“Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.” (Genesis 19: 24-25)
The historical account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a very short account of what happened, but it speaks volumes. In the account, two angels have just finished telling Sarah that she will conceive and have a child by the following year. Then God told Abraham that he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the two angels departed toward Sodom.
At this point Abraham pleads with God to not destroy the cities, because his nephew Lot and his family are still living in Sodom. Finally, God says that if there are 10 righteous people in the city of Sodom He will withhold his judgment. Well, God can’t find even 10 righteous people, which brings me to the sins of these people and the reasons for God’s judgment. After Lot invited the two men (angels) into his home, the Bible says, “And they [the men of the city] called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.” (Genesis 19:5) Some liberal scholars feel that this statement did not mean the men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual relations with the men (angels), but taken in context it is clear that that was their intent. The Bible says that, “the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:” There was a huge gathering of men outside of Lots home, and they wanted to rape and possibly even murder the two strangers (angels) that entered their city. “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:7)
So the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah started with homosexuality, fornication, rape and covetousness. That wasn’t all their sins though, Ezekiel, said that they were proud, wicked, lewd and committed abominations. The prophet Jeremiah, in comparing the prophets of Jerusalem to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah says, “I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies; and they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that none does return from his wickedness: they are all of them become to me as Sodom, and its inhabitants as Gomorrah.” So these people weren’t just out for a good time, they were horribly evil, rotten, vicious, lying, lewd, prideful, sexual deviants, among other terrible things. They deserved God’s wrath, which was made manifest by God raining brimstone and fire from heaven, destroying both cities all the inhabitants and the surrounding countryside. Only Lot and his two daughters survived the destruction by fleeing to the city of Zo’-ar.
Many people in many countries, including my beloved United States of America, are following the same path as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. I don’t believe they will turn from their evil ways, so I know the wrath of God is coming, I just don’t know when.
Repent and live.