Jesus’ Oracles: Woes on Cities
By Elizabeth Prata
Recently I wrote about what oracles are. Oracles are mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New. These are divine communications from God to man, usually sought by man in answer to a specific question. Many Old Testament oracles involved political type queries to God from a King asking if he will win a battle, and the like.
Quite often in the discernment world, if I call out a false doctrine or a false teacher, replies pour in charging me with being mean, and I “should be more like Jesus.” These commenters do not seem to know or to remember that Jesus is God, and He is love, yes, but He is also wrath for sin.
In the New Testament, Jesus pronounced oracular woes. He pronounced doom for peoples, individuals, nations, kings. He also predicted doom for entire cities!
Of those cities that reject Him, He said-
be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near. I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. (Luke 10:11b-12).
Jude wrote that the destruction of Sodom was for sin but also for an example to the ungodly. (Jude 1:7).
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. (Luke 10:13).
In both verses, the Jude and the Luke verse, we read that the ‘mean Old Testament God’ destroyed cities but that the ‘nice New Testament Jesus’ will also destroy cities. They are the same God, in character and in holiness.
And the sense of the whole is, that though the iniquities of Sodom and Gomorrah were very great, and their punishment very exemplary; yet, as there will be degrees of torment in hell, the case of such a city, which has been favoured with the Gospel, and has despised and rejected it, will be much worse than the case of those cities, which were devoured by fire from heaven; and than that of the inhabitants of them in the future judgment, and to all eternity; See Gill on Matthew 10:15. Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
(Proverbs 29:8)
And what IS wisdom? Fear of the LORD. Nineveh was wise:
Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered himself with sackcloth and sat on the ashes. He issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish.” (Jonah 3:5-9)
Bethsaida and Corazin were not wise, they were scoffers at the Gospel presented to them. Therefore, whole cities will come under judgment!
The oracles of Jesus are also interesting to me for the sake of the false notion that the OT God and the NT God are different. People often point to a meek and gentle Jesus speaking softly to the woman at the well about her adulteries, or mournfully but silently pitying the Rich Young Ruler who rejected Him because he wanted his own lands and wealth more than eternal life. But Jesus pronounced DOOM for entire cities, that means populations of thousands if not millions. The five Cities of the Plain were a connected, sprawling metropolis with enormous populations. When Sodom and Gomorrah were smote for their sin the doom also included the cities of Admah and Zeboiim. (Deuteronomy 29:23). Four of the Five Cities of the Plain gone. Zoar was also meant to be destroyed but Lot begged to take haven there so the angel relented.
Jesus came in humility the first time, as a servant offering the Gospel and warning about rejecting it. He will come in wrath the second time. He is Jesus, and He hates sin.
