When the world becomes...
"Sodom and Gomorrah"
by Michael G. Mickey
Have you ever read the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
documented in Genesis 19? If you have, I'm sure you're wondering why I have a
story on Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible prophecy section of my website as it
describes an event that has already occurred.
The world we live in today is filled with spiritual darkness and sexual
immorality as it was in Lot's day. Much like Christians today are living among
the wicked, Lot was surrounded by evil, perverse, and ungodly people. Not only
was Lot living there, but he was a father trying to raise his children, two of
whom were virgin daughters, in an environment that was unsuitable for family
life.
Can we learn anything from the story of Lot that we can apply to our Christian
lives today? Most certainly. The story of Lot is one
that documents faithfulness in the midst of great evil, but there's
more to the story of Lot than the documentation of a divine judgment of God on a
perverse and wicked people! A lot more!
Does the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah have a prophetic
significance and teach us about future events as well? Indeed!
To see the prophetic significance of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, we need to review the story while examining what it means to
Christians today.
The story of Lot and how it applies to us today
The story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah began when the Lord sent two angels to
Sodom to meet with Lot when the sexual perversion and immorality of Sodom and
Gomorrah was at its peak.
Genesis 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate
of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with
his face toward the ground;
Lot asked the angels to spend the night with him and they agreed to do so.
Gen 19:2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your
servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up
early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street
all night.
Gen 19:3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and
entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread,
and they did eat.
Before they could retire for the evening, the perverse men of Sodom arrived to
inquire about the two men that had come to visit Lot. Why were they looking for
them? These evil and perverse men wanted to "know" them, as in have homosexual
relations with them!
Gen 19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom,
compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every
quarter:
Gen 19:5 And they 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.
Lot went outside when they surrounded his home to plead that they not attempt to
"know" these men he knew to be angels wickedly and offered his own virgin
daughters to them if they would leave the angels alone.
Gen 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
Gen 19:7 And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Gen 19:8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I
pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes:
only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my
roof.
When the men threatened Lot and attempted to break down his door, the angels
pulled Lot to safety and cursed the evil men with blindness that they might not
enter Lot's house. When Lot unselfishly offered his own daughters to the evil
men, his loyalty to God (shown through his attempt to protect the Lord's angels
at all cost) brought Lot's entire household divine protection in the midst of
great wickedness and peril.
Gen 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in
to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than
with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break
the door.
Gen 19:10 But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to
them, and shut to the door.
Gen 19:11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with
blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the
door.
The angels announced, after this evil incident, they were sent to destroy Sodom,
the result of the sexual perversion and immorality of that place.
Gen 19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great
before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
Lot, a righteous man, became aware of God's intention to
bring judgment and started warning people, but he wasn't taken too seriously it
seems.
All around us, the prophetic signs are telling us that judgment is about to fall
on an unbelieving world! Have you ever tried to tell anyone Jesus Christ and His
judgment on unbelieving mankind is coming? If so, you know how Lot felt.
Gen 19:14 And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons in law, which married his
daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy
this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
The angels told Lot the time of judgment was nearing and hastened him to get out
lest he be a victim of the evil of that place.
Gen 19:15 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.
Lot and his family were eventually carried to safety by the angels as a result
of God's mercy for him and his family. This is so
incredibly applicable to us!!! Lot's deliverance from the Lord's wrath
foreshadows the deliverance the Church will experience prior the fulfillment of
the final prophecies of the Bible. God's divine judgment is coming for
unbelieving and unrepentant mankind, but before that judgment comes we will be
raptured just like Lot and his family was!
Gen 19:16 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.
Gen 19:17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he
said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the
plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Gen 19:18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
Gen 19:19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast
magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I
cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
Gen 19:20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one:
Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
Gen 19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing
also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.
Gen 19:22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be
come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
Gen 19:23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
After Lot was delivered, God's divine judgment fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire
from the LORD out of heaven;
Gen 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the
inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
Conclusions
The immorality and the evil of the world can be extremely
discomforting for those of us trying to follow the Lord, but it's important we
realize that this is what the Bible told us would come.
As we witness the world we're living in becoming Sodom and Gomorrah, there is a
great message for the Church of the living God contained within the story of
Lot! The message? Jesus is coming for us soon! Just
as Lot was delivered from among a perverse and immoral society, the Church will
soon be delivered as well in preparation of the earth receiving God's wrath and
judgment in the future.
Luke 17:28- 30: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they
drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; But the same day that
Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed
them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."
After reading Luke 17:28-30, do you now see the prophetic significance of the
story of Sodom and Gomorrah? As the Scriptures reveal, the closer this world
gets to being Sodom and Gomorrah, the closer those of us who have accepted Jesus
Christ are to leaving it!
Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? If you have never made
that important decision, I pray you will do it this day! If
you elect to put this decision off and the rapture of the Church takes place,
you will find yourself living in a world that will be on the receiving end of
God's wrath, a frightening thought indeed!
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