Mark 13:8 - For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. (KJV)
Earthquake. That word strikes fear at the hearts of mankind, especially in the heart of anyone who has ever been in and survived a major earthquake.
We have earthquakes in Tennessee all the time—just this past week, our neighboring Campbell County experienced a minor 3.8 magnitude earthquake. Last year our glorious historic Union County experienced a 3.4 magnitude centered near Kettle Hollow.
Eyewitness testimony says these minor earthquakes are, at the least, very unnerving. Geologist and other earthquake experts say it takes a 4.4 magnitude earthquake to break dishes and that a 2.5 or less magnitude quake will not be felt, but can be recorded by a special instrument named a seismograph.
Earthquakes Today’s website says there are hundreds of earthquakes every day, but only 275 of these can actually be felt.
Mankind has been documenting earthquakes for thousands of years, but it has only been since the invention of the seismograph that we have been recording earthquake magnitude.
According to the USGS, the largest earthquake ever recorded happened in Chile on May 22, 1960, and measured 9.5 magnitude. The deadliest earthquake documented happened in China in 1556, it is estimated that thousands of people died.
The 2011 Japan earthquake occurred undersea off the coast of Japan and is one of the top five earthquakes since modern recordkeeping began around the year 1900.
Yeah, I know this is supposed to be a “religious” article. So, what does the Bible say about earthquakes? Actually, the Bible has a lot to say about earthquakes.
In the Old Testament they used major catastrophes, like earthquakes, as a means of dating events. For example, the prophet Amos records the following:
Amos 1:1 - The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.
Probably the most famous verses in the Bible regarding earthquakes can be found in Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11, in which these three Gospel writers record what Jesus said to his disciples in what theologians call Jesus’s Olivet Discourse. Now we do not have the space here to dig into the entirety of what Jesus said to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, and much has been written about the things he tells them during that conversation.
I do want to say that Theologians have several conflicting views regarding the exact meaning of what Jesus said after he cleansed the temple and sat down across from it on the Mount.
However, if you diligently search the Old Testament references to earthquakes, you will find that those references typically use earthquakes as a judgement metaphor not just against those opposed to Israel, but more so against God’s chosen people themselves, when in disobedient sin to his purpose.
I would like to point out one final thing regarding earthquakes to illustrate the point that earthquakes in the Bible typically represent a judgement metaphor against sin.
Remember the famous Bible story in 1 Kings Chapters 18 & 19, in which Elijah the prophet destroys the prophets of Baal. After he performed this great victory for the Lord, King Ahab tells his wife Jezebel how Elijah had slain all the prophets of Baal. Jezebel then sends a message to Elijah that she will have him killed and he flees into the wilderness. Eventually he ends up on the mount of God, sad and dejected because seemingly the whole world including Israel has forsaken God’s covenant.
The Lord God of hosts then has Elijah stand upon the mountain as the Lord passes by. As God is passing by, a great strong wind, an earthquake, and finally fire pass before Elijah and the Lord is not in any of them. Have you ever considered that God is judging Elijah and finds him faithful?
God has not given faithful Christians the spirit of fear. Rest assured that no matter what comes our way because of others’ disobedience, as long as we remain true to Jesus, we, like Elijah, in the midst of a quaking world, will hear the still small voice that God comforts his friends with.
P.S. If you plan on searching your KJV Bible for references to earthquakes, make sure to include earth quakes, earth quaked, trembled, shook, upheave and other synonyms.