Only One Way
But there is only one way to achieve that wonderful world tomorrow. That way is through obedience to God's laws. But the world does not want to obey God's laws. Yet God, knowing the world must turn to Him to obey Him and keep His laws and regulations in order to be happy, is going to FORCE this world to acknowledge Him and serve Him — FOR ITS OWN GOOD.
Human beings — filled with their own stubborn nature — do not turn easily. Asking, pleading, begging is not enough. Man's carnal (meaning human, physical) nature naturally turns away from God and His ways. The Word of God says: "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7).
Yet being subject to God's laws is the ONLY WAY man can ultimately find the peace, happiness and abundance he seeks for and cannot hold.
Therefore God has only one alternative and that is to FORCE mankind to turn from his own way and to turn to God in order to FIND that God's way is the good and right way.
God has given man 6000 years of human history on this earth to try out his own human way and to record a bizarre history of every conceivable evil, misery, debauch, lawlessness, perversion and wanton destruction. That is indeed the recorded history of man on earth.
Those 6000 years are nearly up. Man is living in the last few fleeting moments of this earth's present history. This is so graphically portrayed by the existence NOW on earth of the potential to wipe out all human life in the space of a heartbeat.
God will soon intervene to save mankind from himself — to save him from total annihilation.
Tremendous events are soon to occur which will stop man from going his own way. The disciples of Jesus Christ asked Him what would happen in the end of the age when He would again return to this earth (Mat. 24:3). Jesus told them there would be a time of many wars and rumors of war. He said famines would increase and that there would be disease epidemics. These things are certainly beginning to be fulfilled in our days.
He also told them there would be earthquakes in various places (see Mat. 24:4-7). Yes, earthquakes are going to play a major part in jarring mankind into acknowledging their God.
Those same days are described in Luke 21:25-26: "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."
With giant earthquakes often come the accompanying TSUNAMI waves — a Japanese term for tidal waves. These seismic waves, created in the sea, can travel at fantastic rates of speed — often over five hundred miles per hour! Striking land, they devastate coastal areas often miles inland. Such waves took many lives during the 1960 Chilean quake.
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But earthquakes can happen ANYWHERE! Although some eighty percent of all quakes occur in the "belt" — no area is immune.
Below is a summary of SOME of the MAJOR EARTHQUAKES which have occurred in the last seven years! Note the corresponding numbers on the map.
They pinpoint the exact area of the quake.
1. MONTANA, U.S.A., Aug. 17, 1959 — One of the largest quakes in U.S.
2. PERU, Jan. 13, 1960 — 60 dead.
3. ALGERIA, Feb. 21, 1960 — 46 dead.
4. AGADIR, MOROCCO, Feb. 29, 1960 — 12,000 dead.
5. IRAN, April 24, 1960 — 2,000 dead.
6. CHILE, May 21-29, 1960 — 5,700 dead, $600 million damage, 450,000 homeless. One tremor, at 9.2 on Richter scale,
strongest ever recorded on modern seismographs.
7. NORTHWESTERN IRAN, Sept. 1, 1962 — 10,000 dead.
8. NORTHWESTERN LIBYA, Feb. 21-22, 1963 — 300 dead. Libya's worst in centuries.
9. SKOPJE, YUGOSLAVIA, July 26, 1963 — 1,011 dead. Most of city demolished.
10. ALASKA, March 27, 1964 — 114 dead, $750 million damage, downtown Anchorage leveled.
11. NIIGATA, JAPAN, June, 1964 — 27 dead. Measured 7.7 on Richter scale.
12. CHILE, March 28, 1965 — 400 dead.
13. SANTO TOMAS, EL SALVADOR, May 3, 1965 — 43 dead.
14. MATSUSHIRO, JAPAN — Since August 3, 1965 has experienced over 400,000 earthquake tremors.
15. HOPEH PROVINCE, NORTHERN CHINA, March, 1966 — Three calamitous quakes hit densely populated areas.
No statistics available. Last quake measured 8.3 on Richter scale.
16. UGANDA, March, 1966 — 79 dead. One of worst in recent African history. Registered 7.7 on Richter scale.
17. TASHKENT, SOVIET UNION — April 26-May 10, 1966 — Two major quakes kill 10. Some 28,000 buildings leveled.
Since then some 600 quakes have hit the area — five of them major ones.
18. EASTERN TURKEY, August, 1966 — Some 2,500 people estimated dead. One of the worst earthquakes in history.
Town of 10,000 virtually destroyed.
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Yes, WORLDWIDE Earthquakes
With what is now evident in recent discoveries, this earth has an earthquake potential far beyond anything previously imagined by scientists. Leading seismologists acknowledge something worldwide involving great forces is building up beneath the surface of the earth.
Giant, worldwide earthquakes ARE coming!
Right here in the Los Angeles area we are told we are long overdue for a KILLER QUAKE. Dr. Richter at the California Institute of Technology has expressed concern over the giant stresses building up along the high San Andreas Fault line.
Notice the prophecy of Isaiah 2:17-21: "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 [the possessions men value above God's way). And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the 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 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."
Nothing can be more terrifying than feeling the earth — that solid mass we are so accustomed to having firm and stable under our feet — suddenly heaving and tossing like a windswept sea. With our homes and our familiar buildings crashing around us into shapeless rubble — with our families and loved ones being crushed or swallowed up in a hungry mouth in the earth — with the panic, the chaos and confusion of a "Killer Quake" COMES TERROR AND FEAR — the kind of fear that will wake men up.
But, with the wars, the famines, the plague, the pestilence AND THE TERRIFYING EARTHQUAKES which precedes the return of Christ will come the ultimate realization that God is INDEED GOD. Mankind will go through these terrible times and the lesson will be learned. Men will come to FEAR GOD, and God says: "The fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom" (Ps. 111:10).
Then mankind will begin to obey their God. They will turn from their own evil way to obedience to God's laws and they will learn the way of happiness, peace and joy. God will send His own son Jesus Christ to become King over all the earth. He will establish that wonderful world tomorrow.
Micah, a prophet of God, foretold that day: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
"And 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" (Micah 4:1-4).
Isaiah says of that time ahead: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. And they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:6-9).
Just before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, the most powerful and Mighty earthquake ever to strike this earth in the history of man will occur. Islands will disappear, great cities will fall, the earth will be crushed under the impact. It is mentioned in Revelation 16:18, ". . . and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great."
There can be no doubt the part earthquakes will play in the near future! The "killer quakes" which now - stalk the earth are mere forerunners and symptoms of a FAR GREATER FORCE TO BE UNLEASHED soon!
To the people of God who serve Him and obey Him NOW, God promises Supernatural protection from this terrible time ahead. God's people will see the beginnings of these things but will be afforded a means of escape and safety provided by an Almighty, All-Powerful God.
God says to His people: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape ALL these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).
You CAN escape!
You can be spared!
If you will turn to God with all your heart in obedience to Him, not following the ways of this world, you can escape. You will be protected in the day He arises to SHAKE TERRIBLY THE EARTH. You will then be His son to be a ruler and governor with Him to help usher in that happy world tomorrow (Rev. 20:6).