Dollywood Employee Finds Burnt Bible Page With Poignant Message in Tennessee

By Julie Brown Patton
Isaac McCord
Dollywood employee Isaac McCord found a charred but relevant Bible page in the remains of the Tennessee wildfires near the theme park. The Bible showcased the following passages: Joel 1:15 -- The day of the LORD is near, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be! Joel 1:19 --To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Joel 1:20 -- Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. And at the bottom barely visible is: Joel 2:1. Mad World News

Tennessee wildfires caused a lot of destruction, but one Dollywood employee who was cleaning up debris at the theme park discovered a burnt but surviving page of the Bible that he said left him speechless. Isaac McCord said a torn piece of paper, charred around the edges, caught his eye. It was a page from the Book of Joel from the King James Bible, a part of which references how a fire would devour the wilderness.

McCord, 24, said Joel 1:19 was one of the visible passages that read: "To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field."

The remaining Bible page also featured Joel 1:20: "Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness."

McCord posted a photo of his find on Facebook, where it has been shared more than 159,070 shares at the time of writing this article. He captioned the image with the verses and: "It was under a bench soaking wet. Talk about goosebumps..."

Many of the passages around the Bible chapter were charred and hardly visible, reports Inside Edition.

"As Gatlinburg and Sevier County assess damages, I'm brought to my knees as realizations of homelessness become reality for a vast majority of folks in the area," said McCord. "The community and surrounding counties are very resilient in their ability to persevere in times of great struggle, and I pray that everyone joins together in bringing this to life. We need you more than ever."

Scott Smith replied to McCord's Facebook posting with "That's crazy! Pretty incredible story. It ought to give us all something to think about..."

"Wow!!! Looks like God is speaking!" posted Joni Ramsey.

Debbie L Willemsen agreed with Ramsey, as she posted:  "God speaks to us in many different ways and through many different people."

"This is exactly what I thought when the fires started as the Bible states the next cleansing of this Earth will be via fire. Folks need to start paying attention to this information that is right in front of our eyes.," posted Gayle Ray Priest.

Legendary singer Dolly Parton announced today that The Dollywood Foundation will give $1,000 per month for six months to families who lost everything in the fires. 

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