1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.”
And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.”
3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. (Genesis 19:1-11)
So, men in Sodom were mad at Lot because he would not put out two visitors (who were angels from God) to be raped in a homosexual manner.
Here is what happened next:
12 Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city — take them out of this place! 13 For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, “Get up, get out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city!” But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
15 When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”
18 Then Lot said to them, “Please, no, my lords! 19 Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.”
21 And he said to him, “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”
Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:12-26)
Those of us who believe the Bible know that this happened.
Apparently, Lot’s wife looked back because 1) she did not sufficiently take God’s warning seriously and 2) she longed for the area that God was destroying.
That brought to mind the following scriptures written by the Apostle John:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
Lot’s wife, as well as many who professed Christianity over the centuries, had loved the world. But the “present evil world” (Galatians 1:4, KJV) will be destroyed and replaced by a better one–the coming Kingdom of God. But that has not been important enough for many, including Lot’s wife.
That said, the first century A.D. Jewish historian Josephus mentioned that he saw the pillar that was Lot’s wife. Here is something he wrote related to that and those of Sodom:
1. ABOUT this time the Sodomites grew proud, on account of their riches and great wealth; they became unjust towards men, and impious towards God, insomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him: they hated strangers, and abused themselves with Sodomitical practices. God was therefore much displeased at them, and determined to punish them for their pride, and to overthrow their city, and to lay waste their country, until there should neither plant nor fruit grow out of it. …
4. But God was much displeased at their impudent behavior, so that he both smote those men with blindness, and condemned the Sodomites to universal destruction. But Lot, upon God’s informing him of the future destruction of the Sodomites, went away, taking with him his wife and daughters, who were two, and still virgins; for those that were betrothed to them were above the thoughts of going, and deemed that Lot’s words were trifling. God then cast a thunderbolt upon the city, and set it on fire, with its inhabitants; and laid waste the country with the like burning, as I formerly said when I wrote the Jewish War. But Lot’s wife continually turning back to view the city as she went from it, and being too nicely inquisitive what would become of it, although God had forbidden her so to do, was changed into a pillar of salt; for I have seen it, and it remains at this day. (Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 11, verses 1 and 4)
Some have wondered where this pillar was.
Wikipedia, which after discrediting the biblical account, does mention two locations have been pointed to:
Mount Sodom Pillar, made of Halite, a rock salt (photo by Wilson44691)
Pillar of salt
Lot’s wife (center) turned into a pillar of salt during Sodom’s destruction (Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493).
The story appears to be based in part on a folk legend explaining a geographic feature.[3]
A pillar of salt named “Lot’s wife” is located near the Dead Sea at Mount Sodom in Jordan.[4] A second one is shown to tourists across the Dead Sea, in Jordan, not far from the ruins of the ByzantineMonastery of St Lot.[5] (Lot’s wife. Wikipedia, accessed 02/02/24)
No, the account in Genesis was NOT MADE UP because of one or two geological formations. Wikipedia continues to hold an anti-biblical bias on many matters.
The Bible teaches:
4 … Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. (Romans 3:4)
20 … Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge — 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
Do not rely on secular sources, like Wikipedia or anything else, that contradicts the Bible. The following applies to the so-called scholars who oppose the Bible:
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: … 6 … led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. … 13 … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:1,6,7,13)
That said, Israel365News posted the following related to where Lot’s wife’s pillar may be, which is the “second one” Wikpedia mentioned:
Today we are visiting an unusual Biblical site, where truth is stranger than fiction! Located in the heart of the Judean Desert, Mount Sodom is completely composed of sulfur (as opposed to the rest of the desert which is composed of limestone).
When standing at this abnormal “enclave” of salt, tourists immediately understand that this is not a natural geological feature. Indeed, the sulfur found here is unique (it’s 98% pure and white, unlike natural sulfur formed by geothermal activity). What happened here would have remained an unexplained mystery, if not for the Bible recording what occurred here. …
Because of their evil deeds G-d decided to destroy Sodom, together with 4 nearby cities, by raining fire and brimstone on the city. Lot (Abraham’s nephew) had settled in Sodom with his family. In the merit of his uncle, G-d sent angels to inform Lot’s family that the city would be destroyed and that he needed to flee immediately. He also commanded them not to look back as the city was being destroyed. Despite the warning, Lot’s Wife decided to turn around and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt along with the city and the Dead Sea. https://www.israel365news.com/383473/lots-wife-sodom-gomorrah/
Whether or not that location (and a photo of that pillar is shown at the beginning of this post) is it or not, Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of some type of salt.
Now, why does the Bible show that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?
7 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 7)
Sexual immorality involving “going after strange flesh” includes fornication and homosexuality–an issue that is growing in much of the world now.
Why also mention Sodom and Gomorrah in the 21st century? Because God turned:
6 … 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 2:6)
Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed as an example to show what happens to those that follow their ways. They pushed LGBTQ-type matters and were destroyed. Destruction will be coming to this world–and that will be part of the reasons (cf. Romans 1:18-32).
That said, there is another reason to bring up this and Lot’s wife.
Since Lot’s wife would not have been a lesbian, why was she killed along with the sexually immoral?
Furthermore, Jesus even mentioned her. Here are some of the word of Jesus:
26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
31 “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. (Luke 17:26-33)
Jesus is saying that a time of destruction is coming.
He mentioned the great flood that killed nearly all of humanity. Almost all people failed to heed the warnings that Noah gave.
Jesus mentioned the destruction of Sodom and pointed out that Lot’s wife, who could have and should have been saved, did not heed the warnings and hence she perished. The fact that Jesus mentioned Lot’s wife should also show all who are interested that places like Wikipedia are ant-Jesus, otherwise they would not call the biblical account of her and Sodom as “folklore” created to explain a piller.
The 19th chapter of the Book of Genesis discusses the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt. The New Testament warns that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was to serve as an example for those who commit sexual immorality and who go after what it calls “strange flesh.” Did the 1st century Jewish historian Josephus claim to see the pillar of salt that was Lot’s wife? What does Wikipedia say? What did ‘Israel365 News’ report about the location of Lot’s wife in 2024? Dr. Thiel holds up two photos of two claimed locations some believe could be the pillar of salt that Lot’s wife turned into? Are there any geological reasons to think this may be so? Why might Jesus have said to, “Remember Lot’s wife”? Are there relevant lessons to use now in the 21st century? Will most heed end time warnings or be more like Lot’s wife? These matters are discussed by Steve Dupiue and Dr. Thiel.
