Yeshua's prophecy speaks of earthquakes in diverse places. Often people assume the prediction means an increase in quakes, but the prophecy does not require an increase statistical or in perception– but rather quakes in diverse places, those places not before known for quakes: quakes that are not on fault lines. Both the Haiti quake 12 January 2010 and the Christchurch quake on the 4 September 2010 were new faults, and there is an amazing symmetry. They speak of two churches.
The prophecy of Yeshua which might have a second application, is
Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. (Matthew 24:6-7)
Haiti and Christchurch are diverse places. But they have some amazing symmetry and religious significance.
The Christchurch quake was the same magnitude, 7.1 on the Richter Scale as the one that hit Haiti in January,
Yesterday’s quake hit at 4.35 in the morning – when almost everyone was indoors, asleep – for example, while January’s, with almost exact symmetry, occurred at 4.53 in the afternoon.
So let’s be glad of the miracle in Christchurch – but recognise that world poverty is the greatest disaster of all. Geoffrey Lean telegraph.co.uk
On science fault lines and quakes.
There is an assumption based on fallible human theory that quakes only occur on fault lines. The scientists said of the Christchurch quake,
'Before Saturday, there was nothing in the landscape that would have suggested there was an active fault beneath the Darfield [45 kilometres west of Christchurch] and Rolleston areas.
''All we can say at this stage is that this newly revealed fault has not ruptured since the gravels were deposited about 16,000 years ago.'' smh.com.au
It is a theory of course that it was a fault line over 16,000 years ago. The event is a challenge to theory, as the events imply a fault can open up. But it has support from the Bible. In the incident of Korah, Datham and Abiram Moses asks for the earth to open up to show God's authority,
Moses said, “Hereby ye shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.”
And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. (Numbers 16:28-33)
It was said specifically of the Christchurch quake that the earth opened up enough to swallow a man
A country road was shifted about 3m in one place, while cracks big enough to hold a large man were opened up in the ground, near where once uniform rows of pine trees were moved up to a metre.heraldsun.com.au
Like the Christchurch quake the Haiti quake was a new fault line,
The devastating quake that slammed Haiti on Jan. 12 occurred on a previously unrecognized fault zone, report scientists who are still trying to determine the implications for the region’s long-term seismic risk.
The area north of the fault had been forced substantially upward, as well as southward, during the event. ..scientists also found that formerly submerged corals died when the quake lifted them above the tides by as much as 60 centimeters. This previously unknown fault is about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) long, says Calais. Unlike the Enriquillo fault, which extends vertically into the ground, the newly discovered fault dips steeply northward into the earth at an angle of about 60 degrees.
During the January quake, deep parts of the Léogane fault slipped past each other as much as 5 meters (16.4 feet). Despite the significant slippage that occurred at depths between 5 and 20 kilometers, there was -- unusually, Calais says -- no rupture of the ground at Earth’s surface. news.discovery.com
It appears new faultlines may appear and the idea that quakes occur on fault lines must be rewritten. The observed evidence is consistent with the idea that if Yahweh so desires he can open the earth anytime he chooses. If we have any faith at all that Yahweh controls our life, we must have a faith that understands that Yahweh has hands on control over the earth which can move and open up and swallow us.
The birth pangs of the new Creation
The increase in frequency of dramatic events and earthquakes in diverse places are surprisingly like birth pains. The events in Christchurch headlined in the Jerusalem Post as not a story about a disaster but rather as 'Record number of births at NZ hospital after quake' (jpost.com). One woman equated birth pangs to the earthquake,
"In the 24 hours post earthquake, 21 babies were born...and that's a record for a Saturday,'' a hospital spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse.
The first newborn arrived within 10 minutes of the pre-dawn quake, which saw roads gridlocked as residents rushed to higher ground to escape a potential tsunami.
Meanwhile, Miriam Garcia was in labour at home when the quake struck and had just decided to head for the hospital. "I couldn't believe the timing," the new mum, who delivered baby Amelia about two hours later, told The Press newspaper...
Danika Weeks was already in labour in the hospital when the earth rocked...."I was sort of like, 'Gosh did we cause this? You know, is this part of it? Does the earth move?'," she said. Baby boy Lincoln arrived safely, and first-time mum Ms Weeks said, "If you weren't in labour already it definitely would've brought it on for sure," she said.
Of the experience, she said the quake "made it all the more amazing, really, that we went through two sorts of trauma in the one day". dailytelegraph.com.au
The apostle Paul uses language of birth to describe the end of the process of the arrival of the new creation,
For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(Romans 8:22 23)
Mark records that Yeshua spoke of earthquakes in a process like childbirth,
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in diverse places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows (pangs of childbirth). (Mark 13:8)
The significance:
Nearly all articles use the word 'miracle' for the lack of deaths in Christchurch. This is due to many people's reaction, including the Mayor's.
“I was awestruck by the power of the earthquake and the damage it has caused in the city”, Mr Key said. “It was miraculous that nobody was killed.” telegraph.co.uk
It’s an “absolute miracle” that no deaths have yet been reported from the earthquake that struck New Zealand early yesterday, says Bob Parker, telegraph.co.uk
That no one was killed is being judged a miracle.heraldsun.com.au
By contrast the huge toll in Haiti (1 in 10 people) was particularly shocking and caused President Barak Obama to respond,
"This tragedy seems especially cruel and incomprehensible, " smh.com.au/world/haiti-earthquake-horror
In Haiti, whereas few prisoners in gaol were killed, in the cathedral the Catholic Cardinal and his Vicar General were killed with parishioners. In addition 100 of the Catholic leadership were killed in one conference venue. time.com The quake seemed to target the Catholic church (70% of the nation) which overlapped those who practised voodoo (50% of the nation). An archbishop killed was,
regarded as a humble priest who sought to bridge the divide between the nation's Catholic clergy and voodoo priesthood time.com
We speak more of Haiti's quake here Watchman
Haiti's quake seems to target Catholic ecumenicalism with Voodoo, whereas Christchurch's quake is about the Anglican church.
Christchurch not only sounds like it might have religious origins and significance: it does. And a quake there is highly significant.
Christchurch in New Zealand was named by J.R Godley after Christ Church, Oxford a college and Cathedral of Oxford. Christ Church is the short version of 'The Dean, Chapter and Students of the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford of the Foundation of King Henry the Eighth'. King Henry VIII when he broke with Rome took over Wolsey's magnificent buildings and renamed the college-cathedral in 1532. The school has produced 13 of England's Prime Minsters.
The colony in New Zealand founded by Godley was specifically for people who would follow the Church of England, and the first 4 ships were filled with 'pilgrims'. It was to be self governing, but a mirror of an ideal Britain. Likewise, Christ Church Oxford is the only cathedral directly overseen by the British monarch.
In 1856 a Royal Charter made Christchurch the oldest city in New Zealand. The focal point of the city planning is the Anglican cathedral.
(As an aside to underline the connection there is a Christ Church in Virginia from 1735 and it was the official church of the colony, the social and political centre at that time. http://www.christchurch1735.org/history.html There is another Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in Canada established by the English settlers in 1845).
The Anglican church at Horoata inner city Christchurch, lost its steeple,
http://www.stjohnschch.org/
Mr Key said it was a miracle no one was killed in the earthquake
A few kilometres down the road, Jenni Carter, the local vicar of the historic St John's church near Hororata, was asleep in her house opposite the church when the quake hit.
"It felt like someone picked the house up and dropped it again," she said.
She raced across the road to the church to see whether it was damaged. To her dismay, the 100-year-old church's tower was sliced off and there was a gaping hole in the roof. ...
Ms Stead said that immediately after the quake, she noticed that the sky near her beachfront home had become filled with birds. theaustralian.com
As the Christchurch quake coincided with the Queen's invitation to the pope to visit Britain, it reveals a connection by its timing. A Christchurch Anglican Pastor notes in his diary,
Saturday September 18 update
Two weeks since the initial quake. A total of 699 quakes so far.
Today it looks as though the Catholic Cathedral may be closed for a year for earthquake strengthening. The congregation of the Anglican Cathedral will tomorrow meet at Christ’s College where I am chaplain. Still no message from the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury – they are together today and could save postage by sending a joint message! No mention on the official Anglican news. http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/christchurch-earthquake-updates/4159
The connection is underlined especially as the media icon of the quake's destruction is an Italian restaurant with red walls and a large cross in it, exposed for all to see by the quake. Walls deep red the colour of blood.
There is a connection in the meaning Christchurch when compared with Haiti,
If we decompose the word 'haitiens,' phonetically we get 'Hai Siens' = qui hait les siens (One who hates his own) http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43a/171.html
Ayiti or Haiti means “mountainous land”or “flower of high land” http://www.uhhp.com/haiti/name_history.html
Those who seek ecumenical ties with Rome 'hate their own' as there is a warning regarding the judgment of the woman on the scarlet coloured beast whose heads symbolise seven mountains.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Revelation 18:4)
It is to be noted that the superabundant sins are being exposed even now, including repeated serious personal misconduct of many priests globally, causing death in some of those who can't live with it, and financial malpractice with the Vatican's obscene wealth. It is not one off but repeated,
But scandal and controversy is not unknown to the Vatican Bank. In 1982, it became enmeshed in the collapse of an Italian bank, Banco Ambrosiano, of which it was the major shareholder.
The Vatican Bank's head at the time, Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, was expected to be indicted in 1982 in Italy as an accessory of the bankruptcy, but ended up being protected by his diplomatic immunity as a Vatican prelate. That scandal took an even darker turn when two of its executives, one of them Roberto Calvi, were murdered. (http://www.smh.com.au/world/vatican-in-shock-as-its-bankers-investigated-20100922-15mzu.html)
Yet some Anglicans seek union to drink of Babylon's wine of ecumenicalism.
The focus of the pope's visit to Britain was to make a saint of an Anglican who became a Catholic (and people had to pay to see it). The New Zealand media noted this,
Newman, a 19th century Anglican convert to Catholicism, was honoured at an open-air Mass in Birmingham, the spiritual highlight of Benedict's trip. The theologian was enormously influential in both churches, and Benedict wants to hold him up as a model for the faithful for having followed his conscience despite great costs. 3news.co.nz
They dug Newman up to make an iconic casket of his remains for the people to pray to and found only a lock of hair!
And all the time of the pope's visit the earth moved and rumbled in Christchurch! On the one hand in Haiti catholics seemed specifically targeted and did not repent, on the other in Christchurch there was a 'miracle'. In Christchurch, catholic churches and catholic-looking churches were very damaged, indicating Yahweh Elohim does not like them. Do people take note, or will they defiantly rebuild? Despite the evident sins, and clear punishment we see the rise of the political rule of the papacy, taking in Anglicans.
We are reminded,
And what concord has Christ with Belial? or what part has he that believes with an infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (2Corinthians 6:15-17)
The making of saints is making idols. Ecumenicalism is a great evil.
The earthquake that shook the world : the Pope in Britain.
The pope's visit to Britain contained a number of political earth-shattering firsts. The division that emerged from the Anglican Catholic divide was deep and, and became deeper as the nation's people began to read their Bibles. In Britain a law was passed in 1689 called a Bill of Rights stating “Every person who is or shall be reconciled to, or shall have communion with, the Church of Rome, shall be excluded and ever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Crown of these Realms”. Such was the power of English non-conformist protestantism and their detestation of Catholicism that it shaped also the Anglicans for four hundred years. Yet despite repeated scandals of a truly despicable nature, the Pope was invited to Britain by the Queen (the crown) and it was the first time an ecumenical mass was performed at Westminster Cathedral, with 4 former leaders of Britain present, including Tony Blair who converted from anglican to catholic.
In seeking an alliance with the corrupt power of Rome the daughter of Tyre in Britain is singing as a Harlot as predicted by Isaiah. We write more of this here
The Pope recently has been in Jerusalem standing where it ought not. (see Standing where it ought not And now,
U.S. President Barack Obama is turning to the Pope to back his vision of a new Arab state on all of Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. The president told the Catholic Italian newspaper Avvenire, one week before a scheduled meeting with the Pope in Italy, “It [the Middle East] is a subject I am keen to discuss with the pope. I think he will share my approach." isarelnationalnews.com
Providence among nations
Not only did the Christchurch quake prefigure a politico-religious quake in King Henry VIII's Christchurch where the pope was invited by the monarch, the head of the Anglican Church, to Britain, but it resulted in a practical outcome of dividing New Zealand from Europe.
Prime Minister John Key has cancelled a trip to see the Queen and the leaders of Britain and France, as he deals with the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquake.
Mr Key said a number of aftershocks - including two 5.4 jolts - overnight had changed his mind about going to Europe and he wanted to show solidarity with Christchurch people.
Mr Key was to meet the Queen at her country estate in Balmoral for a private visit. He was also due to hold talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French president Nicolas Sarkozy along with senior OECD officials. He hadn't yet had the opportunity to tell Buckingham Palace or 10 Downing Street. stuff.co.nz
PM Key would not take Christchurch to Britain at the time Britain is forgetting what Christchurch stood for, but more than that Key does not go to meet the leader of France or the leaders of the OECD the re-badged 'Organisation for European Economic Co-operation'. At a pragmatic level the relationship of a nation in the Commonwealth with Europe is made difficult. This adds to the issues, as despite Britain's 'harlotry' with Rome, the relationship is increasingly strained with Europe.
The level of control of the earth: books on shelves
There was a level of control as to what was damaged in Christchurch. While the cross in the red walled room was exposed and the Catholic Cathedral was very damaged and estimated to be rendered unusable for a year, the new Jewish Chabad house “completely escaped any trace of damage,”
Rabbi Mendy Goldstein said.. “Not a single book fell off the shelf at the Chabad House,” Even the New York-style skylight in the main hall of the new Chabad House, comprised of 1,500 pieces of glass, was undamaged. “It's truly a miracle, the window is completely intact,” Goldstein remarked.
Israel's Ambassador to New Zealand, Shemi Tzur, visited the Chabad House this week to inspect the building. He presented the rabbi with a mezuzah from the Jewish State, “for Chabad's continued success and contribution to the strengthening and growth of Judaism in New Zealand.” http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/news.aspx/139658
It is known that not a book fell from the Jewish Chabad house, yet a photo on a feature collection of the Christchurch quake showed humanist books strewn from a bookcase. http://www.crashbang.co.nz/quake040910/index.html?ref=nf
Not only is the quake a marker of religious events on the scale of nations and produces Divinely directed changes in international politics, but we can be sure that providence works for each of us and our fellow servants at the scale of individuals. If we have faith we do not “deny the power thereof” (2 Timothy 3:5)
For more on the last quake the move NZ closer to Australia and faith and the moving earth
As I was thinking to write this article, having just read Psalm 46 as I do each year on that day, on January 25th a Bible was found untouched after a tornado hit Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
This article is from the archives. It was written 20 years ago in January 1990. What is interesting is that history has borne out the understanding of the events then. From the vantage of 20 years we can look back and see how great the earthquake of the year 1989 was. Before 1988 was another world. The year 1990 is the beginning of our world as it is now.
Just as Jewish families are each building their sukkah, many thousand families in the Asia-Pacific region will be similarly dwelling in temporary shelter, in some cases made of whatever they can find.
The Bible is full of the redemption pattern, the pattern of salvation in Yeshua. The account given in 1 Samuel 13 and 14 at first reading appears a very frank account of a messy event 2 years into the reign of Saul.
