Brothers and sisters, why do you think Abraham thought he could appeal to God, asking Him to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were just even fifty righteous men in the cities? Most people tend to think it was just “righteous Lot” who was living there vexing his soul among all those vulgarly wicked and profane sodomites. But do you really think Lot would live there alone if there were no other professing “believers” living there? When Ezekiel was sent to reprove Israel, God declared that, “As I live says the Lord Jehovah, Sodom your sister, she nor her daughters has not done as you have done, you and your daughters.” Do you think that there were no professing believers in Ezekiel’s days?
No, there were religious people all over the land, boasting in their arrogance and claiming to be God’s chosen people, prophets and priests and faithful followers of Jehovah. They were the called out ones, or so they thought. Those Jews in Ezekiel’s days were both shocked and surprise when judgment fell upon them, just as many of today’s professing Christians will be when they too cry out “Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your name, and through Your name cast out demons, and through Your name do many wonderful works?” Only to hear the Lord reply, “I never knew you! Depart from Me, you who live working lawlessness!”
Likewise, righteous Lot was alone only in his righteousness, but there were many living in Sodom and Gomorrah claiming to be his fellow-believers in the living God. Therefore, Abraham asked God, “Perhaps there are fifty righteous within the city. Will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are in it?” and yet the longer Abraham thought about the “believers” dwelling in Sodom and the surrounding cities, he began to go lower and lower in asking God till he said “Oh do not let the LORD be angry, and I will speak only once more. Perhaps ten shall be found there?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”
Seriously consider this, you who so confidently profess to be serving God, for out of Abraham’s appeal to God to spare the cities for fifty righteous, only one true believer was led out. That was a speculated “fifty” out of how many though that was professing faith? Abraham knew they were not all serving God, that many had deceived their own selves into thinking they were righteous, so fifty had to be a conservative number to start with. Then, knowing the holiness of God, Abraham began to whittle the numbers down till he reached ten, only a mere ten and God still said He would have spared the cities. And yet it was only righteous Lot with his two daughters who came out from among them, with his wife looking back perishing. Do you understand the math concerning this? Only 2% of Abraham’s original conservative number was saved. How can it be that so many Christians are failing to discern this and fear God?
Gates of the City 