Fire

Yesterday, I wrote about a Meme I found on Facebook and my response to it.  Among the comments that were added to my post was this one:

I agree with you that the fires were not caused by God over a vote, but I do understand where the  confusion may come from. The Bible does say that God won't destroy the earrh by a flood again, but  that it will be by fire. Even the little rhyme reflects it: "God gave Noah the rainbow sign, no more water,  fire next time." There just needs to be some education.

That, combined with Monday's posts about apocalyptic writing, encouraged me to find what she was talking about in the Bible itself.  I'm not sure if this is her reference, but I found this in 2 Peter 3:7:  "But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless."

So, does this mean that the world was destroyed by water (in Noah's time) and will some day be destroyed by fire?  The notes in The New Interpreter's Study Bible say this about that thought:

Reference to the destruction of the world through fire (3:7, 10, 12) is rare in the NT and is usually a metaphor for punishment of the unjust (e.g. Matt 13:40-42).  This may also indirectly reflect the influence of the Stoic belief that the universe would endlessly cycle through destruction by fire, followed by the creation of a new universe.

In that I am not a Stoic, I feel free to ignore their belief in fire and re-creation.  The idea that the verse is a metaphor for the the punishment of the unjust fits very well with Monday's post about apocalyptic writing.  I'm more inclined to believe that.

And, I don't see how anyone could confuse wildfires in California with the destruction of the unjust - or the apocalypse, so I don't agree with my comment-er.