Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 9:12
9:12. One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
This is the mercy and warning from God for us.
Amos 3:7
3:7. Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets through prophetic word.
The prophetic wordis the one whose secret is revealed through one verse explains the other verses in the Holy Bible.
The prophetic word reveals God's punishment over the world and something that has not happened yet but will happen for sure in the future, especially about Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds in the glory as the King of kings and the heavenly Bridegroom.
Before punishing the world, God reveals it first to His servants through the prophetic Word and He also gives the way out and shelter.
Luke 17:28-30
17:28. "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
17:29. "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
17:30. "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Why does God punish Sodom and Gomorrah?
Be watchful! The situation of the church of God in the last days will return to the one of Sodom and Gomorrah, so it must also be punished by God.
Genesis 18:16-18,20-21
18:16. Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
18:17. And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18:18. "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
18:20. And the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
18:21. "I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."
Genesis 19:12-14
19:12. 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!
19:13. "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."
19:14 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.
The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah ascended to the presence of God, so He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, but He had told Abraham and Lot first.
Genesis 18:16-18,23-25,32
18:16. Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
18:17. And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18:18. "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
18:23. And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
18:24. "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
18:25. "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
18:32. Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten."
Abraham received the prophetic word and he lifted up the intercession prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah, so Lot and his family were saved.
Lot received the prophetic word and testified it to his family. But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
Genesis 19:17
19:17. 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."
Revelation 21:9-10
21:9. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
21:10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
The way out is escaping to the mountains that refer to the New Jerusalem, heavenly bride, or the kingdom of heaven.
In the Tabernacle, we must reach the ark of covenant or perfection.
Genesis 19:19,23-24
19:19. "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.
19:23. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
19:24. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
Lot confessed that he could not escape to the mountains.
It means that we cannot be perfect at this time. We are incapable, so God provides a near city, namely Zoar, to where we can escape and not be destroyed.
The spiritual meanings of Zoar are as follows:
God blesses us.
Revelation 9:12
9:12. One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
This is the mercy and warning from God for us.
Amos 3:7
3:7. Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.
GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets through prophetic word.
The prophetic wordis the one whose secret is revealed through one verse explains the other verses in the Holy Bible.
The prophetic word reveals God's punishment over the world and something that has not happened yet but will happen for sure in the future, especially about Jesus' second coming on the glorious clouds in the glory as the King of kings and the heavenly Bridegroom.
Before punishing the world, God reveals it first to His servants through the prophetic Word and He also gives the way out and shelter.
Luke 17:28-30
17:28. "Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
17:29. "but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
17:30. "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Why does God punish Sodom and Gomorrah?
- Because of sinning up to the peak, namely the sins of eating-drinking (smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse) and marrying-giving in marriage (fornication between man and woman who are not husband and wife, homosexuality, lesbianism, intimate relationship between man and animal, false marriage, mixed-marriage, and marrying after divorce).
- Buying and selling. It means as follows:
- Earning a living in a way that is not lawful or according to the word until there is no chance to develop the talent. One does not minister to God faithfully.
- Working in the ministry but only for looking for the physical things.
- Earning a living in a way that is not lawful or according to the word until there is no chance to develop the talent. One does not minister to God faithfully.
- Planting and building, but in the false field and building.
It means that one is against God's field and building. It refers to the servant of God who is controlled by false prophet with false teaching, lying, and gossip. He works in the ministry, but without the anointing of Holy Spirit, word, and purification.
Consequently, his ministry aims at Babylon, the bride of Satan.
Be watchful! The situation of the church of God in the last days will return to the one of Sodom and Gomorrah, so it must also be punished by God.
Genesis 18:16-18,20-21
18:16. Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
18:17. And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18:18. "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
18:20. And the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave,
18:21. "I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know."
Genesis 19:12-14
19:12. 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!
19:13. "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."
19:14 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.
The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah ascended to the presence of God, so He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, but He had told Abraham and Lot first.
Genesis 18:16-18,23-25,32
18:16. Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way.
18:17. And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing,
18:18. "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
18:23. And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
18:24. "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?
18:25. "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
18:32. Then he said, "Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it for the sake of ten."
Abraham received the prophetic word and he lifted up the intercession prayer for Sodom and Gomorrah, so Lot and his family were saved.
Lot received the prophetic word and testified it to his family. But to his sons-in-law he seemed to be joking.
Genesis 19:17
19:17. 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."
Revelation 21:9-10
21:9. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."
21:10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
The way out is escaping to the mountains that refer to the New Jerusalem, heavenly bride, or the kingdom of heaven.
In the Tabernacle, we must reach the ark of covenant or perfection.
Genesis 19:19,23-24
19:19. "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.
19:23. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar.
19:24. Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens.
Lot confessed that he could not escape to the mountains.
It means that we cannot be perfect at this time. We are incapable, so God provides a near city, namely Zoar, to where we can escape and not be destroyed.
The spiritual meanings of Zoar are as follows:
- The cross of Jesus.
In the Tabernacle, it refers to the Altar of Burnt Offerings.
The cross of Jesus is the place for us to confess all of our weakness and infirmity to God and others.
Zoar is a small city. It means that the cross is often diminished and underestimated by men in the world even the servants of God.
1 Corinthians 1:18,23
1:18. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1:23. but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, - The shepherding.
Luke 12:32
12:32. "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
We must be shepherded.
The terms are as follows:- We must dwell in the sheepfold.
In the Tabernacle, it refers to the holy place. There are three instruments inside it that refer to perseverance in committing the three kinds of main service to God as follows:- The Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in the General Service. We have fellowship with Holy Spirit God in His anointing and gifts.
- The Table of Showbread refers to perseverance in the Bible Study Service with Holy Communion. We have fellowship with the Son of God in the teaching Word and the sacrifice of Christ.
- The Golden Altar of Incense refers to perseverance in the Prayer Service. We have fellowship with Father God in His love.
- The Golden Candlestick refers to perseverance in the General Service. We have fellowship with Holy Spirit God in His anointing and gifts.
- Eating the shepherding word is the same as hearing and obeying the voice of shepherd.
16:21. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:22. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"
16:23. But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Peter rejected the cross because he only thought about the worldly things.
John 21:15-17
21:15. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."
21:16. He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep."
21:17. He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.
Peter was grieved because of the repeated shepherding word in the three kinds of service to God. He humbled himself and realized his weakness and infirmity.
As a result, Peter was forgiven by God.
The shepherding is the place to humble ourselves until we can confess our weakness and infirmity to God.
John 21:18-19
21:18. "Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish."
21:19. This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."
The shepherding is also the place to struggle and totally surrender to God.
As a result, the sun rose on Zoar. We experience God's mercy and goodness.
God remembers, cares, understands, and struggles for stretching out His merciful and good hand to us.
Psalm 84:12
84:12. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
The results are as follows:- The hand of God's mercy and goodness becomes a shield to protect us from sins up to the peak, disaster, temptation, and the antichrist who reigns over the world.
- The hand of God's mercy and goodness takes care of us miraculously, so we always give thanks to Him.
- The sunshine of God's glory changes us from fleshly men to spiritual ones like Jesus. It starts from a sincere heart.
Psalm 136:1,4
136:1. Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
136:4. To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;
It continues until Jesus comes a second time that we are changed to become as perfect as He is.
- We must dwell in the sheepfold.
God blesses us.