Earthquakes In The Lord's Day

Have you ever lived through a severe earthquake? It is not a pleasant experience. A big tremblor may start with a sickening roll and a rumbling noise. T he swaying may worsen by fits and starts whole you dash for safety-perhaps under a desk. Or it may come as a sudden, shattering jolt, followed by the crashing of crockery, furnishings, even buildings. Damage may be catastrophic, with frequent aftershocks inflicting further damage and adding to the misery.

Having this in mind, consider what John describes at the opening of the sixth seal: "And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake occurred." (Revelation 6:12a) This must fall within the same time frame as the opening of the other seals, just when in the Lord's day does this earthquake occur, and what kind of quake is it? -Revelation 1:10.

Literal and figurative quakings of the earth are mentioned a number of times in the Bible. In his great prophecy about the sign of his presence in Kingdom power, Jesus forecast "earthquakes in one place after another." These would be a part of "a beginning of pangs of distress." Since 1914, with earth's population exploding into the thousands of millions, literal temblors have contributed significantly to the distresses of our times. (Matthew 24:3, 7, 8) Nevertheless, even though they fulfill prophecy, those earthquakes have been natural, physical disasters. They are preliminary to the great symbolic earthquake of Revelation 6:12. This, indeed, comes as the devastating finale to a series of advance tremors that shake Satan's human earthly system of things to its foundations.

Next time: Tremors In Human Society