“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in the lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do things which are not fitting” (Romans 1:26-28).

When the apostle Paul wrote the above passages of Scripture, he was alluding to the days of Lot. Sodom and Gomorrah were the forerunners of the current-day LGBT malaise. Then it reached a point whereby everything spiraled out of control with abdominal acts that tested the patience of God. He hardly hesitated with his mighty hand of judgment, which reduced these cities to ruinous heaps.

Since that day, the likes of homosexuality and lesbianism were given the thumbs down in about every civilization – be it heathen or not. The gays and the lesbians of that era were heavily castigated, forced into a closet-like setting, which negated any awareness of their existence – save for moments whereby they were pilloried before the public eye!

This practice was aligned in the direction of keeping the social order, which was in turn governed by the laws of nature, as the secularists would call it. Ultimately, it fostered a sense of stability when roles were clearly defined. A lot of this stability placed strong regard for the family unit, this being the cornerstone of a heterosexual union between opposite genders – marriage involving a male with a female!

Same-sex unions were taboo then; the same would apply to even discreet relationships of such a nature. Repressive measures to minimize if not totally eradicate these deviations from the established norm were rather heavy-handed. Take the case of Alan Turing, the brainchild of the Enigma device that shortened the last World War – his wartime contribution was overshadowed by the punishment he received for being gay. Chemical castration was an integral part of the punitive regimen, which resulted in his untimely demise through suicide. All this was the way homosexuality was treated in the 1950s.

By the swinging Sixties, voices of dissent were gaining momentum, and by the early 1970s, homosexuality was no longer treated as a psychiatric malady. From that time until the present millennium, it was more of a case of gaining acceptance where this group of individuals mattered. It only took a few years into the present millennium, whereby a dramatic sea of change was more than creating waves. The queers would not put up with mere acceptance – they were asking for legitimacy; henceforth, we saw the LGBT acronym gaining popularity.

A populist movement claiming legitimacy would eventually sweep the globe in an aggressive manner, to the point that it took on a militant face. The Obama years would be best remembered for strong-arm moves against ‘homophobia’ in this regard. Donald Trump did something of a pullback, but with him out of office recently, the militant facet of LGBT more than regained momentum. By then, Canada and a good portion of Europe (including the UK) were moving in lockstep. Even Taiwan became the first Asian nation to endorse same-sex unions!

The sad truth with these unprecedented developments is that there is a brutal backlash against long-held practices. No leeway was given; conform or face recriminations! Tolerance was indeed brushed away in the face of coercion, if not indoctrination. Big corporations would sway towards a new but disturbing preference through their advertisements that glorify the LGBT cause. Traditional marriage between a man and a woman was deemed homophobic. With this gender realignment, even legal terminology would risk a difficult-to-swallow modification. Then there is the notion of perceived sexuality, accounting for bizarre moves such as hormone therapy for children. How about cross-dressing classes for school summer camps!

We are definitely at a time in human history where it is as good as helter-skelter. Everything that we learned from the Word of God is under assault. It could be a little while longer before these proponents of an alternative view come down very hard on those that cling on to the Counsel of God. Herein is a good question: is our loving Heavenly Father going to slumber over this? Definitely not! On the contrary, He has about seen enough – exactly like in the days of righteous Lot. The defiant mob that was in Sodom and Gomorrah was indeed given over to a depraved mind. They were given an opportunity to do as they desired, albeit with a hefty price tag – their ultimate destruction!

What we are witnessing at this point in time closely mirrors that which took place over several thousand years ago. Do not be disheartened by what goes into your ears and before your eyes. Our God is faithful. He delivered a righteous man like Lot before Sodom and Gomorrah met their fate. Surely, He will deliver us; all of us know what it is going to be. It could be a matter of time!

Maranatha

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com

In this day and age, when we hear of something being recalled, it’s usually because there’s a flaw with whatever it is, or something was left out during production of it. Some recalls can be very minor issues that have no serious consequences. Others can be life-threatening if not attended to. No matter whether they are serious or not, all recalls should be taken care of. (any emphasis mine)

In the beginning, humans were initially created to be immortal. Genesis 1:26-27; “Then God said, let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and every other creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image, of God He created them; male and female He created them.”

At this point, everything was in perfect order, and without any interference, this world would have had no issues whatsoever.

Enter “lucifer,” translated from Latin meaning “the morning star” or “light bringer.” It is said he was possibly the most beautiful angel ever created. Other names given to him now are the devil, the prince of darkness, antichrist, Satan, Beelzebub and many more. He is referred to in Isaiah and Ezekiel as “fallen from heaven” due to self-pride. This archangel believed he should be at least equal with his creator and have a throne to rule from just as God does. Sadly, according to Revelation 12:4, it’s believed he influenced about a third of all the angels to follow him. They have no pathway to forgiveness, and their fate is the lake of fire forever that was made for them (Matthew 25:41).

The first act of human malfunction took place in Genesis 3, in the Garden of Eden. Satan, in the form of a serpent, convinced Eve that she should eat the fruit from the tree that God had forbidden them even to touch. The lie he used is still in play today and works just as well as then. Paraphrased, “Did God Really Say?” She listened to the devil and even convinced her husband to fall from grace with her.

When confronted by God, neither would accept the responsibility for their sin. Genesis 3:12-13; “The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'” Not only did Adam not accept responsibility, he even tried to lay the blame on God for creating his soul-mate.

And from there forward, every human ever born on this earth, save one, has been defective and in need of a recall. Even those who were special to the Father throughout the Bible had some form of sin in their lives. How they handled their sins determined their status with the Lord.

One example is David, who had been called “A man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet, he committed adultery and then even murder. God had promised that through David’s lineage, the Messiah would be born. Things could have turned out very different, but when David was confronted by the prophet Nathan, he confessed and repented. He was still disciplined, but his sin was forgiven (2 Samuel 12:7-14).

From the very beginning, God knew that somehow He would have to provide the solution to clear our “recalls.” The Godhead is Triune, made up of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In the account of creating humans, the words to show this were “Us” and “Our.” The apostle John starts out in John 1:1-3 by saying, “In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything that was made.” This states Jesus and God are One, which Jesus Himself claimed in John 10:30.

Jesus tells of the Holy Spirit in John 14:26; “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” This rounds out the Holy Trinity.

The Holy Spirit officially arrived on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and the recall process was underway. The word of the Lord began to spread, and today it has been preached in every nation all over the world. This is just as Jesus said it would be as a prelude to the end of this age, in Matthew 24:14.

We are now ready for the complete “recall” to occur. This is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53:

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep [have died], that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

Next, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53:

“Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”

This is the ultimate recall of all time, but it is only available to those who are “signed up or registered” for it. That process is found in Romans 10:9-13, which shows we must confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead. Jesus is the “save one” human mentioned earlier, who was not defective in any way. Through His pure sinless blood, He took on all the sins this world will ever have, and removed them from us. That is from all who will follow the ABCs of Salvation.

Admit we’re all defective sinners and must have a Savior to restore us. Believe Jesus is that Savior, and have faith God raised Him from the dead as the only means for us to have the perfect eternal life. Call on Jesus to forgive us our sins and to be our Savior forever.

At this point, we are ready for the ultimate recall, the Rapture. Once we leave this earth, we will be converted on the way up to Jesus to never be flawed again. Our bodies will be made immortal, and we will be immune from ever being tempted again. Our “recall” will then be complete.

There will be a large number of people who need the recall but will not get it. These are the ones that will have left this earth without having Jesus as their Savior because they chose not to accept His free gift. They will be condemned forever in the Lake of Fire, where they will be shown constantly how they could have easily avoided being there.

You have the choice to be “registered for recall” or not. By receiving and accepting the gift Jesus has given through His sacrifice, you will have the Holy Spirit live within you while you are on this sin-filled planet. At the Rapture, either alive or deceased, you will be taken off this earth to be with Jesus forever. Jesus forces no one but will accept everyone who truly asks Him to.

There is no other way, no other option. Eternity in Heaven, or eternity in Hell. Joshua 24:15a states, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve.”

Tomorrow could be too late, as Jesus may have already called. “Twinkling of an eye” has been calculated by experts to be less than one second. The last sentence of the Joshua 24:15 verse is, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Definitely hope to see you at the great “recall” to be with all the saints in Heaven forever.

Maranatha – Shalom!

huebshman46@gmail.com