The One Who Is & Shall Be said to Abraham: “I am sending angels to the place of Violent Fire, to assess the veracity of the people’s cries against it. If their cries are true, I will destroy it.”
Abraham pleaded: “Surely you have more integrity than those who are stoking the Violent Fire. Perhaps you will find fifty or even ten who are still tossing pails of water at the Violent Fire.”
So the One Who Is & Shall Be agreed to search for any relief efforts in the midst of the Violent Fire. When the angels arrived at the place of Violent Fire, Lot offered them shelter, food, drink, and a rag to wash their feet, but he discouraged them from staying more than one night in the place of Violent Fire.
When it became known that Lot had welcomed angels into his home, the Violent Fire raged against him. “Messengers of relief are not welcome in this place,” they shouted. “No knowledge can be allowed except the knowledge of Violent Fire. Send out your angels so we might scorch any hope of reprieve they have to offer.”
Lot went outside to defend his guests, saying, “Isn’t it enough that my whole family resides in the Violent Fire? My daughters grew up in this place; they have chosen husbands from this place. God knows, the Violent Fire will burn them one day.”
But the Violent Fire swelled and sparked: “No judgment against the Fire can be allowed! No hint of relief can be tolerated! If you listen to angels, we cannot tolerate you.” And the Violent Fire rose to consume Lot where he stood with his back to the door.
From inside Lot’s home, the angels reached out their hands and pulled him out of the Violent Fire’s reach. They warned him, “The Violent Fire will not stop until every possible hope of relief has evaporated. We must leave this place of Violent Fire, because the One Who Is & Shall Be cannot nurture life in a place without hope.”
Lot’s family expressed doubt. “It won’t get worse,” said his daughters’ fiancées. “At least the Violent Fire was warm,” said his wife longingly as she looked back over her shoulder. Even Lot said to the angels, “There’s too much to risk if we resettle somewhere new.”
But the One Who Is & Shall Be extinguished the place of Violent Fire. Abraham saw the smoke billowing up from that place and grieved that the angels had found no signs of mercy or hope there.
a retelling of Genesis 18:16 – 19:29