Homosexuality - God's Wrath.

Homosexuality - God's Wrath.

Genesis 1:27 reads, "So God created man in his own image; ..He created them male and female". And God created woman as a co-partner, a "corresponding helper" (Genesis 2:18), to be with man as he can't be alone. Genesis 2:21-24, gives a picture of how God created woman. There is a natural desire between them and that made them as "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).

But as the days passed on, there is an unnatural desire that was developing in men and women. The Bible clearly records the destruction of the world is purely man made mistakes. God clearly warns Noah, that "every creature had corrupted it's way on the earth" (Genesis 6:12). So "God decided to put and end to every creature" (Genesis 6:13). In the same way we can see the wrath of God while destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. The people of Sodom after having their dinner and "before going to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. They called out to Lot and said, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!"" (Genesis 19:4,5). The cause of this sin is unnatural desires. 

Some statistics show that the urge for unnatural desires has been growing in both men and women as well. The record of unnatural sex in 2009 @3.5% has gradually grown upto 5% in 2015. The "Statista", in it's 2021 report writes, "..Among these variants, there are LGBT+ and LGBTQ+. The latter stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, and queer. According to a survey conducted in 27 countries, seven in 10 people identify as heterosexual. Around three percent of respondents declared to be homosexual, gay, or lesbian, while four percent identify as bisexual. Additionally, one percent are pansexual or omnisexual. Pansexuality describes people who feel attracted to other people regardless of their biological sex, gender, or gender identity, whereas omnisexuality refers to attraction to all gender identities and sexual orientations." It records that, the acceptance of homosexuality was increasing, Kenya with 14%, Tunisia with 7%, Jordan with 7% as well. 30 countries have legalized same sex marriages.

Now, let's see how the Greco-Egyptian world had dealt with these unnatural desires, first, invoking gods for love between women and then between males.

In 1889, a relatively small piece of papyrus, was found in the cemetery at Hawara, located at the entrance to the Fayum depression. Dating to the 2nd century CE and written in Greek, the text itself is a love spell in which Herais daughter of Thermoutharin adjures a deceased spirit (Euangelos) and the gods to attract and bind to her Sarapias daughter of Helen. The wandering, restless souls of deceased spirits were frequently called upon in spells, with the promise of eternal rest in store for carrying out such demands. In total, ‘to attract and bind’ is repeated three times and a series of magical words, that they would have been understandable to the beings invoked or called upon or asked for help. The text of papyrus reads, “I adjure you, Euangelos, by Anubis and Hermes (Egyptian and Greek gods) and all the rest down below; attract and bind Sarapias, whom Helen bore, to this Herais, whom Thermoutharin bore, now, now; quickly, quickly. By her soul and heart attract Sarapias herself, whom <Helen> bore from her own womb. [magical words: MAEI OTE ELBOSATOK ALAOUBETO OEIO […] AEN]. …”

In an other incident, this time in Hermopolis, in 3rd or 4th century, a lead tablet found in el-Ashmunein (Greek Hermopolis) which bears 62 lines of Greek text in a small hand. It contains one Sophia daughter of Isara, invokes the spirit of a deceased male – “a fire-breathing daemon”, a “corpse-daemon” – to inflame the heart of her intended target, Gorgonia daughter of Nilogenia. In the following lines of her text she invokes other gods as well for help. The text reads, “… Listen and do everything quickly, in no way opposing me in the performance of this action; for you are the governors of the earth. [section of magical language] By means of this corpse-daemon, inflame the heart, the liver, the spirit of Gorgonia, whom Nilogenia bore, with love and affection for Sophia, whom Isara bore. Constrain Gorgonia, whom Nilogenia bore, to cast herself into the bathhouse for the sake of Sophia, whom Isara bore; and you [=the king of the underworld deities], become a bath-woman. Burn, set on fire, inflame her soul, heart, liver, spirit with love for Sophia, whom Isara bore. Drive Gorgonia, whom Nilogenia bore, drive her, torment her body night and day, force her to rush forth from every place and every house, loving Sophia, whom Isara bore, she, surrendered like a slave, giving herself and all her possessions to her, because this is the will and command of the great god [section of magical language] …”

In an incident between males, a Coptic text dated between 6th/7th century. A man Apapolo son of Nooe uses a powerful invocation to bind another man, Phlo son of Maure. Phlo will be unable to rest until he finds Apapolo and his desire is satisfied. The magical words goes like: Celtatalbabal. Karašneife Nnas Kneife, by the power of Iao Sabaoth! Rous Rous Rous Rous Rous Rous Rous Rous. The text reads, “I adjure you by your powers and your phylacteries and the places upon which you dwell and your names that in the way that I will take you and place you at the door and the path of Phlo the son of Maure, you will take his heart, his mind (?), you will master his whole body! If he stands you will not let him stand, if he sits you will not let him sit, if he sleeps you will not let him sleep! He will seek after me from village to village, from city to city, from field to field, from land to land, until he comes to me and he subjects himself beneath my feet – me, Apapolo, the son of Nooe – his hands filled with all good things, until I fulfil with him the desire of my heart and the request of my soul in a good desire and an unbreakable affection, now, now, quickly, quickly, do my work!”

It's been said that the Macedonian schools, the Gymnasium and the Ephebeion have the same unnatural desires for the others as well. [Greek men were often bisexual. Probably due to deficiency in the number of women (female infanticide). Marriages were often made between 30 year old men and women were 18 or even younger. Husbands usually do not respect them. Men had access to only three forms of sexual release until such late marriages, slaves, prostitutes and other males. Men often preferred boys on the edge of puberty or adolescents. Lesbianism though less widely reported, is also attested. (Information added on 22.02.2022 at 9:13 AM, taken from, The Bible Background Commentary)]. In the Romans there is an unnatural desire for the other males is seen in the elite families. Apostle Paul would been aware of that Roman Emperor Nero who castrated a boy named Sporus and married him. And Emperor Hadrian fell in love with a thirteen year old greek boy named Antinous. However, Antinous threw himself into river Nile when Hadrian, his wife Vibia Sabina and with them Antinous visited Egypt in AD 123.

What does the Bible say about homosexuality? Moses in Leviticus 18:22, condemns homosexuality. "You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detestable." Writing on family and sexual offenses, Moses in Leviticus 20:9-21, he briefly explains on homosexuality. Apostle Paul in his letter to Romans condemns homosexuality. Paul recalls on the law of Moses as, "God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death.." (Romans 1:32). In his letter to Romans, 1:24-31, Paul writes about the perverted people of unnatural desires. Paul notes that such people are given up by God to those sensual desires. Paul writes in v24, "God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity..", in v26, "God gave them over to shameful lusts", in v28, he writes, "..God, he gave them over to a depraved mind..". 

"Sexual impurity", (Gk, akatharsian) - men are condemned to sexual impurity is because of the sinful desires of their hearts, that is, passionate carvings, lusts, and urges. These are the things that displease God.

As we read above that the Egyptian papyrus of unnatural love spells, people are serving unnatural gods over there. They invoked false gods of dead spirits to help them get what they desired. They imagine god in some graven image molded by their hands. The Study Bible says, Man abandons the only true and living God and lusts and carves so much that he creates a god of his own mind who allows him to satisfy his lust. He thinks that his god understands his situation and will allow him to do what he wants. He matches his god to fit his morals and twists god to fit what he desires. Man serves and gives his time and energy to the god he imagines in his mind and to the idols he creates within his imagination and thoughts. 

"Shameful lusts" (Gk pathe atimias) - the reason why God gives men up to shameful lusts is because of their unnatural passion. Men lust and lust, they burn in their lust one for another. Women burn and lust and exchange natural relations for unnatural ones. It is man's choice, God can do nothing about it, for God gave man freewill of choice. 

"Depraved mind" (Gk adokimon noun) - They are allowed themselves to do exactly as they wanted to do. They are enslaved themselves to their desires. God gives up on them because they reject God. They push Him out of their minds. They ignore and refuse to accept God's presence. 

God is furious about those who defile their bodies with such sexual, lustful and self-driven desires. Apostle Paul writing to Corinthians, "Everything is permissible - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible - but not everything is constructive", and, "Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial Everything is permissible for me - but I will not be mastered by anything" (1Corinthians 10:23, 6:12). It is good that we want to be mastered over everything, but doing some things may endanger our own lives. We always should be aware of ourselves. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred and you are that temple" (1Corinthians 3:16,17). I want to close this column with a warning and a hope from 1Corinthians 6:9-11, "Don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God's Kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers (those who cheat) will inherit God's Kingdom. ..But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Let's be what God wants us to be.