Jesus talked about earthquakes
Jesus said: Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24.4-8)
In language that sounds like our news headlines, Jesus paints a picture of some of the calamities that might make a person think that the end has come. Footage from New Zealand or from Afghanistan certainly matches Jesus’ description of the things that would happen. In themselves, they are not the end. Picking up the image of giving birth, the labor pains are a signal that the birth is close, but the focus is on the baby, not the pain. So the devastation that we see on our televisions each day is a signal that the re-birthed earth is coming. Jesus teaches clearly that the key event that marks the end is his return (Matthew 24.30-31), and in the meantime each disaster we see and hear about reminds us of how much we want Jesus to return.
