BELIEVING YOUR OWN LIES

 John the Baptist and Jesus were not only related genetically but spiritually as well. They were ‘brothers’ in a spiritual sense and cousins in a familial one.  Because both were born of the Spirit, the demonic spirits would attack them vociferously, even like a pack of wolves.

Jesus told them, “That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee” (Mat 11:24). Yes, cities will be judged for in whom they believed or disbelieved. For instance, Sodom was noted for rampant homosexuality and hedonism. God had judged it already and burnt Sodom to the ground with its inhabitants within. On judgement day, Sodomites will be shown why.

If a Christian was asked right now, What is the greatest sin? many might say “homosexuality.” That behavior has been accepted by many as just an alternate lifestyle. Even heretical churches accept homosexual behavior as normal, although scripture is clear about that sin.

Throughout history, as Paul pointed out, man had grown more depraved than even the other kinds. Then God relented; they could do as they pleased but pay the penalty: 

²⁴ 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 forever. 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… (Rom 1:24-27)

 Paul made it clear; homosexuality, even if legalized, either by law or the Church, is unnatural. They may not be punished by civil law but will be by Divine Law.

How is the punishment administered? “God gave them up unto their vile affections.” They could so as they pleased, but God would not be with them. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind” (Rom 1:28). ‘Reprobation’ is damnation; they are destined to Hell for eternity. Then Paul went on to write that because of that, then they were free to do any number of atrocious sins.

Sodomy and homosexuality are that bad, yet perhaps there are things as bad! 

¹⁶ But whereunto shall I liken this generation… you have not lamented. ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a devil.” ¹⁹ The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.” But wisdom is justified of her children. ²⁰ Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not… (Mat 11:16,18-20)

 The point therein is that the people were saying obviously wrong things and they were not sorry for saying those things as there were no lamentations.

Lamenting is a pre-requisite for repentance; it is “beating one’s chest in grief” (Strong 2006); not because their natures were revealed to others, but because their sins have been revealed to them. Lamentations are a great start, but repentance is a must.

Think on that for a moment… see yourself beating on your own chest. What does that bring to mind? For me, I think of a gorilla. They beat on their chests to indicate dominance. Humans should beat on their chests in submission because we should differ from the apes.

When people defy God, they are more like the gorillas and demonstrate their dominance which once there but was lost in Paradise. When people defy God, that is their sinful nature showing. They are like the beasts and the Beast, Satan. They are not really humane beings because their humanity has gave way to bestiality, or brutish behavior.

What is it that beasts do? Whatever they want to do! What is it that Christians are to do? Whatever God wants them to do!

John, although an ‘angel’ (discussed in the last commentary), they called him a ‘devil.’ Demons are unseen beings. Technically they got it right but figuratively, they got it wrong. Devil (daimonion) includes both good and bad angels, but the translators correctly translated it ‘Devil’ because in their hearts, they were misrepresenting John.

Who would have the real Devil in him? Certainly not John. “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve” (Luke 22:3). They were accusing John of being the Devil when it would be Judas! The people may have neglected to criticize the Devil himself, because of cunning disinformation; but instead that Satan had entered John. If that is true, then they would have been delighted that John was beheaded because they would have felt safe from the Devil. As such, the beheading of John was the vicarious ‘Holocaust,’ and the crucifixion of Jesus would have been without merit.

Some say in this age, “Damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.” John was damned by his adversaries because he did not eat nor drink, and Jesus was because they thought that he ate and drank with sinners (without proof, by the way). They would damn both John and Jesus with equal punishment because one did and one did not do the same things.

Therefore, injustice is a greater sin than homosexuality. False accusations and false testimonies are what killed both John and Jesus.

The translators even trivialized Jesus’s response to the false accusations; they wrote “upbraided” but Jesus reviled them (ibid). Jesus responded with great anger and criticism! It was with justified anger and proper criticism. It was a just response. Jesus demonstrated to the hate mongers the Face of true justice.

Jesus was angry and criticized them back because they had not repented. Again, before repentance must come lamentation. They were not sorry that they had presented false information about both John and Jesus. They may have not beat their respective chests but inside their beast inside was beating ‘its’ heart enthusiastically. Jesus saw within them and paid little attention to their physical appearance. Jesus would see the beasts within them all the while they accused both John and Himself of being the beasts.

Nowadays, it is not the sinners that are accused, but the Christians. About the subject of homosexuality, for instance, Christians are called ‘haters’ because they see sinful behavior as damning.

Why would Christians even care? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That should be clear — because just like God, Christians believe that none should perish. “None” includes homosexuals and all LBGT. If we do not upbraid them, then they are damned. It is that simple; just like the accusers falsely accused Jesus and John, the world falsely accuses Christians.

All the while sinners escape punishment here in the world, law-abiding Christians are punished because of their beliefs. Christians are punished for the crimes that the world commits just as in the time of Jesus.

Think not? Just look at the ‘justice’ systems in the world today! What is wrong is called ‘good’ and what is good is called ‘wrong.’ The LBGT community has got it all wrong and even the churches go along with their myth to not offend anyone.

Jesus offended the confused of His day. He upbraided them, not because He hated them, but because they failed to see the false claims of their myths. He desired that they have eternal life and they “did not give a damn” as they say today.

Jesus was angry! For Him it was worth the persecution to save the lost. He was as worried about the unjust as he was about the hedonistic because He saw past their outward appearances into their hearts. He implied to them, that their fate would be the same as those of Sodom. Sodom was a ‘hell’ on Earth but theirs would be the real Hell.

Why was He so angry? Because they believed their own lies!

(picture credit; NY Post)