What Earthquakes, Cyclones, Fires, and Floods Mean to the Student of Prophecy
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What Earthquakes, Cyclones, Fires, and Floods Mean to the Student of Prophecy
By E. HILLIARD
The Lord has not left us in darkness concerning the times in which we are living, nor in perplexity relative to impending events. Through ancient and modern seers he has informed us that we are, even now, in perilous times, and that perils will increase until they culminate in that great earthquake, foretold by the seer of Patmos, in which the cities of the nations will be shaken down and the earth made desolate at the presence of the Lord. “For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate.” Rev. 16: 18, 19; Jer. 4: 26, 27. An excerpt taken from an article by the late Mrs. E. G. White, published in the Signs of the Times, April 21, 1890, sheds light on the terrible disasters that are now taking place. It appears that in view of coming events a great burden for our young people rested at that time upon God’s humble messenger, as it did also in her last illness. The statement referred to reads as follows:— “The Christian’s hope is an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast, and entereth into that which is within the veil, whither Christ the forerunner is for us entered. We have an individual work to do to prepare for the great events that are before us. “The youth should seek God more earnestly. The tempest is coming, and we must get ready for its fury, by having repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord will arise to shake terribly the earth. We shall see troubles on all sides. Thousands of ships will be hurled into the depths of the sea. Navies will go down, and human lives will be sacrificed by millions. Fires will break out unexpectedly, and no human effort will be able to quench them. The palaces of earth will be swept away in the fury of the flames. Disasters by rail will become more and more frequent; confusion, collision, and death without a moment’s warning will occur on the great lines of travel. The end is near, probation is closing. Oh, let us seek God while he may be found, call upon him while he is near! The prophet says, ‘Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.’” The year 1902 was designated by the Chicago Tribune of December 29 of that year, as the volcanic and earthquake year. This was twelve years after the preceding quotation was published. The eruption of Mt. Pelee and Mt. Suffriere laid the country for miles around in ashes, and destroyed 45,600 lives. During this noted year, 53,225 were victims of volcanic fury. To this number must be added 27,624 who perished in cyclones, typhoons, floods, and fires, and in other disturbances of nature, which increases the death list to 80,849. This is the number reported, but the real number must have been greater. There has been a steady increase in the loss of life and the destruction of property from the notable year 1902 to the present year. On June 15, 1904, the steamer “General Slocum” caught fire in the East River, and before she could be beached on North Brother Island, upward of 1,000 excursionists lost their lives. While making her maiden voyage across the Atlantic, the “Titanic,” at that time the largest ship in the world, struck an iceberg off the Newfoundland Banks on April 14, 1912. Of her crew and passengers 1,595 found a watery grave. On May 29, 1914, the “Empress of Ireland” sank in twenty minutes, off Father Point, in the St. Lawrence River, after colliding with the collier “Storstad.” In this wreck 1,024 persons perished. When the steamship “Lusitania” was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine, on May 7, 1915, 1,100 lost their lives. And now the terrible disaster to the “Eastland,” in Chicago River, adds more than 1,000 victims to the death list who perished “without a moment’s warning.” We need not look for a decrease of these calamities. “Disasters by rail, will become more and more frequent; confusion, collision, and death without a moment’s warning will occur on the great lines of travel.” Let us, young and old, heed the warning to seek the Lord earnestly while he may be found.