Jude 1:5-7, Part 3

[Hidden In Him]

Awakening From Dreams To A Living Nightmare, Part 3

     Jude will now list one more group from history who cast off the rulership of God to pursue sexual immorality and suffered terrible judgement and destruction as a result. Along with the Israelites who succumbed to sinning with the daughters of Moab and the angels who sinned with the daughters of men, he now adds a third group: The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, who went away after other flesh, and cast off the lordship of God:

     I will therefore put you in remembrance, [despite] you knowing all these things already, that... the angels who did not keep their own principality, but abandoned their own habitation, he has kept in eternal chains under darkness until the judgment of the great day, even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around about them, who in like manner having given themselves over to sexual immorality and going away after other flesh are set forth as an example, [now] undergoing the punishment of everlasting fire.
     Nevertheless, these dreamers likewise also defile flesh and repudiate Lordship… (Jude 1:5-8a)

     To repeat again, Jude used the term "dreamers" here to insinuate that the followers of Simon's heresy were truly living in a dream world if they thought they could somehow repudiate God's lordship and defile the flesh of others sexually and yet still hope to escape judgment. Such assumptions were lies planted in the minds of these dreamers by demonic spirits, who were encouraging them to think they had nothing to be afraid of when in realty they had everything to fear.
     While I normally save modern applications for the end of a study, in this case I will make an exception, since it goes to the point of just how those who serve Satan have plenty to fear in the next life if they do not repent of what they are doing in this one. As Mary K. Baxter's vision of Hell attests, Satan still fills the heads of those who serve him with dreams today, promising them that they will live forever and/ or reign with him in his kingdom after death. They find out the truth however when it is too late and they finally arrive in Hell. Their "reward" will be great torment, for they were being deceived all along:

     We had not walked far when Jesus stopped in front of another cell. As we looked in, a light came on. (Jesus made the light). I stood and looked at a soul that I knew was in great torment. It was another woman, and she was a blue-gray color. Her flesh was dead, and the parts that had decayed were falling off the bones. Her bones were all burned to a deep black, and she had on bits and pieces of ragged clothes. Worms were crawling out of her flesh and bones. A dirty odor filled the cell...
     Jesus told me, "She also was a servant of Satan. She sold her soul to him, and while she was alive, she... taught and practiced witchcraft and turned many toward the path of sin… [she] was the equivalent of a preacher for Satan. Just as the true gospel is preached to us by a real minister, so Satan has his counterfeit ministers. She had the strongest kind of satanic power, one which she was required to sell her soul to receive… Many people give their souls to Satan. They choose to serve him instead of Me. Their choice is death unless they repent of their sins and call upon Me. I am faithful, and I will save them from their sins. Many also sell their souls to Satan thinking they will live forever. But they will die a horrible death…
    After this woman died, she went straight to Hell. The demons brought her before Satan, where in anger she asked why the demons had control over her, for on earth she thought she controlled them. There they had done her bidding. She also asked Satan for the kingdom he had promised her. Satan kept on lying to her even after her death on earth. He said that he would restore her to life and use her for his purposes again. By deceit, she had gotten him many souls, so his lies sounded reasonable to her. But at the last, Satan had laughed and scorned her. He told her, "I deceived you and used you all those years. I will never give you my kingdom." The Devil waved his arms at the woman, and it seemed that her flesh was being ripped from her bones. She screamed in pain as a large black book was brought for Satan. He opened it and ran his finger down the pages till he found her name.
     "Oh, yes," Satan said, "you did serve me well on earth. You brought me more than 500 souls." He lied and said to her, "Your punishment will not be as bad as the others." A cackle of evil laughter rang out. Satan stood and pointed a finger at the woman, and a great wind arose and filled the place. A sound like howling thunder rose from him. "Ha-ha," said the Devil, "Get your kingdom if you can." Then an unseen force slammed her to the ground. "You are going to serve me here also," Satan laughed as she tried to get up. The woman screamed in pain as the flesh continued to be ripped from her bones by demons. She was dragged back to this cage. She remembered Satan's promises. He told her she would have all power. He told her she would never die.  He told her he had power over life and death, and she had believed him. (A Divine Revelation Of Hell, P.89-94)

     But while such a future is horrifying enough, as we shall see, Jude will soon bring to mind the ultimate destiny awaiting the wicked. They will face the "everlasting fires," for God will one day cast those in Hell into a Lake of fire burning with sulphur, where they will have to endure eternal torment forever. 


Why Sodom And Gomorrah Were Made Examples

     Like the previous two groups mentioned by Jude, in judgment they became examples of what happens to those who repudiate God's lordship and give themselves over to sexual immorality. In Sodom's case, according to scripture and Jewish tradition, they were extremely prosperous. But their wealth was so great that eventually they felt they no longer needed the Lord, and therefore cast aside their fear of Him to do as they pleased:

     The people of Sodom were the richest in the world since the soil in that area was extremely fertile. Moreover, it possessed natural resources of gold, silver, and precious stones… [But] the result of the surplus which the population of Sodom enjoyed was not increased gratitude towards Hashem but rather the opposite - they placed their trust in their wealth, casting off Hashem's rulership. (Midrash Says, V.1, P.166)

     According to tradition, their wealth attracted immigrants to the area. But the inhabitants of Sodom were covetous, so they soon began discouraging immigration by passing laws that made it difficult for outsiders to profit by coming there:

     In the selfish fear that their wealth might be diminished, they allowed no strangers in their country… The Sodomite constitution included the following laws: 1. Any stranger found in the vicinity may be robbed of his money and maltreated. 2. It is the duty of a Sodomite judge to ensure that every wayfarer leaves the country penniless. 3. Anyone found handing food to a beggar or stranger will be put to death. (Midrash Says, P.166)

     This seems to be confirmed by scripture itself, for in Ezekiel the Lord compared Jerusalem to Sodom by telling them something similar:

     This was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters exhibited contempt for others, enjoyed surfeit of bread and lived in abundance and luxury, and she and her daughters did not strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy. And they were haughty, and committed transgressions of the law before My face. So I cut them off as I saw fit. (Ezekiel 16:49-50 LXX)

     That they "committed transgressions of the law" is a reference to how they gave themselves over to sexual immorality and began practicing homosexuality. As the Jewish philosopher Philo stated, the wealth of Sodom led to gluttony, gluttony led to lust, and then lust to forbidden forms of sexual expression:

     The region of the Sodomites … was laden with innumerable injustices, especially those arising from gluttony and lust … the cause of this excess in [sexual] licentiousness among the inhabitants was the unfailing abundance of their wealth, for, provided with deep soil and ample water, this region produced abundant crops of very kind of fruit each year… by indulging in strong drink, rich food, and forbidden forms of sexual intercourse… not only did they go mad after women and defile the marriage bed of others, but the men lusted one after another, doing unseemly things… [and thus], by degrees the men became accustomed to being treated like women. (Philo, Abraham, 134-136)

     Thus, overfed, oversexed, and hateful towards outsiders and immigrants, the abuse they subjected strangers to eventually became sexualized into a form of state-sanctioned, legalized gang rape. Their hatred for strangers was clearly attested elsewhere, such as by Josephus:

     About this time the Sodomites grew arrogant on account of their riches and great wealth. They became unjust towards men and impious towards God, inasmuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from Him. They hated strangers, and abused themselves through sodomies. Therefore God was very displeased with them, and determined to punish them for their pride, and overthrow their city and lay waste to their country, until neither plants nor fruit should grow in it." (Josephus, Antiquities, 1.11.1)

     The Bible itself suggests that the men of Sodom actually preferred to engage in homosexual gang rape rather than engaging in heterosexual sex, for they even took offense when Lot offered to send his daughters out to them instead, accusing him of being a "judge" over them. As a result, they promised to sexually abuse Lot even more so than they would the strangers. Scripture confirms that they clearly intended to engage in gang rape, since their request to Lot was, "Send them out to us, that we may be with them":

     And they called out to Lot, and said to him, "Where are the men that went in to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may be with them." And Lot went out to them to the porch, and he shut the door behind him, and said to them, "No, brothers, do not commit this villainy. I have two daughters who have not known a man. I will bring them out to you, and you may do with them as you please, only do no harm to these men, for they came under the shelter of my roof." But they said to him, "Stand back! You came in to sojourn. Was it also to judge? Therefore, we will now do even more harm to you than to them." And they pressed hard on the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. (Genesis 19:5-9)

     This is actually the final evidence the angels of God had been sent to witness before Sodom's fate would be sealed, for as they told Abraham, because the cry against Sodom and Gomorrah was so great, and because their sin was so grievous, they had come to confirm once and for all that they were doing to strangers what the reports were saying (Genesis 18:20-21). It is not as if the Lord didn't know already, but they would prove for all eternity through this last incident that they were guilty of what was being charged against them. Their sexual deviancy had transformed into an especially cruel and demeaning abuse of strangers and immigrants, so their wickedness had become so egregious that the Lord finally had no choice but to execute judgment upon them.


How Sodom's Fires Were Still Burning In Jude's Day 

     I will therefore put you in remembrance [of how]... Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around about them, in like manner having given themselves over to sexual immorality and going away after other flesh, are set forth as an example, [now] undergoing the punishment of everlasting fire.
     Nevertheless, these dreamers likewise also defile flesh and repudiate Lordship… (Jude 1:5-8a)

     When Jude declared that Sodom and Gomorrah were "undergoing the judgment of everlasting fire," he was using the present tense of the verb, which means that although the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah had taken place some 1,600 years earlier, Jude was of the belief that the region was still undergoing this judgment and therefore was still being set forth as an example of eternal torment.
     What would lead him to make such a statement? Quotes from numerous authors both Pagan and Jewish confirm the existence of physical evidence that would have backed up this claim. Strabo, a first century Greek geographer and historian, used the present tense in referring to geological phenomenon that was still taking place in and around the Dead Sea region: "The lake was formed by earthquakes and boiling outbursts of fire, and hot water impregnated with bitumen and brimstone... In the midst of the lake is the source of the fire, and also there are great quantities of asphalt in the middle. The eruption is uncertain, because the movements of fire have no order known to us..." (Strabo, Book XVI, 764, italics mine).
     So also did Diodorus Siculus, writing around the same time, use the present tense in stating, "The fire which burns beneath the ground, and the stench, render the inhabitants of the neighboring country sickly and very short lived." (Diodorus Siculus, Book II, 48, italics mine)
     The Jewish philosopher Philo, again writing during the same time period, was even more clear that the phenomenon was ongoing, stating, "The fire is most difficult to extinguish, and creeps on pervading everything and smoldering. And a most evident proof of this is to be found in what is seen to this day: the smoke which is still emitted, and the brimstone (i.e. burning sulfur) that men dig up there." (On Abraham XXVII, italics mine).
     Likewise, the Wisdom of Solomon states, "Wisdom saved a man [named Lot] from the destruction of the godless, and he escaped the fire that came upon the five Cities, cities whose wickedness is still attested by a smoking waste." (Wisdom of Solomon, 10:7, italics mine)

     It is interesting that Strabo attributed the active outbursts to earthquakes. The Dead Sea sits on top of what is called the Jordon Rift, the longest and deepest fault line on the planet. And the surface of the Dead Sea itself is roughly 1,300 feet below sea level to begin with, making it that much closer to the fault line itself. Could it be that the brimstone that rained down upon Sodom and Gomorrah "out of the Heavens" (Genesis 19:24) was in reality millions of tons of molten material that included both salt and sulphur, being hurled dozens of miles into the air by a massive seismic upheaval? It would explain the Biblical account, as it would explain why God specifically warned Lot and his family to flee and not look back. Those living in the vicinity of active volcanoes know they have a limited amount of time (usually only about a half hour) to get out of the area before being buried in volcanic ash. With millions of tons of fallout, i.e. ash, brimstone and molten material thrown miles into the air, Lot and his family had only a short amount of time to flee to safety. So, too, does the exact language used in scripture seem to confirm this, for the angels warned Lot and his family, "Do not look behind you, nor stay anywhere in the surrounding country. Flee to the mountains, lest perhaps you be overtaken ..." (Genesis 19:17, LXX). Lot's wife failed to heed this warning and turned back to watch the destruction of Sodom taking place, assuming she was out of harm's way. She probably died as a result of being covered over with volcanic ash consisting of both sulphur and salt, since salt is also extremely abundant in the area (the Dead Sea is so salt-rich today that bathers can literally float on the water without fear of sinking). Massive, upright pillars of salt can still be seen to this day in area of the Dead Sea, one of which is now commonly referred to as "Lot's wife."
     Interestingly enough, there is also a Jewish tradition which states that the Lord warned Sodom and Gomorrah for years in advance that He would bring judgment against them by sending earthquakes throughout the region: "The overthrow of Sodom did not occur suddenly without previous warning. Twenty-five years prior to its annihilation, Hashem caused earthquakes to send tremors throughout that region in order to awaken its inhabitants to do penance, but they took no notice of these Divine warnings." (Midrash Says, V.1, P.169-170). So, too, do these traditions state that all five cities were situated "on one rock, and the angel turned them all over at once..." (Midrash Says, P.177), suggesting that it was one massive earthquake that brought about the region's destruction.

     Granted the above statements are merely from Jewish tradition, but there have been scientific sources who have stated the likelihood of this as well. One contributor to an older version of the Encyclopedia Britannica attested it was plausible, suggesting that a massive seismic event might have been what actually caused the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:

     "That in this bituminous region a violent earth tremor - to which, indeed, the Ghor and its borders are particularly liable - should have brought into play eruptive forces whose catastrophic effects are indicated in the Bible narrative, is more than probable." (Encyclopedia Britannica, V.7, P.100, 1958, emphasis mine)

     Seismic fissures indeed still take place in the middle-east today, only on a smaller scale. The most recent took place in Saudi Arabia in 2009:

     The most violent upsurge of magma in recent years happened in an unexpected place. In May 2009, a subterranean volcano erupted in Saudi Arabia. A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 accompanied by tens of thousands of milder tremors forced 30,000 to seek shelter. Magma spewed out of the ground in an area about the size of Berlin and Hamburg combined, Sigurjon Jonsson from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology reported at the AGU meeting. (Global Rumblings, Violent Seismic Activity Tearing Africa In Two)

                                               


End-Time Prophecies Relating To The Lake Of Fire

     Earthquakes prophesied to take place during the end-times may literally turn this same region into the Lake of Fire prophesied in scripture. To start with, the Dead Sea region is rich in sulphur from one end to the other. Is it mere coincidence that the Lake of Fire is described in Revelations as literally a "fiery lake of burning sulphur"? 

     "But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet ... [and] the two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the Rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves upon their flesh." (Revelations 19:20a-21, NIV)

     "And the Devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelations 20:10, NIV)

     Moreover, even more intense earthquake activity is prophesied to occur in the end-times than at any time in human history. One earthquake will be so great that it will cause many entire cities across the planet to collapse. Whole mountains will be made to disappear:

     "Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occured since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed ... [and] every island fled away, and the mountains could not be found." (Revelation 16:18-20)
 
     Such phenomenon could only occur if the earth's tectonic plates shifted very severely. In such a scenario, it would most certainly not be impossible for the Dead Sea to become literally a Lake of Fire, given the fact that the Jordon Rift is not only the longest fault line on earth but also the deepest. It is also interesting that this massive earthquake described above takes place just as the armies of the Antichrist are being gathering together for the Battle of Armageddon, which means just prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to execute judgment against the wicked (Revelation 16:16). 
     Most convincing, however, are the prophecies regarding the Lake of Fire found in the Book of Enoch, which Jude would have been aware of since he regarded Enoch as authoritative. What does this source say? The following passage seems to remove all doubt that the Dead Sea will indeed eventually become the Lake of Fire, the final place of torment for the wicked.
     In Chapter 67, the following prophecies are uttered:

     [God] will imprison those angels who revealed oppression in that burning valley which my grandfather Enoch formerly showed me in the west, among the mountains of gold, silver, iron, copper and tin. And I saw that valley, in which there was a great convulsion and agitation of the waters. And when this took place, there was produced from that copper and fire the smell of sulphur, which blended with those waters. This valley of the perversive angels shall continue to burn underneath that ground, [and] in respect to its troughs, they shall be filled with streams of water by which the angels who perverted those who dwell upon the earth shall be punished.
     But for the kings, rulers, exalted ones and those who dwell upon the earth, those waters shall become in those days a source of healing to the body but condemnation to the spirit. Lust shall fill their souls such that their bodies will be punished, for they have denied the Lord of spirits. They shall see their own [place of] punishment every day, yet believe not in His name. But in proportion to the great degree of the burning of their bodies will come the transmutation of their spirits forever and ever, for none shall utter an idle word before the Lord of spirits. So the judgment shall come upon them, because they believe in the debauchery of their bodies yet deny the Spirit of the Lord...
     Then I heard Michael responding and saying, "This judgment by which the angels are punished is a testimony to the kings and mighty who rule the earth." But because these waters of judgment are a source of healing to their body as well as sensational to their flesh, they will therefore neither see nor believe that these waters will become transformed and become a fire that burns forever. (Enoch 67:4-13)

     The Dead Sea is indeed a massive valley filled with water, located "to the west" with respect to Eden, the reference point they would have used before the flood. And an opening in the Jordan Rift would very well create "a great convulsion, and an agitation of the waters." By continuing to be fed water from the mountains (i.e. "troughs"), and with an open rift continuing "to burn underneath that ground," the Dead Sea would indeed become a churning Lake of fire, burning with sulphur. "The smoke of their torment" would indeed be seen arising from miles in every direction. So, too, regarding fire and copper mixing to produce a smell of sulphur, not only is the region rich in sulphur to begin with, but there is also one of the largest copper mines on earth located just to the south of the Dead Sea.
http://www.icr.org/article/more-evidence-king-solomons-copper/

     Would this same lake be a source of healing to people on earth before the judgment? As already stated, the Dead Sea is so dense with salt that bathers need not fear sinking. But more than simply float on the water, for centuries people with skin ailments have found the waters of the Dead Sea to be medicinal, as the following web article states in detail:

     Ever since ancient times people hoping to improve their health have soaked away their ailments in the healing waters of the Dead Sea. The mud is thought to be so restorative that thousands of tourists visit the Dead Sea each year, while stores around the world sell skin products made from its mud and salt crystals. The Dead Sea’s healing power is seemingly more than just myth. The lake boasts high concentrations of magnesium, sodium, phosphates, bromides and other minerals thought to improve skin conditions as well as certain heart and lung conditions. Studies have suggested that Dead Sea minerals can improve the quality of life for psoriasis patients, hydrate the skin, and reduce roughness and inflammation. Not only does Dead Sea mud contain these beneficial minerals, but it’s also been shown to kill acne-causing bacteria. Body wraps made from Dead Sea mud are a popular treatment at high-end spas in Israel and beyond, they are thought to nourish and detoxify the skin, and can even erase stretch marks and cellulite. (Stunning Places.net, Swimming In The Dead Sea) 
http://stunningplaces.net/swimming-in-the-dead-sea/


                                       

     As for how the lake would also serve as "a condemnation to the spirit" to those who dwell upon the earth, all humanity knows fully well that this site is where Sodom and Gomorrah were supposedly destroyed by fire and brimstone out of heaven. Yet, as the text also states, "Because these waters of judgment are a source of healing to their body as well as a sensation to their flesh, they will therefore neither see nor believe that these waters will become transformed and become a fire that burns forever." (Enoch 67:13). Because of the faithlessness that exists on earth today, men actually see the place of their future torment right before their eyes every day and yet they still refuse to believe in His name.
     The most frightening portion of the text, however, is found in the following: "But in proportion to the great degree of the burning of their bodies will come the transmutation of their spirits forever and ever, for none shall utter an idle word before the Lord of spirits." If given the chance, the wicked would continue to blaspheme the Lord in eternity just as they had while alive on earth. But the Lord will no longer tolerate this once He establishes His kingdom on earth. Since they are eternal spirits, their mouths will simply have to be silenced through continual and incessant torment.   
 

Witnessing The Spectacle Of Eternal Torment

     Jerusalem, situated in the Judaean mountains, is located not that far from the Dead Sea. A short trip to the West from the city and you are soon looking out over the entire Dead Sea region from a height of about 2,500 feet. It is precisely because of this that when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in power and establishes His kingdom on earth and His throne in Jerusalem, the scripture will be fulfilled which states that His enemies will be made His footstool:   

     He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. (Hebrews 10:12-13)

     These two verses are actually a paraphrase of Psalm 110, which reads as follows:

     The Lord said to my lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool. A rod of power will the Lord send forth from Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies." (Psalm 110:1-2)

     This passage states that when the Lord establishes His kingdom on earth, His enemies will be tormented, not in some distant place but in the midst of where He rules, or in other words in close proximity to Jerusalem. This is yet another confirmation that the Dead Sea will become the Lake of Fire.
     But why would God make an eternal spectacle of the wicked? Again, it must be understood that His intention has been to establish an eternal kingdom on earth, one that will never be destroyed and never be left to another ruler (Daniel 2:44). And unfortunately for the wicked, they will have a purpose in all this: Their eternal torment before His feet will forever serve as a reminder to the righteous of what became of His enemies.
     So, too, did He promise in Revelations that the wicked would suffer forever, in the presence of the angels and the Lamb:

     "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he too will drink of the wine of God's fury... He will be tormented with burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever." (Revelation 14:9-10)

     The prophet Isaiah was also clear in prophesying to the Jews concerning the new heavens and earth that upon leaving Jerusalem, those who have visited there will be able to go out from the city and witness the torment of those who once transgressed against God:

     "[the Gentiles] will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering...  to My holy mountain in Jerusalem… and it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the Lord. "And they shall go forth [i.e. from the city], and see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:20, 23-24).


                                             

     But what will the righteous see exactly, when they look out over their destruction? Isaiah prophesied that they would see their "carcasses." Does this mean they will see dead bodies floating in the Lake of Fire? No, for scripture says that death itself will be cast into the Lake of Fire, suggesting that there will never again BE such a thing as death. Everyone, whether wicked or righteous, will thereafter live forever:

     Then will come the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to [His] God and Father, after He shall have deposed all rule, and all authority and power. It is necessary for Him to reign until He shall have put all His enemies under His feet, [and] the last enemy that shall be deposed is death, for He has put all things under His feet. (1 Corinthians 15:24b-27a)

     Moreover, Isaiah also prophesied concerning the wicked that their worm will never die. As will be covered more in the next study, those in Hell take on the appearance of being carcasses simply because their flesh is constantly rotting away and being eaten by worms. Yet they exist in an eternal state of decay and cannot die, making their fate the ultimate nightmare, a far cry from the dreams Satan deluded them with. So, too, can we expect that this will be the fate of all who are cast into the Lake of Fire. The spectacle of their torment will be there for all to see, as a witness to what became of God's enemies.