Because Genesis is unclear about the specific sins that led God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, interpreters throughout the ages have disagreed on the nature of those sins. Now, isn’t it stunning that the very people who are quick to reference God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah do so in criticism of something that was nowhere in the mind of Ezekiel or Isaiah (or even of Jesus, when He referenced Sodom)? Sodom and Gomorrah serve as a powerful example of how God … But he drew this association with Sodom and Gomorrah because Israel was going astray in much the same way as he (and the rest of Israel) understood Sodom and Gomorrah to had gone astray. Verse 17 lays it all out for us. Note that Scripture elsewhere identifies these rebellious angels as the ones who are presently in chains (2Pe. The angels agreed and went to the house of Lot. There is an explanation provided in this myth by the canonical Bible for why Sodom was destroyed, but as for Gomorrah and two other cities, we’re told nothing. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a cautionary tale of the destructive consequences of sin. Sodom was evidently the chief town in the settlement. After Lot is unable to convince his sons-in-law to leave the city, he fled Sodom with his wife and two daughters encouraged by the two angels that the Lord will look after them. What Was the Sin That Condemned Ananias and Sapphira? The problem is that the traditional interpretation of the narrative is just plain wrong, in that it grossly misidentifies the reason God decided to destroy these cities. (Because Lot believed in God and did the right things that God … They ride out to do battle, but fall into a bunch of tar pits and get massacred. These give a sense of how ancient Jewish thinkers steeped in Jewish culture understood these texts. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! Therefore I removed them when I saw it.” Abraham then asks about a lesser and lesser number until down to ten people as God answers, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it” (Genesis 18:32). Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Now, in my birthday analogy, the only way to learn why I thanked my new friend was to back up and get a history lesson. No. Because they refuse to hold homosexuality as a sin, they reinterpret the Bible to support their wants and desires. In fact, that religiosity sickens Him! (Because the people who lived there didn’t believe in God and they were doing wrong things, so God had to punish them.) Only the most uninformed or the most bigoted people believe that homosexuals are rapists, pedophiles, or other sexually abusive people. But God also … After leaving Abraham, God’s angels arrived at the gates of Sodom and Gomorrah where they were greeted by the gatekeeper Lot. To this day, the area where Sodom and Gomorrah were located remains a desolate wasteland. This was apparently something that wasn’t new to them (maybe not the “rape” aspect, but at least the “sex with angels” aspect). But again, we must be careful not to assume anything. God destroyed them for precisely the same reason He destroyed the world during the days of Noah. Yet, verse 4 expressly states that these Nephilim were in the earth in those days, “and also after that…” If they were in the earth after the time of the Flood, that means that these human/angel liaisons did not end with the destruction of the old world. Kedorlaomer and his allies then ransack Sodom and Gomorrah, taking all their possessions, all their food, and carrying a ton of their citizens off. Ekporneuo isn’t specific enough to identify their sexual sin for us. Why did God destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Did he punish them out of some sort … [13] “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. As Genesis 19:11-13 states, “Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. I really appreciated that!”. Why did God destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? They don’t critically think about what they’re reading. The Lord informed Abraham that “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous.” Verses 22-33 record Abraham pleading with the Lord to have mercy on Sodom and Gomorrah … According to the Bible, the men of Sodom 'were wicked, such sinners against the Lord, He decided to destroy them'. 10:10-12.). Luke 10:1–12, Jesus declares certain cities more damnable than Sodom and Gomorrah… After the angels entered the home of Lot, the men of the city surrounded Lot’s house. 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