The Big One!

Last week, there was a major earthquake just outside Caracas, Venezuela. The initial 7.2 quake was followed seconds later by an even greater 7.5 quake—an event known as a “seismic doublet.” As of the time of this writing, casualties are still being counted, but more than 2,000 are already known to have died, more than 10,000 have been injured, and tens of thousands are still unaccounted for (NPR, July 1, 2026). In addition to the grief and heartache such tragedies cause to the peoples affected, they also remind others of the danger they face in their own regions, in which the risks of earthquakes are ever-present.

The major tectonic system called the “Ring of Fire” surrounds much of the Pacific Ocean. It runs from Southeast Asia, north through the Philippines and Japan, across the Bering Sea, from Russia to Alaska, and down the west coast of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. This region of the world is known for its powerful earthquakes.

The U.S. state of California sits on this Ring of Fire. California has two major, seismically active faults running through it—the San Andreas and San Jacinto—and smaller ones as well. And, off the west coast of the U.S., there is also the Cascadia subduction zone. Researchers have long been aware of the risk of this major fault shifting and releasing what is often called “The Big One”—what could be a 9.0 earthquake!

Scientists have monitored the San Andreas and San Jacinto fault systems for decades and recently observed that they are in a “critically loaded state” (The Guardian, June 16, 2026). According to one lead scientist, “Our results show that stress levels on multiple fault segments are now at or above the highest values seen in the past millennium and that the region may be capable of a large through-going rupture involving both fault systems.” Scientists cannot predict when a major quake in this system will occur—they only know that stress is building toward one and that “The Big One” will eventually happen.

Of course, earthquakes have occurred around the world for millennia, causing countless deaths and great suffering. Yet a time is coming when earthquakes will hit with such intensity that “every mountain and island” will be “moved out of its place” (Revelation 6:14), literally reshaping the globe. However, the true “Big One” will take place when Jesus Christ returns to destroy the armies gathered against Him—“such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” (Revelation 16:18). While disasters occur for natural reasons in this world, they are also used by God for His divine purposes. You can learn more by reading or listening to Acts of God: Why Natural Disasters?