This is a continuation of a synopsis of Matthew 24, addressing each sign Jesus spoke of, that would mark the nearness of His return in the last days.  The fifth sign is found in Matthew 24:7, "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places."  The first three signs mentioned in this verse have already been addressed on previous posts.  Today, we will take a look at our history of earthquakes to determine what the pattern has been and what the status of earthquakes is today:

 This graph reflects the number of earthquakes of 6.0 magnitudes and greater throughout the world from 1973 through October 2011.  This data was gathered and compiled by dlindquist.com from USGS (United States Geographical Survey) data. 

Source:  www.dlundquist.com
 
 Regardless of whether you look at the graph for all earthquakes throughout the world, or break the graphs down to view only 1.0 through 8.0 quakes individually by magnitude, no matter which graph you look at, they all spike drastically upwards in the 2000s; which ironically marks the end of about 6,000 years of man's reign on the earth, and we are entering the 7,000th (sabbatical) year, during which Bible theologians anticipate Christ's return to reign on earth for 1,000 years.  The Word of God tells us, "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" 2 Peter 3:8.  Jesus said no one knows the day or the hour of His return (Matthew 24:36), but if we knew exactly how many years have transpired since the creation of Adam, I venture to say that we might be able to know the year of the Lord's return; because according to God's law, seven days, seven years, or seven thousand years, all sabbatical and times of rest.  The Lord's return is very near.  We can determine this by the signs Jesus spoke of and we should also know that we are at the cusp of a sabbatical mellinium.  We will only have one opportunity to get ready for the return of Jesus and watch for His arrival; there will be no more opportunities after the event.  Are you ready?  If not, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page of this website.  Let's remember, Jesus said, "Blessed are those servants who the Lord will find watching when He comes..." Luke 12:37.  Tomorrow, God willing, we will continue with the sixth sign in Matthew 24.  God bless you.