The Example of Sodom :: By Bill Wilson

Published on: by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles

In looking at the world’s condition, many wonder if it can get worse. The brutal attack by Islamic terrorists on Israel revealed much. It was a reminder that the enemies of Israel are hateful, cruel, and barbaric. It was also an eye-opener on the hate leveled at Jews and Israel by the rest of the world.

Not since Hitler’s acts in World War II has there been such open hatred toward a people. The very people who fly the banners “hate does not live here” are filled with hate. The type of hate being witnessed around the world is not just spoken but is wrapped in the shroud of unspeakable immoral acts and begs the question of how long the Lord will wait to return and set things right. Let’s look at Sodom for an indicator.

Genesis 18 is the account of the Lord revealing his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because “their sin is very grievous (verse 20).” Abraham then asked the Lord to spare the cities if there were 50, then 45, then 40, and on down to 10 righteous people found. The Lord graciously conceded that if there were 10 righteous people, He would spare the two cities. Of course, the two angels that went down to check only found Lot, his wife, and his daughters.

The wicked people of the city tried to molest the two angels, so they struck them blind and told Abraham’s nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom, to take his family and flee to the hills because God was going to destroy the cities. Lot, his wife, and two of his daughters kept delaying their departure, and finally, the angels took them out of the city. Lot’s wife looked back and was turned to salt.

This is a story of a most sinful and dark place, where even the righteous had the most difficult time separating themselves from the depravity. Sodom is mentioned over 50 times in the Bible. Christ pointed to Sodom as an example of how it will be upon his return.

In Luke 17:28-30, Christ said, “Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

Sodom and Gomorrah are the gold standard when talking about the depravity of mankind. They are the example of the judgment of God.

Jude 1:7 says, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

The sins were comprehensive.

The Lord says in Ezekiel 16:49, “Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread [gluttony], and abundance of idleness [laziness] was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”

It would seem that these days in which we live are very similar to the time of Sodom.

Two thoughts: When it gets as bad as Sodom (and it will), the Lord will not tarry. Also, be vigilant to be going about Christ’s business in this world but not being of it. For being of the world is difficult to come out, as exemplified by Lot’s wife.

Posted in The Daily Jot

 

Anything But :: By Dave Hubley

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

We’ve all heard these two phrases or some variation of them over the past several years.

1)  Anything (or Anyone) but…??? This implies that an individual so disposed would select absolutely ANY alternative to the one(s) existing at any given moment, no matter how vile or senseless and destructive the consequences of their choices might be.

2)  TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). This rabid and virulent hatred of one individual, regardless of any rational reason(s), is not new. It has been going on for 2,000 years or so (and likely much longer, considering human nature). It has been labeled with different names, but the derangement remains the same.

So, considering just these two examples of modern-day conduct (reasoning?) and intellectual vapidity, what are we to deduce from it all?

“What has been, it is what will be, And what has been done, it is what will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

To understand this, we have to decide to be completely honest with ourselves; to accept Truth in the face of self-serving pride; to be willing to confront the inner weakness of our emotions, and, as we used to say back in my day, “get real.”

“Get real” used to mean accepting circumstances for what they were. This is risky, though, because if we do that, we then must make a conscious decision.

  • Accept and deal with the Truth.
  • Reject and continue to fabricate our own version of what we want to be true without letting the nuisance of reality obstruct our fantasies.

There is one more conundrum to deal with: Truth is reality from God’s perspective.

And His is the only perspective that matters.

If you don’t like that, well, you will have to choose #2 above.

Number 2 is called “relative truth,” and it has never, ever resulted in wise or rational decisions.

You are putting your trust in “Anything But…”

You are really trusting in your own perceived “power,” human government, a false god of your own design, your own vain imaginings, or any other number of human constructs that have failed repeatedly over history.

Trump is only one more faulty human who cannot fix this mess that has been allowed to fester, and it is now becoming apparent to anyone who is willing to choose #1 above that the world situation is now beyond human remedy.

You are buying time, and that is one commodity that is quickly running out.

“‘ Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘All is vanity'” (Ecclesiastes 12:8).

This may seem rather harsh and unfeeling (as truth often can be).

It is anything but.

You may be thinking that these uncomfortable facts don’t offer any hope for you or your children or grandchildren, and you don’t want to consider them, so you may be tempted to choose #2 again, and that lack of hope would be true in that “relative truth” and “desires” cannot bring about any kind of real solutions to real problems.

Perhaps you might do yourself a favor.

Get by yourself, take a moment, choose #1 above, and, in that light, consider:

  • Is the world getting any better?
  • Do you see human beings as being able, given the track record of history, to “fix” the current state of the world?

Truthfully, I am trying to direct your heart and mind to the only Hope there is. I have a stepson and stepdaughter and grandkids that I love beyond understanding. I want them to have a future of life and love, and I want the same for you and yours.

But it is not going to be in this sin-besotted world. Given present circumstances and their alignment with Bible prophecy, it is simply out of the question.

So, I must choose #1 if I am to be an effective influence on them.

Earlier in this article, I stated, relative to unbridled hatred of Trump, that: “This rabid and virulent hatred of one individual, regardless of any reason(s), rational or otherwise, is actually not new. It has been going on for 2,000 years or so….”

The below example is comparing Gold (Jesus) to clay (Trump and all other human “leaders”), but it is nevertheless adequate to make the point.

If you are still with me, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I expect you know where I am going with this, so I will just go about getting there.

2,000+/- years ago, Jesus Christ was executed (from the world’s perspective) by being nailed to a Roman cross. The Jews and the Gentiles bear equal blame for this action.

That is Truth from God’s perspective.

He was hated without reason or justification, and that hatred has been ongoing for the many years since by a very large majority of humankind.

The Truth is, Jesus voluntarily allowed Himself to be murdered, even though completely innocent and sinless. No human power could have done a single thing to Him outside His will. He did this to pay the death sentence for the sins of the whole world.

That is why He came.

But it must be understood that the eternal life that can be realized from His sacrifice is only guaranteed to those who will receive His gift, not for those who reject Him.

People are usually willing to talk about God because, in so many cases, they have been lured by the world into thinking of Him in human terms, perhaps as a “white-haired kindly figure who forgives everyone because we are, after all, “only human,” or some other kind of “controllable” human construct that allows Him to be “managed.”

In the C.S. Lewis Narnia movies, the Depiction of Jesus Christ was the character Aslan, and it was said of Him, “After all, He is not a tame lion.”

When He returns as the Lion of Judah in righteous judgment, it will be clear to the entire world that, indeed, “He is not a tame Lion.”

My father used to say, when I tried to talk to him about Jesus, that he had “found something that worked for him.” How sad and terrible.

To this day, I do not know if he ever came to a knowledge of the Truth. His living years have passed, so whatever place he came to is now fixed and irrevocable.

God doesn’t “work for anyone” in as far as people trying to view Him in that light so they can “manage Him” and find temporary “refuge” from accountability to Him.

Yet, He does, in fact, work for us and continues to do so every single day, but in His own Will and by His own Authority. He is working for our good even this very minute.

“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Emphasis added by me.

So, who really is the focus of the blind hatred and avarice of the “Anything but” world?

It is Jesus who cannot be mentioned in a discussion about God without giving rise to an unspoken phrase as old as the Cross itself.

“Anything or anyone but Jesus.”

Why is that? When we choose #1, we find that He, and He alone, is the “real deal.”

He is the Son of God, not “a” son of God, but THE Son of God.

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Only Way, and that is why He is so hated by a world that chooses #2 above.

For as long as you are still in “your living years,” you can choose to place all your Trust and Hope in Jesus, the Only Source of Truth.

That means you will need to choose #1 and “get real.”

“Getting real” shows us that the “end of days” that the Word of God has foretold in His written Word is right at the door.

You can’t save yourself, your kids, or your grandkids, and I can’t save mine either. That is the province of the Holy Spirit of God.

If you are willing, read on just a little further. If you come to the foot of the cross and receive Jesus as your Lord and as your Savior, you can begin to influence those you love by telling them the Truth of who Jesus is.

You can’t love them more or do them any higher service than that.

The special message I promised you:

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life.

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.

It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

  • Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
  • Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
  • That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
  • To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
  • Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
  • To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

  • No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
  • No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
  • Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

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