Then He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything which is written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.
It's important to note that as Jews did not recognize Jesus was the prophesied Messiah while He was on the earth, they continue to await their Messiah. As Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah and is returning to the earth, this means that from a Christian's perspective, the Second Coming of Christ will also prove to be the First Coming of the Messiah for the Jews. As we have already examined in numerous chapters of The Bed Keeper, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people begin fulfilling the eunuch prophecy as we become part of God's House of Prayer through the Christian faith. If we look further into the prophecies of Isaiah following God's eunuch prophecy to us, we'll find another prophecy that partially came to pass while Jesus was on the earth, specifically Isaiah 61:1-3. If we then look past Jesus' ministry and into the teachings of the Apostle Paul regarding the Jews, we'll see three aspects of prophecy tie together. In doing so, I believe Scripture will further explain the role LGBT people play not only in preparing the Church for the Second Coming of Jesus for Christians, but also preparing the Jews for the First Coming of the Messiah for them!
While some of the Scriptures we'll examine will refer to Paul as Saul, we also learn they are speaking of the same person:
9 But Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit, looked steadily at [Elymas] Acts 13:9
To give some brief background for who the Apostle Paul was, and upon what authority he taught the Christian Church about the Jews, let's take a look at his life when he was still referred to as Saul from Acts 9:1-22.
1 Meanwhile Saul, still drawing his breath hard from threatening and murderous desire against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 And requested of him letters to the synagogues at Damascus [authorizing him], so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way [of life as determined by faith in Jesus Christ], he might bring them bound [with chains] to Jerusalem.
3 Now as he traveled on, he came near to Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him,
4 And he fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me [harassing, troubling, and molesting Me]?
5 And Saul said, Who are You, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting. It is dangerous and it will turn out badly for you to keep kicking against the goad [to offer vain and perilous resistance].
6 Trembling and astonished he asked, Lord, what do You desire me to do? The Lord said to him, But arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.
7 The men who were accompanying him were unable to speak [for terror], hearing the voice but seeing no one.
8 Then Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was unable to see for three days, and he neither ate nor drank [anything].
10 Now there was in Damascus a disciple named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he answered, Here am I, Lord.
11 And the Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying [there].
12 And he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias enter and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.
13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard many people tell about this man, especially how much evil and what great suffering he has brought on Your saints at Jerusalem;
14 Now he is here and has authority from the high priests to put in chains all who call upon Your name.
15 But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the descendants of Israel;
16 For I will make clear to him how much he will be afflicted and must endure and suffer for My name's sake.
17 So Ananias left and went into the house. And he laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you along the way by which you came here, has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
18 And instantly something like scales fell from [Saul's] eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized,
19 And after he took some food, he was strengthened. For several days [afterward] he remained with the disciples at Damascus.
20 And immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, saying, He is the Son of God!
21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is not this the very man who harassed and overthrew and destroyed in Jerusalem those who called upon this Name? And he has come here for the express purpose of arresting them and bringing them in chains before the chief priests.
22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and continued to confound and put to confusion the Jews who lived in Damascus by comparing and examining evidence and proving that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah). Acts 9:1-22
To now provide a thorough foundation for understanding the Isaiah 61 prophecy regarding LGBT people's role in preparing modern day Jews for the Coming Messiah, let's take a look at what the Apostle Paul has to say regarding the matter from Romans 9-11.
Romans 9
1 I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me
2 That I have bitter grief and incessant anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off and banished from Christ for the sake of my brethren and instead of them, my natural kinsmen and my fellow countrymen. Romans 9:1-3
NOTE: It's important to recall that the Apostle Paul was at one time a Jewish Pharisee who persecuted Christians until Jesus revealed Himself to him on the road to Damascus, and infused Him with the Holy Spirit and revelation knowledge of Christ, the Messiah. Paul shares these revelations with the Christian Church and they comprise nearly 2/3 of the New Testament. When Paul says, "my brethren" and "my natural kinsmen," he is speaking of the Jewish people. When he says, "my fellow countrymen" he is speaking specifically of the Jews in Rome, although I believe we'll see in the next verse, he is speaking of Jews in general throughout this writing, and not just to the Jews in Rome. Throughout these passages, Paul will refer to many other Scriptures, which I will notate as we progress.
4 For they are Israelites, and to them belong God's adoption [as a nation] and the glorious Presence (Shekinah). With them were the special covenants made, to them was the Law given. To them [the temple] worship was revealed and [God's own] promises announced.
5 To them belong the patriarchs, and as far as His natural descent was concerned, from them is the Christ, Who is exalted and supreme over all, God, blessed forever! Amen (so let it be).
6 However, it is not as though God's Word had failed [coming to nothing]. For it is not everybody who is a descendant of Jacob (Israel) who belongs to [the true] Israel.
7 And they are not all the children of Abraham because they are by blood his descendants. No, [the promise was] Your descendants will be called and counted through the line of Isaac [though Abraham had an older son].
8 That is to say, it is not the children of the body [of Abraham] who are made God's children, but it is the offspring to whom the promise applies that shall be counted [as Abraham's true] descendants. Romans 9:4-8
NOTE: As we examined in Chapter 5 of The Bed Keeper, this refers back to the promise to Abraham of a Seed (Jesus Christ) in Whom all nations would be blessed. Here, Paul is saying "it's not the body of Abraham who are made God's children" meaning it is not a promise made only to Jews who are blood relatives of Abraham, but as we also learned, it is anyone who lives by faith, whether they are blood relatives or descendants of Abraham, or not: "Know and understand that it is [really] the people [who live] by faith who are [the true] sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify (declare righteous, put in right standing with Himself) the Gentiles in consequence of faith, proclaimed the Gospel [foretelling the glad tidings of a Savior long beforehand] to Abraham in the promise, saying, In you shall all the nations [of the earth] be blessed." Galatians 3:7-8
Continuing with our examination of Romans 9:
9 For this is what the promise said, About this time [next year] will I return and Sarah shall have a son.
10 And not only that, but this too: Rebecca conceived [two sons under exactly the same circumstances] by our forefather Isaac,
11 And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them],
12 It was said to her that the elder [son] should serve the younger [son].
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (held in relative disregard in comparison with My feeling for Jacob). Romans 9:9-13
NOTE: This is recorded in Malachi 1:2
14 What shall we conclude then? Is there injustice upon God's part? Certainly not!
15 For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion (pity) on whom I will have compassion. Romans 9:14-15
NOTE: This is recorded in Exodus 33:19
16 So then [God's gift] is not a question of human will and human effort, but of God's mercy. [It depends not on one's own willingness nor on his strenuous exertion as in running a race, but on God's having mercy on him.]
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, I have raised you up for this very purpose of displaying My power in [dealing with] you, so that My name may be proclaimed the whole world over.
18 So then He has mercy on whomever He wills (chooses) and He hardens (makes stubborn and unyielding the heart of) whomever He wills. Romans 9:16-18
NOTE: This is recorded in Exodus 11:9-10
19 You will say to me, Why then does He still find fault and blame us [for sinning]? For who can resist and withstand His will?
20 But who are you, a mere man, to criticize and contradict and answer back to God? Will what is formed say to him that formed it, Why have you made me thus?
21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same mass (lump) one vessel for beauty and distinction and honorable use, and another for menial or ignoble and dishonorable use?
22 What if God, although fully intending to show [the awfulness of] His wrath and to make known His power and authority, has tolerated with much patience the vessels (objects) of [His] anger which are ripe for destruction?
23 And [what if] He thus purposes to make known and show the wealth of His glory in [dealing with] the vessels (objects) of His mercy which He has prepared beforehand for glory,
24 Even including ourselves whom He has called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles (heathen)? Romans 9:19-24
NOTE: Paul illustrates the similarities between God raising Pharaoh up to rule over Egypt for the sole purpose of rescuing the Jews to provide the entire world with a profound example of His power, and how even though the Jews (under the Old Covenant) failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah while He was here on the earth, through Christ, His Covenant was extended to the Gentiles (under the New Covenant) through faith for the sole purpose of not only gathering others in with His original Covenant people (the Jews), but then to also come back around and (through the Gentiles) bring the Jews back into Covenant with Him (also through the New Covenant). While many of us may wonder, "Why would God go through such an elaborate process," Paul answers pre-emptively by asking, "Who are we to question how God goes about drawing people to Himself, since it's clear He will have mercy upon whom He wills?" What ultimately matters is that God demonstrates (through His Old Covenant with the Jews) that the promise of the Holy Spirit promised to Abraham would come to all who had faith in Jesus (Abraham's Seed) through the New Covenant, and not based upon reliance on the Law of Moses. Then through that faith, God would bring Jews back into Covenant with Him as He gathered them in with the Gentiles, or as Paul says:
25 Just as He says in Hosea, Those who were not My people I will call My people, and her who was not beloved [I will call] My beloved.
26 And it shall be that in the very place where it was said to them, You are not My people, they shall be called sons of the living God. Romans 9:25-26
NOTE: This is recorded in Hosea 1:9-10. We see God saying that even though He at one time called the Gentiles "not His people," in the very same place it would come to pass that He would say you are "sons of the living God." We further understand from Romans 8:14 that "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Combine that with what Paul said in Galatians 3:7, "Know and understand that it is [really] the people [who live] by faith who are [the true] sons of Abraham." What this means in regards to the Jews being gathered back in with the Gentiles is that it all comes back to faith. Continuing with Romans 9:
27 And Isaiah calls out (solemnly cries aloud) over Israel: Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant (a small part of them) will be saved [from perdition, condemnation, judgment]!
28 For the Lord will execute His sentence upon the earth [He will conclude and close His account with men completely and without delay], rigorously cutting it short in His justice. Romans 9:27-28
NOTE: This is recorded in Isaiah 10:22-23.
29 It is as Isaiah predicted, If the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed [from which to propagate descendants], we [Israel] would have fared like Sodom and have been made like Gomorrah. Romans 9:29
NOTE: This is recorded in Isaiah 1:9.
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles who did not follow after righteousness [who did not seek salvation by right relationship to God] have attained it by faith [a righteousness imputed by God, based on and produced by faith],
31 Whereas Israel, though ever in pursuit of a law [for the securing] of righteousness (right standing with God), actually did not succeed in fulfilling the Law.
32 For what reason? Because [they pursued it] not through faith, relying [instead] on the merit of their works [they did not depend on faith but on what they could do]. They have stumbled over the Stumbling Stone.
33 As it is written, Behold I am laying in Zion a Stone that will make men stumble, a Rock that will make them fall; but he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations. Romans 9:1-33
NOTE: This reference is a combination of two Scriptures. One is recorded in Isaiah 28:16 which reads: "Therefore thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Stone, a precious Cornerstone of sure foundation; he who believes (trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone) will not be ashamed or give way or hasten away [in sudden panic]."
The other is Isaiah 8:13-15 which reads: "The Lord of hosts--regard Him as holy and honor His holy name [by regarding Him as your only hope of safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him]. And He shall be a sanctuary [a sacred and indestructible asylum to those who reverently fear and trust in Him]; but He shall be a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble thereon; and they shall fall and be broken, and be snared and taken."
Once again, we see that salvation for Jews and their reinstatement into the Covenant and Promises of God will depend upon faith, and not adherence to the Law of Moses. What we also see is that Jews who are reinstated will come to be so through the preaching of the Word through preachers of faith, and by hearing the Word of God as delivered to them by Gentiles. But how does God intend for the Jews to accept anything by faith, rather than the Law of Moses? Paul goes on to explain:
Romans 10
1 Brethren, [with all] my heart's desire and goodwill for [Israel], I long and pray to God that they may be saved.
2 I bear them witness that they have a [certain] zeal and enthusiasm for God, but it is not enlightened and according to [correct and vital] knowledge.
3 For being ignorant of the righteousness that God ascribes [which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought, and deed] and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) of their own, they did not obey or submit themselves to God's righteousness.
4 For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is, the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him.
5 For Moses writes that the man who [can] practice the righteousness (perfect conformity to God's will) which is based on the Law [with all its intricate demands] shall live by it.
NOTE: This is recorded in Leviticus 18:5.
6 But the righteousness based on faith [imputed by God and bringing right relationship with Him] says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into Heaven? that is, to bring Christ down;
7 Or who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead [as if we could be saved by our own efforts].
8 But what does it say? The Word (God's message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach,
9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.
11 The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed.
NOTE: This is recorded in Isaiah 49:23.
12 [No one] for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith].
13 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved.
14 But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?
15 And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!]
16 But they have not all heeded the Gospel; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed (had faith in) what he has heard from us?
NOTE: This is recorded in Isaiah 53:1.
17 So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
18 But I ask, Have they not heard? Indeed they have; [for the Scripture says] Their voice [that of nature bearing God's message] has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the far bounds of the world.
NOTE: This is recorded in Psalm 19:4.
19 Again I ask, Did Israel not understand? [Did the Jews have no warning that the Gospel was to go forth to the Gentiles, to all the earth?] First, there is Moses who says, I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.
NOTE: This is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:21.
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, I have been found by those who did not seek Me; I have shown (revealed) Myself to those who did not [consciously] ask for Me.
21 But of Israel he says, All day long I have stretched out My hands to a people unyielding and disobedient and self-willed [to a faultfinding, contrary, and contradicting people]. Romans 10:1-21
NOTE: This is recorded in Isaiah 65:1-2.
Romans 11
1 I ask then: Has God totally rejected and disowned His people? Of course not! Why, I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin! [I Sam. 12:22; Jer. 31:37; 33:24-26; Phil. 3:5.]
2 No, God has not rejected and disowned His people [whose destiny] He had marked out and appointed and foreknown from the beginning. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
3 Lord, they have killed Your prophets; they have demolished Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.
4 But what is God's reply to him? I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal! Romans 11:1-4
NOTE: This is recorded in 1 Kings 19:14-18.
5 So too at the present time there is a remnant (a small believing minority), selected (chosen) by grace (by God's unmerited favor and graciousness).
6 But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace [it would be meaningless].
7 What then [shall we conclude]? Israel failed to obtain what it sought [God's favor by obedience to the Law]. Only the elect (those chosen few) obtained it, while the rest of them became callously indifferent (blinded, hardened, and made insensible to it).
8 As it is written, God gave them a spirit (an attitude) of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, [that has continued] down to this very day. Romans 11:5-8
NOTE: This is recorded in Isaiah 29:9-11.
9 And David says, Let their table (their feasting, banqueting) become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a just retribution [rebounding like a boomerang upon them];
10 Let their eyes be darkened (dimmed) so that they cannot see, and make them bend their back [stooping beneath their burden] forever. Romans 11:9-10
NOTE: This is recorded in Psalm 69:22-23.
11 So I ask, Have they stumbled so as to fall [to their utter spiritual ruin, irretrievably]? By no means! But through their false step and transgression salvation [has come] to the Gentiles, so as to arouse Israel [to see and feel what they forfeited] and so to make them jealous.
12 Now if their stumbling (their lapse, their transgression) has so enriched the world [at large], and if [Israel's] failure means such riches for the Gentiles, think what an enrichment and greater advantage will follow their full reinstatement! Romans 11:11-12
NOTE: Paul here portrays all Israel as something of a living sacrifice for the Gentiles' salvation, and shows God's will in the Jews not only rejecting Jesus, but in preventing them from even recognizing Him as the Messiah "until the full gathering of the Gentiles had come," which we'll examine as we read up to verse 25:
13 But now I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I lay great stress on my ministry and magnify my office,
14 In the hope of making my fellow Jews jealous [in order to stir them up to imitate, copy, and appropriate], and thus managing to save some of them.
15 For if their rejection and exclusion from the benefits of salvation were [overruled] for the reconciliation of a world to God, what will their acceptance and admission mean? [It will be nothing short of] life from the dead!
16 Now if the first handful of dough offered as the firstfruits [Abraham and the patriarchs] is consecrated (holy), so is the whole mass [the nation of Israel]; and if the root [Abraham] is consecrated (holy), so are the branches.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, while you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them to share the richness [of the root and sap] of the olive tree,
18 Do not boast over the branches and pride yourself at their expense. If you do boast and feel superior, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root [that supports] you.
19 You will say then, Branches were broken (pruned) off so that I might be grafted in!
20 That is true. But they were broken (pruned) off because of their unbelief (their lack of real faith), and you are established through faith [because you do believe]. So do not become proud and conceited, but rather stand in awe and be reverently afraid.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches [because of unbelief], neither will He spare you [if you are guilty of the same offense].
22 Then note and appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's gracious kindness to you--provided you continue in His grace and abide in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off (pruned away).
23 And even those others [the fallen branches, Jews], if they do not persist in [clinging to] their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.
24 For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and against nature grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier will it be to graft these natural [branches] back on [the original parent stock of] their own olive tree.
25 Lest you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in, Romans 11:13-25
NOTE: As we've previously examined in Chapters 1 and 3 of The Bed Keeper, we learned that eunuchs were cut off from the promises of God through Moses' ban on them entering into the Congregation of the Lord, yet God prophesied of a time we would be included in His House of Prayer through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant which He ratified. We recall from the account of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 that he was prevented from baptism when he went to Jerusalem to worship, because of the ban Moses had put in place in Deuteronomy 23:1, but found his place in God's Kingdom and was baptized into the New Covenant instead. Likewise, Paul teaches that since the Jews rejected Jesus and did not enter into the New Covenant but clung to the Old, they are now (temporarily) prevented from entering into salvation without a belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (though they still have a Covenant with God if they faithfully follow the Law of Moses).
What I believe we will see are both eunuchs (LGBT Christians) and Jews sharing much of the same ultimate destiny in God's plan for Mankind, but in reverse order of each other; first eunuchs were excluded under the Old Covenant, and now it's the Jews themselves excluded from many promises of God by the very Covenant Jesus came to fulfill. What I believe we will find as we continue through the remainder of this chapter of The Bed Keeper is that indeed it will be the eunuchs (previously cut off from the Jewish Congregation of the Lord) who will be the very ones God uses to reinstate the Jews into the promises of God they are currently cut off from without faith in Jesus, (such as gay marriage, permanent forgiveness of sins, and ultimately eternal life). I also believe we will see that it will be the eunuchs (LGBT Christians) who preach the Word (from whence faith comes), and will be the very people God uses to now invite Jews into the New Covenant, and open the door to some of the promises of God that are attainable only by faith (as opposed to following the Law of Moses).
Why do I believe this? Because as Paul said, in Romans 11:25: "I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in"
Let's again review what God gave as the entire basis for prophesying of the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in God's House of Prayer:
4 For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths and choose the things which please Me and hold firmly My covenant--
5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name better [and more enduring] than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
6 Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord to minister to Him and to love the name of the Lord and to be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it and who holds fast My covenant [by conscientious obedience]--
7 All these I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
8 Thus says the Lord God, Who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather yet others to [Israel] besides those already gathered. Isaiah 56:4-8
What this tells me is that the "full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles cannot come in" until eunuchs (LGBT people) are included as full participants in God's House of Prayer for all people. We have already examined in Chapters 1 and 4 of The Bed Keeper that Jesus told us He cannot return until all prophecies have been fulfilled, and we have determined that Isaiah 56:4-8 has yet to be fulfilled. As it becomes fulfilled, not only does it pave the way for Jesus to return for Christians, but simultaneously paves the way for the Jews' long awaited Messiah to come as well (since they are One and the Same). As long as the Christian Church remains blind to this prophecy concerning LGBT people, not only does She prevent the return of Jesus Christ for Christians, but also the revelation of the Messiah for the Jews. It not only prevents the bodily resurrection promised to every Christian who has ever lived and died already, but also prevents the revelation of the Messiah for the Jews. I believe the revelations shared in The Bed Keeper will help the Church become aware of this oversight,
26 And so all Israel will be saved. As it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.
27 And this will be My covenant (My agreement) with them when I shall take away their sins.
28 From the point of view of the Gospel (good news), they [the Jews, at present] are enemies [of God], which is for your advantage and benefit. But from the point of view of God's choice (of election, of divine selection), they are still the beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers.
29 For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. [He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call.]
30 Just as you were once disobedient and rebellious toward God but now have obtained [His] mercy, through their disobedience,
31 So they also now are being disobedient [when you are receiving mercy], that they in turn may one day, through the mercy you are enjoying, also receive mercy [that they may share the mercy which has been shown to you--through you as messengers of the Gospel to them].
32 For God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all [alike].
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!
34 For who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has [ever] been His counselor?
35 Or who has first given God anything that he might be paid back or that he could claim a recompense?
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [For all things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and all things center in and tend to consummate and to end in Him.] To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it). Romans 11:1-36
In short, I believe we will now see gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people not only bringing LGBT people of other faiths and nations into the Christian fold as they realize Christianity is the only religion that Scripture illustrates our inclusion, but as these prophecies begin to be fulfilled, we will take the entire Christian Church one step closer to the Return of Jesus Christ. But I also believe that as we do, we will simultaneously usher those of the Jewish faith into an awareness of (what will be to them) the First Coming of The Messiah.
With all that in mind, let us now examine some portions of Scripture that seem to confirm these assertions. By way of review, let us first once again recall God’s eunuch prophecy to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from Isaiah 55:11-56:8:
11 So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out [from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland] with joy and be led forth [by your Leader, the Lord Himself, and His word] with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name of renown, for an everlasting sign [of jubilant exaltation] and memorial [to His praise], which shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:11-13
1 Thus says the Lord: Keep justice, do and use righteousness (conformity to the will of God which brings salvation), for My salvation is soon to come and My righteousness (My rightness and justice) to be revealed.
2 Blessed, happy, and fortunate is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold of it and binds himself fast to it, who keeps sacred the Sabbath so as not to profane it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.
3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, The Lord will surely separate me from His people. And let not the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
4 For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths and choose the things which please Me and hold firmly My covenant—
5 To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name better [and more enduring] than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
6 Also the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord to minister to Him and to love the name of the Lord and to be His servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath so as not to profane it and who holds fast My covenant [by conscientious obedience]—
7 All these I will bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
8 Thus says the Lord God, Who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather yet others to [Israel] besides those already gathered. Isaiah 55:11-56:8
So what does God mean by saying:
“Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree” (Isaiah 55:13)
and “let not the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree” (Isaiah 56:3)
and "Thus says the Lord God, Who gathers the outcasts of Israel: I will gather yet others to [Israel] besides those already gathered?" (Isaiah 56:8)
To more fully answer those questions than we have thus far throughout The Bed Keeper, let’s now take a closer look at a few passages of Scripture from the Gospel of Luke:
16 So He came to Nazareth, [that Nazareth] where He had been brought up, and He entered the synagogue, as was His custom on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read.
17 And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written,
18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],
19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.
20 Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him.
21 And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing. Luke 4:16-21
Jesus was reading in the synagogue from Isaiah 61 (which by the way, is only 5 chapters after the eunuch prophecy). Let's now take a look at those passages in more detail and we'll make a remarkable discovery that I believe unlocks even more of the mystery revealing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in God's plan for fulfilling yet another role in the return of Jesus Christ...as messengers of the Gospel to modern day Jews preparing to meet their long awaited Messiah face to face:
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion--to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit--that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3
NOTE: Here is where Jesus ends quoting from this passage of Scripture as He taught in the synagogue, after which we saw Him declare, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing.” But let’s continue reading the rest of Isaiah 61:
4 And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations and renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Isaiah 61:3-4
NOTE: Who is “they?” If we go back to verses 1-3 we see “they” is defined by Jesus as “the meek, the poor, the afflicted, the brokenhearted, the spiritual captives, those who are bound, and all who mourn.” Even if this applies to some other groups of people, if ever there was one group wherein all these terms equally apply, it’s the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people around the world. From being killed, imprisoned, maimed, enslaved, brokenhearted, separated from God, driven from our families, exiled from society, bullied, berated, dehumanized, vilified, and slandered, this passage of Scripture is one I believe all LGBT people can relate to in more ways than one.
Further, as we proffered in Chapter 21 of The Bed Keeper, "rebuilding the ancient ruins" and "raising up the former desolations" and "renewing the ruined cities and the devastations of many generations" are phrases that could easily apply to the great building projects envisioned as LGBT people rebuild Gaza (the same land wherein the Ethiopian Eunuch was baptized), and bring peace and prosperity to both Israel and the Palestinian peoples as they both become awakened to the financial benefits that would come with 700,000,000 LGBT people visiting the area each year as part of a spiritual journey into our spiritual past, where the fulfillment of God's eunuch prophecy began to manifest itself on that Gaza road so long ago. But it could also mean something else: The rebuilding of the Jewish Temple.
For purposes of this chapter of The Bed Keeper, we will limit the scope of our focus to the prophecies that seem to point to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people being active agents in preparing the Jewish people to meet the Messiah through preaching the Gospel as the Apostle Paul explained would happen one day.
Now let’s look back again at Isaiah 55:11-13 where God prefaces His eunuch prophecy with:
11 So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
12 For you shall go out [from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland] with joy and be led forth [by your Leader, the Lord Himself, and His word] with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name of renown, for an everlasting sign [of jubilant exaltation] and memorial [to His praise], which shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:11-13
Notice God said, “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree.” I see here in Isaiah 61 a more detailed explanation of this series of reversals of fortune and conditions for “those who mourn in Zion.”
Zion is continually a representation of the Christian Church throughout the Scriptures, and none have mourned in Zion more than those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender as we have endured 2000 years of harsh and hateful rhetoric launched against us, as we've been witness to even Scripture being misused to justify killing us in the name of God. It is clear that most in the Christian Church have not yet received the Word that God prophesied to us through the eunuch prophecy from Isaiah 55:11-56:8, saying that we would be made joyful in His house of prayer for all people, and that our offerings would be accepted on His altar, among other promises. But going further into Isaiah 61, we now see a vivid description of every gay person’s highest hope that seems (to me) to foretell the end of homophobia and exclusion from the Church:
5 Aliens shall stand [ready] and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
6 But you shall be called the priests of the Lord; people will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You shall eat the wealth of the nations, and the glory [once that of your captors] shall be yours. Isaiah 61:6-7
NOTE: I believe one way to view this passage, (especially when taken in context of the eunuch prophecies wherein God tells us, “let no eunuch complain, behold I am a dry tree”) these two verses show God declaring yet another result of the Church failing to heed the message of the eunuchs conveyed to them, and basically shows God telling them that if THEY won’t preach and rightly divide and apply His Word, then he will empower gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to preach it instead, and shows us “feeding the flocks and being plowmen and vinedressers in the Church” to prepare her for the return of Christ. Another way to view it is to see the Jews being foretold that “strangers will feed their flocks,” indicating it would be Christians (perhaps even gay Christians) who eventually would lead them to Jesus, the Messiah. Either way, I believe Chapter 21 of The Bed Keeper illuminates this passage in a way that could ultimately bring peace to the Middle East through LGBT Christians. If so, we also see in verse 6 God declaring Christians (and/or gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people) will be called the “priests of the Lord” and that “people will speak of us as ministers of our God,” and that we will “eat the wealth of the nations,” and that “the glory that was once our oppressors will be ours.” While most theologians may connect this to the Jewish people as the ones being oppressed, I am led to believe this applies to LGBT Christians instead (or as well). Since we are dealing with prophecy, it's very possible it applies to both Jews and LGBT Christians.
It's interesting to me that the Church has managed to avoid even speaking of these passages from the pulpit. There is little doubt in my mind that the Church has long known what we've examined throughout The Bed Keeper. There is also no doubt in my mind that Adolph Hitler was aware of this as well, leaving little to the imagination behind the REAL reason for the holocaust, and why it just happened to focus on the elimination of both Jews and LGBT people.
It was not just an apparent effort at "ethnic cleansing." Speaking in spiritual terms, it was a "final solution" that Satan dreamed up and used Adolph Hitler as an instrument of his plot to try to prevent the prophecies being discussed in these most recent posts from coming to pass, and thereby preventing the Return of Jesus Christ.
That word “oppressor” is of particular interest, considering Jews have not really ever “oppressed” Christians, except in the very early days before Paul’s ministry. On the other hand, LGBT people have been oppressed since the beginning of time, and when taken with the next verses, causes me to continue to consider the possibility that Isaiah 61 is speaking of a future that includes LGBT people (who happen to be Christians) preaching the Gospel in the Middle East not only to people of other faiths, but also specifically, the Jewish people.
7 Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor and reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy shall be theirs.
8 For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong with violence or a burnt offering. And I will faithfully give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant or league with them. Isaiah 61:7-8
Here we see yet another reference to “taking firm hold of My covenant" that God said gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people must do in order to lay claim to the promises of God outlined in His eunuch prophecy from Isaiah 55:11-56:8, as well as once again seeing yet another reversal of the status quo. The parallels conveyed in these nearby sections of the same Book of Isaiah are hard to ignore, and leads one to conclude they are still speaking of the same people. While some commentaries remark this is about the return of the Jewish people, it seems to me that overlooks the possibility (especially in light of the eunuch prophecies) that it is instead speaking of LGBT Christians.
What is interesting about this supposition is that in the account relayed to us in Luke 4:14-21, Jesus did not teach this portion of Isaiah 61 (verses 4-11) in the synagogue, as if He already knew that this portion of Scripture was not yet fulfilled on that same day, even as He declared verses 1-3 as having been.
9 And their offspring shall be known among the nations and their descendants among the peoples. All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge that they are the people whom the Lord has blessed. Isaiah 61:9
NOTE: Here again we are reminded that God said no gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people should say we are dry trees, and we see Him declaring that our offspring shall be “known among the nations and our descendants among the people.” As we have already seen the clarification God provided us in Isaiah 54, I believe this is not a reference to biological children, but points to future generations of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people who continue to make their mark on the Church, and continue to take steps to prepare her for the Second Coming of Christ for Christians, (which will also be the First Coming of the Messiah for the Jews). If so, this could very well mean God is looking to a time when LGBT people will be used not only to bring LGBT people from other religions into the Christian faith, but all Jews into a fuller understanding and recognition of their long awaited Messiah.
Sing, O barren one, you who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child! For the [spiritual] children of the desolate one will be more than the children of the married wife, says the Lord. Isaiah 54:1
We are also reminded that in the course of the eunuch prophecy from Isaiah 56:2, God said, “blessed, happy and fortunate is the man who does this and the son of man who lays it to heart, and binds himself fast to it,” as God once again says that the future generations of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people will be “the people whom the Lord has blessed” in Isaiah 61:9. Continuing further with our examination of Isaiah 61:
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
NOTE: If the supposition that LGBT Christians will at some point in the future inhabit currently desolate areas of Israel is correct, and if the supposition that we will be used to usher Jews into the Presence of their Coming Messiah and the Church into the Presence of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is correct, Isaiah 61:10 may very well be God foreseeing a time wherein Jews and Christians (the Bride and the Bridegroom) are “married…” and are then ushered into the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If so, this illustrates yet another important role of LGBT people and our place in the Christian Church as a unifying element between Christians and Jews, and quite possibly shows us being used as ministers of God in a way that brings to pass the reinstatement of the Jewish people as prophesied by Paul in Romans 11:15:
For if their rejection and exclusion from the benefits of salvation were [overruled] for the reconciliation of a world to God, what will their acceptance and admission mean? [It will be nothing short of] life from the dead!
We recall Paul taught that the Jews were the root of the olive branch, and the Gentiles were but a wild offshoot grafted into Covenant with God through faith. He reminds us Christians to not boast about now being in Covenant with God ourselves because it is the root (the Jews) that supports the branches (the Christians), not the other way around.
He goes on to prophesy of God’s power and ability to graft back in any Jews who do not persist in unbelief, declaring that it is a hidden mystery, and that the Jews were temporarily blinded in order that they would make way for God to extend His promises to the entire world, and that through His grace, not only has He “not” rejected His Own people, but will indeed graft them back into the Household of Faith so that “all Israel will be saved.” Paul goes on to relate that this would occur when the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in, and reminds us of a Scripture wherein David prophesied “their Deliverer will come from Zion.” He then concludes by teaching that from the point of view of the Gospel, the Jews are temporarily enemies of God, but from God’s point of view, they are still His beloved for the sake of their forefathers. Then he spells out exactly what I believe Isaiah 61 prophesied, saying that through Christian (and/or) gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people as messengers of the Gospel, the Jews would find mercy and be saved. Paul then goes into expressing His awe at God’s plan and the riches, wisdom and knowledge of Him, and how unfathomable are His judgments, and how untraceable, mysterious, and undiscoverable are His ways, methods, and paths.
While I would be the first to admit it could be that God never intended LGBT people to be involved in this event, it would take someone with a firm alternate understanding of Isaiah 61 to convince me otherwise. Clearly as He is using us to prepare the Church for the return of Jesus Christ, He would have someone planned to inform the Jews of His coming. While it won’t affect the salvation of any Christian one way or the other, it most certainly may have a vital impact on the salvation of Jews, and their reinstatement into God’s grace which Paul (and Isaiah) speak to, not to mention the face to face meeting of the Jews with their Messiah, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at Isaiah 61:10 once more to add one final point, and then we’ll move on:
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
As in Chapter 4 of The Bed Keeper, here we see yet another reference to the Bride (The Church) and the Bridegroom (Jesus Christ), and if viewed as an allegory of the Church and Jesus, we see a reflection (or intertextual echo) of other passages of Scripture as well:
1 Then I saw a new sky (heaven) and a new earth, for the former sky and the former earth had passed away (vanished), and there no longer existed any sea.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, all arrayed like a bride beautified and adorned for her husband; Revelation 21:1-2
Especially in light of the eunuchs who prepared Esther to replace Vashti as the King’s Bride, do you see how these passages continue to tie back to each other, and how vitally important LGBT people seem to be in God’s final preparations for the Return of Jesus Christ, not only for the Church, but also for the Jews?
Keeping in mind the terminology Paul used to refer to the Jews as “the root,” and the Christian Church as “the branches,” now let’s take a look at the last verse of Isaiah 61:
11 For as [surely as] the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring forth, so [surely] the Lord God will cause rightness and justice and praise to spring forth before all the nations [through the self-fulfilling power of His word]. Isaiah 61:11
So while Jesus did not read the entire passage of Isaiah 61:1-11 during His Own teaching in the synagogue, it’s important to notice so many references herein that seem to not only tie back into the Lord telling eunuchs not to complain we are dry trees, but once again, the adorning of the Church, the end of homophobia, and the ordination of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clergy. All of these events are then tied into bearing fruit for God in the form of us planting seeds which the Lord God then will cause to bring forth rightness, justice, and praise before ALL the nations. We learned that all of these things are the result of faith, and that together they bring about a little talked about event leading up to the return of Jesus Christ of Christians; the distinct possibly that it will be LGBT Christians preaching the Gospel to the Jews, explaining to them that as the Christian Church prepares herself for the Second Coming of Christ, the Jews do well to begin preparing themselves for (what will be to them) the first coming of the Messiah.
And I too stand in awe of God’s marvelous plans for mankind, the Church, the Jews, Israel, and the Nations, as well as His apparent intent on using LGBT Christians as instruments of bringing major points of those plans to fruition. Whether I am right or wrong about Isaiah 61, one thing is for certain; the fact that The Bed Keeper is even being written is one more sign that whether Jew or Gentile, (or gay or straight), it will affect all of us in one way or the other, and that indeed Jesus is Returning to the earth….and soon!
HALLELUJAH!
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