The Message in the L.A. Inferno
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The Message in the L.A. Inferno
Mile after mile of urban California is now embers and ash after the most ruinous fires in state history. Fierce winds up to 100 miles per hour ushered flames with breathtaking ferocity across roads, up hills and through neighborhoods, torching 10,000 buildings, killing at least 24 people, and leaving millions more tearfully coping with the losses.
“[I]n recent days, many images of wildfire devastation coming over the newswires made the City of Angels look every bit like Hades: raging infernos, charred skeletal remains of homes, a smoke-filled amaranthine sky, weeping residents,” wrote James Hibberd for the Hollywood Reporter. “The frequency and intensity of fires statewide likewise feels new—seven of the eight largest California wildfires of all time have occurred in just the past four years” (January 8).
That is fierce affliction! Why is this happening? What is the cause? There is a cause for this effect, and we must understand it.
The timing is interesting as well: During one of the worst disasters in America’s history, many people are optimistic about the presidency of Donald Trump. He promises to fix America’s crises. But this is a stark reminder of the curses that have been hitting the nation for years. Just a short time ago, Hurricane Helene devastated major areas on the East Coast. Even as President Trump reverses some of the political and economic affliction caused by his predecessors, will such disasters continue?
An Unseen Cause
Over 31 years ago, in our December 1993 Trumpet issue, I wrote an article titled “Is California Under a Curse?” It was about record-breaking, catastrophic wildfires: 750,000 acres burned, 3,600 homes destroyed, 20 lives lost. The state was suffering a four-year drought, the worst in 300 years.
In 2007, I wrote another article, “California Disasters Continue—Why?” Searing heat was withering the state’s crops; dairy farmers witnessed thousands of their cows perish.
These types of woes consistently and repeatedly plague California in particular. Why? What is happening, especially in southern California, around Los Angeles?
In these latest ruinous fires, many people are blaming the governor and the mayor. There certainly are valid issues to criticize here; those leaders have made terrible decisions that have exacerbated many of these curses. A great many people recognize that there has been a dangerous lack of effective leadership.
But does that explain decades of these troubles, many of which are exacerbated by weather and other elements outside man’s control?
“One disaster after another is striking California,” I wrote in that 1993 article. “These deadly disasters are repeatedly labeled the ‘worst ever’! … With all the disasters that have struck California in the past few years, it’s as if the state is under a curse.” Indeed! And wouldn’t you agree that curse has only grown worse in the two decades since?
Those fires were California’s “worst ever,” and one lady said, “It was like the wrath of God”! Do you suppose it could have been the wrath of God? It certainly could! That is a spiritual reality we must acknowledge.
We cannot escape God’s wrath. And if He is so wrathful, we must ask why? Why is He so upset with our people—not just those in California but in all of America?
With these recent fires, you will read biblical terms like Hades and apocalyptic to describe the scale of the devastation. But you have not heard any real discussion about God’s hand in these events. You will not read anything about how the Bible actually prophesies in dozens of passages of such terrible events! Over a hundred major Bible prophecies are unfolding in this end time!
Yes, God foretells such curses, and He actually explains why we are being cursed!
For years I have pinpointed a reason for California’s troubles that nobody else is talking about. You can read about it in those older articles I referenced. It may seem surprising, but I hope you will think seriously about it, because it truly is at the heart of what is happening in the Los Angeles area.
A Satanic Attack
Pasadena, California, is where Herbert W. Armstrong established the headquarters of the Worldwide Church of God (wcg) in the 1940s. He built that Church into a magnificent global work that helped millions of people through publications, television broadcasts, humanitarian projects and more, as well as local congregations all over the world. Because that was where he headquartered, his message reached California more than any place else on Earth.
In 1979, the state of California launched a shocking, authoritarian and wholly unwarranted attack on Mr. Armstrong and the wcg. Guided by outrageously false allegations of financial mismanagement from disgruntled ex-ministers—despite financial and all other required records having been regularly and voluntarily filed—the state attorney general’s office took the extraordinary step of literally taking control of the Church.
On January 3 of that year, they initiated a sudden armed assault on the headquarters facility. A receiver secretly appointed by the court tried to take over and operate God’s Church, seizing the Church’s assets, appropriating its income, and usurping all authority. This action utterly defied the United States Constitution, most egregiously the protection of freedom of religion.
No evidence of wrongdoing by the Church was ever found. Thus, on Oct. 14, 1980, the attorney general dropped all charges and dismissed the case. Later, the appellate court ruled that the lawsuit was “without foundation.”
California is the only state that ever attacked Mr. Armstrong and his work. But as Mr. Armstrong spoke out very forcefully, they were doing something much worse than that: They were attacking the living God!
That is a bold claim, but you can prove it true.
Whether or not you believe it, Herbert W. Armstrong did represent the living God. He preached the plain truth of the Bible, and you can prove his message straight from Scripture—unorthodox as it is in a world of watered-down Christianity and confused religion. If you want to corroborate that, we will gladly send you a free copy of his main book, Mystery of the Ages, and a booklet about his ministry, titled He Was Right.
What a grave mistake it is to attack the living God!
Is it possible that God is still cursing California because of the diabolical actions of those corrupt leaders?
The late California Sen. Barbara Boxer said, “California has gone through too many tragedies and too frequently.” She was right! But why is that? Is it because the state attacked the living God?
You can certainly verify that the state of California did attack God and the message of God. That was criminal, beginning to end, and a terrible sin! What happens to someone who attacks God Himself? What will God do about it? He will respond. “Vengeance is mine,” He says (Romans 12:19).
This may not sound real to you—but it is reality!
The Cause of Evils
Jesus Christ said we ought to live by every word proclaimed from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). That would include the Old Testament and the New Testament. Do you believe God? Do you believe His Word?
At the end of his biblical book, the Prophet Daniel recorded these extraordinary words, spoken to him by an angel: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:4). Verse 9 says the same: “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”
The book of Daniel is only for the end time. Its meaning was closed up and sealed—until the end. Now “the time of the end” is here. In our day, God has unsealed the meaning of this book!
Amos 3:7-8 tell us that God “revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Yes, God actually sends prophets with His message to warn and help people see His mighty hand in events.
Now, read Daniel 9:13—which, again, is only for our day—and believe: “As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.” This says evil comes upon us if we are breaking God’s law (which is what iniquities means).
We see many evils coming upon us today—and this passage explains why: It is because of our lawlessness! We are breaking God’s laws. In many cases, we are not even keeping man’s laws! Lawbreaking is rampant—and the consequences are severe.
That is a strong warning in this pivotal prophetic book. All this evil has come upon us because of our sins. Do you believe God? I am just telling you what God says. You don’t need to listen to men—but God says you must listen to Him!
Isaiah’s Prophecy
God says in Isaiah 29:6, “You will be punished by the Lord of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire” (New King James Version). The great flame of devouring fire is one of the punishments of God!
What would it take to stop these curses? That is a crucial question right now.
In verse 13, God decries the fact that people “draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me ….” He is not interested in pious words. God wants our hearts turned to Him! He is looking for genuine repentance.
This passage continues with this stunning statement: “Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid” (verse 14). First note: The leaders have no understanding; they lack prudence and are unwise. They do not know how to lead! They are like little children (Isaiah 3:1-4). That produces indescribable tragedy.
But look: This is leading into a marvelous work and a wonder—Jesus Christ returning to Earth and establishing the wonderful World Tomorrow! He is going to lead and bring joy, peace and happiness forever!
Many scriptures show that all these evil events are a sign that Christ is coming shortly! So as you see these devouring fires, realize where this suffering is leading.
Hearts of the Fathers
Pay close attention to this crucial prophecy: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).
God promised to send a man in the spirit of Elijah the prophet right at the end of human history, in the days just before Jesus Christ’s return. That prophetic office was filled by Herbert W. Armstrong. That is how important he was! And he did a mighty work to build strong families: He established programs such as schools and summer camps; he provided spiritual instruction for both parents and children, including books like Why Marriage—Soon Obsolete? and The Missing Dimension in Sex (both available free upon request). Family was key to his entire 50-plus-year ministry.
In Matthew 17:10-11, Christ spoke of this same end-time Elijah, and said that he would “restore all things.” He established the true doctrines of the Bible in the Church of God, just as God prophesied he would. He was here, and now he has died and is gone.
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The prophecy of Malachi is a strong warning aimed at God’s own ministers who rebelled against Him. In these verses that conclude the book, God says, You must bring families together—physical families, and the Family of God, the way Mr. Armstrong did. If you fail, you will lose your salvation unless you wake up! The “curse” in Malachi 4:6 is the loss of eternal life! This is the strongest warning you could imagine!
Oh, how our society needs strong families! But families are being broken apart more and more. God says that is a great sin. Surely you can see that a strong nation needs strong families. A nation without solid families is very weak.
God’s Word teaches us how to build our families, if only we will listen. There is mind-staggering hope in that—and in the fact that very soon, God will be building the Family all over Earth!
Become Childlike
After the 1994 earthquake in Northridge, California, caused $25 billion in damage, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article headlined “L.A.’s Children of Fear.” Its subheading was “‘Why is God so mad at us?’ girl questions.” That was what a little 3-year-old was asking. It is a good question! Can the adults answer that? They ought to be able to, but they rarely can.
How many adults even consider such an important question? Jesus Christ said we must become as little children, or we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1-3). Those words are red-letter in your Bible, straight from Christ’s mouth! How can we push that aside?
He said we must be teachable like a child. Children ask questions and want answers. And Christ wants to teach us! Not only that, He wants to offer us a dazzling future. But He cannot teach anyone who is not teachable.
Earlier in His ministry, Jesus uttered this blazing correction for some of the people of His day: “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. … And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matthew 11:21, 23).
He was speaking to some exalted, high-class people, whom you could liken to the celebrity class found in Los Angeles. There are many such people in that area—though plenty of problems and sins affect people throughout the country and the whole world. But Christ was correcting them for being unteachable. He could not correct them—could not get through to them.
Could California, could America, be having the same problem today?
In the first century, those people would not listen to the Son of God Himself, and they ended up putting Him to death! In modern times, people would not heed the message of God preached by Herbert W. Armstrong, and officials from California tried to shut down his work and silence him.
The warning message of God is going out from this work today. Will people heed, or will they attack us?
Curses even worse than those hitting California today are going to spread nationwide unless people accept God’s correction and turn their heart toward Him!
The nation truly is in a pivotal moment, with the change in administration in Washington. God is going to restore some of the nation’s prosperity and stability, and open a window of opportunity for national repentance. A failure to respond will result in certain national destruction! We must change course, morally and spiritually, if we are to avoid that outcome. We can avoid these curses by becoming humble and childlike before our great God!
“At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (verse 25). Yes, God hides His truth from those wise and prudent in their own eyes. He reveals instead to the childlike. That spiritual understanding is a gift from God! Again, this is red-letter: Jesus Christ Himself speaking.
Will America humble itself? Will you, individually?