The End of Days: Do the increase in natural disasters line up with Bible prophecy?
Is the current increase in natural disasters matching up with Bible prophecy of the “end times?”
People have been announcing the “last days” for millennia.
In antiquity, Old Testament prophets such as Daniel (Daniel 12:1) spoke of them.
-
- A Haitian woman is pulled from earthquake debris by members of LA County SAR. Photo by Petty Officer Second Class Justin Stumberg/Public Domain.
-
- New Orleans, LA, August 30, 2005 — People sit on a roof waiting to be rescued after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is being evacuated as a result of flooding caused by hurricane Katrina. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA. Public Domain.
-
- 2010 Chile earthquake – Building destroyed in Concepción
As did Jesus in Matthew 24:3-8.
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,[a]‘ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
Today, statements of 20th century increases in natural disasters are coming from worldwide sources.
MSNBC, CBC and Fox News have all done reports on the increase in natural disasters.
In 2006, the European Journal of Public Health reported, “Natural disasters are increasing in frequency because of the worldwide deterioration in the natural environment. The incidence of floods, storms, earthquakes and droughts and the number of people affected by them are escalating greatly.”
“Weather-related disasters throughout the world continue to rise, from an annual average of 200 in 1993–1997 to 331 per year in 1998–2002.”
The UN Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery more recently stated,
“The 21st Century has already been marked by escalating economic losses and human devastation caused by natural disasters.”
“In 2008 alone, more than 300 disasters killed more than 235,000 people, affected more than 200 million others and caused losses and damage worth $181 billion.”
Although most of these Web sites and authorities relate the catastrophes more to climate change than biblical prophecy, the reports sound eerily similar to “end times” Bible verses.
Six major earthquakes in the last seven years, plus some of the deadliest hurricanes (Katrina and Rita) -– does that look like the birth pains Jesus referred to, meaning the beginning of the end of the world as we know it?
Of course, anything we may say is certainly speculation, but one thing is certain, the number of natural disasters in the past 20 years outweighs any other written recorded history.
This may be something to think about as we ponder God’s will for our lives and what we do with the time He has given us.