In the Olivet Discourse Jesus described signs that would occur preceding the end of the world.
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Mat 24:37-39
One condition Jesus described is that it would be like it was in the days of Noah. The end would come suddenly upon the unexpecting. He explained further in Luke.
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Luk 17:26-29
I think that it is interesting that Jesus links the unexpectedness of the flood with Sodom and Gomorrah. Noah was expecting the flood because God told him beforehand, the same way Lot had been warned. So Noah and Lot were expecting the catastrophes.
We can ask what it was in those days that triggered God’s wrath.
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; Gen 19:24
The word sodomy is derived from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. It means unnatural sex acts. The men of Sodom wanted to rape the angels Lot had welcomed into his house. The reason for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the destruction of the world have very similar causes.
Some modern interpreters would have us believe that there was no special association of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with sexual sin until the middle ages soon before the word sodomy was created, but this simply isn’t true. First century Jews such as Philo the Alexandrian and the Jewish historian Josephus made it clear that Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction was closely associated with its sexual sin.
>But God, having taken pity on mankind, as being a Saviour and full of love for mankind, increased, as far as possible, the natural desire of men and women for a connexion together, for the sake of producing children, and detesting the unnatural and unlawful commerce of the people of Sodom, he extinguished it, and destroyed those who were inclined to these things, and that not by any ordinary chastisement, but he inflicted on them an astonishing novelty, and unheard of rarity of vengeance; for, on a sudden, he commanded the sky to become overclouded and to pour forth a mighty shower, not of rain but of fire; and as the flame poured down, with a resistless and unceasing violence, the fields were burnt up, and the meadows, and all the dense groves, and the thick marshes, and the impenetrable thickets; the plain too was consumed, and all the crop of wheat, and of everything else that was sown; and all the trees of the mountain district were burnt up, the trunks and the very roots being consumed. ON ABRAHAM, XXVII. <
Commerce also means the social dealings between people. Philo makes it clear that the natural desire between men and women is for the sake of producing children, and the actions of the people of Sodom was considered unnatural and unlawful. Those who were inclined to that sort of thing were destroyed with “astonishing novelty.”
>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.Josephus, CHAPTER 11.Antiquities of the Jews - Book I<
The first century Jewish historian gives the reason for Sodom’s destruction. The Sodomites abused themselves with Sodomitical practises. The association of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with sexual sin didn’t start in the first century either, as we will see.
And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; Gen 18:20
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen 6:4-5
The Bible teaches that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and the story of the deluge are very similar. The sin of the world in Noah’s time and the sins of Sodom were very great. Jesus wasn’t the only one to teach about this subject. Jude and Peter also explain this in the New Testament.
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jud 1:6-7
Jude had the teachings of Jesus in mind when he wrote. He links Sodom and Gomorrah with the angels that rebelled. The men of Sodom rebelled against God’s created order because of their carnal lust. This is the same thing that happened with the angels before the flood. One book that explains this is the ancient Jewish book of First Enoch.
[Chapter 6]
1 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children.' ...
[Chapter 7]
And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones. 1-6
The fact that they took wives implies a marriage and a loving, faithful and committed relationship.
[Chapter 10]
Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: 'Go to Noah and tell him in my name "Hide thyself!" and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.' And again the Lord said to Raphael: 'Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: and make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. And place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness, and let him abide there for ever, and cover his face that he may not see light. And on the day of the great judgement he shall be cast into the fire. And heal the earth which the angels have corrupted, and proclaim the healing of the earth, that they may heal the plague, and that all the children of men may not perish through all the secret things that the Watchers have disclosed and have taught their sons. And the whole earth has been corrupted through the works that were taught by Azazel: to him ascribe all sin. 1-9
Another ancient Jewish book that describes these things is the book of Jubilees.
And he testified to the Watchers, who had sinned with the daughters of men; for these had begun to unite themselves, so as to be defiled, with the daughters of men, and Enoch testified against (them) all. And he was taken from amongst the children of men, and we conducted him into the Garden of Eden in majesty and honour, and behold there he writes down the condemnation and judgment of the world, and all the wickedness of the children of men. And on account of it (God) brought the waters of the flood upon all the land of Eden; for there he was set as a sign and that he should testify against all the children of men, that he should recount all the deeds of the generations until the day of condemnation. ch 4 22-25
For owing to these three things came the flood upon the earth, namely, owing to the fornication wherein the Watchers against the law of their ordinances went a whoring after the daughters of men, and took themselves wives of all which they chose: and they made the beginning of uncleanness. And they begat sons the Naphidim, and they were all unlike, and they devoured one another: and the Giants slew the Naphil, and the Naphil slew the Eljo, and the Eljo mankind, and one man another. And every one sold himself to work iniquity and to shed much blood, and the earth was filled with iniquity. And after this they sinned against the beasts and birds, and all that moves and walks on the earth: and much blood was shed on the earth, and every imagination and desire of men imagined vanity and evil continually. And the Lord destroyed everything from off the face of the earth; because of the wickedness of their deeds, and because of the blood which they had shed in the midst of the earth. Jubilees ch 7 22-25
Fragments of Enoch and Jubilees were found among the Dead Sea scrolls, and are believed to have been written sometime before 300 BC. First century Jews such as Josephus and Philo of Alexandria also spoke of the rebellion of the angels.
For many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians call giants. But Noah was very uneasy at what they did; and being displeased at their conduct, persuaded them to change their dispositions and their acts for the better: but seeing they did not yield to him, but were slaves to their wicked pleasures, he was afraid they would kill him, together with his wife and children, and those they had married; so he departed out of that land. – Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 1.72-75
“And when the angels of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, they took unto themselves wives of all of them whom they Chose.” Philo, Concerning the Giants.
Another first century Jew who spoke of these things is the apostle Peter. He talks about the angels that God imprisoned because of their lust and rebellion against His created order. He also associates the rebellion with Sodom and Gomorrah.
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 1Pe 3:19-20 (Mat 25:41)
God did not have pity on the angels that sinned. He had them tied up and thrown into the dark pits of hell until the time of judgment.
And during Noah's time, God did not have pity on the ungodly people of the world. He destroyed them with a flood, though he did save eight people, including Noah, who preached the truth.
God punished the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and this is a warning to anyone else who wants to sin. 2Pe 2:4-6
The apostle Paul also alludes to the rebellion when he teaches that the symbolism of head covering in the church reflects the natural order of God’s creation.
For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.1Co 11:10
This was the teaching in the early church. The second century church father Irenaeus explains the relation as follows:
4. Since the Son of God is always one and the same, He gives to those who believe on Him a well of water (Joh_4:14) [springing up] to eternal life, but He causes the unfruitful fig-tree immediately to dry up; and in the days of Noah He justly brought on the deluge for the purpose of extinguishing that most infamous race of men then existent, who could not bring forth fruit to God, since the angels that sinned had commingled with them, and [acted as He did] in order that He might put a check upon the sins of these men, but [that at the same time] He might preserve the archetype, the formation of Adam. And it was He who rained fire and brimstone from heaven, in the days of Lot, upon Sodom and Gomorrah, “an example of the righteous judgment of God,” that all may know, “that every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire.” (Mat_3:10) And it is He who uses [the words], that it will be more tolerable for Sodom in the general judgment than for those who beheld His wonders, and did not believe on Him, nor receive His doctrine. (Mat_11:24; Luk_10:12) Book IV Chap. XXXVI.
and also:
2. And there is therefore in this beast, when he comes, a recapitulation made of all sorts of iniquity and of every deceit, in order that all apostate power, flowing into and being shut up in him, may be sent into the furnace of fire. Fittingly, therefore, shall his name possess the number six hundred and sixty-six, since he sums up in his own person all the commixture of wickedness which took place previous to the deluge, due to the apostasy of the angels. For Noah was six hundred years old when the deluge came upon the earth, sweeping away the rebellious world, for the sake of that most infamous generation which lived in the times of Noah. Book V. Chap. XXIX.
The rebellion against God’s created order triggered God’s wrath. The destruction of Sodom and the deluge were due to man’s immorality on the earth. With today’s changing attitudes toward what is acceptable in society, we should be aware of what time we live in.
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, ...2Pe 3:3
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2Pe 3:7
And Enoch went and said: 'Azazel, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth against thee to put thee in bonds: And thou shalt not have toleration nor request granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.' Then I went and spoke to them all together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them. And they besought me to draw up a petition for them that they might find forgiveness, and to read their petition in the presence of the Lord of heaven. For from thenceforward they could not speak (with Him) nor lift up their eyes to heaven for shame of their sins for which they had been condemned. Then I wrote out their petition, and the prayer in regard to their spirits and their deeds individually and in regard to their requests that they should have forgiveness and length. And I went off and sat down at the waters of Dan, in the land of Dan, to the south of the west of Hermon: I read their petition till I fell asleep. And behold a dream came to me, and visions fell down upon me, and I saw visions of chastisement, and a voice came bidding (me) I to tell it to the sons of heaven, and reprimand them. And when I awaked, I came unto them, and they were all sitting gathered together, weeping … 1 Enoch, [Chapter 13] 1-9
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