A page from the Bible that was discovered while cleaning up Dollywood speaks of God’s punishment and justice.
A burned piece of a page from the Bible was discovered amidst the carnage left behind by the wildfires that devastated Tennessee. The page was found in Dollywood, while the theme park grounds were being cleared up after the fire. The most surprising thing of all is that this particular page speaks about destruction by fire.
Burned Page from The Bible Found at Dollywood Offers Hope to Fire Victims[/tweetthis]
For the religious, this was a sign that the fire was sent by God, although a National Park Service spokeswoman said that the fire was caused by humans.
The page is from the book of Joel, and contains cryptic verses that speak about the end of times when God would send fire to destroy and punish the world. Destruction by fire is a recurring theme in the book of Joel and led the discoverer of the page, Isaac McCord, to reexamine his otherwise un-religious life. McCord says that finding the page has really shocked him, and moved him so much that he is still unable to describe his feelings accurately.
The page was found under a bench, soggy in a puddle of water. McCord, who had no idea what the two pieces of paper contained, said that he got “goosebumps” when he read the verses that were still legible. The verses were so relevant to the tragedy that he and his co-worker, Misty Carver, simply burst into tears and started praying. McCord says that the two found it impossible to believe what they just found and turned ghost white upon reading the verses.
Other employees of Dollywood, Kimberley Moore and wardrobe manager Angela Davis confirmed the story. McCord posted pictures of the pages on Facebook, saying that at a time when people whose lives have been ravaged by the fire are in despair, these verses can bring hope and consolation. McCord also insisted that he hasn’t done this to gain any popularity and clarified that he isn’t affiliated to any group that is trying to spread any kind of propaganda. In-fact, McCord revealed that he is neither a churchgoing person, nor does he read the Bible, although he does believe in God. When he first found the paper, he was unable to identify which book the verses come from.
The fires, which ravaged areas around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg have left almost 11 people dead, and around 80 injured. More than 700 homes and a number of buildings have been destroyed by the fire so far.