It is difficult to put into words the devastation caused by the January wildfires in Los Angeles County. The fires caused at least 29 deaths, a similar number of injuries, the destruction of more than 16,000 structures, the damage or destruction of over 50,000 acres, and thousands of evacuations. These wildfires are likely the worst in the history of California and the United States.
Rebuilding and recovering will be a long, difficult, and costly process. AccuWeather estimated the total damage and economic loss to be between 250 and 275 billion dollars. This latest estimate surpasses the damage and economic loss numbers for the entire 2020 wildfire season—a very active US wildfire season.
Unsurprisingly, the emotional costs have also been very high. A new poll of registered voters in Los Angeles County by the UC Berkeley Institute of Government Studies found that the fires had an enormous emotional toll on victims, who reported extreme levels of stress and dramatic changes in their day-to-day activities.
Asked to rank on a scale of 1 to 10 the level of additional stress the fires added to their lives, 84 percent of respondents in the Palisades fire zone and 77 percent in the Eaton fire zone gave the highest rankings, between 8 and 10.
Jesus warned us of escalating human strife and natural disasters before His second coming. He told us, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matt. 25:13, NKJV. Are we doing that as we grieve over all the trauma?
“The economics of a disaster: How the LA wildfires may impact the economy,” Ohio Today, ohio.edu, Feb. 6, 2025.
“‘The stress keeps you up at night’: Emotional devastation lingers in L.A. fire zones,” Los Angeles Times, Mar. 9, 2025.
The percentage of US adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something other than heterosexual has continued to rise, hitting an all-time high of 9.3%, up from 7.6% in 2023.
Gallup conducted random telephone interviews over the last year with 14,000 adults living in all 50 states and found that about 900 identified as LGBTQ. That data was then weighted to ensure that the sample accurately reflects the demographics of the national population, which is how Gallup estimated that 9.3% of US adults are LGBTQ.
The increase in LGBTQ identification over the last year is due to more of Generation Z, who are 19 to 28, reaching adulthood. Nearly one quarter, 23.1%, of Generation Z identify as LGBTQ according to the Gallup report, compared with 14.2% of millennials, who are 29 to 44; 5.1% of Generation X, who are 45 to 60; 3% of baby boomers, who are 61 to 79; and 1.8% of those 80 and older.
One reason more younger people identify as LGBTQ is that they are much more likely than older generations to identify as bisexual. More than half, or 56.3%, of all LGBTQ adults in the US identify as bisexual according to the new report, but that percentage drops drastically among older people.
LGBTQ identification has nearly tripled over the 12 years that Gallup has tracked it, with just 3.5% of US adults saying they identified within the community in 2012.
Human beings were created and blessed in only two biological genders. Gen. 1:27–28. Why are we trying to modify what the Creator pronounced as “very good”? Perhaps we don’t understand what is designed to be our greatest blessing.
“Nearly 1 in 10 U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ, Gallup survey finds,” NBC News, Feb. 20, 2025.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons. They created the Doomsday Clock in 1947, using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the planet. The Doomsday Clock is set every year by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 10 Nobel laureates. The clock has become a universally recognized indicator of the world’s vulnerability to global catastrophe caused by manmade technologies.
Here is part of their January 2025 statement:
“In 2024, humanity edged ever closer to catastrophe. Trends that have deeply concerned the Science and Security Board continued, and despite unmistakable signs of danger, national leaders and their societies have failed to do what is needed to change course. Consequently, we now move the Doomsday Clock from 90 seconds to 89 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been to catastrophe. Our fervent hope is that leaders will recognize the world’s existential predicament and take bold action.”
The Bulletin provides detailed information about specific situations and technologies that were taken into consideration in this year’s decision. It’s a sobering read.
The Bible pictures the world ending with the second coming of Christ rather than global catastrophe caused by humankind. Yet we know from history that there is huge potential for us to cause widespread suffering and devastation before that time. Our generation needs to take these warnings seriously.
“Closer than ever: It is now 89 seconds to midnight,” 2025 Doomsday Clock Statement, Science and Security Board, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Jan. 28, 2025.
The Open Doors publication, World Watch List 2025, shows that persecution of Christians continues unabated in many parts of the world.
Violent chaos continues to be a cover for persecution. In countries like Myanmar (Burma), Yemen, and Sudan, civil wars have become breeding grounds for targeted attacks against Christians. In other places, like the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Islamist insurrections have created environments where Christians can be targeted with impunity, and where militants can attack and chase out communities of God’s people.
Multiple countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have seen a rise in violence against Christians. Currently, 8 of the top 10 deadliest places for Christians are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and all of them (except Nigeria) have more faith-based killings than they did during the 2024 World Watch List reporting period.
Because of the Israeli-Hamas war, Christian communities in Gaza and the West Bank have come to the brink of extinction.
In China, unregistered churches, once tolerated by the government, are now considered illegal as authorities enforce regulations. State-approved churches are under stronger ideological pressure, and new laws send pastors into indoctrination sessions, where they are urged to preach accordingly. Smaller congregations are either forced to merge into a larger church that is easier to control or to take their fellowships underground, into isolated home groups.
But while persecution and anti-Christian violence intensify, many believers continue to follow Jesus and share their faith, risking their lives and freedom in the most dangerous places to be a Christian.
A persecuted believer in Yemen said, “I am determined to stay here despite the risks to my comfort and safety because I believe everyone deserves to hear about God’s love.”
The book of Revelation predicts the worst-ever persecution of faithful Christians just before Jesus’ second coming. See chapters 13 and 14. It may be sooner than we think. May we all remain faithful.
