* Genesis 1: 26-27 (2:4-25); Genesis 19:1-29; Leviticus 18:22 (20:13); Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians 6:9-10; I Timothy 1:9-11
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New Testament Passages
“Going after strange flesh”
Jude 7
Traditional viewpoint: This verse is referring back to the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The male mob in Sodom rejected the offer of two virgin women for sexual purposes because they wanted to have sex with the male angels instead. This proves that they were all homosexuals, which is why God destroyed the cities. The passage clearly condemns homosexual behavior.
The phrase rendered "going after strange flesh" obviously refers back to the incident in Genesis 19 when men of Sodom apparently wanted to rape two angels who were in Lot's home. The context makes it clear that the subject was “angels.” (v. 6)
The meaning of the verse is somewhat ambiguous, but there are two obvious facts which we can surmise:
- The intent of the mob was to rape the angels. Rape is a clear perversion of God-given sexuality, whether the crime is perpetrated on a person of the same sex or opposite sex.
- The angels were created beings, but were not humans, which could possibly explain the use of the term “strange flesh.”
From our study of the story of Sodom, it is obvious that homosexuality is not the issue in the story and was not the motivation for the destruction of the city.
