Grace Thoughts
Sodom and Gomorrah – 2023 AD
God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, along with other nearby cities almost four thousand years ago. 2023 BC is a ‘close’ estimate based on when Abraham was alive. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, wanted to live near Sodom. Abraham did not. They made different choices that would impact the world.
Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. Genesis 13:11-13
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom … For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it. Genesis 19:1, 13
Sodom and Gomorrah were most likely located on a plain that is now covered by the Dead Sea. You can read details of the destruction and aftermath in Genesis chapters 18 and 19. The reason for the destruction is clear to see in the Scriptures. The cities were morally bankrupt, sexually immoral, and without fear of God in their hearts. God gave them adequate time to repent and even gave Abraham a number of righteous men that would withhold His judgment.
So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes” … Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place. Genesis 18:26, 32-33
After Abraham finished negotiating with God, it came down to ten righteous men. That’s all it would have taken to save the cities. However, the cities on the plain were so wicked that not even ten men could be found. One of the most wicked aspects of their lives is found here –
Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.” So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.” And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. Genesis 19:4-11
Homosexuality had taken over the hearts and minds of the men of the cities of the plains. They saw two new “men” (angels) enter the city and all of the men of the city of Sodom, “both old and young,” wanted to know them carnally. The men wanted to have sex with the men so badly that they almost broke down the door to Lot’s house to get to the men. However, the angels pulled Lot into the house, shut the door, and struck the men at the doorway of the house with blindness. The blind men were not able to find the door to Lot’s house.
That was the type of wickedness that had overtaken the cities “on the plain.” God is long-suffering, but His wrath will come. God sent two angels to destroy the cities and gave Lot and his family the opportunity to escape. However, only Lot and two of his daughters escaped the massive destruction.
Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. Genesis 19:24-29
What Abraham saw must have looked like the aftermath of a nuclear bomb. The brimstone and fire that fell on Sodom, Gomorrah, and the other cities, “overthrew” all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. What Abraham saw was “the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
God’s wrath is devastating. It destroys everything He intends to destroy. That day is coming soon to America and the rest of the world –
The Lord is going to completely destroy everything on earth. He will twist its surface. He’ll scatter those who live on it … The earth will be completely destroyed. Everything of value will be taken out of it. That’s what the Lord has said. The earth will dry up completely. The world will dry up and waste away. The heavens will fade away along with the earth. The earth is polluted by its people. They haven’t obeyed the laws of the Lord. They haven’t done what he told them to do. They’ve broken the covenant that will last forever. So the Lord will send a curse on the earth. Its people will pay for what they’ve done. They will be burned up. Very few of them will be left. Isaiah 24:1, 3-6
Sounds terrible, right? Not so. Think about it. People are polluting the earth with their sexual immorality and worship of false gods. They haven’t obeyed God. The people will pay for what they’ve done. Do you think that is a bad thing? If you do, think again –
Those who are left alive will shout for joy. People from the west will praise the Lord because he is the King. So give glory to him, you who live in the east. Honor the name of the Lord, you who are in the islands of the sea. He is the God of Israel. From one end of the earth to the other we hear singing. People are saying, “Give glory to the God who always does what is right.” Isaiah 24:14-16
Give glory to the God who always does what is right. Doesn’t that excite you as a Christian?
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:11-21
Some people, even some Christians, think the idea of God destroying cities and the people in them is a terrible thing for a “loving God” to do. When I hear a Christian say that, I know that person either does not know the Scripture or possibly not know God. If you know God and His Word you will be thrilled to see Divine Justice delivered to wickedness on the earth.
You will find the mention of Sodom and Gomorrah dozens of times in the Bible. Jesus used Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of how much worse the judgment will be on Israel because they rejected Him –
And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 11:23-24
Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” Mark 6:10-22
By the way, I wrote earlier – “Abraham’s nephew, Lot, wanted to live near Sodom. Abraham did not. They made different choices that would impact the world.” One of the big impacts is that after escaping from Sodom, both of Lot’s daughters had sexual relations with their drunken father and became pregnant. One of the daughters named her son Moab. He became the father of the Moabites. The other daughter called her son Ben-Ammi. He became the father of the people of Ammon. The Moabites and Ammonites were pagan nations and enemies of God and His people, even though they were distantly related to Israel through Abraham’s nephew Lot. You might find a study of Israel’s history with the Moabites and Ammonites helpful in understanding how Lot’s decision to move to Sodom impacted the world. Decisions have consequences.
Today’s Sodom and Gomorrah
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Luke 17:26-30
Fast forward four thousand years and we find ourselves living in what very well may be the final days of the “present age.” Look around and what do you see? Moral bankruptcy, sexual immorality, and no fear of God in the minds and hearts of people.
The Apostle Paul also placed his finger on the problem that plagues us today –
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:24-32
The problem we’re facing as a nation is not just the “un-churched” who are behaving like the wicked men of Sodom and Gomorrah. Many who are “churched” are also caught up into moral bankruptcy, sexual immorality, and no fear of God in their hearts. Jesus and His apostles warned us it would happen and it is happening – in front of our eyes. Many of these “churched” are not even saved, so it is no wonder they act so wickedly. As Jesus told the “churched” of His day –
“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father. Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” John 8:37-47
That is Christ’s message to millions of people who pretend to be Christians – “you are not of God.” That’s how it was two-thousand years ago and that’s how it is today.
The “day of reckoning” is near at hand. Jesus is about to return to the earth, destroy the armies of the world order, and judge the nations. Where do you stand? With Noah? With Abraham?
God has given us a message to take to the nations. We may not have much time left to deliver that message, so I suggest we get busy and preach the Gospel to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
If you agree, say Amen.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts
