Frightening as these events are, we know from the Bible that earthquakes won't end soon.
Earthquakes! They're frightening events. Having lived in Southern California for fifteen years, I well remember more than one of these terrifying seismic occurrences, and how it felt to be in the middle of one.
Last Saturday February 27, we woke up to news of an earthquake in South America, centered some 70 miles from Chile's second-largest city. Reckoned to be about 500 times as powerful as the Haiti earthquake of January 12, this one did huge damage to Chile and other Pacific rim countries, with buildings, roads and bridges destroyed and tsunami warnings issued for places as far away as Hawaii, Japan, and the west coast of the United States.
The epicenter of the Chilean earthquake was some 22 miles below the surface of the ocean, while that of the Haiti earthquake was just six miles below. Yet, because of the poverty of the nation, Haiti suffered far worse fatalities than Chile, with over 200,000 dead, compared to about 800 in Chile.
Having travelled to Chile several times, and having many friends there, I began to work the Internet networks for news of how everyone was. All things considered, my friends had fared better than might have been expected: some who live in Concepcion, Chile, lost their homes, but their lives were intact, and they weren't injured. Those who live in Santiago, the bustling capital city, were impacted by building damage and some power outages; but again, they fared surprisingly well.
Frightening as these events are, we know from the Bible that earthquakes won't end soon. In His Olivet prophecy, Jesus told His disciples that the last days would be marked by "earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:7, NIV). We've seen some of this come to pass already, with seismic events in unexpected locations, at times far from major fault lines. And the Book of Revelation tells us that one of the major events preceding the return of Jesus Christ will be a great earthquake. That earthquake, stronger than any experienced till now, will be accompanied by cosmic disturbances, with a darkening of the sun, the moon's coloration turning red, and meteor showers (Revelation 6:12-14).
Yet this worldwide catastrophe will precede the greatest event in human history: the return of Jesus Christ, and the establishing of the government of God over this world. Once the millennium begins, earthquakes and the fear of them will end.
Earthquakes! They're frightening events. Having lived in Southern California for fifteen years, I well remember more than one of these terrifying seismic occurrences, and how it felt to be in the middle of one.
Last Saturday February 27, we woke up to news of an earthquake in South America, centered some 70 miles from Chile's second-largest city. Reckoned to be about 500 times as powerful as the Haiti earthquake of January 12, this one did huge damage to Chile and other Pacific rim countries, with buildings, roads and bridges destroyed and tsunami warnings issued for places as far away as Hawaii, Japan, and the west coast of the United States.
The epicenter of the Chilean earthquake was some 22 miles below the surface of the ocean, while that of the Haiti earthquake was just six miles below. Yet, because of the poverty of the nation, Haiti suffered far worse fatalities than Chile, with over 200,000 dead, compared to about 800 in Chile.
Having travelled to Chile several times, and having many friends there, I began to work the Internet networks for news of how everyone was. All things considered, my friends had fared better than might have been expected: some who live in Concepcion, Chile, lost their homes, but their lives were intact, and they weren't injured. Those who live in Santiago, the bustling capital city, were impacted by building damage and some power outages; but again, they fared surprisingly well.
Frightening as these events are, we know from the Bible that earthquakes won't end soon. In His Olivet prophecy, Jesus told His disciples that the last days would be marked by "earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:7, NIV). We've seen some of this come to pass already, with seismic events in unexpected locations, at times far from major fault lines. And the Book of Revelation tells us that one of the major events preceding the return of Jesus Christ will be a great earthquake. That earthquake, stronger than any experienced till now, will be accompanied by cosmic disturbances, with a darkening of the sun, the moon's coloration turning red, and meteor showers (Revelation 6:12-14).
Yet this worldwide catastrophe will precede the greatest event in human history: the return of Jesus Christ, and the establishing of the government of God over this world. Once the millennium begins, earthquakes and the fear of them will end.
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