Luke 17:26-29 “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.”
There have been many nations and peoples since the flood that God has destroyed because of their wickedness. Some biblical examples would be the Babylonian Empire, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed some of these societies through war and some in a more spectacular fashion, i.e. Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by fire from heaven. In each case scripture declares to us that the nations destroyed had reached the fullness of transgressions. In other words they had become completely wicked. So what does a society look like, that has reached a stage of wickedness that the Lord deems necessary to destroy? In the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord Jesus reveals to us that they were societies where normal business practices were taking place, and as agriculture was the main industry of the day, farming practices continued as normal. Development was taking place, as people built homes and infrastructure. Marriages were taking place and family life continued as normal. Their economies were in sound shape and food was plentiful. They were societies that enjoyed times of relaxation and leisure. And so on the surface, these were prosperous societies that had no sense of the impending doom about to overtake them.
2 Peter 2:4-10 “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; (5) 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; (6) 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; (7) and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (8) (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-- (9) then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, (10) and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.”
So what was different about the societies mentioned in this section that made them so wicked compared to other societies? Although on the surface these societies looked normal in that they continued to conduct their normal day to day lives, scripture reveals to us that these societies had similar traits. In the passage of scripture quoted above we see three main traits in these societies that placed them in the category that heaven classifies as being exceedingly wicked and sinful. Firstly, these societies were completely ungodly. They were religious; as they practiced their own religions, but they were ungodly in that the God of Heaven and Earth had no place in their lives and they no longer had any fear of God before their eyes. Secondly, their lifestyles reflected a complete tolerance for all manner of sexual immorality and uncleanness. And then thirdly, they rejected and despised all forms of authority, knowing that the authorities that exist are appointed by God (Romans 13:1-5). And so when we look at society today we can clearly see that the earth is once again on the same path. And although on the surface things look as if life is continuing as it always has, the wicked are once again becoming increasingly wicked and increasing in number. It has been approximately ten thousand years that have elapsed since the flood, and the population of the earth is fast approaching the point where wickedness will once again consume the peoples of the earth and their consciences will become completely seared. And so there will come a time when once again our Lord will judge the earth. This time however the judgment will be final.
Michael E.B. Maher
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