“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
-Matthew 24:7-8
What in the world is going on with the earth? The number of major earthquakes that we are experiencing is absolutely unprecedented. So just what in blazes is going on?
Well, the reality is that Yahshua (Jesus) told us that there would be earthquakes in the last days. He told us that this would be a sign that His return was getting closer. In fact, the earthquakes and the other signs of His coming are supposed to be like birth pains – getting stronger and more intense as we get closer to the day.
And the truth is that earthquakes certainly are getting stronger and more intense. Just consider the following examples from just this year….
*On January 12th, Haiti was devastated by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake that claimed the lives of over 200,000 people.
*On February 27th, Chile was rocked by a magnitude-8.8 earthquake that was one of the largest in recorded history.
*A pre-dawn 5.9-magnitude earthquake collapsed homes and killed more than 50 people in a mountainous region of southeastern Turkey on Monday.
*Seven intense aftershocks hit Chile on Friday morning, including one that measured 6.6 on the Richter scale.
*The city of Taiwan experienced a 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Thursday.
*Japan is bracing for the worst after dozens of rare giant oarfish – traditionally the harbinger of a powerful earthquake– have been washed ashore or caught in fishermen’s nets.
*The Irazú volcano in Costa Rica sent panic through neighboring communities recently, as residents reported at least 9 tremors from the volcano during one 30 minute period.
*The U.S. has not even been exempt from the recent spate of earthquakes either. A 4.6-magnitude earthquake early Saturday morning off the northern California coast rattled residents in that region.
Things are getting crazy out there. In fact, I would not want to be living in California right about now. Scientists tell us that they are way overdue for a major earthquake.
But the truth is that there will be very few places that are totally safe before this is all over. People who think that they are safe because they live in the middle of the United States might want to check to make sure that they don’t live in the New Madrid fault zone. There are many scientists who believe that an absolutely massive earthquake will completely rip up that region one day.
Plus, anyone who lives on any coast in these days and times is at risk for a tsunami. The reality is that the earth is packed with major fault lines and volcanos and so the areas that are “completely safe” are very few and far between.
Unfortunately, it is likely that geological activity will continue to only get worse as we get even closer to the return of Yahshua.
But for those of us who know the Lord, this world is not our home. We belong to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and it is in Him that we will find our refuge.
