 Earthquakes on the Rise...
continued from... ... This year, so far, we have witnessed the devastation and lives lost in Haiti when on January 12th a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck. According to official estimates, 222,570 people killed, 300,000 injured, 1.3 million displaced, 97,294 houses destroyed and 188,383 damaged in the Port-au-Prince area and in much of southern Haiti.
Chile had an earthquake on February 27th of an 8.8 magnitude. Interestingly the February 27th shock originated about 230 km north of the source region of the magnitude 9.5 earthquake of May, 1960 the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the world. Chile has had a history of high magnitude earthquakes.
Turkey suffered a 6.1 magnitude earthquake on March 8th. At least 51 people killed, 100 injured and 5,000 displaced, 287 buildings destroyed and 700 heavily damaged. This earthquake was a reminder of the many deadly earthquakes that Turkey has suffered in the recent past. The devastating earthquake of 1999 (M = 7.6) killed 17,000 people, injured 50,000, and left 500,000 homeless. The recent earthquake of March 8th occurred about 90 km south of the magnitude 6.6 earthquake of March 13, 1992, which killed hundreds of people and left thousands homeless.
The USGS lists 69 significant earthquakes so far this year, significant meaning earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or greater or ones that caused fatalities, injuries or substantial damage.
Here in the US we have been reminded from time to time of the divers places earthquakes happen by our own 6,357 recorded quakes so far this year. Although only 61 have been a 5.0 or higher and 496 were between 4.0 – 4.9 that still makes quite a few that were felt and should remind us that this is a sign Jesus spoke of in connection to his promised return.
On June 23rd a magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit the Ontario-Quebec border and was felt throughout New England and as far south as West Virginia. The U.S. Geological Survey said homes and businesses were shaken from Canada's capital in Ottawa on south to an arc of U.S. states. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The midday quake was felt in Canada and in a number of U.S. states, including Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York.
On September 25th a magnitude 3.1 earthquake sent tremors across much of New Hampshire and parts of Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts. The quake, which was considered minor, was centered in Boscawen, N.H., about 10 miles north of Concord, NH. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, residents reported feeling the temblor across the southern half of New Hampshire, as well as southern Maine, northern Massachusetts and southeastern Vermont.
I point out these two US earthquakes because they are personal. They have shaken the earth where the editorial staff of this web site resides. The place where we gather for worship and prayer and praise has once again felt the proof of one of the many signs Jesus said would be happening before His return.
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KILLER EARTHQUAKES MORE FREQUENT AS TIME GOES ON...
The earth has gone from one or two a century to one a decade after World War II vaulting ahead after the turn of the millennium to one or two a year...
 1906
San Fransisco - The California earthquake of April 18, 1906, ranks as the most deadly in U.S. history: About 3,000 people perished. The Great Quake, as the event is known, was estimated at magnitude 7.9 and ruptured along 296 miles of the northernmost section of the San Andreas fault. Broken gas lines, fractured chimneys and toppled chemical trucks sparked a series of fires that torched large sections of San Francisco, as seen in this image taken from Golden Gate Park.
 1964
Alaska -
The most powerful earthquake in North American history shook the state of Alaska on March 27, 1964, the Friday before Easter. The magnitude-9.2 temblor triggered a tsunami that was responsible for 113 of the 128 deaths associated with the earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The giant waves struck along the West Coast down to California, and rolled across the Pacific to Hawaii. This image shows the coastal town of Seward, Alaska, in the wake of the tsunami.
 1970
Peru: Mountains moved - The magnitude-7.9 earthquake that struck just off the west coast of Peru on May 31, 1970, reduced the coastal towns of Casma and Chimbote to rubble and killed at least 3,000 people. Even greater disaster struck the towns of Yungay and Ranranhirca. The shaking sent an avalanche of mud, rock and ice down the slopes of the Cordillera Blanca and buried the cities under tens of feet of debris. An estimated 70,000 lives were lost. Here, a statue of Christ is all that remains in Yungay.
 1976
China - region flattened - The deadliest earthquake in modern times flattened the industrial city of Tangshan, China, in the early morning of July 28, 1976. The Chinese government put the death toll at 255,000, though many geologists believe it was much higher — up to 655,000. Nearly 800,000 more were injured. Tremors and damage from the magnitude-7.5 quake extended as far as Beijing, about 90 miles from the epicenter. Here, a few tents and temporary shelters are visible amid the debris.
 1985
Mexico shaken - On Sept. 19, 1985, a magnitude-8.2 earthquake off Mexico's Pacific coast wreaked the greatest havoc in Mexico City, about 220 miles from the epicenter. There, hundreds of buildings were toppled, and thousands of people died. Government officials put the death toll at about 9,000, though other sources say it may have been as high as 35,000. A triggered tsunami sent waves rising almost 10 feet crashing into the coastal towns of Lazaro Cardenas, Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo. Here, a 21-story steel-constructed building in Mexico City lies in ruins.
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 1995
Roger Hutchison via NGDC/NOAA
Japan - More than 6,400 people died in the aftermath of a magnitude-6.8 earthquake that hit Japan on Jan. 17, 1995. Most of those deaths occurred in Kobe, the city closest to the epicenter. Many buildings suffered partial collapse, such as the one shown in this picture. Total damage was estimated at more than $100 billion.
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 2003
Majid / Getty Images
Iran - On Dec. 26, 2003, a magnitude-6.6 earthquake crumpled the adobe city of Bam, Iran, killing an estimated 30,000 people. About 60 percent of the city's buildings were destroyed and nearly all the rest were damaged. The event ranks as the deadliest in Iran's history. Here, one of the victims is carried to the grave.
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 2004
Dita Alangkara / AP file
Asian Tsunami - On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude-9.1 earthquake ruptured the ocean floor off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, and triggered a series of destructive tsunamis that killed at least 225,000 people in 11 countries. Millions more were stripped of their homes. Scientists estimate the energy released in the event was more than 1,500 times the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Here, villagers walk through a devastated area of Pangdandaran on the Indonesian island of Java.
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 2005
David Guttenfelder / AP file
Kashmir - At least 86,000 people were killed when a magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit the Kashmir region of northern Pakistan on Oct. 8, 2005. Millions more were left homeless at the outset of the harsh Himalayan winter. Landslides swept away villages and blocked roads for relief and rescue workers, worsening the human toll. At least 1,350 people were killed in neighboring India, and the shaking was also felt in Afghanistan. Here, rescue workers dig through the rubble looking for survivors at a school in Balakot, Pakistan.
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 2008
Xinhua via AFP - Getty Images
China - An estimated 70,000 people died and millions were left homeless when a magnitude-7.9 earthquake hit a region north of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu, on May 12, 2008. Tremors were felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai. One of the most tragic episodes was the collapse of a high school in Juyuan. This picture shows searchers digging through the school's rubble.
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 2010
Radio Tele Ginen via AP
Haiti - Extreme poverty and extremely poor construction standards contributed to the devastation and death in Haiti when a magnitude-7.0 quake hit Port-au-Prince and its surroundings on Jan. 12, 2010. The death toll amounted to more than 230,000, and aid officials say it will take years for Haiti to recover fully ... if it ever can. This picture shows rescuers carrying one of the injured away from the rubble.
 2011- Japan - First time a modern industrial nation was hit so hard.
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Earthquakes of increasing
Magnitude...
(TRU Oct. 2010) continued from front pg earthquakes...
Other signs of the times seem to be accelerating in their rate of fulfillment along with earthquakes, including Man's defiance of God. Peter's prophecy in 2 Peter 3 warns us that men will be belligerent and stubbornly ignore all signs of judgment, while making fun of prophecy. He advises the end time believer that:
"... there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 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 the creation. For this they are willingly ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, perished: but the heavens and earth, which are now by the same word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
The Day of Judgment is coming. God has promised to purge the earth of corruption and sin and earthquakes, moral decay, and poor government are signs that the cup of judgment is being filled to the brim. The Holy Spirit has worked hard during the revival of the last four decades to convince the Church (and those who would seek the truth) that Jesus's promises are true and the world will soon be judged.
Believers should not be dissuaded from the truth, no matter how the world weaves its logic to deceive. Does it not make perfect sense that if Jesus does not come to establish a perfect rule on earth, his first coming will have been for nothing? Would the Father allow His Son to be ridiculed, beaten, and murdered and then not allow Him to return to avenge Himself and set the world right?
Christ first came in meekness; lowly, sitting on the colt of an ass and gave himself into the hands of the world so that some men would receive salvation, but that will not be his mood at his second coming. He will return with fire in his eyes and with a sword of judgment in his mouth. That's what the word says, and it would be an unusual way to express his appearance if it were not so spiritually perfect. Christ's appearance will burn up everything that cannot stand up to even the slightest gaze of God's righteous look. Christ will cut down anything and anyone that cannot stand up to his Word. The chaff will be cast into the fire.
The world will melt and tremble at his presence, and Christ and his saints (all true believers) will begin a thousand year reign, ruling with a rod of iron, according to the prophecies written in Revelation. If you have not studied Revelation you owe it to yourself to do it. Start today!
As the Day of Judgment draws closer and closer God's warnings echo louder and louder. Crime, corruption, hypocrisy in government and religion, and lusts of all sort are today's norm. The cup of iniquity is filling and the signs of the times are ripening. As prophesied in 1 & 2 Timothy, seducing spirits are selling the doctrines of devils. Sin is said to be good; doing your own thing is righteous - indeed we live in the perilous times of the last days. 
Let the Church say:
Warning: Doing drugs and excessive drink is hazardous to your health.
Warning: Pornography is hazardous to your health.
Warning: Free sex is hazardous to your health.
Warning: Being Homosexual is hazardous to your health.
Warning: Adultery is hazardous to the health of the family.
Warning: Man's spirit cannot stand the effects of ungodliness.
Everything points to the soon return of Jesus.
"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of person ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to the promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." (2 Peter 3.11-14)
This is the sure way to be spared the fiery judgment which is coming on the earth. If we live "spotless and blameless" lives in Christ, doing His will and seeking to walk by faith in the Spirit, then we can hope in the rapture, which likely will come before the great tribulation that is to come on all the world according to Revelation 3.10. Let us do what we know in our heart is right. Let us unashamedly bring forth the fruit of the Spirit: godliness, kindness, patience, and love. To use the words of Peter, " ... give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." END
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- First day photos from the enormous destruction of Sendai, Japan Earthquake 3-11-11
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