Archive for March, 2011

Is The Japan Earthquake In Bible Prophecy?

A question that a lot of people are wondering about right now is whether or not the Japan earthquake is mentioned in the Bible.  In particular, many are asking if the earthquake in Japan has anything to do with Bible prophecy.  So is the Japan earthquake in the Bible?

Well, no, the massive earthquake that recently hit Japan is not in the Bible.

However, the Scriptures do tell us that earthquakes will be one of the signs of the last days.

That does not mean that God caused the earthquake in Japan.  That does not mean that God is going to be causing the major earthquakes that are to come.  What it does mean is that an increase in the size and frequency of earthquakes should be a sign to us that the return of Jesus Christ is getting closer.

So where in the Bible does it talk about earthquakes in the last days?

In Matthew 24:7, Jesus declared the following about the last days….

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”

In Mark 13:8 we see a similar warning by the Messiah….

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

In Luke 21:11, Jesus mentioned earthquakes as a sign of the last days along with famines, pestilences and “great signs” from heaven….

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

In the book of Revelation, it tells us that the greatest earthquake of all time will occur just before the end of the Great Tribulation.  Revelation 16:18 says the following….

Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.

So what does all of this mean?

It means that we should expect more very powerful earthquakes as we get deeper into the last days.

Considering what just happened in Japan, that is a very sobering thought.  Many of us will never forget the footage of the massive tsunami in Japan washing cars and homes and people across the countryside as if they were toys for children….

As bad as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan were, the truth is that a lot of stuff much worse than that is eventually headed our way.

In Matthew 24:21, Jesus tells us that the Great Tribulation will be the worst time in all of human history….

For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

When Jesus said that, He was not messing around.  We are rapidly approaching a time that will be the most horrible that the world has ever seen.

Are you ready for that?

Those that don’t know Jesus are not going to have any hope in the days ahead.

But that does not have to be you.  The truth is that Jesus came to this earth and died for your sins.  He rose from the dead and now the time of His return from heaven is drawing near.

If you will repent of your sins and give your life to Him, He will forgive your sins and will give you eternal life.

For much more on how to become a follower of Jesus Christ, we urge you to read an article that we posted on another one of our websites entitled “What Does The Bible Say About Salvation?

The times ahead are going to be absolutely horrible.  By the time all is said and done, billions are going to die.  The earth is going to be an absolute wasteland.  There is going to be more suffering and more agony than during any other period of human history.

But it can be a time of great victory and adventure for you – if you know Jesus.

So what do all of you think about the recent earthquake in Japan?  Please feel free to leave a comment with your opinion below….

So much for Muslims and Christians coming together in brotherly love in Egypt.  In the aftermath of the revolution in Egypt, the persecution of Christians in that nation has escalated dramatically.  In our last post, we warned that Egypt was about to take a hard turn toward radical Islam, and we were right.  Churches are being bombed, Christians are being attacked and there have even been reports of government forces opening fire on church buildings.  As radical Islam gets an even stronger hold on Egyptian society, the horrific persecution of Christians in Egypt is only going to increase.  Let us pray for our brothers and sisters in Egypt because they are living in the middle of a nightmare right now.  Unfortunately, the Scriptures tell us that in the last days persecution is going to increase for all Christians.

At this point there are almost daily stories in the international news about the persecution of Christians in Egypt.

For example, check out the following excerpt from a story today in the Jerusalem Post….

The Health Ministry said the 13 people were killed and 140 wounded in violence on Tuesday night ignited by tensions built up since an arson attack on a church south of Cairo on Saturday.

This recent violence was sparked by an attack over the weekend during which an estimated 4,000 Muslims violently assaulted Christian homes and burned a church in the Egyptian town of Soul which is about 18 miles from Cairo.

The Assyrian International News Agency noted that witnesses of the church burning said that the radical Muslims involved were chanting “Allahu Akbar” as they destroyed the church….

Witnesses said the mob chanted “Allahu Akbar” and vowed to conduct their morning prayers on the church plot after razing it.

Unfortunately, violence against Christians in Egypt is not new.  Back on New Year’s Eve 21 people were killed and 43 people were injured when a massive bomb went off outside a Coptic church in the city Alexandria, Egypt.

Another example of the persecution of Christians in Egypt prior to the recent revolution was recently noted by Family Security Matters….

Despite wallowing in money from America, Mubarak had made no attempt to improve the plight of Egypt’s Christians. As noted by Raymond Ibrahim, in November 2010, Egyptian security forces opened fire upon Christians who had not followed discriminatory building regulations. The Copts had constructed the St. Mary and St. Michael churches in the district of Giza. Three unarmed Christians died from gunfire, and a small girl was suffocated by tear gas. Wounded demonstrators were handcuffed to hospital beds before being sent to detention camps.

Many of our political leaders and many in the mainstream media have been praising the recent Egyptian revolution, but the truth is that it was not about freedom and liberty.

Instead, what the Egyptian revolution really represented was a hard turn toward radical Islam.

Egypt is becoming a radical Islamist state.  10 percent of the population of Egypt is Christian, and they are no longer going to be able to feel safe.  More churches are likely to be burned and more Christians are likely to die.

Please pray for the Christians in Egypt.  Someday we all may be facing the kind of persecution that they are going through right now.