Category: Sodom and Gomorrah

The Hottest Places in Eternity #9

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

If God caused a war, and the “watchman” (guardian) alerted the city that he saw danger approaching, those not taking heed would be responsible for their own fate (Ezekiel 33:1-5).

The LORD God continues in verses 6-9: “But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou [Ezekiel], O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

In Acts 20:26-27, Paul, God’s spokesman for the Dispensation of Grace, announced he was “pure from the blood of all men.” As a watchman, he had preached the Word of God’s Grace to lost and saved alike in Ephesus. The warning had been sent to the unsaved—Jesus Christ’s shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection as the sufficient payment for their sins. If they died in unbelief and went to Hell, it was their fault. The admonition had been issued to the Christians—God’s Grace, not Law, was the operating principle for victorious Christian living. If their spiritual lives were wrecked, they would be responsible. Paul, however, was guiltless!

Similarly, in eternal judgment, God holds unsaved leaders liable for not warning their people about Satan’s lie program….

The Hottest Places in Eternity #8

Monday, October 1, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

The second factor in determining the intensity of eternal judgment a lost soul will experience is how influential that individual was on the world stage. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation” (Matthew 23:14). “My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (James 3:1). Religious leaders will be more accountable to God than the congregations they managed.

While religious figures will be most harshly judged out of all leaders, do not suppose that kings and queens, presidents, prime ministers, judges, schoolteachers and professors, media executives, and authors and book publishers, will get off scot-free. These unsaved souls actively and willfully advocated elements of Satan’s evil world system: their programming, legislation, curricula, literature, and policies disseminated and perpetuated his lie program. The Lord Jesus Christ will take all of this into account as each damned soul stands before His throne of judgment.

Of particular note concerning harsh eternal judgment are popes, mega-church preachers, seminary faculty, corrupt Bible editors and translators, and founders of world religions and cults. Doubtless here are Israel’s religious leaders and Rome’s politicians directly involved in Christ’s crucifixion. Judas Iscariot, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet—Satan’s most useful human tools—are punished most severely.

We tremble to consider it, friends, but we must expressly warn. Unsaved husbands and fathers, those whom God commanded to guide women and children in His truth (Ephesians 5:23; Ephesians 6:4), will meet a particularly dreadful fate. For thousands of years, they utterly failed as spiritual leaders. They—more than any other class—contributed to the world’s problems by not training the younger generations. Consequently, those newer generations wreaked worse havoc. Again, to the degree they misled the masses, so is the severity of their everlasting penalty established….

The Hottest Places in Eternity #7

Sunday, September 30, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

The Great White Throne Judgment will be more bearable for the evil citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah than for the audience of Christ’s earthly ministry. More divine revelation was given to the latter, and yet the latter behaved far worse than the former!! This applies across the Bible timeline, even to our present-day. We have a completed Bible, all 66 Books, and yet human society is more anti-God and anti-Scripture than ever. Can you hear God’s rebuke? “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for those in prior dispensations in the day of judgment, than for you living in the Dispensation of Grace!!”

Christ Jesus warned in John 12:48: “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” Every Bible ignored, every Gospel tract rejected, and every missionary rebuffed, will surely be mentioned in the Day of Judgment. These opportunities were intentionally missed. What a frightful prospect! God’s Word to any one group will condemn them to eternal judgment if not believed. The more divine revelation given, the harder the unbelieving heart grows. Two classic cases are Pharaoh with the 10 plagues (Exodus chapters 7–12) and Israel in the wilderness wanderings (Hebrews 3:7-19).

At the Great White Throne Judgment, the books opened are the Bible and the record of the deeds of the lost: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12). Jesus Christ will take applicable Bible verses, and indict each and every unsaved soul on the basis of that spiritual light rejected….

Bible Q&A #540: “Does the Bible support British Israelism?”

The Hottest Places in Eternity #6

Saturday, September 29, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

The Lord Jesus uttered harsh words in Matthew chapter 11: “[21] Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. [22] But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. [23] And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. [22] But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. [24] But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.”

Matthew 10:15: “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city [where Christ’s Apostles preached].” Christ said in Luke chapter 10: “[12] But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. [13] Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. [14] But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. [15] And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. [16] He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”

Yea, to whom much is given, much will be required….

The Hottest Places in Eternity #5

Friday, September 28, 2018

“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11 KJV).

Are there degrees of punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire? Indeed!

Dear friends, no one “accidentally” goes to Hell. Only after a long (!) process of deliberately rejecting divine revelation—creation, conscience, and Bible—does a soul wake up in hellfire. The living, loving God of creation issued every possible warning… all was refused. His justice must enforce His righteousness. Sin will be punished in full!

From the time He created and placed man on Earth, the God of the Bible has constantly extended a message for man’s faith and obedience. While the written Bible was not always available, there was God’s spoken Word, which leaves “pre-Bible man” also without excuse. Sodom and Gomorrah, since they are so early on the Bible timeline, had very limited revelation from God (no Bible, but God’s spoken Word nonetheless).

The destruction of wicked Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most striking events of divine judgment in the Old Testament. Genesis 19:24,25: “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.” The Bible refers to this outstanding incident numerous times (cf. today’s Scripture, Deuteronomy 29:23, Isaiah 1:9, Amos 4:11, Zephaniah 2:9, Luke 17:29, 2 Peter 2:6, et cetera).

Jude 7 remarks, “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.” God utilized fire and brimstone (sulfur) to destroy these two sinful cities. Yet, there is far worse eternal judgment. Notice today’s Scripture, a record of Christ’s earthly ministry. Jesus Christ sent out His 12 Apostles to preach in His name. Whoever would reject these men will have a harsher experience before Him than Sodom and Gomorrah will have….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “When did Paul know about Israel’s fall?”

Lingering Lot

Saturday, June 24, 2017

“And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city” (Genesis 19:15,16 KJV).

In “lingering Lot,” we see many a Christian today!

Nephew to Abraham, Lot was a very compromising believer. While the world’s sins bothered him (2 Peter 2:6-9), he did not mind dabbling in them himself. For example, Lot “sat in the gate of Sodom” (Genesis 19:1): he was an important statesman in that most wicked city, enjoying high social standing and great wealth. Once God had enough of the homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent two angels to destroy them (see Genesis 18:16-22; Genesis 19:1ff.).

God also sent those angels to deliver Lot and his family before His righteous wrath falls upon Sodom and Gomorrah. In today’s Scripture, the angels urge Lot to hurry and take his wife and two daughters and escape. Three words stand out: “and while he lingered….” Lot wanted to stay just a bit longer, to take one last look at all his possessions he had acquired while officiating over Sodom. His beautiful home and its furnishings would be destroyed. His sinful acquaintances would be killed. (Notice how his wife “looked back behind him” once they did leave in verse 26, and she “became a pillar of salt!” She too had been attached to the material goods she and Lot had.)

Lot should have led his family out of such wickedness, yet he “lingered.” The angels had to thus forcefully grab all four of them (he, his wife, and their two daughters) and bring them outside the city! JEHOVAH God could have consumed Lot for being so wicked, so idolatrous, and yet He was “merciful unto him.” No doubt, many such saints will want to “linger” at the Rapture, when Christ returns to take all Christians to Heaven, desiring to stay behind and enjoy this evil world one last time. May we not be those “lingering” believers!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What does the Bible say about blood transfusions?”

Iniquity Not Yet Full #2

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

“But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” (Genesis 15:16 KJV).

Today’s Scripture expressly declares why the God of the Bible “takes His time” when dealing with sinful mankind.

The God of the Bible is very orderly; He is organized and does not act on haphazard whims. On one hand, His justice demands that sin be punished in full, and His wrath inflicts a punishment to satisfy His offended righteousness (ultimately, everlasting hellfire, banished from His presence forever). On the other hand, His mercy, love, and grace provide a means so that the sinner can escape that wrath via substitutionary atonement (ultimately, the sinner can come by faith alone in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, where Christ suffered God’s wrath on our behalf, and be accepted of God). Whether operating in wrath or in grace, the God of the Bible is completely fair and wise in every deed.

Certain limits must be breached before God’s wrath falls on the sinner, and while only God Himself knows those parameters, the entire Bible’s canon demonstrates that this is how He deals with wicked humanity. For example, consider three major events of sin in the book of Genesis:

  • God could have destroyed Adam and Eve immediately after they sinned; however, He responded to them in mercy and grace, seeking them while they hid from Him, and then killing animals to cover them physically with those skins, as well as clothe them spiritually with animals’ blood (a type of Jesus’ blood which was shed millennia later) (Genesis 3:21).
  • Before the Great Flood of Noah’s Day, some 1,700 years after creation, God gave sinful mankind 120 years to straighten up (Genesis 6:3), and then His judgment came and swept them all away (excluding Noah and his family on the ark)!
  • It was not until Sodom and Gomorrah had reached their limit of sin that God finally sent two angels to destroy those two wicked cities (Genesis 18:20,21; Genesis 19:13).

Let us continue skimming the Scriptures for other instances of the longsuffering, yea, the patience, of God…