FULFILLED PROPHECY : THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS - 8
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Org
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
More Earthquake Tables, Rounding Out The Picture, Pre-20th
Century Earthquakes Chart, This Century Compared To History,
Excuses For Not Believing, Endtime Plagues Of Revelation
Let us continue now with our earthquake tables for the first
half of our current century. As you will plainly see by the
following data, there have been quite a few killer shakers:
|
Magnitude
|
Location
|
Event Date
|
Death Toll
|
Injuries
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 7.3 |
Montana, USA |
8/18/59 |
? |
? |
| 8.7 |
Japan (Kuril Islands) |
11/6/58 |
? |
? |
| 8.3 |
Alaska, USA |
7/10/58 |
? |
? |
| 7.3 |
Iran |
12/13/57 |
1,130 |
? |
| 7.4 |
Iran |
7/2/57 |
1,200 |
? |
| 8.8 |
Alaska, USA |
3/9/57 |
? |
? |
| 7.3 |
Nevada, USA |
12/16/54 |
? |
? |
| 6.8 |
Algeria |
9/9/54 |
1,250 |
? |
| 9.0 |
Russia |
11/4/52 |
? |
? |
| 7.5 |
California, USA |
7/21/52 |
? |
? |
| 8.5-8.7 |
India-Tibet |
8/15/50 |
4,000 |
? |
Total Fatalities For 1950-1959.........7,580
Total Fatalities For 1950-1999.......664,591-1,191,226+
|
Magnitude
|
Location
|
Event Date
|
Death Toll
|
Injuries
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 6.8 |
Ecuador (Ambata) |
8/5/49 |
6,000 |
? |
| 7.3 |
Japan (Fukui) |
6/28/48 |
5,390 |
? |
| 7.3 |
China |
5/25/48 |
1,000 |
? |
| 8.4 |
Japan (Tonankai) |
12/20/46 |
1,330 |
? |
| 7.3 |
Peru |
11/10/46 |
1,400 |
? |
| 6.0 |
Turkey |
5/31/46 |
1,300 |
? |
| 7.1 |
Japan (Mikawa) |
1/12/45 |
1,900 |
? |
| 8.3 |
Japan (Tonankai) |
12/7/44 |
1,000 |
? |
| 7.4 |
Japan (Tottori) |
9/10/43 |
1,190 |
? |
Total Fatalities For 1940-1949.........20,510
Total Fatalities For 1940-1999.......685,101-1,211,736+
|
Magnitude
|
Location
|
Event Date
|
Death Toll
|
Injuries
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 7.9 |
Turkey (Erzincan) |
12/26/39 |
30,000 |
? |
| 8.3 |
Chile |
1/25/39 |
28,000 |
? |
| 8.3 |
Alaska, USA |
11/10/38 |
? |
? |
| 8.5 |
Indonesia |
2/1/38 |
? |
? |
| 7.0 |
China |
8/1/37 |
3,300 |
? |
| 7.5 |
Pakistan |
5/30/35 |
30-60,000 |
? |
| 7.1 |
Formosa (Taiwan) |
4/20/35 |
3,300 |
? |
| 8.4 |
India |
1/15/34 |
10,700 |
? |
| 7.5 |
China |
8/25/33 |
6,800 |
? |
| 8.9 |
Japan (Sanriku) |
3/2/33 |
2,990 |
? |
| 7.6 |
China (Ganso) |
12/25/32 |
70,000 |
? |
| 8.0 |
China |
8/11/31 |
10,000 |
? |
| 6.5 |
Italy |
7/23/30 |
1,430 |
? |
Total Fatalities For 1930-1939.........196,520
Total Fatalities For 1930-1999.......881,621-1,408,256+
|
Magnitude
|
Location
|
Event Date
|
Death Toll
|
Injuries
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 7.4 |
Iran |
5/1/29 |
3,300 |
? |
| 7.3 |
California, USA |
11/4/27 |
? |
? |
| 8.0 |
China |
5/23/27 |
41,000 |
Same? |
| 8.3 |
China (Xining) |
5/22/27 |
200,000 |
Same? |
| 7.9 |
Japan (Tango) |
3/7/27 |
3,020 |
? |
| 7.1 |
China (Yunnan) |
3/16/25 |
3,600-5,000 |
? |
| 8.3 |
Japan (Kanto) |
9/1/23 |
143,000 |
? |
| 7.3 |
China |
3/24/23 |
5,000 |
? |
| 8.5 |
Argentina |
11/11/22 |
? |
? |
| 7.3 |
California, USA |
1/31/22 |
? |
? |
| 8.5 |
China (Gansu) |
12/16/20 |
200-234,000 |
? |
| 7.3 |
China |
2/13/20 |
1,000 |
? |
Total Fatalities For 1920-1929.........599,920-635,329
Total Fatalities For 1920-1999.......1,481,541-2,043,585+
|
Magnitude
|
Location
|
Event Date
|
Death Toll
|
Injuries
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 7.7 |
Nevada, USA |
10/3/15 |
? |
? |
| 7.5 |
Italy |
1/13/15 |
29,980 |
? |
| 7.8 |
Marmara Sea |
8/9/12 |
1,950 |
? |
Total Fatalities For 1910-1919.........31,930
Total Fatalities For 1910-1999.......1,513,471-2,075,515+
|
Magnitude
|
Location
|
Event Date
|
Death Toll
|
Injuries
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 7.5 |
Italy |
12/28/08 |
70-100,000 |
? |
| 8.1 |
Central Asia |
10/21/07 |
12,000 |
? |
| 6.5 |
Jamaica |
1/14/07 |
1,600 |
? |
| 8.6 |
Chile |
8/17/06 |
20,000 |
? |
| 7.7-8.3 |
California, USA |
4/18/06 |
700 |
? |
| 7.1 |
Formosa (Taiwan) |
3/17/06 |
1,300 |
? |
| 8.9 |
Columbia |
1/31/06 |
1,000 |
Same? |
| 8.8 |
Ecuador |
1/31/06 |
? |
Same? |
| 7.9 |
Italy |
9/8/05 |
2,500 |
? |
| 8.6 |
India |
4/4/05 |
19,000 |
? |
| 6.4 |
Turkestan |
12/16/02 |
4,500 |
? |
| 8.3 |
China |
8/22/02 |
2,500 |
? |
| 7.9 |
Alaska, USA |
10/9/1900 |
? |
? |
| 8.2 |
Alaska, USA |
9/10/1899 |
? |
? |
| 8.2 |
Alaska, USA |
9/4/1899 |
? |
? |
Total Fatalities For 1899-1909.........135,100-165,100
Total Fatalities For 1899-1999.......1,648,571-2,240,615+
Thus we see that, based upon the figures I was able to find,
there have been at the very least 1,648,571 to 2,240,615
fatalities caused by earthquakes over the past one hundred
years alone. That, my friends, is a lot of people; almost
two and a quarter million in fact; and I don't doubt that if
it were possible to obtain figures for some of the other
earthquakes in more remote areas, or from governments which
failed to release figures for certain quakes, the mortality
rate would undoubtedly be much higher than what is shown
here. Two and a quarter million people is like the entire
population of a major city of the world being totally wiped
out of existence!
As I have explained earlier, while the USGS claims that
earthquakes are not on the rise, please remember again, that
they base their statement only on major earthquakes; that
is, on those of an intensity of 7.0 or higher on the Richter
Scale. If we hold strictly to their legalistic approach,
then yes, it would appear that what they are saying is true;
however, if we look at the many earthquakes which have been
below this magnitude, but which have caused a lot of damage,
as well as many fatalities, then we begin to gain a true
picture of the situation; and not the distorted image which
they are trying to foist upon the ignorant public which has
no time or interest in performing the in-depth research
which I have done for you here.
To put it another way, if we were to remove from the above
list, all of those temblors which did not register at least
a 7.0 on the Richter Scale, we would have to deduct many
thousands of fatalities from our tally. Even though all of
those people have died, when the USGS tells us that major
earthquakes are not on the increase, they have to ignore all
of those deaths from lesser quakes, in order to make their
statement true. Allow me to reiterate an important point I
made earlier. God does not require a temblor of 7.0 in order
to fulfill His Divine Purposes, whatever they may happen to
be. Through their legalistic approach of interpretting the
previous data, and by dividing it up into different, smaller
categories, not only is the USGS presenting only half of the
picture, but they are also diminishing the full impact of
what God has really been doing during our modern times.
So again; unless one takes the time to carefully examine all
of the data, as I have done, then he will not realize the
full scope of the deaths and damage caused by these Acts of
God, or the increasing frequency with which these events are
truly occurring, particularly during the past three decades.
Following is another short table which combines earthquakes
of magnitude 7.0 or higher, with those of lesser magnitude
which have killed at least five people each. Again, please
bear in mind that these totals are based only upon the data
I was able to find during the several weeks that I conducted
my investigation. They are probably not as complete as they
could be; yet the sharp contrast between the first decade of
this century, and the last decade of this century, simply
cannot be ignored. The statistics speak for themselves:
Range : Minimum # Of Quakes With 5+ Deaths Or 7.0 Mag. :
1990 - 1999........................ 125
1980 - 1989........................ 66
1970 - 1979........................ 19
1960 - 1969........................ 9
1950 - 1959........................ 11
1940 - 1949........................ 9
1930 - 1939........................ 13
1920 - 1929........................ 12
1910 - 1919........................ 3
1899 - 1909........................ 15
Total.............................. 282
Following is another chart, based upon the previous data,
which shows the approximate number of fatalities per decade
for the past century. While the number of deadly earthquakes
has increased noticeably during the past thirty years, if we
take the low figures, more people died during the first half
of this century. On the other hand, if we accept the higher
figures, about 150,000 more people died during the last half
of this century:
Decade Range : Minimum Number Of Fatalities :
1990 - 1999........................ 96,752 - 127,908+
1980 - 1989........................ 51,090 - 85,923+
1970 - 1979........................ 464,319 - 910,965
1960 - 1969........................ 44,850 - 58,850
1950 - 1959........................ 7,580
1940 - 1949........................ 20,510
1930 - 1939........................ 196,520
1920 - 1929........................ 599,920 - 635,329
1910 - 1919........................ 31,930
1899 - 1909........................ 135,100 - 165,100
Total.............................. 1,648,571 - 2,240,615+
While the total number of fatalities from the previous lists
may shock you, these tables do not by any means provide a
full picture of the disastrous effects of these powerful
shakings of the Earth. If anything, I have given you a very
conservative image of the results of these events. As I have
noted earlier, I have only listed those temblors which have
resulted in five or more deaths, and for which I was able to
obtain concrete data. There are many thousands of people who
have simply disappeared, and who can only be presumed to be
dead. There have also been many quakes over the past century
for which there is simply no data whatsoever, due to the
reasons I mentioned earlier. Furthermore, there are hundreds
of earthquakes not listed here which, while few or no deaths
resulted from them, there were dozens, hundreds, and even
thousands of injuries. Collectively, these figures add up
to literally millions of people injured by these temblors
over the past century alone. You will easily notice from the
statistics that I have provided, that the number of injuries
is quite often much, much higher than the actual number of
fatalities.
To add to this horrific picture, the previous lists do not
even give you a glimpse of the millions of people who have
been left homeless by these events, or of the millions of
buildings which have been either partially or completely
destroyed. Collectively-speaking, from the data which I
gathered, it became apparent to me that at the very least,
hundreds of villages and towns have been completely erased
from the face of the Earth by these temblors during the past
one hundred years alone. Neither do the previous tables
reveal the thousands which have been killed by the resulting
tsunamis, or tidal waves, such as in the case of the quake
which occurred in Papua New Guinea. Not all of the deaths
which resulted from these events were due to actual injuries
either. I discovered many examples where people died from
heart attacks. I am reminded of something the Lord said in
one of His Endtime sermons:
"Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers
of heaven shall be shaken." Luke 21:26, KJV
Let us continue now to our next topic regarding earthquakes.
Everything I have presented to you thus far, only gives us a
clear picture of the past one hundred years of history; and
it is based upon this very short period, compared to the six
thousand years of man's existence upon this planet, that the
USGS is making its misguided claims. Personally, I find it
rather ludicrous that professional people, who claim to rely
upon the scientific method of analysis, would draw upon
such a limited source of information, in order to form their
conclusions; but then, I believe that they purposely do this
in order to promote a certain false impression, as I have
already clearly explained.
Having said that, it is now time for us to compare the data
of the past century, with all other available historical
records, in order to see if it is indeed true that, as Peter
wrote of the Endtime scoffers, '...all things continue as
they were from the beginning of the creation'. Following
then is one more table in which I have listed the data for
earthquakes which have been recorded down through history
from 63 A.D., to 1897 A.D. Please be reminded again that all
of this data is readily available on the World Wide Web, and
that I cannot assume any responsibility for its accuracy:
|
Event Date
|
Magnitude
|
Death Toll
|
Location
|
| |
|
|
|
| 6/12/1897 |
8.7 |
1,425 |
Assam, India |
| 6/15/1896 |
7.6 |
27,122 |
Sanriku, Japan |
| 10/28/1891 |
? |
7,270 |
Mino-Owari, Japan |
| 2/23/1887 |
8.1 |
640-1,000 |
Ligurian Province, Italy |
| 8/27/1886 |
8.4 |
1,000 |
Messina, Italy |
| 12/25/1884 |
? |
2,000+ |
Andalusia, Spain |
| 7/28/1883 |
? |
2,300 |
Casamicciola, Italy |
| 4/3/1881 |
7.3 |
10,000 |
Khios, Greece |
| 5/3/1875 |
7.3 |
2,000+ |
Asia Minor (Turkey) |
| 4/2/1872 |
7.3 |
1,800 |
Antakya, Turkey |
| 4/11/1870 |
? |
2,300 |
Sichuan Province, China |
| 8/16/1868 |
? |
70,000 |
Ecuador - Colombia |
| 8/13/1868 |
? |
40,000 |
Peru - Bolivia |
| 4/22/1863 |
? |
many |
Rhodos, Greece |
| 12/26/1861 |
7.5 |
many |
Akhaia, Greece |
| 3/21/1861 |
? |
18,000 |
Mendoza, Argentina |
| 6/2/1859 |
? |
15,000 |
Erzurum, Turkey |
| 12/16/1857 |
5.1 |
12,000+ |
Naples, Italy |
| 11/11/1855 |
6.9 |
6,760 |
Sagami, Japan |
| 4/11/1855 |
6.7 |
400-1,300 |
Northwest Turkey |
| 2/28/1855 |
6.7 |
2,000 |
Northwest Turkey |
| 12/24/1854 |
8.4 |
3,000 |
Simoda, Japan |
| 4/21/1853 |
? |
12,000 |
Shiraz, Iran |
| 10/12/1851 |
? |
2,000 |
Albania |
| 8/7/1847 |
? |
many |
El Faiyum, Egypt |
| 5/8/1847 |
7.4 |
12,000 |
Nagano Zenkaji, Japan |
| 1/23/1838 |
7.3 |
many |
Vrancea, Romania |
| 1/1/1837 |
? |
5,000+ |
Safad, Israel |
| 4/24/1836 |
? |
12,300 |
Rossano Calabro, Italy |
| 1/19/1833 |
? |
many |
Valona, Albania |
| 3/21/1829 |
? |
1,000+ |
Murcia, Spain |
| 12/18/1828 |
? |
30,000 |
Echigo Sanjo, Japan |
| 3/2/1825 |
? |
2,000+ |
Blida, Algeria |
| 1/19/1825 |
? |
many |
Levkas, Greece |
| 9/5/1822 |
? |
22,000 |
Halab (Aleppo), Turkey |
| 8/13/1822 |
? |
1,000 |
Antakya - Halab, Turkey |
| 6/16/1819 |
? |
2,000 |
Kutch, India |
| 3/26/1812 |
? |
20,000 |
Caracas, Venezuela |
| 2/16/1810 |
? |
2,000 |
Crete, Greece |
| 7/26/1805 |
? |
5,600 |
Molise Province, Italy |
| 10/26/1802 |
7.1 |
2,000 |
Romania |
| 2/4/1797 |
? |
40,000 |
Ecuador - Peru |
| 2/5/1783 |
7.1 |
50,000 |
Rosarno, Calabria, Italy |
| 10/30/1759 |
? |
30,000 |
Jordan Valley, Syria |
| 11/1/1755 |
8.7 |
70,000 |
Lisbon, Portugal |
| 6/7/1755 |
? |
40,000 |
Kashan Quehan, Iran |
| 5/20/1751 |
6.6 |
2,000 |
Echigo Takada, Japan |
| 6/7/1750 |
6.1 |
2,000 |
Kythera, Greece |
| 10/11/1737 |
? |
300,000 |
Calcutta, India |
| 12/30/1730 |
? |
137,000 |
Hokkaido, Japan |
| 11/18/1727 |
? |
77,000 |
Tabriz, Iran |
| 5/?/1715 |
? |
20,000 |
Algeria |
| 8/16/1711 |
? |
many |
Mexico |
| 10/28/1707 |
? |
4,900 |
Shikoko (Japan?) |
| 12/31/1703 |
8.2 |
5,230 |
Odowara, Tokyo, Japan |
| 12/21/1701 |
? |
many |
Oaxaca, Mexico |
| 1/11/1693 |
? |
60,000 |
Catania, Sicily, Italy |
| 7/5/1688 |
? |
15,000 |
Izmir, Turkey |
| 11/?/1667 |
? |
80,000 |
Shemakha, Caucasus |
| 2/23/1653 |
? |
15,000 |
Izmir, Turkey |
| 5/13/1647 |
8.5 |
1,000 |
Santiago, Chile |
| 11/27/1645 |
8.3 |
4,100 |
Near Karachi, Pakistan |
| 11/26/1643 |
7.6 |
4,020 |
Central Anatolia, Turkey |
| 12/20/1642 |
7.3 |
3,000 |
Turkey |
| 2/5/1641 |
? |
30,000 |
Tabriz, Iran |
| 10/25/1622 |
? |
12,000 |
Kansu, China |
| 1/23/1556 |
? |
830,000 |
Shansi Province, China |
| ?/?/1549 |
? |
3,000 |
Qain, Iran |
| 1/26/1531 |
? |
30,000 |
Lissabon, Portugal |
| 12/5/1456 |
? |
30,000 |
Neapel-Brindisi, Italy |
| 5/20/1293 |
? |
30,000 |
Kamakura, Japan |
| 9/?/1290 |
? |
100,000 |
Gulf Of Chihli, China |
| ?/?/1268 |
? |
60,000 |
Silicia, Turkey |
| 8/9/1183 |
? |
230,000 |
Aleppo, Syria |
| ?/?/1057 |
? |
25,000 |
Chihli, China |
| 1/24/1038 |
? |
2,200 |
Shansi Province, China |
| 3/23/893 |
? |
150,000 |
Ardabil, Iran |
| 12/22/856 |
? |
200,000 |
Damghan, Iran |
| 12/?/856 |
? |
45,000 |
Korinth, Greece |
| ?/?/565 |
? |
30,000 |
Antakya, Turkey |
| ?/?/342 |
? |
40,000 |
Antakya, Turkey |
| ?/?/77 |
? |
many |
Cyprus Region |
| ?/?/63 |
? |
many |
Pompeii, Italy |
Total Deaths : 3,163,367 - 3,164,627+
Before we begin to make any kind of adjustments to these
numbers, let us first make a few comparisons with the raw
statistics. As I noted earlier in part seven, during the
past one hundred years, from 1899 to 1999, a minimum of 282
earthquakes were recorded which were either of magnitude 7.0
or greater, thus classifying them as major earthquakes, or
which are considered as significant earthquakes by the USGS,
because they resulted in high fatality rates, and/or in
extensive structural damage. In contrast, during the period
63 - 1897, or a period of 1,834 years, a minimum of only
eighty-two earthquakes were recorded by historians, which
meet the USGS requirements for being considered as major or
significant earthquakes. In other words, this is a ratio of
over 3.4 to 1, in favor of this past century.
To present this data from a different perspective, in order
to honestly say that 'all things continue as they were',
then the total number of major or significant earthquakes
during the previous 1,834 years would have to be much, much
higher. Allow me to prove my point with a little bit of
simple arithmetic. If for the sake of simplicity we drop the
thirty-four years, and just take the 1,800 years, and then
divide that number by one hundred, we see that we have a
total of eighteen centuries. That being the case, we would
have to take these eighteen centuries and multiply them by
282 quakes per century, in order to see how many major or
significant earthquakes would have to have occurred, in
order for that whole period to be on par with this past
century. The answer is an astounding 5,076 temblors at the
very minimum! Now, there are only two possibilities here as
far as I can tell. Either our historians were very poor
historians indeed, and simply forgot to record literally
thousands of them, or else they never happened; the latter
of which would obviously agree with our Lord's words!
I have no doubt that some of my detractors are going to
present a number of different silly, and weak, arguments, in
order to try to contradict the proofs I have presented here.
For example, they might point out that while I have included
in my previous list those quakes which resulted in a minimum
of five fatalities or more, perhaps our historians didn't
consider such events to be important enough to record in the
annals of history. To silence such gainsayers, I will be
very generous, and will deduct all earthquakes from my list
which resulted in under one hundred fatalities each. That
still leaves us with a total of 174 major or significant
earthquakes that have occurred during the past one hundred
years alone, as opposed to only eighty-two recorded by our
historians over the past 1,800 years. This means that to be
on par with the average for this past century, historians
would still have to have recorded at least 3,132 temblors
during the past 1,800 years prior to this century.
It is probable that there will still be some hardhearted
skeptics who will try to accuse me of juggling these figures
in some way, in order to make them say what I want them to
say. Sadly, some people will not be convinced of the truth,
no matter what one tells them, and regardless of what length
one might go to in order to prove his point. Nevertheless,
to take this a step further, so that there is no doubt that
significant and major earthquakes have indeed occurred at
unprecedented levels during the past one hundred years, as
compared to the record left to us by historians, I will now
even go so far as to deduct every single earthquake from my
list which has a question mark listed under the death toll,
because I was unable to find a precise number; even though
said quake qualifies as a major or significant earthquake
according to its magnitude. If we do this, we are still left
with 130 earthquakes for the past century, as opposed to
eighty-two for the previous eighteen centuries. Performing
the same kind of math, we discover that the past eighteen
centuries would have to have produced a minimum of 2,340
major or significant earthquakes in order to be on par with
the average for this past century.
Now friends, let's be honest with ourselves. We all know
that in times prior to this current century, the methods of
communication were not nearly as good as they are at this
present time. There was no Internet, or satellite arrays
circling the Earth, or undersea fiber optic cables, or
national and international radio and television networks, or
national and international telephone services, etc. In like
manner, we can also readily admit that the means of travel
were also much more limited, so that news of such disastrous
events would travel more slowly; and some places would never
even hear of them whatsoever. There were no high-speed jets
or airplanes, or national railroad systems, or eight-lane
superhighways. Life moved along at a much more leisurely
pace; including news from other parts of the world. To add
to these points, we can also recognize that some historical
documents have been lost due to time and decay, or perhaps
due to fire or natural disasters, and maybe even destroyed
intentionally by those who seek to manipulate history.
The point is, if someone wants to convince himself, in fact
deceive himself, into believing that Jesus' words regarding
earthquakes and other 'Beginnings of Sorrows' have not come
to pass precisely as He said they would, then he will find a
way to do it. As the Apostle Paul was inspired to write:
"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13, KJV
In spite of these different possibilities, I still maintain
that our learned historians were not such disorganized, or
misinformed men, that they were only able to leave us with a
record of eighty-two significant or major earthquakes during
the past 1,800 years. In other words, if those extra 2,340
to 5,076 deadly earthquakes are not recorded somewhere, at
least partially recorded, in the annals of history, then I
can only conclude that it is because they more than likely
never really happened. To refresh your memory, those are the
numbers that would be necessary in order to give us the same
average per century for the past eighteen centuries, as the
minimum number of significant and major earthquakes recorded
during the past one hundred years. For you skeptics, like
the USGS, who fight against, and try to disprove our Lord's
words, where is your proof if I may ask? How can you boast
of such shallow claims based upon one hundred years of solid
data alone? Isn't this being rather unscientific? In fact,
if you carefully read their explanation again, you will see
that some of their claims are even based upon data only from
the past three decades!
While I have concentrated on the actual number of quakes for
the past century, as opposed to the total numbers for the
past eighteen centuries, please bear in mind that even if we
choose to concentrate on the number of quake fatalities, and
juggle those figures around, we still end up with similar
results. As you may recall, the last one hundred years have
resulted in a minimum of 1,648,571-2,240,615+ earthquake-
related deaths, while the previous 1,800 years have claimed
a minimum of 3,163,367 to 3,164,627+ lives. While the second
figures are almost one million fatalities more, don't forget
that they represent eighteen centuries of earthquakes, while
the first figures only correspond to one. I will leave it up
to you to figure out the averages, the ratios, etc., if you
are interested in doing so. As for me, in my mind, I am
convinced that God's mighty Hand has indeed been felt the
world over during the past one hundred years, in a way which
it has never been felt before. His Endtime Judgments, the
'Beginning of Sorrows', are indeed beginning to fall upon
this evil and unbelieving world. Only the spiritually blind
can deny this.
Having now amply discussed two major signs which the Lord
said would occur in the years prior to His Second Coming,
let us move on now to a third; that is, to pestilences. Let
us review the verses from Matthew chapter twenty-four in
order to refresh our memories:
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning
of sorrows." Matthew 24:7-8, KJV
Exactly what does the Lord mean by 'pestilence'? According
to my lexicon, this word is derived from the Greek word
'loimos', pronounced loy'-mos, which means pestilence, a
pestilent fellow, pest, or plague. If we consider some of
the descriptive verses which are found in the Book of
Revelation, it becomes apparent that Jesus was most likely
referring to the final definition; that is, to plagues of
various kinds, including diseases, and other afflictions
upon the human body, brought about by the Seven Angels of
the Endtime, and the Two Sackcloth Witnesses of Revelation
chapter eleven. Consider these verses:
"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these
plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that
they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and
silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can
see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their
murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication,
nor of their thefts." Revelation 9:20-21, KJV
"These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the
days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn
them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as
often as they will." Revelation 11:6, KJV
"And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous,
seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is
filled up the wrath of God...And the seven angels came out
of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and
white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden
girdles...And the temple was filled with smoke from the
glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to
enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven
angels were fulfilled." Revelation 15:1, 6, 8, KJV
"And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they
repented not to give him glory." Revelation 16:9, KJV
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of
her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and
that ye receive not of her plagues...Therefore shall her
plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine;
and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the
Lord God who judgeth her." Revelation 18:4, 8, KJV
"And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had
the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked
with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride,
the Lamb's wife." Revelation 21:9, KJV
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book:" Revelation 22:18, KJV
If you take the time to read the Book of Revelation more
thoroughly, as well as study my articles, you will see that
the plagues of the Book of Revelation include such things as
extended droughts, huge brushfires which burn up forests and
plains, severe pollution of our streams, rivers, lakes and
oceans so that much of the life in them dies, painful boils
upon the skin of men, deadly heatwaves, etc. While I do not
believe that the previously-mentioned plagues have begun yet
in earnest, I do believe that we are currently experiencing
what seem to be their precursors, as the remainder of this
series will reveal. Please remember that Jesus told us that
all of these things are merely the 'Beginning of Sorrows'.
In other words, what we are witnessing now is only the tip
of the iceberg. God's most intense chastisements upon this
wicked and rebellious world are yet to occur. If people are
weeping and lamenting now, wait until they see what is yet
to come!
So exactly what are these precursors of which I speak? This
is a question which I will address in the next part of our
series, beginning with the deadly AIDS virus which is at
this time ravaging the world, beginning with the continent
of Africa in particular. We will also look at other serious
afflictions which have plagued our modern society; including
new drug-resistant super-strains, and other pathogens which
man still has been unable to conquer. I trust that you will
join me.
[ Click Me ] Go To Part Nine . . .