Earthquakes & Armageddon

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him.” (1 Thes 5:9-10 NIV)

God Has Not Destined Us for Wrath

Earthquakes are apocalyptic. Watching the news footage of Japan's magnitude 9.0 earthquake this week, I'm reminded once again how destructive nature can be. We watched in horror during Haiti's suffering in 2010, and then Chile and New Zealand received significant jolts.

Now, in 2011, we pray for the Japanese as survivors cling to life after a devastating tsunami has wiped out whole towns on their northeast coast.

Living in the Northwest on that dangerous Pacific "Ring of Fire," thoughts of earthquakes are never very far away. When tremors hit us here in the Seattle area, we wonder if it will be the “Big One” that seismologists have predicted for decades. At the beginning, no one knows if it’s going to be a 3.0 or a 7.0 magnitude, or worse. And we don’t know if it’s going to last for a few seconds or a few minutes.

Mid-morning on Feb. 28, 2001 my entire Bible study group dove nose first under our meeting table like a pod of harbor seals. We clung to its wheeled legs and each other as our church building swayed under the effects of a significant 6.8 magnitude quake. For 40 long seconds the floor was like liquid. We rolled back and forth atop the waves—eight shipwrecked lady sailors all tethered together for survival.

We dispersed quickly as soon as the tremors were over. At home, I found my husband as white as a sheet. He was up in the attic when the quake hit, he rode out the quake in X formation. Straddling his legs for balance, he hung on for dear life to two of the rafters above his head.

That experience was unnerving. But the damage from Seattle’s Nisqually quake was nothing like the horrifying scenario that has been unfolding in Japan.

Shadows of End Times Events

Every time a devastating natural disaster occurs, I wake up from my slumber and run to the Bible. Scripture is clear that God has promised to pour out his wrath toward sinners in a fearsome way during the end times.
In the Old Testament Isaiah says,

See, the day of the LORD is coming—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. (Isaiah 13:9-10 NIV)

In the New Testament, Jesus quotes from this same Isaiah passage and offers his own dire warning: “There will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Matt 24:21 NIV)

The Mother of All Quakes is Coming

The Book of Revelation prophesies that the “mother of all earthquakes” will be unleashed upon the earth during this terrible time.

Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city [Jerusalem] split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. (Rev 16:18-20 NIV)

God's Ultimate Search & Rescue Operation

It sounds dreadful! Theologians debate the sequence of various events, but we do know for certain that during the last days of history, Christians will be tested in severe ways (Matt 24:9-14). However, the very good news is that Christian believers will be spared or “saved” from the final phase of extreme wrath which Jesus and Isaiah warn about in above passages. The Apostle Paul assures the Thessalonians with these encouraging words:

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
(1 Thes 1:9-10 NIV. See also 1 Thes 5:9-10 & Rom 5:9.)

The Most Amazing Airlift Ever

Paul says that Jesus will return, and a glorious ascension of believers will occur. We will be raised from the earth to meet our Lord in the air before these calamitous wrath-filled events begin. Those who have passed away before this time will also be raised (1 Thes 4:16-17).

Keep Watch! And know what to look for...

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, our Lord Jesus admonishes believers to “keep watch” for His return. Since “no one knows the day or the hour,” Christians are responsible to know the signposts of our bridegroom’s impending arrival. One major signpost is mentioned in Matt 24:15 and
2 Thes 2:1-4. (What is it?)

How to Become a Christian

Are you a believer? The Bible is clear: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” However, “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:9)

Don't wait until it's too late. I urge you to confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today.

Related

1. Four Views on the Book of Revelation by Gundry & Pate (Zondervan). An understandable discussion of the four major theological positions.

2. Consider contributing $10 toward Christian relief efforts in Japan through Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse.

3. Visit Amydeanne's Word-Filled-Wednesday at The Internet Cafe and Angela's Women in the Word Wednesdays at Good Morning Girls for sweet fellowship and inspiration.

Photos: Official U.S. Air Force, inarges, Official U.S. Navy Imagery, xray10, bingisser (Flickr)



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