Earthquakes

Earthquakes happen with great frequency in certain areas of the world. They happen when tectonic plates inside the earth collide against each other or rub underneath each other. California, Japan and Alaska are some of the best-known areas for earthquake occurrences since they lie in an area around the Pacific Ocean known as the “Ring of Fire” on account of the many volcanoes in this region as well as the earthquakes. The destruction that occurs from these events can be massive, as demonstrated by the hundreds of people who died in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the fire that followed it.  Other events have occurred in Turkey, Italy and Iran in recent years.  These events have existed since Biblical times. One of the ways that God spoke to Elijah after the contest on Mount Carmel was in an earthquake. Amos prophesied “two years before the earthquake”, although we don’t know which one it was (Amos 1:1). There was an earthquake after Jesus’s death that split the veil of the temple in two and caused bodies to come out of graves and back to life briefly (Matthew 27:51-53).  Christ’s first coming was an earthquake in a certain manner of speaking. He came at a time when not very many people were looking for Him. He came to jolt the church to a better spiritual state. “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea and dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:6,7). The ground has been unstable since the fall of man into sin and will continue to be that way till the end of the world. These events will continue to increase in frequency and severity. Jesus says that one of the signs of the end times will be “…earthquakes in divers places” (Matthew 24:7b). We see this occurring today yet. As this world grows worse and worse, we look forward to Christ coming again in all His glory to judge the wicked in this world and to bring us His people to glory. This coming too will be with the suddenness of an earthquake because few will be watching and looking for Him. May God grant us the grace to look forward to that day and watch for it longingly!

Kevin Rau