World News and Trends: Why earthquakes?
The Bible tells us that in the end times, there will be earthquakes in various places (Matthew 24:7). Although earthquakes likely have shaken our planet as long as it has existed, it appears that more numerous intense earthquakes have happened over the past century.
The Bible tells us that in the end times, there will be earthquakes in various places (Matthew 24:7). Although earthquakes likely have shaken our planet as long as it has existed, it appears that more numerous intense earthquakes have happened over the past century.
Jesus Christ said earthquakes, along with other natural disasters, would cause human suffering until His second coming. A final globe-girdling earthquake greater than any before is prophesied to shake the entire earth immediately before Christ returns (Revelation 16:18).
Recently in Bantul, Indonesia, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake killed more than 6,200 people, injured 30,000 more and destroyed 135,000 houses across Java Island (Associated Press report, June 2). The world's largest archipelago is Indonesia, located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes that ring the Pacific Basin. There are 76 volcanoes in Indonesia alone, the largest concentration in the world.
The Supreme Designer has built the earth in such a way that tectonic plates can morph and, on occasion convulse, creating dramatic shifts of the earth's surface. Over time such geologic movements redistribute and recycle minerals crucial to keeping the earth habitable for plants, animals and people. At the same time earthquakes can cause great human suffering and, in some cases, encourage human beings to turn to God. This is one prophetic reason that earthquakes occur (Revelation 16:17-21).
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2006
Course Content
Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
