The Saviour said, almost nineteen hundred years ago, “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. Matthew, in chapter 24:7, and Mark, in chapter 13:8, report the same prediction of the Master, in substantially the same words. They tell of the great earthquakes that will visit divers places.
Previous to the time of Christ, there are records of but very few earthquakes. Amos speaks of an earthquake that occurred during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah, and while Jeroboam was king in Israel. See Amos 1:1. This quake must have occurred about 800 B. C. Zechariah, who prophesied several centuries later than Amos, also speaks of this earthquake. See Zech. 14:5. It would seem, from these statements of Amos and Zechariah, that earthquakes were so unusual in the days before Christ, as to be commented on for centuries after their occurrence.
But the Master makes the bold announcement that “there shall be earthquakes in divers places.” And not only will there be earthquakes, but there will be “great” earthquakes.
On another page in this issue, the reader will find a tabulated list of the “destructive” earthquakes that have occurred during the centuries of the Christian era. It must be borne in mind that this list does not include all the tremblings of the earth, but refers only to those quakes which have produced destruction of sufficient dimensions to be worthy of special note. We would call attention to the fact, also, that these figures are furnished by an organization that stands without a peer from the standpoint of reliability. There is no higher scientific authority recognized to-day than the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
The Master does not specifically say that the earth quakes will increase as the centuries go by. His statement is that there will be “great earthquakes,” and that they will be “in divers places.”
It is interesting to note, however, that in the first ten years of the nineteenth century, there were eighty destructive earthquakes, though it took almost all of the first six centuries to give us that number. And if we take the seventh and the ninth decade of the nineteenth century, we will find that we had more destructive earthquakes in each of those periods than occurred in the first eleven centuries of the Christian era.
When we come to the figures for the first ten years of the twentieth century, it will be observed that they are on a different basis from the others. The eighty-six earthquakes of that particular decade were felt through as much territory as all of Europe and Asia, or else through the entire world.
Earthquake Instruments
Let it be granted that modern instruments will detect earthquakes which otherwise men would not recognize. Let it also be granted that modern facilities will record and report earthquakes that previously might not have been taken into account. The question of their frequency is not emphasized. It is not even mentioned in the prediction of the Master. He said that there would be “great earthquakes,” and that they would be “in divers places.” Let us emphasize the actual statements made in the prediction, and then let us closely observe the facts.
Standing in a time when earthquakes had been but few, the Master says that they shall be “in divers places,” indicating that they would be all over the world. Examine the list as it appears on the accompanying page. You will see that earthquakes have visited the various portions of every continent of the globe. They have visited the islands of the sea. They have even shaken the sea itself. They have indeed been “in divers places.”
They Stand as Signs
As is shown in the context, the Master’s predictions concerning the “great earthquakes” that should be “in divers places” came as a part of His reply to the important question asked by His disciples, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matt. 24:3. It should go without question, that since these rockings of our planet are designed by the Creator as a “sign,” we may be sure that along with the disturbances of earth there will come the conviction upon the heart of each individual, that supernatural forces are working.
This conviction is pressed upon the heart by the Spirit of the living God. Says the prophet: “When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord.” Isa. 26: 9, 10.
STREET SCENE, VALPARAISO EARTHQUAKE
Men become so absorbed in wickedness, that nothing can arouse them but the judgments of God. And one of the peculiar things in connection with earthquakes, whether they occur in civilized lands or among the most ignorant and superstitious people, is that there is always a sense of awe, a feeling of the infinite, that grips the soul, and causes the individual to recognize that a great les son is being forced upon him by the trembling of the earth underneath his feet.
Men may controvert this. They may seek to laugh it off. After the danger is past, they may even jeer at death. But nevertheless, there stands the conviction impressed upon the soul by the manifest workings of almighty power.
When men are left to themselves, the tendency is, in the majority of instances, for them to plunge deeper and deeper into the riotous pleasures that degenerate and degrade the soul. God could not be true to Himself and the principles of righteousness, unless He did continually wage a strong controversy against evil and wickedness, even, if necessary, by terrible judgments.
“The Lord Hath a Controversy”
“A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.” Jer. 25: 31-33.
The prophet Hosea calls to us: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor763knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.” Hosea 4: 1, 2.
“The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land,” because of their wickedness. Many who are aroused to a realization of their true condition through the mighty judgments of God, will reform, and learn the ways of righteousness and of salvation. God, to be true to Himself, must seek for these, even, if need be, through the mighty judgments that He visits upon the earth to show that He is still God, and that His power is able to do terrible things. Rather than allow a single soul to become stupefied through sin, and fail of everlasting life, He will cause the pillars of heaven to tremble, and remove the earth out of its place.
The Last Great Earthquake
In the sublime apocalyptic visions that John had on Patmos, there are at least four references to the earthquakes that will come in connection with the closing scenes of time. One of the most striking and one of the last of these references is in the following words:
“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 lightnings; 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 into 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.” Rev. 16: 17-21.
When the Lord finally stands up, in the majesty of Omnipotence, to make His mighty protest against the sins and oppressions of the world, through declaring His righteousness from the heavens, we read these words: “The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkdarkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne. A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory.” Ps. 97: 1-6.
There are various theories as to the cause of earthquakes; but these theories should not be allowed to cover up in our minds the great truth of the Saviour’s prediction, and of the predictions of the inspired prophets. We should place these predictions side by side with the facts, and recognize that God has a controversy with the wicked inhabitants of the earth; recognize the fact that the Master said there would be “great earthquakes” “in divers places.” They will be given as “signs” of the power of God, and as “signs” of the end of all earthly things, which is so rapidly approaching.
No Need of Fear
The climax is almost reached. The second coming of Christ is almost here. The prophecies are abundant which show it; and this concerning earthquakes is only one of many voices that proclaim from the prophetic Word that the end of all things earthly and sinful is at hand, that the great day of the final triumph of righteousness is almost here, that the Lord’s coming is a near event in the program of this world’s history.
If the predictions that may be found in the sacred volume, concerning earthquakes and other calamities, fill us with terror, it is because we have not become acquainted with the Christ of the Bible, and have not learned to trust in His mighty promises. If we have learned to trust in Him, we stand among those who are saying: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.” Ps. 46: 1-5.
