“”For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”"
Genesis 18:19-21
As Abraham is seeing the Lord and His two angels off, God all of a sudden stops and inquires if He should share what was about to go down in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Why did the Lord “go down” and see what was going on? Because God is a just Judge who doesn’t base judgments on hear say, He isn’t the type to take someone’s word for it…He actually gets involved and looks into what’s happening on the earth Himself. God in the flesh, our Lord Jesus is coming to the earth again to Judge. Not by hear say or taking others word for it, but He came, is in heaven presently, and is coming down to look into matters personally.
This story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a picture of what is to happen with Christ’s church. In the midst of a sinful atmosphere “we are in the world but not part of this world”. Just as the Lord came to Sodom and Gomorrah, and before judging, brought out Lot and His family; we too will be raptured from this Sodom-like atmosphere of earth before the final judgment.
Why is it God told Abraham what was going to happen?
Because God knew Abraham was the type of guy to warn and tell people (vs. 19), to teach and bring order to his own household. That’s our job here on earth.
“Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Whether you’re a mom, dad, aunt, uncle, political leader, teacher, carpenter, or garbage man, God has given us all the responsibility to share with our friends and family that we’re on our way home. Prep your kids, tell your siblings, talk about it at school… Jesus is coming again. That Salvation is for all that would confess and believe on the God who has the power to save.
God speaks to you and me so that we might go and speak the good news to all that will listen, and be like those snatching friends and loved ones from the fire…literally!
