World News and Trends- Earthquakes: Sign of the end time?
Last Dec. 26, one of the greatest oceanic earthquakes (and the tsunami it produced) killed some 200,000 people surrounding the Indian Ocean. It left another 100,000 missing and presumed dead. Remarkably, on March 28 a related aftershock measured a whopping 8.7 on the Richter scale.
Last Dec. 26, one of the greatest oceanic earthquakes (and the tsunami it produced) killed some 200,000 people surrounding the Indian Ocean. It left another 100,000 missing and presumed dead. Remarkably, on March 28 a related aftershock measured a whopping 8.7 on the Richter scale.
More and more Christians and others, including modern media, are searching the Bible to find answers to such significant modern catastrophes. Jesus Christ gave indicators of the end time, including increased earthquake activity in different places (Matthew 24:3-8).
But the end time can also include the past nearly 2,000 years. The apostle John referred to it being "the last hour" in his day (1 John 2:18). The apostle Peter said that "the end of all things is at hand" (1 Peter 4:7). Depending on the context, the end time can include the past nearly 2,000 years.
By simple passage of time, we are closer to the latter days of the end time than we've ever been. In The Good News we regularly discuss world news in the light of prophetic signs of the end time. No one can know the exact time of Christ's return (Matthew 24:36), but we can know that earthquakes will continue to increase.
Remarkably, there will be an unprecedented worldwide earthquake that will shake the earth at the time Christ descends (Revelation 16:18-19). Earthquakes are natural phenomena that relate to the elasticity and temporality of the earth's surface. Still God uses earthquakes to get humankind's attention in hopes of turning us from our selfish ways to His unselfish service. (Source: USA Today.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: May - June 2005
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.
