Jesus warned us in Matthew 24, “There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.” Birth pains, or sorrows, mean that they will become more frequent and as they do, they increase in intensity. The proof is that it’s all happening right now! Is this a dire warning of what’s yet to come? Let’s dig in…
In Turkey and Syria combined, as of this posting, there are…
Surfside, Florida. It happened at night while
people were sleeping. Multiply that
by the thousands!
- 380,000+ people homeless in sub-zero temperatures and winter weather
- At least 7,200 dead, expected to rise to 20,000+
- 45,000+ are missing
- 8500+ buildings collapsed and more collapse with each aftershock
The first major quake was first measured at a magnitude of 8.1. It was downgraded to a 7.8M, which is not much of a decrease. As usual, there were aftershocks. However, there was another quake at magnitude of 7.5 not far away. Then aftershock after aftershock — the largest at 6.7M.
Basically, the first 7.8 one caused cracks in the mostly stacked brick buildings. Subsequently, the ones that didn’t fall after the first quake, were weakened enough to collapse with the later quakes and aftershocks.
At 8 AM MST, there were 411! Notice the perfect line-up of the quakes.
What Caused These Earthquakes?
As it turns out, the tectonic plates rearranged themselves below the surface.
The Arabian plate moved about three meters in the northeast-southwest direction relative to the Anatolian plate. This is about a structure in the border zone between this world, the Arabian Plate, and the Anatolian Plate. According to Carlo Doglioni, president of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). (Source)
“…it is as if Turkey had shifted to the southwest … everything happened in a few tens of seconds.”
Carlo Doglioni
DW News Video 2/7/2023 covering the earthquakes
“A disaster in a monumental scale.”
DW Video
“It felt like judgment day.”
It’s not the Judgment Day!
Syrians fell to their knees in prayer fearing it was “Judgment Day”. Though the “apocalyptic” scenes look like it’s the Judgment Day, it’s not. Jesus’ Judgment Day will be WAY WORSE. How do we know? It’s in the Book of Revelation where John wrote…
“I watched as the Lamb [Jesus] broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.”
Revelation 6:12 NLT (bold emphasis mine)
“Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.”
Revelation 8:5 NLT (bold emphasis mine)
“Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth.”
Revelation 16:18 NLT (bold emphasis mine)
Undoubtedly, these earthquakes are worldwide. Imagine the destruction and devastation in Turkey and Syria played out all over the world! A million-fold! Very few people will survive!
But There’s Good News!
Paul wrote…
10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 NLT (bold emphasis mine)
That’s the Good News! That’s the Gospel! Unless you know Jesus Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior, you will face the coming judgment! Only when you become a true, born-again believer do you have your guarantee that you will NOT have to go through the Great Tribulation and the Great White Throne Judgment.
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
