BLOGGERS COMMENT:Maaaring nagtataka kayo kung bakit paulit-ulit na sinasabi ng mga non-gay christians that the reason why ginunaw ng Diyos ang Sodoma at Gomorrah ay dahil sa mga homosexuals.But the reality it is not homosexuals why God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.And I will tell you the real reason why God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
(Sodom and Gomorrah)
Sodom and Gomorrah were Canaanite cities built on trade routes and the kings of those cities grew wealthy through trade and the plundering of weaker cities. Sodom itself was plundered by Shemite kings in Genesis 14:1-12; because of this the residents of Sodom did not trust strangers and they didn’t extend hospitality to anyone from outside the city. In addition, the inhabitants of Sodom worshipped a Canaanite deity and took part in temple prostitution.
Genesis 18:20-32 contains the account where the Lord is heading toward the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because “the people of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” (Genesis 13:13) Abraham begins to bargain with God and intervene for the inhabitants of the city in the hope that there would be at less ten righteous in the city and the city would be spared from destruction. Keep in mind, God had already decided to destroy the cities before the angels arrived in Sodom.
In Genesis 19 the two angels arrive in Sodom and they are greeted by Lot. Lot strongly urges the two angels to spend the night in his house opposed to spending the night in the square.
“But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.” Genesis 19:4-5 NRSV
Most nongay Christians hold the belief that Sodom was destroyed due to homosexuality. There are homosexuals in every city, state and nation of the world, but they only make up a small fraction of the population compared to heterosexuals. I am sure the situation was the same in Sodom. Keep in mind, God agreed to spare the city if He found only ten righteous.
The Hebrew word for “to know” is Yada. This word is used 943 times in the Old Testament and it has various meanings. It can mean to know right from wrong, good from evil, to know God, to know the truth, the law, people, places or things. Only about a dozen times does this word refer to sexual activity. Yada is a general term that describes many kinds of intimate relationships.
If you take into account the context of Genesis 19:1-8, the men wanted to rape the angels. If you take into account the culture in Sodom at that time in history, you find the people of Sodom participated in fertility cult worship, they were suspicious of all strangers and they were very inhospitable. It was also a common practice at that time in history for men to rape other men as a form of humiliation and belittlement.
“Look, I have two daughters who have not know a man; let me bring them out to you, and do with them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” Genesis 19:8 NRSV
According to the culture of Lot’s day, Lot was obligated to provide hospitality and protection to his visitors. Because of this obligation and the fact that women were considered property, Lot offered his daughters to the angry mob.
If all the men in Sodom were homosexuals, it would be logical to assume Lot would have been aware of this and he would have never offered his daughters knowing the men would reject them.
There is a similar story to the Genesis account in Judges 19:14-30 were a Levite was traveling with his concubine and they arrived in Gibeah. An old man of the town offered the Levite and his concubine lodging and food. As they were enjoying the old man’s hospitality, the men of the city pounded on the door demanding that the old man send the Levite out to them.
There are some similarities and differences concerning these two accounts but I am going to concentrate on two main points. In Genesis, the strangers were angels and in Judges the strangers were a man, a servant and his concubine. In the Genesis account, the men rejected the offering of Lot’s two daughters and in the Judges account, the old man offered both his virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine, but the angry men only accepted the Levite’s concubine. The men were only interested in raping the visiting strangers, not the citizens.
The issues behind both of these biblical accounts are gang rape and sex with angels in which Jude 6 & 7, 2 Peter 2:4-6 and the Testament of Naphtali 3:3-5 are in agreement.
“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 6&7 NKJV
The Greek words Jude used for “strange flesh” is sarkos heteras which means different flesh, it is were we get the word “heterosexual.” According to Jude in verse 6 the strange flesh he was referring to is angel flesh. The passages below from 2 Peter appears to agree with the words of Jude.
“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 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 2:4-6 NKJV
Peter first references Revelation 12:7-9 as a reason for the fall, then Genesis 6:1-4 as a reason for the flood, then Genesis 19:1-15 as the reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. These references point back to the two verses in Jude which show the strange flesh is angel flesh.
Here is a quote out of Rick Brentlinger’s book Gay Christian 101, Spiritual Self-Defense For Gay Christians from the Testament of Naphtali referring to the sin of Sodom.
“The Gentiles went astray, and forsook the Lord, and changed their order, and obeyed stocks and stones, spirits of deceit. But ye shall not be so, my children, recognizing in the firmament, in the earth, and in the sea, and in all created things, the Lord who made all things, that ye become not as Sodom, which changed the order of their nature, whom the Lord cursed at the flood, on whose account He made the earth without inhabitants and fruitless.” Testament of Naphtali 3:3-5
The Testament of Naphtali agrees with the verses in Jude and Peter. Therefore, we can conclude part of the reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was gang rape and going after angel flesh. I believe the men of Sodom were aware Lot’s guests were angels and even with this knowledge they still wanted to rape them.
There are various passages of scripture which outline reasons for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; however, I believe Ezekiel tells exactly why God destroyed the cities.
“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 NKJV
Ezekiel gave many reasons for the cities destruction but homosexuality was not mentioned. In fact, none of the scriptures site homosexuality as a reason. Jesus didn’t seem to think so either; He said the sin was inhospitality.
Letting the scriptures speak for themselves, it is obvious the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah had nothing to do with homosexuality or same sex relationships. The cities were destroyed because of idolatry, inhospitality, haughtiness, pride and a lack of concern for the poor and needy. They were also fornicators who went after angel flesh.
Hindi patungkol sa mga bakla ang nangyari sa Sodoma at Gomora,at paano ko naman nasabi yun?Kung babasahin niyo sa Genesis 19:8 Ito ang nakasulat "Ako'y may dalawang anak na dalaga, sila na lang ang ibibigay ko sa inyo at gawin ninyo sa kanila ang gusto ninyo, huwag lamang ninyong galawin ang mga lalaking ito. Mga panauhin ko sila at dapat ko silang ingatan."Yan kung mga bakla ang nakatira sa Sodoma ng panahong iyo malamang aware na si Lot nun,At Bakit niya ibibigay ang dalawa niyang anak ng dalaga sa mga lalaking iyon?Eh, alam niyang mga bading ang mga taong pinagbibigyan niya?Sa makatuwid,hindi mga bakla ang mga tao sa Sodoma sapagkat mga anak na dalaga ang inalay ni Lot sa kanila.Gets niyo?
Ang totoong dahilan bakit ginunaw ang Sodoma at Gomora ay matatagpuan sa Ezekiel 16:49-50,at ito ang sabi; "Tingnan mo ang mga kasalanan ng Sodoma: siya at ang kanyang mga anak ay may maipagmamalaking kayamanan at kasaganaan sa buhay, ngunit hindi sila marunong tumulong sa mga nangangailangan, naging palalo sila."Kaya malinaw na hindi dahil sa kabaklan kaya ginunaw ang Sodoma at Gomorrah.
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