Bear if I could go back in history and find similar earthquake "waves" would it affect your thinking at all?

I certainly am not suggesting that these earthquakes have no end times significance. But I suspect there have been multiple earthquakes in short time periods throughout history. Because sometimes one earthquake triggers another in areas like the ring of fire.

_________________
Todd

RE: ///I certainly am not suggesting that these earthquakes have no end times significance.///

I would also agree with that.

but this is important also :


Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Earthquakes, in divers places.—Perhaps no period in the world’s history has ever been so marked by these convulsions as that which intervenes between the Crucifixion and the destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus records one in Judæa (Wars, iv. 4, § 5); Tacitus tells of them in Crete, Rome, Apamea, Phrygia, Campania (Ann. xii. 58; xiv. 27; xv. 22); Seneca (Ep. 91), in A.D. 58, speaks of them as extending their devastations over Asia (the proconsular province, not the continent), Achaia, Syria, and Macedonia.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Earthquakes - In prophetic language, earthquakes sometimes mean political commotions. Literally, they are tremors or shakings of the earth, often shaking cities and towns to ruin. The earth opens, and houses and people sink indiscriminately to destruction. Many of these are mentioned as preceding the destruction of Jerusalem. Tacitus mentions one in the reign of Claudius, at Rome, and says that in the reign of Nero the cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis, and Colosse were overthrown, and the celebrated Pompeii was overwhelmed and almost destroyed by an earthquake, Annales, 15. 22. Others are mentioned as occurring at Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, and Samos. Luke adds, "And fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven," Luke 21:11. Josephus, who had probably never heard of this prophecy, and who certainly would have done nothing designedly to show its fulfillment, records the prodigies and signs which He says preceded the destruction of the city.

Pulpit Commentary
Earthquakes. Commentators relate the occurrence of such commotions at Rome, in Crete, Laodicea, Campania, etc., and at Jerusalem (Josephus, 'Bell. Jud.,' 4:04. 5; Tacitus, 'Ann.,' 12:43, 58; 14:27; 15:22; Seneca, 'Ep.,' 91. 9; Philostraius, 'Vit. Apollon.,' 4:34; Zonaras, 'Ann.,'

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/24-7.htm

PP,
God bless you friend. Let me say First off, I believe again that 70 AD was a "type" of the first part of a dual fulfillment of a much greater fulfillment to come. But just for example, imagine if earthquakes & volcanoes got rattled off one after another & then Yellowstone went off? That would trump all other events of like kind EVER in history many times over (they recently discivered new reports of the magma chamber of this super volcanos is enough to fill the Grand Canyon 7 times).

But once again, Matthew 24 is set in one long talk from Jesus that at least definitely includes Matthew 24 & 25.

And in Matthew 24 he references Daniel again on "the abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel the prophet. In the greater context in Daniel, this is referring to "the Day of the Lord", or "The End" (not just "the Last days", but "the end"). And in verse 31 he says He will gather His elect from one end of heaven to the other? That happened somehow too already? And then he goes on to discuss it will be "as in the days of Noah". Why? Cause Noah's flood destroyed the whole earth & all in it, except the 8 "elect" on "the ark" of safety. That points to totality judgement (Ie "the day of the Lord's vengeance") not just Jerusalem. And then in 25 (remember there are no divisions in the original text) he goes to discuss the 10 virgins - 5 wise & 5 foolish. Clearly about the Lord's second advent/coming. And then the final judgement of the sheep & goats to heaven or hell laid out starting in 25:31.

This is all clearly showing the very end. The only way you can rightfully coordinate all of it in context without disregarding any of it is by hyper-allegorizing a lot of it, giving it "secret knowledge" meanings that only the Preterists "know" or "discovered", & interpreting everything through those lens created. Oh yeah, & ignoring the constant in context references to "the Day of The Lord" or even doing as the full blown hyper-Preterist (where it eventually must go to continue to look at passage after passage) and say 70 AD was the Day of the Lord & Jesus already came then. It's either that or ignoring it altogether. But neither really stand I believe, especially all the more as I study it more in depth, in context, in the original languages, etc.
God Bless,
Jeff

And also,
Respectfully, I don't even understand what you're saying about earthquakes?
1.) First, you say Josephus says there were horrible earthquakes in 70 AD (which I believe, but they were the mini-type of what comes at the end).
2.) Then you say Barnes says "earthquakes can mean political changes"? (The geopolitical changes in modern day match or exceed anything in history, & more/greater changes are ahead). Huh?

So which is it?

For one thing, I have no idea where Barnes gets that? The Greek word used there is "seismos". It is where we get the words, "seismology", "seismographs", etc. not once is it used in scripture to mean political changes but actual physical literal earthquakes. - to shake. earthquake, a shaking. It's used in this way in Matthew 24, 27, 28, Mark 13, Luke 21, Acts 16, Rev 6, 8, 11, 16, in the Septuagint - Greek Translation of the OT - Isaiah 29, Jeremiah 23, Amos 1, Zechariah 14,).

And besides that, it's in the context of famines (word there means exactly what it says, and how it reads in Agabus' prophecy concerning Jerusalem in Acts), pestilences (meaning great diseases that come initially from the animals), etc. To make this mean something else is irresponsible I think & leads you down by necessity a trail of "throwing stuff on the wall to see what sticks" translation/interpretation & its never ending & you can't make it all fit without saying we can't know the plain meaning of any thing. This to me is the main reason why Preterism is a dangerous way of interpreting the scriptures.
Just my 2 cents from my heart & my study,
In Him,
Jeff

And all of that Biblical interpretationally speaking on top of the fact that it's my understanding that modern scientists (seismologists, volcanologists, etc.) say the current day frequency of seismic activity is higher than any time in history, & that multiple fault lines & volcanoes are "due any time". So while 70 AD was I believe likely the greatest display of these things UP UNTIL THAT TIME, that was almost 2,000 years ago now & it's greater in frequency now than it was then (& now we have the knowledge to track those by accurate machines), & what's "due" to come at this point in many times over a greater magnitude/manifestation than anything in recorded history, probably since Noah & the flood (as it was in the days of Noah).

Jeff as you know Yellowstone has gone off numerous times in the past- about every 600,000 years. We are actually overdue for another Yellowstone eruption. (Of course this presupposes an old earth which does not bother me in the least). I watched a program that said when it went off the last time, the dust/ash buried buffalo in the eastern part of what is now the USA. In other words it was huge.

Volcanic eruptions contrubuted to the "little ice age" from 1300 to 1850.

_________________
Todd

In March of 2010 a 9.0 earthquake struck Chile. The earthquake was so massive that it shifted the mass of this planet rotation by 2 or 3 inches. I believe that was the figure. But none the less the earthquake was so massive. It affected the rotation of the earth.

In March 2011 the earthquake that impacted Japan brought Japan and United States 6 feet closer to each other. It also impacted the rotation of the Earth period and shortnened solar day.

You can Google these two earthquakes and get the specifics. But though the rotation of the earth and the shortening of the solar day may be negligible to us. Earthquakes that can impact the Geo dynamics of this planet given how massive the Earth is. Such earthquakes would have to qualify as "great". A term that Luke uses in chapter 21 of his gospel.

So brothers I would say respectfully that God is speaking to us through the shaking of the Earth.

Brother Blaine

Right,
But 600,000 years ago, if you believe the old earth/gap theory, there were no humans on the earth. So God in prophecy would be speaking to what pertains to man, prophecy, His second coming, etc. So the fact that Yellowstone may have gone off 600,000 years ago (or any other earth calamities) doesn't change what God speaks of is coming on His time clock in the end before/at His return to the earth. All things (nature, man, prophecy) all work together under the sovereignty of Gods hand/will.
God Bless,
Jeff

It can be reasoned that there have always been earthquakes since the beginning of time. But the question is have the earthquakes increased in frequency and lower. I have posted of two great earthquakes that occurred in the last few years. Earthquakes of such magnitude that affected the geo dynamics of this planet.

Luke says that there will be "great earthquakes" which precede the return of Jesus. I believe the ones that struck Chile in 2010 and Japan in 2011 qualify as great earthquakes.

Also the fact of seven major earthquakes struck the Pacific Rim in a matter of hours should not be ignored.

God is speaking to us in the shaking of things. The question we must ask ourselves is are we hearing Him?

Brother Blaine

Right Jeff- my only point was sort of what Bear alluded to. There have always been major earthquakes.

It is very difficult to say when earthquakes are directly related to the end times. Obviously an earthquake tomorrow is closer to the return of Jesus than an earthquake today.

_________________
Todd