the PROPHECIES

In Matthew 24:7-8, Jesus Christ prophesied of the mark, the signs of time before his return: "For the nation is against a nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom. And there are famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places ....

We have undoubtedly the most devastating earthquakes in recent years. The December 2004 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia is the strongest in decades, triggered a giant tsunami had some 30,0000 lives. Last month an earthquake in South Asia has killed another 30,000.

In Matthew 24:7, the Greek word translated "earthquake" is seismos, where this English words such as "Seismology," based on the study of earthquakes. Strong lexicon defines as "a commotion, ie (air) Windstoss, (bottom) an earthquake earthquakes, storms" (Strong No. 4578).

Seismos has a broader sense that it is the earth moves. Matthew 8 documents, such as a severe thunderstorm about Jesus and his disciples on the Sea of Galilee, threatened their vessel to capsize and drown, until it is a miracle that Jesus calms the winds and waves.

The word, in verse 24 of this strong storm is seismos, here means "storm". We see that seismos may also refer to violent storms, and not only in earthquakes. If Jesus prophesied "famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places," His words, natural disasters, from earthquakes, but can also be applied to hurricanes, tornadoes and other storms cause of death.