Biblical View on Fornication and End-Times

The Old Testament viewed premarital sex as a capital offense against one’s future spouse. This was unlike the Gentile nations that condoned premarital sex. The Greek word for fornication is porneuo, which means to act like a harlot, indulge in unlawful lust of either sex, or practice idolatry – fornication. Fornication is idolatry, because that person you sleep with isn't your spouse.  You’re bowing down to get in the bed with your idol instead of obeying the Word of God.   It is idolatry when an individual places a person they’re consistently fornicating with over the Word.  First Samuel 15:23 states, “stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”

That person you’re sleeping with is an idol in your heart and it is evident that the Holy Spirit doesn't reign supreme in your life. Every time that person calls you jump up and run to him/her.  The next thing you know, you’re in the sack.   The Holy Spirit calls out to you in order to lead and guide you into all truth.  That person means no good for your spirituality.  Instead of listening, you turn a deaf ear to the voice of Godly wisdom.

First Corinthians 6:18-20 says, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”   Our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. When you fornicate you desecrate your temple.  You sin against your own body. If you continue in the sin of fornication you will die.  Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death.  You may eventually earn a sexually transmitted disease that attacks your physical body.

Fornication Destroys the Soul

Sexual sins destroys the soul (Proverbs 6:32). The Greek word for soul is called psuche, which derives psychology study of the soul. Your soul is made up of the intellect, will, memory, emotions, and imagination. First example your involve in fornication, Your intellect or reasoning will tell you that you’re in love with him or her so its OK to have sex before marriage.  You essentially rely on your own understanding instead of the Word of God.  Secondly, after you intellectualize being in a sexual relationship your will is given unto your carnal desires. Thirdly, you will have memories of the good and bad things of the illicit relationship. Why do you think someone can be in the act of intercourse with one person and call out another person’s name? It is because the soul connection of the memory is still there.  The person is comparing their present sexual experience with a former.  The fourth example is the emotions.  You develop the emotion of bitterness.  Because of your memory, you remember all the bad relationships you had in the past.  A person develops bitterness and emotional detachment. So when man or woman of God comes to you, your’re damage goods from all the bad relationships you had in the past.  You’re unable to make that godly connection. Lastly is the imagination.  The enemy uses the imagination to keep sexual perverse thoughts in your head and to prevent you from being obedient to the will of God.

Fornication is a End-Time Sign and will Escalate

Revelation 9:20-21

King James Version (KJV)

20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

“Pastor Ronald Harris Sr. Joins The Hall Shame of Preachers Gone Wild!"

Pastor Ronald Harris Sr. was killed for allegedly sleeping with another man wife

                             

The people of God have had to endure “preachers gone wild” since biblical times.  When Eli was the Judge and High Priest over Israel, his sons Hophni and Phinehas were sleeping with women at the temple and running wild in lust and perverse behavior (1 Samuel 2:22-25) . They were unrestrained in their behavior, and saw no need to repent of their physical and spiritual adulterous behavior. This resulted in the judgment of God (1Samuel 3:11-14).

Even now in the 21st century in the church, we have some “preachers gone wild.”  They are generally driven by the lust for fame, sex, and money. Unfortunately, today in the church world integrity, morality, humility, and anointing take a back seat to showmanship, talent, pride, and those who can draw big crowds and money.  They look to be “Sunday’s best” by being the hottest preacher or singer instead of living holy every day of the week and presenting their bodies to be living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God which is their reasonable service (Romans12:1).

In the last couple of years there have been scandals of pastors caught in immorality. Why is this? The American church has been caught in the trap of pursuing the most popular, crowd-commanding preacher to put it on the map instead of  praying and seeking the face of God to see if the Holy Spirit has endorsed the preacher or not (Acts 13:1-3).  For the most part it seems like churches are not trying to build the kingdom of God through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, but through devilish sensual earthly wisdom (James 3:15).

These scandals of immorality on the pulpit range from adulterous affairs, to sexual assaults against female members, even murder. Believe me, the Catholic Church is not the only church that has its sex scandals of molestation.  Pentecostal and Charismatic( among other Christian denominations) circles have been touched heavily by sexual immorality also.

Hall of Shame for Preachers Gone Wild!!!

Pastor Ronald Harris Sr.

Pastor Tracy Bernard Burleson

In 2010, like something written out of a soap opera, Houston pastor Tracy Bernard Burleson of the First New Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas was accused of killing his wife.Police state that Burleson paid his 20 year old stepson, William Darnnell Fuller, to kill his stepmother Pauletta Ross Burleson. Mrs. Burleson was found dead from a single gunshot that pierced her head and neck. Along with the arrest of Pastor Burleson and William Fuller, a third person, Tyonne Marie Palmer-Pollard, was arrested for tampering with evidence. Palmer-Pollard was having an affair with both Pastor Burleson and William Fuller at the same time. Also to note, before being murdered, Mrs. Burleson was aware of the multiple affairs her husband had with other women. Burleson is now serving life in prison.

Terry Hornbuckle

On August 28, 2006 Terry Hornbuckle, pastor of the mega-church Agape Christian Fellowship Church in Arlington, Texas was con­victed of raping and drugging three women.  Two of these women were members of Hornbuckle church. Not only was it found that Hornbuckle was a rapist, but that he also smoked meth. He even smoked meth with one of his victims, drugged her then raped her! He ended up receiving a fifteen year prison sentence. Hornbuckle before being exposed publicly received counseling privately from several ministers in the area. One of the ministers was Pastor Sherman Allen of Shiloh Institutional Church of God in Christ in Fort Worth, TX.   It can be said that Allens’ counseling Hornbuckle was a bad idea.  Allen has been accused of assaulting women and sexually abusing them. How can somebody that has same perverse spirit lead someone else to deliverance? This is hypocrisy and an abomination before the eye’s of the Lord!  Thirty five women accused Allen of beating them with a pad­dle.  Some even said that this paddling turned into sexual abuse.  The presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ, Bishop Charles Blake, suspended Allen because of this.  However, despite being suspended by Bishop Blake, Allen has continued to pastor his church and has changed the name of the church to Shiloh Institutional Church and has dropped the “Church of God in Christ” at the end. 

Allegations of abuse go all the way back to 1983 for Allen. Lawsuits have been filed against him with criminal charges pending.  Yet, he continues to pastor like nothing ever happened and is still unaccountable to leadership.  Its business as usual with his church and some of the big name preachers still run to his conferences despite his “major character flaws and issues.” 

Sergio Alvarizares

In Portland Oregon, October 2007, police arrested Pastor Sergio Alvarizares for allegedly sexually abusing eight women in his congregation  Alvarizares was held on one account of rape in the first degree, two accounts of attempted rape in the first degree, and ten accounts of sex abuse in the first degree. He was later sentence to three years of prison in June 2008, after pleading guilty to attempted rape and third degree sexual abuse of sexually assaulting five women.

Anthony Hopkins

The next preacher to commit heinous acts of sexual immorality and murder is Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins a traveling evangelist (some had consider him a prophet) from Alabama.  He was arrested by police during a revival at Inspirational Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Jackson, Alabama for the murder of his wife. Anthony Hopkins killed his wife after she caught him having sex with a teenage relative in 2004. He eventually stuffed his wife’s body in a freezer.  It wasn’t until 2008 that his step-daughter led the police to her mother’s body. On May 21, 2010 Hopkins was sentence to life in prison , he was convicted for murder, sodomy, and sexual abuse.

Paul Cain and Ted Haggard

Paul Cain

Male church leaders not only get caught up with women, but with sleeping with other men. In 2006 Ted Haggard, the pastor of New Life Church, a mega church in Colorado Springs(Haggard did repent), Colorado was ex­posed when he was caught having an affair with a male prostitute. Paul Cain, a noted Prophet, was exposed in 2004 engaging in long-term homosexual activity.

These problems are prevalent because of the lack of accountability, discernment, spiritual fatherhood and mentoring, and lack of correc­tion. Pride, arrogance, prayerlessness, the love of money and the lack of a repentant heart is causing preachers to go wild in sin.

No one can take glory for somebody falling into sin.  We are one body in Christ.  Therefore, when a leader blatantly sins against God it affects the whole body, brings a reproach, and profanes the name of the Lord.  As saints of God we must strive to be a positive witness so that our light might shine in a dark world.

Let us keep this in mind: if we have not fallen, it is only by the grace of God.  Through humility He gives us the grace to live a victorious lifestyle in Him (James 4:6-7).  Preachers let us take our eyes off popularity and fame, and keep them on Jesus Christ who is able to keep us from falling (Jude 24).

Remember, His grace is sufficient to keep us saved, and not go wild! 

        

The Image of Jealousy(Sexual Sin is Idolatry)

Multiple Breast Goddess Idol

In today's times, the Church really needs to examine what may provoke G-d to jealousy. Exodus 20:5 says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them, for I am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third, and fourth generation of them that hate me." Looking at Ezekiel 8:3, it states, "And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate, that looketh toward the north; where was the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy." The notes from NIV(New International Version) Study Bible for that verse states that the idol that was in the temple was statue of the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah(Astaroth).

Who is Asherah? 

    Goddess Asherah

Asherah is an idol goddess that was worshiped by the Canaanite people. This goddess is known as Venus by the Romans, Diana Greco-Romans, Artemis Greeks, Isis by the Egyptians, and Ishtar by both the Assyrians and Babylonians. Asherah's name means lasciviousness, lust, and seduction. This goddess represents sexual perversion, along with the male idol counterpart Baal. 

Sexual acts were conducted during the worship of Asherah, abominable acts of multiple sex partners, sodomy(homosexual activity), and sex with temple prostitutes, women dressing like men and men dressing like women(transvestites), and pornography. The idol of Asherah had sexually perverted overtones, showing multiple breasts. Asherah places of worship had groves, which were altars of worship of mostly sexual perversion and were also called the high places. Asherah was the worship of sexually perverse demons.

Judah in Ezekiel 8:1-18 was guilty of setting up an idol of Asherah in the temple of G-d, and was thought that they were practicing these acts in secret, where G-d did not see them. Ezekiel 8:12 says, "Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery?  For they say, the Lord seeth us not; Lord hath forsaken the earth."

21st Century Church and Worship of Asherah 

The church of the 21st century has fallen into the worship of Asherah in an indirect way. Statistics show 80% of Christians are dealing with sexual sins(source/source). A survey of lay leaders and pastors conducted by Leadership Magazine revealed that 62% have viewed pornography. New Man magazine states that 1 out of 10 men attending church are dealing with a sexual addiction. 37% of pastors in a Christianity Today survey indicated that they struggle with internet pornography.

Young, old, single, married, lay member and those in ministerial positions come on Sunday morning to worship in the house of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yet, in private, they have erected an idol of Asherah in their temple, which is their body. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 says, " Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

The modern idols of Asherah have been set up in the hearts and minds of some in today's church as follows: singles who continue to have pre-martial sex(fornication), adultery, men and women viewing pornographic material(via the Internet, magazines, and DVD's/Videos), men and women committing homosexual acts, teenagers viewing pornography on the internet and watching music videos on stations as BET and MTV(which is nothing more than soft porn). In the Greek, the word porneuo means to indulge in unlawful lust of either sex, to practice idolatry, to commit fornication.

The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is soon. The Church must cry out with a loud voice to its people to rid their hearts of Asherah and any sexual sin that has ensnared them; we must warn them that they need to cleanse their personal temples. Do not provoke G-d to jealousy by having the image of jealousy in your hearts. Tear down the high places of your hearts. Let Jesus be number one in our lives. The people of G-d need to confess sin and repent. G-d will forgive and deliver you. Saints, let us live holy and sanctified lifestyles. AMEN.