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Sodom and Gomorrah
The Destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah
by Jack Zavada
Three angels visited Abraham, God's hand-picked founder
of his chosen nation, Israel. They came disguised as men, travelers along the
road.
Two of them went down to Sodom and Gomorrah, to observe firsthand the
wickedness in those cities.
The other visitor, who was the Lord, stayed behind. He revealed to Abraham that
he was going to destroy the cities because of the evil ways of their people.
Abraham, a special friend of the Lord, began to bargain with God
to spare the cities if there were righteous people in them.
First, Abraham asked if the Lord would spare the cities if 50
righteous people lived there. The Lord said yes.
Boldly, Abraham kept bargaining down, until God agreed not to destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah if even ten righteous people lived there.
Then the Lord departed.
When the two angels arrived at Sodom that evening, Abraham's
nephew Lot met them at the city gate.
Lot and his family lived in Sodom. He took the two men to his home and
fed them.
Then all the men of the city surrounded Lot's house and said, "Where
are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have
sex with them." (Genesis 19:5, NIV)
By ancient custom, the visitors were under Lot's protection.
Lot was so infected by the wickedness of Sodom that he offered the
homosexuals his two virgin daughters instead. Furious, the mob rushed up to
break down the door.
The angels struck the rioters blind. Leading Lot, his wife, and
two daughters by the hand, the angels hurried them out of the city. The
daughters' fiancés would not listen and stayed behind.
Lot and his family fled to a tiny village called Zoar. The Lord rained
down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying the buildings, the
people, and all the vegetation in the plain.
Lot's wife disobeyed the angels, looked back, and turned into a pillar
of salt.
Points of Interest from the Story of Sodom and Gomorrah
· God was mercifully willing to spare the cities for the sake of a few
righteous people, but none lived there. The Bible tells us all the inhabitants
were depraved.
· One of the reasons God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was because he did
not want the Jews to be influenced by this evil. As the Creator of all things,
God has the divine right to destroy evil as he sees fit.
· Lot and his family were spared, but his future sons-in-laws were
destroyed because they thought Lot was joking about God's wrath. Millions of
people today think God and sin are things to joke about. God does
exist, and he does punish unrepentant sinners.
· The Bible clearly states that the fire and sulfur, or brimstone,
rained down "from the Lord out of the
heavens" (Genesis 19:24, NIV), not upward from a volcano.
· Lot's wife, whose name is not given, became a pillar of salt. Why
would God turn her into a pillar of salt? While salt has other associations in
the Bible, it is often used as a symbol of death, destruction, judgment, and
disobedience. Although some scholars believe Lot's wife was covered with
molten material.
Sodom and Gomorrah in Modern Times
Similar to the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, evil is all around us in
today's society, from lying and stealing to pornography, drugs, illicit sex, and violence.
God calls us to be holy people set apart, not influenced by our
wicked culture. Sin always has consequences, and you should take sin and God's
wrath seriously.
Jack Zavada
Created and manages and blogs at
Inspiration-For-Singles.com
Published several books about Christian
lifestyle topics
Contributes to numerous self-growth and
Christian-based websites
Former newspaper reporter, technical editor,
and public relations director
Experience
Jack Zavada is a Christianity writer. Jack
began his 45-year career as a police and government newspaper reporter and
Associated Press wire editor. He later served as a technical editor at the U.S.
Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). Other positions held
include being a publications editor and a communications director.
As a writer, Jack focuses his work into three
genres, Christian lifestyles, self-help, and western fiction.
H contributes to several Christian-focused websites including
Bible-Reflections.net, SelfGrowth.com, LivingWordBaptist.net,
JustMeCatholicFaith.com, and WZAKClevland.com. Jack created, manages and blogs
at his website Inspiration-For-Singles.com. The site also serves as a platform
for marketing his self-help eBooks. He also writes and publishes western
fiction under the pen name of Calder Boone.
Education
Jack Zavada earned a Master Arts (M.A.) in
English Composition and a Bachelor Science (B.S.) in English literature, both
from Illinois State University.
Awards and Publications
Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming
Life's Challenges (Pine Cone Press, 1st edition, 2017)
Outsmarting Loneliness (Pine Cone Press, 2012)
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