If there is a place that fascinates me more than any place that I have ever been to is the ruins of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The land is vast. In comparison to its vastness, one can only imagine big cities like London.

As soon as I walked on the ashes of Sodom, I loved God more. I saw that His judgements are righteous. I saw the holiness of God, His goodness, His mercies which are new every morning. “How can it be when He destroyed the cities?”, one may ask. The bible tells us the cup was now overflowing, meaning God is patient and He is long suffering.

“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.” Ezekiel 16:49-50

“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are —northward, southward, eastward, and westward;

“for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever; Genesis 13:12-15

Forever means forever. Eternal perspective.

Genesis 13:12-15 shows us that God had rejected Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities surrounding them because of their wickedness. This is why it is so important to make it right with God before it is too late. If the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had repented like the people of Nineveh did when Jonah went to warn them of God’s judgment. If they had repented – because they knew that what they were doing was wrong – then they would have been spared.

Another amazing thing I saw in Sodom and Gomorrah is that Sodom and Gomorrah are not eerie at all even though the people who dwelt there perished. There is peace in Sodom and Gomorrah, showing that the judgements of God are true and righteous !

“The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them, there is great reward. Psalm 19:9-10

“and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;” 2 Peter 2:6

The dictionary meaning of the word ‘example’ is, “a particular situation, object, or person which shows that what is being claimed is true.”

So it is that what remains of Sodom and Gomorrah can still be seen today for it is an example to warn those who live ungodly.

The Bible mentions Sodom and Gomorrah so many times:

“As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbours,” declares the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.” Jeremiah 50:40

“And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:” Deuteronomy 29:23

“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” Isaiah 13:19

“Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11

Fast forward to us.

The end is drawing close and we are seeing many, following after false teachers who are perverting the way of truth:

“With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.” 2 Peter 2:18

And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” Matthew 24:4-8

The scriptures tell us that God is not speaking to us through prophets as He did in the past, but that He is speaking to us through His Son.

“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;” Hebrews 1:1-2

The call to repent is today. The call to have faith in the Son is today. Do not miss out on Him like the people of Capernaum did :

“And you Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” Matthew 11:24-25

Here, Jesus was disappointed with the people of Capernaum who despite the many miracles that He did, lacked faith. It is a terrible thing to miss the love of God. Romans 10:16-18 “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, ‘Lord, who hath believed our report.? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

In conclusion, do not be deceived with all that is in the world :

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Ezekiel 16:55 Then your sister Sodom and her daughters will return to their former state, and your sister Samaria and her daughters will return to their former state. You and your daughters will return to your former state, (Israel).

One would like to believe there is an age coming when Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities will be restored. And when Israel will be restored. That age is coming.

What a mighty God we serve !

For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14

In other words, how do you get along with someone who is not of the same mind as yourself? Unless there is a compromise?

The world is big on compromise. We need to agree to disagree they would say. We need to come to a form of agreement so that progress can be made?

Progress to where?

Truth and Lies do not agree.

God specifically warns us of living a double life. “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37.

The bible tells us Satan is the father of lies.

In John 8:44 we see a story unfolding – “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Here, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees who had come seeking to find fault with Him. They sought to kill him. John 8:40-43 “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God: Abraham did not do such things. You do the deeds of your father. Then said they to Him, We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, you would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? even because you cannot hear my word.”

Here are some scriptures to show how much God abhors a person who is in a twilight zone, meaning, in a place where they are neither totally in darkness nor completely in the light.

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16

Therefore “Come out from among them And be ye separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 2Corinthians 6:17

“Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, ‘You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. Now honour the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do what he demands. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women.”Ezra 10:10-11

These two rivers when they meet, do not mix. The reason why they do not mix is because of the composition, density, temperature and the elevation that develops between them. Which becomes a thin wall and prevents them from mixing.

Even the rivers teach us !

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

There is a decision to be made. Either wake up or go to sleep. But wake up and come out from among unbelievers and God will receive you.

For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. Psalm 132:13-14

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24:3-5

So we decided to visit Israel and stay in Jerusalem, in the heart of the historic sites; The Garden Tomb, The Mount of Olives, The Western Wall, The City of David to name but a few. We stayed for seven days but it seemed we were there longer because of all that we experienced. Blessed beyond measure we were, such that when we returned, we knew we would be going back!

God is known in Israel and Israel oozes with history. The history of man with God.

When we landed in Israel, we were definitely in a different world. Although we had not anticipated the heat or “semi-sauna” when we came out of the airport. Nonetheless, my daughters and I were so excited we were in Israel. So excited that we did not care if temperatures soared to melting point!

“Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” John 19:41

When we arrived at the garden, the atmosphere there was peaceful. The truth is, words cannot capture fully, how one feels when they are in this garden. One senses victory and one is in awe of the goodness and love of God. His grace, His mercy and His love are so tangible when you are there such that, anyone who comes to see the tomb, lingers long.

What happened in that tomb is a marvel to this very day. Jesus, the Son of God died and was laid in there. Two angels in white were seen in that tomb sitting, where the body of Jesus had lain. One at the head and one at the feet. They too had seen what had never been seen before and they must have marvelled. The work was finished. We had the victory at last, because Jesus did it for us. For He died and rose again!

Right now Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father; interceding for you and for me.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17

In conclusion, Jesus is alive today and is pleading for everyone to come to Him and be saved. He died for each and every one of us. He came to redeem us from sin. For the scriptures say we were sold to sin. Therefore we were separated from God, our creator. But now through the atoning blood of Jesus, we have been brought near. The scriptures say we were faraway. But now through Jesus we have been adopted into God’s family and we are now children of God.

Will you receive the forgiveness of your sins by accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord? As it has been said: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion.” Hebrews 3:15-17