Sodom & Gomorrah Chapter 1- Ron Never searched for these Cities

Sodom and Gomorrah

Everyone has heard of these cities, but did they actually exist? If so, is the Biblical story of their destruction true? Is there any evidence at all?

The location of these cities, along with the other cities of the plain, has long been the subject of speculation and search. As most people who keep up with this type of thing know, there are several prevalent theories:

• One is that the cities are today under the waters of the southern tip of the Dead Sea.
• Another is that they are located on the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea on a plateau where 5 archaeological sites have been located.

However, these 5 sites are 500 feet above the plain on a plateau, not in the plain as is so specifically stated in the Bible. Also, they are far too small to have been cities- the largest was 10 acres and the next was 2 acres.

Strange Formations Along the Western Side of the Dead Sea

Searching for the locations of these cities was never an intention of Ron's. But from 1978 on, Ron made many, many trips along the Israeli coast of the Dead Sea as he travelled to the various sites he worked on and in the 1980's he was suddenly struck by the strange appearance of some formations he passed.

They looked to him like city walls and buildings, only whitish in color. For many years, he did nothing about his suspicions but in 1989, I received a call from him while he was in Israel in which he told me he thought he had located the 5 sites. He described their locations and asked me to do some research into what the Bible said regarding their locations.

The Locations

He told me the sites were not concentrated at the southern end of the Dead Sea but instead were spread out over many, many miles from just below the southern tip of the Dead Sea to about 10 or so miles above the northern tip.

Gen 10:19  And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.

In viewing a map, it seemed strange that Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim would each be listed in the Bible as forming the boundary of Canaan if they were all in the same general location at the south end of the Dead Sea. It seemed logical that the cities were to be located along at least some distance apart to all be included in this Biblical description of the borders of Canaan.

 

A Very Unique Feature

Also, he and his crew had driven into one of the whitish areas and discovered something that convinced Ron that these whitish colored formations weren't just geological. He found a spot where a road had been cut through some of the whitish material and where the fresh cut was, the freshly exposed interior of the material displayed a layering effect which swirled in such a manner as to make it obvious that these weren't water-laid layers, as some people say. Something had caused these layers within to be convoluted and swirled.

 

 

VIDEO: Ron talks about how he became Interested in these Sites:

Not Located according to Traditional Thought

Ron's description of the location of the sites he had found were, indeed, scattered over a distance of over 50 or more miles, a concept that seemed pretty fantastic at first. Of course, I was familiar with all the accepted theories that the cities were all grouped together and I had never considered that this was incorrect.

I noted each location on the map as he had described them. But it was the location of the last site to the north, which would have been Zeboim, that I found the most incredible. He had said it was several miles above the northern end of the Dead Sea, past Jericho. I searched the Bible for any clues and found a most exciting one in 1 Samuel:

1SA 13:16  And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but THE PHILISTINES ENCAMPED IN MICHMASH. 17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual: 18 And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and ANOTHER COMPANY TURNED TO THE WAY OF THE BORDER THAT LOOKETH TO THE VALLEY OF ZEBOIM TOWARD THE WILDERNESS.

Examining a map, I saw that this description of the Philistines coming out of Michmash had one company going north, one going west and the last one heading directly east. And the one heading east to the Valley called Zeboim was heading to the same place that Ron found the last site! It made perfect sense that the name of the city was preserved throughout the years even though the city was long ago destroyed, just as Mt. Sodom even today still bears the name "Sodom". Israel had displaced the Canaanites when they came into the land and Zeboiim was a border city of Canaan and now it's ashen remains are a border of Israel.

Closer Examination in 1989

Later in 1989, we visited the site just below Masada and took samples of the whitish material which we all discovered broke right off in our hands and disintegrated into particles the consistency of talcum powder. It certainly looked like ashes.

VIDEO: See the ash disintegrate into powder:

But what to do about this information was a puzzle. After all, these sites have been right out in plain sight since their destruction in about 1897 BC. What did people think they were?

VIDEO: Ron's video when he first found these sites:

I asked some people who were filming a TV commercial for a blue jeans company at one site what the strange formations were. Their reply was that they were formed when the Dead Sea had once covered the entire area. Interesting but not feasible, as we will discuss.

Evidence the Site had Never Been Underwater

When we had the whitish material tested at several labs, we were told it was ash. Not only that, but we were told by several geologists that any area that has ever been underwater will contain clay. The whitish material contained no clay. It had never been underwater. But even more importantly, if the whole plain area between the Dead Sea and the mountains had once been underwater, then these formations would have been evenly distributed over the entire area that had been covered. Yet, they weren't. They were isolated.

VIDEO: Ron answers the question, were these sites once underwater?:

What to do next was a puzzle. Everyone agreed that it would be quite difficult to convince anyone that these were the sites without some conclusive evidence. We went to the Bible to glean all the information about these cities that we could.

There Was No Dead Sea at that Time

We also need to note that at that time, there was no Dead Sea. The Bible describes the plain as like the garden of the Lord:

Gen 13:10  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...

Later, when a confederacy of armies attacked the cities of the plain, it gives us more information on the Vale of Siddim:

Gen 14:3 All these [armies] were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.... 10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits.

It is vitally important to understand that the Dead Sea was not in existence at that time. The evidence appears to show that the Jordan River once continued through this area possibly down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Whatever happened during the conflagration that destroyed all these cities, apparently caused a blockage on the Jordan River, causing the water to slowly fill the Dead Sea, the saltiest body of water on earth.

Lot Saw the "Plain of Jordan" from near Bethel

We spent some time studying the Scriptures to learn all we could. Ron's theory was certainly bucking the establishment's theories. He was placing these cities from one end of the Dead Sea to the other and beyond. We found some clues we hadn't thought of before. We have shortened some of these verse to make the reading apply to the point we want to demonstrate. Please read the entire verses in your own Bibles:

GEN 13:2  And Abram... 3  ...went ...to Bethel,... between Bethel and Hai; 4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.... 

This is to show where Abraham went when he returned from Egypt. He went to the region of Bethel. And with him was Lot, his nephew. At this time, the decision is made that they should split up because the land simply wouldn't accommodate all of their herds, along with the herds of the native inhabitants of the region. So Abraham asks Lot what land he wants, giving him first choice. While standing there:

 10 ...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. 11 Then LOT CHOSE him all THE PLAIN OF JORDAN; and Lot JOURNEYED EAST: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and LOT DWELLED IN THE CITIES OF THE PLAIN, and PITCHED HIS TENT TOWARD SODOM.

While standing in the region of Bethel, obviously high on a hilltop, Lot looked and saw the Jordan Valley. Now this is quite a distance away and because of the mountains, only the northern end of this valley could be seen, certainly not as far south as where Ron believed Sodom or Gomorrah were located.

One author in the late 1800s checked this out for himself, and this is what he wrote:

"...what can there be seen is the northern end of the Dead Sea, the Jordan Valley, and the river running like a blue thread through the green plain. The hills of Engedi shut out completely all view of the southern end of the sea; but as I before said, the northern end, where the Jordan runs in, and about two or three miles of the sea, can be seen. I have wandered all over the Bethel hills and tested this question." ("The Bible and Modern Discoveries" by Henry A. Harper, a Member of the Palestine Exploration Fund Society, 1891.)

What this means is that the area Lot saw was the northern end of the area now occupied by the Dead Sea. When he travelled east, this is where he journeyed to. And then, it said he "dwelled in the cities of the plain", which is not a specific designation, and then that he "pitched his tent toward Sodom", or went in that direction. We later learn that he took up residence in that city.

Therefore, the Biblical account shows that the Plain of Jordan did indeed cover a large area since the northern region is what caught Lot's eye. Next it describes Lot "dwelling" in the "cities of the plain" and then pitching his tent "toward Sodom". Perhaps this is describing Lot's travels, with him first staying in other cities and finally continuing on in the direction of Sodom where we know he finally settled.

We must remember that Lot had a tremendous amount of animals because the whole reason he separated from Abraham was because their combined flocks were too much for the land around Bethel. So as Lot journeyed through the plain, he had to travel slowly, taking his flocks with him. Wherever he stopped along the way, he had to have enough pasture land for the animals. And when he finally settled in Sodom he still had to have pasture land for his flocks. This indicates that there was pasture land near the city. The sites Ron located are all miles apart, with plenty of land between them.

What "Remains" Should be Expected?

The Biblical account tells of a conflagration in which balls of burning brimstone (sulfur) rained down from heaven (the atmosphere), completely burning the cities up.

GEN 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

The only mention of the condition of the remains of the cities during the time of Christ was written by Peter:

2PE 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;

Locations on the East Side of the Dead Sea Do Not Meet Qualifications

This verse is full of information- for one thing, it tells us that the cities were ashes. That may seem like a logical conclusion since they were destroyed by fire but the adherents of the theory that the five sites on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea (Bab edh-Dhra, Numeira, etc.) have failed to note that they are NOT ashen. They contain some burnt artifacts but they also contain food-stuffs and other articles that are still intact.

Peter said they were ashes and he also states that the cities were an "ensample" to those "that after should live ungodly." The Greek word translated to read "ensample" is "hupodeigma" which implies something "that is shown or visible". This implies that it could literally be seen. Jude also writes along those same lines, presenting these cities as proof of the reward of the wicked:

JUD 1:7  Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Again, the word he used, “deigma” signifies “a thing shown, a specimen, from the root word “deiknumi”, “to show”. The other record of these cities comes from Josephus in his "WARS OF THE JEWS", book IV, chapter VIII:

Josephus Wrote of the Remains of the Cities

"Now this country is then so sadly burnt up, that nobody cares to come at it;... It was of old a most happy land, both for the fruits it bore and the riches of its cities, although it be now all burnt up. It is related how for the impiety of its inhabitants, it was burnt by lightning; in consequence of which THERE ARE STILL THE REMAINDERS OF THAT DIVINE FIRE; AND THE TRACES [OR SHADOWS] OF THE FIVE CITIES ARE STILL TO BE SEEN,..."

Josephus' description perfectly describes what can be seen in these 5 ashen sites. All whitish in color, the shadows and shapes display all the visual characteristics of ancient cities and walls.

Sodom & Gomorrah Preserved by Divine Hand

The destruction of these cities took place approximately 3,900 years ago so it is quite amazing to find ANY remains of ashen heaps. That they were destroyed in a Divine manner is understood but it appears that they were also preserved in a Divine manner as well.

These weren't composed of the kind of ash we commonly think of, that blows away into the wind. It was compacted ash- the material was densely-packed and crusty on the outside. But when broken open, the substance was much softer, and with continual crushing, was soon reduced to powder.

Since combustion is a chemical process we researched and discovered that the study by the Frenchman, Lavoissier on the nature of oxygen and combustion came about when he discovered that substances burned with sulfur had a HEAVIER remaining ash than the original unburned substance. Further study into combustion got extremely complicated but indicated that the event of the destruction of these cities was the result of a carefully controlled chemical reaction that took place VERY rapidly, yet maintained an equilibrium that didn't result in an explosion.

VIDEO: How were the Ashen Cities Preserved?

The rapidity of the destruction of these cities and the entire plain by fire is proven in the chronology of events in the Biblical account. We know that the event did not begin until Lot and his family were completely out of Sodom and IN Zoar:

 GEN 19:23 The SUN WAS RISEN upon the earth when LOT ENTERED INTO ZOAR. 24 THEN the LORD RAINED upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah BRIMSTONE AND FIRE from the LORD out of heaven;

The sun had already risen when the conflagration began.

 GEN 19:27 And Abraham gat up EARLY IN THE MORNING to the place where he stood before the LORD: 28 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the SMOKE OF THE COUNTRY WENT UP AS THE SMOKE OF A FURNACE.

When Abraham arose, he saw the sky filled with black smoke. With flocks to tend, Abraham most certainly got up very soon after the sun arose, and found the event already finished.

Evidence of an Extremely High Temperature Fire

One of the interesting features of these sites is the layering present in ALL of the ashen material. Hundreds and thousands of layers are present, none very thick.

In very high temperature fires, and/or in very hot flames containing alkali metals or alkaline-earth metals (for example, sodium and calcium) the positive and negative ions attract and repel, resulting in this layering effect. We know the flames had to be extremely hot in order to completely burn stone and metals; and we know there is a tremendous amount of sodium (salt) in the region- the Dead Sea has the highest concentration of salt in any body of water on earth. And, the largest salt dome, Mt. Sodom, is also in the area.

 

Sodom and Gomorrah- Chapter 2