Sex Rearrangement Procedures
The manipulation of sex genitals is nothing new to the Holy Scriptures. The God of Israel was very poignant and direct while instructing Moses on the subject of sex rearrangement procedures. Could this be a form of sex change? While using the word “sex change” loosely, it could be applied in the sense that certain groups of men altered the functions of their private parts. Maybe we should call it gender manipulation since the God of Israel warned them that if a man’s genitals had gone through any alterations, that man could not enter the temple of God. Furthermore, God warned the high priests that even sacrificial animals which had sex organ manipulations performed on them were unclean for ritual sacrifices.
The Lord always knew that the temple made with hands was never His choice as a dwelling place. God only allowed temples because the people of Israel wanted to become more like the pagan nations. They desired to have a king they could see, and not some invisible God.
Israel decided that
they wanted a physical temple, a beautiful structure which would make them proud and look like the other nations. But, God knew that mankind would digress into their own rules and regulations, which later, he would reject.
Sex rearrangement procedures
The Lord only wanted to separate Israel unto himself as a community of an ecclesiastic body. The human body is holy in the eyes of the Lord. He demanded strict separation from any form of secular contamination.
God had a particular dislike for any man who had altered the God-given functions of the human body. All the more, believers need to be very careful of any markings done to the body. Being that God regards the human body as His house, the true temple of the Lord, and the desired dwelling place of the Lord.
NLT Deuteronomy 23:1 “If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he may not be admitted to the assembly of the LORD. (Deu 23:1 New Living Translation)
24 If an animal has damaged testicles or is castrated, you may not offer it to the LORD. You must never do this in your own land,
25 and you must not accept such an animal from foreigners and then offer it as a sacrifice to your God. Such animals will not be accepted on your behalf, for they are mutilated or defective.” (Lev 22:24-25 New Living Translation)
The majority of times, it was the eunuch who functioned as a guard over pagan harems or bed chambers. In some cases, it was an area where captured virgins from God-fearing nations were made slaves. The Hebrew word for eunuch “saris,” sometimes meant “Palace officer.”
The Septuagint and Vulgate, “saris” referred to the quality of bureaucracy.
The Greek and Latin forms of the word were used to translate “saris” into the palace officer.
These different translations give reason to believe that speculation behind this passage may be the object confusion and mistranslation. The Bible verse in the book of Acts, depicts a worshiper of the God of Israel as he was leaving the temple. If in fact, this man was an Ethiopian officer, there is no problem with him visiting the temple. But, according to the Jewish Orthodox belief system, eunuchs were forbidden from entering the temple.
The question is, why did God have problems with little matters like body decorations?
According to the word of God, some of these practices came right out of pagan beliefs. In the occult realm, three-dimensional occult symbols and some mystical writings can conjure up demonic spirits. These spirits would enter into the person and take over their personalities. Historically, demonic spirits were drawn to behaviors as well as to objects and even certain drawings. The Lord even instructed his people that certain hair carvings in the head had been a part of pagan worship.
Deuteronomy 14:1 “Since you are the people of the LORD your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead.
2 You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure. (Deu 14:1-2 NLT)
Unfortunately, some people of God did not understand that God was separating his people from pagan practices in order to keep them from being controlled by the evil spirits who had direct connotations with the earthly manifestations. For example, the story of a man who had been taken over by demonic spirits was cutting himself in the graveyard. God knew this man wanted to be set free, therefore Jesus delivered him from that controlling spirit. God was only warning us that certain behaviors accompany spirits from other realms.
NLT Leviticus 19:28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the LORD.
(Lev 19:28 NLT)
NIV Deuteronomy 14:1 You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, (Deu 14:1 NIV)
NLT Mark 5:5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. (Mar 5:5 NLT
)
NLT 1 Kings 18:28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. (1Ki 18:28 NLT)
NLT Revelation 14:9 Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand (Rev 14:9 NLT)
Sex rearrangement procedures
While the temple was still standing, purification rituals were still being enforced at the time of the Book of Acts. For instance, anyone entering the temple had to go through ritual cleaning, such as dipping themselves into the baptism pool (Jewish Mikveh). There was a lot of controversy surrounding the Ethiopian officer in the eighth chapter of Acts. By the same rules of temple purification rituals, any person who had altered their private parts was considered unclean. However, serious Bible students are aware of a few word changes in the book of Acts done by King James interpreters. Who knows, if this Ethiopian was actually an African high-ranking officer and was the administrator for the Queen’s treasure? Moreover, this officer may not have been guarding the Queen as was the job of a regular eunuch. Conventional wisdom says, it seems likely that if a beautiful Queen is on a long journey it would be better to have a eunuch at her side. But, the Bible places emphasis on the Ethiopian officer as one who was worshiping in the temple (Acts 8:27).
Acts 8:27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship (Act 8:27 New Living Translation)
There is record of an Ethiopian Queen found in the book of Acts. We now know that the name Candace was a title, and not a common name. The word Candace, from the original Kandake sheds light on who this important lady was. The title Kanake means King or Pharaoh, and history reveals that there were more than one Kanake.
STRONGS NT 2582: ???????
???????, ????????, ?, Candace, a name common to the queens of a region of Ethiopia whose capital was Napata; just as the proper name Ptolemy was common to the Egyptian kings.
From the Net Bible Greek
Strongs #2582: Kandakh Kandake
Candace = “prince of servants”
1) a queen of Ethiopia mentioned in Ac 8:27. (A.D. 38) The name was
not a proper name of an individual, but that of a dynasty of
Ethiopian queens.
2582 Kandake kan-dak’-ay
http://classic.net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=Candace
27 So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. (Act 8:27-28 New Living Translation)
But then again, God’s grace is so amazing! He has made a way for even a eunuch to come in faith to Christ. It seems that the eunuch doesn’t even have to attend temple services. All he or she has to do is to serve God, observe, and obey His commandments. For there were eunuchs who came to the realization that the God of Israel was the God of all. These eunuchs thought that their former conditions would prevent them from being a part of the family of God.
3 “Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the LORD say, ‘The LORD will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
4 For this is what the LORD says: I will bless those eunuchs who keep my Sabbath days holy and who choose to do what pleases me and commit their lives to me.
5 I will give them– within the walls of my house– a memorial and a name far greater than sons and daughters could give. For the name I give them is an everlasting one. It will never disappear!
God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to ADONAI your God. (Deu 23:19 Complete Jewish Bible) God is always moved by repentance, especially when a person’s demonstrate regret, remorse and pang of guilt.
Why then does God emphasize the need for separation by the process of sanctification in the Old and New Testaments?
One of the answers is found in the Book of First Corinthians.
NLT 1 Corinthians 6:15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a 
man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! (1Co 6:15 NLT)
Both the Old and New Testaments teach the believers that when we make God Lord and Savior, He sets us aside. This is so His spirit can comes inside of us. He actually makes us the real Temples of God. And, we bring Him into the presence of whatever we touch.
Again, one may ask the question – Why does God have problems with body alterations? The answer may because:
1. markings suggests ownership.
2. when there is a history of unbelievers conducting themselves in a certain manner, such as body branding, body markings, and changing the purpose of the body, this results in a form of rebellion.
27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. (Rom 1:27 NLT)
By clothing ourselves with a humble spirit and love for each other, we then take on the likeness of Jesus Christ. For example, when the religious leaders asked Jesus whom they should give tribute to, He answered them by asking whose inscription was on the coin.
14 “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us– is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
15 Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?” Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I’ll tell you.”
16 When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 “Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” His reply completely amazed them. (Mar 12:14-17 NLT)
Sex rearrangement procedures
It is to the highest importance, that every Christian bear the markings of the Lord. Remember, it was Jesus’ scars as a result of His love for us through obedience to God that spoke. His scars produced salvation and reconciliation to the one true God, not to pagan worship.
NLT Galatians 6:17 From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. (Gal 6:17 NLT)