Was Friday’s Earthquake a Sign From God?

Yesterday a 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck the East Coast, rattling the New York/New Jersey area, while also being felt hundreds of miles away. While Friday’s quake didn’t appear to cause much damage, it was stronger than a typical East Coast earthquake.

In fact, this was the third largest earthquake recorded in the area in the last 50 years, according to data from the US Geological Survey. Curiously, it also seems as if the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster was at the epicenter of the quake.

Most earthquakes in the Northeast are fairly weak, but stronger earthquakes do occasionally happen, as there have been more than 400 earthquakes of a 3.5 magnitude or higher in the previous 50 years, according to the USGS.

The West Coast, of course, is still earthquake central: The California area experiences around two to three earthquakes per year that register at least a 5.5 magnitude, and a whopping 68 earthquakes per year with at least a 4.0 magnitude.

So, for Christians interested in Bible prophecy, this brings up the question of whether this was a sign from God. Certainly if you were in this area at the time, as I was, it can seem that way.

There are those who already portray it as a sign from God, and yet another indication that we need to repent as a nation before it’s too late. So, was this REALLY a sign from God?

The answer is we don’t know. The truth is that only God knows whether this was intended as a sign, or a warning to America. And in fact, there are two problems with our assuming that this earthquake is definitely a sign from God.

The first problem is that many of us are always looking for signs, and we see every natural event or disaster as being proof that God is sending a specific message, or that He is angry with a certain area of the country or the world.

Next week’s April 8th total solar eclipse is one example, as the claim that 8 different towns named Nineveh will fall under this total eclipse is misleading at best. From this map, you can see that only 2 of these 8 towns are actually in the path of totality.

The supposed sign of September 23, 2017 is another example, as Christians have relied on astrological signs in an attempt to see this as a fulfillment of Revelation 12. Even though this alleged sign from God wasn’t even visible from planet Earth at the time.

Here’s the second and bigger problem: The Bible’s prophecy of earthquakes in diverse places during the end times is being misunderstood. That is because there are already earthquakes in diverse places, and have been for many decades.

The US Geographical Survey estimates that the are some 500,000 earthquakes in the world each year, with approximately 100,000 of those strong enough to be felt.

That means that the Bible’s prophecy about earthquakes in diverse places isn’t referring to random earthquakes happening around the world over the years, but to a multitude of stunning earthquakes happening simultaneously.

Just like the other end-time signs that the Bible describes, the earthquakes foretold in prophecy are not localized events that have people speculating whether they are signs from God. Rather, they are shocking events that cause men to hide themselves in fear.

So if you’re still wondering whether this earthquake was a sign from God, let me put it like this. When these earthquakes happen as foretold in the Bible, we will all know it because it will shake us to the very core.

Thanks for taking the time to watch this short video, and I’ll talk to you guys soon. ♦