Treasures: The Impossible Breakthrough

At TheGoodNewsCast.com, we believe that the Earth's treasures unveil spiritual blessings, reminding us that nothing is impossible for God.

Genesis 18 opens a door into a realm where God’s blessings meet with Earth’s treasures. Abraham and Sarah—aged and experienced—are greeted with a message that declares what appears impossible: the birth of Isaac. Sarah laughs at the idea, yet her guests respond with, “Is anything too difficult for God?”

The world is full of unexplainable phenomena that require spiritual discernment. Sodom’s destruction has been the subject of both theological reflection and scientific debate. At Tall el-Hammam in the Jordan Valley, some scientists suggested that a cosmic explosion—a meteor exploding in the atmosphere—might explain the city’s sudden destruction (Bunch et al.). The imagery was striking: fire falling from the sky and buildings collapsing and turning to ash.

Yet recent findings have urged citizens to take caution. Scholars now argue that the evidence for a meteor blast may be inconclusive or overstated. Melted pottery, high-temperature minerals, and carbonized material could have been the cause of immense fires—sparked by violence or accidents, or even earthquakes, common to the region. While the destruction was undeniably catastrophic, it reminds us that some things are too difficult to explain.

Placed side by side, these events—the prophetic declaration of Isaac’s birth and Sodom’s fiery flame—reveal a simple truth: God’s ways are fair and just.

• The Spiritual Fire

• Heaven's Manifestation

• Who’s Telling the Truth?

• The Blessing In Earth's Treasures

The Spiritual Fire

Abraham and Sarah’s life as recorded in Genesis is a story of souls stretched to their limits. After years of spiritual encounters, Abraham now recognizes God’s presence, and when the three visitors arrive, his reverence is instinctive. He knows this encounter must remain holy, but behind the tent curtain, Sarah’s quiet laughter displays a moment of disbelief—the deep struggle to believe that the Holy Spirit can contend with humanity. At her age and with her years of experience, she cannot imagine spiritual blessings in physical form. Her God remains in heaven, where God is Spirit, far from flesh and blood.

“Is anything too difficult for God?” Genesis 18

The question reveals God's intention to produce earthly treasures in the spirit by working through the very limitations that Sarah deemed impossible.

Centuries later, the same tension appeared in 2025, as wildfires swept across Los Angeles, darkening the sky and consuming entire neighborhoods, while the same old responses resurfaced—voices on social media likened the flames to Sodom and Gomorrah, interpreting catastrophe as God's punishment (Ogasa). Nonetheless, scientists, city officials, and disaster experts pointed out a stark reality: extreme heat, prolonged drought, climate change, and outdated ineffective fire systems were to blame. Experts argued that calling natural disasters acts of God's judgment complicates matters and diverts attention from the solutions, frequently worsening community ties.

Both phenomenas—one set in the past and the other in the present—demonstrate a consistent pattern of misunderstandings and misinterpretations regarding the works of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures point us instead toward a clear path where God’s spirit is revealed in all of Earth's treasures.

Spiritual blessings don't replace the earth's treasures; rather, they are the reason why they exist. Recognizing the works of the spirit, whether in the quiet tent of Abraham or beneath the smoke of burning hills, requires a discerning eye that sees the earth appropriately.

Heaven's Manifestation

The three visitors who arrive at Abraham’s tent do more than foretell the birth of a child—they announce an impossible breakthrough. Their prophecy points to a time when Heaven's blessings and Earth's treasures join Christ's union, the one in which “the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us.” Sarah’s laughter exposes her disbelief that God's spirit can contend with the earth.

“God is Spirit and not like man.” Numbers 23

Yet the visitors declare the impossible, and in Christ, it becomes a reality: the earth is God’s footstool, and the heavens declare its glory.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit?” 1 Corinthians

The Spirit is not detached from Earth's treasures; it dwells within and among all of its inhabitants.

This struggle between the spirit and the flesh is illustrated in the Book of Mormon's account of Jacob's struggle. During the night, he grapples with the messenger and clings to him until he receives a blessing. His struggle symbolizes humanity's misperception of spiritual blessings, believing they benefit only the soul.

While holy scriptures speak of Heaven, Earth is trembling in the fire. In 2025, scientists studying the Santorini–Amorgos volcanic region in Greece detected signs of rising fluids—magma or extremely heated water—moving beneath the crust (Lippiello et al.). Clusters of earthquakes and underground motion remind the world how explosive this region can be. While no eruption has occurred in recent times, the region carries a long history of destructive power. It includes the cataclysmic Late Bronze Age eruption of Thera, the fiery tragedy of Pelée in 1902, and numerous other instances when it flattened mountains and reshaped fields.

These events differ from cosmic explosion theories, yet they tell a similar truth: the Earth is alive, powerful, and unpredictable. In a world where spiritual discernment is crucial, may it listen patiently for Heaven's voice proclaiming it worthy of Earth's treasures.

Together, these stories—from Abraham’s tent to a restless volcano—declare God’s glory: Heaven on Earth, a reminder that the blessing is with us.

Who’s Telling the Truth?

Abraham’s prayer stands as one of Scripture’s most controversial conversations. Confronted with the impending judgment on Sodom, he asks, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” His prayer demonstrates a faith in God's goodness, believing that the presence of the righteous can shield the wicked. He has yet to comprehend something far greater: God's justification. As Paul later declares, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

The tension between what the world believes and what is truly unfolding echoes across time. Whether it is the debated ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah, the wildfire-scorched hills of Los Angeles, or the quake-shaken islands of Greece, humanity struggles with phenomena that tell two sides of a story, one spiritual and the other scientific. Nevertheless, they ask the same question: Who is telling the truth? Scientists insist that interpretations must be rooted in rigorous, observable evidence that often points to natural forces at work, while belief systems are meant to help people find meaning in overwhelming experiences too difficult to face alone.

Both voices—faith and science—seek the truth, yet each reveals only a part of it. Nonetheless, in that gap between the soul and the earth, Jesus intercedes, like Abraham and even more so like Jacob, as we patiently wait for the Judge of all the earth to make things right again.

The Blessing In Earth's Treasures

Genesis 18 reads like a spiritual Hallmark card, describing spiritual blessings and earthly treasures. It unfolds with Sarah's disbelieving laughter, Abraham's bold prayer, and a prophetic message from visitors who declare a blessing for Abraham—a testament that nothing is impossible for God.

Yet the world in which these stories unfold is one that shakes, burns, and breaks. From the plains of Jordan to the coastlines of California and the islands of Greece, disasters continue to raise the same question: Who is telling the truth, God or Mother Nature? Scientific evidence asserts that the planet experiences eruptions, earthquakes, and fires according to natural laws, and believing this is crucial for understanding and safeguarding the world we live in. Still others believe faith is about finding meaning and purpose amid the ruins and when life seems out of control.

Together, these voices form a single message: the world is loved and formed by forces seen and unseen. Abraham’s faith teaches us to trust in God's faithfulness and to believe that God's spirit is among and within us as we patiently wait on the One who judges all of Earth's treasures.

Works Cited

Bunch, Ted E., et al. “A Tunguska Sized Airburst Destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age City in the Jordan Valley Near the Dead Sea.” Scientific Reports, vol. 11, no. 18632, 2021.

Lippiello, E., G. Petrillo, C. Godano, E. Papadimitriou, V. Karakostas, and V. Anagnostou. “2025 Santorini–Amorgos Crisis Triggered by a Transition from Volcanic to Regular Tectonic Activity.” arXiv, 30 Apr. 2025.

Ogasa, Nikk. “Yes, You Can Blame Climate Change for the L.A. Wildfires.” Science News, 28 Jan. 2025.