You're studying about a literal historical fact concerning the destruction of 4 out of 5 cities in the plain of Jordan. The four cities that were destroyed are Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim (Deut. 29:23). The city that was spared is Zoar, which means "little" (verse 22) also called Bela (Gen. 14:2). This historical event is recorded in Deut. 29:23, Isaiah 13:19, Jeremiah 49:18, Ezekiel 16:49-50, Amos 4:11, Zeph. 2:9, Matthew 11:23, Luke 17:29, and Rom. 9:29.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah pictures the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The destruction takes place in the morning (verse 15) at sunrise (verse 23). Check out the cross references on the second advent as a burning sunrise in Mal. 4:2, Matthew 13:40, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 2 Thessalonians 1: 7-8, 2 Peter 1:19, and Exodus 19: 16-18.

What you see from this is a dispensational lay out in the Bible where the church age is pictured as night time. Therefore, the coming of the Lord is pictured as a thief in the night (1 Thes. 5:2, Matt. 24: 42-44, Mk. 13: 32-37). And since his second advent is also pictured as sunrise, then his arrival has to be at the end of the fourth watch of the night (Matt. 14:25), which would be morning (Mk. 13:35). His 1000 year reign on this earth is, therefore, called the "day of the Lord" (Is. 13:6, Jer. 46:10, Joel 2:1-4, 2 Pet. 3: 8, 10). To summarize here, the church age is night, the second coming is sunrise, and the millennial reign of Christ on the earth is day.

So, the escape of Lot right before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a picture of the tribulation rapture that occurs shortly before the Lord's second coming (Matthew 24: 31, Psalms 50: 4, Luke 17:28-37, Revelation 14 1-3, 7:9-14). The tribulation rapture is not to be confused with the rapture of the Church which takes place before the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 1 Corinthians 15: 50-55, John 11:25-26). Many have confused these two raptures and have ended up teaching the heresy that the church will go through the tribulation.

The brimstone and fire that the Lord rained out of heaven are literal and they are connected with hell and everlasting destruction (Revelation 20:10, 21:8). As we saw in the lesson on Genesis 14, hell will be literally on the earth during Christ's 1000 year reign in the very place where Sodom and Gomorrah once stood (Isaiah 30: 30-33, 34:8-10, Revelation 14:10-11, Isaiah 66: 24). Brimstone smells like sulfur and is deadly (Revelation 9:18).

When the Lot's wife looked back, she disobeyed God's command in verse 17. As a result, she turned into a pillar of salt. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, so was she destroyed. They were destroyed by fire which cleansed their sins and she was destroyed by becoming a pillar of salt which cleansed her sins (Mark 9: 47-50, Rom. 6: 7).

The incest committed by Lot with his two daughters in the cave on the mountain resulted in the birth of two boys. Thus Lot became not only their father, but also their grandfather. The oldest daughter's son became the father of the Moabites, and the younger daughter's son became the father of the Ammonites. These two nations have been responsible for a great deal of the trouble experienced by the Israelites.

As for the Moabites:

1. In Numbers 22, Balak, the king of Moab, hired Balaam to curse the Jews.
   
2. In Numbers 25, the Moabite women committed fornication with the Jews resulting in the death of 24,000 of their men.
   
3. In 2 Samuel 8, David had to defeat Moab.
   
4. In 2 Kings 3, Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
   
5. In Isaiah 16, the glory of Moab shall be contemned.
   
6. Jer. 48, Amos 2:1-3, Ezekiel 25:8-11 are prophecies against Moab.
   
7. Psalm 83: 8 shows that Moab will fight against Israel at Armageddon.
   
8. Deut. 23:3-5 shows that Moab opposed Israel on their route to Canaan and is therefore forbidden to enter into the congregation of the Lord.
   
9. Ruth is the only shining star of Moab, Ruth 4:5.
   
   

As for the Ammonites:

1. In Judges 10-12, the Jews had to fight against the Ammonites under Jephthah.
   
2. In 1 Samuel 12:12, the Jews wanted the king like the king of Ammon.
   
3. In 2 Samuel 10, David's men had to fight the Ammonites.
   
4. In 2 Kings 24:2, the children of Ammon attacked Judah to destroy it.
   
5. Zeph. 2:8-9, Jeremiah 49 1-6 Ezekiel 25 1-7 Amos 1:13-15 are prophecies against Ammon.
   
6. Psalm 83: 8 shows that Ammon will fight against Israel at Armageddon.
   
7. Deut. 23:3-5 shows that Ammon opposed Israel on their route to Canaan and is therefore forbidden to enter into the congregation of the Lord.
   
8. See also Neh. 4:1-7 and 1 Kings 14:21.
   
   

So, not only did Lot lose his wife, his daughters and sons-in-law, all of his possessions, his character, his reputation, his power and his fellowship with the Lord, but he also committed these horrible sins in his drunkenness (Hab. 2:15) and caused the reaping for what he had sown to last for thousands of years. What a tragedy!