More earthquakes.

Saturday, November 5, Oklahoma was hit by the largest earthquake on record in the state—a quake of 5.6 magnitude.  While the quake did little damage, it scared many people who are used to tornados, but not earthquakes.  The quake was felt as far away as Washington, DC, and South Carolina—1,000 miles away (Reuters, November 6, 2011).

Oklahoma has about 50 small quakes a year.  However, last year (2010) the state experienced 1,047 quakes!  This sudden surge in earthquakes has puzzled scientists.  Some suspect that hydraulic fracturing of rocks to release natural gas may be contributing to the quakes (Associated Press, November 7, 2011).

The record-breaking Oklahoma quake comes after a 7.2 magnitude quake hit Eastern Turkey on October 23, killing more than 500, and a 7.4 magnitude quake hit deep underground in the Kermadec Islands region in the South Pacific, on October 21 (www.usgs.gov).  These recent quakes are noteworthy both because of their magnitude and their locations.

Jesus predicted, almost 2,000 years ago, that “earthquakes in diverse places” would be just one of the signs that would precede His Second Coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:7).  As time goes on, expect to see more earthquakes, with more devastating power, occurring in more diverse places.