Sodom And Gomorrah Found By Science? The Evidence Is Compelling

Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities in the plain of Jordan were destroyed by God due to perversion and sin. Namely, homosexuality, (Gen 3:10, Gen 19).

Christians are familiar with the story.

God sent two Angels to Sodom to spare Lot and his family from the destruction. Lot adhered to the Angels and fled Sodom. Unfortunately, Lot’s wife did not listen to God and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Up until now, Christians have always had to envision in their minds what this destructive event might have been like. Some have even wondered, is there any evidence this event actually occurred?…

Today, we have those answers in the form of scientific evidence.

Envisioning Sodom And Gomorrah’s Destruction

During the last 15 years, scientists have been excavating the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam, long thought to be either Sodom or Gomorrah. Their findings are astounding, and they are fully explained in the scientific journal Nature.

I’m going to explain some of the key findings in a moment, but I want to paint a picture of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction in your mind.

The Conversation did a good job of that.

As the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 mph (61,000 kph).

Flashing through the atmosphere, the rock exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) above the ground. The blast was around 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The shocked city dwellers who stared at it were blinded instantly. Air temperatures rapidly rose above 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Celsius). Clothing and wood immediately burst into flames. Swords, spears, mudbricks and pottery began to melt. Almost immediately, the entire city was on fire.

Some seconds later, a massive shockwave smashed into the city. Moving at about 740 mph (1,200 kph), it was more powerful than the worst tornado ever recorded.

Obviously, their figures are based on estimates from the destruction they have observed. Unfortunately, science credits an asteroid for the destruction of Tall el-Hammam. However, their findings are going to boost your faith in the Bible anyway.

For the record, Abraham (Lot’s uncle) lived around the year 1,800 BC. So we can Biblically estimate Sodom was destroyed roughly 3,800 years ago, while science dates this destructive event 3,600 years ago.

Overall, it’s a good fit.

Is Tall el-Hammam, Sodom and Gomorrah?
The location of Tall el-Hammam aligns with the location of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Tall el-Hammam: Sodom And Gomorrah Findings

As archaeologists excavated the ruins of Tall el-Hammam, they found 5-foot thick dark layers of charcoal, ash, melted mudbricks, and even melted pottery. These are all remnants from the fire and brimstone God unleashed on this city long ago.

In fact, the science community calls this dark and burned soil layer “the destruction layer.”

While science does not give credit to God for the Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah, they know it was not caused by an volcano, earthquake, or any form of warfare. None of those events are capable of melting metal, mudbricks, and pottery.

The Conversation notes,

At the site, there are finely fractured sand grains called shocked quartz that only form at 725,000 pounds per square inch of pressure (5 gigapascals) – imagine six 68-ton Abrams military tanks stacked on your thumb.

We’re talking about a destructive force that left scares of intense pressure.

Scientists also found “nanodiamonds” at Tall el-Hammam, which are smaller than a flu virus. These “nanodiamonds” were formed instantly as wood and planet material were subjected to intense heat and pressure from the destructive event.

Evidence of intense fire and heat, just as the Bible describes.

Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

Genesis 19:24

Fire And Brimstone

The scientists then performed experiments inside a laboratory furnace.

The tests indicate the melted pottery and mudbrick from Tall el-Hammam liquified at temperatures over 2,700 degrees F. That’s hot enough to melt your pickup truck within a few minutes.

The Conversation adds,

The destruction layer also contains tiny balls of melted material smaller than airborne dust particles. Called spherules, they are made of vaporized iron and sand that melted at about 2,900 F (1,590 C).

In addition, the surfaces of the pottery and meltglass are speckled with tiny melted metallic grains, including iridium with a melting point of 4,435 F (2,466 C), platinum that melts at 3,215 F (1,768 C) and zirconium silicate at 2,800 F (1,540 C).

This is amazing!

The destructive force unleashed on Tall el-Hammam, which was most likely Sodom and Gomorrah reached temperatures exceeding 4,435 degrees F!

Science concludes by saying, the destruction of Tall el-Hammam was due to an ancient asteroid strike. Essentially, that’s exactly what the Bible describes. The scientific community is well aware of the Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah, but they do not conclude that God was the source this destruction.

In fact, Professor James Kennett, University of California at Santa Barbara said,

All the observations stated in Genesis are consistent with a cosmic fireball. But there is no scientific proof this destroyed city is indeed the Sodom of the Old Testament.”

Unfortunately, there will never be enough proof for the skeptic.

By the same token, there is no scientific proof indicating otherwise.

I must say, out of the entire world, science has just uncovered a perfect Biblical scenario right where the Bible said God unleashed His Wrath against the Sodomites.

Oh, but there is more…

God Rained Fire, Brimstone, AND Salt On Sodom!

You remember that Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt, right, (Genesis 19:26)?

Check this out.

“One remaining puzzle is why the city and over 100 other area settlements were abandoned for several centuries after this devastation. It may be that high levels of salt deposited during the impact event made it impossible to grow crops. We’re not certain yet, but we think the explosion may have vaporized or splashed toxic levels of Dead Sea salt water across the valley.”

The Conversation
Tall el-Hammam, Sodom and Gomorrah salinity levels.
Salinity levels within the possible greater Sodom and Gomorrah region. See Nature figure 49.

This also confirms the Biblical account.

Not only did everyone die when God destroyed the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, and those around it. God also made the land uninhabitable, and science confirmed that as well.

Let’s read the Scriptures.

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

As we learned, science described a giant fireball as the source of the destruction.

Moreover…

Genesis 19:25
And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

Notice, God overthrew the cities “and that which grew upon the ground.”

That means, God’s overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah included soil contamination which has prevented farming in the region for centuries.

How did God contaminate the soil?

With salt, which was a part of this destructive event, explained by God, and proven by science, (Genesis 19:26). Interestingly enough, after 15 years of investigation, science still has no explanation for the salty soil.

Conclusion

I didn’t expect the mainstream scientific community to embrace these findings as proof of the Bible. However, in this believer’s opinion, science has just confirmed the Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah.

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