Four major earthquakes struck three regions of the world within hours of one another on Wednesday, leaving devastation in Venezuela, shaking Japan and rattling Northern California. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the events included a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Venezuela, followed less than a minute later by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake off Japan’s northeast coast, and a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in Northern California.
The earthquakes unfolded thousands of miles apart and occurred in separate tectonic settings. Seismologists have found no evidence that the events were causally connected.
At the same time, the extraordinary concentration of major earthquakes in various places around the world inevitably draws us back to the words Jesus spoke nearly 2,000 years ago.
Four major earthquakes in one day
The day’s most destructive earthquakes struck Venezuela.
The USGS recorded an initial magnitude 7.2 earthquake approximately 100 miles west of Caracas. Thirty-nine seconds later, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck nearly the same region, leveling buildings and triggering widespread rescue operations.
Reuters reported, “Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people and injuring 700 after dozens of buildings collapsed into piles of shattered concrete and steel in and around the capital Caracas.”
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Across the Pacific, the USGS measured a magnitude 6.9 earthquake off Japan’s northeast coast near Iwate Prefecture. Japan’s Meteorological Agency later revised its own estimate to magnitude 7.2, though the USGS continued to list the event as a 6.9. Authorities reported no destructive tsunami, no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities and no immediate reports of major damage.
Reuters reported, “An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck Japan’s northeast coast on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, no injuries were immediately reported and no irregularities were found at nuclear facilities, the authorities said.”
The fourth significant earthquake struck Northern California, where the USGS measured a magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Potter Valley in Mendocino County. The quake triggered ShakeAlert notifications across much of Northern California, produced numerous aftershocks and caused localized damage.
The beginning of birth pains
The USGS has repeatedly stated there is no verified long-term increase in the total number of earthquakes worldwide.
Yet the past two years have brought a succession of devastating, high-profile earthquakes that have shaken nations and dominated headlines worldwide.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 24 were never centered on a single statistic. They painted the picture of a world marked by converging signs—wars, famines, pestilences and “earthquakes in various places”—that would precede His return.
Speaking about the signs preceding His return, Jesus said:
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, epidemics, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. — Matthew 24:7-8 (MEV)
Jesus did not point to earthquakes alone. He spoke of wars, famines, pestilences, deception, persecution and earthquakes together. He called them “the beginning of birth pains.”
Birth pains do not describe a single contraction. They describe a process that moves toward a culmination. That is why we have long understood Jesus’ illustration to portray an increasingly turbulent world as history moves toward His return.
That does not mean every individual category must rise in a perfectly straight line or that every year must break the previous year’s record. It means we watch the whole picture Jesus painted.
Today, wars dominate headlines. Israel remains at the center of global attention. Deception has become commonplace. Lawlessness continues to spread. Natural disasters repeatedly capture the world’s attention. The Gospel is advancing into places that previous generations could scarcely have imagined through modern technology.
One earthquake does not prove anything. One war does not prove anything. One famine does not prove anything.
Jesus told us to watch all these things together.
Wednesday’s earthquakes stand as another reminder that His words remain as relevant today as the day He spoke them. They call us, not to fear, but to readiness. Scripture repeatedly reminds us that our hope is not found in reading headlines alone but in trusting the One who declared the end from the beginning.
As the world grows increasingly uncertain, Jesus’ command to remain watchful becomes increasingly urgent. Our calling has not changed. We are to proclaim the Gospel, occupy until He comes, and live each day expecting the return of our King.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
