8 Things You Should Know about Gay Marriage

[phkrause]

Dear Roger, What do you think about gay marriage? I’d like your take on the issue.

Dear The Many Who Have Asked Me About Gay Marriage,

First, let me say that my wife Julie and I disagree about some of the things that I intend to share. That’s okay. There are many ways to look at this issue. She thinks one way; I think another way. And we both think we’re right.

These are the eight perspectives from which I look at this important, charged topic.

https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/8-things-you-should-know-about-gay-marriage.html?

[Iryna_Flower]

On 12/22/2023 at 12:59 AM, phkrause said:

First, let me say that my wife Julie and I disagree about some of the things that I intend to share. That’s okay.

Can you tell us please what is her point? Is this forum still ”alive”?

[Basil]

Perhaps it is my lack Computer skills but I could not find any of the eight things that were listed about same sex marriage. However I would like to suggest something that has come to me that answers all of the questions regarding this topic.

  I use to wonder why the Ten Commandments only placed a prohibition on adultery. Then it occurred to me that adultery is a form of the word adulterate, which means to corrupt something by mixing it with a contaminating element. Therefore, anything that the Creator gives us, which would include marriage, most certainly carries with it a far deeper meaning than what might be seen at first glance. Taking a thin veneer of His instructions and gifts and adulterating them under the tree where the serpent resides will cause one to wonder about what is right and what is wrong. Seeking knowledge under that tree will cause one to lose all their meaning.

   However, regarding the issue of marriage and procreation, any form of sexual activity that does not conform to the pattern set forth in the beginning would adulterate God’s true intent. There is a depth of symbolism that the adversary wishes to hide under a thick layer of reason and banter, hiding the depth of Gods wisdom.

  Our Creator could have chosen any way to populate the earth but I believe that marriage and procreation are filled with symbolism and object lessons of our union with God as well as His method to redeem us. That is why Satan has done everything he can to adulterate, corrupt and destroy the very thing that our Creator is doing to reveal His love. This union was meant to open our eyes to greater depths of spiritual realities on how He wants to bind us to Himself for our deliverance from this dark world.

   As you search the scriptures you will find that God has been very specific in all His communications and requires absolutely no deviation or add-ons by man or satanic influence for this would adulterate them. It is not out of tyranny but omniscient love that He is specific in all He does.

THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MARRIAGE   

  For God to marry the human race to Himself, I believe that He deals with sin in our life in an intelligent way. When He draws near and places His finger upon some fault of character, we are brought face to face with our self, filling us with a sense of need. He will place His glasses astride our nose and help us to see sin just as He sees it. When we come into agreement with Him as we see the truth about the depths of why it is sin, the truth of that knowledge will make us free. He can then speak it out of our life. When the Bible speaks of the blood of Christ cleansing us of sin, I don’t believe that the actual red tissue fluid that flowed from Jesus side is what is meant. The blood is symbolic of his life. His life and character is poured within our heart to bring about true change or cleansing. His divine life of obedience replaces our corrupt character traits.

   When we, the bride of Christ, are brought to see the dark void within our life, a divinely provided need brings us to stand naked and unashamed before the Lover of our soul and there is nothing we wish to hide. Within we feel a longing for the life and character of the Son to fill our emptiness. Our Beloved looks into our eyes and says, “Thou art all fair my love, I see no spot in thee.” The bride knows His love is completely accepting, there is no condemnation or disapproval in His eyes. He longs to give her the living Seed she desires that she may become like Him. He is carrying and protective of the divine child she is growing within her character.

   A divine consummative act takes place and the Life of the Son supplies the aching need. Again and again the Spirit opens the bride’s eyes to subtle plague spots in her character so that she will come to our Lover and yield to the consummative Seed as we grow into His likeness.

   Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Eph 4:13

   In the earthly marriage the bride knows she is accepted in the eyes of her

husband and she can stand naked and unashamed before him. She is completely vulnerable in his presence and feels a longing for the life of her husband to come into her that they may create a new life. The husband longs to enter into his beloved and give his seed of life.

   You may be able to relate to my own personal experience. There have been times when I have felt such an intimate bonding with my beloved that I felt like I wanted to somehow be inside and fill every part of her, that I might be consumed and in complete union within. I wanted to feel what she feels and to look out at the world through her eyes. I believe that this is what the Son desires of us. Scripture says that in Him we live and move and find our being and I believe the opposite is just as true. In us He will live and move and find His being. “For it is God which works in you both to will and to do according to his good pleasure.”

THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF PROCREATION

   When a sperm unites with an egg there is a blending of genetic material forming a new creature. The two have actually become one in that child. As the fetus is implanted into the uterine wall it begins to grow up and develop within until it is the fullness of a baby ready to translate from a place of darkness into a world of light.

  When a seed thought from the divine mind is accepted and conceived in the heart by the consent and desire of the human, there is a combining or blending of divinity and humanity the 'two are becoming one’. This reception by the human agent begins the taking on of a new identity, a new creature has come to life. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17

As the Seed within begins to grow through this divine union, there is a day by day growth as the soul is drawn into a Godly obedience. This new life of supplied obedience develops new habits and thus begins to manifest the character of the Son of God and is partaking of the divine nature. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4

   When we begin to see the significance of what God has given to humanity there is no room for the perversions of this world. There is so much that can be drawn from marriage and the procreative act that when we consider same sex marriage and all the sexual perversions that the adversary has brought into this world, we turn away in disbelief and horror. There is no way to reconcile them. Like oil and water they just don’t mix and they adulterate the purity of what God has established.

To be continued...

[Basil]

HOMOSEXUALITY AND TRANSGENDERISM WAS MEANT TO OBLITERATE THE IMAGE OF GOD IN MAN

   Since these were part of the adversary’s effort to adulterate God’s creative and redemptive plans by focusing fleshly driven desires, I would like to share what has come to me.

  Man was created for the habitation of his Creator. “…for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 Cor. 6:16. 

   It seems evident that there was something spiritual created within us through which the Creator could bind us to Himself. I will call it the ‘spiritual faculty’. It was a part of our standard equipment at creation. It was that part within us that naturally connects us to our Creator so we can hear and know what is His will for us individually moment by moment. It supplied us with divine love for Him and a heart felt drawing to Him, and natural obedience was the result.

   Sadly, man had intercourse with Satan. That is to say there was a verbal interaction and a seed of doubt was conceived which bore the child of rebellion within our first parents. As a result the death that was promised occurred. The spiritual faculty which maintained our communion with God, died on that fateful day. This was our vital link with the source of Life, without which mankind would eventually perish from the earth.

   The consequences of this spiritual death was witnessed by fear and fleshly desires replacing divine Love within the core of our being.

   This gave birth to a new or different kind of creature. The scriptures call it the old man, the man of sin, the carnal man, The body of sin, etc. Human nature was blended with satanic nature, in that a natural enmity or hatred was established in our heart and mankind was enlisted in a war against his Creator. How could there be any hope for man since there was nothing left alive within him to connect with or even seek after his Creator/Redeemer.

   I will get to the Transgender issue in a bit, but first…

GOD HAD A REMEDY

   I will now venture outside orthodoxy to thoughts that have been extrapolated from scripture and have brought such a logical conclusion to my heart. Please bare with me as I explain. Remember that we were created as temples or earthen vessels, for God to dwell in.

   If our redeemer had not come into humanity at that time they would have been forever separated, unwilling and unable to seek after God.

   With the human race in its lost condition the Lover of our soul had to do something or man kind would parish. The plan of redemption had to be initiated on man’s behalf at the fall.

AS SOON AS THERE WAS SIN THERE WAS A  SAVIOUR.

  “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between her seed and thy seed. It shall bruise thy head, thou shall bruise his heel”. Genesis 3:15

  If this promise was not fulfilled until 4000 years later, how could it have been of any benefit to “the woman” the mother of our race or to any of her offspring who lived prior to the birth of Jesus. The human race needed a Saviour right away.       

   Therefore, I have come to believe that this promise was fulfilled right then and there in Eden when it was needed most. The Son had to be given to man kind at that moment to replace that ‘spiritual faculty’ which had died. That is how the Son became a personal savior to each and every son and daughter of Adam.

   If our redeemer had not come into humanity at that time they would have been forever separated, unwilling and unable to seek after God.

   With the human race in its lost condition the Lover of our soul had to do something or man kind  would parish. The plan of redemption had to be initiated on man’s behalf.

   In His condescension the Son, stepped away from the throne and laid down His life. As it says in Revelation, “He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. This death was not about nails, a crown of thorns or a wooden cross. I believe it was something far more excruciating.

   It was a death to self-determination and a total dependence upon the power and wisdom which was in the Father. He became as nothing to demonstrate to His creation that He would never ask anything of them that He was not willing to first do Himself.

   To save us He divested Himself of all His prerogatives as God and became the Seed within the woman that provided the enmity against evil. God alone can hate evil without that hatred contaminating His character. This hatred was actually a part of divine love. Whereas human hatred is a contaminating element within the soul.

   He volunteered to take on the physical and mental weaknesses of each and every son and daughter of Adam. So it came to me that this is how He bore the sins of the world, He bears it in every soul. Bearing it for us, with us and in us. He has been bearing the sin of the world since it made its appearance in Eden and has continued even until today. That is why I said it was far more excruciating. Instead of just bearing it all for those hours on the cross 2000 years ago, He has borne the burden of sin within each and everyone of us, for it would have crushed us to bear it alone. The One who created us loves us with an everlasting compassion and He has given up the peace of heaven and sacrificed all that He was, throughout human history, which leaves me in incomprehensible awe.

"He was the Redeemer before as after His incarnation. As soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour. He has given light and life to all, and according to the measure of light given, each is to be judged. And He who has given the light, He who has followed the soul with tenderest entreaty, seeking to win it from sin to holiness, is in one its advocate and judge. From the opening of the great controversy in heaven, Satan has maintained his cause through deception; and Christ has been working to unveil his schemes and to break his power. It is He who has encountered the deceiver, and who through all the ages has been seeking to wrest the captives from his grasp, who will pass judgment upon every soul. DA 210

   As one with us He is bearing the burden of our guilt and deep suffering. He was sinless yet He must feel the shame of our sin. He was the Prince of peace yet He must be crushed by our hostility. He was the source of truth and He bears our lies. His purity and innocence is constantly assaulted by degenerate depravity. Every sin, every discord, every defiling lust that transgression had brought, is torture to His spirit and yet He bears it out of a love beyond my understanding. And, even more than that He feels the separation of the soul from the Father and He is ever crying out in hopes that the soul will hear it and begin to own it as his own. For the Son to experience this has to be beyond what we can begin to grasp. Some of this was taken from EGW.

   The Seed, like a small child, meek and harmless bearing the infirmities of fallen man, patiently awaiting the soul to feel its divinely supplied need and to consent to His still small voice that He might begin to bring it back to the Father’s heart of love. How little we know of the magnitude of redeeming love.

   The Son came into humanity with a few select gifts. He had a love for the Father, the ability to hear the Father and a willingness to obey the will of the Father. He also brought a heart of drawn out longing to be near to the Father. These gifts are to replace that which had died in Eden. If the soul will CONSENT these gifts will be his. As the soul senses the Son interacting with the Father on his behalf he can consent and the Son will draw us into that connection. His love will become ours, His natural obedience will flow out of us as well. This is how He becomes our Saviour, advocate and redeemer in a very real and personal way. This is how we partake of the divine nature and participate in His victory.

   Our Creator had constructed human nature in such a way that He could find an entrance or open door to our spiritual faculty and bond with us in a divine union where we would be guided through life in a way that would be beneficial, not only to ourselves, but to all creation in a divine harmonious orchestration of life. Through deception demonic agencies hijacked what God had made available for His own purposes and thus gained control of mankind.

DEVIL POSSESSION:

   Luke 8 tells a story of a possessed man. Demons spoke through this man’s mouth and a superhuman strength was demonstrated in human form, evidenced by his ability to break the chains that once had bound him.    

   Every one of us have familiar spirits that have been following us throughout our lives. They speak in such familiar ways that the human thinks these thoughts are their own. The spirit will look at the facial expression which will indicate an acceptance or consent to his suggestions. More thoughts are suggested and like a computer hacker the demon works to gain control. It begins to identify itself with the thoughts and purposes until the human is thinking the demons thoughts as if they were his own. Like seeds these thoughts will bare fruit in behaviors. As these behaviors are repeated they form habits, which in turn establish character. By such sophistry, degrees of possession eventually occur.

   We have all seen evidence of this in some poor possessed soul standing on the street corner waving his arms and talking out loud to some invisible adversary.

   Now think about the times you have laid awake at night and found yourself rehearsing the difficulties you are having with someone. In your mind you find yourself going over the things you might say. You can’t seem to stop these thoughts and arguments that keep repeating within your mind. Certain inhibitions or social constraints may for the time being keep us from such verbal outbursts or wild gestures as the man on the street corner, but given time.... When I was considering these things I had to admit that I might not be so far away from possession myself. ;o)

   Possession does not have to be as obvious as this poor soul. One might be very polished and even likable yet he has been captured and will follow the will of the enemy of his soul.

   Within this man, written of in Luke 8, there seemed to be an organic assimilation of demonic forces within his body. It was not like the devil was sitting in some compartment of his brain pulling levers. No, there seems to have been a full body infestation that has taken place. The demons are using his muscles, nerves and very possibly could feel his emotions. I suspect this is a way for demons to participate in the human experience. It begs the question, “Are people being used like a carnival ride by demons?”

   A different identity was seen in this man. It seems as if the spirit was wearing this human like a glove. Living and moving and finding his being in humanity.

   Identity capture is so subtle that humanity has little or no idea of the influences that rule him. The heart and mind become so blended with the will of the demon that when following the demonic will, it flows out as if it were the natural action of the soul itself. This occurs in the most mundane acts of daily living such as getting angry or offended or overeating. Any complaint is, in fact, uttered against God. I think one of the devils favorite sayings is, “Well just this once wont hurt.” Little by little habits will form…..  yes any act that separates the soul further and further from God is the spirits goal. Yet the ‘mind of Christ’ (1 Cor. 2:16) is quite different, there is no complaint and no offense, for heaven has none of these qualities and the Savior is at work to remove them all from this earthly experience.

   I believe that this is how the transgender issue and homosexuality problems have come into being, they are just owning the thoughts of a familiar spirit. So often we hear, “This is how I feel!” Or “I was born this way” or “I was born in the wrong body”. Suggestions from within and without move on the soul and soon one identifies with these spirits. Friends, peer pressure and cultural influences are also used by these dark forces. The propensities or weaknesses handed down from parents and grand parents, all these play a part. One does not have to have projectile vomiting of green pea soup to be under the control of satanic agencies. 

   When you look at how rapid this trans gender ideology has come in to society it makes it quite clear that these are brought to bear through demonic forces. Look at the clothes, the hair alterations, body piercings and tattoos. Their proliferation has become like the spreading of a virus.

    When Saul went to the witch of Endor she conjured up a ‘familiar spirit’. Saul thought for sure that this was Samuel. Truly a case of mistaken identity! This is defined as necromancy, having communication or intercourse with the dead.

    Transgender people and homosexuals et al are following the leadings of a familiar spirit. They are participating in the most subtle form of necromancy. They are having intercourse with the dead; that old man whom God said was crucified. We can see in the behavior of these deluded souls, who have fallen to the transgender ideology, clear evidence of possession. They look, dress and act in the most peculiar ways and cannot be reach, not even by logic or evidence.                                         

   They are believing things that are not true. It only feels true. A victim mentality adds fuel to their fire. This is not a mental disorder that can be cured by drugs or psychoanalysis. It requires the truth to make the soul free. They just need to know the truth and rest their weary soul on the power of God’s word and they will be made free. According to God’s word, their life is now hidden with Christ within the bosom of the Father. As they come to see that the voice they have been identifying with is not them at all, the curtain is pulled back (Like in the film, the Wizard of Oz) and their eyes can now see the deceptive forces that have been controlling their life through craft and delusion. They now can begin to recognize the thoughts and feelings that show up on a daily basis are coming from an another source and they need not identify with them.

   They have been given a death to the old nature and a new Life resides in their soul. They can now know that the Son is their true identity and by faith walk in that light. For their old man, their old identity is indeed dead and the Son will lead the soul in truth and in righteousness.

  They need not fight against sin but fight the good fight of faith. That is to say, just believe what God has said. He will rush to the side of the weakest soul and the devil is no match to the one who places his weakness upon the Savior.

   How do I know this is true? Let me share one example. I had a remarkable conversion where old things had passed away, all things were made new. About 3 weeks later an old temptation showed up. In my job as a physical therapist I was giving a massage to a very attractive woman. Suddenly I felt a familiar electro-chemical activity stir up within. I fixed my gaze as though I was looking into the devils eyes and silently mouthed the words, “My Father keeps me and I shall not be moved.” Just as suddenly the feelings disappeared. This was the Seed with His enmity standing up within me.

   The world came into being by the spoken word of our Creator. The same power that brought the world into existence is in every promise in scripture. God speaks and it is so… If by faith we accept it. The key to unlock the power of the word of God in our life is to believe what God believes. Denying anything that challenges it.

   God has told us that the old man was crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed. Also that we are dead and our life is hidden with Christ in God. God has declared it to be so, and it is His belief about us. To live by faith is simply to believe what God believes and walk in that. Even if it does not feel like it. When we step into His reality He rushes to bring it to pass. Testing and temptation are allowed to strengthen our resolve to accept His word, or accept the whisperings of a familiar spirit which stir up very strong feelings.  

More to come....

[Joe Knapp]

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Jesus Never Wavered from His Top Priority

SLIDE 1 OF 8

“I came to seek and to save those who were lost.”

“The good shepherd loves his sheep and gives up his life for them.”

“The good shepherd leaves behind his 99 lambs in order to search for one that was lost.”

Quote

We must remember that winning gay couples to Christ is more important to Jesus than whether or not the law of any land allows them to marry.

I think that is a stretch. I never read Jesus ever trying to reach Homosexual people.  Tax collectors, Adultery, but no homosexuals. I am sure there were some in his day.

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Quote

What do we do for the individuals now living in the throes of God's wrath? We remember that our top priority is to love them into the kingdom where their sins are forgiven and their hearts are turned toward God.

I am not sure of that. It seems to me the top priority is for them to know the truth about God and His Word.

Our church was founded on the principle of urgent warning of the fact we are living in the time of the judgment.