Hollywood Ablaze: God Is Not Mocked

The recent wildfires that swept through Los Angeles, occurring shortly after a controversial incident at the Golden Globe Awards, have sparked conversations about the consequences of mocking God and dismissing His authority. While natural disasters cannot always be attributed to divine judgment, the Bible teaches that such moments call for reflection, repentance, and reverence. 

Insights on God’s Judgment and Human Response 

When devastating events occur, such as the wildfires that recently swept through Los Angeles, they often lead to reflection. Yet, as a society, we tend to avoid attributing such events to divine judgment or the consequences of sin. We loosen the message of God’s justice, often reducing these moments to mere natural disasters or random occurrences. While it is not our place to declare every calamity as a direct judgment from God, the Bible teaches that such events should serve as a wake-up call for repentance and reverence. 

Consider Jesus’ words in Luke 13:1-5, where He addressed tragedies of His time: “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Jesus reminded His audience that tragedies are opportunities for reflection and repentance, not judgmental speculation. 

The Apostle Paul reinforces this principle in Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” This verse reminds us that our actions have consequences, whether in this life or in eternity. Mocking God or living in disregard of His authority invites judgment. 

Incident at the Golden Globe Awards 

On January 5, 2025, during the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, comedian and host Nikki Glaser made remarks and performed a skit that many interpreted as mocking God and religion. She humorously highlighted the absence of gratitude toward God in acceptance speeches, quipping, “No surprise in this godless town.” Later, she parodied Catholic rituals, appearing in a bishop’s hat while singing a comedic song about being “pope-ular.” 

The audience responded with laughter, reflecting a broader cultural tendency to dismiss or trivialize reverence for God. While the skit was intended as satire, such incidents often reveal society’s diminishing acknowledgment of divine authority. 

Reflection on Recent Events 

Shortly after the Golden Globe Awards, devastating wildfires broke out near Los Angeles, engulfing neighborhoods and disrupting lives. While we should not hastily claim these events as direct acts of divine judgment, they remind us of humanity’s vulnerability and the fragility of life. Such calamities call us to reflect on our relationship with God, acknowledge His sovereignty, and repent of any irreverence or dismissal of His authority. 

As the Apostle Paul cautions in Romans 2:4-5: “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” 

Biblical Examples of God’s Judgment on Irreverence 

The Bible provides sobering examples of how God’s justice is revealed when irreverence, rebellion, and sin prevail. These serve as warnings for all generations: 

1. The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9): 

   Humanity’s attempt to build a tower to reach heaven reflected their rebellion against God. He confused their language and scattered them: “So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city.” This event serves as a reminder of the consequences of exalting human ambition above God’s authority. 

2. The Judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19): 

   Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone due to their great wickedness and sin against God. Before their destruction, Abraham pleaded with God to spare the cities if righteous individuals could be found, but only Lot and his family were saved. “Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” (Genesis 19:24-25) 

   This event is referenced in the New Testament as a warning of the final judgment: “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them indulged in gross sexual immorality and went after strange flesh, they are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.” (Jude 1:7) 

3. The Golden Calf Incident (Exodus 32:1-35): 

   When Moses delayed coming down from Mount Sinai, the Israelites crafted a golden calf and worshiped it. God’s anger burned against them, and many perished: “Then Yahweh smote the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.” This incident highlights the grave consequences of idolatry and replacing God with worldly substitutes. 

4. Elijah Calls Down Fire on Opponents (2 Kings 1:9-14): 

   When King Ahaziah sent captains and their men to seize Elijah, the prophet called down fire from heaven as a demonstration of God’s power and judgment. Twice, fire consumed captains and their fifty men who arrogantly demanded Elijah come down:  “Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.’ Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.” This act of judgment underscores the power of God to defend His name and His servants against irreverence and defiance. 

A Call for Repentance and Reverence 

Rather than dismissing such moments as random or coincidental, we must heed their spiritual significance. The Bible calls us to humility and awe before God. As Proverbs 1:7 declares: “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a timeless warning that God’s justice is unchanging. As Jesus referenced in Luke 17:28-30: “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.” 

Moments of irreverence and devastation should draw us to repentance and reverence for God. Let us not take lightly the warning that “God is not mocked.” Instead, may we live in a way that honors Him, seeking His grace and mercy in all we do.

Fr. Abraam Sleman

frsleman@CopticChurch.net 

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