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Greatest Earthquakes of the Bible
The entire story of the Bible can be summarized by its association with earthquakes - history, archaeology, and geology appear to confirm independently many earthquakes mentioned in the Bible. The three main purposes for biblical earthquakes are judgment, deliverance, and communication. The lesson is obvious — God does not do anything really big without emphasizing it with an earthquake! In our fast-paced, man-centered, technology-based society of the twenty-first century, God would have us pause and consider His sovereign nature and the program He has been accomplishing in the world.
BY STEVEN A. AUSTIN,
PH.D.
The Holy Land is a region where earthquakes occur frequently. By
one means or another, big earthquakes have been documented in the Holy Land for
a period exceeding 4,000 years.
Many are known from history and literature, especially the
Bible. Holy Land earthquakes are also evidenced from archaeological
excavations. No other region of the earth has such a long and well-documented
chronology of big earthquakes.
Recently,
geologists have investigated the 4,000-year chronology of earthquake
disturbances within the uppermost 19 feet of laminated sediment of the Dead
Sea.
Hypersaline
waters preserve seasonally laminated sediment because organisms cannot live or
burrow in the bed of the lake.
As
a result, only a nearby earthquake (or very large distant earthquake) can
homogenize the lake’s uppermost sediment layers, producing a “mixed layer”
devoid of laminations.
A
sketch of a sediment core from the west side of the Dead Sea appears in Figure
1. The sketch shows the depth of the “mixed layers” within the laminated
sediment sequence.
Two
deeper mixed layers in the Dead Sea are datable from historical,
archaeological, and geological associations with faulting — the earthquakes of
31 B.C. (the Qumran earthquake) and 750 B.C. (Amos’ earthquake).
Other
earthquakes are represented in the Dead Sea sediment core with dates
approximated by assuming a steady rate of sedimentation.
Consider
17 of the most important earthquakes that relate to the Bible. The earthquakes
are listed in chronological order. We begin with creation and go through to the
Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Day Three of Creation Week
On
the third day of the creation week, the waters of the earth were collected into
the oceanic basins as continents appeared (Genesis 1:9-10).
Before Day Three, the waters had been over the whole
earth. Continents seem to have been uplifted and the ocean floor was depressed
during a great faulting process that established the “foundations of the earth.”
We
are told that angels saw and praised the omnipotent God as the earth-shaking
process occurred (Job 38:4-7; Psalm 148:1-6;
possibly Psalm 104:5-6).
Today,
the earth’s continental crust (41 percent of the earth’s surface, including the
continental shelves) has an average elevation of 2,000 feet above sea level,
whereas the oceanic crust (59 percent of the earth’s surface, excluding the
continental shelves) has an average elevation of 13,000 feet below sea level.
Can
anyone properly comprehend the colossal upheaval that formed continental crust
on Day Three? Angels must have watched in awe!
2. Noah’s Flood
The
year-long, global Flood in the days of Noah was the greatest sedimentary and
tectonic event in the history of our planet since creation (see Genesis 6-9).
One of the primary physical causes of this great judgment
was the “fountains of the great deep,”
all of which were “broken up” on a
single day (Genesis 7:11).
The
verb for “broken up” (Hebrew baqa)
means to split or cleave and indicates the faulting process (Numbers 16:31; Psalm 78:15; Isaiah 48:21; Micah 1:4; Zechariah 14:4).
The
enormous upheaval (probably associated with faulting of seafloor springs)
unleashed a year-long global flood. God’s purpose was to begin the human race
again from the family of Noah.
3. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
A
disaster called an “overthrow” was delivered in about 2050 B.C. on the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-28).
That
event was so spectacular, swift, and complete that it became proverbial for the
severity of judgment that God’s righteous anger could deliver.
Jesus
spoke “woes” exceeding those spoken
against Sodom and Gomorrah on Galilean cities that rejected His teaching (Matthew 10:15;
11:23-24; Luke 10:12).
The
swiftness of Sodom’s judgment was used by Jesus to illustrate how sudden His
return will be (Luke 17:28-30).
Of
the five “cities of the plain” (Genesis 13:12;
14:8), only Zoar is described as surviving
the catastrophe.
Zoar
is the site to which Lot and his family fled with the approval of the angels (Genesis 19:20-23).
As
a city, it flourished through the time of Moses and the kings of Israel, even
being described as a city of the region of Moab by the prophets.
Arab
historians in the Middle Ages refer to Zoar and identify the city as modern
Safi southeast of the Dead Sea in Jordan.
Because
Lot and his family made the journey by foot in just a few hours (Genesis 19:15,
23), Sodom must be less than about 20
miles from Zoar (modern Safi).
Two
Early Bronze Age archaeological sites southeast of the Dead Sea (Bab edh-Dhra
and Numeira) reveal evidence of catastrophic collapse and burning along the
eastern border fault of the Dead Sea Transform Fault.
These
two sites are likely the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah. A thick disturbed
zone within the Dead Sea sediment core, assignable to the Sodom and Gomorrah
event, occurs at a depth of about 18.5 feet.
4. Moses on Sinai
Before
God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave the Ten Commandments, a great
shaking of the mountain occurred (Exodus 19:18).
No
doubt the earthquake prepared both Moses and Israel for the important truths
the Lord was going to communicate.
This
awesome shaking event continues to be remembered in the New Testament as the
context for God’s delivery of His Law (Hebrews 12:18-21).
5. Korah’s Rebellion in the Wilderness
A
crisis of leadership developed among the children of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 16:1-40).
Korah
and all his men were killed and their possessions taken, as the land on which
they were camped split apart and closed back upon them (Numbers 16:31-33).
God
destroyed them because they rebelled against Him.
6. The Fall of Jericho
The
wall of the fortified city of Jericho collapsed suddenly after the Israelites
marched around the city seven times (Joshua 6).
The
biblical account does not specifically mention an earthquake, but the earth
would have been shaken by the wall’s collapse.
Archaeological
excavations at Jericho confirm that the massive wall made of mud bricks did
collapse at the time of the conquest, about 1400 B.C.
The
site of the ancient city of Jericho sits directly on top of a very large fault
associated with the Jordan Rift Valley.
Surprisingly,
the Dead Sea sediment core has a distinctive mixed sediment layer at a depth of
15.1 feet that is evidence of a big earthquake at about 1400 B.C.
7. Philistine Camp near Geba
Israel
conquered the Philistines near Geba after an earthquake occurred in their camp (1 Samuel 14:15).
Jonathan
and his armor bearer were separated from their army and would otherwise have
been killed by the Philistines.
Is
this event at 1010 B.C. seen in the thinner “mixed layer” within the Dead Sea
sediment core at a depth of 13.5 feet?
8. Elijah on Mount Horeb
God
spoke to Elijah at Mount Sinai (Horeb) as He did before to Moses after the
occurrence of an earthquake (1 Kings 19:11).
Elijah, who had been hiding in a cave, realized that the
Lord does not need to use a mighty earthquake to speak, but can, in His
meekness, reveal Himself simply in a “still,
small voice.”
9. Amos’ Earthquake of 750 B.C.
The
prophet Amos predicted the “Day of the
Lord” (Amos 5:18-20) and a great earthquake (Amos
1:1; 2:13; 3:14-15; 6:11; 8:8; 9:1, 5).
When
the magnitude 8.2 earthquake occurred two years later in 750 B.C., Amos was
propelled to notoriety as the earliest writing prophet at the time of the
explosive emergence in Israel of writing prophets.
Other prophets that lived through the big earthquake wrote
about “the Day of the Lord” and
earthquakes (Isaiah 2:10-21;
5:25; Micah 1:3-6).
Archaeological
excavations at numerous Iron Age cities show earthquake destruction debris at
layers assigned to the middle of the eighth century B.C.
Dead
Sea sediment cores indicate a persistent, two-inch-thick earthquake-disturbed
layer at a depth of about 12 feet in the floor of the lake. Analysis of the
damage regionally indicates Richter magnitude 8.2 with the epicenter in
Lebanon.
That
makes Amos’ earthquake the largest yet documented in the Holy Land in the last
4,000 years.
10. Qumran Earthquake of 31 B.C.
About
sixty years before the ministry of Christ, a small group of Levites copied
Scripture onto scrolls at the small village of Qumran in the desert northwest
of the Dead Sea.
In
31 B.C., a large earthquake occurred along the Jericho Fault on the western
side of the Dead Sea.
The
earthquake dried up Qumran’s main spring and severely cracked the architecture.
Spectacular evidence of the earthquake is seen at recent excavations at Qumran
in cracked stair steps within the ritual baths.
Grooved
fault surfaces (what geologists call “slickensides”) and ground rupture within
lake sediment can be observed just south of Qumran.
Josephus
wrote of the regional devastation from the earthquake, and he said 30,000 men
perished.
The
survivors buried the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran lay abandoned after the
earthquake.
The
Bible, of course, is completely silent concerning this earthquake and other
events during the intertestamental period. No doubt, everyone in New Testament
times knew of ancestors killed in that event.
11. The Crucifixion in Jerusalem, April 3, 33 A.D.
After three hours of darkness at midday on April 3, 33
A.D., the Lord Jesus exclaimed the words “It
is finished!” as He died on the cross.
Immediately,
the curtain of the sanctuary of the temple was torn, a great earthquake
occurred, rocks were broken, and many dead saints were resurrected from their
tombs (Matthew 27:51-54).
The
earthquake upon the death of Christ called attention to the great salvation
that had been accomplished that day on the cross.
The
barrier between God and man was not removed by the earthquake tearing the
Temple’s veil, but by His Son being offered as “the Lamb of God” for the sin of
the world.
The
centurion and his soldiers, who were given the task of crucifying the Lord
Jesus, saw the sky grow dark at noon, followed by the earthquake as Christ died
at 3:00 p.m. They recognized that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
An
outcrop of laminated Dead Sea sediment can be seen at Wadi Ze’elim above the
southwestern shore of the modern Dead Sea near the fortress of Masada.
In
this sediment outcrop is a distinctive one-foot thick “mixed layer” of sediment
that is tied strongly to the Qumran earthquake’s onshore ground ruptures of 31
B.C. (see Figure 2).
Thirteen
inches above the 31 B.C. event bed is another distinctive “mixed layer” less
than one inch thick. The sedimentation rate puts this second earthquake about
65 years after the 31 B.C. earthquake.
It
seems that the crucifixion earthquake of 33 A.D. was magnitude 5.5, leaving
direct physical evidence in a thin layer of disturbed sediment from the Dead
Sea.
12. The Resurrection in Jerusalem, April 5, 33 A.D.
No
human agency rolled away the stone blocking the opening of our Lord’s tomb (Matthew 28:2).
It
was the earthquake in the presence of the angel.
God’s
sovereign action was obvious in both the earthquake and in our Lord’s
resurrection.
The
purpose of the stone being rolled away was not to permit the resurrected body
of Jesus to exit. The purpose was to allow people to see that the tomb was
empty!
13. Jerusalem Prayer Meeting, Summer 33 A.D.
Following
the day of Pentecost, the assembled church in Jerusalem received the report of
threats and persecution from the Jewish leaders.
That
compelled them to pray that the outreach of His servants and the spread of the
Gospel would continue.
After
the prayer, the place where they were gathered was shaken by an earthquake as
believers spoke boldly (Acts 4:31).
14. The Prison at Philippi
An
earthquake not only released Paul and Silas from the Philippi prison (Acts 16:26), but it authenticated their testimony.
The
jailer who witnessed the event recognized the Lord’s hand and believed in the
Lord Jesus Christ.
That
earthquake draws our attention to how God was using His apostles to minister in
the early days of the church.
15. Today’s Earthquakes
When
Jesus was asked by His disciples what the sign of His coming would be, He talked
of wars, famine, epidemic disease, and earthquakes.
Jesus said, “These
are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8; Mark 13:8;
cf. Luke 21:10-11).
The
word “sorrows” is the Greek word
meaning “birth pangs.”
Seismograph
analysis reveals that the frequency and energy of large earthquakes was not
constant throughout the twentieth century.
According
to a popular urban legend, big earthquakes have been increasing in both
frequency and energy.
This
legend is not supported by the seismograph data.
There
appears to be about a 30-year cycle of increasing and decreasing earthquake
frequency, suggesting the “beginning of
birth pangs” theme.
Furthermore,
seismographs demonstrate that earthquakes are indeed distributed throughout the
globe (the “divers places” as described by Jesus in Matthew 24:7 and Mark
13:8.
16. Gog’s Future Earthquake in Israel
Ezekiel
38 and 39 describe a northern confederacy of nations, commanded by a leader
called Gog, that invades the land of Israel.
A
supernaturally directed natural disaster of colossal scale will occur
(earthquake, slope failure, mountains overturned, dwellings collapse, rain of
hailstones, rain of burning sulfur, and plague).
This
colossal disaster will result in the destruction of the invading armies (Ezekiel 38:18-23),
in God’s greatness and holiness being seen in the sight of the nations (Ezekiel 38:23),
and in the national conversion of Israel back to her sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 39:25-29).
Gog’s earthquake occurs after Israel has been dwelling in
the land in perceived “safety” (Ezekiel 38:8; 39:26)
upon the northern confederacy’s unexpected invasion, whereas “Messiah’s
earthquake” (Revelation 16:16-20) occurs after Israel has been
afflicted with judgments at the site where “the
kings of the earth and of the whole world” are gathered for battle (Revelation 16:14,
16).
17. Messiah’s Earthquake in the Future
The
apostle John wrote of a “great
earthquake” in the future associated with the opening of the “sixth seal” (Revelation 6:12).
This
earthquake will be the precursor to the greatest earthquake since men have been
on the earth.
This
greatest earthquake will occur in association with the “seventh bowl” at a place called Armageddon (Revelation 16:16-20).
This
future “Armageddon earthquake” or “Messiah’s earthquake” will be associated
with the return of Christ to Jerusalem (Acts 1:9-11; Zechariah 14:1-11) and is described as inflicting severe topographic and
geologic changes on a global scale.
Scripture
appears to look forward to the monumental changes associated with this future
earthquake (e.g., Psalm 46).
After God’s voice shakes the earth mightily (Haggai 2:6,
7, 21, 22; Hebrews 12:26)
and fully accomplishes these
extraordinary geologic changes, His saints will receive a “kingdom which cannot be moved” (Hebrews 12:27-29).
Conclusion
A
review of the 17 earthquakes listed above shows that virtually the entire story
of the Bible can be summarized by its association with earthquakes.
Biblical
events emphasized by earthquakes are creation, Noah’s Flood, separation of
Abraham and Lot from judgment of the wicked cities, the giving of the Law on
Mount Sinai, authentication of the leadership of Moses, God’s provision in the
conquest of Canaan, vindication of the messages of Hebrew prophets, the
crucifixion of our Lord in Jerusalem, the resurrection of our Lord, the
ministry of the apostles and the church, the modern “birth pangs” sign of the
end times, the national conversion of Israel, and the Second Coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
History,
archaeology, and geology appear to confirm independently many earthquakes
mentioned in the Bible.
Earthquakes
have been used distinctively by God to highlight some of the most important
events of the Bible.
The
three main purposes for biblical earthquakes are judgment, deliverance, and
communication. The lesson is obvious — God does not do anything really big
without emphasizing it with an earthquake!
In
our fast-paced, man-centered, technology-based society of the twenty-first
century, God would have us pause and consider His sovereign nature and the
program He has been accomplishing in the world.
Steven A. Austin, Ph.D.
Creationist Geology Professor (USA)
Education
· B.S.
(Geology), University of Washington, Seattle, WA,1970
· M.S.
(Geology), San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, 1971
· Ph.D.
(Geology), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 1979
Publications
· See
his online (off-site) paper on Mt St Helens ‘dating’ from
the Journal of Creation
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