| “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities” (Genesis 19:24-25). |
| “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness [lots of free time] … neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49). |
| The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned many times in the Bible. They were very wicked cities, and God destroyed them in the time of Abraham. Prior to their being destroyed, they had everything — a beautiful climate, well-watered land, plenty of food, and a relaxing life. The Bible says that it was “well watered every where … even as the garden of the Lord” (Genesis 13:10). However, their wickedness was so great that the Lord destroyed those cities, as we see in our first verse today. The Dead Sea in that area is a reminder of the judgment that God inflicted on them, for the destruction of those cities was intended to be an example to all those who came later. Brimstone is another word for sulphur, which gives off toxic fumes when it burns. There is quite a bit of it on the shores of the Dead Sea. |
| The destruction of those cities probably occurred about 450 years after the flood of Noah, and most people would have heard about the flood. Shem, one of the sons of Noah, was still alive when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. How quickly men forgot the flood, and once again turned to wickedness! |
| Ezekiel describes the problem with Sodom, as it says in our second verse for today — plenty of food, pride, and a careless ease, that thought that everything would just go on in prosperity for them. You and I who live in Western countries live in that kind of a world today. We have plenty to eat, and are provided for in every way. But judgment will overtake this world soon, and especially that part of the world that has known the gospel and has had the Bible. |
| When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He spoke several times about the responsibility of those cities where He had lived, and had done many of His mighty works of miracles. He said clearly that it would be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment, than for those cities. So it will be with much of the Western world. God judges according to our responsibility, and will judge very severely those who have had the Word of God, and have turned away from it. |
