"And the LORD said: 'Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin exceeding grievous. I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto ME; and if not, I will know."

What is the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah?

The "Cry of Sodom and Gomorrah" is "the cries of those who suffered from the atrocious wickedness of the inhabitants of Sodom and who implored Heaven's vengeance against their cruel oppressors." The following legend graphically describes their hatred of all strangers and their fiendish punishment of all who departed from their ways. A girl, overcome by pity, supplied food to a poor stranger. On detection, she was stripped, bound, daubed with honey and placed on the roof under the burning sun to be devoured by bees. This was an example of "the cry of Sodom."

How could a thriving metropolis like Sodom and Gomorrah succumb to such atrocious wickedness? Ezekiel 16:49 reveals the following, "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good."

The word "Cry" in Hebrew is "Za'aq," and it means, "a shriek or outcry; to shriek (from anguish or danger), to announce or convene publicly (to herald): --as an assembly, call (together), make a cry out, come with such a company, gather together, caused to be proclaimed."

What was crying out to God? the blood of the righteous slain. Our first example of such was in the days of Cain and Abel when, Abel's righteous blood cried out before God and His cry came before the throne of the Almighty. This was the voice that got the Almighty's attention and caused Him to confront Cain-Abel's brother.

Initially, when God confronted Cain his countenance fell, and God said to Cain, "knowest not that if you do well you will be lifted up? And if you do not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee is its desire, but you may rule over it." In other words, Cain's victory lied in his choice to do well or not to do well, to conquer sin or not to conquer sin, to open the door or to close the door. This was Cain's choice. When Cain chose to open the door to sin-he chose to submit to its hatred and its death cry.

Today, God is hearing the same cry of Sodom and Gomorrah throughout the world: The blood of the slain because of man's choices. In America, God is hearkening unto the blood of our forefathers who fought against tyranny for national and religious freedom. In Israel, God is hearkening unto the cry of countless Zionists who stood firm with uncompromising sacrifice for the Promised Land. In the World, God is hearkening to the blood of the just, the widow, the fatherless, and the poor.

And Today, God is weighing the decisions of man's choice. He is still asking the questions to the transgressor, "Where is Abel, your brother? And men are still answering like Cain, "I know not; am I my brother's keeper?"

Yet, in the midst of the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah God heard another cry. The cry of an intercessor, "Will you indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked?" And God would not destroy the righteous with the wicked-God saved Lot for Abraham's sake. Oh that men would cry today like Abraham when God warns them of pending judgment upon the nations.

How important is an intercessor to God? In Isaiah 59 God looks upon Israel with displeasure as he saw that truth had fallen in the streets, the righteous were slain, and that there was no judgment in the Land and, "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm (flesh) brought salvation unto him; and His righteousness, it sustained him."

Ezekiel 22:29-30 reveals that, "the people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yes, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith Adonai Eloheynu.

An intercessor is the only medium between the righteous and the wicked, life and death.

Who is an intercessor? One who is willing to plead man's case before God, understanding the depth of God's mercy and his ability to forgive all men of their iniquities and heals all their diseases.

The greatest intercessor man will ever know is God manifest in flesh, the great, eternal High Priest who ever lives to make intercession. Who is He, but the Messiah-Yeshua HaMoshiac. The end of Isaiah 53 reads, "He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he has poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

God is still hearing the cry of the blood of the righteous, are you?