Many years ago I heard Johnny Cash sing a song on a Billy Graham Crusade. I had never heard the song before nor have I heard it since, but the title was “Matthew 24 Is Knocking on My Door”.

I want to quote a bit of that chapter from the New American Standard Bible. (I like that version because it’s easier to understand and is the one my pastor uses so it makes it easier for me to follow him when he’s reading.)

3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.

8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

You can read the entire chapter here.

This is not another story about the war, but I had to include that part to put into context what Jesus was telling the disciples.

The part I’m interested in particularly right now is the part about earthquakes.

Remember the big tsunami that hit at Christmas a couple of years ago, and now another one that hit in the Solomons just recently? These are only two, but I have been reading an interesting article about the huge earthquake in the Solomons.

Check this out:

RANONGGA, Solomon Islands (AFP) - The seismic jolt that unleashed the deadly Solomons tsunami this week lifted an entire island metres out of the sea, destroying some of the world’s most pristine coral reefs. [my emphasis]

In an instant, the grinding of the Earth’s tectonic plates in the 8.0 magnitude earthquake Monday forced the island of Ranongga up three metres (10 foot).

Submerged reefs that once attracted scuba divers from around the globe lie exposed and dying after the quake raised the mountainous landmass, which is 32-kilometres (20-miles) long and 8-kilometres (5-miles) wide.

Corals that used to form an underwater wonderland of iridescent blues, greens and reds now bleach under the sun, transforming into a barren moonscape surrounding the island.

The stench of rotting fish and other marine life stranded on the reefs when the seas receded is overwhelming and the once vibrant coral is dry and crunches underfoot.

Dazed villagers stand on the shoreline, still coming to terms with the cataclysmic shift that changed the geography of their island forever, pushing the shoreline out to sea by up to 70 metres. [my emphasis.]

I read and hear of these natural disasters happening more and more frequently, along with the wars and rumors of wars, nation rising up against nation, people claiming to be the Christ, and I can’t help but believe we are witnessing Matthew 24 happening before our very eyes.

42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

44 “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.

I just wonder how many of us believe the Second Coming of Jesus could be very soon based on what we are told in the Bible. Judging by the way we are living, I would say not many of us are watching for that “thief in the night” but are out enjoying life as we’ve always known it.

I don’t know the day or the hour either, but the Lord Himself gave us the signs of the end times. We would be wise to heed His words and be prepared.

Written by ~J~

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