Tectonic Tango and the End Times

It came in the dark of the night. I was jostled from my sleep by a call from a relative who had to be evacuated from his high-rise premise. Tremors were felt throughout the Klang Valley. It seems like another earthquake, this time measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale, has hit the coasts of Sumatra, with the resultant aftershocks being felt deep into the west coast of Malaysia. Surreal.

With the tectonic plates grinding, rubbing and sidling up against one another in a cosmic equivalent of a lap dance, one can’t help but recall a certain passage in the bible which touches on the end times. The passage says, and I paraphrase, that the end times will be preceded by earthquakes, wars, and threats of war.

I recall hearing about the Kobe earthquake back in 1995. Little did I know that within a decade, this would be superceded by the 2003 earthquake in Bam and the one in December 2004 which was responsible for the killer tsunamis. Some people are of the opinion that we are living in a time of unprecedented seismic activities. I would have to agree. Not only have earthquakes increased in frequency year on year, but in their intensity as well. Research has shown that there were approximately 600 earthquakes measuring 6.0 and above on the Richter scale throughout the 80’s. Compare this to the approximately 793 earthquakes of the same magnitude during the 90’s.

As for wars and the threats of war, the situations in the Middle East, the Taiwan Straits & North Korea don’t give much cause for optimism. Kim Jong Il is still busy at his deadly game of nuclear brinksmanship, the US is at odds with Iran over its alleged nuclear ambitions, and China is militarily posturing itself against Taiwan in the face of renewed calls for independence within the province. Also, not to forget the rising tension between Malaysia and Indonesia over disputed reserves of oil. Deadly.

What does this mean for you and me? For one, these events serve to remind us of the sense of urgency with regards to the end times which was conveyed through the Bible. It is time for us to take our eyes off the incessant, dogged pursuit of material wealth and to focus on what really matters, to gaze upon our circumstances through the eyes of eternity.

“Go ye there forth and make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name
of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”

The years ahead of us will be anything but dull.