Sodom and Gomorrah Wayne Lankford

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  We want to take our scripture text today from Luke 10:8-12, “And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 

 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God comes nigh unto you. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city”. 

 I believe this generation is headed for a judgment that is so severe that what fell on Sodom and Gomorrah will be nothing in comparison relative to our coming judgment. 

The keyword to note in our scripture text is tolerable which means: to endure literally or to put up with. God Almighty has put up, tolerated, and endured more sin in these last days that He ever did Sodom and Gomorrah, yet He destroyed the twin cities. The word Sodom in the Hebrew simply means to scorch or to be burnt, and the word Gomorrah in the Hebrew means to chastise with piling blows.

 We now understand what the scriptures meant when it says that God rained hail fire and brimstone upon the two cities: the perpetual blows or the piling up of blows against the people who lived these two cities even though they had no preachers in their cities to warn them of impending judgment. 

 Think about that statement; there were no public criers or preachers found within the streets declaring the judgment of God that was soon to be poured out upon them and their cities. 

 As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is my solemn obligation to preach untiringly the Word of the Lord. Paul the apostle understood the gravity of his calling and how it necessitated him preaching an uncompromising message. We read in 1st Corinthians 9:16-17, Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward”.

 In other words, if Paul did not preach the gospel willingly, great would be his grief and sorrow at judgment day. I realize it is more difficult every day to find someone preaching an uncompromising message from the Word of the Lord. We read in 1st Samuel 3:1, “And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision”. 

 Regretfully at this time in Israel’s history, there was no mental insight or revelation from God through his prophets: thus, there the words of the Lord”. This biblical prophecy is coming to pass even as you read this newsletter. It is profoundly difficult to find an uncompromising message and a pure word in this generation.

 You are witnessing Bible prophecy as it unfolds and accelerates in this hour. Paul the apostle warned his beloved son in the faith, Timothy, here in 2nd Timothy 4:1-4, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season; reproof, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. 

 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own list shall they heep to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables”. A fable is nothing more than mythology which is profane, to say the least. The time has come when people no longer endure sound doctrine. Paul makes it clear, sound doctrine is something that must be endured. You are witnessing today the inability of the church to embrace and endure sound doctrine. was no open vision of God’s Word. 

 No one was preaching, nor proclaiming the heart of God and the judgment that would soon fall upon Israel. We are warned in Amos, 8:11, “Behold, the days in the twin cities produced total eradication. I want you to understand that God destroyed come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing Regrettably, the church has become politically correct just like this present world. Hell fears the preaching of God’s Word, the world requires the preaching of God’s Word, and heaven has ordained the preaching of God’s Word. 

 Gomorrah had no Bible to help them with their understanding of God and His judgment. They had no record of the past judgment of God such as the Noahic flood. Nevertheless, God destroyed them and took them away as He saw fit. Sodom had no Bible to delight in. We read in Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law he meditate day and night”. 

 We take for granted each and every day the fact that we can enter in to our studies and open the Word of God and see the past judgments of our Lord. Sodom was not afforded that opportunity; thus how severe will be the judgment of God on America? Sodom had no Bible to hide in their hearts: we read in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee”. Sodom had no Bible to hide in their hearts yet He destroyed them. Sodom had no Bible for a light and a lamp to give them direction and warning. 

 We read in Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”. Sodom and Gomorrah had no Bible to produce faith. We read in Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. As believers we should be filled with great faith because we have His Word and we should also be a faithful generation because of His Word. Nevertheless, Jesus was concerned about faith and faithfulness at His second advent, for Christ himself questioned us in Luke 18:8, “Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth”? 

Never before has this scripture verse been truer and more apropos as it is today. We have forgotten that the Word of God corrects any doctrinal error that we may have stumbled into while in our Christian pilgrimage. Paul declared in 2nd Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect (or mature) thoroughly furnished unto all good works”. 

Anytime we find ourselves in error the Word of God will correct that error if we are willing to believe the truth. If a man can be deceived, then he can truly fall into erroneous teachings. We are warned in James 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. Regretfully, many people today choose to deceive their own selves and not align themselves with the correction and purity from the Word of God. Self-deception is the greatest deception of all because it is the personification of one’s self will. That was Lucifer’s downfall when he declared; “I will be like the most high”. It is one thing to be deceived by an angel of light and it is another to be deceived due to one’s personal will. Even though Sodom had no preachers and had no Bible, God chose to destroy them due to the gravity and harshness of their debauchery, degradation, and unnatural affections. 

 What will God do concerning America when it comes to our judgment? If America has untold numbers of preachers on radio and television and the Bible is still the greatest selling book in our history, how great will be our judgment and punishment? The Bible is the inspired Word of God. In the Bible we find heaven opened and hell disclosed. In the Bible we find the power of God unto salvation. 

 We know the Word of God will be opened at judgment and His Word is what men will be judged by. One other significant point, the Word of God will last for all eternity. May I encourage you to abide in His most Holy Word and be led by the Holy Ghost. 

 The Word of God and the Holy Ghost will be the two great essentials needed to finish the race here in the end. May you strongly embrace them both! As always, my wife and I thank you from the depths of our heart for your love, prayers, and support for the ministry. Without your help we could not do what we are presently doing. Thank you for loving us and standing with us in this hour. Days of great and grave persecution are just over the horizon. God’s Word and the Holy Ghost will strengthen you and give you the power that you need to endure all things and be saved. Until next month, may you strive as well as fight the good fight of faith and lay hold to eternal life. We are a blessed people because we do have His Word and we can fully know the truth. In closing I want to share one more scripture verse in Hebrews 2:1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to these things which we have heard, lest at anytime we should let them slip”. The word slip i#3901 in the Greek means: to run out as a leaking vessel. Do not suffer nor allow the Word of God to leak out of your clay jar or earthen vessel. Serving With You All,