Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.
La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.
Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.
Manna Minutes en español:
Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.
Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:
Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.
Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
What Is Sacred Prostitution?
The Definition of Sacred Prostitution
"Sacred," according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, is: "set apart for the service or worship of deity," and "of or relating to religion." The definition of "prostitution" is widely known: the indiscriminate offer of sexual relations in exchange for something, usually money. Therefore, sacred prostitution is prostitution that is set apart for the service and/or worship of one or many deities. It might be hard for some people to believe that people actually worship gods through prostitution. However, it does take place; and has taken place since ancient times.
What few people realize is that not only do the scriptures of the word of God deal with the abominable sin that prostitution is, it also addresses the reality of sacred prostitution. The scripture at which we will look not only is biblical proof of the use of prostitution to worship deities, it also reminds of the fact that males can be, and often are prostitutes in many prostitution rings around the world.
The scripture of 2 Kings 23:7 says, "And he (the king) brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove." The Living Bible Paraphrased reads, "He also tore down the houses of male prostitution around the Temple, where the women wove robes for the Asherah-idol."
But, how do we know that the "houses of the sodomites" were for sacred prostitution? We know because at least the first fifteen verses of the twenty-third chapter of the book of 2 Kings deals with the sin of giving service to idol gods and the various ways in which those idols were worshiped. Also, we know because the sixth verse, which comes right before the one with which we are dealing (the seventh verse) says, "And he (the king) brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it...."
The "grove" is the image of the idol god Asherah. The scripture of 2 Kings 23:6 reads, "He (the king) removed the shameful idol of Asherah from the Temple and took it outside Jerusalem to Kidron Brook; there he burned it...." Again, the "grove" is the image of the idol, Asherah.
Remember that the scripture said that the houses of the sodomites were by the house (temple) of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove. The image of the idol, Asherah, had been moved into the house, or temple, of the Lord where it was worshiped in various ways. One of those ways was the weavings done by the women. Another of those ways was male sacred prostitution. This is why the houses of the male prostitutes were by the house/temple of the Lord. This allowed them to prostitute themselves in worship of the grove.
Throughout history we see that the paintings left by ancient peoples often show acts of idol worship being carried out in front of, next to, or in very close proximity to the image of the idol being served. Does sacred prostitution take place in modern times? It most certainly does. It was a reality in antiquity. It is a reality now. It will be a reality until the Lord Jesus returns to establish his everlasting kingdom of righteousness for the new Earth.
The word of God teaches us that, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done. And, there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us" (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).
The Lords say, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). And, he says, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel" (Deuteronomy 23:17).
Recommended Reading:
What Does the Christian Bible Say About Sleeze and Promiscuity?
Beware of Gay Exorcism
Born Homosexual from a Homosexual Gene?
What Does the Bible Say about Homosexuality?
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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