“if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;” – 2 Peter 2:6

Scripture reading: Genesis 19:1-26

The third portrait of the condemned wicked that Peter reveals is of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. The account in Genesis 19 makes for an uncomfortable read. Two whole cities, plus the surrounding villages, with the men, women and children inside, utterly destroyed by “sulphur and fire from the Lord.”

The particular sin that is identified in Genesis 19 is the sin of homosexuality. And in Ezekiel 16:49-50, we read of Sodom and Gomorrah that they “had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me.” And that brings Peter’s warning of judgment really close to home, doesn’t it? For this is an exact description of the Western world today: Pride, excess of food, prosperous ease, does not aid the poor and needy, haughty, and full of the abomination that is homosexuality.

Peter’s point, again, is that God is not blind to wickedness. He has judged it in history in the past, and He will continue to judge it until Christ returns. Sin brings consequences. It is the plain message of Romans 1. But beyond this life is eternal hell. And wickedness will certainly be judged there. If we wonder what hell will be like, we are told in verse 6 that it will be like the fire and sulphur that burned Sodom and Gomorrah, but it will never end; it is eternal fire. God does judge wickedness.

Suggestions for prayer

Thank the Lord for the forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ. Confess sin in any areas identified in this devotion. Ask Him to cause the truth of judgment and hell to be faithfully proclaimed.

Rev. Andre Holtslag is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana (2007). At the present time he serves the Reformed Church of Avondale, which is in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, and is one of the Reformed Churches in New Zealand (RCNZ). Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.