Many struggle with the Old Testament accounts of the wholesale destruction of some nations and cities by God. People interpret this as the reason God decided to destroy these cities, but Scripture disagrees. Please note that God's kill count is 227,037% higher than Satan's. A common attack today on Christianity has to do with the character of the God of the Old Testament{1}. Our only hope for escaping the wrath of God is through repentance from sin and by faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. Take, for example, 1 Samuel, in which God destroys three cities, then smites the surviving populations with hemorrhoids to punish the Philistines after they steal the ark of the covenant. But to say God completely destroyed two cities and all their inhabitants for being inhospitable clearly misses the point. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Do Muslims believe in the Book of Genesis? by Matt Slick | Nov 28, 2008 | Genesis - Deuteronomy , Bible Difficulties , The Bible The command by God to kill all inside a city is seen by many to be immoral and a demonstration that the Bible is not true. Does the Book of Genesis say animals were for... How are women portrayed in the Book of Genesis? Does the Bible include the Book of Genesis? Abraham continued to negotiate with God. God had endured the idolatry, child sacrifice, and moral corruption of the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan for centuries. Will Graham’s New Video Bible Study Now Available, Biblical Encouragement for Women Healing from Abortion, Will Graham: Embracing God’s Love Through ‘Daddy Bill’, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201 Local: 704-401-2432 He dropped the number of righteous people to forty, then to thirty, then to twenty. . 100 Bible Verses about God Will Destroy Earth By Fire 2 Peter 3:10 ESV / 206 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it … Everywhere we turn nowadays, we are surrounded by sin, and people who love to watch others commit sin (Romans 1:32). Judgment against rebellious and indifferent sinners is inevitable, apart from repentance, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a).   •   Topics: God's Love. The Bible confirms that God ordered the killing of thousands of people. We must surrender to this truth: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). What cities did God destroy in the Bible? Plague 2 Samuel 24:13, despite being told to by God in 2 Samuel 24:1. Create your account. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. . 8 God even told Abraham that he would not destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were as few as ten righteous people living there. It is important to remember that, while God is a God of love, He is also a holy God, separate from sinners and perfect in righteousness, justice, and purity. The God in the Old Testament seems to have many personalities; cruel, unjust,kind, loving, etc.\"1 There are,however, two major areas which we humans have a difficult time reconciling -God's love vs. God's righteousness. The Bible tells us all the inhabitants were depraved. Exodus 34:11 tells us that God would drive many nations out of the land to make room for His chosen people, “…Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites”. Jeremiah 49:18. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Get access to this video and our entire Q&A library. Psalm 9:17 says, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Every nation will be judged in its proper time and America’s time has come. What's the difference between what he did and what the Israelites did so many cities and people in the name of God. Moses’ instructions to the Israelites as they were about to move into Canaan included this: Because of such things, biologist and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins describes God as “a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser . The Battle of Siddim is described in Genesis 14:1–17. - Definition & Meaning, Analects of Confucius: Summary, Analysis & Explanation, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God: Definition & Overview, The Allegory of the Cave by Plato: Summary, Analysis & Explanation, Sons And Lovers by D.H. Lawrence: Summary, Analysis & Themes, Antigone by Sophocles: Summary, Characters & Analysis, The 7 Catholic Sacraments: Definition & History, What is the Sacrament of Confirmation? The sixth commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Our difficulty with these acts of judgment is closely associated with our failure to comprehend the purity of God and the sinfulness of mankind, including ourselves. Home "CITIES" in the KJV Bible. As I discipline my three children when they disobey, God disciplines usif we don't meet His requirements. - Definition & Symbols, Marlowe's Doctor Faustus: Summary & Analysis, Natural Law Theory: Definition, Ethics & Examples, Metaphysical Poetry: Definition, Characteristics & Examples, SAT Subject Test Literature: Practice and Study Guide, 10th Grade English: Homework Help Resource, 12th Grade English Curriculum Resource & Lesson Plans, FTCE General Knowledge Test (GK) (827): Reading Subtest Practice & Study Guide, FTCE General Knowledge Test (GK) (826): English Language Skills Subtest Practice & Study Guide, Biological and Biomedical Why Did God Destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Around 631 B.C., the Assyrians dominated many kingdoms that were located in the Middle… In the words of Jesus, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:5)—stern words from a God who is “patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). The book concludes with a great meeting a Shechem, which functions as a summary conclusion to everything that took place and a call to follow God faithfully, just as God faithfully fulfilled a promise to hand over the Canaanite lands to the people (the references to fulfilled prophecy in the book come in large part from the book of Deuteronomy). . Were the Hivites and the Amorites the same? Because God is just, He cannot excuse sin or act somehow as if it did not exist. Thu Dec 17, 11:39:00 AM 2009 answer! During the first three centuries of the Christian era the Roman Emperors sought to destroy God's Word. July 11 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report Why did the Israelites destroy cities and kill all of the people inside? Archaeologists who dig in the ruins of Canaanite cities wonder that God did not destroy them sooner than he did. Question: "Why did Abraham bargain with God in regard to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18)?" According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary, Sodom was one of the most ancient cities of Syria. The powerful seraphim are pictured as flying and calling, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:3). The bible and history show that God will destroy the sinful nations that forget him. Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities that God destroyed with fire and brimstone. From God's creation of everything up to the death of Joseph, the great-grandson of Abraham. 2 Samuel 12:14-18 (The life of a baby is sacred, as explained by Christians, but it's worth squat when God is angry with the parents.) The great flood, Adam and Eve, etc. The law that God gave to Moses also instructed the Israelites to offer peace before attacking a city. When did Jacob fight the Amorites in the Bible? Hitler killed millions in the name of religion and a pure race, and he believed that the Germans were the chosen people descending from God. Abraham then asks about a lesser and lesser number until down to ten people as God answers, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it” (Genesis 18:32). . Many people decide that the seemingly senseless acts of God’s judgment are a valid reason to reject Him. God destroyed the whole world civilization of Noah’s day by a flood (Genesis 6:13) and whole cities by fire, such as Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). It was destroyed around 612 BC which is when this event appears on the Old Testament Timeline. It seems that, in large measure, the land of Canaan had become a sort of Sodom and Gomorrah on a national scale. God’s Angels Arrive in Sodom and Gomorrah. Become a Study.com member to unlock this But because God is also loving, He does not want us to have to endure the punishment we deserve for our sins. Toll Free: 1-877-247-2426. You cannot save yourself from God’s judgment—but Christ can, and He will as you commit your life to Him by faith. According to the Bible, we all deserve not only physical death but eternal punishment—apart from the death of Jesus as our substitute. by Rich Deem Introduction. In fact, Abraham engaged in a lengthy conversation to mediate for the cities. What cities did God destroy in the Bible? But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. While Sodom and Gomorrah were guilty of many other horrendous sins, homosexuality was the principle reason God poured fiery sulfur on the cities, completely destroying them and all of their inhabitants. Many struggle with the Old Testament accounts of the wholesale destruction of some nations and cities by God. © copyright 2003-2021 Study.com. Razing the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to the ground is God’s example of how he will treat ungodly and immoral behaviors. Services, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. God was mercifully willing to spare the cities for the sake of a few righteous people, but none lived there. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. God destroyed the whole world civilization of Noah’s day by a flood (Genesis 6:13) and whole cities by fire, such as Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). Thou Shall Not Kill: Does God Violate His Own Commandment? And it comes to pass, in God’s destroying the cities of the circuit, that God remembers Abraham, and sends Lot out of the midst of the overthrow in the overthrowing of the cities in which Lot dwelt. But this is a serious error. 2 Peter 2:6. In other cases, He ordered the destruction of Canaanite cities by the armies of Israel (Deuteronomy 7:1-2). The above graph, comparing God's Bronson-esque kill count in the Old Testament versus the Biblical Personification of Evil, Satan. This is not a list of archaeological remains in the modern-day Middle East.This discusses a specific list present in the Bible. One of them, named Diocletian, believed that he had succeeded. 1 Atheists claim that God violated His own commandment in ordering the destruction of entire cities, just to allow the Jews to have a homeland in the Middle East. As I said, Genesis 19 records the circumstances surrounding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but it actually tells us nothing about the reason God decided to destroy the cities. . God will descend from heaven and bring down the walls of the cities of their enemies (who were legion: according to the book of Nehemiah, the neighbors hysterical about Jews coming back and rebuilding Jerusalem included Sanballat of Samaria, Tobiah the Ammonite of Transjordan and many others – Nehemiah 4). Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal God is loving, but God's love requires God'sjustice. Nineveh was the ancient capital of the Assyrian empire. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by the Lord along with the two other cities nearby so completely that nobody would live there again. One of the reasons God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah was because he did not want the Jews to be influenced by this evil. Answer: When God revealed His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah due to the wickedness of those cities, Abraham asked God to spare the people. The Bible tells us that God judged the Amalekites, the Moabites, the cities of Babylon and Sidon. June 1, 2004 All rights reserved. Genesis: Genesis is one of the most comprehensive, historical books of the Bible. In Genesis 18:32, Abraham said to the Lord, “If I can find Ten righteous people In Sodom and Gomorrah will you spare the cities?” The Lord said He would not destroy … This city was used by Assyrian kings as their primary location to rule their territories. Lot is encamped within the borders of Sodom at a time when "the men of Sodom [are] wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly". Five cities: One spared while the other four are destroyed. Book of Deuteronomy: Definition, Summary & Author, Matthew the Apostle: History, Facts & Death, John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of Women: Summary & Analysis, What Are the Beatitudes? "DESTROYED" in the KJV Bible. Sodom and Gomorrah are ruled by Bera and Birsha, respectively, although their kingship is not sovereign because the Jordan plain has been under the rule of Chedorlaomer the Elamite for twelve years. When He gave the land to Israel and ordered the destruction of the Canaanites it was both judgment on a people hardened against God and protection for Israel lest they be drawn into the corrupt life of the land’s inhabitants. Contact Us. NET Bible So when God destroyed the cities of the region, God honored Abraham's request. He destroyed mankind when mankind deserved to be destroyed. Their Story of Sin in the Bible The sinful ways of Sodom and Gomorrah were so outrageous that God destroyed the two cities with fire sparing only the family of Lot. Read The Bible. Genesis 14:2 tells us their names: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela (or Zoar). [a] capriciously malevolent bully.”{2} Can the actions of the Israelites legitimately be called genocide? These two cities were so wicked that God reigned down fire and Brimstone upon them as an EXAMPLE (Jude 1:7) of what would happen to those who live ungodly (1st Thessalonians 1:8, the Lake of Fire). Privacy These were two of the five cities that made up the 'cities of the... Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. are all included in this book. 6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. By BGEA Staff   •   ©2021 BGEA 70,000 assorted Israelites Inspired by either God, or perhaps Satan - the Bible is a tad unclear - David took a census of his lands and people. . God destroyed four of these cities, but spared Zoar, where evidently the corruption of the Canaanites had not yet matured to its fullness (Genesis 15:16). The term “genocide” means a major action “committed with intent to de… . Genesis is one of the most comprehensive, historical books of the Bible. genocidal . 394 Instances - Page 1 of 14 ... when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, ... Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. Themes in Genesis: Why God Destroys Cities, Nations and the World in Genesis FACT: GOD DESTROYS GROUPS OF PEOPLE In Genesis 6 - 9, God was disappointed with the earth and regretted that he made people, so he sent a flood on the earth to destroy everyone, including animals, except Noah, his family and 2 of each animal (7 each of the clean animals). God promised Abraham a land from the Euphrates to the Nile, ON EARTH and he never received it (Heb.11:8,39) yet. Permissions What God Does to Sinful Nations. We do ourselves no good by thinking we have a greater sense of justice than God Himself. But God 's kill count in the Bible tells us all the inhabitants were.. Did so many cities and kill all of the Israelites did so many cities and kill all the... For validation purposes and should be left unchanged regard to Sodom and Gomorrah ( Genesis 18 )? ) ''. Of a few righteous people, but none lived there Sodom was one of the Bible Admah Zeboiim. 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