As scientists scream “global warming” and propose planet-threatening extreme solutions, Jewish sources suggest a more moderate solution: rebuild Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.

On August 17, Spain’s Costa Tropical experienced a sudden and violent weather phenomenon locals quickly dubbed reventón térmico, and the media called “Satan’s Storm.” At around 19:50 local time, temperatures abruptly spiked to 104°F, accompanied by powerful winds reaching 54 mph. The extreme conditions forced the evacuation of crowded beaches in Motril, Salobreña, Torrenueva Costa, and nearby towns. Emergency services reported nearly twenty distress calls related to flying debris, falling branches, and swimmers caught in turbulent seas. Maritime units from the Guardia Civil and Salvamento Marítimo rescued five people from the waters near Playa de la Joya/Carchuna and brought them safely to Motril port.

Dramatic video footage from the event appeared to show waterspout-like formations offshore, though Spain’s national weather agency (AEMET) stopped short of confirming any actual tornadoes. The media’s use of the term “Satan’s Storm” reflected the ferocity and suddenness of the heat burst, likening the fiery winds and chaos to something almost infernal.

Meteorologists explained that the event was a rare “heat burst,” an atmospheric occurrence typically associated with decaying thunderstorms. In such cases, rain evaporates before reaching the ground, cooling the air aloft. That cooled air then plunges downward, warming rapidly due to compression as it nears the surface. The result is a sudden and sometimes extreme rise in temperature, coupled with strong, dry, gusting winds. Heat bursts are rare and notoriously challenging to predict due to their highly localized nature.

The nickname “Satan’s Storm” is not entirely new. It was first coined after a dramatic heat burst struck Kopperl, Texas, on June 15, 1960. That night, residents endured what they believed to be apocalyptic conditions as temperatures reportedly soared close to 60°C (140°F), accompanied by hurricane-force winds strong enough to uproot trees and rip roofs from buildings. The Kopperl event has since become a part of local legend and is often referenced in meteorological discussions as one of the most intense heat bursts ever recorded. The Spanish incident of 2025, though less severe, bore an unmistakable resemblance to that historic outburst, serving as a reminder of how sudden and destructive such rare phenomena can be.

According to Jewish tradition, Elohim is the name of God, designating His aspect revealed through nature. It is also the name of God that describes his aspect of judgment. The Bible frequently describes divine retribution coming through extreme natural conditions. In Deuteronomy, Israel is warned that God’s displeasure at their sins could be expressed in extreme heat waves.

“And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.” Deuteronomy 28:23 

In Malachi, heat waves are clearly described as a part of the process of geulah (redemption), a punishment for those who oppose God.

“Then shall ye again discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not. For behold the day cometh it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud and all that work wickedness shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze saith Hashem of hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 3:18-19

The Bible also describes the sun as having healing properties. After self-circumcising, Abraham was sitting in front of his tent recuperating. Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot. Genesis 18:1

Global warming is hinted at in Isaiah as part of a Messiah-age healing process:

“And the light of the moon shall become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall become sevenfold, like the light of the seven days, when Hashem binds up His people’s wounds and heals the injuries it has suffered.” Isaiah 30:26

In the Talmud (Nedarim 8b), end-of-days heat storms were anticipated and considered a positive part of the Messianic process that benefitted the righteous. Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish, a third-century sage who lived in Syria, said that God would “remove the sun from its sheath” before the Messiah appears.

“In the future, there will be no need for purgatory. God will remove the sun from its sheath. The righteous will be healed by it, and the wicked will be punished by it.”

Some scientists predict global warming, blaming man-made carbon emissions, and propose extreme and dangerous solutions. Referred to as geoengineering, scientists hope to counteract “global warming” by spraying aerosolised particles high into the stratosphere to deflect a small fraction of the sun’s energy away from the Earth. The idea is to mimic the effects of massive volcanic eruptions, which have lowered global temperatures in a phenomenon known as volcanic winter. 

Biblical sources may provide a better understanding of its roots and resolution. In the Bible, weather is not perceived as a random or mechanical process operating, but as a significant channel through which God relates to man and guides his actions. This was made clear in the time of Noah, and emphasized by the plagues in Egypt.

People of faith point to a different cause of heat storms. The last time the Jewish people returned from exile and neglected to build the Temple, the punishment was a terrible drought, according to the prophet Haggai:

Ye looked for much and lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of My house that lieth waste while ye run every man for his own house. Therefore over you the heaven hath kept back so that there is no dew and the earth hath kept back her produce. And I called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountains. (Haggai 1:10-11)

While scientists scream “global warming” and propose extreme solutions that threaten to literally plunge the entire planet into darkness, a Bible-based solution is at hand. In a wonderful case of Messianic synchronicity, five red heifers were brought to Israel in preparation to assuage divine wrath and build the prophesied Third Temple in Jerusalem.