Three-agent Universe (5) Sodom and Gomorrah

An example is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The description in Genesis made it seem like God was actively involved in destroying these nations. A three-agent approach gives a different perspective on this event. An angel told Abraham that a "great outcry up to heaven about Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:20-21). This is a clue to what was really happening, because the outcry probably came from the spiritual powers of evil. They were demanding that God destroy the city because it had become so evil.

While other evil powers had stirred up the evil, the accusing ones were demanding justice from God. They hate God's justice, but they also try to use it against his people. These accusing spirits wanted him to destroy these two cities. This shows how divided they are, because some were urging men to be evil and others were wanting to destroy them.

Abraham's prayers gave God authority to intervene and check out the situation (Gen 18:32). He sent two angels to see if they could find some good people, so God would have evidence to reject the demands of the evil powers. God wanted to save the cities, but he needed sufficient good people living there to justify saving them. Unfortunately, Lot and his family were the only righteous people that the angels could find. God decided to take Lot and his family out of the city, because it's fate was sealed. Once Lot and his family were gone, there was no one in the cities giving God authority to intervene so he had to withdraw.

When God's influence was gone from the cities, the spiritual powers of evil destroyed them. They had demanded the right to destroy these cities, because they were evil. God could not prevent them, because there were not enough righteous people there to give him authority to overrule them. When God was squeezed out, the spiritual powers of evil went to work and wreaked terrible destruction on these cities.