Title: A City Set on a Hill-the Stronghold of Jerusalem

Topic:

Summary: We look at the biblical account of Jerusalem--the historical account of its eventual conquest in the early Old Testament, and the prophetic things said of it in the later portions of the Old Testament and in the New. Paul's statement in Galatians is key: that there are two Jerusalems, one of which is "above," that is, spiritual.

Use the reference links below to follow along in the Bible as you watch.

References:
Genesis 14:18
Psalms 76:1-2
Joshua 10:5; 15:63
Judges 1:21; 3:1-7; 19:9-12
1 Samuel 17:54
2 Samuel 5
1 Kings 9:20-21
2 Chronicles 32
Isaiah 28:14-18; 29:1-8; 31; 37:28-36; 62:1; 65:17-19
Jeremiah 4:14
Ezekiel 22:17
Joel 2:32; 3:17-21
Micah 3:8; 4:1-2
Zephaniah 3:14-17
Zechariah 2:1-5; 8:3
Matthew 5:13-14
Galatians 4:22-26
Revelation 3:8; 12; 21:27
Zechariah 12:8
Revelation 22:14

The city of "Sodom", in the Bible, represents the love of self and the love of ruling or dominating others springing from the love of self. This is why it is depicted as such an evil place, and why it was utterly destroyed by God.

This is not, of course, the usual association people have with Sodom; it has long been connected to homosexuality because in Genesis 19 the men of the city tried to rape the male angels who were visiting Lot. But if you think about it, it makes sense. Experts regard rape as a crime of violence and domination more than a crime of sexual desire. The fact that Lot offered his daughters as an alternative indicates that he thought that the men of the city were not picky about who they dominated and violated. Their chief pleasure was in the domination. All stories about adultery in the Bible -- from the more mild up to and including the intended homosexual gang rape in Sodom -- are actually depictions of selfishness in various forms.