1) Psalm 46: & the great earthquake of Zechariah 14

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.

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Trees had been blown down, the stained glass window smashed and blown into the church, but the Bible was left in its place and the text left open to Psalm 46, which begins with “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

The psalms are often about comfort in trouble and trial, but though Psalm 46 begins that way it soon touches on a theme that emerges in the prophets, that of the events leading to the establishment of the Kingdom of God. That our attention is brought to this chapter may indicate the nearness of the events outlined.

The psalm begins very conventionally as a general statement and deep truth:

(1) To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

However the next verse re-casts the trouble to be a specific trouble; that of an earthquake.
(2) Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Christ speaks of a mountain being cast into the sea two times

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. (Mat 21:21. Mark 11,23)
Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.(Matt. 17:20)

The mountain Jesus references turns out to not be a general mountain, but 'this mountain'. In both cases he may have been pointing to the Mount of Olives. In both places ,from Jericho and near Bethel, the Mt of Olives might be seen. This is highly significant as Zechariah speaks of the deliverer of Jerusalem moving the mount of Olives,

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:2-3)

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. (Zechariah 14:4-8)

In this case the Jews about Jerusalem are to flee, but in the Psalm we can see also that in addition they are not to fear! Naturally they would fear the whole Mt of Olives being moved so that the waters that come from the resulting mountain of Jerusalem flow from there to the 'former and hinder' seas.

The open revealing of Yawheh Elohim of Hosts power on earth to deliver his people is associated with a massive earthquake in many places. Job is told directly by Yahweh of his power over the earth when he judges the wicked.

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? (Job 38:13)

Psalm 18 speaks also of this massive event to deliver God's people.

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. (Psalm 18:6-9)

Isaiah gives a lot of detail of this day of judgement in earthquake including what specific things will be affected:

For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? (Isa 2:12-22)

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. (Isa 13:9-13)

And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.(Isa 24:18-23)

Ezekiel gives another slant with more detail.

And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 38:18-23)

Haggai also speaks of this day that is spoken of in Psalm 46, where the faithful are not to fear.

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. (Hag 2:6-9)

Lastly Christ, the descendant of King David, also speaks of the day of great shaking.

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:25-27)

Psalm 46 continues in verse 3.

(3) Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

When the waters break forth from the mountain they would roar, or it may speak of the political 'waters' of nations and the political 'mountians' of great nations.

Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered: (Jeremiah 51:55)

But the next verse indicates that the waters rushing may be literal, as a spring breaks forth as the mount of Olives moves.

(4) There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

This matches perfectly with what Zechariah says would happen after the earthquake, as the Mt of Olives moves.

And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. (Zechariah 14:8)

The Psalm continues having located its epicentre at Jerusalem, the city of God.

(5) God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

As a result of God helping Jerusalem, the people of the nations become livid with rage (probably more intensely than the obvious rage over Trump) .

(6) The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

This is further detailed in Psalm 2

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
(Psa 2:1-7)

The nations will see the earth move yet still oppose the king who comes to save the Jewish people at Jerusalem. But they will not succeed as:

(7) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

The Jewish people then understand that Yahweh is with them, and finally Yahweh Elohim will again dwell with his people, who have been redeemed out of all nations,

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3)

(8) Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.(Proverbs 3:25)

This event is explained in Revelation on the Judgement on false Christianity and the city of Rome who inherited the culture and empire of Babylon,

Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
“saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. (Revelation 18: 10,16-20)

After a great quake and desolations, there is yet more to achieve, as God will then cause all wars to cease. After the quake Zechairah says that the enemies of Jerusalem turn on each other in warfare. This is not hard to imagine as we see already an uncomfortable alliance of Islam with Atheism. It seems that the desolations wreaked may well be augmented by people rising up against each other after the earthquake and desolations, to achieve advantage, but this is to stop, as verse 9 shows.

(9) He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

More detail is given by Isaiah.

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. (Isaiah 2:1-5)

Also Micah adds to the picture of events,

He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.(Micah 4:3-5)

(10) Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

As in the days of Moses when the glory was seen by the leading superpower and known in the whole civilised world.

Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.(Exodus 14:13-14)

(11) The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

The hope of Yahweh Elohim being and dwelling with us is echoed in King Solomon's Prayer

The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: That he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which he commanded our fathers. And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. (1Kings 8:57-60)

Yahweh Elohim replies to Solomon,

“I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.” (1Kings 6:13)<

When Yahweh of Host is with us, then it will be as Moses prayed: we will see the Glory.

Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. (Exodus 33:12-19)

Moses was told by Yahweh,

“I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.” (Exodus 29:45)

Moses blessing speaks of the refuge given to the people of Yahweh Elohim- the refuge of the deliverance spoken of in psalm 46!

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places. (Deuteronomy 33:27-29)

These ideas are dealt with also here L'Aquila Earthquake

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