Gatlinburg is a popular family-oriented tourist attraction nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Many people go there to enjoy the beautiful scenery and to hike on the mountain trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. No one could imagine the sudden devastation that was to overtake them on the evening of November 28, 2016. That was when wildfires, burning for the past week in the Chimney Tops area overlooking Gatlinburg, raced down the mountainside and swept into Gatlinburg, being pushed by hurricane-force gusts of wind. In the end, 14 people were killed, 14,000 people were forced to evacuate and many homes and businesses were burnt to the ground, causing over $500 million in damages.
Many people said they never received a warning to evacuate. They ended up fleeing for their lives when the woods and homes around them went up in flames. Some people had to drive their vehicles down the mountain through flames and over fallen trees in order to escape with their lives. The reason given by officials for not sending out an evacuation order before the fire raced down the mountain was “loss of communication” due to downed wires and cell towers.
Clear Communication
God gives us clear communication in His Word, the Bible. There is something far more deadly than a forest fire facing each one of us. It is God’s righteous wrath against sinful man if we do not accept His free gift of salvation. Because God loves us, He gives us ample warning of judgment to come. God’s message of love to sinful man is clear. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ... He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, [why?] because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16,1816For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)). The Lord Jesus Christ died and shed His blood on Calvary’s cross for our sins, becoming our perfect Substitute. When we accept Him as our own personal Savior, “He [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins” (1 John 1:99That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9)). We plead with you to receive eternal life, rather than suffer eternal condemnation.
Don and Nancy Richards, who had retired to a cabin on the mountain, escaped death because their neighbor knocked on their door and got them out. They thanked God for saving their lives, because they had only four minutes to escape. When they returned the next day, all that was left of their home was ashes and the foundation.
Sam Baldwin and his wife lived near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and they also received no warning to evacuate. He was “shocked that there weren’t more people killed.” Finally, at around 9 p.m. Monday evening, “we decided we better go. ... It was too late. The fires were on the front of us and behind us. ... We thought we were dead.”
Jim Renfro worked as a ranger for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and was listening to the progress of the fire on the park radio. Realizing that the fire was getting too close, he sent his wife and younger son to safety, while he and son Jake stayed behind to try and protect their home. As they were attempting to make a fire break around the house, red-hot embers came flying over the ridge. After using a chain saw to remove a fallen tree crossing the road, they raced down the mountainside with the fire right behind them. Their home was completely destroyed in the fire, along with every other home in the area except one — their next-door neighbors.
“We’re safe,” Jake Renfro said. “That’s all that matters.”
True Safety
Are you safe in Jesus? In a soon-coming day, that is all that will matter. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:1515And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)). Jesus bled and died on Calvary’s cross for your sins. “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. (John 1:7)). Acknowledge your sinful state before a holy and righteous God and accept His forgiveness in Jesus’ name, trusting in His shed blood on Calvary’s cross. Then you will be safe for all eternity!
Scott and Tammy Sharrod returned to find nothing but rubble after the fire. Tammy said, “We had five minutes to get off this mountain. We got off with the clothes on our back. We got off with a few pictures, and we thought we were going to get burned alive going down the mountain. We drove through fire for half a mile to get off this mountain, but God had His hand on us. There’s not a mark on my car. It should be melted, it should have caught on fire, but it just came so quick we didn’t have time to grab anything.”
The Fire’s Cause
There were several factors that caused this fire to be so deadly. The whole area and surrounding states had been experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions with low humidity, it was autumn and the deciduous trees had dropped their leaves and dead branches, adding to the dense fuel already on the ground. Then there was the hurricane-force winds which pushed the fire into Gatlinburg. The fire had actually been spotted on November 23, and investigators determined that it was human-caused. Shortly after the fire, two teenage boys were arrested and charged with aggravated arson. Sources close to the investigation say that the boys, aged 15 and 17, were “horsing around,” throwing lit matches on the ground around the Chimney Tops trail. Another hiker unwittingly snapped a picture of the boys walking away from the trail with smoke in the background. Because of their clothing, authorities were able to identify them, according to sources.
It is doubtful that the boys realized the seriousness of the consequences of their actions. Nor did those who were responsible for fire management expect the fire to get away from them the way it did. No doubt they hoped that the forecasted rains would come sooner than they did and that the wind would not pick up when it did or be as strong as it was. Once chances were taken, it was just a matter of time before the inevitable happened.
And so it is with us. If we continue to take chances and put off God’s gracious and free offer of salvation, it is only a matter of time before the inevitable happens and we end up in a lost eternity, without God, without hope, in torment, forever. There are no guarantees that we will be here tomorrow — so serious is the warning that God gives us that He says, “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire” (Matthew 18:88Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. (Matthew 18:8)). In other words, don’t let anything or anyone keep you from accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior! Heed God’s clear and faithful warning, and trust Him now, while you are able to do so. There is yet time!
Clear warnings would have helped the residents of the Gatlinburg area. But sometimes active deception and not just carelessness leads to serious consequences. Read more about it in A Near Death Experience.