Earthquakes

            One of the questions that come to me fairly frequently is a question concerning earthquakes. People are aware that the Bible says something about earthquakes and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, but for the most part are not sure what these things mean. The passage that most focus on reads:

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

            When last I wrote on this subject it evoked some interesting responses that are important to the treatment of this issue as a prophetic sign. I had answered the question about earthquakes as a Daily Thought, since the individual who last posed the question is a reader of the Internet service. A number of positive responses occurred from the regular subscribers. One reader, Brandon Babineaux, who is active in ministry in Florida, was particularly encouraging and provided me some current information related to the topic. However this was not uniformly the case. Another Internet information provider carried that Daily Thought on their net. One of the respondents asked if I did not have anything better to do than to write such drivel?[1] This response serves to illustrate that we should not expect that everyone will be interested, concerned, or even tolerant of an inquiry into this or related subjects. The response also goes to show that for some people the value of this and any other portent of the Lord's return will be lost on them. So I would caution the interested inquirer consulting this page to not be discouraged from continuing to pursue understanding concerning this and related topics.

            Since there are always earthquakes and always have been earthquakes, people wonder how they could serve as a sign of the Lord's return? During a period of time in the late 1970's there was an increase of interest in prophetic preaching. One of the notable preachers of this period addressed the question in a number of sermons. He emphasized earthquakes, as a sign of the Lord's return, would have two unique characteristics; they would differ from past earthquake phenomena in magnitude and in frequency. Another who studied such things added a third factor. That is he expected earthquakes to occur in places where they had not occurred before in modern history.[2] I see no reason to disregard or disagree with the rational behind these opinions, but we do have to consider that there might yet appear some dimensions to earthquake activity as a sign that we have not anticipated.

            Earthquake phenomena have been said to have cycles by some scientists. If this is true, then we would not expect that the change in the earthquake pattern would follow some common cycle. Earthquakes following a common cycle of activity might mean that the impact of earthquakes as a sign would be lost on man. You might think that earthquake phenomena connected with the Lord's return should make people who study such things ask what is going on? In any case it is interesting to note that earthquake

phenomena, even that which is not great enough to make the news discussions, are now carried on the news information feed running along the bottom of television screens when watching the major television news networks. If there were not an increased general interest it is unlikely that the services would be carrying this data.

            There have been earthquake prophetic "scares" in the past. In the late 1970's a book written by two scientists that captured the world's attention into the 1980's. They wrote about an upcoming alignment of the planets that would likely cause tremendous gravitational forces to be exerted on the earth's crust. From this they theorized that a multitude of earthquakes would occur around the world, dormant volcanoes would again become active, and new ones would push up through the earth's crust.[1] When this did not occur with the first solar/planetary alignment, they decided that it would occur in a subsequent realignment that would occur not too long after the first. Today, both events have passed and for the most part so has the book passed from general memory. It is likely that, given the state of man's current scientific knowledge for increased earthquake activity to function as a sign, the reason for their occurrence should defy modern understanding. But this is a speculative opinion at best based on the knowledge that God does not share glory.

As we look at earthquakes as a sign, we should recognize that it is a preamble to more serious signs that will occur. This is part of the beginning of sorrows according to the text.. Prophetic preachers have never seemed to lose sight that the groaning of the earth has a parallel with the labors of childbirth. This is a principle laid down in the Scripture. All creation, including the very earth itself will be touched in the progress of events toward the return of the King of Kings and the Lord of Hosts.