In Genesis 18:1 through 19:24, we find the account of Abraham, Lot, Sodom and Gomorrah. What follows is a synopsis of the story and I urge you to read the full account in Genesis. This is the account of what happens when God's patience with man's wickedness comes to an end.

 In Genesis 18, Abraham is visited by three men who are identified as God and two angels. As they leave, God tells Abraham that the two angels are being sent to Sodom to determine if the great outcry against the people concerning their grave sin was true. Abraham secured from God a promise not to destroy Sodom if ten righteous people could be found. When the angels arrive, Lot persuades the angels to stay with him and not to sleep in the streets. Later in the evening, all the men from every part of Sodom, both young and old, surround Lot's house and demand that Lot bring out the strangers so that they could have sex with them. Lot tried to reason with the men and even offered his daughters to them, but was refused and threatened by the crowd that they would act more wickedly towards Lot than towards the two men. The angels drug Lot back into the house and struck the men blind and they grew tired, looking for the door. The angels practically drug Lot and his family out of Sodom. Only Lot and his two daughters made it out of the city. We find in 2 Peter 2:7-8 that Lot was the only righteous person in Sodom. Out of the whole city, ten righteous people could not be found, hence they were destroyed.

 We ask ourselves, what was the wickedness that caused Sodom and Gomorrah to be destroyed? The account in Genesis paints a picture of a city caught up in sexual perversion. It stated that the men, both young and old, from every part of the city gathered to sexually assault the angels. At this point, I would submit that those not engaged in the assault, with the exception of Lot, did nothing to prevent it. This illustrates perfectly what Paul said in Romans 1:32, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." In Ezekiel 16:49-50 the prophet expanded on Sodom's faults by identifying pride, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness. Neither did they help the poor and needy. They were haughty and committed abomination before God. Please note the Hebrew word for abomination is the same word in Leviticus 18:22, talking about homosexual behavior. Because of all of this, Ezekiel states that God took them away. Peter, in 2 Peter 2:6 stated, "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them and ensample unto those that after should live ungodly." Jude echoes Peter (Jude 1:7), "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." Jude leaves little doubt that fornication and going after strange flesh (homosexual behavior) set the example for suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

 Charles Royal, Decatur, AL