The Demonic Sexual Possession of America

...that depends on the scripture... but the verdict is in—it’s interesting!

The book of Jude is interesting all by itself. Read it, and then read II Peter. They both borrow from the apocryphal work, “The Book of Enoch,” also called, “The Book of the Secrets of Enoch.”

In fact, because of these two books, the canon was extended (with much disagreement) into the early part of the second century. Beyond that, “John” was the last book written, some say as late as 95- 100 AD. Of course, the disagreement was over the fact that these two books quoted from an apocryphal work and how …

Anyway, Jude uses the Greek word ‘porneo,’ which is where we get the word ‘pornography’ from, as well as the word ‘fornication,’ which simply means, sexual intercourse outside of marriage. If one or both are married, it’s adultery, a specific type of fornication.

The next phrase is, “having gone after ‘sarkos eteras,’” meaning, “different flesh.” In the context of porneo, it is most likely referring to bestiality, although, once you go there, it’s merely quibbling as to whether or not that includes homosexuality. The NIV renders it “perversion.”

Genesis 19 is less clear as to why Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding ‘cities on the plain’ were destroyed. All we really know is that after Abraham haggled with God, there were less than ten righteous people living in the area. Assuming Lot, his wife and two daughters were in that number, including the men pledged to marry Lot’s daughters, there were, indeed, less than ten. The sin or specific reason for the destruction, however, is not specified.

Genesis 19 also makes clear that God was determined to destroy the two cities before the men of these cities even tried to rape the two angels. As jdlevy95 correctly states, the incident is “adjunct.”

But it is indicative of the evil that these men labored at.

Anyway, Ezekiel 16:48-50 gives the most complete accounting as to why, at least, Sodom was destroyed. No specific sexual sin is mentioned, but the use of the term ‘detestable things,’ is added at the end; kind of a catch-all that conjures up all the detestable things that the people living in Canaan were up to before Israel came in and conquered it. Basically, they were vomited out of the land because of their ‘detestable practices.’

Anyways, here’s a good article on the detestable practices of the nations prior to God’s intervention through his children. I believe the source is Catholic, but the author is Jewish? Oy Vey! What do I know? It’ a good read though.

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0003.html

I think you downplay the significance of the focus on the sexual sin of Sodom in both Jude and Genesis 19. The Ezekiel passage is not that detailed at all, they didn’t help the poor despite prosperity and committed an abomination before God. That’s all it says. Gen 19 and Jude both highlight the sexual sin of Sodom which was homosexuality. The “strange flesh” referred to by Jude in the sexual context is certainly referring to the homosexualilty highlighted in Genesis 19. The “un-naturalness” of homosexuality in this context is also referred to by Paul in Rom 1:21. This is clearly the most prominently described sin of Sodom in the entire Bible and there is a reason for that.

On verse Gen 18:20 “And the L-rd said, the wailing concerning Sedom and Amorah is so great, and their sin is so grave.”

The Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin (page 109, side 2) relates that the ‘cry’ refers to various horrific acts committed by the citizens—in one instance, they took a young woman (who had given charity to a stranger...) and tied her to a roof stripped and covered in honey, watching as she was stung to death by bees.

Not downplaying a thing, rather, trying to understand in total what got these two cities destroyed.

Leviticus 18 is a great list of the “detestable practices” that cultures immersed themselves in, and it includes homosexuality.

The Dennis Prager article points out that prior to the law given by Moses, all cultures practiced these things. It is hard to imagine that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed cataclysmically/instantaneously for these practices alone, although over time most of these cultures have and, I believe, will disappear — even if it takes the end of the world.

I’m inclined to believe that the “different flesh” in Jude is bestiality, which is clearly “unnatural,” even by most of the world’s standards. Different flesh is, well, different flesh.

The Ezekiel scripture is ‘detailed’ in that it gives the most complete ‘listing’ of why God took these two cities out.

One could take Ezekiel, and append the broad term ‘detestable things’ using Leviticus 18 for a better picture.

We then have this as the reason(s) Sodom was destroyed:

They were:
arrogant
overfed
unconcerned

They did not help the poor and needy
They were haughty
They did detestable things before me (Add Leviticus 18 here)

Therefore God did away with them.

While Sodom is a metaphor for homosexuality, and I believe rightly so, I still think that how they treated other people is what got them into so much trouble. That would include forcing sex on strangers passing through.

And so the cries went up to God and he heard them.

I wasn’t aware that the Talmud had anything to say about this event, and I am grateful for the input.

I have a friend who tells me of a Jewish “saying” or “teaching,” that the world will not be destroyed as long as ten righteous people remain. That this ‘bargain’ that Abraham worked out with God would apply to the world at large.