Future Echoes

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 is not the easiest of stories to digest. It can be read in different ways, and doubtless they have their own validity. But maybe it actually pre-figures the better that is yet to come, kind of acting like a film trailer or new series teaser?

The outcry to the Lord concerning these places is already great - in other words their guilt is already well established. Into this God sends his agents (in this case two angels). They are not received by anyone except for the guy called Lot. Worse still the other inhabitants would rather abuse them rather than receive them (effectively confirming the guilt that was already known).

The inevitable destruction comes, except for Lot and those he persuades to come with him (and not look back!). They are given passage safely out of the city by the angels.

So summing up we have: established guilt and therefore destruction for all except those who received God's agents.

Now lets fast forward to the real film, which will be at the end of time. The guilt will be known and established. That must be dealt with and wiped away ... except for those who received God's agent (who is of course God come in human form: Jesus). This is equally summed up in John 1:12 'Yet to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God'.

So in this way the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a future echo of what is to come. A kind of pre-telling of the eventual story.

If you can accept all that, then two interesting points are raised:

1. Only Lot does the actual receiving, yet he is invited to bring others with him. Can we receive and then bring others with us too?
2. In Matthew 10 Jesus says 'it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for the town (that does not receive the disciples)'. Does that mean that the physical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was not the ultimate end for its inhabitants? If so, it lends weight to the story being a future echo of the eventual actual story. At the very least, it connects with the notion of the story being about receiving those sent by God.