5”Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” (Jude 5–7 (ESV)
We previously examined the apostasy of Israel and angels. We now turn our attention to Sodom and Gomorrah and the apostasy of immorality. Genesis 18:16-19:29 chronicles God’s judgment upon these two cities and the land of the valley (Gen. 19:27-29).
Jude wrote, …”just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”
There is much discussion and dispute regarding the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. The principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture applies to all biblical subjects in general, and to this biblical text in particular. In other words, the chief way we determine whether our interpretation of a specific passage is right is to compare it to the rest of the Bible’s instruction.
“We must be careful to read the Bible holistically. We ought not to draw interpretations from the text that are against interpretations that the Bible elsewhere draws itself. The Bible interprets the Bible; the Holy Spirit is His own interpreter. If our interpretation of one text contradicts our interpretation of another text, one or both interpretations must be wrong. They cannot both be correct because God is not “a God of confusion” (1 Cor. 14:33), and He would not teach one thing in one passage and the opposite in another,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
Jude, led by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), wrote the words indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire in referencing Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin. This must mean the sin of these two cities, and the land of the valley, involved sexual immorality and unnatural desire. What do these two phrases mean?
The phrase indulged in sexual immorality (ἐκπορνεύσασαι; ekporneusasai) is one word in the Greek. It is a present, active plural verbal participle. It means to engage in illicit sex of any kind. The King James Version uses the word fornication. We derive the English words pornographic, pornography, etc. from this Greek verb. The Scriptures define sexual immorality as any deviation from God’s standard of a heterosexual marriage between a binary man and woman (Gen.1:26-27; 2:19-24).
Jude 7 also describes what kind of sexual immorality the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah etc. participated. The phrase pursued unnatural desire is three words in the Greek. Pursued (ἀπελθοῦσαι; apelthousai), unnatural (ἑτέρας; heteras), and desire (σαρκὸς; sarkos) all mean homosexual intercourse. The Holy Spirit, through Jude, is being emphatic as to what exactly was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah.
“There are many important considerations to weigh when trying to make sense of Sodom and Gomorrah. Most critical, however (at least for those with an evangelical view of Scripture), is how the New Testament understands the sin of Sodom. Which is why Jude 6-7 is so important,” states Pastor Kevin DeYoung of the Gospel Coalition.
“There is a case to be that Jude’s comment about sarkos heteras (“other flesh”) is a reference to sex with angels not sex with other men. Verse 6 is likely an allusion to the sin of the angels in Genesis 6:1-4, which according to Jewish tradition, involved angels having sex with the daughters of men. So it is not far fetched to think that the “other flesh” in verse 7 is a reference to the men of Sodom trying to have sex with Lot’s angelic visitors. If this interpretation is correct, it makes it less likely (though not at all impossible) to see the sin of Sodom as being, at least in part, the sin of homosexual practice. Which, of course, would do nothing to invalidate the other verses that speak on the subject, but it would set aside the most infamous account of homosexuality in the Bible.’
“Having said all that, I still see good reasons to accept the traditional interpretation and conclude that Jude 7 is a reference to the sin of homosexual behavior,” continues DeYoung.
1. This interpretation is in keeping with prevailing Jewish norms in the first century. Both Josephus and Philo not only condemn relations that are “contrary to nature,” they explicitly understand Genesis 19 as referring to homosexual acts.
2. As a striking example of sexual immorality, it would certainly be more relevant in a first century Greco-Roman context to warn against homosexual behavior as opposed to the non-existent temptation to have sex with angels (cf. 2 Peter 2:6).
3. It would be strange to refer to attempted sex with angels as pursuing other “flesh.” Of all the ways to reference angels, the very physical, human, and earthly sarx seems an odd choice.
4. The men of Sodom did not know they were trying to have sex with angelic beings. Even if sarkos heteras could be taken to mean a “different species” (and I don’t think it does), the men of Sodom had no idea that that is what they were pursuing. Isn’t it more likely to think they were guilty of pursuing sex with other men (as they saw them), then that they were guilty of pursuing sex with angels (which they did not understand)?
5. If pursuing “unnatural desire” is a reference to seeking out sex with angels, how do we make sense of the beginning of verse 7 which indicts Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities of this sin? Were Admah and Zeboim guilty of trying to have sex with angels? It makes more sense to think that Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities all had a reputation for sexual immorality and that one flagrant example of such sin was homosexual practice. This is why the parallel passage in 2 Peter 2:7-8 can depict Lot as greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of these cities. They had a reputation for lawlessness which did not rely on angels to be manifested.”
“In short, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole region was not just a one-time attempted gang rape of angelic beings, but, according to Jude a lifestyle of sensuality and sexual immorality, at least one aspect of which was exemplified in men pursuing the flesh of other men instead of the flesh of women,” concludes DeYoung.
Apostasy is wickedness dressed up to look like normal behavior. It permeates our culture and many churches today. It evidences itself, as we have examined, with disbelief in God’s commands and His Word, rebellion to the same, and the subsequent immorality which is the corresponding result of such attitudes as disbelief and rebelliousness.
The foundational of apostasy’s unbelief, rebelliousness, and immorality is a hatred of God. The danger of this hatred of God is not that it is outside of the church, where we encounter it and expect it, but rather within the church. This makes apostasy of unbelief, rebellion, and immorality all the more dangerous.
Have you personally received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord (John 1:12-13)? On the basis God’s sovereign grace and faith in the person and word of Jesus Christ and the gift of His imputed righteousness, do you desire to live a holy life, honoring and pleasing to Him (I Peter 1:13-16, 22-23)?
If so, you may be struggling with sin, and the influence of apostasy and apostates. You may be asking “How can I keep myself away from being influenced by apostate groups who seek to entice me with their heretical teachings?” Consider the following practical suggestions.
- Withdraw from them as soon as possible. Have nothing to do with them, but endeavor to share the gospel. 2 John 9-11 Refuse to in any way validate the group for which you are being approached.
- Watch and pray. The enemy is already here and we dare not go to sleep. Spiritual leaders must be alert when candidates for church membership are interviewed, those seeking to be baptized, those appointed to be Sunday school teachers, youth sponsors, and other church leaders.
- Base every decision you make upon the Scriptures, and do not believe that the majority is always right. Believers must know the Word of God. Speak with your pastor in order to fully understand what the Bible says about the issue or teachings from the group.
May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.
Soli deo Gloria!
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