Dundee:
Registered Scottish Charity Number SC0004049
Bible Talks
Bible based talks taking place on the 12th of September:
| Subject | Location |
|---|---|
| God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit | Dundee |
| The Disciples Believed in the Resurrection - Do You | Glasgow Central |
Christadelphians
in Scotland
Earthquakes
In the News
Ask me what sticks in my mind from the news in September and this will be my answer, “Earthquakes".
At the beginning of the month, there as a quake in Java, magnitude 7 that claimed lives. Then just as the month came to an end, on successive days there were two more powerful earthquakes that hit Samoa (7.8Mw) and Sumatra (7.6Mw)1. Sadly, many hundreds of people were killed and thousands made homeless.
These events remind us of the awesome power that is bound up in the natural world, forces that we are not able to contain. Mankind tries to get on with life, recovering from the chaotic aftermath and trying to find more and better ways of reducing the damage caused by such events.
Other Lessons
For those not involved in the civil engineering and construction industries, or in the emergency services organisations, are there lessons that can be taken from earthquakes? I put it to you that the answer is, “Yes.”
Consider the message from Jesus to his disciples:
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Luke 21:9-11 (KJV)
We learn that the end of an era will come at a time when many things prevail: earthquakes – which we do see today in many different places – are but one of these pointers. This end of an era will be marked by God’s judgements on the world (read the rest of Luke 21). We will come back to that that towards the end of our article - what could god’s intervention mean for you and me?
Earlier Warning
Even before the time of Jesus, the Bible contains references to God’s future judgements in language that is consistent with earthquakes. Consider this passage from the book of Isaiah who lived more than 700 years before the time of Jesus:
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Isa 2:19 (KJV)
Doom and Gloom – or Hope?
You might be thinking that the subject of earthquakes in the Bible is one of doom and gloom. The opposite is true. There is a set of three earthquakes in the Bible that emphasize that there is a message of hope for us. The first is recorded as occurring at the death of Jesus:
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 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;
Matthew 27:50-51 (KJV)
The second, underlining the significance of the event, is at the resurrection of Jesus. He had died without having sinned, and for this reason we are told elsewhere that the ‘grave could not hold him’.
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 sepulchre. 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.
Matthew 28:1-2 (KJV)
The final reference is to an earthquake that signals the return of Jesus to the world.
Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Zechariah 14:3-4 (KJV)
What Next?
The end of Zechariah 14 paints a picture of a world united under the rulership of Jesus Christ in God’s Kingdom on Earth.
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Zechariah 14:9-11 (KJV)
Note how these verses also speak of change to the physical landscape – “…land…turned as a plain…it shall be lifted up”. Today, it is accepted that the area spoken of (the Jordan Rift Valley) is due a major earthquake2.
Afraid?
Should we be afraid? Jesus said, “No.” We can take warning and have confidence if we believe in him the message of God’s word, the Bible.
And there shall be signs …Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken… And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luke 21:25-28 (KJV)
So when we learn of earthquakes, we must not just consider the catastrophes, but be reminded that Jesus lived a perfect life, died (that we might have hope of life), was raised to life and will return to the earth to establish God’s Kingdom. Soon.
1. Data taken 22 Oct 2009 from http://www.earthquakes.bgs.ac.uk/recent_events/world_special/alert_info_world.htm
2. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3459638,00.html