Pastor Scott Lively yesterday in an interview with Sandy Rios of the American Family Association warned that homosexuality “is the issue of the End Times.” According to Lively, the advance of gay rights will lead to the persecution and killing of Christians like in the early days of the Church and is “another sign that I believe that we’re close to the end.”

He argued that “the last straw for God before He brought [Noah’s] Flood was when they started writing wedding songs to homosexual marriage” and said homosexuality “represents the outer extent of rebellion against Him in a society and the last thing that happens before wrath comes.”

Lively: We need to remember that in the time leading up to the Flood what the rabbis teach about the last straw for God before He brought the Flood was when they started writing wedding songs to homosexual marriage and Jesus said that you’ll know the End Times because it will be like the days of Noah. There’s never been a time in the history of the world since before the Flood when homosexual marriage has been open and celebrated, and that’s another sign that I believe that we’re close to the end.

Rios: You know Scott you’re talking to thousands of the people across the country and some of them are probably pastors. What would you say to pastors out there who are facing, you know they’ve come up with these issues, these issues have come across their knowledge, they can’t escape it, whether it’s domestic partnerships or its benefits for homosexuals or whatever and it’s hurdling toward gay marriage in every state, what would you say to them by way of preparing themselves and how they should respond?

Lively: It’s time to adopt an apostolic mentality as Christians and to look to Revelation. How did they prevail? They prevailed by the blood of the lamb, the word of their testimony, and I think is most important, they did not love their lives unto death. We’re entering into a time in which standing for the truth of God is going to cost you more than just a few people walking out of your congregation and the temptation to compromise with the world, especially on this issue. I think this is the issue of the End Times, homosexuality. It’s present, if you do a careful investigation of all the scriptures dealing with this from the beginning and all the way to the end, God is painting a very clear picture that this represents the outer extent of rebellion against Him in a society and the last thing that happens before wrath comes.