Bible lessons
Published 01/24/2021
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are described in the Bible in the book of Genesis. In this article we will look at why God destroyed the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We will find out what their main sin was, and whether they could repent of their atrocities. In this article you will find biblical quotes on this topic, as well as our short comments and conclusions.
The first mention of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible can be found in chapter 10 of the book of Genesis. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were part of the so-called Pentatepolis (Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, Zeboim and Zoar) and were located in the Dead Sea region, as stated in the Old Testament. It is worth saying that the history of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible is inextricably linked with the history of Abraham and Lot, his nephew.
Sodom and Gomorrah - first mentioned in the Bible
Genesis 13 describes how Abraham allows Lot to choose land for his pastures, since their flocks had grown very large by that time:
Then Abram said to Lot: “It is not fitting for us to argue with each other, and it is not fitting for your people to argue with my people, for we are all brothers. Let's part ways. Choose whatever place you want, and if you go left, then I will go right, and if you go right, then I will go left.” Lot looked and saw the Jordan Valley and that there was a lot of water in it. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. At that time, the Jordan Valley all the way to Zoar was like the garden of the Lord; the land there was good, like in Egypt). Lot chose the Jordan Valley for himself, they separated from each other. Lot went east, and Abram remained in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled between the cities in the valley. He went far south to Sodom and pitched his tents there. The Lord knew that the inhabitants of Sodom were great sinners. (Genesis 13:8-13)
At the end of this quote it is said that God already knew then that the inhabitants of Sodom were great sinners. Maybe even then God decided to punish and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their terrible sins?
Jordan Valley
Some scholars also believe that the ancient ruins located at Tell el-Hammam in Jordan may be the biblical city of sinners. Therefore, it was decided to undertake research in this area in order to confirm or refute the hypothesis. Excavations led by American scientist Stephen Collins, who relied on data from the book of Genesis, strengthen the assumption that Sodom was located in the southern region of the Jordan Valley, which is surrounded on all sides by depressions.
God is going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
Soon God sends His angels to see if people are really so depraved in their sins? Did God really not know for sure what was happening in the city? Of course, God always knows what is happening - He is the omnipotent, omniscient Creator of the Universe, Who knows absolutely everything. He knows everything past, present and future. And God says such things for people, to teach us something and show us something.
Here is what the Bible says about the further development of events around Sodom and Gomorrah:
The Lord said to Himself: “Shall I tell Abraham what I am going to do? From Abraham will come a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed because of him. I made a special agreement with Abraham so that he would instruct his children and descendants to live as the Lord pleases, righteously and justly, and then I, the Lord, will give him everything I promised.” Then the Lord said: “I have heard many times that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah are full of sin, so I will go and see if things are as bad as I heard, then I will know for sure.” The men turned and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. (Genesis 18:17-22)
A few verses earlier, God, through his angels (here appearing to Abraham as two men), tells Abraham and Sarah that they will have a child next spring. And immediately after this story with the child, angels, God’s servants, go to Sodom and Gomorrah to help God see for himself that there really is so much sin in the city. “Then I will know for sure,” says the Lord.
Abraham learns of God's intention to go to Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy these cities. Abraham tries to save his nephew Lot. Anyone who has been studying the Bible for many years is familiar with the dialogue between Abraham and God, in which Abraham tries to find out if there is at least some chance that God will not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah:
What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? Are you really going to destroy the city? It is impossible that You would not spare the city for the sake of the 50 righteous living in it... (Genesis 18:24)
The dialogue between Abraham and God continues, Abraham repeatedly reduces the possible number of righteous people in Sodom until it reaches 10 people, after which God stops answering him:
...Then Abraham said: “Lord, I ask You, do not be angry with me, but allow me to disturb You one last time: if You find ten righteous people there, what will You do?” The Lord replied: “If I find ten righteous people in a city, I will not destroy it.” The Lord finished speaking with Abraham and left, but Abraham returned to his home. (Genesis 18:32,33)
Angels of God come to Sodom
In the evening two angels of God reached Sodom. Lot met them near the city gates and then invited them to his home. The angels wanted to stay overnight in the city square, but Lot persuaded them to spend the night with them.
What happens next is one of the strangest and saddest stories in the Bible, which reveals the abomination of sins that filled Sodom, Gomorrah and other cities. At night, residents of the city gather at Lot’s house, demanding that the guests be given to them so that they can commit terrible sexual sins with them:
That same evening, before they went to bed, the people of Sodom, from young to old, came to Lot's house from all parts of the city and surrounded the house. They started shouting: “Where are the two men who came to you this evening? Bring them out to us so that we may know them.” (Genesis 19:4,5)
But even more terrible things are described further - Lot invites the city residents to rape their daughters instead of their guests. Lot literally tells them: “Do with them what you will...”:
Listen, I have two daughters who have never known a man, I will give you my daughters, do with them what you want, just, I ask you, do not harm these two! They came to my house, and it is my duty to protect them!” But the people of Sodom, who surrounded the house, said, “Get out of the way!” And they said to themselves: “This Lot is a stranger in our city, and he’s also trying to teach us how to live!” They told Lot: “Look, you will get even worse from us than they did!”, and they began to step on him, planning to break down the door. (Genesis 19:8,9)
We have already written in this article why Lot did this. But thanks to the angels, what could have happened to Lot’s daughters did not happen. The angels saw for themselves that terrible sins were happening in the city. The angels try to save Lot and all his relatives, saying that they already have a command from God to destroy the city of Sodom:
And the two said to Lot: “Is there any other member of your family living in this city? Do you have sons-in-law, or sons, or daughters, or anyone else from your family here? If there is, you should tell them to leave now. We will destroy this city, because the Lord heard how much evil there was in it, and sent us to destroy it.” (Genesis 19:12,13)
Then Lot unsuccessfully tries to save his relatives. Nobody believes him. They laugh at him. Lot is still perplexed, then the angels literally lead Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city by the hand. And then God’s judgment occurs in these cities - God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The meaning of phraseology
Therefore, the name of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah became a common noun, in the broad sense of these words meaning extreme depravity and extreme depravity. In a narrower sense, this means any unnatural sexual relations. This is what the Apostle Paul says about the pagans:
“How, having come to know God, they did not glorify Him as God and did not give thanks, but became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened; calling themselves wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image similar to corruptible man, and birds, and four-legged creatures, and reptiles - then God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, so that they defiled their very bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, Who is blessed forever, amen.
Therefore, God gave them over to shameful passions: their women replaced natural use with unnatural; Likewise, men, abandoning the natural use of the female sex, were inflamed with lust for one another, men committing shame on men and receiving in themselves due retribution for their error. And because they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a depraved mind—to do lewd things” (Rom. 1:21-28).
In an even narrower sense, sodomites are the name given to persons with the so-called “non-traditional sexual orientation,” i.e. gays and lesbians; which the apostle mentions in the above quotation.
Interesting fact
It should be noted that in the West, in particular in Western Europe, homosexuality until quite recently (until the first half of the twentieth century and a little later) was considered a criminal offense. For which severe punishment was imposed, including the death penalty. However, then, through the efforts of workers in the “mystery of lawlessness,” the situation changed dramatically.
Now these “non-traditional relationships” are declared to be completely “traditional”. A number of, so to speak, "scientists and philosophers" are trying to prove that same-sex orientation is supposedly innate to a significant percentage of babies from the moment of their birth, and should be "manifested" and not "suppressed."
Therefore, he has been promoting these perversions there since kindergarten. Where children are read fairy tales not about the love of a handsome prince for a princess, as was the case before, but about “the same-sex love of a handsome prince for an equally handsome prince,” since the first fairy tale, unlike the second lie, is “not tolerant.”
And for such “intolerant” attitudes and even statements regarding sodomites, supposedly “violating their rights”, the West imposes rather severe criminal penalties. Finally, a number of Western countries have allowed same-sex “marriage”
God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
The sun had already risen when Lot entered Zoar. At this very time, the Lord began to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah by sending fire and burning brimstone from heaven. The Lord destroyed these cities, destroyed the entire valley, all the plants and all the people who lived in these cities. (Genesis 19:23-25)
Cities were destroyed - literally burned to the ground. Every living thing in the city died. Considering that no one managed to escape from the city, the fire spread with enormous speed. Burning sulfur poured from the sky in fountains, destroying everything in its path. All the people who just a few hours ago were enjoying their sexual and other sins were destroyed.
Early in the morning of the same day, Abraham got up and went to the place where he stood before the Lord. Looking down at the ground in the valley, Abraham saw thick smoke rising from the ground, like the smoke of a great fire. But when God destroyed the cities in the valley, He remembered Abraham and, before destroying them, brought out Lot, who lived in the cities of the valley. (Genesis 19:27-29)
After his dialogue with God, Abraham did not know whether God would destroy Sodom, where his nephew Lot lived. Abraham did not know whether God would save Lot. Early in the morning Abraham saw thick smoke from the fire. What might Abraham have thought, what did this mean? And this meant only one thing - God did not find a single righteous person in Sodom. But God decided to save Lot, save him solely because of Abraham.
Michael Sanders Expedition
In 2000, British scientist Michael Sanders became the leader of an archaeological expedition aimed at finding destroyed cities. Their work was based on images obtained from the American space shuttle. According to these photographs, the city could be located northeast of the Dead Sea, contrary to all data from the Bible. Scientists believed that they had managed to find the most accurate location of Sodom, the ruins of which, in their opinion, are located at the bottom of the Dead Sea.
So why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah anyway?
Could God have left the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah alive, because perhaps they would have changed over time? There is a story in the Bible about the repentance of an entire people who managed to escape God's judgment. This is the history of the city of Nineveh, described in the book of the prophet Jonah. This is what God was going to do with this city, notice how similar it is to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah:
The word of the Lord came to Jonah, the son of Amathi: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, for the news of its evil deeds has reached Me.” (Jonah 1:1,2)
The book of Jonah contains only 4 chapters. In the very first verses of the book, God asks Jonah to preach against the sins of Nineveh. Everyone knows what happened next - Jonah resists the command of God, running away from Him. Jonah is swallowed by a large fish, and three days later Jonah is miraculously rescued from the belly of a sea animal. And this is how chapter 3 of the book of Jonah begins:
And then the Lord spoke to Jonah again. The Lord said, “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim there what I command you.” Jonah followed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Nineveh was a huge city; it took three days to walk it from end to end. Jonah reached the middle of the city and began to preach to the people. Jonah said, “In forty days the city of Nineveh will be destroyed.” (Jonah 3:1-4)
Within three days, Jonah changed his mind, deciding to obey God’s command. He goes to the city of Nineveh to preach against the sins of its inhabitants. God decided to destroy the city of Nineveh for the atrocities that were happening in this city. But this is where the similarities between Nineveh and Sodom end. What happens next is what saves the city of Nineveh and reverses God’s decision to destroy the city:
Jonah reached the middle of the city and began to preach to the people. Jonah said, “In forty days the city of Nineveh will be destroyed.” The people of Nineveh believed God's words. And all of them, from the least to the greatest, decided to fast, and they all put on mourning clothes to show that they repented. When news of this reached the king of Nineveh, he stood up from his throne, took off his royal robes, put on mourning robes and sat down on the ashes.
Then the king wrote a special decree and sent it throughout the city: By order of the king and his nobles: For a while, neither man, nor beast, nor herd is allowed to graze in the fields. Nothing living in Nineveh will eat or drink. All people and animals should be covered with hair shirts, and the people should cry loudly to God. Every person must change his life and stop sinning. Who knows, maybe God will soften and mercifully prevent us from perishing, moderating his formidable anger. And when God saw how they had changed and how they had departed from the path of their evil, He took pity and did not send upon them the destruction that He had threatened. (Jonah 3:4-10)
The story of the city of Nineveh shows that God is willing to cancel even His most severe punishment by forgiving the people for their sins. This idea is repeated many times on the pages of the Bible in different books. If a person sincerely repents, proving by deeds his desire to change his previous way of life, then God forgives the person. God forgave the people of Nineveh because He saw sincere repentance in their actions.
Why then did God destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? The answer is that the inhabitants of these cities are very entrenched in their sins, completely hardening their hearts to them. The cities were destroyed not only because of the sins that the city's inhabitants had already committed, but also because of the lack of desire to repent of their sins and change their lives. Persistence in sins and unwillingness to repent were the main reasons for the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lot, Abraham's nephew
The oldest surviving painting is the work of Albrecht Dürer, which is called “Lot’s Flight”. Here is an old man, accompanied by two daughters, and his wife can be seen in the distance, and everything looks pretty decent. However, in later works by masters of various eras and movements one can find a radically different interpretation. For example, the work of Simon Vouet entitled “Lot and His Daughters” shows us an already elderly man playing with his half-naked daughters. Similar paintings are also found in such painters as Hendrik Goltzius, Francesco Furini, Lucas Cranach, Domenico Maroli and a number of others.
Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible - a warning to those living today
It is interesting that a person can become so hardened in his heart that he refuses to repent even in the last moments of his life. This is what the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, says:
Other people who did not die from these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons and gold, silver, copper, stone and wooden idols, which cannot see, hear, or walk. And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their theft. (Revelation 9:20,21)
The fifth angel poured out his cup on the throne of the beast: and his kingdom became dark, and they bit their tongues from their suffering, and blasphemed the God of heaven from their sufferings and their plagues; and did not repent of their deeds. (Revelation 16:10,11)
In the Bible you can find many similar examples when some people repent of their sins and change their lives, while others, on the contrary, harden their hearts even more before God, not wanting to humble themselves.
