Five Great Future Earthquakes
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Many prophesied end-time earthquakes will carry this message. These primarily involve great quakes listed in the book of Revelation. They will convey God’s wrath to a world that refuses to heed His warnings and correction. While some are referenced elsewhere in this volume, consider them in the context of this chapter for impact.
First, a probably smaller earthquake is referenced in Revelation 12:1-17, and involves the miraculous escape of God’s Church to a place of safety as the Great Tribulation begins. An army pursuing the Church is completely swallowed and destroyed (Rev 12:15-16). Notice similar wording to Numbers 16:1-50 “And the earth helped the woman [God’s Church], and...opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood [obviously an army—like the Egyptian army pursuing Israel until the Red Sea swallowed it] which the dragon [the devil] cast out of his mouth” (Rev. 12:16).
The book of Revelation foretells five specific powerful earthquakes preceding and surrounding Christ’s Return. Each is unique, and occurs at a particular juncture of God’s final prophetic timeline.
The Tribulation Ends
The first earthquake is in Revelation 6:12: “I beheld [John is writing] when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.”
This earthquake occurs after the fifth seal, as the sixth is opened. Recall that the cataclysmic fifth seal involves the military invasion and the captivity of the modern-day descendants of Israel. This involves two and a half years of unparalleled suffering—the worst in all history—to be brought upon this generation. This earthquake’s timing proclaims the end of the Great Tribulation and beginning of powerful signs that appear in the heavens.
Jesus also spoke of this in Matthew: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Mt 24:29). And in Luke: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring [obviously including tsunamis]; 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” (Lk 21:25-26).
We saw earlier the context of Revelation 6:1-17 reveals more: “and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (Rev 6:14).
Now read Isaiah’s description of this time: “In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth” (Isa 2:20-21).
This powerful description parallels Revelation 6:15-16. Physical possessions will be of no use to anyone not truly serving God.
The Seventh Seal Opens
The second earthquake is found in Revelation 8:5. As the seventh seal is opened, seven angels stand before God and receive seven trumpets. Another angel took a censer “and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”
This earthquake marks the beginning of the seven trumpet plagues and begins fulfillment of the seventh seal and Day of the Lord.
Certain scriptures speak of the solemn gravity and horror of this time. Consider Joel: “Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come” (Joel 1:15).
The prophet Joel also shows the precise timing of this event: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible Day of the Lord come” (Joel 2:31). This matches the sequence in Revelation, as the heavenly signs immediately precede the Day of the Lord—the Day of God’s wrath.
Jesus Christ’s Return Announced
The third earthquake is in Revelation 11:12-13: “They heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them [the Two Witnesses], Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city [Jerusalem] fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven”!
This earthquake occurs after the final two special prophets are resurrected—before the seventh trumpet and the First Resurrection of I Corinthians 15:51 and I Thessalonians 4:16. It appears to bemainly in Jerusalem, but could still be worldwide in scope. It cannot be the same one described in Zechariah 14:4, because all nations will not yet have gathered at Armageddon.
This earthquake precedes and announces the most pivotal event in human history—Jesus Christ’s Return!
Christ Is Present
The fourth earthquake is in Revelation 11:19: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
This earthquake occurs immediately after Christ’s Return and the First Resurrection, and marks the fulfillment of these events: “...and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15).
Jesus’ Return makes every following event within God’s Plan possible. Earthquakes before and after it underscore its momentous importance in His Plan. No other event bears such distinction. This earthquake directly results from the presence of God. Jesus Christ is now present as King—assuming rulership in glory over all nations!
The Greatest Earthquake of All Time
The final earthquake is in Revelation 16:17-18: “And 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.”
This last earthquake will be the most powerful to occur since Creation. The remainder of Earth’s topography changes. Notice: “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (Rev 16:20).
This earthquake appears to complete the process begun by the one in Revelation 6:14, in which “every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” This is the earthquake mentioned in Zechariah 14:1-21 that follows all nations gathering at Armageddon, and it coincides with the sixth vial of God’s wrath.
We earlier read Zechariah 14:1-21, which states, “And [Christ’s] 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...toward the south” (Zech 14:4) and “the Lord shall be King over all the earth...” (Zech 14:9).
Words fail in describing the impact of such an awesome, immense river, made possible because God used an earthquake to cleave a mountain!
Foretold Long Ago
Other prophets of the Old Testament also spoke about the enormous earthquakes of Revelation, especially the final, greatest one following Christ’s Return.
Isaiah 13:13: “I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger.”
Isaiah 24:19-20: “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage…”
Ezekiel 38:20: “…all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.”
Joel 3:16: “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake…”
Haggai 2:6-7: “For thus says the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations [Jesus Christ] shall come…”
Beyond the immediate purpose of the five Revelation earthquakes, these will also serve to reshape Earth’s surface. The same God who formed the hills and mountains will reform them and reshape the planet. (Take time to read Amos 4:13 and Psalm 90:2.)
Notice this: “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed” (Isa. 40:4-5).
This speaks of truly dramatic—monumental—changes! Vast mountain ranges will disappear. A few remaining mountains and hills will be used for God’s specially appointed purpose. Other verses show this. (Of course, while the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem cleaves in two, it does obviously remain. And huge, jagged mountains will be “made low,” they will not completely disappear.)
The renewal of Earth’s surface will accommodate the vast number of human beings who will exist by the later stages of Christ’s millennial rule, but also the many billions (all those who have lived since Creation) who will come up later in the general resurrection at the end of the Millennium—the White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11. A much larger population is possible—and made comfortable—once more usable land becomes available for farming and living.
More land will be reclaimed from the deserts and oceans, with the oceans scheduled to be purified(Ezek. 47:8-10). All of this will bring favorable weather, replacing the harsh destructive weather patterns felt throughout history. Without droughts and floods, and the terrible extremes of temperature, precipitation and destruction from other elements in nature, farming will be more productive.
There is a purpose for every aspect of God’s Creation. We have seen that earthquakes, sometimes accompanied by volcanoes, have long served God’s Plan, and in numerous ways. While ultimately the means by which God will reshape Earth’s topography for the good of all, these natural disasters will in the short term contribute to a level of destruction the world has never seen—and a mounting death toll…
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