“How can something so beautiful cause so much destruction?” This question was asked in awe by FOX News commentator Lawrence B. Jones III on December 19, 2023. The event causing his reaction was the eruption of a volcano nearly two miles north of Grindavik, a fishing village with less than 4,000 people and part of Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula.
The eruption started at 10:17 p.m. local time on the 18th, precipitated by weeks of seismic activity and, then, “an “earthquake swarm” that began an hour and 15 minutes prior.”1 “Unlike the familiar mainshock-aftershock earthquake sequences, where numerous smaller earthquakes tend to follow a larger earthquake, earthquake swarm sequences do not have a dominant mainshock, and may have several or many earthquakes of similar magnitude that happen throughout the swarm duration.”2
As of now, nobody is in danger, though barricades have been created to protect a power station. No flights have been cancelled or delayed due to the eruption. The biggest danger comes from the curiosity of tourists who seek out areas where lava has flowed over the centuries and hardened, making a beautiful, blackened walkway. As the lava flows from this eruption, tourists could step on a portion that has only superficially hardened, giving way under their weight, and sinking their foot into lava that is over 2,000 degrees.
The pictures of the volcanic activity really are breathtaking. Though the residents of Grindavik were forced to evacuate, it was merely precautionary due to the volcanic gasses and smoke. The wind has carried it all mostly away from the town and populated areas, allowing the natives to be awestruck by the magnificence and power of the natural event.
How can something so beautiful cause so much destruction?
When I heard that question, one thing immediately popped into my mind. Consider these verses:
Ezekiel 28:11-15 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (12) Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. (13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets nd of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created…
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. (15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness…
Satan is described in beautiful, glowing terms. Prior to his fall, he was beautiful. After his fall, he is portrayed as an angel of light. Yet, that which is beautiful has caused so much destruction.
From Satan’s fall from Heaven where he drew away a third of the angels (Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:4) to the evil corruption in the Garden (Genesis 3) and the ongoing evil perpetrated today (1 Peter 4:8) to his final act of defiance and resistance (Revelation 20:1-10), Satan’s “beauty” is destructive.
Believer, we are not to be ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). We are to resist and fight (Ephesians 6:10-20). We must stand strong in the battle and not get distracted with Satan’s deceptive beauty.
Don’t get burned, beloved!
1https://www.foxnews.com/world/iceland-volcano-erupts-weeks-increased-seismic-activity
2https://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/swarms
