Jude 7-The Lord Judged Sodom and Gomorrah For Practicing Homosexuality (Doctrinal Bible Church Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Sunday August 14, 2022

Jude Series: Jude 7-The Lord Judged Sodom and Gomorrah for Practicing Homosexuality

Lesson # 12

Jude 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (NIV)

Jude 7 is composed of three assertions.

The first asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them in a manner like the fallen angels mentioned in Jude 6 caused themselves to be publicly set forth as an example.

The second presents the reason for the first and asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing a righteous punishment, namely, they are experiencing eternal fire.

The third also presents the reason for the first and asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them committed immorality and specifically, they pursued after homosexual activity.

Jude 7 is built around the first assertion.

This declarative statement is modified by two causal participial clauses, which present two assertions.

Two of these causal participles form the figure of hendiadys, which means that they are expressing one idea, with one advancing upon and intensifying the other.

Thus, two of these causal participial clauses are expressing one idea and thus one assertion and one reason.

The first states that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing a righteous punishment, namely, they are experiencing eternal fire.

The second expressed by two of these causal participial clauses asserts that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them committed immorality and specifically, they pursued after homosexual activity.

These three causal participial clauses also present two reasons why that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them in a manner like the fallen angels mentioned in Jude 6 caused themselves to be publicly set forth as an example.

Therefore, the first reason is that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing a righteous punishment, namely, they are experiencing eternal fire.

The second reason is that the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them committed immorality and specifically, they pursued after homosexual activity.

Now, these three causal participial clauses are also presenting two reasons why the rebellion of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of the cities around them is similar to the rebellion of the fallen angels during the antediluvian period.

The first reason is that both groups are experiencing eternal condemnation in Hades, which of course the consequence of their rebellions.

The fallen angels are experiencing it in Tartarus while the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah and the citizens of the cities around them are experiencing it in Torments.

Eventually, both will experience eternal condemnation in the eternal lake of fire (cf. Rev. 20:10-15).

The second reason is that both groups committed gross sexual immorality.

The fallen angels possessed the bodies of unregenerate men in order to have sex and procreate with unregenerate women in order to prevent the incarnation of the Son of God.

On the other hand, the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah and the citizens of the cities around them were pursuing homosexual relations with each other.

Therefore, Jude 7 is teaching that at this present time, the unrepentant, unregenerate citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the cities of Admah and Zeboiim are presently suffering eternal fire, i.e., eternal condemnation because of their unrepentant pursuit of homosexual relations.

This verse is also teaching that they are set forth publicly by the Lord as an example for members of the human race not to follow because they are presently experiencing a righteous punishment, which is experiencing eternal fire, or in other words, eternal condemnation.

Also, this verse teaches that this rebellion corresponds to the rebellion of the fallen angels of the antediluvian period because both groups indulged in gross sexual immorality.