the week instead (Acts 20:7). We do not take vengeance on those who are living immorally. That does not mean that people are free to commit sin with impunity, however.
Practicing homosexuality for either men or women is condemned in no uncertain terms (Rom. 1:26-27). Some of those in Corinth had been guilty of a number of sins, including fornication, adultery, homosexuality, sodomy, and drunkenness (1 Cor. 6:9-11). The great news of the gospel is that all can have forgiveness of these sinful actions and be washed clean, sanctified or made holy, and justified before God and therefore pronounced not guilty. This freedom from one's sins can only be obtained through Jesus and the blood that He shed on the cross. It is available to all, but it will only be received by those who repent of those sins, which means turning away from it. Just as Jesus said to the woman taken in adultery, He must say to the homosexual as well: "Go, and sin no more" (John 8:11). Those who persist in their sins will be judged by the words of Jesus in the last day (John 12:48; John 5:28-29; 2 Cor. 5:10).
Is homosexuality as wrong now as it was in the days of patriarchs like Abraham? Yes! Is it as wrong as it was in the days of Moses? Yes! Is it as wrong as it was in the time of Jesus and the apostles? Yes! The New Testament is complete (2 Peter 1:3): no new pronouncement (from Newsweek or NBC) can change, undermine, abrogate, diminish, or countermand what has been written in the pages of the Bible. It was the truth when it was written, and it is still truth today. The president is not on the right side of history; he is defying history. What happened to the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim constitute a historical warning that is valid as long as the earth stands.
As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (Jude 7).
God destroyed those cities for what reason? They were guilty of "sexual immorality," which was chosen to translate the Greek word porneia, from which the word pornography is derived. All of these things have to do with the unlawful satisfaction of fleshly desires. They (fornication, adultery, homosexuality, along with writings about such things) are condemned because they lie outside the bounds of marriage, which is the only legitimate arrangement for sexual fulfillment. Jesus condemned porneia, and Jude (His brother) wrote the verse cited above. Porneia is clearly a sin—one that will cause people to be forever lost (Heb. 13:4).
History From a Future Perspective
The year is 2222, and a panel of experts are discussing the rise and fall of various civilizations, both ancient and modern. Finally, they begin to discuss the United States of America, and as they discuss the rise of the nation, they point out the intense desire that people had for freedom from tyranny and the love they had for religious liberty. Some observe that they had the greatest constitution and system of laws that any country had ever had—that it was designed to insure the people's rights for generations to come. "It sounds like a system that should have lasted much longer than 300 years," the moderator says. "How would you describe what happened? What led to the decline?"
One man answers: "Needless to say, there were a number of factors. Politically, they grew more socialistic. They ignored what happened to other nations who had traveled the same road. The incentive to succeed and be rewarded slowly diminished because many did not think it was "fair" for some to be able to have so much more than others. Atlas Shrugged (published in 1957) served as a warning of the encroachments made on capitalism and what would finally happen, but within 50 years people became too weary trying to read a book over 1,000 pages; they preferred texting and reading short messages. Besides, citizens became enamored with all that government was able to provide rather than thinking about where the money was coming from."
The moderator interrupted, "But they had freedom of the press." "Yes, they did, but the press became corrupted. Facts became irrelevant politically, socially, or morally. Truth was portrayed as highly overrated, if it existed at all. Universities, from the 1980s onward subscribed to postmodernism, which declares that, for all practical purposes, truth did not exist in an objective sense. All things became subjective, and the only truth was what each person felt about a matter."
"And what happened to the fierce desire for religious freedom?" the moderator posed. "The nation's zeal for God diminished. Of course, Darwin's theory of evolution had never been established as true, but academics and atheists pretended that it was so. Those who continued to believe in God were deemed backward and ignorant. Many people invented new gods, such as personal comfort and entertainment. These things began to occupy people's minds rather than the God Who created mankind. The Bible was owned by most people but read by few. It became more of a symbol than a vital force."
"So morals began to diminish?" the moderator queried. "Yes, with universities, the entertainment media, and even the news media glorifying sexuality, people became more fleshly in their thinking and their practices. Even many of those who were supposed to uphold religious values surrendered and went along with the popular culture. Those in positions of influence championed the murder of unborn children and every kind of sexual perversion. The nation eventually passed the point of no return and was inevitably destroyed."
"Should they have known better, and could the fall have been avoided?" the moderator asked one final question. "Certainly. But that can only happen if people believe in historical facts and in truth. The decline of Christianity accompanied that loss, and people abandoned their moral values. They rejected the very beliefs that made them at one time the most powerful nation on earth. They chose to follow the dark side of history and ended up in the same place of extinction that all previous cultures did."