He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Rev 21:7-8

One of the category of people called as ‘abominable’ will have their part in the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone. In this post we will explore into who are these people referred as abominable and what are their sins based on the Scripture.

List of abominations

There are several verses in the old testament that refers to abomination. Some laws mention ‘abomination’ specifically the food and sacrificial laws are given only to Israelites. However, the moral laws were expected from all nations, the reason why Canaanites were cast out from the land of Canaan before the Israelites.

Laws for all nations

for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who [were] before you, and thus the land is defiled

Lev 18:27

Below are the list of abominations which God wants all nations to avoid. We discussed these in an another post, regarding what Gentiles are requires to follow.

• Incest (Lev 18:6-17)
• Marrying multiple sisters (Lev 18:18)
• Sex when wife is in mensuration (Lev 18:19)
• Adultery (Lev 18:20)
• Abortion/Killing/Sacrificing your own children (Lev 18:21; Deut 12:31)
• Homosexuality (Lev 18:22)
• Bestiality (Lev 18:23)

New Covenant and the abominations in the Law of Moses

We will now explore into the law of Moses given to Israelites which refer certain things as abomination to the LORD our God. We will also explore from what Jesus taught us in His new covenant. It is worth noting that God don’t change His preferences for abominations since God never change.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Jas 1:17

Hence, what God considers as an abomination in the Old Covenant doesn’t change with New Covenant.

Idolatry is an abomination

“You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it [is] an abomination to the LORD your God. Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it [is] an accursed thing.

Deut 7:25-26

Idols and everything on it, including the gold and silver are an abomination. Idolatry is also referred as an abomination (Deut 13:13-14). Jesus referring to the abomination of desolation affirms idolatry and idols as abomination according to the New covenant (Matt 24:15).

For we [have spent] enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles–when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

1 Pet 4:3

Peter also refers to idolatry as an abomination.

For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from [being] king.”

1 Sam 15:23

It is worth noting that stubbornness is equated to idolatry in the Scriptures. In other words, being stubborn in sin and not willing to turn back to God and obey His commandments is an abomination to God.

Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking are an abomination

You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God a bull or sheep which has any blemish [or] defect, for that [is] an abomination to the LORD your God.

Deut 17:1

Offering anything that is blemish or defect is an abomination to God. Similar to the above, offering anything from sinful and unclean income is an abomination as mentioned in Deut 23:18.

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord [is] gracious. Coming to Him [as to] a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God [and] precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Pet 2:1-5

In the book of Peter, we can read how can offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God, that is by laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. If we have any of these, our sacrifices to God are not acceptable to God and are an abomination to Him.

Cross-dressing is an abomination

A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so [are] an abomination to the LORD your God.

Deut 22:5

Cross-dressing is a very complex thing since women’s skirt in one society is men’s traditional dress in another society, and vice versa.

In ancient Israel, men wore something like a skirt with turban and women wore something similar to hijab. Today, men and women in western societies don’t wear these type of dresses. There are men’s and women’s pants and shirts. As per the verse Deut 22:5, wearing any dress that pretends to be of the opposite sex is an abomination. Hence, a man wearing a woman’s pant or shirt to ‘pretend to be like a woman’ and vice versa is an abomination. This broadly covers transgender surgeries for non-medical reasons which are an abomination.

Remarrying ex-spouse is an abomination

[then] her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that [is] an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God is giving you [as] an inheritance.

Deut 24:4

According to the law of Moses, remarrying her/her own ex-spouse after divorcing is an abomination to God.

“They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man’s, May he return to her again?’ Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,” says the LORD.

Jer 3:1

God mentions the same law to show Israel’s idolatry and how much it defiles the land.

“And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

Matt 19:9

But Jesus went further and taught us that anyone who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another commits adultery. The same is echoed for women who do the same in Mark 10:12. Adultery is already an abomination as per the laws expected from all nations.

Unrighteousness is an abomination

You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, [are] an abomination to the LORD your God.

Deut 25:13-16

Who are the righteous? The one who practices righteousness is called the righteous.

Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

1 John 3:7

Hence, all who do not practice righteousness commit abomination to God.

Unclean organisms are an abomination

This [is] the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”

Lev 11:46-47

In the previous post, we saw the true meaning of the food laws based on how Jesus spoke.

Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Matt 23:24

• Not fearing God
• Practicing unrighteousness
• Neglecting justice, mercy and faith

We also discussed how a prophecy in Isaiah states that God will bring judgment on all who eat the flesh of pigs and rats. Most people don’t eat locusts even though we can eat them and they are healthy. It is important for us to understand that our preference of food must never supersede what God spoke – even though the law was never given to gentiles. Hence, my view is to deny ourselves by rejecting pork and take our cross by doing what is not disgusting for God.

Summary

Based on the list of abominations which are based on what God expects to all nations.

• Incest
• Marrying multiple sisters
• Sex when wife is in mensuration
• Adultery
• Abortion/Killing/Sacrificing your own children
• Homosexuality
• Bestiality

Below are the laws of Moses given to Israel which we studied in the context of New covenant and are considered abomination.

• Idolatry
• Malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking
• Cross-dressing
• Remarrying ex-spouse, divorcing spouse apart from sexual immorality
• Unrighteousness
• Eating unclean organisms (Not fearing God, Practicing unrighteousness, Neglecting justice, mercy and faith)

Hence, all who practice the above are considered abominable since they defile themselves by doing things that are considered abomination by God.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

The only way that we can be cleansed from all our abominations is by the blood of Jesus (not some magic blood bank that is sucking out of Christ’s body and pours at our request) but we need to drink His blood, that is by walking in the light, believing in everything He taught and walking in the difficult path that He showed which leads to life.