Sodom’s Sins: Are We Near the End?

Here’s what preceded the destruction, the divine judgment that came upon Sodom:

As unveiled in Ezekiel 16, the root sins of Sodom were “pride, fulness of bread (earthly wealth), and abundance of idleness … neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” (Ezekiel 16:49-50)

• “pride,”
• “fulness of bread (earthly wealth),”
• “abundance of idleness”
• “… neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy”
• “they were haughty,”
• “and committed abomination before me”

Result: “therefore I took them away as I saw good.”

Did Jesus address this?

“And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” Mark 4:18-19

Crass disregard for God.

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37-39

Just going about their lives with no fear of God and His certain judgment to come.

Doesn’t that sound like the Laodiceans who had forfeited their place with God and were going to be spued – sent to hell? Has anything changed? No. – “There is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Let’s look:

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (undone): 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:15-19

If Christ said they had to “repent” it is because they were in danger of hellfire. This command to repent clearly means that they were not ready to meet Him. Why not? Why did Jesus say they were going to be rejected (spued)? – “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.“ (Revelation 3:17)

What about the once “rich man” who refused to render aid to Lazarus? See Luke 16:19-31.

What was Jesus Christ’s stated reason that the once rich man went to hell? WHY did God send Him to hell?

“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.” Luke 16:19

EACH and every one of us has the abundant opportunity to give to those saints in need and to divinely called New Testament ministries. We are either choosing to be disciplined about this giving He instructed us to do, or we are being disobedient. We are being tested by God. Jesus clearly showed us that He is watching our stewardship specifically and we will be judged accordingly (Mark 12:41-44). Shocking as it may seem to some, Jesus told us that the once “rich man” who went to hell did so for this stated reason – stated by the Judge of all souls – “remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” (Luke 16:25)

As was perhaps the case with the once “rich man” and Lazarus, great and yet avoidable calamity cascaded in Lazarus’ life as the previously “rich man” refused to help him who sat at his very gate. The once “rich man” was aware of the need and neglected to help. Do you have someone sitting at your gate – a need you know of? If so, what are you dying to (the cross) in order to help them? What money are you wasting to buy things that you are making more important than that child of God or ministry of Christ that is in need? Will the story of the now eternally incarcerated, previously “rich man” be repeated in your life?

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:16-18

You see, it’s the GIVER’S privilege to give out of what the LORD has placed into our hands. Jesus taught – “Freely ye have received, freely give.”(Matthew 10:8)

“It is MORE blessed to give than to receive.”~Jesus (Acts 20:35)

——ARE YOU personally experiencing this “blessed” place of giving? Are you a giver or a taker (freeloader)? Do you contribute or subtract/leach? Are we not instructed to work so we “have to give”? (Ephesians 4:28) Where will you be in eternity? What matters most to you – Christ and His people and His Gospel work or further serving and selfishly embellishing self with wasteful creature comforts in this sinful, fleeting world?

If you are daily dying to self, your spending, your stewardship is being transformed. In the holy fear of the LORD, you are convicted deep within toward prudence and the laying the axe to the root of Godless waste of His resources for which you shall give full account.

If we view giving as a burden or deprivation, it’s because we still have self as god and lack understanding of God’s kingdom truths about giving and the Giver of all that is. The cross must be at the center of our lives. When it is, we shall truly understand that all we have and receive is from the LORD who promises to give seed to those who sow the seed or the substance/treasure He has currently placed into their hands and to make them ruler or steward over more (Matthew 25:14-30; 2 Corinthians 9:6-12, etc.). Listen to this message and please share this.

Wealth Wasted on the Worship of Self | Self-Serving Devils | All Things Come of Thee (audio) | The Prosperity of Fools (audios) | America Dream Delusion

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