Yahweh looked down on Sodom and Gomorrah from the sea of glass. His eyes were wrathful, and lightening crackled from his throne.
The twenty-four elders stood in a circle around him, each ready to do his bidding. Those elders had earned their positions through lives well lived—undergoing fierce persecution, intense refinement, and ultimately, complete purification of their hearts until they were considered worthy to continually abide in the presence of God. Their eyes also blazed with glory and thunder, and they waited to see what his response to the outcry would be.
Into the heart of the earth the deity looked. He looked at Sodom and Gomorrah, cities man had created with pride in his heart, and found them wanting. They might have excellent pastures, mighty stadia, and impressive skyscrapers, but the hearts of those who lived there had nonetheless grown distant and sordid.
Reaching within himself, God brought out a necklace with a golden key on it. This, he handed to Jesus.
“Take Raphael,” he said. “Continue to monitor the situation in Sodom and Gomorrah. If the outcry should worsen, we will go and put an end to their savagery.”
Abraham, one of the elders, stepped forward.
“Are you sure, Father?” he asked. “Would you really destroy an entire city without consideration for the good that might still be there?”
God tilted his chin upward, considering Abraham with interest.
“What if there are fifty righteous people in the city,” continued Abraham. “Would you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing.”
The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold…what if the number of the righteous is just 45? Would you destroy the entire city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
He turned to resume, but once again Abraham spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
God smirked, amused by Abraham’s audacity, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
Still Abraham continued, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak once more. What about thirty?”
God answered kindly, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
Abraham nodded, taking yet another risk. “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord…what if only twenty can be found there?”
God nodded and said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
Ready with his final request, Abraham bowed his head and said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found?”
God paused.
The angels were silent. Jesus crossed his arms with interest. After a few moments, God rendered his final decision.
“For the sake of ten men,” he pronounced, with rhema on his lips. “For the sake of ten men, I will spare the city.”
The angels looked at each other in surprise. It was rare that God allowed his plans to be altered. He must be very close friends with Abraham indeed to value his opinion so much.
Meanwhile, God nodded towards Jesus and Raphael. “Go. Use your key. Send angels. Let them scout the city. If ten good men are found within its gates, I will stay the volcano’s fury.”
Jesus and Raphael nodded, and left to dispatch the angels, while the rest stood and kept watch from the clouds.
Beneath them, in the darkness, Sodom and Gomorrah slept soundly—completely unaware of any divine interest in their deeds, or that they might, at some point in the near future, be held accountable for their sin.
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