Earthquakes continue in various places.

In recent weeks, two earthquakes in Iran have caused significant damage and death.  “A powerful earthquake struck a border area of southeast Iran on Tuesday killing at least 35 people in neighboring Pakistan, destroying hundreds of houses and shaking buildings as far away as India and Gulf Arab states… It was the second big quake to hit Iran in a week. On April 9, a powerful 6.3 magnitude quake struck close to the Bushehr nuclear power station, killing 37 people, injuring 850 and devastating two villages… Iran sits on major geological fault-lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 that flattened the city of Bam, in Iran’s far southeast, killing more than 25,000 people” (Reuters, April 16, 2013).

Another powerful earthquake recently struck Papua New Guinea, near where the devastating 1998 tsunami also struck (Al Jazeera, April 17, 2013). And this week, a powerful, 6.6 quake struck China’s Sichuan province, killing 200 people and leaving over 100,000 homeless (The Guardian, April 21, 2013).

Jesus Christ warned that prior to His return, “earthquakes” and “great earthquakes” will occur in “various places” around the world (Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11). As these events occur, we need to remember that the “kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31).  For more on sobering end-time events, view our telecast, “How To Know When Christ Will Return!”