The great outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah’s grave sin came from at least four sources: God’s holiness, the holy angels, the physical creation and Abraham’s nephew, Lot, caring for his own soul, his family, unsuspecting strangers and those injured by the iniquity of the cities. All sin offends the holiness of God and demands His righteous and just action upon it. He, however, has very often borne with His holy offense and graciously suffered long with the sinner(s) as He did in Noah’s day and with Israel until there is “no remedy,” (Genesis 6:5-8; 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, NKJV). As earlier noted, God had already been gracious to the wicked cities, but there was no repentance!
The holy angels fully loyal to God are as advertised, holy; having no fellowship with or delight in sin! Myriads of them surround His throne to declare and guard God’s holiness (Isaiah 6:1-7). They watch the activity of fallen angels opposing God and engage with them in accord with His purposes and at His directive (Daniel 10:4-14). They also watch sinful men and carry out judgments upon them in line with God’s will as took place with the king of Babylon (Daniel 4:13-17). God’s holy angels most assuredly cried out to Him continually concerning the grave sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. As such, it is no surprise two angels accompanied the Lord to “see” their grave sin for Himself.
We know on a basic level that the earth is filled with life and living things. However, God’s Word would have us to understand that not only the earth, but “the whole creation” is alive to Him and now, even “groans” waiting for its promised restoration after that of His sons at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:18-23, NKJV). Operating with His firm laws of physics such as gravity, the physical creation retains the original moral order God created it with though, for now, it is under His temporary curse for man’s sin (Genesis 3:17-19). The physical creation is repulsed by the iniquity of mankind who are supposed to be its holy and righteous rulers (Genesis 1:26; Hebrews 2:5-8).3
Finally, the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah came as it turns out from the only righteous man that lived in Sodom, Lot. He was so morally offended by the wicked deeds of his fellow citizens, he sat in the city gate as one of the judges to intercept and if possible protect unaware travelers while his own righteous soul Scripture says was “oppressed” and daily “tormented” “by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds,” (Genesis 19:1-3; 2 Peter 2:7-8, NKJV).4 But even though His own holiness, the holy angels, the physical creation and righteous Lot truthfully, vehemently cried out to the Lord who is Omniscient and Omnipresent about the grave sin of the cities, He still came down for a Personal look.
This tells us how reluctant God in love, grace, mercy and longsuffering is to destroy even the most wicked of human beings. This becomes clear in His exchange with Abraham. From where the Lord stood before Abraham He saw as close as His holiness would allow that all that had been reported to Him in the great outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was so (John 1:43-51) because the destroying angels started out on their mission while Abraham questioned Him as though the matter was settled. Concerned for his family (Lot) and the people he once went to war to rescue, Abraham wanted to know if God would “destroy the righteous with the wicked,” (Genesis 18:22-23, NKJV)?
The character of God and Abraham shines in their exchange (Genesis 18:24-33). The Lord displays His eternal mercy by being willing to spare Sodom if just ten righteous persons were found in it; Abraham, great humility and reverence for God referring to himself as “dust and ashes,” (Genesis 18:27, NKJV).5 The far gone wickedness of the men of Sodom was shortly confirmed (Genesis 19:4-11). Lot and his family would be delivered from God’s wrath if they were willing to heed and follow him (here again is shown the weight of male headship as God designed). Some were not willing and perished as did Lot’s wife after setting her affections on the city while fleeing it (Genesis 19:12-26).
Saints, take note Lot was moved out of the way of God’s wrath immediately before it fell (Genesis 19:27-29). We are still here now, and remain during all of His warning judgments (Joel 2:30; Revelation 8-11:14) that include allowing Satan to bring his “great wrath” upon our number in such persecution and tribulation by the hands of his emissaries that relatively few saints--a mortal remnant--are left on earth (Isaiah 57:1-2; Daniel 7:15-25; Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 6:9-11, 7:9-17, 12:7-13:18, 14:9-13, NKJV). Persecutors should know that reducing our number hastens the one and only coming visible, audible Day of the Lord and evacuation of His righteous remnant just before He pours out His full wrath (Psalm 50:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Revelation 6:12-17, 15-16).6
Therefore, let all the guilty especially among professed Christians repent before the Lord now, since He will not grant peace through any means but Himself going forward until after His wrath is fulfilled (Ezekiel 33:10-11; John 14:27, 16:33; Romans 5:1-2). For no one will escape the judgment of disobedience to the call to repent in the Gospel at Christ’s return; judgment that is already underway in the “house of God,” (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12; 1 Peter 4:12-19, NKJV)!7 The wrath of the “Prince of Peace” is perfectly just because as He did at Sodom and Gomorrah, He came in Human form and had not only His Personal look at, but experience with the grave sin of this world when He suffered by our hands for us leading up to and on Calvary’s cross (Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-10, 53, 57:3-13, NKJV).
3 Those that may feel like the creation seems to be acting against mankind in recent years are on to something and it will get worse before it is all over! Truly, the polluting
physical activity of man such as burning fossil fuels is only an infinitesimally small contributor to the unusual weather patterns, storms, intensifying heat, droughts, sea
rise etc. compared to their flagrant transgression, sin and iniquity that defile the earth (Isaiah 24:4-6). Under His sovereign oversight and as warning judgments, God is
allowing the earth (including its wild animals) and soon the whole cosmos to register their displeasure to man’s defiling sin (Leviticus 18, 20; Jeremiah 23:18-20, 25:32-33,
30:23-24; Luke 21:25-26)! Surely, the proponents of global warning do not believe green house gases on earth directly impact the moon, sun or stars light years away, do
they? Rather than green new deals, let the children cry out for their guilty parents to repent!
4 See my Independence Day 2021 post, under the category, Biblical Worldview, where I liken my reaction to the wickedness of our times to that of Lot. Truly, any professed
Christians supposedly sanctified to God that are not disturbed in some measure by the blatant display of human depravity we see and hear everywhere in our day, plainly
show they are false or apostate!
5 O, that such were the case among the many of us professing to be Christians who supposedly in like faith and character are Abraham’s spiritual descendants! This being
so, there is no way that I continue to cry out for repentance at the Lord’s directive among you who claim to know Him. Humility is one of the common character traits of
the image of Christ the Father builds in genuine Christian men and women as I write in my book, The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics and draw out in The Strong
Man Of God Men’s Group Study and Great Woman Of God Women’s Group Study. These resources are available at your favorite internet book seller and in the
Strong Man Store.
6 Conversely, our large number on the earth forestalls the coming Day of the Lord’s wrath as He assured Abraham in their exchange about His destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah. And as the destroying angel instructed Lot, we saints are to know the full outpour of God’s wrath will not occur until we are out of the way (Genesis 19:22-24;
Luke 17:26-37; Revelation 16:17-21)!
7 Attend this Ministry’s 30 minute Strong Man Of God Online Rally at https://thestrongmanofGod.org/Webcast for a fresh, biblically grounded presentation of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ!
Since I can remember from my youth marchers protesting injustice of some kind have loudly chanted, “No justice, no peace!” No doubt they are serious about what they chant. Also sincerely stated is what I have heard from the Lord and must declare in accord with my calling (Ezekiel 33:1-9) concerning the guilty among my fellow countrymen that are not Christians and those professing to be who obstinately refuse to repent from their iniquity driven rebellion against Him: “No repentance, no peace!” This word from the Lord is easily and powerfully verifiable in His written Word for those wanting proof God would say such a thing. Otherwise, open your eyes and look around you!
The standing judgment of God Almighty has been upon this world since the excruciating death on the cross, burial and resurrection of His Son on behalf of all sinful mankind in 33 A.D. just outside of Jerusalem, Israel as the Lord Jesus announced (John 12:27-33). But for God’s plans from eternity to punish Israel for her greatest sin of all in being the driving force behind His suffering and have the Gospel of His Son preached in every nation, the fullness of His judgment in wrath would have come upon this world long before now (Luke 19:41-44, 21:20-24, 24:46-49; Acts 2:1-40). Truly, the rebellion against God is not just from among the Gentiles, nor did it start recently (Acts 4:1-31).
Some fourteen hundred years before Christ came at first, during and since the days of Moses and the Exodus, God has had to deal with even foretold rebellion from among those He called to be His chosen people (Exodus 19:1-6; Deuteronomy 4:25-40). Now, the Lord spoke repeatedly to them through His prophets calling the guilty to repentance and carrying out increasingly severe remedial judgments among them warning there would be no peace unless they did repent (2 Chronicles 15:1-7; Isaiah 57:14-21, 59:1-8; Amos 4:6-11). Why is this so? Why doesn’t the Lord just let rebel humanity have its way, go away and leave them alone since they don’t want to do His will?
Surely, beginning in 70 A.D. Israel with the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, the dispersion of the people to the nations and desolation of the land, the Lord within measured restraint left them and the world to their own devices and no peace in judgment until now, as the prophets and He Himself foretold (Hosea 3, 5:8-15; Matthew 10:34-39, 24:3-8; Luke 13:34-35; Revelation 6:1-8). He restrained lawlessness until recently for the preservation of the Jews many of whom are back in the land since 1948 and sake of the spread of the Gospel.1 But seen at this hour in our nation and around the earth, His restraint is easing as the demonically instigated lawlessness of mankind upticks as a precursor to the coming of “the lawless one” again, as foretold (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, NKJV).2
Too, is it not because the universe, the earth and man are of the creative handiwork of God? He created all to be in harmony with Him in holiness and righteousness. But man’s sin corrupted and brought the whole creation down into a state of ruin. God has never renounced ownership over His creation even as He has allowed fallen man and angels to temporarily hold sway in it until He would save willing men and restore it! This world ultimately belongs to the sovereign God who created it and retains His right of say so in it. Thus, the wicked kingdoms of fallen man and angels are about to give way to His Kingdom and Anointed King (Psalms 2:6-12, 97, 98; Revelation 11:15, 19:11-20:3)!
The foregoing is the ominous lesson of His wrath in the day of Noah’s flood and fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Though in these mortal days of man we do not typically behold Him in His awesome glory, God reigns enthroned from Heaven and judges the affairs of men in the earth (Psalms 29:10, 33:10-11; Jeremiah 50:35-40). Concerning God’s wrath upon and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, He did not do it without prior longsuffering and even grace toward the wicked men (Genesis 13:13, 14:1-24) as well as careful consideration of the gravity of their sin and persons. Indeed, the Lord disclosed His deliberations and negotiated with Abraham about what He would do.
Having appeared with two angels as men, the Lord’s first stop on a Personal visit to earth in Human form was to His “friend,” Abraham, to deliver a word of prophetic assurance to him concerning the son He had promised him (Genesis 18:1-15; 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23, NKJV). Then, the Lord’s attention turns to the other matter for which He was making a Personal appearance on earth in Human form and determines to disclose to Abraham (Genesis 18:16-19). Speaking to him He says, ‘“Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to Me; and if not, I will know,’” (Genesis 18:20-21, NKJV). From where was the outcry coming?
1 Read the four-part post beginning February 26, 2017, God Of Restoration And Judgment, under multiple categories starting with Bible Prophecy. In the face of calamities
natural and brought by God during this period until now, unbelievers always demand “where is God” as though He only exists to prevent these, not realizing that humanity
lives on borrowed time graciously provided by Him to repent and be saved from His far worse wrath and Hell if they will (Luke 13:1-9).
2 Besides wanting Him to produce for them a calamity free world, God’s doubters, scoffers, critics and angry haters also want Him to deliver one without the kind of grow-
ing lawlessness we now, see. Ah, but what they fail to appreciate is that they can only perceive the uptick in lawlessness because in former days it was not this bad due
to His gracious restraint of it! Now that the Holy Spirit sent to restrain lawlessness fomented by demons is stepping back out of the way to allow its rise with warning
judgments, the godless world the rebels against God clamor for is unfolding leading to the coming of a lawless global ruler. Speaking from former experience, rebels
never think through the ultimate end of their rebellion!
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