Earthquakes have
caused widespread destruction and the deaths of millions of people. What does
the Bible say about future earthquakes? How should we respond?
Earthquakes—the
seismic activity that causes the earth’s surface to shake or tremble—can be
especially treacherous and terrifying. When the very earth we rely on without
thought suddenly betrays us—and turns deadly—our whole world can come unglued.
Hearing
the stories of survivors can bring home a little of the reality of these
devastating disasters. Katie,
who survived the 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake, said:
“On Feb. 22nd I was the head teacher
at a large busy preschool. I was in the bathroom with one little girl, when the
shaking started I scooped her up to run back to the classroom to comfort the
other children but I couldn’t stay on my feet. I ended up on the floor, holding
that wee girl tight, terrified. I could hear the children screaming in the
classrooms; I kept calling out ‘turtle turtle’ like we’d practiced but they
were too scared to remember what to do. …
“I have children too—that was the
hardest thing, I couldn’t get to them, I couldn’t get any contact with them. …
[It was] the worst night of my life.”
Powerful and deadly
Historians
have recorded many deadly quakes, and the evidence of such activity is readily
seen in fallen ruins in earthquake-prone areas.
In
modern history, the Valdivia quake (also called the great Chilean earthquake)
of Sunday, May 22, 1960, was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the
20th century. The epicenter was approximately 570 kilometers (350 miles) south
of Santiago, with Valdivia being the most affected city. It is estimated that
up to 6,000 people were killed. Monetary costs were staggering—estimated up to
$6 billion in terms of today’s currency.
The
Tangshan quake in China (July 1976) killed up to 655,000 people; and on Jan.
12, 2012, a quake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale killed more than 220,000,
injured up to 300,000, and left hundreds of thousands homeless in Haiti.
Future devastation
As
the populations of the world’s megacities continue to rise, seismologists note
that large-magnitude earthquakes could be especially devastating in numerous
locations around the world.
And
even if the epicenter of the quake is some distance away, these types of
temblors can also create tsunamis capable of wiping out vast numbers of people
who happen to be in villages, towns and cities located on an ocean coast.
Given
the potential for large-scale loss of life, let’s consider what God’s Word says
about future seismic activity.
The
Bible predicts a number of earth-shattering events prior to the return of
Christ—the time spoken of in the Bible as
“the time of the end” (Daniel 11:35, 40).
Worsening
natural disasters are looming on the horizon. As we will see, there is a strong
link between these disasters and God’s warnings for people to repent of their
sins.
One
of the signs that precedes Christ’s second coming is devastating
earthquakes.
In
the Olivet Prophecy Jesus Christ predicted several major trends that would
occur before His return. This was in response to questions from His disciples,
who asked, “Tell us, when will these
things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the
age?” (Matthew 24:3).
Listing
some of these signs, Jesus said, “There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in
various places” (Matthew
24:7, emphasis added throughout).
Warnings by ancient prophets
The
ancient prophet Isaiah issued a similar warning for the end time. In a message
that applied first to ancient Jerusalem and then to Jerusalem prior to the
return of Christ, the prophet said, “You
will be punished by the LORD of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with storm and
tempest and the flame of devouring fire” (Isaiah 29:6).
During
the “day of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:12),
a time of judgment upon the nations when Christ returns, Isaiah said the people
“shall go into the holes of the rocks,
and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of
His majesty, when He arises to
shake the earth mightily” (Isaiah
2:19, compare verse 21).
New Testament verification
The
book of Revelation speaks of several specific earthquakes that will occur in
the end time.
First,
it notes that an earthquake will accompany the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12), an
event that occurs before the seventh seal, which is also called the “day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31).
Various
scriptures warn us that the end-time events
will come to pass suddenly and
unexpectedly. God issued a warning that we should not be “weighed down” by the “cares
of this life” so that the day of Christ’s return arrives when we are not
prepared.
Revelation
also mentions earthquakes in chapters 8:5; 11:13, 19; and states that the wrath
of God will conclude with the greatest earthquake in mankind’s history.
As
John noted: “And there was a great
earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men
were on the earth” (Revelation 16:18).
This
earthquake may cause the splitting of the Mount of Olives in two as Jesus
descends to earth (Zechariah 14:4).
Suddenly, like a thief in the
night
Now
that we’ve seen the prophecies of earthquakes in the end times, we need to
consider what they should motivate us to do. Various scriptures warn us that
the end-time events will come to pass suddenly and unexpectedly.
God
issued a warning that we should not be “weighed
down” by the “cares of this life”
so that the day of Christ’s return arrives when we are not prepared. “For it will come as a snare on all those
who dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34-35).
There
are a number of further warnings about the sudden and unexpected fulfillment of
Bible prophecies:
· “But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night”
(2 Peter 3:10).
· “Remember
therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if
you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what
hour I will come upon you” (Revelation 3:3).
· “Behold,
I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest
he walk naked and they see his shame” (Revelation
16:15).
· “Therefore
you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”
(Matthew 24:44).
· “But
you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a
thief. … Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be
sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6).
· The fall of the Babylonian system
extant at the end time will happen quickly and suddenly: “Her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and
famine. … In one hour your
judgment has come. … In one
hour such great riches came to nothing. In one
hour she is made desolate” (Revelation 18:8, 10, 17,
19).
· In the last book and the last
chapter of the Bible, Christ stated, “Surely
I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:20).
An earthquake analogy
To
encourage Christians to remain faithful to God, the writer of the book of
Hebrews referred to a prophecy by the Old Testament prophet Haggai, where God
said, “Once more (it is a little while) I
will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all
nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations [Christ], and I will
fill this temple with glory” (Haggai 2:6-7).
Although
this prophecy in Haggai was directed toward the temple that was being rebuilt
by the Jews, the author of the book of Hebrews used this concept of “shaking” to encourage us not to refuse
God’s instruction as we shall “not escape
if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven” (Hebrews 12:25).
Continuing,
the passage in Hebrews states, “But now
He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more [just before Christ’s return] I
shake [margin: will shake] not
only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those
things that are being shaken, as of things that are made [physical things],
that the things which cannot be shaken may remain”
(verses 26-27).
The
point of this comparison is that we should firmly focus on “receiving a kingdom [the coming Kingdom of God] which cannot be
shaken” by serving God “with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).
This
coming Kingdom will stand forever because it cannot be shaken or destroyed
(Daniel 2:44).This is the Kingdom Christ will establish at His coming and the
end of the age.
Bible prophecy matters
All
of us need to take the warnings of the Bible seriously. We must be careful not
to make the mistake of rejecting any of its teachings because they don’t agree
with our human reasoning—our opinions, our ideas and our beliefs.
Bible
prophecy shows that unless mankind repents, earthquakes, along with other major
calamities, will
strike the earth in the not-too-distant future.
The
prophecies of the Bible are important and relevant to us today!
God
takes no pleasure in the suffering humans bring on themselves (2 Peter 3:9).
Instead,
He wants us to choose the way of happiness, joy and abundance that He offers to
those who seek to please Him and live His way of life (Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:9).
Would you want to have a
deeper relationship with God?
God has made it possible
for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in
your own life by receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following
prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins
have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to
turn away from my past sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my
sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to
rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank You that according to Your
Word, I am now born again.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You,
and to do Your will for the rest of my life.
Please use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.”
Related Posts:
“UNDER HIS WINGS” William O. Cushing
lyrics
Under His wings I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.
Refrain
Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
Refrain
Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.
There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.
Refrain
http://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/end-times/earthquakes-in-prophecy/
No comments:
Post a Comment