What is God saying to us?
The scenes are—well, they are frequently described as apocalyptic. That word rings with a prophetic tone; it means “pertaining to the end times.” A more familiar word might be catastrophic. Cameras from helicopters and drones, people with their smart phones and news teams on the grounds, reveal miles upon miles of burned homes and businesses, and people fleeing for their lives with just the clothes on their backs. More than 60 square miles of some of the most expensive homes in the Los Angeles area, burned to the ground. As of this writing, more than 24 people have died.
The death toll in North Carolia, when hurricane Helene devastated the state in October 2024, was over 200, though some say the true total might never be known. Homes on the mountains that had never been in danger of flooding, succumbed to torrential rains and came crashing down the mountains and bodies were seen floating in the valleys below. Although it no longer dominates national news, for those who survived the devastation, this tragedy will be a crushing, daily reality for the rest of their lives.
Are natural disasters judgments?
Before we ask what natural disasters teach us, let’s answer the question: Are natural disasters judgments? The answer is yes. Ever since the fall of mankind, nature was cursed, and the effects of that curse are found everywhere. Death itself is a judgment for sin. In this era, natural disasters do not separate the righteous from the wicked, just as the sun shines and the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) so today, the righteous die with the wicked.
But specifically, what do the wildfires in California teach us?
Fire Exposes The Uncertainty Of Our Future
First, the fires are a poignant reminder of the uncertainty of our future. Just days before the fires began, many of us watched the Rose Bowl parade in Los Angeles, the floats riding by in beautiful weather, with calm winds, and sunny skies. Days later, not too far away, one fire after another seemingly erupted out of nowhere. Lives that were at peace were now in panic; some people escaped in their cars, others were seen running down the street carrying only a suitcase to escape the encroaching flames.
The apostle James, warns us to not be presumptuous about the future, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14). Perhaps tomorrow there will be a fire, a hurricane, or an accident. James is telling us: Let’s plan for tomorrow knowing our plans may be upended. We can’t even be sure about this moment, much less the next. Corrie ten Boom, who survived Auschwitz, is believed to have said this word for us today, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Fire Doesn't Discriminate
Second, the fire was indiscriminate. As one commentator put it, “Wealth, fame, and privilege was no deterrent in surviving the flames.” The inferno paid no attention to skin color or income. James warns against those who depend on status and money, “Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded…” (5:2–3). Put simply: When judgment comes, money, fame, and status are not a refuge; they cannot keep their promises. In the final judgment, kings stand alongside paupers and masters alongside slaves. The arbitrary distinctions we make evaporate when the reality of eternity crashes into our world.
Fire Clarifies Our Values
A final and most important lesson, fire clarifies our values: The California fires are a small cameo of the fire that will put an end this world as we know it. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10). In that day, unlike the fires in Los Angeles County, no one will be able to return to try and find some memento, some artifact that survived the flames. This end-time fire is truly apocalyptic—all material substance will melt and be gone forever. The destruction will be worldwide, final, and irretrievable. Peter goes on to urge his readers to live for works that survive the fire; he warns us to not set our hearts on that which will be burned up. “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11).
Why We Must Live For What Matters
There is another fire in the Bible distinct from the inferno described by Peter. We as believers will stand at the judgment seat of Christ and our works “will be revealed by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13). One teacher put it this way: Imagine our works on a conveyor belt sent through a blaze. The wood hay and stubble will be burned, but what is done for Christ and His glory—the gold, silver, and precious stones—will survive.
Interestingly, on the news I saw one house in the LA area that survived the flames because it was built with fireproof metal sheeting on the outside walls. To prove his point, the owner took a blowtorch and aimed it at the corner of his house, which refused to catch fire. He had found the secret of escaping the effects of the flames.
To carry out the analogy: Let us build our lives with fire resistant material; it’s urgent that we strive for eternal values that will escape the flames. Let us have treasures awaiting us in the next world that the flames of this world, nor the judgment to come, cannot destroy.
A final word. One of the tragic stories coming out of the LA fires was that of a man who died with a garden hose in his hands. I do not judge him, for perhaps he was disoriented amid the chaos and the panic. But in my mind, he is a symbol of those who believe they can stave off the coming judgment by their own efforts. Let us warn our friends and neighbors that they must flee to Christ who alone can shield us “from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). And let us never forget that even as we see the devastation fires can bring, “… our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
When a tower collapsed and eighteen people were killed, Jesus warned all who would listen, “Unless you repent, you shall likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). The wildfires of California may well be God’s shout-out to our entire nation, motivating all of us to prepare for a much worse judgment to come. Blessed are those who heed His call.
Martin Luther said that for him there were only two days: today and that day. May we never give first-rate priorities to what will eventually succumb to the flames. With passion, let us live not for this world but for the world to come. Those pictures we see of Los Angeles County remind us that only thing that really matters is what matters forever.
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When we're faced with mass suffering, we wonder: Does God actually care about us? Discover God's purposes and heart in Pastor Lutzer's book, Pandemics, Plagues, and Natural Disasters.