Daily I read chapters from The Bible so I can read it in its entirety chronologically in one year with the help of the fine folks at the Blue Letter Bible website . After today’s reading, I looked around their site and came across a page named Symbolic Language used in the Old and New Testaments .I read that the word earthquake was symbolic for revolution. I found that very interesting.
I recalled the scripture regarding Jesus speaking with his diciples about the end of the age in Matthew 24. Jesus describes all the terrible and unthinkable things that must happen on earth before the end of the age; shortly before He comes back to Earth to take control and rule as King on David’s throne. In particular this verse: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24:7 [NKJV]. The words in that passage except ‘earthquake’ describe things that can be caused by people.
I always thought the word earthquake in this verse meant precisely that, an actual quaking of the earth. It’s no secret that there are many earthquakes happening in various places on Earth. But today I had this thought after learning that the word earthquake can be symbolism for revolution perhaps reading it as ‘famines, pestilences and revolutions; (by people) defined as “a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence’ ( Dictionary.com) could be more in line with what Jesus meant.
I can easily argue that everything that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24 is spot on with what is happening on earth today. If that is true, then we are so close to the rapture of the church that we ought to expect at any moment to feel the whoosh that will take place when we get instantly led out of here and into heaven.
I took some time to investigate and then create a simple table to help prove my argument. Because hey, who doesn’t want to create a spreadsheet in their spare time, right? I wanted to know if there were any societal upheavals happening in the world so that I could take an “end times” temperature reading. I went to the website of Council on Foreign Relations and checked out the Conflict Tracker Map.I was quite surprised to see the list of so many active conflicts occurring on our world at this very moment. I hear of something going on from time to time but to see all the strife, struggles and wars in one spot was a bit staggering. It is obvious that our world is in chaos and on proverbial fire! A hot ‘end times’ temperature reading. A really hot mess. That’s what I set out to find and that’s what I found. Events are occcuring just as Jesus said would happen. See table below. You might be surprised as well.
Then again, sometimes an earthquake is just an earthquake.
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.
~ John, Apostle
