The city names “Sodom and Gomorrah” are synonymous with sin, and also synonymous with judgment by a righteous God. To get technical, there were more cities than just those two that were totally destroyed by fire and brimstone at that particular time of judgment from heaven.
Moses cites four cities when he wrote of future events of judgment during which time a comparison-of-destruction would be observed:
Deuteronomy 29:23-26
23 ‘The whole land is brimstone, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger and His wrath.’
24 All nations would say, Why has the LORD done so to this land ? (“this land” being Israel in this Deuteronomy warning against future covenant breaking) What does the heat of this great anger mean?’
25 Then people would say: ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt;
26 for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them.
This above recitation appears in Deuteronomy 29, which is part of the covenant the Lord entered into with His people Israel, offering them blessings for obedience and warning them of curses for disobedience. The recitation about Sodom and its neighbors presented a dire warning, forward in time, to Israel and I am inclined to believe with virtually any nation that would covenant with God, walk in the blessings of covenant relationship, and then proceed to move into blasphemous living, wickedness and perversion.
America has been in covenant with God since 1620. 4’s/40’s/400’s are a notable number in biblical prophetic context: desert years, ark/flood years, fasting days for Jesus, spies in Canaan, Moses’ days on Sinai, etc.). Our forefathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620, entered into covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We’ve been nationally blessed while we’ve progressively blown off holy commitment to God. In 2018 I wrote a brief piece mentioning the 400-year anniversary of covenant, mentioning I would not be surprised at 2020 (then upcoming) in essence being an activation-year.
Another notable mention of Sodom appears in the final bible book of Revelation, declaring that the sin of Jerusalem, at the time of the upcoming end of this age, will sadly warrant worthy comparison:
Revelation 11:7-10
7 When they (the two holy witnesses of God) finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.
8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (unquestionably: Jerusalem – here nicknamed Sodom).
9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations (effectively all nations, obsessed at that time with sin and the rampant demonism on earth in those days) will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves.
10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
Can you see where we appear to be going, as a world and as a nation, these days?
Also, to clear the spiritual air in reference to a particular verse in Ezekiel that mentions Sodom – verses that some have unwisely and vainly attempted to twist to their purposes hoping to prove homosexuality is not a sin (and the leisure of Sodom was their downfall), the verse below actually and accurately speaks of the climate of the city that, once their self-indulgence and obsession with pleasure and leisure overcame them (can we relate?), at that time their spiritual rebellion and ongoing rage against God and His laws took them (Sodom) all the way to the most abominable sins of homosexuality and sexual perversion, precipitating destructive judgment. The Ezekiel verses below does not “correct” or over-ride the Genesis account of Sodom’s homosexual sin, it in fact explains the slippery spiritual slope into degeneracy that accompanies complacency, pleasure seeking, selfishness, self-indulgence, and abandonment of the principles of God.
Ezekiel 16:49-50
49 Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had (here’s the progression, it began with pride and went all the way to warranting destruction for committing abomination) pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50 And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.
(Reference: Leviticus 18. We’re told what the Lord, the righteous Judge, deems abominable)
The above is in complete accord with what is told to us in the New Testament book of Romans, chapter 1. God is most serious about His call to the world. Holiness is a requirement for spiritual survival and ongoing rebellion will eventually invoke judgment action by God Himself:
Romans 1:20-32
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 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.
28 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;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 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.
And Paul (who wrote of the magnificent grace of God available in these New Testament times), also tells all of us all of this:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 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,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Verse 11 describes the miraculous conversion from sinner to saint, exclusively available through the death of our Savior on the cross, for Jew (His people) and Gentile, alike. Whosoever will. Meanwhile, we find ourselves in a world that is more marked by whosoever won’t.
A world raging against God and His word will eventually rebel not only against the Him and His word, but will in fact eventually turn to hate God and hate His word and hate those who love God and love His word.
The agenda of humanism will eventually get us to the place, especially as a covenant-breaking nation, where the word of God will be outlawed and condemned, and anyone who would dare to speak teach or preach the word of God will be considered a lawbreaker. We are getting there. Meanwhile, saints, dare to obey God.
When a murderer breaks into a school (Nashville: March 27, 2023) and guns down innocent 9 year olds along with 3 school teachers, and when that story is then for the most part nationally media-spun to imply, accuse or condemn Christianity of in any manner warranting such violence as a result of Christian-principles inciting hatred towards people living lifestyles contradictory to holy scripture – something ought to stir deeply in the hearts of believers. And those whose hearts are stirred ought to be stirred to holiness, to prayer, to deeper conviction and consecration, and to God. Our God told us beforehand how these days would look, and how they would play out. He is not surprised.
Isaiah 60:1-2
1 Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
Murder has recently taken place, and sin remains sin. Meanwhile nothing anyone can do or has done justifies anyone else’s sin. It doesn’t work that way. God the Creator has the right and authority to require mankind, excuse me – peoplekind, lest I offend anyone – to live by the laws of heaven or suffer the consequences of disobedience. And those consequences can be national as well as personal. History proves it will happen that way.
If there are professing Christians who hate other people caught in sexual (or any other) sin, be sure the Lord will be dealing heavily with those Christians, as He ought. We’re to love the lost as Christ loved us when we were lost. Meanwhile the lost are still lost, and the God they are raging against is calling them to repentance, now, as He shakes heaven and earth (Hag 2:6-7).
Believers are accountable to love sinners and hate sin and there is grace for saints to walk in that distinction. That line of differentiation is only effectively established in and by the Spirit of God being active in our lives – us keeping oil in our lamps. Meanwhile, God is Judge and will judge, and the course that this world is on, along with the prophetic timeline associated with the events of this season – are clearly outlined throughout the eternal text that many love and live by, while sadly more hate and want to condemn. Psalm 2 speaks to that.
Ephesians 6:13
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
All scripture NKJV
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