Category: earthquakes

Posted in earthquakes, prophecy

Update to earthquake post: major quakes keep coming

Posted on by elizabethprata

On November 11, I posted an essay remarking on the frequency of major earthquakes since the election in the United States. I am not saying that the US drives prophecy. We are a puny nation in the scheme of things. I personally believe that the election went the way the LORD wanted it to go. He raises up kings and deposes kings. (Daniel 2:21). That Obama re-elected  means we as a nation were allowed to pursue unrighteousness, and are in fact under judgment (Romans 1).

But sin has consequences. Our national sin is great, as is most nations’ at this apostate and sinful time of the end. God shakes nations to get their attention.

According to the United States Geological Survey, a major quake is listed at anything above 6.0. They list these quakes in red on their earthquake page.

I’d noted that each year since 2009, the annual average expected for earthquakes in each category of magnitude from 5.0 to 9.0 had been exceeded. I can’t compare 2012 because the year isn’t ended yet- but I did look at the running total to see where we stood.

8.0-9.9 : 2
7.0-7.9 : 12
6.0-6.9 : 102
5.0-5.9 : 1336
The red means that category has exceeded USGS standard annual number for that magnitude quake in a year. The annual average number of quakes in the 6.0 range per year is 134. For the 7.0 range it is 15.

Of the 6.0-6.9 magnitudes, I’d said,

“Anyone have an idea that the two categories that haven’t met or exceeded the USGS annual average will be making up for lost time in the next few weeks? I do, if the last couple of days are any indication.”

And that has proved to be true.

I left off in the essay of Nov. 11 with the 6.5 in Offshore Guatemala. Since then, there have been six more:

Nov. 12: 6.4 GULF OF ALASKA
Nov. 13: 6.0 OFF THE COAST OF AISEN, CHILE
Nov. 14: 6.1 COQUIMBO, CHILE
Nov. 15: 6.0 GUERRERO, MEXICO
Nov. 16: 6.4 KURIL ISLANDS
Nov. 17: 6.1 TONGA REGION

Bringing the total to 108 major quakes in the 6.0-6.0 range. Each day in the last 12 days (except for the 9th) there has been a major quake of 6.0 magnitude or higher.

I just wanted to  update the quake list, as something to do that involves facts and numbers to get my mind off the suffering of Israel right now. And also because I think it is pretty interesting. I do not think we will end the year without meeting or exceeding the earthquake averages once again. That would make 4 years in a row that there have been more earthquakes in every category, and eleven years of exceeding the USGS average number of earthquakes per year in at least one category.

Posted in earthquakes, judgment, prophecy

Major earthquakes since the election: God is shaking the nations

Posted on by elizabethprata

UPDATE: I posted an update to this essay here, updating the total of major earthquakes since the election.

Not that the US election is a global prophetic barometer, in fact, Israel is the only nation where we can confidently say that, but the US is one indicator of the depths of perversity and depravity that a nation of 300 million souls has sunk to. In addition, the major prophetic focal point, Israel, is being hit with rockets in the south, and attacked from the north… So, let’s look at how the Lord is shaking the nations. Just sayin’–

Nov 7- 7.4 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
Nov 8- 6.3 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
Nov 11-6.8 MYANMAR
Nov 11-6.5 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA

There have been 18 aftershock quakes at Guatemala in the last 6 days above 4.3 in addition to the two major quakes.

There have been 6 large quakes at Myanmar today, formerly Burma, including the major 6.8.
5.6 / 5.8. / 5.0 / 5.6/  5.0 / 6.8

There was the strong (for the region) 4.3 quake at Kentucky followed by a 2.5 (New Madrid?).

The USGS has annual averages for each sized magnitude of quake.

As far as previous years go, we note that as of year end 2011, it was the third consecutive year that quakes in each of the categories from magnitude 5.0 to 9.0 have exceeded annual averages. Statistically there is no doubt there are more earthquakes.

Let’s get a thumbnail of how 21012 is stacking up– I usually do a year-end statistical analysis of how many quakes there have been in each year and compare that to the previous nine years against the USGS annual benchmark. It isn’t the end of the year yet, so it wouldn’t be statistically reliable to do an apples to apples comparison until Dec 31, but here is a roundup of how many large quakes there have been so far with 6 weeks to go in the year 2012.

8.0-9.9 : 2
7.0-7.9 : 12
6.0-6.9 : 102
5.0-5.9 : 1336

The USGS search didn’t have in its database the three 6.0-plus quakes that have happened in the last few days, so I added those in. Anyone have an idea that the two categories that haven’t met or exceeded the USGS annual average will be making up for lost time in the next few weeks? I do, if the last few days are any indication.

The writer of Hebrews said,

“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”” (Hebrews 12:26).

This verse is referring back to Haggai 2:6, and Barnes Notes explains, “The words here quoted are taken from Haggai 2:6, where they refer to the changes which would take place under the Messiah. The meaning is, that there would be great revolutions in his coming, as if the universe were shaken to its center. The apostle evidently applies this passage as it is done in Haggai, to the first advent of the Redeemer.”

Both the first advent of Jesus and the second advent of Jesus will shake the nations. However, the second advent will shake the heavens too.

The shaking of the earth here evidently refers to the commotions among the nations that would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Listen, people. God is going to come in terrifying judgment. Revelation 6:13 says when the sixth seal is opened, a great shaking will occur in the universe- “and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.”

Matthew 24:29 is a parallel, “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

The earthquakes are the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy where Jesus said “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:7.)

The earthquakes are the warning sign. of the shaking judgment to come. This judgment has been given to JESUS.

“The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,” (John 5:22)

If you believe on Jesus’ name, you will be His friend and not His enemy to be judged. Here is how to be saved from that judgment!

 God’s Simple Plan of Salvation

Posted in earthquakes, new madrid seismic zone

New Madrid Fault: facts and speculations

Posted on by elizabethprata

Most people are familiar with the San Andreas fault, the zipline running north to south in California, and is the catalyst for some of this country’s biggest quakes. And when a nearly 6.0 quake hit Washington DC last year, people woke up to the fact that the east coast has a fault line too.

But even more people do not know about the United States’ biggest quake threat, and that is the New Madrid fault. (Pronounced MAD’rud).

I wrote about the New Madrid in 2010, when the quake swarm in Guy, Arkansas began, freaking people out. It seemed impossible that ‘the middle’ of the US could be subject to seismic movements, and at that time there was little known to the general populace about this fault.

Michael T. Snyder wrote about the New Madrid in 2011, asking the question, “Is The New Madrid Fault Earthquake Zone Coming To Life?“

He provided the following facts about this large seismic zone in the middle of the United States:

“The New Madrid fault zone is six times bigger than the San Andreas fault zone in California and it covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. The biggest earthquakes in the history of the United States were caused by the New Madrid fault. Now there are fears that the New Madrid fault zone could be coming to life again, and if a “killer earthquake” does strike it could change all of our lives forever.”

He asked the question in that way, ‘coming to life’ because the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) has been active before. Very much so. Snyder wrote-

“About 200 years ago, in 1811 and 1812, there were four earthquakes that were so powerful in the area of the New Madrid fault zone that they are still talked about today. All four of the quakes were estimated to have been magnitude-7.0 or greater. It is said that those earthquakes opened deep fissures in the ground, caused the Mississippi River to run backwards and that they were felt as far away as Boston. The last major earthquake to hit the region was a 5.4-magnitude quake that struck the town of Dale, Illinois in 1968.”

In my 2010 article, I had quoted Wikipedia’s version of the 1811-12 quakes, “At New Madrid, trees were knocked down and riverbanks collapsed. This event shook windows and furniture in Washington, D.C., rang bells in Richmond, Virginia, sloshed well water and shook houses in Charleston, South Carolina, and knocked plaster off of houses in Columbia, South Carolina. In Jefferson, Indiana, furniture moved and in Lebanon, Ohio, residents fled their homes. Observers in Herculaneum, Missouri, called it “severe” and claimed it had a duration of 10–12 minutes.”

In 1811 the population was very low and major cities inside the NMSZ such as St. Louis MO and Memphis TN  were not as large and sprawling as they are now. The US didn’t even own St. Louis until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the first steamboats didn’t begin arriving at St. Louis until 1818. In 1810 only 1600 people lived there. If (when) a quake hits the NMSZ today, the damage would be staggering. We always think about “The Big One” in which Los Angeles would “slide into the sea”

but more likely, actually, St. Louis would slide into the Mississippi. Here is a woodcut depicting the 1811-1812 New Madrid quake damage

Of course, things look a little different in St. Louis today:

I mention all this for three reasons.

One- It is going to occur. Missouri’s Governor convened a panel of officials in New Madrid who are on the front line of emergency response. From AP: Missouri state geologist Joe Gillman said an earthquake the magnitude of the 1811-12 quakes is expected to happen just once every 500 years. But a moderate quake with a magnitude 6.0 to 6.5 is expected to happen every 90 years, and the last one was in the late 1800s. “We are due, if not overdue, for a moderate-sized earthquake,” Gillman said. “Such a quake could devastate power lines and underground water and wastewater pipes, and many buildings could crumble.”

Two- In the Tribulation, there will be many earthquakes. Quakes are a judgment from God, and the 7-year Tribulation will contain all of God’s wrath poured out on the people of the earth. He will not hold back. There will be many quakes in diverse places and they will be mega-quakes. (Revelation 6:12; Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Matthew 24:7, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:13, Revelation 16:18… you get the idea).

No place on earth will be protected from His shaking of it. So, the New Madrid will come to life and snuff out life.

Three- the MNSZ may already be showing signs of its return to life. Notwithstanding the excellent article from Mr Snyder I’d linked to above, a year later we see an increase in NNSZ activity. The ongoing Arkansas quake swarm is similar to the quake swarm that preceded the new Madrid big ones in Dec-Jan 1811-12. The danger is growing to the point where the MO Governor convened the panel to study the issue, as I linked to above. And take a look at the map. It is from the Riverfront Times, and the red blotch represents the 4,000 quakes that have occurred in the zone since 1976.

https://i0.wp.com/blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/New%20Madrid%20Fault%20Zone.jpg

I just wanted to bring a little atention to the fact that when Jesus said earthquakes in diverse places, that it doesn’t only mean Los Angeles or Israel or India, or Tonga; places where we read about quakes so often. It also means Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and any other place the sovereign Lord wants to make one happen!

Is the New Madrid seismic zone waking up? I believe it is. Keep your eyes open and looking to the Midwestern US and keep looking up!

Posted in earthquakes, fiscal overlord, middle east, prophecy

EU goes for Fiscal Overlord, Tensions in Mid-East, earthwquakes in diverse places, more news

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is some news I feel is of prophetic importance.

Yesterday I posted a piece about how the world is bent on uniting. The unification of world’s religions (ecumenism), and the unification of world economies rampant. The pace at which economies are melding into one is breathtaking. I had posted a quote from an article: “The competition Czar is the arch-enforcer of the EU machine, with powers to launch dawn raids, deploy SWAT teams, and block mergers on his own authority.”

Wow, that is a lot of power. But that wasn’t the point of the article. In addition to the Competition Czar, the call for a European Union Fiscal Overlord shocked many in Europe: “EU “currency commissioner” with sweeping powers to strike down national budgets; a “large step towards fiscal union.”

Well, today they decided to go for it. They are going to make one man be Europe’s Fiscal Overlord. UPI reports, “EU leaders agreed to create a single banking overseer for the eurozone that could aid ailing banks…” Germany and the UK hassled over some details, but it looks like it will be a done deal. The timeline is as follows: “The 27 EU heads of state and government agreed “on a political framework for the end of 2012 and a gradual implementation in 2013” of a new EU single supervisory mechanism

As I had mentioned in the previous blog about this topic, The Tower of Babel is an object lesson on how mans evil is magnified when man congregates. His pride and his rebellion always comes out when man unites. Further, there is a problem when one man wields tremendous power: there are fewer, if any, checks and balances.

Here is some more news:

WEATHER

Dust storm shuts down interstate in northern Okla.
“A massive dust storm swirling reddish-brown clouds over northern Oklahoma triggered a multi-vehicle accident along a major interstate Thursday, forcing police to shut down part of the heavily traveled roadway amid near blackout conditions. In a scene reminiscent of the Dust Bowl days, choking dust suspended on strong wind gusts shrouded Interstate 35, which links Dallas and Oklahoma City to Kansas City, Mo. Video from television station helicopters showed the four-lane highway virtually disappearing into billowing dust on the harsh landscape near Blackwell, plus dozens of vehicles scattered in the median and on the shoulders. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Jodi Palmer, a dispatcher with the Kay County Sheriff’s Office.”

Small earthquake rattles western Nebraska
” An earthquake has rattled western Nebraska, but local officials aren’t reporting any injuries or property damage.The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 3.6 earthquake happened at 11:21 p.m. Wednesday. It was centered about 18 miles northwest of Hyannis.

Moderate earthquake rattles Egypt, felt in Israel
5.0-magnitude quake comes two days ahead of Israel’s large-scale preparedness drill
“A moderate earthquake rattled Egypt early Friday morning and was felt as far as Israel, two days before a scheduled nationwide earthquake-preparedness drill here.The tremor, measuring a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale, occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time. It did not cause any injuries or damage, according to initial reports.The epicenter of the quake was approximately 95 miles (150 kilometers) north of the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria.”

Tornadoes, severe storms swat Southeast; 7 hurt
“At least four tornadoes were part of the storm system that raked northern and central Mississippi on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, injuring at least seven people, the National Weather Service said. … Radar weather maps overnight showed a huge, arcing front that swept across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and parts of states such as Louisiana and Alabama on its march eastward on a jagged slant.”

CULTURE

Feminist Agenda

A self-stated feminist Christian woman wrote this- which is an oxymoron. One cannot be a feminist AND a Christian.

Woman Lives Biblically: Feminist Calls Husband “Master”
“A woman who decided to live “biblically” for one year and wrote a book about her findings is garnering heaps of praise and criticism for her decision.

“Rachel Held Evans, who describes herself as a feminist Christian, says her end goal had everything to do with being a woman, despite what her critics are saying. “Evans says she wanted “To call into question that there is a single blueprint of how to be a woman. There’s no single model in the Bible – as soon as you think you have found it a woman comes along and breaks it. Everyone picks and chooses. There are verses that say ‘submit to your husband’, but also those that say ‘submit to one another’. The more women know about the bible the more they can respond when people try to silence them.”

“During what she calls “The Womanhood Project“, Evans made her own clothes, grew her hair out, lived outside her home in a tent when she was having her period, called her husband “Master”, and sat alone on the roof of her home as penance after deciding she had been gossiping or nagging, which comes from the Bible verse “it is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman”. In doing so, she hoped to gain a greater understanding of the Bible and a woman’s role according to it, which is sometimes presented as contradictory passages.”

For Denny Burk’s take on the book’s premise (he wrote it before the book was published) go here.

Homosexual Agenda

Marriage Law likely headed to Supreme Court
A federal appeals court ruling on Thursday has catapulted a New York case to the head of the line, as the Supreme Court considers which of many cases it should use to decide whether the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is constitutional. For more than a year, the lower courts have been issuing decisions striking down DOMA, declaring the law’s provisions to be unconstitutional discrimination. The statute defines marriage as being only between a man and a woman, meaning that the federal government is barred from recognizing same-sex marriages even when they are legal and recognized by state law. So, if a same-sex couple is legally married in any of the six states where gay marriage is authorized, that marriage is not recognized by the federal government.”

Abortion Agenda

“Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh backtracked slightly on his controversial remarks about abortion, saying today that there are “very rare circumstances” in which a pregnant woman may need to undergo an abortion to save her life. The comment stood in contrast to the tea party icon’s declaration following a Thursday night debate that medical advances had rendered it unnecessary to ever perform an abortion to save a mother’s life.”

Google “backlash,” “Walsh” and “abortion” and you will see the ruckus the abortion pushers made. It caused the staunch pro-life politician to “backtrack slightly” which really means he tucked tail and ran like a scalded dog.

MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon spy chief killed as Syria tensions spill over border
“A massive bomb ripped through a crowded Beirut street killed Lebanon’s most senior intelligence official and at least seven others as Lebanon divisions over Syria’s civil war spills over into factional conflict.”

Turkey fires on Syria in retaliation following shell launch
“Turkey’s army fired on Syria on Friday after two shells launched from Syria landed in Turkish territory, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported, underlining how tension between the two neighbors remains dangerously high.”

Smoke is seen after a Syrian jet dropped a bomb in Idlib province, as seen from the Turkish border Friday.

Clashes erupt at Greek anti-austerity protests
“Greek police clashed with anti-austerity protesters hurling stones and petrol bombs on the day of a general strike that brought much of the near-bankrupt country to a standstill.In the second major walkout in three weeks on Thursday, almost 40,000 protesters marched in Athens in a bid to show EU leaders meeting in Brussels that new wage and pension cuts will only worsen their plight after five years of recession.Tensions mounted when a small group of protesters began throwing pieces of marble, bottles and petrol bombs at police barricading part of the square in front of parliament, prompting riot police to fire several rounds of teargas to disperse them.”

You see fires like that and read that it was caused by someone throwing a Molotov cocktail in Greece and you don’t gasp because people just don’t do that in the US. But when we read of a Molotov cocktail being thrown at a Virginia Mall, now we gasp.

Arson charge after Molotov cocktail
“The man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail into the food court at a northern Virginia mail stood silently and refused to answer any questions at an initial court appearance Friday.Leon Alphans Traille Jr., 29, of no fixed address, was charged Friday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria with arson. … A court affidavit says that a man matching Traille’s description threw a Molotov cocktail — in this case a brown glass bottle holding at least 16 ounces of flammable liquid with matches taped to the bottle — into the mall’s food court shortly after noon Thursday. The device did not explode but produced a flame that was extinguished, according to the affidavit. Traille then went to second floor of the mall and left behind three similar bottles before leaving, according to the affidavit.”

That is just a bit of the news for you. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and pray always. Jesus is our Savior and our Sustainer, Far from being disheartened by these things, we take comfort in knowing the things He told us would happen are happening, so His word is true. We love that He is coming soon. Be listening fo the Trumpet while always loving one another in spirit and in truth.

Till next time, if there is one…

Posted in earthquakes, end time, jesus, prophecy

Major Earthquake in Columbia, how many earthquakes have we had this year so far?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is some information regarding earthquakes. The year is not over so we cannot compare this year to previous years…unless we compare the exact same time frame, January 1 to Sept 30, which is what I did.

What did the data reveal? How is the number of earthquakes running so far this year, compared to previous years? How is the number running, compared to annual averages by United States Geological Survey? (USGS gives annual averages from Jan-Dec., so the time frame is not exact but you can get an idea of the running total to see if this year is under, the same as, or over expected number of quakes.)

This first chart is the major magnitudes and the annual number of each magnitude of quake, from Jan 1 to Dec 30 for each year, USGS source.

This next chart is one I generated by using USGS search engine to find total of quakes between January 1-Sept 30. I highlighted in red the years where each magnitude of quake exceeded the annual average by Sept 30.

This chart is straight from USGS (though I cropped off the lesser magnitudes). Click to enlarge.

As for quakes in diverse places, there were two just north of Dallas Texas which rattled windows, and nerves. The magnitude was 3.4 with a 3.1 aftershock.

A 7.3 occurred in Columbia today, which was a very strong one, but so far thankfully no deaths are reported. Here is a news story about it, but the current reporting of the magnitude is 7.1 which is wrong. Initially USGS posted the magnitude of the Colombian quake at 7.4. Then USGS downgraded it to 7.1, and that is where most news reports came in. But then USGS upped the magnitude again to 7.3, where it is currently staying.

The other strong quakes this week were:
6.2 at the Gulf of California
6.4 at Andreanof Islands, Alaska
6.0 Solomon Islands

There have been 167 quakes of small size at or just north of the Virgin Islands. They all range roughly from 2.5 to 3.5 in magnitude.

Jesus said, as a sign of His soon return, “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7b). Not every quake by itself is an indicator of His soon return. However, the totality of the signs He told us would be present is a better barometer of the times. Israel being in the land existing as its own nation is sign number one, given the focus of God upon Israel as the major eschatological component.

However also included but not limited to the signs on the list are earthquakes, famines, diseases, false teaching, false prophets, and sin rising to levels that make the times absolutely perilous.

God either causes or allows each and every thing to happen on this earth, and if an earthquake has occurred, it is of God and from God, as part of His plan in some way. In other words, He is speaking. Are we listening?

Posted in earthquakes, rapture

Earthquakes in diverse places

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jesus said of the end times, there will be earthquakes in diverse places. (Matthew 24:7). So what is going on lately in the geo-seismic world with quakes and volcanoes?

From Geology Professor Erik Klemetti’s Eruptions blog:
“Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia May Erupt in “Days to Weeks”
“The developing volcanic crisis at Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia looks like it is continuing to escalate. INGEOMINAS, the Colombian geological survey, released a “special bulletin” this afternoon elevating the alert status at Nevado del Ruiz to Orange Level (II). This means that the signs of activity at the volcano suggest that an eruption is likely in the days to weeks timescale. Marta Calvache from INGEOMINAS mentioned that over the past few days the volcano has experienced tremor related to “fluid motion” (likely magma), rock fracture earthquakes at the summit have been increasing in pulses and sulfur dioxide emissions continue to be high.”

Prof. Klemetti’s Eruption Update for March 30, 2012: Alaska and Hawai’i–

Alaska
“Two volcanoes dominate the news from Alaska these days: Cleveland and Iliamna. Both have jumped back and forth from Yellow/Advisory to Orange/Watch status over the past few months. Right now, Cleveland has returned to Orange/Watch status after new observations showed a dome forming at the summit. This, of course, increased the likelihood of explosive activity as the dome may trap gases in the volcano, creating overpressure, or the dome could collapse, releasing pressure rapidly. Both of these mechanisms can prompt an explosive eruption. Iliamna is back onto Yellow/Advisory status from Orange/Watch after elevated seismicity continues, albeit at a lower level.”

Hawai’i
Kilauea’s activity marches on, although now it appears that the volcano is inflating, at least at the summit. Since October 2011, the summit has been inflating at a rate of ~1 cm/month at the same time that lava flows continued from other parts of the volcano.

New Activity/Unrest, source Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program:

IJEN Eastern Java
ILIAMNA Southwestern Alaska
NEVADO DEL RUIZ Colombia
PACAYA Guatemala
SOUFRIERE HILLS Montserrat

Major Quakes this week —

6.0 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.0 NORTHERN EAST PACIFIC RISE

Lately, there has been some push-back against the widely interpreted notion that Jesus’s answer to the disciples as to the signs of the end of the age in advance of His coming (Matthew 24:7) means that earthquakes will increase. Naysayers claim that Jesus was not saying that earthquakes will increase, just that there will be some in various places. There has also been scientific push-back against the widely observed notion that earthquakes are actually increasing in number. USGS and others say that they are not. Here is my stance:

The end times are between His first coming, beginning when He ascended, and will conclude when He returns. (Matthew 23:27-29). This is the period in which He has partially hardened the hearts of the Jews (Romans 11:25) so that He will build His church out of the Gentiles. (Mt 16:18; Acts 15:14-17). First to the Jew, then to the Gentile (Romans 2:8-10). Note that He has not set His people the Jews aside permanently but that He is working with the Gentiles for a time.

Jesus likened the time before His second coming to one that is like a woman in travail (labor). (Matthew 24:8).  Also 1 Thess 5:3; Jer 30:6; and Romans 8:22 says “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

What is being birthed is the Kingdom. But the pregnant woman at first does not know she is pregnant. Then as time progresses she begins to show. Then as her time of birth nears she becomes heavy, weary, laden with the growing baby. She has pains, and then the water breaks. The real labor begins. It is painful and it is bloody (The Tribulation) but at the end of it emerges a new birth, a new life. I believe the gestation has been the Church Age, and the labor pains will begin at the rapture, it being akin to the water breaking, and the birth is the Kingdom after the bloody labor of the Tribulation.

In Matthew verse 8, Jesus says that the initial signs of His coming He describes in verses 4-7 are but the “beginning of birth pains”. Then in Luke 21:29-31 “He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” Israel sprouted leaves when she was made a nation again in May 1948.

In my mind, because He likened it to a woman giving birth, and to the agricultural process of budding and growing, it seems to me that the entire time between His ascension and His return are the birth pangs, and as the time gets closer to the Tribulation and to His actual return, the pains will increase in intensity and frequency (as birth pangs). That is why I believe as I do. And within that it means, to me, is that earthquakes shall increase because labor pangs increase in painful intensity at it progresses. By the numbers, the quakes worldwide have been increasing, exceeding the average annual benchmark the USGS has set before us by a wide margin every year since 2009.

Now, if my interpretation is correct, then earthquakes, famines, wars, rumors of wars, false Christs, will actually be increasing. Ever since the Jews were returned to the Land in 1948, a huge end times sign, have these things been increasing in that century and in this? Yes. For example, one sign of His coming, He said, is increase in wars.

The number of wars has increased. In 2010 I posted on my blog that John MacArthur preached on the end times signs and mentioned that the numbers of wars according to the Encyclopedia of Wars is increasing exponentially. He said that in the 1000 years prior to Christ’s coming, there were 170 recorded wars. This number excludes skirmishes, conflicts, disturbances, etc. In the 1000 years after Jesus, there were 50 wars. In the 500 years after that, 100 wars. In the 300 years after that, 250 wars. In the last 200 years, there have been 500 wars. And in the last four years (not depicted on graph) there have been 20 wars.

The USGS and others say that earthquakes are not increasing, they are. I counted them and compared them against the USGS annual average benchmark. I posted the chart here

We have been hearing of many earthquakes in diverse places. Of the earthquakes that are not in diverse places, we have been hearing of superlatives: “longest lasting“, (Oaxaca Mexico) or “bigger than might expected for that area ” (Oaxaca Mexico) or “Hasn’t been one this big in 15 years …” (Outback Australia)

An earthquake occurred in Australia last week.
“The central region of Australia was struck by the country’s largest earthquake in nearly 15 years on Friday evening, seismologists said, but there were no reports of damage or casualties.The 6.1-magnitude earthquake at 7:55 p.m. local time on Friday was centered about 17 miles northwest of Ernabella Airport, a tiny airstrip near the border with South Australia and the Northern Territory. It struck about 1.8 mile deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to Geoscience Australia.”

In scientifically inexplicable or unusual events lately, in 2011 the volcano Nabro in Eritrea erupted suddenly. Prior to that it was believed to be extinct, never having had a historical eruption. Scientists initially disclaimed the eruption, saying it must be nearby active Dubbi. It took several days to really confirm scientifically what the spotty news and eyewitness reports had been saying all along, Nabro volcano burped lava from underground and it erupted for the first time ever.

Chile’s Volcano Chaiten erupted suddenly in 2009 after what scientists said was 9500 years of dormancy. In the 1940s, the Mexican volcano Paricutin erupted and formed under a corn field and a farmer’s feet. The African continent is unzipping (their word) in some cases a rift of 35 miles long and 20 miles wide opening up in a day. They do not know why. Until the rift began unzipping slow vs. catastrophic plate tectonics were competing theories with the slow catastrophic winning, but many current observations are incompatible with slow-and-gradual plate tectonics. New islands have formed overnight from unexpected eruptions, as this January 2012 news article shows, happened in the Red Sea.

Now I don’t want to cast doubt or aspersions against fine scientists. They are smart and they have a rigorous study, and they do well to inform us of things born from reasonable thought, testable theories and reproducible experiments. However, God is the author of science, not man. God doesn’t have to be bounded by a paradigm of scientific thought made by man. If He wants to turn off the sun (Mt 24:29; Joel 3:15), He will. If He wants to wake up a volcano that has never erupted, He will. And science is wrong about the age of the universe, the origins of the universe, global warming, and evolution, to name a few theories.

The best (only) thing to do is to be ready for Jesus whenever He comes. Being ready means that you have repented of your sins, having recognized that you DO sin and that those sins are crimes against Jesus. In a state of sinfulness you would meet Him an an enemy and your Judge. If you repent and ask Him to forgive those sins, He will, and you will meet Him as a friend and as a Father. The rapture is a signless event. It is an imminent event. It has always been imminent, since Paul first mentioned it to the Thessalonians and the Corinthians (1 Thess 4, 1 Cor 15). Nothing needs to happen to precede the rapture and nothing will announce that it is about to happen. Therefore be ready:

“Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36).

The irony is, that those of us who are ready and love Jesus as Lord and Savior, would not want to stand, we will want to fling ourselves at His feet, kneel as is His due, and worship Hi,. O, happy day! And it seems that it is closer than ever…

We don’t know exactly when it will occur but we can see the signs of the other prophesies coming together and we know the season. the fig tree is budding, and we know therefore that it is near, even at the door.

Posted in bible jesus, earthquakes, end of days. prophecy, end time

Earthquake in Mexico today: Are there more earthquakes?

Posted on by elizabethprata

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck today in Oaxaca, Mexico. Drudge noted the other day that despite travel warnings about the tenuous situation in Mexico for tourists, that Obama’s daughter is vacationing in Oaxaca, anyway. The article from Montreal Gazette states,

“OAXACA, Mexico – The elder daughter of U.S. President Barack Obama is spending her spring break in the historic Mexican city of Oaxaca in the company of 12 friends, a state police official said. The young tourists, including 13-year-old Malia Ann Obama, are staying at a downtown hotel in this city famous for its colonial architecture and well-preserved native American traditions, the official said. “We are here to block access to the hotel by other people and escort the vehicles that are carrying the visitors to tourism sites,” the police official told AFP under the condition of anonymity. Malia Obama and her friend are guarded by 25 U.S. Secret Service agents as well as Mexican police, the official noted.”

Though she was well protected from kidnappers, gangs, and terrorism while visiting Mexico, no one can prepare for an earthquake. Fortunately Miss Obama is all right, as are her friends.

The quake occurred today and is accompanied by many high-magnitude aftershocks.

5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
5.1 OAXACA, MEXICO
5.3 OAXACA, MEXICO
7.4 OAXACA, MEXICO

The Mexico quake was said to be a strong one that lasted a long time. Thankfully as of this writing there are no major damages and no reports of casualties or injuries. Washington Post reports,

“A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit Mexico on Tuesday, shaking central and southern parts of the country, collapsing a pedestrian bridge and swaying buildings in Mexico City. Plaster fell from ceilings and windows broke in the center of the capital, but the president said there were no immediate reports of major damage. … Frightened workers and residents poured into the streets of the capital just minutes after noon local time. Telephone service was down in the city and throughout the area where the quake was felt. … In Huajuapan, Guerrero, near the epicenter, hotel owner Marco Antonio Estrada also reported shaken-up guests but no major damage. He said it was longest and strongest he ever felt. People ran out of their homes and cars.”

There was also another earthquake today, a strong one rated at 6.2 at Papua Indonesia, listed on the USGS page for quakes the last 7-days.

Every time there is a strong quake, blog hits spike. People are curious about the connection to the end times and earthquakes. Many people wonder, is there a connection? Is there a Godly purpose to earthquakes? Yes. Yes there is.

God has used earthquakes for several reasons. Here are just a few. In the Old Testament, Mount Sinai ‘trembled violently’ before God spoke to Moses. (Exodus 19:18).

God used an earthquake to demonstrate the outcome of rebellion against Him. The ground opened, swallowing Korah and his men. (Numbers 16:31-32).

God used an earthquake to show that despite His power to create an earthquake, Elijah could also hear Him in the still, small voice. (I Kings 19:11).

The great earthquake at the time of King Uzziah was spoken of by Amos. Uzziah had grown insolent and haughty. The LORD used the earthquake to remind the king of the LORD’S power. That one was a judgment quake.

Of the Uzziah quake, scientifically, “Masonry walls best display the earthquake, especially walls with broken ashlars, walls with displaced rows of stones, walls still standing but leaning or bowed, and walls collapsed with large sections still lying course-on-course. Debris at six sites (Hazor, Deir ‘Alla, Gezer, Lachish, Tell Judeideh, and ‘En Haseva) is tightly confined stratigraphically to the middle of the eighth century B.C., with dating errors of ~30 years.…The earthquake was at least magnitude 7.8, but likely was 8.2…This severe geologic disaster has been linked historically to a speech delivered at the city of Bethel by a shepherd-farmer named Amos of Tekoa.” (source: “Steven A. Austin, Gordon W. Franz, and Eric G. Frost, “Amos’s Earthquake: An Extraordinary Middle East Seismic Event of 750 B.C.” International Geology Review 42 (2000) 657-671).”

Zechariah links the Uzziah quake’s strength to the last day quake when Jesus arrives in His second coming. As His feet land on the Mount of Olives, the mount splits in two, “Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley,For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.” (Zech 14:4b-5).

In Matthew 24:7 Jesus told His disciples (and us) that in the last days there would be earthquakes in various places as one of the sings of His coming. (Mt 24:7).

In Matthew 27:51-54 when Jesus died on the cross a great earthquake occurred, splitting the Temple veil in two and resurrecting many saints from their graves. This was a vivid demonstration of His power, and as a witness to the truth that Jesus is His Son.

So if God speaks using earthquakes for His reasons, and earthquakes are an end time sign used to get man’s attention, are there indeed more earthquakes? As we get closer to the time of the rapture and afterward, the Tribulation judgments poured out in remaining unbelievers, have the number of quakes risen as one would expect? Yes.

Click to enlarge.

Using USGS data, I searched for the number of quakes in each magnitude per year, and compared against the USGS benchmarks in the first column. One can see the number of quakes exceed the USGS average number. They have exceeded the USGS average number in each magnitude since 2009.

Please understand that whether you believe in Jesus or not, He is coming. He is Creator. He holds the title deed to the earth, all the earth is the LORD’S and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; (Psalm 24:1). He is King over you, and me. He can judge us, for who else is righteous? No, not one. He is lovingly sending earthquakes to remind us that He holds the deed to the earth and he can shake it as He wills. If you have been through an earthquake and have suffered loss or injury it doesn’t feel loving. But it is. If an earthquake makes you think of the power of the Lord and of eternal things, and brings you to Him, that is loving. If you experience an earthquake and think of these things and decide that you hate God or you don’t believe, that is loving too, because He gave you a chance to decide.

As the LORD said to Ezekiel about His messages, “As for them, whether they listen or not– for they are a rebellious house– they will know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ez 2:5). Those who are experiencing all the earth signs and the Christian warnings from people like me and others, then whether you listen or you don’t listen, you will know on the last day that God did everything possible to speak to your heart and offer you a way to salvation from His wrath. He sent the Law, He sent the Prophets. He sent His son. He sent His apostles. He sent His witnesses. He sent the Spirit. He sent His word. He sent signs and told us ahead of time.

In Matthew 24:25, in the same passage where He announced that there would be earthquakes in various places as a sign of His coming, and described the many other signs, a bit further on He said, ““Behold, I have told you in advance.” This is so that when the things begin to happen, we know His word is true, and we can “Look up, for our Redemption draweth nigh!” (Luke 21:28.)

Posted in earthquakes, prophecy

Are there more earthquakes? YES

Posted on by elizabethprata

How to find earthquake data. I go to the United States Geological Survey and I click on Global Earthquake Search. I enter the parameters for the date, which is always 1-1- YYYY to 12-31-YYYY. I plug in the magnitude, which is 5.0 to 5.9 or 6.0 to 6.9 etc. Here is a screen shot:

Then the search presents me with data in sum. 

I compare the search results with USGS annual averages, here.

I make a chart in Word by using “table” and plugging in the data I get from USGS search. When I’m done I paste the Word chart into Photoshop. I do it in Word (or Excel) so I can update it more easily. Today I updated the chart I’d last published as of Nov 2011. Click on it to make it bigger.

The number of earthquakes per year is increasing.
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Posted in earthquake data, earthquakes, more quakes

Are there more earthquakes (Updated)

Posted on by elizabethprata

The following quake chart was generated with USGS data and updated through November 6, 2011. According to comparison against the United States Geological Survey’s own annual averages for the last ten years, yes, there are more earthquakes and the number of quakes is increasing each year. For the last three years in a row quakes have consistently exceeded averages in every category of quakes above 5.0 magnitude. Click on chart to enlarge.

The LORD is shaking us from complacency. Are you ready to meet Him?
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Posted in earthquakes, end of days. prophecy, end time

Updated earthquake data. Lots more quakes in the last two weeks since last update

Posted on by elizabethprata

A major quake at Sumatra Indonesia just now…

Average amounts of quakes in the 6.0-6.9 magnitude range annually number 134 on average, according to the USGS statistics. I posted about the major quake at Vanuatu on Aug 20 and I’d updated the data through that date at that time. Through August 20 the USGS annual average for quakes in that magnitude range was already exceeded, the number of quakes in that range numbered 140:

Since Aug 20 through today, there have been ten more quakes in the 6.0-6.9 range. So the data after only 15 days is outdated again. With the 6.6 quake at Sumatra a few minutes ago, we now have had 150 this year considered ‘major quakes’.

Here is the updated chart through today, Sept 5, 2011.

Since Aug 20 there had been 11 quakes in the 7.0-7.9 range. The annual average is 14. In the last two weeks we have had three more, so we now equal the annual average. There is still a quarter of the year to go. With so many earthquakes over the last two weeks, is there any doubt that with a quarter of the year left to go that all averages will not only be be exceeded (which hey already are) but will be crushed? There is no doubt in my mind.
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