Dead Sea Destruction

What do you think about the Dead Sea? Is it a mark of the destruction of Sodom?

I think so. It's 33% salinity (salt), which is more than any other body of water (the oceans have 3% salinity). Nothing lives in it, it's a wasteland of water. And it's the lowest spot on earth, at -1300ft below sea level (and that's just the surface of the water, the bottom of the Sea is about -2300 ft!!!). It contains tons of minerals, like Magnesium, Potassium, Sulfur, Calcium and a bunch more. Sulfur huh...sounds like fire and brimstone to me! There's tons of crystalized salt on the shores and on the Southeastern shore are large deposits of salt.

It's difficult to tell exactly where the cities were located from the biblical text (Gen 18-19), but it fits well to put the cities within the vicinity of the Dead Sea. It makes sense that the Salt Sea was once a normal, maybe still mineral-rich, sea. But the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, all that fire and brimstone being poured out by the Lord on their heinous sins and unrighteousness, led to the salty corruption of the place (cf. Deut 29:23).

It's quite a mark of death. It still looks like a sea, but the salt BURNS your eyes sooo bad...and if you have an open wound, WATCH OUT for the pain! The salty phenomenon is a reminder of God's power, WRATH, justice, and authority. This event stood as a memorial to the land of Israel, and stands as a reminder to us (Deuteronomy 29:16-28).


And yet, God's GRACE is shown in the area of En-Gedi, just on the coast of the Dead Sea. The area has multiple springs and some flowing fresh water, which is rare to find in the Judean Wilderness, especially around the Dead Sea. And there's a quaint, but steep, canyon of beautiful greenery, just a short walk away from the salty coast. And it's so green that it's almost like a miniature jungle! The place is named Nahal David (David's canyon) because it's a probable spot for where David hide out from Saul and eventually spared Saul's life (1 Sam 24). This is a retreat spot, where the Lord provided for David while he spends decades running for his life, unlike anything we could ever know or ever will experience.

And there is a prophecy of God's redemption of this wretched Sea in Ezekiel 47:1-12. With the new temple built in Jerusalem (which I believe Ezekiel is talking about the futuristic kingdom of the Messiah), the water flowing from the temple will rush down the barren Judean Wilderness and cleanse the Dead Sea from its saltiness and it will become a beautiful and lush habitation.