They are not very encouraging words this Monday, October 24, 2011, a day after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck and killed almost 300 people:

“The search for survivors had continued through the night, with some successes, but officials acknowledged they were powerless to prevent a steep rise in the death toll after Sunday afternoon’s earthquake—the biggest to rock the country in more than a decade.

“The prime minister’s emergency agency, AFAD, said at least 279 people had been confirmed dead and a further 1,300 were injured across the region. Thousands more were left homeless amid bitter winter temperatures. The quake damaged at least 2,262 buildings, with Van city and the Ercis district the worst affected, AFAD said.

“Over 3,000 rescue personnel were assisting the region’s search and rescue efforts with the help of medical teams, search dogs and military aircraft to shuttle supplies to the affected regions. But widespread power outages were hampering their response.” [1]

Heroic efforts by more than 2,000 teams are being made in the frantic search for survivors. Nearby countries have offered assistance but have been told they are not needed right now. Some of the stories are heart-wrenching. Parents sitting outside by fires in the cold temperatures sobbing over lost family members. Other stories are hopeful.

“Yalcin Akay was dug out from a collapsed six-story building with a leg injury after he called a police emergency line on his phone and described his location, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. Three others, including two children, were also rescued from the same building in Ercis some 20 hours after the quake struck, officials said.” [2]

The Bible predicts that one of the signs of Christ’s soon coming is earthquakes. “And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7 NKJV). Perhaps we have become hardened to this passage because we’ve seen so many stories in the news that these tragedies become almost incidental. But to the people crying and searching for lost friends, the earth-shaking disasters are life-changing.

When you suffer tragedy, what happens to your hope? Is it strengthened, or does it crack under the strains of loss? Do you find yourself asking, “Why God?” or do you have a peace that God loves you and there is a purpose to life? Do you have a friend asking these questions?

The Bible predicts, “then the end will come” (v. 14). Is your heart ready? Do you have even “faint” hope?

If you have not attended one of our prophecy seminars, now is the time to consider visiting one of these upcoming meetings in your local area. Our presenters are genuinely interested in sharing what the Bible teaches about the end times. God does not leave us on shaky ground. There is hope.

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[1] http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/24/rescuers-pull-survivors-from-rubble-after-72-magnitude-quake-hits-turkey/
[2] http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2097597,00.html