Chapter 7

SODOM
head coverings, covering, bible study, bible prophecy, house of yahweh, end time prophecy, bride of christ, bible commentary, yahweh


While Christians confess their need for Yahshua to be the covering for their sins, few in that vast number will equally accept the need to be properly covered on their heads, their jaws, and even on their bodies. And while a few women may be seeking to dress more modestly, very few of those women will cover their heads. Why is this the case? It is apparent that Yahweh removed these coverings in order to judge the church and this nation. Even at the time of the original writing of this work, a number of highly visible church leaders in all denominations had suffered the shame and humiliation of His exposure of their sins. The covering of their sins was removed for many to see. What can we compare the church to today? It is evident that the church is Sodom.

What was the sin, or sins, of Sodom? What did she do wrong to obtain Yahweh's judgment? Was it homosexuality? Ezekiel 16:49 clearly states its guilt. It was not homosexuality. Homosexuality was a decadent by-product of their sin. Let us read what Yahweh specifically identifies to be its sin.

"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus [since they were absorbed in their self-pleasures] they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it."

To further understand the identity of the sins of Sodom, let us briefly see how Israel was identified with that city. Why do we make this distinction? Because people have so much equated Sodomy with homosexuality that they fail to see the root cause of that city's sin being a self-serving attitude, and thus dismiss any comparison of Sodom with anything outside of homosexuality. But concerning Jerusalem Yahweh said:

"Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; and they strengthen the hands of evil doers, so that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, and her inhabitants, like Gomorra" (Jeremiah 23:14).

And In Isaiah 1:10 we read:

Hear the word of Yahweh, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah.

Isaiah was not talking to Sodom and Gomorrah here. He was addressing Judah and Jerusalem (vs. 1). Spiritually, Judah had become guilty of the root sins of Sodom (not homosexuality), and he addressed them as the same city.

Today, this nation and the church could be equally addressed as Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of the root sins of both, we see the same abominable by-product – open homosexuality.

Homosexuality is a consequential testimony of the defilement of both church and nation. It is a by-product, not a cause. It is the unsightly puss of a deeper infection caused by abundance, careless ease, concern only for oneself, and failure to help others in physical need. The church today does its token amount so that it can feel good about itself, or look good. But by-in-large, it likewise is self-centered and self-concerned. It is Laodicean: rich, wealthy, in need of nothing. One might argue: "Oh, the church isn't so bad." But remember, Yahshua said, "And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more" (Luke 12:48). Any comparison we have of the church with Israel must be based on a far greater standard for the church. And as a testimony of its need for judgment today, we see the church uncovered. It is committing adultery with the world by adopting its ways. Its leaders are repeatedly and representatively involved in child molestation, adultery, and divorce. It is constantly being exposed for its greed and self-fulfilling use of finances. And Christians are a poor representative of Yahweh God in their testimonies and dealings with other people. The church is truly Sodom! If you do not believe this, remember, neither did Jerusalem.

As we will see, in order for Yahweh to judge the original Sodom, He had to first remove the substitutionary covering off the city. In equal purpose, He is removing the substitutionary coverings off Christianity. Will the judgment of Christianity be with fire like on Sodom? In one sense the fire has already begun; and indeed in His time His fire will come. What will be the extent of His judgment? It will be more extensive and encompassing than they know. Even as Yahshua's beard was plucked out, His clothing removed, and lashes upon His back uncovered His blood prior to His final judgment, Yahweh has likewise removed Christianity's coverings. In like natural testimony, men's beards are removed for the sake of vanity, clothing is reduced to an immodest and revealing amount for the sake of fashion and seductiveness, and women refuse to wear the headcovering, counting it irrelevant and unattractive. Indeed, the crown of thorns of worldly cares (Matthew 13:22) has been placed upon the head of the body of Christ. Christianity is uncovered, prepared for Yahweh's judgment!

We find in the city of Sodom a most important man. This man was Abraham's nephew – Lot. Very significantly, Lot's name means – "covering." And with the highly important meaning of his name, particularly in light of Yahweh's judgment and cleansing of Sodom by fire, it is most important that we examine this righteous man's (2 Peter 2:7-9) prophetic role in the events surrounding that city.

As the "covering" in Sodom, Lot bore clear, unmistakable testimony to what happens when a covering is removed. As we find here, Yahweh would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot, who resided as the second covering over those cities, was removed. How do we know Lot was the second covering? Because of the pattern of coverings. Lot was the second covering, while Abraham was the glorious first covering. The city of Sodom had been given to Abraham by Yahweh (Genesis 13:14-15), and thus he was the rightful first covering over the city.

While Lot resided as the second covering of Sodom, he had the unique role of representing both the original as well as the substitutionary covering. How?  As we have seen in every other example regarding coverings, for Yahweh to judge Sodom He had to first remove the second covering. This was accomplished twice in that city. First, we find in Genesis 14 that four kings came against Sodom and defeated it, totally plundered it, and took away the second covering – Lot. But following this judgment of Sodom, of necessity Yahweh had to recover the city. So, the first covering, Abraham, took his small army of household members, pursued the four kings, and thoroughly defeated them. Having accomplished this, he returned the spoils of Sodom and restored Lot, this time in pattern as a substitutionary second covering over the city. Sodom was now under the substitutionary covering of Lot.

But Sodom continued in its "careless ease," and once again came under Yahweh's disfavor and final judgment. When Yahweh went to thoroughly judge Sodom for its sins, He would not do so until He first went to the first covering, Abraham. The covering made his appeal. Yahshua accepted it and sent the angels (whom the woman's headcovering is for – "because of the angels") to examine the city. It fell short of the covering's (Abraham's) requirement, but Yahweh still could not judge the city. Why? Because the vital substitutionary covering, Lot, was still resident there. In order to judge the city, He had to first remove the substitutionary covering. So, the angels took Lot's hand and forcibly withdrew him, along with his wife and two daughters. (Significantly, it is the women who are most visibly under the substitutionary covering – the headcovering.)

The substitutionary covering was removed from Sodom, and now it was legally time for Yahweh to judge. But this time, the substitutionary covering interceded for a little town – Zoar. Lot's intercession was also accepted, and the substitutionary covering traveled to Zoar. "Hurry," the angel declared, "escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Such is the power of the substitutionary covering to withhold judgment. With the covering now removed, judgment fell and Sodom was consumed by fire! What happened then? Lot's wife turned from her covering, governmentally removing herself from Lot, and turned to Sodom, placing herself under its government, its headship. Now equally out from under the government of her covering, judgment again fell, but this time on her. She became a pillar of salt to be "trampled under foot by men" (Matthew 5:13).

When fire fell on Sodom, a remnant was preserved under the covering of Lot in the little town of Zoar. How dramatically significant! Lot was the substitutionary covering, and when the covering is removed from the Sodom church, it likewise will be given to a small remnant at Zoar. "Is it not small?," asked Lot. At Zoar Yahweh's "Lot" will cover and protect while Sodom burns.

This power of coverings is equally seen in Yahweh's law concerning  defilement by the dead. Keep in mind that for 2,000 years the body of Christ has gone to the grave, thus the vast majority of that body is dead. How can a remnant be preserved from that death? By being fully covered. In Numbers 19:14-15 we find in Yahweh's law that "when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days [at which time purification or atonement rites with the sprinkling of water were to be followed]. And every open vessel, which has no covering tied down on it, shall be unclean." Thus, any vessel that was appropriately covered was not unclean. That covered vessel could be removed from the tent and used as a clean vessel.

What made the people unclean? Was is that they died? Not at all. They simply were in the tent of the dead man. If you are in Christianity, the sleeping/dead body of Christ, you are in the tent of dead men. You share their uncleanness which continues for seven periods – the number of Christianity, as identified in the seven churches in Revelation. But when the vessel comes out with the covering on it – the Bride – it will be clean and can be legally used by Yahweh to His glory.

Before closing this significant chapter, let us once again look at this account concerning Sodom and see what can be gleaned from it regarding the woman's substitutionary headcovering. In examining this account of Sodom, one of the outstanding elements was Abraham's commitment to the second covering. Husbands likewise should be diligent to place these relevant coverings upon their wives, even as Abraham not only provided but also fought to maintain. Recall from Genesis 14 that, prior to Sodom's final judgment, the four kings came to plunder the city and stole away the covering – Lot. One of those kings was the king of Shinar. Shinar was the land of Babylon (Genesis 11:2); so, the attack was in part a Babylonian attack on Sodom. What then did the covering "husband," Abraham, do? What five kings could not accomplish against the four plundering kings, Abraham had the authority to accomplish. He pursued the four kings, defeated them, took all their spoils, as well as the covering, returned everything to Sodom, and restored a substitutionary covering over the city.

Oh that men would likewise be a covering for their wives and equally insure that they and their daughters are properly covered under Yahweh's legal substitutionary coverings – under proper dress and the woman's headcovering! Oh that they would restore all that Babylon and this world have plundered of them, recognizing the great significance of being properly covered!

In light of all that we have learned thus far, we see that this account of Lot, the covering, is not at all some story to warn of the ills of homosexuality. It is a warning to every man and woman today, and to the church and this nation. Being properly covered is profoundly important, whether it be a self-gratifying Sodom, or a little town of Zoar. And like the covering of the cloud in the wilderness that moved, thus giving direction to the Israelites, when "Lot" moves out of the Sodom church to Zoar, one had best follow the covering and not look back.




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