The Bible said that it would be like this...
Spiritually Called Sodom
At the mere mention of the ancient city of Sodom, one is reminded of a place so wicked, so perverse, so morally corrupt, that God decided that it had to be utterly destroyed. In fact, Abraham had plead for Sodom to be spared, finally getting God to agree to save the city if He could find in it as few as ten righteous men. He could not.
In fact, there was only one righteous man there: Lot. He, with his wife and two daughters, were the only ones to escape the outpouring of fire upon Sodom and her sister-city, Gomorrah. Of course, Lot’s wife turned back and became a pillar of salt, herself becoming included in the recipients of God’s wrath.
One particularly remembered characteristic of Sodom’s citizenry was their acceptance and practice of homosexuality. They had embraced this "alternative lifestyle," so much so that the city’s name is the root of the word which describes that heinous act.
In America, circa 2000, the "politically correct" society has followed the (noble?) path of Sodom, accepting, protecting, and even promoting homosexuality. Many complain that not enough money is spent in the fight against AIDS, when more is spent on AIDS research, than on cancer research. "Discrimination" against homosexuals is equated with racial discrimination. Killing a heterosexual is called murder – killing a homosexual is a "hate crime." Anyone who agrees with the Bible as to the immorality and wickedness of this crime against nature and against God is labeled a "homophobe," as if he were mentally ill.
No doubt Lot dealt with his share of criticism while living in Sodom. Certainly, he, too, was repulsed by the behavior of his neighbors.
Recently, homosexual rights movements have been making more and more headlines. The Boy Scouts of America organization has been criticized for its ban on homosexuals, being characterized as "out of touch," "behind the times," and "discriminatory." According to George Davidson, a lawyer for the Scouts, more than 60% of Boy Scout troops are sponsored by religious groups, who have, historically, sided with the Bible on this issue.
But even in that arena, the momentum seems to be shifting. On Jan. 18, 2000, following a favorable Vermont court decision, some 850 clergy and other religious workers endorsed a liberal declaration on morality, calling on all faiths to bless same-sex couples and allow gay men and lesbians to be ministers. The declaration also advocates open access to abortion and sex education at all ages.
The signers included members of the Episcopal Church, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Association, an Judaism’s Reform and Reconstructionist branches. None of the major Evangelical or black Protestant groups backed the declaration.
A commission of the Episcopal Church released a report on Feb. 14, 2000, officially taking a non-stand with regard to "gay marriages." The report backed neither a liberal nor a conservative position, an increasingly common tactic of the Episcopal Church, leaving in place an unofficial policy that allows individual dioceses to decide whether or not to bless the unions.
The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, whose recommendations will be discussed at the church’s national convention in July, stated, "We are not ready, theologically or scientifically, to say a defining word about the life of homosexuals in the church."
Not ready theologically? God, in His word, has made clear His position. Theologically, all Christians should be ready to defend that position, regardless of its unpopularity.
So, the correlation between "modern American society" and ancient Sodom is crystal clear. Did you know, however, that homosexuality and sodomy were not the sins of Sodom for which they were condemned? They were not the root of Sodom’s problem, buy merely a symptom. Sexual immorality has come into its own in America in recent years, but the sins of Sodom that are at the root of the problem have been openly expressed in our country for decades.
God, through the prophet Ezekiel, plainly declares the sin of Sodom, for which they were destroyed. "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, 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 good." (Ezek. 16:49-50)
The "Roaring ‘20's" was a decade of prosperity, but it was cut short by the Great Depression. Since the end of WWII, however, our country has seen unparalleled economic growth. Oh, there have been some setbacks and recessions, but, overall, the economy has boomed almost steadily.
For most living Americans, hunger – third-world, death by starvation type hunger – has been little more than a hypothetical condition, occurring elsewhere on the globe. Food has, for all practical purposes, been in abundance for as long as most can remember. That abundance has eliminated the practical need for moderation, and replaced it with gluttony. America may poke fun at the obesity of other nationalities, and the pot can call the kettle black.
Not so in other parts of the world. When the Russians began to immigrate here in the late 1980's, I remember one woman who wept the first time she visited a supermarket. Fulness of bread is an American reality.
Leisure time has been a priority in the minds of this nation’s people. I, too, enjoy the weekend, but two days of per week is not a "God-given" right. That, coupled with the American’s proclivity to see entitlements as a "right" has led to unparalleled idleness in our country. Abuses of the welfare and unemployment systems are rampant, insurance fraud and gratuitous lawsuits are commonplace.
The sheer amounts of money being tossed about has resulted in the overall laziness of the American people. That’s two out of three...
Pride. Americans’ pride, individually and collectively, will ultimately be her downfall.
I remember, during the Cold War, a movie came out called "AMERIKA." It described a takeover of America by Russia, and the formation of the American Soviet Socialist Republic, the newest member of the U.S.S.R.
It was a topic of discussion among my classmates, and Anthony Grosso, a good friend of mine, said, "America could never be taken over." That mentality, probably common to most nations, is flawed. God raises up nations and casts them down again. America is as defeatable as prophecy dictates.
Our national "pride" doesn’t end with our military prowess. We believe that we are superior to every nation. I am aware that most nations see themselves as superior, so in that we are not unique. But Sodom, was not the only prideful nation of their day, either.
It is the combination of these three sins for which the United States today stands condemned. Pride, gluttony and laziness have been widespread long before the closets opened up and the homosexuals walked out.
We should not be surprised by the open immorality which surrounds us, the sins which are the root-cause of the current wickedness have been commonplace for quite some time. It is today’s Sodom, spiritually so called, in which the two witnesses of Revelation 11 – as the two angels which blinded the people and pulled Lot to safety – will do their work. In this spiritual Sodom, their dead bodies will lie in the streets for 3½ days, as the world celebrates their demise. It is from here that they will then be resurrected, and ascend to heaven in a cloud.
Praise be to God! What we should be aware of when we see the amorality around us, is that the Word of God is sure, and that we are seeing prophecy fulfilled, setting up circumstances, through which God may be glorified.