When the fires go out | Tomorrow's World

When the fires go out

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Devastation! Wide areas of the beautiful hills and valleys of Southern California are now covered with the charred remains of once beautiful homes. And open areas are scorched and blackened by wildfires that ripped through the tinder-dry brush, fanned by Santa Ana winds that are so prevalent this time of year.

The incredible destruction and the resulting heartache and anguish over the loss of precious possessions experienced by the residents of this once beautiful area, moves all of us with compassion and sympathy for their plight.

The whole country, yes, even the whole world is drawn to this story by the wide-spread news coverage. Many are asking, "Why?" Is there anything we can learn from this great, ongoing tragedy?

The environmentalists and developers will be pointing fingers of accusation, insurance companies will be wrestling with the incredible volume of very expensive claims that will be paid, families will mourn the loss of loved ones, pets and cherished personal property. But will any real, lasting lessons be learned from this tragedy that seems to repeat itself every few years, always on a grander scale than before?

While the different levels of government squabble about responsibility, the residents will busily go about putting their lives back together, resulting in a building boom in the devastated areas. Will they make any substantive changes in the way they live their lives? Will they engage in any self-examination and make any changes in the moral quality of their lives? If history is any indication, the answer is a resounding "No!"

Is there something larger than the obvious being worked out here? Are there profound lessons to be learned by those directly involved and by our nation? Anciently, a prediction of blessing and cursing was pronounced. The blessings for mankind would come if the people were careful to obey a set of rules for living. The curses were sure to come if the rules for living were ignored. You can read about it in Leviticus 26 in the Bible: "I will lay your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries to desolation" (v. 31).

The prophet Ezekiel was inspired to write to a sinful nation: "Disaster will come upon disaster, and rumor will be upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; but the law will perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders" (Ezekiel 7:26).

Who is actually responsible for the tragic events that we see unfolding? "If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?" (Amos 3:6). Truly, the Creator does use "natural" disasters to chasten His people and to get their attention. While disasters have always occurred throughout history, the outpouring of troubles on our beloved country certainly does not appear to be any kind of normal cycle.

Our hearts go out to all who are affected by hurricanes, floods, drought and the terrible wildfires, and we should provide aid and comfort in any way that we can. However, in the larger sense, we should pray that the people of our great country will cry out to God for intervention and relief from these seemingly intractable troubles. If our peoples would return to the tenets of the Holy Bible, which is the ultimate guide for mankind, these problems would be solved and our return to greatness would be assured.

If you would like to know more about this Way of life, request our book entitled The Ten Commandments. It is free of any charge and can be ordered at

https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/order-publications/?lit=TEN or it can be downloaded at https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/booklets/the-ten-commandments