ofwsodom

OUR FATHER'S WORD

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Psalm 119:105

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SODOM, LOT, AND THE END OF THIS AGE

by Jim Lisenby

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Most of us generally know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah but there is a lot more to it than you have been taught, and guess what, it pertains to our day and time now as this world age closes. Our Father has given us types in His word over and over again to show us what will happen in our time now as we enter the coming millennium and this is one of them.

Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Let our Father's word instruct us.

Events preceding the overthrow.

What happened at Sodom and the surrounding area at the time of their overthrow is set forth in Genesis 19 which I have included in this lesson, but events leading up to it are found starting at Genesis 11:27 concerning Abraham and his nephew Lot. I suggest you take the time to read the whole story but here are some highlights that pertain specifically to our lesson.

Abraham was born sometime around 2000 B.C. and his nephew Lot was born a little later. Lot's father, who was Abraham's brother Haran, died and Abraham took Lot with him as he moved about. Abraham was special and God loved him for any number of reasons, but one had to be that the Messiah, God's Son, was to come through him and his offspring. Why? Because, like Noah, his DNA was pure. His Adamic genes were not corrupted with those of the fallen angels. God chose him to become the father of many nations and He blessed him throughout his life. Lot also benefited from those blessings.

In chapter 13 we are told that both Abraham and Lot became wealthy and that their herds and flocks grew so large they had trouble finding enough good grazing. This caused friction between their herdsmen and shepherds so much so that they were fighting in the fields. To resolve the problem, righteous Abraham congenially suggested that they should separate their herds and he gave Lot first choice of the grazing areas.

Lot picked what he thought was best. Genesis 13:10 suggests that the area that is the Dead Sea today was then a lush plain ideally suited for grazing, and even though the area was filled with evil men he chose it anyway. In so doing, he had to be rescued twice, first by Abraham and later by visiting angels.

Chapter 14 reveals a confederacy of conquering kings among whom is Amraphel, and many believe he was the great Hammurabi. This chapter is important because it reveals that among those conquered by this alliance were some of the descendants of the fallen angels. The Rephaim were giants. See my article on Adultery at ourfathersword.org.

The kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim and Bela (Zoar) were taken captive by these conquering kings along with Lot and his family. When Abraham heard of this he did an incredible thing. He quickly raised a small army and doggedly pursued this powerful league of kings and their army. He finally caught them, defeated them, and rescued Lot and the other captives..

In chapter 18 we find the final prelude to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham lived just over the hills from Sodom near Hebron in a place called the plain of Mamre. One day he had three visitors show up at his door, one was the LORD (probably in angelic form) and the other two were His angels. God tells Abraham that He will destroy Sodom, Gomorrah and the surrounding area.

How the LORD must have loved this man Abraham because He personally came to talk with him face to face about what He was going to do. You can be sure that Abraham and the LORD discussed Lot and his family. As the LORD tarried with Abraham the two angels went on to Sodom to rescue Lot.

The main story in Genesis 19.

Gen. 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;

Notice that it says two angels. Remember this, because they are called men in chapter 18 and also later in chapter 19. They are called men only because they appeared as men in the flesh to those who saw them.

Lot sat in the gate. What does it mean to sit in the gate? Typically, the gate was the entrance to the city and it was there where most of the action took place. Commerce was conducted there, the markets (bazaars) were often located there, and maybe most importantly of all, justice was dispensed there because that is where the judges sat.

Lot immediately intercepted these angels. Why?

There are many ideas about this. Some give Lot credit for being very hospitable and loving to entertain visitors. Some say that the people of Sodom were not hospitable and that they ill treated strangers and visitors, so Lot was trying to prevent them from being assaulted and raped.

Okay, let's assume that Lot was hospitable and he received strangers gladly, but why would he bow with his face to the ground? Ordinary men didn't receive that kind of treatment. Bowing with your face to the ground is tantamount to worship.

All the stories about Sodom being cruel and abusive to visitors is pure nonsense. It doesn't make sense because the word would get out and no merchant, tourist, or traveler would come to their city. They would have no visitors and commerce would be stifled..

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.

It was not uncommon in those days to take people in off the streets for the night but Lot was insistent that these two get in off the streets and to be hidden from view quickly. Lot probably had never seen an angel before but he knew what they would look like from stories that he had heard from Abraham. He recognized them but he didn't know why they were there.

Lot assumes he knows why they are there.

At first sight of these two angels Lot knew that the people of Sodom would be stirred up over them. How? Because he lived among them and sat in the gate with the elders and the people everyday and he knew their conversation and conduct. Peter verifies this.

2 Pet. 2:7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

2 Pet. 2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

Go back and read verses 2 and 3 again and get the sense of how urgently Lot talked them into entering his house and getting off the street. He quickly planned their evening and night for them. They would go to his house, stay out of sight while he entertained them, spend the night, then arise very early in the morning to depart while everyone else was sleeping. Pretty good plan except the people had already seen them and were very curious.

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:

Could this mean men, women, and even children? Whatever the composition they were an excited mob.

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.

This verse has been taught by many to mean that it was only the men of the city who desired sexual contact with these angels, but if verse 4 above means everybody, then it was a mixed crowd. In any case, Lot did not want to give them the opportunity to have any contact with these angels.

Why?

He didn't know why the angels were there and he knew that the flood during Noah's time came as a result of what happened between Adam's descendants and the fallen angels. Remember, it was only about 400 years after the deluge, Noah had just recently died and Shem was still alive. He also had firsthand knowledge about what happened as a result of a second influx after the flood because he could see it around him.

In addition, the people of Sodom may have mixed with the offspring of Cain. Don't be shocked, they are still with us today and they are the tares mentioned in Matthew 13. They are called Kenites throughout the Old Testament scriptures.

Moses may refer to this in his famous song in Deuteronomy 32.

Deut. 32:31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

Their father is Lucifer and he is their rock. Our Rock is Jesus Christ.

Deut. 32:32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:

You know them by their fruits.

Deut. 32:33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.

It goes without saying that dragons and serpents are associated with the Devil.

In addition, some of the people living near Sodom were descendants of the fallen angels and the daughters of men from the second influx. They had just been defeated militarily by the alliance mentioned in Genesis 13. These illegitimate offspring were called Rephaim and they were giants. Goliath and his brothers were the last of their breed and they were killed by David and others nearly a thousand years later.

Lot must have been thinking on these things. Was the appearance of these two angels the beginning of a third influx? Heaven forbid!

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.

Right about now you might be wondering what in the world is Lot doing because he seems to be offering his two young tender daughters up to a vicious crowd with rape on their minds. That has been taught on a widespread basis. Puh-leez! Get a grip, be realistic and use common sense.

Regardless of what you have been taught, Lot wasn't offering his two unmarried daughters here as substitutes for the two male angels to prevent homosexual activity. In fact, he wasn't really offering them at all. Why would he? The people of the city undoubtedly saw them each and everyday, and if they had been as vicious and rapine as we have been taught they would have had them already.

We have all done the same thing on occasion! That is, made an absurb off-the-cuff statement that we didn't really mean literally in order to drive a point home. That is what Lot was doing in making this statement and he was bluffing. The crowd knew that he wasn't really offering them his daughters and that is why they ignored the comment. They could have called his bluff, but if they had I don't believe for an instant that he would have given them the girls.

Believe you me, if the crowd had been nothing more than a bunch of unrestrained sexual deviates, some of them would have immediately accepted Lot's offer, took his daughters and had their way with them. They didn't want the girls because they had something else on their minds and Lot knew it. They knew these visitors were angels, and that is why he was trying to reason with them any way he could concerning who, or what really, they should mate with. Someone of their own kind, not with angels, or anyone of a different kind.

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.

These people were really upset at Lot for keeping them to himself. Who was this stranger living among them who presumed to judge? He didn't have the right. They wanted the angels and they wanted them right now.

After all, mankind had mated with angels before and had loved them. They loved them so much that they had children by them and weren't they magnificent large specimens? Why shouldn't they do the same if the opportunity presented itself? It would be the chance of a lifetime.

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.

Not just Lot's door, any door, the door to their houses. They were no longer a threat to Lot and the angels. When you are suddenly struck blind it humbles you immediately. Think about it, all they could do was grope their way home and stay put.

Lot must have been terribly relieved and thought it was all over. These angels would leave early the next morning and that would be that, or so he thought. What a surprize he is going to get next.

The real purpose of their visit.

Gen. 19:12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:

Lot had other children living in the city as well as servants living both in his house and in the suburbs with his herds and flocks.

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.

Bingo! Lot now knows the real purpose of their visit and it is stunning. It had already been determined that those in the area would die and the angels were sent to save Lot and his family. What paralyzing, shocking news! Even though Lot may very well have been one of those crying out to God, he didn't expect this..

Gen. 19:14 And Lot went out, and spake 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.

Lot's children would not believe him and thought he was a crackpot or a kook. What a dilemma!

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.

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.

Lot was not reacting to the situation gracefully. He and his wife may have even been rebelling at the thought of leaving. They were reluctant to go because of their children and grandchildren who lived in the city. How disturbing it must have been to them that they wouldn't believe him and would perish with all the others.

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.

They were still dragging their feet and as a result the angels had to physically overpower them and bring them away from the city. The LORD admonished them personally with extreme urgency in His voice.

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.

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.

Gen. 19:26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Poor thing! The maternal instinct is very strong and how she must have hurt for her children, her grandchildren, and her friends. She was overcome with grief and it caused her to make the fatal mistake of hesitating too long. She was overtaken and covered in the molten falling debris within the pyroclastic cloud. The thought occurs to me that she may have done it deliberately. Did she? Only she and God know.

Gen. 19:27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:

He may have been awakened by the noise and the shaking. Where he dwelt was not far from where the action was taking place.

Gen. 19:28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

The asphalt that is common there was burning producing a dense black smoke that rose into the heavens.

Gen. 19:29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.

What was the main reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah?

The tiny book of Jude explains it 2,000 years later.

Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Jude 7 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.

In verse 6, Jude is talking about rebellious angels before the flood of Noah, the first influx. The people among whom Noah lived were the descendants of the man Adam and they were destroyed for mixing with the fallen angels. You can read about it in Genesis 6:1-7. Notice in Genesis 6:4 it implies that there was a second influx of these fallen angels after the flood of Noah.

Look at verse 7 now and you will see how Jude mentions Sodom and Gomorrah in the same context with the fallen angels and he says a peculiar thing. One of the reasons for the destruction of these cities was the people were going after strange flesh.

That means homosexuality, right? Wrong! If that is what you have been taught it is not entirely correct. Why, weren't there homosexuals in Sodom? Yes, there were and there has been in every other place on Earth since man was created. You probably know some, or at least know of some, where you live right now.

How do I know that homosexuality was not the main reason for their destruction? Let me explain.

First, the sins of Sodom are laid out in Ezekiel 16:49-50 and the homosexual part is listed last, if at all. Their sins appear in order of importance and pride is listed first. Examine the verses below and see for yourself.

Ezek. 16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Ezek. 16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

They didn't love God, nor did they obey Him. They had become totally perverse and essentially worthless.

Secondly, the word strange in Jude 7 is the Greek word heteros (Strong's No. 2087) and means other,different, or strange. Please note that it is not homo. This flies in the face of what you have been taught, doesn't it?

In other words, the words strange flesh in Jude 7 do not refer to homosexuality at all, but to crossbreeding with something other, different, or strange. Now before anyone wrongfully accuses me of defending sodomy let me make it emphatically clear that is not true. What I'm trying to prove here is that the old teaching about homosexuality being the main reason for their destruction is wrong.

Jude clearly reveals the truth of the matter. They were an example for us! And what an example, because there is a possiblity that upwards of 1,500,000 people perished in the destruction. If so, that is many more than the number killed at Hiroshima and Nagasake.

It occurred not long after the second influx of the fallen angels when the people in the area had mixed with them, say 200 to 300 years. Nimrod was one of the offspring produced by the second influx. It is interesting to note that God waited over 1,100 years after the first influx to bring on the Flood. It too was an example, but was ignored both by the fallen angels and mankind because they did it again during the second influx. God didn't wait nearly as long this time.

During Lot's time, stories about the fallen angels had undoubtedly been romanticized and the people would have done it again in a heartbeat. Anyway, I feel confident they were crossbreeding with the descendants of the fallen angels, as well as the Kenites which is just as bad. Angels are not men, they are other, different, or strange flesh and crossbreeding of any kind is prohibited by God. See my article on Adultery at ourfathersword.org.

What method was used to destroy the area?

Look at Genesis 14:3 and you will see that the scribe who wrote this hundreds of years after the destruction is inferring that the vale of Siddim, where Sodom and Gomorrah once were, was in his time the salt sea. In other words, what once was the vale of Siddim by then had become covered with water, creating the Dead Sea. It may not have existed prior to the destruction.

For your information I have included the following article taken from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1999.

DEAD SEA. Between Israel and Jordan lies the Dead Sea. It is actually a salt lake that is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) long and 10 miles (16 kilometers) wide. Its surface area is about 394 square miles (1,020 square kilometers). Its surface level is 1,292 feet (394 meters) below that of the Mediterranean Sea, making it the lowest body of water in the world.

The Dead Sea extends from north to south in a great depression between rocky cliffs. The depression is a rift valley, caused by the Earth's crust having slipped down between two parallel fractures. The valley is a part of the Great Rift Valley, which continues northward through the Jordan River valley and the Sea of Galilee, and southward through the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea and across East Africa.

The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea from the north. Because the Dead Sea is situated in a desert, the climate is very hot and rainfall seldom exceeds 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) a year. Evaporation carries off about 55 percent of the sea's waters annually. This evaporation often results in a thick mist that hovers over the lake.

No river flows out of the lake. As a result, the Dead Sea is about 25 percent salt, or about seven times as salty as the ocean. The extreme salinity allows bathers to float easily, but it prevents most animal and vegetable life, except bacteria and brine shrimp, from inhabiting the lake.

The name Dead Sea can be traced back to at least 323 BC. The lake was also called by several different names, such as the Salt Sea, the Sea of the Plain, and the East Sea, in biblical times.

The lake shores yield salt, potash, and bromides. Bitumen, or native asphalt, is also found. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were on the shores of the Dead Sea. The biblical manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls were found on the northwest shore, near the ruins known as Khirbat Qumran (see Dead Sea Scrolls).
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From Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc.

NOTE: Today in 2004, the Dead Sea is deeper by nearly a 100 feet that what the article above states. It is sinking one to three inches annually.

The exact method of destruction of Sodom and the surrounding area is not revealed in the Bible, but remember that God is natural. He is so natural that He is supernatural. He created nature and He uses natural methods to affect changes on the Earth.

All normal natural weather phenomena can be eliminated because the destruction was so widespread and so severe. An earthquake is possible, as is vulcanism, and also impact by a large bolide.

So what happened?

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.

The Dead Sea is sitting astride the Syrian-African Rift which is a large fault in the Earth's crust hundreds of miles long that was formed a million or so years ago. The likelihood of seismic activity along any fault is good. So, keeping this in mind and zeroing in on verse 24 now, one could surmise that a powerful earthquake, with the resultant vulcanism, may have caused the widespread destruction, but it is also possible that the cause of the disaster came from the sky. A small asteroid perhaps, or a large meteorite? Don't be too hasty in rejecting this idea. Think about the Dead Sea. It is much deeper on it's northern end than on the southern end. What if a small extraterrestial body moving exceedingly fast entered the atmosphere at a steep angle and impacted at what is now the the North end of the Dead Sea?

Upon impact by a large bolide, temperatures approaching 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures in the millions of pounds per square inch would be instantly generated and everything at ground zero would be obliterated. Anything or anybody outside of, but near to, ground zero would be quickly innundated by a pyroclastic cloud of superheated water, steam and suspended debris. Shortly after, hot molten rocks and debris would fall covering everything. Exposed animal and plant life would perish in the affected area and the asphalt that is so prevalent there would have ignited and burned for who knows how long.

In any case, regardless of the type of disaster, it was catastrophic for that area because verses 24 and 25 says it was.

How are we today like Sodom was then?

Throughout His word, our Father gives us examples, or types, for comparison. The people and cultures comprising western civilization today are primarily the descendants of Adam, and Sodom is given as a type for them. Lot is given as a type for God's Elect today. They are aware of all the sin and corruption around them just like Lot, and they cry out to Him about it, just like Lot, but they are trapped within it, just like Lot. They will be saved out of the coming destruction, just like Lot.

I don't have to tell how often our western civilization is likened to Sodom and Gomorrah, and I don't need to belabor this issue with too many comparisons because you have heard it all yourself. Let's just remember the ones that have been noted already. Jesus said the end would be like Sodom and Gomorrah when He drew the analogy in Luke 17:28-30, and the sins of Sodom in Ezekiel 16:49-50 can apply just as easily to us today. You betcha!

How does what happened there apply to our time now?

Seven is the most sacred number in our Father's word. It means completeness or perfection. God gave us the seven day week as the perfect time cycle and it is a type for the span of time He allotted to complete the flesh age commencing with the creation of Adam. Six thousand years have passed since Adam was created which completes that portion of the week in which man was to perform all his work.

Exodus 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

Just as the seventh day, or Saturday, completes our week, the coming millenium completes this world age. Therefore, it follows that the coming millenium is a sabbatical millennium. The weekly Sabbath is the type for the coming millenium and that is the time when the priests of the Most High God will do their work.

Peter gives us some insight into this.

2 Pet. 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

Here is the main reason for the second letter of Peter, to remind us of something very important.

2 Pet. 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

And he reminds us that what he is about to say has been taught throughout all time since Adam.

2 Pet. 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

These are the last days. Twentieth century education and edutainment has produced non-believers in untold numbers because they are controlled by the offspring of Lucifer. Men become scoffers by being taught concepts that are not Biblical.

2 Pet. 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2 Pet. 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Why are they willingly ignorant? Go back up to verse three for the answer, they walk after their own lusts. Money, power and sex are their Gods, so they ignore the true God.

2 Pet. 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

Genesis 1:2 records that the world was flooded, but this was thousands of years before Noah. Noah's flood was very small by comparison and likely took place in the Tarim Basin located in central Asia, now called the Xinjiang Uygur region of western China. It involved only about 350,000 squares miles, or an area a little smaller than the southeastern United States. If you have a globe of the world with raised topography on it, you can feel the mountains surrounding the Tarim Basin. It feels like a bowl.

2 Pet. 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

This present world age will end in a different manner, not by water, but fire.

2 Pet. 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

This is the main reason we came here. A day equals a thousand years and six days, or 6,000 years from Adam, is allotted for completion of this flesh age. The seven day week has been a type all along the way to show man the plan. The coming millenium is the seventh day, or the sabbath day which ends the week.

The annual festivals that God ordained and gave to Moses are also types to show us the plan, but that is another lesson for another time.

2 Pet. 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Here we have the will of God in a nutshell. God is not slack, He is patiently completing the schedule that He set up in the beginning. When you consider eternity, 6,000 years isn't even a tick or a tock.

Notice the words any and all in the above verse because they imply that a finite number of souls were created. At some point there will be no more souls to pass through this flesh age, and we are very close to that terminus.

What will happen? Now we come to the critical part, that which will happen in our time now.

Jesus tells us what will happen. We should consider what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and realize what lies just ahead because whatever happens will be similar in nature. Notice I said similar in nature because it will be natural in form, as in the days of Lot.

But what could happen naturally to make the heavens pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt, and the Earth burn with all that man has built on it? All sorts of scenarios could be developed, but our Father is natural and what will happen will be natural. A large asteroid(s) or a comet perhaps? Whatever method is used will be affecting the entire Earth and all life forms.

The following scriptures bear this out.

They are self explanatory, no commentary is necessary.

Isa. 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Isa. 13:7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:

Isa. 13:8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

Isa. 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Isa. 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

Isa. 13:11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Isa. 13:12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

Isa. 13:13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

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Isa. 24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

Is. 24:18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

Isa. 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

Isa. 24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

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Jer. 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Jer. 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

Jer. 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

Jer. 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

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Rev. 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

Rev. 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

Rev. 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

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Rev. 8:7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Rev. 8:8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

Rev. 8:9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Rev. 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

Rev. 8:11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Rev. 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

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Rev. 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Rev. 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Rev. 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Rev. 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Rev. 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

See my article, Jericho, Rahab, And The Return Of Christ for a more in depth discussion on the end of the age.

Houston, we have a problem!

Spaceship Earth is literally on a collision course with disaster and nothing will stop it, even though recent edutainment based movies imply otherwise. Nevertheless, we as individuals can escape the worst of it just like Lot.

How? We can repent!

Ugh! Yuck! There is that religious sounding, Bible thumping word again. What does that old, hackneyed, worn-out, dog-eared, totally irritating word mean anyway? It scares me and I hate it because I don't think I can do whatever it means to do.

Whoa! Hold on, don't let it rip you out of the frame, it only means to change.

Have you thought about changing your life? If so, think about this. Changing your life starts with changing your mind, but don't wait for your friends to change with you because they may never change in time. Remember Lot's wife. Besides, who knows if you won't cause them to change by your good example.

The world is filled with scoffers today just as in Peter's day, Lot's day and Noah's day. Don't let them drag you down. They have had it in this life, and the word repent isn't part of their vocabulary. To them, our Father's word is nonsense. Nothing more than a collection of stories based primarily on a stern, vengeful sky god who was created in the minds of ancient, ignorant men.

Go back to the beginning of this lesson and read Jesus warning again in Luke 17. The people with Noah and those with Lot were scoffers, among other things, and look what happened to them.

So, don't procrastinate. Start by asking our Father for wisdom, and then study His word regularly to prepare yourself for that great day of the Lord. Oh, and be sure to tell our Father and His Son that you love them, that's very important.

God bless with understanding of His word.

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