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Simon Book Sodom and Gomorrah
By Simon Brown
The History of the Dead Sea
The silence is eerie. Less than one hour’s drive from, Jerusalem, the holy city, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, 417 metres (1,373 feet) below sea level. The largest natural “spa” on Earth, 67 kilometres long and 18 kilometres wide, it is a mini universe with its own unique microclimate and mineral-enriched waters. Its salinity is six times higher than any other ocean, where a body cannot sink. Nothing can live in the high levels of salt – if fish stray into its waters they immediately die. It is truly a ‘dead’ sea.
Its thermo springs and black mud have been held in high esteem for millennia for cleansing and softening the skin. No other site in the world offers such an extraordinary combination of natural elements with the purported capability to rehabilitate and restore physiological functions. Its unique features are at present being evaluated as to their healing properties. For example, the air along the shores is said to be rich in magnesium and bromine and helpful in the treatment of nervous tension.
The area has very low rainfall in winter. From January to May, 29mm; from May to September, 0mm; October, 1mm; November, 8mm; December, 8mm. Average maximum temperatures are 20ºC (68ºF) in January, and 36ºC (97ºF) in September.
Low rainfall and high temperatures mean that the Dead Sea is said to be evaporating at the incredible rate of 12 inches per annum, leaving behind salt and minerals similar to a normal salt pan. Much of the water has come from the surrounding mountains, the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan.
Bordering the West Bank, Israel and Jordan on the Rift Valley, the Dead Sea has attracted interest from visitors all over the Mediterranean, and more recently, the world. Jesus and John the Baptist were closely linked to the Dead Sea and its surroundings, and it was known to the prophets via Sodom and Gomorrah. For thousands of years it was a place of refuge for the kings David and Herod. King Herod re-fortified Masada and built palaces on the rock as a retreat for himself and his family in the event of an Egyptian invasion.
During the Egyptian conquest, it is said that Queen Cleopatra obtained exclusive rights to build cosmetic and pharmaceutical factories in the area. Later, the wily Nabateans discovered the value of bitumen extracted from the Dead sea and needed by the Egyptians for embalming their mummies. Aristotle also wrote of the remarkable waters. In Roman times the Essenes settled in Qumran on the northern shore as a place of refuge, and on the heights of Masada a small group of Jewish rebels held out against the might of a Roman legion.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are Jewish documents found at Khirbet Qumran in eleven caves on the shore of the Dead Sea in 1947 and 1956. They have been called the greatest manuscript discovery of this generation and have had a tremendous impact on biblical scholarship. They are priceless treasures and the most spectacular are the eight scrolls on leather, preserved for 1900 years in pottery jars. These shed light on the Hebrew bible and the old testaments that helped shape the development of Christianity. The scrolls can be divided into two categories, biblical and non-biblical, and are written in Hebrew Aramaic, the language of the Jews, and are the oldest group of Old Testament manuscripts ever found.
Most curious is the copper scroll discovered in cave number 3. It lists 64 underground hiding places in the land of Israel, containing gold, silver, aromatics and manuscripts.
The treasures are believed to be from King Solomon’s temple, hidden away for safe keeping, possibly before King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 587bc. Also in the scrolls are stories of biblical figures such as Enoch, Noah and Abraham.
The first scrolls were discovered by Bedouin goatherds, and the excitement of the scholars lay in deciphering them. Far more satisfying was the search for similar documents at their own excavations. Apart from the scrolls reviewed, all other treasures displayed in the Shrine of the Book were found by Israeli archaeologists at digs in the Dead Sea area. Each find was the climax to an exhausting and often daring physical effort.
The Dead Sea scrolls can be seen in the Israeli Museum, and they are the most popular tourist attraction in Jerusalem with the exception of the Wailing Wall.
The Wicked Cities
Over 3,900 years ago, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah became the most evil places on earth. Every manner of perversion and crime was practised. Author Jonathan Gray claims there are stories of passing travellers being enticed into the city and kidnapped, whereupon they were chained in the square and starved to death for the amusement of the populace. Eventually God’s patience ran out.
In Genesis chapter 18, the Bible describes the Lord appearing to Abraham as he sat at the entrance of his tent near the great trees of Mamre. Looking up he spied three men standing nearby and recognised them as the Lord God with two of his angels. Abraham bowed low and offered them refreshment. God told Abraham that his wife Sarah would have a son. Sarah was listening from the tent and laughed to herself, as she was old.
God said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say ‘Will I really have a child now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”
They arose and headed toward Sodom.
Genesis 18:20 tells us that the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not I will know.” Abraham pleaded with the Lord to save any righteous people. There was one righteous family there, that of Abraham’s nephew Lot and his wife and two daughters. The Lord sent two angels to save them. When they arrived, the house was surrounded by a mob of locals, who demanded that the men should be sent out into the street to be raped. Being angels of God, they blinded the miscreants and led Lot and his family to safety before the city was destroyed.
The cities were destroyed in a storm of fire and brimstone (sulphur). Genesis 19:24 says, “Then the Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens.
Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plains, including all those living in the cities and also the vegetation of the land.” The cities were totally destroyed and every part of the buildings – wood, stone or brick – were turned to ash. Visitors today can still discern the outline of the streets and buildings. It is almost beyond belief that this area was once both verdant and productive. We know that the land was both beautiful and fertile from Genesis 13:10: “Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of Jordan was well watered like the garden of the Lord. Like the land of Egypt towards Zoar. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, so Lot chose for himself the whole plain of Jordan.”
In Genesis 13:12, Abraham lived in the land of Canaan while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Verse 13 mentions how the men of Sodom were wicked and sinning greatly against the Lord.
The Clay Tablets
Whilst excavating the ruins of a royal palace in Elba, Syria, in 1975, Mathiae discovered a royal library consisting of 1700 clay tablets. The tablets were inscribed in Eblaic and Sumerian and relate to the Eblan civilization. On translation, they proved to be the earliest records of olive trees, religion, economics, marriages, politics and poetry. One of the tablets names Birsha as the king of Gomorrah, just as the Bible states. It also mentions the five cities in the same order. The tablets are in the Aleppo museum and the National Museum of Damascus, where they are still being deciphered.
The five cities on the edge of the Dead Sea were known as the cities of the plain: “and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon towards Gerae as far as Gaza, and then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboin as far as Lashe” (Genesis 10:19). Note here that Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboin were all mentioned together.
The tablets tell the same story, and we know the names of the kings from Genesis 14:2: “other kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birshe king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboim and the king of Bela (that is Zoar)”. Lot said to the angel of the Lord (Genesis 19:20), “Look, here is a town near enough to run to. It is small and my life will be spared.” The angel said, “I will not overthrow the town you speak of, but go quickly for I can do nothing until you reach it.” And that is why the place is called Zoar, and a place called New Zoar still exists today.
According to Genesis 19:30, Lot was afraid and moved on with his two daughters to a cave in the mountains. One day the elder daughter said to the younger, “Father is old and there are no men here to lie with us, as is the custom. Let us ply him with wine and lie with him to preserve our line.” Genesis 19:27 tells us that, “Early next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down towards Sodom and Gomorrah, towards the lands of the plains and saw dense smoke rising from the land, like the smoke from a furnace.” It is possible that God also destroyed Zoar, and that the daughters really thought they had no man to lie with.
My Search for the Lost Cities
Where are these cities that are mentioned in the Bible? For many years it was believed that they were under the Dead Sea and would become visible when the sea evaporated. Others believe that nothing remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. However, in the 1980s an American archaeologist called Ron Wyatt found these sites. I purchased several DVDs and books on the subject and was amazed. Why should it not be just as the Bible says? When I mentioned it to friends they could not believe it to be true, and Christian friends would go quiet when I brought up the subject. Perhaps some thought that it was a money-making scheme, but no one I knew had heard of this discovery. I decided I just had to prove it to myself and others.
My First Visit to Gomorrah
On 25 October 2004 I decided to fly to Israel. My wife did not accompany me because she dislikes flying and was perturbed by the uncertain situation in Gaza. I am a man who believes in prayer and faith – and so I left for Israel alone.
I arrived feeling jet-lagged with not much of the day remaining, so I visited the garden tomb where Jesus was laid after the crucifixion. The next day I hired a taxi to take me to Mount Masada. Approaching the tip of the Dead Sea I passed white shapes of walls and buildings to the left. We were only half way to Masada! Miles later we reached the mountain. It suddenly struck me that the ruins we had passed were Admah and Zeboim. I had not realised that they were miles apart.
My First Steps in Gomorrah
As I entered what looked like a ghost town, the further I walked, the bigger the buildings became. The deathly silence was frightening, with no wind or singing birds to break the stillness. My excitement grew with every step until I found myself standing speechless in the city of Gomorrah. I could pick out double Canaanite walls, and many types of sphinx and ziggurats. The courses of old streams were also obviously apparent.
My First Ever Brimstone
I needed some sort of evidence, so I started searching for some of the brimstone that had been mentioned in the American documentaries. I remember my wife remarking that she would never doubt God again if I found some brimstone balls, and joked that I should not return without one.
After staring around the ashen city I started to dig with my bare hands, climbing and jumping over the walls, desperately searching for brimstone. Twenty minutes passed and I found nothing. I did not realise it would be so hot and was totally unprepared, having just left a wintry UK. Soon I was sweating and exhausted, with no hat and no water bottle. I could hardly swallow and my trainers were full of ash. Enthusiasm gave way to disappointment as I slowly headed back toward the road. I stopped and prayed that the Lord would guide me to something – and suddenly there it was! A small, white chalky-looking ball, about an inch in diameter and slightly heavier than polystyrene. Placing it in a small box with a few similar looking stones, I returned to the taxi.
Once I was back at the hotel I could not decide if it was just a small rock. It struck me that if it was brimstone it should burn, so I lit it. The result was amazing. It ignited instantly and burned with a bright blue flame and choking smoke. There was no mistaking the smell of sulphur. It was difficult to extinguish, but I remembered my wife’s parting remarks and saved all I could. Packing to leave the next day, I put the piece of brimstone and some other rock fragments under the red foam in the bottom of the jewellery box I had brought. It occurred to me that customs could easily suspect the fragments to be some sort of drug, and I did not fancy an Israeli cell instead of a hotel room. I also had a section of some sort of ashen brick in a plastic bag, which I had taken for evaluation, and this had started to crumble to a white powder. Could it get worse?
Once I arrived at the airport I was told that customs were very strict. The crumbling ash brick resembled talcum powder or heroin (see picture), and I envisaged a long stay with Israeli security while they established the truth. I just prayed to the Lord that the customs would not check my luggage, and joined the queue.
The bag of every person in front of me was opened, their items spread all over the table for inspection. By the time it was my turn I was sweating, anxious and dry-mouthed. ”Open your bags and case please.” The two officers laid every item out on the tables. had a small bag of incense I had bought, which the female officer asked me about. I confirmed it was incense. All that was left on the table then was the jewellery box and the plastic bag of suspicious powder. The customs officer picked up the box, upside down, and asked me what it was. To my amazement, nothing fell out. I answered her question and she placed it in my bag. That left a 10” x 5” plastic bag full of unidentified white powder, which she pushed to one side of the case as if it did not exist! My prayers were answered again.
When I arrived home, I barely got inside the door when I was confronted by my wife and daughter, both wearing expectant smiles. “Well?” Like a magician I produced the ball of sulphur and led the way to the kitchen. Placing it carefully on a spoon I lit it with a flourish while watching their rapt faces. My journey was worthwhile at that moment. Something that had fallen from the heavens 3,900 years ago to destroy cities was burning in my kitchen. As we started to choke from the fumes, I realised that this was just the beginning.
My Group Trip to Israel
After my trip to Gomorrah was such a success, I was eager to continue. Was Sodom also there as claimed? Was there anything to see? By this time, members of my church were showing interest and some wanted to see for themselves. I decided to organise a group trip. The group was to consist of eight people: myself, my wife Emma, Einar, a cameraman who would film the proceedings, Paul Huggins (an ex-boxer), Alex, Laurie, Michael, and their son Buchard.
We left the UK on 29 February 2006, and on the first day I took them to the ruins of Gomorrah, near Masada. As we entered the ghostly city, the sun was shining brightly at an angle that brought the ghostly buildings into sharp relief. The ruins looked even more dramatic than when I’d first seen them, and the newcomers were amazed.
My wife said that it was strange and surreal that you could sense a once-beautiful city all around you. Words can’t really describe something so utterly unique, made of tons and tons of ash. Inevitably the brimstone was mentioned, and so began the great sulphur ball hunt. We searched for a good twenty minutes with no luck.
Emma, my wife, decided to pray, as her faith had been strengthened by seeing the remains of a city described in the Bible. I was really moved by the fact that others now believed me. After two minutes I heard shouting. It was Emma. My excited wife held brimstone in her hand. The rest of the group came over to see. It was far bigger than the one I found last trip, about two inches across.
Emma said she had found it in a small bush, and so we started searching all the bushes. Suddenly everyone was finding brimstone in even bigger sizes.
Einar then asked how we could be sure that it was the brimstone that fell from heaven and destroyed the cities. I told him we would light one and see. I selected the smallest piece, placed it on a knife blade and lit it, all captured by Einar on his video camera. Everyone gasped with surprise: it burned easily and brightly and with such heat that it welded a shell to the knife blade. The hunt was renewed in earnest, and we had 66 brimstone balls by the time we decided to call it a day. The one-hour trip back to the hotel flew by, and we met in Einar’s room to inspect the balls of brimstone, laid out on a table in graduated sizes. They were quite a sight! Everyone really wanted to see another one burn, but there were smoke detectors in the hotel. We didn’t want the staff to think we were having a drug party, so we opened all the doors and windows to allow the smoke to escape. Picking a small sample, I lit it in an ashtray. It burned brightly, a most beautiful blue, which the group hadn’t seen before in the bright sunlight, and it gave off pretty deadly fumes in the enclosed space of the room.
Alex was the first to start choking and coughing, waving away the smoke and shouting, “I believe, I believe!” “
Can you imagine thousands of these balls all burning at once?” I said, “You would definitely choke to death and be unconscious before the flames got to you.” Everyone but me evacuated the room. The ball continued to burn fiercely for just over a minute and the fumes started to block my throat, making me cough and gasp. Death-balls would definitely be a fitting description for what we had found.
Our Search for Sodom
On the last day of the trip, the group decided to journey to the farthest end of the Dead Sea, to see if we could find the city of Sodom. About 15 miles further on from Gomorrah we came upon a sign that read ‘New Zoar’. Zoar is mentioned in the Bible as being very close to Sodom, so I knew that we must be in the right area to begin our search. However, we could see nothing that resembled an ashen city, so drove on.
We came to another road sign pointing us towards Mount Sodom, and I asked the driver to pull over. Leaving the car, we began a hike up the mountain. None of us were mountaineers and we were obviously of varying degrees of fitness because the party was soon spread out at various heights up the climb.
Paul, being very fit, was soon nearly at the top. The climb continued to get steeper and more treacherous. I slipped and my water bottle bounced down the slope until it was out of sight. Watching it while I clung to the slope, I started to sweat. Suddenly the whole idea began to look like a big mistake, considering my total lack of climbing experience.
I shouted down to the group and said that I still could not see the top. They said that this was only the first slope, and that there was another, higher, above. Looking upward it appeared that Paul was also stranded and awaiting a decision.
The others were already heading back toward the mini-bus and so I signalled to him to start coming down. To walk would have been suicidal, so I slid down on my bottom until I dared stand (see picture). I met with Paul and we walked to the bus where the others were waiting.
After some discussion of the possibilities for continuing the search, we decided to drive back toward New Zoar. Suddenly another road appeared that no one had noticed on the way up. It seemed to lead up into the mountains and so we took it, climbing higher and higher. There was a frightening drop on the right-hand side of the bus and we all stared down in horror. Suddenly I rubbed my eyes, not believing what I saw. Massive shadows appeared to take the form of buildings with strange-shaped roofs and what looked like sphinxes.
Just as I shouted for the driver to stop, a lay-by appeared on the right with a huge barrier, obviously to prevent vehicles from sliding over the 500-foot drop.
We climbed out of the bus and lined the edge of the road looking downward. For a few seconds nobody spoke. I turned to the others and said, “Do you see how it’s all a totally different colour to the surrounding area? The ash is a creamy colour and there are all kinds of different shaped roofs. This must be it.” When I turned, the driver also had his mouth open in amazement. Just like thousands of the people that live in this amazing land, he had travelled the area often, never really seeing what was there. However, this site was different, tucked in behind the mountain and nestled in a valley.
We didn’t want to spend much more time at the edge of the road, as you could see more than a few vehicle wrecks a few hundred feet down the mountain.
A small road entered the ruins, and amazingly, an old open-ended truck headed toward the city from the Dead Sea main road. The driver thought that may be the way to go and so we all climbed aboard again. At the bottom of the mountain we pulled into a nearby garage where the driver asked the staff for directions. As we refreshed ourselves with ices and drinks, the driver told us that he now knew how to get there.
Climbing aboard once more we helped him search for a small turning leading off the main road. All of a sudden we spied a very small bumpy track, just about wide enough for the mini bus. Our driver was less than happy about this, pointing out that the ground clearance and tyres hardly suited the terrain. We were desperate to see the city, and with much pleading managed to get him to try the track.
Slowly crawling along, we seemed to be driving through a mountain pass. Einar, being Icelandic, told the driver not to worry because the track was like a trunk road back home. I was very grateful, as the driver needed all the encouragement he could get! He became quite a bit more cheerful when the track at last straightened up, and suddenly, in front of us, was what we’d come all this way for.
Unlike Gomorrah, which is on an open plain, this site snuggled between two huge mountains. The roof lines were similar, but the walls were set amid thousands of tons of ash and sand. The driver stopped at a sign, which informed us that we were now in the Judean Desert Nature Reserve. We hurriedly disembarked and continued on foot up the uneven track. It was clear to me that this was a city, but the others were quite undecided. After months of studying books, DVDs, and everything I could find on the subject, I had little doubt what I was looking at. The city was the same cream colour as Gomorrah, and differed markedly from the surrounding brown terrain and mountains. However, the buildings themselves were different, seemingly arranged in terraces.
As we walked further we came to what appeared to be the ruins of a fortress. The base was similar to the other buildings, probably mud brick, but on top of this stood a wall of stone, complete with doorway and windows. Even to a layman like me it was obviously a type of local material, complete with mortar joints. As in modern times, it even bore graffiti! We even discovered a water well (see picture). Upon further exploration we discovered a long stream bed which had once flowed right through the city. Following the smooth bed, what appeared to be dams or weirs could be seen, with mortar between the rocks. It was as if the terrible heat had sealed some of these features that we were now viewing 3,900 years later. Many of the buildings had been built into the cliff side, overlooking what must have been beautiful streams.
In Genesis 13:10, “Lot looked up and saw the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt towards Zoar. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.” Thus we can see that before Sodom was destroyed there was water in abundance, and we know that Zoar was within running distance of the city. These streams ran right through the city (see pictures), and the inhabitants built around their course.
My wife and I could easily follow the ancient water courses (see picture) containing a certain type of pebble. We found what looked like a fossil (see picture), and nearby, what may have been a pot of mussels. These were fused together as if by thermal ionisation, which is caused by extremely high temperatures. It was not hard to imagine the beautiful green and fertile land that was once here. Entrances could be seen at the bottom of some of the buildings, but they were crumbling and we did not enter. We also came across a small hut which did not belong, and looking inside, found it occupied
By now I was convinced that this was indeed Sodom, and so we followed a dry stream bed until it joined the track to the minibus.
My wife and I discussed the story of Lot’s wife and wondered where she might be. As we walked on we stared at the mountain on our left-hand side, thinking that Zoar was on the other side, and that that was where Lot’s wife should be. Suddenly we noticed a lone slim rock on its own, situated very high up, and I took some photographs with a telephoto lens. I kept staring because it looked truly strange. Them I remembered that Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt, and as Emma remarked, salt is white and this was definitely brown. We re-boarded the bus and decided to return to Gomorrah.
As we walked the streets of Gomorrah once more, the great brimstone search began again. We found them everywhere, even bigger than before, and soon ran out of bags to carry them. Despite having the largest available memory card, my camera was full because I just couldn’t stop taking photographs. The battery on Einar’s excellent video camera was finally going flat, so we headed back through the city in search of cul-de-sacs. There was a large opening in one of the buildings and Einar and I entered while the others waited. Despite having reservations about our safety, Einar could not stop filming. On going deeper, I could see what appeared to be a staircase leading to a roof.I decided that Einar was probably right about our safety and we left. Walking back, we could see balls of brimstone actually embedded in the walls.
I dug one of them out and decided we had collected more than enough.
We returned to the hotel utterly exhausted and amazed, and the next day we flew back to the UK. We left for the airport loaded with luggage, including over 70 balls of brimstone. I had already explained to the group how strict the customs were, so we decided to share the brimstone amongst us and hope for the best. Emma was especially worried, saying that they meant more to her than diamonds and that she couldn’t bear to lose them. I was pulled to one side and questioned again. The officers pounced on the white powdery balls and examined them closely before passing them through various machines. Eventually they asked us what they were, and we explained as best we could. All of a sudden it was over. We were through and heading for the plane!
A couple of days after returning home, my mother-in-law visited and asked if she might see some of the photographs. As we went through them, we came to a close-up of a large rock standing tall and lonely. Suddenly I remembered the photo and why I had taken it, looking for Lot’s wife near Sodom. When I enlarged the photo on the computer, it definitely looked like a figure. Admittedly it was brown, not white, but would salt stay white in the desert for nearly 4,000 years? As I looked closer I thought I could see a face, hand, wrist, and what looked like a bag tied to the wrist. I asked my wife what she saw. She said a rock, but there appeared to be a face. On asking our young daughter, she said she saw a hand. A few days later I showed the picture to our cameraman, Einar, who said it looked very like a person.
I spent a few sleepless nights, unable to get the picture out of my head. Was it possible that Lot’s wife could still be there after nearly 4,000 years?
Wouldn’t she have been destroyed by the elements? She was on a mountainside with Zoar behind it, looking toward Sodom: “The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his Lot's wife looked back behind her, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:23–26). Everything fitted and I knew I couldn’t leave the search there. I had to go and see for myself. When I told Einar the cameraman that I intended to return, he instantly agreed to accompany me once again.
My Search for Lot’s Wife
Back in Jerusalem, we stayed at a hotel in the old city. The very stones seem to speak of the scriptures and everywhere you go, the Bible comes to life. It is as if you can feel the presence of God. To our surprise it was colder than the UK we had just left, complete with wind and rain. Jerusalem is built upon a hill and thus rather exposed. We spent this first day relaxing and recovering from the journey.
The following morning saw us leaving in the rented car and heading for the Dead Sea once more. After a while we left the rain behind us, and as we descended from the high city to the lowest point on earth, the sun started to show itself at last, and our spirits rose. After about 80 minutes we reached the site of Sodom and sorted out the camera gear.
The weather was sunshine and showers, and when the sun was covered by cloud it felt really cold.
We started to search for the tall thin rock I had photographed last time, aligning ourselves with the city and the mountain, but after 10 minutes we could see nothing. Einar suggested that we climb the mountain and survey the area from there, so we drove closer and began our hike. We toiled up the mountainside, removing our coats as the sun broke through the cloud. Soon we stood gazing at the most amazing vista, with most of Sodom standing majestically between the two mountains. However, the rock we were seeking could not be seen and we were beginning to feel a bit anxious. After all, we weren’t climbing in search of a view, impressive as it undoubtedly was.
We started to search the summit more thoroughly, but with no success, when Einar suggested that the previous photograph of the rock could provide some clue. It was an excellent idea, but unfortunately I hadn’t brought it with me.
Staring down on the city, we noticed something that was not apparent from below. A large dried-up stream bed could clearly be seen coming down from the mountains and winding through the middle of the ashen city (see picture.) We continued to search for the missing rock, and were beginning to tire very quickly, when Einar discovered a pretty, ancient-looking pot handle, which we decided to keep. Disheartened now in our search, we noticed a lone tall rock and headed toward it.
This turned out to be pretty ordinary and over 15 feet tall, and obviously not what we were seeking (see picture). In the opposite direction from Sodom, New Zoar could be seen. This should have been where Lot and his family were heading. However, at this stage we were both exhausted, and returned to our transport.
Like moths to a flame, we returned to Gomorrah for the third time. Even larger sulphur balls were found this time, some embedded in the walls of the buildings. By now we knew what to look for. Einar found one over 4 inches across sticking out of the ground. Using force would have crumbled it, so I spent an hour carefully cutting out a section of the wall containing the ball.
I was quite surprised by just how hard the material was. Einar continued to film the city as I struggled. After taking a few more pictures, we returned to the hotel. It had only been a three-day trip, and two of these had been spent travelling.
Back home once more, it was obviously time for some serious research, and I knew I needed professional opinion on a lot of matters. Also, I needed to see how all this fitted with accounts in the Bible. I had pictures of what looked like streams and ashen cities, and balls of sulphur, and I had to try to make sense of it all. I had little doubt what I was looking at, but I am not an academic. Why had thousands of people, for thousands of years, just driven by these sites without a second glance? They are not far from a road. Local residents are convinced that they are natural formations left behind from the time the Dead Sea covered the entire area.
To us they appeared to be something quite different. Thus began hundreds of hours of work, studying articles on the Internet, e-mailing various experts around the world etc, and, of course, Bible study.
It was suggested that the cities could have been destroyed by volcanic eruption, as Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii. In that event, however, the city was buried in ash, and when excavated, even wall paintings were intact in some of the buildings. What we saw was total destruction: a ghost from the past. All that remains are shapes and shadows of streets, walls of buildings, temples, ziggurats, etc. We walked the streets and cul-de-sacs of this place and could feel nothing natural about it. It is just as the Bible describes from 3,900 years ago. Virtually nothing grows in the area and the shores of the Dead Sea are a sterile oven, beautiful but bizarre.
The Balls of Brimstone
The brimstone balls we found contained powdered sulphur, which is found nowhere else on the planet; sulphur is normally found in crystalline form. The balls have a vitreous outer shell, which would indicate that they were extinguished due to lack of oxygen. This would have occurred when ash from the walls built up around them, and explains why they can still be lit. They burn fiercely and are not easily put out, due to the magnesium content. It would also appear that due to the chemical reaction of combustion, the resultant ash is heavier than the original material and well fused together, thereby resisting erosion over the millennia. If the ash is crushed, however, it will blow away on the wind. The biblical evidence for all this is most impressive.
After a search I found a company called the Intertek Sunbury Technology Centre who were willing to analyse my brimstone samples. I had read of a test showing 98% sulphur but I wished to see for myself. The tests were carried out by a technician named Andy Geatches, an x-ray fluorescence analyst (see test results.) I also asked for analysis of a brick sample. I used the term ‘brick’ advisedly, as I assumed that mud brick was the preferred medium of the time. It was hoped that the examination would clear up this question (see test results). The three of us spent the afternoon at the laboratory, and we filmed the different analysis equipment while we awaited a result.
The brimstone tests showed a sulphur purity of greater than 90%, and the brick investigation proved unintelligible to our lay minds. The purity of the sulphur was not surprising, as I was aware of similar results in books and DVDs I had seen. We eventually had a meeting with a gentleman named John Price, who was team leader of the senior technical consultants. John said that he’d never seen sulphur in this particular form. Normally natural sulphur is found on the sides of volcanoes, where it appears in a crystalline form, yellowish in colour. It would normally have been accompanied by acid rain, which would tend to dissolve it a bit, and would not be found more than 50 miles from the volcanic action. The fact that ours was a pressed powder of such purity was most unusual, as was the area in which it was found.
We further explained that the balls were sometimes found embedded in the walls, encapsulated in a shell with a burn ring on the outside, and showed him a piece of shell which had fallen off one of them. Once again John said that he’d seen nothing like it before. He explained that most sulphur today is refined in chemical plants and never in that form. Furthermore, he found it puzzling that the balls were only found in such localised areas, i.e. only within the ashen cities (please see our DVD.)
[Dear reader, if you have any further information on these sites, please e-mail me at the address at the end of this book.]
I continued to seek scientific advice wherever I could. Peter Tandy, curator of minerals at the Natural History Museum, said he’d never seen anything like the sulphur balls. Professor Yardley of the School of Earth and Environment, in reference to the vitrified shell, pointed out that concretions often have shells of somewhat different material.
Were There Ziggurats in Sodom and Gomorrah?
A ziggurat is a large stepped tower built of mud brick, with stairways leading to a small temple on the top. They were erected from around 2200 until 500 BC, the right time frame for Sodom and Gomorrah, and around 25 are still in existence, found in Babylonia, Assyria and Iraq, with the largest found in what is now Iran. One was believed to be nearly 50 metres high.
The base can be square or rectangular, from 50 metres square upwards. Some were topped by a small sanctuary, while others are believed to have had sloping walls covered in trees or shrubs. They were probably built for some form of worship, the height bringing man and his gods closer together. No doubt rites were performed by priests and offerings were made. While it is something of a mystery how the pyramids were built, no such problem exists with the ziggurat, as they were built from small locally produced mud bricks. It is thought that the building of these structures had religious significance, insofar as the builders had to be considered of good character, and offerings had to be made to the gods.
The core was built of sun-baked bricks, while the outside bricks were fired and glazed, sometimes in different colours. It is thought this may have had some cosmological significance. Access to most was by ramps, and at least one had a ramp which spiralled from top to bottom. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven (see pictures). In both Sodom and Gomorrah there are buildings that could have been ziggurats. If you compare the before and after pictures you may see the similarity, and they appear quite clearly in what I believe to be Gomorrah.
Sphinxes
Walking around the cities, many massive shaped rocks can be seen. Some look as if they have been carved, standing on what appears to be a platform or plinth. There were many types of sphinx around this period, and Egypt is nearby. However, the shapes in the two cities are weathered ash with no identifiable features, unlike those in Egypt. Sphinxes sometimes had the head of a woman on the body of a lion, although some had the wings of a bird. They date back nearly 5,000 years and are still mysterious. Probably the best known is the great sphinx of Giza, which is almost the size of a football pitch. Many reasons for their construction have been advanced, from holding buried secrets to warding off evil spirits.
The Cities Are Great And Walled Up to Heaven
Walking through the cities, the walls appeared very high and seemed to be two-tiered. The Canaanites built double walls, one higher than the other, and the following examples from the Bible seem to be a close description: “But the people who lived there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large” (Numbers 13:28); “Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say the people are taller and stronger than us. The cities are large, with walls up to the sky” (Deuteronomy 1:28).
The Bible says that the walls were high and fortified to keep people out. When we were standing at their base, we felt tiny. The trail continues with Genesis 13:10: “Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of Jordan was well watered. Like the land of Egypt towards Zoar. This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of Jordan.” Does this mean that the whole of the Dead Sea area was known as Jordan? The opposite side from Sodom and Gomorrah is still Jordan today. Consider this: “Hear O Israel you are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you. With large cities that have walls up to the sky” (Deuteronomy 9:1).
We see the Bible describing the area where Sodom and Gomorrah once were, of large cities and high walls. “All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars” (Deuteronomy 3:5). The author Jonathan Grey also describes passers by being kidnapped, with the city gates being locked behind them. The Bible’s descriptions of high-walled Canaanite cities, fortified with gates and bars, are clear and reliable. A group member climbing one of the walls looks tiny (see picture). There are many more references to the cities that are walled up to heaven, but for me the case is proven.
A Visit to the British Museum
I made an appointment to see the curator for Syria and Palestine at the British Museum, a charming man named Jonathan Tubb. He began his career in Syria and Iraq in the 1970s, and was Assistant Director at the site of Qadesh on the Orontes. In 1984 he excavated the early Bronze Age site of Tiwal esh-Sharrqi, followed by full excavations at Tell es-Sa’idiyeh, Jordan. The author of many articles and books on Palestinian archaeology, including Canaanites (BMP 1998), he lectures internationally and is at present Chairman of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
We took with us a number of items we had recovered from the sites for him to look at. We showed him a picture (xx) taken at Sodom. It shows what appears to be a large room with part of a wall missing, allowing a view inside of what seems to be a table. Mr Tubb said it appeared to be a cave, which had been artificially enhanced and modified, and that the surrounding area was a natural formation. I was unable to follow this point of view. If this was a cave modified for habitation, where was the entrance?
I then showed him a picture (xx), which shows the remains of a watchtower or fortress, built of brick or stone with mortar joints, complete with openings for doors and windows, built high up on the ruins. Mr Tubb agreed that it was a building wall, probably of stone construction, dating around the bi-centennial period. He went on to say, however, that it was constructed atop natural geological formations. Long ago, the whole of the plain was covered by the Dead Sea. Over many thousands of years, the water evaporated, leaving these strange formations. The action of wind, rain and sand had eroded the landscape into the present strange shapes. He also believed that the fortress wall had been built at a far later date than Sodom and Gomorrah, which was 3,900 years ago. I came to listen and not to argue, but I could not understand why anyone would build a stone fortress wall on foundations that are crumbling like talcum powder! We moved on to picture (xx) of the ashen ruins of Gomorrah. Mr Tubb agreed that it looked very odd, but again it was caused by erosion from natural forces.
We then showed him a picture and a sample of a sulphur brimstone ball, and asked him if he knew what they were. He said that he believed these also occurred on the opposite (Jordan) side of the Dead Sea, where a colleague of his was excavating some old cities. He did not know what they were exactly, but he could smell the sulphur. We explained how we had found them lying on the ground and embedded in walls. It had taken over an hour to cut one out of a wall, which is still my prized possession (see picture).
Mr Tubb said that the sulphur appeared very pure, and that perhaps it had been mixed into the building materials as a type of plaster when building. He thought it would be interesting to discover if the balls contained any lime, which would tend to promote this view. We were able to assure him that they were 98% pure sulphur. I do remember wondering why we were discussing the incorporation of sulphur into building materials, where there was only supposed to be natural formations, and that the balls were only to be found inside the site boundaries. I also think that the site where they were found on the Jordan side could be the small city of Zoar, the fifth city of the plain mentioned in the Bible.
Mr Tubb examined a burn ring on the shell of one of the balls, and I told him that they burn very fiercely and are hard to put out. He pointed out that there were industries in this area as long ago as the third millennium BC involving the production of sulphur and bitumen. A cataclysmic accident or explosion may well have passed into folklore, written down later as fire and brimstone from the sky. I was grateful for his time and opinions, but could not agree with his conclusions.
I had taken some photographs that appeared to show a dry river bed flowing through Sodom, and the remains of a well. I sent four of these pictures to Mr Peter Tandy, Curator of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum. This was his reply:
Dear Mr Brown,
Thank you for the various pictures which you have sent. I can’t make comment on them, as most appear to be more in the realms of archaeology than geology. One looks like a (now very dry) well complete with old debris, another like a curving dry stone wall. You need to contact a competent archaeologist. About the only geology I can see is that one structure (a right-angled wall) appears to utilise (or cut across) some of the gently dipping strata (which may be sandstone or limestone).
None of them look to me like natural structures. Beyond this, it is out of my field.
From Lot’s Wife
Why did Lot’s wife disobey the angel’s command about looking back when she had just escaped destruction? “But Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). Lot’s family were quite wealthy and his daughters were both engaged to be married: “So Lot went out and spoke to his sons in law who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said hurry and get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy the city, but his sons in law thought he was joking” (Genesis 19:14). It is probable that Lot’s wife was already missing the wealth and people she had left behind.
God is telling us that we must not put anything before Him: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful men – the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has or does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away. But the man who does the will of God lives forever” (John 1:15–18). So, the angels were leading Lot and his family out of death and into life. God is saying that if we look back at our life and possessions, we cannot go forward and we will die.
Was she thinking of the sons in law? Look at this verse from Jesus himself: “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37–39). Jesus tells us that we must love him more than our own families, and that God must always come first in our lives. Remember the disciples, who left their families to do God’s will, probably the hardest thing they had to do. Could we do the same? Is this why we are reminded of Lot’s wife? The day may soon dawn when we will have to heed God’s warning with no looking back: “On that day no one who is on the roof of his house with his goods inside should go down to get them. Likewise no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:31).
God is teaching us not to love the material things of this world or its affairs. Did Lot’s wife love the ways of this world more than God? He is telling us that we must be ready to walk away from everything we have if Jesus should return in our lifetime, and if not in our lifetime, that we must be ready spiritually. Lot and his daughters obeyed God and escaped destruction for a new life. We must be ready to do the same. The Bible says to trust in God with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5).
We must always be aware of the consequences of sin. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was God’s warning to us all. Peter 2:6 describes God’s judgement on sin: [insert passage]. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mathew 10:28). It will help us to be righteous and obedient to his word: “But mark this. There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them” (Timothy 2:3). Thus the Bible describes the last days. Is it not describing today?
Inspired by a Film
People are born with a sinful nature and are as sheep gone astray from God. We have read Paul’s letter to Timothy warning of the last days. Today is not much different from Noah’s time: “Just as it was in the days of Noah, also will it be in the days of the son of man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28).
Sin is as blatant now as it was then. Is this the time for the coming of Jesus Christ? Is this what Paul’s letter to Timothy is warning us of? Look how the devil has eliminated the teachings of Jesus from schools, and the Creator God has been replaced by the theory of evolution, for which no evidence exists. Through modern technology the devil has cleverly planted sinful thoughts through cinema, the Internet, television and radio, leading the multitudes of people astray. Jesus Christ and what he did and stands for has been lost. I must urge you to be sure of your relationship with God through Christ. Please be abundantly clear that you have submitted yourself to Jesus and have received him into your life as your Lord and Saviour. We know that Jesus will not save any man he cannot command.
If you were playing a game of pretend with the Lord, if you know deep in your heart you have never truly submitted to Him or you are unsure of your standing with Christ, now is the time to make yourself right with God by calling out to Christ. Jesus died for our sins and to save our souls from the eternal sufferings to come. The final judgement will come upon mankind and all those who did not come under the covering of Christ. For all Christians today, let us take the time to renew our purpose and commitment, to be a people who will live for Christ and tell others of his enduring act of love. The truth is that all of us will live forever. We will either spend eternity in the presence of our Lord or in a place of darkness the Bible calls the “lake of fire”. If you do not, please give your life to Jesus now, your eternity will depend on it.
It was only recently that I read that America is in a spiritual crisis like never before. The threat is not terrorism; it is something a lot more devastating: the spread of technology and the Internet. Internet access is common in high schools and is being introduced to younger children. This is ruining a generation of children and people who are spiritually dull. They do not ponder God’s greatness and mystery and forget about God. Now in schools every child has access to computers. The Internet receives about 41 million young users and puts them out of touch with reality. The Internet has become our God and our idol, worshipped instead of God. We are succumbing to the same temptation that Satan put before Jesus: “Worship me and the whole world will be yours.”
But there is hope in child-like trust. Jesus points to Nicodemus in the gospel of John. There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust Him to save them. And Nicodemus was, after all, a very learned Pharisee.
Lessons from Lot
Why did the wealthy Lot choose to live in this city? The historian Flavius Josephus tells us that the land had always been fruitful and happy. As the Bible says in Genesis 12: “Abraham lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.” Were the men wicked when Lot first went there or afterward? Josephus says in chapter 11, “About this time the Sodomites grew proud on account of their riches and great wealth. They became unjust towards me.”
Abraham had already fought and overcome the Assyrians and saved the Sodomites, therefore they had become evil after Lot had moved there. Why did Lot suffer loss not once, but twice? Abraham twice saved Lot and was blessed, as was Lot while he was with him. When they divided, Lot suffered. As Abraham trusted in God, did Lot trust in wealth? (Luke 12:13–21). Did Lot choose the worldly advantages of staying in the wicked cities? Is this another example of being affected by whom you associate with? “Do not be together with unbelievers, for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common, or what fellowship can light have with darkness” (Corinthians 6:14).
Perhaps Lot was already preparing to leave Sodom before the angels arrived: “A righteous man distressed by the filthy lives of the wicked, for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds” (Peter 2:7–9). So the company we choose could be what we become. Do not choose the worldly advantages. Remember: Lot lost his wife because of his decision.
Abraham’s Trusting in God
Abraham was blessed because he trusted in God: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, knowing that whatever land Lot chose for himself that God would guide him. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). If I was Lot I would have begged to stay with Abraham. We need faith like Abraham had. He was an uncle to Lot and his faith was far greater. Did Lot choose water and green grass by using his eyes, instead of his faith, as Abraham had?
Faith Is Greater Than Our Troubles
The Works of Flavius Josephus
While studying documentaries by others, the name Flavius Josephus often cropped up, accompanied by his quotes or verses, so I decided to discover all that I could about this interesting man. Flavius was a Jewish historian, born in Jerusalem in the year AD 37, and died around AD 101. He came from five generations of distinguished priests and his mother claimed descent from the Machabeans. He was well educated and mixed with all the notable thinkers of his day, thereby honing his natural gifts of memory and good judgement. He acquainted himself with the leading Jewish politico-religious party of the time, consisting chiefly of Pharisees and Sadducees, and was to later record the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. His writings gave important insight into first century Judaism, and were eventually translated by William Whiston. He wrote books called Antiquities of the Jews, and I found many of his verses lent weight to my own views, some of which I offer here:
As soon as Abraham was come back to Canaan he parted the land between him and Lot, upon account of the tumultuous behaviour of their shepherds concerning the pastures wherein they should feed their flocks. However he gave Lot his option, or leave, to choose which lands he would take, and he took himself what the other left, which were the lower grounds at the foot of the mountains. He himself dwelt in Hebron which is a city seven years more ancient than Tunis of Egypt. Lot possessed the land of the plain and the river Jordan not far from the city of Sodom, which was then a fine city, but is now destroyed by the wrath and the will of God.
(see picture) Josephus confirms that the cities were at the bottom of a mountain, were fine cities, and that they were destroyed by the wrath of God. It is also said that he had documents of these events from before his time.
How God Overthrew the Sodomites
About this time, the Sodomites grew proud on account of their riches and great wealth. They became unjust towards men and impious towards God, insomuch that they did not call to mind the advantages they received from him. They hated strangers and abused themselves with the practice of Sodomy. God was therefore much displeased with them, and determined to punish then for their pride, and to overthrow their city, and to lay waste their country, until there should neither plant nor fruit grow out.
Here Josephus again refers to their affluence and the fruitfulness of the land. Apart from the fruit and food, they had wealth in other forms: bitumen for the caulking of ships, the preservation of bodies and medicinal use, and salt from the Dead Sea. It was said that the Egyptians bought their embalming fluids from this area. He goes on:
It was of old a most happy land, both for the fruits it bore and for the riches of its cities, although it be now all burnt up. It is related how for the impurity of its inhabitants, it was burnt by lightning. In the consequences of which there are still the remains of the divine fire, and the traces (or shadows) of five cities are still to be seen.
Thus he confirms that these cities are still there now to be seen and that they are all burned, seen in the pictures of the strange-shaped buildings surrounded by tons of ash.
Josephus goes on to describe the arrival of angels in Sodom:
And the angels came to the city of the Sodomites and Lot entreated them to accept lodging with him, for he was a very generous man, and one that had learned to imitate the goodness of Abraham. Now when the Sodomites saw the young men to be beautiful of countenance to an extraordinary degree, and that they took up lodgings with Lot, they resolved themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence. And Lot exalted them to sobriety and not to offer anything immodest to the strangers, but to have regard to their lodgings in the house, and promised that if their inclinations could not be governed, he would expose his daughters to their lust instead of these strangers. Neither thus were they made ashamed, but God was much displeased at their impudent behaviour, so that He both smote these men with blindness and condemned the Sodomites to universal destruction. But Lot, upon God’s informing him of the future destruction of the Sodomites, went away taking with him his wife and daughters, who were two, and still virgins.
Thus Josephus re-tells the biblical story from the perspective of 2,000 years ago, and in great detail.
He goes on to say that God set Sodom and Gomorrah on fire, “with its inhabitants and laid waste to the country with the like burning.” Again, consider the photographs of the tons of ash below the buildings. Josephus then goes on to describe Lot’s wife:
But Lot’s wife continually turning back to view the city as she went from it, and being nicely inquisitive what would become of it, although God had forbidden her to do so, was changed into a pillar of salt, for I have seen it and it remains at this day. Now he and his daughters fled.
So, Josephus not only knew the story of Lot’s wife turning to salt, but says that he has actually seen her. As his account is 2,000 years old I have to wonder if she is still there today. When I saw the lone tall rock up the mountainside, I fancied that I saw a face, hand and wrist, and she appeared to be in the right place, facing Sodom, on a mountainside with Zoar behind (see picture).
Further searching revealed more ancient writings:
This pillar of salt we see here standing in the time of Josephus, and he had seen it. That it was standing then is also attested by Clement of Rome, contempory with Josephus. As also that it was so in the next century is attested by Irenaeus, with the addition of the hypothesis how it came to last so long with all its members entire? Whether the account that some modern travellers give be true, that it is still standing, I do not know. Its remote situation at the most southern point of the Sea of Sodom, in the wild and dangerous deserts of Arabia make it exceeding difficult for inquisitive travellers to examine the place.
Many people and many stories.
Let’s review the information we have so far:
26. 1. “Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).
2. Josephus writes he had seen it himself.
3. Also attested by Clement of Rome.
4. Backed up by Irenaeus in the next century.
5. How it came to last so long?
27. Many people claim to have seen her. Did I see her, and if not, is she still there to be found? Josephus describes “a remote situation at the southernmost point of the Sodom Sea, in the wild and dangerous deserts of Arabia.” If the rock I found is not Lot’s wife, then we must search the deserts and mountains again between Sodom and Zoar. I intend to do just that!
Josephus stated that Lot’s wife “repeatedly turned back and looked at Sodom,” which shows her disobedience.
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