"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:37. We’re told that the evil on earth was so great during Noah’s life prior to the flood that God made a decision to eliminate all that evil. Does flooding the earth seem just a little extreme to you? "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Genesis 6:5. Such full corruption so permeated the world that God had no choice but to eliminate mankind and start over. God’s punishment might have seemed extreme to us living today, but God’s punishment is always just. It’s impossible for God to err in His judgment; He is our just and righteous God.

"And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air;" Genesis 6:7. It’s hard to imagine that apart from the wickedness of man all the beasts and the creeping thing, and even the birds of the air had been so utterly corrupted that God had to destroy them save those which Noah took aboard the Ark. What could have caused such ire in God to produce such a complete, destructive response?

Do you sense, as I do, that God was thoroughly put out with His creation? Is it possible that God could become so angry that He would, once again, destroy the earth and everything on it? In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells four of His disciples that in the last days just before His return, earth’s inhabitants will experience the same evil as they did prior to the flood of Noah. What did that evil consist of? It was a time filled with angels and humans going after "strange flesh".

The word of God never fails to enlighten no matter how many times we read it. I was astonished at a verse I read recently, one I had read many times in the past, but this time a little nugget took hold and really sunk in. It speaks of God’s punishment. "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 1:6. Jude is referring to the fallen angels of Genesis 6 that co-habituated with human women. They had to leave their first estate, their own habitation, when they took on a form that would allow them to indulge in sexual relations with human women (they were going after strange flesh). "That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." Genesis 6:2. Sons of God, or "Ben Ha Elohiym" in the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament, always refers to angels.

Then Jude goes on and describes another set of events where God, once again used the most extreme of punishments to eliminate a people who had gone way past God’s ordained and well established normal marital relations by going after "strange flesh". "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha , and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 1:7. What do we learn from these two verses? The idea of going after "strange flesh" obviously always includes some form of a very severe punishment.

God destroyed the earth by flood because the inhabitants were going after "strange flesh". How strange? He was forced to destroy even the animals, the creepy thing, and the birds of the air. What in the world was going on in those days to prompt God into such severe action? Certainly more than the promoters of the erroneous doctrine of the daughters of Cain cohabitating with the sons of Seth are able to explain.

All indications were that these "sons of God", or fallen angels, were attempting to fully corrupt God’s creation. They were trying to give earth a complete makeover. Humans, plants, animals, creepy things, even the birds of the air would no longer be God’s perfect creation, but a satanic representation of creation devoid of God’s spirit.

This is what is understood as "strange flesh". God cannot allow such goings on as it diminishes the creation He initiated and ultimately creates human beings without souls. God not only put a stop to this satanic chicanery but placed very severe punishment on those who make a practice or a lifestyle of going after "strange flesh". You might ask how this "strange flesh" concept is affecting society today. I’ll tell you, it’s the same as it was during the days of Lot; homosexuality ran rampant in Lot’s day as the minds of men were evil continually.

Unlike the antediluvian flood that destroyed the entire earth, God’s punishment in relation to Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, although total and complete annihilation, was confined to just a small portion of the earth. It may seem quite severe to today’s human race and yet God says it is set as an example to all who wish to follow in the footsteps of those who indulge in the sinful lifestyle of going after "strange flesh".

In man’s view, God’s punishment many times seems awfully over the top. At times God commanded various leaders of His people such as Joshua and later Saul to completely wipe out certain nations including men, women, and children even their animals. Why? Because they had corrupted themselves by going after "strange flesh". In His word, God explains His reaction to man’s rebellion. He gave us His word to live by, to come to the understanding we need so we won’t follow in the same corruptions. But man, for the most part, rejects God’s word thereby continually falling under the same judgments.

Going after "strange flesh" is the key ingredient here. God created everything to multiply after its own kind. "Strange flesh" means there’s a major, and quite frankly a very satanic, disruption infiltrating God’s design of creation. By recognizing God’s incredibly severe punishment for those who participate in this corruption, it becomes plain to any intelligent observer that any variance in God’s design and instructions for mankind will be dealt with in like manner.

This is the message all believers in Christ should be fully convinced of. Ignoring God’s punishment as we turn a blind eye and condone those who partake in this "strange flesh" lifestyle may be politically correct, but aren’t we neglecting our responsibility to our fellow man, not to mention our love for God and for His word?

Peter tells us that "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" 2 Peter 2:4. Here again we’re given the eternal destination of the angels that sinned in Genesis 6. Peter’s use of the word Hell comes from the Greek word "Tartarus", and is actually even worse than Hell. It’s the darkest abode of woe. In other words, these angels were to receive a punishment far worse than that of just the average sinner who would reject Christ.

"And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;" 2 Peter 2:5-6. The punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah is consistent with that of the antediluvian world. Why? Because God says going after "strange flesh" is unnatural, it’s against the normal sequence of His creation of producing after one’s own kind, and He will not allow it to continue.

Clearly there are different levels of punishment in that ungodly dimension called Hell or Sheol. Although no one should want any part of that dimension, to be cast into "Tartarus" is the worst punishment of all.

There are consequences for sin. But going after "strange flesh" means those individuals who participate in the most unnatural lifestyle of homosexuality, or bestiality, or any other deviation from God’s normal plan for the procreation of His creation will be judged more severely than the rest of the Christ rejecting world. God’s judgment on those who go after "strange flesh" is purposely set, not merely as a more severe punishment, but as an example of what should not be accepted as a normal lifestyle.

All sin is forgivable. But when sinfulness keeps people from asking God for forgiveness and accepting His free gift of salvation it becomes unforgivable. Of course we all sin and therefore are all in need of a Savior, but those who refuse to acknowledge they are sinners and who remain as unbelievers until death are blasphemers of the Holy Spirit, which if not corrected prior to death is the one and only unpardonable sin.

Sin is fully capable of keeping the unsaved, unsaved. Rejecting God’s truth is rejection of Jesus Christ. God’s punishment is severe in the case of rejecting His only begotten Son, but the severity level advances greatly for those going after "strange flesh" while rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It becomes the same punishment doled out to the angels that kept not their first estate.

As a Christian I’ll never experience Hell, and if we could get other people to grasp what Hell is all about it would be obvious they wouldn’t want too either. The abode of woe, referring to Tartarus, is so much more horrible than that of Hell that we Christians should be doing all we can to convince the purveyors of the "strange flesh" concept to turn from their evil ways. Tartarus is beyond the realm of Hell, it is the ultimate in God’s punishment. It is reserved for all those who go after strange flesh.

Homosexuals are going after "strange flesh". To live a lifestyle going after strange flesh is, plainly stated, not staying in the boundaries set by God for His creation. After all, since God did not spare His angels that sinned He will not spare those who "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls:" 2 Peter 2:14a. Many homosexuals claim to be Christians and yet see no need to step out of that lifestyle. We cannot be born again and blatantly stand against God. Being born from above, born from God, means we no longer live for ourselves but for God. In other words, the homosexual will turn away from going after strange flesh once born again.

Punishment God’s style is ultimately the worst punishment anyone will ever endure. But God does not want to punish any of His creation. His plan and pleasure would have all His creation coming to the realization of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sinners, saved by grace thru faith in Jesus Christ.

Avoid Hell, avoid Tartarus – believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, place your faith and your trust in Him and you will be saved from all punishment. Remain in your steadfast rejection to Christ while continuing your "strange flesh" adventures and the extreme punishment of Tartarus will be yours for eternity. What’ll it be?

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed