I felt led to do this research, because there are some who try to dissuade others from believing in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because He has punished people over time, where some people have died. Having read the Bible from cover to cover many times, I wanted to research specifically to see if these consequences were unwarranted as they suggest.
To do this research, I will use the New King James Version of the Bible, also known as NKJV, and internet resources, as needed. Since the Bible sometimes uses the word “him” and the word “he” within the same verse, I will include who is speaking and who is being spoken to within brackets if I determine it’s beneficial for clarity.
Additionally, I will put my comments, observations, and conclusions within brackets, as well. For those who would like to read this research or previous Biblical Research Projects in their entirety, you can go to either of these two blogs I felt led to create: Biblical Proof! found at https://BiblicalProof.blogspot.com or Do Biblical Inconsistencies Really Matter? at https://Biblicalinconsistencies.blogspot.com/
Genesis 18:17-33 when the Lord speaks to Abraham: and the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 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.” Then the men [angels] turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 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? 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?” So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all the city for the lack of five? So He [God] said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he [Abraham] spoke to Him [God] yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He [God] said, “I will not do it for the sake of Forty.” Then he [Abraham] said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He [God] said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he [Abraham] said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he [Abraham] said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He [God] said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
19:1-3 says: Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot (a relative of Abraham) 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. 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.” But he [Lot] insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he [Lot] made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Genesis 19:4-7 goes on to say: Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, and all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 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.” So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!” [I recently read a book that puts forth a different interpretation of Genesis 19:4-7, instead of the opinion of many who think this passage is against homosexuality. It was put forth, that the men of the town were going to gang rape Lot’s visitors as a means of brutally overpowering or gaining control over the visitors and had nothing to do with men preferring intimacy with same sex partners. The more I was prayerful about what I read, I realized that the proposed interpretation seems very credible, if you look at the context of the passages.]
[In verse 8, Lot is fearful of these men from the city and tries to substitute his 2 daughters for his 2 guests, which defies any logic I have, unless Lot was trying to protect them, because the visitors are angels of the Lord, but it doesn’t fully explain this.]
As Lot stands in the doorway begging them to leave them alone in Genesis 19:9-13 says: And they [men of the city] 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 [Lot] than with them [the visitors]. So they [men of the city] pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men [2 visiting angels] reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they [2 visiting angels] struck the men [of the city] who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. Then the men [2 visiting angels that were sent to see if Sodom and Gomorrah were as bad as reported] 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! 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.” Genesis 19:15-18 yet says: 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.” 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. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he [1 visiting angel] said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” But in verse 20, Lot begs the visiting angels if he can go to Zoar, a nearby small city, so nothing bad happens to him and family. Genesis 19:21-25 even further says: And he [1 of the visiting angels] said to him [Lot], “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
[This passage in Genesis 18:20 shows that the Lord didn’t just destroy Sodom and Gomorrah without thought. God had 2 of His angels go to see if it was truly as bad as had been reported to Him. And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, 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.”]
[Additionally, the following passages from Genesis 18:22-33 show that the Lord wouldn’t have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah if ten righteous men were found in the whole city. Then the men [angels] turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 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? 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?” So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all the city for the lack of five? So He [God] said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he [Abraham] spoke to Him [God] yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He [God] said, “I will not do it for the sake of Forty.” Then he [Abraham] said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He [God] said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he [Abraham] said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he [Abraham] said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He [God] said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.]
[The 2 visiting angels of the Lord went to see if Sodom and Gomorrah were as wicked as reported and saw first hand how the men of the city had almost broken in Lot’s door by force, and would have done so if it hadn’t been for what the visiting angels did in Genesis 19:10-11. But the men [2 visiting angels of the Lord] reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 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. If the visiting angels of the Lord hadn’t blinded them, the wicked men of the town would have broken the door down and much worse would have happened.]
[Although they could not find 10 righteous people in the city, the 2 visiting angels removed Lot (Abraham’s relative), his wife, and 2 daughters and made sure they were somewhere safe before destroying wicked Sodom and Gomorrah. Much the same as it says in Deuteronomy 7:16: “Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the Lord your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.” According to this and many other Bible passages, God, at times, decides to destroy particular cities and/or groups of wicked people and/or those who worship idols, that might lead others astray.]
[Therefore, due to all the men in the city banding together and trying to break down Lots’ door to gang rape the 2 visiting angels of the Lord, I can see why the Lord determined Sodom and Gomorrah to be wicked cities and destroyed them to no longer allow them to lead others astray to their wicked ways.]
How do we know that God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son for Us?
Think about it. How Could the Exact Things Done to Jesus, be Predicted All These 100+ Years Before His Birth, if it weren't for God the Father's Having Prophets Write These Predictions down to Be Included in the Bible! God knew that some would doubt, so He left us Biblical evidence, so We Know Jesus is Truly the Son of God by Fulfilling These Predictions!
Prediction in Psalm About Jesus being God’s Son
[God Letting David Know Something He Will Say to His Only Begotten Son, Jesus]
· I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Psalm 2:7
· New Testament Proof this prediction was fulfilled: God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art My Son, this day, have I begotten Thee. Acts 13:33
Predicting a Virgin will Bear the Son of God
· Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. Isaiah 7:14-16
· New Testament Proof of Prediction fulfilled: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. '' and she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25
Plot to Betray Jesus:
Predicting the 30 Pieces of Silver Judas was Given to Betray Jesus, is Used for Potter's Field
· And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was [priced] of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. Zechariah 11:12-13
· New Testament Proof of the Prediction fulfillment: And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, “and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.” Matthew 27:7-10
This Predicts Jesus' Disciple, Judas, Would Betray Him
· Yea, Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me. Psalm 41:9
· This is More than just New Testament Proof of fulfillment, because this particular Bible passage shows Jesus knows full well He is going to be betrayed by Judas. Who else could do that, but God’s Son, Jesus? : When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him [Judas]. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast, “ or that he should give something to the poor. Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately, And it was night. John 13:21-30
· More New Testament Proof of the Prediction fulfillment: And while He [Jesus] was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. Matthew 26:47-50
Predicts That Jesus Will Be Beat and Spit Upon Before They Crucify Him
· The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave My back to the smitters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help Me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set My face like flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. Isaiah 50:6-7
· New Testament Proof of the Prediction fulfillment: Then released he Barabas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand: and they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head. And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. Matthew 27:26-31 [Jesus knew He would have to go through all of this in order to save us from our sins, so that believers could have salvation in heaven with Him, some day. If it were me, and I knew people were going to spit on me, mock me, and beat me, it would have been a real game changer, but Jesus went through all of this for us anyway, knowing all of this in advance!]
Predicting Bystanders Would Divide Jesus' Clothes & Cast Lots for His Coat
· They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture. Psalm 22:18
· New Testament Proof of the Prediction fulfillment: Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them. And for My clothing they cast lots.” Matthew 27:35
Predicts The Piercing of Jesus' Hands & Feet When They Nailed Him on the Cross
· For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have [enclosed] Me: they pierced My hands and My feet. Psalm 22:16
· New Testament Proof of the Prediction fulfillment- the same day Jesus arose from the grave: Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, he showed them His hands and His feet. Luke 24:36-40
100’s of years before Jesus was Born, It was predicted What Jesus would Say on the Cross When He Died for Our Redemption:
· My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Why art Thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring? Psalm 22:1
· New Testament Proof this verse was fulfilled is in Matthew 27:45-46: Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Predicting Jesus Wouldn't Suffer Corruption [ His body wouldn’t rot!]
· For Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:10
· The fulfillment of this verse is in John 20:25-29 when Jesus shows Himself to the disciples the second time after arising from the grave: The other disciples therefore said to him [Thomas], We have seen the Lord.” So he [Thomas] said to them, unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
[You’ve heard all these predictions of Jesus being the Only Begotten Son of God, His Birth, Betrayal, Death, and Resurrection and the Fulfillment of these. Here are some additional noteworthy passages, so you are not led astray by those who would try to dissuade Christians from believing in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.]
Jude Forewarns Us of Those Trying to Lead Believers Astray from Love of God and Jesus Christ, His Son
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude v.1-4
Jesus Christ, God's Son, Washed Our Sins From Us When We Died and Arose from the Dead
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6
Jesus Tells John in the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ: They Should Stay Strong, Hold Fast, and Repent, because Jesus Comes Like a Thief in the Night, and Believers Undefiled Shall Walk in White with Him & Jesus Will Not Blot Out Their Name from the Book of Life, but Will Confess Their Name to God the Father, and They Should Focus on What the Holy Spirit Says to the Churches
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white [clothes]; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. He that hath and ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3:2-7
[After all my research analysis, I have determined that it is very consistent that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save us, even though He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their extreme wickedness.]
[Additionally, God allowed His two angels to see if they could find at least 10 righteous people, before He decided whether to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah or not, but they couldn’t. They only took Lot, his wife, and his 2 daughters.]
[Furthermore, God wouldn’t want a community that would consider gang raping vistors to continue to exist in that they may lead others astray to their wicked ways.]
[Not only do I base my analysis on all the predictions about Jesus in the Old Testament and fulfillment in the New Testament, but also on the following Bible verses.]
When He [Jesus] had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold the, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan [River]. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21-22
And John [the Baptist] bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon HIm [Jesus.] “I did not know Him, but He [God the Father] who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Again, the next day, John [the Baptist] stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” John 1:32-36
At Jesus’ Transfiguration before He betrayed: While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” Matthew 17:5
And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Mark 9:7
While he [Peter] was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Luke 9:34-35
“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” John 12:27-28
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 2 Peter 1:16-17
Remember John 3:16-21 where Jesus says:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
[My advice to you is to follow Jesus, the Light of the World, that can lead believers to Salvation in Heaven with Him someday.]
