The World Hasn’t Seen Anything Yet!

No doubt, the Turkey-Syria earthquake was huge and the devastation simply over the top.  At last count, approximately 8,000 people are reported to have been killed and about 5,000 buildings collapsed between the two countries.

But do you know that there’s coming the mother of all earthquakes? Check this passage out in the Book of Revelation:

Rev. 16:17-21:  Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!” 18 Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth. 19 The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. 20 And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled. 21 There was a terrible hailstorm, and hailstones weighing as much as seventy-five pounds fell from the sky onto the people below. They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm.

Did you get that?  The seventh bowl is poured out and an earthquake occurs that results in the following:

1.   It is the worse since the time of creation.

2.   The city of Babylon splits into three sections.

3.   The cities of many other nations fell into heaps of rubble.

4.   Every island disappears.

5.   All mountains leveled.

6.   All this was followed by a hailstorm in which 75 pounds of hail fall from the sky smashing anything and anyone it comes in contact with.

This will be the mother of all earthquakes. And will you notice the reactions of the surviving people at the end of verse 21:  “They cursed God because of the terrible plague of the hailstorm.”  For many, repentance will be impossible even though such terrible events occur on the earth.

Here’s something else to note.  Before this earthquake occurs, another one which is a little smaller occurs at the beginning of the Tribulation. The six seal is broken and here’s what we find:

Rev. 6:12:  I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood.

This earthquake which is more localized stirs up so much debris into the air that the sun is darkened, and the moon turns red. This kind of earthquake has never occurred in human history before. It too will be devastating.

But wait, there’s more. When the sixth trumpet sounds, we read: “At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Rev. 11:13).

Tenth of what city?  Jerusalem. Both Syria and Turkey have had a major earthquake, but soon, sometime in the future, Israel will experience hers!

So folks, the lesson here is obvious:  We are in the end times and God is getting ready to perform extraordinary shakings.  The Book of Revelation mentions three major earthquakes that will occur during the seven-year tribulation period. All three are part of God’s judgments – Seals, Trumpets and Bowls.  Each of these three categories of judgments, contain a devastating earthquake.

What occurred in Turkey and Syria is a wake-up call from God. Are you ready? An earthquake is much like the coming of Jesus – it can come upon you as a thief in the night!  Be ready! Submit your life to Jesus while you find yourself on top of the rubble and not on the bottom.