Earthquakes of the 20th Century

In Matthew 24 Jesus responds to his disciples' question, "What signs will signal your return and the end of the world?"

One of the signs Jesus gave was this: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:7).

Have earthquakes increased? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) produced a remarkable visualization mapping every recorded earthquake of the 20th century. When you watch the data unfold decade by decade, the pattern is striking -- the frequency and intensity of seismic activity have escalated dramatically, especially in the latter half of the century.

Jesus did not say these things to frighten us. He said them so that when we see them happening, we would recognize the times and look up -- because our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).

The signs are all around us. The question is: are we paying attention?