“God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, the Messiah died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
In a daring decision, Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat did not attend the city’s gay pride parade last month, so as not to offend religious sentiments.
In an interview on Army Radio he said, “I stand by their right to march, but we must remember that there are people who are offended from the existence of the parade.”
A reported 25,000 attended. Prior to the event, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said that multiple units were being deployed and nothing was being left to chance. (Breaking Israel News)
At last year’s parade, Yishai Schlissel, a religious fanatic, stabbed 16-year-old Shira Banki to death and wounded six others.
Schlissel stabbed marchers in 2005 and was sentenced to 10 years for attempted murder. He was released from prison only three weeks before the attack last year and sentenced again in June, this time for life in prison plus 31 years.
16 year-old Shira Banki was stabbed to death by an ultra-orthodox religious fanatic on July 30, 2015 at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride parade. (Source: Shira Banki Facebook)
Orthodox Jews view homosexuality in accordance with the Torah, which forbids sexual relationships between two men: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination [toevah].” (Leviticus 18:22)
In the Torah, this law is couched between the prohibition for child sacrifice and that against bestiality. Most people still abhor child sacrifice and bestiality, but take an entirely different view when it comes to homosexuality.
A homosexual couple perform a symbolic wedding ceremony at Jerusalem’s Gay Pride parade 2016, since gay marriage is officially illegal in Israel and regulated by denominational councils. They stand under a traditional huppah (canopy) as one holds a ketubah (Jewish marriage contract). (Source: YouTube capture)
The Torah refers to the above acts as toevah (abomination) — acts that are carried out by the pagans who lived in the Land that the Hebrew People inherited. The Talmud (book of rabbinic interpretations of the Torah) explains that in the case of homosexuality the act violates the purpose of men and women on earth, which is to procreate.
Nevertheless, homosexual marriage today is protected and celebrated as a human right in most of the developed world.
Passing the US consulate with her boyfriend, Eliana Rudee, a fellow with the Haym Salomon Center and columnist with JNS described a sign stating, “The U.S. Consulate General proudly supports your right to love and live with dignity.”
She writes, “Of course, Israel is the only Middle Eastern country where they so outwardly support gay rights. I’m thankful for the Israeli public’s progressiveness on LGBTQ issues, significant police and political support, and the safe space that Israel offers for the Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim LGBTQ communities.”
Author Rabbi Aryeh Spero states sanctification of the homosexual lifestyle such as this did not exist in Greek times, even though homosexuality was rampant then. He says it is “probably one of the greatest sins of all that one does against God’s plan for this world.” He relates this to Matthew 24:37: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
He concludes, “We are uniquely like the ‘days of Noah’ right now — and only right now.” (wnd)
Jerusalem’s Gay Pride Parade July 21, 2016 (Source: YouTube capture)
Indeed, Rudee said that being in the parade was similar to approaching a stadium on game day with roaring fans, but this time “the team we were all rooting for was human rights.”
Regarding the sad events of last year’s march she added, “people danced, chanted, sang, and honored the memory of Shira Banki” with a moment of silence as they passed a memorial on the parade route ladened with flowers.
Mayor Birkat tried to take a neutral position for this highly charged event; nevertheless, “the very groups he chose not to offend (Orthodox Jews) showed up instead, many with signs and some with knives.” (Algemeiner)
What would Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) have done?
Marcher at Gay Pride Jerusalem 2016 declares what Messianic Believers already know: It only takes one person to change your life – forever: Yeshua HaMashiach. (Source: Facebook)
While Yeshua got angry and overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple Court, He did not strike the money changers themselves.
“Jesus [Yeshua], who knew what was in man (John 2:24–25), surely knew that there were gross sinners in the temple courts. But He didn’t kill them; He died for them,” states Dr. Michael Brown, author of Can You Be Gay and Christian?.
A more effective strategy than taking God’s judgment into our own hands, is to share the life and love of Yeshua HaMashiach with all.
He will forgive any sin of anyone who places their faith in Him: “If you confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
And He will send His Holy Spirit to indwell them and make them a new creation: “Therefore if any man be in the Messiah, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
