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EARTHQUAKES
What
does the Bible say?
Will
there be a Super Quake?
by:
Pastor Max Solbrekken
 HISTORICAL
RECORDS SHOW EARTHQUAKES BECAME
MORE FREQUENT AND MUCH MORE INTENSE DURING
THE
20TH CENTURY
According to historical records,
earthquakes greatly escalated in intensity, frequency and geographical
diversity during the 20th Century!
Jesus Christ gave us a
comprehensive, flawless prophecy concerning end-time phenomena including war,
famines, pestilence and "earthquakes in divers places" in answer to His
disciples query "What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the
world"?
EARTHQUAKES
SPEAK FOR GOD, and have done so since the beginning of time; earthquakes
are a sign as well as a message from the Almighty to us all! Often, earthquakes
are a WAKE-UP CALL for us to repent & get right with God -earthquakes can
be a warning of impending judgment and a call to righteousness!
Number
of Earthquakes Worldwide
for 2000–2011
Magnitude Ranging
Between |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
| 8
- 9.9 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| 7
- 7.9 |
14 |
15 |
13 |
14 |
14 |
10 |
9 |
14 |
12 |
16 |
21 |
19 |
| 6
- 6.9 |
146 |
121 |
127 |
140 |
141 |
140 |
142 |
178 |
168 |
144 |
151 |
182 |
| 5
- 5.9 |
1344 |
1224 |
1201 |
1203 |
1515 |
1693 |
1712 |
2074 |
1768 |
1896 |
1963 |
2200 |
| Total |
1505 |
1361 |
1341 |
1358 |
1672 |
1844 |
1865 |
2270 |
1948 |
2057 |
2136 |
2401 |
THE FIRST
SCIENTIFICALLY MONITORED EARTHQUAKE
HAPPENED ON MAY 20, 526 AD
The FIRST scientifically
monitored earthquake
occurred at Antioch,
Syria on May 20, 526 AD and took the lives of 250,000 people. There is no
record of its magnitude, but it was certainly great to create so much havoc and
death!
Another powerful earthquake (9.0)
shook Shensi,
China on Jan. 24, 1556 claiming 830,000 lives and on Oct. 11, 1739,
Calcutta, India was rocked by a mammoth earthquake leaving 300,000 dead. Again,
we have no record of its magnitude!
The Lisbon
earthquake shaker claimed 20% of the population on Nov. 11, 1755 registering
8.6 on the Richter Scale and this horrific earthquake was felt many miles away
from its epicenter. 60,000 PEOPLE WERE KILLED!
Even though only 503 died in San
Francisco's April 18-19, 1906 earthquake, this earthquake registered 8.3
on the Richter Scale and much of the city was destroyed with $500 million in
damages! In 1989 another earthquake, known as the Loma
Prieta earthquake, measuring 6.9 on the richter scale hit San Francisco.
On Sept. 1, 1923 an 8.3 magnitude
earthquake took 200,000 lives in Yokohama,
Japan and another severe earthquake with the magnitude of 8.3 shook NanShan,
China on May 22, 1927. On Dec. 26, 1939, a unbelievable earthquake shook the earth again with great intensity
- 7.9 on Richter Scale - in Erzincan,
Turkey taking 30,000 lives.
In the 1950's &
1960's,
earthquakes were recorded in India,
Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran, Morocco, Chile, Yugoslavia and Alaska with
intensities as great as 8.7 and as low as 5.8. The Alaska earthquake occurred on
March 27, 1964 and took 131 lives.
On May 31, 1970 an earthquake
with the magnitude of 7.7 shook
Northern Peru and claimed 66,796 lives. The Feb. 4, 1976 quake in Guatemala
brought great destruction and death claiming 22,778 lives. It registered 7.5 on
the Richter Scale, and on July 26 of that same year, 242,000 people died in the
8.2 horrific killer quake that hit Tangahan, China.
In July 1976, the Tangshan
Earthquake also known as the Great Tangshan Earthquake. The Tangshan earthquake
is believed to be the largest earthquake
of the 20th century by death toll.
SOME RECENT
EARTHQUAKES
The Global Volcanism Network of
the Smithsonian Institute has provided us with the following information.
Earthquakes in 1993 & 1994
have struck Bolivia (8.2), Columbia (6.8), Indonesia (7.3), California (6.8),
Papau New Guinea (7.0), Mexico (7.2), Guam (8.0), Fiji (6.7) and Japan (7.0).
On June 15, 1999 central and
southern Mexico was struck by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake which killed a number
of people and injured hundreds more.
In August and September, 1999,
three powerful earthquakes hit Turkey (7.4), Greece (5.9) and Taiwan (7.6).
There was great loss of life and property in both Greece (Sept. 9) and Taiwan
(Aug. 17) while the earthquake in Western Turkey was responsible for the deaths
of upwards to 60,000 people!
And two strong earthquakes (6.0
and 5.3) hit Greece on May 24 and 26, 2000 but caused little or no damage or
injuries because their epicenters were located under the seabed, south of
Kalamata and northwest of Athens, respectively!
In India,
10,136 people, according to official estimates, were killed and hundreds of
thousands were rendered homeless when a tsunami
triggered by the 2004
Indian Ocean earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra hit the
southern peninsular coast on 26 December 2004. The earthquake registered 9.0 in
moment magnitude and was the biggest in five decades. This was followed by
strong aftershocks, including a 7.1 magnitude quake in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
HAITI
EARTHQUAKE - January 2010
In January 2010 the most horrific
earthquake hit HAITI on such a strong scale and 5-6 strong aftershocks followed
in the week after. HAITI has been devastated by this earthquake and to
this date, January 20, 2010 the death toll has reached over 100,000 people with
many other people still buried beneath the rubble and thousands of people not
accounted for.
JAPAN
EARTHQUAKE - March 11, 2011
The
earthquake that shook the
world in 2011 hit just off the
Pacific coat of Tohoku,
Japan. This super
earthquake is also known as
the 2011 Tohoku earthquake or
the Great East Japan
Earthquake.
The
2011 Japan earthquake was a
9.0 magnitude, that occurred
undersea on March 11,
2011. The Great East
Japan earthquake was the most
powerful earthquake ever known
to fit Japan and was one of
the five most powerful
earthquakes the world has ever
experienced, since official
record keeping of earthquakes
began in 1900.
The
earthquake in Japan was so
powerful that it triggered a
powerful tsunami that created
waves reaching in height as
high as 40 metres
(approximately 133 feet).
The
Japan earthquake was so strong
that it shifted the Earth on
its axis, in amounts estimated
to be between 4 inches and 10
inches.
The
Japan earthquake, the Great
East Japan earthquake caused
approximately 16,000 deaths,
with an additional 5800
injuries and approximately
3500 people reported
missing. The 2011 Japan
earthquake has been named the
most expensive natural
disaster in world history.
In the list of signs pointing to
Jesus Christ’s soon return - given by Jesus Christ Himself - listed is
earthquakes occurring in many diverse places! As you can see by World Almanac
statistics which we have included in this article, EARTHQUAKES are increasing in
magnitude, intensity & varied geographical locations across our troubled
world!
For years, all eyes were on the
expected Super Quake which has been predicted to occur along California’s
fault lines. And earthquake watchers are continuing to keep a close eye on Los
Angeles, San Francisco & other cities in California!
The focus of the earthquake
watchers, however, has shifted somewhat recently and informed minds are saying
that the next 'Big One' or superquake could be in Tokyo or another city in
Japan!
On December 28, 1974 an
earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 literally shook Northern Japan - about 95
miles from the nearest city - with very little damage or loss of life due to its
isolated location. In 1994, several strong tremors - 6.5 to 8.0 on the Richter
Scale - occurred in ocean regions surrounding Japan.
Earthquake watchers (experts) are
fearful that a large earthquake may strike Tokyo in the near future. If an
earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 occurs in the Tokyo area, because of the
geographical structure of the ground, Tokyo would literally sink, burying
millions in the wake of its power!
On January 17, 1995 an earthquake
with a magnitude of 7.2 struck the Kobe area in Southern Japan with thousands
killed & wounded. News sources stated that it was the most powerful
earthquake to happen during the past 50 years!
Going back to July 28, 1976,
'History's Most Disastrous Earthquake' struck Tang Shan, China. The grim
facts from the Tang Shan earthquake are that 242,000 died and hundreds of
thousands were injured. According to an Associated Press report, Jan. 17, 1995:
a total of 800,000 fatalities (and possibly as many as 1 million) occurred at
the time of the earthquake and as a result of injuries incurred!
WHAT KIND OF A
MESSAGE ARE THESE EARTHQUAKES
SENDING US?
An in-depth study of
God's Word
confirms that Satan is the "Prince of the Power of the Air", and can
engineer catastrophic events to bring about his evil work of death, destruction
& confusion - like in the case of Job's children being killed by a 'devil engineered
storm'.
Earthquakes however, have been
used by the Lord to convey a message to a wicked society that they must repent
& turn around!
HERE ARE SOME CLASSIC ACCOUNTS OF
GOD SPEAKING TO US THROUGH EARTHQUAKES & WHY:
God manifests His greatness,
power & glory in the earthquake. Man is brought low when God shakes the
earth. God speaks through the earthquake and His message brings man to his
knees!
NO. 1 - ON MOUNT
SINAI!
"And mount Sinai was altogether
on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof
ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly."
(Exodus. 19:18)
"See that ye refuse not Him
that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much
more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from
heaven."
(Hebrews 12:25)
"The earth shook, the heavens
also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence
of God, the God of Israel." (Psalms 68:8)
God revealed His holy presence on
Mt. Sinai through thunder, lightning, a cloud and the loud voice of the trumpet
that continued growing louder as smoke came from the mount as a great furnace
& THE ENTIRE MOUNTAIN QUAKED GREATLY. Man was brought to his knees &
convicted of his wickedness as God issued His Ten Commandments. God is holy and
we must not forget that!
NO. 2 - ON MOUNT
CALVARY!
"And, behold, the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake,
and the rocks rent; Now when the centurion, and they that were with him,
watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared
greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:51,54)
An EARTHQUAKE made the earth
tremble & shake at the moment of Jesus' death on Golgotha. Three hours of
darkness covered the earth just prior to His death during which time God judged
His Son because of our sin. When Jesus cried, "It is finished", salvation
was complete and the "fountain was opened" for sin & uncleanness.
(Zechariah 13:1)
When Jesus Christ died on
Golgotha's hill for our sins, the veil in the temple was rent in twain - from
the top to the bottom - thus proclaiming that the death of Jesus had effectively
REMOVED THE BARRIER BETWEEN GOD AND MAN. No more priests or high priests
mediating between God and sinner would be needed. Jesus Christ Himself became
the mediator between God and sinning humanity!
GOD SENT THE EARTHQUAKE as a
message to sinning mankind that the "Man on the Middle Cross" was none other
than God the Son, Who at that moment was reconciling the world to Himself
through His efficacious and substitutionary death!
NO. 3 - AT THE
RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST!
"In the end of the Sabbath, as
it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary to see the sepulcher. And, behold, THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE: for
the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone
from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and His
raiment white as snow: And for fear of Him the keepers did shake, and became as
dead men." (Matthew 28:1-4)
When the angel of the Lord
appeared at the tomb of Jesus, the guards who were standing watch, fell like
dead men! God sent an EARTHQUAKE simultaneously, which made the earth to shake.
The guards were overcome by the awesome presence of God's messengers. An angel
rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
When the believing women arrived,
the angel said, "Fear not for I know you seek Jesus, which was crucified. He
is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord
lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the
dead..."
(Matthew 28:5-7)
The Bible declares that Jesus
Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit
of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead". (Romans 1:4)
God sent His holy angel with a
shattering earthquake to impact the world both physically and spiritually at the
resurrection of Jesus Christ!
NO. 4 - AT AN
APOSTOLIC PRAYER MEETING!
"And now, Lord, behold their
threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak
Thy word, By stretching forth Thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may
be done by the name of Thy holy child Jesus."
"And when they had prayed, the
place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled
with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." (Acts
4:29-31)
Jesus is the head of the Church
and knows how to encourage His people. The disciples who were forbidden to speak
or to teach in His Name, "went to their own company" of believers and
repeated the threats which the chief priests and elders had made.
As they prayed, the Holy Ghost
fell upon them and God sent an EARTHQUAKE to shake the place, demonstrating His
all-power! They were filled with Holy Spirit
power, and instead of being intimidated they were "bold as lions"!
NO. 5 - FREEING
PAUL & SILAS FROM PRISON!
"And at midnight Paul and Silas
prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."
"And suddenly there was a GREAT
EARTHQUAKE, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately
all the doors were opened, and every one’s hands were loosed."
"And the keeper of the prison
awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his
sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been
fled." (Acts 16:25-27)
God also knows how to surprise
His people. He used an earthquake to free His servants, Paul & Silas!
As these men of God - who had
been beaten and chained - began praying & singing praises to God, suddenly
He came onto the scene in mighty power!
An EARTHQUAKE shook the prison.
The doors were opened and "everyone's hands were loosed".
This great exhibition of God's
power resulted in the conversion of the jailer and his family. And Paul &
Silas' release from prison!
NO. 6 - AS A SIGN
OF COMING OF CHRIST AND END OF AGE!
"For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew 24:7)
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles:
these are the beginnings of sorrows." (Mark 13:8)
"And great earthquakes shall be
in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great
signs shall there be from heaven." (Luke 21:11)
God is showing His mighty power
in this end time age and will continue to do so in even a more dramatic way than
He has in the past.
Jesus declared that EARTHQUAKES
would be one of the outstanding signs of His Second Coming and God’s judgment
upon this wicked world.
Some of the other signs He gave
are wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, backsliding and persecution, as
well as mighty revivals across the world! God alone is to be exalted! Man
must recognize this and come before His All Powerful Presence in humility,
repentance and faith!
NO. 7 - OPENING
OF SIXTH SEAL!
"And I beheld when he had
opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a GREAT EARTHQUAKE; and the sun became
black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood."
"And the stars of heaven fell
unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken
of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."
"And the kings of the earth,
and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men,
and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the
rocks of the mountains;"
"And said to the mountains and
rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:12-17)
Wondrous and apocalyptic
phenomena will accompany the opening of the sixth seal. The sun will be
darkened, the moon will turn to blood, stars will fall from the heavens, the sky
will roll away like a scroll.
There will be a GREAT EARTHQUAKE
and every mountain & island will be moved out of their places. WHAT A
WARNING TO PUNY MANKIND! God will bear His mighty arm and
His great wrath will be poured out upon Christ rejecters and God haters, during
the awful 'Great Tribulation' period!
NO. 8 - BEFORE
THE SEVEN ANGELS SOUND THEIR TRUMPETS
"And the angel took the censer,
and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were
voices, and thunderings, and lightning's, and an earthquake." (Revelation 8:5)
As the seven angels prepare to
sound their trumpets, an angel will take a censer which is filled with fire from
off the holy altar of God and cast it upon the earth.
There will be voices, thunderings,
lightnings and an EARTHQUAKE! This will happen just prior to God's Final
Judgments falling upon the earth. And when the seventh angel sounds his trumpets
there will be lightning's, voices, thunderings, great hail & another
earthquake!
"And the temple of God was
opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament; and
there were lightning's, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and
great hail." (Revelation 11:19)
NO. 9 - WHEN TWO
WITNESSES ASCEND!
"And the same hour was there a
great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake
were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave
glory to the God of heaven." (Revelation 11:13)
There will be a great EARTHQUAKE
when the two tribulation witnesses - who shall be slain - will rise from the
dead and ascend up to Heaven in a cloud!
This will happen at the close of
the 'seven years of Great Tribulation'. One tenth of the city will be
destroyed and 7000 men will die. God is the great judge and recompenses just
judgment for iniquity!
NO. 10 - THE
GREAT EARTHQUAKE AT SEVENTH SEAL!
"And the seventh angel poured
out his vial into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of
heaven, from the throne, saying, IT IS DONE. And there were voices, and
thunders, and lightning's; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not
since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great."
"And the great city was divided
into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in
remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness
of his wrath."
"And every island fled away,
and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of
heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because
of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great."
(Revelation 16:17-21)
WHEN THIS GREAT EARTHQUAKE SHAKES
THE WORLD, THE CITIES OF THE NATIONS WILL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED, EVERY ISLAND
WILL VANISH, THE MOUNTAINS WILL DISAPPEAR AND GREAT HAILSTONES WILL FALL FROM
HEAVEN, AS GOD POURS OUT HIS WRATH!
Without doubt, the Coming of the
Lord draweth nigh and earthquakes are another SIGN pointing to His nearness.
This corrupt, immoral, perverted, unjust & evil world will one day receive
her just rewards!
Satan, the false prophet and the
anti-Christ will all be judged and damned forever along with those who have
believed their lies!
The
many recent earthquakes, which
are growing in intensity and
death tolls, are creating
panic and fear across the
world.
Examples
of these disasters are
the (June 6, 2000)
magnitude 7.9 quake that rattled Sumatra, Indonesia, leaving dozens dead and
thousands homeless, the Haiti earthquake in January 2010, that devastated Haiti
and killed over 100,000
people, and most recently the
horrific Japan earthquake of
March 11, 2011 that is
recorded as one of the 5 most
powerful earthquakes ever
recorded.
As
the world is rocked again and
again with these horrible
disasters, one can hardly deny
that God's Word is flawless and
prophecy is being fulfilled to the letter!
WITHOUT DOUBT, JESUS IS COMING
SOON!
It behooves us all to make doubly
sure that we have our "wedding garments on" and that we are ready for the
"Marriage Supper of the
Lamb"! You may ask as did the Philippian
jailer, "What must I do to be saved?"
My answer is their answer:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (as your personal Savior) and thou shall be
saved". (Acts 16:31). May the Lord Bless you, my Friend
!
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