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The righteous lot of Sodom and Gomorrah. Bible online

Sodom and Gomorrah are two very famous cities in the Bible. Lot, Abraham's nephew, once decided to settle in Sodom. Genesis 13:10 says that the area was “watered with water like the garden of the Lord.” It was obviously a very rich and fertile land. The people who lived there were probably wealthy, and their standard of living was higher than that of people from other areas. They did not lack either food or water, since their land was fertile and well irrigated. This is what attracted Lot to the land and why he decided to live there. As Genesis 13:10 says, “Lot lifted up his eyes and saw,” and based on what he saw, he made his choice. However, what we see as beautiful when we “lift up our eyes,” the Lord can see completely differently (1 Samuel 16:7). And what Lot saw was significantly different from what the Lord saw when he looked into the hearts of the people who lived in that land. In Genesis 13:13 we read:

Genesis 13:13
“The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord.”

While Lot saw an incredibly fertile land, the Lord saw extremely wicked hearts. As He says in Genesis 18:20:

Genesis 18:20
“The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very heavy.”

And, in the end, saving Lot’s life, the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. As Lot left Sodom, he received advice from the Lord that was completely opposite to what Lot had done in the beginning:

Genesis 19:17
“When they were brought out, one of them (the angel of the Lord - author’s note) said: save your soul; do not look back…»

In choosing Sodom as a place to live, Lot made the decision after he “lifted up his eyes and saw.” And now he needed to flee and not “look back.” As soon as Lot left, the Lord destroyed the area.

However, what was the sin of Sodom? Ezekiel 16:49-50 says what the Lord saw:

Ezekiel 16:49-50
“This was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister and her daughters: in pride, satiety and idleness, and she did not support the hands of the poor and beggar. And they became proud and did abominable things before Me, and when I saw this, I rejected them.”

I was amazed to see that "fediness and idleness" were ranked alongside pride in the list of "the iniquities of Sodom." And although pride is usually condemned, at least outwardly, to the other two vices - satiety (of food) and idleness (when people live without doing anything) - the attitude is completely different. Quite the contrary, often even Christians consider them their goal. Of course, we don't mean that we need to be exhausted and hungry. However, despite what the world tells us, we SHOULD NOT strive for satiety and idleness. We must pursue the Lord, His Word and His purposes. The meaning and purpose of our life should not be idleness and wealth, but the fulfillment of God's will. We must strive to know ourselves and help others to know the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. And just as Sodom and Gomorrah were wiped off the face of the earth, so this world will one day come to an end. And just as the Lord took Lot out of that place before destroying it, so He will take us out of this world before doing to it what He did to Sodom and Gomorrah.

So let us be ready and vigilant. The Lord is coming. And “just as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot came out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the sky and destroyed everyone; 30 So it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears... Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever saves his soul will destroy it; and whoever destroys her will bring her to life” (Luke 17:28-33).

SODOM AND GOMORRAH

It is easy to mistake the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah for fantasy. Indeed, the story of two cities destroyed by “fire and brimstone” for the sinful behavior of their inhabitants seems far-fetched. However, archaeological research confirms the existence of these cities and their terrible death.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah takes us back to the early period of Jewish history, long before the people of Israel settled in the Promised Land. The ancestors of the Jews led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, trading with neighbors, moving from one region of the Middle East to another in search of new pastures for livestock. Their leader during the time of Sodom and Gomorrah was the patriarch Abraham, revered as the founding father through his son Isaac by all the Jews, and through his other son Ishmael by all the Arabs. Abraham plays a prominent role in both the Old Testament and the Koran, where his life story is told essentially the same way. If we interpret biblical chronology literally, the events described took place around 2100 BC. e.

Abraham was born in “Ur of the Chaldeans,” which is generally considered to be the Sumerian city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). His family moved from there to Harran (northern Mesopotamia), where his father died. It was then, as stated in the Book of Genesis (12:1-5), that God revealed his fate to Abraham. Abraham had to leave Mesopotamia and settle in Canaan (present-day Palestine): “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great.” Taking his wife and relative Lot along with their household, Abraham headed to Canaan. After a short stay in Egypt (while there was a famine in Canaan), Abraham and Lot settled in the south of Canaan and took up cattle breeding.

A conflict arose between the shepherds of Abraham and Lot over the right to use pastures, so Abraham proposed to separate. Lot and his family migrated further east to the plain on the other side of the Dead Sea (modern Jordan) and pitched their tents near the city of Sodom. The plain was “watered with water like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.” In modern times, the area is a barren wasteland with an oppressively hot climate and extremely scarce water resources. However, in the time of Lot, there were five prosperous cities on the plain: Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboim, Admah and Zoar. Ruled by five kings, they were powerful and wealthy enough to attack and defeat a coalition of Mesopotamian rulers.

According to the Book of Genesis, all this was to change in one day. The Bible constantly refers to the “wickedness” of the inhabitants of the five cities, especially Sodom and Gomorrah. The nature of this depravity, which is usually mistaken for a tendency towards sexual perversion, remains not entirely clear. But among the sins of the Sodomites, inhospitality occupied one of the first places, and their downfall was only hastened by the rude treatment of the two angels whom Lot invited into his home as honored guests. The residents of Sodom demanded that Lot take them outside and began to break down the door, but were blinded by the angels, who announced to Lot that God had sent them to punish the city; he must immediately gather his family and seek refuge in the mountains, under no circumstances looking back.

Lot took his wife and daughters and left the city, which soon turned into smoking ruins. His wife, as you know, violated the ban, turned around to look and turned into a pillar of salt. Lot's daughters and their father took refuge in a mountain cave; they were afraid that they were the only living people in the world.

Then follows one of the colorful, but not entirely decent passages that often appear in the texts of the Old Testament. Lot's daughters got their father drunk and took turns sleeping with him; as a result, both conceived sons from him. These sons became the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites - Jordanian tribes who later turned into sworn enemies of the Israelites.

After this we hear no more about Lot. As for Abraham, he observed the disaster from a safe distance from southern Palestine. When he looked in the direction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he “...saw smoke rising from the earth like smoke from a furnace.” All the cities on the plain were destroyed by an angry God.

No matter how you look at this story, it is replete with colorful details. The episode about Lot and his daughters is clearly a Hebrew “moral story,” invented for an almost comical purpose: to explain how “wicked” the Moabite and Ammonite enemies of the Israelites were, literally and figuratively. It is not difficult to guess the origin of the idea of turning Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. The Dead Sea is so rich in salt that fish cannot survive in it, and its coastline is dotted with columns of crystalline salt in a variety of shapes. The chance resemblance between one of these columns and a human figure could well give rise to the story of a man turned into a pillar of salt. This area is also very rich in native sulfur, which is sometimes found in the form of small balls. Could this circumstance give rise to the legend that God once brought sulfur (fire) rain down on the earth?

Analogies with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah can be found in the myths of other peoples. For example, in the Greek myth of Orpheus, he managed to save his wife Eurydice from Hades only on the condition that she would not look back when she left the Underworld; she looked back, and Orpheus lost her forever.

The story of the visit of two angels is very similar to another story from ancient myths as retold by the poet Ovid. It tells how the gods Mercury and Jupiter, who took on the form of mortals, came to a city in Phrygia (now central Turkey) and were unpleasantly surprised by the unfriendliness of the local residents. In retaliation for their ill treatment, the gods destroyed the entire city, sparing only a couple of elderly poor people who welcomed them into their home and offered them food.

In fact, the story of a city being razed to the ground for the sins of its inhabitants was very popular. One does not have to look far for examples, so it is tempting to interpret the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in a purely folkloric sense.

The best description of the surroundings of the Dead Sea in the 1st century. n. e. belongs to the Jewish historian Josephus, who retold the history of his people for Greco-Roman readers. Apparently, Joseph witnessed what he wrote about: “Adjacent to it (the Dead Sea) is the region of Sodom, once rich in its fertility and the prosperity of its cities, but now completely scorched. It is said that due to the sinfulness of its inhabitants it was destroyed by lightning. Even now there are traces of the fire sent by God, and even now you can see the shadows of the five cities. Each time, ash appears again in the form of unknown fruits, which by color seem edible, but as soon as they are touched with the hand, they turn into dust and ashes. Thus, the ancient legends about the land of Sodom are clearly confirmed.”

The Bible scholars themselves had little to say in favor of the hypothesis about the reality of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Rev. T. C. Cheyne, Professor of Oriental Studies and Scripture Interpretation at Oxford University, in an article published in the Encyclopedia of the Bible in 1903, interpreted the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a variant of the familiar myth of a catastrophic flood, where the sins of the people are punished by the Great One. by flood.

In 1924, a team of archaeologists led by William Foxwell Albright discovered the remains of a Bronze Age settlement in a place called Bab el-Dakhra. After collecting a few clay shards, the name “Bab el-Dakhra” was applied to archaeological maps of the Jordan.

But only in the 1970s. archaeologists began to realize the true significance of the discovery. Beneath the desert sands and dust lay a large settlement dating back to the Early Bronze Age (ca. 3100-2300 BC).

Bab el-Dakhra is now known as one of the oldest cities in Palestine. Archaeologists excavated a temple there, other cultural centers and the remains of a powerful protective wall about 7 m thick, built of stone and clay bricks. But the most unexpected discovery was the nearby cemetery, one of the largest in the Middle East. According to various estimates, about half a million people are buried there (about three million pots with funeral gifts were also found there).

Even before the excavations, it became clear that Bab el-Dakhru was destroyed by fire - pieces of spongy charcoal were scattered everywhere in the vicinity of the settlement. Subsequently, Bab el-Dakhra remained abandoned for two thousand years, until the beginning of the Hellenistic era.

This is not the only Palestinian settlement to suffer this fate. Shortly after excavations began in 1975, archaeologists Walter Rest and Thomas Schaub discovered Numeria, another Early Bronze Age site 11 km to the south, also strewn with spongy charcoal that could be collected by the handful from the surface of the earth. Destroyed by fire at about the same time as Bab el-Dakhra, Numeria also remained abandoned for two thousand years.

So, a certain pattern emerged in the excavations. By 1980, Rest and Schaub presented preliminary findings: the settlements they had discovered were the five "cities of the plain" spoken of in the Book of Genesis (Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboim, Admah, and Zoar).

There was murmur in scientific circles. One academic immediately threatened to withdraw financial support from Rest and Schaub's expedition if they really intended to identify their excavation sites with the biblical "cities of the plain." Fortunately, such hysteria did not affect the continuation of work, and after about twenty years, experts stopped breaking their spears in the discussion about Sodom and Gomorrah.

What was the reason for the destruction of five prosperous cities around 2300 BC? e.? Are there common points between archeology and religion?

The Bible says that God rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and neighboring cities. Lightning strikes are often accompanied by a sulfurous odor, and some ancient authors, including Tacitus, believed that lightning was the cause of the destruction of cities. Josephus mentions “thunderbolts,” or simply “lightning.”

As geologist Dorothy Vitaliano noted, “It is unlikely that lightning alone could have caused the fire that killed four cities.” (We are talking about four cities, since some claimed that the city of Zoar survived the disaster.)

But let's consider one more factor. It has been known since ancient times that the Dead Sea area is rich in oil. The Book of Genesis mentions “tar pits” in the valley of Siddim near Sodom, and in the time of Josephus the Dead Sea was generally called the Lake of Asphalt because of the pieces of bitumen floating in it. Their numbers increased sharply after earthquakes; some reports mention boulders the size of houses.

Sodom and Gomorrah were essentially sitting on a powder keg. Moreover, they were built on a major fault in the earth's crust - the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea are a continuation of the Great Rift in Africa, one of the main zones of seismic activity on the planet. An earthquake, of course, can lead to a fire.

Dorothy Vitaliano agrees with the assumptions of her predecessors: “A powerful earthquake occurred in the Siddim Valley approximately 2000 BC. e. It was accompanied by emissions of natural flammable gases and bitumen, which were ignited by fire in household fires. If certain rocks with high bitumen content were used in the construction of external walls or buildings, they would provide additional fuel for the fire.”

It is interesting to note that she wrote this in 1973, before the publication of Rest and Schaub's discovery. And recent studies have confirmed that earthquakes played a key role in the destruction of cities.

Two prominent specialists, D. Negev from the Geological Survey of Israel and K. Amery from the Woodshall Oceanographic Laboratory in Massachusetts, devoted an entire book to the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. According to them, from a geological point of view, it is quite possible that in the story of the lost cities there are echoes of the people's memory of a powerful seismic cataclysm at the end of the Early Bronze Age. Negev and Amery believe that the main fuel for the fire was hydrocarbons leaking from faults in the soil. Attention should be paid to the fact that the bitumen in this area is very rich in sulfur. Streams of hot salty water spilled as a result of the earthquake could lead to the formation of a deadly mixture of flammable gases rich in sulfur and hydrogen sulfide.

So, can the mystery of Sodom and Gomorrah be considered solved? But let's wait to send the topic to the archive.

It turned out that simultaneously with the earthquake, sharp climate changes occurred in the area located southeast of the Dead Sea. Lands that were once abundantly moist and quite fertile suddenly became drier and hotter. That is why, after the destruction of the cities, these places were not populated for so long. The severe drought lasted for about three hundred years, and during this time barren wastelands formed.

It is now becoming increasingly clear that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is just one small piece of a larger puzzle. Simultaneously with the sharp deterioration of climatic conditions, virtually all of the great urban centers of the Levant were destroyed, many by earthquake. In all of Turkey, at least 300 cities were burned or abandoned; Among them was Troy, which Schliemann considered Homer's Troy. At the same time, the Greek civilization of the early Bronze Age declined. In Egypt, the era of the Old Kingdom and the great pyramid builders came to an end: the country slipped into the abyss of anarchy. The level of the Nile fell sharply, and in the west the Sahara Desert reclaimed vast areas that were once fertile and well-watered.

Today, many facts indicate that a natural disaster in the Middle East at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. e. was part of a global cataclysm. Moreover, some evidence leads scientists to look beyond Earth for an explanation. There is one reason that can explain the sharp increase in seismic activity and climate change due to the release of huge amounts of dust into the atmosphere: the collision of the Earth with large meteorites and fragments of comets. Thus, a relatively small fragment of cometary material that exploded over Podkamennaya Tunguska in Siberia in 1908 caused tremors recorded by seismographs around the globe and devastated vast areas of the taiga. A larger celestial body falling in the area of a fault in the earth's crust could lead to both an earthquake and volcanic eruptions.

This consideration brings us back to the biblical description of events. What was the nature of the “fire from heaven” that, according to the Book of Genesis, destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? The “lightning” in the chronicles of Josephus is not ordinary lightning, as it might seem at first glance. Of the two Greek words he uses to describe this event, keraunos ("lightning") and bolos ("projectile"), neither is used in the context of a normal thunderstorm, with thunder and lightning. In particular, the word keraunos was used to describe the sacred, most deadly weapon of the god Zeus, which he used only on special occasions. In the Hellenistic world, Zeus, as the god of thunder, was associated with a number of meteorite cults, and the "sky stones" were preserved and revered for centuries after their fall.

It may seem like a big stretch that Sodom and Gomorrah, located on a fault line in the earth’s crust, and even above deposits of flammable hydrocarbons, were also hit by a meteorite. But if the disaster, according to contemporaries, occurred during a heavy meteor shower, causes and consequences could well have changed places in people’s minds. A meteorite or fragment of cometary material falling elsewhere could cause seismic tremors, while smaller fragments burning up in the atmosphere lit up the night sky...

Thus, the much-ridiculed story of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by “heavenly fire” may be an interesting example of the human reaction in one small corner of the world to a catastrophe on a global scale.

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Almost every person, even those who have not read the Bible, has heard about Sodom and Gomorrah- cities that, by the will of God, were wiped off the face of the earth. So God punished the inhabitants of these cities for their licentiousness, debauchery and cruelty.

The fact that Sodom and Gomorrah actually existed is undoubtedly confirmed by cuneiform texts found by archaeologists mentioning them: “Previously there were cities here, but now there is a salt sea.” But what was the cause of the death of the cities has not yet been precisely established.

BRIMAL AND FIRE FROM THE SKY

The infamous cities were located on fertile lands on the shores of the Dead Sea, formerly called Sodom, in the 2nd millennium BC. e. Everything was here so that people could live in abundance. However, the residents did not want to work and, leading an idle lifestyle, became mired in sin and vice.

When the news of this reached God, he decided to destroy the cities along with their inhabitants as punishment. The Lord shared his plans with Abraham, and he began to ask for the innocent righteous who could suffer along with sinners.

Most of all, he interceded for his nephew Lot, who was despised by the inhabitants of Sodom for not indulging in debauchery. And God sent angels for Lot and his family, who led the righteous out of the city (there were no others), forbidding them to look back at the dying Sodom.

As soon as Lot, his wife and two daughters left the refuge of depravity, an avalanche of fire and ashes descended on the city from heaven: “And the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew these cities, and all the surrounding countryside, and all the inhabitants of these cities, and all the growth of the earth.”

Lot's wife could not help but look back when she heard the roar and screams of dying people behind her. And, having disobeyed, she immediately turned into a pillar of salt. And Lot and his daughters continued on their way and, climbing the mountain, saw that in place of prosperous cities, a plain was smoking, covered with hot ash...

The name Sodom became a household name, from which the concept of “sodomy” - perverted sexual relations - emerged.

Presumably the cave in which Lot and his daughters hid after fleeing is located near the spring and looks directly at the Dead Sea. A church and a monastery were also built here.

In 2000, British scientist Michael Sanders and a group of archaeologists determined that Sodom and Gomorrah currently rest at the bottom of the Dead Sea.

SPACE PUNISHMENT

There are many versions of the cause of the death of Sodom and Gomorrah. According to one of the hypotheses put forward by British scientists, the cities were destroyed as a result of the fall of an asteroid. The basis for this assumption was the deciphering by scientist Mark Hampsall of the notes of a Sumerian astronomer (700 BC) from the Planispheric Tablet.

The note describes in detail how a huge white ball quickly swept across the sky. Using computers, scientists created a model of the sky at that time and determined the date of the disaster. According to them, the ancient astronomer observed the fall of an asteroid on June 29, 3123 BC. e.

This pillar of salt on the shores of the Dead Sea is called "Lot's Wife"

They also managed to establish the size of the celestial body: the asteroid was 800 meters across. Hampsall believes that destructive processes of such a scale could only occur as a result of a collision with a huge cosmic body.

“THE EARTHLY THINGS DROPPED FROM THE EARTH”

Another English scientist, archaeologist Harris, believes that a powerful earthquake occurred on the site of Sodom and Gomorrah about 5,000 years ago, as a result of which the cities went under water. After all, they were built at the site of a fracture in the earth’s crust: there were two tectonic plateaus moving in opposite directions. This is one of the most seismic zones on the planet.

In addition, these cities were located practically “on a powder keg”, because there are oil and methane deposits in the Dead Sea area. Genesis also speaks of “pits of tar” found in the Valley of Siddim, near Sodom. The Dead Sea was once called the Asphalt Sea because there were huge blocks of bitumen floating in it, but after the earthquake, apparently, there were too many of them.

Geologist Dorothy Vitaliano confirms this fact: “A powerful earthquake occurred in the Siddim Valley around 2,000 BC. e. It was accompanied by emissions of natural flammable gases and bitumen, which were ignited by fire in household fires. If certain rocks with high bitumen content were used in the construction of external walls or buildings, they would provide additional fuel for the fire.”

That is, an earthquake could cause a large-scale fire. It is known that the bitumen in this area is characterized by a high content of sulfur, which, when combined with hot salt water, forms gases that include sulfur itself and hydrogen sulfide. Exposure to these gases is fatal to humans. It becomes clear where the burning brimstone in the biblical story came from.

Perhaps the cities were destroyed by fire, and then another earthquake carried them to the bottom of the sea.

There is also an opinion that Sodom and Gomorrah perished during the Flood. After some period of time, the water left here, only part of it remained in the crevice, where the biblical cities were buried. This hypothesis is supported by traces of silt deposits found in these places.

Russian scientist A. Loginov believes that Sodom was located in the northern part of the Dead Sea and was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. A number of scientists from Russia and Israel adhere to the same version.

WORTH FROM MIND

More recently, a new version of the disappearance of biblical cities has emerged. Erich von Daniken, a German traveler and writer, believes that the cause could have been a nuclear explosion.

He is sure that two nuclear bombs were dropped on Sodom and Gomorrah, although the writer does not specify where they came from and who needed it.

So, powerful nuclear explosions left no stone unturned in the cities. Lot and his family were saved because they knew about the impending disaster and left the danger zone. And Daniken explains the transformation of Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt by the effect of radiation on the human body. All living things: people, animals, vegetation - turned into ashes, and buildings into ruins.

At this point, the writer concludes that such a picture can only exist after an atomic explosion. However, scientists were unable to find any signs of increased radiation in this area, although enough time had passed for it to disappear without a trace.

ROLL CALL OF THE CENTURIES

The ancient Greek geographer Strabo put forward his hypothesis of a catastrophe. This is what he wrote: “Many other evidence is given in favor of the fact that this earth is saturated with fire. Precipitous burnt rocks and, in many places, crevices and ash-like soil, rivers spreading a stench, and everywhere in the vicinity the ruins of human dwellings.

Therefore, we have to believe the legends very widespread among local residents that there once were thirteen inhabited cities, of which the main city - Sodom - had about 60 stadia (about 10.6 kilometers) in circumference.

From earthquakes, eruptions of fire and hot asphalt and sulfurous waters, the lake suddenly overflowed its banks, and fire engulfed the rocks; As for the cities, some were swallowed up by the earth, while others were abandoned by the inhabitants who still had the opportunity to escape.”

In addition, he mentioned that the asphalt in the Dead Sea sometimes comes to the surface in the form of bubbles, and with it something else comes out, which makes everything black. It is now known that it is hydrogen sulfide that causes metal to darken. And burning hydrogen sulfide turns into sulfuric acid. It was she who poured from the sky along with the rain.

If you imagine all this, you get a picture worthy of a horror film - all at the same time: an earthquake, fires and finally a rain of sulfuric acid...

Galina BELYSHEVA

I. THE BIBLE ABOUT SODOM AND GOMORRAH

1. Historical and geographical data
Sodom . The name of the city translates as “burning”. Gomorrah . The name of the city translates as “overflowing with water” or “submerged.”
Sodom and Gomorrah are two of the five cities in the Jordan region that were destroyed by fire and brimstone. Five cities in the vicinity of Jordan - Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, Admah and Zeboim (Tzeboim). Mention of them is in Genesis 10:19 « And the borders of the Canaanites were from Sidon to Gerar to Gaza, from here to Sodom, Gomorrah, Adme And Tsevoimu to Lashi».
All these cities were located in the Siddim Valley, where the Dead Sea is now located: Genesis 14:1-3 « And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goim, that they went to war against Berah king Sodomsky, against Birshi, the king Gomorrah, Shinava, king Admy, Shemever, king Sevoimsky, and against King Bela, who is Segor. All these united in the valley of Siddim, where is now the Salt Sea».

What was this area like?
Genesis 13:10 « Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region around the Jordan, that before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, all the way to Zoar watered with water like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt ».
Genesis 14:10 « In the valley of Siddim there were many tar pits.».

2. The Bible about the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah:

Evil and very sinful: Genesis 13:13 « The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord». Genesis 18:20-21 « And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very heavy; I will go down and see whether they are doing exactly what the cry is against them, rising to Me, or not; I'll find out».
In these cities the ten righteous were not found for which God would not have destroyed these cities: Genesis 18:23-32.
Proud, full, idle, unmerciful and committing abominations: Ezekiel 16:48-50 « As I live, says the Lord God; Sodoma your sister did not do the same things she and her daughters did that you and your daughters did. This was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister and her daughters: in pride, satiety And idleness, And she did not support the hands of the poor and the beggar A. And they became proud, and did abominable things before me, and when I saw this, I rejected them».
Proud of their sin: Isaiah 3:9 « The expression on their faces testifies against them, and they talk about their sin openly like the Sodomites, don't hide: Woe to their soul! for they bring evil upon themselves».
Sexual debauchery reached its climax in Sodom and Gomorrah: Genesis 19:4-9 .

3. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah .
The wickedness and lawlessness of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah led to the incineration of these cities. The picture of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is described in Genesis 19:15-26.
Particular attention should be paid to the picture of the destruction of cities: Genesis 19:24-25 “ And the Lord rained brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and overthrew these cities, and all the surrounding countryside, and all the inhabitants of these cities, and the growth of the earth." Also Genesis 19:27-29 « And Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he stood before the Lord, and looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and all the surrounding area and saw: behold, smoke rises from the earth like smoke from a furnace. And it came to pass, when God was destroying the cities around this place, that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out from the midst of the destruction, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot lived».
Lot's attitude towards the incident is described in Genesis 19:30 « And Lot went out from Zoar and lived in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he I was afraid to live in Zoar. AND lived in a cave and with him his two daughters».

It is known that there were five cities in the Valley of Siddim: Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, Admah and Zeboim. How many cities were destroyed that day: two, three, four or all five? To answer this question, you need to carefully read the story of Lot's family being brought out of Sodom: Genesis 19:15-26.
Firstly, special attention should be paid to the conversation between Lot and the angels Genesis 19:15-22 « When the dawn rose, the Angels began to hurry Lot, saying: Arise, take your wife and your two daughters that are with you, so that you do not perish for the iniquities of the city. And as he delayed, those men, by the mercy of the Lord towards him, took him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, and brought him out and placed him outside the city. When they were brought out, one of them said: save your soul; do not look back and do not stop anywhere in this vicinity; escape to the mountain so that you do not die. But Lot said to them: No, Master! Behold, Thy servant has found favor in Thy sight, and great is Thy mercy which Thou hast done to me, that Thou hast saved my life; but I cannot escape to the mountain, lest misfortune overtakes me and I die; Now, it’s closer to run to this city, it’s small; I’ll run there - it’s small; and my life will be preserved. And he said to him: Behold, to please you I will do this also: I will not overthrow the city of which you speak; hasten and escape there, for I cannot do any work until you get there. That is why this city is named Zoar».
According to God's plan, all five cities of the Valley of Siddim were to be destroyed by fire and brimstone. For this reason, the angels warned Lot not to stop in any city around the Jordan, but to flee to the mountains: “ Save your soul; do not look back and do not stop anywhere in this vicinity; escape to the mountain so you don’t die» ( verse 17).
Lot was afraid he would not have time to escape to the mountains and asked the angels to allow him to take refuge in Zoar, one of the five cities of the Valley of Siddim. The angels promised Lot that Zoar would not be destroyed for his sake: “ And he said to him, Behold, to please you I will do this also: I will not overthrow the city of which you speak.» ( With. 21).
Secondly, you should pay attention to verses 23-25: « The sun rose over the earth, and Lot came to Zoar. And the Lord shed to Sodom and Gomorrah rained brimstone and fire from the Lord from heaven, and overthrew these cities, and this whole neighborhood and all the inhabitants of these cities, and the growth of the earth" This describes the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the entire region around the Jordan, with the exception of Zoar. Thus, we see that in addition to Sodom and Gomorrah, two more cities were destroyed that day.
An excerpt from the book talks about this Deuteronomy 29:23 « ...sulfur and salt, conflagration - the whole earth; it is not sown or brought forth, nor does it produce any grass, as if it were destroyed Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in His anger and in His wrath».

4. Symbolism of Sodom and Gomorrah
A. These two cities are symbols of debauchery and lawlessness:
Genesis 18:20-21 « And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very heavy.». Romans 9:29 « And, as Isaiah predicted: if the Lord of hosts had not left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom and would have been like Gomorrah».
Although Ezekiel 16:49 accuses Sodom of being proud, selfish, and idle, the main sin of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah is homosexuality, which the Bible calls “an abomination to the Lord” (Ezekiel 16:50). Exactly the same word (“abomination”) is used to describe the sin of homosexuality in Leviticus 18:22 « ».
Homosexual relations were an accepted relationship among the Canaanites, the pagan tribes and peoples who inhabited Canaan. Fearing that their sinful lifestyle could be adopted by the Jews, the Lord God, leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land, commanded them to destroy all these nations, which, by the way, they did not do. But this will be much later than the events described. IN Genesis 15:16, « the measure of the iniquities of the Amorites has not yet been filled", but the depravity of the two cities in the valley of Siddim - Sodom and Gomorrah- has already crossed all boundaries.

B. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is an example of what awaits the atheists: 2 Peter 2:6 « ...and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction and turned them into ashes, setting an example for future wicked people ». Jude 1:7 « Like Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, like them, they committed fornication and went after other flesh, and were subjected to the punishment of eternal fire, set as an example ».
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is an example and proof of how the Lord God judges and punishes sin.

C. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a symbol of the end of the world.
Luke 17:28-30 « Just as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot came out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the sky and destroyed everyone; so it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears».

D. The corruption of Sodom and Gomorrah became the talk of the town:
In other words, the names of Sodom and Gomorrah became common nouns for all kinds of lawlessness and abomination before God.
Isaiah 1:9-10 « If the Lord of Hosts had not left us a small remnant, we would have been like Sodom, we would have become like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, princes of Sodom; Hearken unto the law of our God, O people of Gomorrah!”
Jeremiah 23:13-14 « And in the prophets of Samaria I saw madness; they prophesied in the name of Baal, and misled my people Israel. But I see something terrible in the prophets of Jerusalem: they commit adultery And walking in lies, support the hands of the villains so that no one turns from his wickedness; they are all before Me as Sodom, and its inhabitants as Gomorrah».

E. The lawlessness of Sodom and Gomorrah can be surpassed:
Matthew 10:14-15 « And if anyone does not receive you and does not listen to your words, then, when leaving that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet; Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city».
Mark 6:11 « And if anyone will not receive you and will not listen to you, then when you leave there, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city».
In other words, the punishment for refusing to accept the Good News of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ will be much worse than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

II. THE BIBLE ABOUT THE SIN OF HOMOSEXUALISM

1. Terminology
Homosexuality is understood as attraction directed towards persons of the same sex. In women, this phenomenon is called lesbianism. Those people who follow a homosexual lifestyle are said to be gay (gay is an acronym that stands for " good as you- that is, “no worse than you.” This is not just an abbreviation, but an ideological slogan of the homosexual movement); in clinical practice they are called “egosyntonic” ** homosexuals."
So-called sexual minorities compare the fight for their rights with the fight for the emancipation of women or against racial discrimination. But the fact is that women or, say, black people were really born this way and cannot change. With homosexuals, from a scientific point of view, the situation is somewhat different.

2. What causes homosexuality, what are its causes?
Illiterate people believe that people are just “crazy.” Popular gay propaganda, on the contrary, claims that homosexuals are born. Both are wrong. The development of homosexuality is a process, not an instantaneous event.
The hypothesis about the existence of a special “homosexuality gene” transmitted on the maternal “X” chromosome was not confirmed. Which is not surprising: after all, biologists have established that not only in humans, but even in higher mammals, sexual behavior is not genetically encoded, but is the result of learning. Only a certain type of character can be inherited, which under certain conditions can lead to homosexuality.

Many homosexuals say: “As long as I can remember, I have always been like this.” But an experienced specialist, talking with them, can always identify the moment at which the deviations began and what contributed to this.

What influences the formation of a person’s homosexual worldview?

Intrafamily relationships play a big role, for example, when a boy’s father is not an example for him, and his mother is overprotective. Such a child may never understand what it means to be a man. But at the same time, he is admired and attracted by those who have this masculinity so lacking in him - other boys or men. Sooner or later this admiration takes on an erotic character...
Negative experiences with peers (lack of friends and failures in relationships with the opposite sex) also influence the development of homosexual orientation.
For women, everything can happen much the same, but there is another decisive factor: most lesbians have experienced violence or severe insult inflicted by a man, and since then they are simply afraid of them. Women's care and tenderness are especially attractive to them.
The first sexual experience has a particular influence on future sexual orientation. I'm not even talking about the fact that homosexuality can also be the result of a conscious choice. This is how they make money. This challenges society. They try it out of curiosity, for the thrill.

In other words, people are not born homosexuals.

3. What's wrong with homosexuality: what is its harm?
A. Negative impact on physical health.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is AIDS and its many famous and unknown victims. But it's not only that. In the United States, based on an analysis of obituaries, they found that even in the absence of AIDS and in the presence of permanent partners, gays live on average 25-30 years less than heterosexual men. Because, in addition to AIDS, they are threatened by several dozen more specific diseases. Well, if AIDS is added, then, you know...

B. Negative impact on moral health.
There is a higher suicide rate among homosexuals. They say that they, poor fellows, are constantly subjected to pressure from society, but in the West society has not put pressure on anyone for a long time. It’s just that in general there are more unhappy people among them. Again, in the USA, where some statistics have already accumulated after the sexual revolution, it is estimated that only 2% of gays had less than 10 partners throughout their lives, 43% - more than 500, and 28% - more than 1000. Naturally, it is more difficult for homosexuals to find themselves "a couple". All this is not so scary while they are young, but what awaits them in old age, when there is no former attractiveness, no children, no grandchildren?

B. Negative impact on society
How does the widespread spread of “rainbow” love affect society? First of all, the very concept of norm is blurred. And please: sadism, masochism and other “oddities” also don’t surprise anyone anymore - you never know how people have fun. And in the West, pedophiles are already starting to fight for their rights - they say, why are we worse... Normal people, on the contrary, find themselves in a strange position: for example, friendship between men already seems obviously suspicious - gays have convinced everyone that men cannot simply be friends. And any teacher should think three times before asking a teenager if he has a girlfriend - a boy may, on the contrary, have a friend! And such a tactless question traumatizes the young psyche.
But this is so, “flowers” in comparison with the situation in which a fairly large group of people found themselves - namely, homosexuals who want to move on to a normal lifestyle. There are very few places where they can get qualified help; usually they hear: “Why? This is your nature! Accept yourself as you are and be happy about it!” And they, poor people, want a normal family and children.

4. A Biblical View of Homosexuality
A. Old Testament teaching on marriage and gender relations:
The book of Genesis lays out the basic teachings on marriage and family: Genesis 2:18-24 « And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone; let's do it for him assistant corresponding to him. The Lord God formed from the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought it to man to see what he would call them, and that whatever man called every living soul, that would be its name. And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to all the beasts of the field; but for man there was no helper like him. And the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and when he fell asleep, he took one of his ribs and covered that place with flesh. And the Lord God created a wife from a rib taken from a man, and brought her to the man. And the man said: Behold, this is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she will be called woman, for she was taken from man. Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife; and they will be one flesh ».

The Lord defined the family as a union of a man and a woman. Below are a few reasons why He ordained it this way:

Firstly, our bodies are designed in such a way that the anatomy of the female body complements the anatomy of the male, and vice versa.
Secondly, the derivative of the union of a man and a woman is offspring. A homosexual union is not able to fulfill the commandment of the Lord God: “Be fruitful and multiply” ( Genesis 1:28).
Thirdly, God has assigned men and women their own (different) roles in the family, the fulfillment of which contributes to the strengthening of the family union. As is known from Genesis 2:18, the wife was created to be the perfect helper to her husband.
In addition, it must be remembered that the Lord created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Eve. If God did not care who has intimate relations with whom, then there would be no command that “a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife; and they will become one flesh" ( Genesis 2:24). Husband and wife become one flesh, for Eve was taken from the flesh of Adam ( Genesis 2:23-24 « And the man said, Behold, this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she will be called woman, for she was taken from man. Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife; and they will be one flesh"). That is why homosexual relations are called in the Bible " going after other flesh» ( Jude 1:7).

The Lord God clearly forbade homosexual relations in His Word:
Leviticus 18:22 « Do not lie with a man as with a woman: it is an abomination».
Leviticus 20:13 « If anyone lies with a man as with a woman, then both of them have committed an abomination: they shall be put to death, their blood shall be on them.».

B. New Testament Teaching on Marriage and Sexual Relationships:
Jesus Christ : In speaking of marriage, Jesus referred to the teachings of the Old Testament, particularly Genesis.

Matthew 19:4-6 « He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who created in the beginning made them male and female? And he said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh, so that they are no longer two, but one flesh.” So what God has joined together, let not man put asunder». Mark 10:6 « At the beginning of creation, God created them male and female. Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh».

Epistles of the Apostles
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 « Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, neither malakia* nor homosexuals neither thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God».
1 Timothy 1:9-10 « ...knowing that the law is not made for the righteous, but for the wicked and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the depraved and defiled, for those who insult father and mother, for murderers, for fornicators, homosexuals, predators of man, slanderers, bestialists, liars, perjurers, and for everything that is contrary to sound doctrine...»

Homosexual relationships between the sexes are a sin that the Lord God will judge. However, we must not forget that those guilty of this sin reap the fruits of their iniquity during their lifetime, receiving in themselves due retribution for their error: Romans 1:26-27 « Therefore, God gave them over to shameful passions: their women replaced natural use with unnatural; likewise, men, abandoning the natural use of the female sex, were inflamed with lust for one another, men committing shame on men and receiving due retribution in themselves for your error».
In addition, this passage indicates that homosexuality, firstly, is an “unnatural” phenomenon, that is, an anomaly. Secondly, homosexuality is not a genetic disorder, but a “delusion,” that is, self-deception.
The cause of homosexual debauchery is godlessness: Romans 1:28 « And How they didn't care to have God in their mind, then God gave them over to a depraved mind - to do lewd things».

In the Bible, homosexuality and other sexual immorality are compared and equated with the shameless behavior of dogs. In Old Testament times, sexual libertines were called “dogs”: Deuteronomy 23:17-18 « There shall be no harlot among the daughters of Israel, and there shall be no fornicator among the sons of Israel. Do not pay the wages of a harlot and dog prices into the house of the Lord your God by any vow, for both are an abomination to the Lord your God».
Revelation 22:14-15 « Blessed are they who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and to enter into the city through the gates. And outside - dogs and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices iniquity»

5. How to treat “gays”?
When a woman caught in adultery was brought to Christ, He did not justify her or accuse her. Jesus said to her: " Go and sin no more" Subsequently, she became His devoted disciple.
Homosexuality, like adultery, is a type of the sin of fornication. We Christians are to hate sin but show God's love to sinners. This does not mean that we should encourage sinful lifestyles and indulge sinners in their sin. It must be remembered that the Lord God is able to heal and free a repentant sinner from the sin of homosexuality.
Notice the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 « Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the Kingdom of God. AND some of you were like that; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" As you can see, liberation from homosexuality is a reality that is within the power of our great Creator and Savior Jesus Christ.

For God, every person, regardless of his orientation, is infinitely precious. Christ died to give us all freedom from sin and the peace of God, so that souls tormented by despair would find peace and joy. The Lord is ready to accept any repentant sinner, therefore we - Christians - must testify to sinners about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Perhaps someone's heart will respond, and there will be another forgiveness, and there will be another new life.

**Term "egosyntonic" refers to impulses, desires, thoughts, etc., consonant with and compatible with the Self. The egosyntonic type of manifestation is characterized by the perception of one’s sexual inclinations and preferences as natural and consistent with the subject’s ideas about the subject’s own personality.

We often come across the expression “Sodom and Gomorrah”, but few people know about its meaning and origin. In fact, these are the two cities that the biblical tale tells about. According to history, they burned down because of the sins of the people who lived there. What sins are we talking about? Did these cities really exist? We will try to answer these and many other questions in this article. So, Sodom and Gomorrah: the meaning of legend and history..

Biblical story

Sodom and Gomorrah was first mentioned as the southeastern tip of Canaan, located east of Gaza, while the land here is called the eastern bank. Lot, Abraham's nephew, came here. The Bible even says that Jerusalem borders Sodom on the south and southeast sides. The inhabitants of Sodom were called Philistines or Hanakim in the Jewish manner, and the king of the city was a monarch named Ber.

According to the Bible, the war that took place between the army of Chedorlaomer and the army of Sodom, which was subsequently defeated, also dates back to the life of Abraham, and Abraham’s nephew Lot was captured by enemies. The biblical stories say that Sodom was a rich and developed city, but the Lord God decided to punish the inhabitants because they were extremely sinful and evil, possessing many vices that righteous people would not accept. Tradition tells that God rained brimstone and fire on these cities in order to destroy both the lands themselves and their inhabitants for their misdeeds. In addition, according to the Bible, Adma and Sevoim were also destroyed, although to date there is no evidence that they actually existed. After the fire, the land of Sodom was inhabited by the descendants of Lot, the only ones who managed to escape the fire, and it became known as Moab.

Trying to find cities

Since Sodom and Gomorrah are widely known even to non-religious people, many attempts have been made to find out more about their location and finally find evidence that they existed. So, not far from the Dead Sea, on its southwestern shore, there are mountains that consist mainly of rock salt and are called Sodomite. It would seem that this should be somehow connected with the biblical city, but in reality there is no reliable data on why this particular name was chosen.

Interest in the biblical tale is so widespread that between 1965 and 1979, five attempts were made to find the city that perished due to the sins of its inhabitants, but they were unsuccessful. The history of Sodom and Gomorrah did not leave Russian scientists indifferent, who, together with Jordanians, tried to discover what remained of the ancient city.

Michael Sanders Expedition

In 2000, British scientist Michael Sanders became the leader of an archaeological expedition aimed at finding destroyed cities. Their work was based on images obtained from the American space shuttle. According to these photographs, the city could be located northeast of the Dead Sea, contrary to all data from the Bible. Scientists believed that they had managed to find the most accurate location of Sodom, the ruins of which, in their opinion, are located at the bottom of the Dead Sea.

Jordan Valley

Some scholars also believe that the ancient ruins located at Tell el-Hammam in Jordan may be the biblical city of sinners. Therefore, it was decided to undertake research in this area in order to confirm or refute the hypothesis. Excavations led by American scientist Stephen Collins, who relied on data from the book of Genesis, strengthen the assumption that Sodom was located in the southern region of the Jordan Valley, which is surrounded on all sides by depressions.

“Sodom and Gomorrah”: the meaning of phraseology

This expression is interpreted quite widely, but most often it denotes a place of debauchery in which the moral principles of society are neglected. It also happens that this expression is used to describe incredible chaos. From the names of the city of Sodom, the term “sodomy” appeared in the Russian language, most often denoting sexual relations between people of the same sex, that is, sodomy. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are most often remembered by people precisely in connection with this.

The meaning of a phraseological unit can also imply any non-traditional sexual contacts that are considered immoral in modern society. Such acts include oral, anal sex or any perversion. The Lord, according to legend, having destroyed the cities, punished sinners in order to show the whole world what awaits those who resort to unconventional sexual practices and disobey him.

Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah

According to the text of the Bible, city residents were punished not only for sexual debauchery, but also for other sins, including selfishness, idleness, pride and others, but homosexuality was still recognized as the main one. Why exactly this sin is recognized as the most terrible is not known for certain, but in the Bible it is called an “abomination” before the Lord, and the legend calls on people “not to lie with a man as with a woman.”

Oddly enough, among such an ancient people as the Philistines, homosexuality was a generally accepted phenomenon, and no one condemned it. This probably happened because their ancestors were pagan tribes and peoples who lived in Canaan, far from According to legend, the Lord, fearing that the Jewish people could also turn to such a sinful way of life, sent them to and therefore commanded them to destroy the cities, so that their inhabitants do not spread around the globe. There are even lines in Genesis that say that corruption had become so widespread in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah that it crossed all boundaries, which is why they had to be destroyed.

Reflection in art

Like many other myths and legends, the story of two cities of sinners was embodied in art. This biblical story is also reflected in the work of the great Russian writer Anna Andreevna Akhmatova, who wrote the poem “Lot’s Wife.” In 1962, a film was even made, which, in fact, is a rather loose interpretation of the biblical tale about the city of the fallen. Thus, in his famous cycle “In Search of Lost Time” there is a novel of the same name, which tells about the morally degraded bourgeoisie - “Sodom and Gomorrah”.

Pictures depicting debauchery and other sins also often remind us of the inhabitants of these cities, which the Lord himself decided to burn. There are at least a dozen paintings depicting Abraham's nephew, Lot, and his daughters, with whom, according to legend, he had sexual relations. Oddly enough, according to the legend, the initiators of incest were the daughters themselves, left without husbands who wanted to continue the family line.

Lot, Abraham's nephew

The oldest surviving painting is a work by Albrecht Dürer, which is called “Lot’s Flight”. Here is an old man, accompanied by two daughters, and his wife can be seen in the distance, and everything looks pretty decent. However, in later works by masters of various eras and movements one can find a radically different interpretation. For example, the work of Simon Vouet entitled “Lot and His Daughters” shows us an already elderly man playing with his half-naked daughters. Similar paintings are also found in such painters as Hendrik Goltzius, Francesco Furini, Lucas Cranach, Domenico Maroli and a number of others.

Interpretation of the biblical legend

According to the Book of Genesis, Sodom and Gomorrah are cities that the Lord punished for disobedience and non-compliance with everyday laws. How is the legend interpreted now? What do scientists think about the reasons for the death of these sinful cities? Now some scientists who are in one way or another connected with religion believe that in reality our modern world is mired in vice and debauchery, but we are so accustomed to it that we no longer notice it. They believe that modern people have become so accustomed to what is disgusting to the Lord that all these perversions and vices have become habitual. They believe that we are actually on the path to destruction, accepting everything that happens around us. For example, one of the Russian scientists, Doctor of Technical Sciences V. Plykin, writes in his book that, not knowing the laws of the Universe, modern people have created their own laws, which, in fact, are artificial and, not being a righteous life, lead society to death .

The same scientist believes that scientific and technological progress also has a negative impact on the moral foundations of humanity, which only aggravates everything and brings people closer to the world of vice. What are Sodom and Gomorrah in the modern world? Some also believe that because people only care about getting the most out of life without caring about the consequences, humanity is producing negative energy. To believe or not in this approach is, of course, everyone’s business. Maybe it’s not worth transferring ancient laws to modern society.

Fact or fiction?

The biblical story of the cities of sinners is known throughout the world. Vices such as sodomy, idleness, pride, and selfishness caused the death of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The legend tells of the Philistine people, who were so mired in sin that they became unworthy to walk on the earth of the Lord God.

Now, so many centuries after the events described, it is impossible to say whether these cities actually existed, and whether they were burned “by a rain of brimstone and fire” for the misdeeds of their inhabitants. A huge number of attempts have been made to find the remains of these settlements, but in reality none of them have been successful.

Conclusion

According to legend, when two angels came to the city to find at least ten righteous people, they saw only vice and debauchery there. And then the Lord, angry, decided to burn the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. That this happened exactly like this is written in the book of Genesis, but the legend remains a legend, and no archaeological evidence has been found that could prove it. However, whether this actually happened or whether this, like many other ancient legends, is an absolute fiction, is not so important. The most important thing here is to be able to learn a lesson from this story so that modern people do not wallow in the same vice and debauchery and are not punished in the same way as the ancient Philistines, who caused the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah - two cities overflowing with sinners.