(ThyBlackMan.com) Christians who are interested in understanding end time events, and let’s be truthful and confess that we all have such interest, will encounter a raft of jokers who claim to know when the world will come to an end. Some of these jokers prophesy a date, and when that date has come and gone, they make some frivolous excuse why it was wrong, and then gone on to prophesy another date. These are false prophets, and even some churches engage in this foolishness, and yet our interest in end time events has not diminished.
The unvarnished truth, is that God, and God alone, knows when the world will end. This undeniable truth is confirmed in Holy Writ, in words like these, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36). Some famous scientists are now saying that the world will end, and they give a time line, but you can ignore them, since they know very little about such matters, just like they are clueless as to how the world began.
What Christians can know, because the Bible gives us very clear guidelines, are the circumstances that give rise to the commencement of the end of time. Note carefully what Paul says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” (2 Timothy 3:1), and the world have experienced perilous times on a continuous basis since then, but the world has not ended. Paul went on to list a number of things that will happen before the end kicks in, and many of those things occur over and over again.
People, even diligent Bible students, are apt to not see the distinction between universal destruction, which will occur during the last seven years on earth, known as “The Tribulation”, and national or regional destruction of which Sodom and Gomorrah are typical.
It is necessary, therefore, to understand and appreciate the horrific circumstances and the divine judgment in which God unleashed his fury on Sodom and Gomorrah.
A search through the history of Sodom and Gomorrah shows some interesting facts that are scarcely known. When we think of God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, we think of just two cities in the region, but that is wrong. There were five evil cities in that region, and before the fire and brimstone judgment, they were devastated by an invading army:
“And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations; That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.” (Genesis 14:1-2)
The outcome of the war was decisive:
“And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim; With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five. And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain. .” (Genesis 14:8-10)
These five cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar (also called Bela), suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of King Chedorlaomer, but they did not repent and turn away from their wickedness, and God visited them yet again. Christians should note that out of the five cities, Zoar was the only one spared, because Lot had prayed for it to be saved:
“Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.” (Genesis 19:20-22)
That the four cities were destroyed at the same time by fire and brimstone are clearly stated in the Bible, thus, “And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath.” (Deuteronomy 29:23)
Sodom and Gomorrah are used as a metaphor throughout the Bible to represent the four lawless cities that God destroyed with fire and brimstone. Many Bible readers do not understand that, and that Sodom and Gomorrah were the two largest cities.
It is vital for us to understand that when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, he did not destroy the whole world, just a desperately wicked province. God can do the same again, anytime, especially if the circumstances today are the same or similar to those that caused their destruction.
When Christians talk or write about Sodom and Gomorrah, they always refer to the rampant homosexuality, as if that was the only despicable trouble afflicting those residents. When trying to understand the reasons for God’s shocking intervention, we must see the whole gamut of ills those people perpetuated.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because the people became oppressive, and their sins reached new heights, i.e., in God’s eyes they became “very grievous”:
“And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;” (Genesis 18:20). Even the wicked people were crying out for relief. Some people think that oppression is merely a political device, but it is not and God makes it clear that he is taking note, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12)
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because the people became pompous, mean spirited, and ignored the poor and helpless.
“Your sister Sodom and her daughters were proud. They had too much to eat and too much time on their hands, and they did not help poor, helpless people.” (Ezekiel 16:49). Today, the world sees the poor and helpless as a disease, people to scorn and reject, but God takes a different view, because the poor are often the helpless victims of the rich and powerful.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because the people became excessively proud and their way of life led them to do terrible things.
“Sodom and her daughters became too proud and began to do terrible things in front of me. So I punished them.” (Ezekiel 16:50). When so-called advanced countries are legalizing same sex marriage, and the President of the USA calls and congratulates a newly married same sex couple, and David Cameron, Former UK Prime Minister, goes into developing countries and tells them to legalize sodomy or face withdrawal of financial aid, then you understand the situation.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of severe and widespread idolatry:
“For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book: And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 29:26-28)
There are few sins more toxic in God’s estimation than idolatry, a distressing repudiation of God, and the values he has given to humanity. When people turn to idolatry, then there is but a small step to go to invoke God’s ultimate sanction. To be idolatrous is to live with the sword of Damocles dangling, menancing, and ready to fall at any given moment.
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because they descended into habitual ungodliness.
“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.” (2 Peter 2:6)
Ungodliness is the final step on the ladder down into perdition. When people have withered spiritually, destroyed their consciences, turned their backs on God irretrievably, live lives of continuous blasphemy, and would murder God gladly if they could, then they have entered the realm of the ungodly. For good reason the Bible says, “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” (Psalm 1:5)
Now look around you, look overseas, and see if you do not see similar situations to the one prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha. Some people think that the present situation is much worse; because we are living in the Age of Grace.
Do you see any reason why God should treat this present age any differently from the way he treated Sodom and Gomorrha? I don’t.
Staff Writer; Henderson W.
You can contact this Christian brother at: HWard@ThyBlackMan.com.
