Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, says acceptance of homosexuality is paving the way for the Antichrist.
Appearing Monday on The Janet Mefferd show, a nationally syndicated Christian radio show, Jeffress said same-sex marriage and the "persecution of Christians" are among signs the world is experiencing "labor pains" before the second coming of Jesus. Other signs include the popularity of the book and movie Fifty Shades Of Grey, which Jeffress calls "Fifty Shades of Perversion."
Many of these views reportedly are detailed in Jeffress' new book, Countdown to the Apocalypse: Why ISIS and Ebola Are Only the Beginning.
The Christian Post reports:
Although Jeffress also cited the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and other Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria, he said that the increasing acceptance of gay marriage and homosexuality is as much an indicator of the sign of the Antichrist's nearing arrival.
He added that society has become too intolerant of the values and beliefs that Christians hold, and too frequently Christians are punished and criticized for maintaining their belief and acting upon their faith. He explained that the persecution of Christians who speak up for their faith is further laying down the path for the Antichrist to "martyr" Christians once he arrives.
"What is happening is that we are becoming desensitized to the persecution of Christians just not globally, but also in our Country. The fact is that we are being told that Christians who refuse to serve a wedding cake to a gay couple, that they are extremists, its OK to take their livelihood and shut down their business," Jeffress said. "I believe that we are getting desensitized to that, which will pave the way for that future world dictator, the Antichrist, to persecute and martyr Christians without any repercussions what-so-ever."
Of course, hateful anti-LGBT rhetoric is nothing new for Jeffress, who began his legacy of homophobia when he led a campaign to remove gay-themed books from the public library in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1998.
Since then, he has said that gays lead "a miserable lifestyle," that homosexuality leads to pedophilia, and that gay rights will lead to "the inevitable implosion of our country."
Jeffress has also said President Barack Obama is paving the way for the Antichrist, defended "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson's anti-gay remarks, and compared homosexuality to plugging a TV into the wrong outlet and "blowing it to smithereens."
In fact, Jeffress is so bad that not even Tim Tebow would speak at his church.
You can listed to Jeffress' full interview here. Listen to clips about same-sex marriage and "Fifty Shades of Grey" via Right Wing Watch, AFTER THE JUMP…
