- Original picture by Dave Goudreau from Unsplash
Earthquakes and other catastrophes
The archaeologist pulled a small piece of pottery from the layer of ash
and turned it over. One side was covered with a strange, greenish glaze
that he did not recognise. A few months later the "glaze" was identified
by the U.S. Geological Survey Laboratory as "trinitite" – a material
associated with the first American nuclear tests in New Mexico – a
material only formed at temperatures of over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The archaeologist, Dr Steven Collins, published his findings in 2013. He
had identified the biblical city of Sodom, and found hard scientific
evidence for the spectacular event described in the book of Genesis and
so often dismissed as mythical:
"And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. Then he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and towards all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace."
The latest thinking is that this was not a volcanic event, but an "airburst"
event, when a meteorite enters the earth's atmosphere and then
explodes before striking the planet, unleashing huge devastation. The
most famous example is one that occurred over Tunguska, Siberia in
1908, with an estimated force of one hundred Hiroshima bombs. So here
in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah we have a cataclysmic event,
once dismissed as a bit of mythology, but now confirmed by archaeology
and science.
This may be the most well-known, but in fact it is just one of many
devastating events that punctuate the Bible narrative. They run like a
thread through Bible history, apparently marking out some of the critical
stages as the divine plan unfolded. Here are some further examples.
The description of the great Flood in the book of Genesis ascribes the
inundation not just to torrential rainfall, but to massive subterranean
upheavals which released some of the vast quantities of water now
known to be locked away in the earth's crust:
"... all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened"
The era of the Israelites' escape from Egypt, their wanderings in the
desert and entry into the Promised Land, was also marked by notable
geological upheavals:
1. God's revelation of himself to his people at Mt Sinai:
"Now mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly"
2. The drying up of the river Jordan caused by a major blockage in the
north of the land, allowing the nation to cross into Canaan (see Joshua3:14–16).
3. The fall of the city of Jericho. A long-standing debate amongst
archaeologists now seems to favour the accuracy of the biblical
account. Only a precisely timed and pin-point accurate earthquake can
explain the evidence; the total collapse of the city walls.
"And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city"
- Excavations at Tel Al-Sultan
- The ancient city of Jericho in the Jordan Valley
- Picture is public domain
Archaeologists accept a major earthquake (or two!) took place around
760 BC, referred to by the biblical prophets Amos, Zechariah and Ezekiel,
leaving evidence of destruction in sites from Jerusalem to Bethshan and
Megiddo.
The epoch-making events of the death of Jesus Christ and his
resurrection were also marked by striking geological activity in
Jerusalem: the unnatural darkness at the time of the crucifixion, the
shaking of the temple, the opening of graves throughout the city, the
earthquake which accompanied Jesus' resurrection:
"... the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened…And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone ..."
The preaching of the apostles and the spread of Christianity saw the
signs continue. An earthquake opened up the prison at Philippi for Paul
and Silas:
"Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened ..."
What science has to say The modern investigation of the
earth's geology, and the science of plate tectonics have shown us why
the lands of the Bible should be unusually vulnerable to this geological
activity. The Jordan valley, that runs the full length of the land
of Israel and includes the deep cleft of the Dead Sea, is a major rift in
the earth's crust. Known as the Jordan Transform, or the Dead Sea
- Map showing tectonic plates and fault lines in the Middle East.
- Red arrows show how the plates are moving
- Diagram by Wathiq Abdulnaby
Fault, it marks the boundary between two great tectonic plates, the Arabian
Plate and the African Plate, that are moving at different rates in the
movement known as "continental drift".
- Map of TRUAA events
- Map from Nof and Kurzon
These boundaries, wherever they occur, are marked out by
major volcanic and earthquake activity.
The Jordan rift carries on south across the Red Sea and down into the Great
Rift Valley of Central Africa, with its formidable chain of active volcanoes.
The present government of Israel is well aware how vulnerable Israel is.
On 8th February this year Israel launched the nationwide TRUAA ("trumpet
blast") Early Warning System with a command centre in Jerusalem and 120
sensors deployed throughout the land (see map above). The last major
earthquake in Israel occurred in 1926; ominously, another is long
overdue.
Fascinating as the science may be, it is of far more than academic interest.
The Bible's story is not yet finished
God's purpose is still moving towards its final climax, and, as in the past,
the Bible tells us that divinely directed earthquakes have a major role to
play.
The Old Testament prophet Zechariah predicted a special day which he
called "the day of the LORD" when Jesus will be revealed to his people as
their Messiah. This day will be marked by a major upheaval and a
dramatic change in the topology of the land of Israel:
"In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south"
A major earth movement within 25 miles of the Jordan rift valley –
nothing surprising about that, except its miraculous timing to
accompany Messiah's return. And the outcome?
"... the LORD shall be King over all the earth"
The prophet Isaiah refers to a similar "day in store" for mankind, a day
of God's wrath and judgement:
"They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth mightily"
- Isaiah 2:19 and repeated in verse 21
The outcome?
"The haughtiness of man shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day"
Last came the greatest prophet of all – Jesus himself.
Jesus tells us that the period immediately before his return will be
marked by unusual earthquakes, not confined to any particular locality
(e.g. Mount Sinai or the Mount of Olives) but in "various places" across
the world (Matthew 24:7) The disciples' knowledge of earthquakes
would have come largely from their Old Testament scriptures and
related only to Bible lands (now the Middle East), hence the importance
of Jesus' expression "in various places".
So where are we today?
Never before has such a mass of seismic information been available to
us. Every day observations and measurements flood in from satellites,
balloons, beacons, weather stations, from permanent sensors on the
tops of mountains and others on the ocean floors. We know far more
about earthquakes than ever before. Significant damage or loss of life is
reported by the popular media within hours – barely has one eruption
calmed down than it seems another fills the headlines.
As I started to write these notes (January 2022) news comes in of a 5.8 eruption on the seabed
near the island of Tonga (in the Pacific Ocean, east of Australia), creating a small
tsunami affecting seacoasts as far away as the West Coast of America, and
reviving memories of the terrible Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 which killed
around 230,000 people. This Tonga undersea volcano (Hunga-Tonga-Ha'pai) last erupted in 2014.
Now it has erupted again. In April came another major(7.4) eruption in Japan, near Fukushima.
 - Richter scale of intensity
- Diagram from UPSeis/Michigan Technology
What next?
Looking back on 2021, Wikipedia has this to say:
"The year 2021 was a very active period for global seismicity, with 19 major earthquakes, three of which were over 8.0, and was also the most seismically active since 2007… Major events also took place' (in addition to Haiti) "in Indonesia, Japan, China, Pakistan, Mexico and Peru"
- See Wikipedia "List of earthquakes in 2021"
Jesus' disciples asked him what would be the sign of his coming
(Matthew 24:3). He answered them with a remarkable list, things which
we can see happening in our world today – including "earthquakes in
various places" (verse 7).
Jesus is knocking at the door. He is saying "look up!" Don't keep looking
down at the awful godless man-made chaos of our world today – look
up, because wonderful and amazing things are about to happen!
"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
Author Roy Toms
Country Norfolk, UK
Source Light on a New World reprint from Volume 33.3
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