In this video, Brian Anthony Bowen reveals Scriptures the Church never talks about which prove that Jesus taught that LGBT people are born this way...and that prove the Apostle Paul ordained Gay Marriage...IN THE BIBLE!
This changes EVERYTHING!
More info: http://BrianBowenMinistries.com
************************************************************** As we learned in the last chapter of The Bed Keeper, in Genesis 5, we see the first of many genealogies contained in Scripture. It begins with Adam, omits both Cain and Abel, and skips to Seth, the child born to Adam and Eve to replace Abel. This genealogy tracks from Adam to Noah:
1 This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of the offspring of Adam. When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
2 He created them male and female and blessed them and named them [both] Adam [Man] at the time they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, after his image; and he named him Seth.
4 After he had Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
5 So altogether Adam lived 930 years, and he died.
6 When Seth was 105 years old, Enosh was born.
7 Seth lived after the birth of Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters.
8 So Seth lived 912 years, and he died.
9 When Enosh was 90 years old, Kenan was born to him.
10 Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters.
11 So Enosh lived 905 years, and he died.
12 When Kenan was 70 years old, Mahalalel was born.
13 Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 So Kenan lived 910 years, and he died.
15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, Jared was born.
16 Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters.
17 So Mahalalel lived 895 years, and he died.
18 When Jared was 162 years old, Enoch was born.
19 Jared lived after the birth of Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 So Jared lived 962 years, and he died.
21 When Enoch was 65 years old, Methuselah was born.
22 Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God after the birth of Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
23 So all the days of Enoch were 365 years.
24 And Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God; and he was not, for God took him [home with Him].
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, Lamech was born to him.
26 Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters.
27 So Methuselah lived 969 years, and he died.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, a son was born.
29 He named him Noah, saying, This one shall bring us relief and comfort from our work and the [grievous] toil of our hands due to the ground being cursed by the Lord.
30 Lamech lived after the birth of Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters.
31 So all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
NOTE: It’s interesting that the names given to each of these people contain particular meanings in Hebrew:
Adam = Man
Seth = Appointed, Foundation, Food, Drink,
Enosh = Human Being, Mortal, Man, Mankind, Desperate, Frail, Weak, Miserable
Kenan (also known as Cainan in the King James Version) = Lamentation, Sad Poem, Chant, Sorrow
Mahalalel = Shine, Praise, The Blessed God
Jared = Go Down, Descend, Decline, Shall Come Down
Enoch = Dedicated, trained, teaching
Methuselah = Man, Mankind, Male Capable of Combat, Sent, Sent Out, Let Go, Shoot, Branch, Undertaking, Pasture, Discharge, Deputation, When He is Dead It shall Be Sent
Lamech = Strong, robust young man, towards, depressed, For Lowering, For Humiliation
Noah = Comfort, Rest
26 And [just] as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the time of the Son of Man.
27 [People] ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, right up to the day when Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 So also [it was the same] as it was in the days of Lot. [People] ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
29 But on the [very] day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all.
30 That is the way it will be on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
31 On that day let him who is on the housetop, with his belongings in the house, not come down [and go inside] to carry them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back.
32 Remember Lot's wife!
33 Whoever tries to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve and quicken it.
34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left.
NOTE: We have already touched on this verse in chapter 2 of The Bed Keeper as a clear indication that Jesus knew gay marriage would be a reality when He returns to the earth. We learned that this verse also serves to convey an important message to gay couples to remain faithful to our marriage mates, as we proffered the latter part of this verse could be interpreted to warn against adultery, even between gay married couples.
One final observation from Genesis 5 is to take note that Jesus’ teaching about the Days of Noah came in part from Isaiah 54:8-9 (which is also part of the Scriptures Philip shared with the Ethiopian Eunuch prior to his baptism).
8 In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring love and kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.
9 For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
We’ll see these observations link together seamlessly later in this and the next chapter of The Bed Keeper. I am struck by the Scriptural evidence this gives us of Jesus own awareness of God’s prophecy to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people through His prophecy to eunuchs in Isaiah 55:11-56:8. Let’s now examine more closely what the Days of Noah were like as we move into Genesis 6:1-13 which reads:
1 When men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,
2 The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose.
3 Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days shall yet be 120 years.
4 There were giants on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.
6 And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart.
7 So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground--not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air--for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord.
9 This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a just and righteous man, blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked [in habitual fellowship] with God.
10 And Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth was depraved and putrid in God's sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power).
12 And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased, and vicious it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction.
13 God said to Noah, I intend to make an end of all flesh, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I will destroy them and the land.
The remainder of Genesis 6 tells us the specifics God gave to Noah regarding the construction of the Ark, and most of us are familiar with the rest of that account. What most of us do not realize is that it appears that God is destroying all human beings just because He is unhappy with our performance as His creations. It appears that He is judging all mankind and executing a penalty of death without having even given Moses the Law yet, which would contradict God’s compassionate nature. It would also contradict Paul’s message that reads, “[To be sure] sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men's account where there is no law [to transgress]. Romans 5:13
So what was God thinking? The answer is that He was thinking of destroying the giants (or Nephilim), which we learned in the previous chapter of The Bed Keeper were the offspring of the “sons of God” (Fallen Angels) and the “daughters of men” (human women), of which Cain was the first, conceived as a result of the serpent’s union and seduction of Eve.
What this description of the Days of Noah tells us is that all humanity (except Noah and his family) had been corrupted by the intermingling of humans and angels, resulting in everyone except Noah and his family now actually being Nephilim, and no longer fully human.
We see this confirmed in Genesis 6:1 that reads “when men began to multiply on the face of the land, daughters were born to them. The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose.”
And also Genesis 6:4 that reads, “There were giants on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
We’ll also see that Seth lived 912 years and died, having had sons and daughters. Genesis 5 is one of the few genealogies in the Scriptures that include any females. I believe the fact they are listed here is specifically to prepare us to learn about the “sons of God” taking the “daughters of men” at the beginning of Genesis 6. Of course, the question becomes “who was Seth’s children’s mother?” The answer is not provided to us within the text of Scriptures. This omission provides yet another pillar supporting the notion proffered in chapter 12 of The Bed Keeper that there were human beings (or humanoid beings) in existence prior to Adam and Eve, and both Cain and Seth took wives from this pre-Adamic race. The fact that Scripture omits where their wives came from coupled with the fossilized remains of ancient human and humanoid beings, join forces to leave no other logical conclusions to be drawn.
What is important to remember also is that Noah descended from Seth’s bloodline, the male progeny of which seem to have never been corrupted by the intermingling of fallen angels and human women, or Noah would not have been “qualified” to escape the flood and repopulate the earth with a pure human bloodline. But it’s clear that at least some of his Seth’s daughters, grand-daughters or great-grand-daughters must have intermingled with the fallen angels or not all of humanity (aside from Noah) could have become Nephilim. Lastly, all of Seth’s daughters could not have been corrupted, or Seth would have had no uncorrupted sons, grand-sons, great-grand-sons, etc. that would eventually give rise to Noah. Even if Seth had taken wives from the pre-Adamic race, they would not have necessarily been part of the women the fallen angels took to intermingle with, for as Genesis 6:1-2 specifies,
1 When men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,
2 The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose.
It seems the fallen angels did not “desire nor choose” all women, or there would have been no purely human women to advance Seth’s bloodline to Noah.
Now these Nephilim we see were the offspring of angels and humans, and it is these that God was destroying in the flood, not pure human beings such as ourselves today. We now know that Cain was the first Nephilim and began corrupting humanity (the pre-Adamic human race) with the seed of Satan when he when to the land of Nod and “knew” his wife. His descendants are contained in other genealogies in the Old Testament as well, which we learn of in the remainder of Genesis 4:
17 And Cain's wife [one of Adam's offspring] became pregnant and bore Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.
18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methusael, and Methusael the father of Lamech.
19 And Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah and of the other was Zillah.
20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle and purchase possessions.
21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.
22 Zillah bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all [cutting] instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say; for I have slain a man [merely] for wounding me, and a young man [only] for striking and bruising me.
24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech [will be avenged] seventy-sevenfold.
Let us now look at the Hebrew meaning of the names in Cain’s bloodline:
Adam = Man
Cain = Acquired, Spear, Reed, Get, Create, Smith, Forge, Herb on a Stalk (Isaiah 42:3)
Enoch = Dedicated, Begin, Building, Wall, Altar, Imprint, Instruct, Make Wise, Teach, Palate, Mouth, Speech, Initiated, Trained
Irad = City, Fugitive, Watchful, Watcher, Witness, Escape
Mehujael = Wipe, Wipe out, Strike, Destroyed, destruction or smitten of God
Methusael = Male, Combat, Mankind, Capable of Combat, Go Straight On, Ask, Inquire, Beg, Request, Demand, Sheol, Grave, Pit, Hell, When Man Of God; I'm Mortal, Where's God?; Man Of Inquisition or Requested Man (the Man We Wanted)
Lamech = Strong, robust young man, towards, depressed, For Lowering, For Humiliation
Assembled into sentences, these names of Cain’s descendants reveal 2 more prophecies. The first: “Man acquired a reed; a created herb on a stalk; a forged spear dedicated to building a wall and altar to initiate teaching wisdom through speech, by a city of fugitive Watchers who escape the destruction of God; men smitten of God who are trained and capable for combat.” (This is a prophecy of the Nephilim escaping the total destruction of the serpent seed, because the only thing the flood destroyed was “all flesh,” not all spirits).
The other prophecy we see is: “I’m a man of God! I’m mortal, where’s God? God hears mankind’s request and demands these men go straight on to Sheol, the grave, the pit, hell, for humiliating and lowering of a strong robust young man.” (This is appears to be a somewhat complicated, parallel, intertextual echo between the blood of Abel crying up to God for vengeance, and God avenging Abel by destroying the spiritual seed that gave rise to Cain, and later the men of Sodom, the sins of which also “cried up to God.”)
Let us now explore the Scriptures that seem to support these interpretations. Even though the Nephilim were destroyed in the flood, and thereby removed all traces of Cain’s physical bloodline, it did not remove the spiritual seed of Satan from the earth, nor did it (apparently) remove completely the ability for the sons of God (the forefathers of the Nephilim) to once again infiltrate the human bloodline at a later point, and give rise to more Nephilim. Most likely this was accomplished through foods (and most likely through foods that were banned for Israelites under the Old Covenant). At any rate, we see in Genesis 6:4, “There were giants on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” So it's clear that one way or the other, the Nephilim lived prior to and after The Flood.
We also know that much later on, David destroyed Goliath, who was the last of the giants in the earth, proving that the ability for the sons of God to resume their ability to intermingle with women had not been completely destroyed by the flood, even though their offspring had been...at least the part of them that was flesh. Throughout any study of the Nephilim, it’s important to realize they are but the hybrid offspring of the human women’s and sons of God’s unions. They are not, however, the sons of God themselves.
I believe that as we progress through this examination of the Flood and Sodom accounts, that we’ll see the flood destroyed the Nephilim’s flesh, but not their spirit. Their spirits once again inhabited (or took on the appearance of) men who were trained for combat, war, and murder. Their ancestors' flesh was then destroyed at Sodom--not just their offspring--but the very sons of God themselves. But once again, only their flesh is destroyed, not their spirits. God eventually binds these spirits of the sons of God themselves to the chains of hell.
Further, while the flood was sent to purify the human race to once again be fully human, it was also sent to purify the earth; the ground; the land itself, which had been cursed as a result of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden from Genesis 3: And to Adam He said, Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow and toil shall you eat [of the fruits] of it all the days of your life.
It’s important to realize the ground itself was still under a curse from God before the flood and had to also be purified because of two things;
ONE: As the ground was cursed, so too was the food humans ate: And to all the animals on the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the ground--to everything in which there is the breath of life--I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. Genesis 1:29-30
TWO: Because God had made man from the dust of the earth: Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7
Now let's tie that into a few of factoids about the serpent, and his Cain:
ONE: And out of the ground the Lord God formed every [wild] beast and living creature of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2:19
TWO: And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed above all [domestic] animals and above every [wild] living thing of the field; upon your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust [and what it contains] all the days of your life. Genesis 3:14
THREE: And [next] she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. Genesis 4:2
FOUR: And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. And Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had respect and regard for Abel and for his offering, but for Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed. Genesis 4:3-5
FIVE: And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired--good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life also in the center of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of [the difference between] good and evil and blessing and calamity. Genesis 2:9
I believe when God cursed the ground, the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil was likewise cursed. That meant that the knowledge of God Himself would also become corrupted. Instead of Adam and Eve’s eyes being open only to a spiritual reality God had created them in, they were now aware of their physical reality as well, and with that came the eventual death of their own spirits. Spiritual death had come and man's knowledge of the Truth of God had become corrupted, fragmented, incomplete, and would have to be restored to man. God accomplished this through the written word of God. We see this confirmed as Scripture later tells us about Jesus being the Word of God:
1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.
2 He was present originally with God.
3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.
4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him.
8 He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.
9 There it was--the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person.
10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him].
11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own--His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.
12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name--
13 Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]
14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. 1 John 1:1-14
So as we see, not only is the ground cursed because of Adam, (and the food that grew from it, and the animals that sprang forth from it, and even the very substance God had used to make man in the first place), but we can also now better understand God’s varied reactions to Cain and Abel’s offerings. Cain was a tiller of the ground (which was cursed), and brought to God an offering of the fruit of the ground (both of which the fruit and ground were cursed).
But we also saw that the animals came from the ground, so why did God have respect for Abel’s offering? Because God had already purified the portion of Abel’s offering with shed blood, back when He created his parents’ tunics from skin to clothe them with (again, a precursor, or archetype of the sacrifice of animals for the atonement of sin that would be ushered in under the Old Covenant, and the shed blood of Jesus Christ that ratified the New Covenant).
Now let us tie that point back in to the genealogy of Seth that we looked at from Genesis 5, specifically what was said by Lamech in regard to Noah: When Lamech was 182 years old, a son was born. He named him Noah, saying, This one shall bring us relief and comfort from our work and the [grievous] toil of our hands due to the ground being cursed by the Lord.
I believe the reason water baptism was ushered in under the Old Covenant, is because it represents God’s purification of mankind (and the the ground from which we were created) by removing the curse He had placed on it due to Adam’s sin, and so the human race could once again be free of the intermingling of the sons of God and human women....but it would not quite be free of the Nephilim's (nor the sons of God's) spirits.
But that’s not where it ends. We recall that God had cursed the serpent, and immediately after Cain killed Abel, for the first time, God cursed a human being—well, almost human, that is:
8 And Cain said to his brother, Let us go out to the field. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 And the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And [the Lord] said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.
11 And now you are cursed by reason of the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's [shed] blood from your hand. Genesis 4:8-11
So having examined all that, let us once again look at Genesis 6:1-13 and I think we will come away with a much fuller understanding of it:
1 When men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them,
2 The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair, and they took wives of all they desired and chose.
3 Then the Lord said, My Spirit shall not forever dwell and strive with man, for he also is flesh; but his days shall yet be 120 years.
4 There were giants on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and intention of all human thinking was only evil continually.
6 And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart.
7 So the Lord said, I will destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind, whom I have created from the face of the ground--not only man, [but] the beasts and the creeping things and the birds of the air--for it grieves Me and makes Me regretful that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord.
9 This is the history of the generations of Noah. Noah was a just and righteous man, blameless in his [evil] generation; Noah walked [in habitual fellowship] with God.
10 And Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth was depraved and putrid in God's sight, and the land was filled with violence (desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power).
12 And God looked upon the world and saw how degenerate, debased, and vicious it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way upon the earth and lost their true direction.
13 God said to Noah, I intend to make an end of all flesh, for through men the land is filled with violence; and behold, I will destroy them and the land.
What I believe we are seeing here is that it wasn’t only mankind that had become corrupted through the serpent seed (resulting in the worldwide Nephilim infiltration of the human race), but even the very ground that God had made man from (resulting from Cain killing Abel). This would then explain more fully why verse 6 tells us, And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved at heart.
The flood is sent to purify the human race (again, as symbolized by our water baptism), by purifying also the ground (from which humans were created). Most of us know that Genesis 7-9 recounts the particulars of the flood, but let’s now fast forward to the point where the waters subside as we pick the account up immediately after flood in Genesis 9:
1 And God pronounced a blessing upon Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread and terror of you shall be upon every beast of the land, every bird of the air, all that creeps upon the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are delivered into your hand.
3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green vegetables and plants, I give you everything.
4 But you shall not eat flesh with the life of it, which is its blood.
5 And surely for your lifeblood I will require an accounting; from every beast I will require it; and from man, from every man [who spills another's lifeblood] I will require a reckoning.
6 Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God He made man. Genesis 9:1-6
NOTE: Now we see that not only has the curse upon the land caused by Adam’s sin been washed away, but we also see Abel’s blood is avenged. God now issues a decree that anyone who sheds a man’s blood must be punished by his own shed blood. And notice the reason He gives, “for in the image of God He made man.” It’s interesting that Jesus tells the woman at the well that “God is a Spirit,” and tells His disciples after His resurrection that “a spirit does not have flesh and bone as you see Me have.” This tells me that humanity is not only made in the image of God (as a spirit), but also in the image of Jesus (Who is God in the flesh…and blood). It's also important to note that the apparent extreme reaction God has to avenging Abel's blood is then followed up by a law being given to mankind against murder. It is then immediately followed by reiterating his original blessing to Adam and conferring it onto Noah instead, only this time with what will become the first Covenant God makes with mankind:
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9 Behold, I establish My covenant or pledge with you and with your descendants after you
10 And with every living creature that is with you--whether the birds, the livestock, or the wild beasts of the earth along with you, as many as came out of the ark--every animal of the earth.
11 I will establish My covenant or pledge with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood; neither shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth and make it corrupt.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant (solemn pledge) which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
13 I set My bow [rainbow] in the cloud, and it shall be a token or sign of a covenant or solemn pledge between Me and the earth.
14 And it shall be that when I bring clouds over the earth and the bow [rainbow] is seen in the clouds,
15 I will [earnestly] remember My covenant or solemn pledge which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy and make all flesh corrupt.
16 When the bow [rainbow] is in the clouds and I look upon it, I will [earnestly] remember the everlasting covenant or pledge between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said to Noah, This [rainbow] is the token or sign of the covenant or solemn pledge which I have established between Me and all flesh upon the earth.
NOTE: In the first covenant established between God and man, isn’t it interesting that it’s a rainbow (the same symbol the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community uses to symbolize our dignity, solidarity, diversity and unity)? Could this be coincidence, or was there just some innate knowing in the hearts and minds of the early leaders of the equality movement for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people that the rainbow would be a significant symbol for our community as God's children? Could it be the rainbow coming to symbolize the gay community was actually inspired by God Himself? Could it be it was His way of beginning to reveal this message from His Word concerning gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people being included in His House of Prayer for All People?
Could it be it symbolizes a covenant between God and those who “take firm hold of His covenant” avowing to never again allow the flood waters of hate, discrimination, and bloodshed to overtake so many of our Brothers and Sisters have had to endure over the centuries? Could it be that the covenant He makes with us is symbolized in Him saying, “This [rainbow] is the token or sign of the covenant or solemn pledge which I have established between Me and all flesh upon the earth.” Could it be that there is a reason He says the same thing five different times?
I don’t have a solid answer for any of these questions from a Scriptural standpoint, but as a gay man and as a Christian, I definitely have formed some very solid personal beliefs from a human spirit standpoint, aside from religion. I decline to share them here for two reasons. One reason is because they may change as I continue to explore the Scriptures and receive new revelation on this passage of Scripture. The other reason is because for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, each one of us will come to these questions from different backgrounds and experiences, and with deeply felt personal beliefs and emotions. At what may prove to many to be a very special, unique and personally enlightening moment in your own journey of Scriptural and spiritual self discovery, I don’t want my personal feelings to in any way influence your own personal exploration of those feelings as they are taken to God, each in your own way, and in your own time. But I will share this:
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.
And He Who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne... Revelation 4:1-3 (New King James Version)
I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed in a cloud.
And a rainbow was on his head... Revelation 10:1-2 (New King James Version)
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Dear Valued Readers,
This blog continues to be a work in progress. As recent revelations and events throughout Christendom have created an increasingly fluid situation, updates will no longer be published at the end of each post, but rather only at the beginning of the corresponding posts so impacted. As of August 1, 2013, the only updates to appear at the end of each post will be churches that are personally endorsed by The Bed Keeper as a "SAFE SPACE."
Readers may email thebedkeeper@gmail.com to discuss or comment on any posting. Please note that while all feedback is highly valued and appreciated, it may not be possible to reply to each email.
Readers may email thebedkeeper@gmail.com to discuss or comment on any posting. Please note that while all feedback is highly valued and appreciated, it may not be possible to reply to each email.
UPDATE 01.15.12:
Lakewood Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 11.22.11:
Eagle Mountain International Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
Lakewood Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 11.22.11:
Eagle Mountain International Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
THANK YOU for your generous support of this work!
Let him who receives instruction in the Word of God share all good things with his teacher, contributing to his support.
Galatians 6:6
