Sodom and Gomorrah.

David Shearer.

The area around the Dead sea, was once a lush agricultural area, as Genesis 13:10 says,

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar."

Today, however, the whole area is desolate, the cities are different colour (white ash) than the rocks of the surrounding area, indicating the magnitude of the catastrophe.

    Building Structure.

The Bible testified of the wickedness of Sodom in the following verses:

Genesis 13:13
"But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly."
 

Ash Sphinx (Idol).

Ezekiel 16:49
"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."
 

Structures.

    Building Structure.

The structures of the ruins are composed of layers of Calcium Sulfate, and Calcium Carbonate. This give the appearance of alternating layers of white and grey ash. They are very brittle, material is easily able to be "knocked off" the structures.

Wall structures.

Brimstone Balls.

Brimstone Balls.

There are thousands of Brimstone (Sulfur) Balls embedded in the ash ruins. These have melted material around them, along with ash. This has caused them to become encased, removing the oxygen from them, extinguishing the burning and thus preserving the Sulfur inside them.

The Sulfur inside them is white in colour, and in chemical tests, shown to be more than 98% pure. (Sulfur normally found is yellow, volcanic in nature, and is typically only 40% pure.)

    Building - Gomorrah.

Deuteronomy 29:23
"And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath:"

The Lesson for us.

The destruction of Sodom and the other cities is a warning to us today, as the Scripture says in 2Peter 2:6,

"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;"

But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Luke 17:29-30

Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

Genesis 19:24-25