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Jesus prophesied:
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8)
In Mark’s account, we see that Jesus prophesied troubles:
8 … And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:8)
We have seen a lot of earthquake-related troubles this month:
Date Location Magnitude Why significant
Aug. 14–15 Flores region, Indonesia 7.7 The largest recent event; shallow and highly destructive.
Aug. 10 Colombia 7.4 Severe shaking and catastrophic losses; hundreds reportedly killed.
July 28 Kumamoto region, Japan 6.8 Violent shaking; USGS assigned a red PAGER alert.
Aug. 20 Peru 6.7 Strong and widely felt, but deep enough to greatly reduce destruction.
Aug. 15 Indonesia, Pematangsiantar area 6.9 A second major Indonesian earthquake, although much deeper and less damaging.
Aug. 5 Philippines 6.3 Very strong local shaking.
July 17 Off southern Mexico 7.3 Major offshore earthquake with strong shaking.
Aug. 5 Kermadec Islands region 6.3 Large but deep and remote.
Official sources tend to say that there is nothing to be concerned about as these are fairly normal.
But could they be wrong?
Apostle Peter wrote:
1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (2 Peter 3:1-15)
Just as the Apostle Peter prophesied, there are scoffers who declare that what has been going on is normal and not prophetic.
But consider also the following:
New research finds San Andreas Fault is slipping faster than previously thought
August 21, 2026
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Just a week after a 3.9 magnitude earthquake rocked the Hayward Fault in Oakland, new research is highlighting a danger on the San Andreas Fault.
Researchers at San Jose State University found that the fault is slipping faster than previously thought.
SJSU Professor Kim Blisniuk spoke with ABC7 Eyewitness News about the new research.
“And so the great aspect of this work is that it is a rate of which the landform preserves previous earthquakes along the fault,” Blisniuk said. “And the rate is similar to the rate that we get for the San Andreas Fault to the north in the north coast section. But prior to the work that my colleagues and I did at Sanborn County Park, the rate appears to not decrease along the San Andreas Fault, but it appears to be constant over this 10,000-year window that we were able to document.”
This matters because faults that move faster can generally produce earthquakes more frequently.
“We know that we live on a plate boundary, and we are always surprised when we hear, ‘Oh my gosh, an earthquake occurred in Japan or Colombia,’ but we are going to have an earthquake in California, and we should be prepared,” Blisniuk said. “I don’t think the idea that the slip rates are and constant along the San Andreas Fault, where we have studied, it is a big surprise to a lot of people. We just didn’t have that data before.” https://abc7news.com/post/earthquake-safety-new-san-jose-state-university-research-finds-andreas-fault-is-slipping-faster-previously-thought/19709511/
For decades, people in California have worried that one day ‘the big one” would hit.
Now seismologists are telling us the situation may be worse than they thought.
And while that may be true in California, a bigger quake than any probably think is possible is prophesied in the Bible.
In addition to mentions in the gospels, Jesus also taught more about earthquakes throughout the Book of Revelation (also known as the Book of the Apocalypse). One aspect of them in Revelation is that the term for earthquake is always singular in it, as opposed to the plural term for earthquakes that were associated with the beginning of sorrows that Jesus referred to during His Mount of Olives discourse.
Here is the first time an earthquake is mentioned in Revelation:
5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:5)
This particular earthquake happens after the great tribulation began and is just prior to the start of the day of the Lord. Many people consider that when the earth quakes, it may be apocalyptic.
The next mentioned earthquake may be the second to last sequentially:
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Revelation 11:11-13)
The above earthquake happens the same hour that the two witnesses are raised by God. It seems to be a localized quake and this occurs near the end of the “Day of the Lord” (which is also discussed in the article When Can the Great Tribulation). More on the two witnesses can be found in the article Who Are The Two Witnesses?
The next mentioned earthquake is in Revelation 11:
19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19)
Because there was an earthquake during the crucifixion which coincided with a local resurrection, it may be that this earthquake will coincide with the resurrection of Christians, called the first resurrection in Revelation 20:5.
Does the Bible predict the big one, an earthquake bigger than most geologists think possible?
Well, living in California, we often hear the idea that the “big one” an enormous earthquake will some day take place. In March 2011, when I saw “experts” discussing this, they indicated that it was not possible to have an earthquake along the San Andreas fault greater than about an 7.5-8.5 magnitude because of how the fault is laid out.
And while some in California might find that a little reassuring, the Bible speaks of a bigger earthquake ultimately coming. And California may have one or more “big ones” before this happens.
According to the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, the Lydia earthquake of 17 A.D. was the “greatest earthquake in human memory” (Keitel, E. “Tacitus and the Disaster Narrative”. In Kraus C.S., Marincola J. & Pelling C. Ancient Historiography and Its Contexts: Studies in Honour of A. J. Woodman. Oxford University Press, 2010, p. 335. ISBN 9780191614095). But a bigger one is coming.
The real big earthquake in biblical prophecy is the following one:
18 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. 20 Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (Revelation 16:18-20)
Notice that the above earthquake is so big that the cities of the nations will fall. Mountains will be leveled and islands “fled away” (more on this can be found in the article Islands aeand Bible Prophecy). This seems to be the biggest earthquake that will ever hit the planet with humans on it. Despite the view of ‘preterists’ that this already happened (see The Dangerous Rise of Preterists), that is nonsense.
The earthquake of Revelation 16 will be bigger than what the usual “experts” have believed was possible. It will change the planet and humble parts of humanity.
Changes to the earth’s core and magnetic fields may be geological factors God will use to trigger that quake (watch also Earth’s Core and Earthquakes).
It should be noted since that apparently biggest of all earthquakes seems to take place near the end of the Day of the Lord, it probably cannot happen prior to 2033 (for more on why as well as dates, please see the articles When Can the Great Tribulation Begin? and Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End?).
There is a prophecy of an earthquake hitting the land of Israel in the “latter days.”
Ezekiel 38 teaches:
19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel (Ezekiel 38:19).
As this earthquake is specific to the land of Israel, it is NOT the great earthquake of Revelation 16:18. As this prophecy is when Israel is dwelling safely (Ezekiel 38:8,11,14), at the when when “all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (Ezekiel 38:11), this is not for the early 21st century. This occurs over a thousand years after Jesus returns. It is NOT a prophecy for now as certain Protestant prophecy watchers believe.
That being said, the prophet Haggai was inspired to write:
5 Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! (Haggai 1:5)
Sadly, most now will not consider their ways and will likely ignore increased earthquakes.
In addition to praying for God’s kingdom to come (Matthew 6:9-10), Jesus said:
36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36)
Are you doing that?
Some items of interest may include the following:
Earthquakes and Bible Prophecy This article has historical, technical, and biblical information about earthquakes. It also show what Jesus taught about earthquakes and how the Bible describes “the big one” (as well as when it can be expected).
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2026, 2027, or 2028? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? A short video is available titled: Countdown to the Great Tribulation.
Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
The Bible, Christians, and the Environment How should Christians view the environment? Does the Bible give any clues? What are some of the effects of air, water, and land pollution? Is environmental pollution a factor in autism and death? Do pollutants seem to double the autism risk? What will Jesus do? Here is a link to a related sermon: Christians and the Environment (there is also a YouTube video available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy, one titled Will Pollution lead to the End?, and one called COP 27 and Solving Climate Change).
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available in hundreds of languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.